Keep in mind that time in the game is equal to time in the real world. I'm thinking that the clans will eventually be available to players for this reason. As time progresses, the gap in tech will dwindle until the Inner Sphere is nearly on a par with Clan tech. There's also salvage to consider, so after a few years of game time, we might be in a position where they can open the Clans to players without destroying game balance. I'm not too familiar with the timeline and how it affects weapons tech, but in the 3067 tech manual the Inner Sphere was producing Omnimechs, among other things.
This leads me to believe that players may, eventually, be able to play as clan. On the other hand, the devs have stated that there will be PvE content, so they may just keep them as npc's.
Comments?
I just noticed that I may have posted in the wrong thread. sorry
Edited by Grugore, 02 July 2012 - 01:50 PM.