Long story, but a friend of mine from work who is an illustrator was friends with Doug Chaffee who turns out was a fairly prolific illustrator for BattleTech. He's been helping Doug's widow clean out some of his books and other paraphernalia and, since I do a lot of Sci-Fi miniature painting, asked if I'd be interested in some of the books since I think they were just going to throw them out. Anyway Xeones and I went up there saturday and what I though was going to be a few books here or there turned into a massive library of battletech related things and I'm trying to figure out how to categorize everything and even what the remaining stuff she has is since we basically picked things up on the quality of useful reference art.

She has I think every battletech technical readout book from 3025 through 3085 and a bunch of other books called Field Manuals and some other miscellaneous things. What we picked up was this:

2x citytech second ed. boxed sets
Battletech 3rd edition boxed set
Battleforce 2 boxed set
Starsiege Rebellion boxed set

Battletech: 25 years of Art and Fiction
Classic Battletech: Total Warfare

Field Manuals:
Mercinaries, revised
Draconis Combine
Free Worlds League
Crusader Clans
Capellan Confederation
Lyran Alliance

Hardback Classic Battletech Master Rules, revised - numbered foil printed
2x Hardback Battletech Compendium: The rules of warfare - autographed and numbered foil printed

one each of those two books, with full color hardback covers

Classic Battletech Map Set Compilation 2

Technical Readouts:
3026
3026 Revised
3050 upgrade
3055 upgrade
3057 revised edition
3058
3058 Upgrade
3075
3085

After spending about three hours fiddling around I think I've narrowed it down to the Total Warfare book being the current rulebook and the 3050 upgrade and one called the 3025 Technical Readouts being necessary. What I'm unsure of is how the technical readouts fit with the main rules and where the boxed sets fall in all this or the Field Manuals or if there is anything else necessary to play the game. The second thing is I'm trying to help Mrs. Chaffee sort through the rest and I don't quite know for sure what I should be looking for or if there is any value in them since she is planning on chucking what I don't pick up. Any help with this would be appreciated!

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-Vaaish

Technical Readouts are background books for the mechs (or vehicles) of a particular era. Similar to early Imperial Armour.

Boxed sets usually included a version of the main rules, some mechs (plastic or cardboard counters), and some mapsheets.

Field manuals are 99% fluff, with some RPG rules and some boardgame rules.

Revised versions and upgrades took out the Unseen, which were the IP of another company, and replaced them with other mechs.

Citytech was basically the advanced boxed set - it added urban combat rules. It had neat miniatures. Dunno about the Starsiege set. Battleforce 2 is the strategic level game - think Epic.

I can only assume the autographed hardbacks are worth something - they certainly should be (and, if he signed them, they are now worth even more).

I'm honestly not sure what any of it would be worth - but it's all worth something. Do NOT throw it out - if nothing else, you could talk me into paying postage.

EDIT: Oh, and if it has Classic on the front, it's post-FASA. Which is likely obvious.

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Thanks! So the only thing really needed to play it are the maps, models and the Total Warfare book? The field manuals and technical readouts aren't necessary at all? and citytech just adds onto the total warfare rules or is that superceded by them?

I should have been more specific. The hardbacks aren't signed by Mr. Chaffee, they are signed by what looks like Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock III.

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-Vaaish

Citytech is superseded by the Total Warfare rules (Citytech dates from about 1996, IIRC. Maybe earlier).

However, it does have some moderately nice plastic miniatures, and is thus worth hanging on to (they're not gorgeous, but they're cheap). The 3e boxed set may have some as well - I can't remember (but it should say on the back).

The Field Manuals are pretty much completely unnecessary to the tabletop game (they will each have a few rules in them, but nothing you can't live without). The TROs are also unnecessary, with one caveat - you need to get unit stats from somewhere, and they're one possible source. However, there are plenty of free unit sheets (and unit sheet creators) online.

Oh, and I'll reiterate again - I will cheerfully pay postage for anything she's thinking about throwing out. I have honestly never wished I lived in South Carolina before.

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The Apocrypha of Skaros 1.1
Rogue Trader Expedition 0.4
The Horus Heresy 0.5
Night Lords 0.1
My Trade Thread

Ok, thanks! I think I understand everything a bit better. Yeah, the two citytech boxes have a selection of Inner Sphere and Clan mechs as does the 3rd edition battletech box.

The starsiege Rebellion game is apparently a spinoff from the computer game starsiege.

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-Vaaish

Indeed. It's apparently quite a different kettle of fish from Battletech. There's a TMP review somewhere around the internet.

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Vaaish, you can also play the game with mini rules. It was designed for the maps, but if you have a set up for 6mm figs (say, I don't know - Epic?), then you can use your minis with the ol' tape measure.

As for the technical readouts, I would keep them because they offer background and descriptions of the mechs and some interesting info on the B-tech universe at large. I always found them to be interesting reading. Knave is right about the editions, though: some (the oldest) will have the unseen in them, which are technically designs owned by Harmony Gold (purveyors of Robotech). They had to be pulled in the early/mid 90s, so some TRO (such as 3025) were re-issued without them. Then the names of the mechs came back (Warhammer, for instance), but they looked different (since Harmony Gold only owned the image, not the name). Now there is talk the unseen may return, but it is doubtful.

The nice thing about the game, though, is that there is very little difference between the basic rules from 1988 and now. A few things may be streamlined, and the optional stuff may change (or be conveniently located in one place), but the rules still work. Total Warfare is the current rules compendium, and the Techmanual is the construction guide (handy for building your own units of mechs, vehicles, you name it). Strategic Ops and Planetary Ops handle campaigns and larger scale engagements and are worth it if you want to run something with a bunch of friends.

The best part of Battletech for me, though, was always the background. It is huge, confusing, and not in one place now, though, so if you need help figuring it out, let me know. I may be able to help.

Ok here's where I stand on this right now. I've cataloged all but 5 of the books and here's the complete list:

1x Battlepack 4th succession war
2x Battletech Map Pack Solaris VII 35002

2x Field Manual: Federated Suns 1719
2x Operation Stiletto 1713
2x Field Manual: Updates 10976
3x Starterbook: Wolf and Blake 35101
2x Operation Klondike 35230
2x Explorer Corps 1681
4x Northwind Highlanders 1702
2x Field Manual: Warden Clans 1711
2x House Marik 35019
2x Jihad Hot Spots: 3070 35026
3x Jihad Hot Spots: 3076 35304
2x Field Manual: Mercenaries Revised 10977
2x Mercenaries Supplemental 35016
2x Field Manual: Comstar 1714
3x Invading Clans 1645
5x Handbook: Major Periphery States 35203
2x Jihad Hot Spots: Terra 35305

1x Mercenaries Supplemental Update 35028
1x Mercenaries Supplemental II 35025
1x Jihad Hot Spots: 3072 35302
1x Dawn of the Jihad 35023
1x Historical: Brush Wars 35105
1x Historical: War of 3039 35014
1x Field Manual: Lyran Alliance 1720
1x Field Manual: Capellan Confederation 1717
1x Field Manual: Free Worlds League 1699
1x Handbook: House Steiner 35001
1x The Dragon Roars 1704
1x Field Manual: Periphery 1726
1x Interstellar Players 35003
1x Citytech: The Advanced Battletech Game of 3050 Combat 1608
1x Shattered Sphere 1712
1x Maximum Tech 1700
1x Wolf Clan Sourcebook 1642
1x Jade Falcon Sourcebook 1644
1x Luthien 1678
1x The Battletech Compendium 1640
1x Aerotech 2 35011
1x Comstar 1655
1x The Fall of Terra 1684
1x Tukayyid 1685
1x Combat Equipment 35017
1x Mechwarrior: Second Edition 1641
1x Mechwarrior: Third Edition 1715
1x Mechwarriors Guide to the Clans 1725

3x Aerotech Record Sheets 10973
1x Battletech Records Sheets Volume Five Vehicles 1667
1x Battletech Records Sheets Volume Six 3055 Mechs 1668
2x Battletech Records Sheets: 3055 & 3058 1694
2x Records Sheets: 3085 35168

2x Technical Readout: 3025 8603
3x Technical Readout: 3039 35121
2x Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade 35122
1x Technical Readout: 3055 8619
1x Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade 35006
1x Technical Readout: 3057 35007
2x Technical Readout: 3058 8621
2x Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade 35015
2x Technical Readout: 3060 8622
1x Technical Readout: 3067 10970
1x Technical Readout: 3075 35130
1x Technical Readout: 3085 35131

I've kept out a few of the various map packs and some of the tech manuals and field guides but that's what she has. it's a huge amount of stuff and I'm not sure what to do with all of it. I've got a thought to see if the LGS in town would have an interest in that to raise a bit of money for Mrs. Chaffee but beyond that I don't know. Any thoughts?

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-Vaaish

I'd recommend posting on the CBT or Sarna.net forums. The LGS thing also seems like a good idea.

http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php

http://www.sarna.net/forums/

_________________
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Rogue Trader Expedition 0.4
The Horus Heresy 0.5
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Lords of the Battlefield might also be a good place to go:

www.lordofthebattlefield.com

Thanks, I'll check into those.

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-Vaaish

Well LGS was a bust, seems no one around here plays battletech at all.

_________________
-Vaaish

We're still here, worse comes to worse.

_________________
The Apocrypha of Skaros 1.1
Rogue Trader Expedition 0.4
The Horus Heresy 0.5
Night Lords 0.1
My Trade Thread

I posted up on sarna now. I hear ya and if worse comes to worse I'd rather they go somewhere useful than the trash heap.

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-Vaaish

Are you looking to get rid of the Starsiege Rebellion box? I have some of the figures, and could use a few more.

Also, I'd be willing to pay shipping or a small amount for some BT books if you are just looking to get rid of them.

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