Maximum Tech

Realism isn't necessarily a good thing in a game, whether it's a role-playing game or miniatures wargaming, depending on the Game Master and the players involved. The amount of detail in a game is part of that realism, and the Battletech Master Rules often sacrifice detail for playability and smoothness.

No longer. Maximum Tech is a Level Three rules supplement, meaning that it's beyond the level and scope of most games - including most tournament games - and its contents are entirely based around adding more detail and general ambience to the Battletech arena.

The Good Stuff

Maximum Tech contains detail - a lot of it. It includes rules on everything from icy terrain to non-'Mech vehicle movement, from special dueling rules to fractional costs for 'Mech equipment. The artwork is nicely topical - I enjoy John Paul Lona's work, and was glad to see it sprinkled liberally throughout the book. Similarly, the writing manages to be both informative and actually fun to read.

One of the rules I especially liked was the improved Line of Sight listing. The Battletech Master Rules have a 'Mech in a hill's dead zone - that is, blocked to things atop the hill - only if it's in an adjacent hex. The improved rules involve the height of the sighting 'Mech, the height of the sighted 'Mech, the height of the hill, and so on. It involves a lot of scratch paper, but it solves a problem I've had with Battletech since I started playing - and it's a good example of the kind of thought and detail that the folks at FASA put into this book.

The Bad Stuff

On the other hand, there are gamers who don't want so much detail in their games - and if you're playing against someone using the Maximum Tech rules when you're not familiar with them, the advanced rules lead to several major loopholes (fractional equipment weights, for example, can allow you to cram a lot more onto a 'Mech than would normally be possible). Also, there's not a whole lot of flavor text in the book; it's mostly rules and modifications, and if you require vignettes and the like to maintain your interest in a book, then you'll lose interest in Maximum Tech fairly quickly.

The Verdict

If you like realism and detail in a game, and don't mind reading through pages of unrelenting rules, then Maximum Tech is a book to pick up. Even if you're not a Battletech player, it provides interesting ways to think about arranging your next game - miniatures or RPG.

On the other hand, if you pride yourself on the simplicity of your games, or need anecdotes and flavor in a book in order to survive reading it, then Level Three Battletech probably isn't your bag, baby.