Author Topic: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition  (Read 198497 times)

Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1020 on: 27 November 2018, 15:37:30 »
Honestly I find the decision to publish an "official parallel BattleTech universe" sourcebook to be encouraging.

I've long thought BattleTech coulda/shoulda/woulda done better as a series of ostensibly linked settings rather than one continuous storyline that switches from post-apocalyptic to "alien" invasion to total war settings.  The history of the 31st century is such a mess because it tries to jump not just one but at least two sharks.

I'd love to see the eras broken apart into completely distinct settings that don't have to affect one another.

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1021 on: 27 November 2018, 15:41:57 »
As far as retcons go, this is a pretty minor one in my book. Yes the Periphery is supposed to have all sorts of minor kingdoms, states, etc. We only get a handful (3 major Periphery states & a handful of minor states/pirate kingdoms/etc). I personally welcome anything that expands on the near periphery into something that looks like functional states, rather than big blank spots that say "Here be Dragons..."

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Deadborder

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1022 on: 27 November 2018, 15:47:51 »
Coming Soon - House Arano: The Aurigan Coalition!
Release Date: March 1, 2019

High Lady Kamea Arano dispatched the usurpers who stole her throne, dismantled their dictatorial government, and restored peace to the Aurigan Coalition. Now her true battle begins…

The Arano Restoration has succeeded, and High Lady Kamea rules over the reunited Aurigan Coalition. But all is not well—the Coalition’s hardscrabble planets teeter on the brink of collapse, while its powerful neighbors await another chance to subvert House Arano. More than ever, the Coalition needs warriors willing to do whatever it takes to claim victory.

Step into the Aurigan Coalition in this Print-on-Demand and PDF product which brings the setting of the hit PC strategy game BattleTech into the long-running tabletop experience. Learn the proud history of the Coalition and its hope for the future, then take up the defense of the Arano dynasty with four all-new scenarios picking up where the game left off. "House Arano: The Aurigan Coalition" is authored by Harebrained Schemes' Andrew McIntosh and Kiva Maginn, writers and developers of the BattleTech PC game.

To survive on the fringes of the Inner Sphere, those of noble birth must once again call on champions of mercenary mind.



Wow! I've been looking forward to this since we first learned about the setting of the Battletech game. Being the sucker for fluff text that I am, this is the perfect product. Thank you so much!
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Colt Ward

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1023 on: 27 November 2018, 15:57:43 »
So . . . pre-order PDF?
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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1024 on: 27 November 2018, 16:09:39 »
As far as retcons go, this is a pretty minor one in my book. Yes the Periphery is supposed to have all sorts of minor kingdoms, states, etc. We only get a handful (3 major Periphery states & a handful of minor states/pirate kingdoms/etc). I personally welcome anything that expands on the near periphery into something that looks like functional states, rather than big blank spots that say "Here be Dragons..."

Damon.

That's kind of how I feel. There has always been a lot of potential for home games to dive into the minor powers and  one-off kingdoms that supposedly populate the Periphery, but not that many are fleshed out in a meaningful way. Adding the Aurigan Reach/Coalition/Whatever as a minor power in the shadow of the Taurian Concordat seems like a fine way to expand on that.

Especially after the events of the game, they seem too fractured and weak to have much effect on their stronger neighbors.

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1025 on: 27 November 2018, 16:25:54 »
Just gonna pop this here:

https://www.rd.com/culture/countries-that-dont-exist-anymore/

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Liam's Ghost

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1026 on: 27 November 2018, 16:45:14 »
I'm curious to see how it turns out.

Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

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hf22

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1027 on: 27 November 2018, 17:00:20 »
While I am a fully paid up player of the HBS videogame, I am not really a fan of a canon Arano Sourcebook, and would prefer if it was left as an alt-universe.

But putting that aside, and accepting there will be no ComStar hid them plot, what will actually need to be considered reconned? I mean the Interstellar Players and Periphery type books don't mention this new faction obviously, but they were always pretty explicit that various unmentioned Periphery factions didn't get covered.

Liam's Ghost

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1028 on: 27 November 2018, 17:17:11 »
While I am a fully paid up player of the HBS videogame, I am not really a fan of a canon Arano Sourcebook, and would prefer if it was left as an alt-universe.

But putting that aside, and accepting there will be no ComStar hid them plot, what will actually need to be considered reconned? I mean the Interstellar Players and Periphery type books don't mention this new faction obviously, but they were always pretty explicit that various unmentioned Periphery factions didn't get covered.

Strictly speaking in terms of 3025, not much. At best, I think the Regis Roost Touring the Stars book is the only immediate contradiction with the game, and I doubt that'll be revoked after just coming out.

When you move beyond that it gets trickier. Two Aurigan worlds end up in Taurian hands. But even then, current canon establishes that region was home to several Taurian and Capellan colonies abandoned during the Succession Wars, and notably the Concordat mostly didn't go back there, even when the Taurians and Canopeans were actively colonizing the region (the fronc reaches don't touch any of the Aurigan worlds) and these worlds would have already proven viable.  There's room to say it was because a political structure already existed there and wasn't interested in joining the fold.

It would still be a retcon, but not a 3025 revised level retcon. Maybe not even a "Fotch pulled another bit of nonsense out of his ass" level retcon (I'm looking at you, Free Guilds!).
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!

Colt Ward

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1029 on: 27 November 2018, 17:59:08 »
Roost is easy . . . your HBS star book's data was out of date but its such a out of the way place you did not know the entry dated back to the Reunification War (or whatever the Touring says, I do not have it yet)- or the Argo crashed, whatever reasoning you want to use.
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Daryk

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1030 on: 27 November 2018, 18:29:03 »
That will have to be applied repeatedly, then.  I remembered several worlds described in the old House books that HBS completely ignored when they wrote their thumbnails.  That you can actually go to those worlds in the HBS game (and they match the thumbnails) kind of makes it hard to ignore.  I'll be curious to see how the HBS writers adapt to our fact-checking culture.

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1031 on: 27 November 2018, 19:15:07 »
I’m fine with the IP not having to care about anything published before the fasa field manual series (or if you must, 20 year update) except as broad guidelines. Change the planet histories to suite and call it misinformed analysis. 3025 in-universe perspective is like history written in the 1890s at this point. I wouldn’t rely on it too heavily

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ActionButler

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1032 on: 27 November 2018, 19:19:08 »
Impossible to tell how it will alter the known BT universe without seeing the book, but I’m glad that this is happening.

The HBS game did some things well, and some things... less well... but I do like the idea of including the Aurigan Reach in the tabletop canon. It gives any converts from the PC game a good place to start and it makes the Periphery that much more interesting for the rest of us.
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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1033 on: 27 November 2018, 20:09:54 »
Wow! I love this.  I'm looking forward to getting this baby. It gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling seeing old school FASA house book art.

So this canon, minor retro-con.  Which i'm fine.  That area was largely not covered.  So i'm fine with fading small alliance/coalition was below interested major empires.
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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1034 on: 27 November 2018, 20:39:14 »
I'll be curious to see how the HBS writers adapt to our fact-checking culture.

Who said they’re going to even be subjected to it? AFAICT, nobody has said anything about the two merging in any way that would lead to the use of a single factchecking team.

Daryk

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1035 on: 27 November 2018, 20:43:35 »
CGL will publish something without fact checking?  Interesting.

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1036 on: 27 November 2018, 20:51:34 »
Speaking as someone who bought the deluxe version of the PC game without being able to run it, I look forward to the book.
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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1037 on: 27 November 2018, 21:07:15 »
CGL will publish something without fact checking?  Interesting.

Just because it’s not subjected to insane fan analysis doesn’t mean it wasn’t fact checked once any way

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1038 on: 27 November 2018, 21:07:39 »
Who said they’re going to even be subjected to it? AFAICT, nobody has said anything about the two merging in any way that would lead to the use of a single factchecking team.

It has confirmed that the book is intended to be CGL canon, so allowing for the acknowledged recon, it would presumably be necessary for CGL to fact check it (just as they do for work submitted by other writers).

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1039 on: 27 November 2018, 21:15:33 »
CGL will publish something without fact checking?  Interesting.

My understanding is that Roosterboy is saying harebrained schemes isn't subject to CGL fact checking, not the book itself.

I assume the book will be made to fit CGL canon (with retcons where necessary), but harebrained schemes will continue to do their own thing.
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1040 on: 27 November 2018, 21:25:56 »
Right, but I took the writing credit to mean the HBS writers will be doing the "fitting"... Hence my curiosity to see how they adapt to writing for CGL vice HBS.

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1041 on: 27 November 2018, 22:03:39 »
Wow. Slow down folks. This is a CGL book. It will go through the same process as all our books.
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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1042 on: 27 November 2018, 22:12:13 »
While I am not happy about this getting canonized, I am willing to give the book a chance. Although I am worried that if HBS keeps adding new factions and other retcons into their games, that Catalyst will keep shoehorning them into the canon. 



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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1043 on: 27 November 2018, 22:15:19 »
It's been done before.  Somerset Strikers Sourcebook.  Remember the Banshee hybrid fighter?  Enhanced Imaging?  Camelot Command being found before the published date?  Why it seemed like there was only 8 mechs in the entire Battletech universe?

Game canon has always been separate from Tabletop canon.

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1044 on: 27 November 2018, 23:29:42 »
Shoehorning?  Look at all the mechs that migrated over from MW4 . . .

Besides, look at the DLC expansions . . . the first which is out now just seems to be introducing individuals, granted I have not played it yet but I have read the release info.  Second is supposed to integrate urban warfare, again with no word of factions or anything more than that improvement.
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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1045 on: 28 November 2018, 00:16:16 »
My understanding is that Roosterboy is saying harebrained schemes isn't subject to CGL fact checking, not the book itself.

Exactly.

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1046 on: 28 November 2018, 00:29:21 »
if the extent of this invasive intrusion into sacred 80s canon by HBS stuff is a handful of pdf-exclusive products and a few one-off mentions here and there, the complaining is certainly overwrought. 

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1047 on: 28 November 2018, 00:51:46 »
All can be forgiven by the inclusion of images of the Road Warrior and A Glock of Seagulls.
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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1048 on: 28 November 2018, 01:03:42 »
A Glock of Seagulls.

...can't decide if that's a Bird Gun or a gun with a bad haircut ;)

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Re: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #1049 on: 28 November 2018, 01:10:23 »
Shoehorning?  Look at all the mechs that migrated over from MW4 . . .

Besides, look at the DLC expansions . . . the first which is out now just seems to be introducing individuals, granted I have not played it yet but I have read the release info.  Second is supposed to integrate urban warfare, again with no word of factions or anything more than that improvement.

Yes shoehorning, as in blatantly retconing in an entire space nation where there was none in a time line that is done and finished.  For the mechwarrior 4 mechs they were added in while the civil war was happening in the books not 30 years later. 
Honestly I don't really care about the fact its a retcon, I just don't want them to continue to retcon things everytime there is a new game or other media.

 

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