FM 3145 Keshik compositions

[Jmlee236]

Looking at the various Keshiks of the various Clans, they read 100% Omnis. Surely the Falcons have plenty of totem 'Mechs in their Keshiks. Surely the WiE have a Hellstar or some other nasty 'Mechs in their Keshiks. On top of that, the RATs have... one or two Omnis for each weight class?

How is this meant to be used? Using the Keshik bonus to the roll, you'd end up with tons of the last 2 or 3 'Mechs from the list. Am I reading something wrong?

[Zeruel]

Looking at the various Keshiks of the various Clans, they read 100% Omnis. Surely the Falcons have plenty of totem 'Mechs in their Keshiks. Surely the WiE have a Hellstar or some other nasty 'Mechs in their Keshiks.

if they are 100% Omni, then the Falcons in fact don't have any totem 'Mechs in their Keshiks (are any of the Falcon totems Omni? I don't recall off the top of my head), and the WiE don't have any Hellstars in theirs...whether you think that's weird or not, that's how it is

On top of that, the RATs have... one or two Omnis for each weight class?

How is this meant to be used? Using the Keshik bonus to the roll, you'd end up with tons of the last 2 or 3 'Mechs from the list. Am I reading something wrong?

the RATs are used to quickly create faction-flavoured units, so if you want to roll up a Falcon Keshik without digging deep, you can use the RAT to get something that feels Jade Falcon in composition, but it really has nothing to do with the Force Deployment listings

if you want to create for yourself a 100% Omni Falcon Keshik, you can't use the RAT and would have to manually pick which Omnis you want that the Falcons have access to
(I mean, you can use the RAT, but like you said, you end up using just like 2 or 3 Mechs)

alternately, if you still want it to be random, make your own RAT of Falcon Omnis, just put the most common ones in the middle, leading to the more rare ones at top and bottom

[Guardian11]

While I personally built 100% Omnimech forces for my Wolf Gold and Silver Keshiks. I didn't do so for my Raptor Keshik Command Star. Especially, since Bonfire of Worlds specifically states that Malvina's Command Star included her Shrike 3, a Phoenix Hawk IIC, a Gyrfalcon, and a Turkina. I find it highly doubtful that Malvina would give up her Shrike, even for an Omnimech. So it seems that there are definite exceptions to the 100% Omni rule for Keshiks, at least among the Jade Falcons. Also, the 1st Falcon Striker Cluster is listed as 100% Omni yet their commander Stephanie Chistu pilots a Jade Hawk, which is not an Omni. So it seems pretty obvious that the percentages in FM3145 are not in fact 100% absolute. FM3085 has a similar problem in that the WiE Golden Keshik is listed as being 100% Omni, but that Phelan Kell was likely piloting a Solitaire at that time.

Unlike earlier FMs that broke down Clan Mech forces by Omni/Clan-tech/IS-tech FM3085 and FM3145 only give an Omni percentage even though we know that all the Clans were operating an even greater mixture of technologies than previous eras. Also, considering a lot of the second-line forces are using vehicles, including lots of Omnivehicles, yet are listed as 0% Omni it seems like the Omni percentages in FM3145 are unreliable or don't tell the full story.

[Zeruel]

well at the end of the day you play your game, if you don't want to follow the 100% Omni rating, you don't have to

[Colt Ward]

FM3085 has a similar problem in that the WiE Golden Keshik is listed as being 100% Omni, but that Phelan Kell was likely piloting a Solitaire at that time.

Unlike earlier FMs that broke down Clan Mech forces by Omni/Clan-tech/IS-tech FM3085 and FM3145 only give an Omni percentage even though we know that all the Clans were operating an even greater mixture of technologies than previous eras. Also, considering a lot of the second-line forces are using vehicles, including lots of Omnivehicles, yet are listed as 0% Omni it seems like the Omni percentages in FM3145 are unreliable or don't tell the full story.

Just because MWDA put Phelan in one for a bit . . . I mean, look at his history- Wolfhound, Kit Fox (training), whatever in Trial of Position, all the mechs in Trial of Bloodright, I think a Dire Wolf in the 3060 trial for a Leviathan cargo load, Executioner in Bulldog, Wolfhound IIC again during Audacity?, Timber Wolf in Tharkad invasion . . . so Phelan will use what he wants depending on circumstances it seems.

FM3145 has a whole lot of problems between RATs and what was written in the book . . . where is the piles of Lyran salvage for Epsilon Galaxy?  While I appreciate breaking down the Clan equipment levels into 3 tiers, the 'Keshik' tier is off- IMO Frontline, Secondline & Garrison is the break down.  But some of that is a difference in how the Clans equip . . . for instance, FMCC/WC era the Shark's Spina galaxies were listed as secondline but they read as having a qualitative difference between the Spinas and true garrison galaxies.  In the 3050s, the Invasion Wolves' Tau Galaxy was set up that way as well . . . reactivated, refit or purchased equipment filled with a lot of the newest warriors until Ulric shuffled folks up.

[James Bedford]

The Omni rating is probably just there to make the Keshik seem more threatening or dangerous.  If it gives you trouble to think about, just ignore it. 

Also, novels always take precedence over sourcebooks for canonicity, so like the one responder above stated, the Raptor Keshik clearly has non-omnis in them based on Bonfire of Worlds

[Crimson Dynamo]

A few entries in the 3145 TROs mention an action on Hesperus II between Lyran Royal Guards and elements of the Raptor Keshik that included at least a Shadow Cat II and an Onager, IIRC. I mean, Malvina herself pilots a Shrike, and she would certainly be part of the Raptor. I interpret the 100% Omnis bit to be representative of the fact this unit has access to the best equipment available if it so desires, given where Omnis lie on the RATs as others have pointed out.