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Wanallo Federated Suns Leftenant Colonel
Joined: 02-Jan-2004 00:00 Posts: 671 Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: 05-Feb-2004 16:08 Post subject: Dark Age? |
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OK Nice and simple, what are peoples views on Mechwarrior Dark Age and the history behind it? Good idea or bad?
_________________ Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them-Seneca
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Pinhead The Bloody Clans
Joined: 25-Feb-2002 00:00 Posts: 1258 Location: United States
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Posted: 05-Feb-2004 19:52 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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We generally don't talk about Dark Age as this board is dedicated to Battletech, and Dark Age is a completely different game system, which has little to do with the previous version.
Having said that::
Dark Age could have been a decent game but they really botched a few of the rules that significantly changed the "feel' of the game. By making the game a collectable game, they turned it into a bubblegum pack collector little kid's crap game.
I also truly dislike their timeline, which makes absolutely no sense in terms of timing etc.. when put into the Battletech universe.
But that is only my opinion..
Pin
_________________ "My Blood is not mine to give, it belongs to my Brothers"
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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: 05-Feb-2004 20:33 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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Bad. The end result might be okay, but the storyline getting there stinks.
The game I am rather neutral on. I'm not real fond of Wizkids products so naturally I don't play, but I am not opposed to a simplified mech game.
[ This Message was edited by: Gangrene on 2004-02-05 20:36 ] _________________ Gangrene
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DarkAdder Clan Star Adder Star Commander
Joined: 10-Jan-2004 00:00 Posts: 604
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Posted: 05-Feb-2004 21:01 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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As a quick and dirty system, its good for pickup games. The rules are very very simplified, mainly because they chipped a whole bunch of stuff out of the game. For example, I know that I can build a 100 ton mech, load it down with weapons, armor, and all that nifty stuff. Yet at any point, someone could get in a lucky shot and take off the mechs head. I cant hammer an enemy mech hard and knock it over, either. In a way, they took the original game of BattleTech, and turned it into checkers. Good set up, but too limp-wristed.
That having been said, it is good for fast games. Got 20 minutes? Battle for a planet. Think your battle group is hot stuff? Get out your clickies and throw down. The game can be played nearly anywhere, no need for maps.
Ive played the game a couple of times, and I can see the flaws (lots) and merits (few) of the game. Its a game I wouldnt mind getting as a gift, but Im not going to go out and drop $100 on it. Its a nice place to visit, but I wouldnt want to live there.
_________________ Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
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js Federated Suns Sergeant-Major
Joined: 25-Feb-2002 00:00 Posts: 125
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Posted: 06-Feb-2004 02:13 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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I have nothing against the game system. It has virtually nothing in common with CBT except some terminology, but in and of itself, it is fine. Of course, it is also more abstract than the CBT system, but if I can suspend disbelief for that, I can go one step further and believe in the MWDA game system, too.
As to the story, I think it's quite good. It has more potential IMHO than the current CBT storyline. (Yet another civilization-threatening event - ho hum. It's time for some small scale events.) Of course, the only really new part about the leadup to the MWDA story is the Republic of the Sphere. The rest was all planned by fasa anyway.
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Kiris65 Draconis Combine Tai-i
Joined: 17-Dec-2003 00:00 Posts: 371 Location: Panama
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Posted: 06-Feb-2004 08:40 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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I have read a couple of the books, and they are ok. I wish I could have read what happened in between, post FedCom Civil War up to the Hyperpulse Communication Blackout. The Word of Blake campaign against the Great Houses would make excellent scenarios, I think.
As for the Game itself I have not had the opportunity to play it, therefore I don't have an oppinion about it.
_________________ Anata no gosenzo sama ni kao o awase rare masuka! - (Get ready to meet your ashamed ancestors!)
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Havoc~Ronin Federated Suns Major
Joined: 13-Nov-2003 00:00 Posts: 427
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Posted: 06-Feb-2004 10:14 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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I have not played the game and that probably is "a good thing".
The storyline is ok, but the biggest problem I have is the fact that the Great Houses are looked at a backwater Periphery states. The Republic is mostly "core" worlds, so that leaves a lot of planets in each House. You can't tell me that in 75 years or so, things changed so drastically that the Houses lost all or most of their muscle, especially after centuries of war (even with the idea the people flock to Stone). I feel that the writers are not treaty the subject matter properly, but that is my humble opinion.
_________________ "Ours is not to question why, ours is just to do...."
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Old Dog Capellan Confederation Sang-wei
Joined: 24-May-2002 00:00 Posts: 299
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Posted: 06-Feb-2004 17:52 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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Dark Age is ... odd.
They did a lot of things that had to be done, but in some ways went to far and in others not enough.
Basicly, they'd written themselves into a corner with Victor "I am GOD" Davion after the Civil War, and knew that they had to take drastic steps.
Sadly, they took a few wrong ones.
In particular, the entire Devlin Stone thing is just crazy, falling to a Stackpolian "God amoung Men" template, followed by teh Republic of the Sphere offering farmland for anyone who'd let their mech be scrapped ... an offer that was so huge that they were swamped. Buh? And of course, the Houses didn't mind all of these worlds, including some MAJOR industrial ones, being taken by STone, since, you know, he was so cool.
It was a reset button of sorts, but a badly written one. Furthermore, we now see that the tech level didn't drop after all! They still have DHS, XL, Pulse Lasers, Clantech ... it's all started dropping back in, just like before.
Bleah.
Bleah I sez.
-- Old Dog, wrote a MUCH better version.
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Ruger Lyran Alliance Hauptmann General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00 Posts: 2093
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Posted: 06-Feb-2004 19:17 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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On 2004-02-06 10:14, Havoc~Ronin wrote:
but the biggest problem I have is the fact that the Great Houses are looked at a backwater Periphery states.
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Not true...it is merely that the Republic is the primary setting, at present, for this era of BTech...
Look at it this way...we are currently watching the fight for survival of a nation in the BTech setting...and as players, we can actually help decide what happens...
And Old Dog...
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Buh? And of course, the Houses didn't mind all of these worlds, including some MAJOR industrial ones, being taken by STone, since, you know, he was so cool.
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Let's see...many of those worlds were nuked, gassed or otherwise rendered pretty unlivable by the the Word of Blake, and the industries on them smashed...so, rather than spend the excessive amounts of cash to rennovate both them and all the other smashed worlds of their realms, they let someone else take care of it (and in Steiner's case, got rid of the often rebellious Skye region...something even you have pushed for quite a bit)...now that the real estate is back to almost where it was, you can see the Great Houses sniffing around again to get their stuff back...House Liao and House Davion are actively doing it, while House Steiner is covertly doing it, buying up large portions of the Republic and its corporations...and who compiles the various dossiers? Kurita's O5P...
Of course, this is my admittedly biased opinion...
Ruger
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Ruger Lyran Alliance Hauptmann General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00 Posts: 2093
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Posted: 06-Feb-2004 19:27 Post subject: Also... |
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On 2004-02-06 17:52, Old Dog wrote:
, followed by teh Republic of the Sphere offering farmland for anyone who'd let their mech be scrapped ... an offer that was so huge that they were swamped. Buh?
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Of course, humanity had also been through the worst war in its ENTIRE history...let's just take one world as an example...Liao...the Confederation suffered over ONE BILLION dead, and the loss of two of its warrior houses on this world alone...
Does it have some holes in it? Perhaps, but we don't have the full information available to us at present...but from what I've seen in the sources, I could see alot of this happening...
Ruger
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Motown Scrapper Clan Ice Hellions Galaxy Commander
Joined: 24-Jul-2003 00:00 Posts: 2074 Location: United States
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Posted: 07-Feb-2004 04:29 Post subject: RE: Also... |
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What do I think of MW:DA?Blasphemy!Heresy! the people responsible for this abomination should be ground-up ,cooked, and packed in 5.5 oz cans for cat food...just my opinion.
_________________ Having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have-Rush Limbaugh www.rushlimbaugh.com
Force of nature
Still crazy after all these years
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Kiris65 Draconis Combine Tai-i
Joined: 17-Dec-2003 00:00 Posts: 371 Location: Panama
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Posted: 07-Feb-2004 07:57 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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My main question regards the communication blackout. Is it limited to the Republic? or does it include the whole inner sphere?
_________________ Anata no gosenzo sama ni kao o awase rare masuka! - (Get ready to meet your ashamed ancestors!)
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Ruger Lyran Alliance Hauptmann General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00 Posts: 2093
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Posted: 07-Feb-2004 09:09 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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My understanding is that 80% of ALL HPG's have gone silent...
Ruger
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Ruger Lyran Alliance Hauptmann General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00 Posts: 2093
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Posted: 07-Feb-2004 09:12 Post subject: RE: Also... |
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On 2004-02-07 04:29, Motown Scrapper wrote:
What do I think of MW:DA?Blasphemy!Heresy! the people responsible for this abomination should be ground-up ,cooked, and packed in 5.5 oz cans for cat food...just my opinion.
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Do you mean the game or the setting?
Because most of the people doing the setting are the same ones that have been doing Classic BattleTech for the past several years (and in the case of Jordan Weisman, since the beginning of the game)...
Ruger
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Kiris65 Draconis Combine Tai-i
Joined: 17-Dec-2003 00:00 Posts: 371 Location: Panama
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Posted: 07-Feb-2004 09:25 Post subject: RE: Dark Age? |
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yes, but...everyone in the IS or just the Republic?
_________________ Anata no gosenzo sama ni kao o awase rare masuka! - (Get ready to meet your ashamed ancestors!)
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