Where British Columbia and Europe both suffer record high temperatures, it’s been uncharacteristically cool in Southern Ontario, and I feel like I’m being cheated out of my hot-hot summer. I haven’t needed to turn on the air conditioning, and I’ve even been writing these articles in sweatpants when I should be down to my skivvies. That’s just in case you were wondering what “business casual” is around here.
As always, we’ve got a Leopard DropShip’s-worth of news, so we don’t have time for me to complain about global warming tacitly avoiding my hometown just to force me to wear more clothes that I’d expect in July. Here’s what’s going on in the BattleTech world for July, 2022.
Catalyst Releases Third Founding Of The Clan Novels And Announces Store Credit For Missing Kickstarter Dice And Decks
Apparently Catalyst has had some trouble with the Clan Invasion Kickstarter’s insignia dice and pilot decks. For some backers, the dice weren’t of the expected quality while others were outright missing decks of pilots. Catalyst did say that they had a 96% successful fulfillment rate, which is pretty great considering this all happened during the whirlwind of the pandemic, but the company wants to make sure every backer is a satisfied customer.
To that end, Catalyst is now offering store credit for backers who pledged for either dice or decks. Those who had pledge rewards including insignia dice will receive at least $5 credit at the Catalyst store per pair of dice, and an additional $5 per order for the conversion to store credit. For missing decks, CGL has created the “Heroes of the Inner Sphere” deck, which will be received in addition to $15 store credit per missing deck. Those credits will be mailed out in the next few weeks. Give it a bit of time as there are 12,000 credits to be sent.
Catalyst also had some trouble getting the third Founding of the Clans book to backers as well. You can read the update on Kickstarter for the full story, but the climax is a Dropbox link that will provide backers with Land of Dreams and Jaguar’s Leap by Reed Bishop. I gotta say, putting the Starslayer on the cover of a BattleTech book is a gutsy move, but I’m all for it.
Something Weird Is Going On With Everything BattleTech
Something is up with the Everything BattleTech group. Folks might have noticed an abrupt rebranding to “Everything Sci-Fi,” followed by this statement from Catalyst Games earlier this month. It seems that the BattleTech license holder, Fanatic (which acquired Topps earlier this year), had issues “regarding potential violations of the BattleTech rights and license.” Catalyst was contacted to discuss those issues with Everything BattleTech founder David Vivas, sending Line Developer Ray Arrastia to spearhead a “series of dialogues” with Vivas as well as other BattleTech communities.
Apparently things didn’t go well. Vivas rebranded the Everything BattleTech Facebook page to “Everything Sci-fi” and then again to just “EBT.” The Everything BattleTech Discord is currently voting on a more permanent solution, which includes fantastic suggestions like “OnlyMechs,” “Mecha Fight Club,” and “Republic of Mechs.” I’m a fan of OnlyMechs, personally.
Catalyst’s statement doesn’t go into details, but it seems like the issue was largely surrounding the use of the name BattleTech specifically, especially on what was formerly known as the Everything BattleTech Patreon (which has now been renamed the David Vivas Patreon). The Everything BattleTech Discord server seems mostly unchanged outside of a few new channels that are helping with the rebranding effort.
The statement went on to explain Ray never made “any requirement for a comprehensive rebranding or retreat from the BattleTech fan space,” and the sudden rebranding came as a complete surprise. I reached out to Vivas for his side of the story, but he declined to comment.
BattleTech has a long and complicated history when it comes to fan works and fan communities. Without knowing both sides of this story I won’t say whether this is just another case of an overly aggressive copyright holder or a group trying to cash in on the resurgence BattleTech has enjoyed over the past few years. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Empire Alone Reveals First Conflicts Of The ilClan Era
The second sourcebook of the ilClan Era, Empire Alone, is now available via the Catalyst Game Labs store! It will be available through retail distribution this coming Wednesday, July 13. Plus, CountersPack: BattleForce and the Timber Wolf TC premium mini! https://t.co/9V1ZUQlEUn pic.twitter.com/rDoweacbGk
— BattleTech (@CGL_BattleTech) July 8, 2022
In somewhat more exciting news from Catalyst, we’ve got a new sourcebook to talk about. Empire Alone is the second sourcebook of the ilClan era, telling the tale of what happens in the Wolf Empire while Alaric Ward is off conquering Terra and the year following his victory. The Free Worlds League sees an opportunity to recapture worlds lost to the Wolves, which risks putting Nikol Marik in a war against Clan Wolf and potentially every Clan that acknowledges Alaric as the leader of a new Star League. And then there’s Wolf’s Dragoons, weakened after assisting Clan Wolf in defeating the Jade Falcons and then snubbed by the new ilKhan. They might be licking their wounds, but an opportunity for revenge can’t be ignored.
Empire Alone runs from the year 3151 to mid-3152 and centers around the major events between the Free Worlds League and the Wolf Empire. It’s available now at retailers and on Catalyst’s store along with the new CountersPack: BattleForce, the perfect solution to large-scale engagements.
And finally, there’s a new mini. The Timber Wolf TC (“temporary configuration”) was designed to counter ComStar ambushes during the Battle of Tukayyid. It comes armed with two large pulse lasers, two ER medium lasers, two Streak SRM-6s, and a smaller ER laser in the left torso. It also has five jump jets to escape whatever trap ComStar lays. It worked pretty well, and the mini is now available on the Catalyst web store.
Oh, and I almost forgot: there’s a new novel out for you fiction lovers. A Question of Survival reveals how Clan Jade Falcon plans to repopulate its depleted warrior caste following their defeat at the hands of Clan Wolf. The Rasalhague Dominion falls squarely in the sights of Jiyi Chistu‘s forces, and several sibkos may suddenly find themselves growing up Falcons rather than as proud Ghost Bears.
An Outdoor Market For The Best Cheapest ‘Mechs In The Inner sphere
At long last, the Battletech: Empire Alone sourcebook is available for purchase.
You can get it here!https://t.co/PCTLLd0yb6
I posted my cover work for it ages ago. So, instead, today I have the Clan Sea Fox market scene I created for the book! Enjoy!#battletech #rpg #Mecha pic.twitter.com/p858zlFCpO
— Eldoniousrex (@Eldoniousrex) July 9, 2022
Speaking of Empire Alone, our very own Eldoniousrex created some cool-ass art for the sourcebook. Not only did he do the cover, but he also did this great landscape of a Clan Sea Fox market. Note the Griffin IIC, a ‘Mech that proves the Clans can make a better Griffin that’s lighter, faster, more powerful, and even cheaper than the original. Now that’s a ‘Mech that’s worth every C-bill. He also has an absolutely incredible new t-shirt design that y’all should definitely buy.
The Perfect ‘Mech Might Just Be The Whitworth
Some of you might be wondering why I haven’t discussed the Whitworth in a Bad ‘Mechs article. That’s because I don’t think the Whitworth is actually bad. Sure it’s a little slow for a 40-ton ‘Mech, but it can still keep up with most regiments and fulfill its role as a rapid response fire support ‘Mech. It can help lay ambushes and leap away before the enemy can return fire. And when it gets caught by faster light ‘Mechs, its heavier armor and three medium lasers are just enough to defend itself. It’s actually really good.
So it warms my heart to see someone giving the Whitworth the attention it deserves with art courtesy of fed0tich. Catalyst still hasn’t deigned to officially redesign the Whitworth, but when they do, I sincerely hope it looks something like this.
July’s MechWarrior Online Patch Adjusts Armor Skills And Enforces Group Maximums In Quick Play
A small patch for MechWarrior Online in July. No big new map or new ‘Mechs, but there’s another quirk pass, some adjustments to skill nods, and a fix for the group play restrictions in Quick Play.
Let’s talk ‘Mechs. Wolfhounds, Javelins, Hunchbacks, and King Crabs have all had their quirks adjusted, with a few tweaks made to specific variants of the Jenner IIC, Phoenix Hawk, Trebuchet, Vapor Eagle, Mad Dog, Banshee, and Sun Spider. Inner Sphere Gauss Rifles have also had their cooldown reduced to make them a little more competitive against their Clan counterparts.
Several skills have been adjusted. Hill Climb skills now actually work and make it easier to climb hills (whereas before this skill did absolutely nothing). Reinforced Casing, Torso Pitch, and Torso Yaw have all been increased, and both Armor Hardening and Skeletal Density skill nodes have been buffed across the board for ‘Mechs larger than 60 tons. There’s a specific chart in the patch notes that describes how each node changes depending on your ‘Mech’s tonnage.
Another big fix deals with Quick Play, by far the most common way to play MechWarrior Online. Group maximums have once again been brought back, meaning no team can have more than a single four-stack or a two-stack and three-stack. Previously, games were a little wonky as solo players were being matched against multiple teams, which often resulted in some terribly one-sided matches. Hopefully your matches will fare a little better.
There’s still a free giveaway going on in MechWarrior Online where you can grab a free Hero ‘Mech for earning 250 loot bags. You can easily get 10-12 loot bags in a single match, so it’s not too hard to get a free Hero ‘Mech, plus all the ‘Mech credits, C-bills, consumables, skill points, and more being given away in each loot bag. The loot bag event is on until August 4.
MechWarrior 5 Makes It Easier To Find A Yen Lo Wang
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries has also received a new patch. This one is mostly game fixes, but there’s at least an adjustment being made to the spawn rates of the CN9-YLW2 Yen-Lo-Wang and BL-P-KNT2 Black Knight to make them a little more commonplace in your next playthrough. There’s also memory optimizations for both Xbox and PlayStation, and some helpful mod updates for tagging assets and tweaking player aim assist. You can check out the patch notes here to see what annoying bug you hated most just got squashed.
Explain To Me How This Even Works
Nevermind all the incredible talent that goes into creating a kitbash like this--I just wanna know how the hell an Atlas is supposed to fire what appears to be the LRM-15 packs of a Catapult that were unceremoniously ripped from the 65-ton ‘Mech’s body and are now being used as a giant external launcher. Does it press a ‘Mech-sized button on the side that says “FIRE ZE MISSILES” or does it just kick out the jams and beatbox its way to a swarm of fiery death? Explain this to me, Reddit user HighlighterFTW. I’m dying to know.
Renegade HPG Talks To Bruce Patnaude
Those who follow Gallery 3025 on Patreon (and you really should be) might have noticed a few recent pieces courtesy of Bruce Patnaude, a comic artist with a style very reminiscent of some of BattleTech’s earliest source books. You can see all of Patnaude’s pieces over on Gallery 3025, but we showcased two of them in last month’s news roundup.
To get an idea for Patnaude’s creative process, Renegade HPG’s Travis Gardner (who also runs Gallery 3025) sat down with him to talk about some of the fine work he’s been doing for the gallery. You should definitely check out the video above, and we hope to see more of Patnaude’s fabulous work in the future.
And that’s it for July! Join us again next month where Sarna provides you with all the BattleTech news that’s safe for human consumption.
And as always, MechWarriors: Stay Syrupy.
There was also the announcement of the next multipart mech in the series, the Eris; and the fact that the Hammerhead mini from June – a cursed run of a mini that was undersized and plagued with shipping cost errors on their website that basically locked it to the US only – had a major manufacturing fault and so everybody that bought an Eris, or even just asked them for a replacement, would receive a Hammerhead torso with the error replaced. Which is… honestly really interesting; since it technically means anybody that buys an Eris gets a torso for another ilClan era mech as well. Means that if you can find or acquire a hip piece for it, you can make a frankenMech pretty easily.
Thanks for this.
What? No mention of Blaine Pardoe getting wrongly fired?
That news broke just after the roundup was published. Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on this story.
At-will employment, buddy.
Just because someone can be gotten rid of for any reason, doesn’t make the reason either stupid or wrong.
You asked about the Boombox Atlas. Well, I didn’t think much about the actual stats when it was commissioned, but I’m guessing the LRMs could be considered a hand-held weapon? Someone on the Battletech Reddit Discord mentioned that an Atlas can hold a 10-ton hand-held weapon and Rocket Launchers are the best bet. So, my head-cannon says they are not LRMs but rather lots of RL10s. :)
Also, just a point of clarification, those are the LRM20 racks from a Timber Wolf (that was sacrificed for the Iron Cheetah kitbashes). :)
Tex and the BPL dropped a very nice primer on the 5 great house (and bonus Rasalhauge) only a few days ago.
It’s a great video!
IMO, the Whitworth is the best 40 ton Mech of the original 3025 era 40 tonners. The Sentinel, Clint, and Hermes II are average and forgettable. The Assassin’s niche is strictly ‘Scouting & Punishing Bug-Mechs TM’, outside that it underperforms. The best thing we can say about the Vulcan is that it’s marginally better than piloting a Stinger/Wasp. And the Cicada? Is just 1 Locust for the price of 2, with no redeeming features over it’s counterpart .
Out of that pile of smothering mediocrity, the Whitworth emerges. Distinctly competent and reliable. The cheapest pricetag of the 7, but the most heavily armed and armored. Effective in multiple roles, and only deficient in a few.
The Whitworth’s reputation may be muddled, as it overlaps with a few 4/6/4 Mechs like the Blackjack and Vindicator. It’s also not as visually striking as some 40-tonners either. But’s it much better than filler. A Whitworth in your lance will rarely disappoint.
I’ve liked Trebuchets for a long time, and I remember seeing the Whitworth and thinking “Wait, it’s a lighter 5J that keeps both LRM racks? And all it costs is using 10s and a slower engine? Solid.
They had to add fluff that made it a lemon (bad hip actuators if memory serves) to make it seem useless. But speaking as a guy who once had a wheel fall off his car: s#!t happens, I guess. ;)
An Atlas with what we used call a “ghetto blaster”… I’d allow it! Handheld weapon, two LRM15(OS). Only use for a one shotted launcher.
And you’ve just explained why I think you’re a half wit with the BadMech series- you think the Tin Woodsman is a good mech. The only use for the Whitworth is in a meme lance with a Catapult (lion), Vulcan (scarecrow) and a LAM (close enough to a flying monkey), deploying from a yellow Leopard (brick).
Vermonster yet again reaching into the toilet for an opinion.
Wow, New Hampshit, that is clever. Particularly from some one with that username. Are you running your mouth from the safety of the internet about my opinion about the boombox Atlas? Or about the Whitworth?
Let’s start off with simple thesis: most 40 ton mechs are trash. They are trapped in a corner where there are no good engine choices, so they’re under armed and armoured but fast, like the Assassin, or are well armed but both too slow and insufficiently armoured for the attention thier firepower brings. That is where the Whitworth falls. Even in an LRM duel, the Dervish and Trebuchet are both faster and bring more firepower. The Thorn can out run it, and so can the Valkyrie, so it also comes up short for being a scout hunter. And once it opens up, it lacks the armour to last long under PPC and large lasers. It is both too much and too little, the same curse as the Blackjack. The same can be said for the less expensive Panther, but that has less ammo dependency and only for its close range systems.
That is not to say it has no role- it is fine for supporting dismounted or jump infantry in open country, so long as the enemy is using only light vehicles and doesn’t have mechs, air support or BA. Partnered with a Panther it works well in an urban environment where low speeds coupled with short range jump jets are an advantage, particularly if you properly utilize the terrain.
But taken in balance, like most 40s, Whitworth lacks the survivability and flexibility to be a good mech. Part of that is being able to pay back the bank loan.
Or is are you pissing and moaning because of Team Oz? The Yellow Brick Ride’s fighter bays have been converted to carry two platoons of infantry, aka the Munchkins. If you don’t get the joke yet, you need to buy a sense of humor.
Please note: a comment was removed for personally attacking the preceding post. Healthy debate is fine, insults and name-calling are not. Keep it civil.
He kinda looks like the barrel carrying Atlas in “STEINER SCOUT SQUAD IN: THE LAST PARADE.”
The Whitworth is very effective when you’re in the Introtech era. Personally, I’ve found it excels when you’re concerned with operating a mercenary unit on a budget during the Succession Wars. You can’t always find Mechwarriors with Heavy or Assault qualifications, and sometimes you can’t afford much more than 3 Million C-Bills per Mech. The golden trio of 55 tonners have their place, but they’re also nearly twice the price of the ‘lowly’ Whitworth and more expensive to repair.
It’s less fragile than the ammo-loaded Dervish, more mobile over broken terrain than the Trebuchet, and more effective than the Valkyrie. It’s not as effective as some ‘Mechs in the age of the Clan Invasion, but in the pre-lostech years it almost always pulls its weight.
Replace the ac with an lac/5. That gives you space for two clan LRM-15s. Drop the lrm-20 for two more clan lrm10s. Add Artemis all around. Some extra ammo. One ton. That should do it.
I support Blaine Lee Pardoe.