24 replies to this topic

[Imperius]

I'm back to give the game a second chance after I left due to ECM and bugs. I just bought the Project Phoenix (Overload) package it comes with 12.5 percent faction rep bonus... I just don't know what faction/house I should choose. I've read some of the lore of Mechwarrior, but never really gasped the Houses and what countries they represent. Any lore masters out there care to give me a quick and dirty comparison? I know the houses were plays on different countries.

[Tennex]

gonna choose marik since i know the least about it lol.

[Sephlock]

Tennex, on 03 July 2013 - 12:22 PM, said:

gonna choose marik since i know the least about it lol.

There really isn't much to know.

TL DR version, some spoilers:

They make stuff, but aren't as awesome at it as Steiner.

Their heir is sick and was being treated by the Davions and then died and was replaced by a female double (don't ask).

Then their leader became evil and was replaced by a double who was evil but turned good.

[Imperius]

I guess I'll narrow it down what house is most like the United States. In everyone's business when they don't need to be, and think they can dictate the parts of the world not called the United States?

[DaZur]

Imperius, on 03 July 2013 - 12:36 PM, said:

I guess I'll narrow it down what house is most like the United States. In everyone's business when they don't need to be, and think they can dictate the parts of the world not called the United States? Is expected to jump at a moments notice to save someones / somewheres proverbial bacon but garners no appreciation for doing so, and makes concerted effort to save other parts of the world from self-destruction?

There... fixed that for ya!

[Imperius]

Dude I live here in the States. I think we would be better off working on ourselves then the rest of the world ATM. Now back on topic. What house is like the US?

[DaZur]

Imperius, on 03 July 2013 - 12:49 PM, said:

Dude I live here in the States. I think we would be better off working on ourselves then the rest of the world ATM. Now back on topic. What house is like the US?

LOL! Calm down... I was being facetious.

FWIW I agree with your commentary... nuff said.

To answer your question, IMHO: House Davion is the faction you seek.

Edited by DaZur, 03 July 2013 - 01:06 PM.

[Belorion]

None of them?

All the houses are ruled by families. FWL or the FRR maybe the closest. FWL is more of a Fascist State and FRR is a Principality (elected).

Technically at this point, both Steiner and Davion are on their way to becoming the Federated Commonwealth at this point.

Edited by Belorion, 03 July 2013 - 01:04 PM.

[Sephlock]

DaZur, on 03 July 2013 - 01:00 PM, said:

LOL! Calm down... I was being facetious.

FWIW I agree... To answer your question House Davion is the faction you seek.

House Steiner-Davion is the best of all, of course.

[A Man In A Can]

Imperius, on 03 July 2013 - 12:49 PM, said:

What house is like the US?

Depends.

If you are looking at diversity of populace, diversity of beliefs, and semi-strong industry, with a suspicious government and secret societies runing the show - go Free Worlds League/House Marik.

If you are looking at the pure military aspect of things and heavy funding towards military R&D - go FedSuns/House Davion

But absolutely not:
Lyran Commonwealth/House Steiner
Consider this nation to be the EU and their nation is very strong economic-wise, with also a strong industry.

Draconis Combine/House Kurita
Techno-feudal Japan

Cappellan Confederation/House Liao
Mostly Chinese (and infested with goons )

Free Rasalhauge Republic.
Nordic nations of Europe (with a bit of Russia in there for good measure )

Edited by CYBRN4CR, 03 July 2013 - 01:13 PM.

[Sephlock]

FRR = Clan tech. That's all you really need to know.

Also, the Lyrans are gullible, treacherous ********

[Imperius]

CYBRN4CR, on 03 July 2013 - 01:05 PM, said:

Depends.

If you are looking at diversity of populace, diversity of beliefs, and semi-strong industry, with a suspicious government and secret societies runing the show - go Free Worlds League/House Marik.

If you are looking at the pure military aspect of things and heavy funding towards military R&D - go FedSuns/House Davion

But absolutely not:
Lyran Commonwealth/House Steiner
Consider this nation to be the EU and their nation is very strong economic-wise, with also a strong industry.

Draconis Combine/House Kurita
Techno-feudal Japan

Cappellan Confederation/House Liao
Mostly Chinese (and infested with goons )

Free Rasalhauge Republic.
Nordic nations of Europe (with a bit of Russia in there for good measure )

Exactly what I was looking for thank you! Liked your post and gave you rep.

[Bhael Fire]

All you need to know is, Dracs are evil.

[Strum Wealh]

Imperius, on 03 July 2013 - 12:21 PM, said:

I'm back to give the game a second chance after I left due to ECM and bugs. I just bought the Project Phoenix (Overload) package it comes with 12.5 percent faction rep bonus... I just don't know what faction/house I should choose. I've read some of the lore of Mechwarrior, but never really gasped the Houses and what countries they represent. Any lore masters out there care to give me a quick and dirty comparison? I know the houses were plays on different countries.

My take on a short generalization of each faction:

• Federated Suns/House Davion: essentially the British Empire, with some additional French overtones
  
• Lyran Commonwealth/House Steiner: essentially the Holy Roman Empire, with heavy German overtones
  
• Draconis Combine/House Kurita: essentially early Showa Era (roundabout WWI/WWII) Japan, with a smattering of other cultures (mainly Arabic) represented
  
• Capellan Confederation/House Liao: essentially Qing Dynasty Era China, with a smattering of other cultures (mainly Russian and Scottish) represented
  
• Free Worlds League/House Marik: essentially the Ottoman Empire, with some Indian and American overtones
  
• Free Rasalhague Republic: essentially the Swedish Empire, with some American overtones
  
• The Clans (to be made available eventually) collectively represent the "great conquering hordes" and "romanticized noble savages" of the past (e.g. the Mongols under Genghis Khan, the Macedonians under Alexander III, the Romans during the expansion of the Roman Empire, and so on), while each Clan individually represents a separate society - the Ghost Bears are generally thought to be Scandinavian (like the FRR, with whom they later merged) and modeled in the spirit of the (romanticized) Vikings, the Smoke Jaguars are thought to represent (stereotypes of) the warrior tribes of Africa's past (most notably the Zulu Kingdom), the Nova Cats are thought to have been modeled on (stereotypes of) Native American societies (with the Wanapum, Cheyenne, and/or Sioux likely serving as primary inspirations), and so on.

As for why one might want to affiliate/ally with the FedSuns, specifically:

• Culturally, the Federated Suns is based on an Anglo-American model - in many ways, it is a lot like a mish-mash of the old British Empire, the current Commonwealth of Nations, and the modern United States (which, if that is or is close to one's real-world cultural affiliation, can provide a sense of comforting familiarity).
  
• As a result - and especially in contrast to the likes of the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine - the Federation represents a generally more "open" and liberal society - to the point that the leadership is publicly criticized and challenged by the media without undue worry of being snatched out of their homes and offices at any hour and ending up with a 9mm third eye or a sudden case of headlessness .
  
• Given the combination of the Suns' mostly-British social model and the Davion family's ultimately-French heritage (said to be a region in southwest France called Gascony), the AFFS MechWarriors are typically depicted as filling a role analogous to that of (usually, the romanticized version of) the Western European knight.
  
• Moreso than the other realms, the FedSuns is usually depicted as being interested in the recovery and development of non-military technologies (as well as military technologies).
  
• The AFFS tends to have a fixation - almost to the point of obsession - and an affinity for the autocannon.
  
• The FedSuns was the only nation to respond favorably to the Lyrans' proposal to try to reunite humanity under a common banner - the result was the formation of the Federated Commonwealth.
  
• The current head of state, Hanse Davion, is basically what one would call a "magnificent b*****d". As an example, he addressed the most vocal critic of the Suns' nationwide education program (one Robin DeCaster) by making her the Minister of Education; "Now she is the one responsible for the government’s education policy and she’s the one forced to defend herself against the critics. It’s a beautiful example of how to handle your opponents."
  
• Also, the FedSuns is the home nation of the company that developed the Marauder - the Greatest BattleMech of All Time.

Though, it's not as though the FedSuns is without its own problems - the education system and technological prowess begins to become less prevalent and effective as one moves away from the largest population centers (to the point that some whole worlds might more closely resemble the stereotypical 19th or 20th century American South than what one might expect of a 31st century interstellar federation).

Literature-wise, the FedSuns comes off as "the White Knight faction", and occasionally "the Mary Sue faction" - FesSuns characters can (but do not always) often come off as any one or more of: arrogant, haughty, overly self-righteous, and even outright bland.

[Steelgrave]

Sephlock, on 03 July 2013 - 01:07 PM, said:

FRR = Clan tech. That's all you really need to know.

Also, the Lyrans are gullible, treacherous ********

Hey now, don't lump us all in with that scum-bucket Katherine Steiner. She was responsible for that debacle.

[Chemie]

given it is 3050, was never sure why there is the FedSuns and Steiner instead of Federated Commonwelth?

[Adridos]

Imperius, on 03 July 2013 - 12:49 PM, said:

What house is like the US?

House Cameron.

They have bitten dust already and as such, the natural repacement is House Davion (which, if you leave out the rulers ala England are a complete copy of USA).

[Imperius]

Strum Wealh, on 03 July 2013 - 02:54 PM, said:

My take on a short generalization of each faction:

• Federated Suns/House Davion: essentially the British Empire, with some additional French overtones
  
• Lyran Commonwealth/House Steiner: essentially the Holy Roman Empire, with heavy German overtones
  
• Draconis Combine/House Kurita: essentially early Showa Era (roundabout WWI/WWII) Japan, with a smattering of other cultures (mainly Arabic) represented
  
• Capellan Confederation/House Liao: essentially Qing Dynasty Era China, with a smattering of other cultures (mainly Russian and Scottish) represented
  
• Free Worlds League/House Marik: essentially the Ottoman Empire, with some Indian and American overtones
  
• Free Rasalhague Republic: essentially the Swedish Empire, with some American overtones
  
• The Clans (to be made available eventually) collectively represent the "great conquering hordes" and "romanticized noble savages" of the past (e.g. the Mongols under Genghis Khan, the Macedonians under Alexander III, the Romans during the expansion of the Roman Empire, and so on), while each Clan individually represents a separate society - the Ghost Bears are generally thought to be Scandinavian (like the FRR, with whom they later merged) and modeled in the spirit of the (romanticized) Vikings, the Smoke Jaguars are thought to represent (stereotypes of) the warrior tribes of Africa's past (most notably the Zulu Kingdom), the Nova Cats are thought to have been modeled on (stereotypes of) Native American societies (with the Wanapum, Cheyenne, and/or Sioux likely serving as primary inspirations), and so on.

As for why one might want to affiliate/ally with the FedSuns, specifically:

• Culturally, the Federated Suns is based on an Anglo-American model - in many ways, it is a lot like a mish-mash of the old British Empire, the current Commonwealth of Nations, and the modern United States (which, if that is or is close to one's real-world cultural affiliation, can provide a sense of comforting familiarity).
  
• As a result - and especially in contrast to the likes of the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine - the Federation represents a generally more "open" and liberal society - to the point that the leadership is publicly criticized and challenged by the media without undue worry of being snatched out of their homes and offices at any hour and ending up with a 9mm third eye or a sudden case of headlessness .
  
• Given the combination of the Suns' mostly-British social model and the Davion family's ultimately-French heritage (said to be a region in southwest France called Gascony), the AFFS MechWarriors are typically depicted as filling a role analogous to that of (usually, the romanticized version of) the Western European knight.
  
• Moreso than the other realms, the FedSuns is usually depicted as being interested in the recovery and development of non-military technologies (as well as military technologies).
  
• The AFFS tends to have a fixation - almost to the point of obsession - and an affinity for the autocannon.
  
• The FedSuns was the only nation to respond favorably to the Lyrans' proposal to try to reunite humanity under a common banner - the result was the formation of the Federated Commonwealth.
  
• The current head of state, Hanse Davion, is basically what one would call a "magnificent b*****d". As an example, he addressed the most vocal critic of the Suns' nationwide education program (one Robin DeCaster) by making her the Minister of Education; "Now she is the one responsible for the government’s education policy and she’s the one forced to defend herself against the critics. It’s a beautiful example of how to handle your opponents."
  
• Also, the FedSuns is the home nation of the company that developed the Marauder - the Greatest BattleMech of All Time.

Though, it's not as though the FedSuns is without its own problems - the education system and technological prowess begins to become less prevalent and effective as one moves away from the largest population centers (to the point that some whole worlds might more closely resemble the stereotypical 19th or 20th century American South than what one might expect of a 31st century interstellar federation).


Literature-wise, the FedSuns comes off as "the White Knight faction", and occasionally "the Mary Sue faction" - FesSuns characters can (but do not always) often come off as any one or more of: arrogant, haughty, overly self-righteous, and even outright bland.

Thank you for the post +rep

[General Taskeen]

Lone Wolf is the best faction. Work for the highest bidder. Confuse and baffle your enemies. Allegiance to no one but your Lance and C-Bills.

[MechFrog1]

Good thing you have six months left to decide since we're not getting CW until 2014 at the earliest.