08 November 2007BattleBlog - Technical Readout: 3039

        We’re currently working on this product for release next year and are excited to announce it…and as usual, I thought a blog was appropriate.

        Why.

        I’m sure that’s the first thought that will be running through many fan’s minds. After all, we just finished revising and/or upgrading all the Technical Readouts that needed it with the publication of Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade. It’s time to look forward, right? No more upgrades or revisions…(I’m sick of them as well). Instead, we should just be marching forward, right? (When’s the next ‘all new” Technical Readout?!)

        Absolutely…except….

        One of the primary goals of the re-branding of Classic BattleTech—with the new Introductory Box Set, the new core rulebooks in Total Warfare, TechManual and the others that will come, as well as the Starterbooks—has been to create appropriate overlaps. This isn’t just an overlap of graphic presentation. It’s an overlap in the contents of the various books. The constant conveyance of how the entire product line works and in how various sections—after presenting their information to the reader—carefully hand those readers off to the next appropriate product to purchase, and so on.

        This inability to hand off new players appropriately from the box set into the rest of the product line has always been the Achilles Heel of Classic BattleTech. Long gone are the days where Classic BattleTech is unique enough and different enough that a player getting the Introductory Box Set will automatically go hunting game stores to find the next product. The instant gratification generation—especially when combined with a long-established game and universe—requires more help going from A to B to C. Did we achieve that goal with the Introductory Box Set, Starterbook: Sword and Dragon and Total Warfare? Still too early too tell for sure. But I believe we’ve done a very good job at it; as I’ve said before, I believe it will work much better than it ever has in the past.

        However, with that strong line-up of “introductory products” now on store shelves, after sitting back and taking a long hard look, I believe there is a weak link between the line a new player takes as he moves along the following routes: Classic BattleTech Introductory Box Set, Starterbook: Sword and Dragon, Technical Readout: 3025, Map Set Compilation #1, Total Warfare, TechManual and so on. That weak link is Technical Readout: 3025. I know, you’re screaming heresy. But bear with me.

        As far back as 1996 when the Fourth Edition Box Set was released, the history covered by the box set moved all the way up to 3049. The new Introductory Box Set takes that history all the way to 3067—providing a smooth hand-off to the time frame presented in Total Warfare—while making sure the reader knows that the ‘rules’ of the box set are 3049, before the technology renaissance. In other words, as noted above, we’ve created a very smooth hand-off to Total Warfare.

        However, in that line we draw for new players, I believe Technical Readout: 3025 no longer really fits and actually requires a detour; i.e. it does not provide all the key elements we want and have incorporated into all the other core products. Among other things, I believe this is caused by the following:

1.       Beyond the small introduction from Tulliver set in 3058, the entire book is set in 3025, as though written from that time frame. Considering both the Introductory Box Set and Starterbook: Sword and Dragon are written like historicals (i.e. set in current events, for the ease of hand-off to Total Warfare, but then transitions into the ‘historical’ material for the bulk of the product as their main focus in the pre-3050 timeframe).

2.       There are no notable pilots. This was a decision made in 1996 for the Revised Edition when I was wet-behind-the-ears and not in charge and in hindsight I believe it was the wrong decision. The return of notable pilots in 3055 Upgrade, 3058 Upgrade and now 3050 Upgrade have been much heralded.

3.       The dropping in of the 2750 ’Mechs is jarring. The writing doesn’t fit well and once you start to really dig into the book and read, it only causes confusion. And then, of course there is the art. Not only is it jarring to be mixed in with everything else because it’s so different, but let’s be honest…even taking into account the subjective nature of art, I believe we can do better.

4.       Both the Introductory Box Set and Starterbook: Sword and Dragon provide sneak previews of advanced weaponry and go out of their way to explain that the pre-3049 era is an “instruction time” for all the coolness that awaits players in Total Warfare and beyond. Technical Readout: 3025, however, is one hundred percent set in that ‘introduction era’ without the slightest talk of more advanced machines, weapons and equipment. i.e. it provides no hand-offs that we’ve so meticulously introduced into all the other core products.

        Then, of course, we’ve got Technical Readout: 3026, which has always been the read-headed step child of the TRO line.

        So, how do we address all these deficiencies? My original thought was simply a very subtle re-organization of the book, including getting notable pilots back in and some new art for the 2750 ’Mechs. We wouldn’t even call it an upgrade or change the name, just use the move to the Catalyst branding to precipitate the changes. However, the more I thought about it—and talked it over with some other people—the more I felt such a move would only minimally address the concerns above. In other words, such work would not really elevate the “first Technical Readout” to the point where it provides a solid and seamless connection in that line from the box set to Total Warfare.

        And so the concept of Technical Readout: 3039 was born, a merging of Technical Readout: 3025 and Technical Readout: 3026…with a small handful of appropriate ‘odd balls’ tossed in for good measure. The basic goals I see this product accomplishing are:

1.       By giving it a ‘historical’ aesthetic, we provide a better focus for the book and what we are trying to accomplish. i.e. an introduction set in 3067 provides a good foundation for the hand-off to Total Warfare, while at the same time explaining why such an ‘old’ TRO (from the perspective of a new player) is still the place where they should go after the Introductory Box Set.

2.       Why the year 3039?

·          As the ‘rules’ of the Introductory Box Set (as well as the campaign you play in Starterbook: Sword and Dragon) are set in 3049, only a ten year difference feels a lot better than 24.

·          The War of 3039 saw the start of the technological renaissance, allowing for the bulk of Technical Readout: 3039 to stay within the Introductory Rules for ease of use with the Introductory Box Set, while providing previews of the coming Standard Rules units and technologies to be found in Total Warfare.

·          For long-time players, it is an instantly recognizable and important date.

·          It ties directly into Historical: War of 3039.

3.       Why merge the two Technical Readouts? It allows us to eliminate the red-headed step child of 3026, while matching the format of a beefier book covering a wide spectrum of units established with the current round of Upgraded Technical Readouts.

4.       Notable pilots will be included once more.

5.       We’ll use this opportunity to provide full write-ups on several units that have been in the game for literally decades but have never gotten full details (i.e. such as the Sai and Samurai aerospace fighters).

6.       Several of the more oddball vehicles (such as the Engineering Vehicle, Drone Carrier and so on) never truly worked and/or mounted equipment simply not found in the game. We now have the ability to make such units completely compatible with the rules, while ensuring their unique capabilities have actual game play applications.

7.       While the entire focus of the book will be “historical” in nature, it provides the perfect opportunity to cover the various “3050” variants of the Technical Readout: 3025 aerospace fighters in the variants section of each write-up (this will include ‘new, cutting edge’ upgrades); material simply found in no other Technical Readout.

8.       Separating the 2750 ’Mech into their own section will allow us to better present the introduction of new technologies (particularly involving the War of 3039 timeframe), and how these ‘downgraded’ designs work in the context between the Star League and what is found again in the 3050+ era; this both matches what was done in 3050 Upgrade and 3058 Upgrade, but also allows for a smooth hand-off to those “high tech” designs in 3050 Upgrade. Additionally, all new art for these ’Mechs will help provide a much needed visual revamp.

 

        And of course I always love cool, new art and I’ve once again landed Doug Chaffee to produce the cover (he most recently gave us the fantastic Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade cover); I’ve uploaded the current sketch for this cover.

        As a final note, just to be clear, as you can see from the outline below there are no “Unseen” or “Reseen” in this product; see the introduction to Record Sheets: Project Phoenix Upgrade PDF for a complete description of the unseen/reseen issue and how it has been resolved.

        During the development of this product—with the fantastic aid once more of Mike Miller, Chris Wheeler and others—as we’ve attempted to address all of the points above, I’ve gotten more and more excited. Like so many of you, Technical Readout: 3025 was one of the very first products I purchased and I read through it so much it completely fell apart; ended up tearing off the binding and putting it into sheet protectors and a three-ring binder. I can even remember a time when I could write down game stats for every ’Mech in the book from memory. To take all the coolness of that original product—including the seminal Loose illustrations—and incorporate new aspects that have proven successful in other products…I’m very excited about this product as a natural companion to the Introductory Box Set. While it obviously is geared heavily towards new players just coming into the game, I think even long time players will enjoy what we’ve done and I can’t wait to read the reviews (either way).

        Below you’ll find the outline for this product.

 

Introduction                                                                

Vehicles                                                                           

        Ferret Light Scout VTOL                                            

        Savannah Master Hovercraft                                   

        Swift Wind Scout Car                                                 

        Armored Personnel Carriers                                    

        J-27 Ordnance Transport                                          

        Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals                              

        Packrat LRPV                                                              

        Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank                                   

        Warrior H-7 Attack Helicopter                                  

        Harasser Missile Platform                                         

        J. Edgar Light Hover Tank                                        

        Mobile HQ                                                                    

        Scorpion Light Tank                                                   

        Sea Skimmer Hydrofoil                                             

        Coolant Truck                                                              

        Karnov UR Transport                                                 

        Hunger Light Support Tank                                      

        Pegasus Scout Hovertank                                        

        Saladin Assault Hover Tank                                     

        Saracen Medium Hover Tank                                  

        Scimitar Medium Hover Tank                                   

        Striker Light Tank                                                       

        Engineering Vehicle                                                  

        Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun                                   

        Goblin Medium Tank                                                 

        Condor Heavy Hover Tank                                       

        Drillson Heavy Hover Tank                                      

        Maxim Heavy Hover Transport                                

        Vedette Medium Tank                                               

        Bulldog Medium Tank                                               

        High-Scout Drone Carrier                                         

        LRM/SRM Carrier                                                       

        Manticore Heavy Tank                                              

        Pike Support Vehicle                                                 

        Mobile Long Tom Artillery                                         

        Rommel/Patton Tank                                                 

        Monitor Naval Vessel                                                

        Von Luckner Heavy Tank                                         

        Demolisher Heavy Tank                                           

        Partisan Heavy Tank                                                 

        Schrek PPC Carrier                                                   

        SturmFeur Heavy Tank                                             

        Ontos Heavy Tank                                                      

        Behemoth Heavy Tank                                              

        Neptune Submarine                                                  

BattleMechs                                                                 

        Commando                                                                  

        Javelin                                                                          

        Spider                                                                           

        UrbanMech                                                                  

        Firestarter                                                                     

        Jenner                                                                          

        Panther                                                                         

        Assassin                                                                       

        Cicada                                                                          

        Clint                                                                               

        Hermes II                                                                      

        Vulcan                                                                          

        Whitworth                                                                     

        Blackjack                                                                      

        Vindicator                                                                     

        Centurion                                                                     

        Enforcer                                                                        

        Hunchback                                                                  

        Trebuchet                                                                     

        Dervish                                                                         

        Dragon                                                                         

        Quickdraw                                                                    

        Catapult                                                                        

        JagerMech                                                                   

        Grasshopper                                                               

        Orion                                                                             

        Awesome                                                                     

        Charger                                                                        

        Victor                                                                             

        Zeus                                                                              

        Stalker                                                                          

        Cyclops                                                                        

        Banshee                                                                       

        Atlas                                                                              

Fighters                                                                           

Conventional Fghters                                          

        Boomerang Spotter Plane                                        

        Light Strike Fighter                                                     

        Boeing Jump Bomber                                                

        Guardian Fighter                                                        

        Medium Strike Fighter                                               

        Heavy Strike Fighter                                                  

        ’Mechbuster                                                                                 

        Planelifter Air Transport                                            

Aerospace Fighters                                                

        Seydlitz                                                                         

        Cheetah                                                                       

        Thrush                                                                          

        Sparrowhawk                                                              

        Sholagar                                                                      

        Corsair                                                                          

        Samurai                                                                        

        Transit                                                                           

        Stingray                                                                        

        Lucifer                                                                           

        Shilone                                                                         

        Transgrassor                                                                               

        Slayer                                                                           

        Chippewa                                                                    

        Riever                                                                           

        Stuka                                                                             

First in Centuries…                                                  

        Raven                                                                           

        Wolfhound                                                                   

        Hatchetman                                                                 

        Cataphract                                                                   

        Hatamoto-Chi                                                              

        Daboku (Mauler)                                                        

        Sai                                                                                 

Star League                                                                  

        Thorn                                                                            

        Flea                                                                               

        Hornet                                                                           

        Mongoose                                                                    

        Falcon                                                                           

        Hermes                                                                         

        Hussar                                                                          

        Sentinel                                                                        

        Wyvern                                                                         

        Crab                                                                              

        Kintaro                                                                          

        Champion                                                                    

        Lancelot                                                                                       

        Bombardier                                                                                  

        Guillotine                                                                                      

        Black Knight                                                                                

        Flashman                                                                     

        Thug                                                                                              

        Highlander                                                                                   

        King Crab                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                               

And to answer the burning question posed at the top…sooner than you might think.