What do you think?
Rate this book
Battletech Field Manual/Sourcebook
Battletech Field Manual: Crusader Clans
We are the Clans
Nearly three hundred years ago, the Star League was torn apart when the lies and deceits of the petty House Lords launched the Inner Sphere into endless war. The Great Father Aleksandr Kerensky led our forefathers, the remnants of the righteous Star League army, away from the chaotic despotism. In turn, his son Nicholas forged us into the Clans: a society dedicated to becoming the greatest fighting force in all of history. We grew stronger with each generation, awaiting the day when we would return to the Inner Sphere to save it from itself.
Now is the time of the Return. Some among the Clans oppose the Crusaders' campaign of conquest, but we know that true enlightenment can only come to the misguided rabble of the Successor States through total subjugation. We will crush their honorless armies with our OmniMechs and plant the flag of the Clans on sacred Terra. Only then will the true Star League have returned to the Inner Sphere. - Lincoln Osis, ilKhan of the Clans
The first two volumes on the Clans, Field Manual: Crusader Clans describes the seven most aggressive Clans: Blood Spirit, Fire Mandrill, Hell's Horses, Ice Hellion, Jade Falcon, Star Adder and Wolf. This sourcebook describes the tactics, uniforms and battle histories of each Clan, plus special rules that reflect the unique capabilities of each Galaxy, new weapons, equipment, exclusive Crusader BattleMechs and more.
Nearly three hundred years ago, the Star League was torn apart when the lies and deceits of the petty House Lords launched the Inner Sphere into endless war. The Great Father Aleksandr Kerensky led our forefathers, the remnants of the righteous Star League army, away from the chaotic despotism. In turn, his son Nicholas forged us into the Clans: a society dedicated to becoming the greatest fighting force in all of history. We grew stronger with each generation, awaiting the day when we would return to the Inner Sphere to save it from itself.
Now is the time of the Return. Some among the Clans oppose the Crusaders' campaign of conquest, but we know that true enlightenment can only come to the misguided rabble of the Successor States through total subjugation. We will crush their honorless armies with our OmniMechs and plant the flag of the Clans on sacred Terra. Only then will the true Star League have returned to the Inner Sphere. - Lincoln Osis, ilKhan of the Clans
The first two volumes on the Clans, Field Manual: Crusader Clans describes the seven most aggressive Clans: Blood Spirit, Fire Mandrill, Hell's Horses, Ice Hellion, Jade Falcon, Star Adder and Wolf. This sourcebook describes the tactics, uniforms and battle histories of each Clan, plus special rules that reflect the unique capabilities of each Galaxy, new weapons, equipment, exclusive Crusader BattleMechs and more.
- GenresScience Fiction
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 21, 2018
I met the group of friends that are still among my best friends via Battletech.
Until mid-7th Grade, lunch meant eating quickly, then heading outside seeking something to alleviate boredom and avoiding bullies. Then, one day, one of my (only) friends introduced me to these guys who stayed in all lunch, hunched at the end of a cafeteria table as though using their bodies as a wall to protect the bubble of fantasy that they were collectively creating. Some days the bubble contained D&D, but on that first day it was 25-100 ton, 2 inch tall war machines from a thousand-odd years in the future known as Battle Mechs.
I was hooked instantly.
It was a board game, but with infinite scenarios created by the players. It was a roleplaying game with a duration of one battle. It had a massive variety of pieces with various weapons, speeds, armor ratings, and special abilities and, if you weren't satisfied with the hundreds of options they provided, extensive, balanced rules for creating your own mechs.
The rules were extensive and, when using advanced optional rules, bordered on obsessive minutia but being a dysfunctional obsessive compulsive, I found learning them a delight. Unlike life, here there were clear-cut rules on how to do EVERYTHING!
The technical handout books not only contained dozens of mechs and vehicles, but each had its own history and backstory, as well as little personalized traits and quirks that had no effect on the game but made it all feel real, like commentary on how cramped the cockpits were for larger pilots or how awkwardly the control yokes were placed.
I don't know the state of the game currently aside from the nearly-direct computer port of this game that we always dreamed of finally coming out (just look up Battletech on Steam), but between the politically complex and interesting universe, detailed, comprehensive and seemingly balanced rules, and the relative speed of play, it filled a solid niche in our gaming schedule.
When the RPG came out (around college times for me) we even tried out a short lived mercenary game. Though we only got through a few sessions, it did send me on a month-long nostalgic binge re-reading the books and re-living a hundred battles fought in Middle and High School.
Until mid-7th Grade, lunch meant eating quickly, then heading outside seeking something to alleviate boredom and avoiding bullies. Then, one day, one of my (only) friends introduced me to these guys who stayed in all lunch, hunched at the end of a cafeteria table as though using their bodies as a wall to protect the bubble of fantasy that they were collectively creating. Some days the bubble contained D&D, but on that first day it was 25-100 ton, 2 inch tall war machines from a thousand-odd years in the future known as Battle Mechs.
I was hooked instantly.
It was a board game, but with infinite scenarios created by the players. It was a roleplaying game with a duration of one battle. It had a massive variety of pieces with various weapons, speeds, armor ratings, and special abilities and, if you weren't satisfied with the hundreds of options they provided, extensive, balanced rules for creating your own mechs.
The rules were extensive and, when using advanced optional rules, bordered on obsessive minutia but being a dysfunctional obsessive compulsive, I found learning them a delight. Unlike life, here there were clear-cut rules on how to do EVERYTHING!
The technical handout books not only contained dozens of mechs and vehicles, but each had its own history and backstory, as well as little personalized traits and quirks that had no effect on the game but made it all feel real, like commentary on how cramped the cockpits were for larger pilots or how awkwardly the control yokes were placed.
I don't know the state of the game currently aside from the nearly-direct computer port of this game that we always dreamed of finally coming out (just look up Battletech on Steam), but between the politically complex and interesting universe, detailed, comprehensive and seemingly balanced rules, and the relative speed of play, it filled a solid niche in our gaming schedule.
When the RPG came out (around college times for me) we even tried out a short lived mercenary game. Though we only got through a few sessions, it did send me on a month-long nostalgic binge re-reading the books and re-living a hundred battles fought in Middle and High School.
April 5, 2022
Meh....the clans. Spheroid through and through ;)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews