ScrapYard Armory

While I may not be there in person this year, my gaming heart is in Indianapolis.  The ScrapYardArmory has two roving reporters snapping photos and taking notes to make sure BattleTech fans from near and far are kept in the loop.

The Line Starts Where?!

The lines for Will Call were very long.  The GenCon staff seemed overwhelmed as it took attendees several hours to pick up their badges.  This got so bad that some stalwart fans were forced to miss their first games.  Other sources have suggested that the GenCon powers that be are hoping for/expecting a record attendance this year.  They may very well be getting their wish.

For those of you lucky enough to be at Indy for the festivities remember to keep your badge near and dear.  The GenCon staff are rather draconian when it comes to enforcing their badge policies.  If you lose your badge, you need to buy a whole new entry.

Catalyst Game Labs

Several major product releases made the trip to Indy and were available for purchase at the Catalyst booth.

• Wars of Reaving
• Historical Reunification War
• Era Report 3062
• HexPack Cities and Roads
• BattleTech Dice

The BattleTech Dice are available in several colors and feature a BattleMaster profile on the 6.  These are a prototype run that may be expanded to feature faction logos.  There are no promises as always.

Of particular note is the heft of the Wars of Reaving sourcebook.  This item is Randall worthy in it’s size and ability to do physical harm when thrown.  I can’t wait for the print product to make it to store shelves!

Iron Wind Metals

The team representing Iron Wind Metals brought their “A” game to GenCon this year.  There was a wealth of new product on display including the Bounty Hunter packs.  The “A Time of War” scale Nighthawk BattleArmor will be a welcome addition to many tabletops.  Finally there is something reasonable to go up against the 28mm Clan Elemental!

BattleTech Games

BattleTech games were packed in the early sessions and into the night.  From the arenas of Solaris 7 to the training sessions in the Boot Camp there were plenty of ‘Mechs getting bashed together to the delight of convention goers.

In Solaris 7 there was a fantastic shake-up when a janitor suited up in a BlackHawk to stir the pot!   After a few frightening volleys, the players at the table wised up and began to team up to put an end to the wayward janitor.  No mop-jockey was going to steal the show in this arena!

Leviathans

The rumors are confirmed, the Leviathans Box set missed GenCon due to failed promise from a foreign printer.  Randall Bills had tweeted about a printer snafu prior to GenCon and now we know what product was the victim.  That said, there was plenty of Leviathans goodness to be seen.  Demos were running full tilt and the big ships were drawing quite a crowd.  Too bad the box set missed, it would have been an epic unveiling.

The Camo Spec Diorama

The diorama this year features a pivotal moment in the Wars of Reaving.  The Kerensky Blood Chapel stands protected by Clan Wolf as a horde of attackers advance to claim the founder’s legacy.  More pictures cause I know you love em…

Other News

Outrider Hobbies has unveiled a custom BattleTech themed miniature bag.  The final product will be available this fall.  The bag will have the following trays:

• Three 1 inch trays for vehicles
• Three 1.5 inch trays for large vehicles
• Four 2 inch trays for ‘Mechs
• Logo Patch, one of the following
• Clan Wolf
• Clan Jade Falcon
• Davion
• Kurita
• Comstar

Bryan Wade from Outrider Hobbies contacted the ScrapYard shortly after this post went live and graciously provided the following images.  Thank you Bryan and Outrider Hobbies!

 BattleTech PodCasting GenCon

Keep your eye on Arbitration Studios for podcasts as the convention continues!

Photography provided by JPArbiter and nckestrel.