I would like to propose a rebuttal to VYCanis' post on clan tech and fighting tactics...
First the reason they use ER weaponry is because they can, if you make a discovery that allows your weapons to shoot farther with more accuracy and less heat would you not use it? Also between clans sometimes fights would simply be moving firing lines that traded shots until the lesser warrior fell. This saves equipment, time, and personnel. Why would the clans get close and really beat up each others mechs when they can do things cleanly from a distance? The clans abhor waste, this is something that is foundational to their culture and must be thought of at every turn when thinking "what would a clansman do? (WWCD)"
Also all the novelized warfare most of you are talking about is mostly from the Invasion of the Inner Sphere, this type of warfare was a typical of normal clan ritualized combat. In fact it was diametrically opposed, in clan culture the one who wins with sustaining as little damage as possible AND doing as little damage as possible is the best winner, because what you have defeated is now yours, and who wants busted up toys. In opposition, Inner Sphere warfare is about doing as much damage to the enemy as possible while taking as little as possible or making sure that strategic assets maintain combat effectiveness, while throwing fodder into the fire with little thought. This type of warfare forced a change on the clansmans type of combat because they had never encountered it before.
Regardless of your opinion on how a clansman 'should' fight it makes little difference when discussing the use of their tech, the Clans have ER technology, this is a fact. The Clans have superior mechs, armor, weapons, and trained personnel, this is also fact. Buy trying to dilute what they have to change their play style, changes who they are and makes them less Clan and more of just another Inner Sphere faction, which they are not, and if you think they are then you clearly did not pay attention to the arguments that many clans had against the Wolves or the Nova Cats. Hell the Nova Cats even went as far as to up and join them (though they did have a knife to their throat) But this is not a response to rant, but to simply state that the Clans without their intended weapons are not as Clan as they should be. How else would you be able to take on the entire military of the Inner sphere with 10% of their numbers (if that)
Neg, in fact the better question should be, how do we get the invading clansmen to use zellbringen as their modus operandi? (btw this normally does involve long range fights where optimal weapons range in as close as you get...if you can do anything about it)
Also VYCanis' there were tabletop bounds on using Clan salvage, 1) your techs had to know how to use it (rare), 2) you had to actually get it (rare, as not many were selling and if they were it was crazy expensive) 3) Modifying a battlemech (not omni) is difficult and usually fails...and that is after taking months of game time to complete.
So a question for the next NGNG podcast would be: How do you guys feel about initial deployment of the clans being run with players chosen by the devs that would play as clanners (as I wonder about the ability to program zellbringen) Obviously the clans would open up at some point determined by the devs but until then they are closed?
On a personal note, even if I was not chosen (though I would be sad) it would be ok because I know that in my chest beats the heart of a Jaguar. (and I would be one eventually anyways)
Edited by Amarus Cameron, 17 January 2012 - 06:09 AM.