Rating:    Reviewed by:  David "MacAttack" McCulloch

Mercenary's Handbook FASA 1987 ISBN 1-55560-027-1 The Product: War in the BattleTech universe for the "Private Solder" gets a detailed examination in the Mercenaries Handbook. An overview of the life of a Merc details the kind of work they may become involved in, the pay, the risks and details about the employer (who can be more dangerous to you than the enemy). Rules for contract negotiations, creating and running a Mercenary unit, as well as resolving the assignment are presented. The book also details three Mercenary units from across the quality spectrum, with the Elite Eridani Light Horse, the mediocre Waco's Rangers and scum-bucket Willson's Hussars. The Good: The book is well laid out in a logical order that helps when searching for specific details. The writing is effective at setting the tone for life as a Mercenary. A very nice touch is the inclusion of Mercenary unit insignia at the header of each page in full color. Not every unit is covered (and others have been added as the universe developed), but there is an interesting mix, including the 17th recon Battalion, who remained undeveloped until the books detailing their more recent exploits were published. Color images are use much more than in previous publications and is very effective. The Bad: It would have been nice to have a summary of all the tables and unit creation/management rules in one place at the back of the book. The binding is rather poor, with just about every example I have seen parting company with pages after only minor use. The pages-upon-pages of the Eridani Light Horse TOE is not really very useful. The format adopted in later publications where a summary of a unit at Company or Battalion level would have been more welcome so that other content could have been included.   Continuity: No errors in continuity stand out in this product, although the later books about the 17th Recon becomes a Regiment in later years, although the novels give the impression that the unit was formed sometime after the 4th Succession War, but never explicitly says so. Conclusion: Overall this is a nice product, especially with the attractive application of color. The rules for running a Mercenary unit, while not perfect, did fill a hole that needed to be filled, especially with the early emphasis on Merc units in the early game. Three Timber Wolfs for this one (three and a half if you especially like one of the three featured units). The Story Continues: Just as the Mercenary's Handbook was produced to support MechWarrior, a new edition was produced for MechWarrior (2nd Edition). The story of the Eridani Light Horse is continued in various publications, including the ComStar Field Manual. The "Waco" Rangers were all but written out of the BattleTech universe following the battle of Coventry. Whether this was to stop annoying questions at conventions by people who wanted a Rangers sourcebook because they though they were "cool", or just because they were a "pet" unit of one of the BattleTech Developers who has since departed (a common fate for "pet" units - just look at the Blackthorns) is unknown. Wilson's Hussars still cling onto existence, and made an appearance in the Mercenaries Field Manual, along with shattered remains of Waco's Rangers.