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Old Dog
Capellan Confederation
Sang-wei
Joined: 24-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 299
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 Posted: 27-May-2002 19:48 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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So yu might have noticed I want the Wolf's Dragoons gone. You might also wonder why? Well, that part, at the least, is easy: They're a prisoner of their own legend, now. They're nearly as big as a major House, in terms of power, and certainly could take any Periphery state at will. There's nowhere to go with them, in a storyline sense, in their current form. And, it makes my writer-sense tingle with potential.
The Wolves need to be destroyed. Utterly and completely, in a staggering way. Shake some foundations. Give them an end that becomes a beginning, in a sense.
So, here's what I do.
It's a normal, calm day on Outreach. A few drunken mercs have been arrested for drying out time, contracts are discussed, and so forth. Jaime Wolf is running the show, and looks sedate in his old age. He casually eyes the monitors, seeing a larger than normal number of ships about the planet, but, it's resupply season, so he doesn't give it a second thought.
Until.
One of the men nearby chirps up, with, "Sir, we have an incoming transmission."
Jaime quirks a brow. "Put it through the regular channels, son. You know proceedure."
The tech nods, but looks a little pale. "It's for you, sir, He says he's an old friend, name of Waco."
The room goes cold, as Wolf goes quiet. He blinks, face showing puzzlement. "Waco? What's that old fool doing here? Hell, what's he still doing alive?"
The monitors scramble, then, before Waco's face pops up on just about every screen in the house, the withered old man, still in his stetson, with breathing tubes in his nose, looking every one of his hundred years old, sunken into a thick spacepilot's chair. "Hello, Jaime. Long time, eh?"
Jaime scowls at the monitor, demanding, "What's your game, Waco? I thought we were finished years ago."
Waco laughs, a coughing, wheezeing old man's laugh, which racks his body. "Finished? Hell's bells, boy, you shoulda known that we ain't finished until I sez we finished!"
Jaime looks nonplussed, discreetly waving at one tech to the side. "Waco, you're more insane than ever. You're an old man, I'm an old man, we're in no condition to hop behind the controls of a Mech and smash each other around a battlefield anymore." He smirks, adding, "Besides, in your condition, it's take a week to convert a mech to be wheelchair accessable."
Waco's turn to scowl, now, as he leans forward a bit, flipping a few switches on the side of his control panel. "Learned my lesson a long time ao, Jaime. See, ain't nobody what ever beat me in a fair fight, but you Clan bastards don't fight fair. You gotta have all teh advantages before you'll go. Not very manly, if you ask me. Now, I'd suggest we go at it by setting up our kids as a proxy, but, oh that's right, you *killed my boy*!, didn't you?"
The tech moves by Jaime's side, whispering in his ear, while Waco rants. Jaime's head snaps over, then back to teh screen, interrupting the old man's ramble. "Waco!"
Waco stops his old man's mutterings, coming back to the hear and now, with a tothless grin and a cackle. "Figured it out, have you?"
Jaime gestures at his men, who are, now, furiously working at every available control desk. "You won't get away with this, Waco! We'll shoot you down before ..."
Waco cackles again, flipping a few more switches. "You won't do a thing, Wolf. It's too late! Take me from the skies if you want, I don't care. I'll get to see my boy while you roast in Hell. See, it ain't just me."
Jaime's tuned out the madman, now, furiously issuing commands to his techs, who are fighting, valiantly, against code.
Waco, ignored, keeps yammering, "See, I've been workin' on this for years. Figured if you don't fight fair, then, well, I don't either. It's an old Apache trick, more or less. See, you wiped out my men, you killed my son, but them? The women and children are still alive. And they grew up, hatin' you as much as I did. I been draftin' people frm all over the Sphere, anybody that you done humiliated, shamed on the field of battle, or their kids ... so many kids! These're my *new* Rangers, Jaime, and they'll outlive you. Hell, you got a couple down there with you, now."
Jaime takes the time to scowl at the screen, asking, "Can't anybody shut him off?"
Waco grins more. "Hey, you got some missiles getting ready to fire. Faster than I thought, too. No matter, plans done gone off. I'll go with a smile. See, my Rangers, my boys, they knew they'd die on Outreach, but they were willing, to take you down. Rigged up all the backdoors I'm usin' now, to talk to you, and to tie down all your defense systems. Took years, but they did it real good, don't you think? Now me and a hundred other ships are all in orbit, right here." He's interrupted, as explosions can be heard, and his ship rocks. "Damnation!"
Jaime looks at the tech at his side, asking, "We hit him?"
The tech responds, "No, sir, those are the Black Thorns. They scrambled their one fighter from dropship in orbit. The rest of the mercs are scarmbling as well. They'll tie 'em down long enough for us to..."
Waco scowls, hitting another switch as his ship shakes, "To do *nothing*! I didn't just rebuild the Rangers, you damned Clanners, I also went shoppin'! My Rangers and me, we done ringed your whole planet with my new toys, and they started falling when I got t'calling."
Waco leans in again, even as the lights flash in his ship, emergency klaxtons going off. "Nukes, boy. Bought 'em on the black market from all over, in the Sphere and out."
Jaime's eyes go wide, and he shakes his head. "No ... not even you would..."
Waco laughs, wiping flecks of blood from his lips. "I'm goin' down, Wolf, but not alone. I'm takin' you and everything you loved away, just like you took my boy. Your whole planet's now a radioactive dustball. I hope you enjoy burnin' in Hell."
With that, his communication's cut off, as the Tech reports, "Teh Thorns got him, sir ... his ship's falling into the atmosphere."
ANother tech replies, "Sir, we got impacts on the southwest continent! Massive damage, communications down ... I don't think he was lying, sir."
In the distance, another tech replies, "Good God, hundreds of them, all over! He must have had a dozen ships seeding these in orbit for hours! They're falling all over!"
Jaime steps back, slumping into his chair. "Do what yuo can, men," he says, tiredly, "Just ... do what you can."
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In the aftermath, Outreach is lost. The entire planet's surface reduced to glowing nuclear cinders. You could count the survivors on one hand, but even they wish they hadn't made it out. A few mercs were in orbit, and had the distinct 'pleasure' of watching everything unfold in person. Forteen cargo ships in all, piloted by 'Rangers' were in orbit, and seeded the sky with dirty nukes, leftover relics of a bygone age, long ago rendered illegal in every part of teh Sphere. The ships, piloted by the widows and children of Waco's Rangers, as well as having collected stray mechwarriors across the sphere who had lost everything to the Wolves, were fearless. Only a few were captured alive, the rest fought on to the end, with their bare hands if they had to, s complete was their hatred for Wolf and all those who sided with him.
Upon hearing the news of this treacherous attack by a Spheroid, the Clan Wolves collectively went as mad as Colnel Waco, and unleashed tehir fury into teh Sphere. This was later revealed in Waco's journals to have been predicted by Waco, as teh second part of destroying Jaime Wolf's legacy. The Wolves struck out without mercy, burning and pillaging the sphere in an orgy of destruction unlike any Clan Warfare before it. They simply gave up their corridor of teh invasion, leaving the planets behind for whomever wanted them, in order to bring all units forward to destroy. Scores of planets fell, before the Wolves were stopped, but the battle didn't end until the Wolves were simply shattered. Barely more than a Trinary was left, but they'd destroyed an amazing number of units and men in this final attack.
Ironicly, one particular Dragoon who had nearly washed out of the training program was off-planet, on a short bit of leave before getting her field assignment. She was rushed into a secret meeting by Comstar agents, and given a lowdown.
Less than thirty Dragoons were left in the universe, and most were deeply in despair over the news. (She had managed to not hear about it until this, and was more than a bit distraut as well) ... What few were left were being gathered by ComStar, but she had eben singled out. While she and her three vacationing companions were new recruits, and thus unknown to most, they were all well-schooling in Dragoon, thus Clanlike, methods. In particular, she had formerly been a child actress, before turning from that life to mechtraining. She got picked for the role of a lifetime.
On Earth, three months after Waco, immediately after the Wolf Attack ended, the Word of Blake was abuzz. A member of Wolf Clan, who called herself Anastasia Kerensky, the Lone Wolf, had laid claim to Earth from orbit, bidding herself and her Orion IIC mech as the lone attacker. Astonishingly, after a short council meeting, it was agreed upon, with a single mech bid in defense piloted by the Precentor himself. The fight was of average length, but, through a pure exchange of firepower, Anastasia Kerensky was victorious.
Needless to say, everyone was stunned.
Anastasia Kerensky stood at the capital of Earth, and planted the flag of Clan Wolf, giving a short, but powerful speech far more elegant than any teen warrior should know, whereupon she announced that Clan Wolf was now, and forever more, the IlClan, and she the IlKhan, as was agreed upon when the invasion began. Her Clan might not exist beyond herself, the Lone Wolf, but if only she lived, it was enough. She called for all Clans to return home who would honor Kerensky's dream, and leave this place of low morals, to let the Inner Sphere burn itself out once more, until such time that the Clans were ready to return again, to be welcomed as the saviors of humanity.
In this Second Exodus, most of the Clans left, some out of loyalty to the IlClan, some out of exhaustion from the effects of Total War, others out of disgust and a desire to get away from the tainted Sphere. Some remained behind, including the entirity of Smoke Jaguar and Ghost Bear, who gave up their Clan identities entirely, to merge with the Draconis Combine and FRR, respectively. Diamond Shark remained in part, to serve as traders and communications between the children of Kerensky and the Inner Sphere, as well as finding a valuable market in flitting goods around all of humanity's locations.
IlKhan Anastasia Kerensky was joined by the handful of Crusader Wolves that could be found, but, while no records existed of the former Clan, due to the near absolute destruction, they certainly claimed her as their own, and established their dozen or so members as the leaders of teh Clans. Serving as her advisors and protectors, they slowly began to rebuild, a process that would take centuries. Of a young Wolf Drgaoon cadet who was once a child actor, no more was ever heard, and it was assumed that she had been lost in a conflict, unheralded and unknown.
Of teh Wolf's legacy, Outreach was but a smoking crater, leaving the mercenary community to take a Word of Blake offer to operate out of their neutral zone, with Titan being the moon of choice for this, and established as the new Mercenary Stronghold. Of teh Wolves themselves, no Crusaders remained in the Sphere, and the Wolves in Exile, who flung themselves at the Crusading Wolves after the Crusaders attacked in Waco's wake, went along with them, unifying behind the IlKhan. Wolf's Dragoons never reunited, the pain too great, but in the years that followed, several mercenary companies would flare up, each claiming to be inspiried by the spirit of the Dragoons, but disagreeing on just what that meant, and in how they carried it out.
Teh Legacy of the Wolves was mixed, indeed. Associating the Wolf Clan with Wolf's Drgoons was easy, as they certainly screamed 'Remember Waco!' as they ravaged their way through everyone in their path, and, indeed, such massacres they inflicted that the very name of Wolf has dual meanings to all, now. Some see a noble Jaime Wolf or Wolf in Exile, who put themselves up in the line of fire for the Inner Sphere, and paid with their lives. Others remember the barbarous Cursading Wolves, and revile them in the same breath as the Kentares Massacre. Historians debate both views, and everyone's opinions are obviously mixed.
Waco goes down to most as a madman and his name becomes synonomous with insanity and revenge, but, his diaries are published, and in those areas where the Wolves were unleashed, he's heralded by many as a great man of foresight and wisdom, who brought down half of the Wolves before they could attack as the other half did. These believers, who call themselves Rangers in Waco's honor, travel around, spreading the Word of Waco, and are known for chasing down any mercenaries who try to form under the name of Wolf. The rivalry countinues.
ComStar and the Word of Blake continue to spar with one another, with one high standing member of teh Word, who was thought to be a double agent for ComStar, being excused from council to serve on Titan, with the mercenary command. The Procentor thanked him for all of his service and advice, however, and sent him on with dignity. Rumors swirl that said counciler was the only voice to accept the challenge of Kerensky, and, shockingly, the Procentor agreed. Later, more cynical historians wonder that it was so easy to give such a radical idea. Almost as if it'd been planned out by them before hand. As if they knew that by 'losing' Earth, they'd in fact win the entire Inner Sphere back, because this particular Clanner wanted to leave it behind. But that surely couldn't be, as the Word of Blake had no contact with the Clanners as ComStar did, right?
And so, there you go.
My view on how to solve the Wolf thing, and a little extra tossed in as well. Sorry it's so blah on the read, this wasn't even supposed to be a draft, let alone a post this long. It's all sloppy and such, but, again, I didn't take the time to write this out elsewhere and repost it here, but, instead, I wrote it all up on the fly, out of my head. I bet I butchered the Clan ranks (IlKhan? SaKhan? Guh), and I couldn't recall valuable info, like where Waco and Jaime had their final duel or what Waco's son's name was, but, I think it gets the basic idea across.
Thoughts?
-- Old Dog, the long-winded Lab
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5797
Location: United States
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| Posted: 27-May-2002 20:04 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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personelly, don't like it.
but i've always been a person of good vs evil.
_________________
one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.
//^(^_^)^\\
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Karagin
Imperial Karagin Army
Imperial General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4120
Location: United States
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| Posted: 27-May-2002 20:21 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Let's see if we are going to kill of core units, then why not take out the Hounds, MAC, all of the Sword of Light regiments, all of the Davion Guard and anyother major unit in the universe.
That should leave us with what? Only player units?
_________________
Karagin
Only the dead have seen the end of war. - Plato
"Wasted trip Man. Nobody said nuthin' about lockin' horns with no tigers." Oddball
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Old Dog
Capellan Confederation
Sang-wei
Joined: 24-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 299
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| Posted: 27-May-2002 21:07 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Actually, I would wipe out some of the other big units, for just sucha reason.
Lemme 'splain.
The big problem that FASA was having was this: While old players rarely dropped out, new players didn't come in. They were, slowly but surely, watching Battletech as a whole peter out. One reason was the slow paced game and expensive models, true, but another was the universe itself ... it was SO rich, so detailed, that it was hard to get in as a new player.
What I want to do is 'reboot' things, givng a fresh entry point for people. Yes, the old players love their Kai and cheer for Katherine to lose and what have you, but, try to explain that family history to a new player and their eyes will cross. They haven't been there to go through it firsthand. There's never been a door for them.
To get to this entry point, you have to close some of the old threads off, lest they dominate things. This is the closure that I need to move on into the next stage of things, and is written as such. In the next iteration, you can refer to now-defunct groups, such as what I did with the Dragoons, as inspiration for the new groups, establish new mercenary forces, new rivalries, and so forth. By moving the time scale up, which it looks like 3200 is a better choice now, you develop a whole new cast of characters, who are fresh slates, ready to be enscribed by an audience both new and old.
No, I don't expect everyone to be happy with it as a direction, but I'd just ask for patience and understanding. To make a comparison, it'd be like Star Wars or Green Lantern. This is not your Hal Jordan, he's Kyle. This is not your driod, this is Jar Jar. You don't like him, but, he appeals to his target audience. The last time this was done, the target was hit square. It's just not aimed at you this time. Sit in and ride along, and, hopefully, you'll enjoy the ride. It'll be different than what it was before, but similar enough that it can still win you over.
Does that make more sense, or do I need to go back to bed for a while longer?
-- Old Dog, who can't remember the Swords of Light... ack!
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Raven!
Clan Snow Raven
Galaxy Commander
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1326
Location: United States
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| Posted: 27-May-2002 22:02 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Personally I'm completely and totally disgusted.
Sure, you don't have to like a unit, sure you don't have to like a storyline, but DAMN. DIRTY nukes? Not just regular nukes, you actually had to specify dirty? Sick. Thats enough to make me sick to my stomach and i've been called a COLD hearted bastard at my best.
Not only that but the storyline is completely unrealistic. Why the hell would the Crusader wolves give a rats ass about the Wolf Dragoons? They'd be fairly happy about it. Probably chuckle and grin. Vlad is not the sort to go charging off recklessly. Its not his style.
Some advice though, and yes the young Raven will give the Old Dog some advice. Sure, the big units might be annoying. Sure they might smack of everything you consider right, but its a goddamn game, who the hell cares?
For the next week I would like to propose a challange: Everyone has to come up with something super positive and wonderful to say about the faction they hate the most.
For me I'll say the following: As Word of Blake is the faction I hate the most , even over Katherine, that they are right on two major issues: 1) the Inner Sphere cannot be trusted with new technology, and 2) Focht had no right to do what he did, which was basically open rebellion.
Now its your turn. But i'm sorry, I had to express my views here. That story made me sick to my stomach. It wasn't even playful. i could almost feel the malice behind it. That sort of feeling scares me.
Raven
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Gangrene
Federated Suns
Leftenant General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 939
Location: United States
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| Posted: 27-May-2002 22:29 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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OD, no offense but the idea stinks. From what I understand, Btech is no more rich in detail than Warhammer (some have described it as being Tolkien-esque). The classic Btech universe does not need a reboot, IMO.
If you're looking for a fresh start there's always clickytech.
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Gangrene
[ This Message was edited by: Gangrene on 2002-05-27 22:29 ]
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Gangrene
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Ruger
Lyran Alliance
Hauptmann General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2110
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| Posted: 27-May-2002 22:46 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Quote:
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On 2002-05-27 21:07, Old Dog wrote:
Actually, I would wipe out some of the other big units, for just sucha reason.
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BTW...SPOILERS AHEAD....
Did I remember to tell you that the Grey Death Legion, for all intents and purposes, is dead? Grayson is dead, Lori is dead, Davis McCall is dead, their aerospace wing leader is dead...the two highest ranking remnants are Daniel Brewer (the CO of Defiance Industries) and Major Devin...they only have around 20 MechWarriors and an unknown number of tankers and infantry left...they died defending Hesperus II for Katherine against Skye seperatists...aiding the 15th and 36th Lyran Guards against the Skye Ranger regiments and the 32nd Lyran Guard. Most of the Seperatist 'Mech forces were also destroyed, and the 15th Lyran Guard were also mauled in the fighting...
Additionally, Rhonda Snord is no longer in command of the Snord's Irregulars...she turned over command to her adopted daughter, Tasha...and Shorty Sneede (the man infamous for his Archer/Warhammer/Rifleman/P-Hawk hybrid 'Mech) is dead...the Irregulars have declared themselves neutral in the Civil War, and taken a contract with Vic to garrison Tukayyid...
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-- Old Dog, who can't remember the Swords of Light... ack!
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The Draconis Combine's elite units...their best of the best...red and black paint scheme, which each regiment representing one of the pillars of their society...
Ruger
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Karagin
Imperial Karagin Army
Imperial General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4120
Location: United States
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| Posted: 27-May-2002 23:50 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Removing the well know groups in the manner you are suggesting, ie wiping them out, can also be seen by some as nothing more then killing off the old for the new.
If you recall, a lot of folks got upset over the Jaguars getting removed okay wiped out and then there are those who are still upset over how the CapCon was raped in the 4th War and after, and the flip side of that there are folks who are not happy on how all of a sudden the CapCon is back kicking ass and taking names, when they were all but down and out.
The core units, ie Wolf's Dragoons, the Hounds etc...are there for story line movements only, the thing that set BT apart form other games was you built your own unit, be it all mechs or what not and you came up with the pilot's name, and their stats, then you had a choice, play the tactical game or play the role playing game. Either way you went some of the other managed to slip in to the other. Very few games have this kind of blend, and over time your grow either became a legend among your group or not. But it was your's, and what happened with your group was something you could look and feel apart of, unlike other games where you simplly fight preset battles and nothing really changes since the next fight you have the same setup and the same number of space marines taking on the same number of demons or robots or what ever.
What is gained by wiping out the major combat units or persona? Nothing. End results is more folks get fed up an leave cause all they see is the game they knew and love being tossed out the window and there is nothing for them left. Meanwhile there are no new "power house" units there to appeal to the new comers so they don't stick around and the same result happens.
What I think is needed is a decent set of writters who can step away from tried and true story settings and get away from this idea that there has to be a good guy and he or she has to win in the end. A retunr fully to the grey middle ground where the idea of good and bad is blurred and the out come is a set of characters who look more to getting the job done then how they will look on the 6 o'clock news.
This current story line with the Civil War may lead to this and maybe if things go well enough in the sales department then we might see something beyond the merger of the DARK AGES time line with CBT.
But to simply wipe out the old just to refresh the game is not going to help, I feel if something like that was done to a full extent, it would cause more trouble and push more folks away from the game.
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Karagin
Only the dead have seen the end of war. - Plato
"Wasted trip Man. Nobody said nuthin' about lockin' horns with no tigers." Oddball
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 28-May-2002 03:02 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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i think the biggest problem is the fact that unlike say star wars, your units in bt for the most part cannot effect established things of the universe.
your company cannot take on a contract vs wolf's dragoons in 3049 and kill jamie wolf. let alone kill a company of dragoon mechs, reason being is because the TOnE for dragoons is detailed. same goes for all house units. so a merc is left fighting pirates, mercs, and no named units. no fun.
star wars on the other hand offers more lee way, your unit can blow up a imp star and not have to worry about the time line. why, because there no detail on emperial ranks. no certain things you can't touch [ie: falcone and super stars]
i think the universe of bt is to overly described. you can't fight most units, because there detailed down to mech pilots names.
so instead of destroying units, refresh them. say the star league after the cival war pulled together enough to retire people. make an excuse for new blood to enter into service. say a new non-national SLDF.
right now, the only way i can see most house unit veterans retiring is if theres no need for all of the units in the first place.
_________________
one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.
//^(^_^)^\\
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Old Dog
Capellan Confederation
Sang-wei
Joined: 24-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 299
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| Posted: 28-May-2002 03:05 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Seems as tho this one isn't going over very well. Some more explinations.
1) Why wipe the Dragoons out? Answer: Because they're established as a power major enough to single-handledly sway a war. The fought the entire army of the Draconic Combine, in effect, and walked away mostly dead, but not entirely. And in, what, ten years? They were at a greater strength than ever, with a planet of their own and multiple (!) factories. For a merc unit. To bring the comparitive power levels down, so that players would avoid 'The Eliminster Effect', anyone that good beyond the players can't be there.
2) Why do it in such a manner? Because the Dragoons are nearly untouchable on the battlefield. To overcome them, and make it realistic, would require, say, the Ghost Bears to come over and challenge for Outreach, with their full Clan. Needless to say, this isn't happening. But to take them down via treachery, by an old foe's hand? That works. It shows off a few things ... the nastyness of nuclear combat and why it was outlawed so long ago, how far madness could push someone, and it allows for the complete destruction scale that was needed.
3) Why do I hate the Dragoons? Actually, I don't. Right beside the Grey Legion book, I've got my Dragoons stuff from eons ago. Even got the Black Widow comic. Believe me, I used to be a huge fan. But, as a writer, trying to do what I'm trying do do, I have to recognize them as a major obstacle that have to be removed. The only malice you'll find is Waco's, in the above. If it actually came off as shocking, well, good. It means I'm getting better at my craft.
4) So you wanna kill everyone, right? Wrong. Basicly, the biggest mercenary units will wind up either in a House or gone. The days of multiple-regiment Mercs with shiny new mechs, their own jumpship, mech factor(ies), and so on, will be gone, to try and bring back some of the original feel. New players who came in could look around and see better examples of what they should be, rather than try to compare themselves to the biggest of all time.
5) Dirty nukes. It wasn't intended in the traditional vein, so blame my level of sleep, there. The usage of dirty was in the same way of saying 'Dirty snake' or the like ... it was a low-down, miserable weapon, not a 'Dirty Nuke', per say. Mind you, many probably were, because they don't store well and these *were* black market fringe weapons, which are never good, but, the intent was a reminder of how horrid the weapon itself was and to show how far gone Waco was, not to imply excess radiation.
5) The Wolves lashing out looks weak at first, but does make a bit of sense. It's the "Nobody messes with my brother but me" syndrome ... yes, they aren't fans of teh Dragoons, but, by Kerensky, they're *family*, and doing to even the most hated member of your clan what Waco does would be enough to set them off. They'e Crusaders, and seeing the Sphere use a weapon so abhorant just pushes all their buttons. In short, "If they want total war, we'll *give* them total war..." You might notice that none of teh other Clans explode like this. For the Wolves, even distantly, it's personal.
6) Isn't this just killing the old for the sake of the new? Sorta. While cleaning the table, leaving room for a new generation to step up and play, it leaves the Wolf Legacy, giving some nice RP hooks, takes a section of the book akin to the Kentares Massacre which will be brutal enough that everyone will know it, and, without the biggest operator out there, leaves more room in the storyline's greater arcs. They're not being killed because they're old, they're being killed because of how hard it is to bring in the new around them.
7) Do I expect people to be happy about it? Heck no! I expect people to be sad, angry, and mortified ... exactly as they should. There'll be a side pasage about some Mercenaries wearing a sign of the wolf on their uniform, as an eternal symbol of respect and mourning, and some of those who were of the Drgoons will be figures with great historical significance. They get to shine, but they're gone in the end.
 Won't people step away without the 'Power Units'? Shouldn't be. I don't know anyone who only played the game because of, say, the Eridani Light Horse, but I know a few who would give a campaign GM a nasty look when he wouldn't allow them a mech factory or the like, since "Everybody else has one." It became, in the later days, the assumption that there were only a handful of Mercs even left, and all ofthose had a dozen or so regiments. This isn't the case, obviously, but it was the opinion of the new players that I saw try it out. That has to be addressed.
9) Where's the Black and White? It isn't there. I go for grey for a reason. The 3200 era allows for the insertion of leaders in each house, the changing of borders, and the establishment of the old old out of the new old, if that makes sense. Not the full scavenger game that it was, way back when, tho that would be nice, as it lost out to the new toys. Many people *would* leave the game if it stripped out all of the 'goodies', but by changing a few things, here and there, balance can be restored to the Force, as it were.
10) Why bring up this sort of thing at all? Because I love the game. Dearly. It's been with me for a loooong time, and was passed to me by someone close who's no longer with me. And I don't want to let it go. So, yes, I'm willing to dive in and give it a facelift of epic level, if need be, to get it back out there. AD&D, Champions, Battletech, these are three names that were once iconic in gaming, and now, well, they're not. D&D, thankfully, made a massive, massive comeback, and Hero's trying. Now, I can only hope Btech launches as well.
-- Old Dog, greyhound, not a Bad Dog.
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MEX
Clan Blood Spirit
Star Colonel
Joined: 21-Mar-2002 00:00
Posts: 440
Location: Austria
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| Posted: 28-May-2002 03:49 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Quote:
| On 2002-05-27 22:02, Raven! wrote:
For the next week I would like to propose a challange: Everyone has to come up with something super positive and wonderful to say about the faction they hate the most.
For me I'll say the following: As Word of Blake is the faction I hate the most, ... |
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I hate WoB most too, but i cant think of anything super positive and wonderful to say about them 
For example:
To say that they really believe their own words wont be positive as i dont like religious fanatics like WoB or El Quida.
Even as a Blood Spirit i wont find it positive that WoB has LIBERATED Terra !
That the new storyline of MW: DA is based on the good work of WoB in reeducating persons like Devlin Stone isnt positive for me too !
http://www.wizkidsgames.com/mwdarkage/mw_article.asp?cid=34179
...
MfG, MEX
P.S.: It would be easier for me to say something positive about Nazis than about WoB.
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Sir Henry
Team Bansai
Senior Tech Specialist
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4899
Location: United States
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| Posted: 28-May-2002 08:05 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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If a core group must go the Lyrans.....errrr..WOB, Yea, that's the ticket. Word Of Flake.....
Sir HEnry
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Sir Henry
A Dragon in the disguise of a bunny, is still a Dragon.
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Nightmare
Lyran Alliance
Kommandant-General
Joined: 03-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 2214
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| Posted: 28-May-2002 08:20 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Old Dog is quite right in some things. The Dragoons need to go as they`re a dead end.
As are the other multi-regiment mercs, just
because, well, read the thread on transporting and supporting a RCT.
The Kell hounds will probably become the private army of the next Kell, soon-to-be Lyran Graf or whatever. Not destroyed, but
no longer mercs. House troops within a few
generations at most.
As for the Wolfs running berserk, not bloody likely is it? The Dragoons already refused to return, they`re not clanners anymore. True Clanners will applaud the destruction of so many dishonorable mercs, no matter the horrible method used.
The problem with this scenario is actually something else. There`s no way the Dragoons can afford to keep all their regiments stuck on one planet, rich or not. They must have people out on missions all the time, which means a goodly part of them will survive. Unless you also drop nukes on a few other planets. Urgh! What kind of places do you think they hire Dragoons for? The frontlines as usual, and now the defenders are dead. A few wars are bound to start anyway.
Waco might be mad enough to command the attack on Outreach, but could he really find enough madmen to follow through on it elsewhere?
*edited: a missing letter
_________________
Lawyer: "Now sir, I'm sure you are an intelligent and honest man--"
Witness: "Thank you. If I weren't under oath, I'd return the compliment."
[ This Message was edited by: Nightmare on 2002-05-28 10:51 ]
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A tree fall in the forest, and no one is around, and it hits a mime. Does anyone care?
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Karagin
Imperial Karagin Army
Imperial General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4120
Location: United States
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| Posted: 28-May-2002 10:16 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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So the idea is if something becomes to big kill it off...sorry but to me that is crazy. The Dragoons are on one planet, they hire out their troops, and run a planet that deals in the merc trade, so far to me that doesn't make them all powerful.
But hey if you want to wipe them out in your game, feel free. Like I said you might as well remove all the other power units from the game and bring down all of the houses as well...
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Karagin
Only the dead have seen the end of war. - Plato
"Wasted trip Man. Nobody said nuthin' about lockin' horns with no tigers." Oddball
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Pinhead
The Bloody Clans
Joined: 25-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1258
Location: United States
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| Posted: 28-May-2002 11:24 Post subject: WolfTrap! Old Dog deals with Wolf's Dragoons... |
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Actually if your intent is to rid the universe of the Wolves.. That would be pretty much the only way to start.
No way you could take them in a planetary battle, not with the way they have been written.
The scenario you described would take out the major portions of their command and control, and could effectively splinter the remaining units. Though instead of Waco by himself, I might at least have rumors of some great house being involved.
With the Wolves(and some of the other units) as powerful as they are, the universe getting knocked back to the stone age (like wizkids seems to suggest) in a mere 60 years seems highly unlikely.
I'm not real sure I would enjoy a universe that continuously destroyed their highly touted units, but your scenario at least starts out as an interesting premise.
Pin
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"My Blood is not mine to give, it belongs to my Brothers"
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