ER: 3145 or FM: 3145 first?

[Alain Dumont]

Been away a while, getting caught up again.  Going to buy both eventually, but only money for one for the next month or so.  Which is more useful for getting caught up on what's happened since ~3085 in the Periphery?

[YingJanshi]

Historical: Wars of the Republic Era -> Era Digest: Dark Age -> Era Report: 3145 -> Field Manual: 3145

At least, that is what I would suggest.
The Historical doesn't have so much on the Periphery, but it makes some of the things in the ER make much more sense.

[Hugin]

Just a short question for someone who is also at catching up

Am I the only one finding it very difficult to catch up ad IDENTIFY with the new (ie. 3145...) stuff?

 :( not very happy with what the IS and Periphery have been doing over the decades  :'(

[Wrangler]

Just a short question for someone who is also at catching up

Am I the only one finding it very difficult to catch up ad IDENTIFY with the new (ie. 3145...) stuff?

 :( not very happy with what the IS and Periphery have been doing over the decades  :'(

You may also want to check up on Interstellar Players 3 - Interstellar Expeditions.  Its a plot book, but I believe the write up on the various small periphery factions are correct.   This update up to 3090s.

[Nerroth]

Historical: Wars of the Republic Era -> Era Digest: Dark Age -> Era Report: 3145 -> Field Manual: 3145

At least, that is what I would suggest.
The Historical doesn't have so much on the Periphery, but it makes some of the things in the ER make much more sense.

To add to that list, I'd also advise reading A Bonfire of Worlds before getting around to Field Manual: 3145. Or possibly even before Era Report: 3145.

If for nothing else, the introductory story fiction in FM:3145 works a lot better after reading one of Bonfire's plot threads in particular. (The relevance of said plot thread may not be immediately apparent from a Periphery perspective. But I suspect that the impact of those events will eventually spill over beyond the edges of the Inner Sphere once the storyline starts to move past 3145.)