User:Talvin

Talvin's Clan Law

Do Not Irritate The Loremaster, For Your Name Rhymes With Awful Things, And They Write The Remembrance.

Profile

Call me Talvin, more people know me by that than my real name anyhow.

I have been playing casually off and on, both tabletop (that's been a while) and computer games since the early 90s, and I have a significant collection of the novels, some in print from back when, though nowadays I mostly get Kindle. My most interesting achievement is losing a Highlander to a Gauss headshot (after I kept saying "There can be only one!") during a free-for-all game in college. And I have a degree in English and Education for all that's worth.

I have been enjoying this Wiki for a few years and decided it was time I stepped up to pay my dues.

Editing Philosophy

I want to create as few new articles as I can get away with, while working to improve the linking of existing articles. BTW has many pages that are orphans or only linked in their own little bubble, and I firmly believe that wikis work best when there are plenty of crossroads and side-alleys to wander down looking at interesting things. Well-organized category pages can help, but past a certain point they are not of much use to the average user due to the scale.

Alot of hard work has been done over the years, and before I add to the 35,000+ pages on here, I want to see about bringing some of that hard work forward so others can find it, use it, and improve it.

Creating Connections

I want to expand on this a bit: I feel my best role in the Wiki as a whole is finding connections. With over 35,000 pages as of this writing, the BattleTech Wiki has a lot of information, but sometimes important bits are widely separated and need to be brought together. An example from the day I write this: I found Nagayan Mountain Castle Brian in the "Orphaned Pages", sitting unused. The Helm Memory Core! One of the early "big events" of BattleTech Canon! I found that that page cited a source that did not appear on the Helm page, nor the Helm Memory Core page, and neither page indicated that it was actually a Castle Brian! (Not sure if Castle Brian was established canon when the novel was written.) So, with a side-trip to the research desk to ensure it really did say "Castle Brian" in the source, I was able to add an important link to a key piece of lore in the Wiki. Not all or even most of what I do is a Big Score like that, but sometimes I come across some neglected little bit that makes me stop and go "Ooooooooh." Then I bring it out for everyone else to see: for readers to enjoy, and for other editors to incorporate into new and/or expanded articles.

It's not the only thing I do, but it is where my strength lies: not in making new articles, or rewriting old ones extensively, but in making the Wiki more Wikified, if you will.

Just Keeping Score

This is for my own amusement more than anything. As I say above, I want to create as few new articles (as distinct from pages, which may be talk pages or redirects or something like project pages) as possible. I also exclude one that started out to be an article and got moved to a Project Page. To remind myself of that, I will keep an updated score of how many articles I still have out there.

As of 16 February 2022: 2

• Emil
• New Avalon Press

Projects

Project Orphanage

For my first project, I am going to do what I can do in the Orphanage: Special:LonelyPages

I am putting this at User:Talvin/Project Orphanage for now. If it becomes an official project later, that can move.

The LonelyPages page will only list up to 1,000 entries, so I am going to have to find someplace to park a lot of little things so I can find the bigger fish.

Word of Blake Navy

User:Talvin/Word of Blake Navy is something I tinker with when I want a break from the Orphanage. Space battles need more love and attention.

Siege of Hesperus II

Part of the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Battles of Hesperus, this was a space battle of note, and I believe the last WarShip battle before the Clan Invasion. I am finding a lot of orphans related to it, so I am going to park relevant ships here (not just orphans) and maybe work toward creating a page for that event. Mine what links to the Invincible for more.

OK, this is going to be *huge*, so time to break it out: User:Talvin/Siege of Hesperus II (2853)

Media Companies

I started this with New Avalon Press. Thinking about it: authors, fluff-writers for the sourcebooks and supplements, and the hardcore loreseekers might benefit from a list of the in-universe media producers: the film studios, news organizations, and publishing houses. Categories just won't work for this: you need some idea of what they make. I also keep running across relevant orphans, so I am going to adopt them. Smaller outfits with just one or two little publications will stay on a list page, anything that is shown to be prominent can be spun off into its own article. Again, parking it here while I flesh it out. User:Talvin/Media Companies

Project GameRules

I am an active member of Project GameRules. My primary role is going around and adding {{WikiProject GameRules|tr=new}} to the discussion pages of articles that appear to me to contain actual game rules, and not just lore. Someone else will come behind me to see if they need edits.

Stuff on the Back Burner

Other Projects I am considering or have set aside for now.

Pages That Amuse or Interest Me

• Four Horsemen of Errai - The first big "gem" that I dug out of the Orphanage, that I recall. I hope they expand on this in canon someday.
• Jeffery Foxworth Love the reference.
• Schedar Enlightenment and Liberation Force (SELF). I mean, if they got forced to join a Clan, they would be...SELF-Absorbed!
• Callandra Witch There's a story here, and I hope they continue developing it.
• Dagen's Daggers Looks like they were just fluff from a Technical Readout, but this is the sort of thing that could make a whole Scenario Pack or Novella. Both? Both is good!

Awards

Oh, this place has awards. Neat. I'll probably update my little red ribbon every Friday for now. It's a fun way to keep score.

Awards Board