Writing Battletech: Plots

All of a sudden, I'm full of post ideas.....

If you seen my last post, I talk about the what you should do if you want to have the best shot of getting your story accepted by Shrapnel's editor. But I'm going to take this a step further, and talk about what makes up a story set in the Battletech Universe. Today, I'm going to talk about Plots.

The Battletech Universe is one of war and intrigue. No one what to read about Joe Shomoe quiet, boring life. Battletech is Military Sci-Fi/Space Opera and the stories reflect that. This post looks at the basic plot areas where all Battletech stories fall into.

Battletech stories generally fall into three areas of plot -- Military, Espionage, and Political Intrigue. Now that doesn't mean each is separate from each other -- there is plenty of stories where two or all three areas intersect within a story. A Military story could have elements of Espionage and/or Political Intrigue. But generally, a story will have a focus in one of these areas.

That is not to say these are the only three area, but these three are the easiest to work a story plot with. Once you have a solid record and grasp, it's easier to see story ideas that while not fitting into one of the areas above, still have a Battletech feel to them.

What do I mean by Military, Espionage, and Political Intrigue? I define each as such and include examples from my own stories:

Military -- The most basic plot. Two side fighting each other. This is anywhere between a small raid or one corner of a massive campaign or battle. Battlemechs, Aerospace fighters, vehicles, battlesuits, or the poor infantry soldier trying to survive. It's a look at the men and women in the battle, their motives, their actions and the consequences of their actions. The center of the story is the battles(s).

There are subplots that help form the battle's context. Below are a basic list of subplots to help tie in the battle:

• A character's first time in battle.
• Conflict between two characters on the same side.
• A character's chance to redeem themselves for past actions.
• A character looking for revenge.
• A character who has a mental conflict they must work through.
• A character has been given a difficult/impossible task.

Those are a few ideas off the top of my head, but the idea is to give the character a stake in the battle beyond winning it. That is not to say they succeed at the end; but they have to try overcoming the roadblock subplot that battle presents.

You can elements from the other two in the story; any story can have espionage and/or political overtones, but the focus is on the battle.

Examples: The Lance Killer, Hikagmono, The Promise.

Espionage: A problem that needs a RCT to handle can sometimes be done with just a knife in the right back. These type of stories can happen anywhere, and involves character's actions away from the battlefield, often light years away. These type of stories don't need violence, but are often violent on a more personal level. These type of plots fall into the broad categories such as:

• Character must steal/destroy/retrieve/pass on/kill an objective
• Character must prevent an objective from being steal/destroy/retrieve/passed on/killed
• Character must hunt down an enemy agent
• Character must avoid being hunted down by the other side.

(The objective can be data, an object, or a person)

Misdirection and double-dealing are also common in these type of stories, as are betrayal and sacrifice. These are generally small-scale stories, usually involving a small group. Again, there could be elements from the other two categories that are part of the story, but the spies are center stage.

Examples: Evacuation, End of Message, Operation Red Lion. Operation Blue Tiger

Political Intrigue; This is the toughest one to write. Unlike the other two, it needs a dose from one or the other category. These stories are about political maneuvers as two sides vie for an advantage. the plot can involve state vs state, noble vs noble, leader vs leader, or invader vs resistance. The stakes are important to someone, and can extend beyond the story events.

But this type of story needs a healthy does of one of the two other -- the politics are the frame where the action happens in support of someone else's political goals. It could be an assassination attempt, forcing an opponent to deploy forces elsewhere, or distracting the opponent, either though espionage or military actions while the real  work goes on elsewhere, but all the action is related to political ends.

Examples: Negotiation, The Clawing, A Matter of Honor

There is one other area for Battletech stories, but unlike the other three there isn't a clearly defined area they fit into it. It could be a mystery, or a character reacting to events in a way that doesn't fit into any of the above three categories. These stories can have elements of any of the three above, but doesn't necessarily rely on them the same way that political intrigue does with the other two.

Example: State of Grace.

So, that is my view on the subject. Do you have any questions? Leave them here, or contact me via the Battletech forum -- my screen name is Trboturtle.

Later!

Craig