Future Wars

Future Wars
Product information
Type	Magazine
Development	Herb Barents
Publication information
First published
Content

Future Wars was a fan-made, unofficial BattleTech magazine that ran for 40 issues and a "best of" issue. It is considered apocryphal for the assumption that the publisher held a license from FASA to publish BattleTech content; otherwise, it would be outright non-canon.

Known content:

Issue 22

"Vehicles, Katachen Variants, New Mechs" (44 pages)

Issue 23

"Heavy Mechs"

Cover: B&W Illustration of 5 Mech walking through a valley with buttes. An Unseen Warhammer in the foreground.

Issue 24

"Star League Tech, Heavy Mech Design" (44 pages)

Cover: B&W Illustration of 3 Mech in the midst of urban combat. Perhaps an Archer, Crusader and Thunderbolt.

Issue 25

"Dropship Construction, The Lotus Eaters" (48 pages)

Cover: B&W Illustration of an unknown Mech or Power Armor and tagline "The Dawn of a New Age With… The Kin!"

Issue 26

"This Issue: Scenarios"

Cover: B&W Illustration of 8 futuristic officers and mechwarriors simulating a wargame.

ARTICLES: A Matter of Balance; Critical Slots; Real Mechs; Shorts; Heavy Mech Modifiers; Battletech Playing Strategies; Point-Blank Enterprises; C.H.M.R.A. Chimera; KL-8 Kali; Operation Deep Scout; more.

Issue 28

"Let's Get Personal, Infantry, Role Playing, New Mechs" (48 pages)

Cover: B&W Illustration of a futuristic solider in reflective sunglasses.

Issue 29

"Solaris VII Issue" (48 pages)

Cover: B&W Illustration of a Hatamoto-Chi with right arm weapon directed at the reader.

ARTICLES: Trends and Directions; Butterfly 30 ton mech, Role-Playing Opportunities in Battletech; A Tale of the Black Panther Legionnaires (fiction); Armor Allocation According to Hit Probabilities; Solaris VII In Depth (2 Articles); Tactics in the Arenas; Berserker BZK-3R; Review: Mecha!, ToastMaster BLR-1F, Birdman BCA-1A, Ogre OGR-3E, Ice Man III ICMN-3, Grand Reaver GND-1R

Issue 30

"BattleForce! New Scenarios, New Units, New Mechs" (48 pages)

Cover: B&W Illustration of a stylized anime Mecha with left hand outstretched toward the reader.

Issue 31

"Aerospace Issue, New Fighters, Silent Death, Star Warriors"

Cover: B&W Illustration of an Aerospace fighter… probably a Chippewa.

Issue 32

"New Mechs, New Technology"

Issue 33

"The Clans, New Tech, ClanTech on Solaris"

Issue 34

"Lance-Based Tactics, Kin Smashing, The 113th American Division"

Cover: B&W Illustration of urban combat featuring a Mech that may be an Ostroc or Ostol.

Issue 35

"Allah's Hammer, Mech Shields, The Free Worlds Alliance"

Cover: B&W Illustration of defiant unknown Mech with a prominent gun held high in the right hand.

ARTICLES: Mekton Review (8 pages), Allah's Hammer (fiction and scenario), Review: Mekton RAFM mecha figures (3 pages), BattleTech to Palladium Robotech Conversions, 3050 Liao Civil War (2 pages), The Real Mechs (Quirks of the Blackjack, Hatchetman and Clint, 1 page), Mech Shields (3 pages), Stupid Weapon Tricks (2 page weapon analysis), Black Gorilla 75 ton Mech, Gremlin GMN-1 15 ton mech, Hellraiser HLRZ-3, IT 65 ton mech (The name is literally "IT"), The Gauss Platform (slow 100 ton vehicle), Labyrinth LBY-4D 60 ton mech, Viper VPR-IIx 30 ton mech, further 3 pages of Mekton advertisement and a record sheet.

Issue 36

"Campaign Rules, Dropship Construction, 9 New Mechs, 3 New Dropships, 7 Reviews" (56 pages)

Cover: B&W Illustration of a standing mech similar to a Locust.

ARTICLES: BattleTech Campaign (6 pages), 10 pages of various dropship articles, Review: Metal Magic's Former Imperial Robot Legions (suitable proxy mechs), Reviews and Articles: BattleSpace, BattleForce, Tactical Handbook, Succession Wars board game, Princess Ryan's Space Marines miniatures game, Blazer BLZ-R1, First Born 6 ton mech, Brimstone FRE-ND, Marauder III MAD-6A (XL engine ERPPC, AC/20), Ottawa 70 ton clan mech, Punisher clan Assault Carrier, Stormbringer STB-3R, Thunder TDR-3R, Tornado TOR-1D

Issue 37

"Clan Mechs, Anti-Clan Mechs, New Weapons, 12 New Mechs, Star League Naval Base" (56 pages)

Cover: B&W Illustration of a very simple unknown mech with a rounded shape.

ARTICLES: Review: SimTac terrain & Vac-U-Cast, The Clan Way (3 pages on how to simulate clan fighting style), Decimator DCMR-2, Catapult II CAT-3, Awesome III AWS-10A, Devestator III DVTR-3, Clan Wolverine, Clan Garrison Mechs: Rifleman(c), Thunderbolt(c), Catapult(c), Archer(c), Warhammer(c), Marauder(c), Atlas(c), Sensors (5 pages of advanced rules), Variable Rated Energy Cannon (1 page weapon), Turning Up the Heat (3 pages), Variant Armor Rules (2 pages, 2 articles), EM Missile (1 page), Revised Repair Time (1 page), Mace Weapon (1 page), Homemade BattleMechs (1 page), LRM 5 Weapon Analysis (1 page), Star League Naval Bases (7 pages), Review: MechWarrior 2nd. Ed. (1 page), Gaming in 3D advice (2 pages, 2 articles), Kindig 40 ton omnimech

Issue 38

"28 'Mech Designs" (56 pages)

Cover: B&W Illustration of a War Dog BattleMech with Officer Speight and support staff onlooking.

BATTLEMECHS: Backstabber, Bahamut, Beli, Cannonbal, Pinball, Typhoon, Eradicator II, Balrog, Pinball (3050), Devastator, Dark Phoenix, FLY-By Night, Rifleman II, Hellraiser Mk 2 and Mk 3, Venom ICE Mech, Athena ICE Mech, Battlemaster ICE Mech, Monkey ICE Mech, Kommado ICE Mech, Kong, Spitting Cobra, Slam Cat (Omni), Sapper, Saber

NOTES: The ICE 'Mechs are TSM-focused designs rather than using an internal combustion engine. Devastator looks like an independent 2nd Line clan design. The fluff for the Rifleman 2 claims it is a heavier 80 ton mech built in 3053. The BattleMaster ICE uses an XL engine and TSM with jump jets.

ARTICLES: Other than letters to the editor and an article "By the Number" (3 pages design analysis), this issue is almost entirely heavily optimized 'Mech designs and record sheets.

Issue 39

"Fiction, 12+ Reader 'Mech Designs, Mew Magazine Design"

Cover: B&W Illustration of a Behemoth (similar to the art on the cover of TRO3055)

Issue 40

"Con Run! Review: Full Thrust, Art, Fiction, 'Mech Designs"

Cover: B&W Illustration of an Unseen Warhammer beside a building