ScrapYard Armory

The Turning Points series has come full circle and is bravely delving into BattleTech’s future.  Seeing a Dark Age edition was an unexpected surprise and I am anxious to learn more about what I assume to be a wildly misunderstood era.  It can’t be all industrialMechs and TonkaTrucks running around in the ill fated future of our beloved universe, can it?

Newcomer Patrick Wynn is at the helm for this adventure into the unknown.  Will Liao lift our expectations of the future or will the Dark Age continue to be so aptly named?  Let’s dive in to find out!

Harsh Reality

In an instant the reader is thrust into the clustered and confused aftermath of a battle from within the cockpit of an elite warrior of the Republic.  The enemy?  Gone.   The Objective?  Destroyed.

No tears for lost comrades, just a jumbled collection of thoughts from a mind racing to make sense of the mess.

Harsh Reality is an excellent short intro despite the fact that the main action is long past.  The writing is good and we have our first introduction of the Dark Age and the warriors of the Republic.

Liao

A gorgeous full size atlas is followed by a planetary history section.  I am pleased to find that within two paragraphs, the details go from the origins to the more recent history within the Dark Ages.  This is what we wanted to know more about and I am happy to see the writers dive in early.

Mapsheet tables are provided for those wishing to be true to the terrain features of the planet.  Also included are special terrain rules from Tactical Operations to provide additional spice to the gaming table.

The Liberation of Liao

All of this is par for the course up to now.  Turning the page we find a new one page section which describes in more detail the events covered in this Dark Age Turning Point.  The Liberation takes place around 3134 and involves the Big MAC (McCarron’s Armored Cavalry), student uprisings, ambushes and last stands.  Everything a growing story arc needs.

I’m glad to see this new section.  Every bit of information is welcome, especially when there are no official source books to base our thoughts on yet.  This section almost seems like it deserves to be in an Operational Turning Points book.  I’m very happy to see it under the more affordable Turning Points label.

RAT

Random assignment tables are provided for the Capellans, insurgents, and the Republic.  The tables are very complete and include infantry and vehicles.  I really appreciate the extra time taken to provide these.  It is a joy to see combined arms encouraged in official content.  These lists will make it even easier to make combined arms a reality.  Combined with the newly minted Master Unit List, finding corresponding record sheets will be a breeze.

I find it interesting how prevalent Clan technology is in each side of this particular conflict.  Also, ConstructionTech is alive and well in the Liao Insurgents RAT who have a wide selection of AgroMechs, DemoMechs, and LoaderMechs to choose from when they enter battle.  I am curious to see how these will come into play in the Tracks.

Combatants

The combatants section lists a small bio for all forces who saw action on Liao during the time covered.  Forces include iconic units like MAC as well as the lowly student militia and other insurgent elements.

Each unit has a commander, unit experience (Green through Elite), RAT, unit abilities for use in game, notes that add extra detail to the story, and a logo.  Soup to nuts.  Everything you need to know in a few lines of text.  It is a bit condensed but that’s why we love the Turning Points series.

Best unit ability goes to the Liao Republic Standing Guard.  The double edged sword of long ranged expertise is well implemented and makes for interesting choices and strategy in future games with the unit.  I applaud the mix of unit abilities which are varied and personal.  Each feels right for the unit in question and does not rely on boiler plate elements to fill in the blanks.

Tracks

Dark Age Liao provides nine tracks, well above average for the series.

Throughout the tracks, the plethora of special rules and interesting twists and turns make each track unique.  Even when the objectives are the usual suspects the game setup or the special rules come to the rescue to provide a compelling and interesting group of tracks.

The Crisis of Conscious special rule is seen in more than a couple tracks and instantly provides a depth of play that I find very interesting.  All of a sudden it becomes important to rethink how you attack your enemies.  Winning is not possible if you pursue it at all costs.

At times, the special rules become a tad too special for their own good.  The stampedes of Eridani stallions in Country Clamor will take more than one read through to understand fully and will be hell to track in the middle of a ‘Mech battle.  Never-the-less, I do not want to discourage risk taking when making innovative and interesting game mechanics.  All together, the Dark Age Liao tracks scream fun.

Liao has plenty to offer, from combat dropping troops, reinforcements, artillery, mine fields, defecting forces, wild fires and many more Tactical and Strategic Operations add-ins.  I applaud the excellent inventive take on making each track and would love to see more in the future.  Dark Age Liao stands among the best of the Turning Points series and only fails to top them all when it over reaches at times.  Well worth the price of entry.

Record Sheets

Named characters in custom ‘Mechs and special scenario specific vehicles are generously sprinkled throughout the tracks.  The record sheet section of Liao responds appropriately with eight record sheets to make getting your game on easier than ever.

There are cargo vehicles, command centers, and industrial ‘Mechs to fill specific tracks as well as Dark Age era mods for the Koshi, BlackHawk, Yu Huang, and MadCat III.

The Koshi and BlackHawk fit nicely into the Clan stereotype of big weapons and sparse armor.  The Yu Huang is a beastly assault packing dual Gauss Rifles and ancillary medium range weaponry.  The MadCat III packs dual LRM10 with an ERPPC and 2 medium lasers backed by a targeting computer and an excellent speed profile.

The Bottom Line

Dark Age Turning Point Liao is an excellent addition to the new and currently lonely Dark Age era.  BattleTech may have on it’s hands an accidental antagonist by way of the Republic.  There is little love out there for the bold and brave new world of Delvin Stone.

I believe that the Dark Age will be a polarizing era for fans just as the Clans and the Word of Blake have been before.  For those willing to take a chance on this new and misunderstood era, you will find ample support within these pages.  Maybe it was intentional, maybe not, but Catalyst has produced a barn burner with Dark Age Liao.  Nine tracks, eight record sheets and all the trimming we have come to expect from the Turning Points line.  It seems bigger and bolder than Turning Point PDFs before it.