16 replies to this topic

[Major Tomm]

BattleTech lore states that the MRBC essentially restricts Mercs from taking Clan Contracts.

This is true right? This is why the MRBC replaced Comstar's MRB. Because Comstar was playing both sides of the Clan Invasion. The Inner Sphere stopped dealing with the MRB and forced Comstar out of the Merc business, replacing it with the MRBC completely by 3052.

But wait, I look at FW and see Mercs signing up for Clan contracts in violation of what has always been a canon no-no in MechWarrior because of the Mercenary Review and Bonding Council, you know, Outreach. This is why many of us have long ago started two player accounts. So we could be Mercs, but still use Clan mechs on one account.

So is this always going to be so? I guess so since most Clans disappear as a distinct faction soon except for a few like Jade Falcon. So less and less reasons to have 2 accounts.

Well excuse me for thinking MWO would abide by the MRBC for Merc contracts.

[nehebkau]

It has been pretty much the agreed upon position that PGI jumped the shark in regards to how it handles mercs on many, many levels. Much comes from features that were not implemented and some because minimal thought effort was put into making the role meaningful.

Edited by nehebkau, 14 May 2017 - 08:16 AM.

[Major Tomm]

Shame shame.

[Cy Mitchell]

No Clan would have even hired Mercs to fight for them. They lived for the glory that only comes from war. Their whole society was build around it. Most of them considered Mercs totally without honor for fighting for money.

However, Clans did contract with one another to acquire or provide troops for campaigns. One example is when the Khan of Hell;s Horses made a deal with the Khan of Clan Wolf to provide Gamma Galaxy warriors for a push into the Inner Sphere.

[MischiefSC]

As soon as only the top 10% of players can play Clan mechs to represent Clan skill advantage and there's actual factions to hire mercs directly then this starts to become relevant.

Since none of that will ever be the case it's not really relevant.

[Ced Riggs]

Major Tomm, on 14 May 2017 - 08:12 AM, said:

Well excuse me for thinking MWO would abide by the MRBC for Merc contracts.

I am laughing so hard right now, you have no idea. MWO is an FPS PvP game. The rest around is just window dressing. If you want your lore fix and your nostalgia, grab an older MechWarrior game. Mech Commander is, for example, abandonware and freely available from Microsoft. Pick up a book and read some stories.

The entire premise of your post is delusional.

[Lightfoot]

Rampage, on 14 May 2017 - 08:32 AM, said:

No Clan would have even hired Mercs to fight for them. They lived for the glory that only comes from war. Their whole society was build around it. Most of them considered Mercs totally without honor for fighting for money.

However, Clans did contract with one another to acquire or provide troops for campaigns. One example is when the Khan of Hell;s Horses made a deal with the Khan of Clan Wolf to provide Gamma Galaxy warriors for a push into the Inner Sphere.

Clans may have hired them, but then they would be banned by the MRBC and the Inner Sphere would not. That's why there is an MRBC. Really surprised by this. It's technically forbidden in BattleTech.

[Ced Riggs]

Lightfoot, on 14 May 2017 - 10:44 AM, said:

It's technically forbidden in BattleTech.

Daily reminder that MWO isn't a novel from 1988, or a tabletop RPG. If you are actually surprised, then you are potentially not all that game-savvy.

[Mystere]

Ced Riggs, on 14 May 2017 - 10:51 AM, said:

Daily reminder that MWO isn't a novel from 1988, or a tabletop RPG. If you are actually surprised, then you are potentially not all that game-savvy.

Or maybe MWO is just a very generic stompy robot game with BattleTech skins.

[Valhallan]

MischiefSC, on 14 May 2017 - 10:12 AM, said:

As soon as only the top 10% of players can play Clan mechs to represent Clan skill advantage and there's actual factions to hire mercs directly then this starts to become relevant.

Since none of that will ever be the case it's not really relevant.

If you thought the whine was bad now..... , It would be hilarious to see the vast majority of the current clanner population get booted for being below clan-standards, in fact given that balance is probably never gonna happen anyway, i totes support this .

[SmokedJag]

Lightfoot, on 14 May 2017 - 10:44 AM, said:

Clans may have hired them, but then they would be banned by the MRBC and the Inner Sphere would not. That's why there is an MRBC. Really surprised by this. It's technically forbidden in BattleTech.

There are three or four lore merc units the Clans tolerate/respect but for the same reason those units fight Clans for free / with far higher risk of death than mercs normally would accept.

[Mystere]

Valhallan, on 14 May 2017 - 11:22 AM, said:

If you thought the whine was bad now..... , It would be hilarious to see the vast majority of the current clanner population get booted for being below clan-standards, in fact given that balance is probably never gonna happen anyway, i totes support this .

I'd support this too -- as long as player are judged individually while performing in teams not of their choosing. We wouldn't want people hanging on the coattails of their unit-mates to make it, right?

[Valhallan]

Mystere, on 14 May 2017 - 11:49 AM, said:

I'd support this too -- as long as player are judged individually while performing in teams not of their choosing. We wouldn't want people hanging on the coattails of their unit-mates to make it, right?

Yes i agree, just like in-lore you got assigned to a steiner commander/sucky star-commander? TOUGH , gotta make do with what you're given.

[Khobai]

if were moving into the 3068 timeline I think its fine for mercs to work for clans

[Lightfoot]

Well the issue is no one with knowledge of BattleTech and MechWarrior would have believed this possible. It's a much greater violation of canon rules than cross-tech mechs. MWO wouldn't allow that, even though the Black Knight can do cross-tech in the lore and all other MechWarrior games allowed cross-tech on any mech, but not Mercs working for Clans.

So you have thousands of core players, myself included, who went and started an Alt to play their Clan and Inner Sphere mechs in FW since PGI stated you couldn't play Clan if you had an I.S. loyalty affiliation. That means Merc Units too since the MRBC is there to enforce this rule. You take Clan contracts and you don't get in the MRBC and that is where the Inner Sphere gets their Mercs. Duh!

I guess it's fortunate I didn't start my Alt until 6 months ago, but you have some players who spent years on two faction accounts believing they would be blocked from playing both factions. Oh well, it was fun going from Tier 5 to Tier 3 in a week, but I have no use for my Alt anymore.

Edited by Lightfoot, 14 May 2017 - 02:48 PM.

[Aggravated Assault Mech]

You're not literally a mercenary, it's just a way of balancing faction populations.

[pyrocomp]

Mystere, on 14 May 2017 - 10:55 AM, said:

Or maybe MWO is just a very generic stompy robot game with BattleTech skins.

With late influx of pure Gundams (Linebaker with ventilation in lower torso and Roughneck with wiring above the aromor, not under it, just to pick the random) that well may be the too true statement to be a joke.