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Crepuscule Adepte
Feb 21, 2008

Why is my hair purple? It's from the blood of everyone that lost a bet against me.
PTN specifically stated that they don't have to acknowledge zell. And in the narrative, instead of it being described as focus fire, it was described as killstealing.

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Cythereal
Nov 8, 2009

I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.

Gimmick Account posted:

Nice turn, but what happened to zell? You focused fire on the very first combat turn and challenged no one. Did something special happen behind the scenes or are you just ignoring clan rules completely? :(

Zell doesn't apply to bandits and other scum, as I recall. Like stupid space ninja-wannabes.

Gniwu
Dec 18, 2002

Crepuscule Adepte posted:

PTN specifically stated that they don't have to acknowledge zell. And in the narrative, instead of it being described as focus fire, it was described as killstealing.

I thought he said that the enemy would be ignoring zell, but of course the clan star had no way of knowing that.

Didn't know that the mercenary force was already identified as 'bandits', I thought they were simply 'unknowns'. In that case it's fine, I guess.

Mukaikubo
Mar 14, 2006

"You treat her like a lady... and she'll always bring you home."
As promised, here is my wordy post about the clans, some issues I have with them, and assorted thoughts about them and What Went Wrong (from an in-universe perspective; it makes for a good story out of universe!) Hopefully nobody's feathers are ruffled too badly by me going all :words: about the Clans again.


What is Wrong with the Clans?

Imagine that you are a warrior who every single day of his life since you were old enough to read, at least glanced past these words by someone you claim to revere as the 'Great Father' of your way of life.

pre:
 We shall live apart, conserving all the good of the Star League and ridding
 ourselves of the bad, so that when we return, and return we shall, our shining
 moral character will be as much our shield as our BattleMechs and fighters.
Imagine that you practically worship a man who said,

pre:
 "I salute those who remain behind, and I hope that they will make some
 difference in the dark times I see ahead."
Imagine that you pride yourself on your knowledge of your Clan's Remembrance, and can quote sections from memory. Imagine that a section of that poem, the spiritual heart of your Clan and your entire way of life, reads,

pre:
And Nicholas stood with the first gathering of Khans
to draw up the tenets of what made a warrior.
...
Wars were for warriors to wage
and that innocents not suffer at the hands of trueborns.
And imagine, finally, that despite all this, you ordered the glassing of a city from orbit, killing tens of millions, to put down a revolt. And imagine that you are perfectly and 100% able to justify your own actions to yourself.

Once you understand how you can do that, you understand the Clans as they are in Battletech, and why- both in and out of universe- they are so disappointing.


Aleksandr Kerensky was a hero and a patriot- if a bit nuts.*

He prosecuted the bloodiest war in human history that time in the name of 'right'. He threw an usurper off the throne he served, and then waited patiently for someone else to claim it. He could have taken it. His best friend, Gen. DeChavilier, offered to help him overthrow the squabbling First Lords to claim the throne for House Kerensky. But the General refused. He would kill a billion for a good cause, but he would not kill a single one for mere ambition or for no reason at all. Call him a fanatic, call him crazy, but at least give him the courtesy of acknowledging that unbending a moral center. So he took his army and simply... left, once it was clear that the First Lords no longer wanted him around save to wield a military machine to kill their enemies.

Along the way, he sent this.

pre:
 "To all citizens of the Inner Sphere do I, Aleksandr Kerensky, send greetings.

 Know that I have taken the remnant of the Star League Defense Force which has
 remained true to its purpose beyond the boundaries of the Inner Sphere, beyond
 the Periphery. I have done this, neither out of disappointment with those whom
 we leave behind, nor out of spite or disdain, as some will say. No, we have left
 the Inner Sphere because we love it too much to see it destroyed. In
 the wake of the Usurper's coup, and the long, bitter fighting that came with it,
 I fear that my forces would do incalculable, possibly irreparable, harm to our
 society. We are sworn to ward the Star League and its subjects, not
 destroy it.

 Thus, we have left the only homes we have ever known to place the destructive
 capability of this armada beyond the reach of those who would use it, not for
 defense, but for conquest. Perhaps, with the might of our 'Mechs and ships
 out of reach, the leaders who now grapple with one another will relinquish their
 dreams of subjugating their neighbors and learn to live in peace with them.

 Perhaps, one day, should mankind step back from the brink of the abyss, we, our
 children, or our children's children will return, to once more serve and protect
 and guide the Star League in mankind's quest for the stars.

Farewell." 
I just blockquote the entire thing because that is the best look you are going to get from published stuff into his mind. Emphasis is mine. It is pretty hard to argue that he would have approved of what his exodus mutated into. I think he would have been appalled. And considering that he sent it with almost a millenium's travel time to its audience... he clearly did not expect what happened. So what went wrong? What took the vision of a fanatically just man to serve as a shining example and exemplar of all that was acceptable in warfare, and perverted it into the Clans we know and love?


Nicholas Kerensky Is A loving rear end in a top hat

The Clans are Nicholas's idea, not Aleksandr's. Let us get that straight right now. Trueborns? Nicholas. Weird language? Mostly Nicholas. Hyperfetishization of warrior culture? Nicky. Strict caste system? Still Nicholas. Everything that went wrong you can trace directly and precisely to Nicholas Kerensky. Not that everything he did was awful; but that everything that was awful came from him. It gets worse.

Nicholas had a younger brother, Andery. And Nicholas hated him. Manipulated him into expressing sentiments he twisted into support for mutineers, and then took those to Aleksandr to make himself seem the more loyal son; sent Andery onto a mutinous warship and demanded he personally help execute the mutineers; kept Andery out of being a warrior come the second exodus, only to grudgingly be forced to let him back in a Mech cockpit in Operation Klondike... and then possibly went so far as to arrange things so that Andery was all alone in enemy territory. "Tragically", he was ambushed and killed. What a pity. Andery came up with some things pivotal to the Clans- zellbrigen, the trial system, etc- which Nicholas promptly appropriated in his 'dear departed' brother's memory. Which, to my jaded eye, looks like a classic way for the son of a despot to consolidate absolute power in himself by eliminating his rival.

And do not think there is not a giant heaping of irony in a man being the first leader of the self-professed ultimate in meritocratic systems being qualified for it by being the SON of a great man. And it is not as though this was not recognized at the time.

pre:
 Kerensky [ilKhan]: ...We are the Clans. We stand on our own merits, not those
 of our ancestors.

 Sarah McEvedy [Wolverine]: Except you.

 Kerensky [ilKhan]: I beg your pardon?

 McEvedy: I said, except you. You seem perfectly happy to bask in your father's
 achievements. He was a visionary who sought justice and peace for all. You seek
 control.

 Mitchell Loris [Mongoose]: Khan [CENSORED], you go too far.

 McEvedy: Do I? I know many of you in this chamber found our ilKhan's actions to
 secure control of the Pentagon population offensive. The Star League did not
 believe in torture and brutality. Those are the tools of power hungry madmen. Is
 that what you have become, Nicholas Kerensky? A power hungry madman?

 [Raised voices from all parties]

 Kerensky: SILENCE! [CENSORED], Khan of Clan [CENSORED], I, Nicholas Kerensky,
 ilKhan of the Clans, do call for a Trial of Grievance. By our law, you may.....

 McEvedy: Hang your laws. Does the truth hurt so much, Nicholas? 
And so the Wolverines tried to split off and uphold their own way. For this crime they were annihilated to a man and stricken even from history- another excellently familiar maneuver from a tyrant. Clan Wolverine is the hero of the early Exodus, and their destruction a signal that the Clans would not really believe in what they professed. It was all Nicholas's sham to keep power in his own clutches; Nicholas would never have done as his father did and turn down a plan to make himself First Lord. (I should note here that I am more sympathetic to the idea that the Widowmakers were behind nuking the Ravens. The Wolverines had never even hinted at being so ugly, while the Widowmakers were full on At Any Cost types.)

Is it any surprise that a system begun by such a wretched man went off a cliff, quickly?


Eugenics: The Worst Idea by the Ugliest People

Instead of the high sounding phrases of Aleksandr Kerensky, the Clans embraced the dirtier, seamier vision of Nicholas. A caste system of near-unyielding rigidity enforced by eugenics and selective breeding in an attempt to make the ultimate warrior, who became the entire point of society-

pre:
Laborers to till the land, to do the tasks:
They shall have our undying gratitude,
for they are the muscle behind us all.
-wait what-

pre:
Merchants to buy and sell with fairness:
They shall have our commerce and respect,
for they are the bones upon which we are built.
-this is not what-

pre:
Technicians to build and fix the machines:
They shall have our admiration:
for they are the fingers with which we grasp life.
-STOP NONE OF THIS DOES NOT MAKE NO SENSE-

pre:
Scientists to create and discover:
They shall have our awe and our attention,
for they are the mind of our society.
-i am so confused-

pre:
And above all the Warriors who protect:
They shall have our cooperation and our worship,
for they are the blood and soul of us all.
-where are the references to lifelong slavery to the warriors? worship? above all? That is it? That is the reed you are building the entire edifice of the clan caste system's utter and uncompromising dominance by the warriors on? Really? That is it?

Where it is really coming from, of course, is what is the actual fundamental belief of the Clans.

Genetic manipulation makes them genetically inherently superior to everyone else, which makes them the divinely mandated rulers of humanity.

That is it. That is the one unbreakable dogma of the clans. Forget literally everything else, this is the sole key to the Clans. Why is the caste system so rigid? Because eugenics make trueborn warriors better than freebirths. Why do they have to invade the Inner SPhere? Because eugenics means they should rule freebirths. Why can they glass cities? They are only freebirths, they do not matter. Trueborns are all and nothing else matters.

The hell of it is... they are utterly wrong. Elementals are impressive, I will grant. But aerospace? Virtual cripples outside the cockpit, and for what? Aerospace is the one field where the Inner Sphere fights on even terms or maybe even an advantage. Mechwarriors? Yes, very impressive, the top 5% of a sibko is better than the average IS mechwarrior who trains in an academy for four years with a way higher graduation rate. I tell you what. Give me 100 inner sphere freeborns, or clan freeborns, or pirate freeborns, or orphans or whatever. Let me train them literally their entire life to be warriors with methods as harsh and rigorous as I can conceive of, dedicating the kids’ every waking hour to indoctrination and training. Then let me take the top 5% of the ones that began the program, and put them in a Mech.

How much you want to bet they will be 3/4 pilots too?

Warrior ability is not inheritable. There is no DNA coding for the ability to kill a man with a 100 ton machine's weaponry. Taking the best warriors and having them pass down their genes is not a valid way to improve warrior ability. The Clans' eugenics program is built on a sham, and that is the shaky foundation the identiy of the Clans is built on. Mirages, lies, and hopeful thinking. They build it up with elaborate shells of ritual and high rhetoric, and try to mitigate its effects as much as possibly by aping the meritocratic trials a better man than their founder created, but it is not enough. Then they systematically and viciously discriminate against freeborn warriors, and when as a result those same freeborns are not as good they trumpet that as still more justification of the great lie.

And this is why the Clans are such a disappointment, and why Aleksandr Kerensky would have wept to see the monster he created.


What if?

Imagine if Andery had been the son who became the first ilKhan, and Nicholas the one who died in Klondike. Imagine if he had held the clans up, but maintained them as an ACTUAL meritocratic military and society instead of a shambles of one. If there were no rigidity to the caste system, if you could freely test up or down between castes based on your ability- if the pretty words about skill as a warrior determining your rank were taken seriously. If there was no elaborate attempt to breed humans like cattle for the highly refined skill of pressing a button at the proper time in the proper orientation. Imagine Clans that meant what they said when they claimed to loathe waste, to want to protect civilians from the horrors of war at all costs, to be the embodiment of Aleksandr Kerensky's vision of an SLDF-in-Exile that would one day help rebuild the Star League by showing character and nobility in equal measure with combat ability, instead of by blowing half of it to ashes and dust.

Imagine Clans that stayed human.

Of course, that would not have made as compelling a story, because the "Invasion" would have looked drastically different if it happened at all. But the story of what might have been in-universe is one that does not really get examined as wistfully in canon as I think it might. And of course, in its own way, the story of the Clans we got is compelling in its own way if you dig down. Betrayal of ideals, the twisting of hopes and rhetoric to serve a mechanistic, flawed scientific regime... it is really a tragedy from an in-universe perspective.

Part of this is why I love reading about the Clans so much- when they are handled by a good writer who understands what I have said above (maybe not in as many words, but the basic gist) there is a lot of excellent material to mine for stories and games. And it has happened. I wish it happened more, but it has happened. And there are the more liberal clans- Star Adder, Blood Spirit, Diamond Shark, pre-refusal Wolf/Wolf-in-Exile, the Ghost Bear Dominion and Raven Alliance later on... and it is no accident that those are my favorite clans. They are the most liberal- and in the end, they are the closest to the gallant dream of Aleksandr Kerensky.



*Note: This is the single major diversion point of PTN's history from canon, as I see it. PTN had Aleksandr Kerensky be a weaker man, both in ability and in morality. And we see the result. I hope I am not characterizing him unfairly, but PTN has the Clans without even the tentative branch of positive light that Aleksandr's words are for the Clans. There is nothing but hatred, bile, and viciousness. No hope. No urge to defend. Only to conquer and smash.

Axe-man
Apr 16, 2005

The product of hundreds of hours of scientific investigation and research.

The perfect meatball.
Clapping Larry

Mukaikubo posted:



The minnisota tribe... the best clan :allears:

the JJ
Mar 31, 2011

First Post posted:

Fluffy Gameplay:
I will be playing a ‘fluffy’ game. Which is to say, I’m going to do my best to use tactics appropriate for the army I’m fielding. I do not expect the same from you players (i.e., while my Kurita commanders may step forward during a lull in the battle to attempt to challenge a single enemy ‘Mech to single combat while the rest of my forces watch without shooting, I do not expect Goons to attempt to do the same (in fact, since that particular maneuver is blatantly suicidal, I actively discourage you from making the attempt even if you are a House Kurita unit)). This does mean, however, that you can exploit certain enemies who prefer single combat (i.e. the Draconis Combine and the Clans, and nobody else) by issuing a ‘challenge’ to a specific enemy unit. If the single combat is interrupted by the actions of another Goon, I will react accordingly. Again, this may change once we hit the MegaMek stage of the game.

That and our patented Goon coordination. And we're Clan troll. Nioclas just jacked a kill to improve his K/D ratio. Next thing you know he'll be spawn camping.


e: Damnit, went to track down the post and now there's all this :words: :swoon: :words: :rant: between this and relevance.

gently caress 'em up Goonstar, if you loose Clan U Mad will be relegated even further from the front lines.

the JJ fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Aug 28, 2011

AtomikKrab
Jul 17, 2010

Keep on GOP rolling rolling rolling rolling.

Mukaikubo posted:

:words:



And also why I hate the clans. I hate hypocrites so very much, and that is what the clans became.


Minnesota tribe fer life. And PTN please have them show up pleeeease, I want some vengeance going on.

KnoxZone
Jan 27, 2007

If I die before I Wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Mukaikubo posted:

Freebirth Slander

I am calling for a Trial of Annihilation against your pathetic slander. I have never heard a surat whine as much as I hear you right now.

Captain Foo
May 11, 2004

we vibin'
we slidin'
we breathin'
we dyin'

Mukaikubo that was an A++ post, and really has helped me understand the Clans better :unsmith::smith:

landcollector
Feb 28, 2011

KnoxZone posted:

I am calling for a Trial of Annihilation against your pathetic slander. I have never heard a surat whine as much as I hear you right now.

[roleplaying time!]
I stand by Mukaikubo and call for a Trial of Refusal against your call for a Trial of Annihilation. With what forces do you bid?

@Mukaikubo: That was simply a great read, and it should be put in the first or second post.

landcollector fucked around with this message at 02:13 on Aug 28, 2011

the JJ
Mar 31, 2011

landcollector posted:

[roleplaying time!]
I stand by Mukaikubo and call for a Trial of Refusal against your call for a Trial of Annihilation. With what forces do you bid?

Me and a pencil, let's do tic-tac-toe.


... I think I just discover the Clan equivalent of the 'filibuster' option.

DivineCoffeeBinge
Mar 3, 2011

Spider-Man's Amazing Construction Company

the JJ posted:

Me and a pencil, let's do tic-tac-toe.


... I think I just discover the Clan equivalent of the 'filibuster' option.

No, you just discovered how to hold a Trial where you draw an X in the center of your board, then your opponent stabs you in the eye with his pencil and declares victory.

Cythereal
Nov 8, 2009

I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.

landcollector posted:

[roleplaying time!]
I stand by Mukaikubo and call for a Trial of Refusal against your call for a Trial of Annihilation. With what forces do you bid?

gently caress that. I call for a Trial of Annihilation against KnoxZone for so insulting one of the most esteemed heirs of Kerensky in this thread.

Mary Annette
Jun 24, 2005

Rick_Hunter posted:

I don't see Mechwarriors Elfrede or Nioclas saying much this coming turn. Their comm links will be drowned out by the "BUDABUDABUDA" of their 24 machine guns.

Gimmick Account posted:

Nice turn, but what happened to zell? You focused fire on the very first combat turn and challenged no one. Did something special happen behind the scenes or are you just ignoring clan rules completely?

You know, between our put-upon, ineffectual rookie officer...



her insubordinate, trigger-happy squad...



and the looming threat of scary, invisible motherfuckers...



It reminds me of something. Can't for the life of me recall just what, though. :)

b0lt
Apr 29, 2005

Mukaikubo posted:

But aerospace? Virtual cripples outside the cockpit, and for what? Aerospace is the one field where the Inner Sphere fights on even terms or maybe even an advantage.

This is one of the things that bugs me the most about the clans, because the traits that would be the most important for a fighter pilot (reaction time, g-tolerance, etc.) are the ones that are the most eugenicizable, while mechwarriors aren't. Fighter pilots go through the same sibko stuff that mechwarriors do, don't they? Why are clan mechwarriors so much better at stomping around in giant robots than the inner sphere, while their aerospace pilots are inferior?

DivineCoffeeBinge
Mar 3, 2011

Spider-Man's Amazing Construction Company

b0lt posted:

This is one of the things that bugs me the most about the clans, because the traits that would be the most important for a fighter pilot (reaction time, g-tolerance, etc.) are the ones that are the most eugenicizable, while mechwarriors aren't. Fighter pilots go through the same sibko stuff that mechwarriors do, don't they? Why are clan mechwarriors so much better at stomping around in giant robots than the inner sphere, while their aerospace pilots are inferior?

Because Clanner society glorifies Big Stompy Robot combat and sees everything else as inferior. I'd be willing to bet that Clan aeropilots get the second-rate birthing labs and cheaper nutritional supplements and whatnot.

The thing that most often gets overlooked by people looking at the Clans as a fighting force is that there are societal pressures that have led to them being dramatically suboptimized. Their society is gimped, so their philosophy of combined arms is also gimped. It's kinda like asking why the ancient Spartans didn't produce amazing peltasts (slingers, ranged skirmishers) - because their society spat upon that sort of thing, regardless of how many fights it could have helped them win.

A good poster
Jan 10, 2010

Dolash posted:

Stand back, I call V4. Gotta get me a set of Locusts.

Sorry, pal, but me jumping to 1511 and firing on V4 might be the better of two options I see. I could also jump to 0708, right behind the Phoenix Hawk, but I don't think I can damage it enough on my own. Also, there are most likely Charlie ninjas in those woods, even though story-wise we're not supposed to know about them yet.

Rorac
Aug 19, 2011

Mukaikubo posted:


pre:
Laborers to till the land, to do the tasks:
They shall have our undying gratitude,
for they are the muscle behind us all.
-wait what-

pre:
Merchants to buy and sell with fairness:
They shall have our commerce and respect,
for they are the bones upon which we are built.
-this is not what-

pre:
Technicians to build and fix the machines:
They shall have our admiration:
for they are the fingers with which we grasp life.
-STOP NONE OF THIS DOES NOT MAKE NO SENSE-

pre:
Scientists to create and discover:
They shall have our awe and our attention,
for they are the mind of our society.
-i am so confused-

pre:
And above all the Warriors who protect:
They shall have our cooperation and our worship,
for they are the blood and soul of us all.



This. This this this this this. Along with the unique bit from Clan Wolf in Exile, that up there is my most beloved part of the Remembrance, and I have tried and I have tried to figure out why the clans are all so much "higher and mightier than thou" over the lower castes and freeborn. I really should have come to the conclusion earlier that for all the genetic manipulation they do, they cannot engineer out basic human nature.

Mary Annette
Jun 24, 2005

A good poster posted:

Sorry, pal, but me jumping to 1511 and firing on V4 might be the better of two options I see. I could also jump to 0708, right behind the Phoenix Hawk, but I don't think I can damage it enough on my own. Also, there are most likely Charlie ninjas in those woods, even though story-wise we're not supposed to know about them yet.

0906 is another good deep-jump position. You'll be in the Javelin's blind spot and leave terrible shots for the Phoenix Hawk and Panther. Just watch out for ninjas, bears, aliens, and whatever other boogeymen I dream up between now and the next update.

Diogenes Cynicus
Aug 5, 2009
Please tell me Clan Wolverine survives in the PTN timeline. Apart from Clan Ghost Bear, the Wolverines are my favorite.

One of the Piranha pilots needs to challenge a DEST team to single combat. Maybe we'll get lucky and find an honorable ninja. And introduce him and all of his friends to a dozen or so machine guns.

A good poster
Jan 10, 2010

Mary Annette posted:

0906 is another good deep-jump position. You'll be in the Javelin's blind spot and leave terrible shots for the Phoenix Hawk and Panther. Just watch out for ninjas, bears, aliens, and whatever other boogeymen I dream up between now and the next update.

I didn't think of that, but I've now decided that it's not yet time to get hosed by those infantry. Orders sent.

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

And so Brank dies first and anticlimactically. Again. Bwahahaha.

Don't forget, Poptarts, with Brank's death Pesht has now gone from (doormat) to (schemer). And remember, gang, Goodall will make an excellent bondsman!

Rick_Hunter
Jan 5, 2004

My guys are still fighting the hard fight!
(weapons, shields and drones are still online!)

Mukaikubo posted:

:words:


I'm sure upon presenting your findings to a clan loremaster and his scribes, they would blankly stare at you and blame the Inner Sphere for polluting their pristine culture.

But seriously, excellent write up, Muk. I see that even though Samantha Clover is a mechwarrior by genetics, she is destined to be the next loremaster of Clan Steel Viper.

Dolash
Oct 23, 2008

aNYWAY,
tHAT'S REALLY ALL THERE IS,
tO REPORT ON THE SUBJECT,
oF ME GETTING HURT,


A good poster posted:

Sorry, pal, but me jumping to 1511 and firing on V4 might be the better of two options I see. I could also jump to 0708, right behind the Phoenix Hawk, but I don't think I can damage it enough on my own. Also, there are most likely Charlie ninjas in those woods, even though story-wise we're not supposed to know about them yet.

Hm, you make a good point. I really want to complete a brace of locust kills, but if it's too risky maybe I should instead-

Bobbin Threadbare posted:

And remember, gang, Goodall will make an excellent bondsman!

...Hm. Hm.

Runa
Feb 13, 2011

Mukaikubo posted:

(EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CLANS)
(but didn't know to ask)

:allears:

I'd developed a strong dislike of the Clans because I always felt they were contradictory and hypocritical, but didn't know quite enough about them to put my distaste to words. Thank you for doing it for me. I can appreciate the Clans a lot more now that I know precisely how far they've fallen from Aleksandr's ideals and how much of a freaking Amaris lilKhan Nicky was.


Diogenes Cynicus posted:

Please tell me Clan Wolverine survives in the PTN timeline. Apart from Clan Ghost Bear, the Wolverines are my favorite.

I, too, have wondered about the Wolverines! He must have something up his sleeves.

(If they're unClannishly masquerading around as the forces of the descendant of the Great Archenemy then I'll kick myself for not voting RWR.)

PoptartsNinja posted:

(TURN 3)

I'm disappointed that Brank bit it first. I was going to suggest half-jokingly that a member of Goonstar challenge him to a Battlemech Dance-off. And he would accept and doom himself to suicide by critical repeated Piloting roll failure.

and then someone would have then said "you have just gotten served, surat"

PoptartsNinja
May 9, 2008

He is still almost definitely not a spy


Soiled Meat

Rorac posted:

[...] I have tried and I have tried to figure out why the clans are all so much "higher and mightier than thou" over the lower castes and freeborn. [...] for all the genetic manipulation they do, they cannot engineer out basic human nature.

It all starts to make sense if you realize that 'Khan' is a reference.

Not to a title, but to a 'who'.



T.G. Xarbala posted:

I'm disappointed that Brank bit it first. I was going to suggest half-jokingly that a member of Goonstar challenge him to a Battlemech Dance-off. And he would accept and doom himself to suicide by critical repeated Piloting roll failure.

To be fair, he did fail his PSR. It just happened after the point where it already didn't matter.

PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 07:48 on Aug 28, 2011

Tarquinn
Jul 3, 2007

I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you
my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal.
Hell Gem

Mary Annette posted:


It reminds me of something. Can't for the life of me recall just what, though. :)

Predator? :confused:


Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

Tarquinn posted:

Predator? :confused:



Only once the ninjas start popping up.

ShadowDragon8685
Jan 23, 2011

Hi, I'm Troy McClure! You might remember SD from such films as "Guys, I'm not sanguine about this Mech choice", "The Millstone of the Clans", and "Uppity Sperglord ilKhan"! Make sure to clear the date for his upcoming documentary, "How I ran a Star of Clan Mechs into the ground!"

PoptartsNinja posted:

It all starts to make sense if you realize that 'Khan' is a reference.

Not to a title, but to a 'who'.

Damnit, where's James T. when you need him?

jng2058
Jul 17, 2010

We have the tools, we have the talent!





ShadowDragon8685 posted:

Damnit, where's James T. when you need him?

Either dead under a bridge or cruising around the wrong century in a hilariously misconceived series of novels, depending.

Magni
Apr 29, 2009

Mukaikubo posted:

And there are the more liberal clans- Star Adder, Blood Spirit, Diamond Shark, pre-refusal Wolf/Wolf-in-Exile, the Ghost Bear Dominion and Raven Alliance later on...

Oh boy, are you gonna get a shock with Wars of Reaving. :v:

The Star Adders weren't the most gigantic gently caress-ups there, but they certainly competed. Though their finishing touch was an equal mixture of magnificent bastardry and plain douchebaggery.

(Also, why did Vlad Ward suddenly get to be such a magnificent bastard? drat, now I can't properly hate the guy anymore.)

Mukaikubo
Mar 14, 2006

"You treat her like a lady... and she'll always bring you home."

Magni posted:

Oh boy, are you gonna get a shock with Wars of Reaving. :v:

The Star Adders weren't the most gigantic gently caress-ups there, but they certainly competed. Though their finishing touch was an equal mixture of magnificent bastardry and plain douchebaggery.

(Also, why did Vlad Ward suddenly get to be such a magnificent bastard? drat, now I can't properly hate the guy anymore.)

Eh, the Adders *were* one of the more liberal clans, but they- like the Scorpions and Cobras- took a hard turn in the Wars of Reaving.

MJ12
Apr 8, 2009

an oddly awful oud posted:

That's only half true; some Clan assaults have both ES internals and FF armor, but a Standard engine instead of an XL. It's mostly on second-liners like the Marauder IIC and Warhammer IIC, but the Kingfisher omni also has that layout.

But all three? Nope, nowhere to be found.

The semi-canon (IIRC it's a Mechforce UK design) Iron Cheetah has all 3, I believe, on a 100 tonner. Of course, it uses a 400 XLFE and 16 fixed heat sinks, which is rather inefficient. The other way endo/ferro/XL can work is if you use extremely light low-crit weaponry, like UAC/2 or 5s, in which case you have... well, a bunch of low-caliber UACs.

On assaults, internals are a premium and you'll take a lot of fire, so high-expense weight saving materials are generally mediocre. For Clans, you'll probably want to go XL first, then Endo, then Ferro.

On the combat situation now, it looks like you're at a very significant advantage right now, since you just wiped an enemy Locust and unless you get stuck in with the infantry or those remaining mechs are packing some surprises, you'll probably be just fine.

So remember, if you have a forest, send the guys with A-Pods and MGs in first drat it.

Krumbsthumbs
Oct 23, 2010

2nd Place.
1st Loser.
This match is already reminding me of the first game with the Kell Hounds. Looks like the Piranhas can just curl right up that flank and toast the other bug this turn. I wonder if taking out the Panther will let you boys just peck the rest to death at your leisure.

legoman727
Mar 13, 2010

by exmarx
I don't really know anything about Battletech outside this thread, so I have to ask.

What is Far Country, and why is everyone so glad to be murdering its protagonists?

Trast
Oct 20, 2010

Three games, thousands of playthroughs. 90% of the players don't know I exist. Still a redhead saving the galaxy with a [Right Hook].

:edi:
I downloaded SSW and made a thing. Input was given and accepted by the #megamek hivemind. The theme is its a 3050 IS Atlas with some nice features. The main ride of someone with a bit of clout. The channel dubbed it the Trastlas. :3:

quote:

Trastlas
AS7-Trastlas
IS TW non-box set
100 tons BV: 2,416
Cost: 22,518,500 C-bills
Movement: 3/5 Engine: 300 XL
Heat Sinks: 12 [24] Gyro: Standard Gyro Internal: 152 Armor: 304/307

Internal/Armor

Head 3/9
Center Torso 31/48
Center Torso (rear) 13
Right Torso 21/31
Right Torso (rear) 11
Left Torso 21/31
Left Torso (rear) 11
Right Arm 17/33
Left Arm 17/33
Right Leg 21/42
Left Leg 21/42

Weapons
Loc/Heat

Gauss Rifle LA/1
Gauss Rifle RA/1
Medium Laser LT/3
Medium Laser LT/3
LB 10-X AC LT/2
Medium Laser RT/3
Medium Laser RT/3
ER Small Laser HD/2

Ammo
Loc/Shots
LB 10-X Cluster Ammo RT/10
LB 10-X Cluster Ammo RT/10
Gauss Ammo RT/8
Gauss Ammo RT/8
Gauss Ammo RT/8
Gauss Ammo RT/8

Equipment
Guardian ECM Suite CT

With a 3/4 pilot it went 1-1 against an equal or better clan medium in sniping contests. The win was on an 8.3% chance to hit gauss round right to the head. The loss came against a Pariah hiding in a hardened building. Shadow's large laser was glued to my torso and cooked my engines.

Crepuscule Adepte
Feb 21, 2008

Why is my hair purple? It's from the blood of everyone that lost a bet against me.
It's a Battletech novel. It was the target of derision in this very thread, including a couple people doing a "Let's Read".

W.T. Fits
Apr 21, 2010

Ready to Poyozo Dance all over your face.
So is anyone else getting the feeling that even with the threat of three teams of invisible space ninjas lurking about, this has been a bit too easy so far?

My instincts are screaming that something bad for the Goonstar is going to happen within the next turn or two.

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

legoman727 posted:

I don't really know anything about Battletech outside this thread, so I have to ask.

What is Far Country, and why is everyone so glad to be murdering its protagonists?
Start here and continue for as long as you dare.

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ShadowDragon8685
Jan 23, 2011

Hi, I'm Troy McClure! You might remember SD from such films as "Guys, I'm not sanguine about this Mech choice", "The Millstone of the Clans", and "Uppity Sperglord ilKhan"! Make sure to clear the date for his upcoming documentary, "How I ran a Star of Clan Mechs into the ground!"

Trast posted:

I downloaded SSW and made a thing. Input was given and accepted by the #megamek hivemind. The theme is its a 3050 IS Atlas with some nice features. The main ride of someone with a bit of clout. The channel dubbed it the Trastlas. :3:


With a 3/4 pilot it went 1-1 against an equal or better clan medium in sniping contests. The win was on an 8.3% chance to hit gauss round right to the head. The loss came against a Pariah hiding in a hardened building. Shadow's large laser was glued to my torso and cooked my engines.

Hey now, give my HAG/40 some credit. It shredded your LBX autocannon. :)

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