I’m still on the market for a quick and easy way to get my grey BattleTech miniatures tabletop ready. My most recent experiment involved contrast paints, but they seem to be more trouble than they’re worth. The initial coat looks good and makes those panels really pop, but closer inspection reveals numerous flaws that have to be touched up. It’s also a pain to fix mistakes (of which I make many), which further slows things down.
I probably would have been better off just doing the same prime-base-wash-details process I’d done for my Solahma Squad (which was a lovely birthday gift / let’s get these ForcePacks before they’re $50).
Oh well. At least it’s June. We got heat, we got Pride, and we got more BattleTech news than you can shake a wet T-shirt at! It’s time for another round-up of all the news from across the Inner Sphere and beyond, so let’s get to it.
BattleTech: Technical Readout 3025 Centennial Commemorative Edition Previewed
If there’s one book that’s brought more people into the BattleTech universe than any other, it’s TRO 3025. Not me, though! I was brought in through the MechWarrior 2 manual back when video games came with such things. But I can appreciate the far superior technical jargon and histories of each BattleMech presented in TRO 3025. I can even appreciate the bizarrely-proportioned line drawings of Loose, Knutson, and Deitrick.
But times have changed. Every single ‘Mech previously featured in TRO 3025 has been updated with a new, modern look, and there have been almost 40 years of history written since then (not all of which agrees with what was originally printed). A remaster is certainly in order.
As announced at this year’s KerenskyKon, Technical Readout: 3025: Centennial Commemorative Edition “offers updated depictions of the BattleMechs, aerospace fighters, and combat vehicles that better reflect modern manufacturing specifications,” according to Catalyst’s preview. Not only that, it will also include several “new” variants that weren’t in the original printing, as well as editorial notes explaining some of the discrepancies between the modern and original versions.
Getting a compilation of all the vehicles and ‘Mechs that have already been redesigned is all well and good, but what’s truly interesting is that TRO 3025 contains two things we haven’t seen in the Recognition Guides: LAMs and aerospace fighters. Presumably, the Centennial Commemorative Edition will contain the dozen aerospace fighters and three LAMs of the original, but we’ve thus far only seen the Wasp LAM and the Chippewa heavy bomber.
I’ve made it abundantly clear how big a fan I am of BattleTech‘s aerospace fighters, and I’m more than keen to see these flyboys receive the same glow-up that was bestowed upon 3025’s ‘Mechs and vehicles. We’ll be able to get advanced copies of Technical Readout: 3025: Centennial Commemorative Edition at Gen Con and get it through Catalyst’s web store in September.
Catalyst’s New BattleTech Releases For June, 2025
The march of time stops for nobody, but at least it brings new BattleTech products from Catalyst. June brings us the Third Star League Strike Team ForcePack, which includes the Lament, Jackalope, Kintaro, Hammerhead, Havoc, and J-27 Ordnance Truck. I want all those ‘Mechs except for the Lament. Not because it’s pre-painted in Third Star League colors, but it’s just too ruthlessly efficient. It’s a soulless killing machine meant to rend its enemies limb from limb rather than something cute and cuddly like a Cicada.
We’ve also got the retail release of the Black Remnant Command Lance after previously being a Catalyst Web Store exclusive, as well as the Inner Sphere Assault Lance ForcePack and the Battlefield Support: Heavy Battle & Sweep Lances ForcePack. We’ve also got three BattleMats: Battles Twycross, Savannah Large Lakes, and Savannah Sinkholes. Get ’em all online at Catalyst or your nearest BattleTech retailer.
On the fiction front, we’ve got Shrapnel 21. Bryan Young continues the saga of the Ghost Dogs, James Bixby recounts more of Ace Darwin‘s antics, and there are several short stories from up-and-coming authors in BattleTech. We also have the rerelease omnibus, The Highlander Covenant, which contains Michael Ciaravella‘s Grey Watch Protocol and Paid in Blood, alongside the short story Perception of Victory.
So far, July will bring us the McCarron’s Armored Cavalry Assault Lance ForcePack and its Tian-zong following its Barnes & Noble exclusivity period. We can also expect the Third Star League Battle Group ForcePack (with the Wendigo, Peacekeeper, Malice, Excalibur, Savage Wolf, and Salvage Repair Vehicle), and the Battlefield Support: Emplacements ForcePack we saw previewed last month. And finally, the BattleMat Legendary Battles – Thunder Rift / Misery will arrive for purchase. Get ’em all on Catalyst’s store or wherever good BattleTech merch is sold.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Getting Surprise Clan Invasion DLC
If there was one thing that MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries was missing, it was a tie-in with MechWarrior 5: Clans. I kind of expected a DLC to tie these two games together prior to Clans‘ release, but we didn’t get one. I thought that’d be it for Mercenaries as developer PGI focused its efforts on making Clans great (and they have), but I am once again very pleased to have been proven wrong.
Shadow of Kerensky is the Clan Invasion-focused DLC that Mercenaries‘ fans have been waiting for. A new 12-mission story campaign puts you in the Rasalhague Republic on the front lines against the Invading Clans (probably Clan Wolf and Clan Ghost Bear, judging by the location). You’ll be able to fight and salvage Clan ‘Mechs and weapons (including all 12 of the OmniMechs from MechWarrior 5: Clans), and there’s even going to be new Inner Sphere ‘Mech variants and dastardly IS weapons like Inferno SRMs.
We’re also going to see the Bullshark arriving from Harebrained’s BATTLETECH game (alongside six additional variants), and new “Elite Pilots” with unique traits. We’ve even got 17 new biomes to explore, which leads me to think that PGI has integrated some of the technology in MW5: Mercs‘ more popular mods (I’m lookin’ at you, VonBiomes).
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – Shadow of Kerensky is due out in September. You can read more details on the official site here, and wishlist the DLC on Steam. Also, it’s the Steam Summer Sale, which means Mercenaries and all existing DLC are 60% off.
MechWarrior 5: Clans Gets New Game Plus And Mod Tools In Latest Update
After months of me harping on about it, it looks like MechWarrior 5: Clans has finally received its New Game Plus update. This allows you to replay the campaign (either the base game or Ghost Bear: Flash Storm DLC) and carry forward your ‘Mechs, inventory, and pilot progression. All mission tonnage limits are removed (thank Kerensky!), and you can keep earning money, salvage, and research merits to eventually unlock everything.
Let me just say, this is the feature that Clans‘ desperately needed. Thank you, PGI! I will now replay the game. Maybe even stream it. Other new features include new commands for your Elemental Point in the DLC, co-op pause via the menu button or Battlegrid, and various crash and bug fixes.
MechWarrior 5: Clans is also getting mod support. There’s both a resource page for MechWarrior 5: Clans mod tools as well as a tutorial series on the game’s official YouTube account. The tools are still in beta, so you have to reach out to PGI to gain a code for access. Details for both the mod tools and the latest patch are on the update page. You can get the mods for MW5: Clans over on the Steam Workshop page or Nexus Mods.
Also, we still have an affiliate link! Support Sarna by purchasing MechWarrior 5: Clans via this link, which provides you with a Steam redemption key.
Ral Partha Releases Line Of 3D-Printed Hex Terrain For BattleTech
You remember Ral Partha? The company that used to produce metal miniatures for BattleTech before becoming Iron Wind Metals and then spinning off a separate entity called Ral Partha Europe? Well, Ral Partha Europe is now getting into the terrain game with its own line of 6mm scale designs.
These are all 3D-printed scenery pieces made with a hex base so they can easily be placed on your existing maps. The six models include a supply dump, a chemical plant, bunkers, a silo, a rocky outcrop, and a small factory. Prices are quite reasonable if you’re anywhere in the UK or Europe, and somewhat less reasonable if you need to ship these things over an ocean. But don’t worry–that’s what HexTech is for.
BattleTech Celebrates Pride
It’s June! And that means two things: one, it’s my birthday, and two, it’s Pride! As is quickly becoming tradition around these parts, the BattleTech Pride Anthology 2025 has brought us eight new short stories from queer authors, as well as a forward by Jennifer Brozek and Mitch Gitelman, and fine art from both Eldon Cowgur and Ben Myers. You can download the Pride Anthology for free over on Itch.io here.
And as is also becoming tradition, many BattleTech miniature painters came out with their Pride themes. There have been so many ‘Mechs posted under the #PrideMechParade hashtag that I quite simply don’t have the space to showcase them all, so I’m just picking a few of my favorites. Please note that my personal taste does not reflect on the quality of your work (which is all vastly superior to what I can accomplish), and is mostly reflective of my nigh-incalculable weirdness.
Speaking of which, this Bear Pride post works on so many levels that it cannot be applauded enough. Chef’s kiss. When the Ursus comes out, I want an entire Bear Pride Star (if you don’t have enough ‘Mechs, you can fill the rest with Elementals as they’re all mostly bears anyway).
Catalyst has also offered a message for this year’s Pride, which goes beyond the usual “BattleTech is for Everyone” refrain.
“Finding acceptance, enjoying life, and carving your own place in the world is a core element of the human experience we can all identify with,” the Catalyst team wrote. “Catalyst has always been supportive of our queer friends, family, and community members. The universes that we play in are a testament to that fact, with stories presenting queer experiences, including the struggles and joys that come with those identities. Our team employs and contracts with queer creators that bring perspectives and experiences that are invaluable to our work. While June is important, we live these values year-round.”
It’s really heartening to see the BattleTech community expand to include so many queer voices. I used to think I was the only gay BattleTech fan in the world, but seeing the fandom grow thanks to LGBTQ+ creators and players makes me proud to be a part of this community. So, from all of us here at Sarna, Happy Pride!
It’s Always Fun To Punch A Nazi ‘Mech
I said BATTLETECH IS FOR *EVERYONE* (art by me)
byu/bleptarts inbattletech
And in keeping with the pride message, here’s Bleptarts with Captain Atlas beating up Seraph Hitler. The only quibble I have here is that the sad Urbie didn’t make the final cut. Is it sad because it didn’t make the final cut? Or because Captain Atlas has to fight for his freedom from Blakist indoctrination? We may never know.
MRC Announces NashCon Events With Campaign, Classic BattleTech, And Alpha Strike Play
Override Engaged, in collaboration with Fortress Miniatures and the MRC, is once again hosting a BattleTech event at this year’s NashCon. From August 14 to 17, come on down to Sheraton Music City in Nashville, Tennessee, for a weekend of wargaming, including Classic BattleTech, Alpha Strike, and a Hinterlands campaign game.
The fun starts on Thursday with open games and socializing, then jumps into the Hinterlands campaign on Friday. Saturday brings the Classic BattleTech three-round tournament, while the three-round Alpha Strike tourney starts Sunday morning. Both tournaments will also include a painting competition, so even if you’re not the best tactician, you’ll still win something for having pretty ‘Mechs.
For signups and specific times, head to the NashCon document here. Additional questions can be emailed to overrideengaged@gmail.com, or you can talk to your local MRC representative on their Discord.
Iulia Crimson Offers Up Incredible Depictions Of MechWarrior 5: Clans Characters
As is often the case, I first came across this new artist courtesy of Art of BattleTech. Her incredible depiction of Lilith Hall and Tara Silva from the new MechWarrior 5: Clans DLC, Ghost Bear: Flash Storm, was truly breathtaking. Then you dive into her ArtStation account to see she’s also done a pretty great Jonathan and a steamy Samuel Tseng, too. Top it off with a great Spider and King Crab, and then throw this Bushwacker cherry on top, and you’ve got a great BattleTech portfolio.
Looks like Iulia’s latest piece is a gift to Jonathan’s voice actor, Matt Billo. He’s got a new song coming out on Spotify, for which Iulia produced this new cover. It’s a bit of a mashup, but there’s definitely a Kodiak front and center. Head to Spotify or Instagram to get Matt’s new song, Bug Music 5.
Inaugural SOBS Con Brings In Randall Bills, Big Red, And An Aircraft Carrier
I attended SOBS Con on June 14 and had a pretty great time! I didn’t take any photos personally because I’m an idiot, but thankfully, there were lots of other people there who took plenty of photos. What I did was play Alpha Strike all afternoon, give away some Sarna swag, and go home with some fat BattleTech loot.
My biggest tip for SOBS Con (and indeed, probably most BattleTech conventions) is to play Alpha Strike. There were way fewer people playing Alpha Strike than Classic, which vastly reduced the number of players picking from the prize pool at the end of the day. Plus, you get to play more games because Alpha Strike games are usually shorter. Who doesn’t want to play more games?
Additionally, SOBS Con featured this incredible map built by the folks at Focht’s Network. This may have originally debuted at Anime North, but it was just as impressive at SOBS Con. We also got to see BattleTech: Aces in action, and both Randall Bills and Big Red 40-Tech dropped by after they finished filming the second season of Mechnificent Seven (which hopefully returns soon).
All in all, a great time, and I’ll do my damndest to attend again next year (perhaps even bringing my Solahma Squad for round two).
Here’s A Recap Of Motor City Mayhem 2025
While I attended SOBS Con, Scott attended Motor City Mayhem 2025 and did a far better job of recording his experience than I did. There were some very pretty maps and some very pretty Alpha Strike forces, alongside some cool trophies for achieving the highest score and best paint jobs. There’s even a Golden Urbie award, which celebrates the player who comes in last. Personally, I think I’d want to come in last for the Urbie (not that I’d have much choice, given the quality of my gameplay). Definitely a convention worth attending for those in the Detroit area.
Wolfnet Alpha Strike 350 Gets 3.0 Rules Update
I’ve played Catalyst’s Match Play Beta at SOBS Con and had a blast, especially without the pressure of a win-loss record holding me down, but I acknowledge that Alpha Strike lends itself to a competitive format. Chief among the communities developing tournament rules is Wolfnet, with perhaps none more popular than their Alpha Strike 350 rules.
To describe AS350 broadly, players create a force of 350 points to bring to the tournament and then break that force into 250-point teams to take on specific missions. This forces players to create well-balanced armies while also keeping matches from being a slogfest of elimination fights.
AS350’s latest 3.0 release now adds two new scenarios, a hard floor of 7 PV per unit (after skill adjustments), a hard limit of no two units sharing the same chassis and variant, and players may now add one unique unit to their force. There’s also an all-new doubles format that lets players combine their 250-point forces into a massive 500-point army.
Head on over to Wolfnet’s site to review the new 3.0 rules of AS350.
To Fight For The Machine God
Kitbashed Berzerker C3 Commission Complete
byu/NikkoruNikkori inbattletech
The Charger is a ‘Mech that contains multitudes. Many grow up to become professional wrestlers, awing children across the Inner Sphere. Some suffer horribly disfiguring injuries as they rush into range for their arsenal of small lasers, but others… Others catch religion and become a paladin of the Machine God.
I’m not here to criticize a Charger‘s truth, but this seems more violent than I’ve come to expect from an already very violent ‘Mech. Thanks for sharing, NikkoruNikkori.
MechAssault ‘Mechs Now Available In MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
If you’ve been following Wolves, you already know you can get your classic MechAssault action in a completely free format. If you’d rather a more classic MechWarrior feel, then you can now get those same MechAssault / Wolves ‘Mechs in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries courtesy of a new mod.
The video announcing this project appears to showcase some of the features that will be in the upcoming MechAssault mod, Project Helios (the HUD being the most obvious example). This mod is just for the ‘Mechs, but pay attention to this space for updates on when this ambitious project becomes available. In the meantime, you can download the MechAssault Wolves ‘Mechs mod over on Nexus Mods or the Steam Workshop.
The Tiniest MechWarrior Games You’ll Ever See
More adventures in mobile Battletech gaming…
byu/Darklancer02 inbattletech
I’m not a huge retro gamer, but I do know that there’s a wide variety of hardware and software options available to those who want to play some older games. One of those is the Miyoo Mini Plus, a tiny device that mimics an old-school Game Boy while offering a far greater variety of games than Nintendo ever did (provided you legally have the files, of course). It can run PC and PlayStation games, which means you can play MechWarrior 1 and 2.
With some difficulty, mind you. Darklancer02 noted that you have to constantly swap the controls in the select menu in order to do everything you’d want your ‘Mech to do, although there are some buttons on the back of the device that help. I haven’t felt too much desire to return to MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, but if I could play it on a handheld, then maybe. Thanks for sharing, Darklancer02!
June Patch Introduces The Gauntlet To MechWarrior Online
Following the Black Hawk‘s arrival in MechWarrior Online as a remodeled Nova, Inner Sphere MechWarriors can now rejoice in the arrival of another non-Clan OmniMech. The Gauntlet has been tossed into MWO as a remodeled Bushwacker with some slight variations on its canon configurations.
The primary Gauntlet is still a Heavy PPC and a Thunderbolt 10, but the A configuration has LRM-10s instead of MML-7s, and the C configuration has a second Snub-Nose PPC instead of a TSEMP in the left arm. All but the C config have some pretty strong armor quirks, so I’d expect this to be a tanky medium ‘Mech. The Gauntlet is available now on Steam and the MWO store, and will be available for MC in October, and then C-Bills in December.
The rest of the patch is pretty light. The Grand Summoner and 2024 Loyalty ‘Mechs are now available for C-Bills, Quickplay Domination’s circle timer has returned to 60 seconds, Luthien has reduced fog, and Ceres Metal Scrapyard has increased brightness. It’s also way hotter on the classic Terra Therma map, with temperatures in the crucible sitting at a scalding 76C.
As for ‘Mech Quirk adjustments, the big loser is the Black Lanner which has reduced armor coverage, while the big winners are the Piranha 1 with 50% more machine gun ammo, the Quickdraw QKD-4H with its 10% overall head reduction, and several versions of the Annihilator which receive heat reduction or ballistic cooldown.
There was also one interesting bug that has since become a feature in June’s patch. The Marauder MAD-5D was supposed to receive an increase to its laser ghost heat limit, but instead received an increase to the ghost heat numbers of all energy weapons, allowing it to bring one additional PPC or flamer to the party. After examination, the Cauldron has decided to keep the bug so your PPC-toting Marauders are safe for now.
For the full details, head to MechWarrior Online‘s official patch notes here.
Purple Birds, Unite!
Fanart commission of client's OC and two mechs: Conjurer and Grasshoper with custom loadouts
byu/fed0tich inbattletech
I know this is actually an OC for someone with a purple angel motif and is actually a member of Wolf’s Dragoons, but I can’t help but associate purple with the Free Worlds League. My personal bias aside, we can all appreciate fed0’s rendition of a custom Conjurer and Grasshopper, the latter of which possesses a Crusader-style launcher in the right arm that is just so choice. Makes you wish there was actually a canon Grasshopper with this armament.
Now This Is How You Do A Night Fight
Rough video of the board with all of the lights on, Stinger for scale
#battletech #alphastrike
— 80scartoonhero.bsky.social (@80scartoonhero.bsky.social) June 23, 2025 at 8:58 PM
I’ve seen some pretty great Alpha Strike maps, but this? This is on a different level. A nighttime cityscape with working street lamps and apartment lighting? Incredible. My only quibble is that it’d be kinda hard to play a game of Alpha Strike in the dark, but I’m willing to take on that challenge.
Here’s The Other Half Of MechWarrior 2’s Soundtrack You’ve Never Heard
Some super miracolous news: The Mechwarrior 2 music by Gregory Alpers has been excavated from an old DAT tape thanks to Xeen Music / Andrew Harrington and the album features unused music, beta versions, and much more. It’s such a huge gem. You can grab it here: xeenmusic.bandcamp.com/album/mechwa…
— Art of Battletech & Mechwarrior (@artofbattletech.bsky.social) June 26, 2025 at 12:58 PM
We’ll leave the news blast on an interesting bit of MechWarrior 2 trivia. I’ve recently discovered (with the help of Emil at The Art of BattleTech) that one of the artists for MechWarrior 2‘s soundtrack, Gregory Alper, actually wrote a whole lot more music than made it into the final game files. Activision contracted both Alper and Jeehun Hwang to compose for MW2 and eventually picked whichever songs they felt best matched the mood of each individual mission. That said, Alper produced significantly more music than made it into the game—music which we’d never have heard had they not been released as an archival album with the help of Xeen Music.
There are some wildly different sounds in Alper’s MW2 album. Alper tends to go for more orchestral compositions, while Hwang toyed with electronic synth and percussion. Have a listen over on Bandcamp to discover what MechWarrior 2 might have sounded like.
And that’s it for June! Join us next month as we continue our endless march towards a future of big, stompy robots.
And as always, MechWarriors: Stay Syrupy.
I resent Ace Darwin’s adventures being called Antics. They are Shennanigans! and a little bit of tomfoolery!
Given the amount of stuff the man is able to swipe from under the noses of others, I propose “capers” as well.
An entire missing piece of the original MW2 OST? Talk about your early birthday gifts!
Sigh. More reinforcement of Clan Invasion and later Succession Wars nostalgia. No new packs for Marik or Liao or even other Clans. Tis a sad day for the fans of apparently lesser powers.
was nice to do the piece for the Pride Anthology. I estimate 2/3 of my Patreon Support, if not more, are members of the LGBTQ+ Community, so a chance to return some of that support was not to be passed up.
I trust Wolfnet with new rules about as much as I can throw them. Kinda like how they toss people’s property in the trash for using wrong decals.
” I can even appreciate the bizarrely-proportioned line drawings of Loose, Knutson, and Deitrick.”
Errrr what? These were the foundational designs, so if anything, what came after were ‘bizarrely-proportioned ‘ If anything, Loose’s designs were as well proportioned as they ever have been
Loose’s designs generally are… But just take a look at the original Stalker, and you can immediately tell it looks off: https://www.sarna.net/wiki/File:3025_Stalker1.jpg
For Knutson, a example of odd proportions would be the Champion: https://www.sarna.net/wiki/File:Champion.jpg
Though I do agree that for the most part part, the original art is good or at least decent… Perhaps Sean could have focused a bit and given some examples, instead of making what is easy to read as an overgeneralization?
I’m glad that Shadow of Kerensky is coming to MW5. Having an official Clan Occupation Zone for both PC and Console players and Clan Mechs to fight is certainly a welcome change to this DLC. While having only 16 Clan Mechs sounds a bit underwhelming given the 3050-3057 timelapse, I know that the modders of YAML and MercTech are gonna fill in the extra bits that PGI didn’t do, so I don’t think the DLC is gonna suffer that badly because of it. Still this 7th DLC is a welcome change to be sure.
I agree on their designs being foundational and in all not bad. I just had problems seeing some work well. Loose has a number of designs that seem a bit more spindly than they should be, like there isn’t any room in the limbs for the parts, but the designs have a classic sci-fi vehicle panelling feel.
Meanwhile, Knutson didn’t seem to like adding joints to the legs. The crab is the one that comes to mind immediately. Even MechWarrior 2 couldn’t figure out how to animate the knees in its original design. Again though, not bad art, fits with the aesthetic of the 70’s sci-fi novels.
I prefer the redesigns as a mini overall. But I do like the old ones and wouldn’t begrudge someone using them still. I just will field my new versions more often now with the classics as a display for posterity.
Thanks for sharing about the additional Gregory Alper music – much appreciated. Even after all these years, I love listening to Gregory Alper and the modern remakes by Timothy Seals. Probably listen to them every few days. Easy purchase to make.
Regarding the TRO 3025 Centennial Commemorative Edition, I am very pleased with this. My poor battered TRO 3025 is the most used, most loved of all of my Battletech supplements, and the copy that I have was printed with some blank pages (so I had to photocopy from other’s rulebooks and paste some pages in). So my copy is a battered relic from long ago. I would really like an updated version and it would be used for many years to come.
I hope it will be available outside of just USA.