AtB intro v1.0

AGAINST THE BOT NEWBIES GUIDE

Step 1) get the latest version of mekhq from the Dylan repository, here  http://bt.dylanspcs.com/
it will be listed as mekhq-<release version>-dylan-windows.zip OR  mekhq-<Version number>dylan.tar.gz for people who don't use windows. Unzip that to a folder, standard procedure.
You'll also want to grab the rarity tables here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/357573/3028-3050%20Random%20Assignment%20%26%20Rarity%20Tables%209.02.pdf
And the rules themselves, Here (V2.3 as of this writing): http://bg.battletech.com/forums/megamek-games/campaign-rules-against-the-bot-thread-3/
STEP 2) initial setup
Run Mekhq, and click start a new campaign, and select a starting date. From there, the Campaign options will pop up. Look up a guide on Mekhq if you aren't sure what all this shit does, but here are the AtB-relevant tabs

Under Personnel, make sure to check off "Allow Special Abilities"
Under Finances, leave everything blank until we've actually generated your company
Under Personnel Market, make sure you select Against the Bot in the "market type" dropdown box
Finally, under the Against the Bot tab, check the box that says "Use the Against the Bot Rules", then click the two boxes that say "Use AtB costs for skills" and "Use AtB costs for special abilities". Most of the rest of this tab is purely up to personal (ie, Shit) taste, though in my experience you'll want to disable "Double Enemy Vehicles" as shit gets ridiculous when you leave it on.

Step 3) actually building your merc company
	First, turn on GM mode as that will let you add dudes and mechs without paying for them, and edit their stats. Then, grab your dice/random number generator and open up that excel spreadsheet you downloaded from step 1, that has the rules. It should be pretty easy to follow, use the Hire command under marketplace to get your Mechwarriors/mechtechs/deskjockeys/etc. Roll for who gets which mechs as well, and acquire them through "Purchase Units" under Marketplace. if GM mode is enabled, just click the  "Add(GM)" button to get it without paying. if the button is grayed out, make sure you toggle GM mode on in the main screen.

Once all of that is done, go to the finances tab. Click "Add Funds(GM)" and give yourself 10-20% of your net worth in starting cash, and use that to buy replacement armor/ammo/other shit from "Purchase Parts (again, under market). You could also wait to do this after you're first mission, but I don't recommend it.

You should also assign your mechs to Lances, and people to their mechs. Any decent Mekhq tutorial will tell you how to do this

Step 4) Contracts
	Now that you have your merc company up and running, go to marketplace, and select contract market. MakHQ might have generated a few already, or it might not have. Either way, look for a nice, easy contract (Something like Garrison or Training is ideal. Only take Planetary Assault or Guerrilla if you're in a Losing is Fun mood), or just keep hammering the Generate button until you get one. Once you've got it, click accept.

	From there, go to the Briefing Room tab, and make a note of the planet name. Go to the Interstellar tab, input that into the textbox above the map and press enter. then Select "Calculate Jump-Path", then "begin Transit". then start mashing the advance day button until it tells you you've arrived in system. go back to the briefing room, and deploy your units as required by the contract (Middle-Bottom section).
	Keep clicking advance day until the game gives you a battle (bottom left section). on the day of a battle, select the battle and the conditions will appear in the top-middle section. review them, deploy any reinforcement lances, then click "Start Game". this will open Megamek in a new Window with the forces already loaded. Play a normal game of megamek until you've achieved the victory conditions or gotten your asses kicked and end the battle. From there, Megamek should load the results automatically. Don't forget to hit the repair bay to un-fuck your mechs before the next battle.


Continue doing this until the date goes past the end date for your contract, and click complete mission. You'll get any parting payments, make the rolls for retirement, and then you can start hunting for another contract.