

What Are These Technical Readouts?
#1
Posted 03 July 2013 - 10:01 AM
http://www.bol.com/n...00000001241071/
http://www.bol.com/n...00000001180680/
http://www.bol.com/n...00000010675876/
My question is= Are these about the tabletop game itself or about the universe?
Like are they books containing mech info, events and stuff?
#2
Posted 03 July 2013 - 10:12 AM
#3
Posted 03 July 2013 - 10:31 AM
http://rpg.drivethru...term=Battletech
http://www.amazon.co...6341&sr=8-4-acs
Edited by Elyam, 03 July 2013 - 10:33 AM.
#4
Posted 03 July 2013 - 11:45 AM
#5
Posted 03 July 2013 - 03:38 PM
#6
Posted 03 July 2013 - 03:52 PM
#7
Posted 03 July 2013 - 11:06 PM
With BattleCorps you have only a limited time frame for downloading -
Maybe you can contact them to ask nicely for antother time frame for downloading - but I havn't tried yet - only documents missed were the vinjard collection of old rule books
#8
Posted 04 July 2013 - 10:42 AM
Reference the books and a timeline, start here:
http://bg.battletech.com/?page_id=1635
This is the 3050 to 3061 era with recommended reading and a list of major events that happened during that timeline.
For the other era's click on the selection on the right side.
Now if you what to read all the books for free, (e-books) online I also have a link for that. If you want physical copies of the books, be aware that some of them are now "out of print". You can Pm me for the e-books link.
This link is the standard Sarna site link, and it's history starts in the 15 century and goes to the 32th century.
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Timeline
This one by historical events:
http://www.sarna.net...Category:Events
Another timeline set from 2011 to 3052:
http://www.gamesnet....h_Timeline.html
This link is for all the battle-tech books printed with a very short description, and identifying the series books. (see below for grouped series.)
["Decision at Thunder Rift" William H. Keith Jr. Saga of the Grey Death Legion -- Book 1
"Mercenary’s Star" William H. Keith Jr. Saga of the Grey Death Legion -- Book 2
"The Price of Glory" William H. Keith Jr. Saga of the Grey Death Legion -- Book 3
"Warrior: En Guarde" Michael A. Stackpole Birth of the Federated Commonwealth--Book 1
"Warrior: Riposte" Michael A. Stackpole Birth of the Federated Commonwealth--Book 2
"Warrior: Coupe" Michael A. Stackpole Birth of the Federated Commonwealth--Book 3
"Lethal Heritage" Michael A. Stackpole The Blood of Kerensky -- Book 1
"Blood Legacy" Michael A. Stackpole The Blood of Kerensky -- Book 2
"Lost Destiny" Michael A. Stackpole The Blood of Kerensky -- Book 3
"Way of the Clans" Robert Thurston Jade Phoenix Trilogy -- Book 1
"Bloodname" Robert Thurston Jade Phoenix Trilogy -- Book 2
"Falcon Guard" Robert Thurston Jade Phoenix Trilogy -- Book 3]
["Exodus Road" Blaine L. Pardoe Twilight of the Clans -- Book 1
"Grave Conenant" Michael A. Stackpole Twilight of the Clans -- Book 2
"The Hunters" Thomas S. Gressman Twilight of the Clans -- Book 3
"FreeBirth" Robert Thurston Twilight of the Clans -- Book 4
"Sword and Fire" Thomas S. Gressman Twilight of the Clans -- Book 5
"Shadows of War" Thomoas S. Gressman Twilight of the Clans -- Book 6
"Prince of Havoc" Michael A. Stackpole Twilight of the Clans -- Book 7
"Falcon Rising" Robert Thurston Twilight of the Clans -- Book 8
"Threads of Ambition" Loren L. Coleman The Capellan Solution -- Book 1
"The Killing Fields" Loren L. Coleman The Capellan Solution -- Book 2]
http://www.sarna.net...ttleTech_novels
All for now, hope that helps some.
9erRed
#9
Posted 04 July 2013 - 11:02 AM
theta123, on 03 July 2013 - 10:01 AM, said:
Like are they books containing mech info, events and stuff?
There is a preview of Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade on this page. It should give you a good idea of what they're about. But to add, in order to get official record sheets for use in the TT game you need a Record Sheet book.
Edited by Cache, 04 July 2013 - 11:02 AM.
#10
Posted 04 July 2013 - 01:08 PM
Megamek is a computer based version of the TT and contains most designs.
Solaris Skunkwerks is a mechlab that allows you to design mechs, it primarily helps as a recordsheet tool.
http://megamek.info/
http://www.solarissk...s.com/downloads
Both are allowed by Catalyst, Megamek even has its own section at the BT boards.
#11
Posted 05 July 2013 - 03:19 PM
They contain the basics regarding what a 'mech contains, but it's mainly there for artwork and fluff. Bringing a TRO to a tabletop game wouldn't do you any good. What it does do is give you an idea of how a mech looks, who uses it, What it has, and what it was intended to be used for. It does not go in-depth enough to tell you which criticals go where. For that you need Record Sheets.
Example:
http://d15yciz5bluc8...039_Preview.pdf
Field Manuals are likewise mostly about fluff. They don't contain much in terms of the storyline. Maybe a handful, but what they're really there for is to describe the various regiments you'd find in the storyline at that given point in time, how they fight, how well equipped they are. The older Field Manual books used to be specifically for each faction, and went into further detail about each regiment. Newer ones tend to act like updates of the older books, giving you a general idea of what each regiment has been doing, along with tables showing what percentage of their regiment is equipped with upgraded (3050+ Tech) mechs versus older succession wars tech.
Example:
http://d15yciz5bluc8...085_Preview.pdf
If you want primer on the universe fluff, there are a few books that do this well. Especially try to find the Historicals books (See: Historical War of 3039, Historical Brush Wars, Reunification War, Liberation of Terra, Operation Klondike), Jihad Hot Spots series, and more recently, the Era Report series. Historicals tend to be more of a direct retelling of the past, Jihad Hot Spots try to recreate the chaotic nature of the Jihad era by starting out very broken and difficult to understand, slowly becoming more coherent as the inner sphere starts being able to make sense out of the situation. Era reports focus a little less on the story, and more on the setting itself, showing many of the major players and points of notes for a given period of time.
Examples:
Historicals:
http://d15yciz5bluc8...War_Preview.pdf
Jihad Hot Spots
http://d15yciz5bluc8...076_Preview.pdf
Era Reports
http://d15yciz5bluc8...062_Preview.pdf
Now, if you mean books as in novels the bad news is that there haven't been any real Battletech books printed since 2002. TPTB decided that they would lose more money than they would gain in making full-length novels, so they stopped being produced years ago. They were previously taking old novels and converting them into E-pub, but they've had to stop for legal reasons or something. If you want Battletech Novels, I suggest looking for them on various online-auction sites or in second-hand bookstores.
My suggestions to look for are the Warrior Trilogy, Decision at Thunder Rift, Wolves on the Border, the Jade Phoenix Trilogy, and the Blood of Kerensky trilogy.
A word of warning, though, many of the people I've run into on this site have complained that there was "Too much politics" in the novels. Battletech is a universe that is equal parts battlemech warfare and scheming politicians. Understand that when you get into the books. It's not all-action-all-the-time.
That's not to say that Battletech has no new fiction, but all the fiction in recent years has been turned into Short Stories. Battlecorps.com has been a service where you can download a wealth of Battletech fiction, but they also release some of their best short stories in printed collections. There are three Battlecorps Anthology books so far, "The Corps", "First Strike" and "Weapons Free". Of the three, I think that the third one is easiest for someone new to the series to absorb. The first two have a bit more "Wow factor" when you are well versed in the story (For example, you read through the length of a story, and then it tells you at the very end that one of the characters is Alexander Kerensky. That name is unlikely to mean squat to anyone that doesn't know about the universe, but to those well versed in the franchise, it makes them take a step back)
http://bg.battletech...thologies-vol-3
Edited by ice trey, 05 July 2013 - 03:20 PM.
#12
Posted 05 July 2013 - 11:05 PM
#13
Posted 08 July 2013 - 11:48 AM
#14
Posted 15 October 2013 - 12:19 AM
By all means do some reading and find out for yourself. There is 25 years of material to read.
Edited by Egomane, 15 October 2013 - 01:05 AM.
CoC violation
#15
Posted 15 October 2013 - 01:26 AM
#16
Posted 16 October 2013 - 07:51 AM
#17
Posted 16 October 2013 - 08:35 AM
Also, the Technical Readouts provided individual unit descriptions that helped detail a combat unit beyond its stats. What mission it was designed to do, who fielded it, what notable strengths and faults were present, and if the unit was in current production or a prototype/discontinued design. These helped people who had to design scenerios and who were involved in the role-playing companion games, as well as strategic games.
Unfortunately, most if not all of this is irrelevant in MWO...part of the fustration alot of veteran BT players feel when they look at the original plans for MWO from the early days. They can still be used if you want to find a mech in MWO and tinker with it using the construction rules outside the game, but otherwise they are only secondary sources of info to the players here.
#18
Posted 16 October 2013 - 08:39 AM
It seems Wilsons Hussars have had an upturn in fortune sinse i last looked

Edit: Perhaps some verteran frustration comes from the fact that "mech warrior" was a RPG. All the mech games i know of had at least tanks. I can remember the happy screams of trampling infantry in MW3, hell MW4 had a ship! Where is all this in "mechwarrior" online?
Edited by Burke IV, 16 October 2013 - 08:44 AM.
#19
Posted 17 October 2013 - 12:03 PM
theta123, on 03 July 2013 - 10:01 AM, said:
http://www.bol.com/n...00000001241071/
http://www.bol.com/n...00000001180680/
http://www.bol.com/n...00000010675876/
My question is= Are these about the tabletop game itself or about the universe?
Yes.
Technically, they were intended for the Tabletop game. But the descriptions of each mech have a great deal of lore in them as well. That being said, all the lore is probably already available on SARNA.NET anyway...so I am not sure if there is a point in buying them nowadays.
I had several of them, and actually used them in the tabletop game...the 3050 one is in tatters I have read through it so much.
#20
Posted 17 October 2013 - 12:07 PM
Lemming of the BDA, on 15 October 2013 - 12:19 AM, said:
Yeah, it has always amazed me how detailed the Battletech universe really is. Especially amazing considering that it has always been far from mainstream, even in the nerd community. They really put a lot of time and effort into making it seem real and consistent.
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