diff --git a/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.CPP b/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.CPP
index fcc9efc4..8470463e 100644
--- a/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.CPP
+++ b/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.CPP
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@
 #	include <app.hpp>
 #endif
 
+#if !defined(DROPZONE_HPP)
+#	include <dropzone.hpp>
+#endif
+
 //
 //#############################################################################
 // Shared data support
@@ -46,10 +50,27 @@ Derivation
 		"BTPlayer"
 	);
 
+const Receiver::HandlerEntry
+	BTPlayer::MessageHandlerEntries[]=
+{
+	MESSAGE_ENTRY(BTPlayer,DropZoneReply),
+	MESSAGE_ENTRY(BTPlayer,VehicleDead),
+	MESSAGE_ENTRY(BTPlayer,Score),
+	MESSAGE_ENTRY(BTPlayer,ScoreInflicted),
+	MESSAGE_ENTRY(BTPlayer,ScoreUpdate)
+};
+
+BTPlayer::MessageHandlerSet
+	BTPlayer::MessageHandlers(
+		ELEMENTS(BTPlayer::MessageHandlerEntries),
+		BTPlayer::MessageHandlerEntries,
+		Player::MessageHandlers
+	);
+
 BTPlayer::SharedData
 	BTPlayer::DefaultData(
 		BTPlayer::ClassDerivations,
-		Player::MessageHandlers,
+		BTPlayer::MessageHandlers,
 		Player::AttributeIndex,
 		1,
 		(Entity::MakeHandler)BTPlayer::Make
@@ -207,6 +228,101 @@ Enumeration
 	return Cast_Object(BTMission *, btMission)->ExperienceLevel();
 }
 
+//
+//#############################################################################
+// DropZoneReplyMessageHandler  The spawn / respawn handshake: when the drop
+// zone replies with our spawn location we create (or, on respawn, reset) the
+// player's vehicle there and bind it to us.
+//
+// The mech placement / respawn-reset tail depends on the Mech subsystem
+// (Mech::MechClassID / Mech::Reset), which is not yet reconstructed; the
+// dispatch skeleton below halts at CreatePlayerVehicle -> Mech::Make on the
+// first (fresh-drop) reply.  See BTPLAYER.NOTES.md.
+//#############################################################################
+//
+void
+	BTPlayer::DropZoneReplyMessageHandler(DropZone__ReplyMessage *message)
+{
+	Check(this);
+	Check(message);
+
+	if (!playerVehicle)
+	{
+		CreatePlayerVehicle(message->dropZoneLocation);
+		InitializePlayerLink();
+
+		//
+		// A piloted mech runs the combat PlayerSimulation and is a scoring
+		// player; a camera-ship observer runs CameraShipSimulation and never
+		// ranks.  (Vehicle-class dispatch + mech placement deferred with the
+		// Mech subsystem.)
+		//
+		AlwaysExecute();
+		deathCount = 0;
+	}
+	else if (deathCount == message->deathCount)
+	{
+		if (GetSimulationState() == MissionEndingState)
+		{
+			Check_Fpu();
+			return;
+		}
+		//
+		// Respawn: reset the existing dead mech in place (deferred with the
+		// Mech subsystem).
+		//
+	}
+
+	Check_Fpu();
+}
+
+//
+//#############################################################################
+// Vehicle creation -- pulls in the Mech subsystem (Mech::Make), not yet
+// reconstructed.  This is the current boot frontier.
+//#############################################################################
+//
+void
+	BTPlayer::CreatePlayerVehicle(Origin)
+{
+	Fail("BTPlayer::CreatePlayerVehicle -- btplayer.cpp not yet reconstructed");
+}
+
+void
+	BTPlayer::InitializePlayerLink()
+{
+	Fail("BTPlayer::InitializePlayerLink -- btplayer.cpp not yet reconstructed");
+}
+
+//
+//#############################################################################
+// Scoring / death handlers -- exercised in combat, not during bring-up boot.
+//#############################################################################
+//
+void
+	BTPlayer::VehicleDeadMessageHandler(VehicleDeadMessage *)
+{
+	Fail("BTPlayer::VehicleDeadMessageHandler -- btplayer.cpp not yet reconstructed");
+}
+
+void
+	BTPlayer::ScoreMessageHandler(ScoreMessage *)
+{
+	Fail("BTPlayer::ScoreMessageHandler -- btplayer.cpp not yet reconstructed");
+}
+
+void
+	BTPlayer::ScoreInflictedMessageHandler(ScoreMessage *)
+{
+	Fail("BTPlayer::ScoreInflictedMessageHandler -- btplayer.cpp not yet reconstructed");
+}
+
+void
+	BTPlayer::ScoreUpdateMessageHandler(ScoreMessage *)
+{
+	Fail("BTPlayer::ScoreUpdateMessageHandler -- btplayer.cpp not yet reconstructed");
+}
+
 //
 //#############################################################################
 // PlayerSimulation -- console-update performance (not yet reconstructed).
diff --git a/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.HPP b/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.HPP
index 1ec0151c..df349d32 100644
--- a/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.HPP
+++ b/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.HPP
@@ -82,6 +82,37 @@
 		static MessageHandlerSet
 			MessageHandlers;
 
+	//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+	// Message Support
+	//
+	public:
+		enum {
+			ScoreInflictedMessageID = Player::NextMessageID,
+			ScoreUpdateMessageID,
+			NextMessageID
+		};
+
+	protected:
+		void
+			DropZoneReplyMessageHandler(DropZone__ReplyMessage *message);
+		void
+			VehicleDeadMessageHandler(VehicleDeadMessage *message);
+		void
+			ScoreMessageHandler(ScoreMessage *message);
+		void
+			ScoreInflictedMessageHandler(ScoreMessage *message);
+		void
+			ScoreUpdateMessageHandler(ScoreMessage *message);
+
+	//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+	// Vehicle creation
+	//
+	protected:
+		virtual void
+			CreatePlayerVehicle(Origin mech_location);
+		void
+			InitializePlayerLink();
+
 	//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 	// Construction and Destruction
 	//
diff --git a/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.NOTES.md b/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.NOTES.md
index 47568293..122b9435 100644
--- a/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.NOTES.md
+++ b/restoration/source410/BT/BTPLAYER.NOTES.md
@@ -1,8 +1,26 @@
 # BTPLAYER.CPP / .HPP — reconstruction notes
 
-**Status: constructor / dtor / Make / TestInstance / GetExperienceLevel
-RECONSTRUCTED; message-handler table + handlers + PlayerSimulation +
-CreatePlayerVehicle still staged.**
+**Status: constructor / dtor / Make / TestInstance / GetExperienceLevel +
+message-handler table + DropZoneReply dispatch RECONSTRUCTED; the scoring/death
+handlers, PlayerSimulation, and CreatePlayerVehicle/InitializePlayerLink (the
+Mech-subsystem frontier) still staged.**
+
+## Message-handler table (wired 2026-07-19)
+
+DefaultData now uses `BTPlayer::MessageHandlers` (chained onto
+`Player::MessageHandlers`) instead of reusing the base set — the earlier reuse
+left BTPlayer's own handlers unwired, so a DropZoneReply reached the base
+`Player::DropZoneReplyMessageHandler` stub that Fails "should not be handled by
+base player class!" (PLAYER.CPP:179). Table entries (BT411 .data @005130c0):
+DropZoneReply, VehicleDead, Score, ScoreInflicted, ScoreUpdate. ScoreInflicted/
+ScoreUpdate add two BT message IDs (`Player::NextMessageID`+0/+1). MissionStarting/
+MissionEnding are inherited from Player unchanged (not re-listed — BT411 lists
+them but they point at the same base handlers).
+
+`DropZoneReplyMessageHandler` is the real spawn/respawn dispatch skeleton; its
+mech-placement tail (vehicle-class performance select, Mech::Reset respawn) is
+deferred with the Mech subsystem. On the first fresh-drop reply it calls
+`CreatePlayerVehicle` → the current boot frontier.
 
 ## Sources
 
@@ -60,12 +78,12 @@ not fully located ([T4]). Rename is a follow-up wiring task; the VALUES are corr
 
 ## Still staged (next bricks, in boot order)
 
-1. **Message-handler table** — DefaultData currently reuses `Player::MessageHandlers`,
-   so BTPlayer's own handlers are unwired and the base
-   `Player::DropZoneReplyMessageHandler` Fails ("should not be handled by base
-   player class!", PLAYER.CPP:179). Next brick = BTPlayer MessageHandlerEntries[]
-   + MessageHandlers + real DropZoneReplyMessageHandler (spawn handshake).
-2. **DropZoneReply → CreatePlayerVehicle → Mech::Make** — the spawn chain pulls
-   in the mech subsystem (Mech::Make still Fail-staged).
+1. **CreatePlayerVehicle → Mech::Make** (CURRENT FRONTIER) — the spawn chain
+   pulls in the whole Mech subsystem: Mech ctor + mech2/mech3/mech4, mechsub,
+   the subsystems (sensor, gnrator, gyro, torso, hud, myomers), and the weapons
+   (mechweap, ppc, gauss, projtile, missile...). Mech::Make is still Fail-staged
+   in MECH.CPP. This is the large game-content frontier — a major milestone, not
+   a single brick.
+2. InitializePlayerLink, the mech-placement tail of DropZoneReply (Mech::Reset).
 3. VehicleDead / Score / ScoreInflicted / ScoreUpdate handlers (scoring wave),
-   PlayerSimulation (console update), InitializePlayerLink, CalcInflictedScore.
+   PlayerSimulation (console update), CalcInflictedScore.