Redwolf's Journal (continued)

 The Battletech Mercenaries kickstarter has been one of the only such projects I've tracked in the last several years and it's been an interesting ride. At over seven million dollars pledged (and a handful of hours left), it's actually sitting close to the top 20 most-funded (specifically) Kickstarter projects of all time. This when their minimum to go forward with the base offering was fifty thousand and their previous kickstarter project for the Clan Invasion ended at around 2.5 million dollars. That seems to indicate the game, market, and awareness is growing quite respectably. I'm happy with the performance and stretch goal unlocks, though a little worried that it may not reach 7.5 million as that would unlock Crescent Hawks swag. 8 million would be even better with Blood Asp mechs and another force pack unlock. Through some of the streams with Catalyst Game Labs employees along the way, I've learned a few things. I knew FASA died out at Battletech (as well as o

 I've gotten into mostly-listening to some streams and videos about Battletech in recent times, including getting caught up in hype over the Mercenaries kickstarter project. One discussion had me thinking about the suspension of disbelief involved in the setting, how things don't fit, and in some cases why. In fairness, most science fiction settings require certain leaps - perhaps more so for settings that are built around games, as games require certain things.  One of the most commonly-fudge aspects in scifi is that of scale. Frequently planets are distilled down to a single dominant terrain and can be flipped by a single battle - not very realistic if you take even a passing glance at modern Earth. But when your setting is constructed around the conceits of a tactical wargame, that's what you get. Managing more than lance-, or maybe company-, sized battles gets unwieldy fast, so smaller scale battles have to matter somehow. What brought this up was more discussion of soc

 I got an itch lately after having a friend go through repeated car issues, thinking that my own vehicle is over fifteen years old. I haven't really had notable problems with it, and the mileage is low for that age, but it did make me consider if there is a major breakdown of some sort, whether it's worthwhile to repair becomes a question very quickly. So I started looking around online a bit and thinking of criteria. If I get a replacement vehicle, I would want something: 1) Newer 2) Lower mileage 3) Conducive to my height (so very similar or better driver headroom/legroom) 4) Able to carry a medium household appliance (washer, stove, etc.). My current sedan lacks this and, while not common, I have missed that at times. 5) Having 4WD/AWD. While I've only owned 2WD vehicles and generally been fine, a little more ability to get going in winter weather has a strong appeal. 6) With a similar overall footprint. I don't really want or need a larger truck/SUV. Looking all thi