Who do you think are the most interesting characters at the current moment? Why?

[Minemech]

 Who do you think are the most interesting characters at the moment? Why? Are there any matters of interest that you would like to see resolved involving them?
 
 
 

[tassa_kay]

Alaric, for what I'd think are obvious reasons. For all of the questionable aspects of HotW/ilClan, Alaric has finally fulfilled the purpose of the Clans, and I haven't been this excited to see what comes next in this franchise in a long time.

Danai Liao-Centrella, because she's had one hell of a character arc so far and things are heating up in the CapCon's power structure.

Yori Kurita, especially now that Toranaga is gone and she can finally do things as she sees fit.

Hjalmer Miraborg, for everything that happened in Dominions Divided and for what's about to happen with the Combine.

The coming reckoning between Julian and Erik. I think they've both had really solid character arcs and I'm excited to see where these two go from here.

He's not my personal cup of tea, but even I have to admit that Jiyi Chistu probably belongs on a most-interesting-current-characters list.

Prohaska Moon. The first Khan of the resurrected Smoke Jaguars. I can't wait to see how she makes her mark.

Saving my namesake for last, Anastasia Kerensky... from Exiled Wolf to Steel Wolf to Wolf Hunter to Crusader Wolf to General of the SLDF.

[Frabby]

For me it’s a tie between Jiyi Chistu and Othar - two faithful stewards who ended up with all the power and responsibility for their respective factions. They are grounded pragmatists with a keen understanding of day-to-day administration, while their nominal superior is off chasing unicorns. I feel there’s a huge culture clash in the making as Alaric detaches himself from his people in pursuit of an increasingly failing faux culture fantasy based on the unfinished ramblings of a psychopath. The IS Clans as a whole are at a watershed and it will likely be these two guys vs. Alaric.
Alaric isn’t a proper character in my view. And most likely a dead man walking anyways.

[MarauderD]

My slice of the Inner Sphere:  Yori, Julian, Erik, and Danai.  I hope they really move the story forward on Yori and Danai.  I'm worried that we'll not hear much more on Julian and Erik, since we are at a boiling point with them already. 

[Church14]

Yori is engaging to me because she fits that shrewd DC style of politics. She giving ground where she must to reduce loses when she can’t win, and the upcoming RasDom invasion will be a telling chapter of her story.


Probably gonna surprise people with saying Othar. He’s in a dumpster fire position handed to him and he’s desperately scrabbling to hold on to critical resources. I don’t really care if he succeeds or not, I’m just finding the Empire’s post-Alaric stretch a good bedrock for stories. Even if he loses, if it’s well told it’ll be a good ride.


I’m not sure there’s other specific characters to me. I was hoping for Peter Cobb but he’s just okay. The rest of my most engaged storylines are faction level.

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

I really want to see where Brewer goes next, because he's fenced in pretty hard. My main takeaway from EoT was that he thinks he's a really good dude even while he's lying to his own daughter. Between that and some worlds in the Vesper Marches believing they've rejoined the Commonwealth, I really want to see his bullshit catch up with him and what he does when that happens.

[BrianDavion]

I must be one of the few people who doesn't find Erik intreasting, the feud he's having with Julian just felt so forced...

[Decoy]

Bluntly, all of these characters are ones we have been stuck with for over twenty years now. I'm bored of them all.

Let's start with the Federated Suns. Julian vs. Erik is going to either be the highest stakes slap fight in the history of the Inner Sphere or a way for the Powers That Be wipe out more of the Federated Suns. Not something I'm looking forwards to. Most importantly, not something I'm willing to buy. As for what happens to the Draconis Combine or the Capellan Confederation (and the characters they represent) it's a firm "Meh". If The Powers That Be force them to crash hard, then I'll laugh and go "Hah Hah" and go about my life. If they rise even higher, then my reaction will be to shrug and move on with my life. They aren't worth my energy or my pocket book. I want very little of the mess that is the Free Worlds League at the moment. I'm firmly convinced that Nikol Marik is a plant.

I guess to answer the OP's question, "Anyone who moves us out of the era we're currently in."

[BlechRitter]

For me it's Loren j. Hansen. I like his character in Patriots stand and was excited about the new Hansen's Roughriders novella

[butchbird]

I'm much more of a sourcebook reader then a fiction reader and I,ve been left in the dust as far as developments in the BTU are concerned past the 3070's, so I guess I'm not well positionned to comment. Still, there was a real nice sale at the online (to me) store where I've been buying my miniatures this year (lost control, simply lost control...but then flames of war has at last offered me an option for "smaller unit wargaming" with the wife (and kid), can't really be faulted can I?) , so I went ahead and bought "empire alone" (as well as the proliferation cycle forcepack so as to ease the withdrawal-like symptoms caused by the kickstarter) in an effort to get back on the train of the advancing timeline. Having interest in (free) Andurien, I figured it would be my best bet in this endeavor.

I want very little of the mess that is the Free Worlds League at the moment. I'm firmly convinced that Nikol Marik is a plant.

Wouldn't happen to care to explain this further per chance?

To me, the ongoing reunification of the FWL is actually one of the most interesting parts of the current timeline. From my point of view, a large part of the reason the FWL has seen so little interest in previous products is the fact that they're more inclined to offer interesting inner-political struggles (oh how I would've loved to see the "great debate of 3067" come to fruition) then actual combat, which doesn't really fit in what draws the large majority of us to the BTU in the first place...but the current timeline enables the FWL to be used in a more "fan appealing" way for once.

For this, from what little I'm reading (and it is going at a slow pace, my reading time has been eaten up by my miniatures projet this year), Nikol Marik actually seems like a great character. Far more appealing to me then the other geriatric and heirless leaders around her. Shrewd, carefull and capable of dealing with the inevitable pressure from the more adventurous constituents of the resurecting FWL.

Now I'll probably end up going back to historicals (notably, operation guerrero is a product I've been waiting for for...25 years?) but I'm really interested in keeping tabs on Nikol's ongoing efforts and fail to see how she could be a plant.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I must be one of the few people who doesn't find Erik intreasting, the feud he's having with Julian just felt so forced...

I agree.  It came more or less out of nowhere and seems to serve no purpose other than to just make things harder on the FedSuns.  If Eric can't get his act together he needs a new hole in his head.

[Decoy]

On the Nikol front, look at all she's done. Nikol stopped the destruction of the Marian Hegemony. Nikol held off on invading the Wolf Empire despite having information that she had her best probable window to strike. She's also doing nothing to stop the Magistry of Canopus from expanding into traditional Free Worlds League members. I look at her actions and they feel like that of an AI unit who the Player hops into now and again to curtail it.

As for Julian vs. Erik, that's three vs. one for interest in such a plot. It's a plot that reeks of "OK. The FedSuns fans are feeling left out, but we can't have them doing anything of consequence to any other faction, so we'll just have them ram themselves through and go 'Look! The Fedsuns are doing something! Please keep paying attention!' "

[Templar87]

I must be one of the few people who doesn't find Erik intreasting, the feud he's having with Julian just felt so forced...

Especially considering a major part of Erik's claimed motivations thereof are something that's the result of him shamelessly engaging in self-serving edits of history; because, well, far from Julian just wandering off into Lyran space for Reasons as Erik has been trying to cast it, he was ordered there by Caleb on the advice of one Erik Sandoval-Groell. It's funny how Erik never mentions that part.




At the moment, I've found myself most interested in the casts in the Hinterlands and the reforming FWL (particularly Jiyi Chistu and, which I was surprised at initially, Vedet Brewer).

[butchbird]

On the Nikol front, look at all she's done. Nikol stopped the destruction of the Marian Hegemony. Nikol held off on invading the Wolf Empire despite having information that she had her best probable window to strike. She's also doing nothing to stop the Magistry of Canopus from expanding into traditional Free Worlds League members. I look at her actions and they feel like that of an AI unit who the Player hops into now and again to curtail it.

Again, I'm missing lots of information, haven't finished the book, have only sarna for the rest, but this is interesting.

While you make a good point of an AI being curtailed, might simply be she's being cautious. The communication network not being what it used to be, having an ilclan while having limited information on that front and having some  the major provinces going on personnal merry adventures. My understanding of the situation is minimal (again, I'm just attempting to catch-up as best as time allows it), but it looks like there are "major grabs at proclaiming a significant self-latitude in international action" going on. How easy would it be to over-extend?

However, again I think I see your point in a more "lore" kind of way. Some states whithin the state are quite powerfull, and could be holding more influence over Nikol then what is known at the moment. Of course my bet is riding on the sea foxes for this era, so there is that...still, Would the clan protectorate be that powerfull? The other provinces can hold that kind of sway either I think. Outside influence?

[Hellraiser]

I'm still waiting for someone in to catch my interest.

[Starfury]

Colonel Henry Hack and the new Wolf's Dragoons. They've finally become interesting to me for the first time since the Jihad, and Hack's plan is a great thumb in the eye of Clan Woof Woof, who I despise.

Sandra Regis, Vedet Brewer, Caliandre Kell, Syndic Marena and Jiyi Chistu. The Tamar Reach/Jade Falcon OZ is a great place for storytelling and these characters have very different backgrounds  They may all be forced to work together if the Rasalhauge Dominion moves in force

Danai and Daoshen. These two along with Danai's mother have built the Capellan Confederation into the strongest it's been since the First Succession War. Will the death of several members of Mcarron's Armored Cavalry force Danai to kill Daoshen and claim the Capellan throne?

Davion vs Kurita is Davion vs Kurita. Only the addition of Snow Raven and the potential for Julian to lose his throne to internal strife make this staple of BT slightly interesting to me. Now the new Hasek and the Taurian Concordat finally getting somewhere without going Hulk Mad Smash is a nice treat, and I look forward to more Taurian unity soon. 

Nikol Marik/Marik vs the Wolf Empire and potentially the Clan Protectorate.  The House that really didn't face the Clans is chock full of them now, and as only Marik can do, finally committed to a full Invasion of the Empire. I'd say Nikol has been portrayed extremely well after defanging Regulus and being cautious. We often forget these leaders are making decisions on secon hand information, so her take it slow approach was finally forced by events. Purple bird is confused but stronk!

I don't care about the Dominion, Clan Wolf, or the iClan. The new Jade Falcons with the leadership of Stephanie Chistu and the countess from Northwind whose name escapes me is a nice return to the core of the Black Watch. The latest developments on Northwind as an independent merc force will be a fun hook for Clan Woof Woof Delusions of Grandeur to deal with.