For a while now, I’ve been tinkering with a portable/travel/pocket sized BATTLETECH game. Not that I would need it now. It’s a mere experiment for now. I like to experiment with travel sized minisature gaming. take for instance my portable Brawl Arcane 28 set.
My idea was to take the Beginner Box and shrink it to 50% of its original size.
Why the Beginner Box or the Quick Start Rules? Simply, because they are less bulky, quicker to play, and easier to remember and teach. Perfect for a quick game of BATTLETECH on the go. Wherever you are.
Rules
I downloaded the PDF of the Quick Start Rules and printed only the main rules pages at a much smaller scale. After cutting out the spreads and stitching the booklet together, I was holding a very cute little rules pamphlet in my hands.
Then, I printed the Quick Reference Sheet at a smaller scale and laminated it.
Mapsheet
I printed the map sheet included in the PDF at 50%. My idea here was to magnetize the whole board and the minis. Thus, I glued to mapsheet to a magnetic sheet. I folded my board in two for the sake of space optimization.
Miniatures
Of course, you could simply use cardboard standees or counters. But, to me, this pocket-size version of the game isn’t complete with real miniatures. Luckily, I own a 3D resin printer. I did find STLs by Matt Mason for the Griffin and Wolverine Mechs included in the Beginner box. Thus, I simply printed them at 50% scale reduction and painted them in the same colors as on the simplified record sheets.
Record Sheets
That brings me to the next item: the Quick Start Rules record sheets. Initially I wanted to print these at Magic Card size to fit them into my card sleeves. The idea here was to be able to exchange Mechs and to record damage on the sleeves using a dry erase marker. Instead I simply laminated them. But, of course both solutions will work equally well.
Dice and white board marker
I added 2 D6, some mini dice to track movement and a white board marker to check damage on my laminated record sheets.
Box or not?
Although, a tiny box would look cool, but is it really needed? I store my Naval wargame Fire at Sea in a sturdy zip lock bag.
If ever I find a nice compact box, I’m probably going to use it. Gluing a nice cover on the front and adding custom inserts, should definitely enhance the look.
Let’s see what I can come up with for my Portable Travel Pocket BATTLETECH.