72 replies to this topic

[Valhallan]

IMO The capellans are generally loathed because their society functions so much differently from how most are taught society "should" function (i.e. Democracy freedom capitalism etc.). And they are the designated enemy, so of course they look bad and are unlikeable, can't have the readers liking the antagonist more can you?.

Saying that the clans were mongol horde redux is an insult to the mongols , unlike the clans who had mystical juju fairy dust material to power their engines and advanced weapons compared to their opposition, the mongols were roughly par in terms of tech in general, in some ways they were even deficient which is why they recruited from their conquered populations for certain things (like siege engineering).

Nuking the amount of worlds they did isn't exactly that much of a stretch if you think about it, you don't actually have to nuke everything just the major areas then the fallout and sunblockage will generally kill off the stragglers, and well at cold war era we built quite enough to wipe out multiple "earths" even with our antiquated (by bt standards) industrial and nuclear tech. Also that WOB spinal mounted mass driver newgrange warship could pretty much do everything by itself since it had more than enough ammo because it just used asteroids (and only needed a few shots per world).

[Metus regem]

Probably Not, on 14 February 2017 - 09:52 AM, said:

I wouldn't really call most of the Great Houses particularly democratic anyway (except perhaps Marik/FWL to an extent). But Capellans go above and beyond (or perhaps the better term would be below and beyond). The Capellan Confederation embodies all the worst parts of the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, and the Liaos are at times LITERALLY INSANE.

I'd also have the Federated suns up there as fairly democratic, as the people of a world have the right to have their noble replaced if they feel that noble is not acting in their best interests.... Almost like how most western countries can recall their elected representatives if they feel they are not acting in their best interests.

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Bishop Steiner, on 14 February 2017 - 05:30 AM, said:

Playing a CJS Seeker opens up limitless RPG possibilities.

Interesting for RPG, but Goliath Scorpion doesn't really do much until Jihad era. They trained the Dragoons and sucked up to the Wolves, that is really the most they did with regards to the bigger picture. The Scorpions got more interesting leading up to the Wars of Reaving.

Edited by Quicksilver Kalasa, 14 February 2017 - 10:40 AM.

[Metus regem]

Probably Not, on 14 February 2017 - 10:35 AM, said:

FedSuns subjects/constituents/whatever you choose to call them have probably one of the highest standards of living overall in the Inner Sphere, as well.

And also one of the lowest literacy rates as well... Really being on the low end of the totem pole in the FedSuns you have two options, be a serf or join the AFFS as an enlisted grunt.... likely why they have one the largest militaries in the IS at the time of the Clan Invasion....

[Metus regem]

Probably Not, on 14 February 2017 - 10:45 AM, said:

This is all true, yes.

I'd still take being on the low end in the FedSuns than being a Capellan subject though, because holy ****.

I do give the Cappies some credit though, being a citizen is something that one must be earn, not something one is entitled to.

That being said, yes, being on the low end in Capellan society really is the shits.

[Bishop Steiner]

Probably Not, on 14 February 2017 - 07:10 AM, said:

This is very true... but I would argue that it doesn't necessarily controvert Spheroid's statement, because these dictators USED and/or SHAPED the rule of law rather than defy it in any way. Also, these members of the intelligentsia frequently purged the everloving **** out of other would-be intelligentsia if they displayed even the faintest hint of dissenting thought (Pol Pot is notable for ordering the summary execution of anyone wearing reading glasses).

And what do you think WoB is doing, and even Comstar pre schism? They are shaping the rule of law, behind the scenes, and then overtly. And like Lenin or Adolf, are forcing that rule onto all.... and eliminating those who disagree, or (especially this) eliminating all the other intelligentsia that could pose a threat to their plans. (Comstar for instance has arranged the killing off of most of the truly prominent minds throughout the Succession Wars to to bring their twisted vision of Blake's will ti fruition.

Probably Not, on 14 February 2017 - 07:10 AM, said:

While the 2016 election and its aftermath are proving to be a dumpster fire of epic proportions, I would definitely stop short of equating it to the Blakist Jihad.

Just wait till he throws one of his patented temper tantrums when dealing with the head of state of China or North Korea...

[Bishop Steiner]

Quicksilver Kalasa, on 14 February 2017 - 10:38 AM, said:

Interesting for RPG, but Goliath Scorpion doesn't really do much until Jihad era. They trained the Dragoons and sucked up to the Wolves, that is really the most they did with regards to the bigger picture. The Scorpions got more interesting leading up to the Wars of Reaving.

Point in fact, that is true for most of the Clans that weren't in the Invasion. And even several of them were less than fulfilling until the Great Refusal, at least. And that is the timeline I find most interesting to start as a CGS Seeker... after the "revelations" of the Great Refusal, following visions... possibly being one of the first Scorpions to Nueva Castile, and paving the way for the Clan to follow after the Abjuration, to form the Escorpion Empirio.

Or even late in the Jihad, or even after Grey Monday... a freeborn Warrior, child of a Trueborn Scorpion and a Umayyad Warrior..... who left as a Seeker to follow visions after the Walls of Fortress Republic were raised... maybe even one who's Umayyad ancestry has traces of blood lineage dating to a certain 331st Royal Battlemech Division....(ah yes, the Wolverine Connection....it is indeed possible.... )

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 14 February 2017 - 01:05 PM.

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Bishop Steiner, on 14 February 2017 - 01:05 PM, said:

Point in fact, that is true for most of the Clans that weren't in the Invasion.

I mean Blood Spirit at least had their blood feud with Star Adder. Hells Horses and Steel Viper at least had their attempts to get into the IC (and strong feuds prior). Fire Mandrill, Goliath Scorpion, Coyote, Cloud Cobra, and Ice Hellion are only notable for either being subservient to a larger Clan (Coyote and Goliath Scorpion to Wolf, Cloud Cobra to Star Adder) and/or known for being incredibly inactive (excluding participation in the Great Refusal). Which makes me sad that two of those Clans still exist post jihad.

Edited by Quicksilver Kalasa, 14 February 2017 - 01:24 PM.

[MetalGhost]

a gaijin, on 13 February 2017 - 05:02 PM, said:

I hate the Jihad era for exactly same reasons the others before me have posted.

Basically the BattleTech story started going downhill after the Twilight of the Clans series. I got through the FedCom Civil war novels as well. They really should have just stopped at Endgame.
Everything after (storylines and "plots") was so crappy I lost interest in the BattleTech novels entirely. After spending so much time immersed in it you can't really imagine the disappointment.
Battletech and MechWarrior is really a story that needs to go from 3005 until 3067, ending there with "an uneasy but hopeful peace."
Everything after is just poop.

I hope all future MW games either center on the 4th Succession War, The Clan War of Refusal between Wolf and the Jade Falcons, or if single player, the Clan Invasion.
I say "single player" for the Clan Invasion because after experiencing this, I don't think MW multiplayer games with two different tech bases is a good idea at all.
It gets frakked up in the dog and pony show called "game balance" which in the end pleases no one.

Ya after what all I heard everything after 3068 is trash and the authors really messed up mechwarrior

[MischiefSC]

Clans in a nutshell -

"IlKhan, the Inner Sphere killed tens of thousands of our mechwarriors between the annihilation of Smoke Jaguar and the setbacks in the war. It has been the worst loss of our warriors since the founding of the Clans!"

ilKhan Brett Andrews "What? Those freebirth surats? I will not let those cowards out perform Trueborn Clans!"
*starts wars of Reaving and obliterates the Clans almost completely, destroys the Clans as a political entity and kills more Clanners than anyone in history*

[Grus]

Kasumi Sumika, on 13 February 2017 - 03:57 AM, said:

Didn't Mechassault series are placed during Jihad?

we dont talk about that game....

[Khobai]

Carl Vickers, on 13 February 2017 - 03:57 PM, said:

Wasnt the Jihad thing basically a universe reset for BT?

Something like. oh crap, its gone too far, clans suck and screwed everything up so lets nuke and reset the whole thing.

If clans being OP was such a problem, why couldnt they just publish a new edition of the rules where clans wernt overpowered?

Thats far more logical than nuking clans out of the entire setting

Jihad/Dark Ages was just a bad approach to fixing what was wrong with the game. it also trivialized everything that was accomplished in all of the battletech novels, because none of it even mattered. it was all entirely pointless in the end.

Edited by Khobai, 04 August 2018 - 08:27 AM.

[Tetatae Squawkins]

The BT franchise has been rife with internal politics, shifting creative control and legal problems since FASA died. And I'm not talking about Harmony Gold.

They are only just starting to get things back on track to not being utterly terrible.