James “JPArbiter” Bixby

James “JPArbiter” Bixby

@jparbiter.bsky.social

He/Him/hey you Long time Battletech podcaster, recent Battletech writer. Corporate sellout. Father of two, husband of one. Giant robot enthusiast. Romantically interested in pancakes

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James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Mechtober continues with… Alaric Ward (sigh). The greatest thing about Alaric is that he is the punchline to the joke I have made that “Everything that happens in #Battletech is Hanse Davions fault.” It took a spheroid to make the ilClan, and it will be a Sphereoid who will destroy the clans

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

Got the painting bug and started working on some #Battletech minis. Support vehicles and elementals for Snowblind, a future Jackie Darwin’s Whipits Centurion from the Draconis reach hotspots, a Marvelous Kontio and animated Series inspired elementals. None finished yet

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Mechtober continues and today we talk Light Mechs. As a citizen of the Lyran Commonwealth, i am used to the “all assault all the time” meme. But look at four light mechs the Commonwealth produced. The Commando, Wolfhound, Spector, and Firestarter. All amazing machines with a blue origin #Battletech

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Mechtober continues and today is protomechs, a controversial addition to the universe. In concept I like them. in rules execution, I am not a fan. In terms of art, I get what they were going for, but as successive generations favored the industrial look, it worked more. below are my favorites.

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

of course I cannot leave #Mechtober day 22 and not talk about my favorite industrial the Arbiter. a mech I believe I willed into existence with teasing Brent Evans over beers at Gencon. that is my story and I am sticking to it!

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Mechtober 22 and today we talk industrials, which means we talk Wizkids and MechWarrior Dark Age. I was down with the idea of terrorists and rebels arming industrial mechs, and the artwork reinforced the concept.

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

I don't know if it was improper marketing or swinging to hard for the fences, but these did not work, players didn't want to utilize them because of vibes. which was a pity cause I was regularly overperforming with industrials. this turned around with the Raider in Counterassault. Fun stuff!

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Mechtober continues, and we talk heavy mechs. Where there are so few built right, and a whole lot of more fun mechs built wrong. And nothing has been more fun than the AXM-2N Axman. What maniac gives a mech with a close combat weapon, LRM’s?

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

And yet, i fell in love with this quirky design, so much so I managed to uodate it for the ilClan Era in #Battletech Shrapnel 25. It helped that it was the hero mech in the cartoon! It’s inefficient, weird, and one of the most fun mechs I have ever played with

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Mechtober continues and today is Omnimechs. The best Omnimech design language came from Wizkids and Clan Nova Cat epitomized by the Wendigo. Every gun looks modular especially on the arms, while still allowing the chassis to look sleek AF. Best Omnimech in #Battletech

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Mechtober continues with the week of war machines. today it is Assault Mechs, something easy to love as they are the biggest and stompiest. and while I love flawed mechs more than most, My favorite is the Awesome. built brick simple, I nearly bankrupted myself buying one in my first MW5 run.

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Mechtober week three is here and today is Medium mechs. And I must give flowers to my favorite, the Centurion. Pure Megaman vibes a simple weapon layout, and capabilities that can be pit anywhere I genuinely wish Tycho made a toy of it way back when. I would love an action figure scale one

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

I am going to have to put all of #MechTobers Author week in one post, but today we talk about Bryan Young! he is the author that got my older son into #Battletech as a storytelling medium (aside from myself) and tells tales on the small scale that make you care about the characters. Two Thumbs Up!

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

Today’s #Mechtober is about the Northwind Highlanders, and all I can think off is the late Demo Team XO Craig Gulledge. A good man in the Loud MacLeod. My ME5 campaign is named for him, and I painted this higlander for him… though it has a pink paw on it’s ankle too Ace needed a bruiser!

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

Finished Ace 08 last night and all I could think was “you fuckers offered ‘mercy’ by litterally enslaving POW’s to unfuck the lands your lifestyle ruined!” Soata is probably the most morally bankrupt nation in Strangereal, and that is saying something (glares at Belka)

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

trawling discords to see about the reaction to my "Failure of the Transforming Battlefield" bit in Shrapnel, Grousing I see all has to do with gameplay & lore, while the article discussed LAMs from the perspective of a procurement and logistical cost catastrophe. These are not the same thing

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

1) #Mechtober is here, and it is a complicated one for me. the Lone Wolves were not on my #Battletech radar until I found out some one made a Ace Darwin successor part of them, and then @swankmotron.com started writing them. but they are a weird and wacky part of BTech, & I love them for it

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

2) it was through Bryan's writing of the Wolves that I formed first a collaborative relationship, and then a friendship with the man. Don't believe the haters. Bryan is good people, and a creative powerhouse. both observing him and his advice made my work better

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

3) As for my contributions to them, Jackie was not my creation, But I have already taken her and ran with it, and you can expect more from that "special kind of crazy" woman in Shrapnel soon. Like she always says. "Let's go make trouble!"

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

Day four #Mechtober, the second Star Leauge will always hold a special place in my heart because of Twilight of the Clans being my favorite sub series. The Hunters, Sword and Fire, Shadows of War, and Prince of Havoc telling the tale of task force serpent, beginning to end was amazing

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

#Acecombat8 I find Shadow 22 of his leash hunting me. And I find myself on his tail constantly shouting “You’re no Pixy! You’re no Mihaly! You’re no Yellow 13!” Lil bitch turned tail and ran. And O feel awesome!

James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

Removing the morality of capital punishment (which I am against for economic reasons) I got to be honest. The sentence was carried out, and the convicted survived her execution. as far as I am concerned, she has now paid her debt to society and should be released. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

nbcnews.com‘It was a mess’: Tennessee fails to execute woman after 2 lethal injectionsChrista Pike’s attorneys said she was being treated at a hospital but her condition is unknown. May Martinez,, the mother of the murdered teenager Colleen Slemmer, called the failed execution “a mess....
James “JPArbiter” Bixby
@jparbiter.bsky.social

Your last word in #Battletech talk continues. It’s a real Bug Deal! Special thanks to James Simmonds of Lorescape coming to chat with us! www.ourbattletech.com/2026/septemb...

ourbattletech.comSEPTEMBER 2026 Chatterweb BattleTech Podcast - Our BattleTechBugs, zillions of them… The Chatterweb is back post-GenCon and we’re seeing lots of bugs, as in Wasps and Stingers. That’s right, we’re talking about the new Bug Company ForcePack for BattleTech and t...