Nekoryu
03/04/14 11:10 AM
76.184.181.147
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SO Um after much mucking about and general inpetness, I finally figured out how to use the forums. Heh...anyway, I've decided to kick off a project:
In the process of developing Clan characters in BattleTech, I’ve come across a disturbing trend: There is very little detailed information on *social* behaviors within the Warrior caste *that's easy to find without intensive searching or money-spending.* I know the information is out there, but I’d like to compile it into a text that builds on the foundation laid in the book The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky, ‘written’ by Phelan Wolf and make it freely available in one document, probably a .pdf.
My goal here is to provide myself and others with as much canon information as possible for use in character-building. Now, there is plenty of information for creating characters out there using the Life Path system and MechWarrior, but it’s still fairly limited as far as Clanners. (at least, as far as I know) Warriors are people, too, and thusly there is infinite variation among them when it comes to individuals. Everyone already knows the broad strokes when it comes to the Clans as a whole and the variation on those strokes from Clan to Clan. There is plenty of *tactical* information out there, but the information on the idiosyncrasies of the Warrior social life, especially when pertaining to individual Clans, is very generalized and what nuggets of goodness do exist are scattered in various novels.
I want to go farther than just ‘warden’ or ‘crusader’, ‘fanatical’, ‘strict’ or ‘lenient’ when it comes to how a Warrior or a Clan views Kerensky and His ideals. I want to provide detailed information that will allow others to flesh out a Clan character beyond the usual two-dimensional, narrow-minded meathead and to (hopefully) give viable options for toning down the ‘munchkin’ aspect of playing a Clanner while still providing boundaries in which to frolic. That way you don’t end up with a Trueborn Blood Spirit MechWarrior who loves the Inner Sphere and left his Clan and is a total badass with cybernetic limbs and yadda yadda…you get my point.
This desire stems from trying to figure out how my MechWarrior, Nadia deals with all of the crap she’s faced in her life thus far: She's a failed Elemental (too short), failed to die honorably in her first 'Mech combat, has become a Mercenary and, thanks to a random roll of the dice that was just too ironic to NOT go with, had children. In the eyes of, say, a Jade Falcon, she’s pretty much a Dezgra piece of crap who’s fallen as far as a Trueborn Warrior can fall. Within her home Clan, the Nova Cats, most of them sort of frown and click their tongues but pretty much let her do her own thing on account of visions and such. *I'm still shaping her story* to make it as canon as possible without bending too many rules and without access to more detailed information, it’s quite difficult to put together a psyche and thought process for her that takes everything into account. She isn’t me. I can’t base her mindset on mine.
So. Let’s see how this goes. Let’s start by whoever’s willing to help letting me know if they’re able and if they know how/where to find information. Once I know who’s in, I can give more info on how we’re gonna go about this whole shebang. First off, I have access to the following resources: Test of Vengeance, Ghost of Winter, Flashpoint, Roar of Honor and Path of Glory (novels) The Wolf and Jade Falcon sourcebooks as well as pretty much every other sourcebook ever printed (thanks to the internets).
::UPDATE::
I copied and pasted this from my Tumblr after it actually got some attention. Nobody every pays me any mind, so it was sort of a 'wow' moment when folks started discussing and providing the names of resources that I need to look into. ::POINT OF NOTE:: I'm a college student and as such money is extremely limited for me. I am slowly acquiring novels as fast as I can and reading them when time permits, but keep in mind I cannot just run out and throw down money for a book.
Once I know folks are interested in helping create/making use of a fluff resource for Clan characters, I'll give more details as to what I actually plan on creating and such. But first I want to see how interested folks are.
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ghostrider
03/04/14 04:15 PM
66.27.181.33
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This Nadia isn't the child of Aidan Pryde? The hero of the battle for tukayyid?
But first. What time period are you going to base your campaign in?
That will determine alot, like what resources are available to the characters.
From what is sounds like you are starting it after the Refusal War.
How much past it?
Even though they aren't considered canon, alot of the fiction books can help. The Jade Phoenix saga is a good one for learning alot about the clans.
Clan characters have alot less ways of doing things. All trueborns are grown in the lab. They don't normally meet their gene donators until they are adults, and even then, they don't normally care, because it's the way they are trained from birth.
Freeborns are different, since they are closer to the innersphere life style, though they are repressed by the trueborns.
Once you get that understood then you will see why there isn't too many paths for them.
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ghostrider
03/04/14 04:28 PM
66.27.181.33
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One more thing before you begin. You do know the history of Phelan Ward?
If not, then realize he was born in the innersphere and did not grow up in the clans. He is unique.
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