Latest Releases

The following are the last few months of BattleTech releases by Catalyst Game Labs.

Status: If the book’s PDF is available but the print book is still only a pre-order, it will be noted as “[PDF/Print Pre-Order Available]“; if the print product has hit a Street Date (meaning it is available in a hobby store), it will be noted as “[PDF/Print Available]“; if it is an e-book only release, it will be noted as “[PDF only]“; if it is an e-pub fiction release, it will be noted as “[E-pub only]“.

Finally, a date is included for when a PDF/e-pub/print-PDF Pre-order becomes available, as well as the Street Date (i.e. when it is available on game store shelves) for print books, once that is known.

PDF Previews: Each item below has a product page organized under the main “Books” menu; the product names and covers are links to the appropriate pages, which include additional product details, as well as PDF Previews (at the current time the e-pub fiction page do not include previews).

Ordering: Catalyst Game Labs fully supports game stores and encourages players to purchase from their local retailers. If that is not possible, however, links on each item’s page for ordering print products directly from Catalyst are provided.

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Technical Readout: 3145 Federated Suns, $14.99 (Supplemental) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 3 June 2013

The great experiment that was the Republic of the Sphere has failed. Withdrawn behind the Fortress walls, the once-great power has become a silent, opaque remnant of its former glory. Without its influence, old hatreds have risen anew. As war once more rages across the Inner Sphere, new equipment strides across ancient battlefields. Technology, once stagnated by trade restrictions and peace treaties, now surges forward again, testing these new machines in the fierce crucible of war.

Technical Readout: 3145 Federated Suns introduces the wave of new battle armor, vehicle, ‘Mech, and aerospace units appearing across the Inner Sphere in the Dark Age era. Featuring new and matured technology, and presented in this series of faction-specific PDFs, these combat units will add excitement and variety to any game table.

Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, $14.99 (Supplemental) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 25 May 2013

The great experiment that was the Republic of the Sphere has failed. Withdrawn behind the Fortress walls, the once-great power has become a silent, opaque remnant of its former glory. Without its influence, old hatreds have risen anew. As war once more rages across the Inner Sphere, new equipment strides across ancient battlefields. Technology, once stagnated by trade restrictions and peace treaties, now surges forward again, testing these new machines in the fierce crucible of war.

Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine introduces the wave of new battle armor, vehicle, ‘Mech, and aerospace units appearing across the Inner Sphere in the Dark Age era. Featuring new and matured technology, and presented in this series of faction-specific PDFs, these combat units will add excitement and variety to any game table.

Invading Clans, $9.00 (Out-Of-Print Setting Sourcebook) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 25 May 2013

They came from beyond the Periphery: invaders with advanced weapons, strange tactics, and stranger customs. Arriving in 3049, they attacked world after world with unrelenting fury. By 3052, they had conquered more than 200 planets, and their target was clear. They sought to capture the cradle of humanity: Terra. If not for the battle of Tukayyid and the resulting truce, the Earth would surely have fallen.
We now know these invaders are the Clans, the sons and daughters of the legendary Aleksandr Kerensky, gone from known space for over 250 years. They seek to overthrow the Inner Sphere and recreate the lost Star League in their own image, or so it seems…

Invading Clans describes the history, culture, and military capabilities of Clans Smoke Jaguar, Nova Cat, Ghost Bear, Steel Viper and Diamond Shark. Also included is an overview of occupied worlds, deadly new BattleMechs, and eight full-color pages featuring renderings of Clan uniforms and ceremonies.

Note: This file is scanned from the original 1994 edition. It has been edited to remove images no longer used in BattleTech.

Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederaion, $14.99 (Supplemental) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 17 May 2013

The great experiment that was the Republic of the Sphere has failed. Withdrawn behind the Fortress walls, the once-great power has become a silent, opaque remnant of its former glory. Without its influence, old hatreds have risen anew. As war once more rages across the Inner Sphere, new equipment strides across ancient battlefields. Technology, once stagnated by trade restrictions and peace treaties, now surges forward again, testing these new machines in the fierce crucible of war.

Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation introduces the wave of new battle armor, vehicle, ‘Mech, and aerospace units appearing across the Inner Sphere in the Dark Age era. Featuring new and matured technology, and presented in this series of faction-specific PDFs, these combat units will add excitement and variety to any game table.

Historical Turning Point: New Dallas, $4.95 (Historical Turning Points) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 4 May 2013

Home to the vast Hegemony Central Intelligence Directorate, New Dallas has been a lostech prospector’s dream. The system was a shining jewel during the heyday of the Star League, lost after the fall of the Amaris Empire, and rediscovered during the opening shots of the Jihad. The secrets that lay among its ruins would change the course of technology in the Inner Sphere forever…

Historical Turning Point: New Dallas details three era events that occurred on the planet. Containing three mini-campaigns using the Chaos Campaign rules, this campaign supplement gives players the option of fighting individual battles, following a campaign arc, inserting it into their own campaigns, and even creating their own scenarios with optional rules to give their games a “New Dallas flavor.” This PDF-exclusive book includes a detailed map of New Dallas, a comprehensive list of the forces involved on New Dallas across three eras, and several Tracks for players can use to run simple lance-on-lance battles or stage a complete world-wide invasion. The only limit is the players’ imagination.

MapPack: Hills Terrain Set, $5.99 (MapPack) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 4 May 2013

BattleTech MapPacks bring back BattleTech’s classic map sheets in printable form. Using the original map sheet art, and sized for compatibility with the original printed sheets and newer HexPacks alike, you can now store and print as many sheets as needed for your BattleTech games.

Use these sheets in conjunction with the random terrain tables found in Total Warfare, or any time you need a quick map, but transporting physical terrain is impractical. Mount them on poster board or cardboard for longevity, or cut them up to mix and match your own unique battlefields.

For use with BattleTech, Total Warfare, Tactical Operations, and Strategic Operations.

This Terrain Set includes the following maps:

BattleForce
Box Canyon
Woodland
Rolling Hills #2
Rolling Hills #1

Single Maps

Each of the maps found in MapPack: Hills Terrain Set can be purchases separately as well.

BattleForce, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 4 May 2013

Box Canyon, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 4 May 2013

Woodland, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 4 May 2013

Rolling Hills 1, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 4 May 2013

Rolling Hills 2, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 4 May 2013

Explorer Corps, $8.00 (Out-Of-Print Setting Sourcebook) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 17 May 2013

A hundred years ago, Primus Adrienne Sims of ComStar suffered nightmare visions of a dire threat to ComStar and the Successor States: hordes of strange monsters from beyond known space, invading the Inner Sphere to destroy it. These visions so troubled the Primus that she created the Explorer Corps, a division of ComStar dedicated to probing the Deep Periphery, to hunt down the threat she had foreseen.

A century later, the Clan invasion made the nightmare come true—and gave the Explorer Corps a vital role in the Inner Sphere’s survival. With the backing of the Draconis Combine, the Explorer Corps has expanded its operations and embarked on a massive hunt for the Clan homeworlds. Small mercenary units from all over the Inner Sphere are joining the search, hired by the Explorer Corps for secret missions into the Deep Periphery—missions from with few return…

The Explorer Corps sourcebook describes the Explorer Corps’ history and structure, including key personalities, operational procedures, and the Corps’ efforts to locate the Clan homeworlds before the Truce of Tukayyid expires. Also included is background material on life aboard a 31st century spacecraft and descriptions of various colonies and Clan bases in the Deep Periphery and other inhabitants of that little-known region of space. Special game rules for BattleTech, MechWarrior and BattleSpace are designed to enhance campaigns involving space travel or planetary exploration; new material includes rules for creating new solar systems and planets to explore, as well as new types of vehicles and ‘Mechs.

Note: This file is scanned from an original printing. It contains modified illustrations of BattleMechs that are not currently used in BattleTech.

Jade Falcon Sourcebook, $7.00 (Out-Of-Print Setting Sourcebook) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 4 May 2013

The Jade Falcon Sourcebook provides a complete overview of the deadly Jade Falcons, one of the premier Clans. Falcon history, culture and military capabilities are explored. The Jade Falcon Sourcebook also includes profiles of prominent Clan personalities, information on four deadly new BattleMechs, an overview of Jade Falcon-occupied worlds, and eight full-color pages featuring renderings of Jade Falcon uniforms and examples of Clan camouflage. A must for any BattleTech fan!

Note: This file is scanned from an original printing. It contains modified illustrations of BattleMechs that are not currently used in BattleTech.

Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries, $14.99 (Supplemental) [PDF Only]
PDF Released: 5 April 2013

The great experiment that was the Republic of the Sphere has failed. Withdrawn behind the Fortress walls, the once-great power has become a silent, opaque remnant of its former glory. Without its influence, old hatreds have risen anew. As war once more rages across the Inner Sphere, new equipment strides across ancient battlefields. Technology, once stagnated by trade restrictions and peace treaties, now surges forward again, testing these new machines in the fierce crucible of war.

Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries introduces the wave of new battle armor, vehicle, ‘Mech, and aerospace units appearing across the Inner Sphere in the Dark Age era. Featuring new and matured technology, and presented in this series of faction-specific PDFs, these combat units will add excitement and variety to any game table.

For use with BattleTech, Total Warfare, Tactical Operations, and Strategic Operations.

Era Report: 3145, $34.99 (Era Report) [PDF/Print Pre-Order Avaible]
PDF/Print Pre-Order Released: 5 April 2013

In 3132, eighty percent of the hyperpulse generators in the Inner Sphere shut down, silencing virtually all interstellar communications between the thousands of worlds humankind called home. Remembering the horrors of the Jihad that ended just half a century before, paranoid citizens and opportunistic leaders across the Sphere instinctively girded for the invasions that were sure to come. As ancient rivals once again turned against each other, the Republic of the Sphere—once a beacon of hope for billions—found itself nearly torn asunder by hostile neighbors on every side.

A new Dark Age had begun.

Era Report: 3145 describes the state of the Inner Sphere at critical age in BattleTech history: the years of the Dark Age era. Presented as a general overview of the period, rather than a focused report on a single conflict, this book includes descriptions of every major Inner Sphere faction active in the wake of the catastrophic failure of the interstellar HPG grid. Notable personalities, military forces, and an overview of the technological capabilities of the Dark Age era are also provided, along with special advanced-level rules for campaigns set during this time, whether played using the Total Warfare core rules or those found in A Time of War: The BattleTech RPG.

Historical: Liberation of Terra, Volume 2, $34.99 (Historical) [PDF/Print Pre-Order Avaible]
PDF/Print Pre-Order Released: 13 February 2013

In 2777—after ten years of savage fighting in the Periphery—General Alaksandr Kerensky and the Star League Defense Force launched the final phase in the war against Stefan Amaris, the Usurper of the Star League. For two more years, the greatest army ever forged by humankind would wage a planet-by-planet war for the heart of the League itself, ultimately landing on mankind’s homeworld of Terra. As the single greatest campaign ever fought in human history, Operation LIBERATION would change the fate of generations to come.

Historical: Liberation of Terra, Volume 2 describes the final years of the civil war that ultimately brought about the end of the first Star League. Covering the fighting that followed Kerensky’s conquest of the Rim Worlds Republic and the early stages of the Hegemony campaign to the final conclusive battles on Terra itself, this book provides a hard look at the last days of the Star League Era, and the fateful decisions that would eventually pave the way for centuries of Succession Wars to come.

Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, $4.95 (Turning Point) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

One of the most important manufacturing worlds in the Inner Sphere, Hesperus II was a primary objective of the Word of Blake’s Operation STEEL HAMMER. The plan was designed to disrupt the Lyran Alliance’s economic and industrial base. Long before attempting to seize Hesperus II, the Word concocted a lengthy invasion plan to weaken Lyran defenses. The Blakists aimed to succeed where other invaders had failed.

Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II fleshes out all the details of the conflict surrounding this pivotal world published in various Jihad Plot Sourcebooks. Additionally, players can join one of the myriad of units fighting for ultimate control of one of the Inner Sphere’s best-known factory worlds.

This campaign series uses the Chaos Campaign rules and gives players the option of fighting individual battles, following a campaign arc, inserting it into their own campaigns, and even creating their own scenarios with optional rules to give their games a “Hesperan flavor.” This PDF-exclusive book includes a detailed map of Hesperus II, a comprehensive list of the forces involved on Hesperus II during its brief occupation, and several Tracks for players can use to run simple lance-on-lance battles or stage a complete world-wide invasion. The only limit is the players’ imagination.

RS: 3075 Unabridged — Cutting Edge, $9.99 (Record Sheets) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

In 3067 the Second Star League disbanded. The Word of Blake, on the verge of joining in fulfillment of prophecies, acted in rage and launched the Jihad, pitting every faction against each other and even themselves. Against such an anvil, new cutting edge machines of war emerged. The discovery of an ancient Hegemony Memory Core graphically showcases the desperation of the conflict, as primitive ’Mechs not seen on a battlefield in half a millennia once again appear.

BattleTech Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged — The Cutting Edge offers players the record sheets for all the ’Mechs detailed in the corresponding section of Technical Readout: 3075, nearly 300 in total, many variants making their debut here.

NOTE: The designs from the Age of War section of Technical Readout: 3075 can be found in BattleTech Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged — Age of War.

RS: 3075 Unabridged — Age of War, $9.99 (Record Sheets) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

In 3067 the Second Star League disbanded. The Word of Blake, on the verge of joining in fulfillment of prophecies, acted in rage and launched the Jihad, pitting every faction against each other and even themselves. Against such an anvil, new cutting edge machines of war emerged. The discovery of an ancient Hegemony Memory Core graphically showcases the desperation of the conflict, as primitive ’Mechs not seen on a battlefield in half a millennia once again appear.

BattleTech Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged — Age of War offers players the record sheets for all the ’Mechs detailed in the corresponding section of Technical Readout: 3075, over 200 in total, many variants making their debut here.

NOTE: This PDF does not contain record sheets for JumpShips and WarShips; pre-filled record sheets for these unit types from Technical Readout: 3075 will be added in the future. The designs from the Cutting Edge section of Technical Readout: 3075 can be found in BattleTech Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged — The Cutting Edge.

MapPack: Flatlands Terrain Set, $5.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

BattleTech MapPacks bring back BattleTech’s classic map sheets in printable form. Using the original map sheet art, and sized for compatibility with the original printed sheets and newer HexPacks alike, you can now store and print as many sheets as needed for your BattleTech games.
Use these sheets in conjunction with the random terrain tables found in Total Warfare, or any time you need a quick map, but transporting physical terrain is impractical. Mount them on poster board or cardboard for longevity, or cut them up to mix and match your own unique battlefields.

For use with BattleTech, Total Warfare, Tactical Operations, and Strategic Operations.

This Terrain Set includes the following maps:

Open Terrain #1
Open Terrain #2
Desert Hills
City Ruins
CityTech Map
Scattered Woods

Single Maps

Each of the maps found in MapPack: Flatlands Terrain Set can be purchases separately as well.

Open Terrain #1, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

Open Terrain #2, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

Desert Hills, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

City Ruins, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

CityTech Map, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

Scattered Woods, $1.99 (MapPack) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 13 February 2013

Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex, Revised Edition, $22.00 (Technical Readout) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 14 January 2013

MechWarriors receive all the glory; aerospace fighters are a close second; vehicles are considered the workhorses of any military; infantry are even given their day in the sun in the minds of the common citizen. But no battle could be waged, nor won, without the mammoth apparatus of support vehicles that feed the war machine of the Great Houses. From cargo trucks to tanker airships, airborne MASH to communications satellites, armored transport rails to coastal patrol boats, hauler exoskeletons to AgroMechs, even hover and wheeled police cruisers or civilian vehicles conscripted to the military: the support vehicle is the true backbone of any military machine.

Built using the construction rules in TechManual and Tactical Operations, BattleTech Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex provides a never-before-seen look at the support vehicles behind the militaries of every faction, as well as a slice of daily life in the BattleTech universe. This revised edition has been updated with an overview of the Jihad and Republic era, up to 3084, covering its effects on support vehicle production and various efforts to use them as weapons of war.

Experimental Tech Readout: Boondoggles, $4.95 (Experimental TRO) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 14 January 2013

For as long as there have been wars, mankind has been on a quest for ever more efficient means to kill. Yet even as the technologies improve, there are always missteps, unexpected—and, sometimes, unexplained—flaws in engineering that can transform a promising new weapon into a setback costing billions of credits, years of progress, and perhaps even a few lives.

Experimental Tech Readout: Boondoggles samples some of the most infamous failures in military experiments made by the Inner Sphere and Clan powers throughout history. Each design featured in this book demonstrates a disastrous (or merely abandoned) combination of prototype technology or engineering employed on BattleMechs, combat vehicles, and aerospace units from the Star League age to the Jihad era. Statistics and (where useful) Record Sheets are included for 14 BattleMechs, vehicles, and aerospace units presented in this book, ready to use (if possible) in advanced BattleTech games.

Objectives: The Clans, $4.95 (Objectives) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 14 January 2013

Since the coming of the Clans, the military, industrial, and command complexes of the Inner Sphere have raced against the invaders—and each other—to out-produce one another in battle-worthy manpower and materiel. Factories that were smashed in the Succession Wars were reborn and revitalized, churning out ever more cutting-edge equipment, while academies expanded their curriculums and sent generations of fresh warriors into battle. At the pinnacle of the arms race, new wars erupted, first against the Clans, and then between the Great Houses and Periphery states of the Inner Sphere. In the fires of the Word of Blake Jihad, destruction reached a level not seen since the early Succession Wars…but the stricken realms persevered.

Objectives: The Clans describes the state of the major factories, training centers, and command centers of the Clans in the wake of the events described in Jihad Hot Spots: Terra. Including detailed stats on every key system, this supplement also includes basic rules to help guide players in developing BattleTech scenarios focused on defending—or attacking—these critical sites.

Objectives: The Clans is an excellent resource for running a campaign set among the Clans with Total Warfare and A Time of War: The BattleTech RPG.

Objectives: Periphery, $4.95 (Objectives) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 14 January 2013

Since the coming of the Clans, the military, industrial, and command complexes of the Inner Sphere have raced against the invaders—and each other—to out-produce one another in battle-worthy manpower and materiel. Factories that were smashed in the Succession Wars were reborn and revitalized, churning out ever more cutting-edge equipment, while academies expanded their curricula and sent generations of fresh warriors into battle. At the pinnacle of the arms race, new wars erupted, first against the Clans, and then between the Great Houses and Periphery states of the Inner Sphere. In the fires of the Word of Blake Jihad, destruction reached a level not seen since the early Succession Wars…but the stricken realms persevered.

Objectives: Periphery describes the state of the major factories, training centers, and command centers of the Periphery in the wake of the events described in Jihad Hot Spots: Terra. Including detailed stats on every key system, this supplement also includes basic rules to help guide players in developing BattleTech scenarios focused on defending—or attacking—these critical sites.

The Mercenary’s Handbook: 3055, $8.00 (Out-Of-Print Setting Sourcebook) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 14 January 2013

Running a merc unit is a serious business first, last and always. Not just any group of gung-ho ‘Mech jocks can survive in the cutthroat world of the mercenary, and any MechWarrior who ignores this fact ends up working for someone else, dispossessed, or dead. Running a successful merc unit takes know-how, skill, careful planning, and sometimes a little luck. If you still think you’ve got what it takes to pit your skills against the fiercest warriors of the Inner Sphere and beyond, The Mercenary’s Handbook: 3055 is for you. The handbook provides a comprehensive, detailed system for creating, maintaining, and operating a mercenary unit in the BattleTech universe, covering every aspect of the mercenary life from combat to salary to medical care.

The Mercenary’s Handbook: 3055 also includes detailed briefings on five of the most renowned mercenary units of the Inner Sphere: Wolf’s Dragoons, the Kell Hounds, Rhonda Snord’s Irregulars, the Gray Death Legion, and the Black Thorns. So what are you waiting for? C-bills and glory await any MechWarrior bold enough to take them. But just remember, the battle’s not over until the check clears…

Note: This file is scanned from the original 1993 printing. It contains modified illustrations of BattleMechs that are not currently used in BattleTech.

Experimental Tech Readout: Succession Wars, Volume 1, $4.95 (Experimental TRO) [PDF only]
PDF Released: 19 November 2012

After the fall of the first Star League and the exodus of the SLDF, the five Great Houses of the Inner Sphere unleashed their armies against one another with a vengeance, each claiming to be the rightful heirs to the Cameron legacy and the First Lordship of the Inner Sphere. Their scorched earth tactics left entire worlds barren, and destroyed many of the precious technologies taken for granted during the golden days of the Star League’s peak. As the years stretched into centuries, their great navies evaporated, and even their mighty BattleMech armies shrank and regressed as their advanced weapons and equipment failed and were forgotten.

Yet even as the Inner Sphere slid toward scavenger tech, the various powers of the Inner Sphere struggled to hone their edge with whatever remained, hoping to turn the tide of the endless Succession Wars with some new innovation their enemies might not have considered.

Experimental Tech Readout: Succession Wars, Volume 1 samples some of the desperate technological experiments that the war-ravaged powers of the Inner Sphere tinkered with during the post-Star League Succession Wars period. Each design featured in this book demonstrates the combination of regressing post-Star League technology levels on the BattleMechs, combat vehicles, and aerospace units that followed. Statistics and Record Sheets are included for 14 BattleMechs, vehicles, aerospace units presented in this book, ready for play in advanced BattleTech games.