BattleTech Core Rulebook

Power up your fusion reactor, monitor your heat scale, and unleash devastating particle projection cannon fire across the war-torn battlefields of the 31st century.

BattleTech: Total Warfare is the definitive, 312-page core rulebook for the legendary armored combat miniatures game published by Catalyst Game Labs. Unifying decades of tabletop evolution into a single comprehensive manual, this hardcover compendium serves as the standard rules engine for fielding BattleMechs, armored combat vehicles, aerospace fighters, infantry, and proto-mechs on hex-grid battlefields across the Inner Sphere and the Clan Homeworlds.

The book moves players beyond introductory quick-start rules, presenting the full tactical depth that has defined the system since 1984. It integrates every branch of warfare into a unified turn structure—covering initiative, movement, heat dissipation, and hit-location damage tracking. Whether orchestrating a lone duel between two heavy 'Mechs in dense urban ruins or coordinating a combined-arms planetary assault featuring hovering gunships and battle-armored infantry, Total Warfare provides the authoritative mechanics, line-of-sight guidelines, and comprehensive combat tables needed to run any tactical engagement.

Culinary Themes and Regional Delicacies:

• Unified Combined Arms Combat: Seamless integration of rules for BattleMechs, conventional armor, VTOLs, combat infantry, battle armor, and aerospace support on the same map.
• Granular Damage & Component Tracking: Authentic tracking mechanics where armor ablates section-by-section, critical hits disable gyros or engine shielding, and ammo bins risk catastrophic detonation.
• Heat Management Systems: High-stakes tactical decisions where weapon volleys and jump-jet burns generate heat, risking reduced movement speed, targeting penalties, and reactor shutdown.
• Environmental & Terrain Dynamics: Detailed rules for line of sight, elevation, water submersion, urban building destruction, smoke cover, and wildfires.

Book Contents:

• 312-Page Full-Color Hardcover Core Rulebook
• Complete Tactical Movement, Combat, and Heat Rules
• Full Integration Framework for Combined Arms Forces
• Extensive Tables for Hit Locations, Cluster Hits, and Weapon Statistics
• Visual Diagrams Demonstrating Hex Movement, Firing Arcs, and Line of Sight

Book Information:

Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
Format: Hardcover
Game System: Tabletop Hex-Grid Miniature Skirmish Wargame
Age Range: 14+
Primary Genre: Military Science Fiction / Mecha Wargaming Strategy