They have really worked to emphasis how they aren't necessary in Total Warfare, compared to other editions. That's a good thing, as clearly, minis are not a core part of their business. For IWM, sure. For CGL? Not really.
Huh? Can you cite where they "worked to emphasize" anything of the sort? There's an entire, 12-page, illustrated section on "PAINTING MINIATURES" in Total Warfare. I get that people have some attachment to using proxies, but how that's being superimposed over the rule book, I have no idea. In fact, using counters in place of 'Mechs is only mentioned once in the book, that I've read.
Comparing that to an 18-page section on painting, I wouldn't say that any effort was made to deviate from BT being associated with miniatures. The line JPArbiter quoted had nothing to do with minis, in fact. It was about using hex-based terrain vs. the 3-D environments sold by some of the companies mentioned elsewhere or built by the player. Hence the title of that section, "3-D TERRAIN VS PAPER MAPS."
You CAN use counters or pennies or whatever else. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, whatsoever. Minis are expensive and not everyone has hundreds of $$$ to buy a full set. But it's a stretch to say BT is
intended to be played without minis. That's why I had suggested a small "Era Pack" of plastic minis for each era. For example, the Clan Invasion would have one of each OmniMech. The Jihad could have a "Celestials" special edition or "Word of Blake" mini-set. If you can't afford $15 for one mini, it might be affordable to pay $30 for 12 and get some real bang for your buck.
