Rating:    Reviewed by:  Terren Bruce

Explorer Corps The Explorer Corps sourcebook deals with the...hmm...it's kinda obvious what it deals with now isn't it?  Just in case you don't know what the Explorer Corps is though, they are a division of Comstar which explores the deep Periphery looking for the Clan Homeworlds and expanding humanities knowledge of deep space.  This sourcebook is useful for BattleTech, MechWarrior, and BattleSpace players.  It's rare to find a BattleTech book that has a significant amount of material for players of all three games, yet this sourcebook manages to cover all of them rather well.  It's also great to pick up just to get more info on space travel in the BattleTech setting. Adventures beyond the Frontier... The book kicks off with an overview and background on the Explorer Corps.  Here you'll find out all about Primus Adrienne Sims horrific nightmares concerning the future, the Outbound Light Project, the Draconis Combine's aid to the Corps, and the search for the Clan Homeworlds.  A large section describing the modern Explorer Corps is next and gives you an in-depth look at life in the Explorer Corps, including a notable personality section with Comstar and DCMS personal who are most likely to affect the Corps in the near future.  This gives you all the basic info needed to role-play a member of the Corps or a mercenary who is working for them.  You'll learn how they operate, what equipment they have available, and lot's of other useful stuff, including a map of a Corps planetary base.  One of the more important sections for the role-players out there is the large one entitled: Life in Space.  Everything you've ever wanted to know about space travel in the BattleTech setting is in this section.  Even if you don't use the Corps in your adventures, this is still a book worth getting for when you have an adventure take place in any spacecraft.  It even includes basic deck plans for a Dropship and a Jumpship.  Now that you're ready to go adventuring, it's time to find out who else is out there in the Periphery with you.  Denizens of the Deep Periphery gives you a map of the Periphery (coreward sector) and details who's out there and describes everything you need to know about them.  From the Clans to the Hanseatic League, there's more coreward of the Inner Sphere than you'd expect!  This section also has some interesting conversations within the ranks of Wolf Dragoons, as they discuss how close and sometimes how wrong Comstar is about what's out there.  Finally, there's a huge section devoted to game related material.  All three games get special Periphery related rules and add-ons.  Everything from an expanded movement table for BattleTech, new character types for MechWarrior, and advanced rules for BattleSpace, are covered, along with how much the Corps pays and new vehicles and warships.  That's just the tip of the iceberg for game related add-ons.  There's plenty more where those came from!  Another thing worth mentioning is the mercenary contracts, different jobs mercs can take in the coreward section of the Periphery, both what the mercs know, and what's really going on (for the gamesmaster).  Final Thoughts... If you're a Mechwarrior or BattleSpace player, pick this book up immediately.  There's too much good stuff here to miss out on.  Both game related stuff and background, what more can you ask for?  This book is almost as useful for BattleTech players, especially if you're going to be in the coreward Periphery.