3130s- Next Generation of Clan Warriors

[Colt Ward]

When reading the Dark Age material, I wonder if the Clans still exist as what we would recognize from the 3050s invasion.

The toumans are now integrated, the mechwarrior barely seeming to hold importance over the other branchs.  Now you are as likely to find IS mechs next to Clan machines, and it would seem Omnis are gone from the setting.  Frontline forces were even using workmechs at one point IIRC, let alone masses of IS armor and battle armor.  These mixed tech forces now find themselves fighting IS powers that also field significant amounts of Clan equipment, not just a few weapons bolted on to replace IS versions.

We find ourselves being presented characters like Star Colonel (Galaxy Commander?) Rikkard Nova Cat, ovKhan Petr Kalasa, Malvina and Aleks Hazen, Beckett Malthus, Anastasia Kerensky, Alaric Wolf, and others with cameos . . .

The warriors fight with the same abandon, it seems, as they did in the Invasion.  They have the same skill levels as previous generations.  But are they still the same factions we followed and fought for?

And yet, putting aside Malvina's insanity . . . The Crusader Wolves seem to fight as the old Wolves did in the past, putting aside the malaise from 3058 to the Wars of Reaving (which was an awesome product and IMO, had Wolves finally ACTING like Wolves).  Alaric acts as the Crusader version of Ulric . . .

We have three plot groups of Clans in the coming setting . . . the Wolf Empire, which now hosts Alaric and Anastasia.  The Jade Falcon OZ, home to Mad Malvina and the regretful Beckett which dragooned the Horses into their madness (makes me sad).  And the Clan Protectorate, an amalgamation of Spirit Cat/Nova Cat ground forces and Diamond Shark naval & trade presence, a member state of the new FWL.

Of course, I also wonder who we might say is the 'most Clan' to our 3050s senses.  I sort of lean towards Alaric and his growth.

[Ratwedge]

When reading the Dark Age material, I wonder if the Clans still exist as what we would recognize from the 3050s invasion.

None of them. Maybe the Falcon's because the finally stopped pretending they don't do that stuff.

The toumans are now integrated, the mechwarrior barely seeming to hold importance over the other branchs.  Now you are as likely to find IS mechs next to Clan machines, and it would seem Omnis are gone from the setting.  Frontline forces were even using workmechs at one point IIRC, let alone masses of IS armor and battle armor.  These mixed tech forces now find themselves fighting IS powers that also field significant amounts of Clan equipment, not just a few weapons bolted on to replace IS versions.

Omnimechs are still there. Mechwarrior basis is still there.

We find ourselves being presented characters like Star Colonel (Galaxy Commander?) Rikkard Nova Cat, ovKhan Petr Kalasa, Malvina and Aleks Hazen, Beckett Malthus, Anastasia Kerensky, Alaric Wolf, and others with cameos . . .

The warriors fight with the same abandon, it seems, as they did in the Invasion.  They have the same skill levels as previous generations.  But are they still the same factions we followed and fought for?

If I remember correctly there was information from IC sources claim that these generations would put the old Invasion era generations to shame due in part to personal Reavings each Clan went through when Stone implemented the whole peace plan.

The biggest change in regards to Clan Warriors though is the advancement of the Phenotypes and the use of the Elstar Phenotype to create an actual Super Soldier.

And yet, putting aside Malvina's insanity . . . The Crusader Wolves seem to fight as the old Wolves did in the past, putting aside the malaise from 3058 to the Wars of Reaving (which was an awesome product and IMO, had Wolves finally ACTING like Wolves).  Alaric acts as the Crusader version of Ulric . . .

Ulric Kerensky? Not even close. Ulric Kerensky could kill two Khans in honorable combat at the same time while Alaric could  barely stab one in the back when he wasn't looking and the other was a couple hundred light years away. Alaric is the new Elias Crichell or Vandervahn Chistu waiting for a new Vladimir Ward to rise up from Clan Wolf to crush him and the taint he represents.

Of course, I also wonder who we might say is the 'most Clan' to our 3050s senses.  I sort of lean towards Alaric and his growth.

So an incestuous child of Steiner-Davions that assassinates his superiors and violates the Blood Legacy of the Founders is the 'most Clan' to our 3050s sense?

[Southern Coyote]

Well, you wouldn't be wrong to say that everybody has changed by this point.  Change is inevitable, and considering the events that led into the DA, even the Clans would be forced to change or die. 

Would the 3050's Clans recognize them?  No.  Would the 3050's recognize the post-Jihad Clans, probably not.  The Clans as a whole have gone so far down the I.S. rabbit hole that they are in a real way, no longer Clan.  They are Clan-like I.S. minor powers.  Even the HW Clans have changed so much that they've almost have come full circle to the Clans when they were first founded. 

Who is the "most Clan"?  No one.  Not the Wolves, or Falcons, or Bears, or even the late comers like the Ravens, Sharks, or Horses.  Whether by choice or chance, they have all changed to the point where they have picked and chosen what Clan-like attributes they want to keep and which they want to discard to work for them. 

[cold1]

Who's the most clan in 3130's?  Four way tie.
Star Adders, Cloud Cobras, Stone Lions, Coyotes

The rest have all lost their minds.

[Jellico]

That either deserves a "no" or "aren't they extinct?"

[cold1]

That either deserves a "no" or "aren't they extinct?"

No would have no basis since last we heard they were taking a turn back to their roots in the homeworlds.

Aren't they extinct will work just fine.  All the more element of surprise later. 

But honestly at least by 3090 the home clans are closer to the original ideal than the IS clans.

[Nav_Alpha]

The more things change... the more they stay the same.

I think Omnis are still well and truly the high end tech and Mechwarriors are still on top according to the novels. there's several references to mech-jocks lording it over their armor and BA comrades.

In reference to the Industrialmech - I think that was being deployed by the Jade Falcons during their incursion into the Republic. You've got to remember - that was basically a suicide mission set up to get rid of the bad eggs, untrustworthy and unfaithful. The Mad, Bad Ms Hazen mentions several times that the invasion force is being sent retreads and ancient equipment.
I would suggest the Industrials were pressed into service to make up the numbers following battles, etc
 

[JAMES_PRYDE]

@ Ratwedge

I am curious about this new phenotype you speak of, can you elaborate more ? as I posted in another thread about the creation of a Protomech phenotype, that did not have the disadvantages of the ASF pilots, I have also heard about the Horses "tanker" phenotype,

but super solider, so you mean like a super elemental ? (perhaps that looks like HALO armor, with some elemental features too ;)

[Deadborder]

There's plenty of evidence that the Clans still use Omnis.

The Falcons still make abundant use of the Thor and Loki; IIRC, the fluff text on one of the dossiers said that the Thor was still in production. I could be wrong. The Nova Cats have the Wendigo and Avalanche, both of which are new Omnis, as well as a revised version of the Shadow Cat. Both the Mad Cat IV and the Vulture IV are omnis, and both were introduced by the Foxes c3136-ish.

[JAMES_PRYDE]

yay, my cybernetically armor encased character still gets to have his mech of choice (Summoner), like the good old days of 3067 ;D

[Ratwedge]

@ Ratwedge

I am curious about this new phenotype you speak of, can you elaborate more ? as I posted in another thread about the creation of a Protomech phenotype, that did not have the disadvantages of the ASF pilots, I have also heard about the Horses "tanker" phenotype,

but super solider, so you mean like a super elemental ? (perhaps that looks like HALO armor, with some elemental features too ;)

It is short for Elite Ristar. Essentially if I remember correctly it is a mash up of the Mechwarrior, Aerospace and Elemental Phenotypes that creates Warriors that has superior physical qualities when compared to Clan Warriors at the cost of looking very weird.

Kisho Nova Cat in Heretics Faith talked briefly about how the Clans were potentially looking at massaging the Phenotypes to create even better warriors (Elstars being a direct result of said massaging) as it was a new philosophy that is growing among the Clans that believes that they were wrong to leave the Warrior Phenotypes unchanged for centuries instead of also improving them to help create superior warriors.

Its not much but it does shed light on another point of divergence from 3050 Clanners.

[Istal_Devalis]

We have three plot groups of Clans in the coming setting . . . the Wolf Empire, which now hosts Alaric and Anastasia.  The Jade Falcon OZ, home to Mad Malvina and the regretful Beckett which dragooned the Horses into their madness (makes me sad).  And the Clan Protectorate, an amalgamation of Spirit Cat/Nova Cat ground forces and Diamond Shark naval & trade presence, a member state of the new FWL.

You left out the Ghost Bear Dominion and Raven Alliance, both of which are still run by their Clans, and the Nova Cats proper, which is still independant and a non-neutral party to the DC civil war.

[roosterboy]

Essentially if I remember correctly it is a mash up of the Mechwarrior, Aerospace and Elemental Phenotypes

With the exception of the above quoted part, you've given pretty much an accurate description of the Elstars.

A philosophy originating within the Scientist caste (if word from the Watch could be believed, the Falcon caste, of all places), which believed it had been wrong to allow the Elemental, MechWarrior, and aerospace pilot phenotypes to remain unchanged for centuries. That just as the breeding program mixed new genes to create the next greater generation of warriors, phenotypes should be massaged as well, experimenting, ever looking to create the epitome of the warrior caste.

Some Elstars look pasty and emaciated; some look squat and broad; other physical types are implied as well. In 3136, they are still rare and only used for the most important assignments. There are Elstars among the Falcons, Wolves, Bears and even the Nova Cats are starting to develop them.

The Elstar movement is portrayed as one of the ways the IS Clans are still struggling—even after nearly a century in the Inner Sphere—with the idea that their superior abilities in single battles means little if they ultimately lose the larger conflict. Different Clans have come up with different approaches to dealing with that realization: Elstars, the neo-Crusader (i.e., Mongol) movement in the Horses and Falcons, the evolution of the Diamond Sharks into the Sea Foxes, Nova Cat Mystics, etc.

[Colt Ward]

Istal, except for the Spirit Cats mentioning the Nova Cats, they have not appeared in fiction.  And aside from the Party Bears landing on Vega . . . the Ghost Bears are silent too.

[Peacemaker]

Istal, except for the Spirit Cats mentioning the Nova Cats, they have not appeared in fiction.  And aside from the Party Bears landing on Vega . . . the Ghost Bears are silent too.

The novel Heretic's Faith is about the Nova Cats' involvement in the invasion of the Republic. The main character and many of the secondary characters are Nova Cat warriors.

[Colt Ward]

Kishio?  Sort of forgot that early one . . . but really the recent storyline centered on the Lyrans, FWL/protostates, Wolves and to a lesser extent the Falcons.

[Istal_Devalis]

Istal, except for the Spirit Cats mentioning the Nova Cats, they have not appeared in fiction.  And aside from the Party Bears landing on Vega . . . the Ghost Bears are silent too.

. They might not have gotten extended featured novels on them, but they've all played important parts in the background. Besides which, you mentioned 'having parts in the coming setting', not 'had recent fiction about them'. Factions dont go away and do nothing but twiddle their thumbs just because no one's wrote about them recently.

Additionally, there's been a bunch of little bits of fiction that showed up in DA's INN articles. Those are still canon too. None of the Clans have been sitting on their laurels.