Technical Readout 3028

TRO3028.jpg
Technical Readout 3028: Know Thy Enemy
Product information
Type Technical Readout (PDF)
Development Michael "Sigil" Todd
Primary writing Michael "Sigil" Todd
Pages 177
Cover Artwork credited to Harebrained Schemes and Justin Kase (back cover edited Map)
Interior Artwork Harebrained Schemes, Florian "SpOoky777" Mellies, Justin Kase
Illustrations Alex Iglesias, Justin Kase, Fernando "Odanan" Prado, Joel DuQue
Publication information
Publisher (Fan work)
Product code n/a
First published 2016
MSRP n/a
Content
Era Succession Wars era
Agency ComStar
Universe Date 3028

The Technical Readout 3028, subtitled "Know Thy Enemy," is a fan-made PDF sourcebook for the 2018 BattleTech video game by Harebrained Schemes.

Said video game uses the MechWarrior Online (MWO) 'Mech models instead of the canonical classic imagery, leading to sometimes substantial differences in the visual appearance of various 'Mech designs. Technical Readout 3028 was originally intended to showcase these designs as they would appear in the video game. However, the project outgrew that premise and included additional MWO-style 'Mechs, derivative Stinger and Wasp models, the apocryphal Linesman, and the purely fan-fictional Jayhawker, none of which appear in the game.

Technical Readout 3028 includes Design Quirks for all the 'Mechs it covers. Where available, Quirks were taken from canonical sources but in many cases they are merely derived from the written descriptions of the BattleMechs.

Since the initial release in November 2016, revised versions were published on 17 November 2017 and 08 August 2018 that reorganized the document and added some content (extra 'Mechs, vehicles and aerospace units), but cut other content (such as the short story The Marik Gunfighter, the in-character lecture on "The Medium Laser" and the "A Brief History of the IndustrialMech" appendix). Since each edition is meant to replace earlier editions, this article only covers the most recent version of the document.

Canonicity[edit]

Being entirely fan-made, the document itself is not canonical.

The data provided for individual 'Mechs is broadly derived from canonical sources, but the flavor text occasionally strays into fan fictional details or, in a few cases, purely invented information with little basis in canonical fact. It adheres to the HBS depictions not only visually, but also follows HBS in any changes they made to a given 'Mech such as changing rear-firing weapons to the forward firing arc.

There are also anachronisms for the 3028 timeframe. The inclusion of a Black Knight in Com Guards paint scheme is also remarkable given that the design was thought extinct, and the very existence of the Com Guards a closely guarded secret at the time.

Description[edit]

Styled as an internal ComStar document dated 13 January 3028 according to its preface, Technical Readout: 3028 includes:

  • Introduction
  • New Designs and Prototypes

External links[edit]

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