I've been away for a while, therefore I've got some questions regarding products which could treat on the MoC.
1. Is the new TRO: Prototypes a collection of the previous released XTRO PDF series?
No, though quite alot of the designs in it originated in the XTRO series. They've been "updated," with some of the experimental technology pulled out to make them better suited towards mass production.
2. What about the XTRO series? WIll there be new ones like the announced XTRO: Periphery?
I'd expect a continuation of them eventually. My guess is most of CGL's efforts right now are towards putting out actual books rather than just short PDFs for the Con season. If you read through Prototypes, its obvious what some of the designs will be in XTRO:Clans. For example, there's mention of a Hell's Horses' experimental Enyo with an XXL engine and ERLPL in the fluff of the screwy ERMPL Enyo, which I expect will show up in XTRO:Clans.
3. What about the Field Report series? I'm waiting for FR: Periphery. ;)
6. Any news on the new objectives PDF series?
There's supposed to be Field Reports for the Clans and Periphery, and presumably Objectives for everyone, but like the XTRO series my guess is they've been put on the backburner until after the Con season is over. Don't feel too bad. Heck, Kurita players are still waiting for their Handbook ::)
4. Some weeks ago Herb answered my question in the lead developer's section about Canopian noble titles with the announcement of a yet unknown product which would treat on that. Any news on that?
Not a clue. It could've been in Reunification Wars, but wasn't obviously. It could get squeezed into one of the FRs or Objectives books, but considering the Periphery one will have multiple factions to cover, a list of Canopian noble titles seems unlikely to say the least with their limited page counts. Could be a product we haven't seen mentioned yet, like some Era Report, or an RPG supplement I suppose.
5. What about Reunification War? From the ToC the chapter about the MoC seems a bit small.
It is, but that was sort of expected. The Magistracy's campaign was mostly straight forward compared to the other campaigns, with most of the twists simply being shell games and conflicts taking longer than expected. The only real surprise was the raid on Meadovale (and subsequent trap at Thurrock). So its not surprising that it might be shorter than the other sections.
On the other hand, some more detail might have been nice. I'm still not exactly sure what the HomeGuard units did, as unless I miss my guess, they're never mentioned again after a brief writeup. The new Magistracy fighter is kind of interesting (even if I think it might get blown out of space due to its speed), but we still don't know anything about the Magistracy Warship that debuted a few years before the RW.
One thing I find interesting is another dropship with mysterious origins. Maybe the MIM did much better at stealing WOB stuff than has been previously discussed. :)
My guess is its simply a Vengeance that they somehow got their hands on. Maybe they bought it second hand at some point. It could account for the rumor in Handbook Periphery of a "Naval" training program. Considering the MoC's limited aerospace program, if they thought they were going to be rebuilding a Vengeance to standard spec, that could be quite a boost for the Canopian navy. During the Jihad they might have modified their approach, piecing together technology from various sources to build the PWS instead of a standard Vengeance.
So does this mean, the units in TRO: Prototypes are (a) not identical with those from the already puplished XTRO's and (b) are dedictated for standard production?
Yeah, they're downgraded somewhat. For instance, the Dola replaces its Vibrosword with a regular sword, and are geared towards regular production (but they're not necessarily Tournament legal only, even with the change in status of some of the equipment that comes with Prototypes). Why its called Prototypes I'm still not sure to be honest.
Our navy got the Vengeance? Finally! Yeah! 8)
Sort of. Its a modified Vengeance, which carries less fighters, but more (much more) armor and weaponry. Its sort of an odd duck. It probably doesn't have the firepower to go up against other dedicated PWS designs, so it seems geared towards supporting its fighters, rather than being the killer of all.