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ad enough of fighting for king and country? Sick of being told what to

do and who to kill, and hanging your butt out on the line every day just so some career-climbing general can reap the benefits of your hard work? Do you think you can measure up in the big leagues, and carve your name into the history books for all time? Well, bud, now it’s time to put up or shut up, because not everyone is cut out for the rough and tumble life of today’s mercenary! War’s a dangerous business, and for the professional soldier, survival ain’t as simple as coming out of the firefight alive!

Classic BattleTech Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised provides an in depth look at modern mercenary operations, including where to go for the best contracts and most active battlegrounds. Over sixty of the Inner Sphere’s best-known mercenary commands are profiled here including histories, officers, and favorite tactics. Special rules enable you to bring each of these famous outfits to life in your own Classic BattleTech campaigns, while updated rules provide players with detailed instructions for creating and running their own mercenary commands both on and off the field. Compatible with both the Classic BattleTech board game and the Classic BattleTech RPG system, Classic BattleTech Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised lets you finally prove once and for all if you have what it takes to find fame and fortune as a real mercenary!

ad enough of fighting for king and country? Sick of being told what to

do and who to kill, and hanging your butt out on the line every day just so some career-climbing general can reap the benefits of your hard work? Do you think you can measure up in the big leagues, and carve your name into the history books for all time? Well, bud, now it’s time to put up or shut up, because not everyone is cut out for the rough and tumble life of today’s mercenary! War’s a dangerous business, and for the professional soldier, survival ain’t as simple as coming out of the firefight alive!

Classic BattleTech Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised provides an in depth look at modern mercenary operations, including where to go for the best contracts and most active battlegrounds. Over sixty of the Inner Sphere’s best-known mercenary commands are profiled here including histories, officers, and favorite tactics. Special rules enable you to bring each of these famous outfits to life in your own Classic BattleTech campaigns, while updated rules provide players with detailed instructions for creating and running their own mercenary commands both on and off the field. Compatible with both the Classic BattleTech board game and the Classic BattleTech RPG system, Classic BattleTech Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised lets you finally prove once and for all if you have what it takes to find fame and fortune as a real mercenary!

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PARTING SHOTS 5INTRODUCTION 6BOOM YEARS 7

Twilight of the Clans 7War and Rejuvenation 7The FedCom Civil War 8

The Jade Falcon Incursion 9The Capellan Front 9The Chaos Front 9Whispers on the Rim 10

New Times, New Markets 10The MRBC Angle 10

THE MERCENARY’S ATLAS 11Outreach: The Mercenary System 11

The Warrior World 11Mercenary Review and

Bonding Commission 12Mercenary Training on Outreach 13

Solaris VII: Trial by Fire 14The Game World 14Warrior Training 16The Solaris Games 16

Arc-Royal: Mentors and Masters 16Old Connaught 16Clan Wolf (in-Exile) 17The Mercenary Trade on Arc-Royal 17

Fletcher: Off the Record Books 18Royce 18The Mercenary Trade on Fletcher 18

EMPLOYMENT AND CONTRACTS 19Job Markets 19Employers 21

Contracts 23Mission Types 23Contractual Terms and Obligations 26Emergency Powers Clause 28Breach of Contract 28Mercenary Review and

Bonding Commission 29Non-MRBC Enforcement Practices 29

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES 30BattleMech Assets 30

BattleMech Organization 30Aerospace Assets 30

Aerospace Organization 31Armor Assets 31

Armor Organization 31Infantry Assets 32

Infantry Force Organization 32Technical and Medical Support 32Rank Structures and Insignia 33

Uniforms 35Dress Uniforms 35

Medals and Decorations 35The Hound’s Tooth 36The Blue Star 36Legion of Karsskhov 36The Walls of Honor 36The Shield of Valhalla 36

MERCENARY FORCE BRIEFS 37Always Faithful 38The Arcadians 39Avanti’s Angels 40Bannockburn’s Bandits 41Barret’s Fusiliers 42Battle Magic 43The Black Outlaws 44The Blackhearts 45Blue Star Irregulars 46

1894th Light Horse 4721st Rim Worlds 48

Broadsword Legion 49Bronson’s Horde 50Bullard’s Armored Cavalry 51Burr’s Black Cobras 52Caesar’s Cohorts 53Camacho’s Caballeros 54Canopian Highlanders 5521st Centauri Lancers 56Clean Kill 57Crimson Crusaders 5851st Dark Panzer Jaegers 59The Dioscuri 60The Dismal Disinherited 61

First Dismal Disinherited 62Second Dismal Disinherited 63Third Dismal Disinherited 64

The Dragonslayers 65Federated Freemen 66Fighting Intellectuals 67Fist of Mokal 68The Furies 69The Green Machine 70Greenburg’s Godzillas 71Harcourts Destructors 72Harlock’s Warriors 73Hell’s Black Aces 74Hsien Hotheads 75Jacob’s Juggernauts 76Kell Hounds 77

Unit Command Lance 78First Kell Hounds Regiment 79Second Kell Hounds Regiment 80

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FIELD MANUAL: MERCENARIES

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Khorsakhov’s Cossacks 81Killer Bees 82Knights of St. Cameron 83The Krushers 84Langendorf Lancers 85Lethal Injection 86Lindon’s Battalion 87Lone Star Regiment 88Longwood’s Bluecoats 89Markson’s Marauders 90Mobile Fire 91Narhal’s Raiders 92New Avalon Cavaliers 93Olson’s Rangers 94Quint’s Olympian Groundpounders 95Ramilie’s Raiders 96Romanov’s Crusaders 97Rubinsky’s Light Horse 98Screaming Eagles 99Simonson’s Cutthroats 100Smithson’s Chinese Bandits 101Snord’s Irregulars 102Stalwart Support 103Tooth of Ymir 104Vandelay’s Valkyries 105Vanguard Legion 10612th Vegan Rangers 107

Alpha Regiment 108Beta Regiment 109Gamma Regiment 110

Winfield’s Regiment 111Wolf’s Dragoons 112

Alpha Regiment 114Beta Regiment 115Gamma Regiment 116Delta Regiment 117Epsilon Regiment 118Wolf Spider Battalion 119Zeta Battalion 120

CLASSIC BATTLETECH RPG RULES 121Mercenary Affiliation 121Additional Paths 121

Events 121Stage 1: Early Childhood 121

Stage 1: Born Mercenary Brat 121Stage 3: Higher Education 122

Stage 3: Arc-Royal Combat Training Program 122

Stage 4: Real Life 124Tour of Duty: Mercenary 124

RULES 125Unit Composition Tables 125

Assigning 'Mechs 125

Assigning Pilots 125Mercenary Commands 125

Using Hidden Units Rules 127Overlapping Abilities and Advantages 127Banking Initiative 127Forcing the Initiative 127Off-Map Movement 127Overrun Combat 127Equipment Ratings 128

Force-Specific Rules 128CREATING A MERCENARY FORCE 137

Force Creation 137Procedure Outline 137Force Creation Basics 137

Step 1: Create a Leader 139CBT: RPG Commander Generation 139Fast Commander Generation 140

Step 2: Running the Paths 141How the Paths Work 141Stage 1: Choose a Hiring Hall 141Stage 2: Recruiting 142Stage 3: Combat Experience 143

Step 3: Force Identification 144Identifying Capabilities and Assignments 145

Step 4: Determine Payroll, Maintenance Costs and Support Requirements 148Payroll 149Equipment and Personnel Support 149

Step 5: Finishing Touches 151Name 151History 151War Chest 151

RUNNING A MERCENARY FORCE 153Mercenary Rating 153

Finding the Rating 153Contract Offers 155

Number of Offers 156Determining Employer 156The Mission 156

Contract Negotiations 157Employer Contract Terms 157Bargaining System 158Leftover Bargaining Points 167Total Payment 169

Missions 169Advances and Preparations 169Transportation 170The Job 171

Maintenance and Logistics 171Logistics 171Purchasing Supples 171Keeping Fit 176Breakdowns and Medical Care 177

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Force Specialization 178Command Advantages and Disadvantages 178

Mission Failures and Contract Breaches 179Mission Failures 179Contract Breach 179

Debt 180Loans 181“Company Store” 181Repaying Debts 181

WORKSHEETS 182INDEX 186

CREDITSOriginal Field Manual:

MercenariesLoren Coleman

Field Manual: Mercenaries,Revised

Herbert A. Beas II

Additional Writing: Mercenary Force Briefs

Daniel M. BallHerbert A. Beas IIRandall N. BillsLoren ColemanWarner DolesChris HartfordKen’ HornerCamille KleinNick “Gunslinger” MarsalaDavid L. McCullochPaul SjardijnChristoffer “Bones” Trossen

Product DevelopmentHerbert A. Beas II

Development AssistanceRandall N. Bills

Product EditingDiane Piron-Gelman

Special ThanksTo the usual proofchecking crew: Rich Cencarik, Jeff Morgan, David

L. McCulloch, Paul Sjardijn and Øystein Tvedten.To Bones for making all the Worksheets look so good!

Herb Beas would like to thank:To Randall for giving me this first crack at product development;

Loren Coleman for egging me on through it; all my fellow writers (listedabove) for coming up with quality work, relatively on time; the massiveplaytester support apparatus (listed below) for brutally running the rulesthrough their paces; Randall Bills and Bryan Nystul for getting me into(and keeping me into) BattleTech as more than a mere game; the folks atWizKids—particularly Randall Bills, Scott Hungerford, Will Littrell, andJanna Silverstein, for getting me involved on that angle with MechWarrior:Dark Age; Scott “Clutch” Taylor, Raymond Arriasta, Charles Wilson, andTed Wilson, as well as the vast membership and efforts of theCommandos for their hard work and dedication with writing, producingand carrying out the Lawyers, Guns and Money special event.

Peter Smith, Paul Sjardijn and Warner Doles for their enthusiasticsupport; Tribble, Annie, Oscar, Meggie and Merlin—five feline “Herblets”that kept me distracted lest I burn my eyes out during long hours ofwriting; and last, but certainly not least, my wife, Rebecca “Beckie” JBeas, for letting her husband pursue his dream.

PlaytestersJoel Agee, Daniel M. Ball, Ron “Mad Newf” Barter, Dave Baughman,

Andrew Bend, Paul “Blackhorse” Bowman, Robin “Havoc” Brush, Loren“Rumor” Coleman, Benjamin “Hawk” Disher, John Dzieniszewski, DavidFerguson, Bruce Ford, Johnathan Giese, Anthony “Shadhawk” Hardenburgh,Glenn Hopkins, Ken’ Horner, Darryl Hunt, Michael Kehoe, Rod Klatt, CamilleKlein, Michael “Konan” Koning, Peter La Casse, Nick “Gunslinger” Marsala,Buster “Banshee” McCall, David L. McCulloch, Mike Miller, Jeff "Highlander"Morgan, Greg “Mauler” Mueller, Darrell “Flailing Death” Myers, Andrew Norris,Adam “I’m on Sabbatical” Olsen, Amy LA Olsen, Nathaniel Olsen, Tim Piazzi,Martin “Scum” Plut, Robin “Shooter” Powers, Mark Reindl, Rick “Rick Steele”Remer, Alyson Sjardijn, Paul Sjardijn, Chris “Fate's Toy” Snider, JoelSteverson, Lara Harman-Steverson, Brian Stull, Roland “Ruger” Thigpen,Øystein Tvedten, Jason “Panzerfaust 150” Weiser, Scott “Crimson Marauder”Whitmarsh, Jon R. Wooldridge, Andreas Zuber, Steel City MechWarriors: RichCencarik, Rich Darr, Brian Golightly, Ben Rome.

© 2003-2005 WizKids Inc. All Rights Reserved. Classic BattleTech FieldManual: Mercenaries, Revised, Classic BattleTech, BattleTech, ’Mech,BattleMech, Classic BattleTech RPG, AeroTech 2, and WK Games are reg-istered trademarks and/or trademarks of WizKids, Inc. in the United Statesand/or other countries. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without theprior permission in writing of the Copyright Owner, nor be otherwise circulat-ed in any form other than that in which it is published. Printed in the USA.

Version 1.0, February 2005, based on first printing, with additional corrections.

Published by FanPro LLC • 1608 N. Milwaukee • Suite 1005 • Chicago, IL 60647

Find us online:Precentor_martial@classicbattletech.com (e-mail address for any ClassicBattleTech questions)http://www.mwdarkage.com (official MechWarrior: Dark Age web pages)http://www.classicbattletech.com (official Classic BattleTech web pages)http://www.fanpro.com (FanPro web pages)http://www.wizkidsgames.com (WizKids web pages)http://www.studio2publishing (online ordering)

BattleTech Line DeveloperRandall N. Bills

Production StaffArt Direction

Randall N. BillsCover Art

Doug ChaffeeCover Design

Jason VargasLayout

Jason VargasIllustrations

Tom BaxaJoel BiskeJohn BridegroomJeff LaubensteinFred HooperScott JamesChris LewisLarry MacdougallMike NeilsenRoger PetersonLoston Wallace

Color SectionLiz DanforthDave MartinMark ZugFranz Vohwinkel

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FIELD MANUAL: MERCENARIES

The piercing wail of missile alarms preceded the incominghail of high-explosive munitions by only a fraction of a second. Asthe pounding blasts tore even more precious Starshield armoraway from his DRG-5K Grand Dragon, Major Shinto Kubusaka,the 60-ton BattleMech’s most precious component, felt himselfthrown to one side, straining the limits of his five-point harness.Wincing as the pain from a bruised rib lanced through him, heclenched his controls tighter, fighting the inertia of his own motionand the force of almost two dozen warhead explosions. He forcedthe ’Mech to turn left, presenting fresher armor—and the muzzleof a Lord’s Light 2 particle cannon—to his tormentor.

The crosshairs flashed gold and a single pull of his triggersent a stream of man-made lightning into the lighter Cobra,spearing the ’Mech through the chest. Kubusaka allowed himselfa grim smile as fire and smoke poured from the wound. TheCobra stumbled back a bit, its gait impaired by a partially fusedgyro. But the mercenary’s smile died as he caught sight of a bril-liant flash far to his left. He turned in time to see the flamingwreckage of one of his own Victors crashing to the ground, thevictim of two Lyran heavyweights.

“Christ Almighty!” an outraged voice rang out, one Kubusakaimmediately recognized as that of Lieutenant Jonas Deoring.“Command, Support! I lost Heller! Repeat, Heller is down! Noejection! They’re murdering us, here!”

Damn it! Kubusaka cursed inwardly. It wasn’t supposed tobe like this! It was supposed to be a simple objective raid, asmash-and-run, a parting shot between nobles who now had toaccept that the FedCom Civil War was over. Nobody mentionedthat the LAAFers would have fortified the position with almost afull mixed battalion. And now, to make matters worse, his sub-ordinates were starting to panic.

Not good for a first mission. Not good at all.Kubusaka dialed Deoring’s channel even as he worked his

Grand Dragon into a backward march, sending another bolt fromhis PPC after the Lyran Cobra and cursing as the shot missedhigh. This time, the Cobra’s reply came with support from a near-by Falconer. Another brace of missiles rocked his machine, andthe jarring crash of a gauss rifle slug, shattering armor just aboveits left knee, nearly toppled it.

“Support, this is Command,” he barked, grinding his teethas he fought the Dragon’s temptation to fall. “Close ranks andfall back by three hundred. Keep calm, or so help me, I’ll shootyou myself!”

Switching to the tactical command frequency without waitingfor Deoring’s reply, Kubusaka spared only a second to take stockof the situation. In all, a full company of mostly fresh Lyran’Mechs—counting the wounded Cobra—still remained in play,forming a wall of metal that his abbreviated and badly mauledcompany simply could not break. Somewhere beyond them,scattered on the hillside in unrecoverable ruins, lay two of hisCorsair fighters, shot down by a resistance far more determined

than he had anticipated. Just beyond that, the objective—aseries of low buildings supposedly housing supplies of “limitedmilitary value”—remained untouched, protected by a secondcompany of ’Mechs and armor.

Kubusaka’s men were already down by three machines, andthey’d never even come close.

Too much, he decided.“Attention all Intellectuals, this is the Brain,” he snapped.

“DropShip ETA is—” he glanced at the chronometer on his HUD“—three zero minutes and counting. Begin fallback! I say again:Mission is a bust. Alpha Lance, begin fallback to dust-off siteimmediately! Command and Support will cover!”

“Retreat!?” came another voice, respectful yet challenging atthe same time. “Sir, you cannot—!”

“That’s affirmative, Command Two!” Kubusaka shot back;Tae Kwon Kocheke made an excellent exec, but he’d yet to shakethat sense of invulnerability that seemed to infect all youngMechWarriors. “You know the score as well as I.”

The Lyran Falconer, stepping to the fore, opened up with itsPPC and gauss rifle, both of which tore into Kubusaka’s GrandDragon with enough force to shatter or liquefy over a ton and ahalf of armor. Even as he fought the controls to stay upright,Kubusaka could feel the cockpit temperature rising. Red paniclights on his command panel told the full story. Engine breach!Damn it!

“I have him!” Kocheke announced, lighting the sky with crim-son and azure beams of coherent light and a spread of missilesfrom his Thunderbolt’s shoulder launcher.

All of Kocheke’s weapons found the Lyran machine, burningand blasting away armor weakened earlier in the fight, butKubusaka was not sure if a laser or a missile eventually struckthe Falconer’s gauss rifle. The Lyran ’Mech stumbled backwardunder the explosion as ruptured capacitors left its entire rightarm a mangled stump, then crashed to the ground—down, ifonly for the moment.

“Command One, are you alright?”“Affirmative, Command Two,” Kubusaka replied, watching his

heat scale gradually crawl back into the yellow band. “Continuewithdrawal. Mission is a bust.”

This time, the reluctance in Kocheke’s voice was much lessnoticeable. “Copy, Command One. Fall back; I will cover.”

As Kocheke’s voice relayed the withdrawal orders on the tacti-cal channel, Kubusaka nodded—more to himself than his exec—and turned his Grand Dragon back toward landing zone, and theinbound DropShip still invisible even to his BattleMech’s sensors.This mission was over, for better or worse. Now would come thetime to pay the dues and look for more work, even as the foolish-ness of the Civil War sputtered out. Paying dues, making repairs,and burying the dead—those were always hard. As for finding morework, Kubusaka knew that would be no problem at all.

Something would come up.Something always did.

PARTING SHOTS

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Parting ShotsIntroductionBoom YearsTwilight of the ClansWar and RejuvenationThe FedCom Civil WarThe Jade Falcon IncursionThe Capellan FrontThe Chaos FrontWhispers on the Rim

New Times, New MarketsThe MRBC Angle

The Mercenary's AtlasOutreach: The Mercenary SystemThe Warrior WorldMercenary Review and Bonding CommissionMercenary Training on Outreach

Solaris VII: Trial by FireThe Game WorldWarrior TrainingThe Solaris Games

Arc-Royal: Mentors and MastersOld ConnaughtClan Wolf (in-Exile)The Mercenary Trade on Arc-Royal

Fletcher: Off the Record BooksRoyceThe Mercenary Trade on Fletcher

Employment and ContractsJob MarketsEmployersContractsMission TypesContractual Terms and ObligationsEmergency Powers ClauseBreach of ContractMercenary Review and Bonding CommissionNon-MRBC Enforcement Practices

Standard Operating ProceduresBattleMech AssetsBattleMech Organization

Aerospace AssetsAerospace Organization

Armor AssetsArmor Organization

Infantry AssetsInfantry Force Organization

Technical and Medical SupportRank Structures and InsigniaUniformsDress Uniforms

Medals and DecorationsThe Hound's ToothThe Blue StarLegion of KarsskhovThe Walls of HonorThe Shield of Valhalla

Mercenary Force BriefsAlways FaithfulThe ArcadiansAvanti's AngelsBannockburn's BanditsBarrett's FusiliersBattle MagicThe Black OutlawsThe BlackheartsBlue Star Irregulars1894th Light Horse21st Rim Worlds

Broadsword LegionBronson's HordeBullard's Armored CavalryBurr's Black CobrasCaesar's CohortsCamacho's CaballerosCanopian Highlanders21st Centauri LancersClean KillCrimson Crusaders51st Dark Panzer JaegersThe DioscuriThe Dismal DisinheritedFirst Dismal DisinheritedSecond Dismal DisinheritedThird Dismal Disinherited

The DragonslayersFederated FreemenFighting IntellectualsFist of MokalThe FuriesThe Green MachineGreenburg's GodzillasHarcourt's DestructorsHarlock's WarriorsHell's Black AcesHsien HotheadsJacob's JuggernautsKell HoundsUnit Command LanceFirst Kell Hounds RegimentSecond Kell Hounds Regiment

Khorsakov's CossacksKiller BeesKnights of St. CameronThe KrushersLangendorf LancersLethal InjectionLindon's BattalionLone Star RegimentLongwood's BluecoatsMarkson's MaraudersMobile FireNarhal's RaidersNew Avalon CavaliersOlson's RangersQuint's Olympian GroundpoundersRamlie's RaidersRomanov's CrusadersRubinsky's Light HorseScreaming EaglesSimonson's CutthroatsSmithson's Chinese BanditsSnord's IrregularsStalwart SupportTooth of YmirVandelay's ValkyriesVanguard Legion12th Vegan RangersAlpha RegimentBeta RegimentGamma Regiment

Winfield's RegimentWolf's DragoonsAlpha RegimentBeta RegimentGamma RegimentDelta RegimentEpsilon RegimentWolf Spider BattalionZeta Battalion

color insertClassic BattleTech RPG RulesMercenary AffiliationAdditional PathsEvents

Stage 1: Early ChildhoodStage 1: Born Mercenary Brat

Stage 3: Higher EducationStage 3: Arc-Royal Combat Training Program

Stage 4: Real LifeTour of Duty: Mercenary

RulesUnit Composition TablesAssigning 'MechsAssigning Pilots

Mercenary CommandsUsing Hidden Units RulesOverlapping Abilities and AdvantagesBanking InitiativeForcing the InitiativeOff-Map MovementOverrun CombatEquipment Ratings

Force-Specific Rules

Creating a Mercenary ForceForce CreationProcedure OutlineForce Creation Basics

Step 1: Create a LeaderCBT: RPG Character GenerationFast Commander Generation

Step 2: Running the PathsHow the Paths WorkStage 1: Choose a Hiring HallStage 2: RecruitingStage 3: Combat Experience

Step 3: Force IdentificationIdentifying Capabilities and Assignments

Step 4: Determine Payroll, Maintenance Costs and Support RequirementsPayrollEquipment and Personnel Support

Step 5: Finishing TouchesNameHistoryWar Chest

Running a Mercenary ForceMercenary RatingFinding the Rating

Contract OffersNumber of OffersDetermining EmployerThe Mission

Contract NegotiationsEmployer Contract TermsBargaining SystemLeftover Bargaining PointsTotal Payment

MissionsAdvances and PreparationsTransportationThe Job

Maintenance and LogisticsLogisticsPurchasing SuppliesKeeping FitBreakdowns and Medical Care

Force SpecializationCommand Advantages and Disadvantages

Mission Failures and Contract BreachesMission FailuresContract Breach

DebtLoans"Company Store"Repaying Debts

WorksheetsIndex