MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat

MechWarrior 2 cover.jpg
MechWarrior 2
Product information
Type Computer game
Author Zachary Norman
Development Activision
Publication information
Publisher Activision
First published 1995
Content
Timeline 3057
Preceded by MechWarrior (1989 Video Game)
Followed by MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries

Activision's MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is a 1995 computer game set in the BattleTech universe. Several editions and versions of the game exist, oftentimes with different box covers.

Canonicity

Computer games are explicitly excluded from the list of products that contribute straight Canon to the BattleTech universe while at the same time it was stated that the IP owners are "not in total denial about these sources either"; it has also been stated that fluff from certain official, licensed products (namely certain computer games including those produced by Activision) can be assumed to be part of the shared universe as long as it is not directly contradicted, and makes sense. On this premise, MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is considered to be an apocryphal product.

Plot synopsis

Mechwarrior 2 is a 'Mech simulation game that is set during the Refusal War between Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon which took place in 3057. The player is offered a choice to join either the Wolf Clan or the Jade Falcon Clan. A series of tutorial missions ends with the player undertaking a Trial of Position for the rank of Mechwarrior, and then joining the chosen Clan in battling their opponents across the Inner Sphere. Missions on both sides progress across the same planets in sequence; however, the missions themselves are different, taking place as it were on different parts of the battlefield, thus allowing the 'general' story to move forward, irrespective of the missions themselves. Large amounts of fluff material are written into the mission briefings/debriefings, as well as the computer database, including reflection from ComStar Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht about the Clans from his time with Clan Wolf. Other canon events are expanded upon in this manner to both provide context for the game's missions, and to advance the storyline, including a great many key characters from the Clans such as Ulric Kerensky, Natasha Kerensky, Phelan Ward, Vlad of the Wards, Vandervahn Chistu and Elias Crichell, among others.

Ultimately, the Falcon ending shows the last of the Wolves being tracked down and destroyed on Morges, whereas the (canon) Wolf ending shows the defeat of the Falcons at Broken Hope on Morges at the hands of the Wolves and their Kell Hound allies.

Backstory

MechWarrior 2 is a telling of the Refusal War starting in the later quarter of 3057, five years after the Battle of Tukayyid. Initially in the campaign, the Jade Falcons start suffering losses against Clan Wolf, only that the Falcon losses are second-line units, despite Elias Crichell's concerns, Vandervahn Chistu guarantees that he has a plan set in motion for the Wolves. After the initial string of victories, ilKhan Ulric Kerensky assigns Phelan to leave the Clan Occupational Zone with the genetic legacy of the Wolf Clan. Eventually, the Refusal War reaches to multiple systems and at Twycross, Natasha Kerensky meets her end facing the Falcon Guards in December 3057.

Eventually at Wotan, Vandervahn Cristu waits in the center of the capital city, waiting for Ulric Kerensky and his units to arrive. While mech combat happens out in the streets, Ulric does find Cristu, only to have walked into a trap as Cristu uses a targeting laser to lase Ulric's Gargoyle for volleys from LRM strikes. Ulric and his guard are then killed.

The final act of the war happens in Morges. Phelan Ward is the last Warden Wolf leader left (and is in a dangerous position to lose Clan Wolf forever, as his Galaxy has the genetic material), and acquires help from the Kell Hounds. Eventually, the Wolves and Kell Hounds successfully hold out and subsequently ravage the Jade Falcon forces on Morges.

Game storyline

  • Clan Jade Falcon: Initially, the player strikes a communications complex on Colmar and must defend an industrial plant at Sudeten. On Zoetemeer, he successfully destroys a dropship, and on Baker 3 he helps defend a refurbished firebase from Wolf attack. On MacDuff, he answers a distress call from a stricken Mech and returns the pilot to safety, and on Evciler, he escorts a train carrying heat sink components to a processing center, defending it from Mech and aerotech attack. In the canyons of Twycross, he destroys a Heat Sink array and escapes the subsequent detonation. On Wotan, the player destroys a convoy carrying command staff that are preparing to escape the planet and escorts a friendly convoy to a friendly firebase. On Morges, the player defends an airbase from a Wolf attack (while front-line forces are retreating after a rout from the Kell Hounds), destroys all Wolf and Kell Hound Mechs in the city of Broken Hope, and eventually destroys Dwillt Radick, and another Command Convoy fleeing the planet.
  • Clan Wolf: Initially, the player strikes Jade Falcon holdings and installations on multiple planets, then on Baker 3, he successfully retrieves a T5 Recon Unit (a modified Tarantula). Then, he must secure a Sensor Array Dome on MacDuff, destroy a solar power array at Evciler, and capture a Falcon Command trailer at Twycross. In Wotan, the player is deployed with another unit to destroy Falcon-controlled resource centers in one major city, and later must locate and destroy a dropship with sensitive data. On Satellite Karetah, the player poses as a Falcon pilot in a stolen Mech and destroys a heavily guarded power core in an atmospheric processing unit so the Falcons cannot use the untapped resources. Eventually on Morges, the player defends an ambassador on his way to an opera theater in the city of Broken Hope and later must destroy a Falcon communications hub.

Both campaigns use a non-canon framing device of following a newly minted Clan MechWarrior through various battles in the Refusal War, and fighting Trials of Position that can eventually propel the player to the rank of Khan. While this provides continuity for the player, the actual units fighting the Refusal War were separated by significant distance and time, and a single MechWarrior could not have participated in all of the campaign's missions. Nor did the missions correspond with any of the individuals who canonically ended the Refusal War as Khan. The Jade Falcon campaign diverges from established canon in the Iron Piston and Bronze Anvil missions, when it shows the Wolves losing the Battle of Broken Hope.

Missions

Sibcadet Training Missions

Nav Computer (Transcript)

Mech Handling (Transcript)

Weapons Usage (Transcript)

Hunting (Transcript)

Inspection (Transcript)

Trial (Transcript)

Wolf Campaign

Clan Wolf introduction - (Transcript)

Pyre Light - Colmar - The 352nd Assault Cluster engages the Twelfth Falcon Regulars in the Marakaa Valley. The player is assigned to destroy a chemical plant and inspect a firebase. (Transcript)

Flame Tongue - Sudeten - Wolf forces attack the Jade Falcon garrison on the grassy plains of Dargoth and at the port city of Webster. The player is assigned to destroy a fuel pumping facility and a headquarters building. (Transcript)

Blade Splint - Zoetermeer - The Second Wolf Cavaliers attack the Tenth Falcon Provisional Garrison Cluster in the city of Salyn, near the Nalon Spaceport. The player is assigned to destroy the city's power converter, which has been modified for cryo-plasma conversion. (Transcript)

Temper Edge - Baker 3 - The Wolves' 341st Assault Cluster is counterattacking against a push through the forests of Findley Province on the southern continent of Lowa by the Jade Falcons' 305th Assault Cluster. The player is assigned to enter the snowy Donner Rift and recover a damaged T5 Tarantula reconnaissance drone which contains enough information about the Falcon attack corridors to enable the Wolves to lay an ambush. (Transcript)

Trial of Position 1 - The player fights for the rank of Star Commander or Nova Commander. (Transcript)

Sable Flame - Devin - The Wolves established a sensor array on Devin's moon, MacDuff, to support their operations against the Second Falcon Jaegers and First Falcon Striker Cluster on Devin's O'Tsung Plain, but it was seized by the Falcons. The player is assigned to liberate the dome without harming the staff. (Transcript)

Burning Chrome - Evciler - Clan Wolf's Tau Galaxy's Pup-class probes have detected the Falcons' 7th Construction Binary building a solar power array on the southern Messian continent to support a forward operating base for the Peregrine Galaxy. The player is assigned to destroy the solar array. (Transcript)

Scorching Sand - Twycross - The 352nd Assault Cluster, 3rd Battle Cluster, and 13th Wolf Guards are engaged with the 6th Provisional Garrison Cluster and the 5th Talon Cluster in the Great Gash and the Plain of Curtains. The player is assigned to capture the 5th Talon's Mobile HQ. (Transcript)

Trial of Position 2 - The player fights for the rank of Star Captain or Nova Captain. (Transcript)

Silver Staff - Wotan - The 37th Striker Cluster is attacking the industrial sector of Borealtown. The player is assigned to destroy a chemical plant, an airbase, and industrial plant, and a HPG processor in support of the 37th's attack. (Transcript)

Aquiline Fire - Wotan - During the assault on Borealtown, the command ship WCS Hermione crashed. The player is assigned to find the wreckage, download its data packs, and then destroy the remains. (Transcript)

Trial of Position 3 - The player fights for the rank of Star Colonel or Nova Colonel. (Transcript)

Cold Crescent - Morges - The Jade Falcons' 4th Talon Cluster is terraforming Morges' moon of Karetah to obtain its natural resources. The player is assigned to sabotage the main Falcon terraformer unit, located on Karetah's Batista Flats. (Transcript)

Velvet Hammer - Morges - The Jade Falcon forces have crossed the Po River and taken the suburbs of the city of Broken Hope, but Wolf Aide-de-Camp Josel Fetladral wishes to demonstrate his confidence in the defensive line by attending a performance at the Morton Opera-Plex. The player is assigned to escort his vehicle through the city. (Transcript)

Golden Spade - Morges - Defeated at the Battle of Broken Hope, the Falcon forces have retreated to the Held Shrine palace complex to set up a comm station and staging area for Falcon reinforcements. The Falcons have erected a force shield around the palace complex. The player is assigned to destroy the palace comm station. (Transcript)

Trial of Position 4 - The player fights for the rank of Galaxy Commander or Khan, followed by a campaign epilogue. (Transcript)

Jade Falcon Campaign

Clan Jade Falcon introduction - (Transcript)

Silent Thunder - Colmar - The 12th Falcon Regulars are engaging Clan Wolf's 352nd Assault Cluster in the Marakaa Valley's Bright Basin. The player is assigned to destroy a HPG uplink and a communications array. (Transcript)

Arkham Bridge - Sudeten - Clan Wolf's Delta Galaxy has landed in the Vesce Rift, and is advancing in two groups - one into the Dargoth area and the other towards an industrial plant. The player is assigned to defend the industrial plant. (Transcript)

Mirror Cage - Zoetermeer - The 2nd Wolf Cavaliers are attacking the city of Salyn, hoping to gain control of the Nalon Spaceport and the Orbital Chemical Engineering facilities held by Clan Jade Falcon's 10th Provisional Garrison Cluster. The player is assigned to launch a diversionary strike against a Wolf DropShip undergoing repairs in its rear area. (Transcript)

Bone Machine - Baker 3 - During the fighting in the antarctic wastes of the Lowa continent, the 305th Assault Cluster has seized an abandoned firebase from the Wolves' 341st Assault Cluster. The player is assigned to defend the firebase. (Transcript)

Trial of Position - (Transcript)

Bouk Obelisk - Devin - Wolf forces on the moon of MacDuff are approaching a Falcon isotope processor dome. The player is assigned to defend the processor. (Transcript)

Umber Wall - Evciler - The Falcons have deployed the 73rd Striker Cluster, the 6th Provisional Assault Cluster, the 51st Provisional Garrison Cluster, and the 9th Provisional Garrison Cluster to stop Clan Wolf's Tau Galaxy. The First Wolf Cavalry Cluster is attacking a Falcon mining operation in Mare Ferris, which is vital for heat sink manufacture. The player is assigned to escort a loaded hover train to the mine's processing unit. (Transcript)

Rogue Chariot - Twycross - The 6th Provisional Garrison Cluster is surrounded in the Great Gash. The player is assigned to attack a rear-area Clan Wolf supply base, drawing the 352nd and 3rd Clusters away from the battle, and enabling the 6th Provisional Garrison Cluster to extract and link up with the 5th Talon Cluster. (Transcript)

Trial of Position - (Transcript)

Plum Wine - Wotan - The Wolves' assault on Borealtown has failed, and they are retreating through the farming suburb of Den Telhman. The player is assigned to destroy enemy convoy vehicles and seize munitions. (Transcript)

Rust Heart - Wotan - A second Wolf assault on Borealtown has cut Jade Falcon supply lines. The player is assigned to escort a new supply convoy through a region of large crystalline growths to a firebase supporting the southern approach to Borealtown. (Transcript)

Trial of Position - (Transcript)

Armor Veil - Morges - The Falcon forces which followed the Warden Wolves to Morges were defeated at the Icegrief Pass, and are retreating to an airbase at Resnick Flats. The player is assigned to hold the airbase against Wolf and Kell Hound attacks. (Transcript)

Iron Piston - Morges - The 4th Wolf Guards' seizure of the city of Broken Hope has cut the supply lines to Peregrine Galaxy's positions in the Carson Rift. The player is assigned to seize Borealtown. (Transcript)

Bronze Anvil - Morges - The Wolves 16th Battle Cluster has retreated to the Kell Hound base at Mount Canarfon, where Falcon bombardments collapsed the 'Mech bay, destroying most of their equipment and putting the survivors to flight. The player is assigned to pursue the convoy and kill Galaxy Commander Dwilt Radick and Kell Hound staffers. (Transcript)

Trial of Position - (Transcript)

Featured BattleMechs

Featured Planets

MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy Expansion Pack

MechWarrior 2 GBL cover.jpg
MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy
Product information
Type Computer game
Author Zachary Norman
Development Activision
Publication information
Publisher Activision
First published 1995
Content
Timeline 3058
Preceded by MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
Followed by MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries


In the expansion to MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat, Ghost Bear's Legacy puts the player in the role of a Clan Ghost Bear cadet about to take part in a Trial of Position for MechWarrior. Upon completion of the Trial, the player is assigned to the 72nd Assault Trinary of the 304th Assault Cluster and sent for patrol duty on Mannedorf.

The Ghost Bear's Legacy campaign revolves around the retrieval of the genetic legacies of the Clan, which were stolen on the planet Ardoz by BattleMechs with the Draconis Combine emblem. Upon discovering the 'Mechs were stolen as isorla by Clan Smoke Jaguar following a failed Combine raid on Jeanette, the 72nd Assault Trinary attempts to find evidence of Clan Smoke Jaguar's involvement. Following a victorious Trial of Possession against the Smoke Jaguars, it is discovered that the Crusader faction of Clan Wolf is behind the theft of the genetic legacies. The campaign ends with the retrieval of both legacies and the destruction of a Clan Wolf space station in retribution.

If the player successfully accomplishes every mission without failure or cheating, they will be allowed to participate in further trials for the Tseng Bloodname.

Missions

  • Trial on Alshain - Alshain - A Ghost Bear cadet (the player) engages in a Trial of Position to join the ranks of the Ghost Bear touman. When successful, the cadet is assigned to the Alpha Assault Star of the 72nd Assault Trinary, 304th Assault Cluster, Beta Galaxy, under Star Captain Edwin Bekker. (Transcript)
  • Defend on Mannedorf - Mannedorf - The 72nd Assault Trinary has been assigned to defend the planetary HPG uplink. The player is assigned to defend the uplink against an attack by Inner Sphere mercenaries. (Transcript)
  • Patrol on Mannedorf - Mannedorf - Another mercenary DropShip raids Mannedorf. The player is assigned to patrol the eastern sector and drive off any raiders. (Transcript)
  • Interlude - Raiders attack Ardoz, using OmniMechs painted with Draconis Combine insignia to steal genetic material of Clan founders Sandra Tseng and Hans Jorgensson from a storage unit that had been relocated there after devastating tectonic activity threatened the gene chapel on Porthos.
  • Trial on Alshain - Alshain - The 72nd Assault Trinary must Trial against the 321st Assault Trinary for the right to participate in the search for the stolen genetic legacies. Traveling aboard the JumpShip GCS Bear's Legacy and the DropShip GCS Justice. (Transcript)
  • Defend on Chandler - Chandler - The 72nd travels to Chandler aboard the CGCS Justice to seek out General Goshi Tengwan, leader of the Second Sword of Light to see what he knows about the attack on Ardoz. The player is assigned to remain at the landing site and protect the Justice. The player faces attacks from suicide troops in battle armor carrying nuclear weapons in an attempt to destroy the Justice. The rest of the 72nd returns empty handed, having found that General Tengwan had retreated to a secure base. [Canonicity note: General Tengwan was the commander of the 2nd Sword of Light in 3025, but was not listed as such in the TO&E for the DCMS in Objective Raids circa 3054.] (Transcript)
  • Strike on Chandler - Chandler - The 72nd attempts to intercept General Tengwan at his secure base, while he and his escorts stop to resupply. The player is assigned to disable Tengwan's 'Mech. After his defeat, General Tengwan identifies the insignia on one of the 'Mechs that raided Ardoz as belonging to General Ano Rentoshi, commander of the First Sword of Light, now based on Wolcott. (Transcript)
  • Strike on Wolcott - Wolcott - The 72nd raids Wolcott to find and interrogate General Ano Rentoshi. The player is assigned to identify the General's Hatamoto-chi and destroy his guards. During the mission, Rentoshi offers to provide information, but Star Captain Edwin Bekker orders the player to kill Rentoshi instead. The player refuses, and Rentoshi provides data indicating that the 'Mechs used on Ardoz were captured from the Combine by the Smoke Jaguars during a failed raid on Jeanette. (Transcript)
  • Circle of Equals - Labrea - In violation of direct orders from Cluster command, Star Captain Edwin Bekker has demanded a Trial of Grievance against the player for not following his orders on Wolcott. The player kills Bekker in the Trial, and the 72nd receives a new commander, Star Captain Fitzsimmons. (Transcript)
  • Raid on Jeanette - Jeanette - The 72nd Trinary raids Jeanette in search of the 'Mechs used to attack Ardoz, to have proof that the Jaguars were behind the attack. The player is assigned to investigate a landing base. The search teams come up empty on the 'Mechs, but did find a shipping log indicating the captured 'Mechs were shipped to Gardsedt to be retrofitted with Clan weapons. (Transcript)
  • Defend on JumpShip - Garstedt - The Bear's Legacy is intercepted by Smoke Jaguar forces, who challenge the Ghost Bears to a Trial of Possession. The player is assigned to engage the attacking Jaguars from the JumpShip's hull. (Transcript)
  • Trial of Possession - Garstedt - Star Captain Fitzsimmons and Star Colonel Sidney Nevversan of the 7th Jaguar Dragoons arrange a Trial of Possession for information about the captured Combine BattleMechs. The player is bid away during the cutdown, but is transported to the planet in case Fitzsimmons needs to sacrifice honor and bring in his entire original bid. When the Jaguars break their bid and bring in reserves, Fitzsimmons activates the player. After his forces are defeated, Nevversan admits the Combine 'Mechs were stolen by raiders using an altered version of the Clan Wolf insignia. (Transcript)
  • Defend on Alshain - Alshain - Mercenary 'Mechs are attacking the Ghost Bear base on Alshain. The 72nd returns from its search for the lost legacies to defeat them. Interrogation of the survivors reveals that they were hired by a renegade faction of Clan Wolf, and had staged from Thun. The Ghost Bears dispatch the 72nd Trinary to Thun to see if the Crusader Wolves were the culprits, while the 286th Assault Trinary is sent to Arc-Royal to investigate the Warden Wolves. (Transcript)
  • Trial on Alshain - Alshain - Following the defense of Alshain, the player engages in another Trial of Position. (Transcript)
  • Underwater Strike - Thun - The Ghost Bears assault the Wolves' underwater base on Thun in search of evidence tying them to the raid on Ardoz. The player is assigned an Executioner equipped with torpedoes and PPCs. Information found in the Wolf base confirms it was the Crusader Wolves who stole the legacies. (Transcript)
  • Strike on Moritz - Moritz - The 72nd seeks the lost genetic legacies in the city of New Coffton, the planet's largest city. The player is assigned to find the legacies and destroy all the other buildings. The 72nd destroyed New Coffton and recovered Jorgensson's giftake. Intelligence reports indicate that Tseng's giftake may be in the Gnesta Valley, and the 72nd successfully recovers it after destroying the Wolves guarding it. The thieves, however, managed to escape via DropShip to an orbital platform. (Transcript)
  • Destroy Orbital Platform - Moritz - The CGBS Justice delivers the player to the Crusader Wolf orbital platform. The player fights through the defenders and destroys the reactor, then returns to the Justice before the platform explodes. (Transcript) Khan Aletha Kabrinski presents the player the Golden Claw as a sign of gratitude from the Clan.
  • Bloodright Trials - Alshain - Players with sufficient honor are nominated to fight for the Tseng bloodname. To win the bloodname, the player must defeat Jocelyn (First Bear Guards - based on Rubigen); Victoria (3rd Jaguar Cavaliers - a former Ghost Bear now bonded to the Jaguars); Grendel (469th Assault Trinary); Bjorn (465th Striker Trinary); and Ragnarok (12th Battle Trinary). (Transcript)

(Note - it is never specified which Tseng the player character represents. Given the age, the only named Tseng bloodname holder that could be the GBL player character is Xian Tseng, who commands Rho Galaxy's 243rd Battle Cluster circa 3059.)

Additional Content

The following excerpt was published on the official Battletech website for a number of years under the Clan Smoke Jaguar section:

Kurita raiders have staged near-constant raids against Clan Smoke Jaguar in recent years, which have prevented that Clan from effectively recovering from the heavy casualties it suffered on Tukayyid. Nova Cat raiders have begun harassing Smoke Jaguar forces recently as well, further hampering the Clan's attempts to rebuild. As a result, the Smoke Jaguars seem unlikely to challenge the Ghost Bears for leadership of the Clans. Clan Smoke Jaguar's weakness has filled its warriors with frustration and a fierce desire to prove they are still a force to be reckoned with – which makes the Jaguars a potentially dangerous enemy for their Clan brethren and Inner Sphere powers.

Neither the Steel Vipers nor the Nova Cats have the strength to challenge the Ghost Bears, but both Clans are far from harmless. The Viper Khan, Perigard Zalman, has shown remarkable restraint while patiently rebuilding his Clan, which marks him as a canny and dangerous leader. Meanwhile, the Nova Cats continue to rebuild following their losses on Luthien and Tukayyid. Their weakened condition, however, has not prevented them from raiding worlds located above the truce line.

In an attempt to weaken both the Ghost Bears and Smoke Jaguars to give themselves time to recover from the Refusal War with Clan Jade Falcon, the then-Jade Wolves set into motion a complex plan, with layers of plots and misinformation blaming both Clan Smoke Jaguar and the forces of Phelan Kell's Clan Wolf-in-Exile for the theft of genetic material of the Clan Ghost Bear founders. The Ghost Bears, through a series of raids and information gathering missions, discovered the true nature of this deceit.

Although discovering that the blame lie with the Jade Wolves and not Clan Smoke Jaguar, the relative weakness of Clan Smoke Jaguar has left that Clan open to raiding and perhaps a trial of absorption by Clan Ghost Bear. Whether the Ghost Bears take advantage of this opportunity or not is left to be seen.

Cluebook

Featured BattleMechs

Clan Mechs

Note: The Mist Lynx can be seen on the Combat Simulator screen as an image, but does not appear in game for the player or as an enemy.

Inner Sphere

Note: The Inner Sphere mechs are playable in the Instant Action mode, but not the campaign.

Featured Planets