Battletech - When Politics and Power Collide - Looking for new players

Started by Captain Whitebread, November 08, 2015, 02:07:50 PM

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Captain Whitebread

The situation is this:

The planet is valuable but not so valuable that any one house is willing to risk losing access by making a bid for total control.

All Houses have a presence that works in uneasy alliance to protect the planet from piracy.

The situation exists for several reasons.  There are several planets that have all five houses present, so that materials and favours can be passed back and forth with out the usual difficulties.  Slipping a spy across the 'border' is as simple as walking across the street.  Passing information is as simple as bumping into someone on the street, rather than ships meeting at jump points.

Think of it as Casablanca during the early years of WW II...

Your characters can be from any house.  I had submissions from Davion and Kurita.  Of course rivalries will be expected...
There are nights when the wolves are silent and it the moon that howls.

summoner2183

Quote from: Captain Whitebread on December 05, 2015, 08:47:10 PM
An bare bones example.  Be as detailed as you like.




Captain  Lord Wilhelm Hasek
Second son of the Duke of Kathil
Born on Kathil
Attended the Warrior's Hall
Attended the War College of Goshen
1st Kathil Uhlans  "Lions of Davion"

Just a summary. I'll probably chose a commonly available 55 ton mech like a Griffin.

What are some Noble titles that a son of the nobility of a planet can have btw? Earl, Viscount, Baron... that sort of thing? And I am planning to play as  a Davion supporter... so what family names are common within thr Federated Suns?

Captain Whitebread

I certainly would expect an Earl or Duke to be here but certainly any of the lesser titles Count, Viscount Baron, Baronet etc...

Davion tends toward French names
There are nights when the wolves are silent and it the moon that howls.

summoner2183


Captain Whitebread

And I replied.

Looks like we have primarily Davion characters with a few Kurita....

There are nights when the wolves are silent and it the moon that howls.

TheGlyphstone

I had originally been planning for the Lyrans, but Davion works just as well, and having the potential for in-House political squabbling is a definite benefit.

Annaamarth

For public consumption, all subject to change and GM revision:

Alaric/Guenevere Whitecliff, third in line for the Duchy of Emerald Shore,
third child of Duke Emerald Shore, His Grace Alistair Whitecliff, vassal to House Davion,
daughter to Harataki Rikona of the Harataki family,
mounting the Durandel, a modified PNT-9R Panther light battlemech.

There are a few other people who come with this, but this is my PC.  I haven't settled on gender one way or the other, though I am leaning towards the feminine.  For those who maintain awareness of people who are third in line to inherit ducal and baronial titles, this minor scion of the Whitecliff dynasty has a reputation as something of an arrogant dilettante, a ne'er-do-well.  For those with decent spymasters, the mother, Rikona, is a distant relation to the Kuritas and Emerald Shore's second wife by arranged marriage... and known to be ambitious and cunning.  She is not trusted, and the youngest Whitecliff, half-sibling to the seniors, may be more loyal to Mom than Dad according to reports.  While Whitecliff makes appearances at all the expected events, she always wears an expression of barely-concealed boredom.  Whitecliff does occasionally attend theatre and can be seen gambling on occasion, but not terribly well.

Whitecliff leads a lance of Davion battlemechs, mostly fast units- in fact, the Durandel is the slowest of them.  They are suitable for scouting and harassment, and have an attached Cobra VTOL equipped with a recon camera, communications equipment and troop capacity allows them to perform commando raids as well.

Retainers include a master-at-arms mounting a Trebuchet and a manservant with a wardrobe.

I'm posting this so that you can see the sorts of things I'm going for, as well as to demonstrate how one might develop a character, family relationships, and enhance the political scene.  Also so that you can see whether you and I might have any history or interactions.

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on December 06, 2015, 12:10:00 PM
I had originally been planning for the Lyrans, but Davion works just as well, and having the potential for in-House political squabbling is a definite benefit.

If it's all Kurita and Davion then that draws some specific battlelines in the political scene.  If we get a Lyran or Capellan in here, that shakes things up- which might be cool.  That said, having another Davion around to think I'm an agent for my Drac spy mother also lends opportunity for Fun.
Ons/Offs

My sins are pride, wrath and lust.

ThisOneGal

Hello all.
Captain appears to be deferring to my vision a lot, and I've been effectively deferring to him because of connectivity issues.

Just want to mention: I'd rather have a game that doesn't fully match what I originally posted but people are interested in than have one that perfectly matches but only I'm enjoying.

Also, my tablet does not like this website, so my replies will be very limited even when i can connect.

Ghostraven

I interested in participating; assuming I can craft a suitable character for the game. :-)

I'm just a little confused as to what role the characters are intended to play in the game.
I'm getting that they are all minor nobles on some Casablanca like planet; but are they all part of the same multi-house unit or are they all just on the same seemingly back water but valuable planet? I get the sense that they are supposed to be working together but of course may have other goals directed from back home or just personal. Or is it more of a place where the houses can put the third string nobles and trouble makers to keep them out of the court politics and keep an eye on them.

TTYL

Ghostraven

Annaamarth

It's a place to keep such people out of the way, but also potentially profitable for any one of the houses.  Also a convenient place for intelligence operatives to go for backchannel communications, so there might be some serious House operatives in town, noble or otherwise.

Just because some of us are 3rd string nobility doesn't mean that someone can't be 1st string nobility undercover... or non-nobility under orders from the left hand of some House Lord or another.

That's my view, anyway.
Ons/Offs

My sins are pride, wrath and lust.

Captain Whitebread

You aren't technically part of the same unit.  You just have a tendency to end up on the same battlefields shooting at the same enemies.
There are nights when the wolves are silent and it the moon that howls.

Ghostraven


Annaamarth

Quote from: Captain Whitebread on December 09, 2015, 04:59:32 AM
You aren't technically part of the same unit.  You just have a tendency to end up on the same battlefields shooting at the same enemies.

This makes sense to me. We may not like each other, but ain't nobody likes pirates.
Ons/Offs

My sins are pride, wrath and lust.

TheGlyphstone

I guess that cinches my decision to be Davion-aligned, then, since it means I'll at least have an actual understrength lance under my nominal authority, instead of three 'allied' tanks who don't actually have to follow my orders. Plus, leading a band of merry-misfit tankers tickles my fancy, with the profiles you've provided for the two NPC tank commanders.

Captain Whitebread

Okay, so here are the characters currently submitted....

ThisOneGal
Countess Lieutentant Kathryn Foss
House Davion/Federated Suns

Ghostraven
Duchess Tai-i (Captain) Kurumi Tatsu Kurita
House Kurita/Draconis Combine

Summoner2183
Vicount Leftenant Edward DuPierre
House Davion/Federated Suns

Annaamarth
Marquis Captain Alaric/Guenevere Whitecliff
House Davion/Federated Suns

Etah Dna Evol
Marquis Captain Wilhelm Hasek
House Davion/Federated Suns

One other player has yet to submit a concept but we've been discussing mechs.  I just have to integrate the submitted NPCs into the current NPC roster, which won't take long.  I've been obscenely busy with work and have a surprise in-law visit this weekend, so it may take a little longer than expected to get the game up and running.  In the meantime, maybe the Feddies can start conspiring against the lone Snake....

There are nights when the wolves are silent and it the moon that howls.

TheGlyphstone

I've got a family event tomorrow too, but I'll have a bio/profile up for you tomorrow evening.

Ghostraven


Annaamarth

Oh, I'm a Marquis?  I'd not thought I'd have a title.  After all, just 'cuz Dad's a duke doesn't mean that I'm anything at all.

As for our lone Kurita, well... Hello, cousin!  I think my mother's great-great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather's third older sister.  Or something.
Ons/Offs

My sins are pride, wrath and lust.

Captain Whitebread

You have a title.  You're a noble, unlike our fifth character:

Glyphstone
First Leutnant Felix Von Schreiner
House Steiner/Lyran Commonwealth
-an untitled acknowledged bastard


There are nights when the wolves are silent and it the moon that howls.

Ghostraven

Quote from: Annaamarth on December 13, 2015, 06:27:05 AM
As for our lone Kurita, well... Hello, cousin!  I think my mother's great-great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather's third older sister.  Or something.

So is that the definition of distant cousin? :-)

Captain Whitebread

There are nights when the wolves are silent and it the moon that howls.

ThisOneGal

Reference Stuff

On Nobility: http://roleplayingtips.com/readissue.php?number=394#tips
Noble titles/ranks: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Nobility
Military Ranks: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Military_Ranks

TL;DR:

The Captains outrank the Lieutenants. Within those groupings you're pretty much tied.

Noble ranks from high to low are:

Duke/Duchess
Marquis/Marquess
Count/Countess
Viscount/Viscountess
...
Untitled

The Duchess is 'your Grace', the counts/viscounts are 'your Excellency'. Can't find one for the Marquis; best guess is also Excellency. Bastard doesn't have a title, probably should be addressed by military rank.

Of course, their are more complexities than that. The Drac outranks everyone, but since no other PC is a Drac, can't command anyone. The bastard doesn't even have a title, but is the only Lyran, so can't be commanded by any of the PCs. Whitecliff and Hasek have the exact same rank/title, with Foss one under and DuPierre like half a title (but not rank) under her. Of course, then there are issues of 'lateral' command structure; just because you outrank someone doesn't mean they're *yours* to command; that might be someone else's purview.

Ghostraven

Thinks we need more Kurita players of Marquis/Marquess rank or below...  O:)

So her Kurita title is Shogun (Duchess)


Captain Whitebread

The Role-playing Page https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=241174.0

The OOC Page https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=241175.0

I started this while home sick from work, so if there are problems, let me know and I'll fix them....

There are nights when the wolves are silent and it the moon that howls.

TheGlyphstone

No problems, but an NPC index of some kind would be handy when you've got the time. I can't imagine any of us are going in 100% blind as to the people we'll be interacting with and/or holding command over.