Wolf Clan Sourcebook Review

Rating:

Reviewed by:
Steven Rockwell
Wolf Clan Sourcebook
In 1990, FASA introduced the Clans and BattleTech was never the same. Over the next year or so, the only hard evidence that players had came from Technical Readout: 3050, or from scenario packs. Then FASA released the first sourcebook devoted to the Clans. It was a field report on the premier Clan, Wolf. Written from the standpoint of a ComStar internal report from Focht to the Primus, it gives players the first real insight into the Clans, their history, society, and psychology.

The book itself is broken up into sections detailing Clan History as a whole (with a slight Wolf bent). The history of the Invasion from start to the Clan's defeat at Tukayyid is also given, with emphasis on the worlds Clan Wolf had to take. While much of this information is detailed in the history section, a world-by-world breakdown is also given for worlds that fell to the Wolves. The entire Wolf Clan Touman is broken down (at least those units participating in the Invasion) for players from Galaxy down to a single 'Mech. A color plate section that illustrates some of the Clan uniforms is present, followed by the first four new OmniMechs outside of TRO: 3050.

The Good:

This book gives the first account of Clan history. It finally fills in the gap of what happened to General Alexandr Kerensky and the Exodus of the SLDF. It also introduces Nicholas Kerensky and the how's and why's he restructured their society into the Clans we know and love today. The debate between the Wardens and the Crusaders comes to light, and we learn of the true origin of the famed mercenary unit, Wolf's Dragoons (I guess the Vanguard theory was right after all).

This is also the first real introduction for players of Clan tactics and of the various Trials. The trials are broken down and Zellbrigen is explained. The book also gives a very brief explanation of the namesakes of the original twenty Clans. The internal policies of the Clans are explained and the Warden/Crusader debate is given its fair share of attention.

Finally, the artwork in this book is some of the best included in any BattleTech book. Not as cartoon-ish as later art, but with Laubenstein's fluid drawings, the book is for the most part as fun to look at, as it is fun to read.

The Bad:

First of all, this book seems to be more of a general introduction to the Clans as a whole than of Clan Wolf. While this can be explained that this was the first sourcebook devoted to the Clans, it takes away from the spotlight given to the Wolves.

As in the later Jade Falcon sourcebook, all five invading Wolf Galaxies are broken down to point level. While it is nice to see how the various Stars, Trinaries, and Clusters are organized, it seems a little over-specific. Perhaps breaking down a single cluster just for example would have been better than page after page of exploded Clusters. After a while it just gets repetitive. A nice touch though was the thumbnail sketches of some of the more important Wolf Warriors.

The new OmniMechs are nice, but one needs explanation. The Naga is built around the Arrow IV Missile Artillery System. Yet no description of how the Clans employ them are given, other than putting freebirth warriors in them. FASA should have included an explanation of when and how the Clans would use that particular asset once they introduced the Zellbrigen rules.

Conclusion:

Any player who wishes to understand the Clans needs to find a copy of this book. Even though it is long out of date (this book is dated five years before the Refusal War and Clan Wolf's turn to the Crusaders) and the Clans have been better explored in later sourcebooks, this book still represents the earliest view the Inner Sphere had of the Clans. The only real drawback besides the over-explanation of Clan Wolf's Touman is the Clans as a whole attitude as opposed to a Wolf Clan specific style.