Author Topic: Advice on running AToW circa 3046-3050  (Read 3669 times)

ScarletDevil

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Advice on running AToW circa 3046-3050
« on: 27 January 2011, 17:28:37 »
So, I like Battletech and I play RPGs pretty regularly. I figured why not run a game for my group? My thought was a Clan campaign leading up to the Inner Sphere invasion, giving the players a chance to train on some older mechs, participate in a Trial to end up in the invasion force, etc.


But I'm stuck on a couple points:

1. How do you make a mechwarrior campaign interesting? I mean how do you add more than mech battles in a compelling manner?

2. This is going to sound kind of weird, but one of the players in my group only plays catgirls. She's played one in DnD, Shadowrun and basically everything else. I'm pretty lenient on the matter and figured with all that genetic tinkering Clan Nova Cat might try to mix in some of their totem animal's features as a little experiment.

But other than giving her the Good Hearing trait I'm not really sure how the mechanics would work out. Maybe Animal Antipathy since she has a weird scent now? Night vision? Bonus to Reflex?

Any advice would be appreciated since I'm still learning the system myself (the life module system particularly)

monbvol

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Re: Advice on running AToW circa 3046-3050
« Reply #1 on: 28 January 2011, 10:29:05 »
1: If you haven't already give Era Report 3052 a look.  It has a fair amount of information specifically aimed at running an AToW campaign in the era in question.

In some respects the Clans make running a campaign not focusing on mechs both easier and harder.  On the one hand their trial system does give a lot of leeway to go for unaugmented combat.  Politics of the Clans do tend to end up in fist fights.  It gets easier to figure out how to add not mech stuff with experience.

2: Whatever works in your games.  Seriously have fun with it.  How extreme the modifications are up to you.  They can be purely cosmetic and having to pay for the traits normally to give the player the traits for free.  Myself I'd probably go with option one.

Ferrit

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Re: Advice on running AToW circa 3046-3050
« Reply #2 on: 28 January 2011, 12:38:27 »
1.
Inspiration can come from the characters themselves, any unsual interests or skills they might have. Allies and contacts might need their help, enemies might hinder them or even try to covertly harm them. Add in the politcs of Clan warrior life and things can get messily interesting!

On point 2:
Another possible angle to consider are the (in)famous Canopian cat girls, which I think the forums had worked out to be created through extreme cosmetic surgery. The cybernetic stuff used by the Manei Domini or Genecaste enhancements (seen in Interstellar Players) might be worth a look too? The later opens all manner of strangeness and investigations of this secretive group.

Either way might want to include a negative Reputation as most people (especially the conservative Clans) will view them at best a weirdo and at worst a freak of science. But yeah, to agree with monbvol, whatever works at your table, have fun with it and let us now how it goes :)

ScarletDevil

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Re: Advice on running AToW circa 3046-3050
« Reply #3 on: 29 January 2011, 03:56:44 »
Thanks for the advice

Quote
1: If you haven't already give Era Report 3052 a look.  It has a fair amount of information specifically aimed at running an AToW campaign in the era in question.

In some respects the Clans make running a campaign not focusing on mechs both easier and harder.  On the one hand their trial system does give a lot of leeway to go for unaugmented combat.  Politics of the Clans do tend to end up in fist fights.  It gets easier to figure out how to add not mech stuff with experience.

Quote
1.
Inspiration can come from the characters themselves, any unsual interests or skills they might have. Allies and contacts might need their help, enemies might hinder them or even try to covertly harm them. Add in the politcs of Clan warrior life and things can get messily interesting!

I see, I guess my main difficulty was one of perspective - I was looking at it as a purely military campaign and trying to fit RP into it. But reading what you guys wrote I see it's more the other way around, there's a lot more room than I thought.


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On point 2:
Another possible angle to consider are the (in)famous Canopian cat girls, which I think the forums had worked out to be created through extreme cosmetic surgery. The cybernetic stuff used by the Manei Domini or Genecaste enhancements (seen in Interstellar Players) might be worth a look too? The later opens all manner of strangeness and investigations of this secretive group.

I'll read up on the Genecaste, I'm not terribly familiar with them. From what I gather it's some sort of science caste conspiracy?

I could easily see linking my catgirl PC into something like that, as a prized experiment who has to go in for regular check ups/study and such she might be able to find out more than the average Clan warrior



As for the catgirl herself, I'll talk with the player and let her decide how much she wants it to effect her character mechanically

Maelwys

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Re: Advice on running AToW circa 3046-3050
« Reply #4 on: 29 January 2011, 04:24:12 »
1. MechWarrior campaigns, especially Clanner ones Pre-Invasion aren't the easiest to pull off. The Clans are such a rigid society that it can be hard to set up a good game that isn't centered around `Mech combat. There are opportunities which can help open things up. The Goliath Scorpion Seeker tradition can take them lots of places, and there's always the Dark Caste to play around with. The characters could be part of it, or they could be the lucky group that gets stuck dealing with them. "There's no way those Dark Caste losers would have any `Mechs, so you don't need to take yours with you to hunt them down..."

Pre-Invasion can also be fun if you're at the forefront of the Invasion. Imagine the characters running around in the Periphery right after they conquered it. Looking around in amazement at the "Promised Land" and having to deal with the realities of cleaning up the Periphery. There are alot of options, you may just have to work at it a bit more than you would normally with an IS crew.

2. Whatever works for your game. It could work out really well if you wanted to run a Dark Caste game. "rogue Scientist experiment gone wrong!" Other than that, just change a few attitudes of the Clans and they should fit in fine :)

Ferrit

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Re: Advice on running AToW circa 3046-3050
« Reply #5 on: 29 January 2011, 06:21:51 »
I see, I guess my main difficulty was one of perspective - I was looking at it as a purely military campaign and trying to fit RP into it. But reading what you guys wrote I see it's more the other way around, there's a lot more room than I thought.

You got it, you tell the story and that sometimes has ruddy great big walking tanks in it. 'A MechWarrior's Guide to the Clans' might be of use if you can find a copy; old rules but all the suggestions are still valid.


I'll read up on the Genecaste, I'm not terribly familiar with them. From what I gather it's some sort of science caste conspiracy?

Think secretive, evil, mad scientist conspiracy and you won't go far wrong!


I could easily see linking my catgirl PC into something like that, as a prized experiment who has to go in for regular check ups/study and such she might be able to find out more than the average Clan warrior

Or could be on the run from her creators, the other PCs tasked with her protection?

Have fun!

Demonthunder

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Re: Advice on running AToW circa 3046-3050
« Reply #6 on: 14 February 2011, 22:35:30 »
...I'm stuck on a couple points:

1. How do you make a mechwarrior campaign interesting? I mean how do you add more than mech battles in a compelling manner?

A few words on this.

1) Know your group. The main thrust of almost any game is to have a good time. If this is a group you know well and have good chemistry with, then all you're really doing with the switch to Battletech is changing up some names, faces, and places.

Admittedly, it helps to know the universe well, or you might struggle a bit to come up with a compelling storyline that's plausible in a BT setting (though, if the rest of the group is clueless, you might be able to sneak your ignorance past them ;) ).




2) Know how to tell a good story. I think that's a pretty common rule for any game master in any universe.




3) Remember that battlemechs are driven by people. People are, often, more interesting than battlemechs.

Mechwarriors weren't born in their mechs (though Clanners may come close ;) ), and they don't live in their mechs (unless they're those addicted protomech pilots who won't even exist for another decade or so, in game time).

If you're playing Clan characters (which seems to be the case), your best bet is to learn as much about their society as possible. The warrior caste is an arrogant, honour-bound lot driven by pride and a need to excel above everyone. If your group consists of mixed-caste characters (some warriors, some merchants, scientists, techs, or labourers), you're probably going to have some automatic tension in the form of the warriors' condescending attitudes toward "lower castemen."

Even in a pure warrior group, any warrior who was not born in a vat (a.k.a. "iron womb") will be given all the hatred due a "freebirth".

Even if your group is all of the same caste, and same relative social standing, well... people are people. Stuff happens.

Just play people as people. They'll have goals--frustrate them. They'll have dreams--crush them. They'll have aspirations--challenge them. If you were able to make past RPGs work without mechs, then fear not: A Time of War will be just fine for you. :)

I've been running my AToW campaign for several months, now, and we just barely had our first mech battle last session. It was almost incidental, but flowed very naturally from what the characters were doing (namely, taking their mechs and fleeing into the woods).


I think you'll do just fine. :)

2. This is going to sound kind of weird, but one of the players in my group only plays catgirls. She's played one in DnD, Shadowrun and basically everything else. I'm pretty lenient on the matter and figured with all that genetic tinkering Clan Nova Cat might try to mix in some of their totem animal's features as a little experiment.

But other than giving her the Good Hearing trait I'm not really sure how the mechanics would work out. Maybe Animal Antipathy since she has a weird scent now? Night vision? Bonus to Reflex?

I say, tell her to man up. Playing a normal person will put some hair on her chest!

Oh... wait...

Anyway, I think the advice already given is probably good enough. I don't know enough about the "Deeper" lore (heck, I didn't even know about the Canopian cat girls prior to reading this thread) to really add anything to it.

Honestly, just have some fun. I think if your friend is a one-off (I dig the experiment idea that was presented), that will both help with plausibility (since, honestly, how many cat girls would be running around the Battletech universe; though, come to think of it, the Japanese influence of the Draconis Combine might pre-dispose many of their teenaged girls in that direction), and will make for an awful lot of good story hooks.

One other thing: if you're playing in the 3045-3050 era, well... when in that era are you playing? Are you starting in 3046 and then moving on into the clan invasion (3049 in the Periphery, etc.?) That might influence some things.

Additionally, the Clans prize conformity and pride themselves in their superior genetic engineering. How well they'd take to a "catgirl" character, though, I can't say. The Nova Cats, being the mystics they are, might be willing to run with the aforementioned "clan totem" idea. The other clans, though, might look at her as a total freak, and treat her with outright contempt (and maybe even hatred).

 

Any advice would be appreciated since I'm still learning the system myself (the life module system particularly)

Eh. It comes with time. I've learned that it's best not to get too hung up with the details if they're getting in the way. Of course, if you're still in the character creation stage, well... yeah. The details will matter a whole lot more.

If it makes you feel any better, I felt the need to build a spreadsheet to keep track of my character creation. I can e-mail it to you, if you want. Just PM me (and be aware that I don't check these forums all that frequently).

 

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