JUMP BACK INTO THE COCKPIT! Picking up the battle standard for BattleTech fiction, Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine continues the tradition of hard-hitting stories set in the war-torn interstellar future of the 31st century and beyond. Fire up your ’Mech’s fusion reactor, secure your neurohelmet, and wade into battle with stories from the merciless front lines of the Clan Invasion and other eras, conspiracy theory articles, game scenarios, and more from veteran BattleTech authors, fan favorites, and some new recruits. Featuring: Michael A. Stackpole • Blaine Lee Pardoe Kevin Killiany • Craig A. Reed, Jr. • Chris Hussey Jason Hansa • Lance Scarinci • Michael J. Ciaravella Patrick Wynne • Aaron Cahall

THE WAR RAGES ON! Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine returns with more explosive BattleMech action from the 31st century! Experience tales of hard-won survival from the gaming world of Solaris VII, the wilds of the Deep Periphery, and the annals of Clan history. Dive deep into in-depth technology articles, technical readouts, conspiracy theories, war-game and role-playing adventures, and more—all from veteran BattleTech authors, fan favorites, and our latest enlistees: Michael A. Stackpole • Jason Schmetzer Michael J. Ciaravella • Travis Heermann Alan Brundage • James Simakas John-David Karnitz • Aaron Cahall Matthew Cross • Daniel Isberner Alex Kaempen • Tom Stanley • Chris Wheeler

The ambitious First Lord of the resurrected Star League launches a campaign to rebuild the ancient Capellan Confederation. With his sights set on expanding his borders through the reclamation of the St. Ives Compact, he is brought into direct conflict with his own family. Supported by the ferocious Hustang Warriors, the threat poses a danger to all who would oppose the First Lord's rule. With military units divided in their loyalties, the question remains: Who is willing to pay the higher price in blood?

ALL OR NOTHING... On 1 May 3052, twenty-five Galaxies from seven Clans clashed with twelve armies of ComStar’s Com Guards on the pastoral planet of Tukayyid. For twenty-one days, one of the largest campaigns in BattleMech warfare unfolded to decide the fate of the Inner Sphere. The Battle of Tukayyid is one of BattleTech’s most pivotal conflicts. Now, explore this crucial campaign through eight different points of view—from the enigmatic ComStar, whose relatively untested forces are the Inner Sphere’s last defense against the seemingly unstoppable Clans, to each Clan, as their leaders and MechWarriors attempt to achieve victory on their own terms. The fate of the Inner Sphere hangs in the balance…and it all comes down to one planet… Featuring stories by: Jason Schmetzer Michael J. Ciaravella Randall N. Bills Blaine Lee Pardoe Steven Mohan, Jr. Bryan Young Chris Hussey Joel Steverson

Strap into the Cockpit! Proudly carrying the battle standard for BattleTech short fiction, the first year of Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine continues the tradition of explosive, hard-hitting stories set in the war-torn, BattleMech-dominated interstellar future of the 31st century. In this collection of issues #1–4, you will attempt to escape from a bandit king’s stronghold, ally with longtime enemies on the front lines of the swift and merciless Clan invasion, and fight brutal arena duels on the game world of Solaris VII. You will defend your home in the Deep Periphery from opportunistic invaders, share tales of victory and woe at a popular MechWarrior bar, and discover a long-abandoned ’Mech that helps build an idealistic young woman’s sense of purpose. Then go beyond the story and forge your own legend with in-universe articles, conspiracy theories, technical readouts, unit and planet digests, playable scenarios, role-playing adventures, weapons catalogs, social commentaries, and much, much more! This collection also includes the entire four-part Kell Hounds serial novel, If Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot… by New York Times-bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole. Tighten your safety harness, thumb off your weapon safeties, and march into battle to see where it all began, with heart-wrenching stories and powerful game features penned by long-time BattleTech luminaries and exciting new authors. Note: this is the same file that all Kickstarter Mercenaries backers have already received. If you backed the campaign at any level, you have already received this file as part of your pledge.

Trained to be the Inner Sphere's finest warrior, Prince Victor-Steiner Davion has only known one enemy in battle: the Clans. A year earlier he had led a massive counter-strike against the Smoke Jaguar Clan, pursuing them all the way to their homeworld. He then faced all of the Clans in one last battle for supremacy. But for a man of war like Prince Victor, can there ever be peace? When he returns home he finds the Inner Sphere in tatters, with a new order in power, leaving him a hero without a home.

CONTINUING THE FIGHT... Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine charges toward victory on the war-ravaged, BattleMech-dominated battlefields of 31st century! In these tales, a Republic of the Sphere operative undertakes a personal quest to track down a missing family member, a small, untested mercenary command faces off against vicious pirate raiders, an aging soldier strives to protect an idyllic village on a forgotten world, and Colonel Wayne Waco seeks to exact his revenge against the legendary commander of Wolf’s Dragoons. Configure your target-interlock circuits and hold the line with technical readouts, conspiracy theories, in-depth equipment and tactics articles, a planetary digest, and a glimpse into the future of the new ilClan era—all from BattleTech veterans and new authors: Michael A. Stackpole Tom Leveen Lance Scarinci Bryan Young Matt Alexander Craig A. Reed, Jr. Paul Sjardijn Aaron Cahall Michael J. Ciaravella Johannes Heidler Chris Hussey Daniel Isberner Mike Miller Eric Salzman Joel Steverson

HEROES OF ALL STRIPES Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine celebrates bravery in all its forms on the triumphant, BattleMech-dominated battlefields of 31st century and beyond! Witness the birth of a new mercenary command in the late Third Succession War, follow a combat medic tackling a precarious injury, learn the true meaning of loyalty during the FedCom Civil War, and track down pirates on a forgotten world in the Periphery. Then don your neurohelmet and push back against the enemy with technical readouts, ghost ship sightings, in-depth technology articles, unit digests, playable scenarios, and more—all from BattleTech veterans and a squad of new authors: Jason Schmetzer Harper Brand Faith McClosky Giles Gammage Charles Gideon David Razi Marc Follin James Lee Aaron Cahall Michael J. Ciaravella Matthew Cross Ken’ Horner Craig A. Reed, Jr. Eric Salzman Joel Steverson Stephen Toropov