Many mercenary companies found out the hard way the taking a contract from the Word of Blake was the last contract you would ever get. The rules for mercenaries changed drastically during the jihad
Yeah because the Word of Blake did something no one ever had the balls to do. Attack Outreach and declare war on every Mercenary unit by doing it and taking a contract for Blake was the act of selling your soul.
I think the real power move is to be a mech tech for hire. There's plenty of work no matter how the battle goes, and there is a vanishingly small chance of being killed by a PPC to the cockpit.
@@roundhousedave5584in battletech i put a million cbills into my mechtech's retirement fund because i got paranoid about them sabotaging my shit during a critical mission.... i still dont know if the game will actually screw you like that or if it just scammed out of a million cbills
@@fonkyman During my many years of playing Battletech, both as a tactical battlefield combat game, and as an RPG, I had occasions where this cropped up. I just took it in stride and made it a policy that Techs of all types, MechWarriors, and others, had very generous retirement packages held in escrow, with provisos that they could lose it all if any hint of betrayal stuck to them. This pretty much assured my people were loyal to a fault, knowing they and their dependents were assured of a safe, secure, and semi-wealthy retirement package.
Hello Grim. I have played Battletech since I first encountered it at a Sci-Fi convention in Chicago back in early 1984. The person overseeing the game play was 'Butch' Leaper, the primary play tester for FASA at the time. After a couple of simple games, I was hooked and immediately after the convention, purchased the 1st edition box set. At that time, the Mechs were represented by fold-over cardboard pieces that slotted into simple plastic tabs for bases for the unit. Everything else was covered by 'punch out' cardboard counters of various sizes and types. Later on, I bought dozens of the lead miniatures and created my own units to play against my fellow Battletech players. And with the existing Mech Design Rules in the back of the manual, I created variations on existing Mechs to 'improve' them. I also created whole new mech designs as well... and this is where I eventually gained my 'title' for having the most 'banned' Mech designs in my playing group, over a period of at least 15 years. One such 'banned' design was the XM10X Locust. 20 tons, Endo-Steel internal structure, Ferro-Fiberous Armor, Triple Strength Myomers, Nissan 200 standard Fusion Engine, 10 Inner Sphere Double Heat Sinks, and a single ER Large Laser. Armor was maximum for the Mech in all locations, excepting a single point on the Center Torso. The 200 Nissan Engine was large enough to contain 8 of the 10 heat sinks, so only two had to be located within the Mech. Without the TSM activated, the Mech's speed was: 10/15/0 (walk/run/jump), and 11/17/0 with TSM activated. The Mech ran 'cool' since the IS-DHSs could allow the Mech to run at top speed and fire it's weapon without heat build up. Turning on the TSM only engendered a 'minor' penalty and was entirely manageable in the light of the Mech's high speed and long range firepower. The XM10X was more than fast enough to allow it to maneuver behind slower Mech types and gain an advantage of firing at their much thinner rear armor facings. Combined with the long range of the ER Large Laser, this proved to be an 'unbeatable' combination, and my play group 'banned' the Mech from use. Especially when it was discovered that no matter what universal rules they used, allowed me to field large numbers of my design. Tonnage, Battle Value, or C-Bill costs, all saw me out numbering and swamping their larger, slower Mechs, and winning battle after battle. On top of all this, the costs to replace destroyed Mechs was FAR cheaper for me, then their own losses. Another aspect of the design was how I had designed it to 'fold' up for servicing and repair. Three XM10Xs could be serviced within a single Mech Bay in their 'folded' state. Allowing me to put 4o XM's into a single Union class Dropship (36 in the Mech Bays, with four more in the cargo hold, along with various spares and equipment). This is but ONE example of my various and many 'banned' designs that proved to be TOO efficient and too cheap. Designs that the playing group just didn't want to face again and again, Since the 'swarm' tactic worked so well for me. Yes, I did lose several of my Locusts in each battle, but the cost to totally replace them was usually cheaper than the cost of the single heaviest Mech in the opponent's force. Averaging 3 destroyed, and up to four damaged to various states per battle, you can see where my costs to operate my unit was far lest costly than my opponents. On the other side of the coin, my costs in MechWarrior salaries was much higher (about three fold). And since the Locust used ONLY a 'beam' weapon, there was no associated 'ammo' costs. Oh, my Astech and Mech Tech force was at least double the normal seen, and often three times as large, with associated salaries included. But, with almost guaranteed results, I could land contracts and fulfill them reliably, and at a 'discount' from other units, and still make a hefty profit for my Mercs. I hope, in my current play of the Battletech 3062 Mod, to be able to re-create this unit and evaluate it's effectiveness in the game. P.S. I must mention that my 'Union' Dropships were modified as well. Mostly changing weapons, and after a period of successful missions, replacing the basic fighters with the best available on the Markets (yes, that DOES mean purchases using the 'black' market as well). The most glaring change to the Union was increasing the tonnage available for crew and cargo capacities. Enabling me to have the personnel and equipment I felt needed to fight any kind of foe. For instance, I had a Mobile Repair Gantry that was carried on a 60 ton tracked vehicle, stripped of almost all armor, and mounting only a couple of light MGs. This Gantry would 'unfold' upwards to contain a XM10X for field repairs, accompanied by several 20 ton hover vehicles carrying parts, supplies, and tools. This allowed me to set up a 'hidden' repair site away from my Dropship, and I found that to be tactically advantageous to invest in. Leonidas Franklin. General of the Star Lions Mercenary Corps (when the play group broke up, numbering at least nine regiments of Mechs, and 14 regiments of combined arms units, with associated Dropship transports and an eventual dozen Jumpships of various types).
Hello Grim. You might be wondering... 'where in the heck did he get all that stuff'?? Well, the Star Lions started out like a typical Merc Unit in the Battletech Universe. But after being betrayed like the Grey Death Legion, the Star Lions raided their employer's manufacturing bases. Descending and stripping Light Mech factories to the ground. They also managed to obtain a copy of the Helm Memory Core as well, and the tools and manufacturing basis to make things like Nissan 200 Fusion Engines, Ferro-Fiberous Armor, Endo-Steel, and various types of Mech weaponry, and other things as well. This allowed the survivors to flee to an un-mapped and 'forgotten' star system in the deep Periphery, where they set up operations deep under the miles thick ice sheets of a large moon of a gas giant planet in their chosen system. Entrances and Exits were carefully camouflaged and mining was performed in a 'strip mine' type of manner, with the resulting empty rock chambers becoming new living and working spaces for the ever-growing Corps and it's dependents. The vast ice sheets are more than ample to supply enough Helium-3 for Fusion Reactors, and excess heat generated is pumped into the deep mines to dissipate naturally. The Corps disappeared from IS records and were replaced by the Ghost Lions Legion 60 years later, fielding totally new Mech designs that they kept secret from anyone not associated with their group. Countless contracts were denied when the hiring group insisted upon Mech exchanges, or outright handing over Mech details to the hiring force. The Ghost Lions were mostly efficient at policing up battlefields of traces of their damaged or destroyed units, and only left scraps of Ferro-Fiberous armor, slivers of Endo-Steel, bits of TSM, and the occasional husk of an ER Large Laser to be found by later groups trying to salvage information on things like the XM10X Locust design. To date, no one outside the Ghost Lions has discovered their 'home' system, or location. This is because the home system's location is kept in highly encrypted files aboard their own Jumpships, and accessible only to a privileged few via DNA scanners and long voice recognition phrases. Ships that cannot return to 'home' have an 'assembly' site in their ship's computers to return to should, for some reason, the ship be unable to unlock the encrypted data. This 'assembly' area is an uninhabited star system with few planets, and kept patrolled by Warships built by the Legion. In the event that 'outsiders' appear in the 'assembly' system, they will be either engaged by the Legion's Warships, or the Warships will leave the system on several headings to confuse the opponent. After such an event, all Legion Jumpships will be updated with a new 'assembly' site, and the Legion's Warships will assemble there. Should the 'Op-For' be sufficiently smaller than the Warship contingent, the Legion will attack and attempt to destroy, or capture the opposing force's vessels. Any captured personnel will be kept ignorant of their whereabouts and eventually ransomed back to their employers, or star nation. In most cases, they will be handed over to some reputable Merc Company to be ransomed, and the Legion will share the net proceeds with the 'enabler' unit. However, captured Jumpships, Dropships, Mechs, and equipment will be either retained by the Legion, sold to the highest bidder, or sold via the Black Market. Since nearly being wiped out by House Liao, the Legion is highly mistrustful of Inner Sphere Houses, and their contracts often do NOT state that Legion Warships will be posted to the contracted system via 'Pirate' Jump points. The Legion has no interest in being caught 'with it's pants down' like their predecessor the Star Lion Corps.
@@louiswilkins9624 Hello Louis. All my 'stories' are merely me remembering things over the course of nearly 2 decades of playing B-Tech with a group at a gaming shop in Chicago (that is sadly now defunct). Most of my 'tales' are prompted by remembering the 'campaign' one of the owners of the shop ran for nearly 4 years.
Been playing with the idea of a mercenary company made up of disenfranchised clanners post Tukayyid called Jester Company. "We watched honor die on the fields of Tukayyid and could only laugh." Though they wield clantech and high powered battlemechs, prejudice and mistrust means they are often limited to the worst missions and contracts.
Gdn you are bringing back fond memories of the past. I would love to tell you the tale of Grimm's reapers my own mercenary regiment and my time of working for the Duchess of tharkad. Those we're the days long before computer and video games.
he was meaning that's the cost for hiring a dropship and the jump point costs all rolled into one as you'd be forming a contract with a transporting union, if a merc group had their own dropship it would be around 1000C - 5000C just for the jump point. but dropships have their own costs, such as repairs, maintenance, crew pay and ect the game battle tech made by hairbrain fits in terms of those costs, MW5 defiantly over charges in that regards
@@joedoe7041 : I agree... the HBS game is more in line with 'actual' costs. A successful enough Merc unit can afford its own Jump Ship, in addition to Drop Ships.
Those fights against the clanner scum were brutal, lost most of our guys after being shifted from the FedCom border with the Draconis Combine (thank you Free Rasalhague Republic for making our payday easier) then shifted around after the invasion started. Hunt the Ghost Bears to extinction is my motto
Many mercenary companies found out the hard way the taking a contract from the Word of Blake was the last contract you would ever get. The rules for mercenaries changed drastically during the jihad
True words.
Yeah because the Word of Blake did something no one ever had the balls to do. Attack Outreach and declare war on every Mercenary unit by doing it and taking a contract for Blake was the act of selling your soul.
I think the real power move is to be a mech tech for hire. There's plenty of work no matter how the battle goes, and there is a vanishingly small chance of being killed by a PPC to the cockpit.
Imagine being a dropship tech. That's gotta have some serious benefits and job security.
@@roundhousedave5584in battletech i put a million cbills into my mechtech's retirement fund because i got paranoid about them sabotaging my shit during a critical mission....
i still dont know if the game will actually screw you like that or if it just scammed out of a million cbills
@@fonkyman
During my many years of playing Battletech, both as a tactical battlefield combat game, and as an RPG, I had occasions where this cropped up. I just took it in stride and made it a policy that Techs of all types, MechWarriors, and others, had very generous retirement packages held in escrow, with provisos that they could lose it all if any hint of betrayal stuck to them. This pretty much assured my people were loyal to a fault, knowing they and their dependents were assured of a safe, secure, and semi-wealthy retirement package.
@@franksmedley8619 my thoughts exactly
The real money would be in a jumpship tech working for the highest bidder.
#quotes-Remember, my Jokers, a dropzone is like a woman. Land on her firmly, and make sure you have the vital parts located before you get going.’ 🙌🙏🙌
Hello Grim.
I have played Battletech since I first encountered it at a Sci-Fi convention in Chicago back in early 1984. The person overseeing the game play was 'Butch' Leaper, the primary play tester for FASA at the time. After a couple of simple games, I was hooked and immediately after the convention, purchased the 1st edition box set. At that time, the Mechs were represented by fold-over cardboard pieces that slotted into simple plastic tabs for bases for the unit. Everything else was covered by 'punch out' cardboard counters of various sizes and types.
Later on, I bought dozens of the lead miniatures and created my own units to play against my fellow Battletech players. And with the existing Mech Design Rules in the back of the manual, I created variations on existing Mechs to 'improve' them. I also created whole new mech designs as well... and this is where I eventually gained my 'title' for having the most 'banned' Mech designs in my playing group, over a period of at least 15 years.
One such 'banned' design was the XM10X Locust. 20 tons, Endo-Steel internal structure, Ferro-Fiberous Armor, Triple Strength Myomers, Nissan 200 standard Fusion Engine, 10 Inner Sphere Double Heat Sinks, and a single ER Large Laser. Armor was maximum for the Mech in all locations, excepting a single point on the Center Torso. The 200 Nissan Engine was large enough to contain 8 of the 10 heat sinks, so only two had to be located within the Mech. Without the TSM activated, the Mech's speed was: 10/15/0 (walk/run/jump), and 11/17/0 with TSM activated.
The Mech ran 'cool' since the IS-DHSs could allow the Mech to run at top speed and fire it's weapon without heat build up. Turning on the TSM only engendered a 'minor' penalty and was entirely manageable in the light of the Mech's high speed and long range firepower. The XM10X was more than fast enough to allow it to maneuver behind slower Mech types and gain an advantage of firing at their much thinner rear armor facings. Combined with the long range of the ER Large Laser, this proved to be an 'unbeatable' combination, and my play group 'banned' the Mech from use.
Especially when it was discovered that no matter what universal rules they used, allowed me to field large numbers of my design. Tonnage, Battle Value, or C-Bill costs, all saw me out numbering and swamping their larger, slower Mechs, and winning battle after battle. On top of all this, the costs to replace destroyed Mechs was FAR cheaper for me, then their own losses.
Another aspect of the design was how I had designed it to 'fold' up for servicing and repair. Three XM10Xs could be serviced within a single Mech Bay in their 'folded' state. Allowing me to put 4o XM's into a single Union class Dropship (36 in the Mech Bays, with four more in the cargo hold, along with various spares and equipment).
This is but ONE example of my various and many 'banned' designs that proved to be TOO efficient and too cheap. Designs that the playing group just didn't want to face again and again, Since the 'swarm' tactic worked so well for me. Yes, I did lose several of my Locusts in each battle, but the cost to totally replace them was usually cheaper than the cost of the single heaviest Mech in the opponent's force. Averaging 3 destroyed, and up to four damaged to various states per battle, you can see where my costs to operate my unit was far lest costly than my opponents. On the other side of the coin, my costs in MechWarrior salaries was much higher (about three fold). And since the Locust used ONLY a 'beam' weapon, there was no associated 'ammo' costs. Oh, my Astech and Mech Tech force was at least double the normal seen, and often three times as large, with associated salaries included. But, with almost guaranteed results, I could land contracts and fulfill them reliably, and at a 'discount' from other units, and still make a hefty profit for my Mercs.
I hope, in my current play of the Battletech 3062 Mod, to be able to re-create this unit and evaluate it's effectiveness in the game.
P.S. I must mention that my 'Union' Dropships were modified as well. Mostly changing weapons, and after a period of successful missions, replacing the basic fighters with the best available on the Markets (yes, that DOES mean purchases using the 'black' market as well). The most glaring change to the Union was increasing the tonnage available for crew and cargo capacities. Enabling me to have the personnel and equipment I felt needed to fight any kind of foe. For instance, I had a Mobile Repair Gantry that was carried on a 60 ton tracked vehicle, stripped of almost all armor, and mounting only a couple of light MGs. This Gantry would 'unfold' upwards to contain a XM10X for field repairs, accompanied by several 20 ton hover vehicles carrying parts, supplies, and tools. This allowed me to set up a 'hidden' repair site away from my Dropship, and I found that to be tactically advantageous to invest in.
Leonidas Franklin. General of the Star Lions Mercenary Corps (when the play group broke up, numbering at least nine regiments of Mechs, and 14 regiments of combined arms units, with associated Dropship transports and an eventual dozen Jumpships of various types).
Hello Grim.
You might be wondering... 'where in the heck did he get all that stuff'?? Well, the Star Lions started out like a typical Merc Unit in the Battletech Universe. But after being betrayed like the Grey Death Legion, the Star Lions raided their employer's manufacturing bases. Descending and stripping Light Mech factories to the ground. They also managed to obtain a copy of the Helm Memory Core as well, and the tools and manufacturing basis to make things like Nissan 200 Fusion Engines, Ferro-Fiberous Armor, Endo-Steel, and various types of Mech weaponry, and other things as well.
This allowed the survivors to flee to an un-mapped and 'forgotten' star system in the deep Periphery, where they set up operations deep under the miles thick ice sheets of a large moon of a gas giant planet in their chosen system. Entrances and Exits were carefully camouflaged and mining was performed in a 'strip mine' type of manner, with the resulting empty rock chambers becoming new living and working spaces for the ever-growing Corps and it's dependents. The vast ice sheets are more than ample to supply enough Helium-3 for Fusion Reactors, and excess heat generated is pumped into the deep mines to dissipate naturally.
The Corps disappeared from IS records and were replaced by the Ghost Lions Legion 60 years later, fielding totally new Mech designs that they kept secret from anyone not associated with their group. Countless contracts were denied when the hiring group insisted upon Mech exchanges, or outright handing over Mech details to the hiring force. The Ghost Lions were mostly efficient at policing up battlefields of traces of their damaged or destroyed units, and only left scraps of Ferro-Fiberous armor, slivers of Endo-Steel, bits of TSM, and the occasional husk of an ER Large Laser to be found by later groups trying to salvage information on things like the XM10X Locust design.
To date, no one outside the Ghost Lions has discovered their 'home' system, or location. This is because the home system's location is kept in highly encrypted files aboard their own Jumpships, and accessible only to a privileged few via DNA scanners and long voice recognition phrases. Ships that cannot return to 'home' have an 'assembly' site in their ship's computers to return to should, for some reason, the ship be unable to unlock the encrypted data. This 'assembly' area is an uninhabited star system with few planets, and kept patrolled by Warships built by the Legion.
In the event that 'outsiders' appear in the 'assembly' system, they will be either engaged by the Legion's Warships, or the Warships will leave the system on several headings to confuse the opponent. After such an event, all Legion Jumpships will be updated with a new 'assembly' site, and the Legion's Warships will assemble there.
Should the 'Op-For' be sufficiently smaller than the Warship contingent, the Legion will attack and attempt to destroy, or capture the opposing force's vessels. Any captured personnel will be kept ignorant of their whereabouts and eventually ransomed back to their employers, or star nation. In most cases, they will be handed over to some reputable Merc Company to be ransomed, and the Legion will share the net proceeds with the 'enabler' unit. However, captured Jumpships, Dropships, Mechs, and equipment will be either retained by the Legion, sold to the highest bidder, or sold via the Black Market.
Since nearly being wiped out by House Liao, the Legion is highly mistrustful of Inner Sphere Houses, and their contracts often do NOT state that Legion Warships will be posted to the contracted system via 'Pirate' Jump points. The Legion has no interest in being caught 'with it's pants down' like their predecessor the Star Lion Corps.
Bro I remember those days. Such great times.
@@franksmedley8619 Your story sounds awesome. I would buy all of the books if you ever publish one.
@@louiswilkins9624
Hello Louis. All my 'stories' are merely me remembering things over the course of nearly 2 decades of playing B-Tech with a group at a gaming shop in Chicago (that is sadly now defunct). Most of my 'tales' are prompted by remembering the 'campaign' one of the owners of the shop ran for nearly 4 years.
@@franksmedley8619 Thanks , still think the story was excellent. Thanks again for sharing your story.
Been playing with the idea of a mercenary company made up of disenfranchised clanners post Tukayyid called Jester Company. "We watched honor die on the fields of Tukayyid and could only laugh." Though they wield clantech and high powered battlemechs, prejudice and mistrust means they are often limited to the worst missions and contracts.
Jester Company is welcome to sub-contract with the Ghost Lions Legions.
Gdn you are bringing back fond memories of the past. I would love to tell you the tale of Grimm's reapers my own mercenary regiment and my time of working for the Duchess of tharkad. Those we're the days long before computer and video games.
Credit to those days too.
Sounds, to me, like you started like myself. On the tabletops.
@@franksmedley7372 oh yes.
50.000C/jump... it sounds good in lore, but playing in MW5: Mercenaries I enjoy that 1000C/jump mod so much xD
he was meaning that's the cost for hiring a dropship and the jump point costs all rolled into one as you'd be forming a contract with a transporting union, if a merc group had their own dropship it would be around 1000C - 5000C just for the jump point. but dropships have their own costs, such as repairs, maintenance, crew pay and ect
the game battle tech made by hairbrain fits in terms of those costs, MW5 defiantly over charges in that regards
@@joedoe7041 : I agree... the HBS game is more in line with 'actual' costs. A successful enough Merc unit can afford its own Jump Ship, in addition to Drop Ships.
As always thanks you & keep up the hard work m8
Thanks for watching.
Those fights against the clanner scum were brutal, lost most of our guys after being shifted from the FedCom border with the Draconis Combine (thank you Free Rasalhague Republic for making our payday easier) then shifted around after the invasion started. Hunt the Ghost Bears to extinction is my motto
Please don't. I trade with the Bears fairly often.
Cool
Steel wolves are my faction.
Nice!
can we get a video on infantry/battle armour?
Yeah, I'll hopefully get to that at some point.
GrimDark Narrator okay!
Look on the bright side kid you get to keep all the money
As long as you're the boss.
Miichio kaku?
👍
does it pay?
It certainly does. That's the whole point.
@@GrimDarkNarrator BUT THEN ALL THE PAY GOES RIGHT BACK INTO BASIC UPKEEP SOOOO....