The Rec Guides are Back! Plus: Rulebook Restocks and Heir to the Dragon in POD

On October 21, 2022

Big news this week – we’ve got a few more installments coming of a recent fan-favorite product, as well as a restock of core rulebooks and other recent products, and a classic BattleTech novel in POD.

Let’s get to it, MechWarriors!

New volumes of BattleMech Recognition Guide: ilClan are on the way!

Back in 2020, we ushered in the current ilClan era by kicking off a series of Technical Readout-style products called BattleMech Recognition Guide: ilClan. Each of the 24 volumes of this PDF-first series included new BattleMech designs, as well as classic favorites upgraded with modern technology to ensure their continued place on the battlefields of the thirty-second century.

We were unsure how these first-of-their-kind BattleTech products would be received, but it turned out that we needn’t have worried: the Rec Guides were a hit from the start! Released in four “cycles” through December 2021, these first twenty-four volumes fueled much discussion, gameplay–and yes, sales–across the BattleTech community.

But before all of those twenty-four volumes were even released, plans were underway to expand the line with a few additional installments to cover BattleMechs, vehicles, and battle armor due for release as part of the upcoming BattleTech: Mercenaries Kickstarter. We’re thrilled to announce that the first of those new Rec Guides, Volume 25, will be released next Friday, October 28.

These final eight volumes will be released bi-weekly through Volume 32 early next year. They’ll include the same mix of new and refit BattleMechs, along with combat vehicles and battle armor. Many of the units included in these Rec Guides will be featured in the Mercenaries Kickstarter, serving as a preview of what to expect when that campaign launches in March.

“Okay, but are you ever going to collect the existing Rec Guides in print format?”

We are. In fact, getting this last cycle of Rec Guides into production was a big part of our plans for the two compilation volumes we’re planning.

The first volume, due for release early next year, will include all of the Inner Sphere, Clan, and ComStar “classic” BattleMechs, refit with the latest technology to stay competitive on the battlefields of the Dark Age and ilClan eras.

The second volume, which we hope to put out by mid-2023, will contain all of the new BattleMechs, vehicles, and battle armor released via the original Rec Guides, as well as refit vehicles, new OmniMech configurations, and other new units.

(One note: the record sheets included in the PDF Recognition Guide installments will not be included in the print compilations. For one, including the record sheets would result in some truly massive tomes; and for another, we want the individual PDFs to retain some value for the time being.)

We’re excited to present these final Rec Guide volumes to you this winter, and as a taste of what’s to come, here are the covers for Volume 25 and Volume 26!

Rulebook Restocks!

The following rulebooks and sourcebooks are now available again through the Catalyst Game Labs web store:

The reprint edition of A Time of War will be released next week, Friday, Oct. 28. We know many of you have been eagerly awaiting it!

Heir to the Dragon Available in POD

Last but not least, a new POD version of the seminal Robert Charrette novel Heir to the Dragon is now available via Amazon.

Heir to the Dragon
A BattleTech novel by Robert N. Charrette

E-pub: $4.99
Print on Demand (via Amazon): $15.95

A SWORD FORGED IN SHADOWS…

Theodore Kurita is the son of Takashi Kurita, and heir apparent to the Draconis Combine, one of the most powerful realms of the Inner Sphere. But the Draconis Combine has never been a place of smooth transitions. Historically, a Kurita proves themself a fit leader by a successful bid for power, political or…otherwise.

Theodore’s perilous journey to power is a twenty-year odyssey, beginning with his graduation from Sun Zhang Military Academy. At each level of ascendancy, Theodore finds that keeping power is far more difficult than getting it, and failure lies in wait at every turn. His tactical knowledge is put to the test all too many times. His successes in impossible situations are dismissed as smoke and mirror trickery by some, but lauded as genius by others.

Upon reaching the level of Deputy of the Combine Military, Theodore’s new power allows him to see the uncertain future of his people. He must plan carefully as he bargains for his future with ComStar, the mystic sect, and the yakuza, an interstellar network of organized crime. All the while maintaining an uneasy truce with the man he must one day depose…his own father, Coordinator of the Draconis Combine!

E-pub: https://books2read.com/BattleTechLegendsHeirtotheDragon

Print on Demand: https://www.amazon.com/BattleTech-Legends-Robert-N-Charrette/dp/B0BHKZFXH1/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=