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Just had my first "Welp" Moment. Batchall, timby versus two mechs. Steps into rouch terrain(whatever causes a psr). Oh well, 3/4. Fails. Falls. K/O. Fails to wake up while getting shot to poo poo. Players do mercy upon me and give me a free re-consciousness. Fails PSR to stand up, falls, crits engine fpr second time, pilot K/O'd. Thusly, the BBEG of my campaign failed to impress. I mean, it was kind of funny. But man, that was a painful 3/4 of an hour.
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Aug 20, 2023 00:50
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That's when you land your BBEG's rival, have them usurp the BBEG's role, and turn your former BBEG into Kristen Redmond. 
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Aug 20, 2023 01:02
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PoptartsNinja posted:That's when you land your BBEG's rival, have them usurp the BBEG's role, and turn your former BBEG into Kristen Redmond.  Plus calling in the last stuff bid away is allowed anyway.
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Aug 20, 2023 02:19
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I believe that's your opponent's final bid that you can call in and it's NBD.
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Aug 20, 2023 05:05
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But you can call in up to your original bid at the loss of face and concessions to the people who bid against you. So if your first bid was "the whole galaxy" and you bid down to two 'Mechs, you could still call in that full galaxy if you needed to. That's why it was such a big deal for Ulric to bid away WarShip support because the Clans nuking their opposition from orbit if an assault went badly was always on the table, previously.
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Aug 20, 2023 05:22
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Ah, I was thinking of what you can get as a freebie. Yeah that's accurate
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Aug 20, 2023 05:32
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PoptartsNinja posted:The Clans were originally supposed to finish off the Capellan Confederation, so it's more a way to bring the Lyrans into that fight--and then they flipped the table as it were. But that would've left the Draconis Combine out in the Clan Invasion era. There's absolutely no way the Combine would've stepped in to aid the other successor states, it would've been backstab o'clock if the Clans had attacked from the rimward side of the Inner Sphere. Makes sense, considering the Wolf's Dragoons popped in the first time on the FedRat side of things. Albeit right at the pinch of Davion/Kurita/Outworlds influence.
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Aug 20, 2023 09:02
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Sidesaddle Cavalry posted:Even given the goofy reverse physics of larger Autocannons having shorter range and 'Mechs having less density than balloons, if the brains of all the fictional operations out there were smart and learned from their mistakes, everybody would field only one or two models of optimal unit per use case, weapons would be drilled down to just a single hole-puncher and a single sandblaster (and a single conventional infantry meat grinder), and hey, they'd probably go ahead and realize that AeroSpace units are still busted AF and completely replace 'Mechs with them altogether. Funny that you mention this, the author of the Gray Death Trilogy eventually made his own novel series of genuine OC battlemechs, and yeah, exactly this happened. His setting started out with mechs that were still clearly related to battlemechs, but then technology progressed and in the final novel, mechs had mutated into blob-shaped nanotech aerospace-fighters that could also grow legs and walk, if needed. So I guess, eventually every weapon system will end up as some sort of space fighter, given enough time
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Aug 20, 2023 10:45
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For all the garbage the Clans spew about honor, the reality is that the only honorable outcome is victory regardless of how it was achieved (as long as the other guy isn't alive to complain)
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Aug 20, 2023 20:04
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As long as no one who is going to complain is alive* A victory that pisses off another Clan badly enough to want you dead, or your superior, or an underling who can outduel you, or a rival in another cluster, is still going to get you in a lot of trouble you can't really afford. The ultimate rule of Clan politics is "never piss off someone who can kill you bad enough that they want to" and every concept of "honor" stems from that concept.
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Aug 20, 2023 22:11
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why is sarna dot net named after sarna, anyway?
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Aug 20, 2023 22:20
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There's an explanation on the site somewhere, but it amounts to it being available and the founder liked it well enough.
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Aug 20, 2023 22:50
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Finally finished wolves on the border. I really like charrette's writing style. Going to do the warrior trilogy now since I guess that's the wedding/succession war? The list in the back of wolves says warrior trilogy -> heir to the dragon -> kerensky trilogy should be how I go.
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Aug 21, 2023 23:02
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I gather from the lore that after a point the Inner Sphere gets access to Clan mechs and weapons via trade, which means theoretically you could have Clan mechs in an IS lance (like MUL lists the Madcat Mk2 and a few other Clan units as available to the Federated Commonwealth post-3060). I'm guessing if I took one, it would come with a 4/5 pilot and have adjusted BV accordingly, as the standard 3/4 pilots in Clan forces represent the better pilots?
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Aug 21, 2023 23:15
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You pay BV for pilot upgrades even for Clan Regular pilots. Anything other than 4/5 cost extra.
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Aug 21, 2023 23:41
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I believe the default BV for clan mechs assumes a 4/5 pilot and you actually have to make the adjustment for Clan pilots
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Aug 21, 2023 23:41
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Bob Smith posted:I gather from the lore that after a point the Inner Sphere gets access to Clan mechs and weapons via trade, which means theoretically you could have Clan mechs in an IS lance (like MUL lists the Madcat Mk2 and a few other Clan units as available to the Federated Commonwealth post-3060). Not just trade, but by the Dark Ages, the Clans have been in the IS long enough that other powers have figured out how to make Clanspec'd weapons as well. Granted, they're not CHEAP and logistics can be a bitch, which is why you still see a lot of designs using the older IS weapons, and also why you see the Clans themselves using IS tech as well as Clantech. Clantech might be fantastic when your entire army numbers only a few thousand across a handful of worlds, but when you have to equip an empire spanning over 50 worlds with troops numbering in the millions, suddenly all those cheaper, inferior weapons start looking quite appealing to your logistics corp.
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Aug 21, 2023 23:51
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FrostyPox posted:I believe the default BV for clan mechs assumes a 4/5 pilot and you actually have to make the adjustment for Clan pilots Yes. Battle value doesn't give a single gently caress about your character's backstory. Whether you're a Clanner or a pilot from an elite unit or whatever else, if your skills are not 4/5 you will change that BV.
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Aug 22, 2023 00:21
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Rorahusky posted:Not just trade, but by the Dark Ages, the Clans have been in the IS long enough that other powers have figured out how to make Clanspec'd weapons as well. Granted, they're not CHEAP and logistics can be a bitch, which is why you still see a lot of designs using the older IS weapons, and also why you see the Clans themselves using IS tech as well as Clantech. Clantech might be fantastic when your entire army numbers only a few thousand across a handful of worlds, but when you have to equip an empire spanning over 50 worlds with troops numbering in the millions, suddenly all those cheaper, inferior weapons start looking quite appealing to your logistics corp. Yeah, there was a story/in-universe discussion of Clantech in one of the Shrapnel issues ("The Clan Upgrade", Issue 9 if anyone wants to know) that also noted Clan tech doesn't last as long as IS stuff (part of the weight savings, apparently, though a lot is just better materials science). And while having it limited to a relatively small group of warriors supported by a large caste of technicians for fighting in brief Trials makes it possible for the Clans to work that way, I expect many Clan Mechs would be considered hangar queens by the Inner Sphere if they require that much more maintenance and part replacement. It would also slow propagation of Clantech in the IS if the factories need to concentrate on making more spare parts to support the full weapons they sell.
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Aug 22, 2023 01:34
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I kinda wish they went more into the technical explanations. I understand why they don't (they don't want to write themselves into a corner and go overly technical), but you figure at some point there's reasons why Clan LRM racks are half-weight, and Clan PPCs are so much more powerful. The hanger queen bit is a perfect tradeoff (story-wise at least). Instead of a big dedicated reinforced metal subframe with x number (5,10,15,20) of tubes, feed mechanisms secured in with fasteners, and a ton of shock-proofing, you get a nearly wireframe metal box with modular 5-tube shelves made of carbon fiber with all the control electronics baked in. Lasts far fewer sorties, but slide in the next one when it doesn't pass a quick plug-in diag or visual lookover. What's that you say, Clanners are supposed to despise waste? Wow, imagine that, a bunch of loud hypocrites, unthinkable
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Aug 22, 2023 01:51
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GD_American posted:What's that you say, Clanners are supposed to despise waste? Wow, imagine that, a bunch of loud hypocrites, unthinkable That's how we know it's sci-fi.
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Aug 22, 2023 03:53
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GD_American posted:I kinda wish they went more into the technical explanations. I understand why they don't (they don't want to write themselves into a corner and go overly technical), but you figure at some point there's reasons why Clan LRM racks are half-weight, and Clan PPCs are so much more powerful. Story I mentioned did claim they went with the "less long lived" approach at least partially because they were pretty good at recycling their stuff after it breaks, so they aren't full hypocrites on the waste issue at least (really, the one thing the Clans like to waste is the lives of their people). Also suggested a lot of their performance increase was owed to better software (apparently a lot of the higher damage from Clan ER lasers come from the processor controlling coolant flow in the lasers better so they can run them harder without melting them, and it also is why their LRMs lack minimum range issues). Which could also explain slow adoption by the IS given the utter nightmare getting Clan systems to talk to their stuff probably is ("Clan code does not coddle the weak, fr33birth!").
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Aug 22, 2023 06:42
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Nah, the Clans love waste, they just tell themselves that anything the warriors do is not wasteful.
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Aug 22, 2023 06:48
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Clan tech operates better because of a shamanistic magic field that is powered by their belief in their own superiority. So powerful is this belief it continues to operate better when no longer under the control of the clans, and even when replicated by outsiders as this is a form of homage to their greatness.
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Aug 22, 2023 12:17
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Owlbear Camus posted:Clan tech operates better because of a shamanistic magic field that is powered by their belief in their own superiority. The clans are Orks
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Aug 22, 2023 14:22
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FrostyPox posted:I believe the default BV for clan mechs assumes a 4/5 pilot and you actually have to make the adjustment for Clan pilots What was confusing me I think is MegaMek does the adjustments automatically - I've only played in person with IS vs IS stuff using starter box rules and the free record sheets available on the battletech.com website, so haven't run into Clan stuff outside of the online program.
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Aug 22, 2023 14:23
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Put me down as another for the Fedcom sucked and the FCCW couldn't happen soon enough With the discussion of the Fedcom and how basically meh the 4SW was in the first place, a thought popped in my head. I've seen really old maps of the Inner Sphere (i think from MechWarrior 1st Ed) that instead of the "squiggly line" type we know and love was just a straight-line division of the Inner Sphere into five sections of equal size. Obviously this was abandoned but I couldn't help but wonder why they dumped having a stronger Capellan Confederation in the future maps. Also, I think this was the same book that had the, I guess, original Free Worlds League insignia which was a circle with a sort of puzzle piece break up inside representing the founding states. While I'm all for purple bird stronk I think this insignia was cooler.
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Aug 22, 2023 15:07
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Holybat posted:Also, I think this was the same book that had the, I guess, original Free Worlds League insignia which was a circle with a sort of puzzle piece break up inside representing the founding states. While I'm all for purple bird stronk I think this insignia was cooler. I can't recall this one. Both MW 1st ed and even the 2nd edition BT box set (the one with the pie map) have the classic eagle. Does anyone have an image?
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Aug 22, 2023 17:43
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Xotl posted:I can't recall this one. Both MW 1st ed and even the 2nd edition BT box set (the one with the pie map) have the classic eagle. Does anyone have an image? They're talking about it in this Btech forums thread: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=21384.0
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Aug 22, 2023 17:57
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Neat! A little harder to recognize from far away though, I'd bet
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Aug 22, 2023 18:04
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PeterWeller posted:They're talking about it in this Btech forums thread: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=21384.0 This thread's last post was over 10 years ago lmao
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Aug 22, 2023 19:30
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Is there a better zombie at 2k BV than the archangel?
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Aug 22, 2023 21:32
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Question about line of sight for Alpha Strike. If Mech A backs up against a building so the base is touching, and Mech B jumps up so it's standing on the roof directly behind it, does B have line of sight to A? Rules say draw LOS from rhe cockpit which would mean some bigger mechs have no issues peeking over the edge while the smaller ones (Wasp!) can't see past their base.
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Aug 22, 2023 21:57
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Units never obscure line of sight so you look through the base like it isn't there.Saint Celestine posted:Is there a better zombie at 2k BV than the archangel? https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Inferno_(OmniMech)
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Aug 22, 2023 22:01
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Sidesaddle Cavalry posted:Neat! A little harder to recognize from far away though, I'd bet According to the Steiner house book, this was the original emblem of the Lyran Commonwealth.  I guess it could be like... a seal or something?
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Aug 22, 2023 22:30
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Picked up the Warrior Trilogy hardcovers and man The last two books have the literal exact same blurb on them. This company man.
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Aug 22, 2023 22:38
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Saint Celestine posted:Is there a better zombie at 2k BV than the archangel? The Awesome 11H.
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Aug 22, 2023 22:46
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TheDiceMustRoll posted:Picked up the Warrior Trilogy hardcovers and man It's the Warrior Trilogy, what can you expect if not more of the same?
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Aug 22, 2023 23:24
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What book does this body double thing happen in? It's referenced in the warrior trilogy that the capellans hosed around with it. There was a bit in assumption of risk that felt like a body double situation but doesn't that take place way later?
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Aug 22, 2023 23:36
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the sword and the dagger
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Aug 22, 2023 23:44
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