IlClan Delayed for Reformat

[SteveRestless]

I would love it if there were some sort of official statement on why in the bloodnames of the founders, this is occurring. I would love to have more than second-hand paraphrasing from con goers.

Because it sounds like we went from the verge of getting a book that I have been waiting for half a decade to see... to what, maybe a 2019 release? WHY!? Because the book was dry and factual? I would fight a rabid polar bear for a dry, factual sourcebook about this. I would pay five to ten times what the finished sourcebook would cost, just to get a raw draft copy of the book that's been aborted, if I had the option. I don't even care if the material gets invalidated by the official copy, I just want an end to the waiting and wondering and waiting and theorizing and waiting and did I mention the waiting?

[Continues screaming externally]

[marauder648]

(il)KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!!!!!

Curses, but if we have to wait, then we have to wait, no point in grousing about it.  Keep calm and Khany on.

[Red Pins]

I feel much the same way - this will be the end of the Clan plotline, something around 20 years in the making, and the last book I plan to buy.

Granted, the bar left by Wars of Reaving is high.  As long as it isn't one of the rumor-style books.

But please, let this be the last delay.

[Frabby]

Why the rush?
I find I rather like(d) the Republic Era and Dark Age Era, story-wise. And I'm cool with fleshing the current era out a bit more, and add more depth and detail, before consigning it all to the ever-growing scrap heap of bygone BT history and usher in yet another era.

The current LD is primarily an artist. If he feels the current version of ilClan products fails quality check or undersells their potential then I'll take his word for it and gladly wait until CGL feel they're putting out the best possible products, for the most benefit to the game line.

[ChrystalNiNja88]

I'm frustrated as well but nothing we can do about it. At least it's a little more time for my beloved republic to live on before it gets shredded.  [blank]

[Red Pins]

I guess its because its been the over-reaching story arc since just after I started playing.  I lost all the opponents I could find, and nowadays most of the BT stuff I buy is oriented to finishing whatever AU project I'm working on.

IlClan represents the end, for me.  Whatever's planned after, time jump or whatever, I'm only going to hear and read about it on the forum or sarna.

[Empyrus]

I feel much the same way - this will be the end of the Clan plotline, something around 20 years in the making, and the last book I plan to buy.

Why do you think it is the end of the Clan "plotline"? It is the end of the Dark Age era, but the Clan "plotline" continues still, they just become the rulers. Hell, by now the Clans aren't a mere "plotline" that is done away with, they're a faction and a culture. Unless you managed to blow them up, there is no end for their "plotline".

The previous Clan attitude on reforming the Star League has been naive as hell.
1)Conquer Earth
2)???
3)Star League, peace and dueling for everyone!

It will be interesting to see how they will actually form the next Star League or IlKhanate or whatever it should be called. Sure as hell it won't happen in a day.

[Red Pins]

Because the whole thing was "return to Narnia Terra".

Anyway, its the final book I want, to close the circle, as it were.  The last one I can justify buying to my wife, anyway.

[Mendrugo]

Because the whole thing was "return to Narnia Terra".

Anyway, its the final book I want, to close the circle, as it were.  The last one I can justify buying to my wife, anyway.

The trick is to get her hooked.  Then you're justifying buying them for her, instead of to her.

From the content of the intro to TRO Succession Wars, it looks like many elements of Herb's Great Leap Forward plan will be retained.  If they keep all of it, that opens the way for a simplified, streamlined rule set covering Rebel vs. Clan Empire fights, while the full existing rules can still be used for when old tech is used in the arenas.  (Caveat - I've seen nothing official on the 3250 setting, but the intro text in the TRO tracks strongly with what was teased about Herb's 3250 plans back when.)

[JadedFalcon]

From the CG talk at Gen Con that got posted to YouTube, IlClan sounds less like the capstone project it had been described as before and is now being rewritten to be a jumping-off point with less being resolved. Brent Evan's comments about the writing being flat is noteworthy, and I applaud his effort to spice up the prose and make the product more engaging. But his other comments about leaving loose ends make it sound more like Interstellar Players 4: IlClan. But that's really what AToW supplements are like, so no real changes there.

[Sartris]

It seems silly to me to put the resources they did into BMM if they plan to immediately discard it for a new set of rules for 3250. Why is it necessary to the narrative to run away from the 3050-60s? It's not like mechs are programmed to stop function once a clan takes over Terra.

[ANS Kamas P81]

To clarify with what I remember of devcomments lately: originally the book was supposed to bring 3150 and the 'dark age' era to close, and institute at 100 year timeskip to bring us to 3250  With the new line dev and others, they've decided not to do the timeskip, and instead focus on the post-3150 era with the extant apparent-ilClan being part of the new round of the game.

I'm not a big fan of timeskips, I admit, especially BIG ones like that hundred year jump.  Look how much happened in the 100 years from 3050 to 3149, to suddenly 'status quo nothing happens' for an equal amount of time feels very oddly wrong.  It also gives a big chopping off of all of the characters that we've started to enjoy by handwaving whatever might have been for their future, and not giving them a chance to be more than a footnote.

[JadedFalcon]

It seems silly to me to put the resources they did into BMM if they plan to immediately discard it for a new set of rules for 3250. Why is it necessary to the narrative to run away from the 3050-60s? It's not like mechs are programmed to stop function once a clan takes over Terra.

If they are to develop a new set of major rules, it could take a number years. During that time, they'll obviously need capital to fund the development and (hopefully) testing and polishing of the new rules. The primary benefit of the Batmanual may not just be a new and focused introductory product to try and keep the boardgame alive, but also a learning process for the developers on writing rulebooks and developing finished products. But I don't have a copy of the Batmanual, so this is merely speculation.

[Sartris]

not buying that. they killed 3250 once already and then decided four years later to bring it back? wasn't the original purpose of IlClan to jump us forward? why change the focus and then after a leadership shakeup change it back again to the original, rejected premise?

seems like bad business to me to feed players a specific version of the game and then a couple years down the like be like "haha jk here's the real game we were working on please forget that other one you were paying for and do this instead!"

why not stick with the rules they were developing years ago? i strongly doubt the original 3250 vision was without any forethought on the boardgame front.

[JadedFalcon]

not buying that. they killed 3250 once already and then decided four years later to bring it back? wasn't the original purpose of IlClan to jump us forward? why change the focus and then after a leadership shakeup change it back again to the original, rejected premise?

seems like bad business to me to feed players a specific version of the game and then a couple years down the like be like "haha jk here's the real game we were working on please forget that other one you were paying for and do this instead!"

why not stick with the rules they were developing years ago? i strongly doubt the original 3250 vision was without any forethought on the boardgame front.

Whatever was being developed back when 3250 was first shouted down years ago may not match the current objectives of the company, and they may not even have access to it if the developer didn't make them available. One of the side effects of new management is that they have a tendency to set new business goals, since they are going to be responsible for them. But maybe they are using the same old Free Taiw-St Ives rules or whatever, and they just need to time to make them work and create content for it. Dunno. And with Free Taiw-St Ives, maybe the basic mechanics of Battletech are the same and it's merely the number of dots on the record sheets and modifiers in the to-hit numbers that will be changed. Depends on what their target market is. Are they competing with other boardgames or other miniature combat games?

[ColBosch]

The basic rules were never going to change. I have no clue where people are getting some of this stuff from.

[Kojak]

Where was it said that it was being delayed? I haven't seen that anywhere.

[Maingunnery]

If they are to develop a new set of major rules, it could take a number years. During that time, they'll obviously need capital to fund the development and (hopefully) testing and polishing of the new rules. The primary benefit of the Batmanual may not just be a new and focused introductory product to try and keep the boardgame alive, but also a learning process for the developers on writing rulebooks and developing finished products. But I don't have a copy of the Batmanual, so this is merely speculation.

Another point: If the manual is written properly, then adding new equipment, should not take more then publishing some new tables.

[Liam's Ghost]

The basic rules were never going to change. I have no clue where people are getting some of this stuff from.

Little known science fact. It actually is possible to extract usable energy from a vacuum. Unfortunately it can only be used to power speculation.

[ColBosch]

Where was it said that it was being delayed? I haven't seen that anywhere.

In three or four different threads, several times, including by Adrian Gideon.

[Red Pins]

Look - time jump is irrelevant.  The succession wars-feel is gone, left the building.

New tech, new rules, unit types - and this is a rules game, not a miniature-oriented one - may be added later to the core rules (forcing players to update, or not) or be given their own rules supplement, or whatever.

This was a thread where we were whining about a book being pushed back from a rough publication date.  Start a new one to continue this discussion, will you?

[Doom]

Considering how long it's been delayed at this point, I'd think people'd be used to it by now.  :-\

[ColBosch]

Considering how long it's been delayed at this point, I'd think people'd be used to it by now.  :-\

I am. I was bothered for a while, but I've gotten over it.

[Mendrugo]

I'm still waiting for the Explorer Corps boxed set!  ;)

[ColBosch]

I'm still waiting for the Explorer Corps boxed set!  ;)

You might want to let that one go. ;D

[Sartris]

Considering how long it's been delayed at this point, I'd think people'd be used to it by now.  :-\

After the IO waiting game, I have become numb to the passage of time

[ANS Kamas P81]

After the IO waiting game, I have become numb to the passage of time

Try waiting for disability claim processing...

[Wrangler]

I hope they do something or put something out soon. They're possibly going to lose people interest as whole franchise with all these delay the longer this takes.  I understand if it's a dud, but they need put something else out.  I can't say i was excited or happy with these products of new Starter Sets and Introduce boxes or a repeat Succession Wars TRO. 

I understand the need for these things, but i'm tired of waiting.

[Sartris]

Try waiting for disability claim processing...

[ColBosch]

I hope they do something or put something out soon. They're possibly going to lose people interest as whole franchise with all these delay the longer this takes.  I understand if it's a dud, but they need put something else out.  I can't say i was excited or happy with these products of new Starter Sets and Introduce boxes or a repeat Succession Wars TRO. 

I understand the need for these things, but i'm tired of waiting.

I get you, but BattleTech needs new players right now. The BattleMech Manual, TR: Succession Wars, and the new intro products are absolutely critical for giving folks something to start with.