Author Topic: Sourcebooks with battlemech availability for each house per era?  (Read 1456 times)

ChronosVulcan

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I really liked how in the kurita and merc combat manuals there are lists of avaible units and how rare they were for each era for a house.  As the other houses' combat manuals are either on hold or canceled for the foreseeable future, does Catalyst Gamelabs have other source books with this information in a list form?
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Empyrus

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There are no books with solid availability but there is an official online source:

http://masterunitlist.info/

Pick factions, then select factions tab and then time period from the right side.
Example, here are all units available to FedSuns during the FedCom Civil War: http://masterunitlist.info/Era/FactionEraDetails?FactionId=29&EraId=247

Alternatively, use the Units tab and define what you're looking for your self. The faction lists contain "IS/Clan General" lists by default, which may or may not be desirable. They also include all tech bases by default, using the Units tab you can limit things to Inner Sphere or Clan tech base only.

EDIT Do note that rarity is not defined here at all.
« Last Edit: 14 April 2018, 08:23:04 by Empyrus »

ChronosVulcan

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I just compared the Kurita late succession era with the online master lists.  It seems the online master lists includes more units that a combat manual would call slavage from other houses or lists more vatients.  Example only LCT-1V is in the combat manual while online for Kurita are 1E and 3V varients as well.  As you already note, it doed not include rarity (ex. kurita special).

The online source is a start though in abscence of the other house combat manuals

There are no books with solid availability but there is an official online source:

http://masterunitlist.info/

Pick factions, then select factions tab and then time period from the right side.
Example, here are all units available to FedSuns during the FedCom Civil War: http://masterunitlist.info/Era/FactionEraDetails?FactionId=29&EraId=247

Alternatively, use the Units tab and define what you're looking for your self. The faction lists contain "IS/Clan General" lists by default, which may or may not be desirable. They also include all tech bases by default, using the Units tab you can limit things to Inner Sphere or Clan tech base only.

EDIT Do note that rarity is not defined here at all.
For Dr. B. Banzai and New Avalon Institute of Science.

Empyrus

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The CM and MUL lists aren't identical. Not sure why, but it seems to have been a developer decision.
(The Masterunitlist is canonical for sure though. If it says something, then it is so, though IIRC the CM lists were just as canonical.)

The Locust 1E is listed in MUL's Kurita list because the 'Mech is listed as "IS General", for all eras if you look at its individual era listings: http://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/1897/locust-lct-1e

If you want "Draconis Combine-only" (with the caveat that there might be other users anyway) designs, Late Succession Wars with 'Mechs only looks like this:
http://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Filter?Name=&HasBV=false&MinTons=&MaxTons=&MinBV=&MaxBV=&MinIntro=&MaxIntro=&MinCost=&MaxCost=&HasRole=&HasBFAbility=&MinPV=&MaxPV=&Role=None+Selected&Technologies=1&Rules=55&Rules=4&Types=18&BookAuto=&FactionAuto=&Factions=27&AvailableEras=255&AvailableEras=256

Most 'Mechs in BattleTech are common enough among all factions.

EDIT For not quite canon rarity lists, Xotl has made some RATs that include rarity. BRB, looking for them. They don't cover all eras though.
EDIT Here:
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=1219.0
Note that they're no longer updated but it isn't like things have changed much.
« Last Edit: 14 April 2018, 09:02:21 by Empyrus »

nckestrel

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Different goals.  MUL is a yes/no.  It doesn’t cover salvage at all (unless specifically stayed in a sourcebook). The MUL standard is does the faction have multiple regiments with muktioe of this unit? If so, it’s available. But then we ignore salvage.  I really wish we could add production info, technical difficulties have held that back. :(
The Combat Manuals wanted to add more detail. Yes, you can salvage a Mad Cat, but don’t expect it to be Kurita’s standard heavy mech, etc.

Alpha Strike Introduction resources
Left of Center blog - Nashira Campaign for A Game of Armored Combat, TP 3039 Vega Supplemental Record Sheets

ChronosVulcan

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The fan pdf looks good.  I just hope someday the conbat manuals are finished.  They seem to me the equivalent of codexs in warhammer 40k or the faction rule books of war machine allowing for more fluffy faction armies.
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Empyrus

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It is actually pretty much fluff in BT that everyone fields everything, with few exceptions such as factional variants or rare factional exclusives such as Dragons for Draconis Combine or Ravens for CapCon, but thanks to salvage even those can be common around certain parts (such as Dragons not being perhaps uncommon among FedSuns units that garrison the Draconis Combine border).
At least around 3025. Post Clan Invasion there are far more faction-specific 'Mechs.

The mixture of 'Mechs is the legacy of the Star League armies, and the Succession Wars. The Star League used the best 'Mechs, and equal or downgraded variants of these were used by member states, so everyone had similar 'Mechs overall. And once the Succession Wars began, 'Mechs were even more mixed up due to salvage, captured examples, captured factories, etc.

If you want clearer faction identity when it comes to 'Mechs, i recommend looking at later eras, for example by the Civil War (3062-3067) most factions have good selection of mostly-exclusive designs.