So it's no secret that the active MU* community is always hungry for new Superhero and World of Darkness games that step past the sins of their fathers, even if keeping that momentum can be a bit of a hat trick-- but without my finger on the pulse of what's come and gone, what's strong and weak right now in a broad sense, everything else seems a bit more of a crapshoot.
I've been mulling over the possibility of a new Battletech MU*, and wondering if the resurgence in interest in the setting is enough to draw (and sustain) a playerbase. I'm thinking we just run FS3 for the character-level interactions and offer resolution via MegaMek (a multiplayer-enabled, awesome, rolls-for-you Battletech tabletop client) for 'mech combat, posing as battles unfold. This part excites me greatly, it's both more user friendly and more compelling than options have been in the past, as well as relatively accessible (since everyone and their mother knows FS3 a bit, and MegaMek makes the tabletop rules far less daunting in numerous ways).
Which brings us to what I think is the complicated part (beyond finding a motivated coder): Setting. My gut check says the "best" setting choice is one of several eras focused around Solaris VII. You have your seedy noir, neo-corporate settings represented from scum and villainy up to... well, really polished scum and villainy! With all the heroes-against-the-grain, gumshoes, and pragmatists a gray setting like Battletech encourages. 'Mech combat becomes sport, giving easy excuses but low(er) stakes for conflict. Thing is, it's not what I like, it's the consumer.
This setting has the 40k, Star Wars, Game of Thrones issue where everyone who knows it loves different aspects of it, different eras, different factions, and different locales. Do we need to be focused on a more military op hotspot? Backwater fringers removed from Inner Sphere -or- Clan politicks and wars? Perhaps center a player-driven narrative around a chunk of one of the larger Mercenary operations. What do people think holds the broadest interest? What would -you- in particular be interested in RP'ing or not RP'ing? What are the most important pitfalls in settling on this main narrative thrust and setting?
I realize this is all vague, partly because I'm mulling numerous directions, partly because I'd like to see where shots land -without- a whole lot of my own fleshing out off the bat. Thanks in advance for thoughtful input!
