Author Topic: Why are you fan of a given faction?  (Read 9109 times)

Red Pins

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #60 on: 16 February 2019, 00:53:09 »
Well, like most, I was drawn to the FS and later FC as the biggest, best faction.  Then, as I learned about the weird 'space Romans' of the MH I decided, "Hey - here's a group that reveres history, knows they can be winners, and SURELY won't be morons on the way to domination of the local Periphery states."

I quickly learned better than to expect that a faction based on ancient Rome to take the long view.  Makes me wince, the way they're written about, but it isn't RL after all.  Doesn't have to make sense.
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Kidd

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #61 on: 16 February 2019, 00:55:07 »
Not sure what you expected from pirates LARPing as Romans despite being largely inconsequential galactically.

Red Pins

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #62 on: 16 February 2019, 00:59:58 »
Not sure what you expected from pirates LARPing as Romans despite being largely inconsequential galactically.

 ^-^

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Kojak

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #63 on: 16 February 2019, 02:20:10 »
Early on, and for a long time, my main faction was the Word of Blake. This was because I was the one convincing my brother and my friends to play the game in the first place, and since they'd inevitably want to run a campaign with a unit of their own, I'd end up playing the opposing force in most games, and the Word of Blake was a popular opponent. Eventually I started to read up on the faction and in some ways I enjoy them precisely because they're nearly my polar opposite. But admittedly, part of what usually pulls me to a faction is that their units suit my play-style(s), and C3i plus iNarc (especially back in the days before ECM was all over the damn place) can be a pretty brutal combination once you really get the hang of them. I never played a campaign with them myself, but I still play Blakist opfors for Taharqa from time to time and I still always enjoy breaking 'em out.

Currently, my big factional attachment is Clan Hell's Horses. In the wake of the release of the 3145 material I was excited to play with all the new toys, so I set about putting together a new campaign as a side project from my main campaign. Eventually, because I realized I wanted to do one each of Inner Sphere and Clan, I did both a 3145 revival of House Ma-Tsu Kai (long my favorite Capellan unit) and a Clan Hell's Horses Galaxy. Again, in both cases I worked backwards from unit selection befitting my play style, but as I've read up on both I've really grown to enjoy them, especially Clan Hell's Horses. (Note: Like the Word of Blake, my love of these factions paradoxically stems partly from the fact that I find them colorfully abhorrent.)

I've also always a big soft spot for the Free Worlds League, especially the Duchy of Oriente. They're probably closest to my preferences in terms of government (although to be clear they're still light-years off from it; suffice to say that BattleTech is not the setting I go to for that sort of thing), other than maybe the Rim Collection or the Outworlds Alliance. Also, at least in my opinion, they have more flavor than the other five Houses combined.
« Last Edit: 20 February 2019, 19:32:15 by Kojak »


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calendraug

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #64 on: 17 February 2019, 13:20:00 »
Comstar our first group of rpg characters were mercs who got recruited into the Comguard a couple of years before tukkayyid. Then clan Wolverine liked their independent nature and mystery around them.

Tangoforone

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #65 on: 20 February 2019, 11:56:27 »
My favorite faction is definitely Word of Blake.  Bunch of goofs.  To be so devoted to a cause makes them fun to play in a role-play sense, not to mention their cause is pretty honorable when you look at what they fought for.  There is nothing more enjoyable than charging forth into the oppositions main force knowing that survival is unlikely, yelling nonsense over the coms along the lines of 'The light of Blake shall purge you!' 

I'm bummed that they had to end up suicidal and self-destructive.  A faction that wants the betterment of the Inner Sphere and the destruction of the Clans has been seen before.  But WOB was willing to commit any atrocity against anyone for the overall betterment of the IS.  An organization like that would have been an incredible faction to keep around.

I have hope, though, that the saviors of the Inner Sphere will return.  The Day of Salvation (or Reckoning) shall come.


Apocal

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #66 on: 20 February 2019, 19:11:49 »
Then the ****** Clans came.  Everything "cool" about the Clans is by right of primacy a Kurita theme.  Every Clan fan out there should have been a Dracophile, and what's REALLY aggravating is when they don't even know it.

It is extremely difficult for me to get enthused about the Draconis Combine when they have seriously goofy stuff like DEST wielding katanas, criminal organizations filling out their military and dudes committing seppuku left, right and center. If that was all stuff that was just early lore and left in the eighties, I would be OK with it, but I'm getting up past the Clan invasion in the novels and... they. keep. on. doing. it.

Drewbacca

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #67 on: 21 February 2019, 13:31:21 »
I love the Terran Hegemony. I like it because it is at the center of all things Battletech in so many ways.

My current faction is Clans Hell's Horses. I like that they use every type of unit available. It is rare to see any faction take an interest in using things like conventional infantry or tanks let alone a clan. I would hazard to say if we ever get clan LAMs it would likely come from the Horses, especially with the inovation that is the Quad Vee.

That being said I have played everything from Comstar to Clan Snow Raven to Merc.

Dr. Banzai

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #68 on: 21 February 2019, 19:01:36 »
"No matter where you go, there you are."

Seriously, the first to look at the giant robot in 300 years of warfare and say "Give that thing a hatchet." Nothing better, and they are still out there, just running under the radar.

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Hellraiser

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #69 on: 03 March 2019, 20:38:02 »
but we Lyrans have Commando, Wolfhound, Firestarter, Phoenix Hawk, Shadow Hawk, Griffin, and Wolverine.

So why do you favour Lyran Commonwealth? Or any other faction?

Are you saying that is what the LyrCom produces in 3025 or that is all you have access too?

If so, add the Vulcan, Locust, Wasp, & Stinger to that list.   But I don't show any factories making S-Hawks or Wolverines for the Lyrans.




As for favorite, its all from the early books for me.

With 10 of the first 12 books all giving you a look inside life in the FedCom states, I was a FedCom fan from the beginning.

Sure you had some look at Liao/Kurita in there, especially with the Dragon/Wolf books added in, but I saw them as the enemy & there was minimal info on Marik in any of the early novels.

So I'm a FedCom fan for sure with Wolf as my Clan faction for the same reason, lots of early novel time gave you the biggest exposure to them.
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Matti

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #70 on: 03 March 2019, 23:52:48 »
Are you saying that is what the LyrCom produces in 3025 or that is all you have access too?
Wolfhound enters in production in 3028.

Quote
If so, add the Vulcan, Locust, Wasp, & Stinger to that list.
Maybe I should have, but that would have made longer list to read...

Quote
But I don't show any factories making S-Hawks or Wolverines for the Lyrans.
House Steiner sourcebook says this:
Quote
The LCAF has shown little interest in organizing Medium
lances, which is why Lyran units contain the usual hodgepodge
of Phoenix Hawks, Griffins, Shadow Hawks
In addition TRO entry for Wolverine tells about Lyran company with 9 Wolverines and 3 Phoenix Hawks, so it isn't rare either. Point I was making is some of the books describe LCAF as heavy and slow, but are aforementioned 'Mechs in any way slower than Enforcer and Panther?
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Caedis Animus

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #71 on: 04 March 2019, 09:03:54 »
I used to like House Steiner a lot, and still do. Mostly because I love the medium mechs they get saddled with. Seriously, those factories print out what I consider to be solid gold examplars of the medium class. (Uziels and Blitzkreigs, mostly.)

Hellraiser

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #72 on: 04 March 2019, 14:43:11 »
They really do.

With Vulcan, Phoenix Hawk, Chameleon, & Griffin  (+ Hatchetman) in 3025 you have solid speed/mobility.

Then, IIRC, add in Cobra, Uziel, Blitzkreig, & FireStarter-Omni & you have a good medium striker/cavalry force.

Only the Hatchetman stands out as being "slow" for its size & it wasn't bad really with JJ in 3025.  The fact that its an Urban/Melee specialist is reason for its speed.
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Caedis Animus

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #73 on: 08 March 2019, 01:34:18 »
They really do.

With Vulcan, Phoenix Hawk, Chameleon, & Griffin  (+ Hatchetman) in 3025 you have solid speed/mobility.

Then, IIRC, add in Cobra, Uziel, Blitzkreig, & FireStarter-Omni & you have a good medium striker/cavalry force.

Only the Hatchetman stands out as being "slow" for its size & it wasn't bad really with JJ in 3025.  The fact that its an Urban/Melee specialist is reason for its speed.
Honestly, the Hatchetman slots in just fine with most medium mechs I field in 3025 anyways. The 45 and 50 ton categories are filled with 4/6 units back then for whatever reason, and of those, a LOT of those synergize well with the Hatchetman as urban combat units (Like, seriously, stick it next to a Hunchback 4G or Centurion A. Both work pretty well with it as battle buddies). Plus, a lot of those units are general use.

Hominid Mk II

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #74 on: 08 March 2019, 13:08:48 »
I rooted for the unified FedCom as a whole (rather than for either of its two distinct component halves) because I'm a Brit who grew up to be a Euro-enthusiast in a Eurosceptic country. I related to the idea of two different nations coming together voluntarily to create something far greater than either of them could ever be alone.

Then I had to sit through the FedCom Civil War.

Now I'm having to sit through Brexit.

Thanks for jinxing things for us all, BT! >:(
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Crimson Dawn

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #75 on: 08 March 2019, 14:33:22 »
I rooted for the unified FedCom as a whole (rather than for either of its two distinct component halves) because I'm a Brit who grew up to be a Euro-enthusiast in a Eurosceptic country. I related to the idea of two different nations coming together voluntarily to create something far greater than either of them could ever be alone.

Then I had to sit through the FedCom Civil War.

Now I'm having to sit through Brexit.

Thanks for jinxing things for us all, BT! >:(

I am still not happy about the FedCom civil war part of the story.  From that point onward I just have not been able to get into the fiction anymore which is too bad because I used to love reading Battletech novels (I read the ones I do have that I like numerous times because that is how I roll).

Matti

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #76 on: 08 March 2019, 15:35:37 »
I rooted for the unified FedCom as a whole (rather than for either of its two distinct component halves) because I'm a Brit who grew up to be a Euro-enthusiast in a Eurosceptic country. I related to the idea of two different nations coming together voluntarily to create something far greater than either of them could ever be alone.
I swear I have seen United States of Europe mentioned somewhere in BattleTech literature ::)
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Mendrugo

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Re: Why are you fan of a given faction?
« Reply #77 on: 08 March 2019, 17:23:40 »
House Kurita, p. 12:  "Government factories in the United States of North America, the United States of Europe, and the Nippon Confederation led the way..."
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

 

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