What's the difference between TROs anc the Recognition Guides?

[Mostro Joe]

What is the difference between these product lines?
The Recognition Guides are the new TROs?

[ColBosch]

The Recognition Guides are Technical Readouts. The two omnibus print volumes collect all the entries from a series of 33 small PDFs released between the Clan Invasion and Mercenaries Kickstarter campaigns. Recognition Guide Volume 1 focuses on the former Unseen and other iconic Inner Sphere 'Mechs, with four pages devoted to each design. Volume 2 is split between new ilClan-era battle armor, vehicles, and 'Mechs (standard TRO 2 pages each), new loadouts for the older Clan OmniMechs (1 page each), and quick blurbs on quite a few new configurations and pilots for classic vehicles and standard BattleMechs (3 designs per page).

The purpose of the Recognition Guides is three-fold: to introduce the new art for all of the redesigned units; to provide an easy way for new players to learn more about these units; and to further move the universe forward with new lore and designs. Catalyst has not yet said if future books in this format will be titled Technical Readouts or Recognition Guides, but the two terms are - for all practical purposes - interchangeable.

[Cyc]

In-universe Technical Readouts were entirely written by Inner Sphere factions, where Recognition Guides so far have been written by Clan Sea Fox, but as ColBosch mentioned from a formatting and stat format perspective they are effectively the same thing and Recognition Guide I assume will be the new name moving forward.

[Lorcan Nagle]

Worth noting that the print editions of the RecGuides say "A Technical Readout" on the cover. 

[Mostro Joe]

Thank you all 

[garhkal]

THe older TRO's generally were just a complation of print outs for the mech read out sheets, while the recognition guides, had pictures, and an area for history/notable pilots and such on each mech.

[ColBosch]

THe older TRO's generally were just a complation of print outs for the mech read out sheets [...]

That's completely wrong. While there were books of pre-printed record sheets, the Technical Readouts have always followed the same pattern: a page of text on the 'Mech and a facing page with a picture, with game stats on one page or the other.

[Hellraiser]

If anything aren't the recognition guides similar to those Mini-TROs that were "Partial" for single factions/specific eras.

House Davion, etc etc.
Or Prototypes
Or all the weird Gunslingers/Bungles models.

Eventually many of those were formed into a Full TRO.

But point is each Rec Guide is only a few units isn't it?

Or are they now grouping those up & I haven't seen it yet?

[ANS Kamas P81]

But point is each Rec Guide is only a few units isn't it?

Or are they now grouping those up & I haven't seen it yet?

The original Recognition Guides were only a few units each, yes, but they have been compiled into two volumes in fullsize TROs without the record sheets.

[Hellraiser]

The two omnibus print volumes collect all the entries from a series of 33 small PDFs released between the Clan Invasion and Mercenaries Kickstarter campaigns. Recognition Guide Volume 1 focuses on the former Unseen and other iconic Inner Sphere 'Mechs, with four pages devoted to each design. Volume 2 is split between new ilClan-era battle armor, vehicles, and 'Mechs (standard TRO 2 pages each), new loadouts for the older Clan OmniMechs (1 page each), and quick blurbs on quite a few new configurations and pilots for classic vehicles and standard BattleMechs (3 designs per page).

The original Recognition Guides were only a few units each, yes, but they have been compiled into two volumes in fullsize TROs without the record sheets.

Thanks, I read that post from ColB above & was thinking that is what was intended but I have not seen them as a product yet so wasn't sure if that is what they were.
Will have to look into getting those in PDF form maybe.
I mean, Who doesn't love a good TRO?  (Other than my overstuffed shelves/drawers, so its PDF going forward)