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[2009JULY18/1934HOURS]
Although we've been on hiatus indefinitely, work continues, especially with the new MechWarrior game set to come out from Piranha Games and Smith and Tinker sometime this year or next, which promises to reset the entire universe and, perhaps, we'll see more of the original BattleTech universe soon.  This update is simply meant to display that work is still going on with regard to this Field Manual and, hopefully, we'll be able to see some real progress, soon.  I don't know if any of you are interested in helping to bring this book to fruition, but if you are, please feel free to send contact email with what you desire to do, and I'll likely put you to work quickly.

Thank you.  More to come, soon.

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[2009JANUARY21/0001HOURS]
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As you might be able to guess, I was going very strong on the Field Manual and then, bam, North Dakota cut my children loose to me two weeks early, just as I was pushing to finish writing the last three chapters.  I got the opening story and most of the Armageddon Unlimited Plans chapters done while I was in Wisconsin training for the new Army system, but then the boys came home two weeks early.

I've been through absolute hell trying to get done in a few weeks what most parents get months or years to finish.  Anyway, the Field Manual is on hold, indefinitely, until I find a way to have time to work on it, again.  As I was laid off almost two weeks ago, now, you would have thought I would have time, right? Wrong.

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[2008OCTOBER12/1300HOURS]
As many of you know, I just spent two weeks in Wisconsin performing job training.  My friend, Mark, allowed me to borrow his laptop while there and, believe it or not, I completed quite a lot on the Field Manual.  If you click on the picture, below, you'll be able to see the full measure of what was completed, as compared to the chart toward the bottom of this page, one of the original entries.  Here's the present problem... there is a deadline to be met by those who've chosen to be editors and fact checkers, and it's not being met.  I'd hoped to have editing for Chapter 1 - Introduction completed by September 15th, Chapter 2 - Wolf's Cavaliers completed by October 6th, and I'm still hoping for Chapter 3 - Equal Opportunity Destroyers to be completed by October 20th.  Deadlines are not easy to meet when you have a real life, so I will keep my deadlines to myself, and I will begin again with editing Chapter 1 as soon as I'm done writing Chapter 5 - Armageddon Unlimited.

Now for the chart.  All relevant detailed statistics are contained within the PDF file you'll open if you click on the image immediately below, though I will tell you that my work alone over this past two weeks has taken us from 52.6% to 60.9%, which is a significant leap.

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[2008SEPTEMBER16/0001HOURS]
The phrase, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again" seems to hold up under the scrutiny I've just put it through.  In sending out a second email to 93 of my friends, former members of Armageddon Unlimited, and/or those I felt would have a distinct interest in this field manual, all individually this time, rather than grouped, it appears that we have received far more responses than before.  Thank you to all of you who have.  I may be preparing, as soon as the end of this week, to open up Chapter 2 - Wolf's Cavaliers, though the level of continuing interest will determine the success of any announcement on this page.

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[2008SEPTEMBER15/0001HOURS]
The response to the massive number of emails I sent out, individually and en masse, has been extraordinarily under-whelming.  That's too bad, because I was hoping there would be a lot more interest than has been shown.  Despite this unfortunate fact, I am continuing the work on getting the AU Field Manual ready for publication; it will be a work to the envy of those who have enjoyed such elements as Wolf's Dragoons and the Northwind Highlanders in the past.

For those who continue with this project, thank you, and I have moved even deeper into completing the chapter named Armageddon Unlimited, which is the final historical chapter of the Field Manual.  My intent is to have it completed by the end of September, one month past when I desired to have it completed, though I will say that quality -if I may be so bold as to use that word- takes time.

For anyone working on this Manual with me, please continue to drive on.  Any input you shoot my way is invaluable and appreciated, and I thank you ahead of time.  Continuing orders are simple: once you finish reading, editing, and/or fact-checking a chapter, please send your notes -separated into an email or Word document- to me and I will immediately begin to make changes.  Once I finish writing the AU chapter, I will both begin writing the AU in the Present chapter and editing from the Introduction Story.

I think that's it, for now.  Any further questions may, of course, be directed to me at the top of this page.

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[2008SEPTEMBER01/1200HOURS]
GOOD MORNING, MY FRIENDS!
For those of you who've decided to assist in completing this Field Manual for our old Classic BattleTech/ MechWarrior on-line mercenary unit, thank you for the work you will do.  Again, unless Catalyst and I are able to negotiate a contract for this book, there is no pay involved, and so it is a labor of love.  If they do decide to pick it up, I make no guarantees about what may be due you for the work you do; at any rate, only writer and artist associates are to be paid, at this point, and anything you or I write, draw, or compile, according to Copyright, Trademark, and Franchise law, to the best of my knowledge, FASA Corporation -not defunct- and, by extension, Catalyst Game Labs, own the material, anyway, at least the specific concepts.

Onto the first Chapter, 1 - Introduction.  This is a short chapter, only 7 pages, so the deadline for this one is Monday, September 15th.  The rules are simple

1. On request, I will send you a PDF version of the chapter.  To request, simply click one of the job links, below,
   
   
2. You read the chapter and, in a separate file you can email to me -my recommendation is that you use copy and paste from a Word or Notepad file into email- list the problems you see, which may consist of spelling, sentence structure, or syntax errors, image or textbox placement, problems with words not being italicized, and anything else you might want to discuss which you believe is possibly wrong, along with the page number and paragraph, and...
   
   
3. I'll go through and fix it if it needs fixed, and let you know when I've done so, made any changes, or why I didn't, etc.

JOBS
Following are the jobs required to finish this project.  Please click the link for the job and it should automatically open an email that fills in the subject line, at least...

ASSOCIATE EDITORS(Mark D., Luiza C., Paul E.): The job of the Associate Editor is to find my mistakes and, in a separate file, record the page and paragraph where the mistake, or potential mistake, is and the correction to be performed.

ASSOCIATE ARTIST(S): Below is a listing of the artwork that is yet to be done for Chapter 1 - Introduction of the AU Field Manual...

• Random 'Mech and personnel images, perhaps a subdued Inner Sphere Historical Society or Intergalactic Society of Heraldry symbol -not constructed, yet-, or both somewhere in the backgrounds of the pages, spread throughout the chapter, with some images in-line and other images in text boxes behind text.
  These images are unnecessary to Chapter completion, though it would be nice to have some filler art, up to five images.

I will be announcing Chapter two sometime within the next three weeks.

---

[2008AUGUST30/0001HOURS]
There has been little progress on the 5 - Armageddon Unlimited chapter since August 1st due to legal troubles fighting for my children, to get them from North Dakota and back to Colorado.  Long story short, my two-year struggle with ND seems to be over, my sons will be home before Christmas, so I am told.  A war that has now lasted for the past seven years, total, appears to be over, and the good guys have, once again, prevailed.  That being said, my work will continue this weekend.  After a very brief respite tomorrow to spend what could be the last outing with my best friends before the boys come home and we get busy living, I will chain myself to my desk Sunday and Monday (Labor Day) to work and write.  My intent is to finish the chapter before editing and fact-checking is finished with chapter 4 - Shadow Blade in late December, though preferably I will have it finished by the middle of October instead.

---

[2008AUGUST25/0900HOURS]
Some of you have journeyed with me, during our collective gaming careers, in the universe of BattleTech, whether on-line (1998-2004) or on the field of honor across the tabletop from one another (1985-Present).  We've had our good times, our bad times, and we've made something of history together, whether or not you know it, yet.  Hopefully, if you decide to continue this experience with me in the preparation of this Field Manual for release, that history will become known to many.

PURPOSE: The ideal of this project, the Armageddon Unlimited Field Manual, is three-fold:

1. To carry the history of this unit, even history you may not have known from the beginning, to those who love BattleTech and MechWarrior, and seek to soak up as much knowledge as possible,
   
   
2. So that Armageddon Unlimited and, by extension, its' predecessor iterations and those of us who've participated in the unit, whether on the tabletop or on the internet, will become BattleTech canon,
   
   
3. So that, in case Smith & Tinker has a MMORPG for BattleTech in the works -and this idea is not as far-fetched as many of you may believe- that we may ride again, as a canon unit within the BattleTech universe -under the various iterations this unit has participated as-, in the MMORPG.

That's it!

REALITY: However, there is some realism that needs to be expressed here:

1. Catalyst Game Labs, the new owners of the Classic BattleTech (CBT) paper/tabletop game franchise, headed by Loren Coleman, may not pick up this book at all.  If it is the case that it is simply not within their budget to pick it up and publish it...
   
   
2. I will ask permission and endorsement from them, FASA, WizKids, and whomever else may be involved, to put it together myself, as a PDF file, for sale on the internet in places such as DriveThruRPG and the like, and if not for sale if they will still endorse it and allow me to give away copies in PDF format.  The primary goal of this Field Manual is to have Armageddon Unlimited made canon in the BattleTech universe, so although money would be nice to have, it's unnecessary if we can be made canon.  Finally...
   
   
3. If I cannot get permission even for that, however, I'll put it together myself and give it away to those who ask.  We will not, in this case, become a canon unit in the BattleTech universe, but our story will proliferate.

YOUR ROLE: Yes, I need your help to make this a reality.  Even if you don't know a great deal about the BattleTech universe you can help out with general editing and recommendations for improvements.  The version of the manual you will see and be able to comment on is the PDF version, completed in the style I feel it should be done; this is done to get final suggestions for layout, as well, though primarily to get an idea of how you feel about it.  If you're a writer or artist, you are welcome to contribute as well.

JOBS: Each of the following jobs will be listed as they are needed for each Chapter.

1. Associate Editors: Each Chapter will have up to two additional editors -I am one of the primary editors as I've written what is there, and then re-read it multiple times to make sure I didn't miss anything- and each will have a 33% say in how each Chapter is written.  Since there are to be a potential of 14 Chapters to edit, this means we'll need 28 people; no, you are not restricted to one Chapter, but your credentials in English and its various pursuits need to be pretty good.  The only real requirements for this job are the ability to spell almost flawlessly and, if you're pointing out why something should be changed it must NOT be because your spell checker told you so.  Some things written are that way on purpose, normally because they're a proper name.  Any and all BattleTech specific nuances, such as what names/descriptions should be in italics, or bold, or underline, are to be pointed out by the editors.  Editors will be on a deadline, and that deadline will be listed with the Chapter.  There is no pay for these positions, only the hope of recognition in the Field Manual Credits and, perhaps -depending on whether you're happy giving out your real world address or not- an AU unit patch to put on your favorite BattleTech jacket or ball cap.
   
   
2. Associate History and Fact Checkers: Five of the Chapters will need historical fact-checking from the sourcebooks of the BattleTech and Classic BattleTech universe.  Each Chapter will have up to two additional fact-checkers -I am one of the primary fact-checkers as I've researched and written what is there- and each will have a 33% say in how the facts of each Chapter are portrayed.  This means we'll need 10 people; no, you are not restricted to one Chapter, but you really do need to be a BattleTech guru to get this right.  The requisites for this job are the ability to locate and double- check/fact-check what's been written about events, units, people, etc., of the BattleTech universe.  If you point out that one of the 'facts' I've written into the Field Manual is wrong, I need the name of the source, the page and paragraph, not just "I think".  "I think"s will get ignored, even just using that phrase in a sentence with the proper facts in it.  Fact-checkers will be on a deadline, and that deadline will be listed with the Chapter.  There is no pay for these positions, only the hope of recognition in the Field Manual Credits and an AU unit patch if you trust me with your real-world address.
   
   
3. Associate Writers: There MAY be positions opened up that will allow you to express your talent as a writer.  Further information will be accounted for with each Chapter.  Any stories written MAY be paid, if Catalyst games picks up the Field Manual for publication -whether that is through contract with them or me will be determined later- though the pay is not likely to be much.  When it is published, your name will be in the Credits and you will be able to point potential employers and scouts in the direction of the Field Manual to see your work.  If this remains unpaid, again there's always the unit patch if you want one.
   
   
4. Associate Bio Authors: Each former member of AU will be asked if they wish to write an extended bio for their original character, which will go into the Current Events Chapter of the Manual.  This is not a paid position, though again your name goes in the Credits and you can obtain a unit patch.
   
   
5. Associate Artists: There are images that should be done, though they are unnecessary to the release of the manual, where you can express your talent as an artist.  Even if you do work for the Field Manual, it may NOT be accepted automatically.  Further information will be accounted for with each Chapter.  Any art placed in the Field Manual MAY be paid, if Catalyst games picks up the Field Manual for publication -whether that is through contract with them or me will be determined later- though the pay is not likely to be much.  When it is published, your name will be in the Credits and you will be able to point potential employers and scouts in the direction of the Field Manual to see your work.  If this remains unpaid, again there's always the unit patch if you want one.
   
   
6. OTHER: Other positions may become available as needed.

All work done for the Field Manual will become the property of Paul Emerson dba Armageddon Unlimited Field Manual and Sharp Fang Books and, if Catalyst Game Labs picks up the Field Manual, rights will automatically transfer to them as they have license from FASA Corporation to continue working within the BattleTech universe.  All that I have explained on this page thus far is considered a word of mouth agreement between myself, Paul Emerson, and you -insert your name- and is non-legally binding.  The BattleTech universe and everything involving it, including my own concepts, art, writing, etc., belongs to FASA Corporation who have licensed the Intellectual Properties to WizKids, Fantasy Productions, Catalyst Game Labs, and Microsoft through FASA Studios and, now, to Smith and Tinker, as well; if they choose to pay for the work we've committed to, then it will be nice for some of us, but they are not, by law, required to.  If the Field Manual is published at all, it will be nice for those of us who've contributed time and effort to see it completed.

That's it, in a nutshell!  If you're interested in participating in this project, and I hope quite a few of you will be, then please email me at the_wolf@wolvesau.net and tell me what you think you would be best at, and why?  There's a LOT of work to be done, though I hope to do it in relatively well-paced chunks.  Thank you if you've read this far.

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[2008AUGUST25/1000HOURS]
Following is the completion table, which represents what's been completed so far.  Following the table image, which you may also download as a PDF file, are Column Definitions and a brief Completion Inventory.