155 replies to this topic

[Serevn]

Leigh 214, on 06 June 2012 - 06:42 AM, said:

You seem to be lacking in a certain... Kuritan touch here in this thread. So, I will engage in honorable dialogue.

We, the honorable Draconis Combine, have stood for centuries against our aggressive and treacherous neighbors. We, the Draconis Combine, have engaged our enemies with pragmatism and honor. We, the Draconis Combine, are the epitome of the Warrior Ethos in action. We are artists in both life and death. We are proud citizens, mothers, fathers, and sons and daughters.

FedSuns can't touch this. *Draws katana and moonwalks* Liao has nothin' on us! *Moonwalks other direction*

I like this guy. But can he moonwalk in a battlemech?

Edited by Serevn, 07 June 2012 - 06:10 PM.

[Milkman Luke]

Youngblood, on 06 June 2012 - 06:38 PM, said:

I'm still chuckling to myself over the "hipster faction" comment. There's such a mental image disconnect for me between white kids with faux-hawks (or whatever) wearing taped glasses, and sci-fi soldiers who raid worlds for beer.

I do side with the Capellans because they're House Underdog, but now I'm never going to be able to shake the image of Death Commandos standing around, wearing trucker hats with skulls on them, talking to each other about how Atlas pilots are such sellouts.

[Sativacuity]

Because we have trucker hats?

[Youngblood]

So I remembered the passage wrong, it was actually wine that the Shepard's Mounted Fusiliers captured. After the Jihad they (as Roman's Mounted Fusiliers) once had a victory party involving a 'Mech grabbing the enemy militia's CO's car and shotput-tossing it.

The CCAF. We know how to have fun.

[Enaris]

Considering the nature of the Succession Wars, any faction calling any other warmongers is a definate pot-kettle moment. All the ways back to the First War, it wasn't like any of them really wanted to sit down and say "hey, can we talk this out instead of demolishing mankind" (Ok, yes, the current Liao Chancellor of the time did try to get peace going, but only after she'd gotten her tail end kicked from all sides).

In the end though, old Max Liao was the most dangerous man in the Inner Sphere in 3028. Yeah, a full up invasion of Liao may have been a bit overboard, but let's stop and consider a couple of names... and the Hanse-double is not one of them.

Anton Marik- Liao catspaw used to break the power of the FWL, and kill millions in a Civil War, and abandoned when his usefulness was over.
Michael Hasek-Davion. Anton wanna be, but Hanse was able to keep that threat contained until Max himself had him killed.

The FSW wasn't so much about the Capellan culture, but containing the rabid dog of the Inner Sphere. Sadly, Romano was even more rabid (so much so, that she was actually less dangerous in the long run. Sun-Tzu though, has all the scheming without the loony)

[rilianv]

everyone knows that if it hadnt been for comstar and the DCMS, the federated suns armies would have marched all over the capellan confederation. heck if the cappies had put up even token resistance then neither comstar or the dcms would have gotten involved.
the only reason yall ever reconquered yalls territories is because the FS, LC, and DCMS were all focused on defending borders with the clans and taking the fight to the clans to worry about what yalls pathetic nation did

[Thorn Hallis]

Another victim of propaganda...

[Butt Captain]

I identify with House Laio because you could say the "art of war" of "SUn Tzu" Laio inspires me.

[BlakeAteIt]

This:

Milkman Luke, on 08 June 2012 - 03:26 PM, said:

I do side with the Capellans because they're House Underdog,

This:

Sir Trent Howell, on 28 May 2012 - 05:48 PM, said:

I think the demonizing of the Capellan Confederation in the novels is what drew my attention to them in the first place. Maybe I just like the bad guys, but the Davions were all goody-two-shoes and needed a balance. The problem with Battletech is that it often lacked multi-faceted characters with believable flaws.

And the fact that the Capellans, in practice, were not terribly concerned with honor or whatever. Steal tech? Lay traps? Bluff? YUUUP.

[Kelthar]

Volturnus, on 30 April 2012 - 06:56 AM, said:

The same could be said of a government led by someone who starts a war as a wedding gift, kills millions, and destroys half a nation simply because he doesn't agree with their way of life. For a Davion to call our government oppressive is absolutely hypocritical, to say the least.

When that way of life includes raiding your planets and killing civilians one can see why they don't agree with it.

[Jad Ivask]

I'm torn between the two houses. The Federated Suns' basis in indivigual liberty and scientific advancement resonate with me, but so does the Capellan devotion to order and sheer cussed determination. Neither house is the paragon of justice that they like to portray themselves as, but neither house is a corrupt as they like to paint each other. Both houses seek to empower their respective states, but do so in completely opposite ways.

Much as I respect the Federated Suns and house Davion, I find myself leaning more towards the Capellan Confederation and house Liao. It's not like either house is a collection of saints. Part of why I like Battletech's overall story is because there's no real good guy, despite what too many authors like to beleive. It's hard, balancing indivigual liberty with state authority, and it's too bad that there's no real in depth description of the houses to really sink my teeth into.

Hell, even my pilot name is the one I used in a BT tabletop RPG game than ran for a year. The character came from a small, sparsly populated agricultural/mining world that changed hands between the two powers often enough that the population's citizenship in either state was foggy at best. Techinically speaking, Jad was a citizen of the Federated Suns by birth, but earned citizenship in the Confederation since his world was (re-re-re-re) conqured when he was a kid. Years later, it's (re-re-re-re) taken by the Feds, and he's still on record as a citizen there. Served in a local militia unit as a mechwarrior, but when the Confederation again (re-re-re-re-re) annexed the planet he simply kept protecting it's people from pirates, slavers, raiders and other nastiness. Jad married a Capellan mechwarrior, and shortly after the planet changed hands again.

So my character is as torn on loyalties as I am. It fits. He just keeps his head down, fights pirates, tends his plot of land, and plays with his kids. The Feds would call him a model citizen, and the Capellans would call him a devoted defender of the state. Go figure.

Edited by Jad Ivask, 12 June 2012 - 06:31 PM.

[Bastard Ken]

In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

[ORIGINAL SteelWolf]

New Avalon Institute of Science.
I have not picked a side. I'm still reading up more on the history.
I've read almost every novel out there in paperback, but not the actual House "Name" Books. For a while i leaned toward Steiner. Then Davion. Now i'm up in the air. I'm defiantly against a "treat your citizens like crap" state.

[Howling Mad Murdock]

House Liao are the underdogs, the plucky nation who have to constantly defend themselves from the other Houses trying to dominate them... Everyone likes the Underdog story

[JackDeez]

FEAR NOT MY FELLOW CAPPIES.

Behold the Word of Lowtax and let it fill you with courage and pride.
For inscribed apon the scrolls of :tenbux: are all the philosophies of buttedonge thought.
Embrace the true God King of giant space robots, The Mittani and his allies the brave and valorous Tetatae warriors
We shall claim ultimate victory over these Davion dogs and restore order to the star league
Praise be to Lowtax, Lord and savior of Goonkind

[Blackops074]

Are Chapter played for House Liao the Capellan Confederation.

At first I was a House Warrior but after a short time I was chosen to become a Death Commando!

And I got my RAVEN! After kicking the Ghost Bears butt on a Con and BBQ I got the Exterminator!

That’s why I want to play House Liao again for old time sakes.