BattleTech
BattleTech ( MechWarrior ) is a military science fiction - board game , war game and RPG (developed by FASA , on WizKids sold licensee for Classic Battletech : formerly FanPro LLC , since 2008 Catalyst Game Labs , development and distribution of MechWarrior: Dark Age : WizKids, German version since 2011 at Ulisses Spiele ). BattleTech simulates warfare in a fictional future, in which special combat machines, the so-called BattleMechs , are among the primary war devices and are also the focus of almost all stories.
Today, several computer games are based on this board game of the same name, as well as an animated series , a series of novels and several (special) books (with technical drawings and construction plans as well as information on background history and more).
history
The first edition of the game was called BattleDroids , but was quickly renamed BattleTech , most likely out of fear or concern of lawsuits from Lucasfilm Ltd., which had generally secured the trademark rights to the name "Droid". However, in the 1990s there was a legal dispute between FASA and Playmates as well as Harmony Gold regarding the copyrights to various images from the Robotech / Macross series. FASA discarded all images borrowed or licensed from this series and from then on only used images of their own designs. This led to the emergence of the so-called "Unseen" mechs . These were to the then-known as Mechdesigns Marauder , War Hammer , Fire Hawk , Wasp , etc. Later, they were brought back to life as part of the so-called "Project Phoenix" as "reseen" -Mechdesigns with new values, graphics and thumbnails. Recently, another ten official designs and two Fantech variants were withdrawn from the range for fear of another legal dispute with Harmony Gold. However, these have now been used again with new graphics.
FASA, the original manufacturer of BattleTech, has ceased operations and sold all rights to the manufacturer WizKids . This has now separated the BattleTech development: Classic Battletech remains the "old" BattleTech, the "new" is now called MechWarrior: Dark Age . Originally, the additional title should be dropped. But since the name MechWarrior is both a role-playing game and the title for a successful computer game series, it prevents confusion.
Classic BattleTech
The classic game BattleTech (today Classic BattleTech ) is a tabletop game. Plastic or tin figures or the cardboard displays of the two players (or teams) included in the earlier editions of the game compete against each other on large, hex-grid maps . Each player records the status of his BattleMechs on data sheets. The fight is fought with two six-sided dice and takes place in rounds.
In addition to BattleMechs, infantry , artillery , air / space fighters, helicopters, vertical takeoffs , landing ships, spaceships, vehicles , ships and self-created units can be used.
The complexity of the rules can be increased gradually in order to achieve a higher degree of reality. If desired, weather effects, special attack techniques for infantry against battlemechs, rules for fighting in cities, other types of weapons and much more can be added.
The original game is in English, but has been translated into several languages (including German , French and Dutch ). The game is particularly widespread in the USA and Europe (especially Germany ).
Worldwide, particularly loyal fans of the game are grouped regionally in so-called chapters, who meet regularly to play Battletech and compete against other chapters in chapter fights. Chapters are the most common in Germany in particular . This was promoted by the high number of club-organized players, for example in the official BattleTech fan club Mechforce . But other organizations such as Team Trueborn e. V. and MechWorld offer contact points for chapters. In addition to these organized chapters, there are also numerous so-called “free” chapters in Germany who pursue their hobby without any association or organizational support.
At the height of BattleTech in the 1980s, hex-based games appeared that focused on air / space combat ( AeroTech or AstroTech ) or combat on a tactical level ( War of the Inner Sphere , BattleTroops ). The latter product line has since been discontinued. With all of these game systems, care was taken to ensure that they were compatible with the base game BattleTech . You can therefore usually play them linked, often only the zoom factor of the action changes.
MegaMek
The computer game MegaMek, developed by fans, simulates the tactical Battletech tabletop game (Classic BattleTech). It allows both battles against a bot, as well as turn-based Internet battles via Java against several human players who play in different timelines of the Inner Sphere in the respective factions. There is a fan community here whose members meet in BattleTech internet forums and regularly compete against each other. MegaMek is continuously developed as free software by volunteer programmers and a new, more stable version with more features is regularly offered for download. With MekHQ there is also a unit editor for MegaMek.
With MekWars (formerly "MegaMekNet") there is also a multiplayer campaign software available that supplements a strategic level and works together with MegaMek. Here you command a random selection of mechs on a timeline, conquer planets, vehicles, infantry and, of course, enemy mechs in a large number of variants. Production, pilot development, scenarios and landscapes are dynamic and represent a precise implementation of the well-known BattleTech universe. After the campaign has ended, the 2000 playable planets are dynamically reset.
Do-it-yourself construction and game balance
There are construction rules for all available troop types, according to which you can construct mechs, tanks, etc. yourself. To make things easier, there are extensive programs to buy that can be used to design quickly on the PC. There are also freeware programs that are usually not so up-to-date and not so comfortable, but are sufficient in most cases. In BattleTech Internet forums, there are implicit competitions to construct a particularly imaginative yet practical Mech / Tank, or to improve an already existing model. Certain particularly effective weapon combinations (e.g. pulse laser + target computer) are frowned upon as inelegant .
To ensure that all parties compete with roughly the same strength, each unit has a battle value (BV). The battle value of a unit is calculated additively from the battle value values of its components (reactor, armor, weapons ...). The shooter and the pilot value of the assigned (role-play technical) pilot are calculated using a multiplier (from a table).
There are three different technology levels in Classic BattleTech, and there are two more in Dark Age. Each technology level represents an era in the fictional backstory of BattleTech and includes weapons of similar quality. As the technology level rises, the quality (damage, range ...) of the weapons increases, but so does the battle value that their installation brings. Most battles have a BV limit up to which one party can select troops at a time. Sophisticated constructions with state-of-the-art equipment may cost so much BV that the player has to make disproportionate compromises with his other troops.
MechWarrior: Dark Age
MechWarrior: Dark Age is similar to Classic BattleTech a science fiction - Tabletop . This variant puts the game with collectible BattleMech and vehicle miniatures in the foreground. Similar to trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering, these are distributed in randomly assembled packs ( boosters ). The product Mage Knight , also from WizKids , also works according to this principle.
Gameplay
The game is played on a hexagonal grid that represents terrain. Some hex elements can contain properties such as forest , road or swamp that can affect visibility, movement and accuracy. There are also different levels of elevation, creating hills and ravines that can be used to hide or stalk.
All mechs / vehicles / planes / spaceships are divided into several sections that contain the motor, electronics and weapon components. Each section has an armor and a structure value. Once the armor is destroyed, internal components and structure are attacked. The destruction of certain sections leads to the destruction of the entire vehicle.
Each unit has a rifle rating and a pilot rating (for infantry: anti-mech skill). The shooter value influences the chance to hit. The pilot value determines whether a pilot can hold the 'Mech upright in difficult terrain or when stumbling. Low values are an advantage.
The weapons differ in range, damage, generated waste heat, available ammunition and / or hit bonuses / mali.
Two dice are always rolled, the results of which are added together.
- Classic BattleTech
All players take turns setting up their units on the part of the playing field assigned to them. The order is determined by rolling the dice. The one with the lowest roll goes first.
Each round begins with the initiative roll. The one with the lowest roll goes first in all phases of the round.
Then comes the movement phase. Each player takes turns drawing one of his units. Each unit has its own movement profile. The available movement points are subdivided: As soon as you use a certain amount ("running" compared to "walking"), the chances of hit for the shooter and target decrease.
In the firing phase, the two players take turns firing at each other: For each weapon system of each unit, you choose an enemy target (if it is within range) and declare a shot. If you fire at multiple targets, the chance to hit drops significantly. A hit roll is made for each shot: shooter rating, range and other penalties are added. This number has to be reached at least with the die roll to score. If it was hit, another throw is used to determine which section (s) were hit.
Then all firefights are evaluated in parallel and damage is noted. If a 'Mech has taken too much damage, it must roll the dice to avoid falling over.
Then comes the close combat phase. Mechs can hit and kick enemies within range.
Finally comes the heat phase. Here it is calculated how much waste heat each unit has generated and dissipated. Excess heat is carried over to the next round. Too much heat can have negative effects, such as fewer movement points, poorer chance of hit, ammunition explosions (severe internal damage) and reactor emergency shutdown (unit is defenseless for one round).
The end of the game can be defined almost arbitrarily. Mostly it is a matter of destroying all opposing forces or forcing you to escape from the field. The game usually lasts between 10 and 30 rounds (depending on the terrain, troops and skill of the players).
Product line
Tabletop
- BattleTech or today Classic BattleTech (the original game)
- MechWars - Fight for the Inner Sphere (1994, German title of the English version The Succession Wars , 1987)
- MechWarrior CTCG (trading card game from Wizards of the Coast )
- BattleTech (book series) , has existed practically since the beginning of the BattleTech saga
- MechWarrior: Dark Age and MechWarrior: Age of Destruction ( collectible miniature game by WizKids )
- MechWarrior ( pen & paper role-playing game ; title of the original edition was BattleTech RPG , including four editions between 1985 and 1999)
- Classic BattleTech RPG ( remake of the MechWarrior RPG) and 2010 its successor BattleTech: A Time of War (see website of Catalyst Games)
Computer games
The world of BattleTech
history
prehistory
Humanity, which formed the Terran Alliance in the 21st century , began to colonize space at the beginning of the 22nd century. The huge distances with so-called JumpShips bridged that (named after the physicists Thomas Kearny and Takayoshi Fuchida, who had done the groundwork in the early 21st century) through the Kearny-Fuchida drive create a rift in the space-time continuum and up to be able to “jump” to 30 light years without wasting time. However, many of these colonies broke away from the Terran Alliance after a brief battle in the 23rd century and became independent as the Alliance sank into chaos. In the course of time, several states were formed by the middle of the 24th century , some of which merged into larger federations . However, the relative isolation of the worlds from one another led to the development of neo- feudalism . Feudal princes rule in the name of one of the five great ruling houses (House Steiner / Lyran Commonwealth , House Davion / United Suns , House Kurita / Draconis Combine , House Liao / Confederation Capella and House Marik / League of Free Worlds ) over their subjects in the "Inner Sphere “, A roughly spherical space region with a radius of 300 light years around Terra . In this society, BattleMech pilots are the heroes who go to battle for their princes like medieval knights .
In addition, the Terran hegemony existed until the 28th century (for the various states see below ). It was the most technologically advanced state and was founded at the beginning of the 24th century from the remnants of the Terran Alliance by Admiral James McKenna, who conquered several surrounding worlds in a year-long campaign. But shortly afterwards the Cameron family established themselves in power, whose members soon without exception held the post of head of state of the hegemony, the director general (who initially still had to be elected). There were repeated battles between these six great powers (Combine against the United Suns, the Hegemony or the Commonwealth; the Capella Confederation against the League, the United Suns or the Terran Hegemony), but only brought about minor border shifts. Middle of the 26th century had, at the initiative of the Terran Hegemony every great house for Star League together.
The peripheral states (such as the Magistrate Canopus or the Taurus Concordat), which largely did not want to have anything to do with the Star League, were forced into the union in the bloody "Unification War" (2577-2597). As territorial states, they did not receive full voting rights and in the years that followed they were rather hostile to the federal government. The federal government prospered in the following decades. The golden age of mankind began culturally and technologically , although tensions between the member states also kept coming up. The stability and security of the federal government were guaranteed by a transnational administration and the qualitative and quantitative superiority of the Star League defense forces . The Terran Hegemony , which can be described as "the heart and soul" of the Star League, was completely absorbed into the League, with only members of the House of Cameron holding the office of 1st Lord of the Star League . The armed forces of the hegemony, which were referred to as the Royal Divisions , were directly subordinate to the 1st Lord in his function as Director General of the Hegemony.
The Star League disintegrated in the middle of the 28th century. During this time there was increased unrest in the peripheral countries, there were terrorist attacks and revolts. As a result, the Star League High Command moved most of the units to the periphery, exposing the systems of Terran hegemony . In response, the 1st Lord Richard Cameron ordered that units from the Republic of the Rimworlds , whose ruler Stefan Amaris was Richard's closest confidante, be transferred to the hegemony. However, it was Amaris who had funded the uprisings. In December 2766 he had Richard Cameron and his family killed in a large-scale coup. Loyal Terran units were eliminated through the use of nuclear weapons, among other things. Years of reign of terror began in the Terran Hegemony .
Aleksandr Kerensky , the commander-in-chief of the Star League Defense Forces , which were involved in a partisan struggle against the rebellious border states in the periphery , brought about Amaris in a bloody campaign. After Star League troops first conquered the Republic of the Rimworlds , the liberation of the hegemony began in June 2777, which ended in the fall of 2779 with the conquest of Terra. Kerensky had Amaris and his family executed. House Cameron no longer existed, however, and the other lords of the house were also more concerned with their own interests, so the Star League broke up. The last meeting of the house lords on behalf of the Star League took place in August 2781. Kerensky was unwilling to restore the Star League by force and thereupon left the Inner Sphere with most of his armed forces. The rulers of the states that were united in the Star League claimed all but the Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth for themselves the title of First Lord in 2786 . The Terran hegemony (whose armed forces were destroyed in the Amaris War or subsequently largely joined Kerensky) was divided up among the house lords, just as the remnants of the remaining Star League troops (around 20%) joined one of the large houses or became mercenaries.
The Succession Wars
The so-called Succession Wars finally arose from the inability of the big houses to reach an agreement . The centuries of mutual wars for the attainment of supremacy - in the first wars also with the help of ABC weapons - over the entire human-inhabited space could not give any of the ruling houses a decisive advantage. The re-establishment of the Star League appears further than ever. The knowledge of many technologies was lost during the endless battles between the ruling houses ( LosTech ); Even BattleMechs and the irreplaceable JumpShips can only be produced on a few worlds, but the knowledge of building highly developed systems such as combat spaceships has been completely lost. The Ares Convention (adopted as early as the 25th century) provided additional protection for human life and technology, but at the same time played down the horrors of war.
The states that fought (and are fighting) one another in these conflicts are referred to as the successor states, even though they all existed before the Star League was formed. In their structures and organization, they are reminiscent of the monarchies of days gone by, which can also be compared with the conditions in Frank Herbert's Dune . These states emerged from economic alliances that eventually became political. There is no state whose population consists of only one nationality, but there is almost always a nationality that is dominant, both in the cultural as well as in the quantitative sense of the population (Confederation Capella: mainly Chinese; Draconis Combine: mainly Japanese ; United Suns: mainly Anglo-American; Lyran Commonwealth: mainly German; Free Worlds League: other peoples and cultures, mainly Scandinavians, Spanish-speaking peoples, Indians).
In the wars of the succession, however, none of the big houses was able to gain any real advantage, even if the Capella Confederation or the Commonwealth suffered major losses of territory. The 1st Succession War (2786 to 2821) was already waged with great brutality and weapons of mass destruction. House Davion planned a large-scale invasion of the Capellan Confederation, but was completely surprised when strong House Kurita associations were able to penetrate almost as far as New Avalon and wreak the famous Kentares massacre on Kentares IV, killing over 50 million. The Combine had previously successfully attacked the Lyran Commonwealth, which in turn invaded League Worlds and annexed many of the systems of the crumbled Republic of the Rim Worlds . League troops under Kenyon Marik, on the other hand, achieved successes against the Capellans; the league was so successful at it that it was joked that Kenyon Marik would choose his targets by throwing arrows on a star map. The loss of life was shocking, but the technological loss was even more fatal.
In the Second Succession War (2830 to 2864), triggered by Kurita's attacks on the Steiner and Davion houses, the rapid technological decline made itself felt strongly; this was the last time combat ships were used. House Davion was able to take Capellan worlds, but suffered high losses and also lost worlds to Kurita. House Kurita mocked the Steiners by recording the fatal duel of two brothers, both Lyran commanders of the 4th Royal Guards House Steiners, and sending it to the ruling Archon. This reacted by the Lyran secret service activating a deep cover agent at the Kurita court and murdering this 2850 coordinator Yoguchi, on whose body the regimental badge of the 4th Guards was left behind. The war ended in a draw after Combine troops failed to capture Haus Steiner's armory, Hesperus II.
The 3rd Succession War (2866 to 3025), which dragged on for a long time, was characterized by further loss of technology and increased neo-feudalization. However, most of the parties tried to conserve vital industries that still existed. House Kurita was largely focused on the Commonwealth while the Capellans were on the defensive on all fronts against the League and Davion.
In 3028 the 4th Succession War, which lasted until 3030, broke out. He managed the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns (which no doomed by marriage alliance had closed together, and a little later to the United Commonwealth should merge), inflicting heavy losses to their opponents: The Capellan Confederation nearly loses half of their worlds, the league and especially the combine will be weakened.
Subsequently, the discovery of an intact Star League data memory led to a small technical " renaissance ". The Federated Commonwealth's war against House Kurita in 3039 ends with the successful defense of the Combine, secretly supported by ComStar . The order had previously secretly interfered in the politics of the successor states and always pursued its own goals.
It was around this historical point in time that the first BattleTech backstories began.
The clan invasion
The clans , descendants of the old Star League army (see below) , encountered this state of relative equilibrium of power in 3050 . In their centuries-long absence, they have developed a society that was only oriented towards war, e.g. B. the DNA of particularly deserving warriors was combined (there were originally 800 so-called blood names ) to create new soldiers. In addition, in contrast to the states of the Inner Sphere, the clans have retained and further developed their technology from the golden age.
With this far superior technology and pilots, the clans brutally struck a path of devastation through the peripheral worlds of the successor states with the aim of taking Terra, the cradle of mankind and seat of the quasi-religious organization ComStar , for themselves and thus a new star league to build. This affected the Lyran systems of the Federated Commonwealth , the Rasalhague Republic (which was almost completely conquered) and the Combine.
ComStar didn't want to give up Terra and in 3052 offered a decisive battle on the sparsely populated planet Tukayyid. The best troops of all (now seven) invasion clans competed against the ComGuards , the ComStars private army, which was able to muster over 50 Mech regiments as well as supporting tanks and air / space fighters from the Star League era. The clans were to receive Terra in the event of a victory, and had to adhere to a 15-year truce in the event of defeat. The ComGuards, who were skillfully commanded by Anastasius Focht (alias Frederick Steiner, a brilliant Lyran general who was captured by Kurita in the 4th Succession War and later joined ComStar), won in weeks of battles that were bloody on both sides.
After Tukayyid's return, Focht found out about the political assassination plans of the leader ComStars and killed her. ComStar itself was reformed and secularized by Focht and the new Prima Sharilar Mori , but a radical faction known as Blake's Word broke away from the organization and found refuge in the Free Worlds League. In the following period the fighting in the area of the armistice line between the clans and units of the Inner Sphere did not break off.
In 3057, the Free Worlds League and its allied Capella Confederation launched an attack on the United Commonwealth after it became known that Victor Steiner-Davion had let the terminally ill son of Captain General Thomas Marik, who was being treated in the Commonwealth, die and hid it up to the Arms deliveries from the league not to endanger. The League recaptured all worlds lost in the 4th Succession War, the Capellans several old worlds of the Confederation; in addition, the Mark Sarna administrative district of the Commonwealth was permanently destabilized. This successful invasion was particularly important to the Capellan Confederation after Davion had enriched himself at House Liao's expense over the previous three centuries. Katherine Steiner-Davion, who ruled the Lyran part of the Commonwealth, effectively renounced her brother Victor, who ruled the ancient Federated Suns.
Finally, the big houses re-founded the Star League in 3058 to jointly defend themselves against the clans. To gain respect from this warrior society, they wiped out the clouded leopard clan , which was particularly tough on insurgent civilians. On the central world of the clans, the new Star League defense forces under the command of Victor Steiner-Davion waged a competition against the clans, at the end of which the Inner Sphere could officially end the invasion. However, it was still possible that individual clans could attack areas of the Inner Sphere independently. In 3067, however, the Star League was dissolved again due to insurmountable differences. In the meantime, Katherine Steiner-Davion had secured rulership over the entire Commonwealth.
The tough policies of Archon-Princess Katherine Steiner-Davion resulted in civil war in the United Commonwealth from 3062 to 3067. Victor Steiner-Davion decides to forcibly depose his sister for incapacity, gathers supporters and also takes part in the war. He became the leading figure of the resistance. The civil war almost ruined the United Commonwealth economically and militarily until two decisive battles at the same time broke out on the two central worlds. Katherine's faction was defeated in both battles. It was deposed and the Federated Commonwealth was again split into the Lyran Alliance and the Federated Suns . The new rulers were Peter Steiner-Davion and Yvonne Steiner-Davion.
The "holy war" of Blake's word
Immediately after the dissolution of the second star league in 3067, the “Holy War” ( Word of Blake Jihad ) broke out when Blake's word sparked a brutal war. The order had already conquered Terra in 3058 and expanded it into a fortress, and Blake's word could effectively bring several surrounding worlds under control. The time for war was well chosen, because not only the civil war in the former United Commonwealth, but also numerous minor conflicts, some of which were fueled by Blake's word, caused chaos in the Inner Sphere and reduced the number of potential enemies. Under the leadership of their fanatical master, who had planned this for years, weapons of mass destruction as well as battle space ships were also used; entire planets were even destroyed. Other worlds were conquered and united in the so-called Protectorate, while civil war broke out in the Free Worlds League, where Blake's word enjoyed great influence.
Effective resistance only gradually organized itself, which then led to an invasion of the Protectorate. Blake's Word was finally defeated in 3081 when Terra was liberated with heavy losses by a coalition led by the charismatic Devlin Stone . The Free Worlds League broke up, and many worlds continued to suffer decades later from the use of ABC weapons during the “Holy War”.
The Dark Age
In Mechwarrior: Dark Age , the plot begins in 3132 and focuses on the near-earth sector of the game, which after the "Holy War" was transformed into a republic independent of the ruling houses - in principle a new Terran hegemony in which parts of the population of all five old successor states and even clanners live. The Republic of the Sphere was founded by a man named Devlin Stone , who successfully organized the resistance against the Blakists and eventually initiated a massive disarmament program throughout the Inner Sphere.
In 3081 the Republic of the Sphere was founded, with numerous worlds being ceded to it by other states. Only the Capellan Confederation did not recognize this and refused to cede worlds like Tikonov (economically and strategically, but also historically significant, as it was a founding world of the Confederation), which led to military clashes in which the republic was able to assert itself. The head of government of the republic, which is divided into ten prefectures, bears the title of exarch , there are also paladins who are only subordinate to the exarch. The Senate of the Republic (each world sends two representatives) only has an advisory role.
In 3132, the republic's interstellar communications largely collapsed, and the cause remains unknown. Long suppressed distrust and the urge for power of different factions broke out again and a civil war broke out in the republic, while several of the big houses now used the opportunity to take possession of old member worlds again. The republic finally collapsed after individual military units and commanders also break away and the republic was also under severe pressure from outside. Exarch Jonah Levin was therefore forced to activate the emergency plan “Fortress Republic” in 3135: Terra and the nearby worlds successfully hermetically seal themselves off from the outside world and prepare for military action.
Meanwhile, the other major Inner Sphere states fared not much better. The relative peacetime is over. The Lyran Commonwealth under Melissa Steiner interfered in the politics of the former Free Worlds League in 3137/38 and began an invasion (Operation Hammerfall), but soon had to fend off massive clan attacks. Clan Wolf now moved to the border area of the Commonwealth and League, with the wolves occupying numerous Steiner and former Marik worlds, and renamed themselves Wolf Imperium .
The Free Worlds League was restored by Jessica Marik in 3139, but is far from its old position of power under Thomas Marik and has also lost several systems. The Lyran Commonwealth has lost several worlds and military units both in the border area to the Clans and to the League, Archon Melissa fell in 3143 in the fight against the wolves. It remains to be seen whether the Commonwealth can stabilize again under Trillian Steiner.
The Federated Suns fared no better: Both House Kurita and House Liao are at war with the Davions, abandoned by the fortunes of war. The 1st Prince Caleb Davion (3135 to 3144) reversed many reforms and above all heavily centralized the military infrastructure, which, however, necessarily prevents quick decisions on the ground. His controversial politics led to competition with Julian Davion, who succeeded Caleb when he fell on Palmyra in 3144 fighting the Kuritas. In this battle, around a fifth of the Federated Suns military was destroyed by the Kuritas.
In 3144, Capellan units invaded the Mark Capella and in 3145 even conquered New Syrtis. The Capella Confederation is now more powerful than ever under Daoshen Liao. The Draconis Combine has been badly affected by internal power struggles. The entire main line of the Kuritas was murdered, so that 3137 Yori Kurita took up the office of coordinator from a secondary line. But she proved to be quite capable and began a successful invasion of the Federated Suns, which among other things have lost Robinson to Combine troops.
BattleMech
As BattleMech (originally developed in the Terran Hegemony in the 25th century) one describes huge, partly humanoid , partly avoid and rarely also insectoid fighting machines in the BattleTech universe, which are also called mech for short .
BattleMechs are 7 to 15 meters tall and equipped with the weapons arsenal of the 4th millennium, such as laser guns, particle projector cannons , rockets , Gaussian guns and auto cannons. A fusion reactor provides them with almost unlimited energy and their appearance gives them excellent freedom of movement on all types of terrain, despite a weight of 20 to 100 tons (during the "Holy War" the 150-ton Omega was also produced in small numbers for Blake's word ). This is also guaranteed by a technique called myomeric fibers. These fibers, like muscles in humans, are attached to certain points on the titanium skeleton and have the property of being able to pull together with enormous force as soon as they are energized. If the power supply is stopped, the fiber relaxes again. This technique can be regulated so precisely that mechs with fully modeled hands, such as B. the dark hawk , a wooden box or even a human can lift without causing damage.
Basically, the only really serious opponent of a BattleMech is an opposing BattleMech - depending on the tonnage and the corresponding armament. Under certain circumstances, however, several armored infantrymen (called "toads" or "elementals"), appropriately armed tanks and, above all, air / space fighters, who can fight both in the atmosphere of a planet and in space , can be dangerous to BattleMechs. Mechs are often less well equipped, especially against air attacks.
BattleMechs can fight in almost any terrain and under most environmental conditions. At arctic temperatures, in extreme heat, under water and even in the vacuum of zero gravity in space (the latter only happening in very rare emergencies).
However, the heat development of these combat machines is a significant weakness. After every shot from an energy weapon, the pilot must keep an eye on the resulting waste heat in order to avoid possible overheating and an automatic emergency shutdown. By cooler , so-called heat exchanger is attempted to maintain the temperature of Mech below a certain level. The pilots of the BattleMechs also wear cooling vests , which are connected to the Mech's coolant circuit and ensure that the pilot in the pulpit does not lose consciousness or even die from heat stroke .
The OmniMechs are a specialty : Clan Coyote developed OmniMechs based on the Star League model Mercurius, which is not yet counted among the Omnimechs. OmniMechs can be individually configured for use and can be converted with other weapons as required. The Inner Sphere also began developing their own OmniMechs during the Clan invasion, but these were not equivalent to those of the Clans, as the Clan technology is far ahead of the Inner Sphere.
Units with BattleMechs or tanks are usually structured as follows in the Inner Sphere:
- Lance (4 Mechs or tanks)
- Company (3 lances)
- Battalion (3 companies)
- Regiment (2 to 4 battalions)
- Regimental combat group (in the time of the Star League 4 mech regiments, in the United Suns or in the United Commonwealth a unit of one mech regiment and eight conventional regiments)
Mech regiments usually have attached air / space fighter units and often have the support of tank and infantry regiments.
In the Star League forces there were also divisions consisting of 9 regiments and corps (with several divisions). The ComStar and von Blakes Wort armed forces are also divided into divisions, but their units are usually organized from the outset as a combined weapon group (Mechs, tanks, infantry) and each form a multiple of six units: Level I unit (one Mech / Tanks or six armored infantrymen), Level II (six Level I units), Level III (six Level II units), Level IV (a division consisting of six Level III units) and finally Level V (an army consisting of six Divisions).
In the clans, the mechanical units are divided into:
- Beam (1 Mech / 5 Elementals)
- Star (5 mechs)
- Binary (2 stars) or trinary star (3 stars)
- Star clusters (usually 9 stars)
- Galaxy (multiple star clusters)
Troop types
Some types of troops would be:
- BattleMech: They are the most important combat vehicle because they are very off-road and versatile. They come in all shapes and sizes, from nimble Scouts to heavily armed and armored 'Mechs that dominate the battlefield.
- Tanks: They're about as heavily armed and armored as' Mechs. They come in three forms: Chain mail is all-terrain, but very slow. Wheeled armored vehicles are a little faster, but depend on good ground. Suspended tanks are extremely fast and can even drive over water, but they are more sensitive to hits.
- VTOLs: These are all types of propeller-driven vertical takeoffs. They are extremely fast, but have minimal armor. They only have a support role in battle. Either they serve as reconnaissance vehicles, provide fire support by means of rapid pin attacks, or they transport infantry to the front line.
- Conventional infantry: The conventional infantry has little chance of survival in open combat. Infantry can only do something if the enemy can be forced by tactics or terrain (city, forest ...) to stay in a relatively narrowly limited area. Due to the slow movement, infantry is only effective against slow units and mostly depends on transport vehicles.
- armored infantry: They wear battle armor that increases their firepower, armor and mobility. You are no longer absolutely dependent on transport vehicles and only have problems against fast units. This type of troop is used especially by the clans, but the Inner Sphere also made increasing use of them after the clan invasion began (however, the clans have specially “bred” personnel, the so-called elementals ).
- ProtoMechs: They are a cross between mech and combat armor. They're as fast as' Mechs and reasonably armored for their size. But they lack the firepower necessary to do something on the battlefield. They are only useful when the enemy is not too agile or not too heavily armored. Its greatest strength is its psychological effect, as the opposing player is generally poor in assessing its effect and efficiency.
- Air / space fighters: These fighters (weighing between 20 and 100 tons) can fight both in the atmosphere of a planet and in space. Air / space fighters can also be dangerous to Mechs from ground attacks. Their main task is to achieve air sovereignty and then support ground operations. Air / space units are mostly still divided into squadrons and squadrons.
- Battleships: The first true Inner Sphere battleship was the Dreadnought built by the Terran Alliance in the early 24th century. Combat spaceships are peppered with a deadly arsenal of ship-to-ship weapons (guided weapons, ship autocannons, heavy lasers and ship PPCs) and close-range weapons against fighters. They are also able to carry out orbital attacks on planets, which has devastating consequences and can lead to total annihilation. Up until the 29th century, all the battle space ships in the great houses and their shipyards in the Inner Sphere were destroyed in the course of long fighting, but technological advances in the middle of the 31st century led to the rediscovery of the required capabilities. ComStar and the Clans had Star League- era battleships throughout.
Political groups and states
Inner sphere
All states of the Inner Sphere are more or less obviously dictatorial (this is most pronounced in the Capella Confederation and the Draconis Combine, in the United Suns the extensive state powers are more concealed, but still exist) and / or ruled feudally. The individual states of the Free Worlds League and the Commonwealth guarantee greater freedoms. Likewise, the Terran Hegemony guaranteed the citizens constitutional freedoms until their fall and ensured their political representation in the form of elected members of the Hegemonic Congress .
- Terran Alliance (2086-2315)
It emerged from the Western Alliance , which was renamed the Terran Alliance in 2086 , as it comprised around 80% of the world's population. It was a federal union of most of the world's nations, although the rich states dominated the alliance from the start. The division into rich and poor parts of the population, which was never resolved, turned out to be a serious birth defect, but the Alliance ended all national wars on Terra for the first time due to the available military potential of the Alliance armed forces. At the beginning of the 22nd century the Deimos project was successful, with which in February 2108 the jump of a spaceship with a Kearny-Fuchida drive from the Sol system to another solar system was successful. Subsequently, the colonization of the surrounding worlds began (2235 more than 600 colonies should exist within 120 light years of Sol), but the expensive costs on Terra also caused displeasure.
Organized revolts began in the colonies in 2236, which the military could not counteract so far from Terra. In 2237 the isolationist Liberal Party won the majority in the Terran parliament and in 2242 enforced the "demarcation resolution": All colonies outside a radius of 30 light years (the longest jump range of a spaceship with a KF drive) were given independence, whether they wanted it or not . Some colonies sank into chaos, many formed regional alliances. In the alliance, however, the political situation became increasingly polarized, with unrest and political scandals. An effective government was no longer possible, and at the beginning of the 24th century a civil war was even looming. In this situation the Alliance fleet command intervened. Admiral James McKenna assembled his warships into orbit and destroyed two uninhabited islands with orbital fire. He then declared the old ineffective government dissolved and put an end to the unrest, partly through the use of marines. Instead, he proclaimed a new state called Terran Hegemony .
- Terran hegemony (2315 to 2767 or 2784)
It grew out of the ruins of the Terran Alliance , which in the early 24th century had proven incapable of solving pressing political, economic and social problems (see above). When Admiral James McKenna dissolved the alliance by force, he did not replace it (as was to be expected) with a military dictatorship, but with a more authoritarian regime that guaranteed rights and freedoms in the constitution. The head of state and government of the hegemony, the general director , initially had to be elected in principle, but had extensive powers, although there was a "high council" of important governors as an advisory body and the hegemonic congress (consisting of elected representatives from the member worlds). In foreign policy in particular, the General Director had a largely free hand. Admiral McKenna conquered several worlds in the first few decades and incorporated them into hegemony.
After McKenna's retreat into private life, his nephew Michael Cameron surprisingly prevailed in the following strictly controlled election in 2340. In 2351 he announced his “noble decree”, according to which deserving people from politics, science, culture and business should receive land and titles from the state, which, however, reverted to hegemony upon their death and were therefore not hereditary. This neo-feudalism enjoyed great popularity in the hegemony and led to the office of director general becoming a de facto heir to the Camerons. The Camerons made a name for themselves for the technological and economic advantage of the hegemony and were very popular.
Since the hegemony was surrounded by potential enemies at all borders (there were repeated military conflicts, especially with the Combine and the Capella Confederation), the hegemony's military was highly armed; so it is no coincidence that the first BattleMechs were developed by the hegemony. Many worlds had large fortress complexes (so-called Briankastelle ). These were later supplemented by powerful defense platforms in orbit, the so-called SDS systems. The Terran military was able to hold its own in the following conflicts. Nevertheless, the hegemony also relied on diplomacy and thus won allies, with even some worlds now being administered jointly with other states, where the hegemony used its superior terraforming technology.
The greatest diplomatic success of the hegemony was the establishment of the Star League in 2571, which included the hegemony and the other five large houses, for which Director General Ian Cameron had to persuade for years and also used political pressure. The following "war of unification" between the states against the peripheral states, which were thus forced into the federation, was to put a permanent strain on relations between the Star League and the periphery. Hegemony had a special place in the Star League, as the 1st Lord of the Star League was always to be a Cameron, who also remained General Director of the Hegemony. The hegemony continued to be the most technologically advanced state, preventing particularly sensitive technologies from becoming accessible to the other states. And although the Star League had joint armed forces, the Terran units ( Royal Divisions ) were subordinate to a special command that the 1st Lord could fall back on at any time directly and without consulting the princes. The Terran Hegemony thus formed the foundation of the Star League, which experienced a technological and cultural golden age in the 27th century.
With the crisis of the Star League in the middle of the 28th century (unrest in the periphery and with Richard Cameron a young, inexperienced 1st Lord), the statics of the state began to falter. Richards' closest advisor, Stefan Amaris, manipulated the naive 1st Lord and convinced him that Amaris troops from the Republic of the Rimworlds could defend hegemony while the majority of the Terran Royal units, together with regular Star League troops, fought the uprising in the periphery (which Amaris had stoked). Richard agreed and was deaf to any warnings from the Terran military. Troops of the Republic of the Rimworlds were given access to the most sensitive facilities, particularly for orbital defense. In December 2766, Amaris showed his true colors and launched a coup against Richard Cameron. Rimworld forces attacked the utterly surprised loyal Terran forces that remained in hegemony, often assassinating key people and using nuclear weapons against loyal forces, while orbital weapons destroyed Terran warships.
The Cameron family was wiped out and Amaris established a brutal dictatorship in hegemony. However, the usurper Amaris had also speculated, since he assumed that the Star League troops would now continue to be bound in the periphery. However, Aleksandr Kerensky, the commander in chief of the Star League troops, stopped fighting the rebels, who were also disgusted by Amaris and his actions. Star League troops now conquered the Republic of the Rimworlds instead and used it as an armament base. While the house lords offered little or no support, entire units of various house troops deserted and joined Kerensky in order to regain hegemony. The bloody recapture of hegemony lasted from 2777 to 2779 and ended with the execution of Amaris and his family.
After the Amaris reign of terror and the fierce fighting, hegemony was economically on the ground, and there was no longer any functioning state infrastructure. Kerensky's hope that the lords of the house would now carry out their duties turned out to be false. House Cameron no longer existed and at most Kerensky would have been able to restore hegemony and then use military force to preserve the Star League, but the general was a realist and at the same time tired of war. In 2784 around 80% of the Star League troops left the Inner Sphere for the periphery. The old worlds of hegemony were now annexed by the princes of the house, although they hardly met with military resistance. An important exception was Terra itself, which the last Star League communications minister, Jerome Blake, was able to secure in 2787 with the help of several divisions of former Star League troops. The hegemony had fallen apart, but Terra itself was now under the protection of ComStar .
- United suns
They were founded in 2317 and are ruled by the Davion family . The ruler title is Prince (or First Prince ), the central world is New Avalon . Other important noble families are the Haseks, the Sandovals and the Duvalls. In terms of their culture, they roughly correspond to the USA , England and France , even if, as in every successor state, there are very different ethnic minorities. The official language is English. The state is divided into three brands (administrative and military administrative units) in the early 31st century: Mark Draconis (main world Robinson), Mark Crucis (with the central world New Avalon) and Mark Capella (main world New Sytis).
Until the 26th century, the rulers of the respective brands (at that time also the Terra Mark and the Periphery Mark ) enjoyed a fairly extensive independence from the 1st Prince on New Avalon in the Mark Crucis. It was Alexander Davion who emerged victorious from a bloody civil war between 2525 and 2540, breaking the power of the great Varney and Rostov families. Alexander fundamentally reformed the United Suns and strengthened the power of the 1st Prince over the march princes.
The Federated Suns capitalist economy is large and quite powerful, but less powerful than that of the Lyran Commonwealth. The citizens of the United Suns do not enjoy unlimited freedoms, especially since there is also censorship and criticism of the ruling house can have consequences. Overall, however, the citizens are freer than in the Combine and the Capella Confederation, which are open military and police states. The United Suns Secret Service ( Department of Military Intelligence ) is very capable, but is also used internally against critical elements. In any case, House Davion often claims a very moral ethos, which is in stark contrast to aggressive foreign policy.
The Federated Suns are known for their highly patriotic militarism and are considered the most militarily successful state. Although in fact itself ruled by an autocratic ruler, the United Suns justify their not infrequent preventive military strikes on the Draconis Combine and the Capella Confederation with propaganda with the "preservation of the freedom of each individual". In terms of foreign policy, the United Suns are an expansive state that has expanded in the course of the Succession Wars, primarily at the expense of the Capella Confederation.
In the First Succession War, however, the suns were still facing almost complete annihilation after House Kurita carried out a very successful surprise attack while the majority of the United Suns military had concentrated on the Capellan border. The Davions struggled to hold their own. In the 2nd and 3rd Succession Wars, the suns were supposed to achieve (often hard-won) profits against the Capellans, while the fortunes of war against Kurita were changeable. In the 4th Succession War, Hanse Davion surprised his opponents in 3028 when he declared war on the princes of the house on the day of his wedding on Terra, while strong forces attacked the Capella Confederation at the same time. While Steiner troops tied the Kuritas, Davion units rolled over the confederation, which was also compromised by house Davion's spies. As a result, the Capellans lost half of their systems by 3030, including such important ones as Tikonov (historically, economically and militarily a central world for the Capellans) and Sarna, both founding members of the Confederation. House Davion built the Mark Sarna out of the conquered Capellan worlds , which in 3057 was the target of a successful offensive by the Houses Marik and Liao, which regained many lost worlds and removed other systems from the influence of House Davion.
The United Suns military developed the regimental combat group (RKG) organizational scheme or, in a modified form, adopted it from the Star League, which brings great tactical and logistical advantages. As a rule, a mech regiment forms the core and is supplemented by three tank and five infantry regiments as well as air / space forces. Thanks largely to the renowned New Avalon Science Institute ( New Avalon Institute of Sciences ), Davion forces have quite a large number of sophisticated military equipment. However, the Davion military paid a heavy price in connection with the Clan invasion, the Federated Commonwealth Civil War, and the "Holy War," as did the Federated Suns industry, which was never as efficient as that of the Lyran Commonwealth.
In the middle of the 32nd century the Federated Suns were finally to the brink of annihilation when the Houses of Liao (now more than a match militarily) and Kurita successfully penetrated deep into the Federated Suns. Prince Caleb Davion fell in 3144 against the Kuritas, who captured Robinson, while the Capellans rolled up the Mark Capella and even conquered New Syrtis for some time.
- Lyran Commonwealth (mid-31st century temporarily Lyran Alliance )
It is ruled by the Steiner family (before that by House Marsden ), the central world is Tharkad (initially Arcturus ). The state comprises three sub-states that had joined together to form the Commonwealth in 2341: Protectorate Donegal (with Tharkad), the Tamarpact (with the capital Tamar) and the Skye Federation (with the capital Skye); the latter has often been referred to as the Isle of Skye since the founding of the Commonwealth . The Isle of Skye in particular is strongly separatist and tends to be more independent.
The ruler title is Archon . The Commonwealth is dominated by the descendants of German and English settlers. There are also large Gaelic , Black African and Scandinavian minorities. The official language is German. With the General Assembly of States , the Lyran Commonwealth is the only successor state to which something like democracy can be credited (with the possible exception of the Free Worlds League before the start of the emergency ordinances). The Lyrans are considered skilled traders in the Inner Sphere, but are also seen as less experienced strategists and tacticians in military conflicts, which is often attributed to the higher presence of so-called society generals compared to other successor states (but none since the 31st century Role played more). The Lyran secret service has a mixed record; Feared both inside and outside the Commonwealth is the Loki terrorist unit , which some archons also used against their own opponents.
The Lyran army, rich in personnel and material, often prefers less subtle warfare with heavy, expensive equipment. This also suits their military operations, which have been more defensive than other successor states over the centuries and which have mostly been limited to securing territory or at most counter-attacks instead of pursuing unprovoked conquest or preventive strikes. It should also not be overlooked that the failures of the Lyran military in the early Succession Wars are at least partly due to the extensive use of weapons of mass destruction by House Kurita, while the Lyrans used them more cautiously. In addition, there were misjudgments by the political and military leadership in critical moments, with elite units such as the Tamar Tigers or the 4th Royal Guards being left in the lurch.
The achievements of Lyran units in the 31st century after military reforms took place show the fundamental effectiveness of the Lyran army. In the 4th Succession War, Lyran units overran large parts of the Kurita border zone (many of the conquered worlds had to be ceded to the Rasalhague Republic ), in the war of 3039 the exchange of territory held up.
The Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth (see below) had to bear all the burden of the Clan Wars, losing numerous systems to them. The Davion influence was viewed critically by many Steiner loyalists, which was one of the reasons for the civil war between 3062 and 3067. As a result, Steiner and Davion separated again. The Lyrans suffered heavy losses in the "holy war" and ceded several systems of the Isle of Skye to the republic , including Skye itself. The fighting in the middle of the 32nd century (against Clans and Marik), since the Commonwealth until 3145 suffered enormous losses (the Wolf Empire formed on the old border with the Free Worlds League , which has conquered numerous Steiner and old league worlds) and is on the verge of collapse.
- United Commonwealth
The Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth were temporarily fused into a political entity through the marriage of Prince Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner in 3028. During the wedding address, Hanse Davion announced that he would give his bride the Capella Confederation and began the 4th Succession War. Both central worlds, official languages, currencies, etc. were equal and were used in parallel, but the Davion influence was particularly dominant in the military. The United Commonwealth was greatly loosened in 3057 after the successful Liao-Marik offensive, when Katherine Steiner declared the Lyran half to be independent again through an emergency clause of the State Treaty; it later gained control of the other half of the Commonwealth. The civil war of 3062 to 3067 then led to the de facto dissolution of the Commonwealth into its two founding states.
- Draconis Combine
Founded in 2319 and ruled by the Kurita family , the central world is Luthien ( New Samarkand until the early 27th century ). The official language is Japanese. It is dominated by the culture of Japan at the time of the samurai warriors and the Bushidō , but also includes a large Arab and Scandinavian minority. The ruler title is coordinator .
In the militaristic Draconis Combine, very strict social norms prevail, which have sacrifice for the state as an end goal. The coordinator is not exempt from this either: like the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, he is a totalitarian ruler, but ultimately only a form of fulfillment of the supra-individual ruling "dragon". If a coordinator acts contrary to the will of the dragon (i.e. the preservation and enrichment of power of the state) or too incompetently, there are definitely forces within the Draconis Combine that would remove him from his position of power in favor of a legitimate successor. The combine is divided into military districts, each with a warlord : around 3025 it is Pesht (with the central world Luthien), Galedon, Benjamin, Dieron and Rasalhaag (or after the loss of Rasalhag around Alshain), in the middle of the 32nd century the military districts of Pesht, New Samarkand, Benjamin, and Dieron.
The warfare is shaped by the Japanese samurai culture mentioned, so that the Combine has long preferred duelable Mechs (which means that pure reconnaissance and very slow assault Mechs were used less often). The negative side effect of the Bushidō was an all too frequent use of the Seppuku , when capable commanders took their own lives after failed operations or comparable loss of honor. On the other hand, the soldiers of the Combine fight to the death and without surrender if necessary, which includes kamikaze attacks. For a long time, the combine gained notoriety for its relentless treatment of prisoners of war and civilians. Lyrans, in particular, could not hope for mercy, since their rather unmilitary nature made them unworthy of warrior culture. But Kurita soldiers also committed atrocities in the Federated Suns (best known is the Kentares massacre in 2796). Kurita associations have repeatedly committed war crimes against the civilian population in the subsequent wars, which actually contradicts the high standards of the Warrior Code. Combine officers often justify this with the opposition of giri and ninjo (duty and compassion): According to this, the soldiers must obey all orders, even if they cannot be reconciled with their own conscience and honor. In this sense, Combine officers acted partly against their own judgment and then committed seppuku to atone for it.
In the 1st and 2nd Succession Wars, the combine achieved great successes against both Haus Steiner and Haus Davion. The economic performance of the combine is rather limited in comparison to its two large neighbors, which is why long fighting is actually a disadvantage for the combine. In the 4th Succession War, the Combine lost numerous systems to the Lyrans, who activated their entire military industry and were supported by Davion military advisers. The combine survived this crisis with difficulty, which was not due to the coordinator Takashi Kurita, but to his son Theodore Kurita, who acted without authority and was able to save the combine. Theodore as Gunji-no-Kanrei (deputy in military matters) also fended off the attack by Steiner and Davion in 3039 and carried out reforms against sometimes bitter resistance from hardliners.
In the clan wars, the Kurita house lost numerous systems to the clouded leopard and nova cat clans, and in some cases to the ghost bears. The clouded leopards could be destroyed and systems regained, but relations with the ghost bears remained poor and sparked repeated fighting. During the “Holy War” the combine was weakened by the intrigues of the secret organization Kokuryu-kai (“Society of the Black Dragon”). This wanted to return to the "old values" and had infiltrated the highest government and military levels, but was ultimately defeated. In addition to this internal conflict, there were actions by Blake's Word .
In the middle of the 32nd century the combine largely stabilized and is now ruled by a branch line of the House of Kurita. Main opponents are the Federated Suns around 3145, against whom the Combine successfully took action: Prince Caleb Davion was killed in fighting in 3144 while Kurita troops conquered Robinson, the main world of the Draconis Mark of the Federated Suns.
- Confederation of Capella
Founded in 2367 in response to Federated Suns' aggressive foreign policy and ruled by the Liao family , central world is Sian (originally Capella for a short time ). The title of ruler is Chancellor . It is dominated by Chinese culture and has a large Russian minority. The official language is Mandarin. The confederation was originally a federal amalgamation of different states (including the Tikonov Union, the Capella commonality and the St. Ives Pact), which only became increasingly centralized and authoritarian in the course of the 24th century. There is a caste system in the Confederation. Civil rights have to be earned through services to the state and the general public, which is why Capellans are usually very patriotic. There are various advantages associated with citizenship, such as caste membership, free education and health care, and pension rights. Although the confederation is more like a police state, everyday reprisals are rather unusual as long as no state criticism is voiced.
The Chancellor enjoys sole rule and a very prominent position. The symbolic connection with the Terran Empire of China is entirely intentional, since the chancellor on the heavenly throne is considered to be the cultural and historical successor of the ancient Chinese universal rulers. Although the Chancellor has very far-reaching powers, he is not completely separate from other state institutions. There is also a chamber of nobility (whose influence on the Chancellor's policy is unsteady), which in turn appoints the members of the Prefectorate, the Chancellor's highest advisory body, whose approval is required for tax laws, the military budget and various officer appointments. The members cannot be deposed by the Chancellor either, so that there are at least certain limits to the theoretical absolute claim and this was also intended when the Chancellor's power in military and foreign policy issues was greatly expanded.
The Capellan Confederation faced three major enemies until the mid-26th century: the Free Worlds League, the Terran Hegemony, and the Federated Suns. Although the Confederation often had to back off against the Terrans and the Capellans never forgot the loss of the historically important world Chesterton to the Suns, when the Star League fell, the Confederation was a powerful state with a fairly large industrial base. However, the Confederation lost most of its member worlds to the Free Worlds League and the Federated Suns in the course of the Succession Wars,
The Confederation has also seen outstanding chancellors, with women in particular being quite successful in the times of crisis in the 28th and 29th centuries, given the circumstances. These include Barbara Liao and Ilsa Liao, who ruled during the Amaris coup and the 1st and 2nd Succession Wars. Barbara Liao deeply regretted that the house lords had no longer supported Kerensky and opened all the necessary military bases in the Confederation for him when the Star League troops began the liberation of the Terran hegemony. At the same time, their military did not neglect itself as they expected further fighting. In the First Succession War, former hegemony worlds and systems of the United Suns fell to the Capellans. Barbara Liao was less successful against the league: her campaign was loss-making and catastrophic, especially for the Capellan fleet, so that Marik was able to conquer several Capellan systems.
Her successor, Ilsa Liao, was a "warrior chancellor" who personally led her troops into the field. Her offer of peace to House Davion was brusquely rejected, which resulted in bloody skirmishes on the Capella-Sun border. Ilsa was killed in her last campaign against the Federated Suns in 2828: the Capellans were already victorious when Davion 'Mechs recognized their' Mech and destroyed it. The death of the popular Chancellor rocked the Confederation, but it was a woman again, Laurelli Liao, who was supposed to save the Confederation from the double stranglehold of the League and United Suns. However, her successor Dainmar was a failure. Otto Liao then invented the principle of "elastic defense", which gave the Confederation fresh air.
In the first half of the 31st century, Chancellor Maximilian Liao and his daughter and successor Romano made fatal mistakes. Maximilian believed that he could compete with Hanse Davion, whose secret service infiltrated the Capellan leadership and thus contributed to the disastrous defeat of the Confederation in the 4th Succession War, in which the Capellans lost half of their worlds. Maximilian and especially Romano were also paranoid rulers who reacted to criticism with brutal purges and thus had capable officers and officials executed. When Romano died in 3052, it seemed that her son and successor Sun-Tzu was similarly unstable, especially since he became chancellor very young.
But it was Sun-Tzu Liao who was supposed to stabilize the confederation and win back worlds. In contrast to his earlier unpredictable appearance, he turned out to be a cool, calculating politician. He introduced Chinese official names and restored the old general office, which had remained vacant for a long time in the Confederation after a coup attempt by high generals. With the young officer Talon Zahn he got himself a strategic director who was a realist and who told the Chancellor what was factual; Although Sun-Tzu reacted quite emotionally in certain situations, he was far from the impulsive and paranoid type of ruler his mother Romano had stood for. Sun-Tzu and Zahn reformed and expanded the military, Sun-Tzu also won the peripheral states of Canopus and Taurus as partners. This at least partially resolved a central problem of the Capellan military: The Capellans could certainly conquer worlds, but in order to hold them and advance further, there was often a lack of reserves. Already in 3057 the Capellans regained worlds from the Davions, by 3062 St. Ives also fell.
In the “holy war”, Blake's word attacked Sian directly, the Chancellor appeared to have been killed in the process. Subsequently, under Talon Zahn, a wave of patriotism arose in the Confederation, and even Capellan dissidents now joined the war against Blake's word . However, Sun-Tzu had survived. With the subsequent formation of the Republic of the Sphere , the Chancellor refused to cede Capellan worlds; he was particularly unwilling to accept the loss of Tikonov. The republic remained successful overall, but Capella did not give up his claims.
After 3132, Sun-Tzu's son Daoshen Liao took advantage of the precarious situation in the republic. It turned out that the Capellans had never disarmed like the other states of the Inner Sphere (which also kept secret reserves). With this, the confederation rose again to a first-rate military power. Capellan troops not only conquered several worlds of the republic (including Tikonov), but also attacked their ancient hereditary enemy, the Davions. Now, in a way, the war of 3028/30 was repeating itself, only this time it was the Capellans who overran the Davion troops. Even New Syrtis, the central world of the Mark Capella, fell temporarily to the Capellans in 3145. By 3145 the Confederation was again a great power, as it had not been since the fall of the Star League.
In the Confederation there are eight so-called warrior houses , a kind of warrior order with a strict code of ethics and honor. New members are selected at the age of 12. The members of the warrior houses are excellent mech pilots and are therefore permanently supplied with the latest weapon technology by the confederation. As an elite unit, the warrior houses are used primarily for raid operations. The Confederation's Secret Service ( Maskirovka ) is highly feared, as is the elite unit of the death squads , which also guarantee the chancellor's safety.
- Free Worlds League
Founded in 2271 from the merger of the Marik Commonwealth , the Oriente Federation and the Principality Regulus . It is ruled by House Marik , the central world is Atreus . The title of ruler is Captain General and has been reserved for House Marik since the Star League period. From the beginning, the league was a loose association of small and micro states, which have a relatively large say in parliament. The political unity of the league “for the duration of the crisis” (the successor wars) is only guaranteed through an emergency ordinance, whereby the captain general has far-reaching powers over parliament. The population comes from a wide variety of population groups: z. B. Germany, India , the Balkan and Mediterranean countries and some others. Due to the political fragmentation, internal conflicts in the league occur again and again.
Due to the Internal Emergency Act of 3030 (as a result of the Andurien War, when this part of the state wanted to break away) House Marik still has extensive powers, so that in fact only the Duchy of Oriente and the Principality of Regulus have unbroken internal sovereignty. The official language or lingua franca is English (but a large number of other languages are also spoken).
In the wars that followed, the league mainly had to fend off the Lyran's desire for expansion, while the league was often more of an aggressor towards the Capella Confederation. Kenyon Marik and his troops rolled over numerous Capellan worlds in the First Succession War. In the wars that followed, the league was generally a match for the Capellans. It often depended on the respective captains-general how they could use the powers of their office and mobilize appropriate forces against external enemies. Despite its fragmented political situation, the league was never existentially threatened during the Succession Wars, but it was also unable to achieve any decisive gains. In the 4th Succession War, the league was weakened by a previous civil war and lost around a dozen systems to the United Commonwealth.
The political situation in the league stabilized under General Captain Thomas Marik. During the clan invasion, the league achieved great economic success by selling arms to the other successor states; the League's defense industry ('Mechs and battleships) became the largest in the Inner Sphere. In addition, Blake's word also gained influence. In 3057 Thomas Marik, who proved to be one of the most outstanding rulers of the league, succeeded in regaining all the worlds lost in the 4th Succession War. To do this, Marik had allied himself with Sun-Tzu Liao, who was engaged to Thomas' daughter Isis. However, Marik also kept his distance from the Capellans. Politically, his power was consolidated, the league military was more powerful than it had been since the time of the Star League, and the league also had a large and powerful space fleet.
Blake's word used his influence to infiltrate parts of the League's armed forces by 3,067. When it became known that Captain General Thomas Marik was actually a doppelganger placed by ComStar decades ago, a coup broke out. The "fake Thomas" was overthrown in 3069 (the real Thomas Marik later turned out to be the master of Blake's word , addicted to religious madness) but survived. However, the resulting distrust ran deep among all leading politicians in the league. A civil war broke out, fueled by the Word of Blake, and which destroyed the League, which after the "Holy War" broke up into several individual states. It was rudimentarily rebuilt in 3139, but is far from its position of power around 3067 and has also lost numerous worlds to the new Wolf Empire after Clan Wolf resettled in the border area between the Commonwealth, League and Republic of the Sphere.
- The Rasalhague Republic
It was created through a secession of Scandinavian populated worlds from the Draconis Combine after the 4th Succession War. The official language is Swedish , a mixture of Swedish and Japanese. The central world is Rasalhague . However, with the start of the Clan invasion, the Republic has been reduced to a handful of worlds. Due to the heavy losses of the ComGuards in the “Holy War”, the small republic found itself increasingly defenseless at the mercy of hostile forces and in 3070 joined forces with the Ghost Bear clan to form the Ghost Bear Dominion.
- The St Ives Pact
It was created through a secession of Worlds from the Capella Confederation under the aegis of the designated heir to the throne Candace Liao after the 4th Succession War. The pact is closely allied with the United Commonwealth. Central world is St. Ives . Between 3060 and 3062 the St Ives Pact was retaken from the Capellan Confederation.
- "Chaos Brands"
In addition, there are dozens of microstates and independent worlds in the Chaos Marks (the former Mark Sarna of the United Commonwealth ), which were created in the course of the Marik Liao Offensive on the United Commonwealth in 3057. None of the three successor states could muster enough forces to secure them, whereby they could fight for their independence. Most of the Chaos Token worlds were once part of the Capella Confederation.
Periphery
There are also smaller states on the periphery . They are less technologically developed than the five large successor states and tend to be more independent, especially since they were forced into the Star League in the Unification War and only regained their full independence in the late 28th century. Canopus, Taurus and the Outside World Alliance are less regulated by the state than the successor states. There are also smaller settlements in the so-called deep periphery , but they are hardly developed.
- The Magistrate Canopus (founded in 2530): It is ruled matriarchally by House Centrella and is a very popular holiday destination with its permissive culture and excellent sanatoriums. Central world is Canopus . The magistrate has been allied with the Capella Confederation since 3058. Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao and Crown Princess Naomi Centrella are fond of each other.
- The Taurus Concordat (founded in 2335): It is ruled by House Calderon and is the largest peripheral state. Since the forced incorporation into the Star League in the Unification Wars, the Concordat has had particularly poor diplomatic relations with the Federated Suns. Central world is Taurus . The Concordat has long been loosely allied with the Magistrate Canopus. It has also been allied with the Capella Confederation since around the year 3060.
- The Outside World Alliance (founded in 2413): Ruled by House Avellar, it must strive for a course of strict neutrality between the Draconis Combine and the Federated Suns. The Alliance military prefers air / space fighters. In the mid-3060s, an expeditionary force of Clan Schneerabe entered the outside world alliance, but was clearly defeated by alliance hunters. The snow ravens were so impressed that there was a lively exchange with Allianz. In Dark Age times, both are connected in the Snow Raven Alliance .
- The Republic of the Rimworlds (2250 to 2779): A large peripheral state on the edge of the Lyran Commonwealth and dictatorially ruled by the Amaris family . It served the usurper Stefan Amaris as a basis of power, but the republic was conquered by Star League troops under Kerensky, the worlds of the republic then largely fell to the Lyran Commonwealth.
- The Marian Hegemony : It is a militaristic state bordering the Free Worlds League. The ruling family is called O'Reilly . The central world is called Alphard and thanks to its large germanium deposits it contributed to the wealth of this small state. The Marian hegemony has attacked practically all neighboring states at least once. Hegemony is loosely allied with Blake's word.
- The fringe community : It is an amalgamation of six poor worlds on the periphery border of the Lyran area and is governed democratically.
- The Hanseatic League : It was founded by Lyran refugees and lies deep in the periphery. It is isolationist but has limited trading links with some clans. For the clans, the league is too poor and ideologically insignificant to be conquered.
There are also some small pirate kingdoms.
ComStar and Blake's Word
Interstellar communication was initially offered exclusively by Comstar . Blake's Word was later added as a competitor.
- ComStar
ComStar, founded by the last communications minister of the Star League, Jerome Blake , monopolized interstellar communications after the end of the Star League . The central world is Terra , which Blake was able to secure after the fall of the Star League with the help of former Star League troops (including the 151st Royal BattleMech Division , which did not want to join the Exodus). After Blake's death, ComStar developed into a pseudo-religious movement that fanatically revered its founder Blake and his writings and waited for the day when mankind would sink into complete barbarism, only to then "lead them back to the light" - especially since ComStar was hoarding many otherwise long-lost technologies on Terra.
ComStar is run by the Precentors . These are the highest responsible for ComStar's concerns on a single planet or the highest military commanders of ComStar's army, the ComGuards . The five precentors of the central worlds of the successor states are responsible for business negotiations with them. One person is selected from the ranks of the Precentors as head of ComStars. The title is Primus / Prima . ComStar also has its own secret service (ROM), which is quite feared, as well as an Explorer Corp, which does research. The standard currency of the Inner Sphere is ComStar's C-Note ( C-Bill ).
The stocks of the ComGuard originate largely from the time of the Star League (and are therefore technologically superior to the domestic troops, but inferior to the clans), but were also supplemented by new developments in the 3050s. ComStar also had a number of Star League-era combat ships. The commander of the ComGuards has the title Precentor Martialum . The completely inexperienced ComGuards, whom the Precentor Martialum Anastasius Focht had forged into a terrifying military unit through long training, succeeded in defeating the clans on Tukayyid in 3052. In contrast to most of the other militaries in the Inner Sphere, Focht designed the ComGuards as a combined arsenal ('Mechs, tanks, infantry and air / space units) from the start.
- Blake's word
In 3052 there was a schism within ComStar. ComStar has been restructured into a secular company. The religious fanatics within ComStar did not want to accept this and fled to the Free Worlds League. There they founded Blake's Word. Since then, Blake's word has been engaged in a permanent economic and secret service guerrilla war with ComStar. While ComStar offers its services almost exclusively in the successor states (with the exception of the league), Blakes Wort has shifted its business field to independent planets and the periphery. It was Blake's word that the "Holy War" began in 3067, which only ended with the liberation of Terra by a coalition in 3081. Blake's Word had established a terror regime on several worlds with appropriate "re-education camps". It later emerged that the “real master” of Blake's word was the “real Thomas Marik” (see above on Free Worlds League), who had gone into hiding at ComStar while his double ruled the league until 3069, the “master “Was completely addicted to religious madness.
Famous mercenary units
In the 31st century, human lives are more dispensable than technology. As part of the long fighting between the various houses and the various small wars, mercenary units were always important even before the Star League, as their use spared their own troops. Mercenary units range from lance-size (4 'Mechs) to large units that span multiple regiments. Mercenary reputations are not always the best, and they are particularly despised in the Draconis Combine. However, some units have a very good reputation and can compete with the best domestic troops.
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Wolf's Dragoons - One of the most famous and finest mercenary troops that includes five regiments and two special battalions as well as strong air / space units. The Dragoons appeared completely by surprise in Davion room in 3005 and offered their services. Under the command of Jaime Wolf (and - until his death in 3015 - Joshua Wolf), the Dragoons earned an outstanding reputation and fought for all five major houses over time. Their contract with House Kurita ended catastrophically in 3028 and led to a feud between the Dragoons and the Combine, whose Ryuken regiments were modeled on the Dragoons. In 3030 House Davion gave the Dragoons the planet Outreach, which became the home base of the Dragoons. In 3051, Jaime Wolf revealed to the astonished lords of the house that the Dragoons were originally Clanners who were sent by Clan Wolf to scout the Inner Sphere. Their secret orders were that (since Clan Wolf were a Keeper Clan who refused to invade) they should help the spheroids in the event of an invasion. Together with the Kell Hounds , they even supported their old intimate enemy House Kurita, when the central world was attacked by clans in 3052.
Since the Dragoons were originally Clanners themselves (although the majority were freeborn), they were familiar with the customs of the Clans. They had also added spheroids to their units over time, but now they were also taking in captured Clanners. However, this led to internal tension and in 3054 to a civil war, at the end of which Maeve Wolf (a genetic female likeness of Jaime Wolf) took the lead of the Dragoons, who continued to fight the Clans but maintained clan traditions more strongly. During the "Holy War" the Dragoons suffered heavy losses (both Jaime and Maeve Wolf were killed); they were later in the service of the Lyrans and in 3139 even in the service of House Kurita.
- Eridani light cavalry - The cavalry has a long and glorious history. The unit was founded in 2702 as the 3rd RKG (regimental combat group, an elite association consisting of four Mech regiments) of the Star League forces and took part in the reconquest of Terra by Kerensky, where it lost its 4th regiment and from then on consisted of only three regiments. The cavalry refused to take part in the Exodus in 2784 and became a mercenary unit with great value on its history and reputation. It served the Free Worlds League and the Steiner and Davion houses. When the Star League was briefly revived in 3058, the cavalry, which until then still hoisted the old Star League flag every day, made themselves available immediately and took part in the invasion of Clan Clouded Leopard. In the "holy war" the unity was effectively destroyed.
- Northwind Highlanders - The Highlanders can trace their history back to the days of Terran Hegemony . It is a proud mercenary unit with several regiments (the size has varied over time) that has a good reputation. They had long been in the service of House Liao, whom they loyally served, before joining the Davions in 3030, assuring them that they would return to Northwind, the regiments' beloved homeworld with which they were still in contact. In 3057, Marik and Liao began a successful invasion of the Uniting Commonwealth , which had only partially fulfilled its promise to the Highlanders. House Liao assured the Highlanders full sovereignty of Northwind, and so the regiments left the service of House Davion in battle. They then participated in the invasion of the clan homeworlds. In the "holy war" the Highlanders suffered heavy losses, but were able to recapture Northwind from Blake's word in 3077 and participated in the liberation of Terra. As the Republic of the Sphere established itself, the Highlanders enthusiastically joined and served in the Republic's military.
- Kell Hounds - The Hounds are one of the most famous and finest mercenaries in the Inner Sphere. The unit was founded in 3010 by the brothers Morgan and Patrick Kell (the latter died in 3027), who are related to the Duke of Donegal and have good relations with House Steiner. They served the houses of Steiner and Davion, with the unit growing over time to two regiments and maintaining good relationships with Wolf's Dragoons. The Hounds fought primarily against House Kurita (whose elite unit Genyosha was founded as a reaction to the success of the Hounds) and later against the clans (in 3052 even on Luthien together with Wolf's Dragoons and House Kurita). Morgan's son Phelan was captured by the Wolf Clan, where he later earned the blood name Ward - he was related to one of the original blood names through his mother - and rose to Khan; In 3057 Phelan led the part of the Wolf Clan that belonged to the Keepers to the Inner Sphere and joined the Lyrans as a de facto autonomous power.
- Gray Death Legion - Founded in 3025, the Gray Death Legion is perhaps the most famous and respected elite mercenary unit in the Inner Sphere , after Wolf's Dragoons and along with the Kell Hounds . It does not have a long history of other associations, but alongside Jaime Wolf its founder Grayson Death Carlyle is arguably the most respected mercenary commander and strategist. Grayson Carlyle began his career on Trell I, where he fought House Kurita in the most adverse of circumstances. By the beginning of the 4th Succession War, the young commander had almost become a legend due to his skills. On the planet Helm, the Legion captured a Star League data core in 3028, which contributed to a small technological revolution. The Legion was later no more than a full regiment, but it was always considered an elite unit that was reliable and could achieve victory even in the face of overwhelming odds. Carlyle himself was a Steiner loyalist who opposed the Skye Separatists. In 3065 they attacked Hesperus II, Haus Steiner's most important armory, which successfully defended the Legion, albeit at a high price: Grayson Carlyle fell in battle, the Legion was in fact wiped out.
The clans
Amid isolation, scarcity of resources and the danger of civil war, a new form of human society has developed far out in the periphery: the clans .
General Aleksandr Kerensky did not want the Star League Defense Forces and their annihilation potential to be drawn into the looming wars of the successor states. Because of this, he and 80 percent of the troops went into exile. After a journey of about a year they reached five planets, the Pentagon worlds , on which they settled. But after just a few months, nationalist conflicts broke out among the soldiers. New factions and warlords were formed. Nicholas Kerensky, the son of Aleksandr Kerensky, led a small group of loyal followers into another exile, into the star cluster next door. To prevent new nationalist conflicts, Nicholas Kerensky founded the clans . Each clan contained members of various nationalities and races and was given a totem animal as a symbol. The head bears the title Khan , his deputy Sa-Khan . The pro forma head of all clans is Il-Khan . The first Il-Khan was, of course, Nicholas Kerensky. (His successors in office were chosen by the khan in elections.) But every single member of the clans was a trained soldier. How should such a stable society come about? Nicholas Kerensky determined that in the future there would be 5 castes (workers, technicians, traders, scientists, warriors) and that only the warriors had the right to fight. A strict code of honor was developed to further limit warfare. a. Defines battles as a sequence of individual duels.
According to the legends of the clans, Nicholas Kerensky returned to the Pentagon worlds with the 800 warriors of all 20 clans, where he overthrew the warlords. In this short war and its aftermath, the peculiarities of the individual clans developed in terms of strategy, social focus and philosophy. The hell horses rely mainly on armored vehicles, while the snow ravens specialize in battle space ships and the diamond sharks specialize in trade.
Here, too, a golden age followed , in which the clans advanced technologically and medically from the level of Star League technology. The everyday technology of the lower castes, however, remained almost the same.
The 800 warriors who accompanied Nicholas Kerensky became the blood names and bloodlines from which warriors were to be bred in the future. From an initial equality, a two-class society has developed from naturally born people ( freeborn , as a swear word: freebirth ) and artificially born ( trueborn ). These represent the dominant group in the warrior caste. In a strictly regulated procedure (which also includes duels) they can win a blood name , which alone guarantees the continuation of their genetic heritage.
The clans developed into fascist , bellicose states, between which there was almost permanent war (according to their strict rules). With nearly all of the clans scattered across many of the cluster's 25 habitable worlds, border skirmishes were constant.
Due to the scarcity of resources and the hostile environment of the settlement worlds, Terra has been transfigured into a mythical place where there is no need. Terra became the subconscious longing of the clans and a symbol of the lost riches of the Star League.
In the course of time, two factions formed: The crusaders wanted to conquer the Inner Sphere and forcibly rebuild the Star League. The clan that would eventually conquer Terra would rule as the Il clan over all others. The Preservers , on the other hand, wanted to be available as mentors to the peoples of the Inner Sphere and protect them from external dangers.
In the vote in the Grand Conclave in 3000, the Crusaders narrowly triumphed. In order to delay the invasion, however, the Keepers introduced the Dragoon Compromise . A new unit called Wolf's Dragoons was recruited by Clan Wolf from mostly freeborns and equipped with old 'Mechs. You should fly to the Inner Sphere and collect as much military information as possible as a mercenary. Between 3005 and 3028 they fought for and against every successor state. In 3019, the leaders of the Dragoons received yet another assignment: the then Khan of the Wolves, Kerlin Ward, a Keeper, secretly ordered them to prepare the Inner Sphere as well as possible for the attack of the Clans and to serve them as advisors. He also had their star maps deleted, which meant that they no longer had the opportunity to contact the clans again. But this remained a secret even from the rest of the Dragoons.
In 3048 a ship of the Explorer Corps Comstars was found and seized by the Clan Clouded Leopard in the Diana system. Through interrogations of the crew, the clans learned what had happened in the Inner Sphere over the past 300 years. Fear spread that the successor states might find them. But also anger, and the will to overthrow the successor states that had destroyed the glorious Star League.
Depending on the type of clans, duels were held to determine which clans would attack. The Clans Jade Falcon , Wolf , Ghost Bear and clouded leopard won. The Il-Khan decreed that the Steel Viper , Nova Cat and Diamond Shark clans should serve as reserves , just in case. So began the invasion in 3050. Since this attack came as a complete surprise to the Inner Sphere, and they were also technologically poorer, the clans could advance almost unstoppably. The wolves in particular, although a keeper clan, made the greatest territorial gains. One of the reasons for this was that the clans captured Phelan Kell and gave him information about the defense in exchange for harming the civilian population as little as possible. On the other hand, the wolves are fighting against the Rasalhague Republic, which had only gained independence a few years earlier and had hardly any military defense.
The invasion only came to a halt when the Il-Khan was killed by a random hit from a kamikaze flyer, and the khans of the clans returned to their homeworld to choose a new Il-Khan. Through an intrigue by the Crusaders, led by Khan Elias Crichell of the Jade Falcons, Khan Ulric Kerensky of Clan Wolf was elected as the new Il-Khan. The Jade Falcons wanted to humiliate him as he was actually a Keeper, but when Il-Khan now had to enforce a crusader policy.
During this truce, the Wolfs Dragoons (see above under mercenary units) carried out their mission to prepare the Inner Sphere against the clans. Both military commanders were trained, and peace and trade agreements were negotiated between the successor states.
When the Clans continued the invasion in 3051, they were still almost unstoppable, but no longer at the high speed of the beginning of the invasion. Since the wolves had conquered Rasalhague, the clouded leopard and Nova cat clans felt challenged to conquer a central world as well. They attacked Luthien, the central world of the Draconis Combine. The defenders were threatened with defeat in long, bloody skirmishes until Prince Hanse Davion of the Federated Suns sent reinforcements to them. Both states had signed a truce for the duration of the clan invasion, but Hanse Davion found a loophole in the treaty: mercenaries were excluded and so he sent a large contingent to Luthien to rescue his old enemy. The clouded leopards and Nova cats suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw.
ComStar had served as stewards for the Inner Sphere Clans to protect the civilians. But when they learned that Terra was their target, they challenged the clans to battle. Precentor Martialum Anastasius Focht from ComStar negotiated a decisive battle with Il-Khan Ulric Kerensky on the sparsely populated planet Tukayyid. If the clans conquered 14 designated cities, two per clan, from the ComGuards, they would have won. In the tradition of the Clans, the Clans undercut each other with the troops they would muster for an early launch spot and challenging objectives. The wolves lost the bid and were last, but this was planned by Il-Khan Ulric Kerensky: He knew that most of the clans were still too caught up in their illusory world of limited warfare and that it would not be firepower, but persistence and strategy Decide war. The clouded leopards were the first to attack and launched a storm attack. However, endless ambushes awaited them in the swamps and ravines, which they melted together until the ComGuards drove them back with a counterattack. The other clans were defeated using a similar tactic. The Jade Falcons and Ghost Bears managed to tie as they conquered one of the two cities, the Ghost Bears with raw firepower and the Jade Falcons with a daring river crossing. Only the wolves won: they were the only ones who had brought enough ammunition and spare parts with them and were methodically advancing. They always kept the supplies close to the front line so that they could re-equip themselves at every break. The completely inexperienced ComGuards had succeeded in defeating the clans. The clans lost and were now forced by the agreement not to advance further than Tukayyid for 15 years.
At this point in the timeline of Classic Battletech (3052) the following clans still exist:
- Clan Blood Spirit: It is named after the team spirit of the clans and used to have ambassadors for all other clans, the so-called Il-Chi . He sees himself as the embodiment of the old clan ideals and is particularly conservative. The blood spirits belong to the Crusader faction and have withdrawn to their homeworld in isolation.
- Clan Coyote: It is named after the feral Terran coyotes that were released on all clan worlds. Clan Coyote is also very conservative and once invented the principle of the omnimech . Clan Coyote is one of the keepers and is on the verge of an upswing after a period of decline.
- Diamond Shark Clan: This clan was born as the Sea Fox Clan , named after a carnivorous marine lizard. Clan Schneerabe bred diamond sharks, which almost wiped out the sea foxes. Clan Seefuchs applied for a name change before the Grand Conclave and was able to prevail in contradiction tests. Since then, there has been a Cold War between the diamond sharks and the snow ravens. Clan Diamond Shark is fixated on trade and profit maximization and open to new ideas. He invented the chat network (a civil communication network that spanned all clan homeworlds) and was the first to use the Harjel (a substance that independently seals gaps in armor). Clan Diamond Shark has established limited trading relationships with the Drakonis Combine and is one of the Keepers.
- Clan Feuermandrill: It is named after the mandrills because of their strong cohesion. Even in its initial phase, the blood houses competed with each other, which means that the clan is currently split into six roughly equal fractions ( called Kindraas ). The internal battles have made Firemandrill warriors experienced and hardened. Some Kindraas are Keepers and some are Crusaders. The Kindraas also have different good relationships with different clans.
- Clan Ghost Bear : It was named after a polar bear-like predator. Clan Geisterbär was the only one founded by a married couple and is less picky than other clans when it comes to selecting personnel for its army: freeborns are also recruited by default and trueborns are given a second position test. Clan Ghost Bear has a weakness for armored infantry ( elementals ). They were once a clan of the Crusaders and are now among the Keepers. In the meantime, Clan Ghost Bear has completely moved to the Inner Sphere and settles mainly on former worlds of the Rasalhague Republic. The locals there are relatively free.
- Clan Glacier Devil: It is named after a dangerous little pack predator from the ice planet Hector. The glacier devils are as aggressive as their animal namesakes, which led to two internal civil wars. As a result, the glacier devils are weak in terms of personnel and material, but this does not detract from their loud mouth. Clan Gletscherteufel developed the space- and weight-saving technology of the Clan Mechs and prefers fast Mechs and pack attacks. The clan belongs to the crusaders.
- Clan Goliath Scorpion : It was named after a species of scorpion from the planet Babylon. In its early days, the clan had more warriors than 'Mechs, which resulted in a screening process with scorpion venom. In order to experience the visions generated without the deadly side effects, the drug Necrosia was developed from the scorpion poison , on which almost all Goliath scorpion warriors are dependent. The Goliath scorpions practice "living heraldry". So some warriors gather a personal retinue to search for relics of the past as hikers and pilgrims. Clan Goliath Scorpio is one of the keepers.
- Clan Hell's Horses: It was named after cloned carnivorous horses. He prefers to use tanks and has developed the phenotype of the 2.50 m tall elementary infantryman. Clan Höllenrösser is enemies with the ghost bears and belongs to the crusaders.
- Clan Jade Falcon: It is named after a genetically modified bird of prey from the planet Eden. Clan Jade Falcon is very conservative. Due to the great losses in recent years, the clan was forced to fall back on inferior 'Mechs and younger, untested trueborns. Clan Jadefalke was the second clan after Clan Wolf to admit a freeborn to a blood names war. He is traditionally enemies of Clan Wolf and belongs to the Crusaders.
- Clan Nova Cat: It is also named after a predator. The members of the Novakatzes clan follow mysticism and attach great importance to personal visions. A vision was the reason they allied with the new Star League. Because of this, they were sworn off by the other clans and had to flee to the Inner Sphere, where the Drakonis Combine gave them some planets. Clan Nova Cat is therefore hostile to all clans except for the exiled wolves and (for profit reasons) the diamond sharks. Clan Nova Cat is one of the keepers.
- Clan Clouded Leopard: It was named after genetically modified jaguars that were released on Strana Metschty. Clan Clouded Leopard developed the Protomech branch of arms. Their exoticism made them very effective against Inner Sphere forces, but too few had been built to make any difference in the battle for the Clouded Leopard homeworld.
- Clan Schneerabe: It is named after a raven-like bird Strana Metschtys. Clan Schneerabe lost many ground troops in its early days and then concentrated on air and space forces. There is also a weakness for subversive manipulation. Clan Schneerabe owns the largest space fleet of all clans and also rents out its shipyards to other clans for maintenance purposes. It is rumored that they also made the Leviathan transport spaceships for Clan Ghost Bear. Clan Schneerabe is one of the keepers. In Dark Age times he (or parts of him) merged with the outside world alliance to form the Snow Raven Alliance .
- Clan Steel Viper: It is named after a venomous snake from the planet Arcadia. This clan is famous for the hard training of its warriors and for discriminating against freeborns. The steel vipers are neither keepers nor crusaders: they represent the third position of cooperation with the successor states. Even so, they participated in the invasion of the Inner Sphere. They are traditional rivals of the Jade Falcons.
- Clan star snake : It is named after a genetically modified species of adder. Clan Star Snake is not based so much on the clan system, but has built up its troops in the manner of classic armies. The clan founders are also less deified. Clan Star Snake is the only clan to have established a combat group to experiment with the dishonorable combat tactics of the Inner Sphere. Due to the absorption of the rock graves, the star snakes have the second largest army and the second largest fleet. The star snakes belong to the crusaders.
- Clan Cloud Cobra: It is named after a cloned species of snake. Clan Wolkenkobra founded their own religion called "The Way". The clan is split into 19 monasteries , but they are much closer together than the Kindraas of the fire mandrill. Clan Cloud Cobra developed much of the clan's cloning technology and is still one of the most advanced clans. He prefers air forces as troops and is one of the Keepers.
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Clan Wolf: Clan Wolf was particularly honored by the fact that Nicholas Kerensky's bloodline should be part of their clan. Clan Wolf developed the armored infantry arm, the elementals . Originally a Keeper Clan, he was able to delay the invasion of the Inner Sphere with the Dragoon Compromise. During the invasion, Clan Wolf captured Phelan Kell of the Kell Hounds mercenary unit . Because of his services as a serf, he was soon adopted into the clans. Protected by Ilkahn Ulric Kerensky, he finally became a warrior and was allowed to fight for the blood name Ward , defeating his worst competitor Vladimir. Immediately after the ceremony that gave him his blood name, he was elected SaKhan by acclamation by the Wolf Clan. At that time, the khan of Clan Wolf was Natasha Kerensky. The Forest Wolf (English Timber Wolf) is the favored Mech of the Clan Wolf. Many of the achievements of the invasion of the Inner Sphere have been achieved by this mech. Its relative rarity in the arsenals of the other clans has not yet been clarified.
- In 3058 the Jade Falcons demanded the resignation of Ilkahn Ulric Kerensky and Ulric determined that the wolves should fight for him in the contradiction test. In the meantime, however, he had a different plan in mind: He had the crusader elements of the wolves fight the Jade Falcons, while the keepers with Khan Phelan Ward (also Phelan Kell) went to Lyran (including a copy of the wolves' genome stock) Remove alliance. On the planet of Morges, defended by the Kell Hounds, they were welcomed by Morgan Kell (Phelan Kells father), and there was a final decisive battle in which the Kell Hounds and the 'Wolves' defeated the Jade Falcons. From then on they formed the exiled wolves, which are not recognized by the other clans. Clan Jade Falcon won the test of contradiction and Ulric was killed. Clan Jadefalke captured the remains of Clan Wolf. Ward's Vladimir objected to the absorption and killed Khan Vandervan Chistu in a contradiction test. This was done in consultation with Khan Elias Crichell to enable him to reach the position of Ilkhan, since Chistu u. a. by subjugating the wolves as the most promising candidate for the election of the Ilkhan. After the death of Vandervan Chistu, the wolves absorbed into the clan of the Jade Falcons were hived off as the Jade Wolves clan, after which the House of Ward held a blood right, which gave Vladimir the blood name Ward. As a result, Vlad Ward was elected Khan of the Jade Wolves and Marialle Radick became his SaKhan. Elias Crichell was elected Ilkhan by the great conclave, only to be killed in a contradiction test immediately after the election of Vlad Ward. Since then Marthe Pryde has been the Seniokhan of the Jade Falcons. After the contradiction test, Vlad Ward reestablished the clan of wolves, the jade wolves merged into the new clan. Phelan Ward was stripped of the blood name Ward by the blood right of Vladimir Ward so that he was only known as Phelan. Since Ilkhan Ulric Kerensky donated the blood name Kell as a reward for the successful completion of his mission during his lifetime, Phelan was now known as Phelan Kell and continued to be Khan of the (exiled) wolves.
- Clan Wolf in Exile: It emerged from the Keeper Wolves, who settled in the Arc Royal Defensive Cordon and allied with the Kell Hounds. He is therefore allied with the Lyran Alliance and places several garrisons on planets on the border with the Jade Falcons for them. The exiled wolves have excellent warriors, but they lack enough factories to produce high-quality clan equipment. That's why this clan is growing very slowly. Since the clan was founded by apostates, it is considered to have sworn off. But he has contacts with the Nova cats and the coyotes, which are ancient allies of wolves. There are also unofficial contacts with some crusader wolves. There are also elements in both wolf clans who long for reunification.
In the meantime these clans have been wiped out:
- Clan rock tombs: It was named after a giant insect from the planet Eden that can dig its way through rocks using acid. After it became known that the leadership of the rock tombs cooperated with the bandit caste, Clan rock tombs was sentenced to absorption in the Grand Conclave. Clan star snake gained the right to absorb it. Since both clans were friends, there was hardly any fighting.
- Clan Mungo: He switched to political power games and intrigues, which the other clans more and more attracted. They were eventually absorbed by clan clouded leopards.
- Clan Clouded Leopard: As it acted particularly brutally against insurgent civilians, it was wiped out in its entirety in 3061 as a chilling example by the new Star League of the Inner Sphere.
- Clan Wolverine / Wolverine: He was one of the most vocal critics of the fascist society that Nicholas Kerensky had built in the clans, and he called for such unclean things as democracy and personal freedom. Clan Wolverine was declared the enemy of all clans. According to recent publications, an example was made of them and the “historical” truth was later replaced by revisionist historical falsification in which Clan Wolverines were accused of crimes they had never committed, such as B. having wiped out the genetic archive of the snow ravens and their capital Dhera Dun with nuclear weapons; this was seen as such a great crime in clan society that the clan was subsequently wiped out and demonized as an unnamed clan . (In fact, through a chain of unfortunate circumstances, Dhera Dun was destroyed by nuclear weapons fired by the Snow Ravens themselves.) However, rumors have been spread that some elements of Clan Wolverine escaped.
- Clan Widowmaker: It was named after a cloned venomous spider based on the black widow. Clan Widowmaker was hostile to Clan Wolf. When the widowmakers attacked their own insurgent civilian population, they were targeted for absorption. Clan Wolf gained the right of absorption. Nicholas Kerensky was present as an observer during the battle and died from a missed shot by the widowmaker khan. As a result, the wolves no longer cared much about absorption, but only wanted the widowmakers to be destroyed. Some bloodlines were taken over from the wolves, from whose genetic material u. a. Natascha Kerensky and Anastasia Kerensky come from.
Well-known BattleTech artists, designers, and authors
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- Loren L. Coleman
- Thomas S. Gressmann
- William H. Keith Jr.
- Reinhold May
- Ardath Mayhar
- Victor Milan
- Bryan Nystul
- Blaine Lee Pardoe
- Michael A. Stackpole
- Robert Thurston
For Mechwarrior: Dark Age many of the novelists of the classic novel series could be won.
See also
literature
In addition to the various manuals (technical readouts, source books, etc.):
- J. Andrew Keith et al. a .: History of the Inner Sphere - 2001–3031 , Erkrath 1997, ISBN 3-89064-915-7 (revised and translated compilation of various US publications)
- Reinhold H. Mai, Christoph Nick: Battletech - The world of the 31st century , Heyne Science-Fiction Verlag , Munich 2002, ISBN 3-453-21366-1 (overview and reference work, but out of date)
Web links
- BG-Battletech from Catalyst Game Labs
- Sarna.net - Battletech-Wiki with lots of additional information
- battletech.gamepedia.com - Wiki for the computer game Battletech
- MegaMek - official homepage of the MegaMek project
Individual evidence
- ↑ Daniel Flesh Bourne: MechCommander 2 Shared Source Release ( s ) neowin.net. August 18, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2012: “ This is the Shared Source release for MechCommander 2. This release contains all of the source code and source assets required to build MechCommander 2. This release can be used with the Microsoft XNA Build March 2006 Community Technology Preview (CTP). "
- ↑ Chris Hartford et al. a .: Historical: Unification War. Lake Stevens (WA) 2011.
- ↑ Chris Hartford et al. a .: Historical: Liberation of Terra. 2 volumes. Lake Stevens (WA) 2012 (Volume 1) / 2013 (Volume 2).
- ↑ Herbert A. Beas II, Chris Hartford a. a .: First Succession War. Lake Stevens (WA) 2016.
- ↑ Chris Hartford et al. a .: Second Succession War. Lake Stevens (WA) 2017.
- ↑ Philip Lee et al. a .: Historical: Wars of the Republic Era. Lake Stevens (WA) 2014.
- ↑ BattleTech - The world of the 31st century, u. a. from page 347
- ↑ Overview at Sarna.Net