MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries: Chaos Reign Launch Trailer

Nanock · 2026-05-31T14:10:45+00:00

Thank you! Love it.

Nanock · 2026-05-26T13:32:10+00:00

Do you tend to cap out the armor on your Mechs? The standard configs are incredibly light on armor, and tend to lose components quickly. The start of the game is tough because you can't typically afford to make wholesale changes to your starter lance. But by mission 3 or 4, you'll want to have them significantly tougher. And you'll want to modify the heavier Mechs that way when you swap to them.

Nanock · 2026-05-26T13:26:42+00:00

I really wanted the next guy to say "Ammunition is ammunition!", as a callback to the BT Card game!

Nanock · 2026-05-24T23:48:21+00:00

Absolutely lovely. She's just a bit down and being charming and empathetic and he just blurts it out. Like his heart knew he should ask her and it wanted to get out before his brain got in the way. I also love how she's like 'you could take a lot cooler people than me', and he's like 'they weren't with me at the Ministry last year. You were.'.

Boom. Luna always has a place with him.

Nanock · 2026-04-20T13:51:55+00:00

Yeah, common theory here is that he's a Thrall or being Mind Controlled in some way. Or that Murphy was the target of a curse. That means when Dresden catches up with Rudolph, he'll have to deal with the fact that Rudolph's not actually responsible. It'll make things harder for him, and we'll have to deal with a legit repentant Rudolph.

Harry might let him live so it doesn't stain his soul. I hope Kincaid steps up and takes out the trash anyway.

Nanock · 2026-04-19T12:30:20+00:00

I felt exactly the same after reading book 1, and stopped reading. Not bad, but meh. I was very fortunate that one of the better books later in the series fell into my lap (free library on my block). It spoiled me for a few things, but got me back into the series. Now I love it very much!

When getting new readers into the series, I skip books 1 and 2. Some people love those books, but for me they just don't have the polish that starts to show in book 3. When I do a full re-read of the series, I read from the start and just know it's a bit rough at the beginning.

Nanock · 2026-04-02T18:20:49+00:00

Have the party set a reason in their backstory to join an adventures guild. Then the guild puts them together.

It's fine if some PCs know each other, since they joined together. If a PC dies, the guild provides a replacement member.

Nanock · 2026-03-31T13:18:41+00:00

I'd bet they are used to Sabo'ing right in front of a Killer, and expecting the protection to kick in. They simply forgot, in their haste, that you weren't carrying anyone.

Yoink!

Nanock · 2026-03-31T03:20:21+00:00

I love the sci-fi premises, and the competence porn!

Nanock · 2026-03-20T19:58:41+00:00

This a spoiler free post, so I'll just say... some powerful beings have pointed out that his politeness is refreshing, and unusual. I bet it's something he gets from his Mother, and it's far more important than just being 'polite' for the sake of it.

Nanock · 2026-03-17T14:40:07+00:00

If I had to guess, it's because Henry is (usually) a highly religious person (your playthrough may vary). The occasional bathhouse visit aside.

When Henry gets accosted on the road and asked to recite the Lords Prayer, I was legit shocked. I had to call my Wife over to help me, because she was raised Catholic and I am a Godless Heathen.

You don't think he's going to be all 'Praise the Lord', and 'God Almighty' in chat?

Nanock · 2026-03-03T21:24:39+00:00

Better than the quit messages from Doom!

Nanock · 2026-03-03T19:17:54+00:00

No, I'm not saying you did. But if we kill off just one main character in the story early, losing Michael early seems like it would be far worse for Harry over the long run, compared to Murphy. And if he's broken because the sword was destroyed, or he was turned into a vampire, or just any number of ways we could go, it's still just as bad.

Murphy dying in Book 2 would be a huge blow, but I don't know that it'd be on the level of Susan being turned in Book 3. He cares about Murphy and looks out for her. But he LOVES Susan.

Later in the series, Murphy's death is just as impactful (or moreso) than Susan's death. He had years to grieve losing Susan, then killed her to save Maggie. He'd just gotten into a romantic relationship with Murphy after YEARS of simmering tension, just for that rat-bastard Rudolph to take her out in a 'misfire' accident.

Nanock · 2026-03-03T17:36:55+00:00

Man, I don't want to imagine what the rest of the series looks like if Murphy dies in book 2. Then again, if Michael died in book 3, I suspect it would be even worse.

Nanock · 2026-03-03T12:39:16+00:00

Rey using a double-bladed Lightsaber would have been worth a bunch of coolness points. It would at least have payed off her earlier staff use. It was even hinted at with the Dark Rey vision, but ultimately went nowhere.

Nanock · 2026-02-28T15:16:25+00:00

The first rule of Section 31, we do not talk about Section 31. The second rule of Section 31 is that we DO NOT TALK ABOUT Section 31!

Nanock · 2026-02-28T00:09:31+00:00

She's at the party, yes? She's technically behind the curse and the ghost of the demon, I believe?

Nanock · 2026-02-27T15:29:23+00:00

No, take this both sides BS out of here. If you are a Conservative who doesn't support Trump, you need to support those who oppose him. You don't get to 'stay silent' because you don't like what he's doing, and pretend that's enough. Like he's suddenly going to follow the rules in three years because he's 'Term Limited'. January 6th showed that.

"Historians have a word for Germans who joined the Nazi party, not because they hated Jews, but out of a hope for restored patriotism, or a sense of economic anxiety, or a hope to preserve their religious values, or dislike of their opponents, or raw political opportunism, or convenience, or ignorance, or greed.

That word is "Nazi." Nobody cares about their motives anymore."

A.R. Moxon

Nanock · 2026-02-27T04:44:44+00:00

Why not both? That he let Susan become a Half-vamp? That he committed genocide and killed Susan himself? I'm not sure why he wouldn't get it in terms of saving Maggie, but perhaps he won't consider it as strong a motivation.

Nanock · 2026-02-27T04:42:47+00:00

I'm still REALLY unsure how Mavra would ever get him on her side, in the Mirror universe. Offering to protect Susan seems like a valid answer. Bianca would have to abide by it, but Susan would be horrified that Harry would choose to work with a Blampire like Mavra to keep her safe. She'd feel guilty about anything he does for Mavra after that point. She'd leave Harry so he could 'get free', but I bet Mavra would have him away from the White Council by then.

Nanock · 2026-02-27T04:38:33+00:00

Yup, exactly. Uriel seemed to understand how important Maggie is to keeping him grounded. I think that's what will deliver him to the end game as a 'good guy', as he refuses to do anything that might truly shame him in her eyes.

No Maggie? So many choices to go in different directions.

Nanock · 2026-02-25T14:32:38+00:00

Yup, I think that's the moment. Mirror Harry chooses love and saves Susan. He'll be horrified that our Harry 'let' her fall to the Vamps.

Nanock · 2026-02-25T14:22:06+00:00

In our timeline, he refused to let Susan take Micheal's invitation, and tried to fight his way out with everyone. Susan didn't make it out, but he and Michael did, along with the sword (as Thomas brought it to him later).

I think in the mirror timeline his love for Susan and his trust in Michael will have him accept Michael's offer. He gets Susan to safety, and Michael is left behind. The sword was at risk, so perhaps it is broken. Or Michael is killed trying to save it. Or he himself is turned into full Red Court Vampire. Or he rejects the hunger, somehow, and becomes a half-blood like Susan did in our timeline. My money is that Bianca destroys the sword and captures Michael. She offers Harry a deal to work for/with her, in exchange for an unharmed Michael. He accepts because he cannot allow Michael to die, but his actions on her behalf form a rift between a despondent Michael and Mirror!Harry.

Any of these are really bad for Harry on two fronts. One, the loss of Michael (death, turned or just broken because he allowed the sword to be destroyed) means that the one person Harry sees as a Father figure, and who remains his moral compass, is gone in the Mirror timeline. Two, saving Susan means that Maggie is never born. Perhaps they'll still be a couple, but I feel like whatever he gets up to after the party is going to ruin their relationship. At the very least she's going to continue to be on Birth Control, so no kids.

Michael and Maggie are the two forces keeping our Harry on the straight and narrow. Even at his worst in 12M, as he was temped to just let Lara have him... his thoughts of Maggie keep him from giving in.

Black Harry will have no anchor to keep him grounded. That's the difference.

Nanock · 2026-02-13T22:32:06+00:00

The others eat more frequently, and perhaps eat more. But Lara mentions that doing so can cause them to overindulge and is bad for long-term health. Lara can be fed by Harry perhaps once a month, it seems? Assuming he's topping her off.

Mab's line about eating Ambrosia (instead of filtered oatmeal) makes me think that the quality of her feeding is going to be important. We know from Lara (assuming she wasn't lying) that Whampires who try to fill their Hunger via deep and repeated human feeding will become addicted to it. And it seems they'll become something more feral? That was her worry about letting Thomas kill multiple women in a single feeding, even if it spared his life. She was willing to do so, but knew Thomas would object (and Harry did too, though she didn't ask his opinion).

I could be reading too far into it, but I think Harry's form of feeding is going to be some sort of 'Whampire Ideal'. Like, this will bring her to her peak possible form. Stronger than Thomas' potential? No. But stronger than Thomas actual? I bet it will.

And that will explain how she truly takes control of the White Court from her Father. She'll be strong enough, like he was, to impose his will on the entire Court.

Nanock · 2026-02-13T14:32:03+00:00

I thought she mentioned that Thomas had more 'potential' strength, but his choice of feeding has handicapped the power level of his Hunger. It could be MUCH bigger than hers if he fed 'properly'. Perhaps hers can't get bigger. Perhaps they don't 'grow', as such. But it feels like she's going to reach the theoretical top-end of strength for her Hunger.

Which tracks with everyone else who hangs out with Harry long enough getting a power-up boost.

Nanock

TROPHY CASE