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https://bg.battletech.com/forums/general-discussion/new-battletech-assistant-line-developer-and-camospecs-online-coordinator/msg1664716/#msg1664716

And some new art!

Cubby wrote:It's new, for an upcoming product you'll learn more about on Friday. I just try to include a little reward in these releases, beyond the news.

The art in the new books does seem very nice

I didn't bother with Wave 1, but then i was a late backer anyway and missed the KS campaign by about six months.

My Wave 2 order is obscene though, and if I extend it to what I want it to be it will be by far the largest Kickstarter or single hobby purchase I have made. So I took a second look.

My big problem are the mech packs, yes they are a reasonable retail idea and the price is bearable, but Battletech is all about getting the mechs you want in the numbers you want.

I took a long look at why I was going to be ordering twoFire Stars. I wanted a pair of Kit Foxes to do my Jade Falcon assets justice, but thats an extra $25 to cherry pick one mech.
Yes the other mechs wouldnt be wasted which is why I planned Ghost Bears and Smoke Jaguars instead, priced for the dice and everything.

I have a Star Colonel pledge and a Bloodnamed plesdge already, and wanted to expand to three Star Colonel pledges to get all the mechs I wanted in the numbers I wanted.

Thankfully I hadn't done that yet. Bones 5 still needs attention and I just forked out for Frostgrave and other miniatures purchases.

In the cold light of day I realised that this was a very good Kickstarter, it is designed to get you to overspend on the merch. Its good quality merch so much so I was taken in, and I am rarely taken in by merch.

I have cut my 'investment' from ludicrous to merely extreme. I will upgrade my Bloodnamed pledge to another Star Colonel add a couple of and call it good. Thats 24 lance/star packs and enough no character cloawback to buy a couple (actually three) of Inner Sphere Retribution packs and some funky dice and nick-nacks.

$520 plus p&p, a reasonable cut down from a spend of nearly $1k.

 Orlanth wrote:
I didn't bother with Wave 1, but then i was a late backer anyway and missed the KS campaign by about six months.

My Wave 2 order is obscene though, and if I extend it to what I want it to be it will be by far the largest Kickstarter or single hobby purchase I have made. So I took a second look.

My big problem are the mech packs, yes they are a reasonable retail idea and the price is bearable, but Battletech is all about getting the mechs you want in the numbers you want.

I took a long look at why I was going to be ordering twoFire Stars. I wanted a pair of Kit Foxes to do my Jade Falcon assets justice, but thats an extra $25 to cherry pick one mech.
Yes the other mechs wouldnt be wasted which is why I planned Ghost Bears and Smoke Jaguars instead, priced for the dice and everything.

I have a Star Colonel pledge and a Bloodnamed plesdge already, and wanted to expand to three Star Colonel pledges to get all the mechs I wanted in the numbers I wanted.

Thankfully I hadn't done that yet. Bones 5 still needs attention and I just forked out for Frostgrave and other miniatures purchases.

In the cold light of day I realised that this was a very good Kickstarter, it is designed to get you to overspend on the merch. Its good quality merch so much so I was taken in, and I am rarely taken in by merch.

I have cut my 'investment' from ludicrous to merely extreme. I will upgrade my Bloodnamed pledge to another Star Colonel add a couple of and call it good. Thats 24 lance/star packs and enough no character cloawback to buy a couple (actually three) of Inner Sphere Retribution packs and some funky dice and nick-nacks.

$520 plus p&p, a reasonable cut down from a spend of nearly $1k.

Agree 100%. My Wave 1 was 1 Lance & 1 Star box (plus a few salvage boxes), and I've re-opened the pledge manager a few times now but can't bring myself to add any more. Perhaps if I get the current stuff painted, but I doubt it...

 Orlanth wrote:
I have cut my 'investment' from ludicrous to merely extreme.

"Captain, there be whales here!"

Sorry, I had to quote Scotty. Seriously, I love that turn of phrase.

 Orlanth wrote:
My big problem are the mech packs, yes they are a reasonable retail idea and the price is bearable, but Battletech is all about getting the mechs you want in the numbers you want.

If I remember correctly, the reason why Catalyst is able to release plastic miniatures at all is because of the mech packs. Apparently IWM has the rights to make miniatures for Battletech, so Catalyst could only make plastic mechs if they were marketed for Alpha Strike.

Thankfully, IWM has been getting the STL files for the new minis, so they're producing them in metal. I think at this point we've got the new Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Locust, Catapult, Thunderbolt, and Commando available. And some like the Locust and Catapult, come with variant pieces.

That's good I suppose, but I'll take plastic over metal any day.

My wave 1 was a star colonel + ristar, as I'm new I also included a bunch of rulebooks and all of the neoprene mats, so total came out to ~$1100.

Wave 2 is adding a 2nd star colonel, 9 urbies (so I can field a full company in alpha strike lol), the wave 2.5 rulebooks, and I'm probably going to add some merch (I really want the complete faction dice set). probably another $500.

Definitely save your money on the dice. They're awful, unless you mean the metals ones.

 infinite_array wrote:
Definitely save your money on the dice. They're awful, unless you mean the metals ones.

Yeah I've seen a few people say they're crap, but I've also seen some photos where they look really good. I'm so conflicted.

BTW, do you know if Iron Wind has redesign variants for anything other than the Catapult/Locust? I haven't found any others.

Not that I've seen, unfortunately.

The dice are... ok...?

Several pips not completely filled on my and my wife’s pairs. But they were still very readable and with nice designs.

My wave 1 finally came in last night, dice are not great. The pips are fine, but the dice themselves are not entirely square and sure seem to roll awfully well. Everything else is fine.

Miniatures are as great as everyone else already said. Got some poor luck with salvage, and now I have 4 Daishis :/ Hopefully get some paint on them this weekend. I was originally planning to paint everything in Jade Falcon colors, but I'm now leaning more towards a Binary of Jade Falcon and a Binary of Clan Wolf, just need to determine the best breakdown of each to make them roughly even sides

Nurglitch wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
I have cut my 'investment' from ludicrous to merely extreme.

"Captain, there be whales here!"

Sorry, I had to quote Scotty. Seriously, I love that turn of phrase.

Guilty as charged, and I don't normally whale out. But this time I want full crazy, or at least I am halfway to doing so.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 infinite_array wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
My big problem are the mech packs, yes they are a reasonable retail idea and the price is bearable, but Battletech is all about getting the mechs you want in the numbers you want.

If I remember correctly, the reason why Catalyst is able to release plastic miniatures at all is because of the mech packs. Apparently IWM has the rights to make miniatures for Battletech, so Catalyst could only make plastic mechs if they were marketed for Alpha Strike.

I believe you! This sounds so much like Catalyst/FASA licensing model SNAFU.

 infinite_array wrote:

Thankfully, IWM has been getting the STL files for the new minis, so they're producing them in metal. I think at this point we've got the new Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Locust, Catapult, Thunderbolt, and Commando available. And some like the Locust and Catapult, come with variant pieces.

Not tempted. I want plastic.

I decided in the end to get the mech packs I really like, and there are some of those and wait for ebay for the others. I am gambling that I will be able to buy singles of mechs on ebay. I will want one Kodiak and one Fire Falcon, so not needing the Ad Hoc lance pack. I want multiple Kit Foxes because 'I am Jade Falcon', and do something similar for single for other mechs to as and when. That cut down an awful number of mech packs out of my 'must buy' column.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
That's good I suppose, but I'll take plastic over metal any day.

Seyla, trothkin.

chaos0xomega wrote:
My wave 1 was a star colonel + ristar, as I'm new I also included a bunch of rulebooks and all of the neoprene mats, so total came out to ~$1100.

Wave 2 is adding a 2nd star colonel, 9 urbies (so I can field a full company in alpha strike lol), the wave 2.5 rulebooks, and I'm probably going to add some merch (I really want the complete faction dice set). probably another $500.

I am a right whale, you are a blue.

 infinite_array wrote:
Definitely save your money on the dice. They're awful, unless you mean the metals ones.

I have already decided on one dice set for each great house and the four invading clans. Of all the merch they are the least impressive in my opinion because 1, they are casino dice with hard edges and 2, because they are transluscent while spoils the effect of having an iconised six.
Still I am getting some, because they include my Jade dice. Sorry, I have to.

The patches are very nice though, as are the pins. I would add the challenge coins in the quality section also but am not sure what to use them for.

 Kalamadea wrote:
My wave 1 finally came in last night, dice are not great. The pips are fine, but the dice themselves are not entirely square and sure seem to roll awfully well. Everything else is fine.

Miniatures are as great as everyone else already said. Got some poor luck with salvage, and now I have 4 Daishis :/ Hopefully get some paint on them this weekend. I was originally planning to paint everything in Jade Falcon colors, but I'm now leaning more towards a Binary of Jade Falcon and a Binary of Clan Wolf, just need to determine the best breakdown of each to make them roughly even sides

I am not holding my breath for salvage boxes because the factory will batch them, and then the batches will be poured into the grab bin in the line up area and then put into backers boxes. So if a box of Dire Wolf salvage boxes get dumped into the grab bin, it is quite likely that the next backer to get his salvage boxes added will get mostly Dire Wolves.
At least with random toy boxes the multiple random toys hand loaded will involve a lot of intentional randomisation, with single random toys the packaging can end up in short runs of individual items all the same with end picks likely from an unrandomised whole. Yes our salvage mechs will be random, but I think that means the mech we end up spamming will be random.

 Orlanth wrote:
I am not holding my breath for salvage boxes because the factory will batch them, and then the batches will be poured into the grab bin in the line up area and then put into backers boxes. So if a box of Dire Wolf salvage boxes get dumped into the grab bin, it is quite likely that the next backer to get his salvage boxes added will get mostly Dire Wolves.
At least with random toy boxes the multiple random toys hand loaded will involve a lot of intentional randomisation, with single random toys the packaging can end up in short runs of individual items all the same with end picks likely from an unrandomised whole. Yes our salvage mechs will be random, but I think that means the mech we end up spamming will be random.

Nah, I've seen some people get doubles, but that's just the nature of random boxes, they seem to have done a decent job of mixing the pack up. I literally mean it was just bad luck. I bought the Clan Command Star and the Legendary Warrior set, which gave me 2 Daishis, then my Legendary Salvage was another Natasha (Daishi) and one of my regular salvage boxes was a Daishi. I also got a Gargoyle, a Loki, and a Nova. So it was a good mix, just not a good mix for me considering the rest of the stuff I bought. Wave 2 I'm getting mostly IS lance packs, so I'm hoping for some good Wave 2 salvage

My salvage was far from random, getting 3 Vultures and a Gargoyle in four packs. My legendary was the one a lot seem to be getting as well, Kerensky’s Dire Wolf.

All that said, for people that are unhappy with their Mechs or are looking for more of a particular one, there should be lots of opportunities in the usual places on the secondary markets to buy/sell/trade for what you want.

 Orlanth wrote:
I am a right whale, you are a blue.

*Excited whale noises*

chaos0xomega wrote:

 infinite_array wrote:
Definitely save your money on the dice. They're awful, unless you mean the metals ones.

Yeah I've seen a few people say they're crap, but I've also seen some photos where they look really good. I'm so conflicted.

BTW, do you know if Iron Wind has redesign variants for anything other than the Catapult/Locust? I haven't found any others.

Basiclaly it appears there was no QC on the dice. My set was perfect, for example. So people are getting a wide range of qualities.

Hmm... kinda worried about the dice, if they are that crappy. I got FedSuns, FedCom, DC and Ghost Bear dice sets (to go along with my MW: DA Jade Falcon set) so I'd have one of all the main groups I play.

I don't know why they couldn't have just gone through, say, Chessex, who make really good dice. They didn't need to be sharp corner, and the translucence isn't appealing.

And in big news...

Catalyst wrote:Hey Backers,

As you know from the 1m Stretch Goal, Catalyst committed to producing a Battle of Tukayyid PDF along the same vein as the Chaos Campaign: Succession Wars. However, as the months unfolded, and as the MapPack: Battle of Tukayyid mapsheets were being finalized and the sheer scope of how mazing they were became apparent, we decided to go a different route.

...

We felt we simply had to up-notch-kick-it. Instead of a 50-ish page PDF, the Battle of Tukayyid is a full-color, hard-back, 200-page book that takes you back to the greatest conflict in BattleTech’s history in a stunning, newly-immersive way. I'm going to walk through some of the awesomesauce put together by our team.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
And in big news...

Catalyst wrote:Hey Backers,

As you know from the 1m Stretch Goal, Catalyst committed to producing a Battle of Tukayyid PDF along the same vein as the Chaos Campaign: Succession Wars. However, as the months unfolded, and as the MapPack: Battle of Tukayyid mapsheets were being finalized and the sheer scope of how mazing they were became apparent, we decided to go a different route.

...

We felt we simply had to up-notch-kick-it. Instead of a 50-ish page PDF, the Battle of Tukayyid is a full-color, hard-back, 200-page book that takes you back to the greatest conflict in BattleTech’s history in a stunning, newly-immersive way. I'm going to walk through some of the awesomesauce put together by our team.

https://fs.battletech.com/fiction/

On 1 May 3052, twenty-five Galaxies from seven Clans clashed with twelve armies of ComStar’s Com Guards. For twenty-one days, one of the largest campaigns in BattleMech warfare unfolded to decide the fate of the Inner Sphere.

The Battle of Tukayyid Experience brings players back to this gargantuan campaign, allowing them to relive one of BattleTech’s most pivotal conflicts. Grab the first two, all-new short stories now and settle in for a new chapter each week, leading up to the release of the Battle of Tukayyid sourcebook, all-new miniatures, and more fiction!

More new miniatures

Was just coming to post the same thing!







It's a crying shame that my Comstar Level IIs won't be arriving until the second wave. You would have thought they'd be a first wave item with this focus on the Tukayyid campaign.

I see that there's a Vulture S, which should be interesting given the other 'Mechs in the S line.

There's also new TC variants for a few. I presume that means Targeting Computer. Hope they've given my precious Ryoken something nice.

What are the S variants?

From the Kickstarter update:

What does all of this mean for you backers? Well, the book does not go on sale until November 27th. However, by that date, as indicated in the Kickstarter campaign, every one at Star Colonel and above will gain access to the PDF for free. If anyone below that pledge level added the PDF, they will also gain access at that time.

And from the BattleTech Forum:

Cubby wrote:For clarity: The KS update just now was in error. All backers at Star *Captain* and above will get this PDF. Anyone below that level can also add the PDF.

I can't seem to find any information on this - what's being shipped in Wave 1 and what's in Wave 2?

 Stormonu wrote:
I can't seem to find any information on this - what's being shipped in Wave 1 and what's in Wave 2?

It's in the Kickstarter Update #139. It's strictly a PDF for the Kickstarter and as mentioned in my previous post everyone who backed at Star Captain and above should gain access to the PDF for free by the street date of the physical book.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Hope they've given my precious Ryoken something nice.

A new pilot, sounds like the current one is a filthy spheroid.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Ghaz wrote:

 Stormonu wrote:
I can't seem to find any information on this - what's being shipped in Wave 1 and what's in Wave 2?

It's in the Kickstarter Update #139. It's strictly a PDF for the Kickstarter and as mentioned in my previous post everyone who backed at Star Captain and above should gain access to the PDF for free by the street date of the physical book.

I do not see anything.

Edit: Dishonourable contraction removed.

From memory.

1. The Clan Invasion boxsets
2. Clan Command and Heavy Striker Star packs.
3. IS Command and Battle Star packs.
4. UrbanMechs
5. Fortess dropships
6. Merch such as patches, coins, dice and t-shirts.

Everything else is Wave 2. Though I cannot confirm maps and e-published material.

Maps are split, wave depends on which one in particular.

I would add salvage boxes including legendaries, the Legendary mechpack, and most of the card based products as wave 1.

And yes no contractions in this Clan themed thread. So vulgar!