What if Wiz kids opens the rest of the IS to the campaigns? Stormhammers go to tharkad to get help from the Archon, HL or Rots taskforce moves to cut them off, etc.

Better yet-Faction wars 2&3: Defiance Industries and Talon Mech Works

I would see any second Faction Wars taking pllace, again, in Prefecture VII (where Irian, the site of the first FW, is), or perhaps the so far inactive Prefecture VIII. Why? Simple geography; it's in an area of the Republic that each faction can easily get to. House Liao and Clan Jade Falcon are the two biggies for this; they have clear homelands that they operate from while most other factions can draw from all over the Republic (mainly due to Stone's resettlement programs, you can find those of Davion or Kurita heritage on the Lyran/Marik fringe of the Republic). An exception to the others is the Stormhammers, who are the only location based splinter faction (they want to return former Lyran worlds to the House Steiner) and that location is most of Prefecture IX, and IIRC significant portions of Prefecture VIII and maybe even a few worlds in VII. If you try to find an area where each of the three location dependent factions can all easily reach, you're looking at Prefectures VII and VIII, unless you want to get really close to Terra in Prefecture X, the heart of the Republic.

But then again it would be kind of cool if Exarch Redburn suddenly dies then everybody makes a mad dash to seize Terra in the confusion. The few that have no particular reason to seize it could have other motivations. RoTS and HL forces would be there to defend it, obviously, and maybe Kev Rosse got a vision saying that to find their sanctuary the Spirit Cats must return to the cradle of all humanity, while the Stormhammers see an opportunity to impress the Archon enough to give them full and official backing.

Defiance is practically "takeover proof" You might want to re-read Operation Excalibur.

The next Faction Wars will have some goal that produces a Mech, but there are plenty of production facilities out there to capture.

It doesn't have to be the Defiance plant itself, it could just be another slugout on the proving grounds like in MW4 mercs

That would make me soooo happy!:grin: