MechWarriors

As soon as the first BattleMechs began to dominate the battlefields of the twenty-fifth century, the humans that piloted these awesome machines began to gain a power and influence well-beyond other soldiers on the field. An entire social class soon formed around those who piloted these increasingly important war machines. These so-called MechWarriors, the modern incarnation of knights, were given the monumental task of defending their homelands and their rulers. As with the middle ages of Europe on ancient Terra, these MechWarriors were made knights, given honors and some even bestowed royal titles, conveying authority over entire worlds and more. This romantic image of the MechWarrior-knight has eroded somewhat over the past few decades, but it remains strong in the hearts of the Inner Sphere’s people.

During the Succession Wars, many MechWarriors owned their ‘Mechs and passed them down through generations. That custom has changed radically during the past half-century. Nowadays, only the Great Houses can afford the massive amounts of new construction that followed the rediscovery of so much lostech. Consequently, House militaries now own most ‘Mechs in service in the Inner Sphere. Among the Clans, all property belongs to the Clan and so a Clansman MechWarrior never owns his ‘Mech.