The Periphery (First Edition)

[Guardsman]

Does anyone know of a list of what's still canon from this ancient text?

[Dirk Bastion]

The answer that was previously given (IIRC) was "everything that is not contradicted by a later source".

You see, this can of worms, she is big.

[Guardsman]

The answer that was previously given (IIRC) was "everything that is not contradicted by a later source".

You see, this can of worms, she is big.

I've seen Burrocks. I can deal with the worms.

[Ian Sharpe]

You mean the book that Taurian fans hold as they cry themselves to sleep every night? ;)

[Guardsman]

You mean the book that Taurian fans hold as they cry themselves to sleep every night? ;)

Republicans revere it as well, though we do not cry ourselves to sleep.

[Ian Sharpe]

Republicans revere it as well, though we do not cry ourselves to sleep.

I'd imagine its tough to do that under six feet of earth and 300 years of history. :P

[Guardsman]

I'd imagine its tough to do that under six feet of earth and 300 years of history. :P

Yes, it is.

[Medron Pryde]

You mean the book that Taurian fans hold as they cry themselves to sleep every night? ;)

To be fair, just about all Periphery fans have a rather fond place for this book in their hearts, just like House fans love the HouseBook of their dreams.  ;)

In all cases, those old books carry the most information about the Succession Wars and the periods before them.  In word count alone, the amount of information given is just amazing.  In later books, entire pages are condensed into paragraphs.  Massive numbers of stories are simplified from sidebars a page long to, at best, a single sentence.  Entire stories are simply edited out for page count so more detail can be given over to all the stuff that has happened SINCE 3025.

The sheer number of details given in those old books makes them pure bliss to someone who is looking for datapoints.  Somewhere, I have a spreadsheet with planetary founding dates noted.  I read through the books and noted when a planet was first shown in history, along with a page ref.  The sheer number of worlds they mention in passing "so and so raided this world, so and so captured this world from whathisname, so and so colonized this world," and on an on is a note-taker's dream come true.  :)

Also those old books gave the best looks into how things actually WORKED in the factions of the day, and no books even really tried to match them until the recent Handbooks.  For people who love to ROLE play in the BattleTech universe, not just put some 'Mechs on the table and blow stuff up, the original House Books and the new Handbooks (which aren't as detailed as the House Books but at least try to fill in the same area) are the most important books ever printed in the BattleTech universe.

[Guardsman]

To be fair, just about all Periphery fans have a rather fond place for this book in their hearts, just like House fans love the HouseBook of their dreams.  ;)

In all cases, those old books carry the most information about the Succession Wars and the periods before them.  In word count alone, the amount of information given is just amazing.  In later books, entire pages are condensed into paragraphs.  Massive numbers of stories are simplified from sidebars a page long to, at best, a single sentence.  Entire stories are simply edited out for page count so more detail can be given over to all the stuff that has happened SINCE 3025.

The sheer number of details given in those old books makes them pure bliss to someone who is looking for datapoints.  Somewhere, I have a spreadsheet with planetary founding dates noted.  I read through the books and noted when a planet was first shown in history, along with a page ref.  The sheer number of worlds they mention in passing "so and so raided this world, so and so captured this world from whathisname, so and so colonized this world," and on an on is a note-taker's dream come true.  :)

Also those old books gave the best looks into how things actually WORKED in the factions of the day, and no books even really tried to match them until the recent Handbooks.  For people who love to ROLE play in the BattleTech universe, not just put some 'Mechs on the table and blow stuff up, the original House Books and the new Handbooks (which aren't as detailed as the House Books but at least try to fill in the same area) are the most important books ever printed in the BattleTech universe.

I readily concur.

[wookiebear]

I agree as well.

One of the things I liked the best about the older sources was the "Feel" of the cultures they were describing. Most of the newer books that are more canon correct have less of the cultural fluff that attracted me to the BattleTech Universe in the first place.

They are getting better, but have a long way to go to match the earlier books for sheer amounts of culturally significant bits

[HuronWarrior]

You mean the book that Taurian fans hold as they cry themselves to sleep every night? ;)

Ouch!  ;D

I don't have it, haven't read it, but it must be great if it causes so much controversy.

[Maelwys]

Its a pretty good source for data, especially Reunification War and post Amaris eras. HB:MPS failed in those eras compared to the first edition Periphery book IMO.

[Guardsman]

I wonder how much censorship has to do with it? By giving realms ethnic backgrounds, it could put off some readers. The newer material is quite bland by comparison.

[wookiebear]

I think it is more about a lack of time for TPTB. The story lines they are working take a lot of coordination and it is probably hard to do it and be consistent across all the myriad factions that are available.

wookie

[Guardsman]

I think it is more about a lack of time for TPTB. The story lines they are working take a lot of coordination and it is probably hard to do it and be consistent across all the myriad factions that are available.

wookie

And the Dark Age briefly created a number of new factions out of the FWL. Shame they put humphreys dumpty back together again.

[ChrisSmith]

The thing about the FWL is that it know's it can't survive apart, and is disasterous as a offensive power, and would be at the mercy of either Laio or Steiner.  Better to band together and keep those guys at bay than to be gobbled up by someone that wouldn't give them the time of day.

However fractured the FWL maybe, the gang of thieves that run it know that they have more say and power in a system they create than any other that they might become.

[Guardsman]

The thing about the FWL is that it know's it can't survive apart, and is disasterous as a offensive power, and would be at the mercy of either Laio or Steiner.  Better to band together and keep those guys at bay than to be gobbled up by someone that wouldn't give them the time of day.

However fractured the FWL maybe, the gang of thieves that run it know that they have more say and power in a system they create than any other that they might become.

Had the FWL remained fractured, I wonder if they would have gotten a writeup in the proposed Minor Periphery States Handbook?

[roosterboy]

Had the FWL remained fractured, I wonder if they would have gotten a writeup in the proposed Minor Periphery States Handbook?

The Handbooks are all set in 3067; the FWL breaks up in the 3070s. So, no.

[Guardsman]

The Handbooks are all set in 3067; the FWL breaks up in the 3070s. So, no.

Oh, well. I wonder if we'll ever get a comprehensive outlook on them then, since they only lasted about 60 years. There are factions that existed for hundreds of years that we barely know anything about.

[lucho]

To be fair, just about all Periphery fans have a rather fond place for this book in their hearts, just like House fans love the HouseBook of their dreams.  ;)

In all cases, those old books carry the most information about the Succession Wars and the periods before them.  In word count alone, the amount of information given is just amazing.  In later books, entire pages are condensed into paragraphs.  Massive numbers of stories are simplified from sidebars a page long to, at best, a single sentence.  Entire stories are simply edited out for page count so more detail can be given over to all the stuff that has happened SINCE 3025.

The sheer number of details given in those old books makes them pure bliss to someone who is looking for datapoints.  Somewhere, I have a spreadsheet with planetary founding dates noted.  I read through the books and noted when a planet was first shown in history, along with a page ref.  The sheer number of worlds they mention in passing "so and so raided this world, so and so captured this world from whathisname, so and so colonized this world," and on an on is a note-taker's dream come true.  :)

Also those old books gave the best looks into how things actually WORKED in the factions of the day, and no books even really tried to match them until the recent Handbooks.  For people who love to ROLE play in the BattleTech universe, not just put some 'Mechs on the table and blow stuff up, the original House Books and the new Handbooks (which aren't as detailed as the House Books but at least try to fill in the same area) are the most important books ever printed in the BattleTech universe.

I readily agree. While I recognize that there were errors, I am still disheartened by the current TPTB's efforts to have the old sourcebooks banished from memory (maybe it's not the case, but they sure give that impression)

[Adam Vagus]

I wonder how much errata those old books have? I know Periphery First Edition has so much that it's impossible ta simply set down what's wrong and what isn't

[Guardsman]

I've heard that, but very rarely do I ever hear a specific example of what's wrong with it. Writers on teh forum just seem to reference it as entirely errated out of existence.

[Kit deSummersville]

I referenced it the other day.

[roosterboy]

Writers on teh forum just seem to reference it as entirely errated out of existence.

That is an exaggeration. No writer has ever said or even implied as such. But it is one of those notorious sourcebooks that has to be used carefully.

[Guardsman]

That is an exaggeration. No writer has ever said or even implied as such. But it is one of those notorious sourcebooks that has to be used carefully.

Yes, it is. I'm sorry if I was a bit bold in my statement. It was meant as a generalisation, a tone, rather than an absolute. I have heard a lot of negatives from writers on the forum regarding that book, and I don't think any writer has said anything good about it that I've read.

[Dread Moores]

I'm not much of a fan of it. Though not for reasons some might think. It's one of only two BT books of mine that had massive printing errors. It (along with FM:CC) is missing roughly 60 pages near the center of the book, simply filled with blank pages. Hence, not a very good book in my mind.  ;)

[Deadborder]

I't's one of the most beautifully illustrated BT sourcebooks ever. Really. The big, full-colour full-page Laubenstien peices are gourgeous. It's also got to be one of the most poorly-written, bug-filled, internally contradicotry messes ever written too

[Guardsman]

I'm not much of a fan of it. Though not for reasons some might think. It's one of only two BT books of mine that had massive printing errors. It (along with FM:CC) is missing roughly 60 pages near the center of the book, simply filled with blank pages. Hence, not a very good book in my mind.  ;)

Um, wow. 60 pages of blank space? How'd you acquire yours? :(

[HuronWarrior]

I'm not much of a fan of it. Though not for reasons some might think. It's one of only two BT books of mine that had massive printing errors. It (along with FM:CC) is missing roughly 60 pages near the center of the book, simply filled with blank pages. Hence, not a very good book in my mind.  ;)

My FM:Draconis Combine is chucked full of printing errors too.

[Kit deSummersville]

HB House Steiner had a whole chunk of pages bound in the wrong spot in it's first run. Still sold well at GenCon despite that.