Guys, I love Battletech. One of the very first video games I ever played was Mechwarrior 2. I owe my entire love of giant mechanical things to this lone, primitive, immensely deep game. It inspired me to no end. I put endless hours into it. Probably one of the most frustrating things to me in this day and age is that it won’t work on any computers past Windows 2000. (I’ve emulated it, but it’s just such a hassle it’s almost not worth it). =(

Anyway, I eventually bought Mechwarrior 3 and that got me into the rest of Battletech. “What’s this ‘Inner Sphere‘ I’m being told about? The Clans are actually bad? What? Where’s the Marauder? This ‘Sunder‘ guy looks pretty cool…”

And that was it. I was hooked. Huge, Titanium robots, blowing other huge titanium robots up with lasers and missiles. “Truly, this is the finest of all the fictional universes,” I said to myself.

The mech art is wonky, and in many cases, totally 80s in all senses of the word, and some of it is taken from Macross, Dougram and Crusher Joe. The whole thing is total cheese.

But I love it regardless!

There’s a theory out there about fandom called Broad Strokes. (Yes, it’s TV Tropes, and I’m sorry I just wasted 2 hours of your time). And that is totally how I am about Battletech. Sure, that black-and-white image of the “Bushwacker” is awful. But all I need to do is recognize that “Well, that’s not the one that should represent the ‘Mech as a whole, because I have this:

And that is what I like about Battletech: Even if the official art is wonky, everyone knows that somewhere in there is a mental image of what the ‘Mech really looks like. (The ones that don’t are the most annoying Battletech fans of all. “We should redraw all the art!” Come on, guys).

Of course, sometimes ‘Mechs are so badass they don’t need justification.

And that is why I Love Battletech.

Being a computer nerd has it’s perks, but it also has it’s drawbacks. Nerd-dom can essentially be drafted into a nerdy equation:

d = a + n where a = n*2-3

d: How discerning you are about your video games on a scale of 1-10
a: Your ability with a computer, directly proportional to nerdiness, minus standardized math courses.
n: Your nerdiness quotient, determined by counting the number of math courses you’ve completed since you started High School.

Example:
Magusuri;
n=4;
d = (4*2-3) + 4;
d = 9 out of 10.
(It is very possible to pop this chart entirely, those nerds are so nerdy they have trouble enjoying any game)

Now that I’ve scared off all but the really nerdy, I’m here to critique the massive failures in the gaming industry as of late. And believe me, some are nearing black hole status. Wow that joke was nerdy. Anyhow, moving on…

A Witty (Or Nerdy) Overview of the Modern Gaming Industry, Part 1 of ∞

Welcome to a new segment of SWP! Originally I was gonna sum up my disdain for the modern gaming industry into one, maybe two posts, but then I realized, there’s just so much I hate about the current state of the industry that I could write a Master’s Thesis on it. So henceforth shall the inception of this gaggle of great articles be known, and all comers will bask in the glory of gaming clusterfucks. Yeah, couldn’t think of an old-school word for clusterfuck that communicated the same amount of malice. So, our first topic of interest is Harmony Gold vs. Smith and Tinker/FasaCorp/Pirahna Games.

To start a small history lesson, Harmony Gold has had all US rights to market and distribute all forms of “Robotech” merchandise since the mid-90’s. Fasa Corporation, on the other hand, developed the original “BattleTech” tabletop RPG, as well as a series of books, associated merchandise, and as some of you know, they are also the original progenitors of the “Mechwarrior” series of Video Games. Now to the problems.

When Fasa was getting started back in 1985 (Yeah, I know) they had a mass shortage of Mech designs, and I mean a MASS shortage, as in they probably had like 30, including aerospace (Jets) and vehicles (durr). So they contracted a Japanese company for more Mech designs. All good right? Now they have enough Mechs, and hence one of the ultimate gritty, dark, violent sci-fi universes was spawned. (If you try and tell me Star [anything] qualifies for gritty, dark, and violent, you’re fucking retarded. Anyhow…) As time went on, there were rulebooks, novels, and an incredibly deep lore, all formed around this universe of Battlemechs and transient human life. But alas, in the 80’s we had no concept of Intellectual Property, which will eventually lead us to the saddest excuse for griefing I have ever witnessed.

While Fasa was getting shit done in the US, the IP from which they had bought the Mech designs soared in popularity. This IP (Intellectual Property, for those not up on terms) consisted of three separate sources, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA. These three sources eventually coagulated into Robotech as a whole. Now the problem is this: As these reached peak popularity in Japan, roughly in the early to mid-90’s, someone suggesting selling the distribution rights for other countries. That’s right, after IP law started getting enforced, now they sell the rights. “But”, you ask, “Didn’t Fasa already buy a lot of their designs?” The answer is yes, but from a company not legally entitled to distribute those rights. This didn’t come to fruition until Harmony Gold bought US distribution rights.

Harmony Gold almost instantaneously filed copyright infringement on Fasa for a number of their mechs, most notably the Warhammer, which is almost a direct use of one of the most common Robotech mecha. Fasa, still being a relatively small company, caved, removed the related mechs from future games and retconned (Removed from the history 1984 style) them from the literature, rulebooks, etc. This was after a long period of attempted negotiation, mind you. Regardless, time rolled on, and Fasa Corp was eventually bought out by Wizkids, and eventually the gaming division was acquired by Microsoft. The Tabletop game is now owned by Topps, and, after utterly demolishing the franchise, Microsoft sold video game rights to Smith & Tinker, which is comprised of many of the original employees of Fasa Corp.

Smith & Tinker recently announced a reboot of the Mechwarrior series of video games (much to the joy of old fans of the series after Micro$oft’s butchering of the franchise), releasing an announce trailer featuring a, oh right, a Warhammer WH-D1… Not the smartest decision, because as expected Harmony Gold immediately erupted in a tizzy, threatening legal action again, and demanding removal of the trailer. Note:

Can’t tell which is which? That’s the point. Anyhow, HG, since acquiring US distribution rights for Robotech, has released the anime on DVD, shown it on TV, sold toys in specialty shops, and has produced a number of widely hated (Especially by their fans) video games. Seeing as how they hate life, it only makes sense to pick on an underdog trying to scratch out a living by creating an entirely separate universe.

So this concludes this entry, do some research, send HG some death threats, etc. All in all I’m going to leave out the majority of my seething anger and blind hatred, because anyone who sees this story will be able to generate their own. Fasa was screwed, and ever since then they have fought an uphill battle to continue to bring us Battletech, harried at every turn by greedy bastards and spiteful assholes. Enjoy.

Since opening Organized Play, we have not been bored. And since the New Year, we have even another reason not to be. Such an awesome reason that we needed to add another staff member!

We have acquired Exodus Road Hobbies. The previous owner of ERH decided that he wanted to spend more time with his family, so this winter he searched for a person who could continue the company that he strived to create. After applying for consideration and waiting with our fingers crossed, OP was determined to be the best fit for ERH!

This is a big step, and we’re excited about where this will lead. Knoxville’s been good to us so far, hopefully the internet will be too!

I read a letter to the editor of a gaming magazine last weekend; a letter that made me think not only about role playing, but writing as well. This letter was written buy a serving non-com in the US army, someone who has served for over a decade in the military and has served multiple combat tours in Iraq. In other words, someone who is readily able to comment on a previous letter that people can only be good role players if they like to “hack and slash” and enjoy playing evil characters.

This soldier’s response mirrored my own thoughts on the topic. The letter was long, so I will only quote a portion of it:

“I know more about morally ambiguous situations than I ever wanted to. I know about monsters in a way that catches you viscerally and won’t let you go. And I’m certain that I’ve stood in a room with someone viler than an orc whom I could NOT touch because in the real world monsters don’t come with fangs and green skin and identify themselves by snarling and coming at you with a sword.

I will not – even in escapist fantasy – waste my time playing villains. You want that crap, turn on the TV and watch he news. I game because I like worlds where monsters look different, are obviously evil, and can be killed by the hero with the sword or the fireball. I like choices to be simpler and cleaner and the good guys to triumph – if they are smart enough, fast enough, and strong enough.

It’s what I enjoy. I’m not saying that this is the only way to play. I’m saying it’s MY way. Anyone who criticizes me for my “blind spot” about Evil (or merely selfish) hack and slash better be prepared for a more vehement version of this rebuttal, and they better have an equivalent experience with evil.”

The letter continues for several more paragraphs, but the above section, (quoted from “Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine, Nov. 2009, pg. is the heart of the letter. It sums up my feelings on a RPG’s, and on writing. I also agree with the letter writer that while playing RPG’s in other ways isn’t wrong, it just isn’t for me.

This addresses what I think about writing. I could, I suppose, write deeper fiction. Where my hero isn’t obviously a hero. Where he struggles with committing actions that aren’t obviously good. Where he could, like Stephan Donaldson’s anti-hero Thomas Covenant, start off his career by raping an innocent.

OTOH, why would I want to do that? I write the kind of stories I like to read about. Where the good guys win, and the bad guys, while not stupid or otherwise simple monsters to be hacked apart, do get their butts kicked.

I have read a lot of Battletech novels over the years. Many of these novels are mediocre, but the best of these novels, written by Mike Stackpole (a mentor of mine even if he doesn’t know it), have been criticized as being too simple, with too many “Mary Sue’s.” (FYI: A “Mary Sue” is a character who is totally good, never loses, etc.) I can see how people could make this argument, but I have never found it to be true, for one simple reason: I like his heroes. I want them to win. They are the good guys.

Mr. Stackpole writes the type of novel I call “Brain Candy.” Yes, they are simplistic, to a degree. OTOH, they are not simple. His heroes act out of a desire to do what is right. That they do so all the time may irritate people, but oh well. If I want read deep fiction, I’ll pick up War and Peace. But if I want to read a story that takes my mind off of the problems of the day, then Stackpole, and authors like him, are where it’s at. You won’t get a deep plot. But you will get a good story that sees the bad guys get their due.

Now, a good writer of this type of fiction avoids the trap of having simple characters. I hope that my writing does; it was certainly one of the goals I had in mind when I started on “The Plains Knight” trilogy. Grom Ten-Kill is a villain. But he isn’t a simple character. OTOH, while Tarn has his flaws, he is a hero. Orcs are villains, and they do get chopped up. And more importantly, the presence of Demons to be slain shows that good will fight evil.

One of my favorite TV shows of years past, Angel, made the point that it isn’t about whether we win the fight with evil or not – simply that we keep on fighting. This is laudable, to a degree. Conversely, there is something to be said for a movie like Star Wars. You know, Star Wars when that was the only one of the six movies. Where the bad guys lose, and the good guys win. Where, after you watch the Death Star blow up, you feel just a little better, knowing that while evil may triumph in our lives, fiction gives us something – somewhere, sometime – where the good guys win. Black is black and white is white. Moral ambiguity doesn’t exist.

This, I think, is the attraction of Superman. He may not be my favorite super hero, but I can understand why people like him. He may be a boy scout, but so what? It’s fun to see the bad guys get their asses kicked.

I hope that my writing follows this model. I know I’m not Tolkien. I also hope that after you read my writing, you can forget your problems for a while, and just know that on Aromathus, at least, men can be heroes – warts and all.

Exciting news for Battletech players! Tonight begins the first Friday we’re starting Classic Battletech scenarios at Organized Play – hosted by longtime Battletech fanatic James Herbert. James is also the president of Exodus Road Hobbies, a leading Internet seller for Battletech miniatures. The scenario will begin at 6 p.m. tonight, and we’ll continue doing Friday Night ‘Tech every two weeks (so, the next one will be on the 29th.) Come on out and give it a try!

Have you ever thought about what a challenge it is to come up with an original, yet cool-sounding, name for your type of interstellar empire?

It’s a challenge keenly felt by the major factions in most science fiction game settings, judging by the wide variety of near-synonyms for the word “empire” that crop up in their names. As we all know, every good interstellar empire’s name needs to follow the format [faction name] [government type]. And we also know that there can be no more than one instance of any particular type of interstellar government in existence at the same time. Look at the effort game designers go through to avoid duplicating faction names in, say, the Traveller universe:

Traveller factions (current Mongoose edition)

• Vodani Consulate

• Vargyr Extents
• Aslan Hierate (is that even a word?)
• Solomani Sphere
• Hive Federation
• Third Imperium

Imagine the embarrassment of being unable to think of a cool, unique name for your interstellar empire! The factions of the Battletech universe feel your pain:

Battletech factions (in 3025 or thereabouts)

• Free Worlds League

• Federated Suns (Hey, “Suns” isn’t a government type! Sneaky.)
• Draconis Combine
• Lyran Commonwealth
• Capellan Confederation
• Marian Hegemony
• Outworlds Alliance
• Taurian Concordat

The powers of the (sadly defunct) Star*Drive universe had to really break out the thesaurus to name themselves:

Star*Drive factions

• Borealis Republic

• Rigonmur Star Consortium
• Nariac Domain
• Orion League
• Orlamu Theocracy
• StarMech Collective
• Thuldan Empire
• Hatire Community

And we’ll close with Hero Games’ Terran Empire setting, which is unique in featuring more than one “Empire”:

Terran Empire factions

• Terran, Varanyi, and a few other Empires

• Conjoined Civilizations Republic
• Thorgon Hegemony
• Velarian Confederation
• Mon’dabi Federation

The point is not that these aren’t interesting or well-imagined settings (I happen to appreciate them all). It’s just amusing to watch the settings’ creators jump through vocabulary hoops to come up with unique names for the different factions.

Pity the poor latecomer to the galactic superpower scene, who must make do with being a “Community” or “League,” rather than a much cooler-sounding “Hegemony” or “Theocracy”!

(And real-life country naming conventions are a bit bizarre, too—for instance, the more politically repressive and un-democratic your country is, the more likely you are to have “republic,” “democracy,” or other wildly inappropriate words in your country’s official name.)

(I meant to post this, literally, two months ago. Verily, I suck)

Paint-It-Pink has a post, Battletech deja-vu, her thoughts on the changes to the story, and thus the rules, of Battletech. Like her, I played Battletech in the early days (though not as far back as Battledroids), but I didn’t play again until last year when I looking for a wargame to introduce to my son.

Like Paint it Pink, I’m stuck in the pre-3039 era. To be honest, it’s not because I have a problem with later developments, but rather, I just can’t grok the timeline after the Clan invasion — it’s confusing. I can’t muster the necessary enthusiasm to invest the time needed to figure out what the hell is going on. And, I’m resistant to change. I hate change

Both Gabe and I love fluff, so as we play, we are creating extensive (often wildly inconsistent) histories for out units. Our small, scrappy and ragtag units — losers barely scraping by — wouldn’t fare well in the post-3039 eras. And I’m too attached to my prize unit, Black’s Raiders, to hurl them into combat with a Clan. Gabe, he just loves the idea of massive ‘bots lumbering into close combat and whacking each other to pieces too much to enjoy the later eras as much.

Unlike Paint it Pink, though, my choice is an ethical failing — Gabe loves Battletech, but he’s never heard of the Clans, let alone the Word of Blake or even the FedCom Civil War (Hanse Davion lives!). One day, my son is going to play wargames outside of our home, and he’s going to be confused and he’s gonna be mad that I’ve been keeping omnimechs a secret.

Our first club meeting of the year is coming up on Sunday 17th January. As well as our usual array of board, card and miniatures games, we have some leagues ready to start. What would the gaming year be without a league or two? Scheduled to start in January are:

Magic: The Gathering Grand Melee (organiser: David Kay)
Puerto Rico (organiser: Terry Krause)
Battletech (organiser: Terry Krause)
Viewpoint (organiser: Keith Done)

As a club member, you can organise any league you want to have over the year.

From the House Davion Sourcebook [copyright FASA 1988]:

The roots of the five Successor States and dozens of Pe-
riphery states go back to primitive rocketry experiments during
World War II in the 1940s. In the following decades, two victors
of that war, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, competed to see who could explore “outer
space” more quickly. Though these early space probes only car-
ried explorers about a hundred miles into Terran orbit, these ten-
tative efforts would one day lead to full-scale colonization.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: It has also been remarked that the end
of Terra’s feasibility as home for the entire Human race began
when the names of nations got longer and longer. At that time,
there was even a country called the People’s Democratic Re-
public of South Yemen, but ComStar researchers have been un-
able to find its location on any ancient map of Terra.]

[It existed from 1967 to 1990, but perhaps even reunified Yemen is not long for the world. -nb]

In the 21st century, political alignments on the Terran
homeworld began to shift drastically. After the Second Soviet
Civil War (2011-2014), the Western Alliance (America and Eu-
rope) became the preeminent world power. The Western Alliance’s
highest priority was peaceful scientific research and develop-
ment to overcome disease, hunger, overpopulation, and envi-
ronmental damage.

No “global warming”?  Recall that the ozone hole was a catastrophe in Star Trek: The Next Generation and one of the Robocop films.  There’s no need, one supposes, for science-fiction disasters when the old standbys will serve.

Meanwhile, in 2018, one of the greatest scientific break-
throughs of the ages occurred when two theoretical physicists
named Takayoshi Fuchida and Thomas Kearny found a slight
anomaly in the work on prototype fusion reactors. Extrapolating
from this, they postulated that it was possible for mass, in short
bursts, to exceed the speed of light. Fellow scientists ridiculed
Kearny and Fuchida’s work, and drove them from the profes-
sion. As a result, their groundbreaking discovery would remain
forgotten for almost a century.

Meanwhile, other scientific breakthroughs such as asteroi-
dal mining, recombinant DNA organisms, and free-floating space
factories (which permitted industrial procedures impossible in
an atmosphere or under gravity) ensured a standard of living
higher than ever before. Without enough food to feed people on
the ground, however, famines became increasingly widespread
among the world’s population.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Indeed, the most famous artwork of the
21st century may well be Alessandro Mekam’s Threnody, a por-
trait of a child dying of hunger as she watches an early holovid.
It is greatly to be regretted that so much technology, even of the
21st century, has been lost in the Succession Wars.]

Chilling.  I can well imagine it.

So here is final  round of introductions.

You may remember, back on the first prelude that their were eight participants to the challenge.

A late comer has shown himself and has joined the fold to make the challenge a tale of 9 painters. Who is this mystery bandwagon jumper, I hear you call well he is none other than…

Gdaybloke

Chris “gdaybloke” Miller is a transplanted Australian living in the Great White North, where he is learning that you can’t hunt moose with a boomerang. To console himself as he yearns for meat pies, pavlova and polly waffles, he sinks pretty much all of his free time into maintaining a daily posting schedule at Lost Hemisphere.

While he started with Seaforge, the Creator Of Man claimed him and he now owns well over 300pts of Menites. Fickle as he is, he took up the Trollblood cause for the Breast Cancer Brawl, and adopted the Ta-Ta Kriel.

Now, he stands vigil by Scyrah’s side, and is working to lead Adeptis Rahn to, well, hopefully at least one or two victories at Templecon. For now, the Iosans have his attention, but after Templecon, the siren call of Menoth beckons, and the Harbinger awaits…

The next volunteer is…

Jme

Hey everyone!

I’m Jme from Warpainter. I picked up my first mini back in 1992 when I was 9, but I didn’t really get to playing them until about 1998 with a few of my highschool friends. I’ve been through everything from Battletech to Warmaster, Warhammer 40k to Hordes. A few of my friends got into WM/H a few years ago and at first I wasn’t interested at all. After some goading I finally picked up the Circle Orboros Warpack and it has been love ever since.

I have been painting minis for about 10 years but my skills only really started to come together in the past few years with the help of a few friends of mine. Currently I’m working on my Trollbloods and any excuse to paint a few extra models is fine with me!

- Jme

Finally to give you an insight into who I am…

alexsmith175

I’m Alex and I run this ship!

All in all I have been in “the hobby” since 1996 when one of my friends gave me a free miniature off the cover of White Dwarf.

At the moment the only games I play are Warmachine and Hordes. I have been a loyal fan of everything that is PP since the Warmachine was released, back in 2003, if I remember correctly.

My main faction is Khador, hence the name of the blog… However I also play Skorne and own models for several other factions.

During this challenge I aim to paint as much Khador as possible with the aim of having a fully painted force for the UK Masters in early June.

So there we go, don’t you feel like we have all bonded?

The entries for the first part of the challenge are due on the 14th January so watch this space!

I need to swear off talking shop just before bedtime.  Last night I dreamed that I was offered a $150 glossy game book with mural-style pictures and no words at all, alongside a $40 TRO reprint.  [The total somehow came to $220.  Apparantly my subconscious can't add.]  Later I thumbed through the TRO and discovered the figures all resembled Looney Tunes characters with antennae and autocannons attached.  My subconscious is a harsh critic.

I don’t understand it.  Why did I spring for Catalyst’s $60 photo album but find myself balking at $3 for Leviathans?  Obviously this price is far too low.  And Eclipse Phase is a Creative Commons product?  Meaning what, it’s free?  The laws of Economics have been repealed and nobody told me.

A few days ago, Gabe asked if he could paint his own miniature. I was hoping he’s choose something interesting to paint — he’s inherited my total lack of artistic skills, but, at seven years old, he’s not a very discerning critic. I tried to talk him into choosing a fantasy figure — something we could use for Song of Blades and Heroes (which we don’t own yet) , but he had his heart set on a ‘mech. Actually, he had his heart set on a big ‘mech that could pulverize his sworn enemy — Dad. I think ‘mechs aren’t all that interesting to paint, but an elf with a sword can’t compete with a big-ass robot with giant guns.

Friday, after work I picked him up and we went to the Friendly Local Game Store (The Game Room, in Toledo, Ohio). We had to maneuver around a Friday night pick-up game, and our path went past a wall full of Warhammer Fantasy Battle box sets. He was disappointed when I told him that WFB is wildly inappropriate for a seven-year-old boy (also wildly inappropriate for our finances, given my current state of underemployment). Gabe liked the Tomb Kings box set — somehting we won’t mention to Non-Wargaimng Mom, (that way this won’t become the Divorced Wargaming Dad with Wednesday evenings and Alternate Weekends Blog) After the Tomb Kings, the Warmachine figures I showed him didn’t make much of an impression — though a lone, dusty, box of Celt warriors high on a shelf did catch his eye — perhaps we can yet turn this lad from the GW Dark Side and onto the path of Ancients wargaming.

Once we reached the Battletech wall, Gabe picked out an Archer (the ARC-6w variant, which I don’t like as well as the old style). Gabe prefers to do his pulverizing from 20 hexes away. Ideally, he wants a ‘mech with two LRM-20 launchers, and AC-20 and battle axe in each hand. He had to settle for the Archer.

Of course, you can’t get to the checkout counter without passing the Warhammer 40K stuff — I told him he could play that when he turns 21.

Thanks to the register display, he  talked me into buying a Roman booster for Arcane Legions, though it didn’t take very much convincing. And, as a good-dad reward, I bought myself a new brush, a Formula P3 Fine hobby brush.

We’ve already bought 4 Roman booster for AL, so I expected tonight’s purchase to be a duplicate. I spent the car ride home preparing him for the disappointment of more Priestesses of Vulcan. Duplicate AL boosters aren’t a disaster; the option of fielding an extra specialist unit can be a good thing. But Gabe’s been hoping for King Midas (he’s loves his Minotaurs) and I think some Golems would be highly cool. We got lucky, it wasn’t a duplicate, but a unit of  Gallic Berserkers. No King Midas, but barbarians with axes make Gabe happy.

Few plans for this weekend, so we’ll get started on the ‘mech and probably battle test those Gauls. Gabe asked that I not swear too much while I’m glueing the battlemech together. Personally, I feel that profuse swearing is as much a tool of the hobbyist as a jar of water, but Gabe prefers a profanity-free household (thanks a lot, expensive-Catholic-education!).

My bookshelf is populated mainly by volumes I’ve read at least once.  Every now and again I realize that I’m missing some prized volume, either given away or lent permanently; conversely, on rare occasions I find something I’ve never managed to read that has been patiently waiting years for my attention.  Yesterday I discovered that have but have never read Phaedo.  Given the topic of discussion, I’ve made a mental note to return to this volume in the days before my own death, should I be so forewarned.

Lately I’ve been giving myself over to small pleasures.  [Is this behavior philosophical?  Depends upon your school.]  Today’s was the first cool morning of the season, and I relished taking the hot coffee tumbler in my cold hands.  Disgusted at long last by both AM and FM talk, I’ve tuned my car radio to a place it’s never before been, the Jazz station.  [Excepting this announcement I'm keeping that to myself; like sports and television, Jazz grows harder to like the more I hear others gush about it.  (Come think of it, the Internet probably killed TV for me.)]  Tomorrow I plant to visit the zoo for the first time in a long while.  (With any luck, I’ll catch the tortoises at feeding time; watching them sprint for lettuce never gets old.)

I’m leaning against buying the new Super Mario Bros. You can’t go back, and the same money buys me a copy of BattleTech: 25 Years.  If I’m going to spend money on something I won’t have time for, it should at least look impressive on my bookshelf.

This sidewalk belongs to Mech Warrior.  I have a severe obsession with all things robot related and this brings back fond memories of playing Mech Warrior on my PC back in the early nineties.  I don’t know if the kid even knows what battletech or mechwarrior is, but I’m pretty sure that if I had a kid I would make him wear this on Halloween even if you can barely move in it.. that damn darth vader / fire fighter keeps flaunting that he/she can run around with ease.. punk.  Props to the dad’s friend for getting his kid in on some awkwardly moving chicken walker mech. Nerds w/ kids.. how cute.

]]> http://edubois.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/do-the-words-walking-tank-mean-nothing-to-people/ Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:03:57 +0000 Edmund Dubois http://edubois.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/do-the-words-walking-tank-mean-nothing-to-people/

Recently a good amount of demo footage from Square-Enix’s new entry in the Front Mission series, Front Mission Evolved, has surfaced. Granted they’re not making it since it’s not an SRPG like the others, rather it’s a 3rd-person action shooter similar to Mech Assault or Mobile Suit Gundam Crossfire. A lot of people have had a lot of complaints about it, and personally I feel some of them are unwarranted. I mean that shouldn’t really be surprising seeing as how this is the Internet where logic frequently seems to take a backseat to shouting loudly about your opinion. Anyway I feel it’s time to add my own voice to the mix in terms of some of the more vocal complaints I’ve seen

1. The Wanzers Move Too Slow: This is kind of a big one. Many people who have played any 3rd-person mecha game has probably not played the ones I mentioned but instead played Armored Core, a game which very heavily relies on the “gundam” model of movement i.e. strap on some vernier boosters and go nuts. Front Mission is a lot different. While you do have a system for boosting it’s often limited to just going in one direction at a time and in very short bursts. This is not anything new. Every single Front Mission that has used the boosting/dashing mechanism has done it in short bursts. Same for the Verniers (or Jump Jets for you Mechwarrior fans).  Of course maybe I’m missing something since I didn’t play Front Mission 2 or 5 (they weren’t released stateside and I’m not into modding consoles or trying to read japanese at this time), but the systems always worked the same in the 3 games I did play, if they were even there at all (Front Mission 4, I’m certain, did not have in-game dashing). As to the Wanzers moving too slow, well that’s kind of the point. “Wanzer” is a portmanteau of “Wanderung Panzer” or “Walking Tank”. Tanks, to put it bluntly, do not go fast. Sure there are some wanzers that are lighter than others and thus can move further per turn (i.e. faster) but it’s not a huge difference. None of them are going to tear up asphalt at 100 mph. They are definitely a lot more like battlemechs or the HOUNDs from Chromehounds. Weapons of war that are far more utilitarian than stylish. And perhaps the biggest thing to consider is that the Wanzers used in the demo footage by the player looked a lot bulkier than normal, so it stands to reason they would move slowly.

2. AI is stupid. I disagree seeing as how the AI for games like Mech Assault and Chromehounds seem to have only one setting: “run forward, fire relentlessly”. And don’t get me started on the AI for Armored Core. Either it’s cheap as hell or dumb as toast. In FM Evolved the Wanzers will actually flank, move to cover, make tactical withdrawls in the face of overwhelming force, etc. No it isn’t perfect, they tend to have trouble finding accurate cover from sniper fire, but it does work fairly well. Another thing to consider is that again, this is demo footage. Demo footage never seems to be cranked up to the max difficulty settings (if such a thing exists) because the demo exists to show a player what they can do, not what they can fail at.

Those are really the two big complaints, I’m not going to address the truly stupid crap like saying the game automatically fails because the developer hasn’t put out anything good. Actually on second thought.

3. Double Helix Studios Sucks. Again, disagree. Double Helix is fairly new, formed by a merger of two other companies, one of which was Shiny Entertainment. Yes we can agree that Silent Hill Homecoming wasn’t up to par, but then again it’s hard to do a good SH game if you’re not Konami. Yes we can agree the GI Joe game wasn’t very good but it’s hard to judge a company based on a movie tie-in game. But really the whole reason why this argument is dumb is because if we’re to judge future output based on previous output alone, then that would’ve meant Deus Ex would’ve never been lauded as the amazing game it is because of Daikatana. And that obviously wasn’t the case seeing as how Deus Ex is awesome

Ok so now I think I’m done addressing the complaints. Really I think it’s dumb to immediately label a game crap based on demo footage unless it’s really obviously bad, which again is not the case here. To judge a game without playing it feels disingenuous to me. So far I have to say what I’ve seen of FM Evolved is good enough for me to want to play it when it comes out next year, and I feel that it will hopefully be that good. It has what I like out of games like Armored Core only seeming to do it just a bit better. Heck it even allows you to target the specific wanzer parts like in the strategy games. So I don’t worry about it too much. I do worry about the people who spend too much time complaining about it though.

I had a lot of fun Saturday for one simple fact, and that is because I got to do something I haven’t done in a long time: I got to play Battletech all day.

For those of you who don’t know about the game, a little info. Battletech is a game with a history going back twenty-five years – literally, for the Twenty-Fifth anniversary “Art of Battletech” book is sitting on my coffetable right now.

But I digress. Battletech is a science fiction game set in the 31st century, and is about giant “robots” who fight the battles of the day across the thousand – plus worlds of explored human space (or, as it’s known, the Inner Sphere). I’ve always liked this universe for several reasons. First, of all the many game worlds I’ve played in, it has a history, published in source books and novels over the whole history of the game, both IRL, and in the in-game timeline. Second, it is complex, with many factions and nations. It isn’t a utopia like Star Trek, but one where people have the same problems and blessings as today. And third, almost unique among major science fiction universes, there are no aliens.

It was only after several years of playing the game that I realized just how unique that last point is. Star Trek has the Vulcans and Klingons and more. Babylon Five has the Narns and Centuari and more as well. In fact, it seems that alien cultures are almost a pre-requisite for science fiction worlds and universes.

But not Battletech. No, in that universe, despite the fact that mankind has explored literally thousands of worlds, many of them very earthlike, we are alone. And as we explored the galaxy, we brought our problems with us – war, mainly. But others as well, if you read the fiction.

And that is what has always drawn me to the game. It is a rich universe. You can play the boardgame, where your armies duke it out on planets of many types. Or you can play the RPG, piloting a ‘mech, or sneaking into an enemy base as a spy, or any number of other things. Then, there are the computer games, of which there are at least six major ones, as well as more – with a new one of the way for, IIRC, 2011 (which I wait for with baited breath….).

But the fiction is the most interesting. For example, I once attended a seminar given by one of the main battletech fiction authors. He writes great battle scenes, and has a fairly good understanding of politics as well. The novels he writes are good “brain candy,” and well written beyond that. Yet, when he said what people asked him about the most was not about galaxy shattering events, or even what a particular faction was going to do next in the story arc. Nope. It was “When are these two characters going to get together?”

That thought amused me greatly. Here we have a multi-author series of novels, with a timeline covering years, and what are the people most interested in? Who is dating who! I guess that speaks to the human condition – we are, at our center, social animals. I find that reassuring, after a fashion. Despite all the problems in the world, people still find the need for love.

But back to the point. Saturday was billed as a “Worldwide Battletech Event.” In other words, people in hobbyshops around the world (the game is also very big in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands) were playing the same scenario. I found that to be interesting. Here we were, ten guys playing the same game as people around the world. I’ve never played a game for Worldwide D&D game day, but I imagine that is what that must have been like as well.

Yet even more than the fun of the game is the camaraderie. Ten guys who gave up their day to play a game. One of the guys, in fact, was on leave from the air force. I guess the only difference between men and boys really is the price of their toys.

So yeah, I had fun. And if your looking for a good game, or are a fan of science fiction in general, give the game a try. It’s undergoing a resurgence in the last few years, so there has never been a better time to get in on the ground floor. And if you want to know more? Either ask me, or follow the link from our site here to Catalyst Game Labs website on out own links page.

And have fun!!!!

Glücklicherweise haben wir auf der SPIEL auch die Gelegenheit bekommen, Fanpro-Geschäftsführer Werner Fuchs für eine Plauderrunde aus dem Nähkästchen zu bekommen. Hier erfahrt ihr viel zur Geschichte von DSA, der Geschichte um die Romanrechte und Lizenzen zu Shadowrun und BattleTech, wieso der Rollenspielbereich doch eigentlich wächst, wieso es nicht zum DSA-Onlinerollenspiel kam, den DSA-Kinofilm, weitere DSA-Computerspiele, wieso die DSA-Fernsehserie nicht von RTL realisiert wurde, wie die DSA-Novellen vom Markt angenommen wurden und was sich Werner Fuchs noch für die Marke wünscht.

Loren Coleman erzählt uns etwas zu den Shadowrun- und BattleTech-Romanen die es ab 2010 wieder geben soll, übrigens dann von Pegasus, an dessen Stand er auch zusammen mit Jordan Weisman saß. Ecclipse Phase und andere Spiele von Catalyst Games werden ebenfalls angesprochen, wie ERGO und Papparazi.

Ohje, da stammel ich mir was zusammen. Aber das Interview mit Loren Coleman war wirklich ziemlich kurzfristig und wir haben jede Frage vorher kurz absprechen müssen, weil ich einfach nicht so recht wusste, was ich ihn fragen sollte. Immerhin waren Loren Coleman und Jordan Weisman so freundlich, auf meiner altgedienten Shadowrun-Kappe zu unterschreiben.

Wir hatten die Chance auf der SPIEL auch mit Jordan Weisman zu reden, der seit 30 Jahren Spiele entwickelt, darunter so Kleinigkeiten wie Shadowrun, BattleTech und Crimson Skies. Aktuell ist er nicht nur bei der Produktion von Videospielen wie einem neuen MechWarrior-Game beteiligt, sondern hat auch ein neues Tabletop-Spiel namens Arcane Legions vorgestellt. Mehr zu Arcane Legions findet ihr beim Interview mit dem GamesOrbit.

In an episode of Mork & Mindy, Mork is visited by his Orkan superior, who has the body of a 10-year-old boy (for reasons I don’t remember).  They divert themselves with a game of Orkan Checkers, which is played on a board of two rectangles, black and red, with a single white piece the size of a saucer.  After thinking a long while, Mork opens by moving the piece from the red field to the black.  “Check,” he says.  Mork’s visitor makes (apparently) the only move available to him: he moves the piece from black back to red and declares victory.  [youtube]

Replace the single white disk with a gross of metal figures and you have miniatures gaming in essence.  In such a game, strategy, tactics, even luck are irrelevant.  The outcome is determined entirely by the initial placement of pieces on the field.  Miniatures gamers are animated by the same neural gangleon that motivates bug collectors, not armchair generals.  I gather that there are some who would “improve” our favorite passtime by prettying-up the figures; I can’t cotton to such a womanish point of view.

Sunday!  You know what that means!  Board Games!!

As always, feel free to bring one of your own games and play with others.  Or show up and find some new games to play!

This Sunday, Organized Play will be featuring BattleTech.  We will also, by request, feature the World of Warcraft Board Game and the World of Warcraft Adventure Game.  Instructions will start at 1 p.m., followed by gameplay.

The following is from Catalyst Game’s BattleTech website:

BattleTech at its core is a board game; players move pieces on a hex-grid mapsheet, which simulates combat between various military vehicles in the thirty-first century. Unlike tabletop miniatures games, which use three-dimensional (3-D) terrain and rulers to approximate movement and combat, the core BattleTech game rules use specific, codified movement and combat ranges within a mapsheet’s hex grid.

BattleTech is much more than a board game as presented in the BattleTech Introductory Box Set. Vibrant, strong and still growing after twenty years, the fictional universe and the valiant struggles of its dynamic human characters, set against a far-future battlefield, has endeared it to millions of fans and will continue to do so into the future.

More information about BattleTech is available at ClassicBattleTech.com. Additionally, you can dive right in to find out more about what the universe of BattleTech is all about by downloading the free BattleTech Universe Book; a 48-page, full-color sourcebook in PDF format. Then, you can download the 24-page, full-color BattleTech Quick-Start Rules for free, which will have you playing in minutes.

The following is from Fantasy Flight’s World of Warcraft Board Game site:

World of Warcraft: the Board Game is a fantasy adventure board game for 2-6 players, based on the popular Massively Multiplayer Online Game from Blizzard Entertainment. Adventure across Lordaeron, vanquish monsters, gain experience and power, and earn honor for your faction – whether Horde or Alliance.

Play as one of 16 heroes from nine classes and eight races, advance your character and gather treasure, battle thirteen different types of monsters, and ultimately challenge one of three invincible Overlords.

The fate of Azeroth is in your hands!

It’s a good time to pick up some BattleTech products.  I can truthfully attest that after handling Handbook: Periphery I grew two inches taller overnight.  Jihad Hot Spots: 3076 cured my phlebitis, and Masters & Minions turns everything it touches to gold–fortunately the effect is temporary.  So if you want to survive another six months, I urge you to go buy these products today.  Carry them around with you because they ward ogres as well.

No goods or services were offered to Serious Blog in exchange for endorsements.