Battletech: 20 Year Update

Battletech Field Manual/Sourcebook

by L. Ross Babcock III

20 Year Update

The year is 3050.

The Fourth Succession War has been over for 20 years.
The Rasalhague Military District broke with the Draconis Combine, forming the Free Rasalhague Republic.
Houses Steiner and Davion gradually merge to form the Federated Commonwealth.
In an unexpected show of strength, the Combine military, under Theodore Kurita, stops the Federated Commonwealth invasion of 3039 cold.
ComStar unveils a huge 'Mech army to garrison its thousands of installations throughout the Inner Sphere.
Romano Liao fends off a Canopus-Andurien invasion and rebuilds the Capellan Confederation from the ashes left by her demented father.

Don't think of your character as twenty years older... think of his son as being ready for battle.

96 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1989

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is technically a game sourcebook, I figured it would be an invaluable read to find out what has changed in the setting in preparation to read Michael Stackpole's Lethal Heritage which launches the infamous Clan Invasion of the Inner Sphere. The prior novel Heir to the Dragon by Robert N. Charrette stops around 3040 and is relatively Draconis Combine centric. Although we do get a few updates as to what is going on with ComStar and the changes in the border concerning the Free Rasalhague Republic as a newly formed nation at the end of the War of 3039.

So the 20 Year Update seeks to update us about what the setting is like after the Fourth Succession War, which dramatically changed the Capellan border. In this short sourcebook they go into the general state of affairs involving the five houses and some of the more notable free areas and some Periphery states. Once again House Marik did feel like a bit of an afterthought, and we don't get much of a vested interest in their characters through the novels. I really wish there had been a novel written about Janos Marik and Thomas Marik, because the events outlined about the changes in power and attempted assassinations would have made a great book! I'm kind of surprised a novel was never commissioned to tell this tale at all.

The other major gripe I have is that the death of Katrina Steiner the former Archon is relegated to a mere line of text in this update. Granted here death was nothing spectacular and she died in her sleep, but she also didn't seem to be very old by BattleTech longevity. Either way it does set the stage for Archon Melissa to step in and it discusses the growth of the Federated Commonwealth. I did like reading about all the updates and future heirs, because I'm sure that will just manage to generate future conflict.

I was happy to see Justin Allard and Candace Liao still together after the insanity of the Warrior Trilogy novels. I look forward to seeing what role they and their children play in the future of the BattleTech setting.

I was surprised to see no updates concerning mercenary groups. What is the Gray Death Legion up to? What about Wolf's Dragoons?? I think a few pages devoted to these important forces would have made this book all the more comprehensive.

As with the other house books at the end they have a list of notable faces in the universe. The only complaint I have here is that it's not sorted by region or anything. Instead it seems sorted by relevance? I guess. I think it would have made a lot more sense to this list at the end of each region update and then anyone else could have been put in to the "other" category.

In the end, I quite enjoyed the update and I look forward to seeing how BattleTech progresses in the next big event. I've enjoyed just about every novel from the Fourth Succession War era and I look forward to enjoying the next big round!

[Fiend-Folio]

Jim Musser[return]Donna Ippolito[return]Boy F. Peterson, Jr.