Inner Sphere/Major
Capellan Confederation - Probably one of those Romance of the Three Kingdoms fans, or big into China/Russia, or maybe you just like having uphill battles. Much respect there. Despite having the smallest territory of the "Major" IS powers, the CapCon does have a lot going for it. Play it up, the sneaky, underhandedness of it all. Get your allies to do much of the dirty work, but then reward them well. Your smaller size can be a boon, since it makes your regiments more concentrated into a tighter area, limiting the time reinforcements take to get from one system to another. And mines. Oh, man, do you guys love minefields, from Fa Shih battle armor, that also has magnetic clamps to ride cavalry on any 'Mech, to mine-laying Long Range Missiles, you are the ultimate defensive player. Don't be afraid to lay down the mines, and then utilize Stealth Armor and Electronic Counter Measure suites to confound your enemy's attempts. Add in some Triple-Strength Myomer to take advantage of the hot running armor, and you'll be just fine.As the head of the Trinity Alliance, remember that you also have access to the worlds and forces of the Magistracy of Canopus and the Taurian Concordat in the Periphery section. The CapCon and MoC have incredibly close ties (marriage close), even into 3150, so they can be intimately trusted. It would take some absolutely stupidly huge shark jumping, like of massively, stupidly huge proportions, for the MoC to turn against you. The TC, on the other hand, is an alliance of convenience, and so long as you're focused on giving them some tech that they can use to batter down the Federated Suns, they'll be happy with you.
Draconis Combine - If this is the faction you're leaning towards, let me just applaud your refined and discerning taste. You might be a bit of a weaboo, or maybe you just like Japanese culture, but in either case, this is the place for you. Weapons you're going to want to learn to use are the Heavy PPC, Medium Range Missiles, and Swords. Yeah, sometimes you end up with an HPPC and a Sword on the same 'Mech (the HPPC penalizes your shots at close range), but you're a samurai, so suck it up, buttercup, and get those decapitation swings going. MRMs are like dummy fire rockets - you take a penalty to hit your enemy due to lack of guidance, but make up for it by being able to potentially fire a metric assload of missiles in one turn. If you're a big fan of coordinating pieces to maximize firing potential, say hello to C3 Computers, guaranteed to have you going dakka dakka dakka on your enemy. Moreso than any other Inner Sphere power, excepting the Lyran Alliance and possibly ComStar/Word of Blake, you have access to a ton of Clantech to refit your OmniMechs with, as well as to put into the field wholesale. Plus, be prepared to send large amounts of supplies to Clan Diamond Shark to purchase parts and replacement 'Mechs on Itabaiana.
But don't stop there! The Combine is dominated by House Kurita's Japanese flavor, but that's not all it has to offer. Two sub-factions, Clan Nova Cat and the Azami, season to perfection what is already a spicy bowl of ramen. The Azami worlds were originally settled by North African Arabs, and retain that definite feel too them. Never truly conquered by the Dragon, they nonetheless are an important part of the Combine, lending their bad-ass Arkab Legions to the communal defense. These guys are really awesome! Clan Nova Cat is detailed more in the IS Clans section but in a campaign context, you will most likely be responsible for the care and feeding of your pet Clan and I highly, hiiiighly recommend that you take a page out of the Azami-relations handbook - treat them with honor, and respect befitting a partner and not a vassal state. Give both subfactions some leeway and support them, and don't let the Black Dragon Society or fear of a Civil War lessen your honor towards them. Provided another player isn't representing either of them, anyway. If they are, make sure you're a team to be reckoned with. The two sub-factions share borders with Clan Ghost Bear and the Federated Suns respectively, so supporting them as they defend you is incredibly important.
Federated Suns - I could go on a diatribe about the munchkin nature of the Suns, but honestly, ever since 3052 or so, other than Victor Steiner-Davion's "instant win" button, the FS has taken as many licks as anyone else. You have more planets than anyone else from the get go, but many of them are also kind of worthless, and you'll always have to keep an eye on the risk vs reward with your huge borders. Fortunately, you do have a ton of regiments with which to defend yourself, you'll just have to stay creative with their deployment and keep a flexible mind going into anything. On the battlefield, expect to see a LOT of your 'Mechs with some combination of Ultra Autocannon 2/5/10, LB-X Autocannon, or Rotary Autocannon 2/5. Or even just a plain old Autocannon 2/5/10. AC20s are less a Federated Suns thing, but overall, ballistic weaponry, in addition to Targeting Computers and/or Pulse Lasers, are what the FS likes to build. With Precision and Armor Piercing rounds available, don't think any less of those standard AC2/5/10s, as they can be incredibly useful. You haven't faced a Clan opponent in any context since 3061 for salvage, and the recent Civil War denuded even further your stockpiles, but you still have more access to Clantech than either the CapCon or the Free Worlds League.
You'll need those edges, with the Draconis Combine perched "north" of you, the Capellan Confederation directly to the "west," the Taurian Concordat "beneath" you, the Outworld's Alliance/Clan Snow Raven on your "northeast" border, and the Word of Blake occupying your capitol of New Avalon. Relations are still strained with the Lyran Alliance, who also has their own problems, but maybe you can find a way to work with them to take some of the pressure off of your holdings. You have your own internal disputes between March Lords of the Capellan March and Draconis March, but you aren't entirely friendless in the universe, so it's best to sue for at least some non-aggression treaties with your neighbors, even if it means sacrificing some less important worlds or making other concessions.
Free Worlds League - Strength through Diversity is the motto of the League and if you're playing them, it's either because the color purple really appeals to you, or you love that each different region within the League has its own awesome little flavor. Or maybe you just dislike every other faction and they seemed the least offensive to your delicate snowflake sensibilities. No judgement. You gotta love massed Long Range Missile spam, if you're a Marik person. Matched up with Extended Range Lasers and Light Gauss Rifles, your key to victory is going to be in dictating range and keeping it to the extremes. Since you'll more than likely be dealing with heavier units, mobility will win you more battles than anything. Plus, your WarShip fleet is the largest of any Inner Sphere power, and if you assign your most important battle groups a WarShip escort, well, try to save some salvage opportunities.
Strength through Diversity has a flip side though, and it's subfactional divide. The Marik Commonwealth, Duchy of Andurien, Principality of Regulus, and Duchy of Oriente all tend to jockey for position within, though they can all usually be counted on to band together in the face of outside adversity. The Capellan Confederation, though a nominal ally, hasn't forgotten when the Duchy of Andurien joined with the Magistracy of Canopus to invade them after the 4th Succession War. An ongoing war with the Lyran Alliance demands focus, as well as a semi-to-hostile border with the Marian Hegemony on the Periphery side of the League. Your greatest ally is the Word of Blake, so long as you don't attempt to cross them. Requesting aid for your wars, and supplying them with worlds to buffer their Protectorate is a solid strategy, but like any other faction with a dark and twisted side, don't rely on them any more than you absolutely have to.
Lyran Alliance - "85 tons? Oh, a scout 'Mech!" sums up the Lyran "Wall of Steel" philosophy to combat. You've a surfeit of assault 'Mechs available to you, from the not-all-that-great-but-still-iconic Banshee, to the probably-gonna-murder-everything Fafnir. Light Fusion Engines stolen from Wolf's Dragoons and Heavy Gauss Rifles that will hammer through armor like a hot knife through butter, along with variations on the Autocannon-20 are your forte. Don't ever let anyone tell you that bigger isn't better, but despite the bias towards heavier machines, the Lyrans also have some great lights and mediums, probably inherited from their time joined at the hip with the Federated Suns. Bring that German and Scottish heritage out and goose step to the bagpipes during all your combat sorties. You pay for great tactical choices with shitty strategic ones, since Lyran "Social Generals" have a hard time fighting their way out of a wet paper bag. Hey, no one is perfect.
But watch out for Isle of Skye separatists, Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Wolf to your "east," the continued Free Worlds League threat to the "south," and the Word of Blake naval blockade around Tharkad. You can open tighter relations with your cousins in the Federated Suns, who still have a handful of your decimated regiments on their worlds, support a rebuilding of the Free Rasalhague Republic, or throw everyone for a loop by supporting the Capellan Confederation in exchange for them taking some of the heat from the League. Wash that Steiner-Davion taint out of your mouth and get a real Archon in the form of Adam Steiner. Use, but don't full trust, your pet Clan Wolf-in-Exile and hope the real Wolves don't come to eat them any time soon.
Inner Sphere/Minor
ComStar - If you're playing ComStar, you're going to be in for a rough time. True, you still have a few WarShips left and some great Star League 'Mech designs in your ranks, but post-Case White, your military is not what it once was. However, don't let that discourage you! Basing yourself out of Tukayyid in the Free Rasalhague Republic, and administering the HyperPulse Generators of the Lyran Alliance, Federated Suns, Draconis Combine, and most Periphery realms, you have access to resources to start rebuilding your numbers. Coordinate your forces as best you can with Improved C3 computers and the best supplies that the Inner Sphere will sell you. My best advice is honestly to find a better faction, but if you're sold on ComStar, forget about sacrificing what you have left against the Word of Blake at least from the start. Rely on your HPG revenue and your contacts to get your power base strengthened. Work with the Free Rasalhague Republic to retake some of their lost territory, and then subjugate them utterly when no one is looking. Hell, you're going to die out at some point and just become a 'Mech-less corporation by 3145, so be a BAMF until that happens. 
Free Rasalhague Republic - I gotta admit to a fondness for the FRR. Way back when I started in the BattleTech universe, I was involved with a mercenary unit called The Blacksheep, and part of their backstory was that they were working with the FRR movement in the Draconis Combine's Rasalhague Military District. So, take everything great about Lyran 'Mechs, Combine 'Mechs, and ComStar stock, and mash it together, and you get the Little Viking State that could. From the 1st Tyr BattleMech Regiment to the 3rd Drakons, you have some great units left in your little rump state, and working with ComStar, you might actually be able to retake some of your lost glory. Of course, in canon BattleTech, what's left of the FRR gets absorbed by Clan Ghost Bear to form the Rasalhague Dominion, so maybe you might want to mosey on down that way now...
Mercenary - "No Gods or Kings, Only Man" mercenaries are too diverse to make generalizations, and in a campaign sense, are usually forced to either pick a faction to represent or support, or used as a bargained-for ready reserve to fill in when no one else is available. That means an unrivaled flexibility to use what designs make the most sense for you, as well as not being tied down to a philosophy that you may tire of eventually. All non-Clan factions make use of mercs and your talents will never go unused. Unless you're Wolf's Dragoons or a member of the Allied Mercenary Command. Then your talents are best left at the bottom of the nuclear crater along with your 'Mechs and your sense of self worth.
Word of Blake - Ah, clearly you like being both the underdog in a fight, and a merciless force of nature, at the same time. Since you sit at the dead center of the Inner Sphere, alliances are your primary bet from the get-go. Ties are strained with the Capellan Confederation/Trinity Alliance and can be hit or miss with the Free Worlds League, but this is your most powerful political block and if you, plus the players of these two factions, work diligently, you will be the premier movers and shakers of the universe. That's, of course, if you can get your internal factions all in a row. The Word of Blake has lots of secrets (see separate post about that) but overall, your greatest strength is novelty. ComStar and the Word are the only factions that use a base six for their formations, and the Improved C3 computer system allows for unprecedented coordination. Remember, you don't need six 'Mechs to use iC3, just that you can max at six. Depending on the type of pick up game or campaign you're playing, feel free to introduce your opponents to the joys of cybernetically enhanced Manei Domini MechWarriors, and remember - you have access to a LOT of other factions' toys. Superheavy 'Mechs and Land-Air 'Mechs, Drone 'Mechs, Celestial-series OmniMechs, Variable-Speed Pulse Lasers, all of these are solely yours to use. And you have a TON of WarShips which, take my advice here, are best used if you create naval battle groups (or naval level IIs) of 6 WarShips, attendant combat DropShips, and swarms of Spectral-series OmniFighters to ensure local space superiority during any conquests.
Through your political ties and memberships, the Circinus Federation, outlined in the Periphery section is actually a vassal state, the Chaos March is practically yours, you have a few Hidden Worlds out there, and the only thing that can really stop you is spreading yourself too thin. Make some moves, take some worlds, then turtle up and flesh out your Divisions even more.As you have a blockade going against the capitol of the Lyran Alliance, are engaged in a three way battle on the capitol of the Draconis Combine, and are occupying the capitol of the Federated Suns, my advice would be to either heavily reinforce all spots with a WarShip II and at least a handful more Divisions, or to cut your losses, make a few final "fuck you" gestures on each planet, and consolidate closer to your Protectorate worlds. Winning a handful of morale boosting battles is great, but not at a cost of losing the war.
Periphery
Circinus FederationMagistracy of Canopus
Marian Hegemony - Romans. In. Spaaaaaaaace! Absolutely, 100%, do not fail to do so, please, make sure you're quoting "Gladiator" every opportunity that you can. Please. I beg of you. So you're a former bandit kingdom, turned to a degree of legitimacy. Compared to even the smallest of Inner Sphere powers, you're fairly week, but you have character, and a crap ton of one-shot Rocket Launchers on your 'Mechs, so that is cool. The Word of Blake was once your ally, and they probably still deal with your HyperPulse Generators for you, but relations have cooled significantly since your war with the Circinus Federation. So, gotta watch out for them. The Magistracy of Canopus doesn't like you much either. Sorry, bro. At least the Free Worlds League is ripe for raiding whilst they're distracted with other problems. Your tech level isn't the greatest but you do have a fairly large overall force size for the amount of planets you control, and when you're hitting the table top, make sure that you're focusing fire between as many RL carries as you can.
Outworld's Alliance
Taurian Concordat
IS Clan
Diamond Shark - Mon-ay for nothin' and your chicks for freeeee. It's all about the bottom line with the Sharks, and your 'Mech selection really exemplifies that. From the large amount of Mad Cat II/III/IV/V/VI/XXX you have, to the collection of upgraded IIC models, everyone wants your wares. In fact, you're the number one source for Homeworld Clan product, like Heavy Lasers in the IS, so milk the crap out of it as you can with Trials for whatever campaign supply point type resources whenever possible. You only control a couple of IS worlds, and, more than likely, won't be in a position to be a conquering force, so these points will be the lifeblood of your efforts. However, also remember that as of 3067, you're basically in control of the Chainlane Isles ("The Reef") and probably have a crapload of production facilities being moved into there. The Sharks really like top of the line and highly mobile units so expect to field faster examples in every weight class, or 'Mechs with lots of jump capability. You deserve to be pampered with nothing but the best.Your big trading hubs are Twycross in Clan Jade Falcon space, Trondheim in Clan Ghost Bear territory, and Itabaiana in the Draconis Combine. Yes, you read that right, the Combine. Because you've been selling the DC the Ha Otoko BattleMech since 3062, and as of 3066, have been selling both the DC and Lyran Alliance small amounts of Mad Cat Mk IIs. Damned traitors to Kerensky's vision. But really, you could hold several factions in the palm of your hand for scraps of Clantech. I heard a rumor that if you approach Clan Wolf for a series of trials, putting up some clusters worth of 'Mechs in exchange for control of a planet, that you could probably score Unzmarkt fairly easily.
Ghost Bear - Did you come here because the Free Rasalhague Republic sounded awesome but is in kind of a shitty position? That's okay! Clan Ghost Bear is all the Nordic fun of the FRR with all the Klingon rahhhh smash argh you love about the Clans, and that is alright alright alright. Your single biggest advantage over your fellow Inner Sphere Clans is that your entire touman (that's military force) beyond a single honor guard force, is in your Dominion. That doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot in a Total Warfare or Alpha Strike game, but for a campaign? That generally means that you have more Clusters available for deployment than anyone else in your neck of the woods. You can attempt to absorb what's left of the FRR before the Wolves do, pushing you into conflict with IS powers down that way, or drive Clan Nova Cat to extinction, take as much of the Draconis Comhine as possible, you have options, playa! Leviathan WarShips aid in moving your population, or as a deterrent to attack, despite their anemic attack for their size. Second-line 'Mechs such as the Grizzly, Arcas, Stone Rhino, Stinger IIC, Ursus, and Kodiak are your bread and butter. In fact, some of these are better than front-line OmniMechs, so don't be afraid to use them to their fullest.
Every Clan is at once an ally and an enemy, but the Ghost Bears maintain relatively good ties with Clan Diamond Shark and Clan Snow Raven, the former because everyone needs the Diamond Shark's goods and the latter due to years of working together on the Leviathans, as well as both of their totems being arctic, which sounds like a superficial thing but it's the Clans, who knows why they are the way they are.
Jade Falcon - Back in the day, the Falcons were the biggest douchebags in the entire BattleTech universe. Well, after the Federated Suns, anyway. Because they had shit leadership and a whiny fanbase and that whole Refusal War with Clan Wolf left a bad taste in my mouth. However, you have Marthe Pryde and Samantha Clees as Khan & saKhan respectively in 3067, and they're both enjoyably well-written characters. No, no really, I mean that. In fact, Vlad Ward of the Wolves thought Marthe was VERY enjoyable that one time on Strana Metchy, if you know what I'm sayin'. Actually, for a guy that isn't even statted with a high charisma, the fact that Vlad bagged both the Khan of the Clan that has been the Wolves' biggest enemy since the get-go, AND Katherine Steiner-Davion, you gotta give him mad props. Oh, uh, right. Clan Jade Falcon are usually considered staunch traditionalists in books where they appear, right up until the Dark Ages when suddenly they're using chemical weapons and dropped WarShips into planets. Not sure where that happened, but you can change that fate. Your Scientist Caste is a bit of a handful, keep an eye on them. The Dark Nebula is a sore point, with the Star League Camelot Command Naval Station inside of it, so at some point, you're going to want to address that, even though it has probably been retconned out of the universe by this point. I dunno, Falcons aren't too bad of a Clan, as Clans go. I've actually read them described as the Lannisters of the BattleTech universe, and that's pretty apt, in that they fuck their brothers.
By '67, I think that the relationship with Clan Wolf is more grudging respect both ways than full on antagonism. In canon, when the Council of Six is formed, and the Wolves give their big "fuck you!" to the Grand Council on Strana Metchy, Marthe Pryde actually applauds Vlad Ward, for more than just his size and stamina, so there's that. Which is a good thing, since the Lyran Alliance is going to bear watching. With Tharkad blockaded by the Word of Blake, you might be able to expand your territory to the "west." Be mindful of Homeworld Clans, however, both in the Homeworlds, which you should vacate eventually, and returning to the Inner Sphere. Operation: Ice Storm in canon saw Clan Ice Hellion and Clan Hells Horses invade, but if you're playing our 5th Succession War, prepare your anus for Operation: Annwyn Rising and Clan Blood Spirit/Clan Cloud Cobra.
Nova Cat - Not gonna lie to you, in canon, post-Jihad and into the Dark Ages, the Nova Cats get a pretty raw, barebacked gangbang of a deal. You guys did it to yourself though, so my biggest piece of advice is don't do it. First, don't be dicks and learn to exist in the Irece Prefecture. Second, if a guy name Stone comes asking for troops, tell him to piss off. Third, work with the Dragon, not against the Dragon. Fo real. The Star League is dead, and you've already pledged yourself to defend the Draconis Combine border with Clan Ghost Bear, so do it. The Cats invented the Clantech Extended Range Large Laser by the by, and are noted for the marksmanship abilities, so go with that. Kill them with kindness a kilometer away. The mystic angle, which can feel like a tacked on shtick but which is actually pretty cool, should be used without being abused. In fact, there's probably a rule somewhere about vision quests giving you some kind of a bonus. Otherwise, you have sweet designs like the Nova Cat, Huntsman, Sphinx, Cave Lion, Wendigo, and Avalanche to look forward to using, and teaming up with Luthien Armor Works will help you max out your touman to thwart those pesky Bears or the Word of Blake.
Which obviously indicates that Clan Ghost Bear is your primary threat, as well as the Black Dragon Society of the Combine. The ultra-traditionalists disagree with Theodore Kurita allowing you to control, for the most part, the Irece Prefecture, and will stop at nothing to see you dead. That could spell disaster for you if the Combine player wants to be an ultra-traditionalist, so I'd recommend making sure they're more of a moderate. Unless YOU are playing the Combine, in which case, all my remarks above still hold - the Nova Cats are important and, treated properly like good kitties, will bring many dividends. Just don't let them wander off and blitzkrieg the Bears without your support. Look for Clan Diamond Shark traders to land on a world near you, and if some new Homeworld Clans happen to stop by, just remember you were abjured and they will come at you harder than Ron Jeremy at a high school prom.
Snow Raven - Reapers of the Void, also co-holders of the "crappiest at 'Mech fighting on the ground" title. Recently scouting out a niche for themselves in the Inner Sphere, as of 3067, the Ravens found themselves in a bit of a pissing match with the Outworld's Alliance, and much to their surprise, the OA's AeroSpace Fighters actually kicked the hell out of them. Which isn't actually that shocking, since the Ravens are known as the "WarShip Clan" as opposed to the "AeroSpace Fighter Clan" aka Clan Cloud Cobra. Any other Clan would probably have made the Alliance their space bitch but instead, the Ravens are looking to move in, maybe eat all their sammiches, probably put the moves on their wives, you know, the things Clanners do. The Raven Alliance, much like the Rasalhague Dominion, becomes one of those weird Clan/Sphere hybrid realms where the civilians really just hate everyone. But, yeah, so you look cool in your Raven uniforms, you have WarShips up the ass, and you make space-adapted versions of most OmniMechs, plus have some really interesting designs like the Omen and the Deimos.
No one really likes you much in the Inner Sphere except for Clan Ghost Bear and Clan Diamond Shark, and the latter really just because they have raging wood for everyone. The Outworlds Alliance only likes you because you're big and strong and can ball gag them properly, but most of their civilians, who are basically pacifists anyway, aren't fans. The Draconis Combine and the Federated Suns, due to their shared borders with the Alliance, are going to be both really defensive, and really great possible victims as need be. But again, your ability to scorch worlds doesn't really play well back home and doesn't earn you much territory so even if you're only semi-capable fighters, just do your best.
Clan Ghost Bear and Clan Jade Falcon are the perennial thorns in your side, but don't count ComStar or the Free Rasalhague Republic out of the fight just yet. In fact, I would recommend in any campaign that taking the last worlds of the FRR before the Ghost Bears do would be in your best interests, especially if the Bears are busy with the Draconis Combine or Clan Nova Cat. Like any other faction in the game, you'll have the most luck with misdirection, whilst still keeping your honor intact. The Falcons have always been your biggest rivals and their worlds sure look mighty fine, even if you're playing the 5th Succession War campaign and Clan Blood Spirits/Clan Cloud Cobra are on their way. And I heard that you could score some sweet, sweet 'Mechs in exchange for Unzmarkt is you Trial Clan Diamond Shark. On the Homeworld front, if you choose to stay in, make sure to work with Clan Coyote as much as possible, going so far as to trade for entire Galaxies of their troops in exchange for some genetic legacies. Will be much worthwhile.
Wolf-in-Exile - Okay, after thinking long and hard about Stackpole's shark-jumping pseudo-Clan experiment, and what advice I could possibly give someone interested in them, here it is. You have three Clan Galaxies of troops, and control a section of Arc-Royal in the Lyran Alliance. Plus a couple of WarShips. Initiate a "Trial of Homecoming." Challenge Vlad Ward to a five on five full Zellbrigen duel, Clan Wolf's Golden Keshik command star vs Phelan Kell's Clan Wolf-in-Exile Golden Keshik command star. Then, have all MechWarriors on the WiE side shoot someone else's opponent, opening up a grand melee, before ejecting, and leaving Phelan to 1 v 5. Then, after he inevitably dies and those three Galaxies plus WarShips go to the real Clan Wolf, start playing them as a faction. WiE is basically "Clan Lyran Alliance Mercenary" and they blow. Just don't play them.
Homeworld Clan
Blood SpiritCloud Cobra
Coyote
Fire Mandrill
Goliath Scorpion
Hells Horses
Ice Hellion
Star Adder
Steel Viper
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