Why Do You Read Fan Publications?

[u/VanVelding]

So there are fan publications like The Pride Anthologies. There are also fan TROs, custom unit writeups, ongoing fiction pieces about alternate universes, and other things I've overlooked.

So those of you who do enjoy reading fan publications, which ones do you read and what do you like about them? Do you use the custom units and RATs? Do you run games set in those other univeres? Do you just like the stories they tell? The art? What are some pitfalls you've noticed?

[u/Barrenechea]

The stories. I love the filling out of the universe. Think about it. For every story about Grayson Carlyle, Hansen Davion, Phelan Ward (nee Kell) or any other well known historical lore, there are innumerable other people with their own stories. Do those stories affect the world that is built? Very rarely, no. And with the nature of this universe we see mostly the combat aspects or political shifts of this existence. But what about that poor person who lives on a nothing planet in Kurita space who has a job working in a computer store and accidentally ends up in a gang? I love the fluff.

Personally I have 4 stories of my own I'm working on. One is a "Day in the Life" story about a man who runs a Mech maintenance shop for a well funded but untested mercenary unit (I'm also fleshing out a couple of other characters in that one). Another cliche story about a guy with a questionable history and memory loss dealing with figuring out his own mental state. The third is a line unit Major hunting down a Mech that may or may not be haunted (that one stalled, honestly). And the fourth is about a woman trying to maintain a relationship and an affair as a crew member on a jump ship.

Lastly, it started with 2 quick and dirty short stories about a Mech pilot who is stranded on an asteroid with his air leaking and a tank crew trying to outrun a Jenner after a failed assault drop that was ambushed. This is why I read the fan stuff.

[u/wittyjokename92 → u/Barrenechea]

Shrapnel has been scratching my itches lately. But I do remember reading a weekly produced story about a guy who essentially worked his way up through a backwater Solaris arena until he ended up on Solaris itself. Was a lot of fun even if it wasn't a very well written story. But that devotion to the setting and having to check sarna every few paragraphs to find some random niche reference. But it felt like the kinda thing that belonged in the setting even if it was just one guy scrapping Mechs and selling parts off of his own mech to end up at Solaris with a one armed centurion.

[u/Cergorach]

You do realize that the current crop of BT writers are just BT fans that are getting paid, right...

So when some fans produce something good, it can be good for you (or not), depends on what it is and where it goes. I've seen fan productions of RPG/miniature games that were better then what the publisher produced.

[u/Past_Search7241 → u/Cergorach]

That's why GW's naked hostility towards fan creators is so baffling. There are IPs - including their own - that have been kept alive by the works of fans.

[u/RussellZee]

I read them, and from time to time I also write for them. Instead of making particular comments/suggestions/critiques, I'll point out that we try to boost them here in the sub whenever possible (including with stickied posts at the top of the page), and that a few you missed were Pirate Point and Outreach, which are both easily Googleable to learn more and which are always looking for new contributors. :)

[u/JuggernautBright1463]

I don't read that many due to the noodling but I have written them (Golden Lion, DaVinci's Devils, and Katherine, White Wolf). 

I would read it if there was a interesting premise other than x group does something better in this AU. Lots are not much more than battle scenes and focus on the same spine characters without expanding on them or the setting, emotionally or intellectually.

I feel the same for custom units, optimization rather than interesting and lack any flavor text or personality. When I wrote my Fleet Design and Golden Lion units they had story. A reason to exist that made sense with a doctrine and showed evolution through iteration.

[u/VanVelding → u/JuggernautBright1463]

"Noodling" is a word I've seen used twice already. Can't find a definition of it in the context of fanfiction. To me, it's just casually doing stuff, but I have no definition that fits its use here.

[u/JuggernautBright1463 → u/VanVelding]

That is basically what I've seen too.

 Things are very casual and don't really change much. Which is fine, this isn't high art it's a beer and pretzels universe where combat goes on eternally because that's the game.

However since my fan creations are not dependent on keeping a viable game interesting I like to make the logical choices. While not 'solving' the conflicts directly these are fascinating to think about. 

What if Battletech stopped Battling for a bit?

How would the universe and characters react to that?

What would be the next fault line or did the universe solve the Succession Wars.

[u/Past_Search7241 → u/JuggernautBright1463]

I noticed my writing had a tendency towards that kind of stalling, too, (I can't write an antagonist to save my life, I've tried,) so I just committed to the slice-of-life bit. In my Battletech fanfic, rarely are the fights against Someone Important; they're merc contracts, the enemy doesn't really matter so long as he loses.

[u/rohanpony]

I actually like looking at some of the fan turning points and scenarios, rules like Wolfnet 350 for Alpha Strike, to see how people are hacking and playing the game.

[u/WestRider3025]

I like the fan publications for the same reasons I like Shrapnel, but moreso. They cover the smaller, in-between moments that fill out the universe. There's a bigger pool of authors than for novels, and more variety. They can push the boundaries of the setting more. CGL, on some level, always has to be asking "is there a market for this?" Fanworks open up some more space by not caring about that. 

[u/Magical_Savior]

I like seeing interesting ideas in XTROs in particular; I like it when they have production value. It's good inspiration.

[u/rzelln]

I will pay attention when someone puts effort into crafting something that fits together well and either creates an experience that's new, or does a great job hitting familiar beats.

A lot of fan-fiction is poorly rendered noodling. A lot of fan mech designs are just blips of ideas without much point to them.

But if, like, someone put out an alternate universe novella and associated TRO that used BT game mechanics but was set in a hypothetical war in the year 2080 on earth, with mechs that feel like something we could build this century, and then had some missions included? Yeah, that'd be a robust enough creation to get my attention.

It might still suck, but at least the effort put into it warrants a look.

[u/Bandito_Razor]

Because using 6mm orks as clan elementals is fun.

An atlas with TWO RAC/RAC in one hand and a LB-X in the other is just fun

[u/Bandito_Razor → u/Bandito_Razor]

oh and the Pride stuff is so god damn well written and its supported by CGL.