Your BattleTech News Round-Up For December, 2023

2023/12/31

I’d managed to avoid COVID for nearly three years, but my luck finally ran out just a few days before Christmas. I can now say from firsthand experience this disease sucks. Holiday plans dashed, gatherings with friends and family delayed, and my throat and sinuses are a mangled mess. Also, mint flavors are now… different. The best I can describe is that the spectrum of mint flavors has shifted. Spearmint now tastes like scotch mint, peppermint tastes like toothpaste, and toothpaste tastes like cinnamon soap. 

I’m lucky COVID merely tickled my olfactory nerve rather than shred it to pieces. Many folks who had COVID in the early days of the pandemic lost their sense of taste and smell entirely.

I will say, I’ve never experienced a virus go for the throat quite that hard. There was a moment when I was sitting naked on my couch with a fever of 103 F (that’s 39.5 C for the metric folk), elevated heart rate and heaving like I’d just run a marathon, and fan blasting away as I waited for what the bottle told me was an overdose of Tylenol to finally kick in, that I understood this was where a lot of folks didn’t make it. 

Perhaps that’s a little dramatic. There are treatments for COVID-19 now, although I’m not sure of their availability in Ontario. Nor am I sure I’d have received that treatment in time if I were to have gone to the ER, given how our healthcare system remains in tatters nearly three years later. 

All this is to say: hug your loved ones, wear a mask in public, and get every vaccine you possibly can. 

And now, onto your BattleTech news. 

Tex Talks: The UrbanMech

Battletech/Mechwarrior Lore - Tex Talks Battletech : The Urbanmech (DIRECTORS CUT)
Watch this video on YouTube.

Tex has given us a delightful Christmas gift this year in the form of Tex Talks: The UrbanMech. It’s a ‘Mech that a lot of folks have been requesting for a very long time, so I’m certain there were a lot of happy MechWarriors out there on Christmas Day. That’s nothing to say of the many thousands of dollars the Black Pants Legion raised for Toys for Tots. 

If you haven’t seen a Tex Talks, it’s a deep dive into the lore surrounding a particular BattleMech. Often that lore goes back way further than you’d expect since Tex takes a historian’s eye to his subject matter. Can’t talk about a modern jet fighter without first mentioning the Wright Brothers and maybe Leonardo (that’s DaVinci, not DiCaprio), so you can’t talk about the UrbanMech without first talking about the Star League and BattleMech development.

This one’s a little zanier than most Tex Talks, and it has way more 3D animations--both of which entertained me immensely. Enjoy it here or via the embedded video above.

Jade Turkey: It’s What’s For Dinner

Apologies to Bishop Steiner for missing this delightful custom design from last month. Twitter isn’t as consistent as it used to be. 

Broken social media platforms aside, here’s the Jade Turkey, a fan-made Jade Falcon BattleMech conceived by Dale Eadeh, modeled by Allen Blackwell, and then finally drawn on the back of an Enforcer by Bishop Steiner. It’s 95 tons, as slow as an Annihilator, and so packed full of laser heat sinks that it can actually use its arsenal of Heavy Lasers to baste any other ‘Mech alive. 

Special mention goes to the single jump jet exhaust port in the back that kinda looks like someone stuck a musket up its ass. For the full range of stats, check out the posts here. 

Catalyst Announces A Ton Of Stuff At PAX Unplugged For 2024

More news from PAX Unplugged
byu/Available_Mountain inbattletech

Way back at the beginning of this month was PAX Unplugged, where Catalyst Game Labs had a commanding presence. Catalyst announced a lot of great stuff coming in 2024, and we’re going to run it all down.

Let’s start with new ForcePacks. We got a preview of the Star League Command Lance, with Aleksandr Kerensky‘s Orion, an Atlas II,  the dreaded Thunder Hawk, and what appears to be the PXH-1b Phoenix Hawk “Special.” Kerensky’s Orion will be pre-painted in his canonical colors, cutting down on your paint time. Although not shown, three more Star League-era ForcePacks were announced, each of which will have its own pre-painted mini (kudos to Available_Mountain for the deets).

My Nova Cat/Spirit Cat unit will cry out for that Wendigo, but redesigned versions of the Argus, Emperor, Helios, and Kintaro all sound groovy to me! Also love how we’re getting a little extra scenery with those repair/coolant/ammo trucks. 

Along with a new ForcePack every quarter, we’ve got a DropShip load of new fiction coming too. Executive editor John Helfers along with author Michael Ciaravella broke all the good news (with a nod of the hat to Big Red for summarizing). 

As mentioned in my interview with Brent Evans, the Draconis Combine is going to be quite the hot spot for the Inner Sphere in 2024. Shadow of the Dragon by Craig Reed will reveal the fallout of the Davion invasion and how the Draconis royalty is getting along (which, if I were to guess, is violent). Phillip Lee follows up on Hunting Season with Letter of the Law, and Bryan Young will release the follow-up to A Question of Survival with Without Question. 

Our first book to proceed from Hour of the Wolf will be courtesy of Michael Ciaravella. Trial by Birthright will be set on Terra and continue the timeline forward with what ol’ Alaric has been up to since seizing the birthplace of humanity. And to tie a nice bow over the HPG Blackout, Bryan Young’s Void Breaker brings back Tucker Harwell in a BattleTech-style spy thriller. Expect both of these later next year.

A few more stories that may or may not be coming in 2024. Tom Leveen is going to come out with a story from the Capellan Confederation and how it’s dealing with the third Star League. Jason Schmetzer is bringing another story of the new Gray Death Legion and plans to release all three novellas in a single novel. Hansen’s Roughriders return in Blood Rage from Craig Reed, and in the more distant future, A Treachery of Ravens by Michael Ciaravella will bring us a Clan Snow Raven novel. There are also some Wars of Reaving novels in the works and a Tales of the Bounty Hunter anthology mentioned.

On the sourcebook front, we’re getting Force Manual: House Davion, Force Manual: House Kurita, and Force Manual: Mercenaries all in subsequent quarters in 2024. MechCommander’s Handbook will also be coming later in the year, as well as an ilClan-focused sourcebook called ilKhan Eyes Only. The Mercenaries Kickstarter should start seeing deliveries sometime in the spring (hopefully!), and we’re still waiting on some concrete news of how Catalyst plans to celebrate BattleTech‘s 40th anniversary—besides flooding us with a ton of new products of course.

There might be a few things that I missed, and if so, you can check out The HobbyHabit‘s videos for a more complete rundown. And before I forget, here’s MechFrog with a shot of the BattleTech Universe book’s cutaway image of an Overlord DropShip. There are also some new minis featured in the Mercenaries Kickstarter, but only for those with access. 

OPINION: Pre-painted ‘Mechs Are Fine, Actually

Sarna Complaints Department

Courtesy of Eldoniousrex

I noted some weird backlash from mini enthusiasts at the news of pre-painted ‘Mechs. Some folks seemed upset at the idea of receiving an Orion already painted to look exactly like Alexander Kerensky’s ride at the moment he tore down the doors to Unity City and accepted Stefan Amaris’ surrender. And my question is: why? 

If you consider yourself an excellent artist capable of doing a better job than a manufacturer, nothing is stopping you from buying a standard Orion ON1-K and painting it like Kerensky’s machine. There’s a bit more of an argument to be made against the pre-painted Prometheus as it’d be much more difficult to kit-bash a Prometheus together, but I’m told there are ways of re-painting minis if you really don’t like Catalyst’s paint job. 

I think for the vast majority of BattleTech fans, a pre-painted ‘Mech is just one less ‘Mech you’ll have to paint yourself. I’m no painter, personally. Heck, part of the reason why I actually liked the MechClix game was because there was no painting involved. Sure, the models weren’t the best quality, but they were sufficient to plop down some pieces and start gaming. I think there should be an entirely pre-painted line of minis for folks who love the game but don’t have the time to paint. Perhaps these pre-painted legendary ‘Mechs will be the precursor to an expansion in this direction.

Either way, people who enjoy painting their minis themselves will always have plenty of opportunity to do just that, and I think some of the angry commenters are completely out to lunch. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below.

BattleTech Comic Comes With 200% More Cat Ears

https://twitter.com/wild_cat144/status/1731678132795588940

Wild_Cat144 is no stranger to these parts. She’s made a ton of art for Tex Talks BattleTech and released a ton more for public consumption. Her most recent project is the release of Epsilon Commandos, a webtoon featuring a diverse cast of ‘Mechs and cat-eared people. You can check it out here.

Happy 14th Anniversary To MechWarrior: Living Legends

I don’t mention the fine folks who run MechWarrior: Living Legends nearly often enough, so accept these birthday wishes as my apology. The best free MechWarrior game you can download just celebrated its 14th year with several games last month, which you can take part in yourself for the low price of zero dollars. You get a lot of game for zero down, and it also comes with a passionate community that loves to organize some wild Battlefield-style big games. Do celebrate by downloading the client here.

Equilibrium Are Your 2023 MechWarrior Online Champions (Plus Ongoing Christmas Events)

MechWarrior Online‘s competitive Championship Series recently concluded with Equilibrium defeating the 5th Jaguar Dragoons to become 2023’s champions. Equilibrium had a commanding performance in the final match, sweeping the Dragoons in three straight games. Congratulations to Equilibrium and everyone in the finals. Enjoy your fabulous prizes for getting so far in the season!

In other MechWarrior Online news, the patch came a bit early so PGI could have a nice Christmas break. In the most recent patch are two new Legendary ‘Mechs, the Longbow “Spitfire” and the Stone Rhino “Aksum.” The Spitfire is a one-shot Rocket Splat with some PPCs for backup, while Aksum is all dakka all day. As usual, both come with their own mini battlepasses that provide escalating rewards the more you play with each Legendary ‘Mech.

There are loads of Christmas events still going on, as well as a free giveaway of two ‘Mechs. One is a special variant of the WHM-6R with a Santa hat and a festive paintjob (but is otherwise a standard Warhammer), and the other is the COM-D03, an all-laser Commando with a small cockpit and a compact gyro that allows all those lasers to be mounted in the head and center torso. This makes it an interesting light brawling zombie. You can get both of these for playing just one game and getting a match score above 50 points (not hard to do so long as you show up and shoot). Remember to redeem the event requirements on the event page here.

A couple of adjustments to review. LRM-5s and the ATM-3 are now able to be grouped with larger LRM launchers without contributing to heat penalties, which should make the new Longbow a little more attractive. Rotary Autocannons have had their damage tweaked, and ECM’s jamming effect has been reduced from 120m to 90m. The biggest ‘Mech adjustments have happened to the Annihilator, but there are a few other tweaks mentioned in the patch notes here.

Shrapnel 15’s Double-Wide Issue Brings Us Fox Patrol’s Katie Ferraro

You should already be subscribed to Shrapnel, but if not, you should definitely get December’s issue. Not just because it’s like getting two Shrapnels for the price of one, but because it’s got a portrait of Katie Ferraro, captain of The Fox Patrol mercenary group. It’s nice to be able to put a face to the name, especially for a rising star in BattleTech‘s fiction.

Bushwacker Classic Arrives In MechWarrior 5

The march of modding to MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries continues with the new Bushwacker Classic mod. The Bushwacker model already exists in MechWarrior Online, but this one more closely resembles the tabletop miniature version. It also has a pretty cool skin that harkens back to the BattleTech Animated Series. 

We once again have SankaraSamsara (aka The Art of BattleTech, or Emil around these parts) to thank for taking Twdwink66’s model and animating it for MechWarrior 5. You can grab this mod either on Nexus Mods or MechWarrior 5’s Steam Workshop.

Star Adder Warhammer IICs Under A Starry Sky

Star Adder Warhammer IIC By Alan Blackwell
byu/Big_Red_40Tech inbattletech

Big Red 40K is set to debut a video on the Warhammer IIC, perhaps one of the best Clan “upgrades” the Inner Sphere has ever seen. He contacted Alan Blackwell to paint this stunning piece of two Star Adder Warhammer IICs in a snowy tundra beneath a brilliant aurora borealis. It’s an incredible piece of art that absolutely deserves showcasing. And you should check out Big Red’s video on the ‘Mech when it arrives.

Your Reminder That Magistracy Monthly Is A Free-Fanzine With Production Value

https://twitter.com/MagestrixRiley/status/1734302506606293068

For example, here’s a piece you’ll find inside the December issue of Magistracy Monthly. Issue 24 has a bunch of things, including fan-made TROs for ‘Mechs, one for VTOL, tons of custom art, and short stories from fans about lesser-known people in the far-flung corners of the Periphery. It’s worth a read, especially since it’s free.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Gets Pinball Mod

Traditional Mod Game play Short
Watch this video on YouTube.

No, this isn’t a mod you can just download on Nexus Mods or Steam. This is an actual pinball machine. Most pinball machines are already so wildly complex in operation that I can’t even begin to describe them, let alone provide advice beyond “hit the ball with the paddles.” Any pinball machines made today are infinitely more complex than the machines I played as a kid. 

But I can appreciate the attention to detail in this mod. The playfield is covered in BattleTech art. The display screen uses actual MechWarrior 5 gameplay footage and sound effects. Ryana comes on every once in a while to quip about your progress (or lack thereof), and losing a ball results in your ‘Mech exploding. 

Beyond Pinball has an entire series of videos dedicated to this mod, and he’s even gotten the attention of PGI president Russ Bullock. Maybe we’ll see this pinball machine become an official product someday. 

Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays From Sarna To You And Yours

Running a holiday-themed event this weekend, just finished the terrain and main objective.
byu/AlwaysUpvotesTheVIII inbattletech

And thank you to AlwaysUpvotesTheVIII for this holiday-themed UrbanMech. Santa was very generous to this Urbie.

That’s it for December and 2023. It’s been a hell of a year for BattleTech, a hell of a year for me personally (with one hell of a sendoff), and judging by everything announced by Catalyst, it’s going to be one hell of a 2024. We’re getting a new MechWarrior game, we’re getting a ton of new fiction, we’re getting new sourcebooks, and we’re getting new minis. Who knows what else 2024 might have in store?

And as always, MechWarriors: Stay Syrupy.

Christmas Mechs

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17 thoughts on “Your BattleTech News Round-Up For December, 2023”

  1. Gooner

    Sean – positive waves for your continued recovery first and foremost!
    As someone who was watching the Pax livestreams with Aaron and Randall, my initial reaction to/concern with the pre-painted mechs was additional cost. I’d rather not pay more for a force pack with a pre-painted mech that I’m just going to strip anyway. When asked on the livestreams and the official forum the response to the extra cost question was that Catalyst would try and keep the cost down but the number has not yet been determined.
    Regarding all the fiction coming in ’24 – it sounds like this is the backlog we’ve all been hearing about from the authors themselves. There was so much positive momentum pre/post-ilClan release on this side with novels, novellas, and sourcebooks through Tamar Rising and Dominions Divided…then it just stopped. As someone who focuses primarily on the stories and lore more than tabletop, Catalyst could have done a better job communicating why – it appears that it was a shortage of pre-pub resources and the focus by John Helfers and Ray Arrastia on the Battletech Universe book. December showed an improvement and I look forward to the new fiction in the new year!

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  3. Russell Zimmerman

    Happy holidays, everybody (and here’s to a swift recovery, Sean)! 2024’s gonna be pretty dope.

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  5. Douglas Reid

    Put my vote down for being against the pre-painted minis. Not because I’m against pre-painted ones in general but why would I want one random painted mini, almost certainly not painted anything like any other mini I have in a pack? Optional “premium” versions of the force packs with all the minis painted for a small increased cost would have been an interesting idea. This is just… weird.

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    1. Jasin Moridin

      Yeah, I don’t have a problem with pre-painted ‘Mechs myself, especially for “this is THIS person’s ‘Mech, with its iconic paint scheme” type stuff, but I definitely think it should specifically be “Legendary BattleMech” lances that are all pre-paints of iconic ‘Mechs instead of randomly putting individual ‘Mechs in with normal unpainted ones.

      Honestly, it kind of feels like one of those “build an action figure out of parts that are included with other action figures” deals.

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  6. FinX

    Regarding pre-painted mechs, I feel a certain ambivalence. Yes, I can paint them myself. I have a certain style in painting my mechs, so the prepainted thing won’t fit my other minis. I can paint over that, but it always feels weird spraying over something someone already painted, it’s a bit like destroying art – and not just art. it’s also time, effort and ressources that went in the process. Which we also pay for.
    So paying for a service I don’t want and then on top having to ruin the work of someone else is what makes me personally dislike prepainted mechs.
    Thing is, I’d fully understand if there’d be a lance that’s available either painted or not and people could opt out. I’d love that for the people who can’t or don’t want to paint their own minis.
    In my POV, that would have been the better choice. Not being able to opt out because of course I want to have all the other models, that’s the part that I moderately dislike about it.
    Anyways: I work in an FLGS, we will also open these boxes and sell them separately and someone will absolutely LOVE buying the painted models. So that’s a win for everyone and a way to take it positively.

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  7. Kantoken

    A game that unfortunately no longer exists but used pre-painted miniatures was AT-43. This worked very well for the game system as the specific armies didn’t have any reason to use different color schemes than the original ones.
    Regarding Battletech, how big is the chance that you can buy a mini painted exactly the way you want it to? With so many different commands, clans and camo schemes, you better hope that the pre-painted miniatures match your preferences and match each other’s schemes.

    Get well soon Sean, and have an amazing 2024! May the crit rolls be in your favor this year.

    Reply ↓
  8. Gwen Charteris

    I like the route they’re doing with the pre-painted minis, as others have echoed have a one-off is a bit odd, but since they’ll all be for named characters that works slightly better than random pre-painted ‘Mechs.

    That said, I will also be investigating how to strip the paint off of them, because I enjoy painting and almost never run named characters. The only one I might keep is Kerensky’s Orion, but that may still get a repaint to match my personal style more.

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    1. Steel Shanks

      Gwen don’t strip the paint, just cover it with a good base coat paint instead. That will even out the Mech, and make it fresh for new paints. Much like how Warhammer 40k pieces are painted. Hell, the Warhammer paints are even perfect for painting Mechs as well. I’ve used them for both sets of mini’s.

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      1. Gwen Charteris

        I already prime everything – I just prefer to strip then repaint if I have to, but I’ll have to see CGL’s prepainted stuff in my hand before I am absolutely sure of it. I normally use a biting primer, then base coat with army painter or citadel spray, then paint with citadel and tamiya paints. Since I have the primer then base coat (I know that the army painter and citadel works well as a primer/base coat in one, I just prefer this process) I am warry of the possibility of having too many coats on.

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  9. Wolfbane2004

    Well…you know there’s going to be a dilemma with those Jackalopes. They are like Urbies – you can’t get just one. They might need to do a whole lance of Jackalopes since they are described to be very compact and available in bulk. :P

    The only possible concern I have with the Star League packs with the Kintaro and to a lesser degree the Atlas II. Will we see Kamea Arano as a pilot for either (or both) with Alpha Strike stats? The Atlas II might be a longshot because if TRO: Blakist Temper Tantrum is any indication, you’d have Devlin Stone AND The Founder as Atlas II pilots both of which have larger fanbases. On the other hand, I might have to get at least one extra Kintaro for my OC “Otomo’s” Kintaro named Ryuken (either the original 3025 version with 5 SRM-4s, an early Blakist era upgrade with 4 MML-5s and TSM or the 3085 version which has a little bit of ClanTech used for energy weapons).

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  10. Avery Ray Colter

    Still mostly sticking to the bomb shelter nursing my injured elemental, trying like mad to repel the CoViD19 invasion from our lot borders. Glad you’re alive and mostly well comrade!

    Reply ↓
  11. Abjurer

    The pre-painted mechs were slightly disappointing to me at first, primarly because I wanted the Orion out of the First Star League pack to paint up in Marik Militia livery. Then I remembered that I already have two of the suckers, one of which is already in the colors. TBH, given that there are plenty of units around the IS that still use SLDF colors (many of the units that stayed behind kept the olive color scheme), it’s not like I won’t find a use for it somewhere. Besides, I kinda dig Theodore Kurita, and I’d have to look it up but I’m willing to bet he didn’t change Revenant’s paint job.

    But coping aside, I’m now actually looking forward to the First SLDF pack (that Atlas II is getting House Arano colors), and looking at the pre-painted Orion as a nice bonus. The others I’m hedging over because I’m not as familiar with the mechs they have, but I’m also kinda goofy for support vehicles and logistics trucks.

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  12. Carlos

    Hi Sean, wishing you a speedy recovery, mr Covid is a nasty bug to deal with.

    Just adding my two cents in the prepainted mini story,
    I am not really in favor of their inclusion as they will inflate the price and for me they provide no value.

    I find the “Star League” packs a bit odd, and I kind of see a trend since the introduction of the regent and the gargoyle in the Grey Death legion pack.

    You get some not so popular designs packed with something that will sell like the SHD and the K2K so the oddballs will sell.

    I personally I am interested in one of two mechs on each pack, and probably I will cherry pick from the packs via 3rd party resellers as I barely step on the post dark age era, the arms race post civil war really worn me off (and do not get me started with the Jihad….)

    So I would definitely prefer some faction themed packs without prepainted minis “Steiner Recon Lance” or “Kurita Kamikaze Lance” :D

    Reply ↓

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