Battletech: Legends and Mechs!

This week we're going to start talking about the Ronin War, or possibly the Ronin Wars, or even the Ronin Crisis, depending on which historian you're citing. Whatever you call it, the end result was a conflict that spanned two Great Houses, a minor civil war, and ramifications that are so long we simply can't cover all of them this week.

Heck, we won't even finish covering the Ronin War this week! But we'll start, and that's something.

There's still a few days to support Crabback 2026! Go and donate money to a worthy cause by using the following link to support Team Hunchback:
https://dd.extra-life.org/participants/580390

This is it, folks! The halfway point of the first season's tournament, and the Grey Hunters have bid their lone captain, Abdal "Eclipse" Hussar, against two mercenaries in Assault 'Mechs! Will the Timber Wolf prove to be the king of the battlefield, or will the King Crab and Highlander be enough to bring it down!?

All this, and more, in this week's arena match!

This week we're discussing the Mercenary Review Board and its little cousins, the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission and the Mercenary Bonding Authority. All of these are bureaucracies designed to "help" mercenaries and clients, and perhaps make ComStar a butt-load of cash in the process.

Oh, and allow them to put their greedy little fingers on a lot of important scales and into several delicious pies. ComStar fingers everywhere.

This week's discussion was a request from a listener, Dan. If you have any of your own requests, send 'em in to me and I'll do my best to cover them! But for now, get in the classroom and let's get this lecture started!

They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but this week we're going to find out if the Book Club is stronger than the professional killers! The Xandria City Blues are going toe-to-toe with the book nerds of the Of Mechs and Men mercenary team... can Canaan and his two good friends, Brent and Aaron, take out returning fan-favourite Amanda "Phazer" James and her Axman? But that's not Amanda's twin brother with her... what kind of plot-twist are the Blues trying to pull!?

Stay tuned to find out!

Welcome back to May of 3052, and the planet Tukayyid. We are going to arrive and stay on the planet as the first of the Clans arrive, the mightiest of the Crusaders, the Smoke Jaguars.

Don't get comfy. We won't be on the planet for long.

Joking aside, today we cover the lead up to the arrival of the Jaguars on Tukayyid, plus a bit about the animosity, some might say hatred, between ilKhan Leo Showers and Khan Ulric Kerensky, and how that may have led to the utter thrashing the Jaguars received from the Com Guard.

That, and hubris. So much hubris.

Welcome back to the second battle in the Solaris VII tournament season! This week the winless Predators tackle a mercenary team from the Tamar Region, the Wreckers!

Can the three classic Inner Sphere 'Mechs of the Wreckers take out two classic Clan designs? And, more importantly, can Bullethose continue to be untouched while pumping thousands of rounds of ammunition into her enemies!? Only one way to find out!

Just because my 2nd favourite 'Mech ever is an Assault 'Mech... and my favourite 'Mech ever, actually, now that I think about it... doesn't mean that I only love Assault 'Mechs! I have plenty of room in my heart for some great Heavy 'Mechs! And I don't mind a handful of Mediums, they can be pretty cool...

Light 'Mechs? I mean... I suppose... if I had to pick one, I think the choice is pretty obvious. It may be my favourite Light ever designed... Top 10 of my Favourite 'Mechs of All Time if you don't include Assaults.

Or Heavies.

Look, the Wolfhound is about as good as Light 'Mechs get. How good is that? Let's discuss.

It's finally time to start this year's Lance Commander tournament! All four stables have entered two teams, plus eight teams of hungry Mercenary teams, duking it out in the arenas for the top spot!

The first match of the season is between the ACEs, led by the fearless (and slightly injured) Kylie "Firestorm" Gamal, and a pair of freelancers from the Umayyad Caliphate with beautiful and ancient Clan 'Mechs!

Let's get the season started with a bang!

Come back with me to a time before fancy total-immersion holo-sim training pods. A simpler time, where computers would beep and boop at you while drawing a box that it told you was actually a Marauder. Where laser beams were triangles, and PPCs were blue stars.

Come with me as I tell the tale of Gideon Braver Vandenburg, the commanding officer of the mercenary company The Blazing Aces. Or... mercenary lance. Eventually it became a company, but at first... look, it was a long time ago, okay?

The last exhibition match of the first season! Can the Blues maintain their win streak, or will the Grey Hunters and their superior technology rain ruination on the local team? Not if the Blue's Captain, and his Atlas, have anything to say about it!

But will it be enough? Only one way to find out!

Today we're going back... WAY back... to cover a book that was written over 4,000 years ago. And then re-written in English by Jaime Wolf, which is the version we'll be talking about.

Honestly, there isn't much about the original book I can tell you about that you won't find elsewhere. But maybe I can answer whether you should pick up the Jaime Wolf version? It does have a very snazzy cover...

This week the Emerald Predators elected to a send a single MechWarrior to fight against two of the ACEs finest... but what a 'Mech they sent! This is the second-last exhibition match, and the return of our usual cohost, Drake "Grim" Fantome!

It looks like it's going to be a heckuva match!

This week's tutorial covers my personal favourite slice of the Periphery... sure, it has less corn and fewer maniacs than Van Zandt, but it has war, intrigue, and a really snappy colour scheme.

Good colours schemes count for a lot in my book.

Welcome to the Aurigan Reach! We're just going to brush the surface this time, in preparation for a longer lecture series in the future, but I hope y'all enjoy it!

Welcome back to Solaris VII! This week's exhibition match is between the Xandria City Blues and the Emerald Predators, and marks the first time we've had a Piranha on the field!

It also marks the first time we've managed to get the interview chamber operational, so Marx and co-host Tai Kang Zhou have a chance to talk with the four brave 'Mech jockeys heading into the arena before the match!

From the earliest annuals and history books written about the Inner Sphere strides the giants that are the Grey Death Legion... and today's lecture is all about them!

It's not exhaustive by any measure, and we're talking about the historic GDL, not their newer (and some would say even cooler) iteration, but there's still a fair amount to cover. Plus a bit in the middle where I talk factory logistics.

History. It's whacky.

This week sees the ACEs going toe-to-toe with the Grey Hunters! The ACEs are fielding two Draconis 'Mechs, while the Grey Hunters brought rookie pilots and batchalling-on-a-budget options to try and level the playing field... will the more experienced ACE pilots be able to keep up with the technological superior Clan 'Mechs?!

A quick apology: Lady Mueller's microphone had the gain set too high, and so her audio is a little washed out. I have learned my lesson, and I think the end result is still really good, but I want everyone to know that I did learn that lesson. Won't happen again.

Enjoy the fight!

Today we're talking about a big battle... a downright huge battle depending on the time and place, but in this case, it's a massive conflict with a twist...

It may have never happened.

That's right, we're talking about Gotterdammerung (or at least ONE of the Gotterdammerungs, with a nod towards the others)! Sorry that I'm not smart enough to put either of the umlauts in there, but we both know they should be.

Tonight is the second exhibition match for this season, a game between the Grey Hunters and their hated rivals, the Emerald Predators! Both teams are bringing early-Clan Invasion era 'Mechs to this fight, and it promises to be an exciting match!

This week I'm going to have a little chat about one of my favourite Assault 'Mechs... the humble Longbow. Is it fancy? No. Is it the most advanced piece of Star-League-Era tech ever designed? Also no. But is it the best Assault 'Mech EVER DESIGNED!?

Look, I feel like you're not paying attention.
I just like the big, silly missile launchers and I think it's a pretty 'Mech. Can't a guy just love a giant robot for bein' purty?

Enjoy the lecture!

Our first exhibition match! This week the ACEs go toe-to-toe with the Xandria City Blues in a classic 3030s-era clash that will leave ruin, destruction, and glorious honour strewn about the battlefield like... popcorn... or... somethin'.

It's almost the start of a Solaris joke... a Rifleman and a Centurion walk into an arena... let's find out which team lands the punchline!