Hour of the Wolf Discussion - SPOILERS

[Sartris]

Not sure I’d buy that. Probably more along the lines of a couple hundred Falcons against a few million angry and/or fanatical soldiers and civilians willing to die to take an enemy with them.

While not new tech, this is something generally confined to the taurians. So we’ll call it rediscovered lostech 

[Scotty]

I mean, I'm all for the FWL charging in and reclaiming Wolf planets, even if it's an awful decision that doesn't work out for them in the short or long term.

The geo-political landscape resulting in the best decision for the FWL being to not get involved would be irritating for very similar reasons to FASA's handling of the FWL in the 90s.

I'm not suggesting that's what's going to end up being the case, but you at least see why that would be irritating, right?

[Empyrus]

I'd prefer that FWL will act but only once things have stabilized a bit. No sitting out stuff like during 31st century, but neither something silly like getting splintered because they backed the wrong faction... Back the right one, and lead the charge!

[Agathos]

Not sure I’d buy that. Probably more along the lines of a couple hundred Falcons against a few million angry and/or fanatical soldiers and civilians willing to die to take an enemy with them.

Could also be as simple as every conceivable landing zone being turned into very extensive minefields. Or entire cities done that way.

On the last page of Rock of the Republic, Stone definitely thought there were some promising and dangerous new weapons in the lab at Redoubt Fuji, and Levin seemed to agree. But in Hour of the Wolf he never mentions them, and attributes the win to those minefields and prepared positions. Not sure how future products are going to square that circle.

[Sartris]

Gotta save something for ilClan?

[Ruger]

On the last page of Rock of the Republic, Stone definitely thought there were some promising and dangerous new weapons in the lab at Redoubt Fuji, and Levin seemed to agree. But in Hour of the Wolf he never mentions them, and attributes the win to those minefields and prepared positions. Not sure how future products are going to square that circle.

Could be biological/chemical weapons were used too. Combine that with the other ideas, and yeah, an invasion force is likely to be wiped out. Poison the water and food supplies and allow them to be captured. Implant bombs inside people and animals, and infiltrate them in behind the lines. Set explosives in with fuel supplies to get captured.

Or just set these types of things up within and on both sides of your positions, and set them off when the invaders overrun your positions. Program your ‘Mechs, tanks, bases to detonate when captured.

There are many ways to kill an enemy.

Ruger

[Colt Ward]

The geo-political landscape resulting in the best decision for the FWL being to not get involved would be irritating for very similar reasons to FASA's handling of the FWL in the 90s.

I'm not suggesting that's what's going to end up being the case, but you at least see why that would be irritating, right?

Not sure that can really happen, the Anduriens & Canopians are pushing the non-aligned worlds.

[GreekFire]

The geo-political landscape resulting in the best decision for the FWL being to not get involved would be irritating for very similar reasons to FASA's handling of the FWL in the 90s.

I'm not suggesting that's what's going to end up being the case, but you at least see why that would be irritating, right?

Sure. I'm strongly for the FWL retaking Wolf worlds, even if it fails and they get burnt for it, just because I dislike the idea of having a power be able to strip every last bit of military force from their borders to do something consequence free.

Heck, it doesn't even have to be straight-up conquest. Have some of the planets try to overthrow their Wolf administrators. Like the Republic worlds the Wolves just conquered--if the Wolves brought all of their military to Terra, some of those recently conquered planets would probably attempt to re-establish some sort of Republic rule, right? Or Solaris. There's gotta be some sort of underground resistance there that'd fight to go independent again.

And heck, for all the Lyrans/League knows the Wolves have abandoned yet another OZ to go setting in some other part of the Inner Sphere...again.

I guess Alaric could send out some sort of warning to Lyran/League leadership saying "don't touch those worlds, I'm just stepping out to grab Terra, I'll be back"--at least then it'd be somewhat justified for those two somewhat fragile Successor States to hang back for a while. But if no message goes out, how long can the two states avoid taking over any of their ex-planets before things get a bit silly?

[Jellico]

Was there any new Tech introduced in this novel.   I feel like Ray said something about new gear that is an upgrade to gear you hate to use, but nothing jumped out at me.

Jian might have something it is meant to be tactically new... If the description wasn't virtually that of the NL42.
And it's Elementals are described as having new space adaptions. Almost like a Space Elemental.

[FaithBomb]

Not sure that can really happen, the Anduriens & Canopians are pushing the non-aligned worlds.

Magistracy needs some love!

[MarauderCH IIC]

On the last page of Rock of the Republic, Stone definitely thought there were some promising and dangerous new weapons in the lab at Redoubt Fuji, and Levin seemed to agree. But in Hour of the Wolf he never mentions them, and attributes the win to those minefields and prepared positions. Not sure how future products are going to square that circle.

Maybe the RISC weapons mentioned in Shattered Fortress?

[Sartris]

unless there are new RISC weapons, most of them were a flash in the pan and gone by the end of the 3140s per the tables in IO

[rebs]

Magistracy needs some love!

So do the Sea Foxes. 

Maybe once we solidify things in the FWL, we could work on making contacts (and contracts) in the Magistracy.  Then the Canopians can unhook themselves from the Cappies.

[Wrangler]

Be interesting to see new tech beyond MWDA.  Be bold, be true, give us something to look forward too!

[Colt Ward]

Be interesting to see new tech beyond MWDA.  Be bold, be true, give us something to look forward too!

Tripods, Quad-Vehs, specialized armors, WiGE, glider Protos, partial wings, HVACs, RISC tech . . . we have gotten new stuff.  Most of it is not used/frowned at by players which IMO is reflected in the RecGuides being 'BMM only, almost.'  Considering its 'mech, mechs, and more mechs' I do not think we are going to get anything crazy.

[Kitsune413]

Be interesting to see new tech beyond MWDA.  Be bold, be true, give us something to look forward too!

I feel like tech beyond the Ilclan should just be a reset. Like all the new armors will get combined and be called "Armor."

Then they can bring in the rotary gauss rifles.

[Kitsune413]

The geo-political landscape resulting in the best decision for the FWL being to not get involved would be irritating for very similar reasons to FASA's handling of the FWL in the 90s.

I'm not suggesting that's what's going to end up being the case, but you at least see why that would be irritating, right?

Yeah, the Sea Fox, Ghost Bear and Free Worlds League chapters in hour of the Wolf are really disappointing.

Alaric and Stone are apparently the only people in the Inner Sphere who can have a long term plan.

[jimdigris]

Magistracy needs some love!

Agreed.  This is one of the most interesting factions in the universe.  It will be interesting to see what effect Danai Liao-Centrella has on the Capellans when she takes the throne from Daoshen.

[Wrangler]

Agreed.  This is one of the most interesting factions in the universe.  It will be interesting to see what effect Danai Liao-Centrella has on the Capellans when she takes the throne from Daoshen.

Be interesting if her ascension to the throne will usher merge into a grand Capellan alliance of some kind.  Doashen is on the Fortress border waiting to jump to Terra.

[Sartris]

Daoshen definitely wants to bring moc and andurien under the capellan umbrella. Little does he know that andurien is a toxic pollutant that poisons anything it touches

The Humphreys will succeed where Hanse failed

[Colt Ward]

The Humphreys will succeed where Hanse failed

How?  It is one of the ruling lines, afawk, is dying out.

Besides, it is Ilsa who holds the whip in that neoTrinity.

[Sartris]

It’s an andurien sucks joke try to keep up

[Starfury]

Hopefully the Taurians will manage to get the band put back together. 

[Kojak]

I do hope the reunited Taurians get some screentime under the auspices of the ilClan. They haven't really gotten to do much in the Dark Age, it feels like, and while they got thrashed in the Jihad ultimately, they at least got to have a thoroughly involved plotline in that era.

[Liam's Ghost]

I feel like screentime for Taurians during the IlClan era will be ugly for all involved. Since Alaric doesn't like being told no and Taurians don't like being told anything.

"...and the band played waltzing matilda..."

[Fat Guy]

Then they can bring in the rotary gauss rifles.

We already got them: HAGs.

[Empyrus]

We already got them: HAGs.

We can make them worse, just add jam-chance 

[Wrangler]

I feel like screentime for Taurians during the IlClan era will be ugly for all involved. Since Alaric doesn't like being told no and Taurians don't like being told anything.

"...and the band played waltzing matilda..."

Reunification War II: Taurian Last Stand.  If they act tge way they did in the past. Taurians are to fiat wise psycho paranoid to be a functional government. The Protectorate was but I dont know if that will be enough to overcome.  The Taurians were cool at end of the Succession Wars and Age of War era

[Fat Guy]

We can make them worse, just add jam-chance 

If you truly want to get worse, how about ER Heavy Variable-Speed Pulse Lasers?   

[Sartris]

re-engineered er heavy variable speed pulse lasers