To put it simply, I want to take Battletech away from the "medieval lords" mindset and more towards a true modern future of humanity. The details I will explain later when I have more time, but suffice to say that 150 years after Fortress Republic ended (to be explained later), a mighty change swept through most of the Inner Sphere. After nearly 500 years of dealing with lords and dictators, the people had finally had enough and the push for more democratic representation began in earnest. Some house lords were more open to it than others. Some were crushed beneath it. Some overcame it. In the end, the Inner Sphere as we know it was forever changed. As power slipped from the hands of the nobles, a new player entered the vacuum... one that had always been there... biding their time... the corporations. Here is a rough draft of the different political and corporate players we will be working with in the region we are fighting in. Regretfully, I had hoped to have things a bit more well polished before showing you guys, but some are you are foaming at the mouth for more info... so here you go:
That's pretty much how he described it last night on TS. Mechwarriors are looked down on as warmongerers (bad for business) and a necessary evil. Mostly the term "Mechwarrior" itself is almost a slur, instead pilots go by the term "Freelancer" or 'Lancer for short. Of course players in this new campaign are going to be 'Lancers but instead of working in units we're pretty much all going to be independent taking contracts by ourselves or maybe with (or against) other player and NPC 'Lancers.
I updated the factions section to include the Draconis Kingdom and Rasalhague Dominion. Find it here: http://www.theskjaldborg.com/index....century-official-sourcebook.7478/#post-154439 Also added a unfortunately long winded section on the development of drone technology: http://www.theskjaldborg.com/index....century-official-sourcebook.7478/#post-153880
TECH TREES: New technologies will be unlocked by gathering "Prestige" for each successful mission. Progression will be based on a component's individual BV; the greater the BV, the longer it will take to unlock. You should expect to work for more than one faction depending on what technologies you want to use. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL OF THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A WORK IN PROGRESS! Antallos Amalgamated Arms LOW TECH - tier 1 IS tech, tier 2 IS melee weapons, Double Heat Sinks Highest cash reward (x3 reward) Fastest tech tree progression (x3 Prestige per mission) Good source for cheap mechs and drones. SPECIAL ABILITY - FENCE OPERATION - for a limited time, players gain access to other random technology Alliance Industries Ltd. CLAN TECH - pre-3050 IS weaponry and all Clan weaponry Lowest cash reward (x1 reward) Slowest tech tree progression (x1 Prestige per mission) Limited selection of mechs and drones. Hive Technologies ADVANCED TECH - pre-3060 IS weaponry and all missile-based IS or Clan weaponry Average cash reward - (x2 reward) Average tech tree progression (x2 Prestige per mission) Limited selection of mechs, but good selection of drones. Independence Weaponry ADVANCED TECH - pre-3060 IS weaponry and all ballistic-based IS or Clan weaponry Average cash reward - (x2 reward) Average tech tree progression (x2 Prestige per mission) Good selection of mechs, but limited selection of drones. Luthien Exports ADVANCED TECH - pre-3060 IS weaponry and all energy-based IS or Clan weaponry Average cash reward - (x2 reward) Average tech tree progression (x2 Prestige per mission) Good selection of mechs, but limited selection of drones. NOTE: All factions get full access to "non-weapon" and melee equipment (some exceptions may apply).
DRONE FORCES: Alliance Industries Ltd. - Despite having easier access to clan equipment, Alliance Industries has been faced with some setbacks in developing drones that use clan technology. Their chief critics of the program have been the Clan Snow Raven leadership who are concerned about clan drone production taking resources away from their Lancers and regular forces. As a result, Alliance drones tend to rely on a mix of pre-3050 Clan and IS technology. Clan versions of endo steel, ferro-fibrous, and other advanced clan materials are never used. Although the incorporation of even old Clan weaponry still makes Alliance drones something to be feared, they tend to also be a bit more fragile than their Inner Sphere counterparts. Drones may only use IS and Clan tech that was available prior to 3050 (some further restrictions apply) Processor (pilot) quirks: Pain Resistance Bipedal Drone quirks: Easy To Pilot, Extended Torso Twist, Narrow Profile Quad Drone quirks: Accurate, Easy To Pilot, Narrow Profile, Stable Cost reduction = 10% Antallos Amalgamated Arms - "Triple A" (as it is commonly called) has never shied away from its image as a supplier of cheap alternatives to their competition. However, in this case "cheap" doesn't necessarily mean "poor quality". In fact Triple A prides itself on a no-frills, tough-as-nails approach to its products. This has allowed it to start from a simple backwater supplier to the fastest growing company in the periphery. Not surprisingly, it's drone line follows the same ideal as all of its other products. Unfortunately, their reluctance to use new technology means their AI programming is slightly inferior to their competition: Drones may use any tech normally available to AAA (see "LOW TECH" above) except melee weapons Processor (pilot) quirks: Hot Dog, Pain Resistance, Some Like It Hot Bipedal Drone quirks: Cowl, Extended Torso Twist, Improved Life Support Quad Drone quirks: Cowl, Improved Life Support, Stable Cost reduction = 30%-20% Hive Technologies - Originating from the Terran Republic, "HiveTech" was the first to establish drone manufacturing in the region. Today, the company maintains its reputation as the number one producer of quality drone technologies. Combined with their advanced missile systems, HiveTech drones strike a perfect balance of rugged dependability and lethal efficiency. Of all the various factions on Antallos, it is the HiveTech "drone swarm" that is most feared... and with good reason. Drones may us any tier 2 IS tech and any tier missile-based IS tech Processor (pilot) quirks: Hot Dog, Pain Resistance Bipedal Drone quirks: Cowl, Easy To Pilot, Extended Torso Twist, Improved Life Support, Narrow Profile Quad Drone quirks: Accurate, Cowl, Easy To Pilot, Improved Life Support, Narrow Profile, Stable Cost reduction = 10% Independence Weaponry - When Independence moved its operation to (at that time) Federated Suns territory, it forced them to re-evaluate their entire production line. No one loved big and loud guns more than the Feddies. If they hoped to survive, they had to adjust to that market's demands. Today, while they still carry the full selection of Star League era equipment, it is ballistic weaponry that is their specialty. From their guass autocannon line to their famous Rail Gun, no one on Antallos offers a better selection of "hot metal death" than Independence Weaponry. Their drones reflect this same preference. Although relying heavily on ammo has made their drones inherently more fragile, none can deny they are an incredibly destructive force to be reckoned with. Drones may us any tier 2 IS tech and any tier ballistic-based IS tech Processor (pilot) quirks: Hot Dog, Pain Resistance Bipedal Drone quirks: Cowl, Easy To Pilot, Extended Torso Twist, Improved Life Support Quad Drone quirks: Accurate, Cowl, Easy To Pilot, Improved Life Support, Stable Cost reduction = 10% Luthien Exports - This company's drone line has become very popular with factions that are forced to operate with only limited support. While Triple-A still caters to most buyers who are on a limited budget, LE's energy weapon-based drones are prized by those who can afford them. Without need for a steady supply of ammunition, these drones are particularly effective for raiding parties and guerrilla actions. Not surprisingly, LE also gains a lot of "attention" from criminal elements. Drones may us any tier 2 IS tech and any tier energy-based IS tech Processor (pilot) quirks: Hot Dog, Pain Resistance Bipedal Drone quirks: Cowl, Easy To Pilot, Extended Torso Twist, Improved Life Support Quad Drone quirks: Accurate, Cowl, Easy To Pilot, Improved Life Support, Stable Cost reduction = none (trade tariffs in place)
Originally, I wanted to do a detailed tech tree that specifically assigned weapons to particular factions. However, this would have been an insane amount of work. Instead, I have decided to go with a much simpler solution that should still be easy for everyone to understand: I. GAINING CASH & PRESTIGE Each faction will offer various contracts over a specific period of time. The specifics of these contracts may be designed by the GM or designated Mission Designers. Contracts designed by players that meet the approval of the GM may also be introduced. Some contracts may feature a "story arc" comprised of a series of missions, but most will be a standalone single mission. For every mission your Lancer joins, you will be assigned a certain number of objectives. Each of these objective is worth a certain amount of "prestige points". The more objectives you complete, the greater prestige you earn with the faction you are working for. Cash bonuses work the same way, but this reward will be an independent variable beside prestige earned. The amount of Cash and Prestige you earn at the end of the contract is then applied to a faction multiplier to determine your final total. Here are the multipliers for this campaign: So for example: If you completed two missions for HiveTech that earned you a combined total of 500 C-bills (250k each) and 10 Prestige (5 each), your final total at the end of the contract would be: Although it is unlikely you will lose money if you fail to complete a contract, the same is not true about Prestige. Your level of Prestige can rise and fall depending on your level of success. As one example: defeating another Lancer in combat will not only earn you Prestige, but will also cause your defeated opponent to lose Prestige. Because this means you could potentially lose ALL your Prestige, I will probably set a minimal threshold that you can't drop below. ----- II. UNLOCKING THE TECH TREE Tech Tree progression is quite simple. You may modify your LancerMech with any weapons available to a specific faction. However, you are limited in your selection based on the amount of Prestige you have with that faction. Lets assume you are looking at building an all-energy based mech using Luthien Exports as your supplier. You have 200 Prestige with them. Luthien Exports is limited to the following tech: So basically, you can pick from any IS weapons that pre-dates 3060, but you can pick from any ENERGY-based weapons. To see what is available to you, open up MechLab in the Megamek folder. For this specific faction you will need to have "Tech: Mixed Inner Sphere" and "Tech Level: Unofficial" selected under the "Structure/Armor Tab. After that, select the "Equipment" Tab and follow the below example: REMEMBER: ANY EQUIPMENT WITHOUT A SPECIFIED INTRODUCTION YEAR IS ASSUMED TO BE POST-3070 TECH. However, we only have 200 Prestige... which means we are limited to weapons that are worth 200 BV or less. Go here to find weapon BV: There you go. Hope that wasn't too complicated for anyone. Feel free to ask questions or leave suggestions below.
Minimal Prestige Threshold: 200 (subject to change) If you drop below this threshold, you may continue to use any Tier 1 equipment regardless of your Prestige rating... AAA will sell to anyone. CAUTION FOR HIGH TECH USERS: if one of your weapons is destroyed and you lack the Prestige to replace it, you will have to replace it with a lower tech weapon.
YOU RANG? But no, I believe KHAY-OSS stars have 6 points Dihm. Also interesting changes, but for reference would plasma rifles fall under energy or ballistics weapons? (they're energy based but what they actually fire is flash heated, I believe plastic, projectiles and use ammunition accordingly.)
plasma rifles are listed under energy weapons in mechlab... so energy. If I remember correctly, only Luthien Exports and Alliance give you access to them.
General Artistic Design Alliance Industries: sleek lines, vague visual similarities to Menshen and Raven mechs. AAA: ugly, but efficient and utilitarian looking HiveTech: multi-armed missile spammers Independence: literally tank turrets on legs with big main guns Luthien Exports: anime inspired designs (WIP)
Logo Designs (rough drafts; designs and colors subject to change) Alliance Industries: AAA: official version unofficial/old (graffiti) version HiveTech: Independence: (same as original but slightly more orange) Luthien Exports: (only palate swap from original) Bandits: (can't work for them; intended as PvE content)
