the currentness of my last update did not last long since tptb decided to open the floodgates on new stuff. the tacops split needs to be addressed as well as a minor, but not unimportant, change with the elimination of Historicals as a product category. also the lurch toward ilclan is back on - with the recguides and BMM as clear bridging tools to get people there.
going forward, some of the content of the main post is going to be split off into separate posts that will be placed in the fan articles section since i have done almost everything i can to economize character count under the hood. i'm not a fan of creating multiple posts at the top of anew thread option - it creates the same glaze-over effect as if there was no character limit and i was free to descend into total madness (and trust me, i would have). i've been teaching long enough to know that the typical reaction to reading is that people look at how much there is without examining whether they actually need to read it all. unlike my students, i can't threaten a graded assessment. the purpose has always been a quick and dirty intro, mercifully bound to the post size limit. i fear it already borders on too formidable for the casually interested. there's also something inside me that is hugely resentful of limitations, even if self-imposed.
so over the next several months as time allows i'm going to be writing some more in-depth dives into various aspects of the line. here are my initial ideas - feel free to suggest more. i ESPECIALLY want to hear from people who are relative newcomers. battletech is so old that in vet circles, people like me who came in after 4th edition in 1996 are still considered youngins. keep in mind these are resource guides, not how to play guides. someone else is going to have to write the manifesto on integrating combined arms, space combat, or roleplaying
*Products (including FASA stuff since most non-scenario pack sourcebooks are in pdf)
*Products II: Fiction
*Getting into the Clans
*Building an army (with a nod to rudimentary factional forcebuilding)
*The MUL and you
*Getting to 3150 without losing your mind
*Campaign Resources
*Alpha Strike