MechWarrior: Dark Age Collectable Miniatures Game

MechWarrior: Dark Age (typically abbreviated MW:DA or simply MWDA, and retitled as Age of Destruction, MW:AoD, for its second major expansion) was a new tabletop miniatures wargame by WizKids that was set in the BattleTech universe. It was the successor of BattleTech after a fashion, though the classic BattleTech boardgame (CBT) wound up outliving MWDA. Released in 2002, this new game was a new approach to the BattleTech universe.

With its first plot-driving novel set in 3132, MWDA was set loosely a century in the future of the year 3067 where the classic BattleTech line had left off at the conclusion of the Civil War era. The MWDA plotlines made reference to a highly devastating "Jihad" era that had shaken the universe and set up the MWDA setting, but gave relatively little detailed information.

The original boardgame was meanwhile rebranded "Classic BattleTech" and the license went to FanPro with the caveat that they could not advance the timeline beyond 3067, so as to not create canon inconsistencies with the future as described in MWDA novels and sourcebooks. Also, FanPro renamed the MechWarrior RPG series to prevent confusion with the new game, reprinting MechWarrior, Third Edition as Classic BattleTech RPG (and later A Time of War for the Fourth edition). The classic BattleTech line would outlive MWDA and evolve its timeline through the Jihad well into, and beyond, the MWDA setting in the thirty-second century, creating one single connected history for the BattleTech gaming universe.

MWDA came with its own, all new line of novels, sourcebooks, and an in-character website. Although extremely successful in its time, MWDA was discontinued in 2008 after WizKids had been sold to the Topps company.

Overview

MWDA was based on WizKids' Clix system that tracks damage and other stats on dials in the base of the playing pieces. The miniatures were prepainted models of infantry squads, battle armor, vehicles, and 'Mechs. Unlike classic BattleTech, it was meant to be played on hexless terrain from the onset.

The game was mainly purchased in blind booster packs (similar to Magic: The Gathering), but prepackaged "Action Packs" also existed with units gathered around a common theme. Outside of direct purchasing, trade is the most common option for acquiring figures, followed by purchases on online auction sites. There are units that were only acquired through trade or send-aways, such as the Battleforces and the Designer Series 'Mechs and pilots.

Setting

Upon its release, the MWDA timeline was set in the future of the classic BattleTech timeline, in what was then called the Dark Age era. A cataclysmic but only tenuously described Jihad era that had ravaged the Inner Sphere and upset the setting was mentioned as part of the background for MWDA. This gap in the timeline would eventually be filled out by the ongoing classic BattleTech timeline and new novels even after MWDA was discontinued.

A new Successor State, the Republic of the Sphere, had formed around Terra, House Marik's Free Worlds League had fractured, and a number of high-profile irregular units or mercenary units closely associated with one of the Successor States were available in lieu of the old Houses proper. As of MechWarrior: Age of Destruction, many of the older factions had been absorbed into their larger "parent" Houses or Clans. Designated factions included:

• The Republic of the Sphere
• Highlanders (later absorbed by the Republic of the Sphere)
• Bannson's Raiders (later allied with House Liao, then rebelled against them)
• Dragon's Fury (later absorbed by House Kurita)
• Swordsworn (later absorbed by House Davion)
• Stormhammers (later absorbed by House Steiner)
• Steel Wolves (later disbanded; some members became the core of the Wolf Hunters)
• Spirit Cats (later absorbed by Clan Nova Cat)
• House Liao
• House Steiner
• House Kurita
• House Davion
• Clan Jade Falcon
• Clan Nova Cat
• Clan Sea Fox
• Clan Wolf
• Rasalhague Dominion
• Wolf Hunters
• ComStar

In addition, independent mercenary units were also present in the game; these units were represented by figures with no affiliation on their base.

Game History

Over time, the factions acquired their own particular style of play. For example, the repair ability of the Bannson's Raiders units lend themselves to quick strikes followed by a retreat.

Three factions (House Liao, Clan Jade Falcon, and Clan Sea Fox) have inherent abilities not stated on their figures. Examples of these abilities include improved damage to elite or novice enemies, better targeting through forests, improved jumping attacks, or gaining the ability to deprive an enemy player of an order. This concept was extended in later expansions by the addition of faction pride cards and special pilot abilities. Starting in January 2006, the faction abilities for House Liao, Clan Jade Falcon, and Clan Sea Fox were replaced with faction pride cards.

One of the most interesting aspects of MechWarrior: Dark Age is its relation to the Classic BattleTech game. In the first expansions of the game, WizKids tried to make MW:DA a simplified version of BattleTech, with many of the 'Mechs capable of being easily converted to their pen and paper BattleTech equivalents. With the release of Age of Destruction, though, WizKids, starting developing new 'Mechs that were no longer based in the Classic BattleTech conception of a 'Mech and did not conform to classic construction rules. For example, while the Shen Yi of older expansions had a card that assisted in translating it into a Classic BattleTech 'Mech, the new Shiro is not strictly compatible as a Classic BattleTech 'Mech. While many fans of the game applaud the creativity WizKids has in making 'Mechs outside the box, a fair number of fans were very dissatisfied with departure from the traditional rules regarding 'Mech design.

MechWarrior: Age of Destruction

In January 2005, MechWarrior: Age of Destruction was introduced as a game expansion to MechWarrior:Dark Age. This introduced new rules and new mechanics to the game, most notably the pilot and gear data cards. These cards are included with the booster packs, and improve any 'Mech they are attached to. This also introduced Gunslingers, mercenary pilots with preferred 'Mechs that can be "recruited" to all, or most, factions. They have become common prizes at sanctioned tournaments.

The rules also improved 'Mechs compared to Dark Age, giving them the option to both move and attack, and decreased the power of artillery. This encouraged armies to field at least one 'Mech.

MechWarrior: Dark Age units were compatible with the MechWarrior: Age of Destruction, though 'Mechs from MechWarrior: Dark Age lacked the customizability of `Mechs from MechWarrior: Age of Destruction as the earlier models were not produced with customiable dials. WizKids reported from its playtesting that two 'Mechs, one from MechWarrior: Dark Age and one from MechWarrior: Age of Destruction, that share the same point value would generally have similar competitive value.

Products

Starter Sets

• MechWarrior: Dark Age Starter Set (August 2002) - The original set
• MechWarrior: Dark Age Premier Edition (August 2003) - Premier Edition Starter Set of MechWarrior: Dark Age.
• MechWarrior: Age of Destruction Starter Set (January 2005) - Available as a starter pack with revised rules and units.
• MechWarrior: Domination Value Pack (January 2006) - MechWarrior: Age of Destruction Starter Set combined with a MechWarrior: Domination Booster Pack and other items.

Booster Packs

• MechWarrior: Dark Age Booster Pack (August 2002) - Booster pack for MechWarrior: Dark Age.
• MechWarrior: Fire For Effect Booster Pack (February 2003) - Introduction of artillery, transports, and mercenaries.
• MechWarrior: Death From Above Booster Pack (May 2003) - Adds VTOLs and AA defense systems. Republic of the Sphere and Stormhammers introduced as playable factions.
• MechWarrior: Liao Incursion Booster Pack (September 2003) - House Liao becomes playable faction. Introduction of faction abilities.
• MechWarrior: Counterassault Booster Pack (January 2004) - Introduction of positive heat dial modifiers.
• MechWarrior: Falcon's Prey Booster Pack (August 2004) - Last Dark Age set. Clan Jade Falcon introduced as regular faction.
• MechWarrior: Age of Destruction Booster Pack (January 2005) - Booster pack for MechWarrior: Age of Destruction.
• MechWarrior: Firepower Booster Pack (May 2005) - Introduces House Kurita and mail-in offer 'Mechs as part of tie-up with Wizard Entertainment.
• MechWarrior: Annihilation Booster Pack (November 2005) - Introduces Clan Nova Cat; last expansion with Dark Age splinter faction units.
• MechWarrior: Domination Booster Pack (January 2006) - Rasalhague Dominion becomes playable faction, as well as Wolf Hunters. Introduced the "Officer's Club" series of 'Mechs, featuring members of WizKids MechWarrior design team, and purple-colored gear (PPC capacitor, Artemis V fire-control system, coolants, reconnaissance, anti-missile system)
• MechWarrior: Vanguard Booster Pack (May 2006) - RISC gear cards introduced (available in certain Unique 'Mechs only). Last set with mail-in 'Mechs.
  • MechWarrior: Vanguard Call to Arms Kit (May 2006) - a kit for those organizing a MechWarrior: Vanguard Call to Arms event.
• MechWarrior: Wolf Strike Booster Pack (September 2006) - Clan Wolf becomes playable faction. Each booster box now has two 'Mechs, one vehicle, four infantry pieces, two pilot cards, two gear cards, and a random card, including the new "squadron cards." Last set with Officer's Club Mech. Was also infamous for having two Mechs that were never officially released by WizKids because three eBay sellers in Hong Kong auctioned copies of them, sans pilot cards, before their scheduled release. The Vindicated Warwolf was a planned mail-in offer for the novel Wolf Hunters by Kevin Killiany, and the Deception Vixen was slated as a tournament prize. As a result, WizKids has ruled that the two figures are not legal for tournament play.

Battleforce series

In early 2006, WizKids released the Battleforce series, which consists of predetermined sets of 'Mechs painted to represent normal service units from each major faction. They come with pilot cards that depict ranked pilots from the faction.

• MechWarrior: Clan Jade Falcon Battleforce Set (January 2006) - Contains 2 Shrikes, 2 Eyries, and 2 Gyrfalcons, plus pilots.
• MechWarrior: War College Kit (June 2006) - This set was designed for coordinators seetting up a War College event, which ran in July 2006, to help attract new players to the game. Contains ten Atlas and ten Marauder IIC 'Mech and their pilots, plus playmats, rulers and a set of three dice to supply twenty players.
• MechWarrior: Republic of the Sphere Battleforce Set (June 2006) - Contains 2 Malices, 2 Mangonels, and 2 Nyxes, plus pilots.
• MechWarrior: Ares 3-Pack (Debuted at Gen Con 2006; general release September 2006) - This set marked the debut of the Colossus-Class Mechs. The robots and their accompanying gunner, pilot, and engineer cards are named after figures in Greek mythology. Their tripod shape is reminiscent of the alien robots in The War of the Worlds.
• MechWarrior: Poseidon Action Pack (November 2006) - Contains the Ares BattleMech Poseidon and two infantry pieces, plus their cards.

In late 2006, WizKids announced that the blind booster pack format was over for MechWarrior: Age of Destruction and that they would switch to preset faction-specific "Action Packs" for all 2007 releases. The first Action Pack releases are:

• MechWarrior: House Davion Action Pack (May 2007) - Contains 2 Atlas, 2 Templar, and 2 Enforcer III 'Mechs with pilots for House Davion.
• MechWarrior: Champions Volume 1 Action Pack (June 2007) - Containing Ghost, Jupiter, Locust, and Mortis BattleMechs with pilots based on the Top Four fellowship players of the 2006 MechWarrior Fellowship World Championships. A 'Fellowship' in MechWarrior parlance can be loosely described as a sportsmanship award.
• MechWarrior: Champions Volume II Action Pack (July 2007) - Containing Raven, Griffin, Warhammer IIC, and Daishi BattleMechs with pilots based on the top four champion players of the 2006 MechWarrior World Championships.
• MechWarrior: Phantom War Battleforce Set (September 2007) - A product tie-in with the Nintendo DS game MechAssault: Phantom War, the set features units from House Steiner and Clan Hell's Horses. The Steiner side comprises a Raptor, Uziel, and the Unique Atlas "Unsterblich". The Hell's Horses are represented by a Unique Hellbringer (Loki) "Brimstone", a Timber Wolf (Mad Cat); a revived sculpt from the Dark Age sets, but presented as a first model Mad Cat, not a Mad Cat Mk II), and a Kit Fox (Uller).
• MechWarrior: Undead Lance Action Pack (October 2007) - A set of gunslingers that are based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
• MechWarrior: Wolf's Dragoons Gamma Regiment Action Pack (December 2007) - Includes two ’Mechs, three vehicles, and six infantry pieces of different models, plus a set of pilot cards.
• MechWarrior: Wolf's Dragoons Wolf Spiders Action Pack (December 2007) - Includes four heavy 'Mechs (Loki, Mad Cat IV, Vulture IV, and Thor) painted in the colors of the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary unit's Wolf Spiders battalion and their corresponding pilot cards, plus a Jaime Wolf pilot card.

Both the Wolf Spiders and Gamma Regiment sets have pilots with combat abilities that can be used in other 'Mechs. Previous pilot abilities were only activated in the pilot's preferred Mech, due to the familiarity with the machine.

Solaris VII series

In parallel with the Battleforce series, WizKids also started a series titled MechWarrior: Solaris VII. Similar to the Battleforce action packs, these action packs contained a predetermined set of miniatures. The series initially featured four packs containing a total of 24 Gunslinger 'Mechs that do combat on the gaming planet of Solaris VII. Four additional miniatures would evenutally be added to the series. Each pack contains a rulebook, a set of six target tokens, and a playmat that can be connected with those from the three other packs to form one giant arena map.

• MechWarrior: Solaris VII Light-Class Action Pack (August 2007)
• MechWarrior: Solaris VII Medium-Class Action Pack (August 2007)
• MechWarrior: Solaris VII Heavy-Class Action Pack (August 2007)
• MechWarrior: Solaris VII Assault-Class Action Pack (August 2007)

In Gen Con 2007 WizKids announced the production of a Solaris VII champions set, coinciding with the six Players who had won the Solaris VII Open Worlds Event hosted that year. However, due to issues in production, the Mechwarrior line was put on permanent hold status, and the Solaris VII Champion set was never produced. WizKids did however, create a set of custom 'Mechs based on existing sculpts for the six Champions, they are the only known Solaris VII Champion 'Mechs produced, but did not come with pilot cards.

Magazine Exclusives

• PC Gamer Magazine with MechWarrior: Liao Incursion LE Figure Offer
• Xbox Magazine with MechWarrior LE Figure Offer

Rulebooks

WizKids produced the following base rule booklets, which were included with their respective starter set and made freely available on the WizKids website. (Various expansion-specific rules inserts were also made available.)

• MechWarrior: Dark Age Rules of Warfare
• MechWarrior: Age of Destruction Quick-Start and Rules of Warfare
• MechWarrior: Solaris VII Rules of Competition

Battlefield in a Box

In cooperation with Gale Force Nine, WizKids introduced a line of 3D terrain sets. Each of these also included a prepainted miniature with a Gale Force Nine color scheme.

• Battlefield in a Box: Manufacturing Facility
• Battlefield in a Box: Wilderness Set
• Battlefield in a Box: City Block and Ruins
• Battlefield in a Box: Reactor & Ruins Set

Dice Sets

In cooperation with Koplow, WizKids introduced a line of dice sets:

• MechWarrior: Faction Dice

In cooperation with Gale Force Nine, WizKids introduced a line of dice sets:

• MechWarrior: Bannson's Raiders Dice Set
• MechWarrior: Republic of the Sphere Dice Set
• MechWarrior: House Liao Dice Set
• MechWarrior: Clan Jade Falcon Dice Set
• MechWarrior: House Kurita Dice Set
• MechWarrior: House Steiner Dice Set
• MechWarrior: House Davion Dice Set
• MechWarrior: Clan Nova Cat Dice Set
• MechWarrior: Rasalhague Dominion Dice Set
• MechWarrior: Wolf Hunters Dice Set
• MechWarrior: Clan Wolf Dice Set
• MechWarrior: Gale Force Nine Dice Set
• MechWarrior: Token and Dice Set with Collectable Tin

DropShip

In 2003, WizKids produced a special Aurora DropShip Set. Sold only at conventions and through special promotions, the Aurora DropShip was a massive unit with five cannon turrets and four bays for repairing units. The playset also had special rules.

Other

• MechWarrior: Technology of Destruction Produced in 2004, this volume provided a variety of images, maps, and faction summaries, plus a MechWarrior short story by Randall Bills.

Foreign Distribution

Products within this game system also had international distribution. Various rule inserts included Frech, German, Italian, and Spanish translations in addition to English. WizKids provided links to foreign translations of its basic MechWarrior rules in these four languages .

In France, products were sold by Asmodée Éditions. In Germany, products were sold by FanPro. In Italy, products were sold by Nexus Editrice. In Spain, products were sold by Devir.

See Also

• MechWarrior: Dark Age - Miniatures - Sarna's page on the miniatures used in MechWarrior: Dark Age Collectable Miniatures Game (including its expansions).
• MechWarrior: Dark Age - Dossiers and Pilot Cards - The PDF compilation of all published MechWarrior Dark Age Dossiers from the MechWarrior: Dark Age Collectable Miniatures Game.
• Category:MechWarrior: Dark Age Products - Sarna's category for MechWarrior: Dark Age Collectable Miniatures Game products