2 replies to this topic

[9erRed]

Greetings all,

Just received an e-mail advising that there will be a new Battletech Magazine, "Shrapnel".

Here's a small section of the blurb;

Pulse Publishing is a new publishing imprint working with Catalyst Game Labs and several other companies in the hobby trade to create entertaining (and collectible) pop culture fiction. Pulse is helping Catalyst coordinate the new BattleTech fiction magazine, Shrapnel, and will be working on several Collector’s Editions of favorite BattleTech and Shadowrun novels this summer.

Catalyst Game Labs Staff


Now just what could be in a Battletech magazine? Who's doing their artwork? Will HBS be involved is some of the content, or out of there hands.
- And when is this Magazine's first edition due out!

9erRed
Aim True and Run Cool

[Koniving]

I'd say its unlikely HBS would be involved with the magazine given that Jordan Weisman is no longer sponsoring/owning the company and it is now in the hands of a company that is known for making decent nitch games and rather than a thousand sequels, they do a thousand dollars worth of expansions over the course of 10-15 years. Seriously their oldest franchise which is almost 35 years old is only on its third sequel (fourth release), but has tens of thousands of hours of content available in the form of some 70+ expansions.

Beyond that, any followups on this development? I'm curious.

The previous magazine, BattleTechnology, had its ups and downs; some ridicule a bit of the more preposterous stuff but it was deliberate "in character" misinformation, such as the Alliance Battlemech which was Davion propaganda. Many of its genuine things became powerful additions to the Battletech franchise, from "Combat Factor" (Battle Value), Extreme Range rules, Advanced Tactical Warfare (eventually becoming more simplified "pilot skills" such as Sharp Shooter and Melee Master), infantry equipment and combat and hostile negotiations, which became its own additions and spinoffs including the Mechwarrior RPG (in turn spawning the Mechwarrior game franchise; though the RPG is now title Battletech RPG) and more.

I'd like to see what this magazine could bring to the universe and gameplay.

[Bowelhacker]

I think I've still got some old copies of BattleTechnology in a cupboard somewhere. Their use of cotton wool as smoke in battle report photos was groundbreaking.