Difference between revisions of "BattleTech – Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts"

m (Caps on picture filename)
 
(32 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{InfoBoxBook
+
{{InfoBoxProduct
| image = BTDWd31J.JPG
+
| image               = BTDWd31J.JPG
| name = Battletech, Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts
+
| name               = BattleTech<br />Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts
| publisher = [[Wilhelm Heyne Verlag GmbH & Co KG]]
+
| type                = Franchise treatise<br />Sourcebook
| year = 2002
+
| author              =
| production code = 6298
+
| development        = [[Joern Rauser]] (Editor)
| ISBN = 978-3-453-21366-1
+
| primarywriting      = [[Reinhold H. Mai]]<br />[[Christoph Nick (Person)|Christoph Nick]]
| MSRP = ???
+
| pages              = 512
| type = Franchise treatment
+
| cover              = ("provided by [[WizKids]] LLC")
| primary writing = [[Reinhard H. Mai]] and [[Christoph Nick]]
+
| interiorart        = ("provided by WizKids LLC")
| product development = [[Joern Rauser]] (Editor)
+
| illustrations      =
| illustrations = (provided by [[WizKids]] LLC)
+
| publisher           = [[Wilhelm Heyne Verlag GmbH & Co KG]]
| pages = 508
+
| productioncode      = 06/6298
 +
| year               = 2002
 +
| ISBN10              = 3453213661
 +
| ISBN13              = 978-3453213661
 +
| MSRP               = 13.00 [[w:DM|DM]]
 +
| content            = (see article)
 +
| era                =
 +
| timeline            =
 +
| series              =
 +
| precededby          =  
 +
| followedby          =  
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{ApocryphalProduct}}
:''Note: The title of this book is uncertain as it remains unclear whether the "BattleTech" prefix is part of the title. This article was named after the publisher's database entry. Other listings separate the prefix with a colon or dash, or omit it entirely from the title.''
+
'''BattleTech Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts''' ("The world of the 31st century") is an original German softcover publication by [[Heyne]], the publisher of the German line of [[BattleTech]] novels. Published alongside, but not as a part of, their line of German BattleTech novels, it serves as a broad nonfiction introduction to the BattleTech universe and games.
 
 
'''Battletech, Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts''' (German, "''The world of the 31st century''") is an original German softcover publication by Heyne, the publisher of the German line of [[BattleTech]] novels. It was never translated or published in another language.
 
  
 
==Content==
 
==Content==
Written by two of the premier German BattleTech (BT) authors, the book provides an introduction to the BT universe and an overview of the franchise from a real-world perspective. Its content includes:
+
Written by [[Reinhold H. Mai]] and [[Christoph Nick (Person)|Christoph Nick]], two of the premier German BattleTech authors, the book provides an introduction to the BattleTech universe and an overview over the franchise from a real-world perspective. Its content includes:
*A list of BT media and sources (comics, magazines and fanzines, computer and console games, gaming centers, trading cards, TV series, a few internet sites), all with brief descriptions;
+
*a list of BT media and sources (comics, magazines and fanzines, computer and console games, gaming centers, trading cards, TV series, some internet sites), all with brief descriptions;
*A rundown of all episodes from [[Battletech: The Animated Series]] with plot summaries
+
*a rundown of all episodes from [[BattleTech: The Animated Series]] with brief plot summaries;
*Translation of excerpts from a longer interview with [[Jordan Weisman]] and [[L. Ross Babcock III]] (taken at the [[FASA]] office in Chicago just before the 1988 GenCon);
+
*excerpts from a longer interview with [[Jordan Weisman]] and [[L. Ross Babcock III]] (taken at the [[FASA]] office in Chicago just before the 1988 [[w:Gen Con|Gen Con]]);
*Translation of an email interview with [[Michael A. Stackpole]] from early 2002;
+
*email interview with [[Michael A. Stackpole]] from early 2002;
*A 29-page introduction to BT in-universe history up until the absorption of the [[St. Ives Compact]] back into the [[Capellan Confederation]] in [[3063]];
+
*a 29-page introduction to the history of the BT universe up until the absorption of the [[St. Ives Compact]] back into the [[Capellan Confederation]] in [[3063]];
*A description of the [[Inner Sphere]] and the [[Successor States]];
+
*a description of the [[Inner Sphere]] and the [[Successor States]];
*A dictionary of BT terms complete with (sometimes page-long) articles on the subjects, covering states (complete with maps) and [[ComStar]], military units and ranks, technologies, and other BT concepts such as the [[Ares Conventions]] or [[LosTech]];
+
*a dictionary of BT terms complete with (sometimes page-long) articles on the subjects, covering states (complete with maps) and [[ComStar]], military units and ranks, technologies, and other BT concepts such as the [[Ares Conventions]] or [[LosTech]];
*A description of the [[Periphery]] with emphasis on the [[Outworlds Alliance]], [[Magistracy of Canopus]] and [[Taurian Concordat]] (again with maps); bandit kings are treated in one summary chapter;
+
*a description of the [[Periphery]] with emphasis on the [[Outworlds Alliance]], [[Magistracy of Canopus]] and [[Taurian Concordat]] (again with maps); [[Bandit King]]s are treated in one summary chapter;
*A description of the [[Clans]], complete with a [[Deep Periphery]] map (showing the position of the [[Kerensky Cluster]] and [[Pentagon Worlds]] relative to the Inner Sphere;
+
*a description of the [[Clans]], complete with a [[Deep Periphery]] map showing the position of the [[Kerensky Cluster]] and [[Pentagon Worlds]] relative to the Inner Sphere, and a detailed map of the Kerensky Cluster and the Pentagon worlds showing the names and relative positions of the systems therein;
*A dictionary of specific Clan terms including a detailed map of the Kerensky Cluster and the Pentagon worlds (showing the names and relative positions of the systems therein);
+
*a dictionary of specific Clan terms;
*A description and history of [[Solaris VII]] and the [[Solaris Games]];
+
*a description and history of [[Solaris VII]] and the [[Solaris Games]];
*A long and detailed Who-is-Who list of BT characters;
+
*a long and detailed Who-is-Who list of BT characters;
*A BT timeline by year, beginning with the launch of [[Crippen Station]] in [[2005]] and ending with the second [[Whitting Conference]] in [[3061]];
+
*a BT timeline by year, beginning with the launch of [[Crippen Station]] in [[2005]] and ending with the second [[Whitting Conference]] in [[3061]];
*Dictionaries/list chapters about
+
*dictionaries/list chapters about
**BT military vehicles and starships (notably, the entry for [[LAM]]s shows the picture of a [[Wasp LAM]], the only [[unseen]] picture in the entire book;
+
**BT military vehicles and starships (the entry for [[LAM]]s is notable for the picture of a [[Wasp LAM]], the only [[Unseen]] picture in the entire book);
**technology in BT including [[BattleMech]] components and gadgets like [[cooling vests]] and [[neurohelmet]]s;
+
**technology in BT including [[BattleMech]] components and gadgets like [[cooling vest]]s and [[neurohelmet]]s;
 
**offensive and defensive systems (weapons, defensive weapons, ammunition subtypes and armor);
 
**offensive and defensive systems (weapons, defensive weapons, ammunition subtypes and armor);
*A timeline of 'Mech evolution;
+
*a timeline of 'Mech evolution;
*An analysis of the success of the BT franchise from a real-world point of view;
+
*an analysis of the success of the BT franchise from a real-world point of view;
*A list of published BT novels both German and English, up to [[Endgame]] (and up to [[Imminent Crisis]] in the MechWarrior line)
+
*a list of published BT novels both German and English, up to [[Endgame]] for the [[Classic BattleTech]] line and up to [[Imminent Crisis]] in the [[MechWarrior series|MechWarrior]] line;
*A product list for BT (from [[FASA]], [[FanPro LLC]] and [[Fantasy Productions]]) and a list of computer games;
+
*a product list for BT (from [[FASA]], [[FanPro LLC]] and [[Fantasy Productions]]) and a list of computer games;
*A synopsis showing the original (english) name/designation and the German names of all BT vehicles and starships;
+
*a synopsis showing the original (English) name/designation and the German names of all BT vehicles and starships;
*"Könige des Schlachtfeldes" (''Kings of the Battlefield''): Technical Readout fluff-style descriptions of various 'Mechs (complete with picture for some, but not all) in sidebars throughout the book;
+
*''Könige des Schlachtfeldes'' ("Kings of the Battlefield"): Technical Readout fluff-style descriptions of various 'Mechs (complete with picture for some, but not all) in sidebars throughout the book;
*various artwork including full-color pictures from the covers of books or boxed sets.
+
*various previously published artwork including full-color pictures from the covers of books or boxed sets. The book does not contain any original artwork.
  
==Errors==
+
===Errors===
*The book consistently claims that the [[Gray Death Legion]] discovered the [[Helm Memory Core]] in [[3024]] already, which is against established canon; the correct year is [[3028]].
+
*The book consistently claims that the [[Gray Death Legion]] discovered the [[Helm Memory Core]] in [[3024]] already, which is against established [[canon]]; the correct year is [[3028]].
*Contrary to what the book claims, the [[Fallout (Comic series)|Fallout comics]] do not depict the [[1st Somerset Strikers]] but another unit (called [[Fallout]]).
+
*Contrary to what the book claims, the [[Fallout (Comic series)|Fallout comics]] do not depict the [[1st Somerset Strikers]] but another unit called [[Fallout]] (though the Comics admit to being inspired by the 1st Somerset Strikers' [[BattleTech: The Animated Series|Animated Series]]).
  
 
==Canonicity==
 
==Canonicity==
Although an official product that was made under a valid license, the book does not meet the [[canon]] criteria because it was never published in english. As a consequence, it does not contribute canon. This is especially true for
+
Although it is an official publication and was produced under a valid license, the book does not meet the criteria for [[canon]] because it was never published in English, being an original German publication. While most of the information in the book is a compilation of information taken from other, fully canonical sources (in the sense of a [[meta-source]]), some information is not.  
*mentioned rumours about a modified ''[[Charger]]'' (implied to be the CGR-SB ''Challenger'') serving with the [[Hat-in-the-Ring Battalion|Hat-in-the-Ring company]] on [[Holt]]; while the ''Challenger'' as such was canonized, its background and especially the Hat-in-the-Ring Battalion were never mentioned outside [[BattleTechnology]] and therefore remain unconfirmed;
+
 
*the assertion that the ''[[Mauler]]'' (more likely referring to its predecessor, the ''[[Daboku]]'') is alledgedly based on an abortive Liao design named ''Linesman'' (''"Linienrichter"'' in German). The ''Linesman'' was developed alongside the ''[[Cataphract]]'' after [[3015]] but abandoned before reaching the production stage because production costs would only permit one of the two new designs to be built. When the Liao military could not agree on which one to keep, [[Maximilian Liao]] decided in favour of the ''Cataphract''. The ''Linesman'' design was later resurrected as the ''Mauler'' by the [[Draconis Combine]] using rediscovered technology.
+
Such [[apocryphal]] information includes
 +
*rumors mentioned about a modified ''[[Charger]]'' (implied to be the CGR-SB ''Challenger'') serving with the [[Hat-in-the-Ring Battalion|Hat-in-the-Ring company]] on [[Holt]] (while the ''Challenger'' as such is fully canon, its background and especially the Hat-in-the-Ring mercenary unit were never mentioned outside of [[BattleTechnology]], which is not considered a canonical source anymore);
 +
*the assertion that the ''[[Alliance (BattleMech)|Alliance]]'' BattleMech was just a hoax and that this 'Mech never really existed;
 +
*the assertion that the ''[[Mauler]]'' (more likely referring to its predecessor, the ''[[Daboku]]'') is based on an abortive [[Capellan Confederation|Capellan]] design project called ''[[Linesman]]'' ("''Linienrichter''" in German). This was based on an entry in ''[[Life Support (magazine)|Life Support]]'' #4, the magazine of the [[MechForce Germany]]. ([[Shrapnel (magazine)/Issue 15|''Shrapnel'' magazine, issue #15]], would canonize this hitherto obscure bit of apocrypha in 2021, some 27 years later.)
  
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
 
*[http://www.heyne.de Publisher's homepage]
 
*[http://www.heyne.de Publisher's homepage]
 
*[http://www.buecher-nach-isbn.info/3-453/3453213661-Battletech-Die-Welt-des-31.-Jahrhunderts-3-453-21366-1.html ISBN listing/database entry]
 
*[http://www.buecher-nach-isbn.info/3-453/3453213661-Battletech-Die-Welt-des-31.-Jahrhunderts-3-453-21366-1.html ISBN listing/database entry]
 +
 +
[[Category:Sourcebooks]]
 +
[[Category:Meta-Sources]]
 +
[[Category:German-Language Products]]
 +
[[Category:Works by Reinhold H. Mai]]
 +
[[Category:Works by Christoph Nick]]

Latest revision as of 01:37, 5 March 2024

BTDWd31J.JPG
BattleTech
Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts
Product information
Type Franchise treatise
Sourcebook
Development Joern Rauser (Editor)
Primary writing Reinhold H. Mai
Christoph Nick
Pages 512
Cover Artwork ("provided by WizKids LLC")
Interior Artwork ("provided by WizKids LLC")
Publication information
Publisher Wilhelm Heyne Verlag GmbH & Co KG
Product code 06/6298
First published 2002
ISBN-10 3453213661
ISBN-13 978-3453213661
MSRP 13.00 DM
Content
Content (see article)

BattleTech – Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts ("The world of the 31st century") is an original German softcover publication by Heyne, the publisher of the German line of BattleTech novels. Published alongside, but not as a part of, their line of German BattleTech novels, it serves as a broad nonfiction introduction to the BattleTech universe and games.

Content[edit]

Written by Reinhold H. Mai and Christoph Nick, two of the premier German BattleTech authors, the book provides an introduction to the BattleTech universe and an overview over the franchise from a real-world perspective. Its content includes:

  • a list of BT media and sources (comics, magazines and fanzines, computer and console games, gaming centers, trading cards, TV series, some internet sites), all with brief descriptions;
  • a rundown of all episodes from BattleTech: The Animated Series with brief plot summaries;
  • excerpts from a longer interview with Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock III (taken at the FASA office in Chicago just before the 1988 Gen Con);
  • email interview with Michael A. Stackpole from early 2002;
  • a 29-page introduction to the history of the BT universe up until the absorption of the St. Ives Compact back into the Capellan Confederation in 3063;
  • a description of the Inner Sphere and the Successor States;
  • a dictionary of BT terms complete with (sometimes page-long) articles on the subjects, covering states (complete with maps) and ComStar, military units and ranks, technologies, and other BT concepts such as the Ares Conventions or LosTech;
  • a description of the Periphery with emphasis on the Outworlds Alliance, Magistracy of Canopus and Taurian Concordat (again with maps); Bandit Kings are treated in one summary chapter;
  • a description of the Clans, complete with a Deep Periphery map showing the position of the Kerensky Cluster and Pentagon Worlds relative to the Inner Sphere, and a detailed map of the Kerensky Cluster and the Pentagon worlds showing the names and relative positions of the systems therein;
  • a dictionary of specific Clan terms;
  • a description and history of Solaris VII and the Solaris Games;
  • a long and detailed Who-is-Who list of BT characters;
  • a BT timeline by year, beginning with the launch of Crippen Station in 2005 and ending with the second Whitting Conference in 3061;
  • dictionaries/list chapters about
    • BT military vehicles and starships (the entry for LAMs is notable for the picture of a Wasp LAM, the only Unseen picture in the entire book);
    • technology in BT including BattleMech components and gadgets like cooling vests and neurohelmets;
    • offensive and defensive systems (weapons, defensive weapons, ammunition subtypes and armor);
  • a timeline of 'Mech evolution;
  • an analysis of the success of the BT franchise from a real-world point of view;
  • a list of published BT novels both German and English, up to Endgame for the Classic BattleTech line and up to Imminent Crisis in the MechWarrior line;
  • a product list for BT (from FASA, FanPro LLC and Fantasy Productions) and a list of computer games;
  • a synopsis showing the original (English) name/designation and the German names of all BT vehicles and starships;
  • Könige des Schlachtfeldes ("Kings of the Battlefield"): Technical Readout fluff-style descriptions of various 'Mechs (complete with picture for some, but not all) in sidebars throughout the book;
  • various previously published artwork including full-color pictures from the covers of books or boxed sets. The book does not contain any original artwork.

Errors[edit]

Canonicity[edit]

Although it is an official publication and was produced under a valid license, the book does not meet the criteria for canon because it was never published in English, being an original German publication. While most of the information in the book is a compilation of information taken from other, fully canonical sources (in the sense of a meta-source), some information is not.

Such apocryphal information includes

  • rumors mentioned about a modified Charger (implied to be the CGR-SB Challenger) serving with the Hat-in-the-Ring company on Holt (while the Challenger as such is fully canon, its background and especially the Hat-in-the-Ring mercenary unit were never mentioned outside of BattleTechnology, which is not considered a canonical source anymore);
  • the assertion that the Alliance BattleMech was just a hoax and that this 'Mech never really existed;
  • the assertion that the Mauler (more likely referring to its predecessor, the Daboku) is based on an abortive Capellan design project called Linesman ("Linienrichter" in German). This was based on an entry in Life Support #4, the magazine of the MechForce Germany. (Shrapnel magazine, issue #15, would canonize this hitherto obscure bit of apocrypha in 2021, some 27 years later.)

External Links[edit]