Battletech Lore - First Generation ProtoMechs

[@LittleMaskot]

There is something about protomechs that makes them seem more fun then the normal ones.

[@horsemumbler1]

They look like fantastical monsters and animals and you can bring 5+ for each of your opponents mechs. I hope we see some of the Warhammer refugees fielding some sick protomech sawrms.

[@philips.5563]

Protos look like the game designers really wanted to use minis from the little vending machines in grocery stores.

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

Lol

[@horsemumbler1]

You might be on to something there...

[@jasonulysess3652]

"I am thinking about calling this one a centaur" "Really, why?" "Cause I want the cockpit head to look like a horse head." "Wait, are you sure you know what a centaur is?"

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

Maybe they just wanted names that sounded cool.

[@Peter_Morris]

I’m curious how these things change the balance of the tabletop game. I mean if you have some as very stealthy scouts calling in artillery, it seems like you’d have a tremendous advantage over your opponent.

[@horsemumbler1]

That's the thing about Battletech... It's a very narrative focused game with such a long and intricate timeline. These things only really exist in an era that most people just don't play in. In the narrative, these things were an isolated technological dead-end confined to a relative backwater of inhabited space for a relatively short and savage collection of internecine struggles in one of the most obscure and least glorious chapters of the setting, mostly between some of the most obscure and least played factions. Most people simply tend to play in the time periods just before these were developed or a good while after. They were only ever fielded in meaningful ways by some of the most obscure and least popular factions, with the exception of Smoke Jag... which got wiped out right after inventing Protomechs. And the Blakists... who don't exist anymore in current era of the setting either. The sorts of people who have traditionally been attracted to the Clan factions like the Invading Clans, who didn't use Protomechs(except for Smoke Jag in their death throes) and like the big sexy Omnimechs, as any proper Trueborn Clan Warrior would. Real world Clan players don't use protomechs for much the same reason that the largely didn't in universe: They weren't developed by the significant clans, as they conflict with their doctrine and philosophy. Promechs and Artillery just aren't Clanlike. The kind of person to mass vehicles and artillery, in the real world and the game, will be in the Inner Sphere(Or Clan Hell's horses, who did also like Protomechs). The Innersphere never developed Protomechs(except for the Blakists), and has a pletora of cheap assets to use for the spotting role already that work well enough. So when it comes to the table top, there's really nobody to play the Proto Mechs, not many people to play them against, and nowhere and nowhen notable to play them at present. Most people are playing far away factions in different eras. Most any tournament anyone's holding will likely be set in an area these where these never existed, amd am era where these things either exist in the mists future, or as more or less forgotten relics of the past. Now, if a bunch Warhammer refugees started making Clan Coyote, Hipster's Horse's and Blood Spirit forces full of proto mechs and started holding tournaments set in the Wars of Reaving, we absolutely could see something like a protomech-artillery meta emerge, which would be cool indeed. It would kinda have to be new blood doing their own new thing though, because there's really not a lot of interest and opportunity opportunity to play these things given the eras, areas, and forces the vast majority of current Battletech players tend to prefer. A lot of Battletech players just don't even have many, if any, forces of the right faction and era to be appropriate opponents for a faction fielding protomechs. Anyone invested enough in the lore to even know that protomechs are a thing will also probably be enough invested in the lore to be more interested in playing different machines in different ways fielded by different factions in different time period anyway... unless as I mentioned some new blood comes in and wants to set up their own thing within the vast history that is Battletech. And that would be awesome, I hope the do. It's always neat to see an obscure corner of the narrative explored.

[@horsemumbler1]

I think you would pretty much have to be a Hell's Horse's player to to do that. They're really the only force that fielded Protomechs and has the sort of doctrine and force structure and place in the narrative for that to really work In an interesting way that isn't niche to the point of irrelevancy. The Horses migrate to the Inner Shpere so you would actually have opponents to play with in the later timeline.

[@Peter_Morris]

Wow it’s good to actually get a real, meaningful reply! Thank you so much for answering my question, because I really was wondering how these things didn’t totally upend the entire balance of the game. I’ve always been fascinated by Battletech. I wish I had time to play the games, but alas.

[@douglasbaker4562]

Thanks for showing us the menagerie of minimechs!

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

You're welcome. More bizarre ones coming next time.

[@lexington476]

10:35 do you know what The Rock is cooking? 😀😃😄 I could not resist this one 🤘

[@gregdomenico1891]

It's pilot usually, after repeated firings of that heat hog heavy laser!

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

A pretty good one :D

[@jasonulysess3652]

" I am thinking about naming this one the Hydra." "Really, why?" "Because it looks like a rugby player." "All right, lets go on KZbin there is a content creator named Grimdark Narrator. I feel you really need to watch his series on myths an monsters before you name anymore photomechs."

[@oneproudbrowncoat]

I don't mean to cast aspersions, but I was amused by what I thought was the word "Harvey" instead of 'harpy'.

[@georgesulea]

Very cool. I was not acquainted with these mini mean machines:)

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

More to come, another 2 videos.

[@deforesttappan6478]

No I never played against them. But I used them in my Battletech Halo cross over's games. And I will tell you this it was some of the best fun I ever had!!!!!

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

Fun is the most important factor :)

[@randomnetsurfer]

Wait, didn't you say in the last video that they can't use MASC?

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

Prolly particular designs can't.

[@nottelling6598]

@@GrimDarkNarrator There's also a similar tech just for protomechs.

[@envynemo4170]

great video.

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

Thanks!

[@BoisegangGaming]

> Centaur > Only has 2 legs Clanners wtf

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

its a bipedal centaur :D

[@jakeapplegate6642]

Reverse centaur.