Warning: The following is not in Thirty-First Century Terms! The feedback results for issue # 11 had a few surprises. None of you feel mildly about the 31st Century-ness of the magazine. There were a lot of 1s and many more 5s. You were in favor: a 4.5 out of a possible 5.0! Those who wanted 20th Century things wanted a letter column, a listing of products for BattleTech which are due, or reviews of new ones, a convention calendar (which we've already begun), and a review of convention games and tournaments (there are just too many. We might occasionally publish a photograph; an optimum-play description could occasionally be used with a scenario that has seen multiple play. Responses?) The product listing and/or reviews are quite possible. Some Reader Comments, with replies Please do an update on the Combat Effiency Factor (Variant) for Star League (2750) Mechs. See page 26. Please do an official Question and Answer Column on rules, etc? We can do an unofficial advice column, but only FASA rulings are official. We'll start next issue. Battle Technology is very informative and important, but my biggest gripe is the delivery status. I'm beginning to think that information would travel quicker under a ComStar interdiction! I'm glad to have an opportunity to respond to this - you certainly aren't the only one to make this sort of comment. Subscribers will always see the issue in the stores before you see them in your mail. The issue ships from the printers to the store distribution channels at the same time it ships to us. On the west coast, we actually receive it a week later than the east coast stores do. Then we enter the most recent changes of address, print up labels, and send it out. On a Fourth Class basis, the US Post Office informs us that it takes 1-6 weeks for delivery. "Sometimes up to 10 weeks". This is opposed to First Class Mail, which takes 2-10 days. For APO and FPO boxes, it then may take up to another 10 weeks. We aren't happy about this delay, but we don't see a way around it. For BattleTechnology # 11, there was an additional problem. We are a small company. The person whose job it is to get the mailing out got a bad case of that 3-week flu, and was out for a while, then working at a diminished capacity. The rest of us were covering other items to do with production, stepping up the production schedule on BattleTechnology, and dealing with the results of various writers and artists who were also slowed down by the flu. The mailing went late. You have our apologies. Canadian subscribers: new subs and renewing subs are going to be processed through The Sentry Box, 2047 34th Ave SW, Calgary Alberta T2T 2C4, eliminating the two-postal system problems and the international mail delay : they do mail sales & back issue sales too. Please do more optional rules: In future issues, we will include rules for fighting in rain/mud, heat modifiers in various terrains, and arctic conditions in general. List A Clear Mailing Address and Procedure for Submission: BattleTechnology, 3833 Lake Shore Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610. Send for writer's guidelines. (With a self-addressed, stamped envelope. If you don't get them within a month, assume they've been lost in the mail and send again. (Mention that there was a mailing problem before.) Always send an SASE with your manuscript. I (Hilary) read everything that comes in. If I see a spot for it right away, or if it is wildly unsuitable, you hear promptly. (within 2 months). If it almost fits, or needs revision, it waits until a letter can go. I can't even pretend that we return unsolicited items promptly; how well would you cope with reading 200+ pieces of mail a week, some of them stories or multiple Mech submissions? Submissions on disk get quicker attention (Macintosh, in Microsoft Word ,or Mac Write We can sometimes translate other systems: query us). If your item looks like it's been printed in something, tell us what and where (anything bigger than a club pass-around newsletter gives us copyright problems). Please include your name and address on the manuscript itselfl! We are swamped with Mech designs, though we want to use as many as we can. DO NOT SEND US ANY MECHS OVER 100 TONS! Please don't send any more variants on the Charger! Artists: pencil just doesn't reproduce in our format. If you wish to integrate art with text, send a separate copy of the art and text, and a sketch showing how you want them to go together. Art which goes off the page will rarely be used. If your story or news item deals with the current 3050 universe, or with an interesting 'Historical' time like the Fourth Succession War, Rasalhague, the Ronin Rebellion, Andurien-Canopian independence, or the Marik Civil War, it will also get an extra-quick reading. If you can't be patient through this - realize that our priorities must go toward solicited material and getting the magazine out save yourself the hassle and submit elsewhere. The bad news is that we aren't the slowest in the business at responding! I am interested in hearing what happened to some of the units profiled in your magazine over the 20 years since the Fourth Succession War. We are doing at least one 'historical' piece on Galt's Grenadiers (issue 15), an update on the First Kathil Uhlans (issue 14), and a brief update on the Kell Hounds (this issue). If people want to let us know other units (We can't get info from Wolf's Dragoons at this time) in which they are interested, we'll get our reporters right on it. For example, the Genyosha? Briefly noted: We cannot return to the old newspaper format; the paper we used then has doubled in price, as well as not being good for art. Interior color photographs will appear very rarely, due once again to economics. As to showing Liao in a more sympathetic light, some pages about the undercover activities of House Fujita have recently come to light; watch for them about issue 15 or 16. As to the painted vs photographic cover controversy; it looks like we'll be alternating. See this issue for our first cover showing a Clans Mech. As to the Mech Force; yes, we're printing standings and some news; we have to strike a balance between the Mech Force members' needs and those of less formal player groups. Census Results BattleTechnology # 11 On a scale of 0= I hate it to 5=Wonderful. We forgot a listing for the Low Gravity rules variant! Most comments were favorable. The Useless Mech3.95, A Soldier's View 4.03, Special Tech Readout: Belfries 3.61, Hiring Hall 3.26 External Stores Article & Sheets 3.87, The Fox Eats Crow 3.51, BattleTechnology News Service 4.17 Tech Readout: Titan 4.62, Repair Bay 3.68, Tech Readout: Malleus 3.62, Blueprint: Malleus 3.55 Scenario: First Strike 3.49, Scenario: Legion of Vega 3.67, Scenario: Deep Six 3.53 MechWarrior Scenario: Open Fire! 2.97 Thornhill Arms 3.37, More Than Warriors: The Dragons They do it for Honor 3.24 The Cover 4.74, Interior Photographs 3.78, Interior Artwork 3.82, This census itself 4.24 On a Scale of 1-5, you'd like to see more or less of the following: Single Combat Scenarios 4.26, Lance-to-Lance Scenarios 3.92, BattleTroops Scenarios 2.95 AeroTech Scenarios 3.16, CityTech Scenarios 3.68, MechWarrior Scenarios 3.2 (the last census gave MechWarnor a 4..2, so we didn't cancel the large scenario this issue. We'll wait to see what you think of that one.) 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