Upcoming Releases XXIX: First Annual 29th Birthday

[Lorcan Nagle]

It's a coincidence that the guy who gave me two doughnuts came second in the tournament.

[ColBosch]

Is the Anniversary cake on sale at the store yet?

On the boat, Praise Blake.

[rebs]

It’s a lot of fun, even if your dice rolling luck is as awful as mine. Solid production value, good implementation of a basic push-your-luck mechanic, and it’s probably the smallest Battletech related box I own.

I felt a little bad that the B&N employee had to go fishing for it in the stock room, but my impulse to acquire a shiny new thing was pretty strong when I saw it listed as available in-store.

My luck has never been stellar by any means, so I'm there for the beer, pretzels, and other jokes aside from the dice rolling.

At least you didn't send the worker on a wild goose chase looking for something that wasn't there.  That would actually be worth feeling bad over.  You handed them a successful mission plumb!

[I am Belch II]

On the boat, Praise Blake.

Test print from the Cookbook

[GRUD]

At least you didn't send the worker on a wild goose chase looking for something that wasn't there.

Left-handed crescent wrench? 

[Death_from_above]

Recapitulating all of the upcoming/planned new plastics (disclaimer: list and release dates subject to changes) :

Star League Command Lance (Q1 2024) - ForcePack
Orion "Kerensky" (prepainted), Atlas II, Thunder Hawk, Phoenix Hawk (1b-"Special")

UrbanMech LAM (Q1 2024) - Salvage Box
UrbanMech LAM (3 modes & jump plume)

2nd Star League Assault Lance (Q2 2024) - ForcePack
Daishi "Prometheus" (prepainted), Emperor, Helios, Argus, Coolant Truck

3rd Star League Striker Star (Q3 2024) - ForcePack
Lament (prepainted), Jackalope, Kintaro, Hammerhead (2 or II ?), Havoc, J-27 Ordnance Transport

McCarron's Armored Cavalry Assault Lance (Q3 2024, B&N exclusive) - ForcePack
Tian-Zong, Black Knight (reposed), Awesome (9Q), Starslayer (jumping)

3rd Star League Battle Star (Q4 2024) - ForcePack
Savage Wolf "Wepwawet" (prepainted), Excalibur, Wendigo, Peacekeeper, Malice, Savior Repair Vehicle

House Davion Heavy Battle Lance (2024) - ForcePack
Templar (TLR1-O), Falconer (FLC-8R), Thanatos (TNS-4S), Thunderbolt (TDR-9NAIS)

House Davion Cavalry Lance (2024) - ForcePack
Hellspawn (HSN-7D), Gunsmith (CH11-NG), Legionnaire (LGN-2D), Enforcer (ENF-5R, jumping)

House Kurita Ranger Lance (2024) - ForcePack
Venom (SDR-9K), Avatar (AV1-O), Chimera (CMA-1S), Panther (PNT-10K, jumping)

House Kurita Command Lance (2024) - ForcePack
Akuma (AKU-2XC), Shiro (SH-1V), Rokurokubi (RK-4T), Grand Dragon (DRG-10K)

Grenadier & Kanazuchi Battle Armor Platoons (2024) - Battlefield Support
4x Grenadier, 4x Kanazuchi

Wars of Reaving (Q1 2025) - ForcePack
Cephalus Prime, Septicemia E, Osteon, Satyr (Proto), Roc (Proto), Basilisk (Quad Proto), Boggart (Proto) Sprite (Proto), Hobgoblin (Proto, Premium)

Clan Wolf (Q1 2025) - ForcePack
Orion IIC, Glass Spider (Galahad), Phantom Prime, Lobo, Ice Ferret D

IlClan (Q1 2025) - ForcePack
Wulfen Prime, Amarok, Dominator, Night Wolf, Nova J

Celestials (Q2 2025) - ForcePack
Malak, Preta, Grigori, Deva, Seraph, Archangel (all Invictus configuration)

Black Wolf & Raiden Battle Armor Platoons (Q2 2025) - Battlefield Support
5x Black Wolf, 4x Fa Shih (?)

Clan Jade Falcon (Q2 2025) - ForcePack
Gyrfalcon, Eyrie, Jupiter, Shrike, Cougar (repose, variant ?)

21st Centauri Lancers (Q2 2025, B&N exclusive) - ForcePack
Shadow Cat (variant), Shockwave (SKW-2F), Stalker (STK-8S), Jade Hawk

Fortifications (Q3 2025) - Battlefield Support
4x MG Nest, 4x Light Emplacement, 4x Light Emplacement II, 4x Heavy Emplacement

House Steiner I (Q3 2025) - ForcePack
Berserker (BRZ-A3), Hollander (BZK-F3), Uziel (UZL-3S), Axman (AXM-2N, repose)

House Steiner II (Q3 2025) - ForcePack
Fafnir (FNR-5), Thunder Fox L8, Rawhide, Zeus X (ZEU-X4), Blitzkrieg (BTZ-3F, Premium)

Ares Tripod (Q4 2025) - Salvage Box ?
ARS-V1 (with variant parts for Zeus, Hera, Hades, Aphrodite & Hepahaestus configurations)

Clan Hell's Horses (Q4 2025) - ForcePack
Adder A, Doom Courser, Cygnus, Hellstar, Hellbringer E, 2x Epona Pursuit Vehicle

Clan Vehicles (Q4 2025) - Battlefield Support
2x Donar VTOL, 2x Joust Medium Tank, 2x Athena Combat Vehicle, 2x Mars Assault Vehicle

Illician Lancers (Q4 2025, B&N exclusive) - ForcePack
Scarabus (SCB-9A), Ostroc (OSR-3M, "Luciana Araya Morales"), Ostsol (OTL-9R), Ostwar

Wolf Empire (Q1 2026) - ForcePack
Warwolf, Alpha Wolf, Blood Reaper, Firestorm, Stormwolf Prime

Alyina Mercantile League (Q1 2026) - ForcePack
Ion Sparrow, Jade Phoenix, Hierofalcon, Hellcat (Hellhound II), Summoner (repose, variant ?)

Fenrir & Gnome Battle Armor Platoons (Q1 2026) - Battlefield Support
4x Fenrir, 5x Gnome

Clan Sea Fox (Q2 2026) - ForcePack
Tiburon, Solitaire, Mad Cat MkII, Regent A, Hammerhead 2 (repose, variant ?)

Clan Ghost Bear (Q2 2026) - ForcePack
Tresher, Ursus, Arcas, Guillotine IIC, Kodiak 5

Rasalhague Dominion (Q2 2026) - ForcePack
Karhu Prime, Mastodon Prime, Kontio, Bear Cub, Mongoose (MON-86)

Rogue Bear & Golem Battle Armor Platoons (Q2 2026) - Battlefield Support
5x Rogue Bear, 5x Kage (?)

Company Box ideas
4x Wasp, 4x Locust, 4x Stinger ("Bug Box")

Fox Patrol
Kit Fox, Locust, Griffin, Marauder, Quickdraw

Other designs (seen as either concept art on Anthony's Patreon and/or as line art in the RecGuides) that might be candidates for a future transition to plastic :

ASF/VTOL
Karnov, Seydlitz, Sabutai, Samurai

Vees
Hunter, Harasser Missile Platform, Striker, Goblin, Partisan

Mechs
Grand Crusader, Raijin, Fujin, Naga, Naga II, Tundra Wolf

[NeonKnight]

[GuyIncognito]

Surely the Raiden and Golem packs will have those rather than Fa Shih and Kage, yeah?

[Death_from_above]

Surely the Raiden and Golem packs will have those rather than Fa Shih and Kage, yeah?

That's the way they were listed in the OG spreadsheet (see Kerensky Con rumour thread), so a 50/50 chance of either the title or the contents being incorrect..

[Empyrus]

The Fa Shih being made seems unlikely in absence of a CapCon pack. Thus i would guess the pack name is more correct than the contents. Granted it could be a CapCon pack is also planned, just wasn't in the list.

The Kage seems 50-50. The Golem (standard model) is used by CGB/RD only as is the Rogue Bear, a pack focusing entirely on one faction seems odd. Then again, the Golem has variants that are used by the Hell's Horses who are getting a force pack of their own according to the list.

[rebs]

Left-handed crescent wrench? 

Send the new guy to the storage warehouse to find the brick stretcher.

[Weirdo]

I'm only passingly interested in battlefield support, but I still need that Fortifications Pack SO HARD.

Same with the Bug Box.

[Luciora]

That Illician Lancers could have been a purely Ost lance with the Ostscout. 

And I can see I'm going to have to be patient and get singles from second hand dealers for a number of the OG Star League mechs.  Still holding out hope for an Arano forcepack.   

[Greatclub]

CGL could split the WOB pack in two and fit in some more of their signature mechs - legacy, initiate, buccaneer, gurkha, Toyama, red shift, blue flame, or vanquisher.

Still, we might see a WOB pack if the celestial pack sells like hotcakes.

[Rob Bendig]

Is there any word yet on when the Gray Death Force Pack will enter regular distribution?

[ShroudedSciuridae]

Has there been confirmation on a 40th Anniversary run of the core books? I don't upgrade my dead tree collection often so there's both a need and a desire on my end. Doubly so if there's new spine art.

[Aresneo]

Has there been confirmation on a 40th Anniversary run of the core books? I don't upgrade my dead tree collection often so there's both a need and a desire on my end. Doubly so if there's new spine art.

Total Warfare and Battlemech Manual have been confirmed as getting the 40th anniversary logo added to the cover with no change to the spine art, not other books have been mentioned as getting any changes for the 40th anniversary but it wouldn't surprise me if any that get reprints this year get the logo added to their cover.

[Kerfuffin(925)]

Is there any word yet on when the Gray Death Force Pack will enter regular distribution?

They are ~9 month exclusives iirc.

So another 2 months maybe? Idr when it dropped.

[Aresneo]

They are ~9 month exclusives iirc.

The exclusivity period is 6 months, then it usually takes a month or two for the packs to get through distribution and to other retailers.

[Maingunnery]

Send the new guy to the storage warehouse to find the brick stretcher.

But what if he finds it?

That Illician Lancers could have been a purely Ost lance with the Ostscout. 

I agree that would have been better.

[ActionButler]

My luck has never been stellar by any means, so I'm there for the beer, pretzels, and other jokes aside from the dice rolling.

At least you didn't send the worker on a wild goose chase looking for something that wasn't there.  That would actually be worth feeling bad over.  You handed them a successful mission plumb!

Whether something is actually in-stock seems like a crapshoot with our local B&N. I have roughly a 50/50 track record of something that’s supposed to be available actually being available.

From what I can tell, though, Encounters will be a terrific low-stress, beer and pretzels game. If I’m correctly understanding the rules as written and you have to meet a target number (rather than meet or beat) to clear an encounter card, it will be a prime source of hilarious outcomes, too, since battling Recon lances is a terrifying endeavor.

[Lorcan Nagle]

If I’m correctly understanding the rules as written and you have to meet a target number (rather than meet or beat) to clear an encounter card

This is exactly how it's meant to work, yeah

[Sartris]

they have it at the closest B&N. might go pick one up to check it out and give away my kickstarter copy as a gift

[ActionButler]

This is exactly how it's meant to work, yeah

That’s what I thought.

In which case, yeah, there is nothing scarier than drawing a Recon encounter and needing to roll a 1. Which is ironic on any number of levels…

[Colt Ward]

Wolf IlClan box . . . Wulfen, great . . . ugh, Dominator?  Night Wolf?

[I am Belch II]

Such a great list. Can’t wait for all of it.

[rebs]

But what if he finds it?

Makes a good story for online.

[Fire Scorpion IIC]

Wolf IlClan box . . . Wulfen, great . . . ugh, Dominator?  Night Wolf?

Even greater

[Colt Ward]

No, I can deal with Amorak, it was special for the IlClan Trial but the Nightwolf is a jack-of-all trades stinker that has appeared very rarely in fiction Tomahawk II would have been better as they played more of a role in the establishment of the Empire and Terran invasion.  Or I will even throw SteveRestless a bone- a Woodsman!  It would have been better for a Tundra Wolf or even the specialist Warwolf over the POS Dominator.

The IlClan box is a secondline star with the exception of the Wulfen.

[Greatclub]

I do look forward to seeing how they improve the appearance of the night wolf