House Arano sourcebook announced

[Frabby]

Good news for us BattleTech grognards: CGL has just announced a PDF/Print-on-demand Housebook (in the fashion of ye olde classic Housebooks of the 1980s, albeit with less pagecount) on House Arano. This will properly fuse the BattleTech lore/canon between CGL and HBS, and end all discussion about wether or not the Aurigan Reach and this game's storyline are considered fully canonical with regards of the boardgame BattleTech IP.

Check the "Coming Soon" posting at https://bg.battletech.com/
or the forum announcement

 

[The Shadowhawke]

Why not? The history and politics of the Reach as given is no less than the surrounding lore. It also helps to fill in the blanks on the Periphery, as that area is a loose scattering of independent star systems between the Canopians and Taurians, which I'm well familiar with, as it indirectly figured into a tabletop campaign I played years back, where a mercenary unit carved out a fiefdom in a grouping of stars in the Deep Periphery, just beyond where the Reach sits.

The continued story given on that link follows, as the House imploded into civil war over their collapsing economy, and after being scorched by war, they have a long climb up.

 

[Prussian Havoc]

Outstanding!

Andrew, Kiva and the rest of Team HBS created an immersive, interesting and compelling storyline for BATTLETECH.

I am glad to see HBS’s work accepted into CGL’s product lineup. Good on CGL for deciding to do so. :bow:

Even though my last holiday purchase at the CGL Store was less than ideal, I am very tempt d to again visit the CGL store when the House Arano Sourcebook goes on sale. : )

 

[HBS_Kiva]

Andrew and I are fairly excited about this

 

[Prussian Havoc]

Adjustment made. :bow:

: )

 

[Deaghaidh]

Congrats. Will this book bring House Arano all the way to the 'present,' or just cover the extant plotline through the restoration?

 

[Prussian Havoc]

Congrats. Will this book bring House Arano all the way to the 'present,' or just cover the extant plotline through the restoration?

I too hope the Arano Source Book covers the Restoration. The base game's Solo-Campaign was very well done and quite tightly bound. It just may lend itself to being included in the book. : )

 

[Deaghaidh]

I too hope the Arano Source Book covers the Restoration. The base game's Solo-Campaign was very well done and quite tightly bound. It just may lend itself to being included in the book. : )

I've taken issue with some of the decisions made, but I'd agree the quality of writing was quite high. In fact it would likely make a well above average BT novel.

I was assuming this book covered the Restoration, but was wondering if we'd see what happens to the reach through the eras. Especially if Catalyst could find a way to weave it into established events around the New Colony Region/Fronc Reaches.

 

[Timaeus]

The description given implies that the "Arano Restoration" is the immediate past for the book.

High Lady Kamea Arano dispatched the usurpers who stole her throne, dismantled their dictatorial government, and restored peace to the Aurigan Coalition. Now her true battle begins…

The Arano Restoration has succeeded, and High Lady Kamea rules over the reunited Aurigan Coalition. But all is not well—the Coalition’s hardscrabble planets teeter on the brink of collapse, while its powerful neighbors await another chance to subvert House Arano. More than ever, the Coalition needs warriors willing to do whatever it takes to claim victory.

Step into the Aurigan Coalition in this Print-on-Demand and PDF product which brings the setting of the hit PC strategy game BattleTech into the long-running tabletop experience. Learn the proud history of the Coalition and its hope for the future, then take up the defense of the Arano dynasty with four all-new scenarios picking up where the game left off. "House Arano: The Aurigan Coalition" is authored by Harebrained Schemes' Andrew McIntosh and Kiva Maginn, writers and developers of the BattleTech PC game.

To survive on the fringes of the Inner Sphere, those of noble birth must once again call on champions of mercenary mind.

 

[Deaghaidh]

Probably smart, leaves options open for future expansions/sequels.

 

[Hoi Neuling]

Yep, seems so. But we will see what the next Expansion in Summer 2019 (I think it will be June / July) will bring in. And a Storybook is a very good Idea too, same thing was given for the new XCom: Enemy Unknown / XCom 2-Games. The good old Style with Storybooks etc. for Games comming up again and that makes me very very happy.

 

[Deaghaidh]

Yep, seems so. But we will see what the next Expansion in Summer 2019 (I think it will be June / July) will bring in. And a Storybook is a very good Idea too, same thing was given for the new XCom: Enemy Unknown / XCom 2-Games. The good old Style with Storybooks etc. for Games comming up again and that makes me very very happy.

Yeah back in the day games like X-Wing and TIE Fighter came with novellas, and the strategy guides were framed as full fledged novels. The player characters of those games became full fledged EU characters who appeared in books and comics etc. Homeworld came with a ton of fluff, almost none of which was strictly speaking necessary but which made Kharak feel more real (and thus more painful when destroyed).

Also I'd probably buy a novelization of the Restoration campaign. Kamea is a pretty good main character, and seeing things through her eyes and seeing her in other contexts would probably make a huge difference.

 

[Hoi Neuling]

Yeah, I like her too. No, much more: I love her. She looks so breakable and helpless and on the other side she is tuff and strong. She is a Mix, I love.

Never heard about the Aranos so far (played all Mechwarrior-Games since MW 2 and both Mech Commander Games). Read out about 30 Books from BT-Universe so far and never read about the Rim-World-Factions.

The last Books I remember are the books where a young Claner-Girl gets her own serf (it´s a Mechwarrior) and ComStar makes a Peace with the Claners for some Years. After that I couldn´t read more, because much Books are missing to hold the reading line. I could jump, but that would destroy the suspense to hear the first time about the Rim World-Factions (Arano, Taurus, Canopus etc.) which will help the IS [so I hope] and the assasin-sponsor who let killing the Archon from Lyrian and the King from Fed Suns.

Btw. I hope we will see more from her and Alexander in the next Update / Updates and DLC´s. Maybe we could get another Story for House Arano and make a Storyline after the Resourrection. That would be cool.

 

[Deaghaidh]

Yeah, I like her too. No, much more: I love her. She looks so breakable and helpless and on the other side she is tuff and strong. She is a Mix, I love.

Never heard about the Aranos so far (played all Mechwarrior-Games since MW 2 and both Mech Commander Games). Read out about 30 Books from BT-Universe so far and never read about the Rim-World-Factions.

The last Books I remember are the books where a young Claner-Girl gets her own serf (it´s a Mechwarrior) and ComStar makes a Peace with the Claners for some Years. After that I couldn´t read more, because much Books are missing to hold the reading line. I could jump, but that would destroy the suspense to hear the first time about the Rim World-Factions (Arano, Taurus, Canopus etc.) which will help the IS [so I hope] and the assasin-sponsor who let killing the Archon from Lyrian and the King from Fed Suns.

Btw. I hope we will see more from her and Alexander in the next Update / Updates and DLC´s. Maybe we could get another Story for House Arano and make a Storyline after the Resourrection. That would be cool.

The Reach and it's houses were original to the game. The sourcebook makes them all officially "canon," meaning Ctalyst now has to/gets to account for events there through things like the 4th SW, Clan invasions, FedCom Civil War, Jihad/Dark Age, etc.

The 4th SW doesn't seem like it would effect the Aurigan Coalition, but afterwards you have the Andurien Secession. Since that involves the Magistricy being in a major war, you might see Kamea getting dragged into it in exchange for forgiving some of the massive debt she owes them.

 

[Hoi Neuling]

Haven´t read this so far, because of the missing Origianl BT-Books I need to read. But you can´t buy them anymore (esp. in German Translation).

Therefore I´m only informed about that from your knowledge about that.

 

[Deaghaidh]

Haven´t read this so far, because of the missing Origianl BT-Books I need to read. But you can´t buy them anymore (esp. in German Translation).

Therefore I´m only informed about that from your knowledge about that.

I know a lot of the old novels are available on Kindle dirt cheap (like $.99 each) but I have no idea if that is true of any German translations. Since BT seems to have a pretty big fan base there I suspect at least some are available digitally.

 

[Democratus]

This sounds like fun news. Thanks for sharing!

 

[jj284b]

So, no Arano Restoration after Directorate is defeated? intriguing... all hail Aurigan Reach!

 

[TaurianMerc]

So, no Arano Restoration after Directorate is defeated? intriguing... all hail Aurigan Reach!

??
The Arano restoration was the movement to have Kamea Arano put back on the throne, the state before and after the civil war was called the Aurigan Coalition. The Aurigan Reach is the area of space in which the Coalition was located.

It would also be remiss of me not to point out that it was almost all Taurian territory before all that.

 

[jj284b]

??
The Arano restoration was the movement to have Kamea Arano put back on the throne, the state before and after the civil war was called the Aurigan Coalition. The Aurigan Reach is the area of space in which the Coalition was located.

It would also be remiss of me not to point out that it was almost all Taurian territory before all that.

I know. yet game keeps name Arano Restoration even after civil war is over..

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...-to-aurigan-coalition-in-career-mode.1140221/