[Battletech] New KS - 23 Mar!

Tox · March 2020

Many elements shamelessly lifted from previous OPs

Current Events:

The BattleTech Beginner Box is now available. Two miniatures and quick-start stuff for $20.
The BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat starter box is also available. Eight miniatures and a bunch of stuff for $60.
Catalyst has launched and completed a Kickstarter for a Clan box set and additional Star and Lance Packs. Ended on August 17, 2019, the crowdfund raised over $2.5 million!

What is BattleTech?

Battletech! A Game of Armored Combat! Is a tabletop roleplaying wargame that usually takes place in the mid 31st century in a large region of space known as the Inner Sphere (roughly everything within about 500 light-years of earth, give or take up to 50ly.

Battletech itself concerns with the actually combat campaigns that take place between the various military factions of the Inner Sphere, and usually involves Battlemechs! Giant (well, relatively small actually) mecha that range from about 5 to 20 meters and weight between 20 and 100 tons. Battletech can also involve support vehicles such as tanks, aerospace fighters, and armored infantry, but the focus is obviously on the 'mechs themselves

Additionally, there is a roleplaying game called MechWarrior (not the video game), where the players are the mechwarriors themselves, and is more interpersonal. It is stylized much more like a traditional RPG, while Battletech is more of a wargame.

Getting Started

The best place for a new player or two to get their feelies is the two introductory box sets: the BattleTech Beginner Box contains two miniatures and quick-start rules and sheets to get players blowing stuff as soon as possible, while the BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat box contains eight minis, standard sheets, a set of Alpha Strike cards and a fifty-plus page Introductory Rulebook for a more complete experience. Each set also includes the necessary dice and a unique novella set in the BattleTech universe.

The BattleMech Manual is the next step up. This book expounds on all the functionality a 'Mech will ever need to use on the battlefield.

For those looking to take it farther, following is the current selection of "core" rulebooks:

Total Warfare - The "main" rulebook and a step up from the Introductory Rules. This introduces rules for advanced technologies and non-Battlemech units (such as vehicles, aerospace, infantry and battle armor).
Tech Manual - Ever wanted to make your own BattleMech? This book contains all the details for building your own tournament-legal record sheets.
Tactical Operations - Planetary conquest! Artillery, command levels, minefields and more for all your world-conquering needs.
Strategic Operations - Rules and equipment for the whole solar system! WarShips, JumpShips, expanded Aerotech and extensive salvage and maintenance.
Interstellar Operations - Take on the role of a House Lord and run an entire faction's military! Massive-scale warfare, alternate eras and the return of the Land-Air Mech.
Campaign Operations - Split off from Interstellar Ops, C-Ops lets you run and maintain forces of any size, craft new battlefields to liberate (or conquer) and construct campaigns at all levels of play with this final rulebook.

Looking for new ways to play?
A Time of War - The RPG component of Battletech. Become a MechWarrior and make your place in the universe. Are you a member of a noble Great House? A vat-bred Clan warrior? Or a mercenary who lives only for their next paycheck?
Alpha Strike - A simplified variant of the classic Battletech system which delivers more units in faster games. Turn your record sheets from -this- to -this-. Grab some Lance Packs and go to town!

Eras: When and Where

The story of BattleTech is divided into "eras" which determine the present factions and relevant technologies. The overarching eras go thusly:

Age of War: 1988-2570. Humanity's expansion into the stars, the formation of the Terran Alliance, Great Houses and Periphery, the conflicts that resulted and the invention of a weapon to rule the battlefield: the BattleMech.

The Star League: 2571-2780. The Star League, an overarching government, has been ruled for centuries by House Cameron. When its leadership is destabilized, the Great Houses are split between following a new leader or fighting back against the usurper. Aleksander Kerensky, leader of the Star League Defense Force, launched a fourteen-year war to reclaim the throne. The damage was done, however, and the Houses' old rivalries would ignite once again. Kerensky and half of his SLDF would depart the Inner Sphere, refusing to swear in a new First House.

The Succession Wars: 2781-2900 (Early), 2901-3049 (Late). Over the next three hundred years the five remaining Great Houses were constantly at war with each other over who would lead a reestablished Star League. A great deal of technological progress disappeared in the First and Second Succession Wars with the abundant use of atomic, biological and chemical weapons; the saying goes that the Houses "blasted the Inner Sphere back to the Stone Age". The Third and Fourth Succession Wars were fought under more old-fashioned rules of engagement. ComStar, a neutral faction with sole proprietorship over the galaxy's only method of faster-than-light communication, finds itself religiously hoarding Star League-era "Lostech" and stifling the technological regrowth of the galaxy. Only when a memory cache is rediscovered, its contents freely shared and traded to the Great Houses, does this growth resume. And not a year too soon...

The Clan Invasion: 3050-3061. Remember Kerensky and the SLDF who ragequit after the Star League broke apart? Yeah, their genetically-engineered warrior descendants have returned as the Clans. The Inner Sphere has been judged and the Five Great Houses have been found wanting, resulting in a near-total curbstomp of the depleted IS forces by the technologically superior Clans. Naturally, the offensive is blunted by inter-Clan rivalries and their disagreements on how to save the Inner Sphere from itself. The Sphere, in turn, mostly gets its act together and pushes back at the Clan forces, ending in ComStar proposing a final proxy war to decide the victor. The Clans lose and, bound by honor, dissolve their invasion and melt into modern politics.

The Steiner-Davion Civil War: 3062-3067. The heirs to a Steiner-Davion union, siblings Victor and Katherine, wind up in full-blown conflict as Katherine schemes to vault House Steiner to glory atop the dead bodies of their former Davion rivals. Several of the Clans make their mark in the war. Victor's half takes victory but not without cost: the largest faction in the Sphere is split apart once again while Katherine is spirited away by Clan Wolf.

Jihad: 3068-3080. With the religious reverence of technology losing its relevance, a radical splinter of ComStar known as the "Word of Blake" plots to recover the ways of old, feeling they are destined to come to power as heads of the new Star League. The Houses are suspicious and the League is dissolved. Understandably upset at the rejection of their prophecy, the Blakists attempt to reunite the Star League by lethal force in an all-fronts assault known as the Jihad. They're descended upon like a pack of hungry wolves and erased from the public eye, ComStar's Hyper-Pulse Generator network absorbed into common government.

Dark Age: 3081-3150+ (ongoing). From the ashes of the Jihad, another new Star League is formed, now maintained by the central Republic of the Sphere. With technology recovered from Blakist facilities and utilized by ultra-loyal Knights and Paladins, the Republic manages to stamp out most major conflict for a few decades. A sudden blackout of the HPG network spurs the many factions, Houses and Clans alike, to once again lunge at each other's throats and ignite the flames of war as if it's the only thing they know how to do. The central government sequesters itself as the Fortress Republic, building up its military forces as those citizens outside the "walls" must fend for themselves until the veil is lifted once more.

Links: Read Up

The Official Battletech Website: The definitive portal to getting into the BattleTech board game.
SARNA: The BattleTech Wiki: Everything you ever wanted to know about everything BattleTech.
Master Unit List: An online tool to help you sift through the thousands of combat units in the BattleTech universe. Includes Alpha Strike stat cards!
Iron Wind Metals: The official producer of BattleTech miniatures in the US. If it's not plastic or 3D printed, it's a metal mini made by these guys.
CamoSpecs Online: This website showcases the various color schemes in the BattleTech universe as demonstrated on actual minis.
MegaMek: An unofficial online version of the BattleTech board game. Some of us forumers are participating - ask in the thread!
Solaris Skunk Werks: This Java app will let you build Mech stats according to Tech Manual rules and print them out as official-looking sheets.

The Oosik Irregulars: The OFFICIAL CANON UNIT of the Penny Arcade forums

Don't be afraid to suggest any additions or fixes for this OP. I'll probably need to get different image links sooner or later.

Oh also there's JAPANESE BATTLETECH!

BOARDGAME: ONLINE.
STORY: ONLINE.
LINKS: ONLINE.
ALL SECTIONS NOMINAL.

Tox · March 2020

~ Clan Invasion Kickstarter Updates ~

If you're a backer who is going to have minis you're willing to trade away, and/or didn't buy some packs that include minis you wanted, check out our PA Trades List googledoc! (Still in-progress, so feel free to update it for what you're getting!)

Shipping Updates

Update #176 wrote:

Today, our most-awesome QML agent confirmed that 4 of 5 shipping hubs have commenced fulfillment for BattleTech Clan Invasion, Wave 2. After a worldwide pandemic, followed by a worldwide shipping container shortage, followed by… followed by… it has finally begun!

Dice/Decks/Digital & more!

Update #178 wrote:

Insignia Dice
Much to our chagrin, and despite all the quality control during the process, the Insignia Dice simply failed. Over 20% of all dice produced (and paid for) were not of an acceptable quality. (By comparison, an "acceptable failure rate" is usuall under 2%.) We only discovered this with the shipping of Wave One material.

With all of the moving parts to this campaign, we had to make a choice as to where we put our focus, and instead doubled down on the miniatures (and other elements) ensuring quality was retained for these all important items. We immediately shut down this production line, which did cause an eventual shortage.
With that in mind, the following covers how we will proceed on this:

If your Inisignia Dice are of sufficient quality, you don't need to do anything but enjoy them!
If you received Insignia Dice that are not of sufficient quality, you can claim a credit for their value. A link will be provided at the end of fulfillment for you to make a claim.
If you do not receive Insignia Dice at all, as part of your pledge or an add-on, we will automatically issue a credit in the coming weeks. QML has tracked this and it should affect less than 1,000 orders overall.
We absolutely hope to revisit Insignia Dice in the future, as we know how much the community would love such dice on their tables. Once we are more confident of the final quality.

Mechwarrior Pilot Decks
During Wave One (or those with Single-Wave shipping) we produced and delivered three MechWarrior Pilot Decks:

Champions of the Inner Sphere I
Mercenaries of the Inner Sphere II
Warriors of Kerensky I

As part of Wave Two we were supposed to produce the following decks:

Battle of Tukayyid
Mercenaries of the Inner Sphere I
Warriors of Kerensky II

What no one foresaw was how insanely complicated these decks would be to produce. Custom art, based on backer photos or description. Rendering of the art for the units with appropriate colors. Collation. Coordination. We stressed out our pool of authors, artists and fact checkers; just about killed out Art Director who still rolls into a fetal position any time we bring up doing new custom-art card decks.

In the end, with the clock bearing down on us and no leeway from our factory (at that time) for error, we chose to focus our efforts on the miniatures, maps, plushies, and so on. So, instead of three decks, we took the best of what we had ready and produced one new deck: Heroes of the Clan Invasion.

Everyone who purchased any of those decks will receive a credit in the coming weeks. ALSO, you should receive a free copy of Heroes as our way of making up for any inconvenience.

As with the faction dice, above, we hope to revisit these decks in the future.

Final Digital Content
Having dug through all of our spreadsheets, the following are the remaining digital items (be it fiction, a video, and so on) that we need to deliver on (in parenthesis is the Stretch Goal where the item was unlocked, as appropriate):

Scenario #4 Grand Melee (was #1) ($55,000)
Expanded Military Breifing: The Clans ($105,000)
Scenior #5 Batchall (was #3) ($130,000)
Honor & Glory (Level 2) ($160,000)
Honor & Glory (Level 3) ($290,000)
Honor & Glory (IV) ($360,000)
Founding the Clans (II) ($390,000)
Founding the Clans (III) ($460,000)
Den of Wolves ($700,000)
What Would Victor do? ($1,125,000)
MechWarrior 5 Unleashed ($1,375,000)
Camospecs: A Guide to Faction Paint Schemes ($1,750,000)
Beard-Off Rematch ($1,875,000)
Camospecs: A Unit Art Manual ($2,000,000)
KerenskyCon
[If anyone believes an item was missed, by all means, let us know!]

Nearly every single item on that list is well underway and in the coming weeks many of these will start to drop; for those items not underway, we have plans for how to get them done and delivered. We hope you enjoy your big box 'o stuff as you wait for these final elements.

Dice tidbits from a few updates ago:

For any shipping issues, including damaged items or missing items or missing shipments, please reach out first to: shipping@qmlogistics.com. If you email CGL first, we will have to refer you back to QML until they decide it it's a problem they can't handle and escalate it to us. Thanks!!
INSIGNIA DICE

First up, the Insignia Dice. We are aware there are some quality issues surrounding these dice. We are very unhappy as well that our factory did such a poor job in their quality control. We will not leave our backers holding the bag on this, but form the replies we are getting it seems like some of the dice (most?) came out just fine, but a good % did not. In an effort to assess the scope of this situation, we've created a survey. We invite all backers that received Insignia Dice to participate. You can access it at the link provided, and we will also email all backers who purchased dice. This will help us determine the scope and how we will proceed.

The manufacturer we contracted for the insignia dice did not turn in a consistent product. Many (or even most) of you seem to have gotten product that was good or at least good enough, but too many of you received malformed or poorly detailed dice. Not acceptable.

We still aren't certain what we are going to do yet. About half of our backers have not even received their dice yet because they are waiting on Wave 2, so we aren't 100% certain on the full scope of the problem. And then half of the dice sent out were free with the reward levels, and half were purchased. We'd love to figure out a one-size-fits-all-solution, but that may not be possible. Please give us some time to continue investigating, and find a fair solution.

Absolutely we are upset with what occurred for the Insignia Dice, and as previously mentioned, we are both working on assessing the scope of the issues, as well as working with the manufacturer towards a solution.

AMA from 12 December: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC_pB_q-Qrs

Previous updates:

Update #175 wrote:

SHIPPING UPDATE

We are continually watching the final Wave 2 containers and preparing for their arrival. QML expects to begin fulfilling Wave 2 within the next two weeks for AUS and UK. Mid to late August for US and EU. Still no word yet on Asia or the Rest of the World yet

Update 174 wrote:

SHIPPING UPDATE

The two vessels containing the majority of our Wave 2 product have finally made port in Savannah. Four containers are processing through customs, and should reach our warehouse within the week. A fifth container has been flagged for examination; it will be delayed a few days, but should also make it to our warehouse in a reasonable time this month.

We have a few fill-in shipments that will be required to 100% fulfill Wave 2 to our backers, but QML will not need to wait for these to start. As such, they will begin planning the large shipment process, which will take weeks, and fill in those final items at the end. We do not have any exact dates yet for worldwide fulfillment, beginning or ending, but expect to soon!

At this time, QML expects to begin fulfilling Wave 2 in July for AUS and UK. August for US and EU. No word on Asia or the Rest of the World yet.

Update #173 wrote:

FULFILLMENT DATES
Every time we think we have a handle on the schedule, the world shifts. All we can say is that we believe most product will be in hand by July 10th, and 100% of our product will be delivered on or around August 1st.

We are working with QML to determine if they have enough to begin shipping Wave 2 by the end of July, or if they feel they must wait for those final two containers arriving 8/1. At this moment, they believe that EU, UK, and AU shipments will begin earlier than the US, but the US will still get started no later than mid-August and delivered to backers before CGL heads to Gen Con in September. That’s a huge milestone, because if the backer shipments aren’t going out, we will NOT bring Wave 2 materials to GenCon, and that will also hurt the company, but less than it would if we were to break faith with you, who made all of this possible!

SHIP NAMES
We’ve had some backers asking about ship names so they can also track deliveries, and we’re happy to share what we know.

This is the best info we’ve been able to dog up about ships:
TAYMA V.0017W: Final ship to the EU
CAPE PIONEER V.888E: Wave 2 - Main Shipment to US
YM WITNESS V.030E: Wave 2 - Secondary shipment to US
???: Final Shipment to US, Rebooking

Update #170 wrote:

As of 5/23/21, all Wave 2 product has left China and is on the water (or already waiting at our distribution hubs)!

There is still a lot of work to do. Everything has to arrive, be counted, be collated... and the be shipped! But getting it out of China is a HUGE step we've been waiting anxiously to report.

Update #168 wrote:

Wave Two shipping consists of twenty-four containers coordinated from four different overseas manufactures. Eighteen of those containers have arrived and their materials are at the various QML hubs around the world. That leaves six containers, which includes all of the plastics we are so anxious to get our hands on.
The miniatures shipments for all non-US locations areas are as follows: 7 days from our warehouse in Australia, 26 days from our warehouse in Germany, and 35 days from our warehouse in the UK.
For the US miniatures shipping: they've managed to get one container out of China, which will arrive in 22 days. The other five containers are estimated to depart on 5/22 (1 container, arriving about 7/5) and on 5/18 (4 containers, arriving on or about 7/8).
Yes, the single container leaving 4 days later is arriving 2 days earlier. Welcome to the crazy world of shipping, which is more insane than it has been in a quarter century of working in the industry.

Update #167 wrote:

The final five shipping containers that contain all of the plastic miniatures from Wave two: four containers are still booked to depart China on 5/1; one of the containers will depart on 5/5. Once we have confirmation of actual shipping, we'll let everyone know.

Update #165 wrote:

Quick Shipping Update:

5 Containers have reached their final destination.
24 Containers are still on the water, but getting closer.
5 containers STILL waiting for an exit date in CHina. Currently, 5/1.

Update #164 wrote:

Back before CNY, we were down to a single factory that blew their schedule and did not deliver. At that time, they promised that it would all be done right after CNY, and no later than 3/31. Some of you may recall us saying that we wouldn't be holding our breath, guessed at the new over/under to be 4/15, but we'd stay on top of them to deliver asap.

Well, they finished it. It was ready to ship as of 3/30.
Anyone read about the ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal?

Yep! China giveth back, and worldwide shipping crisis taketh away. Our 3/31 shipping date was cancelled out from underneath us, and we were rolled back to 4/6...4/12...4/26... While all other product is on the water and getting close to the final port of call, we are still trying to get the 15 final Forcepacks out of China.

As of this morning, the shipping company is promising 5/1. There is not a thing we can do but wait.
Assuming 5/1 happens, that puts product into the final hub around 6/10. That's for the US. If our intl hubs get their final shipments in early, we will start processing and fulfilling their orders asap.
Thinking happy thoughts...

Update #163 wrote:

all Wave 2 materials that made it into production before CNY are on target to be finished by the end of this month. That's great! This will allow freight to happen in April and 90% of our Wave 2 fulfillment to start roughly in that May/June timeframe we hoped for back in January.

There were a few items that did not get fully started, mostly items that needed extra stock after the Wave 1 shipping process. These are only running a few weeks behind. Not great, but good. And we won't be letting them hold up the majority of Wave 2!

Update #162: Happy New Year? wrote:

As a final aside, China production is just starting to come back on line. However, for those that are not aware, China has one of the most unusual worker turnovers in the world. People come from all over China to work for a year, and then when they go back home for Chinese New Year, a large chunk of them stay home. So then every year manufacturers are "back" right after Chinese New Year, but it actually takes a week or three or them to rehire and retrain the large portion of their workers that didn't return.

What all of that means is that we do not yet have an update of when they will finish production and start shipping. But we are mostly through the other side, and hopeful to have updates within that next week or two timeframe.

Update #141 Shipping info and feedback wrote:

SHIPPING UPDATE

QML has updated us on the four fulfillment hubs. This is the latest information we have:

US/CA: All fulfillment is done except for about 80 stragglers. These are backers with an address issue, or they were short a book or a shirt and had to make a transfer between hubs to finish fulfillment. All US backers should be delivered in the next 3-5 days, Canadian backers in the next 7-10 days.
EU/UK: All fullfillment is done except for about 60 stragglers (see above). Because there are some non-EU European countries in here, some of these can take another week or more because of Customs. But UK/EU should be mostly received in the next week.
AUS/NZ: Aetherworks reports they are 37% into fulfillment, and hope to be done in the next 10-14 days. Add another week for final delivery.
VFI: Asia has finally figured out their Customs issues and VFI has started fulfillment. Yay! At the moment, we've confirmed packages out to Hong Kong and China. They expect to reach more areas in Asia over the next couple of weeks. Please continue to be patient.

For any shipping issues, including damaged items or missing items or missing shipments, please reach out first to: shipping@qmlogistics.com. If you email CGL first, we will have to refer you back to QML until they decide it it's a problem they can't handle and escalate it to us. Thanks!!

INSIGNIA DICE

First up, the Insignia Dice. We are aware there are some quality issues surrounding these dice. We are very unhappy as well that our factory did such a poor job in their quality control. We will not leave our backers holding the bag on this, but form the replies we are getting it seems like some of the dice (most?) came out just fine, but a good % did not. In an effort to assess the scope of this situation, we've created a survey. We invite all backers that received Insignia Dice to participate. You can access it at the link provided, and we will also email all backers who purchased dice. This will help us determine the scope and how we will proceed.

Update #133 Wave 2 info

October 15th is also the date we plan to reopen our Pledge Manager, as promised, so those of you who were waiting can complete and/or add to Wave 2 shipments.

What does that mean? Well, if you’ve finished your survey and are happy with your choices, not a thing! Just sit back and relax. But for those who desire more BattleTech goodness, the reopening of the pledge manager is great news. We will send out new links next week, allowing you to re-open your survey and continue shopping from Wave 1 and Wave 2 rewards. If you had any credit, it remains available. If you are moving in between waves, you can fix your address. Just remember: if you reopen your survey, you must complete all steps to close it again for Wave 2. No one left behind!

As for timing, we had hoped to have Wave 2 out before the end of 2020, but the insanity of a $2.5M campaign, 4-5 months of Covid delays, and some Chinese factories who didn’t believe us when we said “big” all contributed to significant delays in Wave 1. With the help of some good partners overseas, however, we managed to recover several months. Wave 2 is scheduled to fulfill near the end of Q1 in 2021.

[Note: Wave 1 items may become limited in quantity, so the earlier you commit, the more likely you can get everything you want! All physical ordered by November 15th are guaranteed to remain available to our backers!]

NEW REWARDS

That’s right. We plan to add eight new rewards to the Pledge Manager that may be added to your Wave 2 shipments.

Why? Why do we do this to you?

Well, some of these were potential rewards that we removed from the original campaign. Some of these are new ideas that we couldn’t wait to share! Also, for our foreign backers who can’t access the Catalyst store as easy (or as cheaply due to international shipping rates) we wanted to give you the opportunity to add as much as possible to your Wave 2 shipments to get the advantage of combined shipping costs. We understand how hard it is to deal with airmail.

If you are maxed out at the moment, don’t worry. The new items will also be offered on the CGL store and at conventions (fingers crossed) in 2021.

Update 120, Shipping delays and deadlines:

The limiting item(s) for Wave 1 remain the Clan Invasion box set and all of the ForcePacks.
But, they are freaking late. Terribly late. Beyond Covid-issues late.
After blowing the June 20th deadline, China did a serious self-assessment and came back with a new date. Well, to be fair, first they said “It’s going to be July.” That was as close to a deadline as they’d commit. July. We spent a few conversations after that demanding a real deadline. That took a few weeks to get, but we got one. July 31st.
Because of the success of the late pledge campaign that kept running in the background while we worked on getting the product out, we’ve added nearly 4000 new backers, and so—get this—we have to print 82,000 Salvage Boxes! Which is great for BattleTech. Which sucks for trying to get China to deliver everything we need on a decent timeline.
So at the moment, our delivery schedule looks like this: 80% of what we need on July 31st. 20% of what we need on August 15th.

So what we are hoping is that on July 31st, we can begin staggered shipping to our five logistics Hubs around the world in order to have the product arrive more-or-less at the same time and prep and begin fulfilling to you, our backers, about the same time.

After talking with Quartermaster Logistics, the fulfillment company that is helping us keep all this on track and will be responsible for the final delivery to you, we are looking at the following revised schedule:

August 1st: start shipping to the logistics Hubs
August 16th: final shipment to the logistics Hubs.
September 1-15th: all product arriving in all logistics Hubs.
September 15th-30th: all product collated and beginning to ship to backers.
September 21st - October 31st: Backers receiving Wave 1 worldwide!

As Hubs will be operating on their own schedules to make this happen, there is about a 2-week window where some Hubs may get an early start, and that leads to a 5-week window thanks to actual shipping and delivery times where product will be arriving to our Wave 1 backers worldwide.

So what does that mean for Wave 2? We are working to answer that question. While this has been going on, our team has not been idle. There are fifteen ForcePacks in Wave Two. Six of them are already with the manufacturer and initial prototype printing is already under way there, in preparation for the creation of the master molds. And we’ve another large batch of STL files heading to them shortly; there is actually only two designs left of the entire nearly 100 that have not had an initial sketch approved. While all of that is encouraging for moving into the start of Wave 2 production shortly after Wave 1 is done, we have not been given any new/revised schedule that we can bank on for sharing specifics at this time.

Update 101, on Canon Characters:

Since Tax Day was moved, we figured we would co-opt April 15th as the close of Phase 1 for the Canon Character Surveys. That means you have one week left to complete your current survey and request your credit or to make certain the data is correct. After that, we will close the character survey links for a period of data management.

We realize that some of you may not have received links yet. Either there was a problem contacting you through CrowdOx or a problem with the link itself. Please don’t worry! We are going to set up an auxiliary method for requesting the buyback credit if that is what you want. As for the character list, it’s going to take us weeks to get through the early photo uploads and create that many cards, and years to get all characters into a published product regardless. We are all in this for the long haul!

We expect it will take at least a few weeks to clean up the data we’ve currently received. We will reengage next month regarding Phase 2 of the Canon Character Surveys.

Update 100, unboxing video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcVy435PwIM

Update 97, on delays:

Here is what we know:

Our primary factory responsible for ALL plastics and 90% of the product for this Kickstarter Campaign has reportedly just come back up to 80% of their normal production speed. (This follows the last 30 days, where the best they claimed was 50%). This was also the company we talked about back in January, when they hit us with the first 4-week(ish) slowdown.

What that means:

Delays. Currently, they won’t promise anything before July, 2020. Though they say this could move up as they increase speed on their production lines. Once we get the product, we are at least another three weeks to deliver Wave 1.

We are being hit with the usual platitudes: “Your project is first in line. You have the highest priority.” And some of this may even be true. We still want to rant and yell and pound on the table… but when faced with the choice between trying to force a faster schedule, or maintaining quality, we are going to err on the side of keeping up quality.

Roster and links to 3D Renders of mech packs!

Clan Invasion Box Set: Executioner, Timber Wolf, Nova, Grendel, Adder, Elementals (x2) (see below for Renders links)

Clan Command Star: Dire Wolf, Stormcrow, Shadow Cat, Myst Lynx, Summoner
Clan Heavy Striker Star: Gargoyle, Mad Dog, Hellbringer, Viper, Ice Ferret
Clan Fire Star: Fire Moth, Kit Fox, Cougar, Nova Cat, Warhawk
Clan Support Star: Night Gyr, Arctic Cheetah, Linebacker, Battle Cobra, Black Lanner
Clan Heavy Battle Star: Turkina, Kingfisher, Crossbow, Ebon Jaguar, Huntsman
Clan Heavy Star: Behemoth, Supernova, Marauder IIC, Warhammer IIC, Hunchback IIC
Clan Striker Star: Hellhound, Goshawk, Incubus, Piranha, Horned Owl
Clan Ad Hoc Star: Kodiak, Fire Falcon, Hellion, Pack Hunter, Howler

IS Command Lance: Marauder, Archer, Valkyrie, Stinger
IS Battle Lance: Warhammer, Rifleman, Phoenix Hawk, Wasp
IS Direct Fire Lance: Atlas, Marauder II, Orion, Crusader
IS Heavy Lance: Banshee, Grasshopper, Centurion, Hatchetman
IS Striker Lance: Blackjack, Panther, Wolfhound, Jenner
IS Fire Lance: Zeus, Trebuchet, Stalker, Longbow
IS Heavy Battle Lance: Cataphract, Bushwhacker, Axman, Nightstar
IS Urban Lance: Raven, Enforcer, Hunchback, Victor
IS Support Lance: Dragon, Thug. Cyclops, Spider

ComStar Command Lvl II: King Crab, Highlander, Black Knight, Exterminator, Sentinel, Mercury
ComStar Battle Lvl II: Crockett, Flashman, Guillotine, Lancelot, Crab, Mongoose

**Legendary MechWarriors Pack - Dire Wolf (Widowmaker), Timber Wolf (Pryde), Archer (Kell), Marauder (Carlyle)

**Clan Retaliation Star (mechs from Clan Invasion Box Set): Executioner, Timber Wolf, Nova, Grendel, Adder

**Clan Elemental Star: Elementals (x5)

**Inner Sphere Retaliation Forces (mechs from both Beginner Box Set and A Game of Armored Combat Box Set): Awesome, Battlemaster, Catapult, Commando, Locust, Shadow Hawk, Thunderbolt, Wolverine (x2), Griffin

** Pack available as add-on only

Axen · March 2020

I had bought a 3d printer recently. Among other things, I’ve been printing and painting a bunch of Battletech vehicles. I’ve got a fleet of Manticores, Scorpions, Strikers, Demolishers, Bulldogs, Schreks, Savanah Masters, etc etc.

Originally I’d been painting them in a basic military fashion; grey, OD green, tan, etc. However, I’ve so many now I may start giving some of them faction specific paint schemes.

Also looking for a suitable APC and Comm/HQ vehicles.

I’ve got various dropships that need printing too.

My campaigns are going to be way more elaborate. :razz:

I may get in to printing Mechs, but for now the vehicles are where my supplies were quite deficient. I’ve always enjoyed the more combined arms stuff personally.

Hm... do I need air assets too? Oh God, it doesn’t end does it?!

Nips · March 2020

Listen, as someone that only trucks largely in the official stuff from IWM and Catalyst:

No, it does not ever end.

iolo · March 2020

Axen wrote: »

I had bought a 3d printer recently. Among other things, I’ve been printing and painting a bunch of Battletech vehicles. I’ve got a fleet of Manticores, Scorpions, Strikers, Demolishers, Bulldogs, Schreks, Savanah Masters, etc etc.

Originally I’d been painting them in a basic military fashion; grey, OD green, tan, etc. However, I’ve so many now I may start giving some of them faction specific paint schemes.

Also looking for a suitable APC and Comm/HQ vehicles.

I’ve got various dropships that need printing too.

My campaigns are going to be way more elaborate. :razz:

I may get in to printing Mechs, but for now the vehicles are where my supplies were quite deficient. I’ve always enjoyed the more combined arms stuff personally.

Hm... do I need air assets too? Oh God, it doesn’t end does it?!

Pictures?

Axen · March 2020

Got these two so far (5 each). Still new to the 3d printing scene so I'm still dialing in the settings. The test Striker I printed didn't turn out too well. Though truth be told I'm not too concerned with the models being hyper detailed, just good enough.

I've been giving them all a quick and dirty paint jobs. Primer, a base coat and some Nuln Oil to give em a more used look. I'm thinking when I start doing faction specific paint schemes I'll give them more TLC. But for generic mooks? Eh, I don't care.

I've got some Bulldogs in the oven at the moment.

I got all the prints from this fine fellow.

Most of those prints are chassis and turret. Some come with optional turrets. The Scorpions for example have either the twin MLs or a single AC5.

The Striker comes in three pieces; the chassis, turret, and a little bit that connects the chassis and turret. If you've the know-how I recommend splicing together the bit and the chassis so it's one solid piece before you start printing. They're a real pain in the ass to put together otherwise.

The others so far have been real easy.

I'll post more as they come.

On a humorous note. I'd been looking for a suitable APC and I see a lot of people have prints for the APC from Aliens.

"Eh, I'd like to find something a bit more fitting for the setting I think". So I go to Sarna and start looking for APCs. I find this,

Wheeled APC

"Oh well, in that case."

Nips · March 2020

I mean, "Box What Got Wheels For Moving Mans" is....well, it's pretty much a tapped vein.

Axen · March 2020

I mean in the real world most militaries' APCs do kinda look very similar, but they don't look like the one from Aliens.

That said, I'm not exactly surprised I suppose given everything in Battletech.

Heavy Wheeled APC

That is more along the lines of what I was expecting and is kinda similar in style to most real world APCs.

Tox · March 2020

BTW if there's anything that should or needs to be added to the OP lemme know

Ianator · March 2020

Tox wrote: »

BTW if there's anything that should or needs to be added to the OP lemme know

I was gonna say the logo banner link broke and needed to be replaced, but it looks like you took care of that already.

Anyways, here's a few examples from my library's resin printer:

Shadow Hawk and Phoenix Hawk, Syllogy's models from Thingiverse. The antennas on both are fragile and the gun barrel and shoulder rack on the SHD came off during cleanup but I kinda like the character it gets from the stubby AC5.

Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to paint them. I'm thinking orange-red torso, beige/white limbs and green eyes/visors, kinda like a GM from Gundam.

Axen · April 2020

How is the scale of em? From the pic it looks perfectly acceptable.

McGibs · April 2020

The default scaling on them is good (they're 3D models, so technically you can scale them to be whatever.)
My friend printed up some of the same artist's models. Here they are next to some of the starterset mechs.

They're really nice because they're the MWO/BT designs, but he's done a real good job of simplifying them for miniaturization and posing them, unlike some other makers who have just ported the meshes over.

HydroSqueegee · April 2020

Axen wrote: »

Got these two so far (5 each). Still new to the 3d printing scene so I'm still dialing in the settings. The test Striker I printed didn't turn out too well. Though truth be told I'm not too concerned with the models being hyper detailed, just good enough.

I've been giving them all a quick and dirty paint jobs. Primer, a base coat and some Nuln Oil to give em a more used look. I'm thinking when I start doing faction specific paint schemes I'll give them more TLC. But for generic mooks? Eh, I don't care.

I've got some Bulldogs in the oven at the moment.

I got all the prints from this fine fellow.

Most of those prints are chassis and turret. Some come with optional turrets. The Scorpions for example have either the twin MLs or a single AC5.

The Striker comes in three pieces; the chassis, turret, and a little bit that connects the chassis and turret. If you've the know-how I recommend splicing together the bit and the chassis so it's one solid piece before you start printing. They're a real pain in the ass to put together otherwise.

The others so far have been real easy.

I'll post more as they come.

On a humorous note. I'd been looking for a suitable APC and I see a lot of people have prints for the APC from Aliens.

"Eh, I'd like to find something a bit more fitting for the setting I think". So I go to Sarna and start looking for APCs. I find this,

Wheeled APC

"Oh well, in that case."

Axen wrote: »

I mean in the real world most militaries' APCs do kinda look very similar, but they don't look like the one from Aliens.

That said, I'm not exactly surprised I suppose given everything in Battletech.

Heavy Wheeled APC

That is more along the lines of what I was expecting and is kinda similar in style to most real world APCs.

ayyyyyyy! I printed out the Manticors too. Scaled em down a bit though since they were huge compared to the mechs. I'm new to the 3D printer scene too. What you using? Because that manticore looks way sharper than the ones I printed.

Elvenshae · April 2020

Can we get a link to Penny Arcade's own Oosik Irregular page in Sarna.net added to the OP?

https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Oosik_Irregulars

justGame · April 2020

This thread is just what I was looking for. I finally started playing the turn-based game by Harebrained and that put a bug up my bum to replace the books I no longer have. Unfortunately, Catalyst's website is complete garbage. But that's ok, because all the info I needed to clarify what is new is right here. Thanks!

I found an ok-priced copy of BattleTech Manual to start off with.

They ever print a coherent set of rules for running a merc company or anything like that? I recall a book covering some necessary rules/systems but also being amazingly frustrated at how haphazard the organization was and how I still had a billion questions with no apparent answers.

Axen · April 2020

justGame wrote: »

This thread is just what I was looking for. I finally started playing the turn-based game by Harebrained and that put a bug up my bum to replace the books I no longer have. Unfortunately, Catalyst's website is complete garbage. But that's ok, because all the info I needed to clarify what is new is right here. Thanks!

I found an ok-priced copy of BattleTech Manual to start off with.

They ever print a coherent set of rules for running a merc company or anything like that? I recall a book covering some necessary rules/systems but also being amazingly frustrated at how haphazard the organization was and how I still had a billion questions with no apparent answers.

The Campaign Operations book is what you are looking for. Only available in PDF, but it has what you need for running a Merc outfit, House Regiment or Pirates.

HydroSqueegee wrote: »

-snip-
ayyyyyyy! I printed out the Manticors too. Scaled em down a bit though since they were huge compared to the mechs. I'm new to the 3D printer scene too. What you using? Because that manticore looks way sharper than the ones I printed.

Hi5 newbie printing buddies!

I'm using a Monoprice Voxel 3 (basically the same as the Flashforge Adventurer 3). When I printed those minis off I wasn't too concerned with detail. I printed 3 at once and it took about 2.5-3 hours.

My Schreks and Demolishers are done printing. Currently unpainted.

Nips · April 2020

Oh god, guys.

Today's KS update.

It's too good. We don't deserve this kind of amazing product

I know what kind of kitbash I'm doing first, once product starts arriving!

Tox · April 2020

Nips wrote: »

Oh god, guys.

Today's KS update.

It's too good. We don't deserve this kind of amazing product

I know what kind of kitbash I'm doing first, once product starts arriving!

Yeah I'm not even posting it yet, I want to keep it spoiled.

Elvenshae wrote: »

Can we get a link to Penny Arcade's own Oosik Irregular page in Sarna.net added to the OP?

https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Oosik_Irregulars

Done!

Nips · April 2020

Bee. Tee. Dubs.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/450703636/battletech-clan-invasion/posts/2803320

Niiiiiiiiiiice.

Tox · April 2020

Video added to OP (well, second post, but yeah)

Axen · April 2020

My current vehicle collection alongside a couple freshly painted, but unbased Mechs.

I don't claim to be a good painter, but I enjoy it and this project has been a pretty great way to spend quarantine.

Now on to buildings and fancy hexes! And maybe some air assets if I can find some good prints for em.

DaMoonRulz · April 2020

https://twitter.com/SarnaNet/status/1247491389732130816?s=19

Nips · April 2020

The more I look at the concept art, the more my brain picks it apart, trying to figure out how to scratch build it.

I think I'm 70% of the way there.

Anyone seen any stats for such a beast? I've never built a LAM, and all my tools are broken atm.

see317 · April 2020

Nips wrote: »

The more I look at the concept art, the more my brain picks it apart, trying to figure out how to scratch build it.

I think I'm 70% of the way there.

Anyone seen any stats for such a beast? I've never built a LAM, and all my tools are broken atm.

There are a couple of fan made stat sheets in the comments of the actual April 1st post on Kickstarter. Don't know how viable they are though.

Nips · April 2020

It's an UrbanMech LAM.

"Viable" isn't even in the same language, here.

McGibs · April 2020

I'll just put this here, while we're on the topic.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4256278

Nips · April 2020

McGibs wrote: »

I'll just put this here, while we're on the topic.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4256278

Okay, I stopped myself from making this joke in my last post, but:

A Timeline:
April 1st - CGL releases the Trashcan LAM concept art
April 2nd - An enterprising modeler uses the MWO assets to virtually kitbash a model together.

One. Day. Turnaround.

Also: SUPER LAWLS at the modeler just ripping and using the wings and engine nacelles off the Leopard dropship, scaled down to fit the Urbie.

Just *chef's kiss* perfect.

DaMoonRulz · April 2020

Nips wrote: »

McGibs wrote: »

I'll just put this here, while we're on the topic.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4256278

Okay, I stopped myself from making this joke in my last post, but:

A Timeline:
April 1st - CGL releases the Trashcan LAM concept art
April 2nd - An enterprising modeler uses the MWO assets to virtually kitbash a model together.

One. Day. Turnaround.

It's not like there's anything else to do right now!

Axen · April 2020

I was looking for some suitable buildings to print for terrain and I found that someone had ripped the buildings from the MWO River City map and scaled them for Battletech. So yeah, that'll do.

Commercial Zone
Housing Zone
Industrial Zone

I also found this guy

Which is already printing because of fucking course I want it.

see317 · April 2020

Nips wrote: »

It's an UrbanMech LAM.

"Viable" isn't even in the same language, here.

I may have used the wrong word choice there.
I didn't mean it as in "good to use in a game", but instead as "not unbalancing the system unduly with someone's fanwank".

Nips · April 2020

Axen wrote: »

I was looking for some suitable buildings to print for terrain and I found that someone had ripped the buildings from the MWO River City map and scaled them for Battletech. So yeah, that'll do.

Commercial Zone
Housing Zone
Industrial Zone

I also found this guy

Which is already printing because of fucking course I want it.

Hey, what's that Sturdy Boy on the right in orange?

I'm kinda in love. ❤

[Edit] Oops, thought this pic was yours.

Time to hunt the internet!

Tox · April 2020

see317 wrote: »

Nips wrote: »

The more I look at the concept art, the more my brain picks it apart, trying to figure out how to scratch build it.

I think I'm 70% of the way there.

Anyone seen any stats for such a beast? I've never built a LAM, and all my tools are broken atm.

There are a couple of fan made stat sheets in the comments of the actual April 1st post on Kickstarter. Don't know how viable they are though.

LAM conversion equipment is 10% of the mechs weight, and most LAMs are 5 tons heavier to make up for it.

I'd go 35tons, 105 rated engine (slightly faster), full jump, AC/10 (you won't fit a /20). Ideally the gun would be moved to the torso, with a ML in each arm, and the rest to armor. Not sure how much armor you'd get then, might just go with SLs in each arm instead. Either way, that'd be where I'd start

iolo · April 2020

I think it's supposed to be an Agromech or other industrial mech repurposed for combat?

H3Knuckles · April 2020

The little walkways and staircase on the front certainly suggest it's a hastily converted labor 'mech of some sort.

Nobody · April 2020

So I did some digging,

It looks like it's a Grommet Industrial Mech.

Apparently, there's no official model for it, however *cough*

H3Knuckles · April 2020

Nobody wrote: »

So I did some digging,

It looks like it's a Grommet Industrial Mech.

Apparently, there's no official model for it, however *cough*

I'm not sure where it's supposed to be hiding its

Chainsaw
Combine
Dumper
Lift Hoist

Maybe they're modules that are only attached when it isn't fighting? But then why list them on the specs?

Nips · April 2020

Nobody wrote: »

So I did some digging,

It looks like it's a Grommet Industrial Mech.

Apparently, there's no official model for it, however *cough*

Nobody, you're my hero! I had image-searched that one upthread that led me to an Instagram feed, but then I could find the searched-for image on IG because their feeds are fucking atrocious to use.

I figured it was some sort of IndustrialMech, like you guys discussed. I have a huge soft spot for stuff like this, so imagine my surprise to stumble across one I didn't know about!

H3Knuckles wrote: »

Nobody wrote: »

So I did some digging,

It looks like it's a Grommet Industrial Mech.

Apparently, there's no official model for it, however *cough*

I'm not sure where it's supposed to be hiding its
Chainsaw

Combine

Dumper

Lift Hoist

Maybe they're modules that are only attached when it isn't fighting? But then why list them on the specs?

According to the record sheet on Flechs....yeah, the model art is missing the Chainsaw/Combine/Dumper. I could believe the Module explanation, but realistically the artists probably didn't get proper direction on this one. That said usually the IndustrialMech tools get removed from sections that have actual guns mounted on them for conversions like this, so it's probable the author is also at fault. Who knows?

Nobody · April 2020

Sounds like it was a case where the drawing came first. Then it was mentioned in text, and then somebody decided artwork a belonged with text b.

Tox · April 2020

New update, and fiddled with the OP pics. Did anybody get a link to the full desktop version of the top pic yet?

Axen · April 2020

The headcanon for my Oosik painted Awesome (pictured way above) is that it originally belonged the the current owner's great-great-great grandfather who fought drunken walruses? Or got drunk and fought alongside walruses? Or maybe he got walruses drunk and had them fight each other or something? I dunno, the story has become twisted over the generations. All I know for sure is that beer and walruses were involved.

Darkewolfe · April 2020

I wish the stuff was here so I could paint it.

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