We are mere days away from experiencing a momentous event in BattleTech history. For the first time, players will be able to experience the Battle of Tukayyid virtually through the eyes of Clan Wolf. Wolves of Tukayyid brings MechWarrior 5: Clans to the pivotal planet to determine the fate of the Inner Sphere and the […]
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In solidarity with the oncoming winter, of which I most detest, I have painted up some Ghost Bears. I’m hoping this somehow bestows me with frost resilience if not outright resistance to the cold, onrushing ice. I doubt it will. Truly, I am the worst Canadian. But no matter! Despite rapidly dropping temperatures, Sarna is […]
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“Is that the new Nissan 650 ZX-3?” Liu Yizhen asked. “Sure is!” Chad Drixler replied. As expected of employees at Skobel MechWorks, both had a penchant for over-engineered products. The Nissan 650 ZX-3, with its sleek lines and convertible hardtop, was the epitome of a modern sports car. It stood in stark contrast to the […]
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Something monumental is happening in BattleTech right now. As we speak, a playtest is underway that will determine the fate of a brand new rulebook that will replace Total Warfare and the BattleMech Manual. The playtest is looking at some of the most substantial changes BattleTech has seen in well over a decade, marking a […]
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I’ve been worried about Fox Patrol for a while now. This lovable band of misfits had been trouncing throughout the Hinterlands, blowing up Hell’s Horses and pirate forces without a care in the world. Even their unit commander, Katie Ferraro, seems to magically survive every combat action in a ’Mech with practically no armor to […]
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I’ve seen several postings about BattleTech: Aces out in the wild, and I must say, I’m jealous of all the Germans (or other Europeans who were able to get to Spiel Essen) who were able to grab some of the first boxes publicly available. I know that the odds are relatively good that Canada will […]
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As much as I like the plastic BattleTech puts out, and I’m very interested in getting a hold of BattleTech: Aces as soon as I can, it’s the fiction that truly drives the BattleTech universe. Where would we be without sourcebooks directing the interstellar nations of the far future, or novels telling character-driven and relatable […]
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MechWarrior Kios stared into the flames, his veneers laid out before him. It wasn’t typical for a newly blooded Nova Cat warrior to take the Rite of the Vision immediately after passing their Trial of Position, but neither was Kios a typical warrior. While the rest of the sibko graduates had gone to celebrate their […]
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What does September bring besides Earth, Wind & Fire? Two things. First, Pirate Point Issue #2, of which I am the third story entry. It’s a tale about an Elemental who can’t go if you’re watching. I can relate. The second thing it brought for me was the Barrie Batchall, an annual Alpha Strike tournament […]
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BattleTech is a constantly evolving universe, and for a long time, that evolution was almost entirely additive. But starting a few years ago, BattleTech started looking back. Not to rewrite old stories (although it would often add to them), but to reimagine those original iconic machines for a modern audience, and one of the key […]
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“In the red ’Mech bay, piloting a Mad Cat MDG-1A, “Mad” Matteo Romano!” The announcer’s voice carried from the tri-vid display despite the general din of the bar. It wasn’t the busiest time of day—most mercenaries on Galatea didn’t bother getting out of bed until mid-afternoon—but there were still a few patrons sipping beers and […]
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The Clans have arrived in Shadow of Kerensky, the new expansion for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. They came a full game later than I’d expected with the preceding MechWarrior 5: Clans arriving last year, but now we finally have the Mercenaries DLC to tie the timelines of both MechWarrior 5s together. The only question is, was it […]
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While MechWarrior 5: Clans has given us the narrative experience that fans have been craving for decades, Mercenaries has quietly continued to be the best way to explore the Inner Sphere. Originally a sandbox that leveraged procedurally-generated systems to ensure a fresh experience with every drop, expansion after expansion has repeatedly added the missing story […]
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It doesn’t matter how old I get; the end of August is always a somewhat melancholic time of the year. The heat of summer has finally receded to be merely comfortable during the day, the yellow jackets are all up in my business as soon as the sun rises, and children are walking around like […]
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Earlier this month, Catalyst Game Labs revealed BattleTech: Gothic, the first of several alternate universe products that reimagine the BattleTech universe in fun and different ways. As the name suggests, BattleTech: Gothic is even darker and broodier than the main universe, but to my surprise, there’s more to Gothic than some black makeup and death […]
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In honor of MechWarrior 2‘s 30th anniversary, Sarna is hosting a guest piece by Emil Lundedal Hammar, better known as The Art of BattleTech on social media and renowned MechWarrior 5 modder BoukObelisk over on Nexus Mods. Emil has been a lifelong fan of BattleTech and MechWarrior, and with a PhD in Game Studies, he’s […]
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The raid was going well, if the unit’s radio chatter was anything to go by. Jenson tuned most of it out—it was hard to hear it over the sound of his dual saw chewing merrily through a tree. There wasn’t much else to shoot at in his sector, so Jenson fell back on old habits […]
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Update on my painting quest! Apparently, Speedpaints are a better option for BattleTech ‘Mech painting, so I’ll be looking into that for my next faction. In the meantime, I’m learning to drybrush over these contrast-painted ‘Mechs, which so far is a painstaking process that I truly do not wish to repeat another two-dozen times. How […]
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“We’ve completed our analysis of the Republic Armed Forces, sir.” Brodie McIntosh, CEO of Cosara Weaponries, looked up from a datapad recounting the latest Premier footie league match between the Terrible Tarans and the Glasgow Goblins. He grunted at the score—the Tarans had lost, as usual. “Aye, what have ye got?” McIntosh’s aide, Robert Downs, […]
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Most of my BattleTech interaction has been through video games, and since I’m a generally fairly private person, I didn’t get out much. But then I rediscovered the joys of tabletop BattleTech (mostly thanks to Alpha Strike) and now I’m interested to see what in-person BattleTech looks like. And what better way to do that […]
Read More → I’m still on the market for a quick and easy way to get my grey BattleTech miniatures tabletop ready. My most recent experiment involved contrast paints, but they seem to be more trouble than they’re worth. The initial coat looks good and makes those panels really pop, but closer inspection reveals numerous flaws that have […]
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As you may or may not already know, I’m a big proponent of Alpha Strike, the tabletop miniatures version of BattleTech. Unlike Classic BattleTech, Alpha Strike allows you to sit down at a table, place anywhere between five to ten miniatures, and play out a full engagement in about an hour (sometimes even less, depending […]
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“Ma’am? There’s a call for you,” said the inflight attendant as he offered a small headset. Dhriti Puri had only just sat down aboard the Princess-class luxury liner Endless Self-Indulgence. She was honestly surprised it had taken the idiots at Vinning Engineering and Salvage Team this long to interrupt her vacation. Dhriti held her breath […]
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Sarna moves! DLC arrivals! Fan projects! Big industry news! It’s a May unlike any other! So much news that I’m desperately trying to keep the word count to a minimum. But BattleTech has other plans. So I’ll stop running my actuators and dive straight into all the BattleTech news for May 2025. Sarna Has A […]
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Everybody loves the Ghost Bears. Maybe it’s their focus on the family, or how they turned into one of the Inner Sphere’s few semi-functioning democracies in the ilClan Era (a minor disagreement about said ilClan notwithstanding). There’s just something about these big, cuddly protectors that draws in fans, so it makes sense for PGI to […]
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