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Most Recent Battle Starts: Lancer Interlude 2 1-0 Most Recent Update: Lancer Interlude 2 6-3  Let’s Play BattleTech! What do I need to know about BattleTech?     Battletech is a tabletop war game typically played with little plastic or pewter model robots (and other things) which fight each other. It’s pretty fun, and is the game that the Mechwarrior, MechCommander, MechAssault, and most recently BattleTech video games are based on. It also has a lot of fluff, and even spawned a really terrible cartoon. Battletech is a deep universe with a lot of (pretty good) fiction (and quite a bit more not-so-good fiction) devoted to it. This thread is a continuation of the previous thread, which saw several major changes to the canon timeline. The Story So Far In 2766, Richard Cameron was assassinated by Stefan Amaris and control of the Terran Hegemony (and through it, the Star League) was usurped. By 2779, General Aleksandr Kerensky of the Star League Defense Force was forced to flee the wrath of the Terran Hegemony after killing Stefan Amaris I after over a decade of bloody war. The five Great Houses of the Inner Sphere: Kurita, Davion, Liao, Steiner, and Marik, battered each other stupid in a back-to-back-to-back series of brutal wars which devastated the Inner Sphere economy (and literacy rates). The Star League Defense Force itself vanished into the unknown never to return. They returned in 3032. Reorganized into a decentralized authoritarian polity known as the Clans, the Star League Defense Force descended on the Inner Sphere with technology well beyond any known or remembered and in numbers nowhere near sufficient to the task. Clans Hell’s Horses, Steel Viper, Widowmaker, and Goliath Scorpion took the Inner Sphere completely by surprise, making huge initial gains in territory and even taking the Draconis Combine capitol of Luthien, resulting in the death of Coordinator Takashi Kurita. The Hell’s Horses victory at Luthien proved a pyrrhic one as combat losses brought their invasion to a stop. The Draconis Combine surrendered, not to the Clans, but to their ancient enemy: the Federated Suns. The Draconis Suns lasted a mere two years, surviving only long enough for the combined forces of the Draconis Combine and Federated Suns to retake Luthien from the Clans. In 3036 Hanse Davion formally reformed the Draconis Combine under the leadership of Coordinator Isoroku Kurita. On the other end of the Inner Sphere, the Lyran Commonwealth fared poorly. Pushed into power by Duke Aldo Lestrad, Archon Frederick Steiner’s focus on military affairs quickly drove the Lyran economy to ruin. The secession of the Isle of Skye in 3033 split the Commonwealth’s military in half and deprived it of its strongest industrial base. Forced to get creative, Frederick Steiner could do nothing to stop the Steel Vipers, but the Commonwealth used every lie, ambush, and dirty trick they could muster to slow the Clan advance long enough for the low-key animosity between Clan Goliath Scorpion and Clan Widowmaker to turn hot. Their attention diverted by one another, the Clan Invasion ended in 3035 when Clan Steel Viper and their allies negotiated with Skye for passage to Terra, and a new Star League was formed between Skye, the Steel Vipers, and the Free Worlds League. The Free Worlds League meanwhile had been beset by House Liao. The Duchy of Oriente fell without much fanfare while the well-meaning but ineffectual Captain-General Duncan Marik fought parliament for every deployment. The discovery of a Star League Memory Core on Helm might have proven to be the League’s salvation, but rather than risk its destruction Duncan Marik propagated it throughout the Inner Sphere, earning the League the ire of ComStar and the League’s periphery neighbor, the New Rim World Republic. The Republic launched a series of raids in the periphery to draw Duncan to the negotiating table, and pressured the League to cede Andurien. Duncan agreed, seeing the Republic as a useful buffer between the League and the Capellan Confederation. Unbeknownst to Duncan Marik, President Stephan Amaris VII drew as many Clans as he could to Andurien, intending to trap or cripple those that chose to meet his challenge. The two reserve Clans: Sea Fox and Snow Raven arrived in late 3035. While the Rim World Republic’s plan was ultimately unsuccessful, their military and assembled mercenary forces held the Clans attention on the ground while the Republic destroyed the bulk of the Clan JumpShips in space, slowing the Clan conquest of Andurien. Believing the last member of House Amaris dead, the Snow Ravens and Sea Foxes have been reluctant to press further into the periphery as the Magistracy of Canopus publically denied their involvement and recognized the “Clanhold” of Andurien as a sovereign state. Separated from the rest of the Clans and with neither JumpShips to spare nor the means to build more, the Sea Foxes and Snow Ravens have been content to consolidate. Lead by the brilliant and capricious Chancellor Romano Liao, the Capellan Confederation’s invasion of the Free Worlds League was a near-complete success. The machinations of Justin Xiang also proved initially fruitful, seeing the death of Maximilian Liao and the capture of several Clan scientists. Justin’s ploy to turn the Capellan March against the rest of the Federated Suns by replacing Morgan Hasek with a body double also succeeded but ultimately backfired, drawing an infuriated Taurian Concordat into a war with the Capellan Confederation. With enemies now on all sides, the Capellan Confederation seized control of their HPG network, instituting a complete information blackout and rendering it virtually impossible to plan a coordinated strike against them at the cost of infuriating ComStar, who have declared the Capellan Confederation a rogue state and compelling them to end their subtle interdiction of the Free Worlds League. Lead by ilKhan Asa Hellion and under the prompting of a resurgent Clan Wolf, the Homeworld Clans launched a Second Crusade and invaded the occupation zone in 3036. Clan Hell’s Horses surrendered to the Federated Suns, and were permitted to settle in a string of worlds along the Draconis Combine / Federated Suns border in exchange for devoting the bulk of their Touman to the defense of both nations. The Steel Vipers were driven into Skye, and the Widowmakers almost completely destroyed—with their survivors fleeing to the Capellan Confederation. Before they could press on to Terra, however, the Clan Homeworlds went completely and mysteriously silent, throwing the Clans into complete disarray. The Year is Now 3061  The Inner Sphere is a mess. Together, we’re going to make it better. Or “better.” How does this work again? This is a heavy Audience Participation LP, with players selected from volunteers. We’ve looped through the entire player list once, so upcoming missions will feature both new players (if there are any) and returning players. Players who are already on the pilot list from the old thread do not need to sign up again! For the purposes of the LP, I’ll be playing the opposing force during actual battles. In between battles, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the developing political situation in the 3061 Inner Sphere. Most of these decisions will have a real impact (such as the creation and dissolution of the Draconis Suns). If you’re considering becoming a Mechwarrior, you will need: 1) Access to Something Awful’s PMs (so you can tell me where you’re moving and who you’re shooting). If you'd like to participate but don't have PMs access, an E-Mail address will suffice if you're willing to share it. 2) To be able to keep a schedule. Games can take anywhere from 3-8 weeks, which is quite a time commitment. Updates will happen twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday, so I’ll need your orders by Tuesday and Saturday respectively. Is this a Mechwarrior 5 / Living Legends / Mechwarrior Online / MechAssault / Etc LP? No, but I did LP MechAssault 2 recently (Good news! MechAssault 2 is still bad). Where's your Patreon? Fiiiiiine. Here. LP Rules: Questions are Welcome!: If you have a question, need some advice, or need a little extra time please don't hesitate to ask! Voting & Civility: Keep things civil! If the force you were hoping to play for wasn’t picked, tough. No whining. Take the opportunity to make a neat piece of fanart to explain why the regiment of your choice is the best choice for the next vote. Remember Votes are Final so if you're not certain who you want to choose, wait a day or two and see if anyone makes a convincing argument! Order Deadlines: Order deadlines are Saturday Night (this is a hard deadline, if I don't update Sunday you won't get an update for two days) and Tuesday Night (this is a softer deadline, I can be a little more lenient with it). If the players either individually or as a group need more time, I'm more then willing to accommodate if they let me know in advance. If orders aren't received in a timely fashion then your `Mech may not move. If orders aren't received at all then an Alternate may be called in to take over your unit. Thanks to everyone who helps me keep this thread updating regularly! Leniency Period: I will tend to be less aggressive before Turn 5, and if anyone eats a deadly headcap during the leniency period they’ll most likely get a place in the next mission. Rules Discussion: General discussion of core game mechanics is OK. Referencing page numbers in rulebooks is also OK. I’d prefer not to post tables, but as we’re playing with a house-ruled weapons list some of that is now inevitable. Art Historian's Nightmare: Discussions about 'Mechs is fine. Multiple-page derailments about how much you hate a specific art style chosen by some editor ten years ago isn't. If you have to pretend that all Battlemechs you don't like look like Wall-E in order to get to sleep at night, do it, but we don't need to hear about it. Fluffy Gameplay: I will be playing a ‘fluffy’ game. Which is to say, I’m going to do my best to use tactics appropriate for the army I’m fielding. I do not expect the same from my players (i.e., while a canon Kurita commander may step forward during a lull in the battle to attempt to challenge an enemy ‘Mech to single combat while the rest of his forces watch without shooting, I do not expect Goons to attempt to do the same (in fact, since that particular maneuver is blatantly suicidal, I actively discourage you from making the attempt even if you are a House Kurita unit)). This does mean, however, that you can exploit an enemy's proclivities. Exploitable Behaviors of the Current Alternate Universe Nations: The Clans – Will typically linger at long ranges, whittling down their opponents with flights of ATMs before rushing in for close-range kills with their hard-hitting short-range weapons. Federated Suns – Skilled pilots tend to play cowboy, and can get themselves out of position. Draconis Combine – They have learned some important lessons in tactical flexibility from their 25-year alliance with the Federated Suns, but still won’t typically intervene to aid friendly Mechwarriors unless that Mechwarrior is very likely to be killed. Lyran Alliance – (Lyran Commonwealth, Republic of Skye) Are highly risk-adverse, and reluctant to lose units. They may withdraw voluntarily if their armor starts getting a bit thin. Free Worlds League – Typically won’t shoot retreating units, and will allow injured Mechwarriors to leave the field under their own power, if so requested. Capellan Confederation – Fight defensively, and will try to force their enemies to advance into prepared positions. Taurian Concordat – Overly aggressive in battle. House Rules & Advanced Rules: From time to time, I may decide that a house rule is necessary or that a mission may occur under a special condition. There're a few house rules that are universal, and this list may change as the LP progresses: Current House / Advanced Rules: Poptarts Always Loses Initiative Rolls –for the sake of my Ace Pilots – Ace pilots are the exception to me always losing initiative. An Ace always wins initiative, and moves after the players do. Ace pilots may appear in any match, but may not appear in every match. Line of Sight – I use a semi-real LOS house rule. I've been using it for years so I find myself using it on accident. If you're a player and have any Line of Sight questions, let me know. I won't diagram unless I have to, so if I commit to "yes, you should have line of sight" you'll keep line of sight even if a diagram says you don't. If it is tricky situation where I think I have to diagram, I'll let you know (I won't diagram until you commit to the attack)... buuuut 90% of the time if I diagram it's to confirm that LOS does not exist. So if I tell you "I'll have to diagram that" it's probably a good idea to pick a secondary target just in case. Other Tac Ops Rules – Such as different atmosphere types, movement conditions, or line of sight rules will be used as needed. Any mission-specific rules will be announced when a mission is selected. PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 22:33 on Mar 18, 2022 |
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State of the Inner Sphere: 3061 Federated Suns Hanse Davion is dead. Janneke Kurita has retired from public life. Prince Ian Yorinaga Kurita-Davion, their eldest son, now rules the Federated Suns. It remains to be seen whether he’s inherited his father’s martial brilliance or his mother’s skill as a Mechwarrior. He’s two years into his reign, and has thus far managed not to start any wars or assassinate any members of his extended family. The Federated Foreign Legion continues to assist the Draconis Combine along their border with the ilKhanate in exchange for Kuritan troops to defend the Capellan and Taurian Concordat borders. The two nations are closer than they’ve ever been, which frightens traditionalists on both sides of the border. The Federated Suns has a chilly relationship with the Hell’s Horses, who currently occupy a stretch of planets along the border with the Draconis Combine (D). Draconis Combine Isoroku Kurita’s health is failing. The Combine’s warlords clamor for renewed campaigns against the Clan ilKhanate, but Isoroku knows that until the Combine’s forces are rebuilt such assaults would be suicide. So far he’s managed to limit them to light raiding, but his most pressing concern is a practical one: preparing the Combine for the ascension of his chosen heir, Yumi Marie Kurita-Davion—Ian Kurita-Davion’s twin sister. The Draconis Combine’s relationship with the Hell’s Horses is cordial, but distant. Lyran Alliance Melissa Steiner and Clovis Lestrade continue to rule in the former Republic of Skye (now called ‘Kerenskye’ (A) to honor their relationship with the three Clans of Task Force Serpent). Clans Steel Viper, Cloud Cobra, and Star Adder now dub themselves the Star League Defense Force. Tensions between Kerenskye and its neighbors are mounting as the SLDF eyes the worlds of the former Terran Hegemony covetously. Thanks to the quick thinking of the Star Adders, the genetic legacies of all three Clans have been preserved intact and new generations of Trueborns are being produced in the Inner Sphere—under Melissa Steiner’s watchful eye. The Lyran Commonwealth is still the dominant power in the region, with economic and defensive alliances with Kerenskye. Frederick Steiner still rules the Commonwealth, but pressure to name a successor and step down is mounting. He continues to play his successors against one another while he tries to decide whether Adam, Lisa, Robert, Sarah or Reinhardt Steiner is best fit to replace him. Free Worlds League Carlos Marik is not his father. Where Duncan Marik sought external alliances and miracle solutions to the League’s problems, Carlos Marik has chosen to stop at nothing in his quest to strengthen the League. Whether it be pursuing closer ties with the Duchy of Regulus, or offering the Clans trapped in the Andurien Clanhold (B) JumpShips in exchange for military assistance, Carlos wants nothing more than to take back the worlds the League lost to the Capellan Confederation and restore his father’s tarnished reputation. Capellan Confederation Romano Liao is dead. Justin Xiang vanished a decade ago under mysterious circumstances. The young Sun Wu Liao ascended to the throne at the age of 19 and has spent the last seven years reshaping the Capellan Confederation to fit his vision. Forced to bear the costs of running their own HPG network, the Confederation Government can't afford to send messages as regularly as they could under ComStar's control. With less obvious oversight, the Capellan Confederation’s nobility has grown more locally powerful than they’ve ever been and rumors abound that many are putting together their own BattleMech forces in direct contravention of Confederation law. In order to curtail their burgeoning power (and discourage them from building private armies on the sly), Sun Wu has formed an order of government inspectors known as the Mandarins, whose duty is to make sure that everyone from the planetary governor to the lowliest janitor (but primarily the nobility) is actively contributing to the betterment of Capellan society. Under Sun Wu’s orders, the Capellan Confederation treats its battle captives well. The only time the Confederation breaks their communications silence is to ransom captives back to their nation of origin or, if unable to arrange a ransom (as is often the case for enlisted infantrymen), to arrange for them to be shipped to a neutral territory: the Aurigan Directorate (E) in the Periphery. In turn, the Confederation is swift to offer ransoms for any soldiers—even low ranking ones—who may have been captured by enemy forces. This has made Sun Wu remarkably popular with the CCAF and encouraged the Confederation’s neighbors not to pursue fights to the death. Taurian Concordat Protector Janice Calderon currently leads the Concordat. The Concordat’s long-time feud with the Federated Suns has been put on the backburner. With ComStar’s tactic support, the Taurian Concordat is actively warring to reclaim New Syrtan worlds from the Capellan Confederation but thus far the Capellans have repulsed nearly every invasion. Clan IlKhanate The Clan ilKhanate is a chaotic mess of conflicting ideas. The sudden silence of the Clan homeworlds has largely put an end to the second crusade, but the Clans don’t rest easy. Three factions have formed. The Crusaders, consisting of Clans Wolf, Nova Cat, Fire Mandrill, and Diamond Shark (the homeworld portions of Sea Fox and Snow Raven) wish to resume the drive to retake Terra. The Investigators, consisting of Clans Blood Spirit, Ghost Bear, Coyote, and Stone Lion (the homeworld portions of Clan Hell’s Horses) feel they should return to the Homeworlds to find out why contact has been lost. Lastly the Integrationists, Clans Jade Falcon, Mongoose, Goliath Scorpion, Burrock, and Smoke Jaguar are growing to enjoy life in the Inner Sphere and wish to consolidate the ilKhanate into a true power. The three factions have achieved a relative parity, which has kept the ilKhanate paralyzed under the aging Asa Hellion’s loud but ineffectual leadership. New Rim World Republic (C) The Republic has retreated once again. Hiding behind their subordinate nations, the Magistracy of Canopus, the Marian Hegemony (F), and the Circinus Federation (which I forgot to label), the Republic is feigning its own destruction after the death of the figurehead Stefan Amaris VI. Post-Timeskip Technological Advances Weapons and armor technology has advanced. The game is the same, but the weapons have been rebalanced (and may be balanced again if something feels too weak or ineffective). Laser supremacy is over, ammo is harder to come by, the AC/10 is the standard unit of measure, and the big guns tend to hit hard enough to be worth their tonnage. It should be a fun time. Armor Technology The failure in Andurien pushed the New Rim Worlds Republic into an arms race to catch up or best the Clan threat now situated on their border. Their armor development programs were met with success in the early 3040s, culminating in the development of Metallic Carbon Armor. An advancement of the steel/ceramic CeraMet standard armor, MetCar is twice as durable while being an overall better heat regulator and does not require an orbital factory to produce the way the more expensive Ferro-Fibrous and Ferro-Lamellor armors do. Infuriated by the perceived reduction in their war capabilities, espionage by "rogue" ComStar agents saw this new spread to all of the Inner Sphere’s powers inside a year. The full capabilities of this discovery would not be unlocked by the Republic or ComStar, but by a cadre of NAIS scientists working hand-in-hand with Hachiman Technical Institute and Clan Hell's Horses. The NAIS discovered that by changing the alignment of the carbon lattice they could create armor that provided either a mirror sheen, which sheered off cleanly in response to an explosion, or which flexed and reformed under heavy kinetic impacts. The ability to make MetCar inherently laser reflective, ablative, or kinetic resistant depending on how it was constructed was a huge breakthrough as BattleMechs could be designed to counter common powerhouses like the Awesome. Less than a year later, the Atreus Science Institute in the Free Worlds League discovered that incorporating layers of softer ceramics and heat baffles mimicked some of the dampening effects of the Null Signature system, granting stealth capabilities. ASI also discovered that, by widening the hexagonal carbon lattice, MetCar was lightweight enough to replace a BattleMech's internal structure, fully doubling a BattleMech's overall durability with no increase in weight. At the same time, the Cloud Cobras discovered that if the metallic-carbon lattices were arranged just so, they could wick heat away from the BattleMech's delicate internals and radiate heat more effectively. The Jade Falcons independently developed a similar technology utilizing nano-optics and their Laser Heat Sinks. The two technologies have different downsides, and the Cloud Cobra version is the more common of the two. Working together with Defiance Industries, Clan Steel Viper developed lightweight compact double heat sinks in the early 3040s. Now largely unconstrained, weapons development exploded in the late 3040s and early 3050s as weapon heat and damage spiked in an effort to keep up with new armor demands. The compact double heat sink is now so ubiquitous they're simply referred to as heat sinks. Many weapons as a whole have gotten smaller and lighter, while others have been changed outright. What does this mean? Effectively, Heat Sinks have been reduced to singles across the board with only tools like the Radical Heat Sink or Heat Radiating Armor providing bonus cooling. BattleMechs can swap armor relatively-freely (OmniMechs do it faster) to surprise the enemy or to counter known foes, and most importantly the old armor and structure types now only provide half the protection by comparison. Laser Reflective (LR) armor reduces energy (and plasma) weapon damage by 50%, but does not reduce the heat imparted by plasma attacks. Ablative-Reactive (AR) armor reduces high explosive damage from missiles and autocannons. Kinetic-Resistant (KR) armor reduces kinetic damage from melee, gauss rifles, and autocannon AP rounds. Stealth Recon (SR) armor provides a +1 bonus against enemy attacks at medium or long range, or if powered by an ECM System a +1 bonus at all ranges except melee. This bonus stacks with normal movement modifiers and is not countered by advanced targeting computers. Heat Radiating (HR) armor sinks an additional 5 heat per turn, and make the ‘Mech a danger to infantry in the same hex at a relatively low heat level. Weapons Technology Weapons have likewise been upgraded, with some (particularly lasers) becoming heavier and others losing ammo capacity. The full list of weapons is too long to display here, but there are some notable upgrades: for example Inner Sphere ‘Mechs with machine guns can swap between light and heavy machine guns freely as the mounts accept either, some weapons systems may now be fired during the melee phase to follow up a melee attack, and LRMs now fire large 5 damage missiles rather than swarms of small 1 damage missiles. If you want to see what’s up, a full list of the post-timeskip weapons is Here. PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Oct 23, 2019 |
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Table of Contents Part 1 Combat Theater Vote 1 Results White Sands 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Combat Theater Vote 2 Results Jungle Valley 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Vacation Contest Results Combat Theater Vote 3 Results 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Holiday Intermission 1 Combat Theater Vote 4 Results River City Ransom 1 2 3 4 Surprise Fluff 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Combat Theater Vote 5 Results Rainmaker 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Skip! 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Political Vote 1 Results & Combat Theater Vote 6 Results And a River Runs Through It 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 兵馬俑 14 15 16 17 Political Vote 2 Results & Combat Theater Vote 7 Results The Mosiro Affair 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Combat Theater Vote 8 Results Giant Spider Invasion 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Political Vote 3 Results & Combat Theater Vote 9 Results Operation: Boomslang 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Combat Theater Vote 9 Results The Pillar of Steel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Wag the Dog Prelude Wag the Dog 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Political Vote 4 results and Combat Theater Vote 10 Results Red Dawn Prelude 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Political Vote 5 results and Combat Theater Vote 11 results Repossession 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Political Vote 6 results and Combat Theater Vote 12 results and OpForce vote results Harvest Trial 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Lancer Interlude Mission 1, Round 1 Turn 0 1 2 3 4 Round 2 Turn 1 2 3 4 Round 3 Turn 1 2 3 4 Round 4 1 Mission 2, Round 1 Turn 0 1 2 3 4 Round 2 Turn 1 2 3 4 Round 3 Turn 1 2 3 4 Round 4 Turn 1 2 3 4 Round 5 Turn 1 2 3 4 Round 6 Turn 1 2 3 Mission 3, Round 1 (Coming Soon) Next Mission (Coming Soon) PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 17:45 on May 23, 2023 |
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Jun 7, 2018 04:50
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Table of Contents Part 2 (because I'm probably going to need it) Mission MVPs White Sands Player MVP Shiro - Zikan OpForce MVP Hel Prime Jungle Valley Player MVP Dola #1 - Carbolic OpForce MVP UrbanMech The Bloody Hand Player MVP Marauder - OniPanda OpForce MVP Seraph "Lucifer" River City Ransom Player MVP Bushwacker - thatbastardken OpForce MVP Hanse MBT Rainmaker Player MVP Jaguar Warrior - berryjon OpForce MVP Grand Summoner A And a River Runs Through It Player MVP Grand Titan - TankBoyKen OpForce MVP Mortis The Mosiro Affair Player MVP Tiburon #1 - Viva Miriya OpForce MVP Belial Giant Spider Invasion Player MVP Aeron Team - DivineCoffeeBinge and Gwaihir OpForce MVP Glory Heavy Fire Support Vehicle Jade Falcon Survivor Joanna Hazen, Kristen Redmond, and Pytor Operation: Boomslang Player MVP AxMan - (dis astranagant, Grizzwold) OpForce MVP Grand Kong Critter MVP Engineered Megasaur #1 The Pillar of Steel Player MVP OpForce MVP PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Jun 14, 2020 |
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Jun 7, 2018 04:51
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T.G. Xarbala's awesome thing
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Combat Theater Vote 1 June 6, 3061 “Then I jumped behind him,” the young Mechwarrior motioned with his hands, as if the left were his own ‘Mech and the glass of champagne in his right had been his opposition. He mirrored the jump he described, then made a gun shape with his left pointer and middle finger, which he then ‘fired.’ “After Watanabi-sensei’s Panther went down, it was all over. There wasn’t anything the infantry could—” “Be careful, little brother,” a woman murmured in low tones. A slender hand found the back of the Mechwarrior’s neck as the crowd of young nobles and academy cadets found other places to be. They had good reason to. Flanked by a pair of bodyguards who would’ve looked well at home in an Elemental’s power armor, Yumi Kurita-Davion was as striking as she was sleight. She and Ian had both inherited Yorinaga Kurita’s black hair, as well as the piercing blue eyes for which the distantly related Kurita and Davion bloodlines were most famous. She was slightly built and graceful, with a face as beautiful and emotionless as a porcelain doll. Her voice wasn’t commanding in the military sense, she wasn’t the sort to yell invectives or shout commands to her subordinates. Instead she compelled attention by speaking quietly in a voice like honey, and forcing those present to quiet themselves and listen. “A Kurita-Davion can be many things, but a braggart should not be one of them.” Hiro Kurita-Davion bowed slightly less than the proscribed amount, his right hand clasped over his left shoulder in a combined salute. He straightened too quickly, like a gaijin might even though he should have known better. There were those in the Draconis Combine who had clamored for Isoroku Kurita to name Hiro his successor instead of a mere woman. As Hiro began entering public life, those calls had steadily diminished. He was an idiot, a wastrel, an unnecessary spare. By comparison, Yumi Kurita-Davion was a shining example of what a Coordinator should have been: calm, a capable strategist, and utterly ruthless in her defense of the Combine. If she had one flaw, it was that she and Ian both believed that the Draconis Combine and Federated Suns were stronger together than they had ever been apart. Hiro’s flaws were legion. He was blindly ambitious in ways that gave even the Warlords pause—he had been caught in public one too many times claiming he expected he’d be granted command of an entire regiment the day he graduated. Such arrogance wasn’t out of place in the Combine and Hiro was, at least, an excellent Mechwarrior—but he was neither a skilled strategist nor a particularly capable tactician. More than once he’d blundered his training company into an ambush a more careful Mechwarrior would have easily avoided, and on one occasion he’d earned black marks on his record by shooting a retreating ally in the back for not following his orders. Where Ian and Yumi had graduated at the top of the Sun Zhang and NAMA academies respectively, Hiro could only claim to be in the bottom quarter of his Sun Zhang class. The NAMA, uncharacteristically, had not offered to host Hiro for an extra year so he could earn honors there as it had for Ian. He would still earn his daisho, which would be important if the unthinkable happened and he was forced to take Yumi’s place as Isoroku Kurita’s heir, but the hopes of the DCMS hardliners that he’d either be a “True Kurita” or an imbecile they could easily manipulate had both been dashed. Hiro was uncontrollable and shortsighted, an utter and complete fool. It had been a mistake, the Imperial Court now gossiped, to let the fool Chandrasekhar Kurita see to his upbringing. “Yumi,” he’d left off the honorifics again, drawing furious glares from his classmates. More than a few hands—including those of Yumi’s bodyguards—reached for their blades when he wrapped his sister up in a very public hug. “You look well! I was expecting Ian but this is a wonderful surprise! Is Ian here? Which command is mine? The Crucis Lancers? The Davion Guards? Or have you come to offer me one of the Swords of Light?” Yumi’s brow twitched. “I’ve come to congratulate you on your graduation. Ian will not be joining us, he’s too busy organizing the defense of the Taurian border.” Hiro’s face fell, “Ah—but, my command? I am his heir, I’d thought—” “Unless you can convince a regiment to take you,” Yumi’s quiet voice was grave, as though she were passing sentence. “You shall spend a minimum of one term serving with the Sun Zhang cadre—and you will continue to do so until such time as your instructors are satisfied you will not cause the Dragon to shed any unnecessary tears.” Her pronouncement was met with a mix of jeers which swiftly turned to groans as the Sun Zhang surrounding cadets witnessing Hiro’s comeuppance also realized that meant they’d be spending another nine months with him. At a minimum. Hiro stood dumbfounded, his mouth agape, as Yumi Kurita-Davion turned to leave. “The Sun Zhang cadets have suffered enough. I’ll take him,” General Tomoe Sakade announced. She’d watched the scene from start to finish with hawkish eyes. “We Joshitai regiments pride ourselves on turning the unlikeliest of candidates into true soldiers in service to the Dragon. Perhaps serving as a mere lance lieutenant under a woman’s command can teach the boy some humility.” Yumi turned to regard her speculatively, mulling the offer over for nearly a minute. “Very well. He is poor iron, we shall see if you can forge him into high-quality steel.” **************************************** “That went well.” “Indeed, uncle,” Hiro Kurita-Davion settled onto the pile of pillows at Chandrasekhar Kurita’s side. He waved off the wine and spiced fruit offered by his uncle’s servant girls. Chandrasekhar didn’t turn them away, instead allowing one to place a plump, sweetened grape into his mouth. Hiro considered that for a moment—the one indulgence he’d never permitted himself was womanizing. Such feats would have endeared him to his fellow cadets, rather than stoking the flames of their ire. He’d done everything he could to be that graduate, the one who was spoken of in hushed tones for decades to come. Or, at least, everything he’d considered reasonable. It had all been a part of the plan. He’d known this outcome He sighed, running his fingers through hair as blonde as his mother’s. She’d have been disappointed in him if she’d been able to attend. At least this way time and distance would dull his humiliation. “The things you and I do for our family may not be the things we’d wish,” Chandrasekhar paused to accept a mango slice. Hiro waved off another attempt. Chandrasekhar denied himself no luxuries, because he’d already sacrificed the one thing a Kurita held most dear: his ambition. Hiro would’ve done the same, were it possible, but until Ian had children of his own Hiro was heir to the throne of the Federated Suns—and until Yumi had children herself, he may very well be the heir to the Draconis Combine as well. “But they’re necessary,” Hiro finished. “I know, Uncle. Were you expecting—” “Tomoe Sakade to stand up for you? No,” Chandrasekhar’s laugh set his jowls quivering. “That was unexpected, but fortunate. You’ll need to marry a noblewoman from the Draconis Combine to more closely bind the realms together. You’ll find no shortage of eligible young noblewomen—” “Uncle,” Hiro interrupted. “How does that change the plan? For me to slowly fall into line and become a capable but unspectacular soldier?” “You’d be bored on a line regiment. The Joshitai suit you,” Chandrasekhar considered that, “but if Tomoe Sakade is taking a risk on you, she may suspect what we’re up to—” “How could she?” “Theodore Kurita did not marry a fool. Remember that,” the elder Kurita drummed his fingertips together for a few moments. “We may need to bring her in—certainly, you’ll need to explain yourself to your direct commanders. Your lance should succeed in spite of you. At least at first.” Hiro massaged his scalp. “I hope this works, Uncle. If the Kokuryu-kai—” Chandrasekhar Kurita clapped Hiro on the shoulder, nearly knocking the smaller man sprawling. “We both may be staking our lives on this, my boy.”  A) Blunt the Clan Offensive - The Clan ilKhanate has begun another big offensive, and the line may not hold. The Joshitai are always on the move, supporting the Draconis Combine's front-line troops with New Tech BattleMechs. They are few in number, will they be enough to inspire the soldiers of the DCMS to greater acts of heroism? B) Retake Taygeta - The Taurian Concordat has launched an assault to retake Taygeta from the Capellan Confederation. Spearheaded by the 2nd Taurian Guards, can this attack succeed where so many have failed? C) Exploratory Raid - The warriors of the Star League Defense Force are certain the Free Worlds League can't hold their old Terran Hegemony worlds. Show them their error. PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 05:31 on Jun 7, 2018 |
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Jun 7, 2018 04:58
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Oh poo poo. New PTN BattleTech thread. Hell yes! Voting A, I want to watch Hiro attempt to fail his way to his team's success.
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Jun 7, 2018 05:18
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Sweet, new thread! Anyhoo, voting for A. The only good Clanner is a dead Clanner. Edit: Might wanna add the Hauptmann commercial from the end of last thread to the OP. VolticSurge fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Jun 7, 2018 |
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Jun 7, 2018 05:33
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A May the Dragon feast on Clanner tears.
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Jun 7, 2018 06:27
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Voting for A Once we take thier body shot, we give them our own back
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Jun 7, 2018 06:43
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While A has an early lead, assuming PTN's tradition of weighting the behind-the-scenes results in favour of how the vote spread goes, I would like to place my vote for B, so I can hopefully see the capellans get a good old booting.
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Jun 7, 2018 06:46
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I'll go C
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Jun 7, 2018 07:36
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C. The Neo-SLDF needs to be put in their place or the second Star League isn’t going to last very long.
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Jun 7, 2018 08:32
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Going with B. Also, NRWR seems a little small here on the map, or that their deep space territories are not being shown?
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Jun 7, 2018 09:32
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Throwin in a vote for C. SLDF or not, Clanners are still Clanners, and deserve a shitkicking.
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Jun 7, 2018 10:29
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B The NRWR is playing possum by reviving some old periphery states. Presumably they are still out there but don't want to muddy the picture.
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Jun 7, 2018 10:32
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A.
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Jun 7, 2018 13:42
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A. Uncle Chandy is always interesting.
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Jun 7, 2018 14:29
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HBS Battletech is so good that I decided to give the first thread a read. Took about 3 weeks. And now I'm done just in time for the post time skip continuation! I vote A.
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Jun 7, 2018 15:08
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A chance to play with the new toys against old ones? Sure, why not?
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Jun 7, 2018 16:59
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A Let's see where this goes.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:11
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Getting in at ground level even. By the way one of the picture links in the Fanart listing is showing a 404 thumbnail. As for voting I'll say... C.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:12
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I'll vote C, if mostly to keep the new SLDF from getting too big too fast. Also I initially misread Yumi's brow having twitched as her brow having "touched" Hiro's when they hugged, suggesting she had immediately headbutted him for his insolence. It would have been hilarious, if out of place. Good on Uncle Chandy for teaching Hiro to be a cool guy sneakily.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:12
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Oh poo poo we on. Lets roll B, have some Space Texan gunboat diplomacy
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Jun 7, 2018 17:20
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A Even in a new thread I can't resist an opportunity to poo poo on the clans
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Jun 7, 2018 17:26
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In on the ground floor! I'm going with B. Always go Space Texans.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:29
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imgay
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Jun 7, 2018 17:30
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A
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Jun 7, 2018 17:30
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B Also could I be added to the future pilot list? I'm bad at the game but I'm sure the vets can help me along.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:39
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A Another vote for let's kill the filthy clanners.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:45
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PoptartsNinja posted:Other Stuff: PoptartsNinja, this recording doesn't exist anymore, sadly.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:50
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As much as I want Space Texas, I'm gonna go with A. Love me some insanely good spymaster stuff. Also, if you ever decide to do a let's read again, could you do The Sword and the Dagger? I picked it up after I finally caught up in the last thread and I never realized there was another alien race in the BT universe.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:55
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Voting C! Who can resist the potential for Steiner Rules Dueling? Only question I have is if any of the missions are going to have a good showoff of new tech mechs vs old, just because it would be really funny to see exactly how much more powerful and able to plough through the old giants the new stuff is.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:57
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We started the thread with a Combine fight, let's do it again. A Gonna set up that wiki today, so we can keep the ToC there.
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Jun 7, 2018 17:58
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C, I'm hoping to see what Caesar
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Jun 7, 2018 18:02
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b Git’ off mah space property!
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Jun 7, 2018 18:11
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C because we haven't done anything with the Free Worlds League in a while.
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Jun 7, 2018 18:13
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A I think; I'm curious.
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Jun 7, 2018 18:25
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Although I'd normally vote FWL, fluff like that deserves an A. Edit: What is (G) on the map? Erd fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jun 7, 2018 |
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Jun 7, 2018 18:32
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 22:50 |
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A Ground floor on the new thread. This will be glorious.
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Jun 7, 2018 18:34
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