Author Topic: The Diamond Shark tank and Sea Fox preserve: Cause somebody has to start it...  (Read 238092 times)

roosterboy

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They already are a damned good competitor, with all of their Aimags floating around the sphere gathering, using and selling information.

And buying up ComStar's assets in at least one state.

Kitsune413

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I've got to admit that I didn't like Clan Diamond Shark. Not a shark person. So it wasn't until Golden Century that I took a good look at the Sea Foxes.

Decided I loved how strategic they are and decided that I'd finally found my real faction. So then I just had to come to grips with the Diamond Sharks being completely terrible during operation revival.

But I love the idea of Warrior Merchants. Not because I'm in love with the idea of merchants but just because the whole faction has strategy pounded into them. I like how cunning they are. So I finally found my home. Wondering what the future is going to hold for them.

I'm still not in love with their random assignment tables. =\ But the fact that they make all the new MadCats and that it is one of my favorite mechs fixes alot of it.
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wellspring

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I've got to admit that I didn't like Clan Diamond Shark. Not a shark person. So it wasn't until Golden Century that I took a good look at the Sea Foxes.

Decided I loved how strategic they are and decided that I'd finally found my real faction. So then I just had to come to grips with the Diamond Sharks being completely terrible during operation revival.

But I love the idea of Warrior Merchants. Not because I'm in love with the idea of merchants but just because the whole faction has strategy pounded into them. I like how cunning they are. So I finally found my home. Wondering what the future is going to hold for them.

I'm still not in love with their random assignment tables. =\ But the fact that they make all the new MadCats and that it is one of my favorite mechs fixes alot of it.

I've never liked their taste in Mechs, but I've always been a fan of the Diamond Sharks-- all the way back to Invading Clans. Wonderful to have watched them turn from bumbling caricatures into a sophisticated, ruthless, well-oiled machine-- an even moreso because the transition was gradual and natural. In a sense, they grew up as I did.

I'd liked the idea of ComStar prior to that, but the quasi-religious aspects and the ham-handed meddling in IS politics were a major turn-off. I took to the Sharks when I first heard about them like a fish to fish food. When FM:WC came out, I fell in love with Sigma Galaxy and their Foxy heritage. So after getting back into the game last year, I've been smiling my way through the latest supplements... even Wars of Reaving. I'll never be cheering for them to make huge territorial gains, that's not their style, but I'll always be a Shark/Fox first.

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Yeah I love Sigma Galaxy. :)
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Scrollreader

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And buying up ComStar's assets in at least one state.

Who added the bit in ER 3145 about my Foxes buying up Comstar "at fire sale prices" ?  I loved that part.

SteveRestless

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So, I'm looking at the RATs in ER3145.

You guys have the Men Shen in your medium list. The Capellans have the hellstar in their assault list. This leads me to believe that the Foxes might be how a hellstar makes it all the way from the posterior end of nowhere, down to sian.

but... before I go questioning the wisdom of the sea fox, I want to ask you guys. Just how many Men Shens per Hellstar do you have to get to make it a worthwhile deal? It must be a lot. I mean, you guys are deploying them. not just selling them to other factions, but deploying them. You must have them coming out of your ears!
Шонхорын хурдаар хурцлан давшъя, Чонын зоригоор асан дүрэлзэье, Тэнхээт морьдын туурайгаар нүргэе, Тамгат Чингисийн ухаанаар даръя | Let’s go faster than a falcon, Let’s burn with the wolf’s courage, Let’s roar with the hooves of strong horses, Let’s go with the wisdom of Tamgat Genghis - The Hu, Wolf Totem

Scrollreader

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The answer to that question depends on the length of the service agreement.   8)

Seriously, though the Capellans were rearming, according to the era report, at two to three times the rate of other Great Houses during the Republic.  They aren't a threat to Foxy plans, and AFAIK, their credit is good.  I mean, we don't share a border with them.  Why not extort take fair payment for a quality product?

GreekFire

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There's a simple explanation to a lot of the crummy 'Mechs typically found in a Diamond-Sea-Sharkfox RAT: we field what we sell. No point wasting room in an Aimag on 'Mechs that will only be used once in a blue moon, and sometimes we need to show our customers just what we're talking about.


Let's take the Heavy RAT as an example. We're certainly not producing the Warhammer, Black Hawk-KU or Karhu, so we're getting those through trade deals and trying to sell them markets that would otherwise be unavailable (like what's written for the Cadaver).


It'd take a heck of a good deal to be trading Men Shens for Hellstars. I think you're pointing at the wrong culprit here, we don't even have access to the Hellstar on the MUL. However, we could be trading the Men Shen for that junky Black Hawk that the Inner Sphere is gobbling up like raisins, along with the Koshi 2, Crimson Hawk 2, Sphinx, the list goes on. Maybe the W.i.E. are getting desperate for money?

And TBH, I kinda like our RATs this time around. Our general quality has gone down, sure, but our 'Mechs have gotten more interesting.
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Scrollreader

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... Somehow, I know there is a buyer who saw a Men Shen and a Blackhawk KU with clan pilots and clan pods fight off pirates, who is still trying to figure out why his results are not as good.

Also, why sell the Karhu?  That is a sexy Mech, especially the Warrhammer-esque variant.  (though you can do better with a Mad Dog IV custom)

GreekFire

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Finally gave the new Technical Readout a good, thorough read. They could have practically called it "TRO:Sea Fox" because of the amount of stuff we get in there. My thoughts:


Gossamer (selling, not making): Not something I'd use personally, but it's a nice little backstabbing VTOL. The variant, with the lb-x-10, is a lot more interesting to me.

Kite: Man, this thing beats the Odin in every way, shape and form. It might have a bit less firepower, but if you're fielding light hovercraft for their guns, you're doing something wrong. I can't wait to try it out.

Cardinal: Oh baby, this BA transport is a beauty. Makes me actually want to field Battle Armor for once, haha.

Koshi (standard): Welp, gotta have something to sell to the Inner Sphere. Its movement profile (7/11/6) doesn't make it fast enough for something so lightly armored, and a single large laser will tear off an arm at a time. The heavy rear armor suggests it's supposed to get in and get dirty, and with the 4 SRM 4s it can do that, but it looks like it's something that dies exceedingly fast.

Cadaver (selling, not making): This...is an interesting design. I'm really not sure what to make of it yet, I'll have to field it in battle to really get a feel for it.

Tiburon: Ah, I was wondering how our exclusive 'Mech would hold up. It's not too shabby, feels like a different flavor of Hellion. No masc, and with a bit less firepower, but more accurate, better armored, runs cooler and has that Watchdog CEWS. This thing feels like it's made for prolonged battles and campaigns. Probably something I'm going to tinker around with a lot.

Stalking Spider II: The design certainly screams Clan-tech militia 'Mech, so it's not surprising to see that it actually is one. Having the laser and SRM4s in the turret makes it interesting and worth considering, but it's slow and needs to jump to stay alive. Combine that with its short-range weaponry, and you better keep this in pent-up terrain.

Black Hawk (standard): It upgrades the internal structure to endo-steel and drops the armor down to fee up more mass for weaponry...and then spends that mass on some questionable stuff. I don't like having my 'Mechs act like critseekers, so that might be part of the issue. The model-2 does the "replace SRMs with ATMs" deal, while the 3 makes it kinda interesting - it turns it into a mini, jump-capable Stormcrow. Doesn't have the armor, though, and that's always been a big selling point for the Stormcrow for me.

Vulture Mk IV: *drool* It loses 3 tons of podspace over the original, but switches to endo and adds on 6 TONS of upgraded ferro-lamellor. I'm definitely cool with that. The configs are smart and well-done, so this is a 'Mech I'll be fielding all the time.

Jade Hawk (selling/supplying, not making): Herm. If Mercs want it, OK, but I'm not going to be fielding it. 10 tons used on claws (not a fan), with the 4 SRMs under-supplied on ammo while still being needed to keep the TSM running hot (and heat sinks have to be turned off for this to work). Another 4 tons used on an unneeded Partial Wing...this 'Mech is a sketchy one-trick pony. The -04 would be an interesting fire support model, but it still uses up 10 tons on the claws. The Jade Falcon models are a bit different, but we aren't producing or selling those AFAICT.

Savage Wolf/Mad Cat IV: I don't vastly prefer this 'Mech over the original. It's kinda even, they both win out in their own ways. The XXL makes it easier to kill, although if your side torso is out on a normal Timber Wolf you're probably about to die anyway. Converting the armor to ferro-lamellor and armoring the gyro toughens up the core and extremities. The big issue is that although it gains a 0.5 advantage in tonnage, it faces a dramatic drop in number of free crits. This makes a lot of the original configs impossible, and it's why we have a whole new slew of primary ones. The Prime = the old D, and pretty much does the job better. The A = the old E, and mostly does things better again, although I would have liked keeping the TAG around. The B is a brand new config, and looks like the devastating brawler of the bunch. The C = a new adaptation of the old Prime. The switchover from LRM20s to LRM15s+ArtV is definitely an advantage in my eyes, although I think dropping a ton of LRM ammo and a medium pulse for a targeting computer would have been cool.

Nagasawa: Wow, this thing is beautiful. I don't know anything about aero (yet), but from what I can tell, this thing is a lightweight though. It's pretty damn nimble. The armor is definitely solid as well, it has more than the 8,500-ton Isegrim. It seems to be built around the idea of long-ranged combat, with a lot of AMS systems to protect it from the myriad of ship-killing missiles out there. I'd love to hear some imput from someone who knows aero a bit more.

And that sums it up! We certainly are active in this era, I'm loving it. Looks like we might eventually face some splintering though, Fire Mandrill/FWL style T_T;; All that stuff comes from Twycross, Ingersol, Shimonita, Itabiana, Tukayyid and New Oslo, along with the Kraken and the Poseidon. No news on the Chainelanes at ALL in either the ER or the TRO...kinda makes me a bit nervous. The RPG part of the ER mentions Chaine characters getting Protocol/Clan as a freebee, and forces them to take Clan Warrior (Other)/Freebirth path while getting the In For Life/Clan Sea Fox trait at the same time. Hopefully that means the Chaines are still under our control and we're using them to pump out our own private goods.


LOL WALL OF BLACK.
« Last Edit: 08 April 2013, 11:29:02 by GreekFire »
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Finally gave the new Technical Readout a good, thorough read. They could have practically called it "TRO:Sea Fox" because of the amount of stuff we get in there. My thoughts:


Gossamer (selling, not making): Not something I'd use personally, but it's a nice little backstabbing VTOL. The variant, with the lb-x-10, is a lot more interesting to me.

Kite: Man, this thing beats the Odin in every way, shape and form. It might have a bit less firepower, but if you're fielding light hovercraft for their guns, you're doing something wrong. I can't wait to try it out.

Cardinal: Oh baby, this BA transport is a beauty. Makes me actually want to field Battle Armor for once, haha.

Koshi (standard): Welp, gotta have something to sell to the Inner Sphere. Its movement profile (7/11/6) doesn't make it fast enough for something so lightly armored, and a single large laser will tear off an arm at a time. The heavy rear armor suggests it's supposed to get in and get dirty, and with the 4 SRM 4s it can do that, but it looks like it's something that dies exceedingly fast.

Cadaver (selling, not making): This...is an interesting design. I'm really not sure what to make of it yet, I'll have to field it in battle to really get a feel for it.

Tiburon: Ah, I was wondering how our exclusive 'Mech would hold up. It's not too shabby, feels like a different flavor of Hellion. No masc, and with a bit less firepower, but more accurate, better armored, runs cooler and has that Watchdog CEWS. This thing feels like it's made for prolonged battles and campaigns. Probably something I'm going to tinker around with a lot.

Stalking Spider II: The design certainly screams Clan-tech militia 'Mech, so it's not surprising to see that it actually is one. Having the laser and SRM4s in the turret makes it interesting and worth considering, but it's slow and needs to jump to stay alive. Combine that with its short-range weaponry, and you better keep this in pent-up terrain.

Black Hawk (standard): It upgrades the internal structure to endo-steel and drops the armor down to fee up more mass for weaponry...and then spends that mass on some questionable stuff. I don't like having my 'Mechs act like critseekers, so that might be part of the issue. The model-2 does the "replace SRMs with ATMs" deal, while the 3 makes it kinda interesting - it turns it into a mini, jump-capable Stormcrow. Doesn't have the armor, though, and that's always been a big selling point for the Stormcrow for me.

Vulture Mk IV: *drool* It loses 3 tons of podspace over the original, but switches to endo and adds on 6 TONS of upgraded ferro-lamellor. I'm definitely cool with that. The configs are smart and well-done, so this is a 'Mech I'll be fielding all the time.

Jade Hawk (selling/supplying, not making): Herm. If Mercs want it, OK, but I'm not going to be fielding it. 10 tons used on claws (not a fan), with the 4 SRMs under-supplied on ammo while still being needed to keep the TSM running hot (and heat sinks have to be turned off for this to work). Another 4 tons used on an unneeded Partial Wing...this 'Mech is a sketchy one-trick pony. The -04 would be an interesting fire support model, but it still uses up 10 tons on the claws. The Jade Falcon models are a bit different, but we aren't producing or selling those AFAICT.

Savage Wolf/Mad Cat IV: I don't vastly prefer this 'Mech over the original. It's kinda even, they both win out in their own ways. The XXL makes it easier to kill, although if your side torso is out on a normal Timber Wolf you're probably about to die anyway. Converting the armor to ferro-lamellor and armoring the gyro toughens up the core and extremities. The big issue is that although it gains a 0.5 advantage in tonnage, it faces a dramatic drop in number of free crits. This makes a lot of the original configs impossible, and it's why we have a whole new slew of primary ones. The Prime = the old D, and pretty much does the job better. The A = the old E, and mostly does things better again, although I would have liked keeping the TAG around. The B is a brand new config, and looks like the devastating brawler of the bunch. The C = a new adaptation of the old Prime. The switchover from LRM20s to LRM15s+ArtV is definitely an advantage in my eyes, although I think dropping a ton of LRM ammo and a medium pulse for a targeting computer would have been cool.

Nagasawa: Wow, this thing is beautiful. I don't know anything about aero (yet), but from what I can tell, this thing is a lightweight though. It's pretty damn nimble. The armor is definitely solid as well, it has more than the 8,500-ton Isegrim. It seems to be built around the idea of long-ranged combat, with a lot of AMS systems to protect it from the myriad of ship-killing missiles out there. I'd love to hear some imput from someone who knows aero a bit more.

And that sums it up! We certainly are active in this era, I'm loving it. Looks like we might eventually face some splintering though, Fire Mandrill/FWL style T_T;; All that stuff comes from Twycross, Ingersol, Shimonita, Itabiana, Tukayyid and New Oslo, along with the Kraken and the Poseidon. No news on the Chainelanes at ALL in either the ER or the TRO...kinda makes me a bit nervous. The RPG part of the ER mentions Chaine characters getting Protocol/Clan as a freebee, and forces them to take Clan Warrior (Other)/Freebirth path while getting the In For Life/Clan Sea Fox trait at the same time. Hopefully that means the Chaines are still under our control and we're using them to pump out our own private goods.


As i said in a prior thread, gotta love those new Vultures.  I think they're the new Merc Gold Standard.
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rebs

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Oddly enough, the first BT novels I read were not the Thunder Rift cycle, or the Blood Of Kerensky.  The Jade Phoenix Trilogy was actually the first for me (now that's how you become a Clan slappy, lol...).   So initially, my favorite Clans were Jade Falcon and Wolf...   The Diamond Sharks were kind of a "slow roller" for me. 

Honestly, when I stumbled upon Touring the Stars and the Human Sphere stuff on the net, that was when I fully became a Shark Fox fan.  Reading about the increasing role they would have in the BT universe in general, and not just a Clan's normal "bit part" of aggressor who needs to be kept in check, that sold me all the way.  They were now the Merchant/Info Gatherers/Space Nomads with unique custom designed rides made from WarShips.  SOLD!!!   ;D
« Last Edit: 08 April 2013, 11:04:09 by rebs »
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wantec

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Finally gave the new Technical Readout a good, thorough read. They could have practically called it "TRO:Sea Fox" because of the amount of stuff we get in there. My thoughts:


Gossamer (selling, not making): Not something I'd use personally, but it's a nice little backstabbing VTOL. The variant, with the lb-x-10, is a lot more interesting to me.

Kite: Man, this thing beats the Odin in every way, shape and form. It might have a bit less firepower, but if you're fielding light hovercraft for their guns, you're doing something wrong. I can't wait to try it out.

Cardinal: Oh baby, this BA transport is a beauty. Makes me actually want to field Battle Armor for once, haha.

Koshi (standard): Welp, gotta have something to sell to the Inner Sphere. Its movement profile (7/11/6) doesn't make it fast enough for something so lightly armored, and a single large laser will tear off an arm at a time. The heavy rear armor suggests it's supposed to get in and get dirty, and with the 4 SRM 4s it can do that, but it looks like it's something that dies exceedingly fast.

Cadaver (selling, not making): This...is an interesting design. I'm really not sure what to make of it yet, I'll have to field it in battle to really get a feel for it.

Tiburon: Ah, I was wondering how our exclusive 'Mech would hold up. It's not too shabby, feels like a different flavor of Hellion. No masc, and with a bit less firepower, but more accurate, better armored, runs cooler and has that Watchdog CEWS. This thing feels like it's made for prolonged battles and campaigns. Probably something I'm going to tinker around with a lot.

Stalking Spider II: The design certainly screams Clan-tech militia 'Mech, so it's not surprising to see that it actually is one. Having the laser and SRM4s in the turret makes it interesting and worth considering, but it's slow and needs to jump to stay alive. Combine that with its short-range weaponry, and you better keep this in pent-up terrain.

Black Hawk (standard): It upgrades the internal structure to endo-steel and drops the armor down to fee up more mass for weaponry...and then spends that mass on some questionable stuff. I don't like having my 'Mechs act like critseekers, so that might be part of the issue. The model-2 does the "replace SRMs with ATMs" deal, while the 3 makes it kinda interesting - it turns it into a mini, jump-capable Stormcrow. Doesn't have the armor, though, and that's always been a big selling point for the Stormcrow for me.

Vulture Mk IV: *drool* It loses 3 tons of podspace over the original, but switches to endo and adds on 6 TONS of upgraded ferro-lamellor. I'm definitely cool with that. The configs are smart and well-done, so this is a 'Mech I'll be fielding all the time.

Jade Hawk (selling/supplying, not making): Herm. If Mercs want it, OK, but I'm not going to be fielding it. 10 tons used on claws (not a fan), with the 4 SRMs under-supplied on ammo while still being needed to keep the TSM running hot (and heat sinks have to be turned off for this to work). Another 4 tons used on an unneeded Partial Wing...this 'Mech is a sketchy one-trick pony. The -04 would be an interesting fire support model, but it still uses up 10 tons on the claws. The Jade Falcon models are a bit different, but we aren't producing or selling those AFAICT.

Savage Wolf/Mad Cat IV: I don't vastly prefer this 'Mech over the original. It's kinda even, they both win out in their own ways. The XXL makes it easier to kill, although if your side torso is out on a normal Timber Wolf you're probably about to die anyway. Converting the armor to ferro-lamellor and armoring the gyro toughens up the core and extremities. The big issue is that although it gains a 0.5 advantage in tonnage, it faces a dramatic drop in number of free crits. This makes a lot of the original configs impossible, and it's why we have a whole new slew of primary ones. The Prime = the old D, and pretty much does the job better. The A = the old E, and mostly does things better again, although I would have liked keeping the TAG around. The B is a brand new config, and looks like the devastating brawler of the bunch. The C = a new adaptation of the old Prime. The switchover from LRM20s to LRM15s+ArtV is definitely an advantage in my eyes, although I think dropping a ton of LRM ammo and a medium pulse for a targeting computer would have been cool.

Nagasawa: Wow, this thing is beautiful. I don't know anything about aero (yet), but from what I can tell, this thing is a lightweight though. It's pretty damn nimble. The armor is definitely solid as well, it has more than the 8,500-ton Isegrim. It seems to be built around the idea of long-ranged combat, with a lot of AMS systems to protect it from the myriad of ship-killing missiles out there. I'd love to hear some imput from someone who knows aero a bit more.

And that sums it up! We certainly are active in this era, I'm loving it. Looks like we might eventually face some splintering though, Fire Mandrill/FWL style T_T;; All that stuff comes from Twycross, Ingersol, Shimonita, Itabiana, Tukayyid and New Oslo, along with the Kraken and the Poseidon. No news on the Chainelanes at ALL in either the ER or the TRO...kinda makes me a bit nervous. The RPG part of the ER mentions Chaine characters getting Protocol/Clan as a freebee, and forces them to take Clan Warrior (Other)/Freebirth path while getting the In For Life/Clan Sea Fox trait at the same time. Hopefully that means the Chaines are still under our control and we're using them to pump out our own private goods.


LOL WALL OF BLACK.


Great job on the Tiburons, although I miss the variant Najeh Hammond had in MWDA, it replaced the ERMLs with HMLs. Even if they're not the Improved versions, that would pack a serious whallop for any of the Sea Foxes' enemies.

The Vulture is nothing but an upgrade in my book. Yes you give up 3 tons of podtonnage, but you gain 38 more points of armor, and all of that is switched over to Ferro Lamellor. The official variants follow a pattern, but it's a good one.

The Mad Cat is a tougher decision. I like the looks, especially the cover art. And you have the tonnage to duplicate any existing Timber Wolf variant (not sure about the space, although the TW-A fits).
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GreekFire

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Great job on the Tiburons, although I miss the variant Najeh Hammond had in MWDA, it replaced the ERMLs with HMLs. Even if they're not the Improved versions, that would pack a serious whallop for any of the Sea Foxes' enemies.

The Vulture is nothing but an upgrade in my book. Yes you give up 3 tons of podtonnage, but you gain 38 more points of armor, and all of that is switched over to Ferro Lamellor. The official variants follow a pattern, but it's a good one.

The Mad Cat is a tougher decision. I like the looks, especially the cover art. And you have the tonnage to duplicate any existing Timber Wolf variant (not sure about the space, although the TW-A fits).



A heavy medium laser variant of the Tiburon? I'M COOL WITH THAT!

I don't think there's anyone on the forums who honestly thinks the Vulture IV is a flop. If they do, I'll challenge them to a circle of equals and smash their head in with my shiny new 'Mech.

The more I look at the Mad Cat IV, the more I like it. It's sturdier in all of it's locations except for the 2 side torsos; and in their case, the B and C have CASE II to keep them intact even after an ammo explosion. The heat scale runs a bit hotter, but seems easy to balance on the configs given. One interesting thing to take into account now: the MCIV can't wield a LB-X-10, a RAC/5 or a Gauss Rifle in its arms. Bummer.
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rebs

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As much as the Sea Fox marketing department would like to, we can't have Gauss Rifles on everything.   :'(
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Gray Jaguar

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As much as the Sea Fox marketing department would like to, we can't have Gauss Rifles on everything.   :'(

Clan Sea Fox: "You want a Gauss with that?"
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AJC46

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Mad Cat MK.IV is freaking expensive at least according to SSW it is the base chassis alone costs more than 8 AS7-D atlases and depending on the loadout you can throw a UrbanMech or 2 with it and still have plenty of spare change leftover.

would you like solid gold and germanium plating with precious gem inlay with that?

at least probably whoever can afford blowing cash to afford whole lances of this mech probably would too.

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Mad Cat MK.IV is freaking expensive at least according to SSW it is the base chassis alone costs more than 8 AS7-D atlases and depending on the loadout you can throw a UrbanMech or 2 with it and still have plenty of spare change leftover.

would you like solid gold and germanium plating with precious gem inlay with that?

at least probably whoever can afford blowing cash to afford whole lances of this mech probably would too.

remmeber: most of the Inner Sphere has just come out of an unprecedented period of relative peace and prosperity. Most Houses,
at the time of the start of all that mess, had bulging coffers, since they did not have to maintain a huge active military that was constantly expanding, and so were able to, in theory, put money into BETTER units then just filling billets in a unit. So, the Houses are willing to shell out the money for a good unit and have it to spend? Guess who is there to fill that need...Your friendly neighborhood Aimeg!
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 the MCIV can't wield a LB-X-10, a RAC/5 or a Gauss Rifle in its arms. Bummer.

Actually the Clan RAC/5 takes up eight slots so it can be split per the most recent TM errata.

truegrit

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Slowly finding time to get through the 3145 materials, and it's delicious. I see the Sea Fox ascent as reparations for having such a dinky selection in the WizKids game :)

Plus…Tiburon! Can't wait for this one to appear in metal.

ABADDON

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remmeber: most of the Inner Sphere has just come out of an unprecedented period of relative peace and prosperity. Most Houses,
at the time of the start of all that mess, had bulging coffers, since they did not have to maintain a huge active military that was constantly expanding, and so were able to, in theory, put money into BETTER units then just filling billets in a unit. So, the Houses are willing to shell out the money for a good unit and have it to spend? Guess who is there to fill that need...Your friendly neighborhood Aimeg!

I'm still not quite sure what happened in that regard. Have the houses been somehow forced to cripple themselves in terms of rearmament or was that mainly done by Gentlemen's agreement, or even by Republican economical pressure?

StCptMara

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I'm still not quite sure what happened in that regard. Have the houses been somehow forced to cripple themselves in terms of rearmament or was that mainly done by Gentlemen's agreement, or even by Republican economical pressure?

I think it was a combination of Republic Economic Pressure, and,f rankly, maintaining massive armies is expensive. By trimming down
and moving towards a more elite core of 'mechs(as it seems that it was only 'Mech numbers that got reduced), the Houses saved some money. As someone said: The Savage Wolf costs, base, as much as 2 lances of AS-7D's. However, what would the Prime do TO those two lances of AS-7D? The reconstruction era provided the perfect excuse to clean house, and buy the BETTER units.  That the Houses
used incentives similar to what the republic used to get 'mechs out of private hands as much as possible, they could then turn around
and either use those 'mechs to rebuild militia units, or could sell them to Merc units. Either way, it saved them money over having to
rush factory production.

Now, combine all that with an Era where, for the most part, people are still weary of war, and a generation was still dealing with the
trauma of the jihad, so MOST people did not go to war casually, and you have an era where 'mechs don't need to be replaced as often.
When you do not need to replace something as often, you can put money aside to infrastructure, economics, etc, bolstering your civilian
sector. When you have a healthy economy, you can afford to focus on replacing units for your military with further upgrades.

Honestly, for the Sea Fox, I think they understood very much one of the Ferrengi Rules of Acquisition: "War is good for business. Peace is good for business."   (Of course, in BattleTech: "Peace is that glorious moment when everyone stands around reloading.")
"Victory or Debt!"- The Battlecry of Mercenaries everywhere

"Greetings, Mechwarrior! You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against---Oops, wrong universe" - Unknown SLDF Recruiter

Reality and Battletech go hand in hand like a drug induced hallucination and engineering a fusion reactor ;-)

ABADDON

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Thx, good thoughts. So it was actually more voluntary than forced by treaty and threat.

Even though the Savage Wolf vs. 8 AS-7D Atlas example ("what would it do to those two lances?") is somewhat... well I dunno... I don't care how good that individual mech might be, 8 hundred ton mechs will still tear it apart fairly easily. :P

Scrollreader

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There's also a question of transport.  If you have a Union, 12 of these bad boys are pretty terrifying.  And sure, you could have bought dozens of atlas models ... And had to leave 75 percent of them at home.  I'm not saying I'd Replace my whole brigade with the Mad Cat, solid germanium edition.  But I might spend the money for my Natasha K's, Kai Allards, and Ristars in my keshik or premier trialing cluster.

ABADDON

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Do we actually know in which year exactly the Vulture Mk IV was introduced?
Savage Wolf obviously 3139...

roosterboy

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Do we actually know in which year exactly the Vulture Mk IV was introduced?
Savage Wolf obviously 3139...

Savage Wolf was 3136; Vulture Mk IV very shortly after.

GreekFire

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Well, a lot of people are focusing on the cost of the Mad Cat IV right now, but they're far from the only XXL offender on the RATs.

The Jade Falcons have the Rifleman C 2 on their RAT (although it's rare, based on its placement). The Raven Alliance apparently have tons of Dark Crow 3's, and a few Dasher II 2's as well. Then the Dasher II 2 also appears on the Rasalhague Dominion's RAT (where it's uncommon), with the Hell's Horses (common) and even on the Merc RAT (rare).

Then if you look at the RATS, many of the lowest-tier 'Mechs are no longer 3025 ones. They've all gotten upgraded to better models. I think people have more money to invest into powerful 'Mech armies, and that's certainly something I can welcome with open arms.
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ABADDON

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Savage Wolf was 3136; Vulture Mk IV very shortly after.

Thx, would have actually expected it to be the other way around.
Regarding 3139 I was just going by the information given in the TRO entry.

GreekFire

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Y'know, I really hope that we won't have to face a rending any time soon. I don't want us to start killing each other to gain access to new feeding grounds. Thankfully, the way we separate the Inner Sphere into specific bite-sized morsels should preclude that. I hope that when the Aimags do start becoming more and more distinct (kinda inevitable, with each one of them working with completely different cultures) we'll remain respectful towards each other and continue to put the well-being of Clan Sea Fox above all. In other words, I want us to become more like the Cloud Cobras, and less like the Fire Mandrills. [/spoilers]

I hope we get more info on the different Aimags. I want to know which one I should throw my support behind.
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rebs

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I hope we get more info on the different Aimags. I want to know which one I should throw my support behind.

Here here.  Let's hope it's covered in a Clan specific FM.   O:-)
« Last Edit: 09 April 2013, 12:47:55 by rebs »
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