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Right someone up thread asked about the political make up of the Free Worlds League, So as the resident Marik fanboy here is Ferrosol's quick primer to politics FWL style. Free Worlds League Polticial structure of the FWL The first thing you need to know about is that it is that the Free Worlds League (at least on the national level but we will get to that later) is a democracy but unlike one of those namby pamby democracy's where it is one man one vote (or in SPACE!!! one planet one vote) here we have a much better system where it is one Eagle (the primary unit of Marik currency) one vote. Yep a planets voting weight is based on their GNP meaning that the more economically successful you are the more votes you get. Now the Marik Parliament has a single chamber where all the MPs sit together and discuss debate and all the other things politicians do when they are short on mistresses/cocaine/second houses. Now the unique thing that separates the FWL parliament from its lesser cousins is the post of the Captain-General. The Captain-General is the prime minister/president/Head of state all rolled into one he has supreme command of the military and serves for life. Now Captain-Generals can be replaced but it requires a 2/3rds majority of parliament to do so. Traditionally most captain generals works closely with parliament because it controls the budget and its kind of hard to fight a war without money. Now the captain-general post is elective but by ancient tradition the Marik family gets first refusal on the post (there have been non Marik captain-generals but they were incompetent). However due to the crisis caused by the collapse of the Star League the league parliament passed resolution 288 which temporarily suspends elections for the post of Captain General until the Star League can be restored. As a result the Mariks have held an unbroken run on the Captain-Generals position for the last ~300 years or so. Next Time the factions and politics of the FWL circa 3025
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May 3, 2011 09:59
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Out of curiosity, shouldn't the two SRMs that hit the rotors of the Warrior take out a point of armor each? Or do helicopters have special damage reduction rules or something I'm forgetting?
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May 3, 2011 11:17
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one hit the rotor one hit the body
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May 3, 2011 11:33
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AtomikKrab posted:one hit the rotor one hit the body Right you are. I'm not sure how I missed reading that. 
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May 3, 2011 11:37
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Rotors do have special damage rules Rotors divide the damage taken by 10 or something like that, rounded up. But every rotor hit slows it down.
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May 3, 2011 12:55
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chutche2 posted:Rotors do have special damage rules You know. This is a cool idea that they should have implemented elsewhere too. Like for instance headshots.
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May 3, 2011 12:58
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Affi posted:You know. This is a cool idea that they should have implemented elsewhere too. Like for instance headshots. But then clan players wouldn't be able to impress you with how skilled they are when they take a bunch of ER PPCs and wait for headshots.
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May 3, 2011 12:59
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Affi posted:You know. This is a cool idea that they should have implemented elsewhere too. Like for instance headshots. They did, in a different way. Every headshot you're supposed to make a piloting check to see if the pilot takes damage or gets knocked out. Unless you mean dividing the damage, but I don't see how that would be any better....
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May 3, 2011 13:35
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Iridium posted:They did, in a different way. Every headshot you're supposed to make a piloting check to see if the pilot takes damage or gets knocked out. Ever take a gauss to the head?
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May 3, 2011 13:39
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raverrn posted:Ever take a gauss to the head? Yup, and delivered a few. It makes sense to me that one wouldn't survive such a thing.
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May 3, 2011 13:45
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chutche2 posted:Rotors do have special damage rules While I understand this is for balance (VTOLs prior to this rule were absolute deathtraps that died at the drop of a hat), it does irk a bit. You can shoot a helicopter square in the rotor with a god-damned 150mm cannon twice and the thing will keep going.
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May 3, 2011 14:05
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Tempest_56 posted:While I understand this is for balance (VTOLs prior to this rule were absolute deathtraps that died at the drop of a hat), it does irk a bit. You can shoot a helicopter square in the rotor with a god-damned 150mm cannon twice and the thing will keep going. All rotor hits are considered glancing, pretty much. Before this rule, a single hit would bring down every helicopter in the game; and due to the way vehicle armor works increasing rotor armor would've been pretty impossible without breaking balance. Rotors are limited to a maximum of two armor, no matter how big the helicopter; which means a medium laser will always be sufficient to shoot down a helicopter without this rule in place.
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May 3, 2011 14:34
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Iridium posted:Yup, and delivered a few. It makes sense to me that one wouldn't survive such a thing. Those rotors survived missiles. The same reasoning could be used for headshots. *the unique shape of the head makes blows against it glancing* or something.
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May 3, 2011 14:34
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Disregard this post, I have no reading comprehension today or something
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May 3, 2011 14:37
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Tempest_56 posted:While I understand this is for balance (VTOLs prior to this rule were absolute deathtraps that died at the drop of a hat), it does irk a bit. You can shoot a helicopter square in the rotor with a god-damned 150mm cannon twice and the thing will keep going. Yeah but the concussive effect of a direct hit from a shell of that calibre should kill anyone within anything anyway. The only other way to balance things is to make helicopters virtually impossible to hit, which would be equally bad.
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May 3, 2011 14:40
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PoptartsNinja posted:All rotor hits are considered glancing, pretty much. Before this rule, a single hit would bring down every helicopter in the game; and due to the way vehicle armor works increasing rotor armor would've been pretty impossible without breaking balance. It worked for the Mechwarrior games.  Helicopters really shouldn't be taking direct hits to the rotors (or the engine compartment) from anti-mech weaponry and shrugging it off anyway. At least it makes a little sense from the balance perspective.Affi posted:Those rotors survived missiles. The same reasoning could be used for headshots. *the unique shape of the head makes blows against it glancing* or something. If you're going to do that, you might as well just houserule it that the head is part of the center torso and gets all the protection the internals there would provide. Headshots aren't particularly easy to make unless the target is incapacitated (which would mean they're pretty screwed anyway) or you've got heavy weapons and a targeting computer, in which case you're nerfing incidental headshots to try and stop a combination that will just move to targeting whatever the next weakest part of the mech is. Maybe blowing off a leg instead.
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May 3, 2011 14:54
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Hey PTN, looks like you forgot to add me to the pilot list. I should be between Mezzanin and WolfhoundFC. My email is joneswt@live.com
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May 3, 2011 14:58
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Zaodai posted:Headshots aren't particularly easy to make unless the target is incapacitated (which would mean they're pretty screwed anyway) or you've got heavy weapons and a targeting computer, in which case you're nerfing incidental headshots to try and stop a combination that will just move to targeting whatever the next weakest part of the mech is. Maybe blowing off a leg instead. Exactly. Granted, the physics behind the rotors is iffy at best, but it was a decent way to penalize a VTOL's greatest asset, maneuverability, without letting the first infantry with a slugthrower destroy an expensive heli asset on the battlefield within a single turn. Battlemechs are huge, and dangerous, and valuable on the tabletop. It makes a tremendous amount of sense from a game design angle that they should have a weakness of some sort. It's not such a huge weakness that it's easily exploited (you either need multiple hits, or one hit from a very heavy weapon), but it's a weakness that sensibly adds an extra element of advantage/disadvantage/luck to a game.
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May 3, 2011 15:06
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Alchenar posted:We live in a post-scarcity society now but most of the world is still starving. I don't think that means what you think it means.
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May 3, 2011 16:06
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The Merry Marauder posted:Bowman, if you're going to cornhole S1, jump up to 1703 so any missed SRM shots don't hit the nightclub? Does my Jav have those Go-Go-Gadget Actuators that let him punch from an L3 building two hexes away? No, he doesn't. It's okay, I'm only firing one SRM this turn, I'm sure any missiles that miss the mech will end up blasting a couple extras, and not causing any real damage. By the way, and I'm not trying to be a rules lawyer or anything, but if the Commando just backs up one hex, I think the edge of the building in 1421 should block fire from P1. I know it doesn't really take up very much of the hex, but isn't that hex considered an M5 building? That way H1 and H3 can spend one more turn blasting the poo poo outta buildings until they need to engage the Locusts.
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May 3, 2011 17:11
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Let’s Read: Main Event (part 2) Chapter 2 Tara, Northwind 23 April 3054 (still) Rose enters the Hall of Warriors, which is constructed entirely of wood housed deep within a gigantic cement castle as big as a city. We then learn that dress uniforms are considered inappropriate for the Hall of Warriors, but that knives are A-Ok (see? Told you it was a common and really loving stupid sidearm!) and also that every soldier is wearing a kilt. Just so you don’t forget they’re Scottish. We are then introduced to three-fourths of the leadership of the Northwind Highlanders, one of whom (the only woman) is described in an overly-sexualized fashion by Rose. Main Event posted:Sitting in the final chair was Andrea Stirling, commander of Stirling’s Fusiliers. With one leg draped over the arm of her chair and her head resting firmly in her opposite hand, she was the image of boredom. Boredom? Really? The author doesn’t describe any of the men beyond “This is Colonel so-and-so” then spends a paragraph talking about the guy who isn’t there and another paragraph describing how Cat Stirling is sitting. Rose then gives a traditional greeting which apparently consists of “my title is unimportant, call me what you wish.” We also learn that Rose was an Adept (read: somewhere between a ‘Lieutenant’ and a ‘Captain’) in the ComGuards, since they pretty much use the ‘Adept’ rank for everything. Rose then gives Colonel Senn, the de-facto leader of the Highlanders, a boot knife stolen from the Smoke Jaguars. Senn then replaces his own boot knife with the ‘clan version’ (the book’s words) which likely does 50% more damage, weighs half as much, and produces substantially less heat then Colonel Senn’s old knife did. Colonel Senn then invites Jeremiah Rose to give his speech. Jeremiah Rose then spends five or six paragraphs rambling about the Clans. He then calls for a strike against the clans, attacking them instead of waiting for the clans to attack. Main Event posted:“My plan, like all good military plans, is a simple one. The Highlanders have contracted to provide four regiments for the defense of the Federated Commonwealth. There is no contract, however, that prevents the Highlanders from forming an independent unit that might further hire itself out to take the fight back to the clans.” Cough Cough. Jeremiah Rose then demands to be made the commander of a Northwind Highlander force dedicated solely to fighting the Clans, and to be allowed to purchase any ‘Mech (with money he doesn’t have) not reserved to fulfilling the contracts with House Davion. He then says he intends to name this new force the “Northwind Black Watch” (retarded). The Highlanders actually seem quite taken with this idea, but they ask for objections anyway. Then Jeremiah Rose’s father asks permission to speak, even though he’s only a technician. Permission is granted, and Cornelius Rose reminds everyone that his son is a colossal dickhead. Main Event posted:“After twenty years away from his home, [Jeremiah] returns and asks us to place our trust in him. To entrust him with our lives and our honor while he goes to fight the clans.”  Our hero’s dad, ladies and gentlemen! “NOBODY UNDERSTANDS ME! I HATE YOU DAD!” Cornelius Rose then wanders off-screen without waiting to see how the warriors react. The Highlanders then call for a vote which fails Then the chapter ends.
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May 3, 2011 18:28
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PoptartsNinja posted:Let’s Read: Main Event (part 2) Please tell me that Chapters 1 and 2 are a big fake-out and that Cornelius Rose is going to be the protagonist from here on out.
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May 3, 2011 18:40
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ShadowDragon8685 posted:Please tell me that Chapters 1 and 2 are a big fake-out and that Cornelius Rose is going to be the protagonist from here on out. Sadly, you will be disappointed shortly.
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May 3, 2011 20:52
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PoptartsNinja posted:An Infantryman’s Small Arms Primer: Little bit of clarification on this. The Zeus is really closer to something chambered in .338 Lapua or even 7.62 when you compare its damage to support MGs. Infantry weapons have a much better 'this makes sense' bit to them compared to Battletech weapons due to changes in game balance. For example, a Medium Laser in Battletech has a range of 9 hexes or 270 meters. The MW version of it, the Heavy Support Laser, has a range of over a kilometer. They also provide a conversion system of BT -> MW (and back again) that is klunky at best and completely insane at worst. Basically if you follow it: LRMs are things that can be easily scoffed at by infantry wearing basic body armor <REDACTED> can be easily one-shot by Inner Sphere large lasers (They would still hurt in BT, but they <REDACTED> would be alive) but they could soak up medium lasers all day. So instead it's generally a good idea to use the MW equivalent weapons in the game (And throw in your own to flesh stuff out more) Vibrokatanas are not as stupid in the actual rules (They're mainly vibro-swords with a slight accuracy bonus) and can cut through most normal armor with ease but none of the vibro-weapons are well-suited against most power armor. The I-beam through the gauss rifle was sold as being a 'one-time' thing, which is pretty much true. The damage was excessive (as most Stackpole things are), but then again I doubt the doors were heavily armored. Normal laser pistols/rifles are around (pulse variants are rare, not unheard of) and akin to the pistol picture earlier there's also the "Blazer" variant, which is literally two laser pistols/rifles tied together to fire as one. This was something else that changed along with the previously mentioned jumpship change in the thread. Amusingly enough, the Draconis Combine eventually introduces a disposable pulse laser for use against <REDACTED>. It's akin to a LAW, but with LAZARZ. Squeeze trigger, empty charge, discard smoldering tube. Side Note: Lasers in Mechwarrior are quiet weapons. No Pew Pew when shot. Taerkar fucked around with this message at 02:10 on May 4, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 22:32
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And when the writer isn't Stackpole, they're usually invisible, too.
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May 3, 2011 23:11
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Bad Moon posted:Sadly, you will be disappointed shortly. Yeah... I had that feeling. I was just hoping against hope. 
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May 3, 2011 23:16
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ShadowDragon8685 posted:Please tell me that Chapters 1 and 2 are a big fake-out and that Cornelius Rose is going to be the protagonist from here on out. Cornelius Rose is abducted by ComStar. Sensible protagonists are Lostech.
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May 4, 2011 00:12
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Preechr posted:And when the writer isn't Stackpole, they're usually invisible, too. Yeah, which is even more insane.
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May 4, 2011 00:45
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Taerkar, might want to edit that post to remove references to LP spoilers.
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May 4, 2011 01:18
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PoptartsNinja posted:the ‘clan version’ (the book’s words) which likely does 50% more damage, weighs half as much, and produces substantially less heat then Colonel Senn’s old knife did.
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May 4, 2011 01:44
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PoptartsNinja posted:He then says he intends to name this new force the “Northwind Black Watch” (retarded).
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May 4, 2011 01:49
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Polaron posted:Taerkar, might want to edit that post to remove references to LP spoilers. Que?
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May 4, 2011 01:52
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You've unredacted the REDACTED. Edit; Actually still one in there. Revenant Threshold fucked around with this message at 01:57 on May 4, 2011 |
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May 4, 2011 01:53
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Ah, got it.
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May 4, 2011 01:56
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There's still one
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May 4, 2011 02:06
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He's pretty new to the thread, so you can't expect him to be in our element all at once, guys. Not everyone understands why I'm keeping some of the more advanced technologies a surprise... hell, we haven't even seen a Gauss rifle yet (well, technically we have, but nobody ever got a visual on Dusk's 'Mech).
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May 4, 2011 02:16
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Gauss Rifles are one of the better known weapons in the setting thanks to the various games. Didn't really think there would be an issue since I was dealing with infantry stuff, but <REDACTED> weren't something I really considered too much.
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May 4, 2011 02:20
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Let’s Read: Main Event (part 3) Chapter 3 Tara, Northwind 23 April 3054 (still) Chapter 3 begins as Jeremiah is hailed by a woman (Dropship Captain McCloud of the same Dropship that Rose came in on). He immediately makes a crude sexual innuendo about her that’s only obvious if you’ve read ahead and know he’s been sleeping with her. Main Event posted:He was surprised at being hailed in the poor light, but he recognized the caller as someone who had known Rose in even dimmer surroundings. Stay classy, Jeremiah.  Now, when I implied you’d need to ‘read ahead’ to understand that innuendo, I wasn’t implying you had to read very far. The next few paragraphs explicitly state that Rose and McCloud were “inseparable” during the three months it took her dropship to successfully make the two-week trip to Northwind. She banters quietly and Rose is still pouty, so she asks if things went poorly at the assembly. Main Event posted:Rose stopped suddenly and looked down at her. Rachel McCloud was tall for a woman, but Rose easily towered above her. He rarely used his height to an advantage, but now he made an exception. Our loving hero, ladies and gentlemen. She then slaps him upside the head for being a douche and calls him a retard. Jeremiah tries to defend himself for all of… two seconds before realizing that yes, he is being a colossal. He then says that he will “try” to stop (he fails) instead of apologizing for his casual misogyny and treating the (future) mother of his children like dirt. McCloud then asks how things went at the assembly again, and Jeremiah remembers that he forgot his suitcases and spends a paragraph thinking about it. Honestly, since all he owns are three identical jumpsuits and he clearly doesn’t wash them as often as he should, I don’t see how anyone will notice. Jeremiah then says his dream of starting a ‘Mech unit has been dealt a deathblow, both in the assembly and in the meeting afterward. McCloud is surprised that another meeting occurred. It was a family meeting, in which Cornelius Rose, the patriarch of the Rose clan, implicitly forbade any member of the Rose family from joining Jeremiah. Jeremiah Rose then calls his father a vindictive, spiteful rear end in a top hat. Pot, kettle. Anyway, we learn that 17 members of Rose’s extended family have told him to go gently caress himself thanks to his father’s meddling. We then cut to Captain ‘Also Always Right (and the only one more right all the time then Jeremiah Rose)’ McCloud’s perspective for a few moments. She observes that Rose hasn’t really given up on his dream of Main Event posted:Then along came this MechWarrior who made her question her lonely way of life. Not that it was anything he ever said. His company was enough. Euuuugh. Rose then says that he’s going to see his sister, Rianna, since she wasn’t at the assembly or the family meeting and he might be able to  McCloud then remembers that the Family Meeting only took ten minutes, and Rose has been ‘missing’ for two hours. She asks where he was and he says he was in a ‘meeting’ with Colonel Stirling. Main Event posted:“How do you know the colonel?” Rose [asked] McCloud, who only shrugged. That innuendo isn’t intentional, and that just makes it even more disturbing since Andrea “Cat” Stirling is one of the best Mechwarriors in the Inner Sphere. She’s basically the McCloud then pulls a jealous girlfriend (which Rose is too Jaffrey is also a genuinely likeable character who has actual character flaws beyond a possible case of brain damage. Rose then re-reveals that his brother Danny was killed, but he’s ok with it now (he’s had a whole two hours to Classy, Rose then takes McCloud to ‘dinner’ (by which I mean: a bar), then spends a paragraph wondering if she drinks. Smooth. Anyway, McCloud gets them a table and Jeremiah has difficulty navigating the crowd. Then, one of the Highlanders picks a bar-fight with Jeremiah. During this scene, we are treated to what is quite possibly the best line in the entire book. Main Event posted:“Is this guy [Rose] really that brave, or is he just stupid?” Rose and the three Highlanders all looked toward McCloud, who continued to stare straight ahead. […] Our hero’s girlfriend, ladies and gentlemen. Captain McCloud then breaks the hand of the drunk who’s been physically molesting her the whole time. Rose ‘follows her lead’ and immediately breaks the leg of one of the other two drunks with a single kick. Now, this isn’t the first time the book mentions it, but I need to point out that Jeremiah Rose is gigantic. He’s very nearly seven feet tall (about 200 cm) and built like a weightlifter, which is pretty impressive considering the only regular exercise we’ll His build is one of the reasons I hate him so much. Anyway, his opponent “recovers quickly” from having his leg broken, so Jeremiah punches him in the stomach, suplexes him, and throws him across the room. Main Event posted:The Highlander slammed into the ground, his legs forming a clapboard that smashed his testicles and expelled what little air remained in his lungs. Jeremiah Rose, figuratively emasculating one of the best mercenary units in the Inner Sphere. Rose then curbstomps the guy he just threw across the room and dislocates his arm in the process; just because (he’s a dickhead). One of the other Highlanders then hits Captain McCloud with a bottle. Rose then breaks up the fight by screaming like a retard. Main Event posted:In desperation, he yelled. Heeeeey remember when I said Jeremiah Rose was a loving SPACE MYSTIC? Well, this is his MAGICAL loving POWER. Well, in this case, Jeremiah Rose just happens to be a … There is only one word to describe this, and I’m not going to say it. Y’all can make guesses if you want. Rose then uses the moment of ‘WTF’ everyone in the bar is experiencing to beat the third guy stupid. Rose then asks if McCloud is ok (she’s bleeding), and she takes vengeance on the man who hit her with the bottle by kicking him a few times while he’s down and unconscious. Anyway, the guy who’s hand McCloud broke returns to the narrative with a vengeance and threatens both of them with a needler pistol. Rose and McCloud are completely unarmored, which means if they get hit they’ll need medical attention immediately or they’ll very likely bleed to death in less than five minutes. Main Event posted:McCloud was stunned. “You provoke a fight, then threaten to kill us when we beat the snot out of you?” The two decide not to try to fistfight a gun, and leave quietly. McCloud thanks Jeremiah for saving her life. Jeremiah protests, but McCloud insists she owes Jeremiah (this will be a running theme, like Misty’s Bike in the stupid Pokemon cartoon, only less endearing). Rose then asks Jeremiah where he learned to yell like a retard. He explains that he was stationed on Luthien (bullshit) for years. McCloud then asks about the Kiai and Rose fills her ears (and my eyes) with bullshit. Rose says it’s the first time he’s ever tried using it in a fight, and McCloud comments that it’s the weirdest loving thing she’s ever heard. Then the chapter ends. PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 04:33 on May 4, 2011 |
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May 4, 2011 02:52
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Remember folks, a Mary Sue is defined by how the actions of others in the story revolve around them for completely no reason whatsoever. Christ, does he use his magic voice powers over the radio in a mech fight or something?
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May 4, 2011 03:15
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wiegieman posted:Christ, does he use his magic voice powers over the radio in a mech fight or something? No, thank God, but only because the author isn't that creative. Now, remember, Rose has: A Guro A Sensei (may also be his Guru) A whatever-the-hell ComStar has that teaches Space Mysticism and/or the Word of Blake and he's a practising [whatever religion the Northwind Highlanders follow (buddhist, theoretically; but given that it's Battletech and the creators forgot they were ex-Capellans they're most likely Space Roman Catholics because that's more blatantly stereotypical)]
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May 4, 2011 03:18
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