But here's the important part; In what order do you like them? Your answers will be graded by the person standing behind with the SAFE badge. Don't worry they don't know what it stands for either.
In what order do I like my explosions?
Usually big ones first, then lots of sparking-popping ones afterwards-and then a big finale with a mega explosion.
Otherwise my likes go in this order: House Marik, House Marik, House Marik and House Marik.
Which include the color purple, freedom, eagles and explosions.
I like the FWL because its a basket of variety and it has as much going on within its borders as it does on the borders with its neighbors.
Into worlds/cultures where the nobles have a strict code of honor/behavior and do things like duel with swords? Check out Vanra.
Into worlds/cultures that mix any aspects of eastern european, italian, greek, or indian cultures? Check out the Marik Commonwealth, or the Principalities of Oriente and Andurien or Regulus respectively.
What about American west cowboys? Check out the Southwestern Worlds.
Or maybe a Great House that reminds you a little bit of the ancient Romans? That's what the FWL was originally supposed to be like when the very first writers of BT took a stab at creating the universe. The Roman thing got shifted to the Marian Hegemony but you still see traces of that line of thinking. The partially white attire of the FWL Parliament, the eagle, the FWL Legions and their insignia (a roman helmet).
It has everything. There is a strong national flavor yes, but the regional flavors are incredibly visible and potent.
Sometimes with factions like the Fed Suns, I feel like the only time there is anything going on with that faction is when they are invading (or are being invaded) by someone. All the action and activity is on the border or on a battlefield. But with the FWL, there is as much going on within the League as there is on its borders. For a game like MWO, that might not be as relevant, I imagine community warfare will focus on the conflicts between the Great Houses. But from a more roleplaying/story/lore standpoint, there is a richness to the story WITHIN the FWL that is almost as potent as its ties with the other Great Houses.
Honestly to grasp the diversity of the FWL you gotta look closely at the eras in which that diversity was more prominent. Thomas Marik managed to consolidate a lot of power and authority by 3050. He got as close as anyone ever did to creating a strong national identity to the FWL, where people don't see themselves as Andurien, or of Oriente or Camlann, but they see themselves as of the FWL. The entire FWLM is wearing the same uniform (literally, removing the patchwork of regional uniforms that soldiers were wearing). To better understand the FWL you either gotta go back a decade or more, to the Andurien War of Succession or prior to that, or you gotta go forward to the post-Jihad era and look at the former-FWL states that appear when the federal government goes away. Many of them take their regional aspects/quirks/uniforms/preferences and bring them to the forefront.
Having done that research myself, my own appreciation for the FWL jumped considerably, which is when it became my favorite Great House.
I don't want to be lone wolf or Merc cause their life expectancy is low in battletech lore, in fact most mercs companies don't survive past one major battle. Either they go bankrupt or all get killed. Lone Wolves are basically the pirates of battletech who get virtually wiped out by clans and other house companies
I like Steiner to a certain degree, for one they have cool looking dress informs. Yes i know that sounds corny, But also they produce the Highlander my favorite mech
Katrina i don't really like. I believe they are the aggressor throughout most of battletech lore and only talk peace when it benefits them. I
Davion i don't like. They are the military superpower in battletech and with their alliance to Steiner they are very powerful. I rather play an underdog. If i were to play a superpower i would rather be Steiner because i think they have the most access to fighting against the clans
Liao has some of my favorite mechs like the cataphrat and the raven, I like them but i don't know if i want to play a faction that is oppressive and gets beaten badly in the 3rd succession war
FRR i don't really like, they are in the middle of two powerful IS factions and the clans raining down on them. They seem to be the punching bag of the battletech universe and novels
Marik i don't know much about
So basically my choice may come down to Liao, Marik or Steiner
-they invented the AWS chassis and the cicada. (EDIT: and the orion! and stalker!)
-seems akin to european union
-i speak spanish, no other house i can identify with there.
-you can badmouth the leader of marik and probably not be sent to death camps, kinda
like you would criticize the president of your country by right of free speech.
(afaik that would get you killed in the other houses for treason)
-commerce oriented and variety of production, not just manufacturer of weapons like some houses
(and their real-life counterparts)
-seems marik is one of the only houses that cultivates technical knowledge and culture in general in this fictional universe. that's worth fighting for. (stuff like music and arts)
reasons to stay:
-friendly people on teamspeak!
-they know tactics better than most other teams and houses.
-you can always count on the purple chicken when you're having one of those horrible loss-streak with useless teams
-they basically taught me how to play when i was new a year ago, how to pick apart targets by component, focus fire and all that good stuff
-they usually take things lightly even if i get mad with how a match turns out
-on a related note, marik players are so cool they will cheer you up when you are raging or frustrated.
-also they never criticised my choice of loadout or anything, nor have they ever pushed me to "meta-hump" which i believe is a crutch anyhow
-marik tactics are usually not about taking the flavor of the month or taking the heaviest mech you can field, but often strategies requiring use of good tactics like swarm of lights, still leaving plenty of room for you to take any mech you want and get very good support.
-purple is kinda neat! it looks pretty cool on your mech, trust me
-i think we have a pretty good chance of winning community warfare, marik is competitive on every level it seems, we don't get the constant influx of noobs that steiner or davion get
-you just have to applaud the organization of the website and people like joe luck who are not only good commanders on the field and often teach new people how to play- but also work very hard to organize community events that other houses just don't
Spoiler
TL:DR > reason number 1 should be enough:
(adam steiner's)
(mine)
(ubiquitous image of purple ppc pwnage, or PPP for short)
Steiner - too many Social Generals that ruins every effort to live in peace. Class is everything in the higher tiers. And Loki is used against the own People.
The "official" PPC is quite deranged. just like the manner of warming beer down in some regions of the Isle of Skye. But the Guys in donegal brew quite a good Whisky.
Kurita? - Sorry i dont speak snake and if i were in one of their Regiments i would shoot the whole Staff cause of their overusing of swarming tactics .... But their PPC is ok.
Davion? - Too many Glamour >würg< Also their PPC isnt tasty. Bourbon? With Grain Alcohol? Really? Waste of good ressources!!!
Liao? - I DON´T serve under some madman who killed his father an is so insane as a cat with a flaming back
and also their own PPC isn´t to get in ANY Bar in the whole bunch of swamp-planets
The Peripherals? Only Pirates and murderers. Yes they have this pleasure Circus down under in Canopus. And it must be a lot of fun to herd some cattle there in the taurian Concordate... But i love my water coming out of the pipe and not out of a Pond in middle of nowhere...
Rasalhaag? What´s that? something to eat? Waitor: 1 Smörebröd please
Marik is fine fo me because if we have to fight it is to protect our People and only if it is neccesary. The best beer in the whole Inner Sphere is brewed on Timbiqui and our PPC-Variants are quite amazing. (Guys, for every planet of the whole free world there is one)
1. Because once the writers really started paying attention to the FWL, the backstory was far more interesting.
2. Because we have better food, better drink, and better Mechs.
3. Because every time I watch an old episode of Firefly, I think "Browncoats = Southwestern Worlds"
4. Because it was an accident. One day ten years ago, I was playing in War!Online. I was running a unit in the Niops Association, and the league admin told me the FWL team had jumped ship to some other unmemorable league, and the FWL slot needed to be filled. After that, I took the slot, we allied with House Steiner (yo Remo!), and mailed "Property of House Marik" panties to the Clan leaders...yeah, almost got the league sued over that (sorry!). But I bet that Khan looked good in our gear!
Blessed Be The Free Worlds League!
Recognize.
Edited by Archbishop Lyon, 03 May 2014 - 01:28 PM.
Well, dang! You guys convinced me to sign up. I was astonsihed, to say the least, to find out the creators of BattleTech heard of Romania existing, let alone making it one of the official languages spoken in one of the main players in the universe.
That and I've yet to see the meta-circle-jerking I've noticed in other areas of the forum...
Marik due to closest thing resembling what my Squadron was while I was in the Military. KnightHawks is what we were called. So due to it being a bird, I chose Marik.
I've been a member of House Marik and the 4th Oriente Hussars for about two months now, and I am so glad that I have found this great group of folks within the MechWarrior gaming universe. They are polite, patient, and respectful, and also fun to fight alongside with. The leadership is professional and well-organized, and they go out of their way to make new members feel really welcome and at home. Moreover, many Marik members are older like me and have jobs and families, and so there is no pressure to spend x amount of hours per week online competitively playing the game. It's very casual and friendly, which I very much appreciate.
From a larger perspective, I've been playing Battletech and MechWarrior since the 1980s and have all the old sourcebooks. My old high school and college gaming buddies (who are still playing MWO btw) always liked being associated with House Davion (and still do). More recently though, I've become more enthusiastic about House Mark after going back and re-acquainting myself with its history, politics, culture, and its military. All in all, the Free World League's parliamentary democracy and commerce-based economy appeal to me very much, and I like the fact that its planetary composition is regional and multicultural with something for everyone. As an industrial powerhouse, House Marik also fields top-of-the-line battlemechs armed and equipped with the latest in lostech weapons and gear.
I finally joined House Marik and the 4th Oriente Hussars after I decided that I wanted to do something more organized than PUG-ing, and quickly found my home through its awesome website. It didn't take me long to get started, with Stingr4y and Roadbeers helping me get setup on Teamspeak and into my very first 12 vs 12 training matches. Captain Polignac then accepted me into the 4th Ortiente Hussars, and I haven't looked back. Thanks to all for being a great community!
Edited by Joshua McEvedy, 05 July 2014 - 01:56 PM.
I joined House Marik because the pay the bills.
Seriously though, I joined a regiment, and that regiment was attached to House Marik. At one time we were attached to House Davion, but some heads were butted and we joined the FWLM. Excellent community full of respectful players that enjoy the game. Also, I've noticed we have the fewest number of whiners. Instead of complaining about every little thing, we strive to enjoy this wonderful experience brought to us by the kind folks at PGI.
And speaking of PGI and CW, as well as Faction Warfare... my impression is we players will have some influence over the course of galactic history, with PGI "Guiding" us along to keep things running smoothly. In my estimation, that means PGI is really a front for... Comstar!
If any of you Mariks are looking for a family-friendly group to join with strong morals and an enforced profanity-free TS server, come check out The Seraphim @ serephimregiment.enjin.com
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Trynn Allen, on 07 January 2014 - 07:52 PM, said:
