First steps with the Master Unit List MUL

The Master Unit List (MUL)

Welcome to the digital armory of the Inner Sphere! Anyone starting out with BattleTech or Alpha Strike will quickly stumble across the term MUL. While sites like Sarna.net are the “Wikipedia” of the universe, the Master Unit List (MUL) is the official inventory directory of Catalyst Game Labs.

In this series of articles, we look at how you can find your way around the site without getting lost in the data jungle.

What is the MUL actually?

In short, the MUL is the law. If you want to know how many points(PV – Point Value) a mech costs in Alpha Strike or whether House Davion had access to a certain Warhammer variant in 3025, this is the only official source.

The user interface: Your HUD

If you open masterunitlist.info (the basis for the guide on mechstrategen.de), you will see the main navigation at the top. The three most important tabs are:

• units: The centerpiece. This is where you search for specific mechs, vehicles or infantry.
• Eras: Here you filter according to the timeline (e.g. Clan Invasion, Jihad or IlKhan).
• Factions: Here you can find out which faction (e.g. Steiner, Kurita, Clan Wolf) owns what.

🔍 Search and find: How to master the database

The simple search bar at the top right is tempting, but it’s tricky. If you just enter “Archer” there, you will be overwhelmed by hundreds of variants.

The “Advanced Search” (your best friend)

Click on the Units tab. Here you can specify your search:

1. Name: Enter the name (e.g. Atlas).
2. Set filters: Use the dropdowns to narrow down the chaos.
   • Unit Type: BattleMech, Vehicle, Aerospace, etc.
   • Technology: Inner Sphere or Clan?
   • Tonnage: Are you looking for a lightweight or a 100-ton monster?
   • and many more …..

Understanding the unit view

Once you have found and clicked on your desired mech, the details page will open. This is where it gets exciting:

1. the basic data

At the top you can see the model (e.g. AS7-D) and the name(Atlas). Below that you can see the Battle Value (BV) for Classic BattleTech and the Point Value (PV) for Alpha Strike.

2. the Alpha Strike card

The highlight for Alpha Strike players: The MUL generates the official card with all values (Armor, Structure, Damage, Special Abilities). You can save them here directly as an image or print them later in the Force Builder.

3. availability

Scroll to the right. There you will see a table with the eras.

• Click on the era for which you want to know if the mech is available.
• A list of the factions for which the mech is available in this era will then appear.
  • “Extinct” means that this mech variant is not available in this time period.
  • “Inner Sphere General” or “Periphery General” etc. are “general list entries”. This means that this mech variant is available in the entire area (here the entire Inner Sphere and the entire Periphery). Not just special factions.

Summary for the start

• Use the MUL for the rules, Sarna for the fluff.
• Do not rely on the quick search, but use the filters under “Units”.
• Always check the availability if you want to build a Lore-compliant list.

At first, the Master Unit List looks like an Excel spreadsheet from the 90s, but it is the most precise tool you can have as a commander.