I play both Highlanders and RotS so I feel you. However, you can't have it both ways. Either play faction pure or don't. If the HL and RS get to share two factions then everyone else should too. The Spirit Cats and Steel Wolves could put aside their mutual hatred and focus on taking down a common enemy. The Stormhammers and Swordsworn could have a little Federated Commonwealth retro party. Bannson has enough cash to hire the best mercs in the IS. That leaves Liao and DF. Hummm...not sure how to make that one work. But anyway, my point was that it would only be fair to let everyone play two faction 'pure'.

Daniel, while I understand your desire for fairness, I assert that there are NO factions which are as similar in their alignment as the RotS and the HLs, at least in the story. I'd like there to be official recognition that combined RotS and HL forces are official.

Your analogies are not apt: SC and SW are totally different clans (Nova Cat is Warden/Star League, and Wolf is Crusader.) They have totally different goals (Find new Cat home/Conquer Terra). Stormhammers are a Free Skye group; SwordSworn want to establish a Sandoval Empire (they're clearly not Davion-interested, except as propaganda). Mercs are explicitly not a faction.

Liao and DF, ironically, are obviously able to work together to crush the FedSuns. Though each has their own advantages as a faction (DF are totally broken on their own, plus they have units in every set; Liao are new, but have Faction Abilities and clearly don't mix). There's no Gameplay reason for DF and Liao to co-operate, but there could be story reason.

Daniel, please read the reasons why I've suggested that the HL and RotS co-operate:

1. They BOTH ARE REPUBLIC-ALIGNED. Tara Campbell was fighting so that she could hold the line 'till Tina Magnusson-Talbot could mobilize. Now that they're both mobilized they can work together.

2. In EVERY FICTION ABOUT THEM SO FAR the HL and RotS have co-operated. The HL saved Terra from the Steel Wolves. For the Republic. There's no reason they'd be considered seperate factions in the story (where as ALL OTHERS are fighting except maybe DF and SC, for now; but just 'cause Nova Cat and the Combine co-operate doesn't mean SC and DF do). Why seperate factions in the game?

3. With RotS and HL both shafted in Counterassault, all together they'll have only slightly more units than, say, DF or Swordsworn or Steel Wolves.

4. They complement each other in Gameplay terms. Republic has high offense, decent 'mechs, high point-cost infantry. Highlanders have high-survivability, low cost infantry, and can fill in the gaps of the RotS. They're mutually complementary in game terms.

You could actually compare RotS/KotS and HL to two WH40k armies: Space Marines and Imperial Guard. Both are in same side but played as diffirent armies. It would be nice that RotS/KotS and HL could make formations when played together as one faction. Why could not they cordinate they attacks together?

Well, when thought of that way, they're really quite seperate armed forces -- they probably wouldn't be able to share orders or make formations. Highlanders and RotS forces would each have their own command structure etc., despite that they'd all have trained on Northwind at the Academy.

But for "Faction Pure Events"... which is always special rules anyway, I guess.