Built for War: October 2016

Monday, October 24, 2016

Art Preview: Semiramis

Say hello to the Semiramis. A real beauty, this Canopian 'Mech is the first of the most recent art batch to be finished. The Canopians have some nice sleek and curvy 'Mechs, but we decided to aim for more of a Penthesilea look with this one. I've always had a soft spot for it - there are too few 'Mechs that look like they could actually have a fusion reactor inside them, but the Penthesilea reaslly nails it, with the cockpit perched on the side and the limbs jutting off from the side torsos. And the little laser wheel in the CT - brilliant! But would you believe that when I sent the commission notes to Matt Plog he referred to it as "that 'thing'"? But in the end we're all pretty happy with it despite some differing opinions about the progenitor. Here's hoping you like it too.

- the Built for War team

Monday, October 10, 2016

Back in the Neurohelmet

Creator fatigue took a toll post-preview release, and combined with other demands there just wasn't much happening on the Built for War front for a bit. In hindsight I should have had a continuous stream of stuff in the pipeline such that we could keep releasing new tidbits each week without actually having to do much for a little while. Which is what I'm working on setting up now, because it's not fair to you, the interested people, to be left hanging for months. Blogger, I've just discovered, lets me schedule posts in advance. So I'm going to write a couple more posts after this one and schedule them and we'll see how that goes.

Four 'Mechs are in the process of getting art right now, and we're lining up some more non-'Mech units for the next batch of commissions. While art is happening we're writing, trying to knock out fluff pieces for those 'Mechs so they can start the editing and fact checking process.

Finally, thanks to the several people who kept prodding us (ok, mostly me) to keep at it and post updates.

- the Built for War Team

What is Built for War?

Meet the Team

Josh DeBoe: Head Developer

I got started on Mechwarrior 2 back in 1995, and was interested in Battletech forever after. I didn't really get into the tabletop game until 2008, when I ran across a thread on Battletech and was drawn in. What really hooked me was the ability to design and build your own units and use them on the table alongside the official stuff. After years of designing mechs and helping others make their own, I decided to start work on a fan TRO to bring our designs to life. I've also been running a campaign set in 3145 since 2014, in which agents of SAFE try to protect the reformed FWL from exterior plots.

Chris Hart: Assistant Developer

I've been playing Battletech in one form or another since 1998, whether computer games or tabletop. I've run a number of tabletop campaigns in the Battletech setting, most often set in an alternate history - experience that will help with setting things up for this TRO. My biggest ran from 2005 to 2012, with two days of gaming a week. Started in 3049, with nine players taking the role invading Clans and spheroid Houses, and ran until the end of our AU version of the Jihad that left the Inner Sphere almost unrecognizable. My current game follows the players and their mercenary company, Wallen's Vanguards, as they adventure around the Inner Sphere in the 3100's and face an oncoming attack from the resurgent Republic of the Sphere.

Doug Buchanan: Assistant Developer
Unlike Josh and Chris, I was only introduced to BattleTech in 2011. I was hooked after playing an introductory MegaMek game. Then I was introduced to Solaris SkunkWerks and my productivity has never quite recovered. I've since played in or run several MegaMek and AToW campaigns, and introduced a few people to tabletop BattleTech. I got involved in this project as one of the big custom unit nuts in our little community and to promote my obsessive love of light mechs.