Shrapnel (magazine)

This article is about the digital BattleTech magazine. For the 1988 BattleTech print anthology, see Shrapnel (anthology).

Shrapnel The Official BattleTech Magazine
Product information
Type	Magazine
Publication information
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
First published	15 June 2020
Content

Shrapnel (subtitle: The Official BattleTech Magazine) is an electronic and Print-on-demand magazine dedicated to the BattleTech franchise, intended as a spiritual successor to both the older BattleTechnology print magazine and the shuttered subscription-based BattleCorps fiction website, among others. It was first announced as a non-exclusive stretch goal during the 2019 Clan Invasion crowdfunding campaign, and the stretch goal was achieved; CGL thereby committed to producing at least four issues of the magazine.

The first issue was released to backers of the crowdfunding campaing on 28 May 2020 through a download link; it was made available to the general public in the following month including a Print-on-demand (PoD) option.

Canonicity

Produced directly by CGL, Shrapnel was explicitly stated to be fully canonical for the BattleTech universe. This is a notable exception from the current definition of canon for BattleTech, which states that magazines are not counted among the canon sources by default (overridden in this case through explicitly declaring the publication canonical).

Issue 1

Issue #01
Product information
Type	Magazine
Development	Loren L. Coleman, Publisher John Helfers, Executive Editor Philip A. Lee, Managing Editor David A. Kerber, Layout and Graphic Design
Pages	172
Cover Artwork	Ken Coleman
Publication information
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
First published	15 June 2020
ISBN-13	978-1-947335-20-2
MSRP	$5.99
Content
Followed by	Issue #02

Contents

• Grimm Sentence (by Chris Hussey)
• Secrets of the Sphere: The Cameron Question (by Michael J. Ciaravella)
• The Flames of Idlewind (by Blaine Lee Pardoe)
• Forgotten Heroes, Slandered Honor (by Patrick Wynne)
• Airs Above Ground (by Jason Hansa)
• Sniper Rifles: Death from a Distance (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
  • Lancelot Mk V (Federated Suns)
  • Barton AMR (Federated Suns)
  • Sairentosutomu (Draconis Combine)
  • Yuàn Líng (Capellan Confederation)
  • Hammel Marksman (Free Worlds League)
  • Thorhammer (Lyran Commonwealth)
  • SR-17 Suns Killer (Taurian Concordat)
  • Praetorian S-3 & S-5 (Marian Hegemony)
  • LRS-53 Sniper Rifle (Magistracy of Canopus)
  • Wilimton RS-14 (Comstar)
  • Wilimton RS-17 (Word of Blake)
  • FNF-J12 (Star League / Dark Caste)
• Yesterday's Enemy (by Lance Scarinci)
• Missing Duke Spurs Demonstration (by Patrick Wynne)
• If Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot... (by Michael A. Stackpole), part 1 of 4
• Unit Digest: Eridani Light Horse - 11th Recon Battalion (by Michael J. Ciaravella)
• Tales from the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
• "Mother of Resistance" Dead on Vipaava (by Patrick Wynne)
• Target of Opportunity Chaos Campaign scenario (by Aaron Cahall)
• Wars and Rumors (by Kevin Killiany)

Issue 2

Issue #02
Product information
Type	Magazine
Development	Loren L. Coleman, Publisher John Helfers, Executive Editor Philip A. Lee, Managing Editor David A. Kerber, Layout and Graphic Design
Pages	188
Cover Artwork	Franz Vohwinkel
Interior Artwork	Matthew Cross, Brent Evans, Harri Kallio, David Kerber, Florian Mellies, Matt Plog
Publication information
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
First published	15 September 2020
ISBN-13	978-1-947335-34-9
MSRP	$5.99
Content
Preceded by	Issue #01
Followed by	Issue #03

Contents

• Scavengers Blood (by Alan Brundage)
• Assassination Protocol: Kafka (by Daniel Isberner)
• Flash'd his Sabre Bare (by James Simakas)
• CN10-B Centurion (by Chris Wheeler)
• Devil Take the Hindmost (by Michael J. Ciaravella)
• Gauss Rifles (by Matthew Cross)
• Daybreak on Shining Mountain (by Travis Heermann)
• Secrets of the Sphere: The ProtoMech Problem
• If Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot... (by Michael A. Stackpole), part 2 of 4
• Planet Digest: Minette III (by Tom Stanley)
• Tales from the Cracked Canopy: Giving Up (by Jason Schmetzer)
• Flight of the Falcon Chaos Campaign scenario (by Aaron Cahall)
• The Lost Division RPG Adventure Seed by (by Alex Kaempen)
• The Road Ahead (by John-David Karnitz)

Note: the free record sheets for the Centurion CN10-B, CN10-J, and CN10-W, and the Gyrafalcon 5 were also released.

Issue 3

Issue #03
Product information
Type	Magazine
Development	Loren L. Coleman, Publisher John Helfers, Executive Editor Philip A. Lee, Managing Editor David A. Kerber, Layout and Graphic Design
Pages	177
Cover Artwork	Ken Coleman, Margarita Bourkova
Interior Artwork	Alan Blackwell, Mark Hayden, David A. Kerber, Jeff Laubenstein, Kevin McCann, Victor Moreno, Matt Plog, Tan Ho Sim, David White
Publication information
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
Product code	CAT36092
First published	15 December 2020
ISBN-13	978-1-947335-66-0
MSRP	$5.99
Content
Preceded by	Issue #02
Followed by	Issue #04

Contents

• The Metal Man (by Lance Scarinci)
• Voices of the Sphere: Star League Day (by Chris Hussey)
• Waylon's War (by Blaine Lee Pardoe)
• The Great Reavings (by Eric Salzman)
• Technical Readout: Thunder Stallion 4 (by Charles Dallas and Craig A. Reed Jr.)
• Laws are Silent (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
• Scenario: Reindeer Down (by Daniel Isberner)
• If Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot... (by Michael A. Stackpole), part 3 of 4
• Unit Digest: 138th Mechanized Infantry Division Veterans Association (by Alex Kaempen)
• Tales from the Cracked Canopy: The Razor's Edge of Opportunity (by Loren L. Coleman)
• ’’Pistols: Up Close and Personal’’ (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
  • HCK P-14 (Lyran Commonwealth)
  • Sturm Eagle MK4 (Lyran Commonwealth)
  • Wolf M30 (Free Worlds League)
  • Lemison Combat Revolver (Free Worlds League)
  • Dreamel J-4 Derringer (Free Worlds League)
  • Yănjìngshé (Capellan Confederation)
  • Type 74 Pistol (Capellan Confederation)
  • Mòmò De Dàoying (Capellan Confederation)
  • RFW Galahad (Federated Suns)
  • Serrek 7994 (Federated Suns)
  • AA Gemini (Federated Suns)
  • Nambu 380 and 480 series (Draconis Combine)
  • MPH-45 (Draconis Combine)
  • Camden-7 (Taurian Concordat/Calderon Protectorate)
  • Alamo-17 (Taurian Concordat/Calderon Protectorate)
  • Whisper-4 (Magistracy of Canopus)
• Doc Bens (by David Smith)
• Assassination Protocol: Katherine Steiner-Davion (by Daniel Isberner)
• ’’Order Through Strength’’ Chaos Campaign scenario (by Tom Stanley)
• The Prince of Skye (by Bryn Bills)
• The Secret Fox (by Bryan Young)

Note: the free record sheet for the Thunder Stallion 4 was also released.

Issue 4

Issue #04
Product information
Type	Magazine
Development	Loren L. Coleman, Publisher John Helfers, Executive Editor Philip A. Lee, Managing Editor David A. Kerber, Layout and Graphic Design
Pages	169
Cover Artwork	Florian Mellies
Interior Artwork	Alan Blackwell, Doug Chaffee, Matthew Cross, Brent Evans, Alex Iglesias, David A. Kerber, Jeff Laubenstein, Duane Loose, Jason Vargas, David White
Publication information
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
Product code	CAT36093
First published	15 March 2021
ISBN-13	978-1-947335-73-8
MSRP	$5.99
Content
Preceded by	Issue #03
Followed by	Issue #05

Contents

• Gratitude Repaid (by Charles Gideon)
• Voices of the Sphere: Cryogenics (by Eric Salzman)
• The Bye-Bye Brigade (by Jason Schmetzer)
• Technical Readout: UM-R90 SuburbanMech (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
• Inverted (by Giles Gammage)
• Advice from a Social General: How to Party (by Ken Horner)
• Roadblock (by Faith McClosky)
• PPCs (by Matthew Cross)
• Sackcloth and Sand (by David Razi)
• Ghost Ships Galore: The Pride of New Samarkand (by Stephen W. Toropov)
• Tales from the Cracked Canopy: The Red Wraith (by Harper Brand)
• Sword of Sedition Chaos Campaign scenario (by Aaron Cahall)
• The Weight of a Name (by Marc Follin)
• Make ‘Mechs Matter: ‘Mech-less Play Rules and RPG Adventure (by Joel Steverson)
• All Good Things (by James Lee)

Note: the free record sheets for the SuburbanMech UM-R90 and UMR100 were also released.

Issue 5

Issue #05
Product information
Type	Magazine
Development	Loren L. Coleman, Publisher John Helfers, Executive Editor Philip A. Lee, Managing Editor David A. Kerber, Layout and Graphic Design
Pages	208
Cover Artwork	Ken Coleman
Interior Artwork	Alan Blackwell, Doug Chaffee, Matthew Cross, Brent Evans, Stephen Huda, David A. Kerber, Mark Molnar
Publication information
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
First published	15 June 2021
ISBN-13	978-1-63861-021-2
MSRP	$5.99
Content
Preceded by	Issue #04
Followed by	Issue #06

Contents

• Ghosts (by Lance Scarinci)
• Voices of the Sphere: What Would Have Been and What is Now (by Chris Hussey)
• Black Boxes (by Daniel Isberner)
• Piece by Piece (by Matt Alexander)
• CRD-10S Crusader (by Johannes Heidler)
• The Fox Patrol (by Bryan Young)
• Glorious Labor for the Celestial Wisdom: A Capellan Servitor’s Guide to Proper Conduct (by Eric Salzman)
• If Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot... (by Michael A. Stackpole), part 4 of 4
• Submachine Guns: Spray and Pray (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
  • Wolf-Barron A7 (Free Worlds League)
  • Blackfield Scorpion Kk 65 (Free Worlds League))
  • Nambu Type S-124 (Draconis Combine)
  • Supekuta (Draconis Combine)
  • Sturm Hornet Mk III (Lyran Commonwealth)
  • DSK Largo SGA and DSA Largo SGB (Lyran Commonwealth)
  • RFW Bedivere (Federated Suns)
  • AWA Starling Mk7 (Federated Suns)
  • Hòuwèi (Capellan Confederation)
  • Jīnsè Yănjìngshé (Capellan Confederation)
  • J-15 and J-17 (Word of Blake/Republic of the Sphere)
  • Hunkle V (Taurian Concordat)
  • Boudicca-4, -5 and -7 (Magistracy of Canopus)
  • Tiberius and Spartacus (Marian Hegemony/Lothian League)
  • WC-2 and WC-6 (Star League/Clan)
• Secrets of the Sphere: Three-Clan Monte (by Michael J. Ciaravella)
• Tales from the Cracked Canopy: Shadows of the Past (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
• Planet Digest: Kandersteg (by Mike Miller)
• SM5 Field Commander (Prototype) (by Aaron Cahall)
• An Ice-Cold Dish (by Paul Sjardijn)
• Alekseyevka Academy’s Anti-‘Mech Infantry Course (by Joel Steverson)
• Breach (by Tom Leveen)

Issue 6

Issue #06
Product information
Type	Magazine
Development	Loren L. Coleman, Publisher John Helfers, Executive Editor Philip A. Lee, Managing Editor David A. Kerber, Layout and Graphic Design
Pages	200
Cover Artwork	Ken Coleman
Interior Artwork	Alan Blackwell, Doug Chaffee, Matthew Cross, David J. Hutchins, David A. Kerber, Natán Meléndez, Matt Plog, Klaus Scherwinski
Publication information
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
First published	13 September 2021
ISBN-13	978-1-63861-039-7
MSRP	$5.99
Content
Preceded by	Issue #05
Followed by	Issue #07

Contents

• Paper Tiger (by Mark Hill)
• Voices of the Sphere: The Republic Armed Forces (by Eric Salzman)
• Point of View (by Jason Schmetzer)
• Victor C (by Eric Salzman)
• Almost Sounds Like the Guns Themselves (by E. Clark Avery)
• Plasma, Plasma, and More Plasma (by Wunji Lau)
• One Door Closes (by Blaine Lee Pardoe)
• Persuading Parliament: A Lobbyist's Guide to Atreus (by Stephen Toropov)
• Tales From the Cracked Canopy: The Devil's Luck (by Alexander J. Roth)
• Maskirovka Reports: Tiamat Crashes Into the Wall (by Joel Steverson)
• Diamandis' Dogs (by M. W. Hayden)
• Electioneering: A MechWarrior: Destiny Mission Briefing (by Stephen Toropov)
• Vengeance Games, Part One (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
• Chaos Campaign Scenario: The Ballad of Sir Lobos Plumados (by Eric Salzman)
• The Poisoner's Pen: Advice From the Ebon Magistrate (by Ken Horner)
• Ace Darwin and the Sidewinder Canyon (by James Bixby)
• After-Action Report: Barlow's End (by James Kirtley)
• Moving Forward (by Daniel Isberner)

Issue 7

Issue #07
Product information
Type	Magazine
Publication information
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
First published	16 December 2021
MSRP	$5.99
Content
Preceded by	Issue #06
Followed by	Issue #08

Contents

• Shards of a Broken Sword (by Julian Michael Carver)
• Voices of the Sphere: Twenty Years of Messages in Bottles (by Wunji Lau)
• The Fox and the Bear: A Fox Patrol Story (by Bryan Young)
• HCT-5D HATCHETMAN (by Chris Wheeler)
• Anchors Aweigh (by J. D. Neal)
• The Winter Holiday (by Joel Steverson)
• Promise (by Tom Leveen)
• Please Hold for the Clan Sea Fox Customer Care and Service Department (by Paul Sjardijn and Aaron Cahall)
• The Art of Salvage (by Matthew Cross)
• Vengeance Games (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
• Behind the Curtain: The Exituri’s Holiday Traditions (by Étienne Charron-Willard)
• The Delicate Art of Gift Giving in the Draconis Combine (by Jim Hauser)
• The Thirst for Vengeance (by Curtis O. Thompson
• One Last Favor, Old Friend: A MechWarrior: Destiny Mission Briefing (by Tom Stanley)
• Combat Shotguns: For Close Encounters (by Craig A. Reed, Jr.)
• Protector of the Blood (by Charles Gideon)
• Chaos Campaign Scenario: The Christmas Eve Coup (by Eric Salzman)
• The Tale of the Abominable Icemonster (by Joel Steverson)
• The Honor Road (by E. Stephenson Auerbach)