I do get that, yeah, but it's hard to pick up any kind of coherent theme as to how the TRO 3145 designs came about, or, well, how most of them are supposed to fit into FedSuns doctrine. Like, taking the Rec Guides as a comparison, there's a clear Hi-Lo force mix visible in FedSuns designs there, with the lower end designs like the Enforcer, Victor and BattleMaster bulking out formations while high-end designs like the newest Marauder, Nightstar and Marauder II models provide concentrated punch.
Let me jump in here, just about where this thread started to derail. Because of the way that RecGuides and TRO3145-FS are being contrasted, it is indeed interesting to take a stroll down memory lane.
Jellico has the tl;dr of it. TRO 3145 was primarily aimed at bringing the remaining MW:DA/AoD content into the classic BT game. Beyond that, it was a matter of supplementing the existing line ups.
I'll be the first to admit to having two qualms with this factional TRO: being one of the strongest representatives of mixed tech, making for very simplistic high-tech units, and on the flip side, a certain amount of eclecticism in the selection of units.
When developing the RecGuides, ultimately, the seeds we planted with 3145 were a blessing to create some of our new goals. They gave us a sense of which technologies we could develop further. With House Davion, stuff like the Vulpes or Black Knight showed their focus on simply developing the tech to produce Clan beam weaponry, and their new innovation, the Re-engineered Lasers, fit right into that. The work done back then may have been naive compared to the holistic approach to the RecGuides, but ultimately slots right into the tapestry we've now woven.
The eclecticism of the units definitely comes from a decided wealth of Davion designs in the TROs leading up to this one. And, from my point of view, that was a good thing. Yes, it means some entries may feel less than essential, but I cannot express just how happy I am at inclusion of things like BattleTechnology's Kruger Combat Car, TRO 3026R's Marten Scout VTOL, or an honest to goodness ultralight 'Mech. It means that TRO 3145 may not have contributed as many new anchor units for the FS lineup, but it certainly enrichened players' choices.
I would be thrilled to discuss this further. :)
PS: I had to reread the Scarecrow's fluff, couldn't remember it at all. Is the second paragraph of "Deployment" the source of this thread's ire? If so, I feel that paragraph makes a whole lot more sense if viewed as an inner-FS media bruhaha.
