Battlechat 24. Februar – Teil 1

Zuletzt aktualisiert am 24. Februar 2013 von DarkISI

Es ist mal wieder Battlechat-Tag. Für euch heißt das, ihr müsst euch mit zwei ewig langen Artikeln rumschlagen. Mein tiefstes Beileid.
Aber immerhin sortiere ich sie euch, das ist doch auch schon einiges wert.
Introduction:
[18:01] <@Habeas2> Hello…..
[18:02] <@Habeas2> And welcome to the second officially official Live BattleChat of 2013, where the questions are made up, and my answers don’t matter.
[18:03] <@Habeas2> All standard notices are in play. Be courteous or be kicked, and if you want a log, you’re on your own.
[18:03] <@Habeas2> That said, have at you!
Field Manual: 3145
[18:04] <Nerroth> Hello. In the runup to ISP3’s release, there was a map preview which showed the spinward sector of the Deep Periphery. Might there be a similar preview for the maps set to be shown in Field Manual:3145?
[18:05] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – There might be a teaser map, but we’ve not decided.
Origins, GenCon:
[18:04] <Circinus_Enquirer> Mister Habeas!  Mister Habeas!  Can you drop any teases about what we’ll be seeing from Catalyst at Origins and GenCon, Blake willing?
[18:06] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – You will see books!
Loren Coleman:
[18:07] <Slasher> What was this all about „And once more, from Twitter, with feeling: DAMN YOU, LOREN COLEMAN!!!!!!!! >.< -HB“
[18:09] <@Habeas2> Slasher – I had already cursed Loren from my Facebook account, and realized there were Twitter followers who might have missed it, so I repeated the curse there.
Age of Destruction/Interactive Map:
[18:09] <Circinus_Enquirer> Mister Habeas! Mister Habeas!  I recall that INN once hosted an interactive Repubic of the Sphere map charting the relative dominance of the various mini-factions post-blackout.  Was that part of the canonical progress of the Age of Destruction conflict, or just a marketing tool to tie into in-store tournaments?
[18:12] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – If I remember correctly, that was all part of what was going to be a rather ambitious effort to tie in demo team-managed tournaments with a canonical plan to dismantle the Republic of the Sphere.
[18:15] <Circinus_Enquirer> Will Catalyst’s account of the Dark Age troop movements be based in any way on that „ambitious effort,“ or created totally in-house?
[18:25] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – We are handling that in-house. Fact is, official events are always hard to coordinate with canon in a universe that has a pre-plotted storyline like ours. A rather infamous example (to me) is the Trial of Retribution event that gutted the Ghost Bear fleet on the eve of the Jihad….
Monitors:
[18:12] <Gaiiten> What about Ken horner? Is he still on the run after THE MONITOR?
[18:15] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – The funny part is, Ken is not in trouble about the monitors he referenced in XTR: Boondoggles. He simply took a different path than I preferred for that entry. See, the plan for Boondoggles was „designs that are illegal and/or failed to work in the universe setting“. In many cases, Ken worked from the approach that these things would be built and then fail spectacularly, so most units had stats and record sheets as a r
[18:19] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – …When he put in the monitors (again at my request; remember this is all to explain why they would not work in the setting), he generated no stats at all, so I presumed in my editing process that the entry fluffed a failure that never left the spacedock. When,after publication, I realized he wrote that ships had launched, I felt that–between that detail and the lack of stats–the entry needed a revision. To emphasize
Coming Soon:
[18:20] <bigal> Can you tell us what new PDF’s coming out soon?
[18:31] <@Habeas2> Bigal – There are many PDFs currently being worked, including the long-delayed XTR: Gunslingers (over two years in the waiting), Jihad Turning Point: Hesperus II, more of our PDF Map Packs, and a couple of little side projects I put together for fun and surprise.
[18:33] <martian> What products can we expect in next month or two?
[18:39] <@Habeas2> Martian – PDFs. And maybe a book, like Era Report: 3145.
Misjumps:
[18:32] <Circinus_Enquirer> Is the „misjumps“ series still one of those little side projects?
[18:39] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – It IS one of my fun side projects, but I still haven’t gotten the first of those past concept stage, so not at this time…
Fiction:
[18:20] <Jo_Jo_Monkey> In the fiction arena:  Are there any stories in the works or planned expanding on the HPG black out such with the Tucker Harwell character but not limited to him?
[18:31] <@Habeas2> Jo_Jo_Monkey – Yup!
Era Digest: Dark Age:
[18:14] <Nerroth> Speaking of the „pirate factions“, is the Era Report: Dark Age pdf mentioned in Field Manual: 3085 the one set to cover their emergence; and if so, is there a particular year or event where the era digest stops and the data in Era Report: 3145 begins?
[18:14] <Nerroth> Sorry, Era Digest: Dark Age.
[18:14] <Nerroth> I keep getting „Digest“ and „Report“ mixed up for some reason…
[18:22] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – Emergence? To be frank, the Era Digest: Dark Age and Era Report: 3145 will have a bit of overlap, but the Digest will deal more thoroughly with the „early Dark Age“ of about the mid-3130s, versus Era Report: 3145, which will have a grander scope.
[18:24] <Nerroth> So there is no particular event (such as the activation of the Fortress walls) which will act as an end point for the early period covered in the era digest?
[18:37] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – The basic timeline covered by Era DIgest: Dark Age is largely aimed at covering the events from Devlin Stone’s retirement to the election of Jonah Levin as Exarch of the Republic of the Sphere–the period starting a few years before and ending a bit over a year after the HPG collapse. This is the time we saw the pirate factions rise and begin to decline. After 3134, after all, things really started to „get real“.
3145/Faction Logos:
[18:17] <Circinus_Enquirer> Can we expect to see „extra fancy“ and/or „distressed“ (aka bullet riddled) versions of the factionette logos in the 3145 products?
[18:26] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – Not sure about us changing logos too much.
3145/Republic of the Sphere:
[18:47] <Circinus_Enquirer> For the 3145 books, how much insight are we going to get into what Levin’s strategy was during the collapse?  Reading the ground-level stuff (particularly the Evan Kaiple journal), it seemed like the RAF was scrambling ineffectually from one hot spot to another, and then got taken by surprise when the Fortress walls went up.
[18:49] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – We should get a little insight, yes.
3145/Minor Factions:
[18:53] <Circinus_Enquirer> To what extent will there be a „where are they now“ updating minor factions and military/mercenary units from 3085 to 3145, versus introducing new formations and factions?  (Thinking here about groups like Hansen’s Roughriders, Kell Hounds, Wolf’s Dragoons, etc.)
[18:53] <JPArbiter> Kell hounds get Vaporized in 3145, so „Dead“ is where they are now.
[18:54] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – Field Manual: 3145 will give an update on the overall military state of the Inner Sphere in 3145. That would include mercenaries as well.
TRO 3145:
[18:18] <bigal> I am Happy with the way things are going in Battletech.  My question is with TRO 3145 having 200 units that will make that TRO very big, at least 400 pages  The biggest one ever published.
[18:27] <@Habeas2> Bigal – 200 units are being GENERATED for TR 3145, but we will be trying something a little different with this product, so you may find the print book a bit smaller than 400 pages as a result.
[18:29] <bigal> Thank you.  Can you describe what the difference is for TRO 3145?  Is it hush hush.
[18:38] <@Habeas2> Bigal – Not yet I can’t. But expect something soon.
XTRO Boondoggles:
[18:24] <Gaiiten> Boondoggles is a great XTRO, one of the best, IMHO. I hope for a second instalment.
[18:32] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – Whether or not we do a second installment of Boondoggles depends on whether or not we can find enough canonical references to more failed ideas to publish in them.
[18:42] <Gaiiten> Due Boondoogles, has the Enterprise super carrier mentioned in a canon source? I can only think of the artwork.
[18:44] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – That is a darn good question. I want to say the art, in this case, was the sole „canon source“ here; Ken did get some lattitude to play, after all.
Liberation of Terra:
[18:27] <Circinus_Enquirer> I want to say that the Historical: Liberation of Terra series was just about everything I could have hoped for in such a product.  Maximum kudos to you and the rest of the dev/writing team for pulling it off.
[18:37] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – On behalf of the team, thanks.
Wars of Reaving:
[18:32] <Gaiiten> Do you consider to publish scenarios dealing with big events of the WoR? I think of the huge battles between Vipers and Coyotes on Tamaron or Adders versus Dark Burrocks on the Tanite worlds?
[18:38] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – If such a thing happens at all, it will likely be in the form of an Operational Turning Poin
Dark Age Unit Stats:
[18:39] <Nerroth> Of the various units from MechWarrior Dark Age/Age of Destruction that are set for TRO:3145, are there any in partcicular that have been a challenge in tersm of trying to generate stats for it in BattleTech (or Quick Strike) terms?
[18:42] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – This time around, I handed off design work to some volunteers before soliciting writers and artists. The designers will deserve tons of credit for trying to stay faithful to published WizKids-era stats while also giving us a bunch of all-new toys to play with.
[18:42] <Nerroth> In that case, I say think you to the volunterrs involved.
[18:44] <Nerroth> Of those upcoming units, some of them were designed as totem ‚Mechs for particualr factions; the Gyrfalcon, Warwolf, Shiro, and so forth. Are there any ‚Mechs set for TRO:3145 that will be intended as being a „face“ unit for the Republic itself?
[18:44] <Nerroth> (I should note that I’m not 100% familiar with the pre-existinf DA/AoD units, so apologies in advance if such a unit exists already.)
[18:45] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – Well, there ARE the Colossi…
[18:47] <Nerroth> Habeas2 – I wasn’t sure if the Ares was intended to be a „regular“ unit, or a more limited run of machines.
[18:49] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – Oh, you wanted a trooper machine? Um, nothing jumps to mind just now.
[18:46] <JPArbiter> wasn’t the Scourge suppoused to be a ROTS knockoff of the Lao Hu?
[18:48] <@Habeas2> JPArbiter – Scourge is a Decepticon.
Homeworlds:
[18:47] <Gaiiten> Are you concerned about this scary silence from the Homeworlds?
[18:48] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – Not a bit.
[18:51] <Gaiiten> Due the Homewolrds, what would alarm you?
[18:52] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – If they managed to do something I didn’t want them to, I would be alarmed, because I kind of thought I had a hand in the story here…
[18:54] <Gaiiten> But if you do not know what they are up to do due the silence, can you be sure you know what they do? 🙂
Wolf Hunters:
[18:48] <JPArbiter> Herb, how much attention will the Wolf Hunters be getting in the Dark Age era under Catalysts watch?  will they be made as prominent as they were in the late wizkids days or are they going to be reduced to a blip on the merc radar?
[18:51] <@Habeas2> JPArbiter – Well, they’re still on the radar, but to be honest, the WizKids‘ plan for the Wolf Hunters and what eventually happened/will happen with them are really divergent now.
Quick Strike Cards:
[18:52] <Nerroth> Atthe moment, there are a number of pdfs available on DriveThruRPG, which gather sets of Quick Strike cards based on which TRO they are from; 3039, 3050, etc. Will there be a similar pdf compilation of the TRO:3145 units worked up, in order to help promote the Dark Age setting?
[18:54] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – Yup. Eventually.
[18:54] <Nerroth> Sounds good. But would that file be sooner in line than QS compilations of other TROs, or would they have to wait until the other books‘ worth of units are done first?
[18:56] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – It really depends on workflow here. As it stands, I have PDF projects that have actually been written 2-3 years ago still waiting to see the light of day. Changing priorities tends to churn these relatively minor products around based on priorities.
[18:57] <Nerroth> So, depending on the backlog involved, would it be as well to expect to see 3145 QS cards added to the MUL first, and wait a while longer for the compilation PDF?
[18:58] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – Unknown.
Quick Strike:
[18:59] <Nerroth> Thanks again. Last question (for now): Is there an option for compiling the rule-set for QS, and making it available as its own PDF, or will it remain in StratOps for the foreseeable future?
[19:00] <@Habeas2> Nerroth – We are planning a little something along those lines.
Warship Record Sheets:
[18:56] <EthFawcett> when could we expect the Warship-Record-Sheets? 🙂 since last year was the year of the star league … our gaming group is missing several cruisers … as an example
[18:57] <@Habeas2> EthFawcett – Due to severe technical limitations, WarShip record sheets have become something of a boondoggleunto themselves. You could be in for a long wait.
Snake/sword/sundisk triumvirate conspiracy:
[18:56] <Circinus_Enquirer> Can we look forward to any details on the snake/sword/sundisk triumvirate conspiracy in the era overviews, or is that mystery awaiting resolution down the road, if ever?
[18:58] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – Oh, that one may get an answer eventually.
Battle Armors:
[18:58] <Gaiiten> Will battlearmors replace standard infantry in frontline units?
[18:59] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – That inquiry touches on matters beyond the present scope of what I am permitted to discuss.
Conspiracies:
[18:59] <JPArbiter> has there ever been given any consideration for a product, or portion of a product devoted to „Grand conspiracies that never were.“   for stuff that sounds great and grand but had a really mundane and silly explanation?
[18:59] <JPArbiter> within the universe of course.
[19:00] <@Habeas2> JPArbiter – There was. We called it Interstellar Players 1, 2, and 3.
Technology:
[18:59] <Circinus_Enquirer> What pieces of MWDA-era technology would, in your mind, cause dedicated Blakists to swoon and pass out from sheer joy?
[19:00] <@Habeas2> Cricinus_Equirer – The Colossi.
Dark Age:
[19:01] <JPArbiter> last one for me, any MW dark age stuff that the development team really wanted to say „can we ignore that please“
[19:02] <@Habeas2> JPArbiter – Depends on the author you talk to. We all have seen some stuff in the Dark Age setting we wish never existed. For me, it would be House Davion.
[19:03] <Gaiiten> What upcoming DA product do you look forward to?
[19:03] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – The IlClan.
[19:04] <JPArbiter> I thought you got into trouble everytime you brought that up these days
[19:04] <Gaiiten> Any further question due that is a no-Go area, is not it? 🙂
[19:05] <@Habeas2> JPArbiter – The title is known. I cannot discuss past that.
Texas (fun stuff):
[18:04] <Gaiiten> What would you like to tell us?
[18:06] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – What I’d like to tell you is that a nuclear war has started and Texas has already been wiped off the map, but alas, that would be a lie….
[18:07] <Gaiiten> Does that answer mean you are in a bad or good mood?
[18:08] <Slasher> If Texas still exists, Herb is not exactly happy
[18:09] <@Habeas2> Gaiiten – Any time Texas survives, I’m generally in a bad mood.