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My older community was made up of people that I have known for coming up nearly a decade, but in as little as 36 hours I found reason after reason that CGBI are the people I should be with, who I should fight for, and who deserves my loyalty. It wasn't the fact that my older community were bad people, far from it; but the environment of CGBI with its structured challenging training regime, able and dedicated training officers, as well integrating the lore and language aspects of Battletech make it an easy place for someone to believe that it is a community worth fighting for, and worth struggling for.
I introduced myself into CGBI as a half serious role-play and actual intentions that I was an Innersphere Freeborn pilot looking to find my limits as a player in MWO, and wanted to test Clan Ghost Bear's strength, pledging my loyalty for the duration of my education. Before I had some distain for some of the Clan culture inherently with its eugenics and belief that people are born objectively superior from one another, but in stories I have always admired characters who were Freeborn and defeated all odds and expectations like Phalen Kell, and Kai Allard; I believed it was because Freeborn pilots had more reason and more drive to prove everyone wrong, and that were not bound by their fate to a certain standard, instead those that choose to will reach for the absolute highest they can achieve.
But this isn't really role-play, it isn't a story bound by people's imagination of my idea of this character to defeat all expectations and become a MechWarrior. I actually had to make it happen because real tests, and real passion is required to make that story become true. The title MechWarrior in CGBI is not simply something that someone hands to you, each pilot must pass a series of tests modeled like the training section of MechWarrior 2, culminating into the ultimate trial of acceptance where you fight another MechWarrior for the title of Ghost Bear warrior. But this isn't single player, there will be no developer biasing the training to be easy, almost all the trials involve fighting against other sibkin and MechWarriors, often doing the exact same exercise as you are, the difference is that your opponent already has passed and knows what he is doing.
As a result each training module feels like a real challenge, and each time you pass feels like an actual accomplishment leading you to one step closer to your goal as a MechWarrior. What struck me the most is the willingness and dedication of training officers and volunteer MechWarriors to help get Sibkin training going. Members choose to spend hours upon hours in helping sibkins on each training module, even if they fail multiple times. Willing to work with the confines of the game, and it's private lobby system requiring premium time, to get 9-10 players in so that a sibkin cadet can shoot down 4 UAV's twice on Tourmaline Desert. We would restart that map each time, and spend the time walking into the exact same spot, to deploy the exact same UAV's until that one cadet is able to accomplish shooting down the 4 UAV's 3 times. I couldn't help but to admire the willingness of these players to help brand new members.
As the hours and days passed on, I became not only convinced that these dedicated people are worth serving, but also starting to understand the clan structure and way of life, that for one to constantly be challenged and being tested. Thankfully some of the undesirable aspects of clan training don't transfer over into CGBI, particularly the crushing of souls of cadet hopefuls. Each member is hoping and willing to wait until you accomplish that day of being MechWarrior, so long as you put the same dedication into it.
The trust that some of these members put into their Sibkin is quite unbelievable at times as well. During a practice match, the Star Colonel of the 12th Bear Chevaliers asked for a drop commander, and after no takers I half jokingly asked if they we're willing to let a Sibkin take command. The Star Colonel gave it to me, and I guess on sheer luck as well as the skill of all the individual members we won that match. But for all the warriors and officers to trust a Sibkin with drop command over 11 qualified MechWarriors? I couldn't betray that willingness to trust.
The way that CGBI carries itself is a blurred line between gaming community, role play community, and competitive gaming community.
- "Do you really think yourself as a Clanner?"
- "Are you not just pretending?"
- "Do you want to Win?"
- "Is it just not a community of gamers?"
- "Are you here for Terra?"
- "Are you here for the Clan and its members?"
- "Are you here just to have fun and be a community?"
The answer to all those questions are yes, and to different degrees. Nothing is absolute, everything is part way in-between. However seriously you take the lore and the clan way of life is however seriously you will be taken, you won't be ridiculed or laughed at for feeling that way. On the other hand, if you wish to make light hearted jokes about the culture like calling a trial of grievance against someone for teasing you, then everyone will laugh with you. Certain standards of formality are still kept such as observing a trial of entry, or training module but don't be surprised to see a duel between an Urbanmech and a King Crab right after it is finished.
As of April 23, 2015 I have passed my trial of entry defeating the Star Colonel of the 12th Bear Chevaliers in equal combat, and fulfilled my story in 4 short days becoming MechWarrior of Clan Ghost Bear International, and pledged my full loyalty to this community.
I guess the "Bear" in the room is this question on many minds:
"You know that they are losing. Why go all the effort to join a losing team?"
And quite simply, "It's a team that is worth losing with."
