52 replies to this topic

[Petroff Northrup]

Trying to choose a faction to side with in the Battletech Universe has always been a difficult one since this is one of those universes where there are almost no mono-dimensional factions. Sure early on i fell in love with Kurita and then the clans, the over to the Capellans, and for the longest time I had a deep hatred for the FedSuns until I saw more into the political turmoil which always threatened to tear the nation apart. i quite honestly like factions from all over, from the Northwind highlanders, to the Raven Alliance, and I am a bit curious as to how people can choose a faction, stick with it, and become so loyal to it since I am still completely up in the air for MWO.

[Hayden]

Petroff Northrup, on 18 December 2011 - 12:39 PM, said:

Trying to choose a faction to side with in the Battletech Universe has always been a difficult one since this is one of those universes where there are almost no mono-dimensional factions. Sure early on i fell in love with Kurita and then the clans, the over to the Capellans, and for the longest time I had a deep hatred for the FedSuns until I saw more into the political turmoil which always threatened to tear the nation apart. i quite honestly like factions from all over, from the Northwind highlanders, to the Raven Alliance, and I am a bit curious as to how people can choose a faction, stick with it, and become so loyal to it since I am still completely up in the air for MWO.

Honestly, in the Table Top game I was largely a Fed Suns/Davion player from way back. I never had any love for the Steiners (especially in the wake of the Fedcom Civil War) and I never paid much attention to the FWL. I kinda wrote the Capellans off for a long time, but now they're one of my favorite factions (Pre-4th Succession War, the events that follow seem way too dramatic, and I don't like that they decided to join the Kuritans and Lyrans in the "Ethno-centric theme party" that the BT universe is lurching towards). Now, the DC... I honestly I never liked the DC, mostly for their aggressive actions, but ironically I have decided to side with them in MWO.

My reasons for this are pretty convoluted... suffice to say, the DC has always been depicted as having very loyal units (Sword of Light, Proserpina Hussars, etc.) But they also have units that are decidedly less enthusiastic, and I've decided (depending on how the game works) to attempt to form one of these units, a conjectural 3rd Amphigean LAG (with the Amphigean Light Assault Group as the parent formation). We'd be fighting to win, but playing the role of soldiers fighting for survival, rather than honor.

[Demi-Precentor Konev]

I say if you're torn on so many factions, don't try to 'side' with one. I personally cannot stand the Clans at all. As such I rarely read any of the fiction around them and I avoid using their 'Mechs at every turn. The real downside here is that I'm probably missing out on a lot of good literature. If you can approach the BT universe with such a broad point of view - embrace it and use it to soak up all the great material we've got that fleshes out the setting.

And if you're worried about it from a gameplay perspective... well, Mercs can fight for anybody, right?

[Kenyon Burguess]

until the devs announce otherwise just consider one of the great houses as a choice. periphery and clans are more likely to be NPC's and motivators for mercenarys to fight for/against

[Seth]

Do you have any friends or an online group that you already play with? That could be a big factor in which faction you play. I've always preferred the clans over I.S. factions because their novels were so much more interesting. Inner Sphere novels favor politics and intrigue too much for my tastes.

[Slepnir]

Petroff i love many factions in the TT game i naturally fell in love with kurita first. as a japanophile it was a natural progression. but thats not to say i do not have other likes. i mostly fell into them based on the fluff. for mercenaries i love the old grey death legion, for steiner i am a devout supporter of the 10th lyran guards(victors old unit) and for my clans i went outside thebox and went with hells horse because i agree with the ideology of warrior over equipment and combined arms warfare.

[Jacob]

Free Rasalhague republic is the way to go! Seriously not only we are the biggest mead producer in inner sphere but we also get all the hot Scandinavian babes, whats not to like?

Edited by Jacob, 18 December 2011 - 02:24 PM.

[Hayden]

Jacob, on 18 December 2011 - 02:23 PM, said:

Free Rasalhague republic is the way to go! Seriously not only we are the biggest mead producer in inner sphere but we also get all the hot Scandinavian babes, whats not to like?

Nothing! Which is why the DCMS has every intention of preventing the Lyrans from taking it away from you.

[metro]

Petroff Northrup, on 18 December 2011 - 12:39 PM, said:

Trying to choose a faction to side with in the Battletech Universe has always been a difficult one since this is one of those universes where there are almost no mono-dimensional factions. Sure early on i fell in love with Kurita and then the clans, the over to the Capellans, and for the longest time I had a deep hatred for the FedSuns until I saw more into the political turmoil which always threatened to tear the nation apart. i quite honestly like factions from all over, from the Northwind highlanders, to the Raven Alliance, and I am a bit curious as to how people can choose a faction, stick with it, and become so loyal to it since I am still completely up in the air for MWO.

I understand your pain.

But due to loyalty and friendships.

I have been in the C.C.A.F. for over 20 years now.

[Pave Low]

Jacob, on 18 December 2011 - 02:23 PM, said:

Free Rasalhague republic is the way to go! Seriously not only we are the biggest mead producer in inner sphere but we also get all the hot Scandinavian babes, whats not to like?

I learnt more from these 3 lines about FRR than I have reading 5 paragraphs of dense story text!!

Good post Jacob!!

[Wraith 1]

BT: Crescent Hawks Inception taught me to like the Lyrans and dislike the DC, MW2 taught me to like Clan Wolf and dislike Clan Jade Falcon, Mercs taught me to like whoever paid the most .

[Kyll Long]

Wraith-1, on 18 December 2011 - 06:12 PM, said:

BT: Crescent Hawks Inception taught me to like the Lyrans and dislike the DC, MW2 taught me to like Clan Wolf and dislike Clan Jade Falcon, Mercs taught me to like whoever paid the most .

Thatd be us

[Petroff Northrup]

Hayden, on 18 December 2011 - 01:08 PM, said:

Honestly, in the Table Top game I was largely a Fed Suns/Davion player from way back. I never had any love for the Steiners (especially in the wake of the Fedcom Civil War) and I never paid much attention to the FWL. I kinda wrote the Capellans off for a long time, but now they're one of my favorite factions (Pre-4th Succession War, the events that follow seem way too dramatic, and I don't like that they decided to join the Kuritans and Lyrans in the "Ethno-centric theme party" that the BT universe is lurching towards). Now, the DC... I honestly I never liked the DC, mostly for their aggressive actions, but ironically I have decided to side with them in MWO.

My reasons for this are pretty convoluted... suffice to say, the DC has always been depicted as having very loyal units (Sword of Light, Proserpina Hussars, etc.) But they also have units that are decidedly less enthusiastic, and I've decided (depending on how the game works) to attempt to form one of these units, a conjectural 3rd Amphigean LAG (with the Amphigean Light Assault Group as the parent formation). We'd be fighting to win, but playing the role of soldiers fighting for survival, rather than honor.

Oh, i read everything I can get my hands on, I recently started working my way through all the BT books from the beginning, my thing is I have never been able to get into the loyalty to one or two factions so many people have, the closest I come is with the clans where I favor Clan Hell's Horses, but always remember the good times I have had as a Snow Raven or Jaguar. Every time I look upon an Ebon Jaguar I wonder if it is time to forgo the ideals of working together for the individual kill as a full predator. Even among mercs I am torn between such great groups like the Northwind Highlanders, Grey Death Legion, and McCarron's Armored Cavalry.

Edited by Petroff Northrup, 18 December 2011 - 07:37 PM.

[Mason Grimm]

Jacob, on 18 December 2011 - 02:23 PM, said:

Free Rasalhague republic is the way to go! Seriously not only we are the biggest mead producer in inner sphere but we also get all the hot Scandinavian babes, whats not to like?

Ummm have you seen my post on "Mechwarrior Joy Juice"?!?!?!? Steiner is the mead making capital of the universe!!! Just sayin!

[Petroff Northrup]

Right now FRR is pretty much the only faction I am not considering given that I know nothing about them except for how badly they get curb stomped.

[Hayden]

Petroff Northrup, on 18 December 2011 - 07:37 PM, said:

Oh, i read everything I can get my hands on, I recently started working my way through all the BT books from the beginning, my thing is I have never been able to get into the loyalty to one or two factions so many people have, the closest I come is with the clans where I favor Clan Hell's Horses, but always remember the good times I have had as a Snow Raven or Jaguar. Every time I look upon an Ebon Jaguar I wonder if it is time to forgo the ideals of working together for the individual kill as a full predator. Even among mercs I am torn between such great groups like the Northwind Highlanders, Grey Death Legion, and McCarron's Armored Cavalry.

There are a lot of pretty shades of gray in the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe.

[Petroff Northrup]

Hayden, on 18 December 2011 - 07:49 PM, said:

There are a lot of pretty shades of gray in the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe.

That was probably the biggest draw for me, anytime a faction is shown as"The good guys" I gain draw a strong dislike for them, at the same time I also hate when some people or faction get portrayed as cliched villains which happens far too often to the Cappies and Dracs.

[Hayden]

Petroff Northrup, on 18 December 2011 - 08:11 PM, said:

That was probably the biggest draw for me, anytime a faction is shown as"The good guys" I gain draw a strong dislike for them, at the same time I also hate when some people or faction get portrayed as cliched villains which happens far too often to the Cappies and Dracs.

With Takashi Kurita and Maximilian & Romano Liao, YES. But Theodore Kurita and Candice (SIC, I know) and Sun Tzu Liao were much more gray.

EDIT: And I really like Capellan culture's take on things like citizenship and service to the state. Low on personal freedom, but it really seems like it would create a strong, unified society.

Edited by Hayden, 18 December 2011 - 08:16 PM.

[Black Sunder]

If you seriously fancy yourself a scout. Join House Steiner. If scouting isn't for you then join House Steiner because they have Reserves of Assaults.

[Alaskan Viking]

I'm kind of in the same situation as the OP, in that I am looking for a faction and having a difficult time.

I have played the Mechwarrior games on and off since Mechwarrior 2, with most of my time being spent in MW2 Mercenaries and a little in MW4. But it's been a long time since I have last played and I have never played the tabletop game, (didn't even know there was one until recently) or read any of the fiction. All I know is that years of playing MechWarrior Mercenaries has given me a fierce, burning, hatred of the Draconis Combine and anything to do with those wretched neo-bushido tyrants...

So I have been reading the Sarna wiki a little to help me choose a faction, and it creates more questions than it answers. For instance, at first I was thinking Free Worlds League, because it is supposed to be the capitalist, individual liberty American Libertarian type faction, then I find out its like a fascist dictatorship ruled by a monarch?! Well, ok, how about the Davions, I always disliked them because they seemed like dorky do gooders, but whatever, at least they seem to be a UK style Constitutional monarchy/Liberal democracy, oh wait, they are a monarchy ruled dictatorship too?

And forget about those totalitarian communistic Clans, they can burn in hell, along with all things Kerensky....

So what is the deal, is every power in the BT universe some kind of generic totalitarian Monarchy? It seems like if humanity was scattered across thousands of star systems that centralized power would be much more difficult and more unlikely, with Politics being more like the Italian city states during the Renaissance, (planet states?) but apparently these vast distances, and the resulting difficulties in communications and logistics, have resulted in a new golden age of empires and kings?

?!?!?

Right now I consider myself the disenfranchised citizen of the Rim Worlds Republic. Because lost causes are fun and Sharks are cool..

Edited by Alaskan Viking, 18 December 2011 - 09:31 PM.