Battletech Era Report 3145 by Catalyst Game Labs

Battletech Field Manual/Sourcebook

by Catalyst Game Labs

In 3132, eighty percent of the hyperpulse generators in the Inner Sphere shut down, silencing virtually all interstellar communications between the thousands of worlds humankind called home. Remembering the horrors of the Jihad that ended just half a century before, paranoid citizens and opportunistic leaders across the Sphere instinctively girded for the invasions that were sure to come. As ancient rivals once again turned against each other, the Republic of the Sphere - once a beacon of hope for billions - found itself nearly torn asunder by hostile neighbors on every side.A new Dark Age had begun.Era Report 3145: describes the state of the Inner Sphere at critical age in BattleTech the years of the Dark Age era. Presented as a general overview of the period, rather than a focused report on a single conflict, this book includes descriptions of every major Inner Sphere faction active in the wake of the catastrophic failure of the interstellar HPG grid. Notable personalities, military forces, and an overview of the technological capabilities of the Dark Age era are also provided, along with special advanced-level rules for campaigns set during this time, whether played using the Total Warfare core rules or those found in A Time of The BattleTech Role-Playing Game.

Genres: Science Fiction

Paperback

First published May 22, 2013

Reviews

[Kassar Krennic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've got a secret to confess.
I fucking ADORE the Dark Age era of BattleTech.
I know, I know, put the pitchforks and torches down. Yes it was born of the Wizkids Clickytech game and yes most of the old, bitter, balding, constantly angry grognards bitch and whine about it constantly since it isn't the boring as hell Succession War era but frankly, I don't care. I love the Dark Age. Maybe as not as much as the Jihad (since there's no WoB or their badass Manei Domini) but it is easily my second favourite era in all of BattleTech.
And this book is a perfect example as to why.
Era Report: 3145 does an amazing jump chronicling the downfall of the Republic of the Sphere, the golden age of mankind that was always doomed to end once Stone vanished. We learn about the Grey Monday, the collapse of the HPG network along with the secessionist movements that spring up like the Stormhammers and Dragon's Fury (both of which are factions I love and I actually own two armies painted as them) after said collapse. It then goes on to cover the events surrounding these groups, who are either motivated by the promise of power or pride in their nation, the wars they fought, the struggles they faced and the victories they enjoyed and defeats they suffered.
After that, it covers the invasions of the Republic launched by numerous other factions, ranging from the Capellans to the Clans. The Combine gets involved as well, but mostly focuses its attention on the FedSuns and the Nova Cat rebellion. This lore is also great, I especially enjoyed the story of the Jade Falcons. Hazen is an awesome character and she would have fit right in with the WoB, what with her use of weapons of mass destruction, willingness to murder entire worlds and general insanity.
We follow Hazen as she gains control of the Falcons then wages a war to conquer the Lyran Commonwealth before Clan Wolf manages to that ultimately ends with an awesome piece of lore focusing on a titanic, three-way battle on the world of Hesperus II that lasts for months between the forces of Clan Wolf, Clan Jade Falcons and the Lyrans that is simply an excellent read.
We also see the creation of the Wolf Empire, the reformation of the Free Worlds League and finally (perhaps most importantly) the creation of Fortress Republic and the establishment of the Republic Remnant beyond the Wall (I am also currently painting a Republic Remnant force!).
After all the lore, we get a summary of each faction that was involved in the events of the book as well as info on important units who were active in the era and short, but informative, summaries of the main characters such as Alaric Ward, Jonah Levin, Hazen and others who would go on to play an important part in the future of BattleTech.
All in all, this is an excellent read and I suggest you all check it out! The Dark Age is far, faaar better than most seem to think.