Help:Italics

BattleTechWiki has a specific format style for many of the words found within its articles, as well as an overall aesthetic that attempts to match that of Catalyst Game Labs' Classic BattleTech.

The following should generally appear italicized:

• Model names for BattleMechs, DropShips, ProtoMechs, JumpShips, WarShips, Space Stations and aerospace fighters (eg. Atlas, Stuka, Scout, Union), but not those of conventional vehicles nor battle armor;
  • but note that ’Mech and aerospace fighter variant/configuration designations, such as AS7-K and STU-K15, are not italicized.
• Specific vehicle & vessel names (eg. Oceans of the Stars, Liberator, Yen Lo Wang);
  • but note that a prefix such as SLS is not part of the name proper, and thus is not italicized (eg. "SLS Prinz Eugen", not "SLS Prinz Eugen").
• All foreign language and ranks (with the exception of the Lyran Alliance/Commonwealth ranks) (ex: ja, Kommandant, Tai-sho, Sergeant Major)
• traditional Clan words (ex: surat, chalcas)

The following words should generally appear non-italicized:

• BattleMech
• OmniMech
• ’Mech
• MechWarrior
• BattleTech
• DropShip
• JumpShip
• WarShip
• aerospace/conventional fighter
• OmniFighter
• ProtoMech
• ’Mech and aerospace fighter variant/configuration designations (ex: AS7-K, STU-K15)
• Vehicles and all infantry (ex: Indra, Swift Wind, Jump, Rifle)
• Battle armor (neither the word nor classes; ex: Elemental, Nighthawk)

Epigraphs (the location and date stamp seen in chapter headers) are italicized as well, as are quotations taken out of the body text and placed as a header. Names of publications (such as for books, stories, magazines, films, box sets, etc.) should also be italicized, though sections from within a publication should not be; instead, they are highlighted by quotations (ex: "Advanced Rules", "Active Probes"). The exception is a work of fiction, or short story, within a publication, which would be italicized.

Italics apply throughout an article, to include the opening, main body, infoboxes and references.

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The text in this policy is based on BattleCorps' Classic BattleTech Style Guide.