Field Manuals (series)

Field Manuals are a series of BattleTech sourcebooks that contain detailed information about the military forces of each BattleTech faction.

Description

The initial ten Field Manuals were published by FASA between 1996 and 2001. Each portraits one faction and contains extensive information about all aspects of its military, detailed descriptions for every BattleMech regiment, including history, officers and tactics. Special rules reflecting the unique abilities of each regiment are provided as an optional expansion to standard BattleTech play. Other features are new weapons, equipment, and BattleMechs unique to the faction.

The sourcebook structure changed only with the release of Field Manual: Updates by FanPro, that was meant as an comprehensive update of all previous Field Manuals to the year 3067. It provides complete and current TO&E for all factions in a condensed format.

This new format was later also adopted by Catalyst Game Labs for its Field Manuals.

Field Manual Products

The individual Field Manuals in order of publication are:

FASA

• Field Manual: Draconis Combine (published on: 1 July 1996)
• Field Manual: Free Worlds League (published on: 1 May 1997)
• Field Manual: Mercenaries (published on: 1 September 1997)
• Field Manual: Crusader Clans (published on: 1 April 1998)
• Field Manual: Warden Clans (published on: 1 March 1999)
• Field Manual: ComStar (published on: 1 September 1999)
• Field Manual: Capellan Confederation (published on: 1 January 2000)
• Field Manual: Federated Suns (published on: 1 March 2000)
• Field Manual: Lyran Alliance (published on: 1 July 2000)
• Field Manual: Periphery (published on: 1 January 2001, republished by FanPro on: 1 September 2003)

FanPro

• Field Manual: Updates (published on: 1 June 2003)
• Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised (published on: 1 February 2004)

CGL

• Field Manual: 3085 (published on: 1 December 2011)
• Field Manual: SLDF (published on: 13 July 2012)
• Field Manual: 3145 (published on: 10 September 2013)

Related Products

Supplemental releases to the Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised sourcebook:

• Mercenaries Supplemental I (published on: 1 August 2004)
• Mercenaries Supplemental II (published on: 1 May 2005)
• Mercenaries Supplemental Update (published on: 30 August 2006)