MechCommander's Handbook and new Battletech iteration of rules?

[Mostro Joe]

Are there any news about the work on the new MechCommander's Handbook?

And there will be any announcement about the new iteration of the rules for Battletech, rules that will archiviate the actual "Total Warfare" version?

[Xotl]

There's no additional information on either the MCH or the new core revision/"edition".  Both are still in early stages of the work: neither is desired to be rushed, and the need to get other product out has taken priority.

[Mostro Joe]

There's no additional information on either the MCH or the new core revision/"edition".  Both are still in early stages of the work: neither is desired to be rushed, and the need to get other product out has taken priority.

Ouch! Thanks for the answer, it seems we are going to see something in the second half of 2025 at least!

[P_R_S]

There's no additional information on either the MCH or the new core revision/"edition".  Both are still in early stages of the work: neither is desired to be rushed, and the need to get other product out has taken priority.

Will the next edition rulebooks have rule numbering?

[Pat Payne]

Will the next edition rulebooks have rule numbering?

If you mean something like:

A.1 DICE: The rules often require use of a colored die to differentiate it from
the other die in use...
A.2 ERRORS: All results stand once play has progressed past the point of
commission...
A.3 MOVE/ADVANCE: Whenever a rule refers to a non-vehicular unit's inability to move...

I doubt it. This was never a thing for Battletech even in the '80s and was a feature of more traditional, highly simulationist, "a rule for every situation" wargames like the aforementioned ASL or Star Fleet Battles (the latter, with its gigantic rules binders, spawning the joke "Legal Officer to the Bridge!" whenever a rules dispute occurred). Most games of Battletech's ilk dispense with that kind of organization -- it's not used in Warhammer/40K, and even Flames of War, Bolt Action or Osprey's "Blue Cover" wargames don't bother with that rigid, legal style of presentation. I tend to think the Regimental Legal Officer's position was abolished some time around 1983

[Xotl]

That sort of wargame numbering is not going to feature, no.

[Aotrs Commander]

I did, admittedly, use it in Accelerate and Attack (and they do in Maneouver Group, so it was partly in thematic concert); in fairness, though AccAtt clocks in at 170 pages, putting it ahead of the MechCommander's Handbook but a good 80-100 pages under Total War. (I just realised my first fleet list book actually has a higher page count than the rules, huh.) So it's not really on the SFB level. (Though anyone alergic to rules that require more than one sheet of paper - I genuniely do not see the appeal of that level of simplification myself, because the only thing you CAN end up with is a dice rolling exercise - is going to be out off, but BT would put 'em off to, so I feel I'd be in good company.)

I don't remember precisely why I did it that way, except it does make for easier cross-referencing, though I suspect since I discovered how to better use titles and an index and the search bar in Word - and a though ToC - it's probably not necessary any more. (Never even occurred to me to do it in the fleet list book.)

You can, however, probably blame Rolemaster a fair bit, since that (and not D&D) was my formative RPG and that did use numbered rules.

[P_R_S]

If you mean something like:

I doubt it. This was never a thing for Battletech even in the '80s and was a feature of more traditional, highly simulationist, "a rule for every situation" wargames like the aforementioned ASL or Star Fleet Battles (the latter, with its gigantic rules binders, spawning the joke "Legal Officer to the Bridge!" whenever a rules dispute occurred). Most games of Battletech's ilk dispense with that kind of organization -- it's not used in Warhammer/40K, and even Flames of War, Bolt Action or Osprey's "Blue Cover" wargames don't bother with that rigid, legal style of presentation. I tend to think the Regimental Legal Officer's position was abolished some time around 1983

Yes, I mean exactly this.
The Regimental Legal Officer's position may have been abolished :) but still referencing a rule in a multi-edition, multiple-rulebook environment by page number is really hard, we have rules that can be found in three (sometimes more) different books.
With old sourcebooks things get even harder as they refer to a page of an unknown edition.

Wasn't easier to say "hey look at rule 3.2.12" instead of "you can find it on top of Page 44 (AGOAC corrected sixth printing) or Page 152 (TW corrected tenth printing) or Page 57 (BM corrected seventh printing)"

just my tought 

[Youngblood]

^ It's not a weird suggestion, though if a new iteration of rules for BT was made, the books themselves should just get organized better.

And by should I really mean need to

[Mostro Joe]

Will the next edition rulebooks have rule numbering?

I used to have a lot of games like that! Sold a lot of them, but I still have some 80s wargames.

[P_R_S]

I used to have a lot of games like that! Sold a lot of them, but I still have some 80s wargames.

it is not a thing of the '80  most wargames use rule numbering, even ROOT and all the current GMT games...

I see you are from Rome, we should definitively meet one of these days 

[Mostro Joe]

it is not a thing of the '80  most wargames use rule numbering, even ROOT and all the current GMT games...

Well no one said today rule numbering is unheard, but it is a thing that is typical of another age of wargaming.

Battletech anyway was since the beginning more a boardgame than a wargame in the traditional way.

 

[Inxentas]

Interesting. When I came across it in an AoS Core Rulebook, I thought to myself well, that saves the editors double-checking every page reference. Thought it was a modernization instead, as I regard the "train-of-thought-style text spread over 2 columns and sprinkled with page references" to be more typical of the 80's. Then again, I've mostly been playing TTRPGs and my actual exposure to wargames from that time is limited.

[Mostro Joe]

Interesting. When I came across it in an AoS Core Rulebook,

AoS? Age of Sigmar? They passed to numbering the rules?

[Inxentas]

AoS? Age of Sigmar? They passed to numbering the rules?

That is correct. At least for the new 4th edition Core Rules book. I don't know is that is true for older publications though.

[Mostro Joe]

That is correct. At least for the new 4th edition Core Rules book. I don't know is that is true for older publications though.

4th edition yet?! What a joke...

Battletech Is solid