When you said thanks to chat for the huge lore dumps they gave during stream, that's one thing I absolutely love about the BT community. We are more than happy and willing to share and discuss Battletech lore and help you understand it better. Not only that, but if we're playing tabletop and you walk up to our table with a curious mind, we're more than happy to teach you to play and sometimes even give you a mech for free if we have spare ones. It's an awesome laid back community that I have never regretted joining after leaving behind the dumpster fire that is Disney Star Wars.
Fun fact the song at the end is known as Dropship Thunder and is an actual in universe song. The song is a Kuritan marching song. The first 3 verses of the song were the original version, however the last 2 verses were added later during the succession wars. The first 3 are all cherry and about the conquest of the DC troops over the enemy. However, with how bloody the succession wars would become the final 2 verses as you can tell are a lot less cheery and just accepting of one’s fate. They even tho they will claim victory in truth it’s only about survival and even then no matter how much landholds and money they may claim, one day too they’ll be the citizens of the land standing and huddled together being cut down and burned in nuclear fire.
If I am not mistaken the big events in Battletech are as follows. Expansion into the Space, Formation of the Great Houses, Star league and the unification wars. Amaris Civil War. Kerenky's Exodus. Four succession war's. Clan Invasion, The Word of Blake Jihad, and now the Ilkhan Era.
One thing to note, the cards one gets alongside the current tabletop models have icons on the right side that tell you what eras that mech variant is playable in. The icons are arranged so that the higher up an era's icon is, the earlier in the timeline it is. The top icon is the Star League era (Generally the conflicts with the periphery realms in the run up to the civil war and the civil war itself). Though the Succession Wars era (The next one after it) is known as introtech for a reason, it's a great era to learn the basics before going to the other eras. The Succession Wars and Clan Invasion eras are also the most popular ones.
yeah the civil war is the horus heresy equivalent, in that its the most impactful war on the setting and acts as a set-up for the playable era of it. The 40k universe became what it is because of the heresy, and likewise the battletech universe became what it is because of the civil war
The comparison I would use is The Unification War/War on the Periphery is the Ragdan Xenocide which lead to the Civil War (Hours Heresy) which in turn lead to the Clan War (13th Black Crusade)
Sven Van Der Plank goes into pretty deep detail as to how Stephan Amaris wormed his forces into the Terran Hegemony. His lore videos on the event as a whole is about 8 hours long though lol (in pieces of course)
When I watched this video, I really felt like I was watching Chinese history, but it took place in space. The reasons why Chinese dynasties split and fell into large-scale civil wars several times in history are basically the same as the history told in this video.
1:32:50 Expanding on Arthur's comment, the SLDF Gunslinger Program was founded because a whole bunch of Kuritan MechWarriors considered their house's decision to obey the Star League dishonorable and lame. So, they would line up their 'mechs and call out Star League MechWarriors for duels. Unfortunately, the Draconis Combine warriors tended to win more of these duels than they lost. So, the SLDF, which was meant to be the biggest, baddest, and most effective military in human history, had a problem on their hands. And they fixed that problem with the Gunslinger Program. And every single member of the Black Watch was a graduate. As you'll no doubt see, they were likely top of their class, too.
ComStar is part of the reason why there arent any space fleets anymore ComStar has a habit of doing nasty clandestine actions for the greater good of the inner sphere
Kudos to the SLDF, an empire spanning government couldn't have asked for a more loyal military. bound together with the hopes and dreams of an eventually prosperous and unified galaxy without division from borders, caste/class systems, without fear from their neighbors. but as all works of fiction and reality show, we cannot have nice things.
The Gunslinger training was developed because Draconis Combine MechWarriors, were bored after Star League was created. Also they were mad they could not fight anylonger since Star League was somewhat peaceful. They walked up to SLDF facilities in their mechs and were demanding duels mano e mano. SLDF got they asses kicked so hard by the Elite Draconis Mechwarriors they developed this program to be able to win.
I'd argue that the SLDF would be more akin to NATO in modern times, but I can see an argument for it to be the Holy Roman Empire. Tex's voice is the result of untreated acid reflux complications.
For added context for the size of the SLDF; think of what'd happen if it was made mandatory for all nations on Earth to give up roughly 20% to 30% of their total military aged/capable population to the United Nations to create a standing military with no allegiance to any country or flag, ready in interfere in any regional conflict by striking down all participants (insurgency, invasion, or civil war) for endangering the local populace. if not for individual indoctrination to dogmatic beliefs, such would be an achievable thing.
Well, SLDF also had the Royals which are all Terran and with special tech. And I don't think Terran Hegemony maintained any military outside of the SLDF during the Star League era. I guess US military might be the closest comparison for your UN military idea, but it would be the entire US military (though National Guard would not be part of the UN Army I guess).
At its height, the Star League Defense Force had over 100 million soldiers, forming liiike 486 divisions total. by the end of the Amaris Civil War, that number would be reduced to 113 remaining divisions.
It would be considered to be an STC recovery event and maybe a new department of the Inquisition to be created and most likely be called Ordo Communicationis. It would slowly begin to accumulate an intelligence base level with Dark Angel intelligence gathering.
Tex, doing this from an in-universe perspective of a historian from the Periphery, while entertaining, partakes in quite a bit of character assassination on Richard Cameron. Unsurprisingly, all things in-lore considered. But not deserved in it's totality. Let's imagine ourselves as Richard. You are 8. You are recently orphaned. You weild the most power in the Galaxy by your birthright. And your Regent is a guy who is an outstanding military leader and a terrible father figure, that is incapable of fathering anyone right. Which should be plain obvious by the fact that while you are surrounded by snakes already (The House Lords), the most poisonous of the all had been grooming you since childhood. Stephan. Amaris. Mind you, Kerensky was still his tutor in that time. Then you are 18. And you are the god damn High Lord. Imagine yourself as a teenager with Amaris at your hand trying to rule a giant empire. Good luck with that. And then you die. At the ripe age of... 21. This is how short reign had been. This is how young Richard was. Mind you, in his later years when he was getting ready to become a father, he had started drifting from Amaris, seeking council from the lord of House Davion. But it was a little to late and everything was set in motion by then. Richard is as much of a victim here as anyone else. Victim of a groomer. And nobody did anything to help. Kerensky had failed UTTERLY at his job.
One thing that kind of surprised be is there was a real Alexander Kerensky he was the prime minister of the short lived russian republic in 1917 before Lenon deposed him
Yes OMR, There is a 2nd part to this. Tex did THAT much research and he and his friends did that much historical and technical writing. Not to mention all the rewrites, retakes, amendments, and development that led to the months of work that resulted in this pair of videos. And if you think things were 'bad', let me reiterated a quote: Son, you haven't seen anything yet. Oh, by the way... you may be known as the 'old man', but I am 64 this year, and I have been playing B-tech since the first boxed set was released for sale by FASA. So, 40 years.
I would say Amaris Civil War is Horus Heresy while Clan Invasion is like the arrival of the Tyranids or even 13th Black Crusade/Indomitus Crusade. 22:05 Abbasids for the people with Baghdad and Mongols for the ones who burnt it down is what you are thinking of I think. 27:17 I don't necessarily dislike Battletech WarShips but I don't like how I can't see the weapon emplacements it says they have in their pictures. 40K, Star Wars and even Star Trek have an advantage there as I can identify a lot of stuff by just looking (though the Star Trek nacelle thing does make it so I like BT aesthethis more than ST aesthetics).
14:29 you mention the Rangdan thing. If you want CBT to 40k comparison. Reunification War is the Xenocides, Amaris Civil War is Horus Heresy, Clan Invasion is 13th Black Crusade. 30:45 bruh. That's EXACTLY who you want teaching you how to mech good. This guy has seen some shit, lived to get the Tshirt, and can do his job with swagger
yeh, da moment I reached the part where amaris is stationing his own troops inside the league, wid the government's seal approval of all things, I just went 🤦♂️ yah, league's done, it kinda deserved to fall now wid that stupid move alone
Amaris: (Kills a member of House Cameron)
The Blackwatch: ON TODAY'S EPISODE OF FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT!!!
Amaris: (Confused Screaming)
When you said thanks to chat for the huge lore dumps they gave during stream, that's one thing I absolutely love about the BT community. We are more than happy and willing to share and discuss Battletech lore and help you understand it better. Not only that, but if we're playing tabletop and you walk up to our table with a curious mind, we're more than happy to teach you to play and sometimes even give you a mech for free if we have spare ones. It's an awesome laid back community that I have never regretted joining after leaving behind the dumpster fire that is Disney Star Wars.
Ah finally. The man. The myth. The LEGEND.
Stefen Amaris and it's fucking bib.
18:00 every appearance of "the wife" during recording or on stream is always a special occasion. anyone still remember the "crawling incident"? 🤣
Fun fact the song at the end is known as Dropship Thunder and is an actual in universe song.
The song is a Kuritan marching song.
The first 3 verses of the song were the original version, however the last 2 verses were added later during the succession wars.
The first 3 are all cherry and about the conquest of the DC troops over the enemy.
However, with how bloody the succession wars would become the final 2 verses as you can tell are a lot less cheery and just accepting of one’s fate. They even tho they will claim victory in truth it’s only about survival and even then no matter how much landholds and money they may claim, one day too they’ll be the citizens of the land standing and huddled together being cut down and burned in nuclear fire.
If I am not mistaken the big events in Battletech are as follows. Expansion into the Space, Formation of the Great Houses, Star league and the unification wars. Amaris Civil War. Kerenky's Exodus. Four succession war's. Clan Invasion, The Word of Blake Jihad, and now the Ilkhan Era.
I heard the last aren't that good
One thing to note, the cards one gets alongside the current tabletop models have icons on the right side that tell you what eras that mech variant is playable in. The icons are arranged so that the higher up an era's icon is, the earlier in the timeline it is. The top icon is the Star League era (Generally the conflicts with the periphery realms in the run up to the civil war and the civil war itself). Though the Succession Wars era (The next one after it) is known as introtech for a reason, it's a great era to learn the basics before going to the other eras. The Succession Wars and Clan Invasion eras are also the most popular ones.
yeah the civil war is the horus heresy equivalent, in that its the most impactful war on the setting and acts as a set-up for the playable era of it. The 40k universe became what it is because of the heresy, and likewise the battletech universe became what it is because of the civil war
The comparison I would use is The Unification War/War on the Periphery is the Ragdan Xenocide which lead to the Civil War (Hours Heresy) which in turn lead to the Clan War (13th Black Crusade)
Sven Van Der Plank goes into pretty deep detail as to how Stephan Amaris wormed his forces into the Terran Hegemony. His lore videos on the event as a whole is about 8 hours long though lol (in pieces of course)
When I watched this video, I really felt like I was watching Chinese history, but it took place in space.
The reasons why Chinese dynasties split and fell into large-scale civil wars several times in history are basically the same as the history told in this video.
InWarhammer 40k term and importance, this is the Horus Heresy.
And the house Fast forward the technological and social Decay so it didn't take 10 thousand it only took a few hundred
1:32:50 Expanding on Arthur's comment, the SLDF Gunslinger Program was founded because a whole bunch of Kuritan MechWarriors considered their house's decision to obey the Star League dishonorable and lame. So, they would line up their 'mechs and call out Star League MechWarriors for duels. Unfortunately, the Draconis Combine warriors tended to win more of these duels than they lost. So, the SLDF, which was meant to be the biggest, baddest, and most effective military in human history, had a problem on their hands. And they fixed that problem with the Gunslinger Program. And every single member of the Black Watch was a graduate. As you'll no doubt see, they were likely top of their class, too.
ComStar is part of the reason why there arent any space fleets anymore
ComStar has a habit of doing nasty clandestine actions for the greater good of the inner sphere
Remember
In canopis cat girls are very real
Kudos to the SLDF, an empire spanning government couldn't have asked for a more loyal military.
bound together with the hopes and dreams of an eventually prosperous and unified galaxy without division from borders, caste/class systems, without fear from their neighbors.
but as all works of fiction and reality show, we cannot have nice things.
Funny enough some of the writers and such for battletech have apparantly made some of Tex and the BPL's stuff canon.
You cannot fist fight a battlemech?
*Laughs in Elemental.*
The Gunslinger training was developed because Draconis Combine MechWarriors, were bored after Star League was created. Also they were mad they could not fight anylonger since Star League was somewhat peaceful. They walked up to SLDF facilities in their mechs and were demanding duels mano e mano. SLDF got they asses kicked so hard by the Elite Draconis Mechwarriors they developed this program to be able to win.
I'd argue that the SLDF would be more akin to NATO in modern times, but I can see an argument for it to be the Holy Roman Empire.
Tex's voice is the result of untreated acid reflux complications.
For added context for the size of the SLDF; think of what'd happen if it was made mandatory for all nations on Earth to give up roughly 20% to 30% of their total military aged/capable population to the United Nations to create a standing military with no allegiance to any country or flag, ready in interfere in any regional conflict by striking down all participants (insurgency, invasion, or civil war) for endangering the local populace.
if not for individual indoctrination to dogmatic beliefs, such would be an achievable thing.
Well, SLDF also had the Royals which are all Terran and with special tech. And I don't think Terran Hegemony maintained any military outside of the SLDF during the Star League era.
I guess US military might be the closest comparison for your UN military idea, but it would be the entire US military (though National Guard would not be part of the UN Army I guess).
At its height, the Star League Defense Force had over 100 million soldiers, forming liiike 486 divisions total.
by the end of the Amaris Civil War, that number would be reduced to 113 remaining divisions.
1:27:55. One of the most FO moments in BattleTech history.
What if the imperium had Star league communication tech?
It would be considered to be an STC recovery event and maybe a new department of the Inquisition to be created and most likely be called Ordo Communicationis.
It would slowly begin to accumulate an intelligence base level with Dark Angel intelligence gathering.
Tex, doing this from an in-universe perspective of a historian from the Periphery, while entertaining, partakes in quite a bit of character assassination on Richard Cameron. Unsurprisingly, all things in-lore considered. But not deserved in it's totality.
Let's imagine ourselves as Richard. You are 8. You are recently orphaned. You weild the most power in the Galaxy by your birthright. And your Regent is a guy who is an outstanding military leader and a terrible father figure, that is incapable of fathering anyone right.
Which should be plain obvious by the fact that while you are surrounded by snakes already (The House Lords), the most poisonous of the all had been grooming you since childhood. Stephan. Amaris.
Mind you, Kerensky was still his tutor in that time. Then you are 18. And you are the god damn High Lord. Imagine yourself as a teenager with Amaris at your hand trying to rule a giant empire. Good luck with that.
And then you die. At the ripe age of... 21. This is how short reign had been. This is how young Richard was. Mind you, in his later years when he was getting ready to become a father, he had started drifting from Amaris, seeking council from the lord of House Davion. But it was a little to late and everything was set in motion by then.
Richard is as much of a victim here as anyone else. Victim of a groomer. And nobody did anything to help. Kerensky had failed UTTERLY at his job.
1:19:42 Oh yeah, this isn't just bad. This is like Gallipoli, Stalingrad, Teutoburg Forest and Agincourt combined levels of bad.
1:41:52 That's the so called "Tripitz Affair", which you might wanna check out :)
One thing that kind of surprised be is there was a real Alexander Kerensky he was the prime minister of the short lived russian republic in 1917 before Lenon deposed him
...Good one Old Man! This & part 2 really lead right in to the primer on the Clans.
Yes OMR, There is a 2nd part to this. Tex did THAT much research and he and his friends did that much historical and technical writing. Not to mention all the rewrites, retakes, amendments, and development that led to the months of work that resulted in this pair of videos.
And if you think things were 'bad', let me reiterated a quote: Son, you haven't seen anything yet.
Oh, by the way... you may be known as the 'old man', but I am 64 this year, and I have been playing B-tech since the first boxed set was released for sale by FASA. So, 40 years.
Welcome to the Deep End of the pool my man
Glory to house old man
I would say Amaris Civil War is Horus Heresy while Clan Invasion is like the arrival of the Tyranids or even 13th Black Crusade/Indomitus Crusade.
22:05 Abbasids for the people with Baghdad and Mongols for the ones who burnt it down is what you are thinking of I think.
27:17 I don't necessarily dislike Battletech WarShips but I don't like how I can't see the weapon emplacements it says they have in their pictures. 40K, Star Wars and even Star Trek have an advantage there as I can identify a lot of stuff by just looking (though the Star Trek nacelle thing does make it so I like BT aesthethis more than ST aesthetics).
14:29 you mention the Rangdan thing. If you want CBT to 40k comparison.
Reunification War is the Xenocides, Amaris Civil War is Horus Heresy, Clan Invasion is 13th Black Crusade.
30:45 bruh. That's EXACTLY who you want teaching you how to mech good. This guy has seen some shit, lived to get the Tshirt, and can do his job with swagger
gonna reccomend you watch some Heavy GEAR lore if you have the chance
The Star League was a very flawed and declining institution, but the worst was yet to come.
yeh, da moment I reached the part where amaris is stationing his own troops inside the league, wid the government's seal approval of all things, I just went 🤦♂️ yah, league's done, it kinda deserved to fall now wid that stupid move alone
Old Man the Free World League an Lyran Commonwealth with held help more for Personal Dislike of Kerensky himself.
X