Back when PGI first started marketing MechWarrior 5: Clans, the message was that they wanted to show the Clan Invasion from a different perspective. Previously, we’d only experienced the Invasion as the plucky underdogs fighting for freedom in MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, and then later as the avenging force in MechCommander. We’d never taken part in […]
Read More →
Welcome! It has been a busy month, from a brand-new MechWarrior game releasing to stellar reviews, to many new official product announcements, to a beloved fan-zine self-destructing. All of this happening while in less than a week an American election could spell the end of the Western world as we know it. That may or […]
Read More →
BattleTech is a massive universe spanning hundreds of planets with larger-than-life characters, but at the center of it all are the massive walking war machines we know and love. ‘Mechs make the BattleTech world go ’round, and there’s nobody at Catalyst with more passion for ‘Mechs than Johannes Heidler, Associate Developer for ‘Mech Design. They […]
Read More →
“Zeke! ZEKE! Bring the camera!” Michelle Baldwyn shouted at her cameraman, but not too loud lest she spook crowd members who understood they were about to be filmed. “The duel’s starting!” Although technically illegal under the laws of Ashio III, the underground ‘Mech dueling ring nonetheless drew a crowd, and with it, commerce. Normally the […]
Read More →
It’s September, and you know what that means. I’ve been planning on what to do with my grey pile of shame. It has grown exponentially since receiving my Mercs shipment (apologies for the brag to many of you who still haven’t received yours) and so I’ve been deciding on what units to insert each of […]
Read More →
ROM was wrong. The covert attempt to eliminate New Hessen’s AeroSpace assets had clearly failed as the 33rd Division attempted a combat drop near the capital city of Buchvaal. Worse, ROM had failed to correctly estimate the planet’s force composition. Not only had the remnants of all three Ceti Hussars chosen New Hessen to reconstitute, […]
Read More →
Earlier this year, Sarna reached out to Catalyst Game Labs to see if we could interview Creative Director Randall N. Bills. Then Randall decided to jet-set around the globe on a BattleTech world tour, and it’s been really hard to get our schedules aligned. Thankfully, Randall was able to spare an hour just before heading […]
Read More →
August has been busy. If it wasn’t a camping trip or a wedding or a Jack & Jill party (which is a weird but fun heteronormative event I’d never attended before) it was disease. I luckily managed to just get some spiteful little bug instead of COVID, but pretty much everyone else I know has […]
Read More →
What’s great about the recent spat of BattleTech novels is many of them are pushing the boundaries of the universe’s fiction. That’s not to say there isn’t still plenty of big, stompy ‘Mech action, but a universe can’t run on giant robots. It’s the human stories that drive the narrative, and it doesn’t get more […]
Read More →
“How… how is she so… old?” Star Captain Jimigan sighed. This question had consistently led down a circular path that began with him signing a request for a new recruit to be assigned to the 93rd BattleMech Cluster’s Third Trinary. MechWarrior Sinyan was the fourth, and he desperately wanted to avoid another unnecessary fatality. “Star […]
Read More →
With the rising popularity of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons and the desperation for players to continue their tabletop experience during years of COVID lockdowns, “virtual tabletop” is now a well-known term amongst most gamers. But before Roll20, Tabletop Simulator, and Foundry, a group of BattleTech fans began work on a project that would ensure […]
Read More →
Fun story! I got my Mercenaries Kickstarter package earlier this month. I ordered seven Salvage Boxes since it’s the only enjoyable lootbox in existence, and because I wanted to try my hand at getting a few ‘Mechs from other ForcePacks. As luck would have it, the first two boxes gave me the Jenner IIC and […]
Read More →
“Welcome to Throttle Stop, I’m Haremy Darkson. For centuries, the fastest thing on two legs was this,” the camera pans up to the Locust he was standing beside. “You can have some variety with a Spider or a Cicada, but then you’d be paying twice as much for a ‘Mech that only has a quarter […]
Read More →
Last month’s fan-made BattleTech Pride Anthology was bigger and better than ever, with a total of 13 stories and one technical readout all with decidedly queer quirks. There’s not a lot of queer representation in BattleTech, so when the first Pride Anthology hit the scene last year, I gobbled it up. The second one took […]
Read More →
We have a special treat for you this week! I’ve been in contact with Chris Lowrey, Narrative Director for the upcoming MechWarrior 5: Clans. He managed to escape PGI’s brutal internal security service for just long enough to send out an encoded message that shares new details on what we can expect to find in […]
Read More →
Hey guys. It’s June. That means several wonderful things. First, it was my birthday. Second, the Mercenaries Kickstarter is being shipped, which is a wonderful birthday gift. And third, it’s Pride month, which means the 2024 BattleTech Pride Anthology is here. It’s the month that keeps on giving. And it’s giving way more than just […]
Read More →
In terms of BattleTech writers, Bryan Young is relatively new, but he’s made a big impact in a short amount of time. He’s rehabilitated the hated Clan Jade Falcon into something a little more likable in A Question Of Survival and Without Question, the Fox Patrol is already a beloved mercenary unit, and VoidBreaker will […]
Read More →
“Why the hell do they have us stripping these relics anyhow?” Helen asked. It had only been a day since news came down from the college that NAIS would receive several Blackjacks for evaluation, but when Hanse Davion made a proclamation, people tended to move fast. BattleMech engineering lead Jameson looked honestly surprised. “You mean […]
Read More →
April showers? More like May showers. And they’ll also certainly bring hordes of angry mosquitoes even this close to the urban centers of Southern Ontario. But you know what makes inclement weather and ravenous insects bearable? Spirit Cat Irregulars reinforcements! I love all these little guys, from the Crimson Hawk‘s goofy sculpt to the Avalanche […]
Read More →
BattleTech‘s most recent novel is Without Question by Bryan Young, who was kind enough to send a copy to Sarna for review. I’ve tried to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, but know there are a few plot hooks discussed below. Throughout my reading of Without Question, I kept running into the same problem: […]
Read More →
Welcome back to Community Outreach, the Sarna series where we reach out to BattleTech creators and creatives to learn more about their work. This month we sat down with Big Red-40Tech, a YouTuber with a curious name who dives deep into the lore behind some of the most popular and not-so-popular ‘Mechs. I start us […]
Read More →“Star Commander, I have the target in sight. Grid coordinate zulu-alpha-three-six-three. Fire for effect, over.” Clan Ice Hellion MechWarrior Liam waited for several tense moments, but there was no scream of incoming shells and no explosions on the enemy encampment. “Star Commander, I repeat, I have them marked with my TAG. Grid coordinate zulu-alpha-three-six-three.” Still, […]
Read More →
Did you know the Locust IIC is over 40 points in Alpha Strike? The Fire Moth Prime is close to 30, and there’s even a Kit Fox that’s 40 points. My point is, it’s hard to find a cheap Clan ‘Mech to round out a 200-point Star. Even Elementals are around the same point value […]
Read More →
Late last year, I spoke with Michael Todd about his efforts to preserve some of BattleTech‘s long-forgotten art. These classic pieces were produced before the digital age and, in some cases, had been forgotten in a basement for decades. But with BattleTech‘s ongoing renaissance, renewed interest brought these pieces out of the dark for fans […]
Read More →
“Shit,” Private Enzo cursed at the red blinking light on his Sentinel’s command console. “The missile launcher is jammed again.” “Again?” Enzo’s lancemate, Corporal Fritz-McCarrol, maneuvered his Crab close to where Enzo’s Sentinel stood on the firing range and brought its cockpit to within a few meters of the Defiance Streak SRM-2’s exhaust port. “Doesn’t […]
Read More →