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Within a reasonable limit, all inhabited planets have between 0.9 and 1.1 atmosphere pressure, 0.9 to 1.1 g-gravity, and Earth norm temperature ranges, though no planet is as comfortable for humans as Earth is. There are exceptions (like the dome-covered cities of Sirius V where the atmosphere is methane), but then again, humans would tend to pick earth-like planets to settle.
- Quite a few planets have issues involving gravity as well as unpleasant (and barely survivable) biomes. Ice planets in particular seem popular
Alpha Strike!: The contextual trope namer. Step one: fire every weapon you have, simultaneously. Step two: hold your breath and hope to god your mech can sink the heat. - failure to skin enough heat can result in such conditions as death by internal ammunition explosion, death by heat stroke, or death by hostile fire while your machine shuts down and tries to cool off.
Asskicking Equals Authority: The Clans work this way.
- Amusingly, they also get hit with the predictable downside: because their system selects on single-combat prowess, it also doesn't select based on organizational or unit-based tactical skills. In combat with the Inner Sphere at the strategic scale, they lose more often then they win.
Attack! Attack! Attack! Clan Ice Helion's preferred method of operation, in both politics and war. Combined with their impatience it usually ends poorly.
Beam Spam!: The state of any battle in which a 'Mech with more than five laser weapons is in, with bonuses for pulse lasers.
Born Winner: This is what Clan trueborns are intended to be.
Car Fu: An interesting take on the concept, this is the premise from the popular lighter class mech urban tactic "Death-From-Above". Step 1: Realize your 40-ton mech can't go head to head with a 80-tonner. Step 2: Flee between skycrapers. Step 3: Jump-jet onto top of building, one that's taller than your opponent. Step 4: Wait until opponent is in jump range. Step 5: Gain as much altitude as possible before letting your "light" 35 tons of steel and armament come crashing down on top of your opponent. This is usually considered a last ditch tactic, as even a successful DFA is likely to cause some damage to the attacking unit.
- Not just light mechs, either. The Highlander a 90 ton Assault class mech, has jumpjets that allow it to DFA. Doing so is called the Highlander Burial, and can easily result in an instant kill by crushing the targeted mech's cockpit.
Catch Phrases!: "This is [Rank] [Name] of the [Unit Name]! What forces defend [Objective]?"
Cybernetics Eat your Soul:
Clan Enhanced Imaging and the Word of Blake's Direct Neural Interface both allow the user much greater control over their vehicle. However they also cause psychological and physical problems; up to and including death after several years.
Death Trap: The base model of the Hunchback IIC mech is in-universe called one by most clanners since with it's light armor (for a medium size mech ) and sparse armaments (once the UAC 20 ammo is gone it only has 2 medium lasers to fall back on) anyone put into one is not expected to make it out alive.
Eyepatch of Power!: Precentor-Martial Anastasius Focht sported one. Combines neatly with his
factor (not physically, but he proverbially stared down the Clans with the Com Guard under his command).
Pans Galactic Gargle Blaster!: The PPC, so called because it can take your head clean off. It's four shots of grain alcohol diluted with two shots of another liquor associated with one of the great political powers - peppermint schnapps (Steiner), bourbon (Davion), ouzo (Marik), plum wine (Liao), sake (Kurita), and various others for minor powers, regions, and Clans... or just more grain alcohol for the Periphery PPC. It's popular throughout in-universe fiction as a Mechwarrior's drink, when "real" ones usually prefer something that won't make their mouths numb.
General Failure: While they pop up in every faction, the Lyran Commonwealth's "Social Generals", who achieve their positions through money and connections, are responsible for the most economically powerful faction in the setting having one of the weaker armies in the Inner Sphere. Other factions do have have similar cases but have ways of dealing with them.
God save us from the Queen!: It may be but gender equality is nearly a completely dead issue. Three of the most destructive and vindictive leaders shown on-page are female.
- To wit, there's one Axe crazy dragon lady (Romano Liao), one Com Star leader who wants to plunge the finally recovering galaxy back to the good old dark ages where they control everything (Myndo Waterly), and Katherine Steiner-Davion, who apparently started out as the Daddy's little Villain to the Magnificent ******* of the entire franchise, Hanse Davion. Unfortunately for a lot of people, Hanse died prematurely of natural causes and no one else in Katherine's family had a clue of how to deal with their budding sociopath. It took her all of about three years to slide into complete monster territory and not much longer to depose or kill all members of her family that stood between her and absolute power. And that's just the first half of her reign....
Klingon Scientist's get no respect!: The warrior caste in most Clans only grudgingly respect scientists and technicians, and have no respect for merchants and laborers.
Macross Missile Massacre!: In various densities and ranges. The biggest volley from a 'Mech-mounted weapon currently comes from the MRM-40. Which, yes, does mean it shoots forty missiles at a time...and it reloads in under ten seconds, too.
Meaningfull Name: Consider 'Mechs such as the
Catapult
,
Trebuchet
,
Longbow
More Dakka!: The Rotary autocannons
fall under this, but a few mechs also mount enough normal machine guns to turn normal infantry into puree, like thethe Pirhana Mech which has 12 of them.
- The original poster child for More Dakka was the Ultra Autocannon class of weapons, which would literally double their rate of fire (and go through ammo twice as fast). This meant that an Ultra AC 20 would spit out 40 damage in a single turn... The Hunchback IIC was therefore the poster boy for this trope, as it could ostensibly deal nearly 100(!) points of damage in a game where the average ton of armor had 16.
: Natasha Kerensky is
by the standards of the Clans and well into her 70's even as far as the Inner Sphere is concerned (excellent medical technology that makes her
older than she looksnotwithstanding). She is still far and away the absolute last person you want to get into a 'Mech fight with.
The Scottish trope: The Not-Named Clan
Seppuku: Brought back by the Draconis Combine
War Is Glorious: If you ask the Federated Suns, the Clans, or the Draconis Combine anyway. The Suns' belief in this trope was a major sticking point during their union with the Commonwealth; whose position was that war should serve economic and political goals, no more no less.
I will use wiki words in the future: Duh.
Edited by Webbly, 28 June 2012 - 02:53 AM.
