Last month, we reviewed 2025 with our esteemed editors, and this month, we look forward to what’s to come in 2026. And who better to get a sense of what’s to come than the captain of the great ship BattleTech? Loren Coleman has the unenviable position of being in charge of Catalyst Game Labs during […]
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I thought it was cold last month, but I was wrong. I’m in the midst of a deep freeze that isn’t going to let up until sometime in February. It’s so cold, I’ve seen vehicles slide down a main thoroughfare covered in black ice to bury themselves in cul-de-sac glaciers. I’ve seen birds freeze to […]
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It’s been close to 30 years since the original MechCommander first arrived on my Windows 95 PC. Even amongst the great real-time strategy games of the era, MechCommander was a true standout, combining innovative tactical gameplay with timeless sprite graphics to create a true masterpiece that stands the test of time. One of the coolest […]
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It was, by all accounts, a beautiful afternoon. Twinkling light shone through breaks in the clouds and the tropical foliage that lined the planet’s equatorial regions, giving the forest path an almost otherworldly quality. You’d have hardly believed they were a mere 15-minute drive from the hustle and bustle of Regulus City. The nature walk […]
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Most of us probably look at Sarna as this monolithic repository of BattleTech lore, but it’s actually anything but. As a fan-supported wiki, we rely on fans to ensure the information stored in Sarna stays up to date with the latest official releases, all without stepping on copyright. Anyone can edit Sarna, but some go that […]
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Sweet baby Blake, it’s only been winter for a few days, and it’s already colder than most winters of the past two decades. I don’t know what we did to piss off Jack Frost, but I am collectively sorry for the entire Sarna staff. Please spare us your freezing wrath. The only thing keeping me […]
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Go-Cho Stephen Asagi had grown tired of the cat-and-mouse game he’d been playing with a Lyran Wolfhound for the better part of an hour. Largely because he was losing. Normally, Go-Cho Asagi’s Hussar could have run rings around the Wolfhound, but the rocky terrain that surrounded the mines of New Anaheim prevented him from pushing […]
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I’ve often said that we’re currently living in a BattleTech renaissance, and a big part of that is all the new fiction. New plastic minis and killer video games are great, but it’s the stories that truly capture the imaginations of fans, adding human emotions and motivations to the giant death machines that underpin BattleTech. […]
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Some overarching themes can be picked out in MechWarrior 5: Clans and each of its DLCs. The base campaign is a coming-of-age story about a group of youngsters who discover the true price of war and what blind doctrine can cost. Ghost Bear: Flash Storm is all about family, loyalty, and sacrificing for the greater […]
Read More → We are mere days away from experiencing a momentous event in BattleTech history. For the first time, players will be able to experience the Battle of Tukayyid virtually through the eyes of Clan Wolf. Wolves of Tukayyid brings MechWarrior 5: Clans to the pivotal planet to determine the fate of the Inner Sphere and the […]
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In solidarity with the oncoming winter, of which I most detest, I have painted up some Ghost Bears. I’m hoping this somehow bestows me with frost resilience if not outright resistance to the cold, onrushing ice. I doubt it will. Truly, I am the worst Canadian. But no matter! Despite rapidly dropping temperatures, Sarna is […]
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“Is that the new Nissan 650 ZX-3?” Liu Yizhen asked. “Sure is!” Chad Drixler replied. As expected of employees at Skobel MechWorks, both had a penchant for over-engineered products. The Nissan 650 ZX-3, with its sleek lines and convertible hardtop, was the epitome of a modern sports car. It stood in stark contrast to the […]
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Something monumental is happening in BattleTech right now. As we speak, a playtest is underway that will determine the fate of a brand new rulebook that will replace Total Warfare and the BattleMech Manual. The playtest is looking at some of the most substantial changes BattleTech has seen in well over a decade, marking a […]
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I’ve been worried about Fox Patrol for a while now. This lovable band of misfits had been trouncing throughout the Hinterlands, blowing up Hell’s Horses and pirate forces without a care in the world. Even their unit commander, Katie Ferraro, seems to magically survive every combat action in a ’Mech with practically no armor to […]
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I’ve seen several postings about BattleTech: Aces out in the wild, and I must say, I’m jealous of all the Germans (or other Europeans who were able to get to Spiel Essen) who were able to grab some of the first boxes publicly available. I know that the odds are relatively good that Canada will […]
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As much as I like the plastic BattleTech puts out, and I’m very interested in getting a hold of BattleTech: Aces as soon as I can, it’s the fiction that truly drives the BattleTech universe. Where would we be without sourcebooks directing the interstellar nations of the far future, or novels telling character-driven and relatable […]
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MechWarrior Kios stared into the flames, his veneers laid out before him. It wasn’t typical for a newly blooded Nova Cat warrior to take the Rite of the Vision immediately after passing their Trial of Position, but neither was Kios a typical warrior. While the rest of the sibko graduates had gone to celebrate their […]
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What does September bring besides Earth, Wind & Fire? Two things. First, Pirate Point Issue #2, of which I am the third story entry. It’s a tale about an Elemental who can’t go if you’re watching. I can relate. The second thing it brought for me was the Barrie Batchall, an annual Alpha Strike tournament […]
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BattleTech is a constantly evolving universe, and for a long time, that evolution was almost entirely additive. But starting a few years ago, BattleTech started looking back. Not to rewrite old stories (although it would often add to them), but to reimagine those original iconic machines for a modern audience, and one of the key […]
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“In the red ’Mech bay, piloting a Mad Cat MDG-1A, “Mad” Matteo Romano!” The announcer’s voice carried from the tri-vid display despite the general din of the bar. It wasn’t the busiest time of day—most mercenaries on Galatea didn’t bother getting out of bed until mid-afternoon—but there were still a few patrons sipping beers and […]
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The Clans have arrived in Shadow of Kerensky, the new expansion for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. They came a full game later than I’d expected with the preceding MechWarrior 5: Clans arriving last year, but now we finally have the Mercenaries DLC to tie the timelines of both MechWarrior 5s together. The only question is, was it […]
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While MechWarrior 5: Clans has given us the narrative experience that fans have been craving for decades, Mercenaries has quietly continued to be the best way to explore the Inner Sphere. Originally a sandbox that leveraged procedurally-generated systems to ensure a fresh experience with every drop, expansion after expansion has repeatedly added the missing story […]
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It doesn’t matter how old I get; the end of August is always a somewhat melancholic time of the year. The heat of summer has finally receded to be merely comfortable during the day, the yellow jackets are all up in my business as soon as the sun rises, and children are walking around like […]
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Earlier this month, Catalyst Game Labs revealed BattleTech: Gothic, the first of several alternate universe products that reimagine the BattleTech universe in fun and different ways. As the name suggests, BattleTech: Gothic is even darker and broodier than the main universe, but to my surprise, there’s more to Gothic than some black makeup and death […]
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In honor of MechWarrior 2‘s 30th anniversary, Sarna is hosting a guest piece by Emil Lundedal Hammar, better known as The Art of BattleTech on social media and renowned MechWarrior 5 modder BoukObelisk over on Nexus Mods. Emil has been a lifelong fan of BattleTech and MechWarrior, and with a PhD in Game Studies, he’s […]
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