Back when dot matrix was the printer of choice and Windows 98 was the best option for an OS, I came up with a set of rules for simultaneous movement in Battletech. The regular miniatures game was fun, but I had gotten into flight simulators on my computer and I felt the experience could be better. What I came up with added some complexity to the game, but it also became the preferred rule-set among my friends.

My original rules have been lost to the vortex of forgotten file formats. What I present here is what I remember of them with a few modifications based on experience, new ideas from other games, and “this makes more sense” moments during my recollections.

I haven’t had a chance to read the latest Battletech rules, but if the Harebrained Schemes computer game represents them well, it shouldn’t be hard to adapt what I am presenting to them.

Step 1: Planning Phase

I introduced a turn record sheet. It had columns for starting hex, movement type, hexes moved, ending hex, and ending heat. The starting hex may seem redundant after the first turn, but melee combat can change a mech’s position before the end of the turn.

Each side was given a few minutes to plan their movement. In a multiple lance situation, if you want to simulate command structure, the unit commander can give orders to the lance commanders who work with their lance-mates to figure out a way to execute those orders.

Since both sides are using the same map, it is best to do as much calculating in your imagination as possible. You don’t want to be giving too much about your tactics away.

Movement type is important for determining how many movement points a mech has as well as movement penalties during combat. Hexes moved helps determine all mechs’ movement as well as defensive targeting modifiers.

Step 2: Movement Phase

Mechs move based on weight class. The heaviest mechs move first. This reflects the relative agility of lighter mechs. I developed these rules after the Mechwarrior RPG came out. Players get one opportunity during the movement phase to make a tactics roll to change their plan once movement has started. They have to keep to their movement type.

First determine initiative. The side with the winning initiative decides if they want to move the first mech or the last one for all of the weight classes. One decision applies to all of the mechs.

The heaviest weight class on the board moves first based on initiative. If there are an uneven number of mechs in a class, work out a ratio so that initiative is kept. For example: the side with initiative wants to move the last mech and has two mechs of a certain wight class to the other side’s four. The side without initiative moves two mechs before the side with initiative moves one.

As another example: the side with initiative wants to move first and has three mechs to their opponent’s two. The side with initiative moves two mechs, their opponent moves one, then each side moves one until all the mechs of that weight class have moved one hex.

This continues until all the mechs in the weight class have moved one hex. All movement points spent in hex (facing changes, terrain modifiers, etc.) are spent at this time. This means a mech will be facing its direction of travel before moving into the next hex.

The next heaviest weight class moves the same way, then the next heaviest, until finally the light mechs move. Then movement goes back to the top with each mech moving just one hex.

It is likely that some mechs will use up all their hexes before others do. Once it has moved into its last hex, its movement has stopped. The other mechs continue as normal. This could break initiative. If only one side has light mechs, they will always be moving the last mech.

As I mentioned earlier, each pilot has one opportunity during a turn to make a tactics roll to change their planned movement. The first movement point change is free. Each one after the first they intend to change adds a +1 to the difficulty roll. For example: a pilot wants to eliminate the last planned facing change and continue in a straight line for two hexes instead of one. They only have to make a normal difficulty tactics roll. If the pilot decides not to make a facing change and as a result not make an elevation change, the tactics roll gets a +1 difficulty modifier.

Step 2B: Mistakes

A mechwarrior planned out their movement and as they make the moves they realize they don’t have enough movement points to reach their declared last hex. They have to make a piloting roll with a penalty based on the number of movement points they miscalculated On a successful roll they stop in the last hex they could legally enter. Any unused movement points are lost. If they fail the piloting roll then they skid based on their velocity and direction of travel before any facing changes may have happened. This could result in a fall or damage from charging a terrain feature.

Step 3: Reaction Fire

This is something I borrowed from the sadly maligned Battletroops game.

Mechwarriors can decide to spend movement points setting up a reactionary arc of fire. Setting up reaction fire ends the mech’s movement.

Even though the mech is not moving, setting up and widening the reaction arc counts as hex movement for the purposes of plotted movement. Also, since the mech has stopped moving, any mistakes made calculating movement point requirements simply means an arc is not set up or widened properly.

The first movement point sets up an arc through the hex-side the mech is facing. The next movement point adds the hex-side to the left or right of the first. A third movement point adds the hex-side to the left or right of either of the previous two. If the final three hex-sides do not match the initial forward arc of the mech, it is considered to have done a torso twist.

Any enemy mechs moving through that arc can be fired upon using any weapon that has the range to reach them. The firing mech’s movement type and the targeted mech’s total planned number of moved hexes count towards determining the gunnery target number. This is the only time weapons can be fired during movement. Any damage is applied immediately. This damage can potentially disrupt the target’s movement.

Weapons can only be fired once during a turn. Any unfired weapons can be fired at a second mech moving through the firing arc. Secondary target penalties apply. Any weapons not used during reaction fir can be used during the regular fire phase. The secondary fire rules still apply. If only one mech was targeted during reaction fire, a fresh mech can be targeted as a secondary target during the fire phase. If two mechs were targeted during reaction fire, then any weapons held for the fire phase must target one of those mechs.

The turn after a mechwarrior sets up a reaction fire arc, they can maintain that arc or expand it to any three consecutive hex sides at no cost so long as they do not move. One facing change is allowed for free. Any other movement destroys the established reactionary arc and it must be started again. Already established reactionary arcs exist at the beginning of the turn. Reactionary fire can only be made against mechs that move in some way. This includes facing changes.

Step 4: Melee Combat

Kicking and punching occur after the fire phase as normal. Charge and Death From Above attacks can only happen as accidents or unplanned opportunities

Any time two or more mechs end a step in the same hex there is a chance for a collision. Unless the conflicting hex is being used for landing, jumping mechs only risk a collision with other vehicles. All involved mechs make unmodified piloting rolls. If they succeed they can choose to react to this situation. If they fail they at the mercy of the other player or fate.

If all involved mechwarriors failed their piloting roll, then they all automatically make charging attacks against each other. Airborne mechs that are successfully charged (intentionally or accidentally) take damage from a level three fall (assuming they are over level zero terrain) and end their movement prone in the last hex they occupied before the conflicting hex.

Any mechwarrior that succeeds can chose to make an appropriate physical attack (charge or DFA) or they can choose to avoid contact. If more than one mech is involved, an attacker must chose which mech to target. If the attack is successful, the untargeted mechs are subject to being pushed.

If two mechs decide to charge each other, the charges are automatically successful. If one chooses to dodge, the pilot makes a piloting roll. If successful, the charge attack is automatically dodged. If the pilot is dodging more than one charge attack, a +1 modifier is added to the difficulty for each additional attacker.

If the dodge is not successful, the attacking mechwarrior still has to make a normal charging attack. If more than two mechs are involved and only one chose to dodge, if the dodge is successful then the two attacking mechs charge each other.

Damage from mid route collisions happens immediately and will end movement for any mechs that fall. Mechs that remain upright can continue their movement as normal. Charging attacks in the last hex of DFA attacks are resolved during the melee attack phase as normal.

If the collisions happen during a jump, any mech that was not the recipient of a charge attack can continue their movement as normal.

Death From Above attacks can only happen if a jumping mech and a ground based mech end their movement in the same hex. A jumping mechwarrior that has not already used their tactics roll, can use it to set up a DFA attack provided they have enough movement points to do so.

If two or more mechs using any movement type will end their movement in the same hex there are two options. First, an unused tactics roll can be used to end movement in a different hex. If this results in a collision also, follow the collision rules above. The other option is one or more mechwarriors may chose to initiate a charge attack. Resolve this normally.

This ends simultaneous movement. The remainder of the turn happens normally.

Variant Option

While it can be done with the regular rules, a double-blind setup works especially well with simultaneous movement. There is a game master/referee who controls the main map board. Each side has identical maps, but they only have their pieces on the board until the enemy reveals themselves in some way. Once the sides are revealed to each other, planning is done on the faction maps, but movement is plotted on the main map. This adds a powerful fog of war element to the game.