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[Parsely]

Overall I don't think Battletech's universe is really that interesting, especially if you've already experienced 40k which has a lot of the same themes except heightened. I revisited some of the books and most of them were pretty terrible, even the Jade Falcon trilogy wasn't really as good as I remember it. Are there any Battletech books people can recommend that aren't extremely plodding and don't start with 100 pages of meaningless backstory and politics before we actually get to anything remotely interesting (this was the strong point of the Jade Falcon trilogy, there was actually ACTION to break up the politics)?

[Sanctume]

Overall I don't think Battletech's universe is really that interesting, especially if you've already experienced 40k which has a lot of the same themes except heightened. I revisited some of the books and most of them were pretty terrible, even the Jade Falcon trilogy wasn't really as good as I remember it. Are there any Battletech books people can recommend that aren't extremely plodding and don't start with 100 pages of meaningless backstory and politics before we actually get to anything remotely interesting (this was the strong point of the Jade Falcon trilogy, there was actually ACTION to break up the politics)?

It's just a dose of nostalgia.  I kept my old books, but there is little incentive to re-read them.  I have a tool box of miniatures, and I spent less than 5 minutes looking at them before I store them back in the garage.

[Parsely]

Also, if you guys like combined arms mech combat and actually interesting politics, go watch the anime Dougram. The entire show is on YouTube and it's really excellent. The focus is on mechs but much like Front Mission, VOTOMS, or Patlabor, other armored vehicles, helicopters and infantry are actually a threat to the mechs and the pilots have to stay on point and work together with their own support units to survive.

[Dostoevsky]

Every time someone mentions Mercs I pine for my Shadowcat.  Battletech is literally the only other game I've played in the universe and it does not have my favorite mech of all time.

I was going to take the opportunity to plug RogueTech, a massive overhaul/mod that bumps the timeline up and adds loads of newer tech and clantech, but turns out the Shadowcat hasn't been added yet.

Regardless, there are other clan mechs and really wide variety to the mod, along with numerous difficulty modifiers. Not a canon experience, but I'm a big fan of it (with the difficulty tuned down, and using planet skull modifiers instead of lance skulls).

[umiman]

Overall I don't think Battletech's universe is really that interesting, especially if you've already experienced 40k which has a lot of the same themes except heightened. I revisited some of the books and most of them were pretty terrible, even the Jade Falcon trilogy wasn't really as good as I remember it. Are there any Battletech books people can recommend that aren't extremely plodding and don't start with 100 pages of meaningless backstory and politics before we actually get to anything remotely interesting (this was the strong point of the Jade Falcon trilogy, there was actually ACTION to break up the politics)?

Hmm...

I also agree that it isn't as compelling or even remotely as interesting as 40k.

I wonder if the reason is because 40k is so ridiculously outlandish that it's just interesting due to how insane everything is. Whereas Battletech is just cool stompy robots shrouded in a thin layer of normal human politics.

[Sanctume]

Overall I don't think Battletech's universe is really that interesting, especially if you've already experienced 40k which has a lot of the same themes except heightened. I revisited some of the books and most of them were pretty terrible, even the Jade Falcon trilogy wasn't really as good as I remember it. Are there any Battletech books people can recommend that aren't extremely plodding and don't start with 100 pages of meaningless backstory and politics before we actually get to anything remotely interesting (this was the strong point of the Jade Falcon trilogy, there was actually ACTION to break up the politics)?

Hmm...

I also agree that it isn't as compelling or even remotely as interesting as 40k.

I wonder if the reason is because 40k is so ridiculously outlandish that it's just interesting due to how insane everything is. Whereas Battletech is just cool stompy robots shrouded in a thin layer of normal human politics.

Classic Battle Tech was published by FASA in the 80s, started as a table-top board game with cardboard pieces, then eventually miniatures.  The story and books supplemental came after and into the 90s.
It involves big robots mostly sci-fi.

Warhammer 40k is a miniature wargame, and a mixture of sci-fi and fantasy.  It spawned more spin-off so there is more of a multi-verse story arcs compared to BT's Inner Sphere to Clan warfare pigeon hole.

[Furtuka]

Also, if you guys like combined arms mech combat and actually interesting politics, go watch the anime Dougram. The entire show is on YouTube and it's really excellent. The focus is on mechs but much like Front Mission, VOTOMS, or Patlabor, other armored vehicles, helicopters and infantry are actually a threat to the mechs and the pilots have to stay on point and work together with their own support units to survive.

Also its one of the places the unseen were sourced from *cough cough*

[Egan_BW]

I haven't seen much Battletech lore, but it seems interesting in a different way than 40K is. Because 40K has very little normal human politics to space out all the superhumans and overpowered aliens and gothic architecture. Battletech is a little more futurist and relatable.

I know that 40K's universe is supposed to have things like that, but they're far, far from the spotlight compared to grimdark big men with gyrojet guns.

[Flying Dice]

I haven't seen much Battletech lore, but it seems interesting in a different way than 40K is. Because 40K has very little normal human politics to space out all the superhumans and overpowered aliens and gothic architecture. Battletech is a little more futurist and relatable.

I know that 40K's universe is supposed to have things like that, but they're far, far from the spotlight compared to grimdark big men with gyrojet guns.

*cough*elementals*cough*

Overall I don't think Battletech's universe is really that interesting, especially if you've already experienced 40k which has a lot of the same themes except heightened. I revisited some of the books and most of them were pretty terrible, even the Jade Falcon trilogy wasn't really as good as I remember it. Are there any Battletech books people can recommend that aren't extremely plodding and don't start with 100 pages of meaningless backstory and politics before we actually get to anything remotely interesting (this was the strong point of the Jade Falcon trilogy, there was actually ACTION to break up the politics)?

Hmm...

I also agree that it isn't as compelling or even remotely as interesting as 40k.

I wonder if the reason is because 40k is so ridiculously outlandish that it's just interesting due to how insane everything is. Whereas Battletech is just cool stompy robots shrouded in a thin layer of normal human politics.

You need to get into more BTech lore. A lot of the details are completely bugfuck. Like Melissa Steiner being assassinated with potted plants. Or that entire section of history driven by the evil clone podpeople.

[Egan_BW]

I haven't seen much Battletech lore, but it seems interesting in a different way than 40K is. Because 40K has very little normal human politics to space out all the superhumans and overpowered aliens and gothic architecture. Battletech is a little more futurist and relatable.

I know that 40K's universe is supposed to have things like that, but they're far, far from the spotlight compared to grimdark big men with gyrojet guns.

*cough*elementals*cough*

Are elementals all bald men who look perpetually grumpy and exclusively stomp around brown or grey wor-torn wastelands, screaming the same five battle cries repeatedly and not saying anything else?

If not, they're better than the majority of 40k material.

[Parsely]

I also agree that it isn't as compelling or even remotely as interesting as 40k.

A lot of the 40k books have the same problems as the Battletech books. I can't really enjoy 40k because it's so stupid yet often is played completely straight by writers. Definitely more fun to roleplay than Battletech though because everyone can play into the stupid 40k tropes and laugh at how ridiculous it all is. It's very accessible compared to Battletech.

[A Thing]

I haven't seen much Battletech lore, but it seems interesting in a different way than 40K is. Because 40K has very little normal human politics to space out all the superhumans and overpowered aliens and gothic architecture. Battletech is a little more futurist and relatable.

I know that 40K's universe is supposed to have things like that, but they're far, far from the spotlight compared to grimdark big men with gyrojet guns.

*cough*elementals*cough*

Are elementals all bald men who look perpetually grumpy and exclusively stomp around brown or grey wor-torn wastelands, screaming the same five battle cries repeatedly and not saying anything else?

If not, they're better than the majority of 40k material.

They look like something like this.

[umiman]

I also agree that it isn't as compelling or even remotely as interesting as 40k.

A lot of the 40k books have the same problems as the Battletech books. I can't really enjoy 40k because it's so stupid yet often is played completely straight by writers. Definitely more fun to roleplay than Battletech though because everyone can play into the stupid 40k tropes and laugh at how ridiculous it all is. It's very accessible compared to Battletech.

Yeah there is that. Very few actual novels and such of 40k are actually good.

But just the lore and such is compelling I think. So yeah, more accessible because it's just "hungry big alien" except 100000x the everything. Or "aloof elf" except 1000000x more aloof.

[ChairmanPoo]

Possibly less bland?  I have little interest in Btech lore because it feels so bland.  I kind of play with my own revelation-spaceish headcanon tbh.

[Retropunch]

I'm not a die-hard fan of either w40k or Battletech, however I do prefer the w40k books as they tend to sort of...understand what it is. You pick up a space marine book, and it's about space marines destroying the xeno filth (and occasionally each other). That's pretty much all there is to it - and that's almost refreshing in a way. 

The Battletech books (of the few I've read) seem to over-reach and start doing all sorts of political stuff that isn't about big robots shooting each other. It's not that it can't have more overarching elements, or a deep plot, but I often found that BT would just go off on all sorts of random tangents about politics and the origins of house this and that for more than it did the actual robots fighting each other bit.