Spoiler-free Inner Sphere Overview 3025

[Vandervecken]

Hi folks,
Can anyone point me to an Inner Sphere overview (maybe 5-20 pages) that has no post-3025 spoilers in it?
I have access to the old sourcebooks but they seem to go into far more detail than I need.
I'm looking for a "setting the scene" type document for people who have never heard of Battletech or the Clans.  It's all going to be a surprise.

Thanks,
Michael

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Hi folks,
Can anyone point me to an Inner Sphere overview (maybe 5-20 pages) that has no post-3025 spoilers in it?
I have access to the old sourcebooks but they seem to go into far more detail than I need.
I'm looking for a "setting the scene" type document for people who have never heard of Battletech or the Clans.  It's all going to be a surprise.

Thanks,
Michael

Tell them it's "Game of Thrones in Space".

Finding something that has no post-3025 spoilers is going to be tough.. you'd have to find some 1980's era analogues of something like this.  They exist, but .pdfs didn't back then.. so modern reproductions are nonexistent to my knowledge.

[Frabby]

Besides the box set rulebook/universe book, there's also Worktroll's Army Reports. I reckon these are as close to an Era Report: 3025 as you can get.

[Cyc]

Tell them it's "Game of Thrones in Space".

Finding something that has no post-3025 spoilers is going to be tough.. you'd have to find some 1980's era analogues of something like this.  They exist, but .pdfs didn't back then.. so modern reproductions are nonexistent to my knowledge.

The Crescent Hawks Inception and the original MechWarrior game manuals are perfect examples of this - brief to the point 3025 overviews with no 4th war spoilers. I suspect given they are video game stuff they are online, but idea where you'd look for them save google.

[ANS Kamas P81]

What happened to the old image-free PDFs of the original House books?

[Tymers Realm]

What happened to the old image-free PDFs of the original House books?

I believe this link in the downloads section on sarna should do...

[Tai Dai Cultist]

What happened to the old image-free PDFs of the original House books?

Nothing, but they are ruled out as overkill in the OP.

[Arkansas Warrior]

Tell them it's "Game of Thrones in Space".

Please don't.

[Lysenko]

Who did those 3025 Army Reports? I don't know the dl link but have them.

[Vandervecken]

I have those sourcebooks, they are overkill.
I want the 20 page short version, and then if they're really interested in the Draconis Combine they can read all about it.

[rebs]

Please don't.

Case by case basis.  Nothing can be completely off the table when introducing new players to the mysteries.  ;D

[SteelRaven]

Iron Liz did a great recap of the IS in the opening of her BT RPG reviews but Blip TV just took down her videos  >:(

[jackpot4]

Please don't.

I don't know how the Game of Thrones reference originated but it doesn't fit at all. 

[worktroll]

Who did those 3025 Army Reports? I don't know the dl link but have them.

me :)

go to fan articles, and look for "army report"

[Tai Dai Cultist]

I don't know how the Game of Thrones reference originated but it doesn't fit at all.

Both settings inspired by European history, especially the War of the Roses and the Hundred Year's War?  Check.
Both settings are about the dynastic struggles between feuding Houses over a vacant throne?  Check.
Both settings add magic?  Check.  (don't kid yourself, interstellar travel and mecha are just a different brand of magic than dragons and zombies)


Granted, if you came in to BattleTech after it jumped the shark with the whole "MunchkinTech" revolution of the Clan Invasion era, you may have never played BattleTech when it was Game of Thrones in Space.  But in the 3025 era, as the OP is asking about, it was.  Once upon a time.

[SteelRaven]

Game of Thrones may be good cliff note example of the politics but it begins and ends their. After that, you have just as many parallels between Battletech and Star War ( *both are Sci-fi, *both are about War, *both have Stompy Robots... one more so... and thats it)
 

[Endgame]

Game of Thrones may be good cliff note example of the politics but it begins and ends their. After that, you have just as many parallels between Battletech and Star War ( *both are Sci-fi, *both are about War, *both have Stompy Robots... one more so... and thats it)

You're right... There isn't nearly enough regicide in Game of Thrones to compare to Battletech.  Since, what, about 3010 there has only been 1 natural death of a house ruler... or even any of the merc unit leaders we care about?  A substantial number of characters get offed by assassination... somebody should beef up security.

[Lysenko]

Not sure about that...we have some naughty & insane stuff happening in the 3132-3150 DA timeline that looks very reminiscent of GoT: incest, rape, war crimes, insane Prince, regicide....

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Not sure about that...we have some naughty & insane stuff happening in the 3132-3150 DA timeline that looks very reminiscent of GoT: incest, rape, war crimes, insane Prince, regicide....

I've said more than once the Dark Age is effectively a reboot back to BattleTech's conceptual roots.

[Sir Chaos]

Since, what, about 3010 there has only been 1 natural death of a house ruler... or even any of the merc unit leaders we care about?

Being assassinated *is* a natural death for Inner Sphere rulers.

[Vandervecken]

me :)

go to fan articles, and look for "army report"

Fan articles on what site?

[SteelRaven]

Fan articles on what site?

Had to google it myself:

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-articles/army-reports-3025-fwlm-dcms-affs-lcaf-and-ccaf!/

[Vandervecken]

Truly excellent.

[worktroll]

I thank you!

(Was posting from my phone before).

Will be interested to see the Combat Manuals when they finally come out; my gut feel is they'll not try and cover the society/culture aspects, but will be more meaty on the military side.

[rebs]

Game of Thrones may be good cliff note example of the politics but it begins and ends their.

And this is all I meant, too.  There are some people with whom it may be right to use the GoT analogy.

[JadedFalcon]

Being assassinated *is* a natural death for Inner Sphere rulers.

It's practically tradition in Comstar.

@Worktroll: The mech selection charts in the back of the PDFs are a nice touch, offering a good selection without the long lists of the MUL.

[FirstStarLord]

I'll throw another vote behind WorkTroll's army reports. Excellent abridged versions of the 3025 Housebooks with just enough background on the political and social makeup of each nation that they come alive, and clearly organized tables for building a sample mech force of nearly any type.

[PurpleDragon]

just downloaded house marik.  I will read it then see if I want the others.  I need to get these to a friend of mine who is still fairly new to Battletech.

[skiltao]

Can anyone point me to an Inner Sphere overview (maybe 5-20 pages) that has no post-3025 spoilers in it?
I have access to the old sourcebooks but they seem to go into far more detail than I need.
I'm looking for a "setting the scene" type document for people who have never heard of Battletech or the Clans.  It's all going to be a surprise.

The 1st edition of BattleForce has the best possible 1-2 page overview.

The 1st edition of the MechWarrior RPG has equally excellent historical overview, but longer by a few pages, plus 1-2 pages for each Great House, the Periphery, and ComStar. Other info throughout the book is of interest as well.



[Edit (almost a year later): Whoops. I meant the Succession Wars boardgame, not BattleForce. I'm a little surprised nobody questioned that. /edit]

[Panthros]

Battletech Universe is what I always hand people.
http://d15yciz5bluc83.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BattleTechUniverseGuide.pdf?bdd337

Why not just open this pdf in a Word 2013 and cut out the post 3025, 4th succession war section?

Perhaps you could also use the original rules in pdf purchaseable on the Battlecorps site.

BattleTech: Vintage Rulebook Bundle (PDF)
[E-CATBT_VinB]   $12.00