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This is a collection of links that have 2 things in common:
A) they are important to me, personally.
B) in their selection, they are an hommage to the history of BattleTech in its early years on the net. Some of these will be all but defunct. Yet, as long as they are still up there, I will point to them, as a reminder of past glory.
Mordel�s Bar and Grill � this page, however, is still under constant maintenance. �Still�, because it has been around since the early/mid-90s!! True, this is the 3rd or 4th incarnation, but it still presents continuity to the earliest days. It was here that I was first introduced to the online community of all things BattleTech.
It is also one heck of a well-rounded site. There is that great forum, the heart of the site since the beginning. The link list is huge. And there is a great TRO-resource on hand, with a truly unique feature: it allows all users to post a personal review to any given canon design!
CBTList � formerly MechList. This is a very old project which allows an overview of all published designs. It includes rarities such as a list of MechForce designs, and even a collection of magazines � which should tell you why it is so important to me. Also attached is TRO: Legends, a reconstruction of old designs that have been lost to the ages. Despite the fact that it makes my little site almost redundant � or maybe because of it: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
MechForce Germany � while the website is well-maintained and usually reasonably up to date, the organisation is a relict in concept. Not that this is a bad thing. I definitely enjoy being a member of the world's last remaining official BT fanclub. Careful, though, the site is in Kraut-Speak. Lots of the files are in English, though.
Classic BattleTech - ComStar to this or any other place, if you will. Home of TPTB, shaper of the universe, in short: the company that publishes BattleTech!
Gunheds-Siebengebirge - another German site. It is only a little site, but one that caused an instant geek-out: once the visitor is greeted by the model of the BattleDroid BattleAx, he quickly realises that this site is all about LosTech. It features the modelling aspect (as well as stats for most BattleDroids) - the proprietor of the site has already cast a House Liao Book Cataphract and a BattleTechnology Osprey and Guardian!
Earl Geier - anyone who played BattleTech in the 90s will be immersed in the art of Earl Geier. He contributed greatly to source- and scenario-books. This is his no-frills photobucket site that is filled to the brim with his wonderful art!
RetroTech � well, really BattleTech Bay #216. This is an old site by Rocquefort �Rocky� O�Leary, who was one of the original co-contributors to the MechList. It was he who was responsible for keeping a vehicle and AeroSpace list running concurrently. This is actually a new site, �RetroTech� was the old 90s site, but the �new� site has itself not been touched since 2002. A noble relict!
The Pirate Jump Point � definitely a defunct site, this is the BattleTech collection of Mordel-stalwart Vampire. And what a great reminder of the old Mordellian community it is, with snippets saved from off the old, old, OLD boards!
The Hall of Khans - not updated since The Twilight of the Clans (yes, that was the reason, I know from first hand), this had become one of the most promsing fan sites in the early 00s. To lose the great Mordellian Carlos to the in-universe defection of his beloved Nova Cats was a crying shame.
Inner Sphere News - once a great site that followed any news about the BattleTech game from an OOC perspective. Now still a must-see simply for its review section of most of the early game materials. Really early, that is - hence definitely qualifying for inclusion on this page!
David Low's BattleTech Page - this is almost a postscript. But here is the page by the guy who started the whole MechList project. The internet is awesome! This hasn't been updated in almost 13 years, yet here we still get a glimpse into the ancient activities of a great mind of the fan community.
BattleTechnology � possibly the greatest BattleTech magazine of all time! 21 regular and 2 special issues filled to the brim with in-character content. The founder/editor of the first 6 issues was none other than William H. Keith Jr. himself!
Though the magazine became defunct in the mid-90s, the publisher still exists. Thus, this is the official site � you can even still order most of the issues, something that I highly recommend.
StarDate � but BattleTechnology was not the first. FASA had its own in-house magazine from the early 80s onward. Volume 3, 1987-88, had a very heavy BattleTech content. The Flea, Longbow and, yes, Pillager BattleMechs had its origins in that publication. The only place which I have found that has any info about the magazine�s publication history was the StarTrek Wiki.
Dave Fanjoy's Mech Gallery - I've been a fan of Dave's miniature work forever. This is a great resource for any info about 'Mech figures you may be interested in.
Hampton Games Club � and now for something completely different: this is the page of my good, old friend from school, Hoodling. Back at the inception of the site, BattleTech had also been a "Game we play". The Club itself is purely GW-oriented these days. It is included here because, well, it represents a real-world home of sorts. And, between you and I, should you ever be stranded in Melbourne on a weekend and feel like playing a game, give Hoodling a shout and tell him to bring his BattleTech stuff along!
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