Upcoming Releases Volume XIV: Aw, what's in the box!!?

[SteelRaven]

Warhammer 40K and Star Fleet Battles say hello.  Also the original White Wolf RPG line was static until they had their "end of the world" / reboot.

Could you pic 3 games that had less in common with BT?

WoD always took place in the current time with the exception of throw backs to the dark age or wild west. Star Fleet Battle is milking nostalgia of the TV series and I personally cant say one good thing about 40K other than all those mini's I can't afford look really pretty.

[Colt Ward]

I can't disagree more
Older eras are already explored enough. It is hard to believe that you didn't have enough time to enjoy all the eras and digest their stories IN THE PAST 35 YEARS. Heck, we are stuck in Dark Age for the last 17 years. The plot advanced only 18 years in-universe (3132-3150), kinda hard to be slower than this.

To be quite honest I have simply accepted that Battletech isn't a game for me. Never seen a fan base so averse against moving forward.

Actually, CGL only got the Dark Age since roughly 2009, and yeah it stalled out the last few years for reasons that were explained but started moving ahead last year with a few months warning it would . . . so roughly 8 years doing 3132-3145.  Before that FanPro then CGL was wrapping up the FCCW and starting to play with the Jihad.  Wizkids brought you the Dark Ages 2003-2008ish which released novels for 3132-3138 or so.

[Sartris]

I was for a moving timeline when the second number in the year was a zero. 3025-3100 provides a decent arc to echo the first star league's rise and fall. Frankly the prime mover of the narrative in the 90s was the firehose blast of novels that served as the backbone of the clan invasion - something we're never going to see again. any timeline push without that fiction support is going to feel flimsy.

as of now, rules are the way they are. the BMM / core book reprints should be a sign that no matter what you think of them, they're not going anywhere. that's the reality. you're not going to see simpler rules outside of AS. under that paradigm, it makes the most sense to go 3SW as the intro era.they shut down the line for a year and what we've seen of the retool that went on during that time definitely points mostly toward SW and Clan Invasion (foreshadowed by the Combat Manuals). whatever anthony is working on with all those prototype sculpts also fits in the early invasion frame. i'm a big fan of advanced tech mayhem afforded by the jihad and onward, but i'm good with a tightening of the line overall. there just isn't the fan (and customer) base to support running the pasta through the press too many more times.

[Colt Ward]

I think Wizkids managed to push out more novels during their brief span than FASA did, and it probably helped the FWL, Falcons, and CapCon.

[rebs]

The Sea Foxes got some good love during that time, too.

[SCC]

That is however the eventual goal.

Sorry Adrian, could you clarify this a bit.

Yeah, have to wonder how you got that idea . . . we saw none of the regular story units in the book (WD, GDL, KH, DBoG, etc), were introduced to several small bands that likely went bust which was part of the reason the machine passed into other hands.  Throw on that we got the KH starter trilogy, the new box sets have fiction for Carlyle's Commandos which was small unit, even the new novellas one had the early POV character being a small merc command.

Legacy was like nothing we've gotten before, and while the individual stories that make it up might be as you describe, the overall narrative was not. Would you be all that interested in buying any of those stories, or even all of them, if it wasn't for that narrative? Do you think it would have sold anywhere near as well if the book wasn't about that it was, but just a random collection of short stories from BT?

And the history that lead to the formation of the GDL would be a major part of BT (deservedly or not), would that fiction interest you as much if it was about Wilma’s Wabid Wombats?

That's a fair point, SCC. I guess all it would take to make it not "Old School" though, would be to have new and modernised (aka MWO style or similar) artwork commissioned for the TRO's and give them a more modern format, (keep the new plastic modernised mini's coming too).

Also, 3025 is a good starting point for new players to get into the game because of the lower Tech level and smaller amount of unit choice (although still providing a great variety of Tech and units).

...and having Alpha Strike helps a lot as it allows more people to get their game on more often, when otherwise they might be too time poor to indulge in a CBT game.

The tech level is good for introducing new players, but the setting is too dated, based upon meme's that don't grab anywhere near as much attention. If you wanted to rope someone into BT would you show them art from that era or more modern stuff?

That's one possible view.
Another is that the timeline is arguably too long already, and must advance only very slowly. We're dealing with third and fourth generation protagonists already. Reset the board too often and it becomes meaningless.
I'd rather prefer CGL to explore each era in great depth and breadth.

Just about every BT book depends upon timeline expansion

[Frabby]

Just about every BT book depends upon timeline expansion

With all due respect, no. Only the "spine" novels do. And for me it's become a real problem. Whenever there was a new Stackpole novel, I was like "oh noes, what's he gonna do to the universe this time"?

In the early days, there was a new BT universe to explore and build. The novels did a fine job.

But as that canon sandbox grew ever bigger, I found that personally, I like "backfilling" much more than racing the timeline along. Books like Betrayal of Ideals, Forever Faithful, Gier, and many of the best BattleCorps stories/novellas took a known part of the past timeline, and put a new spin on something you thought you knew. Or explained apparent contradictions or kinks in canon. Or simply took a closer look at one of the 99.9% of worlds that were largely overlooked in the spine novels, and what the throne room politics from the novels actually mean for the common people on the forgotten planets.

Mind you, I absolutely want the timeline to go on. I want to know how the story continues. But given the nature of the BT timeline, this isn't a planned narrative that runs towards some specific ultimate conclusion. It has to be neverending. And that in turn means the drawbacks of advancing the timeline (namely, stretching things like characters and even realms for readers/players to identify themselves with thin across the centuries) have to be balanced carefully against the advantages (having a non-static setting). To me, the conclusion is that the timeline must be advanced only at the absolutely slowest speed possible. We've "lost" 130 years already.

[Wrangler]

That’s looking very unlikely, and until now that hasn’t been stated or hinted at.
Just want expectations to be clear.

So to clarify.. We're not likely going to be going to get a new book as a sequel wise to Shattered Fortress this gencon? I know things take time and frankly it sounds like there's been more reshuffling going on in the background than we had thought. So does these small comments and hints mean not to expect much but what was announced is coming out? This sort a kind of leaves people hanging here.

If true it will fell disappointing of a summer.  New rule books dont get me really excited. New stories and other things do. 

Hopefully the momentum we did have years ago will comeback.

Canon In-universe magazine would at least keep us feeling the game a more living thing such as Battletechology did than these big gaps of low activity.

[Alexander Knight]

40K has advanced over a hundred years in the last two, it's not exactly one to hold up as an example.  Star Fleet Battles is based on a property that has advanced decades in the last ten years (though I rightly don't know where it is now or exactly how recently that happened) thanks to Star Trek Online.

You may want to update your go-to examples.

40K has had one advance.  And SFB *can't* advance.  It has no connections to Star Trek Online.

[Scotty]

40K has had one advance.  And SFB *can't* advance.  It has no connections to Star Trek Online.

The first is a funny way to phrase "sorry, you're right", the second is totally irrelevant because we're similarly not talking about a new edition of BattleTech.  "Star Fleet Battles" is to "Total Warfare" as "Star Trek" is to "BattleTech".  Star Trek has advanced.

[Pat Payne]

. Star Fleet Battle is milking nostalgia of the TV series

It's not about milking nostalgia with SFB, but the fact that their somewhat bizarre license (in short, IIRC, they licensed the Star Trek properties for the TV series through the back door of getting a sublicense from the guy who had made the old Star Fleet Technical Manual, and the license was subsequently regularized by Paramount with the proviso that it covered only the manual and some limited elements from TOS and TAS -- the latter being the Kzinti as they appeared in "The Slaver Weapon") doesn't allow for them to expand into the movies/TNG/DS9/etc. eras.

But hey... House Arano tomorrow, hopefully? Looking forward to it! (please excuse this pathetic attempt to get the discussion back on track and avoid the wrath of the Beemers :) )

[Cubby]

But hey... House Arano tomorrow, hopefully?

Well...

House Arano: The Aurigan Coalition Update - May 30

The files for House Arano: The Aurigan Coalition were turned over for POD (print on demand) on Friday May 24th and processing began. After some technical revisions, the file was marked approved for proofing on Wednesday May 29th, and production began on a physical proof. Once the proof is created, it will be shipped overnight for inspection and approval (or revision). The turnaround time could be between 3-5 days, with an additional day for review (and creation of revisions if needed).

With this final timeframe, it does not appear that we will meet our May 31st release date, but will absolutely have the POD and PDF book available for purchase by June 7th.

Thank you again for your patience.

Ray Arrastia
BattleTech Assistant Line Developer

[Colt Ward]

Flags, pics, and wireframe art?  Thanks for the taste . . . from the ToC and this, I assume we are getting the PC group called Rampart Company . . .

Out of curiousity, why no Decker, Behemoth, Medusa, and the other two I forget the names of as members?  They were the original pilots.  *starts looking at pages*

[NeonKnight]

I'm loving seeing Screen captures from the game as art...lovely tie-in!

[Colt Ward]

The first page has a great sentence for the 'Why is it not on the map?' crowd- they were not even recognized by their neighboring periphery states as a legitimate government.

[omega2010]

Flags, pics, and wireframe art?  Thanks for the taste . . . from the ToC and this, I assume we are getting the PC group called Rampart Company . . .

Out of curiousity, why no Decker, Behemoth, Medusa, and the other two I forget the names of as members?  They were the original pilots.  *starts looking at pages*

How did you forget Glitch?  The fifth is the PC.

[Colt Ward]

Hm, I must have usually hired a spare- for some reason was thinking 6 for the campaign start.  But yeah, Glitch but I had another G in mind for the nickname.  The pic of Govender looks like it was made using the PC image customization, which is nice- as NeonKnight said another tie in to HBS.  Be cool if it dropped June 4th with Urban Warfare.

[VhenRa]

Wait?

The Star Group?

Isn't that one of the predecessors to Interstellar Expeditions?

[Adrian Gideon]

So to clarify.. We're not likely going to be going to get a new book as a sequel wise to Shattered Fortress this gencon? I know things take time and frankly it sounds like there's been more reshuffling going on in the background than we had thought. So does these small comments and hints mean not to expect much but what was announced is coming out? This sort a kind of leaves people hanging here.

It's very unlikely to be ready by then. I’m not sure what there is to announce? It wasn’t promised for then and we haven’t had any updates on it that I can think of that we need to follow up or correct? People were posting assumptions and I corrected them.

If true it will fell disappointing of a summer.  New rule books dont get me really excited. New stories and other things to.

I’m sorry. The stories aren’t our only focus.

Canon In-universe magazine would at least keep us feeling the game a more living thing such as Battletechology did than these big gaps of low activity.

I would love this. Actually, I don’t know anyone on staff who doesn’t love this idea or doesn’t have fond memories of BattleTechnology. There’s been several proposals for it. However, I haven’t been shown that it’s even remotely financially viable. And while everyone from the owners down the the most casual fans may get stars in their eyes when this is discussed, I’ll bring up the bottom line every time.

As an aside, yes we listen to the fans. We also look at sales. The current discussion here about eras, moving the timeline, and time jumps is all moot. This discussion right here will not influence any decisions. If you have an ever-evolving storyline for your setting, the problem is thus: You start with a setting people love. You move the story (which may feel intrinsic, but is actually separate to, the setting) forward. The bigger the stories, the bigger the stakes, it impacts the setting. The setting changes. The more the setting changes, the more people you lose—while you are hoping that you grow your audience and thus have at least stable, if not positive, growth. But I don’t think I’ve personally seen that in any of the tabletop or RPG games I can think of. So you wind up with a smaller pool, people that appreciate the evolving story more than the setting, and thus the feedback (setting over story) becomes a closed loop, the voices get fewer but louder.

Setting and story need to be balanced, and it ultimately has to serve that same bottom line.

[Adrian Gideon]

Wait?

The Star Group?

Isn't that one of the predecessors to Interstellar Expeditions?

excellent catch. I was going to post a zoomed in pic to drop a hint, but you already got it. :)

[worktroll]

The fans see all ... including things you didn't put in, sometimes. ;) Depth of passion.

[VhenRa]

excellent catch. I was going to post a zoomed in pic to drop a hint, but you already got it. :)

Which itself dates the map to the time frame between 2889 and 2974. IIRC the original outline for the Coalition in that kickstarter update had them founded in 2910... which is right smack dab in that time frame.

Throw in the map of the Capellan Confederation, which seems to be mostly that of a post-2SW CapCon... complete with the large mass of internal planets and before they pulled out... I would say that is the map of the Coalition at it's founding.

[roosterboy]

Which itself dates the map to the time frame between 2889 and 2974.

The map says it was filed on 21-07-2890.

[Adrian Gideon]

Right. That’s not the Coalition. Yet.

[Nerroth]

Depending on how well the House Arano book does, could there be a window of opportunity for other out-of-the-way factions to be considered for future print-on-demand volumes?

For example, I'd be keen to see a closer look at the Hanseatic League, even if it "only" went so far as the events covered in The Wars of Reaving Supplemental. The Hansa were conspicuously absent in ISP3, and while they (and the Imperio) seem to be under the same veil of silence that presently shrouds the post-Reaving Clan Homeworlds, it would be welcome to see how they had built themselves up to being the largest Deep Periphery realm, and how widespread their influence was beyond their home territories.


And as an aside, I should note that, while the "end point" of the Star Fleet Universe timeline is in Y225, the material published thus far for the Alpha Octant stops short of that date; there is still room for new material and new historical data on the era of second-generation X-ships, which is set to start in Y205. (Plus, the SFU has its own Empires Aflame-esque alternate timelines, as well as more distant regions of space such as the Omega Octant, to consider.)

[Colt Ward]

Hansa?  I want the Emperio founding!

[worktroll]

Folks,

Drop the SFB/W40K/etc timeline debate, please, or move it to another thread. This is an official direction. Do NOT try to get the last word. Please don't make us come down there.

Worktroll, Ombudsman  :beatdown:

[Bosefius]

Because it apparently needs to be said

**MOD DIRECTIVE**

Drop all conversation not related to upcoming releases/new releases. Now. No last words.

[Rainbow 6]

Canon In-universe magazine would at least keep us feeling the game a more living thing such as Battletechology did than these big gaps of low activity.

This, so much this, would work well as a pdf only product.

[Colt Ward]

BattleCorps . . . which ground down to nothing and shut down for reasons discussed ad nauseum before.