New and Upcoming Releases, Vol. X: All Systems Nominal...ish

[Liam's Ghost]

Hey, so what in TRO:SW is different from TRO:3039?

Well, it's actually a compilation with mechs from multiple technical readouts and sourcebooks. So strictly speaking, one could say most of it.

It's got most of the mechs from 3039, plus the star league mechs from 3050, as well as some machines from 3058 and a smattering of the age of war machines from 3075, and a couple designs from oddball sources (reunification war, jihad conspiracies).

Plus, it's got a sweet new flea with a new writeup, and a writeup for the 3S banshee instead of the more familiar model.

Also, it's pure mech, no vehicles or aerospace.

EDIT: Also it includes many of the classics, with new art.

[Deadborder]

The FLE-16 is amazing. The presence of a lost Succession Wars era Flea variant alone makes it worth it.

I may be a bit skewed...

[pheonixstorm]

We've known that for a long time now DB :P

[Sartris]

Plus, it's got a sweet new flea with a new writeup, and a writeup for the 3S banshee instead of the more familiar model.

Also an alternate Galahad to what's in 3075

EDIT: Also it includes many of the classics, with new art.

Locust, Ostsctout, Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Wolverine, Thunderbolt, BattleMaster

[YingJanshi]

Hey, so what in TRO:SW is different from TRO:3039?

And on top of what the others have said, the introduction alone is worth the buy.

[MarauderD]

So, hi there guys, what new(s)?

[Sharpnel]

Nothing. It's too damned long wait with nothing new.

[worktroll]

Hey! 2SW is hardly dry!

[I am Belch II]

Even after new stuff comes out we still want more.....that is a good thing!

[Weirdo]

Wanting is fine and good, but I really feel bad for the writers and developers who poor their hearts and souls into these amazing books, and the only response they seem to get is "No, we want something else, and we want it nowNowNOWYESTERDAY!!!"

[sadlerbw]

They did announce the three new novels. Even if they aren't targeted at this forums current membership, that was a pretty recent announcement as well. I was guessing they would have pushed out another TTS or Spotlight by now, as those seem to have been fairly effective as small 'filler' releases. Of course, I am judging 'effective' by how many days it keeps someone in this thread from saying, "When are we getting something new?" It seems like TTS and Spotlights buy us at least three days. That might sound short, but major releases like 2SW only seem to buy us a week or two, so three days is pretty good!

[Sartris]

Nothing. It's too damned long wait with nothing new.

Due to some weather-related issues, we had to put Ray in the dryer for a bit. Once he's done and we've cleaned out the lint trap I'm sure things will get back on track.

[Geont]

Given how many things are in line, release of books (not PDFs, these are already available) BMM and TRO:SW and another books (new novels) and not to be forgotten new box sets, I don't expect new informations to pop up that soon. Although Fantasywelt.de expects BMM and TRO:SW to be released in October. I don't know where they got such information.

[Sartris]

Although Fantasywelt.de expects BMM and TRO:SW to be released in October. I don't know where they got such information.

my flgs in the states says the same. I imagine they set the date when their distributor gives them one. Where the distributor gets their information on the other hand...

It can range from "spot on" to "this product doesn't actually exist."

[Revanche]

Errata Report
* VERSION: "New and Upcoming Releases, Vol. X: All Systems Nominal...ish" thread
* LOCATION: p. 25, Weirdo's post
* THE ERROR: "...but I really feel bad for the writers and developers who poor their hearts and souls into these amazing books..."
* THE CORRECTION: "...but I really feel bad for the writers and developers who pour their hearts and souls into these amazing books, but am heartened to know there are a strong corps of fact checkers amongst the fanbase."  ;D

[Weirdo]

Well played, sir. :)

Where the distributor gets their information on the other hand...

There are exactly two kinds of release dates: The ones Catalyst tells us directly, and the ones distributors pull out of their aft extruders in order to have a number, any number, they can plug into their systems. The latter dates should be taken as seriously as anything else that comes out of that orifice.

[Sartris]

Well played, sir. :)

There are exactly two kinds of release dates: The ones Catalyst tells us directly, and the ones distributors pull out of their aft extruders in order to have a number, any number, they can plug into their systems. The latter dates should be taken as seriously as anything else that comes out of that orifice.

indeed. my flgs has at least two, maybe three products for CGL listed for pre-orders that have been confirmed not to exist.

[Empyrus]

My LGS reports "about Oct 4th" for BMM and TROSW. I'm inclined to trust that report, because they've previously been quite accurate (Second Succession War had similar rough date and the book was available on time). I would assume their logistics chain is reliable and passes info well.
(That said, the LGS' site management is a bit lazy or something, as they never got the memo Clan Expansion Box Set was cancelled and keep it listed...)

[Geont]

There are exactly two kinds of release dates: The ones Catalyst tells us directly, and the ones distributors pull out of their aft extruders in order to have a number, any number, they can plug into their systems. The latter dates should be taken as seriously as anything else that comes out of that orifice.

Expected something like that. :D But I wanted to try if someone did have better source of information that I happened to miss.

[Sartris]

Expected something like that. :D But I wanted to try if someone did have better source of information that I happened to miss.

Sometimes you throw it out there and someone official-like will give you a yes or no answer. It's worked for me in the past

[Kit deSummersville]

Its just so hard not to automatically type 'poor' when referring to the writers and developers.

[Revanche]

Hear, hear!

However, I hold no ill-will to CGL, et al, either. (And I know you don't.) They are fans of the 'verse, just like us, but are just over their heads in running a small business (cue Oliver's recent mantra).

[Tyler Jorgensson]

You know it just occurred to me: I picked up the Battlemech Manual.... oops

Anyways yeah the three new novels will be cool when they come out of course. Until then I need to finish off my collection with all the physical copies of the TROs, Field Manuals, and Anthologies.

And of course IlClan.....

[BrokenMnemonic]

It is a little hilarious that after so many years of calls for BattleTech needing new novels because the game will die without them, the news of three new novels being launched has been met with a number of comments along the lines of "no, not those novels!"

I've had my digital copy of Second Succession War since about a week after it came out, but I've been saving it to read - initially until after the maelstrom of work around DSEI had died down, but since then I decided I actually want to save it until I'm on holiday in a week and a half, so I can relax and read in a pub with a decent pint. And a notebook. And a profound sense of guilt for not rushing to update Sarna right away with everything. I really enjoyed First Succession War, and if Second Succession War is even half as good, it's going to be glorious.

[MarikMilitaMan]

Evening all, not been around since the spring, and to save me from going back through several months worth of posts, would anyone care to give me a brief synopsis of whats been happening?

Cheers.

[Tymers Realm]

Evening all, not been around since the spring, and to save me from going back through several months worth of posts, would anyone care to give me a brief synopsis of whats been happening?

Cheers.

Let's see...
TRO:Succession Wars
Battlemech Manual
Second Succession War

CGL's fun at GenCon
A thread that has some of the new Box games minis in it

The Forums got wonky for a while

Oh and Harmony Gold is Trolling the IP again...


That's the real big things recently...

[Colt Ward]

It is a little hilarious that after so many years of calls for BattleTech needing new novels because the game will die without them, the news of three new novels being launched has been met with a number of comments along the lines of "no, not those novels!"

Well . . . part of it is the delay of 6 months or longer from a printed book they had sitting on the counter at GenCon.  Not in stores yet, nor is it available for ereader for some reason.  The rumored novel of the Jihad that was teased during that time but never saw light was given another mention but its still not more than a rumor.  And for me, YA novels make me nervous . . . its bad enough that in movies they keep making the protagonist younger & younger, but my limited exposure to YA novels in a established universe were of poor quality or attention to detail.  I mean the MWDA novels were heralded as a continuation of the BT novel tradition, but out of the first 10 or so most were crap by people who had never written for the universe and some of them had lasting consequences from the poor writing or characterization.

[Alex Keller]

The average age of Battletech players seems to be in the late 30s (based on unscientific voluntary polling of fans on Facebook). And we're only getting older. CGL needs to bring in younger fans somehow. Maybe this will work.

[Colt Ward]

Not really disagreeing with the need . . . but I bet if you also look back a lot of people seem to have got in b/c of Crescent Hawk's Inception, Mechwarrior 2/Mercs/GBL, and Mechwarrior4.  Not sure why 3 is never really cited since it was the last one that had BT style modification or the MechCommander games- those seem to have been played by folks who were already following the franchise.

For me there have not been as many compelling PC Game titles as I remember in my high school & twenties- Mechwarrior 3, MechCommander, Privateer, Masters of Orion (2 or 3?), Wing Commander Prophecy, X-Wing Gold, TIE Fighter, Rebellion, Total War, Outpost, Freespace, Tachyon, Freelancer, and others.  I was big into the strategic 4X & flight sim titles, but they seem gone.

Unfortunately I have not seen many people come here from MWO though that might be they just stay on that set of forums to discuss BT products.

I am hoping the HBS game brings in the flood, and yes at that time we will want starter material- fiction, rules and sets- to point those people towards.  I think those things are coming online which is a good sign.

[Cubby]

FWIW, some data from the survey that was put out earlier this year, with the BattleMech Manual Beta:

Of 5,253 respondents to the the question "What is your age?":

• 39 percent, or 2,048 respondents were between the ages of 33-45;
• 19 percent, or 1,018 respondents were between the ages of 40-45

Unfortunately, due to the way the survey was deployed, there is no easy way to determine where the respondents originated from: MWO, HBS, or CGL native (that is, people who got to it via the CGL BT Facebook, the forums here, or the BM Beta, etc.). So it's difficult to say how the age demographics break down across the various BT-related games.

And seriously, if anyone out there is a whiz with Excel spreadsheets and re-sorting large data sets, please PM me or email me at aaroncahall at gmail dot com.

EDIT to update a numbers error.