Randall N. Bills

Randall N. Bills
Occupation	Game Designer Author BattleTech Line Developer

Randall N. Bills has been working on BattleTech since 1996, when he began working for FASA as Assistant Line Developer for the BattleTech line. He has writing credits in numerous rulebooks and wrote several stories and novels in the BattleTech universe. He is also a cofounder of InMediaRes, the parent company currently publishing and developing BattleTech through their Catalyst Game Labs imprint.

Bills became the product Line Developer for BattleTech in the year 2000, when FASA still published the game, until they sold the rights to the BattleTech intellectual property to WizKids in 2001. He remained in place when FanPro LLC acquired the license to what was then Classic BattleTech, yet also worked with WizKids for the new MechWarrior: Dark Age game set in the same universe. When the BattleTech license went to Catalyst Game Labs in 2007, he remained at the helm as Line Developer.

On 22 August, 2007, it was announced that Bills had moved on from BattleTech to become Catalyst Game Labs' roving developer, allowing him to help out on projects that need it, or on any potential future new lines. He was succeeded as BattleTech Line Developer by Herbert A. Beas II, but nominally resumed the mantle again as an interim Line Developer after Beas left the position in August 2013. Brent Evans became the new BattleTech Line Developer on 25 May 2017.

Returning to a roving developer position, Randall N. Bills rendered lore assistance to Piranha Games Inc.' MechWarrior Online and MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries computer games including tie-in fiction. Bills additionally engaged in the Operation Reunification World Tour 2024, visiting BattleTech fans and venues across the globe as part of a celebration of the game's 40th anniversary.

Randall lives in Washington state with his wife Tara, children Bryn, Ryana, and Kenyon; as well as a pet snake.

Bibliography

Novels

BattleTech

• 2000 Path of Glory (ROC)
• 2002 Imminent Crisis (ROC)
• 2004 Clangründer: Abkehr (in German; published via BattleCorps as Fall from Glory)
• 2006 Clangründer: Traum (in German; original script never published in English)

MechWarrior: Dark Age

• 2004 Hunters of the Deep (ROC)
• 2005 Heretic's Faith (ROC)
• 2006 Principles of Desolation (with Jason M. Hardy) (ROC)
• 2007 Pandora's Gambit (ROC)

MechWarrior 5: Origins / The Mercenary Life

• 2019 Installment 1: The Calm of the Void
• 2019 Installment 2: Vision's Hunger
• 2019 Installment 3: Endless War
• 2019 Installment 4: Contested Dreams
• 2019 Installment 5: Dissimulate Wanderer
• 2019 Installment 6: Knives in the Dark
• 2019 Installment 7: A Skein of Schemes
• 2019 Installment 8: Obligation's Forge
• 2021 The Sun Will Rise

Star Trek

• Starfleet Corps of Engineers: Aftermath (eBook)

• 2003 Demon, book 1 (with Loren L. Coleman)
• 2004 Demon, book 2 (with Loren L. Coleman)

Sourcebooks

The following are BattleTech sourcebooks wherein Randall is given a Product Development credit.

• 1996 - Battle of Coventry

The following are BattleTech sourcebooks wherein Randall is given a writing credit.

• 1997 Northwind Highlanders
• 1998 BattlePack: Fourth Succession War
• 1998 Technical Readout: 3060
• 1998 Twilight of the Clans
• 1999 Field Manual: ComStar
• 2001 MechWarrior's Guide to the Clans
• 2002 Technical Readout: 3067
• 2002 Technical Readout: Project Phoenix
• 2005 Combat Equipment
• 2005 Dawn of the Jihad
• 2005 Interstellar Players
• 2005 Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade
• 2006 Historical: Brush Wars
• 2006 Total Warfare
• 2006 Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex
• 2007 Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade
• 2008 Technical Readout: 3039
• 2008 Technical Readout: 3075

See also

• BattleTech-related works by Randall N. Bills

References

• http://www.booksnbytes.com/authors/bills_randalln.html (Accessed 6/26/2007)

External links

• "Randall N. Bills" on Memory Alpha, the Star Trek Wiki
• "Randall N. Bills" on Memory Beta, the wiki for Star Trek licensed content