Everything You Need To Know About Harebrained Schemes’ BattleTech Kickstarter [Updated]

If you love Shadowrun and the Mechwarrior: Mercenaries games, you may be interested in this one.

As we foretold, Harebrained Schemes BattleTech Kickstarter is up and promising a new turn based strategy/RPG hybrid game set in the BattleTech universe. You may be wondering exactly what game you’ll be getting… or if that game is worth backing in the first place. Let’s take a look!

What kind of game is Harebrained Studios promising?

A single player (with a possible PvP element) turn based tactical mech combat game steeped in the futuristic feudal world of the BattleTech universe. If you like the political machinations in Dune or Game of Thrones but really wished all the action involved giant robots shooting/beating the wiring out of each other… this will definitely scratch that itch.

Why Kickstarter? How will funding the game early improve the experience?

We understand if you’ve been burned before with crowd funding. It’s always a gamble every time you back a project. So, it’s worth saying that for the most part Harebrained Schemes has always delivered the products they’ve promised on time to strong critical praise. So… you’re money will be pretty safe.

That said, at the moment BattleTech is merely a skirmish game lacking a true single player campaign. It is, in essence, a PC version of the table top game. However, at the 1 million dollar mark will allow the devs to create a single player story game that puts you in command of a mercenary outfit, taking missions, getting paid, and using that money to grow your operation. The $1.85 million mark unlocks an expanded single player campaign, adding intrigue and politics  as you navigate through the world of the duplicitous houses of the Inner Sphere.

Long time fans will be thrilled to hear that the $2.5 million stretch goal unlocks the gladiatorial mech arenas of Solaris VII. The area will act as a PvP center and the devs are promising Tournaments and Leagues to back it up.

How much do I need to pledge to get the game?

$25 will get you the base game, but $35 will land you the soundtrack and an art book. $50 guarantees you access to the beta and a special variant of the Atlas assault mech. From there, the rewards rise in extravagance, culminating in having you consult with BattleTech legend Michael A. Stackpole in order to create your own unique character in his brand new BattleTech e-novella.

What mechs will be in the game?

The game’s era from the lore is 3025, so don’t expect anything past that point. The kickstarter says there will be “over twenty five”  mechs to choose from. At the moment, the stable includes the Atlas, Catapult, Locust, Griffin, King Crab among others.

Will there be a mechlab?

It appears so:

What is the kickstarter at?

[UPDATE: 10/16/2015] The kickstarter is currently at $1.78 million, only a little more than $70K away from the “Expanded Mercenary” single player campaign. After that, a new tier of stretch goals will open up that will allow for a more in depth version of that experience. If you’re interested in contributing or want more info, check out the official kickstarter page here.