Without Warning: Kelvin Casing does a nice job of matching the tone and setting of Mercenary's Star, evoking what life was like for the people of Verthandi under Combine occupation, with the local rebellion simmering in the brush. This could seamlessly fit as a prequel chapter into Mercenary's Star.
Voices of the Sphere: Mercenary Dependents: Wunji Lau focuses on the often overlooked role of dependents - both those support personnel that accompany the troops on away missions and those left behind to wait and worry. An excellent use of the VotS format.
It Ends In Fire: One of the major complaints from Nova Cat fans is that their faction went down into oblivion via a footnote in a sourcebook. Alan Brundage rectifies this by giving the Nova Cat leadership and remaining troops an epic final stand on Irece. Nobody can say the Cats went down without a fight.
Jinggau: A nice upgrade, and a fleshing out of one of my favorite Xin Sheng designs as it makes its way into the ilClan era.
The Shoulders of Giants: A nice follow on to the prior story, showing the experience lived by some of the refugees from Arc-Royal. More good combat action, showcasing what an Elemental can do even without armor.
Unit Digest: Steel Wolves: One of the more prominent of the MWDA bandit factions, they were shattered when Anastasia Kerensky pulled the best out into her Wolf Hunters and abandoned the rest. This further updates the unit through its trivails under Xera, its post-Anastasia leader, and sets up the details so players wanting to use them in campaigns feasting on the underdefended Wolf Empire can get some lore-accurate payback.
Death to Mercenaries: Rhetoric vs. Reality: For this article, I wanted to try to find an in-universe way to reconcile Michael Stackpole's "Death to Mercenaries" ban with numerous other works that prominently featured mercenaries working for the Combine during the ban. The writers for Invading Clans clearly hadn't gotten the memo (not surprising, since it's just mentioned in passing in the Blood of Kerensky trilogy as a way of making the Dragoons and Kell Hounds coming to save Luthien extra special), and key elements of Robert Charette's Heir to the Dragon indicate he had no input from FASA telling him that mercenaries and the Combine don't mix post 3029. Not to mention that about 1/3 of the contracts you can take in MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries in the 3040s are from the Combine. Now, it's longer a "FASA oopsie" element of the lore, but instead showed that Theodore was keeping Takashi in the dark regarding many things from 3039 onwards, with the help of "the Smiling One" himself, Subhash Indrahar. There are a number of deep cuts included in the article, including the first canon reference to Team Venom and, for any SNES MechWarrior veterans out there, the name "Gantor" should be familar.
Winning the Battle, Losing the War: Jason DeSouza gives us a good look at the Marian/Canopian conflict from the ground, with commanders on both sides using their equipment well and employing sensible tactics. Interesting that the concept of being Dispossessed still haunts MechWarriors in the "Clan Sea Fox can get it for you by Tuesday" era.
Unit Digest: Old Guard: Not to be confused with the elite Republic Armed Forces formation of the same name that battled the Jade Falcons in North America in "Hour of the Wolf," this is a troubleshooter unit comprised of Hansen's Roughriders retirees. It's a fun addition to the Roughrider lore from Ben Klinefelter.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Homeland: Lorcan Nagle's deep dive confirms that Urizen II's cultural renewal of the 2600s essentially transformed the Draconis Combine into a nation of shogunate era cosplayers, rather than anything recognizable by Terra's Japanese citizens, and that the same holds true when comparing the far-flung communities of the Inner Sphere to their ancestral cultures.
Dying Breed: Geoff Swift returns to his Scorpion Empire stomping grounds to chronicle the plight of the Ice Hellion adoptees, still alive, but still suffering the gradual fading of their culture and traditions within the larger Scorpion-dominated Empire. This is nicely paralleled with the fading out of ProtoMechs from general usage.
Mercenary Entertainment Network Digest: December 3151: Bringing back classic BattleCorps references like the Steinharts and adding new shows (many of which will be instantly recognizable to watchers of modern day cable/streaming programming), Ken' Horner puts up an entertaining lineup. But when are we gonna get new Clan Spaniel episodes?
Sea*List Ads: The Kandersteg Catalog: I'm getting flashbacks to "Levin's List" with this Sea Fox publication by Stephen Toropov, with a mix of product advertisements, personal messages, and other potential RPG plot hooks.
Everything Up There: Alayna Weathers contributes another poem - this one on the feelings of a rookie MechWarrior going into combat the first time.
Three Ways Home: Tom Leveen's Reunification War-era Taurian tale comes to a close, bringing the characters back to the wall with local foes in hot pursuit. There are references to the wider war against the Star League, but it hasn't touched Traussin, so the focus remains on the split planet. There are a few other examples of politically split worlds, such as Denebola. I wonder if Traussin had a similar founding story - two groups of colonists established footholds on a world and were already well established before they discovered each other's presence.
No Hard Feelings: Wunji Lau gives us a humorous look at how mercenaries handle being friends one contract and mortal enemies the next, all on a Maury Povitch-style confrontational talk show set. One of the biggest reveals, though, is that by 3152, Galatea is no longer part of the Galatean League, but is now part of a reborn Isle of Skye. Looking forward to those events being spelled out, hopefully in "For the IlKhan's Eyes Only."
Planet Digest: Rahway II: Waaaaaay back in the early days, the first CityTech boxed set had fiction in the rulebook, showing Davion mercs on R&R on the world of Rahway II. However, when the maps came out, there was no sign of such a world, and later works never referenced it again. For this mercenary-themed issue, I thought it would be perfect to put it on the map, literally, in this case, and explain why House Davion had an entire world just for mercenary R&R, and what its local history was. Fortunately, my search for a system near both the Combine and Capellan borders that had a canon colony in the III slot quickly turned up Sonnia, which was perfectly placed for it to play a role in a number of events involving mercenaries over timeline. I also used the piece to resurrect the Osaka Mercenary Legion from the original BattleForce rulebook. The list of amenities was based on what modern R&R resorts catering to service members provide.
Foolproof: James Bixby brings us a great tale of Thomas Hogarth blundering his way to glory, once again, overpromising, catastrophically underdelivering, and finally ushering in a new weapons system for the Lyrans. Hogarth's bluster is well realized.
A Game of Armored Combat: Daniel Isberner brings us the story of how 'Mech history fans have been commemorating the birth of the BattleMech over the centuries. I wonder if the 2539 gathering is where Albert Marik, seeing a gathering of all the other major heads of state, got the idea for the Star League? It was probably the first such mass gathering of leaders since 2412, when the Ares Conventions were signed. Kudos to Dan for adding this bit of lore to the universe.
The Graceland Gaffe: Chris Hussey puts players in a Galaxy Quest-style situation, when actors playing MechWarriors get attacked for real. Looks like good opportunities for fun, and a last chance to use the Steel Vipers before they get kicked out of the Inner Sphere in the Hegira War.
Making Them Pay: Stephen Toropov does a well thought-out deep dive into logistical concerns and finances for merc units.
Three White Roses: Craig A. Reed, Jr. takes us waaay back to the Age of War, revisiting the Davion Civil War and chronicling Alexander's escape from Varnay custody. I'd love more Age of War content, since its an era with loads of hooks, but very limited coverage in the fiction. This is put together in such a way that it could very well be expanded into a full Davion Civil War novel. Plus, we do have that Proliferation Cycle force pack coming out - that will demand more stories featuring the Ymir and Firebee!
Unit Digest: Killer Bees: I remember first seeing these guys as a playing piece in the Succession Wars game. James Bixby shows them some love, chronicling their exploits in the 3000s and updating their re-formation in the modern era, when they're ready to take the Hinterlands by storm.
One Thousand: Rob Schubert commemorates the 1,000th anniversary of the Donegal Guards, and shows the importance of tactics when navigating both the battlefield and Lyran high society. It also includes some references to Vedet Brewer, prior to his prominence in the MWDA novels.
Am I My Brother's Keeper?: At the tail end of the Reunification War, an unusual set of events throws two sets of Northwind Highlanders against each other. A fun scenario, and one that will give your Highlander miniatures a workout.
Never Trust the Recruitment Posters: James Kirtley brings us another tale of Galatea City, following in the tradition of "Not the Way the Smart Money Bets," "Johnny Mace, 'Mech Ace" and "Mercenary's Star." The first person narrative gives the tale an immediacy, and sets the scene well, showing what mercenary freelancers have to go through "speed dating" potential employers and watching out for the red flags of untrustworthy employers or commanders. An excellent addition to the canon.
