OBT Forum

I'm enjoying the Historical series at the moment. 

Threadomancy.

I've finally figured out what drives me nuts about the Dark Age haters. It's this kind of sentiment.

I understand where you are coming from.  I can't even say that I absolutely disagree with you.  DA and Clicktech introduced you to Battletech, and its the version you enjoy.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Neither is there inherently any reason why we who do not like the decisions made post-FASA are wrong for doing so.

Yes, you make sure to get into every thread even vaguely mentioning the Dark Age and make your opinion exceedingly clear, over and over again.

But since we're going with the equity formula here, that means it should be totally cool if I just show up in all fourteen thousand 3rd/4th Succession War and just shit all over it? Right? I mean, because that's just me putting my opinion out there, right? You know, just like you do for the Dark Age, correct?

What a load of horseshit.

I am well aware of how old the plans for the Jihad are, and how much hinting of it occured over the course of time. It only reinforces my view of "What the hell were they smoking when they thought this up?" Nevertheless, these are the cards we've been dealt. I don't particularly like the Dark Age novels, but it has nothing to do with the Dark Age itself: the novels were just not very interesting. The Dark Age itself? I didn't enjoy Bonfire of worlds so much, but the time frame itself is ok: you've got big stompy robots, Davions, Steiners, Wolves, and Jade Falcons. Works for me.

Like the man said, we're playing the cards we're dealt.  Clans have their haters, Jihad as well, Dark Age is no exception.  Me?  I want to play the cards I'm dealt, and see how the game works out.  We have not seen what the Big Guys have planned for the Dark Age, not really.  I kinda wonder who the next Big Bad is gonna be.

Cent13

I think the next big bad will be the same as every other big bad in BT's history. Human nature. It's worked pretty well for the game so far.

I know this might be a bit out there but I think the next 'big bad' could be the republic

...

Just a wild theory

It's very plausible

Read Bonfire of Worlds... please. (Hint: Your post is almost spoilers)

I loved Bonfire of Worlds, my favorite Clan resurgent (even though I still don't understand the whole logic behind their move but hey it turned out good) much more grit in the backdrop and ComStar/WoB/RoTS all making trouble (they're starting to look like the same people to me).

I understand people's hesitance to change (it happens in all thing, personal, professional, hobbies, etc.) but without change you have stagnation and eventual death. Change in the setting is GOOD. I say this and I consider my factions to have gotten royally screwed by most of BattleTech's evolutions:

My favorite House initially was the Free Worlds League - look at them post 3067.... and although they were having a pseudo-resurgence in the Dark Age that seems to be over (I'll explain that in a second).

My favorite periphery faction was the Taurian Concordat (the one in the original Periphery field manual, not the hyper-paranoid nation we see post 3050) and they are a shadow of their former self. 

My favorite Clan has always (and will always) be Wolf, they get split in two and three and four and.... although they seem to be resurgent as well so that's cool.

The change throughout the eras can be bad for your factions or introduce factions or events you might not like but that just means you have new ways and things to have fun with. I have expanded my BattleTech horizons so to speak, and now consider myself a fan of all five houses, I have several other clans I now really enjoy playing (and try to explore all of them), I have plans to purchase additional miniatures and setup an entire battalion of the Taurian Pride and/or Calderon Guard for the Calderon Protectorate, and I can't wait to see how the Clan Wolf/Clan Jade Falcon/House Steiner/House Marik thing goes (spoiler::: Alaric Wolf has an arguably legitimate claim to the Lyran throne, at least he thinks so, and he chose to leave Tharkad un-conquered - he could have if he had wanted to, Wolf and Jade Falcon have captured literally dozens if not around a hundred worlds each and are both within a few jumps of Terra)

But I also have spent nearly a year setting up the entire universe in 3028 to play out a massive Inner Sphere in Flames type game to make material to continue my AU timeline, because I like that era as well.

It's all BattleTech. Every Era can be fun to play in.

Also for anyone interested in post DA timeline look at this: http://bg.battletech.com/?p=4157

That's a preview of something called A Time of Peace (I assume an expansion of A Time of War, but you know what assuming does). Anyways its just the table of contents (and those are always subject to change) but a portion of it reads like this:

THE BRIEF HISTORY OF BATTLETECH.....13
Colonizing the Stars.....13
Age of War/Star League.....13
The Succession War....14
Clan Invasion.....15
The Second League/Civil War Era.....16
Jihad/Post-Jihad......17
Dark Age.....18
The Third League.....18

It also refers to a House Cameron (leading what is now called the Regulan Primacy) notably not mentioning the resurgent FWL that is around at the end of the Dark Age era, and a House Starling (leading the republic, no longer pseudo-democratic?). It also lists a Capellan/Canopian Confederation led by House Centrella-Liao (not a Capellan Confederation and Magistracy of Canopus), possibly moving forward with their merger. Federated Suns led by house Davion-Sandoval (when the last we heard they were led by a mentally unstable Caleb Hasek-Sandoval-Davion)

Herb also mentioned a future product call 'The IlClan' during a battlechat last year.

There are all kinds of shakeups coming and I'm looking forward to it.

I do not know if Alaric has a legit claim to the archonship, since briefly before VSD abdicated the thrones to his siblings, he did write one executive order barring both he and Katrina, and all of thier respective descendants from ever laying claim to the thrones of the Lyran Alliance, and Federated Suns for all time.

the loophole is that the Lyran Alliance does not exist anymore, as it was renamed back to the Commonwealth by Adam Steiner.  in addition laws about succession stand as long as it is convienent to let them stand.  Alaric gets enough support from the noble court, it can be overturned.