Who were the viewpoint characters in the MechWarrior games?

[Mendrugo]

I've recently been mining the old BattleTech games for their scripts (writing them up in BattleTech Track or Scenario format), and I've been doing some cross-referencing to determine dates.

One interesting thing is that, while some of the games give you a named character to command, others leave the player's identity a cypher, all the better to give the feeling of creating your own character and making your own impact on the universe.

That being said, there are some tie-ins that suggest the unnamed player characters in some of the MechWarrior games actually get named in some FASA and FanPro products.

MechWarrior 1:  Gideon Braver Vandenburg

MechWarrior 2 - 31st Century Combat:  None.

The scenarios take place all over the Refusal War theater, and involve different units on different worlds.  The POV character clearly has to be shifting, throughout, and it goes without saying that the promotion to Khan at the end of the game isn't canon.  You certainly aren't playing Phelan or Vlad, nor Marthe Pryde.

MechWarrior 2 - Mercenaries:  Brady Riefer

You get to put in your own character name and unit name, and the dialogue draws on those names in the story segments.  However, you do become Solaris VII champion for 3049.  Interestingly, the Solaris VII boxed set has a list of Solaris VII champions, and gives "Brady Riefer" as the name of the 3049 champion.  He doesn't recur in the list, so he doesn't appear to be a regular, and that would fit with him being a merc who responded to the Open Call gimmick for that season.  His unit name is given as Team Venom at the start of the game (with the DropShip callsign "Venom One"), so that could be considered the official unit name.

MechWarrior 2 - Ghost Bear's Legacy:  Xian Tseng

At the end of GBL, the player gets to compete for the Tseng Bloodname.  Looking at the Invading Clans sourcebook, the game writers took pains to actually use named characters from the Ghost Bear Touman roster (though they spelled Kabrinski with a 'y', and went back to the 3025 TO&E for the names of Sword of Light commanders).  Since the player character was definitely a ristar (if you go through the whole game, you kill about 150 enemies, compared to about 20-30 each for the other Bloodname contestants) and got the Tseng bloodname, they'd be a good candidate to get a Cluster command (especially since they have two Trials of Position during the GBL campaign).  Looking at FM Warden Clans and FM Updates, there's only one Tseng that isn't ruled out - Xian Tseng of Rho Galaxy's 243rd Battle Cluster.  Rho Galaxy was brought up from the homeworlds after Tukayyid, and it would be a good slot for a ristar to take a command. 

(Other candidates - Laurie Tseng is the Loremaster, and far too old; Hunter Tseng is noted as having over ten years of command experience circa 3061, while the GBL player starts their career in 3058.)

For other games, the PC is clearly named, as in MW1:

MW3: Connor Sinclair
MW4 - Vengeance: Ian Dresari
MW4 - Black Knight: Eric McClair
MW4 - Mercenaries:  "Spectre"

Your thoughts?

[Frabby]

Nothing to add. Great analysis, especially for MW2Mercs.  [applause]

[The_Caveman]

I always kinda figured the player character in MW4 Mercs could have been the same character as in MW2 Mercs.

When he's given voiceovers in the missions, he sounds like a somewhat older, grizzled kind of guy.

So assuming your character at the start of MW2 Mercs is about 18 years old in 3039, he'd only be in his mid-40s at the conclusion of the FedCom Civil War.

Considering that if you don't get killed in MW2M, the possible outcomes at the game's end in '52 are A) you get filthy rich and retire to a life of luxury yachts and martinis, or B) you go broke and spend your days swilling beer in some dive bar on Outreach.

Either of those outcomes could lead to the character dusting off his neurohelmet 10 years later when the chance to make a fortune off other people's misery once again knocks at his door.

Of course, it doesn't totally jive with Duncan Fisher's dialogue in the Solaris Arena battles, since if you went to Solaris in '49 and became champion, you wouldn't be some unknown dark horse and he wouldn't call you a kid. Though the kid part could be relative, who knows just how old Fisher is? But....you are going under the pseudonym "Spectre" for the entire campaign. Maybe the canonical ending is the "player goes broke" one and you've spent the 3050s dodging various creditors. So of course you wouldn't sign up for the Solaris games using your real name.

[The_Caveman]

Well, scratch that idea. Just watched the intro cinematic and the guy says he was 27.

Of course, he could be lying but I'm not prepared to make that much of a stretch just to make a fan theory work.

[Jayof9s]

MechWarrior 2 - Mercenaries:  Brady Riefer

You get to put in your own character name and unit name, and the dialogue draws on those names in the story segments.  However, you do become Solaris VII champion for 3049.  Interestingly, the Solaris VII boxed set has a list of Solaris VII champions, and gives "Brady Riefer" as the name of the 3049 champion.  He doesn't recur in the list, so he doesn't appear to be a regular, and that would fit with him being a merc who responded to the Open Call gimmick for that season.  His unit name is given as Team Venom at the start of the game (with the DropShip callsign "Venom One"), so that could be considered the official unit name.

I don't know if the name is all that strong but it is possible. However, basing the unit name off the call-sign from the cut scene seems like a stretch to me. In MW2:Mercs, I seem to recall that you were assigned a call-sign based on the contract. So just using that format, Team Venom was just the call-sign they were given for the raid.

[Mendrugo]

You have a point about the changing callsigns during missions, but it's Outreach control that refers to the DropShip as "Venom One," whereas a mission-specific designation wouldn't follow the unit back to Outreach.

[Nav_Alpha]

This is great! I'm always keen to know/think up a backstory for my character.
Interesting note for "Spectre" is that the game allows you to select a sponsor unit at the start - GDL/Highlanders/Dragoons, etc. that suggests that he's a former officer from one of these units who has decided to go freelance.
Dunno if that helps at all.

Meanwhile, Xian Tseng must buy it on Luthien during the Jihad as the cluster gets a new CO after that.

[Jayof9s]

You have a point about the changing callsigns during missions, but it's Outreach control that refers to the DropShip as "Venom One," whereas a mission-specific designation wouldn't follow the unit back to Outreach.

Ah, I thought you just meant the intro cutscene, I don't recall Outreach calling it Venom One.

But that just leads to the next question - I never really assumed they owned that dropship. I mean, I sort of doubt they would have left their CO to die when she was so close if it was part of the merc unit and not just some freelancer they hired for that contract.

[Mendrugo]

From the DropShip captain's memorable perspective, "I'm not getting paid enough to die!"  In my view, the DropShip held the designation of Venom One as long as it was under contract to Team Venom (thus - he's getting paid by Team Venom...just not paid enough to risk death by delaying during a pick-up in a hot LZ).  Certainly, once it takes Brady back to Outreach, it could stay with him, or it could end the support contract (now to a mercenary unit with just one 'Mech) and go hunting for new employers.  The storyline makes it clear that Brady travels aboard DropShips that aren't named Venom One at various points in the game.

In that case, it would seek a new contract and rename itself.  Brady has the option of either continuing the Team Venom name, or picking an entirely new unit name going forward.

[Frabby]

Well, given that Brady has the option to subcontract to Hansen's Roughriders for a few missions first, it seems he doesn't continue the tradition of the late Team Venom.

[Frabby]

I don't know if the name is all that strong but it is possible. However, basing the unit name off the call-sign from the cut scene seems like a stretch to me. In MW2:Mercs, I seem to recall that you were assigned a call-sign based on the contract. So just using that format, Team Venom was just the call-sign they were given for the raid.

Well, to counter my last post:
During the Liezen campaign (ice ship), the log entries make reference to the unit and name it Team Venom. So that seems to establish Team Venom as this particular merc unit and the player as continuing its legacy.

And just to play devil's advocate, we don't know who or what Venom One is - it might be the DropShip from the intro but it doesn't have to be.

[Mendrugo]

During the Liezen campaign (ice ship), the log entries make reference to the unit and name it Team Venom. So that seems to establish Team Venom as this particular merc unit and the player as continuing its legacy.

If you're basing that off my transcript, it's not canon.  I just replaced [UNIT NAME HERE] with Team Venom when doing my write-up.  I also replaced [PLAYER NAME HERE] text with "Brady Riefer," as appropriate.

[Frabby]

If you're basing that off my transcript, it's not canon.  I just replaced [UNIT NAME HERE] with Team Venom when doing my write-up.  I also replaced [PLAYER NAME HERE] text with "Brady Riefer," as appropriate.

No cigar then.  :(

[Vampire_Seraphin]

If you're basing that off my transcript, it's not canon.  I just replaced [UNIT NAME HERE] with Team Venom when doing my write-up.  I also replaced [PLAYER NAME HERE] text with "Brady Riefer," as appropriate.

Where can I find your transcript? I've been working on and off to make MW2 mercs into a working Atb campaign and I'd love to incorporate the mission logs if you don't mind my using them. I've only ever been able to find about half the briefings/journals in the past.

[Mendrugo]

Let's Play videos on YouTube are your friend.

PM me your e-mail, and I can send you the file.  The MW2 briefings contain large chunks of text that I believe were taken more or less verbatim from "The Falcon and the Wolf" scenario pack, so I don't want to cause trouble for the moderators by posting copyrighted material.