Battletech/Mechwarrior PbP: "Days of the Jackal" [closed]

[Shalimar]

Well, warships are barred from planetary bombardments by the Ares convention, and even so, they are soo rare back then not to mention innacurate even with a full crew and only a successor house and comstar could run one for any amount of time.

 

[Douane]

Thanks Shalimar.

Will get onto it asap.

doghead

But beware!

Read it like a history book. There some stuff in the housebooks that was later discarded, proven wrong or revealed as intentionally falsified. (Usually not the bits on the society, though.)


Folkert

 

[Douane]

Well, warships are barred from planetary bombardments by the Ares convention, and even so, they are soo rare back then not to mention innacurate even with a full crew and only a successor house and comstar could run one for any amount of time.

But the Ares Conventions are so easily ignored, aren't they?


And they are anything but inaccurate. They won't hit a moving mech, that's for sure, but why bother, if you can devastate the while countryside. Barring that, orbital pinpoint strikes are still very possible amd do-able.


Folkert

 

[doghead]

Douane, if the Warrior House suits you better, go with it. I think that in need to give Hasic's background some thought. I'm not particularly possessive with backgrounds. The most interesting ones I've had are the result of the DM's (?) interpretation of an idea. A quick question. Where is the game going to be set? Or where will it start? How "experienced" you see this group? Doing 8 years service would tend to suggest a more experienced character. Are the chargen guidelines intended to reflect a newbie, or someone with a half a dozen years under their belt? OK. Thats more than one, I know.

Shalimar. I knew that I had heard "death from above" before. I was thinking along the lines of a Jumpship which stays on orbit and coordinates activities. But thats probably more Traveller (private jumpships) than Battletech style. Could have been interesting. We could have called him "God".

"God, we have a problem."

the head of the dog

 

[doghead]

Maybe Doghead got a glimpse at the warship section on chaosmarch.com.

Doghead did indeed. (3 double d's!)

Your caution re the House Book has been taken to heart. Nice touch that. Seeding the House books with disinformation. Was it deliberate?

 

[Douane]

Doghead,

no worries. I just interpret the holes in your background. So if his brother is more of a politician that's what he is going to be. This certainly doesn't disrupt anything.

As for Hasic, I suggest that he left on his own sometime, simply because the Confederation never lets you go. "Thereafter liable for duty with the local home guard or militia for two months each year until 50."


Folkert

 

[Douane]

Your caution re the House Book has been taken to heart. Nice touch that. Seeding the House books with disinformation. Was it deliberate?

Only some of it. Like with any book of that magnitude errors managed to creep in, but it was later admitted that, as each book was written with a certain "slant", a certain percentage of "misguided/misunderstood" info was included along with some outright lies.


Folkert

 

[Douane]

Where is the game going to be set? Or where will it start? How "experienced" you see this group? Doing 8 years service would tend to suggest a more experienced character. Are the chargen guidelines intended to reflect a newbie, or someone with a half a dozen years under their belt?

Some very good questions!

My current plans include starting either Galatea (the "Mercenary Planet") or Solaris (the "Gameworld" [Mechduels]) with the get-to-know of the PCs and their subsequent recruiting.

Then were to? Probably Steiner space or Liao, being the two most interesting locations for mercenaries right now. (Davion would be the third choice.)


Re. Character creation: The system doesn't really account for differeing years of experience/service. (Some serve longer, but uneventful tours, others short but "exciting" ones.) It's meant to even these differences out. (One of the archetypes presented in the book is the "grizzled veteran", another the "young hotshot".)

The "real" growth only happens with gameplay, and even so it might take years for PCs to improve their main skills.


But this brings me to ...

 

[Douane]

Do you feel lucky, mechwarrior? Do you?


As last part of the (mechanic) character creation process, I offer each of you up to two rolls on my famous table "Vagaries of Life".

Adapted from 3rd Ed. MW's Lifepath system, this set of tables offers the unique chance to change your PC beyond the tyranny of point-based creation. Put your self in the hands of fate!

Get new skills, improve old ones, gain new friends or lose old limbs, everything is possible!


So, do you feel lucky?

 

[Shalimar]

Umm, can we see the tables first? Know the possible benefits as well as the possible failings?