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MechWarrior: Dark Age is the title of an ongoing series of novels set in the BattleTech Universe. The series was created by WizKids and has a companion game MechWarrior: Dark Age (and its successor, MechWarrior: Age of Destruction). The Dark Age series of books is intended as a re-launch of the BattleTech book franchise, to create an easy starting point for new readers. [1]
With the demise of FASA Corporation in 2001, publishing of the original BattleTech novel series came to an end. When WizKids acquired the rights to the future of the BattleTech Franchise (re-christened as MechWarrior), they approached several of the established BattleTech authors including Randall N. Bills and Michael A. Stackpole to resurrect the novel franchise. [2] WizKids re-launched the book series along with the new miniatures game as MechWarrior: Dark Age.
For the series launch in late 2002, Penguin Group was originally contracted to publish the novels as paperbacks under its Roc imprint. The last ROC published novel was released February 2008. [3]
In June 2008, Catalyst Game Labs announced that they had acquired the right to publish novels set in the BattleTech universe, including both new material for both Classic-era BattleTech, as well as MechWarrior. The first Catalyst published MechWarrior novel will be A Bonfire of Worlds by Steven Mohan, Jr, and was originally to be released in November 2008. On November 8, it was announced that the book would delayed to early 2009 to allow for optimal retail positioning. [4] On March 31, 2009, Catalyst again revised the release date of the new novels to be Fall 2009, and also announced that MechWarrior: Dark Age is being renamed to BattleTech: Dark Age to unify the brand under the BattleTech name. Furthermore, Catalyst announced that A Bonfire of Worlds would become available, at no additional cost, to BattleCorps.com subscribers at a rate of one chapter every two weeks. [5] On November 26, 2009, Catalyst officially added A Bonfire of Worlds to its 'Projected First Quarter 2010 Releases', effectively pushing the release back for the 3rd time. Catalyst also released a 'sell sheet' for the novel which includes full details. [6] The release of the sell sheet is the first time full publication details for the novel have become available, and mark a new milestone towards publication of the novel.
The series is set at least 60 years after the last Classic-era novel (Loren L. Coleman's Endgame) starting in the year 3132 A.D., and although several prominent Classic-era characters appear (most notably, Victor Steiner-Davion), the "Dark Age" revolves around a new dramatis personæ. Although most of the original Classic-era factions appear in some form, many of the novels revolve around The Republic of the Sphere, a new faction centered on Terra (Earth).
As of June 2008 the MechWarrior: Dark Age series comprises 30 novels, beginning with Michael A. Stackpole's Ghost War. [7] The most recent novel as of June 2008 is Kevin Killiany's To Ride the Chimera. Classic BattleTech authors returning for the new series include Stackpole, Coleman, Randal N. Bills, and Blaine Lee Pardoe.
FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001, after which they closed publishing operations for several years, becoming an IP holding company under the name FASA Inc. In 2012, a wholly owned subsidiary called FASA Games Inc. went into operation, using the name and logo under license from the parent company. FASA Games Inc. works alongside Ral Partha Europe, also a subsidiary of FASA Corporation, to bring out new editions of existing properties such as Earthdawn and Demonworld, and to develop new properties within the FASA cosmology.
Michael Austin Stackpole is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his Star Wars and BattleTech books. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, but raised in Vermont. He has a BA in history from the University of Vermont. From 1977 on, he worked as a designer of role-playing games for various gaming companies, and wrote dozens of magazine articles with limited distribution within the industry. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.
BattleTech is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark is currently owned by Topps and, for videogames, Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios; Catalyst Game Studios licenses the franchise from Topps.
NECA/WizKids, LLC is an American company based in New Jersey that produces tabletop games. WizKids is best known for its collectible miniatures games (CMGs) Mage Knight, HeroClix, MechWarrior, and HorrorClix, all of which make use of the company's Clix system, in which the changing combat statistics and abilities of each figure were indicated by a turnable dial inside the base underneath the figure. The company was founded in 2000 by Jordan Weisman, a veteran of the game company FASA. It was purchased by sports-card manufacturer Topps, Inc. in 2003.
Blaine Lee Pardoe is a bestselling and award-winning American author and military historian, known primarily for writing the Battletech and MechWarrior: Dark Age series of science fiction books, business management books, military history books, and true crime works.
Classic BattleTech is a table-top wargame set in the fictional BattleTech universe that simulates combat between futuristic mechanized forces. Originally published by FASA Corporation, the game is now produced by Catalyst Game Labs under license from WizKids. The term "Classic" is used to differentiate the original game from variants and related games that have derived from it, such as MechWarrior: Dark Age. The game has an extensive range of 1/285 scale miniatures.
Fantasy Productions Medienvertriebsgesellschaft GmbH is a German publishing company based in Erkrath.
MechWarrior: Dark Age was a tabletop wargame by WizKids set in the BattleTech universe that uses the Clix system. The game's miniatures are pre-painted models of infantry squads, vehicles, and giant walking war machines known as BattleMechs or more simply "'mechs".
Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded five game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry.
BattleMechs are large walking war machines that feature prominently in the fictional universe of BattleTech. 'Mechs, which are generally either bipedal or quadrupedal in configuration, are controlled by human pilots and can thus be classified as mecha.
Loren L. Coleman is a science-fiction writer, born and grew up in Longview, Washington. He is known for having written many books for series such as Star Trek, Battletech/Mechwarrior, Age of Conan, Crimson Skies, Magic: The Gathering and others. He has also written game fiction and source material for such companies as FASA Corporation, TSR, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast. He resides in Washington with his wife Heather and three children.
MechWarrior is a set of role-playing game rules published by FASA Corporation in 1986 that were designed to be used with FASA's previously published mecha wargame BattleTech.
Catalyst Game Labs (CGL) was created in May 2007 by InMediaRes Productions, LLC for the purpose of publishing print Shadowrun and Classic BattleTech sourcebooks. In June 2007, WizKids transferred the licenses for both Shadowrun and Classic BattleTech from FanPro's United States subsidiary, FanPro LLC, to Catalyst, and in June 2008, Catalyst announced new novels for Shadowrun and Classic BattleTech, as well as the MechWarrior series.
Formed in 1975, Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, is now known as Ral Partha Legacy Ltd. and produces miniature figures in 25 mm, 30 mm, 15 mm, and 54 mm scale. The company's products are made by spin-casting metal alloys which depict soldiers, adventurers and creatures that have been inspired by history and fiction. Their miniatures are sold at gaming conventions, in hobby shops, and by internet and mail order for use in role playing games, wargaming, dioramas, competitive painting, and collecting.
MechWarrior Online is a free-to-play vehicle simulation video game, officially launched during September 2013 by Piranha Games for Microsoft Windows. The game takes place within the larger BattleTech universe.
HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system that centers on the world of superhero comic books, especially the DC Comics and Marvel Comics universes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and many others. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, or characters from various video games series such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, and Halo and engage in a turn-by-turn battle on grid maps based on various storyline locations. The game was originally designed and produced by WizKids, but was discontinued in November 2008 when WizKids owner Topps shut down their HeroClix line. In September 2009, collectible toy producer National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) purchased some of the WizKids' intellectual property from Topps, including the HeroClix rights and then soon after began to produce and sell new HeroClix series.
Randall N. Bills is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.
InMediaRes Productions, LLC is an American game company that produces role-playing games and game supplements.
BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction is a non-fiction book published by Catalyst Game Labs in 2009 about the science fiction wargame BattleTech. It includes artwork, a description of the development of the game, an historical timeline of in-game history, and twenty pieces of fiction by authors such as Michael A. Stackpole, Robert Charrette and Victor Milán.
| Universe | |
|---|---|
| Tabletop games | |
| Supplements | |
| MechWarrior series | |
| Other video games | |
| Other | |
