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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5791
Location: United States
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 Posted: 13-Oct-2007 22:08 Post subject: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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Now, it has come up in many discussion that their are things in battletech that you simply do not do because of the rules, the style, or the fiction. Often these points are debated with various parties having this opinion or that such as do AC fire bursts or a single round or should mechs be viewed as walking tanks or more dexterous?
One of these topics is the subject of sentient Alien lifeforms.
Now the purpose of this topic is two fold:
1) To establish what the group here feels IF sentient lifeforms were introduced to BT.
2) To ponder a what if situation.
The purpose is not to debate, with 1 possible exclusion, if sentients should ever enter into BT but to discuss the two purposes above by asking two questions:
Question 1: If the creators of BT suddenly decided with no intent or consideration otherwise to introduce an sentient life form (please exclude Far Country) how would you like to see it implemented and what aspects would you expect?
This is a pretty general question along the lines of 'if the clans were reintroduced, how would you change things to better flow with the previous BT time line' so you can have as much fun as you want. My only rule is no flaming and rejecting it just because. We know the debate, so please just take it as a what if.
And now question 2 which is more of a thinker question and almost philosophical. It is more the purpose of this topic but requires question 1 in order to complete it.
Question 2: In what ways would you change your mind or alter your concept if we use the hypothetical situation that tomorrow afternoon (12pm EST, US) an Alien ship landed in the White House front lawn and a sentient life form walked out a said hello?
The purpose of this question is to see how everyone would feel about sentient lifeforms being introduced into BT if their was an undebatable world wide encounter with one. Often I find that the greatest argument against sentients other then humans in BT is that BT while Scifi is described as a low scifi universe that keeps most elements grounded in the real world with choice exceptions; therefor, if a sentient life form other then humans became fact, how would it affect the argument?
Discuss.
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one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.
//^(^_^)^\\
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Karagin
Imperial Karagin Army
Imperial General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4120
Location: United States
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| Posted: 13-Oct-2007 23:12 Post subject: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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On your second discussion point:
IF that happen, given how much the hype and fear that would be generated, I think we end up doing some regretable before we did some thing that could be seen as peaceful. The nut cases and fanatics out there would be certain to try and cause trouble and the given how much people in general fear the unknown and the new and different, I could see the ship and it's crew ending up a smoking crater if they did something that looked to us as hostile.
On your first point of discussion:
I would say IF the non-human lifeforms did appear in BT, they should be handled in a manner that set them apart from the other sci-fi alien races. No uber-death weapons, no uber-ships, they can have better tech but not to the point that they run rings around the IS and Clans. Their social and military order should make sense but needs to be different then what we know, not the over abused hey it's the Communist again but this time with tenticals and orange eyes and wings.
A nice detailed look at their setup would be needed eventually, though to be really different, TPTB could leave it open ended for a year or so, and then start to put books out about this new group and paint their picture, slowly thus allowing folks to digest the info, use it and come to know it, BEFORE adding more. Something that TPTB have forgotten since the Clans popped up...before that we had time to learn the quirks about the houses, and the mechs and get to know the Inner Sphere and folks could come to like something about the houses or not, now the flavor of the week changes to fast to get to enjoy it anymore.
Did I mention no uber weapons or tech? Yes, I see I did say that already.
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Karagin
Only the dead have seen the end of war. - Plato
"Wasted trip Man. Nobody said nuthin' about lockin' horns with no tigers." Oddball
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Rudel Gurken
Allisters Light Thunder
Major
Joined: 15-Jun-2005 00:00
Posts: 1470
Location: Germany
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| Posted: 14-Oct-2007 03:01 Post subject: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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Heavy thinking at 8:45 am!! 
To question 1:
Hmmm... If they introduce them i think they will interact militarily with mankind as this is the main purpose of the BT universe. But i would prefer military equipment of a total other kind as tanks or mechs and not another super-tech race of the same theme again.
As Karagin said before their culture should be plausible but nevertheless alien and not something we have or have had in human societies here on earth.
To question 2:
First i believe that there are other sentient species out there! 
No, i don't believe that these aliens send a ship or two over some hundred or thousand light years to examin and/or kidnapping some outlying farmers!! 
If we will ever met them depends on the fact if lightspeed can be broken or not.
But if that is the case and aliens land on earth tomorrow i think they were warned about human behavior due to all the crap TV and radio stations are sending even into space.
I don't think my opinion about question 1 will change after this.
_________________
Reality is where the Pizza-man comes from!'Gucken, petzen, verpissen!' (Look at it, squeal it, get the hell away from it!) – Motto of the recon troops'Artillery doesn´t know friend or foe! They only know worthwhile targets!‘ – Kuritan Infantrist
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Sir Henry
Team Bansai
Senior Tech Specialist
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4899
Location: United States
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| Posted: 16-Oct-2007 08:12 Post subject: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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With Alien Lifeforms..
Don't you have to see if they are less advanced, similarly Advanced or More Advanced in retrospect of Tech.
What would we do if...
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Sir Henry
A Dragon in the disguise of a bunny, is still a Dragon.
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Oafman
Draconis Combine
Tai-sho
Joined: 18-Nov-2003 00:00
Posts: 1657
Location: United States
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| Posted: 18-Oct-2007 16:43 Post subject: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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Since we are speaking hypothetically....
Just pretend that I actually answered this question. 
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Oafman
Draconis Combine
Tai-sho
Joined: 18-Nov-2003 00:00
Posts: 1657
Location: United States
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| Posted: 19-Oct-2007 10:49 Post subject: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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Now that I put in my snarky comment, he is a more serious post.
I am up in the air on alien lifeforms. I usually prefer to keep from pondering the theological ramifications of alien life.
As to the BT universe, I would like to see aliens brought in to spice things up a bit. Give the clans and inner sphere a common enemy. I am thinking that something with a hive mind would be fun. They would be very low tech, but with the ability to think as one it would completely change the tactics. You cannot use an ECM suite to block an alien who converse over the mental airwaves. This line of thought would aim towards a military similar to bees and ants. The main forces stays at the base witha few scouts going out. As soon as the scouts find the enemy the swarm comes out. Can you say mass slaughter?
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Horhiro
Draconis Combine
Samurai
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1625
Location: United States
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| Posted: 18-Nov-2007 21:12 Post subject: Re: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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Question 1: If the creators of BT suddenly decided with no intent or consideration otherwise to introduce an sentient life form (please exclude Far Country) how would you like to see it implemented and what aspects would you expect?
I would never want to see any new alien sentient beings. I think that not having it is what makes the battletech universe unique, setting it apart from other sci-fi genres such as Trek, Robotech, Babylon, etc. By adding aliens they would have to be modeled after some sort of human civilization, and with the lush abundance of such already in place in the BTech universe, why bother?
Personally Battletech for me has gotten out of hand. Way too many rules, way too much tech, and way to many revisons. I am starting to feel for the old school Star Fleet Battles players. I wish the developers had left the game simpler and instead focused on making it a better, more affordable, more new player oriented 3-D miniatures game. Cheaper with more players would have made the game better than more expensive-trying to get seasoned players to buy the same stufff over and over and over again......
It's too bad they changed the whole game engine with Dark Age. I think plastic and store run tourneys with the old rules (collectable or not) would have been a sounder desision. Perhaps I'm just a aging gamer.....
Question 2: In what ways would you change your mind or alter your concept if we use the hypothetical situation that tomorrow afternoon (12pm EST, US) an Alien ship landed in the White House front lawn and a sentient life form walked out a said hello?
Aliens on the White House front lawn....rediculous, He already lives in the White house, but he's not really "sentient"......"W".......
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"I have lived my life trying to be a virtuous man. The Dragon admires tenacity, and the code of the samurai upholds it as well." -Minobu Tetsuhara
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5791
Location: United States
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| Posted: 18-Nov-2007 23:13 Post subject: Re: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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| Horhiro wrote: |
I would never want to see any new alien sentient beings. I think that not having it is what makes the battletech universe unique, setting it apart from other sci-fi genres such as Trek, Robotech, Babylon, etc. By adding aliens they would have to be modeled after some sort of human civilization, and with the lush abundance of such already in place in the BTech universe, why bother?
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Please follow the guidelines when answering. We already know that most ppl are of the opinion that aliens in bt would be bad. i asked a IF question... not wether they should or not. IF they were doing so what would u like and expect to see?
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Question 2: In what ways would you change your mind or alter your concept if we use the hypothetical situation that tomorrow afternoon (12pm EST, US) an Alien ship landed in the White House front lawn and a sentient life form walked out a said hello?
Aliens on the White House front lawn....rediculous, He already lives in the White house, but he's not really "sentient"......"W"....... |
Jokes a side... if this did happen, would your opinion on aliens in BT change?
_________________
one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.
//^(^_^)^\\
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Horhiro
Draconis Combine
Samurai
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1625
Location: United States
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| Posted: 19-Nov-2007 19:32 Post subject: Re: Hypothetical Sutuation |
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Instead of going forward in the BT universe with Aliens, go backwards. Twist a huge chunk of the History:
Stephan Amaris is an alien. A very nasty alien, part of a powerful, but only slightly discovered alien civilization, which has been awaiting the Star Leagues' expansion into their territories located deep in the periphery. These same aliens were those who landed on Earth thousands of years ago and gave early mankind knowlege (pyramids, stonehenge, easter island, etc. )These shapeshifters/ mentalists have determined that the only course of action to save their civilization is to destroy that of the humans internally, thus undoing their initial mistake of interacting with early mankind. First by infiltration, then by subversivenes, and lastly by an all out internal war (ie the takeover of Earth.)Their shadowy presence becomes felt throughout the IS, even in the highest of political rulers.
The exodus becomes a reason, not for leaving the IS to its own evil devices, to return someday as saviors, but as an assualt force on the aliens and their civilization, purging the incursion, and culminating into a bloody long series of wars, in which Kerenskys forces defeat and absorb this civilizations tech, thus becoming the clans.
Thus the IS history remains unchanged, yet a whole new previous storyline could be explored, and Humans vs Aliens could be played out in a Battletech setting.
_________________
"I have lived my life trying to be a virtuous man. The Dragon admires tenacity, and the code of the samurai upholds it as well." -Minobu Tetsuhara
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