61 replies to this topic

[Stormwolf]

Greetings all.

There was a thread similar to this on the old Classic Battletech board, but I write this with the intention of reaching players who do not have access to a ton of sourcebooks or full knowledge of the Battletech lore.

The Clan invasion of the Inner Sphere will start in less then a year, the initial invasion of the Periphery will be August of this year. The Invasion a.k.a. Operation Revival will bring many joys and fears with them for the Mechwarrior community.

Many players here will be overjoyed to play as their favorite Clan, many more are afraid that Clan tech will be abused to the point where MWO becomes unplayable for the IS players. It will be just as bad for the Clan players who are rather invested in their Clan of choice to have it ruined by a bunch of griefers.

Having a Clan mech with a Clan insignia slapped on it is not enough to be classied as a Clan warrior. You have to have the mindset of a Clan warrior as well. Many players take pride in their skills to take on multiple opponents or to single-handedly destroy a far heavier mech. These players are the right stuff for the Clans.

Being a Clan warrior is all about your skills and showing them off to establish that you are trying to be greatest warrior who has ever lived. It is not about trampling a 25 ton Commando with your 100 ton Dire Wolf because it is easy. You pick a 30 ton Kit Fox to fight a 60 ton Grand Dragon and still come out on top. Show your peers your skills by selecting a mech lighter then their own to complete a objective they would have done.

It is prefered by Clan warriors to fight other Clansmen in a honorable duel. The duel will not be disrupted by any other warriors since they are all already engaged in their own battles. It is a sign of weakness that you would need help from another. It is a insult to assist a fellow warrior in battle, do you think that he/she is not good enough to fight on their own?


A Clan is much more then a "cool animal logo" that goes with your mech. Clans are their own societies with long term goals and histories. There are massive amounts of information to be found on all the Clans, you will find that some Clans are more to your liking then others. Becoming familiar with a Clan will greatly enhance the experience for you, even more so if other players in your unit are equally invested.

The goal of every Clan warrior is to bring honor and victories to their Clan, a dishonorable victory will shame your Clan and every member in it. Some warriors will go as a far as declaring a Trial of Grievance against you if they have a problem with your behaviour. Take a hint, you will be making enemies in the Clan you picked if you continue to shame them. Running to another Clan will not help either, honorable Clan warriors are everywhere and we share this kind of information. You do not want to be known as a Dezgra warrior.

Honorable victories on the other hand will elevate you to something of a hero. Warriors will be proud to fight alongside you in a battle to the death against hordes of enemy combatants. Bring your Clan glory and honor, only the strong and skilled are fit to serve these goals. Use Zellbrigen, Zellbrigen might not translate all that well from the TT to MWO (especially the LoS and weapon range rules), but try not degenerate into dezgra behaviour.


I could rant on for hours about this, but I would like to close with the following:

1. Learn about the Clans, do not simply sign up with one that has a cool looking logo. Some practices among a number of Clans will not agree with you. You can find a plethora of info here.

2. Bother to know the Clan mechs and what they are called among the Clans. Saying things like "I will fight in Clan Jade Falcon with my Thor" wil not inspire much confidence among the Jade Falcon warriors. They will think that you are just there for the tech and nothing else.

3. know the Trials, they are rather important for life among the Clans. Using trials well will pay off in more ways then you can imagine at this point.

4. Do not be afraid to ask about Clan customs and practices. The Clan lifestyle can be harsh and unforgiving, the Clan is family and will help you out with everything outside of combat (you will have to fight your own battles).


Any questions?

[Arcterran]

One question, I hear a lot of talk of "bidding" and Sarna has absolutely nothing on it (or at least just references) so what exactly is it and whats involved?

[Stormwolf]

Arcterran, on 05 April 2012 - 11:27 AM, said:

One question, I hear a lot of talk of "bidding" and Sarna has absolutely nothing on it (or at least just references) so what exactly is it and whats involved?

Bidding is the process where two or more Clan commanders try to one-up each other by deploying the least possible amount of troops and equipment to complete a objective.

Example:
Clan Ghost Bear wishes to conquer a world defended by 12 IS mechs and a variety of infantry and vehicles.
Star Colonel Steve Tseng selects a binary of heavy mechs to conquer the world
Star Colonel Sarah Beckers selects a star of heavy mechs along with a mixed light/medium star
Star Colonel Steve Tseng selects a single star of heavy mechs to counter Sarah Beckers bid
etc.

The bidding continues till one of them decides that they cannot top what the other commander is offering.
Now this may be used against some commanders to get them to underbid and lose the battle (thus making them look bad).

It is allowed for a Clan commander to call upon the force they previously bid away during the bidding process (Steve could potentially call down a extra star of heavy Clan mechs). This will however net them no honor.

The idea here is that the least amount of men and material is wasted on the mission.
Winning such a battle would bring you and your Clan a great deal of honor. This also increases your chances of gaining higher rank.

[Trevnor]

Nice information! It'll be a good balance for all the new users. Keep up the good work!

[Stormwolf]

Lt Trevnor, on 05 April 2012 - 11:48 AM, said:

Nice information! It'll be a good balance for all the new users. Keep up the good work!

Thanks

[Thorn Hallis]

'tis needs to be pinned here!

[Odins Reaver]

http://ppc.warhawken...s.com/theclans/ <--- Another good clan info page.

[Stormwolf]

Odins Reaver, on 05 April 2012 - 04:38 PM, said:

http://ppc.warhawken...s.com/theclans/ <--- Another good clan info page.

Love that one, it has always been a good reference site.

[CoffiNail]

Something like this needs to be pinned... not that a dezgra surat will bother looking at it, but maybe it will turn someone to the greater good, quiaff?

[_Kodiak_]

Any word on elementals yet ?
Just itching to tear into a Fatlas.....

[CoffiNail]

=CGB=KodiBekker, on 06 April 2012 - 05:42 AM, said:

Any word on elementals yet ?
Just itching to tear into a Fatlas.....

ATM no, they are still going to have Mech vs Mech. If we see them at all I can see them being the Clan's alternative to IS Artillery option. Place a spot for Elementals to set up, and attack a mech that moves near. Problem is they need to code AI, which takes away time for other ventures they could be doing.

Being a Elemental fan (it is what sold me for MWLL) I would love to see them in, with some fashion as well.

[Jake Valeck]

just mechs at this point.

great job on the info for bidding. its a shame however that even though there are rules governing how clans operate its just to much to ask the entire battletech/mw comunity to play exactly to those ways. which is why im afraid that in the beginning when we get a clan invasion it will be just heard in comstar news instead of the ever hopeful clans vs I.S. battles.

just my 2 c-bills

[_Kodiak_]

Bummer , Hope the Ebon Jaguar will be in the ToE , my first ride in mw3.
Anyone heard from Warhawk?

[Jaroth Corbett]

Liked almost everything except the Sarna link you posted. Stick with ppcwarhwk. I see odin reaver posted the link already.

[MacabreDerek]

Loved the Clans since I was a kid, but reality is if alot of Clans are going to be running ToPs I am starting to believe there isnt a place for players like me in them. It's hard to be in the top 10% of players, especially when your Solahma such as I.

[Stormwolf]

Thanks peeps

Jaroth Winson, on 06 April 2012 - 11:05 AM, said:

Liked almost everything except the Sarna link you posted. Stick with ppcwarhwk. I see odin reaver posted the link already.

Sarna is not perfect, but it has its uses.

MacabreDerek, on 06 April 2012 - 01:56 PM, said:

Loved the Clans since I was a kid, but reality is if alot of Clans are going to be running ToPs I am starting to believe there isnt a place for players like me in them. It's hard to be in the top 10% of players, especially when your Solahma such as I.

A honorable warrior who dies fighting is worth more then a 1000 dishonorable warriors who shame their Clan by resorting to dezgra tactics.
I am sure you will fit in with us, you certainly have the heart for it.

[Gremlich Johns]

=CGB=KodiBekker, on 06 April 2012 - 06:10 AM, said:

Bummer , Hope the Ebon Jaguar will be in the ToE , my first ride in mw3.

Take the time to look at the game timeline and then go research (sarna or whichever) for when certain mechs appear in the canon timeline.

[MacabreDerek]

Stormwolf, on 06 April 2012 - 02:13 PM, said:

A honorable warrior who dies fighting is worth more then a 1000 dishonorable warriors who shame their Clan by resorting to dezgra tactics.
I am sure you will fit in with us, you certainly have the heart for it.

Would love to believe that, but let us be truthful. The honoured are the elite, those who can push the invasion towards Terra and have the ability to preform true acts of valor and honour in the battlefield. Warriors who are at best compident would be immidiatly thrown into the labour caste to serve the clans in ways that will be forgotten if they are even recognized. There is no honour in having Freebirth or Solahma doing the duty of hardened Trueborns, and Sibkos who need their chance to prove themselves in glorious conquest. What the clans want, neg, what the clans NEED are the best of the best, to become the indomitable warmachine Kerensky made them destined to be.

In such glorious visions, there is no place for us. There is no glory in garrison duty, or simply routing remains of broken Inner Sphere remains. I find myself more becoming angered at the idea, and a bitter taste of shame on the back of my tongue knowing this.

A single Solahma, no matter how honourable, is trash, a soldier beyond his prime and waiting for death to claim him from his misery, and the most he can hope for is a quick death that does not make him Dezgra. It's a broken and misserable existance, with no chance of earning any form of glory to be writen in The Rememberance.

The line of thinking sickens and shames.

Edited by MacabreDerek, 06 April 2012 - 04:50 PM.

[Gremlich Johns]

MacabreDerek, on 06 April 2012 - 04:46 PM, said:

Would love to believe that, but let us be truthful. The honoured are the elite, those who can push the invasion towards Terra and have the ability to preform true acts of valor and honour in the battlefield. Warriors who are at best compident would be immidiatly thrown into the labour caste to serve the clans in ways that will be forgotten if they are even recognized. There is no honour in having Freebirth or Solahma doing the duty of hardened Trueborns, and Sibkos who need their chance to prove themselves in glorious conquest. What the clans want, neg, what the clans NEED are the best of the best, to become the indomitable warmachine Kerensky made them destined to be.

In such glorious visions, there is no place for us. There is no glory in garrison duty, or simply routing remains of broken Inner Sphere remains. I find myself more becoming angered at the idea, and a bitter taste of shame on the back of my tongue knowing this.

A single Solahma, no matter how honourable, is trash, a soldier beyond his prime and waiting for death to claim him from his misery, and the most he can hope for is a quick death that does not make him Dezgra. It's a broken and misserable existance, with no chance of earning any form of glory to be writen in The Rememberance.

The line of thinking sickens and shames.

Not all of the Warrior Caste, let alone the Clan Elite, are of this strong, and frankly, psychopathically conceited opinion. Some, like the Blood Spirits, believe everybody has a purpose to their Clan, no matter how insignificant and so do not denegrate one's service - even the Solahma who came before them. Sure, the Mechwarrior is at the peak, but the whole of the CBS Warrior Caste have a profound respect for those they are bound by position to protect. That, plus everybody in the Clan Blood Spirit, according to canon, prepare themselves to the same level of preparedness as the Warriors are, insofar as they can, not being warriors themselves. Granted, the Cloud Cobra, Nova Cat, and maybe the Star Adder are close in idiom to what you suggest, but as a characterization of how a member of the Warrior Caste thinks, I think this is over the top.

I understand and appreciate that you "write" from an RP point of view. However, a little closer examination of the fiction vis-a-vis Clan life within the context of the canon is advised.

And @ Stormwolf, I agree with your sentiment to his post re: him being Solahma. The Clansmen are not Klingons and even they respected their Veterans. (BTW, I am a Veteran myself and I am respected by those who have followed me into service. Maybe it is because I was a Warrant.)

Edited by Gremlich Johns, 07 April 2012 - 04:56 AM.

[Jaroth Corbett]

MacabreDerek, on 06 April 2012 - 04:46 PM, said:

Would love to believe that, but let us be truthful. The honoured are the elite, those who can push the invasion towards Terra and have the ability to preform true acts of valor and honour in the battlefield. Warriors who are at best compident would be immidiatly thrown into the labour caste to serve the clans in ways that will be forgotten if they are even recognized. There is no honour in having Freebirth or Solahma doing the duty of hardened Trueborns, and Sibkos who need their chance to prove themselves in glorious conquest. What the clans want, neg, what the clans NEED are the best of the best, to become the indomitable warmachine Kerensky made them destined to be.

In such glorious visions, there is no place for us. There is no glory in garrison duty, or simply routing remains of broken Inner Sphere remains. I find myself more becoming angered at the idea, and a bitter taste of shame on the back of my tongue knowing this.

A single Solahma, no matter how honourable, is trash, a soldier beyond his prime and waiting for death to claim him from his misery, and the most he can hope for is a quick death that does not make him Dezgra. It's a broken and misserable existance, with no chance of earning any form of glory to be writen in The Rememberance.

The line of thinking sickens and shames.

Your line of thinking sickens & shames me. All Clan warriors begin honorably. It is their actions that add more honor or strip honor away. No two warriors are alike & thus some are made for the front line while some are made for garrison duty. A true warrior understands the need for both offense & defense. If everyone was on offense they would conquer many worlds but would not be able to hold them. If everyone was on defense they would secure the worlds they had but would never venture forth to expand the Clan's domain

You shame yourself by showing you lack the understanding of this concept when the surats of the Inner Sphere, most notably the Draconis Combine have embraced this for as long as they have been in existence. They walk the tight rope everyday of their lives but they believe in,

Quote

Always giri before ninjo. Always duty before heart.

For a Clansman, then the Clan is all. Do the duty you were assigned & do it to the best of your ability. No one is saying you cannot have goals/dreams/aspirations but you cannot place them before the Clan. Have you learned nothing from our history? Have the egos of Star Colonel Adler Malthus of Clan Jade Falcon or Galaxy Commander Dietr Osis of Clan Smoke Jaguar not taught you anything? Quineg? Have you not heard of the exploits of Star Captain Angela Bekker of Clan Ghost Bear? She was placed on garrison duty with the task of forming an entirely new Trinary. Did she scowl or pout or whine or complain? Neg! She did her duty & when challenged by Clan Wolf forces she fought & emerged victorious & secured the planet she was on. That added more honor to her name. (Read Roar of Honor if you get a chance)

Let us look at some facts about some "solahma" warriors. These are people who are not really important to the Clans but I thought it would put things into perspective:

Quote

Nicholas Kerensky
IlKhan of the Clans
57 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Andery Kerensky
Star Colonel
55 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Jerome Winson
Khan of Clan Wolf
66 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Phillip Drummond
Khan of Clan Nova Cat
75 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Stephen Cage
Khan of Clan Ice Hellion
66 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Cyrus Elam
Khan of Clan Goliath Scopion
71 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

John Fletcher
Khan of Clan Hell's Horses
76 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

David Kalasa
Khan of Clan Sea Fox
55 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Elizabeth Hazen
Khan of Clan Jade Falcon
80 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Windham Khatib
Khan of Clan Cloud Cobra
65 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Dana Kufahl
Khan of Clan Coyote
48 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Ellie Kinnison
Khan of Clan Steel Viper
36 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Devon Lefarbe
saKhan of Clan Star Adder
49 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Stephen McKenna
Khan of Clan Snow Raven
76 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Franklin Osis
Khan of Clan Smoke Jaguar
43 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Raymond Sainze
Khan of Clan Fire Mandrill
61 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Colleen Schmitt
Khan of Clan Blood Spirit
64 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Absalom Truscott
Khan of Clan Star Adder
65 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Sandra Tseng & Hans Ole Jorgensson
Khan & saKhan of Clan Ghost Bear
both 58 at the beginning of Operation Klondike

Do you think the ilKhan at 57 was beyond his prime, when he led our ancestors to reclaim the Pentagon Worlds, surat? Elizabeth Hazen at 80 should simply have waited for death to claim her from her misery even as she led her troops into battle, surat? Franklin Osis at 43 should have hoped for a quick death even though his actions earned him recognition in the eyes of the ilKhan, surat? When Andery Kerensky at 66, shed his blood on Eden fighting alongside Clan Wolf warriors was he living a broken & miserable existence, surat?

I say you are an impostor. I say if you have Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries, you can select a time & place to meet me in a Circle of Equals. I will scatter your DNA to the winds surat!

Edited by Jaroth Winson, 07 April 2012 - 05:06 AM.