Well, that's it then. There goes my next few months of social life, my job and my salary down the drain. As a dedicated Battletech fan, one who's been engrossed in the tabletop game since I were a mere youngling, the recent release of Mechwarrior Online was already enough to put a serious dent in my free time, hours after hours spent blasting mechs apart with medium lasers and LRMs. Yet at the end of that, I would always stop because I felt like I needed a break from the action, and do something intellectual. Well, now that too has been taken from me - Mechwarrior Tactics has just entered closed beta, and I'm already in there. Suffice to say, it is good.

Based heavily on the tabletop Battletech game, Mechwarrior Tactics promises intensive tactical gameplay mixed with good graphics, as well as worldwide multiplayer. Turn-based, it seems to take after the model of Civilization multiplayer, where both players would email each other their moves and they would occur in the game simultaneously. More details on the game may be found here.

Signing up for the closed beta now grants you access to the Founder's Club, basically granting you a wide array of perks such as

• 2,500k C-Bills
• 2 - Seventh Kommando MechWarriors
• 4 - Seventh Kommando Decals
• 1 Month - Premium Account[Lance Tier]
• Founder's Forum Badge
• Immediate Beta Access (+25,000 Bonus Scrap)

for the Veteran's Founder Package (worth $20). Further packages are available, with even greater perks, but if all you want is to simply jump in right now, this is my recommendation.

Anyway, see you on the battlefield, my fellow Commanders.