BattleSpace

This article is about the board game. For the German edition Technical Readout "Battlespace Hardware-Handbuch 3057", see Technical Readout: 3057.

BattleSpace: The BattleTech Game of Space Combat
Product information
Type	Core Game Set
Development	Scott Jenkins
Primary writing	Chris Hartford
Cover Artwork	Peter Scanlon
Illustrations	Joel Biske, Earl Geier, Jeff Laubenstein, Larry MacDougall, Allen Nunis, Gary Thomas Washington
Publication information
Publisher	FASA
Product code	1680
First published	1993
ISBN-10	1555602088
MSRP	$25.00
Content
Content	88 page Rulebook 60 page Sourcebook 8 page Record Sheets book 216 counters 2 Mapsheets 2 dice
Era	Clan Invasion era
Agency	ComStar
Universe Date	3056
Preceded by	AeroTech
Followed by	AeroTech 2

Description

BattleSpace was a space combat game set in the BattleTech universe, replacing the outdated AeroTech. It expanded the latter's concepts and incorporated information from the DropShips and JumpShips sourcebook and other Clan Invasion era publications, focusing on WarShips instead of aerospace fighters. It would in turn later be replaced by AeroTech 2; the most recent and up-to-date edition of the aerospace and space combat rules is spread over the most recent set of rulebooks (Total Warfare, TechManual, Tactical Operations, and Strategic Operations). The rules have since undergone considerable change, to the point where the stats for capital ships as published in the original version of the Technical Readout: 3057 (which was conceived as a companion Technical Readout for BattleSpace) had to be changed.

From the back cover

“

It is 3056, centuries since the fall of the Star League, and the Successor States of the Inner Sphere face their greatest threat ever — The Clans, warlike invaders from beyond known space. As the mighty armies of two civilizations clash on the far-flung worlds of humanity, their interstellar armadas wage war in the infinite battlefield of space. BattleSpace, the new system of aerospace combat in the 31st century, thrusts you straight into the heart of this vast arena, where JumpShips, DropShips, and WarShips fight to carry their deadly 'Mech cargoes into battle. Fully compatible with BattleTech, the BattleSpace game system adds a whole new dimension to the wars of the future. The BattleSpace game includes a rulebook, a sourcebook that provides the history of naval warfare and the statistics and descriptions of those ships currently in the Inner Sphere, two 22" x 34" full color mapsheets, color counters with stands, ship record sheets, and two six-sided dice. BattleSpace is a boardgame for 2 or more players ages 12 and up.

”

Rulebook Contents

• Introduction
  • Components
    • Counters
    • Record Sheets
    • Mapsheets
    • Dice
  • Game Terms
    • Fire Factor
    • Piloting Skill Rolls
    • Other Rolls
    • Margin of Failure

• Playing The Game
  • Sequence of Play
    • Initiative Phase
    • Movement Phase
    • Combat Phase
    • End Phase
  • Clan Rules of Engagement

• Movement
  • Facing
  • Thrust Points
    • Using Thrust Points
  • Stacking Limit
  • Control Rolls
    • Making Control Rolls
  • Special Actions
    • Evade
    • Roll-Over
    • Change Formation
    • Hover
    • Docking
    • Launch/Recover
    • Landing
    • Jump

• Combat
  • Detection
  • Weapons Fire/Firing Arcs
    • WarShips
    • Fighters
  • Heat
  • Range
  • Making the Attack
  • Damage
    • Armor
    • Applying Damage
    • Determining Fighter Damage
    • Damage to Fighters
  • Critical Damage
    • Critical Damage Effects
    • General Critical Damage
    • JumpShip/WarShip Critical Systems
    • Space Station Critical Damage

• Optional Rules
  • Advanced Movement Rules
    • Optional Thrust Point Use
    • Optional Facing
  • Atmospheric Operations
    • Space/Atmosphere Interface
    • Atmosphere
    • Ground
  • Asteroids
  • Shuttlecraft
  • Emergency Exit Systems
  • Advanced Point Defense Weapons
  • Docked DropShips
  • Boarding Actions
  • Debris
  • Dropping Troops
  • Attacking the Jump Sail
  • Surface to Orbit Fire
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction
    • Orbit to Surface Bombardment
    • Nuclear Weapons

• Campaign Operations
  • Hyperspace Travel
    • Jump Point
    • Jump Field Damage
    • Making the Jump
    • Jump Sail Recharging
    • Physical Effects of Hyperspace Travel
  • Detection
  • Deep-Space Rendezvous
  • Docking
    • Moving Damaged Craft
  • Launching /Recovering Small Craft
    • Recovering Fighter Casualties
  • System Transit
    • Fuel Consumption
    • In-Flight Refueling
    • Pilot Modifiers
  • Planetary Landing
  • Liftoff
  • Cargo
  • Maintenance
    • Support Points
    • MPV (Small Craft)
    • MPV (Large Craft)
    • Effects of Maintenance
    • Maintenance Costs
  • Repair
    • Repair Modifiers
    • Component Repair
    • Armor Repair
    • Jump Sail Repair
    • Fighter Repair
  • Crew
    • Crew Quality
    • Crew Requirements

• Construction Rules
  • DropShip Construction
    • Determine Parameters
    • Determine Propulsion
    • Determine Structure
    • Choose Weapons
  • Space Stations
  • Calculating the Costs
  • Converting AeroTech Craft
    • Movement/Craft
    • Offensive Systems
    • Armor
    • Miscellaneous Stastics
    • Fighter Units

• Aerobattle
  • Fighter Engagements
  • Modifying BattleSpace
    • Armor Re-scale
    • Weapons Split and Re-scale
    • Expanded Combat Rules
  • Low Atmosphere Rules
    • Altitude Levels
    • Map Scale
    • Movement
    • Air-to-Air Combat
    • Air-to-Ground Fire
    • Return Fire

Sourcebook Contents

• Introduction
• History of Naval Warfare
  • Current Events
  • War on the Seas
  • From Sea to Space
  • A New World Order
  • Settling the Stars
  • Interstellar Nations
  • Age of War
  • Birth of the Star League
  • End of an Age
  • Exodus
  • Founding of the Clans
  • Succession Wars
  • Explorer Corps
  • War Renewed
  • Clan Invasion
  • Radstadt
  • Tukayyid

• Naval Technology
  • DropShips
    • DropShip Systems
  • JumpShips
    • JumpShip Systems
  • WarShips
  • Fighters
  • Weapon Systems
    • Ballistic Weapons
    • Energy Weapons
  • Ship Construction
    • Fighters
    • DropShips
    • JumShips and WarShips
  • Space Stations
  • Clan Navies

BattleSpace Scenarios:

Hide and Seek

During the Pentagon Civil War, the House Liao-aligned Congress-class frigates Long March and Noble House battle the House Davion-aligned Black Lion-class battlecruiser Michael Norman on 8 October 2802. Historically, all three vessels were destroyed.

Dragon's Roar

During the Fourth Succession War, House Kurita forces attack the Davion-held planet Niles on 24 May 3029. Four six-fighter squadrons from the Fourth An Ting Legion (a mix of Corsair, Lightning, Sabre, Samurai, Shilone, Sholagar, and Slayer aerospace fighters) are intercepted by an equal number from the planetary militia (consisting of Corsair, Lucifer, Seydlitz, Sholagar, and Sparrowhawk aerospace fighters). The Kurita forces prevailed, their DropShips broke through and the last defenders on the ground surrendered on 3 June.

Radstadt

The battle of Radstadt on 31 October 3050 was a turning point in the initial Clan Invasion. This chance encounter pitted the flagship of Clan Wolf, the Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser Dire Wolf, with its DropShips (Snap, Snarl, Howl, and Lair) and OmniFighters (a mix of Bashkir, Jagatai, Jengiz, and Visigoth fighters) against a mixed group of DropShips (Raven, Gungnir, Sleipnir, Karlshefni, and Stöng) and four aerospace fighter squadrons (Corsairs, Seydlitzes, Shilones, Sholagars, and Sparrowhawks) from the Free Rasalhague Republic's Flying Drakøns. Historically, Shilone pilot Tyra Miraborg rammed her crippled fighter into the Dire Wolf, landing a lucky hit that killed ilKhan Leo Showers and earned her a place in history.

Notes

• The included book is split into two sections, Rulebook and Sourcebook, with each having separate page numbering and tables of contents.
• Fire factors and Capital scale damage were introduced in this set. (Capital weapons were introduced in Technical Readout: 2750, but they inflicted standard damage.) Rules for constructing WarShips and JumpShips were introduced in this set as well. Technical Readout: 3057 included two pages of clarifications and errata that dealt with BattleSpace.

Foreign-Language Editions

French

A French edition was published by Jeux Descartes as Battlespace: Le jeu de combat spatial de BattleTech.

German

A German edition was published by Fantasy Productions in 1998 as BattleSpace: Raumschlachten im BattleTech-Universum, ISBN 9783890649368.

Spanish

A Spanish edition was published by Ediciones Zinco in 1996 as BattleSpace: El juego de combate espacial del universo de BattleTech.

Gallery

• 

  Cover of box.

• 

  Cover of German edition.

• 

  Back of German edition.

• 

  Spanish edition.