/btg/ BattleTech General

Aff that.

More specifically, I can admire the Coyotes as being interesting in sort of a tragic hero role. They did kind of fuck up, but its played out more for a redemption arc. Their mysticism is a pretty cool addition too.

Homeworlders are exclusively garbage. They're the embodiment of why a million tiny factions don't function in practice. Their entire existence was an introduction in a field manual, a cameo in the Great Refusal, and then to wipe each other out. The Invading Clans should have been the only ones.

I always loved the torso and legs design on the Savage Coyote. It felt like a callback to Dougram mechs.

It's a burly boy fo sho

It has to be an oversight. The regular academy has the same problem - armored troopers at least need the climbing and jump pack skills from the infantry field, but taking the infantry field sends you to tour of duty, and there's no paths back.

>genetically engineered warrior race
>20 different flavors
>they kill each other
>they preserve and improve on the technology of the Star League
>They kill each other some more
>They kill IS barbarians
>There is a reckoning
>They kill each other some more

I mean, it's like you don't know what genetically engineered warriors are supposed to do.

"This knife is garbage, it fucking cut me!"

is reply to

Black knight was always a swag mech.

They suffer a lot from being both a homeworld clan, but they have some cool stuff and survived the reaving. I like how most of the warden clans have some sort of mysticism belief.

You didn't understand the comment at all. The fact that they were an unnecessary addition in a huge silly quantity who got zero pagespace made them a terrible idea. Just as easily, you could have had the clans winnowed down to the Invaders by Revival. Because like you said. "Good at killing things"

Reaving was entirely orchestrated from the top to clean out the place, under the exact same order Herb gave to mop up the legions of mercs in the IS.

People like having smaller factions though as options.

The whole reason for the clan invasion was because the IS had been boiled down to 4 factions, and the writers only really cared about the FC - CC was nearly gone at the time, DC were cartoon villains, and the writers kept forgetting the FWL existed.

What you are right about is if they were going to do 20 clans, with the numbers they gave them, they all should have invaded at the same time, or at least in very closely timed waves.

Megamek is a pc/online version of battletech.

If you mean outside of battletech/megamek/mechcommander IP, then I dunno, they'd probably be japanese/asian produced.

That's not why it happened. The whole reason for the Clan Invasion was that the SLDF fleet was the biggest hype hanging thread in the fluff. Back in 89 people were all like "What could possibly challenge the Fedcom now?" Only one thing could, the Exodus boys.

And that's how it went.

Well, same thing - the FedCom had brought the setting to a halt with only ComStar dickery really threatening them.

So the Clans needed to be brought in to at least make something go down.

That said while I don't dislike the homeworld clans as a thing, there shouldn't have been any that remained behind - it really pushes them out of contributing anything. I don't know if the idea was to keep them as a threat, but that was sort of pointless since they never went the route.

All clans should have invaded at once - they could have had some weaker ones get wrecked or absorbed during the invasion itself. Then when the invasion stalls, whoever is left is left and that's it.

Why should everything which exists contribute equally to every conflict?

Where do I say that everything should contribute equally?

I'm more saying they should, or could, contribute at all

>All clans should have invaded at once - they could have had some weaker ones get wrecked or absorbed during the invasion itself. Then when the invasion stalls, whoever is left is left and that's it.

That would have been a lot more interesting.

It's the only way to get into that specific sub-path, but not the only way into DEST. Unfortunately the path options in the core rules there aren't really fleshed out so it makes it look as though the only way in is via MW or BA training, when DEST is most famous for its hordes of standard infantry deployed across the DCMS in their normal infantry support.

What you need to do instead is go through the Military Academy path with Infantry or Scout AIT then take Special Training for Special Forces. The really shit bit is that even allowing for other books, DEST training is never expanded on with other options and even Periphery fucking factions get special Paths written up for them instead.

BA uses Piloting/Battlesuit for jumping, and for Swarm/Leg Attacks if that's what you mean. The generic Military Academy on p. 40-41 says you take Basic Training, an AIT (Scout, Armoured Infantry or Infantry) and can opt for Special Training (Special Forces) if the player wants to.

Hey, if you're a warship user which Zec model do you like more, the block I or block II?

Well, I got rid of my trip since it wasn't relevant.

With the Zec it's mostly down to what you think you're going to fight with it. If it's other WarShips, then the Zec II can carry nukes. If you want to shoot up ASF or DropShips then the NLs of the Block I are going to be more useful in a nuke-free environment. Potentially better than the Zec II as well, unless you have really spectacular crit rolls with your missiles.

What are the Clan options when it comes to conventional infantry? Are any of them any good?

Gnerics are the same as the IS, except with 25 troopers per Point (Squad).

TR 3085 or the Annex for it have some other options. I think there's GB guys with Bearhunter A/Cs and Steel Viper riot police with automatic Gauss shotguns in there.

AFAIK the Clans use Battle Armour most of the time, with only really resource-stretched ones or the Steel Vipers using standard infantry in their second-line forces to free up BA where it would be more useful.

Ah what about the Hell's Horses - thinking specifically about second line stuff, like the headhunter infantry squads mentioned in Iota Galaxy

They got Mauser IICs in their standard infantry pack and heavy jump infantry with bearhunters an shit, so yes.

Objection, Brigador is not terrible. It's not what the poster asked for, however, as it's a mech shooter.

Have a look at p. 210-213 of TR: 3085. The Horses get some special types along with the generic Clan infantry. The hover infantry and AA infantry are from Iota.

We should make some sort of Capella Chan in the vein of these things.

There's a Great Firewall-chan character already. She's part crab, part rolex and part party youth organization member.

何?
She ain't Capellan, though.

>I always loved the torso and legs design on the Savage Coyote. It felt like a callback to Dougram mechs.

I agree with you on the torso, but the legs look more like Tomahawk/Warhammer legs to me.

Clanscum everywhere in this thread. Fite me fairly.
And by fairly I mean 5 of you against my battalion with entrenched infantry and tank support and aerospace bombers on call.

>Lilith Lust
>Inker! INKER! In front of a Templar! PLEASE!

If you're *really* serious, he does commissions. I missed his stream yesterday, though, so I couldn't tell you that he wasn't already working on your request.

Also, what's the attraction to the Templar? I get that it is a fairly practical design, what with being an IS omni carrying a guass rifle and all, but ... aesthetically? Does this have something to do with a different version from one of the video games?

>Also, what's the attraction to the Templar?

The discussion was about Davion girl hair color, and the Templar is a distinctly and pretty much uniquely Davion Mech.

The HBS Battletech game is basically the tabletop game but with numbers altered to change up the weapon balance and try to make everything have a niche. It'll be out next year, probably.

Oh neat, thanks

>his mom and dad had sex and then he was born

The attraction is it's the symbol of the Sandovals. If you like James and the old man, it is the Omni of the Draconis March. Plus it's also famous for the Knights of the Federated Suns to grogtech them up in weapon loadout.

>tfw dual AC20 arms, 4bins, maybe one loaded with one firing phase worth of AP fuck you, 4 jets, couple ML pulses and Buckaroo Banzai's 3029 single "Jailbait Lyran Princess" blaring on the external speakers

t. dezgra surat

DEST are all trained as MechWarriors. There may well be black-clad ISF ninjas who aren't trained as MechWarriors, but they wouldn't be DEST.

>BA uses Piloting/Battlesuit for jumping, and for Swarm/Leg Attacks if that's what you mean.
I wasn't sure about that, thanks. So the error is that the Field Skills table shouldn't have the Infantry Field as a prerequisite for the Armored Infantry Field?

Wait, forgot it was Hasek's pet project. Too many damn Sandovals using them in war. Now that I think about it, even the people attacking New Syrtis had some. That's some irony right there.

Points are the equivalent of platoons. The fluff has informal squads below that for their infantry.

The Battletech game my Harebrained Schemes

Looks like a lame ripoff of the Knights of the Inner Sphere.

bite, damn you, bite!

How do each of the Successor state's infantry gear compare to each other?

Depends on the kind of infantry. Foot, jump, mechanized, motorized, special forces, zero g marines

Also, do we have the Battletroops rulebook in the OP folders?

Like standard infantry gear. Who has the AKs of BT, is body armor commonly issued, etc.

Hmm, something I've always wondered about. Reading the Aidan Pryde books, I got the impression that the freeborn training was much more brutal difficult and had a higher loss rate than trueborn training. Given that and given that most freeborn warriors are the result of illicit unions between trueborns and freeborns, then how is it that in the honor caste system of the clans the freeborns haven't out competed the trueborns. Even if they are discriminated against, they can still seek redress in a circle of equals, which they should win more often than not, which should lead to freeborns drifting up the chain of command over time.

Standard gear in the old eras is usually a shitty laser rifle, a helmet, light body armor and a death wish.

Specialty troops get all the interesting things. Like take this jump trooper for example.

You have forgotten the cardinal unsaid rule of the clans. Politics>Ability.

Case-in-point, there's a later book that talks about how Joanna is basically what the founders of the clan saw as the perfect clanner, but her genes would die with her. That's how broken the system was.

Why weren't joana's genes to be passed on?

In most clans this is the case. There's a reason that the clans that tried to keep the Freeborns out (Steel Viper, Smoke Jaguar) are the ones who died out.

No bloodname. Also, forgot to point out in your example that getting fucked over is not redressed in a regular circle of equals but in a trial of grievance, where you are pitted against 3x+ times your number. The level of enemy forces increased relative to the level of change. Bitching about getting posted to bumfuck homeworld factory #2 instead of the front lines and you might have to fight the local Galaxy Commander's personal Star all on your own.

Sure I get that, I do. But in clan society if you're thwarted politically the option of a trial of refusal is always there. And that's the most respected way of getting things done.
Like, your boss denies you having coke machines as well as water coolers on every floor, so you TOR him and get the watercoolers, amass respect and weaken your political enemy.
To be honest it's amazing the clans ddid anything but have constant trials of refusal.

Joanna had her shot at a bloodname and lost out. Considering the divs that did win bloodnames, she must have been a poor warrior, but a good trainer. Which can easily happen.

Because usually when it happens, somebody dies if it's true political enemies. You gonna put your life on the line for them to stock Snickers in the vending machines?

Reminds me of that one hothead in the Spirit Cat novels who kept trying to kill her commander and he finally got sick of beating her ass and sent her on a suicide mission against the pidgeons.

I think the important question is this: which Clans are the lewd Clans?

She killed Nasty K. It was bullshit, but she's a top tier mechwarrior.

I find the Brigador lore to be pretty interesting. The audiobook is also not half bad.

Ok that makes sense. I clearly don't know the clans as well as I thought I did.

>You gonna put your life on the line for them to stock Snickers in the vending machines?
I might if it meant I got to take a shot at some of the people I work with.

They all are, since they all fight in skin tight cooling outfits. In one of the clan sourcebooks there was an incredibly lewd female protomech pilot illustration. Many trials of possession were held in my pants over her I can tell you.

But by far the ledest of the lewd are the old illustrations of Natasha Kerensky.

All of them. But in the boring porn scenario way. They mostly don't faff about with cultivated beauty or romance.

So the local solhama mama might ride you ragged but she'll never wear sexy lingerie to surprise you or snuggle and whisper how much she loves you into your ear.

...

Would the clans who lived awhile in the IS start to pick some of this stuff up though?

Honestly, all the books talk about clans that are good at integration and clans that are bad at integration but don't really give examples of how life is different under different clans in the IS.

They probably didn't pay the writers enough to go into more detail there

>But by far the ledest of the lewd are the old illustrations of Natasha Kerensky.

No.

>In one of the clan sourcebooks there was an incredibly lewd female protomech pilot illustration.

Do post. I don't recall Proto pilots ever being attractive. Or, for that matter, recall pretty much any attractive women in ANY BT sourcebook, since CGL would have to pay for good art and not porches.

I don't think I've seen any pictures of protomech pilots, let alone lewd ones.

I think it was in this one :
sarna.net/wiki/MechWarrior's_Guide_to_the_Clans

I don't have it anymore though since I sold all my old sourcebooks.

Oh yes, it would have been an aerospace pilot really, since protomechs were crewed by failed aerospace jocks weren't they?
I'm sure it was a Snow Raven protomech pilot though.

Nasty K was a bullshit character.

Clanners don't really integrate. Because even in their own societies, the warriors keep themselves separate from everyone else. They don't get out in the world and mingle.

For the occupation stuff, one of those case where you have to read the novels. Like in A Rending of Falcons, there's a description of a world in the old Falcon OZ that's been conquered for over 80 years and it talks about how most people have to walk or public transit everywhere since personal vehicles are discouraged. How people duck and dodge the warriors, just trying to stay out from underfoot. Battlemechs and armor patrolling the streets. Fairly oppressive place. Of course that's the cockfalcons.

The clanners that do integrate are the ones who go legit native and actually leave their clan and become civies or mercs or whathaveyou.

I can only assume you meant this one, since the other Proto pilot is basically the bald chick from Star Trek: TMP in an even less flattering outfit.

That's the one. Hnnnng dat foot.

Right I'm done for the night, I got er, stuff to do. I'll see you lads later.

The rules never actually state that you need the prereq field.

>Prerequisites are provided for some fields for reference purposes. They help explain why certain skill packages lack what might seem to be basic skills..."

>Reading through crime stuff for the clans
>The SLS:Prinz Eugen has been converted into long term high-security prison comparable to Alcatraz
>Everybody there is high profile or a warrior
>After three hundred years, the dezgra actually get it running again and sail out into the deep as righteous Dark Caste dudes
>Go on Taurian Vendetta, Homeworld edition

Aw shit, that would be a fun campaign

Stop, my penis can only get so erect

>Knights of the Inner Sphere

the what of the what?

Oh, 3055. Some New Battletech bullshit. Literally nothing exists after 3025.

Well, the I Am Jade Falcon books had Joanna /ss/-ing young Aiden.

What introtech mechs are there that would be uncomplicated to manufacture, and are also still able to stay up on the Dark Age battlefield?

I have a confession. I do not like the older designs for the black knight.

I legitimately don't think there are any.

Dark Age battlefield is full of bad design decisions, crappy tanks, way too much battle armor and expensive lightweight junkers. Any solid grogtech zombie is still competitive. Even just the big stuff with a lot of armor. The sticking point is still the fusion engines.

My Knigger.

I only start liking the black knight, both visually and stats-wise when it becomes the shield knight.

The Awesome-8Q is a really fucking simple machine, every component of it is ubiquitous by the DA, and it is still solid as ever on the battlefield. The Warhammer-6D is in a similar position, especially if you dump the MGs

Which was fucking bullshit. I know Natasha was 84 years old and had to die sometime, but to die in a fanfic tier shit novel to some literal nobody from the Green Parrots was enough to remind me why the fuck I hated FASA as a company by the end.

Natasha Kerensky was my junior high school waifu in 1987 and I will never not hold onto that.

Disgusting

Also, it's older variants, not designs. The BL-6-KNT looks the same today that it did in 1989.

For me, it ends in 3029 with the aftermath of the Fourth Succession War.

Everything after that is shit tier fanfic and a direct cause of why FASA got cancer and died as a company.

Kludging together a bunch of modified cast-off Marauder tooling into a line for the basic MAD-II would be reasonably possible, and they'd still be as annoyingly tough as they ever were

>Hating FASA
>Not hating Thurston going off the rails with his pet cockfalcons

I remember reading Twilight of the Clans and being confused as to why VIII existed at all. Like I was all up on the hype train leading the great refusal and just got a fizzle for VII, then this dumb sidestory about literal whos in the Cluster.

>captcha 6400 rede
Aw shit, we Chatterweb now

I like them both for different reasons but the Black Knight design is a very divisive with most people.

>The Warhammer-6D is in a similar position, especially if you dump the MGs
You mean the 6R, because the 6D does dump the MGs, and the SRMs.

It's one of the rare examples where both versions look good. Like the Vulture/Vulture III, Madcat/Madcat IV

My main complaint with the Dark Age version is no hands and not being able to dump the shield when it gets chewed up. But that's mechanics. Thank god they didn't go with the original DA dogface version with TRO:3145.