79 replies to this topic

[dervishx5]

Paging Juodas to this thread.

[Metus regem]

zagibu, on 11 August 2016 - 02:00 PM, said:

Well, if they are support units, they don't have to be 50+ tons and 12 meters tall. Also, a support walker with six legs could have an okay ground pressure, certainly not as low as a tank, but a tank can't navigate complex terrain.

If it is a support unit, why is it in complex terrain to begin with? Air-support or Naval support would be just as good at that point... I've flow close range air support, anti-armour work, securing LZ's and convoy escort. Out of all of those, I hated Convoy escort the most... just being slightly out of position could cost the entire convoy if insurgence got the drop on it.

[zagibu]

Metus regem, on 11 August 2016 - 02:13 PM, said:

If it is a support unit, why is it in complex terrain to begin with? Air-support or Naval support would be just as good at that point... I've flow close range air support, anti-armour work, securing LZ's and convoy escort. Out of all of those, I hated Convoy escort the most... just being slightly out of position could cost the entire convoy if insurgence got the drop on it.

Air support or naval support can't move through ruined cities and lift the broken rubble to look for survivors. Neither can it move through a flattened forest and clear a path for the non-legged tanks. Or work in extreme altitudes where the air is too thin to allow air support to fly and the terrain too steep for regular vehicles. There are many situations in which a mechanical machine with legs could be useful.

[Metus regem]

zagibu, on 11 August 2016 - 02:27 PM, said:

Air support or naval support can't move through ruined cities and lift the broken rubble to look for survivors. Neither can it move through a flattened forest and clear a path for the non-legged tanks. Or work in extreme altitudes where the air is too thin to allow air support to fly and the terrain too steep for regular vehicles. There are many situations in which a mechanical machine with legs could be useful.

Once the air is too thin for air-suport, it is too thin for troops to be present to hold that ground. In a ruined city, you don't want armour, or support units, it is an infantrmen's play ground, as is a forest or swamp.

[Karl Marlow]

Metus regem, on 11 August 2016 - 10:16 AM, said:

I'm going to with option C, that it is illegal, but Topps hasn't caught on yet.

I'm not trying to call NGNG out or anything. I think its great what they do. Stuff like merchandising such as they do has always been a weird Grey area I dont understand.

[dervishx5]

The idea that mechs are superior in Battletech only works if the mechs are as maneuverable as a human being, making them hard to predict and fire at at long distances thanks to stuff like gyroscopic balance, neuro-interface control, and myomer.

Very fast light mechs might serve a purpose, but tanks are going to beat big dumb slow mechs every time in reality.

[zagibu]

Metus regem, on 11 August 2016 - 02:40 PM, said:

Once the air is too thin for air-suport, it is too thin for troops to be present to hold that ground. In a ruined city, you don't want armour, or support units, it is an infantrmen's play ground, as is a forest or swamp.

Currently.

[CycKath]

ThomasMarik, on 11 August 2016 - 02:44 PM, said:

I'm not trying to call NGNG out or anything. I think its great what they do. Stuff like merchandising such as they do has always been a weird Grey area I dont understand.

IP rights holders generally don't want to alienate their fans, they are the people buying their legit product after all, so they tend to give a bit more ground on production of fanworks and sale of them. Its only really when sales of fanworks spike well above break-even to produce them or people are deemed to be directly competing with official product (Star Wars: Galaxy in Turmoil or even MWLL) the fan stuff gets smacked down.

Edited by CycKath, 11 August 2016 - 03:56 PM.

[dervishx5]

CycKath, on 11 August 2016 - 03:53 PM, said:

Star Wars: Galaxy in Turmoil

[Moldur]

I would like to think it went like this:

There was a meeting with everyone involved. In a dim room, there is a long wooden table with only a few seats taken. Everyone is wearing well tailored plain black suits and stern expressions, waiting for the meeting to start.
Then Jordan Weisman comes in wearing a dirty t-shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals. He leans back in his chair, as if he is blissfully unaware of the atmosphere in the room.

After watching 20 minutes of bleak slideshows discussing who owns what, and how things are going to go down, the man presenting asks "Any questions?"
Jordan Weisman raises his hand, "Uhhh, yes. Can you go back a couple slides? I would like to point something out." The man obliges, and Jordan Weisman slowly gets up, completely undisturbed by the well tailored men looking at him with condescending belittlement.

Every flippity flop of his sandals rings out as he crosses the room and goes up to the man who was presenting. Says to him "Nice job," with a big grin on his face.
The man is a bit flustered by the peasant's easiness and sincerity, and stutters, "T-thank you." with an indecisive smile.

At that moment, Jordan Weisman gives the man a highly audible smack across the face with the back of his hand. The force of the blow throws the man into the table, where he slides across it all the way down its length. There is barely a moment for everyone to process what has just happened, but before anyone even has a chance to speak, Jordan Weisman shouts, "Sit down!" His eyes are crazy, his breathing heavy, and he is suddenly sweating profusely.

The room is suddenly unbearably hot. One man glances for the door. Another pees himself.

"I-" "SHUT UP!" Jordan cuts one of the men off. "I MADE THIS. I OWN IT NOW," Each syllable, dripping in dominance more than anger.

One of the suits, now on the verge of tears, with a face contorted like a baby with gas begins to stammer, "W-well.. t-t-technically, you d-," Jordan's gaze meets his, and shoots lasers out of his eyes. The man is destroyed in a fiery explosion.

Jordan continues, "I OWN THIS NOW. I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT, IS THAT CLEAR?" Silence...

The man closest chokes, "W-we... would need that in writing..."

Jordan smirks at him. With a slight gesture, a document and quill are willed into existence in either hand. "Will this do?"

[dervishx5]

Moldur, on 11 August 2016 - 04:31 PM, said:

Truf

"Do we have an agreement Mr. Bullock?"

[ice trey]

Revis Volek, on 10 August 2016 - 12:27 PM, said:

The only thing i was aware PGI couldn't sell was MINI's or Figures like from the TT game. Even toys might be off the table....

But yea its in the licensing im sure, put HBS also never SOLD any merchandise, they GAVE it away if you BOUGHT a FOUNDER pack for the GAME. This is completely different then selling merchandise outright for cash.

This.

Basically, people here have been clamoring for Minis, toys, and other recreations of MWO 3D models, not hats.

However, even the guys who make Battletech don't have rights to make Battletech minis - that was sold off at fire-sale prices by FASA in the early 2000s when they decided "Tabletop gaming is dead". Well, sixteen years later and it seems to be going strong if not more so, but those minis rights are probably what's been keeping Ironwind Metals afloat.

Edited by ice trey, 11 August 2016 - 04:37 PM.

[jss78]

As far as real 'mechs, I figure the universal benefit is that you can move a powered machine in very rough terrain (compared to wheeled or even tracked vehicles).

Once incoming fire is a thing, there's just a plethora of problems. You're basically a tank raised upright, being a maximally large target. Vulnerable joints. Terrible surface-to-volume ratio = toughest possible machine to armour well.

These are non issues for AgroMech/IndustriMech type applications, so I figure that's what we'll see first. The first experiments are well under way:

Spoiler

[dervishx5]

ice trey, on 11 August 2016 - 04:37 PM, said:

but those minis rights are probably what's been keeping Ironwind Metals afloat.

Unfortunately.

Catalyst is drying up. The rate at which they're putting out new material + actual published material is rapidly slowing. Topps doesn't allocate them much funds and the future of the franchise is unclear.

[ice trey]

dervishx5, on 11 August 2016 - 04:45 PM, said:

Unfortunately.

Catalyst is drying up. The rate at which they're putting out new material + actual published material is rapidly slowing. Topps doesn't allocate them much funds and the future of the franchise is unclear.

Seems to me, they're doing OK. They've always got the Shadowrun cash stream, which is one of the more popular RPGs out there, and while you might not see a lot of players in an LGS, the company only makes profits on book sales, anyway, and those seem to have been moving pretty well.

I imagine that this next 1st SW batch is going to be the shot in the arm they need, and as for whether Alpha Strike is bringing in the ADD... err... "players who like faster play", I can't say for sure. because I've been half a world away. They were able to get around the IWM thing, too, by selling boxes of "Alpha Strike" cards that just so happen to have a few plastic starterbox-type minis inside to complement them. I've heard those sell quite well.


Every year is the same. Nothing, nothing, a little fart near origins, nothing, GENCON EVERY GODDAMN THING, nothing, That one thing we didn't finish in time for gencon, nothing nothing.

It's a time honoured tradition they've been doing since the wizkids days.

Edited by ice trey, 11 August 2016 - 04:59 PM.

[dervishx5]

Yeah I only buy the PDFs because paper is too cumbersome. I only play using Megamek these days anyway.

The IWM models are awful though.

[kesmai]

ice trey, on 11 August 2016 - 04:37 PM, said:

This.

Basically, people here have been clamoring for Minis, toys, and other recreations of MWO 3D models, not hats.

However, even the guys who make Battletech don't have rights to make Battletech minis - that was sold off at fire-sale prices by FASA in the early 2000s when they decided "Tabletop gaming is dead". Well, sixteen years later and it seems to be going strong if not more so, but those minis rights are probably what's been keeping Ironwind Metals afloat.

hmmm
https://en.wikipedia...tha_Enterprises

[DeamoBD]

dervishx5, on 11 August 2016 - 02:06 PM, said:

Paging Juodas to this thread.

Not Juodas but, WE NEED QUADS.

OK I feel better

[kesmai]

DeamoBD, on 12 August 2016 - 07:09 AM, said:

Not Juodas but, WE NEED QUADS.

OK I feel better

someone needs to start a "quads" thread now...