I am the other half of Col's development team for this for funsies project. I have been pushing to integrate Traveller into this because I am such a huge fan of fun lifepath systems, although their limitations in terms of service can be a bother. I think the idea of building mechs using lifepath is absolutely brilliant. That is the feel of these mechs... every single one has a story.

Bravo.

I like it.  It is a neat departure from the typical reading of BattleTech, but not out of line with the spirit of the original conception of the setting.

Also, a life path system for the Mech could include generating quirks and perks that would make each Mech unique.  Maybe that leg actuator damaged in battle 20 years ago still acts up, or your grandfather scored a boss Garett D2j targeting computer off a fallen opponent that normally isn't found in your class of Mech.


-TGA

I really really wish that this could actually be published in book form. Sounds like an amazing way to play Battletech. Also, I prefer the early BT stuff, as well.

Yeah, Danbuter, so do we.  

  Today we were talking gaming to the Steve Jackson Games folks at Austin Comic Con and we told them that we'd adapted the Song of Ice and Fire RPG rules for houses to Battletech and are currently using that as our House Fortunes system until we can get something a bit closer to the time period, and they thought that was so cool they texted about it to the guys at Green Ronin.  Heh.

  If our team can come up with a compelling BTU-with-the-serial-numbers-filed-off, we can publish - ish.  There's the whole "rules can't be copywritten, but presentation and IP can" thing to wade through.  Traveller is OGL, Greg Stafford's Pendragon site says he's looking for pitches for alternate uses for the Pendragon system...

  We will see what the project evolves into.

Shut up and take my money!

Quote from: The Good Assyrian;595054I like it.  It is a neat departure from the typical reading of BattleTech, but not out of line with the spirit of the original conception of the setting.

Also, a life path system for the Mech could include generating quirks and perks that would make each Mech unique.  Maybe that leg actuator damaged in battle 20 years ago still acts up, or your grandfather scored a boss Garett D2j targeting computer off a fallen opponent that normally isn't found in your class of Mech.


-TGA

A fantastic idea.

RPGPundit

So...

  Bobjob and I are moving forward with this with some input from TGA, as we all live in the area.  I've got three weeks of college left before I take some time off and can really crunch hard on the project, but we will be at least putting this together to use here at home.

  Thus far, we're using MW1e, Pendragon and Traveller concepts wedded into one solid MW game.  It's in the preliminary notes stages now, but we'll keep plugging away and see what we can come up with.

Please keep us updated!

RPGPundit

OK, folks - here's my first serious effort at marrying Pendragon sensibilities and the MechWarrior universe.  What do you all think?

THE MECHWARRIOR NOBILITY
  With the collapse of the Star League, each MechWarrior became more than a simple military pilots.  The fact of possession of a BattleMech left those who were beholden to House Lords or refused to follow General Kerensky into the Exodus with a frightening power to defend – or destroy.  In the intervening centuries, MechWarriors have become the new martial nobles filling the role – and in many places the title – of the knights of Humanity's distant past.

RISE OF THE MECHWARRIOR KNIGHTHOOD
  When BattleMechs became the pinnacle of military technology, the pilots of those incredible machines were an new breed of highly-trained soldier- but no more.  While the same mystique that in bygone eras had set cavaliers and aviators apart certainly elevated MechWarriors to the status of military elite they were still at the end of the day men and women sworn to the standing armies of the Star League or the Successor Lords.  As the Star League crumbled and the holocaust of the First Succession War raged across the Human Sphere the standing armies as they existed before the first atomics fell ceased to exist.  In the desolate aftermath that befell the majority of worlds the survivors of the shattered militaries found themselves isolated, without a clear chain of command or compelling reason to go on fighting.  Many chose to go home.  Some, either unable or unwilling to return home used their military assets to carve or conquer a new home with the assistance of their surviving comrades.
  Former combat formations became the new rulers and defenders of micro-nations and city states across the devastated worlds of the Human Sphere.  Power shifts, suble and gross, rippled across the Sphere as communications and commerce slowly began to stabilize.  The surviving Great House Lords make good use of the core worlds that managed to survive the First Succession War with less catastrophic damage, consolidating their power and rebuilding their shattered regiments for the conquest of their equally-beleaguered neighbors and wayward former holdings.  During this time, the House Lords were as desperate for war materiel as the petty warlords that began to emerge all across the Sphere.  Having a BattleMech to pledge into service became a valuable asset, one that could be bartered for wealth, title, land and more.  Small groups of MechWarriors could band together into companies that may or may not be the equivalent of a pre-war BattleMech company and parlay their strength into titles and lands on the more prestigious worlds less ravaged by the wars.  Ambitious nobles able to secure the loyalty of many MechWarriors could stake claim to entire continents, or worlds.  Before the end of the Second Succession War, the MechWarrior Nobility existed in fact across the many worlds settled by Man.

BECOMING A MECHWARRIOR
  BattleMechs are rare and nearly irreplaceable artifacts of the Golden Age of the Star League.  The last known major manufacturing facilities fell long ago, leaving only a trickle of parts and components from factories whose inner workings are no longer entirely understood.  Caches of deep-storage depots dating from before the fall of the League are still extant on many worlds, waiting to be found and plundered.  Occasionally, a technician will be able to cobble together a "new" 'Mech from old stock parts, or to create a single 'Mech from the remains of fallen machines.  For every new or restored BattleMech that lumbers onto the battlefields of the thirty-first century, many more fall- in some cases consigning the families of the pilot to the ranks of the Dispossessed.  How then does one become a MechWarrior?
  At present, the most common path to the mantle of MechWarrior is to be born to it.  The BattleMechs that served the Star League and the Great Houses centuries ago are the same BattleMechs that stand in the attack or defense of the worlds of the Human Sphere today.  These ancient war machines are incredibly resilient, maintained by the orders of technicians whose own social status is linked to that of the MechWarrior Houses they serve.  A MechWarrior family owns one or more of the ancient machines, with more than one required for any true sense of security as the loss of a family's only 'Mech spells the end of that family's usefulness to the noble whom that family serves.
  Children in MechWarrior families are typically made 'Mech Apprentices at the age of 15, spending years assisting the family's technicians in the upkeep of the BattleMechs, learning how to piliot and fight the family's 'Mech, and learning the skills of rulership and courtliness from the family's instructors.  Some of these Apprentices will assume the mantle of MechWarrior upon turning 21, while some must wait until the current pilot of the BattleMech for which they are destined dies or retires.  Some remain Apprentices their entire lives, while others find themselves assigned by the family as administrators, instructors and technicians.
  Those MechWarrior families fortunate enough to have multiple BattleMechs at times use the assignment of one or more of their family 'Mechs as a reward for loyal retainers who are not themselves MechWarriors.  It is not unheard of for members of the household cavalry or a lord's inner circle to be elevated to MechWarrior status in recognition of long service.  Likewise families rich in BattleMech assets have at times rewarded technicians of high skill and long service with the opportunity to pilot one of the family 'Mechs, usually in a low-risk assignment such as home defense, or even the opportunity to build themselves a machine from plunder and salvage.
  For those not born to a family already in possession of a BattleMech or in the service of such a family, there are few opportunities for advancement, none of them certain or without danger.  By tradition, and infantryman or cavalryman who manages to bring down a BattleMech is entitled to take possession of that Battlemech and become its master.  This road to becoming a MechWarrior is fraught with peril.  First, to destroy a BattleMech with a mere armored vehicle or man-portable support weapons is a feat requiring luck, skill and valor bordering on desperation.  Next, the newly enfranchised MechWarrior must make the necessary repairs to put the BattleMech back into operation.  It is quite rare that a common soldier from the infantry or the backbone soldiers of Household Cavalry units have the means to make these repairs.  The new MechWarrior must then sell the 'Mech for salvage and settle for continuing life as a commoner – albeit a wealthy one – or strike a deal with someone who has the means to repair the BattleMech.  This option leads to the type of attached strings and owed favors that can make the already daunting task of a commoner to navigate the political mire of MechWarrior society that much more difficult.
  A final path from commoner to MechWarrior is to capture the attention of a noble with more 'Mechs than MechWarriors (a rare situation, indeed!) The House Lords, possessed of much larger BattleMech resources than more peripheral nobles, still maintain rather large household forces.  Membership in one of these units, if one can prove one's skill, is a sure path to MechWarrior status, but such status is not guaranteed to one's offspring- who receive automatic training, but can wash out resulting in the family's status being reduced to the "regular" forces.  Many Archdukes, Dukes and Counts hold such lofty title due to their ability to raise large household units either in their own name, or that of their House Lord.  The majority of the MechWarriors in that sort of unit would be MechWarriors of this type.

RANKS OF MECHWARRIOR KNIGHTHOOD



MECHWARRIOR MERCENARY
  The least prestigious class of MechWarrior are the MechWarrior mercenaries.  These MechWarriors serve no lord by oath or fealty- instead they serve the lord that can pay their keep and possibly make some of that payment in the precious parts and resources that keep their all-important BattleMechs in operation.  MechWarrior mercenaries are much more likely to practice skills that are non-knightly in nature, more likely to spend more time travelling and often call a transport vessel home if they claim any home at all.  Though they tend toward baser conduct than the more socially prestigious types of MechWarrior, even MechWarrior mercenaries abide by the accepted rules of combat- to violate the traditional social contract would be to place at risk the very social order that makes their livelihood possible.


MECHWARRIOR BACHELOR
  Bas Chevalier was the French term for a knight of low standing, and the modern usage to refer to unmarried men had its roots in the inability of a poor knight to support a wife and family.  Like the poor knights of ages past, the MechWarrior Bachelor has no lands or holdings in their own right.  The Bachelor MechWarrior is a member of their lord's household, following a vassal, banneret, or MechWarrior lord and living in their holdings.  These MechWarriors typically serve in the household guard of MechWarriors of higher standing, and by virtue of their station will spend most of their time in military pursuits.  Most MechWarrior bachelor families have but one BattleMech, quite rarely two or more as a number of BattleMechs would be cause for the family to be considered for elevation to vassal status.  Some bachelor MechWarriors are technically dispossessed, piloting BattleMechs that belong to their lords.  These MechWarriors are secure in their social status as long as they have the favor of their lords, who may withhold the right to pilot a family BattleMech.

MECHWARRIOR VASSAL
  A MechWarrior Vassal family has proven loyalty and stability to their lord, and possesses more than one BattleMech within the family.  This rank of MechWarrior knighthood does own land, and may contain multiple family members who are also MechWarriors as well as household MechWarriors who are retainers but not related by blood.  Vassal MechWarriors will be called upon to serve in the military forces of their lord, and to garrison the lord's holdings.  When called upon, the MechWarrior Vassal is expected to provide a single BattleMech or a brace of two BattleMechs for military service.

MECHWARRIOR BANNERET
  The Banneret MechWarrior is the lowest of the MechWarrior ranks to hold other landed MechWarriors as vassals.  While not of a Peerage rank, such as Baron or Count, Banneret MechWarriors have larger landholds that include the holdings of their subordinate MechWarriors.  When called upon by their lord, a MechWarrior Banneret must provide a lance of BattleMechs to the lord's service.

MECHWARRIOR LORD
  Those MechWarriors with enough guile, power or charisma to bend other MechWarriors to their banner or earn the trust of a House Lord or powerful noble could become part of the MechWarrior lord class.  These MechWarriors hold peerage titles- Baron and above- and boast impressive land holdings and household militaries.  These MechWarriors are often given martial titles such as "captain" when asked to provide a company or more to the banner of their lord on campaign.  MechWarrior lords are powerful, and increase in power and wealth until reaching the current pinnacle of nobility – Lordship of one of the five Great Houses.

I'm rather entertained and amused by this thread and the ideas herein, I think its an awesome idea.

Now if only you were given MW  RPG's reigns.

I am SO going to use this. I loved Battletech from day one, but my group hasn't played it in ages (either boardgame or RPG-style) - think that's about to change.

Note that I highly recommend, from personal experience, that The IS 3025 not be static. The Power of the Ruling families resides with the few Mech Factories they own. That is, they control the influx of new Mechs. Usually most of the production goes to replacing losses for Noble families according to their standing. Note that it is a constant power struggle between central power and feudal lords. The peerage expects to get Mech replacements, as a right of birth not as a gesture of good will or incentive for loyalty, but some of that still is there.
Some House Lords though have some Mechs to spare, and started to create a commoner army.
Most importantly that comes up with House Davion under Hanse's rule.
The Steiner nobles had the most devious way of getting rid of the danger of too strong centralized rule: Make the Archon-army ineffective by co-opting their leadership-> Social-Generals!

So while the Ruling Houses can create new nobles, often they will think they have now the same birthright as the old ones and side with them vs the central power. This is taken to the highest forms in the Draconis Combine, whereas the Federated suns have the biggest group of professional Mechwarriors that do not form a caste. RCTs are a big part of that, as are cheapo-Mechs armed with autocannons...a noble would not want ot be caught dead in a Jägermech! It is the symbol of Hanse's ambitions as well as the commoner stink of illoyality to the caste of MechWarriors! So in the Fed Suns one could play it a bit like North & South, only the Southern gentlemen are New Avalon Catholic instead of Baptists. Also note the BIG disparity in the Fedsuns "city/east coast" planets and the landed nobles' backwaters...spurs included!

Quote from: Silverlion;600243I'm rather entertained and amused by this thread and the ideas herein, I think its an awesome idea.

Now if only you were given MW  RPG's reigns.

Fom your lips to God's ears, my friend.

I've often wondered how big of a lottery win I'd have to score to buy the rights to Battletech, and buy out Harmony Gold...

Settembrini

 Good points, all.

 In the perfect world where we plot out a Battletechy amalgam of "The Great Pendragon Campaign" these issues would certainly be explored as part of the multi-year narrative.  House Davion's "Training Battalions" were a concept Hanse came up with.  To keep drawing on the Pendragon analogy, the campaign would begin with Prince Ian and the war against the Combine, giving the players an opportunity to face the Draconis Combine in a war that would ideally span enough time to have an impact on the players and develop their loyaly to Prince Ian  then BLAM, Prince Ian is slain and young Hanse must take the throne...  After a few years of settling in, young Hanse starts playing with changing the status quo, and it becomes a question of loyalties...  I would change up the canon history here so the MechWarrior Brotherhood crisis could come to a head over Davion's commoner MechWarrior battalions causing a not-quite Civil War and a huge test of loyalties...

Awesome ... and just keeps getting better.

The concept would led itself well to a card game (like Legend of the Five Rings) and by being a different format, may be easier to publish. Following with a RPG that could use the cards as seeds.
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