
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,049
- BGG rating
- 8.2
BattleTech Compendium: The Rules of Warfare
- 2–6 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 1994
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Rules assistance for BattleTech: Hot Spots
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
BattleTech: Hot Spots is an expansion for BattleSpace: The BattleTech Game of Space Combat released in 1993 for 2–6 players and 120 minutes per game. It was designed by Scott Jenkins and Chris Hussey and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Role Playing.
From the back of the first volume: Hot Spots... Location: ...The Inner Sphere and beyond Type of Action: ...Dangerous, maybe dirty Pay Rates: ...What can you negotiate? "The only thing worse than a Merc without a 'Mech is having a 'Mech and no contract!" - David "Ace" Blaketooth Freelance Mercenary Hot Spots gives you the contracts that you can use in the creation of your own custom campaigns. Sixty-four reproducible contracts are included for all sizes of units, from Special Forces to Battalions. Hot Spots also includes a Game-Master's book, providing help with customizing your campaign as well as information on the current political background of the Inner Sphere, and the real stories behind the contracts. Hot Spots is for use with BattleTech, BattleSpace, BattleTroops, BattleForce and MechWarrior, Second Edition. Hot Spots. Now you have what it really takes. User comment: This expansion is rather unusual for BattleTech, in that it's not a full box-set pattern expansion like BattleForce, but it consists of two volumes, rather than just one. This was entirely deliberate, as this expansion is for use across most of the BattleTech game systems of the time, which included Mechwarrior: Second Edition. The first volume of the book is intended for the Gamesmaster, and contains information on creating contracts and campaigns for mercenary units; the second volume contains actual mock-up contracts that relate to scenarios in the first volume, and is intended to be handed over to the group when they're shopping for contracts. Hot Spots is more than a simple aid for MechWarrior, though; it's littered with detail suitable for constructing gaming campaigns around, and contains a very useful guide to generating various kinds of raiding party or garrison force. This is particularly useful for generating games based on unit details from sourcebooks such as the five assorted House Books, the Guide to the Periphery and the like. Although it was released seperately, this is very much a companion expansion for BattleTech: The Mercenary's Handbook, and was released the same year.
BattleTech: Hot Spots supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for BattleTech: Hot Spots is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
BattleTech: Hot Spots belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Role Playing. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of BattleTech: Hot Spots are: Scott Jenkins and Chris Hussey. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists BattleTech: Hot Spots as an expansion for BattleSpace: The BattleTech Game of Space Combat. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need BattleSpace: The BattleTech Game of Space Combat to use it. Check that your edition of BattleSpace: The BattleTech Game of Space Combat is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.