Literally who?
Battletech BattleTech discussion thread: May the light of Hanse Davion guide us
- Thread starter PsihoKekec
- Start date
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Vatnik
Devlin Stone, the Jihad borne Messiah of the Republic. Also known as Tito of BattleTech
And one of the stupidest additions to the setting ever.
King Arts
Well-known member
Why is the Republic of the Sphere stupid? I mean all the monarchies get pretty stale so a Republic where the sons of the rich don't automatically become rullers seems pretty fresh. And the Clans psedu Mongol barbarism is disgusting.
That part isn't stupid, it's how it was implemented and forced into the setting for Dark Age that was stupid.
The Republic of the Sphere is stupid because having a sane, democratic power in the Inner Sphere completely breaks the setting; ergo they had to make Devlin do insane, stupid things to get the Republic disbanded.
King Arts
Well-known member
But what about the Terran Alliance? Maybe some arguments for the Terran Hegemony kinda though it was less democratic. Also the Free Worlds League kinda. Star League?
The Terran Alliance showed democracy fails in more or less the same way that modern democracy is falling apart.
Literally all the factions in the Inner Sphere except the Free Rasalhague Republic were formed as a result of that failure, and with the early limitations on FTL comms, that sort of democracy is non-viable.
It also doesn't help that the Free Worlds League being a shitshow (partially abetted by ComStar fuckery) also paints democracy in a bad light.
King Arts
Well-known member
It lasted for like 300 years though. So it's not like it was some basket case
The Republic of the Sphere is stupid because no polity could actually unite that region without an iron grip. Many of the regions claimed by the RoS are long hotspots within the Inner Sphere with strong individual identities and/or very strong loyalties to the Great Houses. Waving a "you're unified under a democratic republic" doesn't undo all that and we know that from real world experience.
But that's not what I was commenting about Stone being stupid. Stone is stupid as a figure because he came from nowhere, has no real backstory, and suddenly all these highly trained, charismatic, and highly experienced, well known and respected figures are fellating him like he's the second coming of Kerensky so much so they break their previously established character to make him the hero of the Jihad and justify the creation of the Republic of the Sphere. Basically, in the story of the Jihad he's a fucking Mary Sue as bad, if not worse, than Rey.
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Vatnik
Ridiculously Average Guy
Active member
Introtech through the Clan Invasion is solid. ilClan is also seeming decent. But the spot in-between is something I keep sliding off of.
Maybe a solid videogame that takes a hammer to the lore could fix it, but the specifics of the Jihad and the Dark Age seem iffy. It, I dunno, could be justified better as the result of the Dark Age happening earlier?
That is, rather than the Dark Age happening after the Jihad, the Jihad and the formation of the Republic of the Sphere is the result of the Dark Age. Maybe bundle a bit of the FedCom civil war in there as well, idk.
Maybe a solid videogame that takes a hammer to the lore could fix it, but the specifics of the Jihad and the Dark Age seem iffy. It, I dunno, could be justified better as the result of the Dark Age happening earlier?
That is, rather than the Dark Age happening after the Jihad, the Jihad and the formation of the Republic of the Sphere is the result of the Dark Age. Maybe bundle a bit of the FedCom civil war in there as well, idk.
Jihad leading into FedCom Civil War would probably make more sense than the canon, although I'm not sure about how anyone could salvage Dark Age.
Skitzyfrenic
Well-known member
The Jihad is most likely, the 40k refugees really latched on to ComStar and the Word of Blake, I think. To get a video game.
If I was going to do a video game I think the Chaos March is where I'd do it. So that could be Civil War or a significant chunk of the Jihad.
The HPGs ceasing to work, in general, because of something the Wobbies/something left over from ComStar causing a Dark Age is fine. But that should result in a large amount of civil uprisings. Civil War o'clock for the entire Inner Sphere, not just Marik. Everyone, even the Clans who were using old ComStar infrastructure.
And then the Dark Age should be focused on rebuilding HPG infrastructure and re-conquering and re-structuring the various Great Houses, and Clans. This is also the time that several abjured Clan empires form after the Wars of Reaving and the Society trying to become top caste. As the Dark Age resolves, these Empires/Khantes should start trading/skirmishing with Inner Sphere factions. I'd love it if one or two of these factions took the very long route to the far side to interact with whatever comes out of Canopus or the Concordat.
The Republic of the Sphere? Maybe salvageable? But not the way they did it. A new Terran empire forging itself out of the worlds all broken away because of the Dark Age is very plausible. Large chunks of everything else is fucking dumb. And certainly everyone disarming or 'disarming' needs to go away.
You actively have several groups in the Inner Sphere still hellbent on conquering everything, along with pirates. Disarming is fucking dumb.
The Fortress time with the somehow interdiction of JumpDrives? That should probably go away too.
But it being held together by strong Devlin Stone and collapsing as Clan Wolf invades to become the ilClan (though nobody should give a fuck) just as Devlin Stone starts slipping (due to advanced age), I think is the tweak I'd make.
Things I'd like to see happen in the ilClan era: Find Centrellas who are pissed at the Liao's basically usurping the Magistracy, another Arano restoration (The Cormorant Rises Like a Phoenix!) because I actually like that faction and that section of space could use a wedge, several new Periphery states to form and actually stick around for a while and be meaningful on the outskirts of old Lyran and Drac territory, and I want to see the FedSuns make serious (but not too serious) gains.
Also, I think a smooth-ish re-establishment of the FWL should happen so the Purple Eagle can actually be relevant for an Era instead of dealing with Civil War O'clock.
If I was going to do a video game I think the Chaos March is where I'd do it. So that could be Civil War or a significant chunk of the Jihad.
The HPGs ceasing to work, in general, because of something the Wobbies/something left over from ComStar causing a Dark Age is fine. But that should result in a large amount of civil uprisings. Civil War o'clock for the entire Inner Sphere, not just Marik. Everyone, even the Clans who were using old ComStar infrastructure.
And then the Dark Age should be focused on rebuilding HPG infrastructure and re-conquering and re-structuring the various Great Houses, and Clans. This is also the time that several abjured Clan empires form after the Wars of Reaving and the Society trying to become top caste. As the Dark Age resolves, these Empires/Khantes should start trading/skirmishing with Inner Sphere factions. I'd love it if one or two of these factions took the very long route to the far side to interact with whatever comes out of Canopus or the Concordat.
The Republic of the Sphere? Maybe salvageable? But not the way they did it. A new Terran empire forging itself out of the worlds all broken away because of the Dark Age is very plausible. Large chunks of everything else is fucking dumb. And certainly everyone disarming or 'disarming' needs to go away.
You actively have several groups in the Inner Sphere still hellbent on conquering everything, along with pirates. Disarming is fucking dumb.
The Fortress time with the somehow interdiction of JumpDrives? That should probably go away too.
But it being held together by strong Devlin Stone and collapsing as Clan Wolf invades to become the ilClan (though nobody should give a fuck) just as Devlin Stone starts slipping (due to advanced age), I think is the tweak I'd make.
Things I'd like to see happen in the ilClan era: Find Centrellas who are pissed at the Liao's basically usurping the Magistracy, another Arano restoration (The Cormorant Rises Like a Phoenix!) because I actually like that faction and that section of space could use a wedge, several new Periphery states to form and actually stick around for a while and be meaningful on the outskirts of old Lyran and Drac territory, and I want to see the FedSuns make serious (but not too serious) gains.
Also, I think a smooth-ish re-establishment of the FWL should happen so the Purple Eagle can actually be relevant for an Era instead of dealing with Civil War O'clock.
Ridiculously Average Guy
Active member
I figure HPGs go down because of WoB, they try the Jihad game. Across the sphere interstellar communication is down, so you have a lot of civil wars on both micro and macroscale popping off. FedCom breakdown happens here.
The RotS is the result of broken off/isolated chunks around Terra pulling together. First to take down WoB, etc.
The RotS is the result of broken off/isolated chunks around Terra pulling together. First to take down WoB, etc.
Sort of an Alexander the Great/Ghengis Khan vibe? Held together around the single shining vision/charisma of one dude, but no staying power. Probably seen as Ian Cameron come again or something, with the various bits of the Republic of the Sphere being the Star League in miniature.
Them and the Taurians, probably (or them, Arano, and Taurians), since Introtech spotlit FedSuns and Lyrans, Post spotlights CapCon and DracCom, but we're getting more play out of the Marian Hegemony than Eagles and Bulls
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Vatnik
Following the success of Marauder battlearmor, Urbie battlearmor entered testing
