http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,1706.msg34095/boardseen.html#newHello,
Errata, of a sort. Fact is, the First Edition Periphery Sourcebook (the only source where the AsRoc reference appears in) was found to be riddled with continuity holes, including this reference to helping Steiner capture the plans for BattleMechs. (A key reason for this is the fact that the RWR is stated to have a dominantly tank-heavy army in 2570, when the Reunification War happens; this would be over a century after Operation Prometheus, and given the sheer size and industrial might of the Republic, coupled with their shared border to the Inner Sphere's second-largest 'Mech producer at the time, this would be a completely illogical issue if they got the 'Mech simultaneously with Steiner.)
Thus, the Prometheus Unbound story corrects that error and deletes the Rim Worlds connection entirely (only the fact that the ship used to perform the raid was originally of RWR origin remains as a nod to that).
Thank you,
- Herbert Beas
BattleTech
Catalyst Game Labs
I just want to note, that the situation was also referenced in a much more recent sourcebook (
XTRO: Primitives, Vol.1), once again establishing the RWR connection, while also explaining the issue of the RWRs tank-heavy army in 2570:
The aid of Rim World Republic operatives enabled Lyran Commonwealth commandos to steal BattleMech plans from the Hegemony manufacturing plant on Hesperus II in 2455, but the Republic lacked the industrial base necessary to fully make use of this new technology
So, which explanation stands? Should this part of the entry fall under the errata as well, or the Republic
did somehow help the Commonwealth to acquire the plans, but wasn't able to lauch the production immediately due to the lack of industrial base?
