ScrapYard Armory

The ScrapYard wishes everyone out there in the BattleTech community warm holiday wishes.  The Holiday season is time for family and friends, good food and generous spirits.

Catalyst Game labs and Iron Wind Metals are doing their part to make the season bright.

• Limited Edition Combo Deal, DFA Jade Hawk and Hatchetman only $30
• Reduced prices on all core rulebook PDFs
• Experimental TRO: Mercenaries only $5

Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season!

Just to be clear, this is always going to be a BattleTech blog.  While I will likely pick up Leviathans and play a few rounds with friends, BattleTech will always be my wargaming bread and butter.  But, I recognize when a company is shaking off the status quo and trying something new.

Late November Catalyst Game Labs released the Lieutenant’s Manual, the Quick Start rules for their new intellectual property Leviathans.  For a $2.99 price tag you get 32 pages of material that include a novella primer, the basic game rules, a small map, and some well illustrated cut out counters.  Everything you need to host your first skyward battle.

Catalyst has decided to license Leviathans under Creative Commons. Long story short, you are free to download and share the material to your hearts content.  Catalyst has gone so far as offering a free and legal torrent for interested gamers to download the release.

The Lieutenant’s Manual at it’s core is the gaming equivalent of the BattleTech Quick Start rules.  Quick Start rules are always free for every game Catalyst makes.  BattleTech, Shadowrun, Eclipse Phase all have free Quick Start rules for free.

Catalyst is simultaneously generating positive buzz while bringing in money from a product that they would otherwise have given away for free.  It’s brilliant.  The few people who are throwing down three Washingtons are declaring themselves trend-setters and are rewarding what they see as good behavior by a game company they love.  Given the amount of negative publicity generated by other gaming companies recently, the gaming community as a whole really needed a hug.

Do nice guys finish last?  Sometimes yes, but in this case I hope not.  Catalyst should be rewarded for it’s innovative business strategy.  I’m voting with my wallet and I hope that you do too.  Even if you are not a fan of the upcoming Leviathans release, with your $2.99, you can have your voice heard.  Let them know that you appreciate a company willing to take chances.

Catalyst has broken the mold here and I hope that they succeed.

Adam Jury is the “Pant-Rocking” Lead Graphics Designer for Catalyst Game Labs.  His hands play a key role in the look and feel of BattleTech products.

DiceCast recently sat down with Adam and talked about all things Catalyst.  What’s it like working at a game company?  How would you get a foot in the door if you’d like to freelance?

All good stuff.  Give a listen to the podcast if you have a spare 20 min.

Best quote from the cast:

Adam Jury: All of his photographs were of puppies.

Dice Cast: Wasn’t that kind of disturbing in a way?

AJ: It was a bit wierd.  I don’t know if there is a giant market for puppy photographs but it wasn’t where he was spending most of his time.

DC: Puppy pictures.

AJ: Yes and I do mean four legged puppies.

Priceless.

Salvage is the lifeblood of any BattleTech force.  Going too long without an influx of scrap to pick through will make any commander sweat.  Having a few piles of broken down beat up ‘Mechs on the battlefield  adds to the BattleTech milieu.

I picked up some great looking terrain pieces at a HMGS event this year and just got around to painting them up.  These are from Acheson Creations.  The scaling is just about right for BattleTech games.  Just looking at the big ‘Mechs makes you think of the Archer or Longbow.

Each piece is made out of a type of hard plastic.  On each piece there were bubbles and pot mark imperfections from either the casting process or the material.  I spent some time with an exacto knife cleaning it up as best I could.  The plastic is very forgiving.  I can’t say that these are the most detailed terrain pieces I’ve seen but for debris markers or simple ambiance, they work fine.

Painting them was easy.  I didn’t feel the need to do a super fine detail job since they are supposed to look rusted and beat down.  After priming black, I dry brushed the ground with Beasty Brown, Plauge Brown, and Khaki.  The ‘Mechs started with Cold Grey, followed by Sombre Grey, and a diluted wash of Bloody Red, Brassy Brass, and Beasty Brown.  Add in a few clumps of static grass and they are ready for the next game.

The Price IS Right

And now the best part, the price.  Each of these cost just $0.50.  For two quarters a piece these are a steal.  Acheson Creations was at this past GenCon and is a familiar sight at HMGS events.  Another great reason to go to conventions and skip shipping charges and minimum orders.  Next opportunity should be Cold Wars 2010.  Mark your calendars and get your game on!