Robert Madson (person)

This article is about the real person. For other uses of the name in BattleTech, see Robert Madson.

Robert Madson
Personal
Born	(1965-09-02)2 September 1965
Died	29 March 2014(2014-03-29) (aged 48)
Professional
Occupation(s)	BattleTechnology contributor
BattleTech Related
In-universe persona	Major General Robert Madson Dr. Robert Madson

Robert Madson was a BattleTech fan and a contributor to BattleTechnology magazine. He designed the Rattlesnake BattleMech (a derivative of the Jenner) that was published in BattleTechnology, Issue #21. The fluff and accompanying short story for the Rattlesnake as well as the SuburbanMech from BattleTechnology, Issue #18 was co-written by Madson and Craig A. Reed, Jr.

BattleTechnology is not counted among the canonical sources for BattleTech anymore, but Reed, Jr. would go on to become a regular writer for BattleTech some two decades later. He eventually got both 'Mech designs canonized: The SuburbanMech received a writeup in the 2021 Shrapnel Issue 4 (revised over the original, apocryphal writeup); the Rattlesnake featured in his serialized short story Vengeance Games which he dedicated to Madson's memory in the header and where it was introduced in part 2 (Shrapnel Issue 7).

He also used Madson's name for an SLDF officer, Major General Robert Madson, in a sourcebook as a homage to his late friend, and in Vengeance Games introduced one Dr. Robert Madson as the creator of the Rattlesnake.

External links

• Announcement of Rob Madson's death on the BattleTech Forum (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
• Obituary