Well, basically, Battletech has had several editions.
A: Battlelords.
B: Battletech Box
C: Rules Compendium
D: The new WizKids Compendium.
Basically, they publish a bunch of stuff, then combine it into the main rule book and republish. The rules aren’t revised, but they are made more comprehensive.
There’s also less material.
Also, the company went under.
I assume you’re just referring to FASA?
-Joe
Okay, now the surfboard-sized blades I’ll conceed is an anime-ish.
However, in the interest of being mullish (since everyone else is having so much fun doing so), I’ll point out that without having the book in our hands, we don’t know that isn’t a spatula. They’re making up the tiefling backstory, and maybe the tiefling Double-Headed Spiked Spatula is their signature weapon. Sort of like the dwarvish urgrosh or valenar double-scimitar. Hey, they’re infernal – they probably get to ignore physics, too.
It started off with BattleDroids (a boxed set), then Lucas sued and the name was changed. The Rules of Warfare, Rules Compendium and Master Rules followed as rules were added and tweaked. FASA folded and WizKids purchased the rights, handed the line to Fantasy Productions (FanPro) who revised the Master Rules. Later they started something of a new revision that changed the layout of the rules with some more tweaks under the name Total Warfare. This line was picked up by Catalyst Game Labs.
I wasn’t around for the FASA days, but from what I understand the ShadowRun and BattleTech lines were profitable. They were as well under FanPro, but there were business issues. So to say that the changes to the rulebook weren’t a financial neccessity would probably be incorrect, but the basic gameplay has never needed a total revision. I think there is a difference between the scope of a wargame and a roleplaying game. The associated MechWarrior RPG has undergone two revisions, with a third in the works. I have no idea if the revisions are neccessary because of lack of appeal of an RPG to a mostly wargame crowd or due to a poor system.
We’ve had low turnover despite three different companies. I’m not sure what’s up with D&D/WotC. I do know they mainly have full time employees while we are mostly free lancers working for a few full time developers.
Emos don’t mean it in that way, either, but you know how it sounds to the rest of the world.
Daniel
Good point. I suppose that their infernal ancestry would make them naturally proficient fry cooks.
Now I’ll never be able to rest until my character owns an Unholy Flaming Burst Spatula of Savory Charbroiling.
Dragonborns might just make the best omlettes ever.
Yikes, dragonborn women lay eggs and have mammaries! Remind me not to eat breakfast at their houses…
I once had a player who played a tiefling sorceress - slash - cook. Too odd.
Was a fireball spell her preferred cooking method?
Thank you, Battledroids. And yes, I did mean FASA going under. I never said Battletech wasn’t profitable. What I was saying is that there were repeated published editions of the main rules, each with reasons for purchase, despite the lack of changed rules within them.
Joe: Huh. Never noticed that at the Strategist. Yep, that’s crap.
For my part, I do like the mmo-ization, I do like the dungeon-punk flavor, and I very much like the “pseudo-spellcasting” that we seem to be headed towards. I greatly applaud the overhaul of Vancian magic. I won’t shed a tear for no logner having to manage my character’s resources over the course of a day instead of an encounter. I look forward to faster paced and even more tactical combat. I agree that Tome of Battle is an excellent model, so I look forward to anything further in this vein.
And that’s why the Ranger kicked so much ass. He had a lot of abilities that were “1/encounter”.
So, after the 2nd or third encounter everyone knew the correct sequence of “powers” to use in each and every fight. To determine what to do in a fight you can just pretty much make a checklist and work your way down. Now, in the old magic system (or feat system, since all classes have “powers”) it might not be a good idea to start casting your highest level spells and just work your way down - but in the 4E system, I’d love to have someone explain to me why you wouldn’t.
-Joe
I got a quick look at the ad, and thats all it is, and it’s just sad.
A LGS put most of their 3.5 on 1/2 off, so I’m going to be shoring up my collection before it’s all gone.
From your remarks, it would seem to me that either the encounters were not very interesting to begin with, they were pitched at the wrong level of challenge, or they were not very well run. There is no reason, regardless of game design, for encounters to be routine rehashing of the same thing over and over.
But to your point, if I am playing a nuker, then by jove, I want to drop novas all the time. I don’t want to save my signature abilities all day on the off chance that I might need it. This sort of thing creates the kind of RAW abuse that makes DMs nuts.
So…you want your checklist to consist of “Superspell #1” and that’s it? No thanks, that’s what MMOs are for.
I played 3.0, and then my group moved to 3.5. I didn’t buy the new books. It wasn’t because I didn’t have the money, it’s just that I knew a 4.0 was coming, eventually, and I could just borrow books when it really mattered.
After playtesting 4E, I immediately ordered a set of 3.5 books. That’s how bad I thought it was. If it sounds neat to you, good for you. The world seems to be moving in your direction.
But I thought it sucked, and so did the rest of my group.
-Joe
A LGS?
-Joe
LGS = “Local Game Store”, methinks.
… and that reminds me, to pick up Dungeonscape and maybe the Magic Item Compendium.
Good choices, those. Check for the Factotum. Cityscape isn’t bad either.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the first 4E character sheets have hit the web. Nice and filled out, with spells, abilities, and examples.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gertiebarden/4eCharacterSheets
Also, the first monster, and some magic items, at http://www.enworld.org/