BATTLETECH: Elementals

[@H9092-2]

The perks of fielding Elementals is the moment they leave a Mechwarrior's field of view, the Mechwarrior suddenly comes down with a serious case of anxiety.

[@MajorTymojo]

"Precentor Holmes, what tore apart that centurion? It looks like it was taken down by a pack of rabid mech sized piranhas!" "Why, the answer is elemental, by dear demi-precentor."

[@MajorTymojo]

On another note, while fancier BA suits come along later, when elementals get access to AP Gauss rifles, wow, even with no other fancy upgrades just having a weapon with a range like that, decent damage, and has the burst damage rule against infantry, just a single weapon really keeps them current and gives them a new lease on life in the later eras without going with a whole new fancy suit.

[@Direfloof]

First of all how dare you

[@clydecraft5642]

Take my fucking like

[@Chris_Sizemore]

If you are wondering, a Sibko is slang, probably a shortening of Sibling Company (as in a military unit, not a business). A sibko is a group of children that were genetically designed by the science caste using the genetic material of 2 Warriors that have earned a Blood Name, and thus the right to pass on their genetic material to a new generation. Members of a Sibko are the batch of children derived from the same genetic material and birthed from a machine called an Iron Womb. All members of a Sibko are the same age. Many members of a sibko will not graduate to become warriors. Some will fail the tests to become a warrior. Many will die during training or testing. When a Sibko is designed the genetic material is usually taken from 2 warriors that share the same role. So 2 pilots, 2 mech warriors, 2 elementals. Mixed pairings would be questionable because the scientists select certain genetic traits that benefit a certain kind of warrior for each batch. Pilots tend to be lighter and more adept at 3-D thinking. Elementals not only have genetic traits that make them bigger and stronger, they also receive chemical enhancement to support their growth. Ironically the mech warriors are the most "average" of mech warriors, the only benefit being that they aren't engineered to have extreme genetic traits so they avoid the pitfalls that would accompany those genetic traits. It is rare, but possible for trainees from a Sibko to test into a different kind of specialty than the Sibko was intended. The most common would be for a mech warrior or pilot candidate to test into the other specialty. Very rarely an elemental trainee might be considered for a mech pilot. Elemental trainees would be rejected from becoming pilots simply due to bias. Pilot and mech warrior trainees would never become elemental candidates, simply because they would lack the body that would be up to the standards of a Clan Elemental.

[@KillerOrca]

I’ve heard Sibko as Sibling Cohort though the results basically the same

[@AGS363]

"Elemental trainees would be rejected from becoming pilots simply due to bias." That is not completely true. Pilots are designed to be small and lightweight. As a result, the cockpits of Clan flyers are even tighter than those of normal vessels. (The "Corax C" has on purpose the small cockpit quirk to prevent normal humans from operating it) An Elemental would simply not physically fit into it.

[@Chris_Sizemore]

@@AGS363 This is a chicken or the egg situation. The clans (and modern military) have a bias that says pilots must be small and skinny. This makes sense when every pound makes a difference, as with an ultra light construction high performance aircraft. This doesn't make sense in a multi ton aircraft that ejects more than the pilot's weight in ammunition during flight. The smaller cockpit reinforces the pre-existing bias, one that the inner sphere doesn't share. And it absolutely doesn't matter when you start thinking about dropships or warships.

[@hamsta11]

@@AGS363 unrelated but reminded me that Shaq when he was young wanted to be a military pilot but would not fit in most, if not all, fighter cockpits.

[@hamsta11]

@@KillerOrca Cohort would about 480 people while a company is about 200 if going by our own history vs whatever battletech history is.

[@thomascarpenter8177]

I was playing the old school battletech when the clans came out, the guy running the game had purchased the book without showing us what was coming, we were a merc unit and i was in a warhammer, my quote was " mini mechs, cool!!!" Followed shortly with "get them off ! Get them off!"😂

[@vanringo]

Sadly a Warhammer was one of the better mechs to fight them. They had machine guns to spray them along with srms.

[@STSGingie]

I couldn't help but laugh when you said you played Word Bearers. You didn't just pick the baddies you picked the Baddies!

[@nathanhook8351]

Missed the other use for elementals - mech pilots who treat them as extra ablative armour hanging onto their mech.

[@BigRed40TECH]

Their most valuable role! lmao

[@kathilmechworks4895]

Don't know how many times I've done that.

[@mikewarden5777]

You horrible mechwarriors! Trials of Grievance for you all!

[@kitirena_koneko]

@@mikewarden5777 Neg--Elemental training emphasizes the short and brutal nature of life, even more so than Japanese Samurai. Live hard, die young, leave excellent giftakes, quineg? Besides, dying in battle is as much of an honor for us Clanners as it is for a Klingon or any other warrior culture. Death in bed by old age is for cowards.

[@GhostOfBuscemi]

​@@kitirena_koneko found the elemental!

[@colbyboucher6391]

What I find hilarious about Elementals is that when the Inner Sphere started producing battle armor, they were able to just... get really big people to wear it. They didn't need genetic engineering, sheer human diversity was enough to find the right soldiers. Meanwhile the Clans were so fixated on eugenics and genetic castes that they spent ages making these hulks.

[@magni5648]

Well, sheer human diversity and a population pool like two orders of magnitude bigger than the entirety of Clanner society.

[@777dragonborn]

I dunno that sounds like a hard order to fill 8ft plus 400 pound giants being very common .not Without some genetic engineering.

[@blender7]

@@777dragonborn Just get everyone in the NBA to bulk up.

[@Figaroka71]

@blender7 The innersphere is a big place, there's probably a planet full of Shaq's somewhere. 😂

[@Ms-nh9ei]

Haha Terry crews in battle armor haha

[@SuperGlueFingers]

Aleksandr Kerensky: Humanity is too violent, we have to fix that. Also Aleksandr Kerensky: What if I organized a society around turbo violence?

[@stormsurge2103]

The turbo violence was his batshit crazy son😅

[@Logan912]

Nicholas Kerensky is the one who wanted to make a violent society though, granted, he was a sociopath. Clanners seem to get Nicholas and his father mixed up anyway though.

[@calebharris292]

​@@Logan912 kinda like how later soviets lumped Lenin and Stalin together

@@Logan912 Also is it still lore he got a fever and it messed his head up too?

[@evangold4748]

Personally, I find one of the most interesting things about Clan BA is the control system and user interface. It has a 360° camera and sensor suite that feeds directly into the hud. This is to make up for the fact that it has no neck rotation, but comes with the downside of taking extra training time because seeing in all directions at once is very nauseating.

[@thorveim1174]

yup. And its the kind of downsides the clanns are best equipped to deal with, as a clan warrior will likely have been trained to use such technology basically from birth, meaning to them using what is disorienting for us is basically second nature to an elemental. Same thing for clan battle armor using a lot of voice commands, elementals are drilled so hard they will NEVER accidentally use a command word by accident during casual talk when another might accidentally fire his missiles though carelessly using the wrong word

[@kitirena_koneko]

@@thorveim1174 Elemental armor also uses gestures and "look-and-blink" systems to control the various weapons and equipment built into the armor. Basically, think of the HUD Tony Stark uses inside his Iron Man armor, where he glances and blinks to input certain controls.

[@colbyboucher6391]

...Granted, that's exactly the solution MechWarriors use to see all the way around their mechs as well. It's not a Battle Armor specific thing.

[@kagetemplar]

Mech Warrior Watson: " My god star captain! How did you defeat all those freebirths?" Star Captain Holmes: "Elementals, my dear Watson."

[@hellacoorinna9995]

Quiaff

[@WiseOwl_1408]

💀 of cringe

[@Szoki86]

When I was explaining the Clans to my friends, I told them to imagine Klingons taken to the extreme with a state mandated eugenics program and a pinch of a messiah complex.

[@BigRed40TECH]

That's not bad for a short-form explanation. Though Klingons value family a lot.

[@Szoki86]

@@BigRed40TECH that's because the Klingon society wasn't started by a guy with legendary daddy issues. Or at least I hope it wasn't.

[@BigRed40TECH]

@@Szoki86 Kaless did murder the Gods IIRC.

[@timunderbakke8756]

@@BigRed40TECH that is correct, according to Klingon mythology anyway. Who knows which accomplishments were genuine “history” of the empire versus the myth they have told themselves.

[@kitirena_koneko]

@@BigRed40TECH Of course--"They were too much trouble," as Worf pointed out. Being a Neopagan IRL, I occasionally wonder if the Klingons had the right idea about getting rid of their gods.

[@TheLostPrimarch2nd]

Big Red 40k: Explaining that liking and playing a faction does not make you any more evil that everyone else. Me: Well , that's reasonable.... Big Red 40k: Plays Words Bearers. Me, a thorough loyalist: OH, YOU HERETIC SON OF A.....!

[@christopherhartford5066]

I thought the same thing! Lol BURN HERETIC!

[@mercerholt8299]

It's not just any traitor legion it's the one arguably responsible for the whole house heresy.

[@FireGoliath]

Grey Knight Player: ::Purity Wards Burning::

[@danielsantiagomontoyaotalv1595]

Cleaning service coming up 🔥🔥🔥🔫🦎

[@GruntoSkunko]

Evil is good.

[@argokarrus2731]

Clans are always something so really interesting, and I definitely think their society, and its alterations are my favorite part. Their... nearly everything is just so different, but it's hard to put a finger on, until you read about their treatment of old people, and just how deep the eugenics rabbit hole goes.

[@Manuelomar2001]

" and just how deep the eugenics rabbit hole goes." They're basically the full realization of every single Nazi ideology.

[@Sk0lzky]

Still better than the very human north germanic people (especially considering different clans' having vastly different practices)

[@muninrob]

It's really not that different than 1st generation Astartes (The tank bred, not the recruits getting 2nd hand gene-seed)

[@Logan912]

That's why I like reading lore about garrisoned clan warriors trying to understand Inner Sphere society during the early parts of the invasion, and they're so lost on basic social norms. It would be sad, but that's just not how they understand life.

[@thelordofcringe]

The raising of children in groups without parents simply doesn't work irl. The soviets, Chinese, and various collectivist organizations have tried this many times just in the last hundred years. Virtually 100% of children raised like this become mentally ill, ranging from at best, being anti-social, the average being sociopaths and at worst going psychotic. This is the extreme opposite of what the clans would want, as how are they supposed to be brothers in arms when realistically these people would be incredibly disloyal, extremely manipulative, and many would be sadists who would inflict suffering on everyone around them for the fun of it. The only upside is these people were fanatically loyal to authority. So, an accurate portrayal of a clanner warrior outside of Ghost Bear should be: A sociopathic killer, who manipulate and harm even their comrades, and only respects their officers. They'd be massive suckups who are fanatically dedicated to their clan, but every time they'd achieve a new rank they'd instantly start bullying or harming those under them. They would not be dependable whatsoever, and there would be a high rate of warriors killing their superiors or rivals in their own rank, with many not even doing so in the legal ritual combats of the clans, instead simply just murdering them. Furthermore, they would not in any way be merciful to the Spheroid civilians they "liberate" from the houses. They'd much more likely be murdering them at random and there would be very high rates of, uh, "struggle snuggles." While the average warrior might not outright kill them, quite a large portion would not hesitate to kill civilians unless explicitly ordered not to. Simply put, a realistic depiction of clanner warriors should make the Kuritans look like benevolent and merciful liberators.

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

There is one Collectively raised group in recent history that has resulted in an effective yet psychotic fighting force: "The Taliban". The Elementals could be modeled on them. Originally orphaned children from the unceasing Afghan Civil War and Soviet Invasion, the Taliban were raised in religious schools because no one else wanted to waste resources to raise the orphans. Future Taliban commanders were raised together, and the schools were like barracks. The only reason the Taliban succeeded where other collectivist children failed, was that the Taliban were religious fanatics and thus were bonded to each other and their cause by faith unto their death.

[@thelordofcringe]

@@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886 well, that was true. The vast majority of these were wiped out by 2009. Almost all of the modern taliban were recruited from the young unemployed in Pakistan, where they are oppressed for being pashtun.

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

@thelordofcringe you really are the Lord of cringe because that was a cringe worthy level of misinformed 😄 🤣 😂 😆. Sorry for the Joke, I couldn't resist once I saw your username. Anyway, respectfully, the Taliban are in vast majority native Afghans. Yes, they were unemployed, but the majority were indoctrinated from a young age across the Afghan countryside. They scattered after the US invasion, but they were not wiped out. And that's all they needed to rebuild their ranks and restart their organization. The Taliban are realistic Elemental templates. "ElemenTal-ibans" if you will.

[@thelordofcringe]

@@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886 "native afghans" dont almost uniformly have pakistani ID's. The desperation to pretend Pashtuns are all afghanis is playing into Pakistani hands my guy, don't give them that. Pashtuns are in both countries, I understand wanting to claim its a nationalist not an ethnic movement but you don't stab your pashtun brothers suffering across the border in that process.

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

@@thelordofcringe So what you're saying is that....the Pakistanis defeated NATO in Afghanistan

[@DevilPogoStick]

The history of The Clans and how they drastically shifted compared to the Inner Sphere is interesting. But I liked the underlying tragedy about them. People for a long time thought that maybe Aleksandr Kerensky made the right call to make the Exodus fleet, that maybe the people who left with him would find something far better than the petty destructive wars among the Great Houses. Away from the senseless violence. ...Ho boy, the Clan Invasion was definitely a kick to the balls when they found out the Clans are the descendants of that very fleet.

[@BigRed40TECH]

"Yea, those crazy guys who wanna kill your grandma? Turns out, those are the SLDF. Merry Christmas."

[@DevilPogoStick]

@@BigRed40TECH kinda says a lot when Romano Liao of all people actually held hope that the SLDF would come back as heroes in the Inner Sphere's time of need during the invasion. That's one hell of a shattered pedestal, I'll tell ya what.

[@badgerwildgaming6908]

Remember zero in the battletech cartoon telling Nicoli that kerinskys decendends where coming to kick his ass...the nick said "we! Are the decendents of kerinsky!" The look on zeros face said it all.

[@DevilPogoStick]

@@badgerwildgaming6908 I just like how the cartoon depicts the Clans as such an out worldly antagonistic force that threatens everything in the Inner Sphere (the last episode has them more or less brainwashing the captives of Somerset and Adam outright telling Malthus the trueborn concept means they may as well not even be considered humans). Then it's retconned to be a propaganda cartoon in-universe...And speaks volumes of implying how much the in-universe writers of this show despise The Clans for a lot of thing, the truth of being descendants of what the Inner Sphere saw as true heroes being one of them.

[@777dragonborn]

So kerensky was a cult leader after all. now I'm wonder how many clanners are inbreed spawn from incest .

[@Doomer1984]

After your infantry presentation, I am expecting great things. 👍

[@BigRed40TECH]

I dunno if this is as good as that. We'll see. It took forever to make, tons of rewrites, rerecordings, and just trying to get it "right", but eventually you go to battle with the army you have. lol

[@omegavulture8379]

If you read the book Starship troopers you will find the description of the elemental and that of the mobile infantry to be very similar and I think that the mobile infantry served as inspiration to the Elementals.

[@Justowner]

They almost certainly did. They are perhaps the closest adaption of Heinlein's powered armor in any fiction. There was even an anime adaption of his book, which had PA that is remarkably similar to the BA from Battletech.

[@kitirena_koneko]

I would say that the MI were one of several inspirations for both the Elementals and the Space Marines of Warhammer 40K. "Come on, you apes! Do you want to live forever?"

[@shaider1982]

Interesringly, one of the writers of Battletech novels, Michael Stackpole, wrote a short story named "Field Test where powered armor whose description matched an Elemental, was key to the story. It was set in the then present day Libya in 2011 when Gadaffi was in the process of being booted out. It had a hydrogen fuel cell as power (in keeping with the setting) and used smart materials for muscles (currently in development in the present day). He did note that condesing the 360 degrees view to less than 180 was impractical as pilots cannot be trained out of turning their head.

[@MM22966]

The beginning was a good dive into just how messed up Clan society is by any modern/real standard. I still remember/imagine the look on Phelan Kell's face when Precentor Focht tried to explain to him why Ranna 'cheated' on him for Vlad: "You see Phelan, romantic love is not an emotion Clan warriors have to deal with normally. So Ranna sought support and comfort in the closest thing she has to family, which is her sibkin Vlad. So basically she slept with her brother because she loves you." Phelan's face must have been: 😧

[@BigRed40TECH]

This is the kind of society all should strive to create :P

[@MM22966]

@@BigRed40TECH Nah, I'm more for the Vulcan model, as explained by Comic Book Guy: total logic and sex every seven years like clockwork.

[@theapostatejack8648]

Fair. Though the societal commentary seems to be less true for some of the clans present in the Inner Sphere. Day by day, year by year, they become more like those they sought to conquer. Still reeling from Dominions. * hugs Highlander IIC plushy *

[@BigRed40TECH]

Mostly just Clan Ghost Bear, and Clan Sea Fox. Even Snow Raven appears to mostly be a apartheid state.

[@theapostatejack8648]

@@BigRed40TECH I can see Jade Falcon going that way, if the new Khan is anything to go by. They cannot expect to survive without "going native". I still think of the Ravens as newbies, trying to do it "their way" without understanding that they are the ones that need to adapt.

[@BigRed40TECH]

@@theapostatejack8648 Going that way, yes. But not at this exact moment, lol

[@Chris_Sizemore]

Clan Warriors are raised in a closed environment from birth until their late teens. This means by the time they are considered warriors they have been fully indoctrinated to traditional Clan society. The Warriors chosen to instruct them would be the most loyal paragons the leadership of the Clan could find. This results in Clan society being extremely resistant to adopting outside influence. If the instructors and training programs were changed, the new generation could be molded into anything. The clan leadership want to continue the traditional clan culture because it makes the Warrior caste easy to control, and because that is the way they were indoctrinated.

[@PopeMetallicus]

As a proud member of the AFFS/AFFC, going up against these little monsters is sometimes even worse than the Clan Mechs. At least you can hit the Mechs, these bastards are like trying to swat a fly with a rifle

[@kitirena_koneko]

That is the general idea, aff. They are very good at what they do, quineg? 😉

[@Justowner]

I remember playing Living legends and only playing as BA. I was terrible with everything else, but was surprisingly good at being an annoying piece of shit with the man pack ppc. This lead to me having crazy money because i wasn't spending it on bigger, fancier gear. So I would start donating my money to my teams top performing players to ensure they were always in their best gear. I almost 1v1'd a medium once. I was sooo close, but then his friends arrived.

[@michaelmorford3932]

Ghost Bear Elementals everywhere: FOOTBALL!

[@Faceless_One]

Came for the Mechs, stayed for the Universe and startet to Love the Battelarmor, Protomechs and the Commando

[@colbyboucher6391]

Seriously, BattleTech is at it's best when the powers that be aren't too concerned about making it All Mechs All the Time. One of the strengths of 40k is that it lets itself explore the rest of the setting, even if it still doesn't do so often.

[@franklinludgood4432]

I love powered battle armor. Nothing like landing a swarm attack on an unsuspecting Mech.

[@voicetest6019]

In MW4 Mercs, Mektek toyed with Elementals extensively, including a test a having them running at increased pace to make them more viable on the large open maps. At 80kph only the big splash weapons could hit the little bastards and they were truly terrifying.

[@hamsta11]

@@voicetest6019 one thing i love about these newer PC games is that they show how different a lot of these things turn out than how they are presented in the tabletop despite using the same theoretical mechanics and stats.

[@GhostBear3067]

Mechwarrior: "OH NO NOT THE BEES!!!"

[@cobalt968]

Elementals and their other Battle Armored infantry ilk are terrifying in BTA3062. My endgame merc company can stare down several assault stars of clan mechs no problem, but I specifically single out and destroy light/medium mechs who are carrying BA before they get up close. Once you get swarmed, you’re either dead or going to be an easy target for other enemies if you want to shake them off.

[@gregdomenico1891]

I don't even field Melee Mechs from mid to end game anymore. Too much battle armor around, and a melee mech is a sitting duck for them.

[@mathewkelly9968]

Oh on the Elemental and infantry part , people be forgetting the Clans use infantry too

[@thorveim1174]

mostly because just like tanks, these are forces that are very much disdained by the clans. They exist, but they are often relegated to second line duties while mechs and elementals form the real frontline

[@magni5648]

One of those neat little ironies I kinda appreciate is that a pretty good stopgap solution to the Elemental was around in the Inner Sphere collecting dust on a shelf for decades by the time the Clans invaded. And nobody ever truly realised until well after it was all over. Lyran experimental artillery cannons. Introduced in 3012, didn't go past prototype status until well after the Clan invasion due to lack of customer interest. They're really niche and sub-par for fighting Mechs or tanks in general, but absolute murder on infantry and battle armor due to their area of effect. (Even moreso if you play nasty and load up thermobarics.) And it's pretty easy to retrofit a Thumper Cannon in place of an AC/5.

[@KillerOrca]

To me, the sheer brutal strangeness and easily accepted eugenics in clan society is what makes me fascinated with them. I can’t think of a faction in other fiction that focuses so much on it and not just how it works but it’s consequences too.

[@777dragonborn]

That just means they are heavily into incest and ancestor worship.And proves kerensky was a cult leader obsessed military and combat. Kinda like space Spartans.

[@screenmonkey]

Think Nicolas Kerensky's daddy issues and sense of inadequacy lead to his coming up with Clan Society... such an edge lord he was.

[@username12120]

A touch of Pentagon Worlds brain fever probably didn't help the lad, either.

[@Cowboycomando54]

@@username12120 Seeing your former schoolmates strapped to the front of a Rimworld Republic mech as phycological armor doesn't help either.

[@juancholo7502]

Great Video. My first encounter with Elementals was on the Table Top playing as Nova Cats vs Puke Buzz.... er I mean Jade Falcons ;) and a point popped out of a copse of trees & reduced a Medium mech to scrap in 2 turns. I learned to keep at least 4-5 hexes away from them at all times.

[@ironboy3245]

I'm surprised why elementals haven't adopted the 'fastball special' method of deploying into combat. Just get a Battlemech to fling you at the enemy and use your jump jets to stop the fall Yes I played Titanfall 2, how can you tell?

[@BigRed40TECH]

Well, you can kinda do that.

[@duckfilms3662]

"Toss meh".

[@KakavashaForever]

The clans, when viewed through the lens of actual real life morality, are absolutely vile almost across the board. Almost everything about their society is gross. The only ones who seemed like they could have become something better, Clan Wolverine, were served a nice tall glass of genocide for their troubles. Having said that, the clans are undeniably super interesting though! Same as all the terrible factions in 40k. The things that make them morally repugnant also make them appealing as part of the larger setting.

[@sergprot1053]

hope for inner sphere battle armour also

[@BigRed40TECH]

Not soon, but one day.

[@tullyDT]

No need to explain yourself mate. I played 1000 sons and currently play Kurita, doesn't mean I want to actually summon deamons or would condone or participate in something like the Kentares genocide. Sometimes it's fun to make believe that you're the villain

[@BigRed40TECH]

You'd be surprised, but a lot of people will bark angrily if you talk about these things, unfortunately.

[@tullyDT]

@@BigRed40TECH Ah yes, idiots with no comprehension of context and nothing of value to add to the conversation. You know what they say about empty cans, they rattle the loudest

[@jasonashman9534]

Man, if people are upset about Elementals, just wait until they learn about the aerospace pilots. 🤣🤣

[@gregdomenico1891]

Oh, you mean those poor bastards who where considered a failure as a phenotype, and ended up piloting protomechs?

[@mattcarper9853]

This is agreat video, Red. I loved it. Unfortunately, the fact that the Ghost Bears were evolving differently from sone of these Clan traits, and that they were sacrificed to the Clan Mary Sue narrative by CGL; makes me so viscerally angry the more I think on this.

[@BigRed40TECH]

:(

[@mattcarper9853]

@@BigRed40TECH Sorry bud. I am struggling through DD right now. I'm not even a clanner fan, and these decision just baffle me

[@BigRed40TECH]

Trust me dude. I know. lol

[@barondiamondo6676]

@@mattcarper9853 Now imagine that feel fan of Nova Cats, Draks and Ghost Bear (also Warden Wolf). It's harder on every fucking day.

[@mattcarper9853]

@@barondiamondo6676 Drak fans are about to have a bad day with this narrative. Liaoists too.

[@jamesricker3997]

The Hells Horses embrace combined arms warfare, they're just not good at it

[@shagakhan9442]

Lmao

[@ChaosTicket]

The Clans are interesting but for the most part I just like their equipment. Battletech has conspiracies, espionage, eugenics, and every crazy thing. Sometimes its just about the Big Stompy Robots. Ive played a lot of Battletech videogames and generally its what matters. Knowing who youre fighting for may influence you, but Im almost always a Mercenary in the games. Its partly about gameplay, but also about Roleplaying. The Clans are so short-sighted that theyre actually self-destructive. Their policy of killing the majority of their population through neglect, only caring about Warriors, and only the nobility of the Bloodnamed Warriors having the right to reproduce. The other Castes are slaves. Good stories of the Clans are like about any other Warrior-Centric Culture, when it talks about the Non-Warriors. When the Clanners actually work together its impressive.

[@Wolffheim]

This video is dezgra! The Clans names has been dragged through the dirt. Batchall will be issued! Joke aside, great video! :)

[@BigRed40TECH]

How can I drag them through the dirt, when that is simply where they reside? :P

[@claynorwood9723]

I've only just started getting back into BattleTech after about 20 years away, and am relearning the lore. I forgot how batshit insane things get after the 4th succession war. Thanks for clearing up the Clanner info.

[@BruceEverett]

"...love, or companionship as we understand it, as well as a multitude of other very human qualities and traits, often don't appear naturally among clan warriors unless they are heavily exposed to human beings otherwise." Zentradi! No wonder they hate veri... LAMs. 😆

[@GhostBear3067]

Counter: Clan Ghost Bear.

[@BruceEverett]

@@GhostBear3067 they just had greater exposure to Minmei.

[@GhostBear3067]

@@BruceEverett they do have an appreciation for the arts, including music.

[@Lord_Teridax]

Love your videos my man always awesome editing and very informative.

[@Genesis23OPB]

my favorite thing about elementals is that clan ghost bear took a planet by playing an ancient sport called american football. it ended as well for their human opponent team as you can imagine.

[@argokarrus2731]

Hey! They got three points!

[@Genesis23OPB]

@@argokarrus2731 it was 84-3 for the clanners, yes

[@justinjacobs1501]

I need to know more about this story... This sounds hilarious.

[@meshuggahshirt]

​@justinjacobs1501 it was one of the cleanest games ever played in the Inner Sphere, because fouls are dezgra

[@williamjanak2013]

​@@justinjacobs1501The world didn't think the Clanners would know the rules. Since they game was all but unheard if in the Sphere. They wanted to have a chance of winning because they knew they couldn't stop the Clanners in battle. American Football is Ghost Bear's sport of choice.

[@Arvyn992]

The Elementals can be compared to the Ironclad bettle for being a small and well armored infantry sized mech

[@StarCommanderStelios]

Elementals are the equivalent of special forces turned to 11, use them wisely and the opponent will not know what hit them, Waste them, and you will always be sleeping with one eye open making sure to all the powers that be that you got them all. Cause they are resilient like cockroaches, and unfaltering like paladins.

[@kevinmulkey9774]

Meanwhile even some Periphery Nations have reversed engineered, and make there own battle armor. That's the Clans for you. Anything I can do, they claim to do better. But that is what makes them the Clans.

[@lelouche25]

Big giving disclaimer about not shitting on the CLANS. Me Drinking from my Tukkyad Mug: No please, do go on.

[@tenchraven]

Nicholas was an utter madman, and his father is turbining in his grave. I've never thought of comparing the Clans to The Great Dictator, but it is a good one and I will steal it. I've always found the Elementals tragic, but you do bring up a good point with their nutritional needs- I think most downcaste Elementals will starve on a Labourer's rations. But you mentioned them as marines- does that make them part of the Merchant caste, or is that screw up assignment of Warriors seconded to the Merchants? Also, in your description of their armour's systems, you mention one but I thought they had two AP mounts? All Ominitech so they can be mission configured.

[@BigRed40TECH]

Light AP mount is the left arm (for Rifle mounts basically), main mount is right arm. :)

[@barondiamondo6676]

Despite the fact that some perceive Solahma as only poorly armed infantry that is thrown into the grind (which is really true and not entirely true, clan infantry armor and weapons are also head and shoulders superior to sphereoid ones). It depends a lot on the supply of that particular straw and the second line, it happens that they control the mechs (mostly SLDF vehicles come across or just a clan second line). They also operate tanks, VTOLs, etc. including art batteries that are sometimes used. And yes, there are such positions as marines, both the first line and the second, this is a subspecies of the warrior caste, like the clan police.

[@denys-p]

I remember my first encounter of clan forces in BTA 3062. What could few vehicles and light/medium mechs do to my assaults/heavies? Oh, and what are that weird double names on some of them? It was relatively fine, until they came close and battle suits latched to my mechs. That was slaughter, I just couldn’t understand what happens, but they burned and tore apart my mechs and I couldn’t understand what to do with them. That was slaughter. And I still fear not assaults, but these fast mediums with battle suits and try to stay as far as possible from them

[@squirrellordsgaming2772]

I'm also a huge Warhammer 40K fan. Elementals would eat Terminator Armour for breakfast, and I love Terminators.

[@fireborn]

Elementals would destroy ANYTHING the Imperium could field. They’d have some issues with the Admech though.

[@Linkous12]

Really enjoyed the video! Just a bit of clarification for people newer to Battletech, though: not all of the Clans treated their non-warrior castes as badly as described here. Some certainly did, like Smoke Jaguar, Coyote, and Steel Viper, but others treated their civilians quite well (like the Ghost Bears, Star Adders, Diamond Sharks, etc), perhaps even better than a lot of denizens of the Inner Sphere.

[@BigRed40TECH]

I did mention Ghost Bear out of that list. and Diamond Shark didn't start acting differently until AFTER Tukayyid.

[@Linkous12]

@@BigRed40TECH I meant to mention that you mentioned it. lol

[@michaelmorford3932]

Hell's Horses sound pretty awesome for being a clan force. COMBINED ARMS!!

[@BigRed40TECH]

They've almost never won a battle in their history. They're failtastic, it's fantastic.

[@spartanalex9006]

@@BigRed40TECH I know the pain, they’re my favorite Clan.

[@michaelmorford3932]

Well, that's too bad :/

[@kitirena_koneko]

They are awesome in theory. In actual practice, however, not as awesome as it sounds.

[@themangix357]

Who would win? Elementals bred to be the perfect soldiers, able to take men and mech alike? - or - Crazed employees of a telecom company led by a certain Anastasius Focht? 🤣

[@BigRed40TECH]

The latter.

[@RoboLamp]

As I've spent more time learning about this fiction, I slowly shift my fascination from assault mechs and superhero-like people to things like: industrialmechs, common mechs like locusts and blackjacks, and most of all, the everyday soldiers just trying to live human lives.

[@johndoe1.196]

As a neophyte, the Clans remind me very much of Plato's Republic, which Robert Heinlein described as "ant-like communism".

[@shaider1982]

Someone should really combine modern day powered exokeletons with hardshell diving suits or EOD gear as sort of modern day Elemental suits, if only for support duties. Though it would probably have a hybrid electric-small gas turbine (small size) instead of a fusion pack (GM is waay past their 2020 deadline for fusion reactors🤣✌️)

[@rodneykelly8768]

I think Clan society was created to mirror how wargamers use their miniatures. They are not humans. they are just lumps of metal and plastic. If they are defeated in battle, we just take them off the board, until the next battle.

[@geffreysarna3502]

Very interesting video. In my many years of admittedly casual Battletech fandom I thought Elementals were just the name of the armor. The truth behind it is one of the more interesting things I've seen in the setting. You detailed how dark and dystopian the society is that created them. They are tragic, but also some good spicy flavor for a setting I'd bet most outside the know think as nothing more than "big stompy robots, doing big stompy robot things."

[@ZoruaZorroark]

elementals, the ankle-biters that make other ankle-biters look anemic in comparison

[@mrbigglezworth42]

Elementals sound like the chicken or the egg conundrum for power armor troopers. Were the men made first with the armor to compliment, or was the armor first and that man made to fit it?

[@krissteel4074]

I found out a bit about humanity when you field Elementals, your opponent looks at you with very sad eyes and questions your mutual friendship, why you would so such a thing under the same roof. 🤡

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

Elementals are my favorite unit in Battletech. I like the fantasy of special infantry taking down giant robots and riding mechs like normal troopers would ride APCs or tanks.

[@kitirena_koneko]

When I first heard about Clan Hells Horses and their love of tanks, I imagine their Elementals ride into battle on special hand- and footholds on their tanks just like they do with OmniMechs. Scary mental image, quineg? 😁

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

​@@kitirena_koneko definitely. There's a lot of good (albeit fragile) clan tanks that could fill that role. I kinda like the Anhur (battle armor variant) for it, it's a nifty VTOL that can carry two elemental squads and act as a light gunship with ECM coverage after the cargo gets combat dropped

[@observationsfromthebunker9639]

Great job here! Thanks for the necessary social history to explain "WHY" Elementals exist, as well as the usual "what" and "how". There are some up-front comparisons to the Elementals in the mecha anime of the Eighties and Nineties that focused on personal battle armor instead of big stompy mecha suits. Some of them were vehicle-sized, like the Scopedogs of AT VOTOMS and Hagans of Mega Zone 23; some were roughly man-sized like MADOX-01. Some operated by themselves, some operated alongside larger mecha suits. But in most things the force multiplier of the battle armor is featured, as well as the performance limits imposed by the physical capabilities of the operator. The Clan Elemental as a physical specimen increases the physical capability of the soldier, thereby increasing the maximum output of the battle armor. It seems like a lot of work and expense to develop a punch that can penetrate a Battlemech's cockpit, but the outcome has long since proved itself. The psychological conditioning and indoctrination is also important, as part of the reason the Elementals are so effective is their seeming lack of fear in engaging vehicles and battlemechs much greater than themselves.

[@brothersgt.grauwolff6716]

I'm glad someone remembers those old anime 😊

[@observationsfromthebunker9639]

@@brothersgt.grauwolff6716 Same here, my comrade! I watched all the old classic mecha shows I could find back in my weeb days. I'm slowly acquiring DVD & BR copies when I can find them.

[@watchm4ker]

So, funny thing: Much like BattleTech borrows HEAVILY from Fang of the Sun Dougram, Heavy Gear borrowed heavily from Armored Troopers VOTOMS. What's even funnier, given how the series evolved, is that the 15-18m tall Mobile Suits from the various Gundam series were originally designed as... Well, mechanized spacesuits, right out of Starship Trooper's Mobile Infantry (Not sure if the terminology used is the same in Japanese). However, no company would take them up on it, so Sunrise reworked the show to make the Suits more like Super Robots, including the drastic resizing.

[@observationsfromthebunker9639]

@@watchm4ker Occasionally I have to remind Gundam fans, or at least Gundam viewers, from the post-Wing AU phase, Universal Century did it first. The UC's Mobile Suits were meant to be war machines in the true Battletech ethos, with the capabilities and limitations of contemporary military vehicles. The original Gundam model was painted the two-tone gray of USAF fighters. Bandai rejected that paint scheme as unappealing to schoolboys, and they weren't wrong. But the Zaku was a game changer because of how it was used, not how it was made or presented at rest. The RX-78-2 Gundam was likewise well made, but it was a data-collection prototype that became a heroic MS because the hero Amuro Ray piloted it; in other hands it would just be above average, as seen with the NT-1 ALEX in War in the Pocket. That carried over to Battletech, where the skill and courage of the mechwarrior does more to win than any set of tech specs. Don't boast on like Vegeta about how awesome your Annihilator is, roll the dice, fool!! For the sake of Big Red's pacifism, I should also point out Tomino-sensei (who grew up during the Occupation) meant for MS Gundam to be a serious war story. It was created not to be a thrilling adventure story for schoolboys about saving Tokyo from strange invaders with an awesome giant robot powered by Rule of Cool instead of a fusion reactor, and whose cataclysmic finishing moves had no collateral effect upon the battlefield. As opposed to the very first battle in MS Gundam, where an exploding Zaku blasted a hole in the colony wall and endangered everyone inside! The better sort of mecha anime that followed in Gundam's footsteps and inspired Battletech also imitated the idea that big mecha suits would affect their surroundings and be capable of great destruction! Skilled and clever pilots would be required to prevent harming the things they were supposed to protect.

[@watchm4ker]

@@observationsfromthebunker9639 Ehh... Don't oversell it. 0079 is still pretty Super Robot, especially with Newtypes and Zeon's goofy super weapons. It was a first step, and the series it inspired created the entire Real Robot genre, all the way down to stuff like Patlabor.

[@AGS363]

Do not be afraid! In spite of all the training, manipulating and dehumanizing, the Elementals are still very much human. They die like the pathetic Frails that they are...

[@thedocklighter]

Welp, when I want to use elementals & infantry, I'm glad I have a selection of Dark Age & Age of Destruction infantry units that work in a pinch. Too bad the vehicle models are way oversized - guess I'll have to wait for the Mercenaries Kickstarter.

[@Dragonspirit223]

Elementals: When you want to screw over both Infantry *and* Mechs. Alternatively: Elementals: When you want to be a better Terminator.

[@PraetorGix]

Big Red: "It's ok to like the clans it's just fiction... unless you like Clan Wolf, then shit gets serious"

[@BigRed40TECH]

It's okay to like Clan Wolf too. I just think they're bad for the setting.

[@mikecampos1193]

I just want the Free World League to curb stomp Clan Wolf they've been getting it good for too long.

[@calumdeighton]

I've been thinking about getting these units for a while now and I've got this annoying itch for them. I'm no clanner. Yet I find the need to add to my existing collection. And this is coming from someone who likes the Night Lords Legion and loves them.

[@mikegould6590]

As a Clan Hell's Horses player, I always try to employ Elementals on my OmniMechs. They are just too good to turn down.

[@Archangelm127]

For context, the average adult male Wookie from Star Wars is ~2 meters tall. These folks are HUGE.

[@seanbrazell7095]

I'm entirely and irreversibly incapable of looking at an elemental and not thinking: LOOK! A Battletech Astartes! Who knew?

[@LezzyMania_02]

The Elementals kinda reminds me of the Mobile Infantry in the Starship Troopers. Bulky looking battle armored soldiers wielding jump Jets to traverse the terrain and they wield heavy weapons to decimate anything that moves from a mile. But the difference is that the M.I wield Nukes.

[@morganjohnson4332]

I’m kinda genuinely excited for this! 🎉

[@morganjohnson4332]

Trying not to sound like a total slack jawed fan 😅

[@BigRed40TECH]

This one worries me, I hope people enjoy it. A lot of folks get mad, on either side of the factions, when you talk about Clans and the eugenics and stuff.

[@Biomancy]

@@BigRed40TECH people have gotten so soft, they get offended by everything. If they get offended that's on them. It's not the world's job to tippy toe around their emotions.

[@BigRed40TECH]

@@Biomancy Perhaps. But it's equally that people like what they like, and don't like hearing that the factions they're playing are assholes. This even happens in 40k, where EVERYONE are directly more villainous than Battletech.

[@cargo_vroom9729]

I've never figured out how power armor with only one hand climbs onto moving mechs and physically attacks them. It's always bugged me.

[@ernstbergerbrent]

I love that you play Word Bearers in 40k. They are my favorite chaos space marine faction that isn't aligned to a single chaos god. How do you think an ememental stacks up to an astartes?

[@BigRed40TECH]

How can anyone dedicate themselves to only one path of the Primordial truth???

[@ernstbergerbrent]

​@BigRed40TECH Lorgar gets a lot of hate, but he was right all along.

[@sper1585]

The Clans are what happens when Conan the Barbarian rules the galaxy and makes a society of brutes. Cool and iconic looking mechs though.

[@frankverisco4722]

Elementals vs protesters sounds like a war crime....but war crimes dont exist in this universe. lol

[@williamjanak2013]

I remember a disscussion about Elemental Pilots that centered on their food intake. It was made to be so high to keep them under contol. Anyway, great vudeo as always.

[@venom0825]

Prefer inner sphere ba if im being honest, but clan hell horse does have some nice ba design, even though they seem to never win a fight.

[@vana.johnson8845]

Once again excellent analysis and information. For the longest Time I thought Elementals and Clan pilots were like the the "Space Above and Beyond" in Vitro artificially gestated until adult sized humans and trained "Soldier" style. This was a partial eye opener. THX again I wish I saw the live introduction instead of the later watch but not disappointed.

[@RyeFields]

"You're mechs are no match for clan elemental warriors!" Gets stomped on

[@lopezmarlon]

My favorite image in BattleTech is a Timberwolf (Mad Cat) with a damaged Elemental next to it. Considering how dangerous Elementals can be. It seemed odd to me so few Clan OmniMechs in their first invasion of the Inner Sphere did not have Hand Actuators? (At least that's what it felt like to me.) Considering how many Trials the Clans have. You'd think they would want something better to counter an Elemental point (5)? Once those little toads gets on you. It was very dangerous for your pilot and your 'Mech to get them off you without hand actuators.

[@rafale1981]

Brilliant vid, thank you! It’s great to see such an earnest sociological and empathetic take on the clans. And the music is spot on. Really underscores the alienation the clans are suffering.

[@Executioner9000]

the Music is mostly from Mechwarrior 2 Soundtracks which focused on the Clans

[@VirtualHolocaust]

Based! WE NEED KARINSKY! RIGHT NOW!

[@timunderbakke8756]

I’m still learning my battletech lore. In some ways, the elementals remind me of DS9’s alien race the Jem’Hadar. An entire class in their civilization bred for combat, and treated about the same.

[@kitirena_koneko]

Yep, pretty much. A group of supersoldiers designed to be badass warriors on the battlefield, but assumed not to be good at anything but kicking ass and taking damage.

[@jamesricker3997]

The Clan Elemental eugenics program was a military mistake Due to the size of the pilot the frames of Clan battle armors are 30% heavier than their Inner sphere counterparts When the Clans realize that, the trials of refusal will be brutal

[@jamesricker3997]

Nicholas Kerensky obviosly had issues with his family

[@nemamiah7832]

If Likes to Dislikes ratio is anything to judge things by, Red, I think you're overestimating the amount of blind zeal among Clan Fans. They know what Clans are doing. They know it's bad. They enjoy it for these reasons. It's like really enjoying Capellans having a god awful political and social system. I love Capellans because they are quite terrible :D Overall, a great video. I've missed the first showing, unfortunately. Was playing tabletop at the time. Because that's what Fridays are for. Your takes were on point, imo. And information was presented in a neutral way. Not enough funny!

[@BigRed40TECH]

Trust me dude, I've had a lot of blowback for mentioning stuff like this. lol

[@nemamiah7832]

@@BigRed40TECH May Blake calm their burning backsides.

[@AvenValkyr]

Sounds like MOG pilots from Brigador

[@jtjames79]

I'm getting a lot of Logan's Run vibes from Clan society.

[@johnfisher9692]

I have to admit I LOATHED!!!! the introduction of elementals into the game. They are insanely overpowered, being about to survive a hit from a full scale PPC or AC10 and still keep on coming, The all encompassing one hit location is dumb. If a PPC can rip the arm or leg off a MECH, why can't it do the same to an elemental?. It's just my opinion and I'm sure many will disagree with me but I see the introduction of these to aid players who are bad at tactics, so they win by flooding the game board with masses of 'disposable' units. NO, not a fan of them and generally I walk away if someone insists on these being used. I like my combat Mech v Mech not a game of even more unrealistic throwaway units. But to each their own play style.

[@Demolitiondude]

In my mechwarrior destiny game. The commander assigned our new recon pilot to do elemental training.

[@derekdowden8469]

Elementals always gave me nightmares , actual nightmares in RL

[@sanguiniusonvacation1803]

If your from human stock, then your human in my book.

[@Dirt1061]

I feel bad for the poor meat sack that has to run or drive SRM reloads to these guys. If they are to slow, enemy fire is the least of their worries!

[@purpleboye_]

Clanner space marines

[@shark_2283]

fuck . bro you should do pieces on factions. your overview of clan society was soooooo good. i would waatch you talk about like sea fox for 2 hours

[@BigRed40TECH]

Thank you! Just not something planned in the near-term.

[@pariahdevalis]

Surprised you didn't go over the invasion era variants like the Undine, Sylph, Gnome, Salamander, and Corona.

[@BigRed40TECH]

If I cover other armours, it'll be done later. This is a broad video about just elementals, both covering their plating, and their bodies, and Clan society. Adding more wouldn't work for the video imo.

[@ServantOfOdin]

Well, as Clans go, I like the Ghost Bears due to their involvement in my favourite IS-group, the Rasalhague Republic, like Wolves - because wolves... But of all Clans, I sincerely like the Wolverines. I know, I know, they are not playable, not just and by any other clan not even existant. But they were the only sane clan in this whole nut-basket.

[@BigRed40TECH]

They weren't all that sane imo.

[@ServantOfOdin]

​@@BigRed40TECH Yes, they werealso quite looney, as all clans. But they were the least looney. McEvedys reformations were later incorporated by Nic Kerensky himself, which basically makes the Wolverines merely being too far ahead of their time.

[@andreinowikow2525]

Well, you can play suspiciously wolverine-looking Omni designs of another not-too-sane faction a couple decades after the invasion ;)

[@ServantOfOdin]

@@andreinowikow2525 true. Yet, close but not the real deal.

[@squirrellordsgaming2772]

I remember reading about them back in the 90's. It didn't quite click just how useful they could be at the time. Then I didn't think about them again until the memes hit the Battletech facebook pages. Memes can be educational. ;)