ScrapYard Armory

A BattleTech weblog

Jun-2-2009

Reading Between the Lines

With GenCon on the horizon and Randall back at the blog/twitter helm we have been treated to more than a few cleverly disguised product hints and rumors.  I’ll admit I got the TRO: 3063 rumors wrong so I’m going to the source for this new round of speculation and wild jumping to conclusions.

Know Where To Listen

The best ways to get in sync with upcoming product leaks are three fold.

Herb has never been great about keeping the front page stocked with news, so I’m very glad that Randall Bills has taken up the reigns.  His posts may not always be long winded but his unique perspective is a welcome addition to the Battletech information flow.

The last one never went off and there will be none in June.  That being said, when they DO happen, they are always a great source of future product news and general Battletech info.

Randall and company do a good job sending out fairly frequent tweets.  A great way to keep in touch is to use a RSS feed to track them.

The Rumor Mill

It can be hard at times to properly delineate just what is a Battletech rumor since the Powers that Be often blog about all their upcoming products at once.  Shadowrun, Eclipse Phase and others all get stirred up together.  I’ll be at GenCon this year to see just what makes print. For now, I’ll break down some of the likely suspects for future releases.

Masters and Minions

This product has been mentioned many times in Battleblogs and Tweets.  Admittedly, the name sounds more appropriate for a Dungeons and Dragons monster encyclopedia.  However, I would not completely discount this being a Battletech release as it would seem very apropos for a Blake Document type release featuring personalities related to the Word of Blake Jihad.

Midnight

This product made its debut in a Battleblog with references to artwork and maps.  Any product with maps could very well be a Battletech release that would be tied into the already very publicly known HexPack products.  Or it could be a RPG adventure pack that would suit it for a Time of War, Shadowrun, or Eclipse Phase release.

Vice

Once again the very name of this product seems to be more suited to Shadowrun or possibly Eclipse Phase.  There is still a chance this could be a supplement to A Time of War or even a scenario/Chaos Campaign pack.  The later is less likely as The Powers That Be have a history of making such releases PDF only.

Whats Not On The Radar?

Last year at GenCon, Catalyst pulled out the Blake Documents, a product so well hidden that no-one but those within a close circle knew it was coming.  I would expect at least one product this year that will completely blind side the Battletech community.  With the information they have given us so far, just what haven’t they told us?

Posted under Articles
  1. Steven Satak Said,

    Ha Ha! Players are hungry for new material, and while the boys at Catalyst Games are busy, busy, busy, there is still room for works from… other sources. Given the art and the source of that art, I am not surprised you were led astray. David really is very good at what he does. And is a nice guy, to boot!

    Steve

  2. Brian Said,

    I’m now very much looking forward to your final result. With the quality art going into it, I’m sure it will be great!