Rasalhague Dominion: The voting will continue until morale improves!

[Jellico]

Well done.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

How goes it trothkin? Is our hibernation over?

I shall be attending Adepticon in a week so that’ll be fun. Did inventory on all my forces and found I have over 300 pieces (not including Elementals) but only about 20 are painted and like only two were by me.

What are we excited about this year? Obviously the KS but anything else?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Well, IlKhan's Eyes Only is coming out and hopefully will include more information on what's happening in the Dominion.

[JAMES_PRYDE]

Well, IlKhan's Eyes Only is coming out and hopefully will include more information on what's happening in the Dominion.

How soon ? 

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Some time this year.  Hopefully.  The Coming Soon page lists it as "November 2024," but who knows?

[Kerfuffin(925)]

Some time this year.  Hopefully.  The Coming Soon page lists it as "November 2024," but who knows?

It was initially earlier and got pushed back with the KS stuff iirc.

We also have two packs rumored/planned for 2026 via Kerensky-Con.

Clan Ghost Bear (Q2)   
   Thresher
   Ursus
   Arcas
   Guillotine IIC
   Kodiak 5
Raslhauge Dominion (Q2)   
   Karhu Prime
   Mastodon Prime
   Kontio
   Bear Cub
   Mongoose 86

Great we are getting GB/RasDom themed stuff. Sucks we get stuck with the Thresher, Guillotine IIC is great but not very fluffy. Mongoose is meh too. I wish it was a Beowulf IIC for any of those. Nice to have a modern Arcas and get the Mastodon in plastic. However long in the future it may be.

[ColBosch]

Yeah, the Thresher is an odd choice, given that it seems to be unpopular among the Clans. It'd be even weirder if it's supposed to be the Thresher II (which at least is in ilClan Recognition Guide 4) since that was made for Clan Wolf. I'd swap the Thresher for the Beowulf II and the Mongoose for the Kuma, which is supposed to be pretty common post-Jihad.

[Kerfuffin(925)]

It was a precursor to the Summoner, designed by CHH and the SeaFoxes. It and the Guillotine IIC are clan general for late SW until the Jihad, then it splinters and we don’t have them.

I didn’t forget about the Kuma, I just hate that thing almost as much as mixed tech. I’d rather have that than the Thresher tho. Just for lores sake.

[ColBosch]

I didn’t forget about the Kuma, I just hate that thing almost as much as mixed tech.

Oh? Why's that?

[Kerfuffin(925)]

Oh? Why's that?

It just bothers me, also the Arcas 3 exists.


And it’s not that I’m not excited about more stuff coming, just looking at the other faction boxes it makes me feel ghost bears were last in line again. Every other faction got pure fluff choices across the board. We got assigned 30% random junk (looking at you Thresher). No Rime Otter, no fluffy Kuma, no mid Beowulf IIC.
(The rest: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=84391.0 )


Also I am just a complainer at heart. Which might answer most questions

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I want to see the stats of the mech the artist thought he was drawing instead of what we got for the Kuma Marshmallow.

[tassa_kay]

it makes me feel ghost bears were last in line again.

Pfft, please. The Raven Alliance didn't even get a box. Cry me a river.

[ColBosch]

I want to see the stats of the mech the artist thought he was drawing instead of what we got for the Kuma Marshmallow.

A ProtoMech, like the Parash and I think a couple of others in TR3085. I was working backwards from Doug Chaffee's art when I designed and wrote up the Kuma and Parash. I was never given the full story, but Doug had done some ProtoMech art, either for a contracted but abandoned project or just on his own. It didn't look like it was going to be used as intended, so Doug (or someone) slightly modified the pieces and we used them for BattleMechs.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I see.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

I’d rather have a Rime Otter

[ColBosch]

I see.

Keep in kind that anything that'll be released in plastic first has to go through the redesign process under Anthony's skilled eyes. 'Mechs like the Kuma will at least be tweaked to fit into the current aesthetic.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Oh, I'm sure of that.  I was just responding to the information you provided.  Hadn't known the story before.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

Pfft, please. The Raven Alliance didn't even get a box. Cry me a river.

I was thinking about this actually. One possible reason could be that they’re going to include some more aerospace in it and maybe release it the same time as new aero rules. Longshot yes but still. Could also be just an aerospace box…

The other (more likely) being of course the list is incomplete/ subject to change etc

[Jellico]

It was initially earlier and got pushed back with the KS stuff iirc.

We also have two packs rumored/planned for 2026 via Kerensky-Con.

Great we are getting GB/RasDom themed stuff. Sucks we get stuck with the Thresher, Guillotine IIC is great but not very fluffy. Mongoose is meh too. I wish it was a Beowulf IIC for any of those. Nice to have a modern Arcas and get the Mastodon in plastic. However long in the future it may be.

You missed the Battle Armor.

Thresher is a solid pre-3060 Ghost Bear option. It is also a duel purpose bone for the Sharks.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

You missed the Battle Armor.

Thresher is a solid pre-3060 Ghost Bear option. It is also a duel purpose bone for the Sharks.

I am excited for the Rogue Bear: I love the artwork of it but I fear it won’t be as detailed in plastic form. Either way I’m buying plenty and adding them to my forces.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

So you're saying that even if the new mini can't do the artwork justice, it won't be unbearable?

[Tyler Jorgensson]

So you're saying that even if the new mini can't do the artwork justice, it won't be unbearable?

We shall see you out now… please leave

Lol

[Kerfuffin(925)]

You missed the Battle Armor.

Thresher is a solid pre-3060 Ghost Bear option. It is also a duel purpose bone for the Sharks.

What makes it ghost bear as opposed to a generic clan choice? Same with the Guillotine IIC? I guess I can understand the mongoose from a lore perspective in the post merger group, but it fails to make me happy. The others I see no real ghost bear link.


Why is it the Ghost Bear groups are the throw other factions a bone packs?

I have little to complain about on the Rogue Bear front, other than I just don’t care for the design compared to the Gnome. So it slipped out of the rant(s).


Also from a Discord, Ray has said it’s not set in stone. It is two years out, so maybe I’ll change his mind. 

[Minemech]

Pfft, please. The Raven Alliance didn't even get a box. Cry me a river.

[Jellico]

Did you see all the Cappie and FWL gear? On one hand this is the now standard use the Bear list to other Clans something as well. OTOH, we are pushing out Great Houses. That never happens.

[Kerfuffin(925)]

Did you see all the Cappie and FWL gear? On one hand this is the now standard use the Bear list to other Clans something as well. OTOH, we are pushing out Great Houses. That never happens.

Two steps forward one back I suppose.

Like I said I’m happy we’re getting new plastics

[ColBosch]

Like I said I’m happy we’re getting new plastics

Over 300 new sculpts and redesigns that are released, in active production, or at least tentatively planned.

[Foxx Ital]

How goes it trothkin? Is our hibernation over?

I shall be attending Adepticon in a week so that’ll be fun. Did inventory on all my forces and found I have over 300 pieces (not including Elementals) but only about 20 are painted and like only two were by me.

What are we excited about this year? Obviously the KS but anything else?

 Been running a widowmaker absorption campaign with some friends, very excited for rogue bear.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

Trothkin! Some help/advice is needed.

I’m going to be running mass Elementals in games again soon and need to refresh myself on the rules: what’s the book for that again?

Also any advice on the Swarm/Anti-Mech attacks would be appreciated. AFAIK it’s just a good way to damage mech legs in melee as BA? But am I missing something big? (Obviously lol)

Usually I just run with APG Elementals BUT I kinda want to throw in a heavier suit with a big gun (still transportable by Omni). Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance


Also on a side note: Adepticon was fun! Embarrassed myself by asking nearly all the Catalyst Devs/Authors who they were (including Ray, Randall, John Helfers, Brent Evans, and more), got to meet Micheal Stackpole, made it into the Grand Finals of the Solaris Melee, raised some flags for the Davions, and watched demo agents receive KS Exclusives as rewards (jealous!)

[Kerfuffin(925)]

Total warfare has BA rules. The CI booklet has a rules primer on them as well, I can’t remember how in depth it goes.

Swarms aren’t great against anything but immobile mechs if I remember all the discussions correctly.

The new stealth Elemental IIIs did some decent work for me, but that was AS versions of them where their range got buffed with the conversion shenanigans.

Corona or even the Cuchulainn are nice MPL suits, and are heavy so can get moved around by Omni’s. Corona are light on armor tho iirc. Black Wolf are another salvage option. The new Callisto suit has a big gun variant in the MLas option, but it’s just one per point. (I still don’t like this thing). The LRM upgrade of Gnomes are awesome in fire support.

I wish I planned further ahead and went. I’ve decided on GenCon tho.