BATTLETECH, The board game:

Battletech was what started this whole thing.  It's based on a standard
RPG (Roll Playing Game) that also has a few twists.  Giant battling
robots, Battlemechs, Mechs for short.  The game was created and later
purchased by FA$A where it reached almost a cult status of players
overnight.  There were sequels made for the game that expanded the aspects
of the Roll Playing, but the mechs were at first ignored as being good
enough for the part they played.  Didn't work...  The players wanted more.
FA$A put out some books about the game and they exploded.  Today there are
still more comming out and an entire universe has been created to contain
it all.  Storylines, new technology, the CLANS!, political battles,
everything is played out in Battletech books and history updates.  Playing
the game now either contains roll playing or not.  When we get together we
for the most part ignore the roll playing and go straight to the map
sheets and mech sheets, choose a pilot from our roster to send out, and
it's a game.  Read the text on Gaming nights to find out more about this.
The roll playing is something that is also fun but we find using the GRPS
roll playing system a bit more adaquate for using in the Battletech world.
The roll playing rules for Battletech are too buggs and contain too much
altered reality stuff.  Fall off of a 10 story building, make your
reaction roll, and land on you feet and walk away??? huh!  Basically
that's it, if you wanna find out more, read the books, ask around, there
are plenty of people who will all too willingly tell you about it all and
get you involved.