Gaan Cathal, on 24 September 2013 - 10:58 PM, said:
Turns out, if you say something in a stupid way, it sounds stupid.
Yes, such as talking about the JOKE that is Clan Honor, even just in the paper rules of the game.
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More like, one Clanner to another: "Moving on hostile position, clear into C3, D3...taking fire from multiple hostiles! Honourless pig-dogs! {Insert whatever Clanners use for insults here} Crush them all!"
Okay, think about the irony of what you've just said. The writers for the Clans knew that, in the lore of the game, Inner Sphere MechWarrior's are taught to use concentrated/combined fire, in general, when necessary to win. They also knew, due to tabletop play over several years, that this was how Inner Sphere players played the game. Had they truly been concerned with honor for the Clans, rather than making a gimmick to attempt to hold back the Clans from abusing the superior technology, the honor rules would have been more strict, or at least written so it had a real effect. The only thing the Clan player has to wait for, thus, is the Inner Sphere player to act the way they're supposed to. Thus, the Clan rules of honor are a JOKE!
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The point is, if Inner Sphere forces use combined fire e.t.c on Clanners, the Clanners are absolutely not required to just sit there and take it in the name of Zellbrigen.
You're right, which is what makes Clan rules a joke; it doesn't take ANYTHING for the release of hell from the Clans. The only place Inner Sphere honor exists -because of the way the community simply ignores most of the precepts set up in the novels and sourcebooks- is in those self-same novels and sourcebooks.
Someone earlier in this thread explained they would fight with honor to the best of their ability, regardless of the losses and/or circumstances, as will I, as have I. It's up to each individual, on the Inner Sphere side, what they do; however, that doesn't mean honor-effects can't have a potential effect, as it really would in a true Inner Sphere, which is largely managed by a sort of feudal system, concerning reputation, standing in various places MechWarrior's would serve in, etc. The lore behind the game, which is one of the things that's supposed to be a major part of this game, according to the developers in late 2011/early 2012, should make it important to consider how the feudal control of the Inner Sphere would work, the sorts of effects a modernized interstellar feudal system, complete with honor codes, would have on military units within the Inner Sphere. As well, it's been pointed out, before, that the lore explains the Ares Conventions were almost universally ignored within a half-decade of their signing by the nobles; however, decades later, many military commander's, and their elements with them, were NOT ignoring the conventions, and this pro-activity literally saved the Inner Sphere from becoming nothing but an interstellar smoking hulk.
Since people will not play within these generally nebulous rules, will not concern themselves with them, whether Clan or Inner Sphere, hard rules should be put in place within the game. Again, for the Clans, these rules would be more punitive, while for the Inner Sphere, they would only have an effect on the overall operations and, for Merc Corps, the types of contracts they are able to get. The direction individuals and units decide to go, overall together, whether a unit hires or gets rid of certain MechWarrior's, based on their personal reputations, would be entirely up to how they fight in the game. If they fight dirty, they get dirty further down the road, and if they decide to change directions, or fight clean from the beginning, they continue to get better contracts. For Clanners that fight dirty, they face the consequences outlined in the Clan books.
ONLY those capable of working within the Clan rules and limitations, who are not simply barbarians at the controls of 'Mechs, should be allowed to have the opportunity to play in the Clans. WHEN the Clans are released by PGI -and, frankly, the statement they made about concentrating on the Clans, now, when they should still be concentrating on the overall game (CW, modes, etc.) and Inner Sphere, is unacceptable to me-, play in the Clans should only be by invitation, once it's determined an individual has what it takes.
I am an Inner Sphere mercenary and, admittedly, I don't have what it takes, beyond my personal honor code, to be in the Clans; I have no problem admitting that, but I also would never fight for the Clans. When the Wolf's Dragoons from MechWarrior II/NetMech decided to switch over to Clan Goliath Scorpion, I left them, and within two months they disbanded altogether. I loved the Dragoons, and everyone in that unit were awesome people, but my hatred of the Clans is so much it almost takes on a real-life dimension. So, no Clans for me.