Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation

This week, I review CGL’s Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation, the second in a series of faction-specific TROs of the Dark Age era.

The ‘Mechs and equipment of House Liao were quickly gaining in popularity with many BattleTech fans in the years leading up to (and encompassing) the Jihad, with a long series of strong designs, and developing a new technology, Stealth Armor, that was both highly practical and powerful. This current collection in TRO: 3145 Capellan Confederation presents us with eleven BattleMechs, all but three of which are completely original, two battle armors, seven assorted combat vehicles, a conventional fighter, an AeroSpace fighter that drops infantry and a small craft.
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Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries

In my second review for Sarna.net BattleTech News Blog, I report on CGL’s latest release of this writing, Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries.

Describing the equipment here – a promising mix of ‘Mechs, battle armor, tanks, VTOLs and other units – as “mercenary” is something of a misnomer. One of the delightful peculiarities of this ‘Dark Age’ era is that technology has proliferated throughout the Inner Sphere. It is not all that unusual to see the Jade Falcons using a vehicle produced in the Capellan Confederation, or for House Davion MechWarriors to pilot a ‘Mech originally built for the Ghost Bears. For this variety, we usually have the Sea Foxes to thank. These guys have become the Ferengi of the new BattleTech universe, and one starts to wonder if they haven’t grown much more powerful than anyone suspects.

Having said all that, these are the units that have become most popular among the mercenaries of the Dark Age.  Record sheets are provided in the back, making the need for a secondary publication redundant. At least CGL seems to be interested in saving us a few bucks when they can, though maybe they just had to pad the page count. We only get 25 new units, but there’s a little something here for everyone: want a Clan-tech helicopter that can flat-out outrace anything that’s ever hovered in one place? The Gossamer should catch your fancy. Want a completely updated version of the most iconic BattleMech ever? I give you the Mad Cat Mk IV; they finally made a better mouse trap. The MC4, popularly known as the Savage Wolf, uses a double extra-light engine and Ferro-Lamellor armor – both from the Tactical Operations book – to improve upon a design that seemed impossible to upgrade. No wonder it was so popular with the VIPs of the Dark Age novels. Continue reading →