Author Topic: Taurian Concordat question(s)  (Read 14683 times)

greywolf79

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Taurian Concordat question(s)
« on: 27 March 2016, 23:11:08 »
Can someone give a true comparison of the Taurian Concordat versus the normal 5 Successor States (specific era would be somewhere between 3000-3075)? I know the leaders are crazy with paranoia (founded or not) but is the average mechwarrior? What about feelings towards non-Federated Suns states? Likelihood of a mechwarrior leaving to be a mercenary for the Federated Suns (at least for a contract)? Just trying to get a feel for this faction.
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #1 on: 27 March 2016, 23:57:24 »
Taurians as a general rule aren't so much paranoid as quick to anger, amazingly good at holding grudges on a cultural level, and unbelievably stubborn. If you give them a clear and present enemy (the Star League during the Reunification War, what they thought the Davions were during the Jihad) , the people will fall in line and go nuts. It also doesn't necessarily take a lot to convince them that that enemy exists, and their stubbornness means they have trouble admitting it when they were wrong.

Absent the clear enemy, the radicalism fades. We saw this with Thomas Calderon, who gradually lost the support of his people because he couldn't adequately demonstrate that the Federated Suns was the threat he claimed. He was deposed and replaced with his son, whose efforts to soften relations with the Feds met with general approval. We saw it again with the secession of the Calderon Protectorate, and again with the Concordat's long fall following the Jihad. The concordat is so small right now because its own worlds up and left rather than submit to the paranoid delusions of its leadership, and the current government that's taken power is picking up the pieces by moving away from those policies.

That's not to say that the Taurians like the Federated Suns. Or that there aren't subsects of their population that are full blown batshit over the whole thing, but as a general rule, as long as the two sides are at peace, the average Taurian doesn't worry too much about it. They'll even do business with the Federated Suns, up to and including buying weapons from them (not to mention, House Davion was happy to adopt elements of the Taurian education system to improve the situation in the outback).

I would say that there's enough room where you could play it any way you wanted. The Taurian mechwarrior could be rabidly opposed to working for the Feds, or he could be perfectly happy to as long as they didn't send him to fight his own people. For bonus points, I recommend one who'll work for the Federated Suns, but who's kinda a dick about it. As an example, a character I wrote in a similar situation was fond at making jokes about Davion illiteracy.
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Bergie

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #2 on: 28 March 2016, 00:05:12 »
1) The differences between the Taurian Concordat and the five Successor States is as different than any of the Successor States from each other.  Basically, they maintain primarily Western European cultural heritage, with a focus towards France in some of its trappings.  However, its government is not the same by any stretch and is a unique beast entirely. If anything, I'd view them as basically being the stubborn guy who lives on the fringes of society in a cabin, who has more libertarian views about everyone doing their own thing as long as they don't mess with him, and he is willing to shoot anyone who wishes to take what he thinks is his away from him.

2) Their leaders during this period of time were not exactly the one-dimensional paranoids that people joke about or think.  Thomas Calderon grew up in a Taurian Concordat that was proudly independent of the Successor States, but extremely distrustful of them.  Nothing in Taurian History, from first contact with the Federated Suns and Capellans, to the Succession Wars have proven that any of the Inner Sphere nations was worthy of their attention.  When invited to join the Star League, they refused to give up their independence and kowtow to Terra.  Over time, Thomas became more and more mentally unhinged as he watched all but one of his children die or be turned into invalids.  Eventually, the Capellans and the Word of Blake were able to play the institutional hatred of the Federated Suns (who has caused more harm to the Concordat than any other nation, short of the now-dead Star League) into a blind rage as they pulled a Hilter-esque propaganda campaign.

To the concept of the average Mechwarrior being crazy, no more than any other nation.  Some regiments (like the Pleiades Hussars) would fall into the 'crazy' side as they have almost deified their lost homeworlds in the Pleiades Cluster which had been ruled by the Federated Suns since they were conquered centuries before.  They preached hatred to the occupiers.  On the flipside, your average Taurian Lancer probably cares more about fighting pirates than any greater politics.

3) The Taurians view all other nations as outsiders, but the further they are from the Inner Sphere, and the less-aligned they are with the Federated Suns specifically, the warmer their relations are.  They maintain longstanding ties to the Magistracy of Canopus (with one war tarnishing it) and the Outworlds Alliance.  Unlike the Magistracy, they had cordial relations with the Marian Hegemony as well, and eventually warmed to the Word of Blake because they were offering apparently string-free gifts and infrastructure upgrades (and other things, too).  They even eventually warmed to the Confederation, of which they have a long and checkered history.

Basically:  They are not Taurians, so we don't entirely trust them, but those who are less likely to abuse us get a warmer welcome.

4) Your average Taurian probably wouldn't bat an eye to being a Mercenary, and wouldn't mind working with any of the Successor States.  A few would have prejudices against one of the Confederation and (especially) the Suns, but no more than a Capellan would have in a mercenary group fighting for the Free Worlds League.  It is all a matter of personal experience, and the Taurians value personal freedom above most, so as long as the Successor State employer didn't abuse them or get too 'into their business' they'd probably fight all the same.  Mercenaries don't go into the mercenary trade because they are patriots, else they'd have joined their own militaries.
« Last Edit: 28 March 2016, 00:07:23 by Bergie »
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greywolf79

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #3 on: 28 March 2016, 20:56:34 »
What about selling military equipment to the successor states - especially the Federated Suns? I am meaning Dropships, Jumpships, Aerospace Fighters and Mechs, etc. Would that be something they would do or would they refuse to sell to anyone other than the Taurian Concordat?
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #4 on: 28 March 2016, 21:12:06 »
Can someone give a true comparison of the Taurian Concordat versus the normal 5 Successor States (specific era would be somewhere between 3000-3075)? I know the leaders are crazy with paranoia (founded or not) but is the average mechwarrior? What about feelings towards non-Federated Suns states? Likelihood of a mechwarrior leaving to be a mercenary for the Federated Suns (at least for a contract)? Just trying to get a feel for this faction.

Hmm.  A comparison; well educated, fiercely independent.  IIRC, they are fairly disdainful of the whole IS, but willingly sell military production to mercenaries (NOT the FS or F-C, given the tension between them).  Can't remember how much of their production (Mech or Aerospace) went to the other Houses, sorry. 
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #5 on: 28 March 2016, 21:30:34 »
What about selling military equipment to the successor states - especially the Federated Suns? I am meaning Dropships, Jumpships, Aerospace Fighters and Mechs, etc. Would that be something they would do or would they refuse to sell to anyone other than the Taurian Concordat?

They don't produce Jumpships, and they're historically weak in other aerospace, so they probably don't have much to sell.

For most of the time period you mentioned, it's probably a violation of Taurian law to sell military equipment to the Federated suns (the softening of relations under Jeffrey Calderon was less than a decade long). However, since Taurians are fiercely independent and have a history of defying everybody (including their own government), smuggling or selling to intermediaries who then sold to the Federated Suns isn't out of the question. It's more a question of whether the Feds are buying, really. 
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

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lrose

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #6 on: 28 March 2016, 21:31:19 »
The sidebar on p. 12 of Periphery 2nd Edition makes it pretty clear that at least some of the TDF rank and file did not share Thomas' paranoia and hatred of the Davions.  That's not to say they loved them, but they would rather face the real threat of pirates that the imaginary threat of the FS.

As for equipment sales- per TR30358 the Plainsmen was sold to the the FS prior to the war of 3039.  (and to other houses- it is mentioned being in use by the LA, FWL and DC.)

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #7 on: 28 March 2016, 21:34:17 »
As for equipment sales- per TR30358 the Plainsmen was sold to the the FS prior to the war of 3039.  (and to other houses- it is mentioned being in use by the LA, FWL and DC.)

Forgot all about that!
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greywolf79

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #8 on: 30 March 2016, 16:53:46 »
So in 3000-3025 era, their equipment was sold to basically anyone who paid. And the citizens were ok (not pro but not hateful towards) with the Federated Suns.

So a mechwarrior or a few from the Taurian Concordat in a mercenary unit that fights for the Federated Suns against another house (not against the TC) would be acceptable in your opinions?
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Bergie

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #9 on: 30 March 2016, 17:47:12 »
I think this is a fair statement all around.
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #10 on: 30 March 2016, 22:22:23 »
Yeah, I think so - with the caveat that the occasional Taurian citizen or soldier might be very anti-Suns.

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #11 on: 31 March 2016, 04:56:01 »
I'd beg to differ there. The average Taurian seemed to definitely have a hate-on for the Federated Suns.

Quoting Periphery, 1st Ed. pg 72

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"Few in the Concordat are willing to forget or forgive the Federated Suns' role in the Reunification war, and fewer still are willing to concede that peace is posible between the two states is possible"

The wording seems to suggest thast it's a majority opinion, and that the average Taurian has a strong anti-Federated Suns bias.
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #12 on: 31 March 2016, 12:11:56 »
There was also a large portion of the TC population that supported the Farseekers.  But I think most TC citizens had a concern that their nation would be little more than a speed bump to the FS/FC such that they felt that the FS/FC might try and take them over to get their planet count up and their industrial centers for the FS's  MIC.

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #13 on: 31 March 2016, 15:53:12 »
The wording seems to suggest thast it's a majority opinion, and that the average Taurian has a strong anti-Federated Suns bias.

"More than a few Taurian businessmen had particular cause to regret Edward's passing, which deprived them of the chance to open trade relations with the Federated Commonwealth." Periphery 2nd Edition page 12

The question isn't whether the Taurians hate the Federated Suns. That's indisputable. The question is what form that hatred takes. Absent a clear threat, that hatred doesn't appear sufficient for the average Taurian to refuse to take the Feds Money.

I maintain that a typical Taurian mercenary would probably treat a Fed employer like any worker would treat a contemptible boss. He doesn't like him, but hey, a job's a job.
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Korzon77

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #14 on: 26 May 2016, 05:08:01 »
Also note that that the Taurians undergo a massive tonal shift in later products.   It is, IMO, not a very good tonal shift either, going from suspicious of  the Federated Suns to lunatics that are neck in neck with the Regulans for "do not have good impulse control."

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #15 on: 26 May 2016, 05:13:21 »
Also note that that the Taurians undergo a massive tonal shift in later products.   It is, IMO, not a very good tonal shift either, going from suspicious of  the Federated Suns to lunatics that are neck in neck with the Regulans for "do not have good impulse control."

Do they, though? The rise of the anti-federated suns government was followed by the rise of resistance to that government. Ultimately, the radical policies of the post Jeffery Protectors played so badly that the majority of the Concordat didn't just reject them, they rejected the Concordat itself. 
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

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Korzon77

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #16 on: 26 May 2016, 05:49:29 »
But I think that's part of the problem-- before that period, one thing the TC was sold as was a government that was in truth fairly responsive to the will of its people.  For there to be such a sudden tonal shift, to go on for such a long time, was jarring and not well done. My personal opinion, is that for whatever reason, the TC was required to carry the idiot ball by the developers.  You'll note that the two biggest successes in the periphery states (for some values of successful) are A. a state that is now more or less becoming part of the inner sphere, not the periphery, B. a state that has become part of the clans.

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #17 on: 26 May 2016, 06:06:01 »
"Before that period" being the five odd years between the end of Thomas Calderon's reign of lunacy and the beginning of Grover Shraplen's?

Look, I like the Concordat, they are my people, to the degree that any fictional faction in a fictional universe can be my people. They are a literate, sophisticated, cultural beacon in the comparative wasteland of the near periphery and Davion outback. But your glasses may be a bit rose colored.

Their history has always been tragic, sometimes because of the actions of outsiders, but just as often due to their own choices. A fan of the concordat should own that, embrace it. Because the alternative is sitting around and being literate at people while everybody else plays the game.
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Korzon77

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #18 on: 26 May 2016, 06:41:37 »
"Before that period" being the five odd years between the end of Thomas Calderon's reign of lunacy and the beginning of Grover Shraplen's?


Actually, before that period being pretty much from the end of the Star League, until 3025-- during which period the Concordat had fought one (count it, one) war with the Magistracy, and had by and large stood on the defensive against the Inner Sphere powers.  We know from the various source material that the biggest threat to the post star-league TC was internal, during the reign of Ignatius Calderon.  So we have a largely defensive organization, suddenly start to shift,  most especially at Grover Shraplen's era-- and there's literally no precedent for it, at all, even as far back as the reunification war.  Given the canon history of the Concordat, their most likely  action is to emulate the noble porcupine-- in fact that's what Thomas was doing, as the complaints of his soldiers were that they were being deployed on a fixed defensive scheme to stand off against the anticipated invasion, not counter invade themselves.
But suddenly, with one warship, they decide they can attack one of the largest powers in human space and win? that's not just out of character, that's the kind of lunacy that makes Romano Liao and Jinjiro Kurita look like Augustus Caeser and Bismark respectively. And then to add to it, *nuking* the worlds they are supposedly liberating to save their oppressed brethren?

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #19 on: 26 May 2016, 07:32:33 »
Bearing in mind that this is the same Taurian Concordat that refused to sign the Ares Conventions because they felt that to do such would rob them of the ability to defend themselves.

The actions of the TC during the Jihad have been discussed to death. And they inevitably lead to flamewars and thread lockings. What they did makes sense with regards to the context of their history, their beliefs, their past actions and, most importantly, their honest belief that the FedSuns had just committed a horrific atrocity against them that had killed millions of their own people and destroyed their capitol city.

More to the point, this thread had been idle for two months. Why resurrect it for the sake of further beating a dead horse?
« Last Edit: 26 May 2016, 07:39:26 by Deadborder »
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #20 on: 26 May 2016, 08:39:37 »
Nations, especially those with power changes, shift in their aims and views often.  Look at how 117 years ago the American view shifted from military isolation to pro-war in the Spanish American War, leading the USA into getting into the colony business.  They then shifted again to isolation until 1917.

For most of its history post-Star League, the Taurian Concordat was rebuilding after decades of exploitation and war.  They fought with the Magistracy (badly) to reclaim some of their former worlds and expand at the expense of their 'weak' neighbour, and when that didn't really go anywhere there was likely an inevitable backlash about 'foreign entanglements'. In terms of what cause the 'sudden modern shift', the Taurians starting with Jeffery have been pulled into the greater Inner Sphere stage again by the Magistracy, Capellans, and Word of Blake.  They no longer can focus inward because politics have brought them out, and considering how anti-FedSuns two of their three 'allies' were at the time, that would also colour their own views. 

As a Taurian fan I would love to see them be awesome and reclaim their worlds and continue to be a 'good guy' faction, but sometimes extremist governments raise up and lead nations to ruin.  Look at our own history and how many extremist governments come up after some kind of political shakeup, from Hitler's Germany to Robespierre's France.  These things happen, and they happen to even the best nations/people. 
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #21 on: 26 May 2016, 18:19:56 »

During the Jihad we know that the Taurians were being aided by the Word of Blake. To what degree the leadership was manipulated by Blakists will never be known but the Taurians were certainly egged on by the WoB. The TCS Vendetta is one known example. IIRC the WoB was quick to blame the FedSuns for bombarding Taurus. It wouldn't surprise me if they provided encouraging intel to the Taurians that made a renewed war look like a better bet than it really was.

Related to the above, the Jihad years were chaotic, with the HPG grid going down (which always favours an attacker), the majority of the AFFS engaged on other fronts and New Syrtis' forces having been battered by the CCAF. If the Taurians were ever to attack, on paper this looked like the best time for them. If I were a Blakist diplomat then that's the case I'd have made to the Taurians.



Quote
Nations, especially those with power changes, shift in their aims and views often.

Well said. Nations aren't simply a collection of static traits.

It's interesting that as of the latest published Dark Age lore, the Taurians have apparently allowed AFFS jumpships to pass through border systems unmolested in their ongoing war with the Capellans. Might be we're seeing the tide going out again.

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #22 on: 28 May 2016, 08:10:12 »
Or maybe they want to get back at Liao for being hung out to dry.

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #23 on: 30 May 2016, 10:52:57 »
What the Taurians were written as doing in the Jihad does NOT make sense based on how they were written by FASA.


As for their recent actions of sitting back and watching the Capellan/Davion conflict, that makes a lot of sense.  Going back to the very first time they got involved in a conflict between Capellan and Davion forces, it has always been better for the Taurians to allow the Houses to beat up on each other rather than seek involvement themselves.

The above noted porcupine method has always been much more effective for them.  They were a defensive alliance when they were created and have always worked better as a defensive alliance then as an offensive alliance.  Both in style and in results.

The one notable difference I can think of is in the Empires Aflame timeline where the Magistracy and the Taurian alliance appears to have done well on the offensive, retaking all of their lost territory and then some with Terran Supremacy aid.  Though should there ever be any future expansions of that, I'm betting that the taking of New Syrtis is a "high water mark" for that particular alliance...just as the taking of New Avalon should be a high water mark for the Kuritans.  Basically, the Liao-Davions HAVE to retake those two systems if they are to consolidate their holdings and prove themselves as a lasting alliance rather than one destined for the ash-heap of history.  And both the Kuritans and Taurians will not enjoy the experience I think...
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #24 on: 30 May 2016, 16:53:34 »
What the Taurians were written as doing in the Jihad does NOT make sense based on how they were written by FASA.


It does. This has been covered. See my earlier comments about dead horses
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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #25 on: 31 May 2016, 17:29:50 »
What the Taurians were written as doing in the Jihad does NOT make sense based on how they were written by FASA.

I disagree, not with the statement that what FASA said and what CGL said aren't the same, but that it in any way matters.  Nations change.  Politics change.  Ideologies change.  Motivations change.  In World War I Romania sided with Russia (their historic ally against the Ottomans)/France/Great Britain against the Central Powers, but in World War II they sided with Germany AGAINST their former allies as they had a rather sudden poltical change towards Fascism.  This was a MAJOR change from their past 100 years of history, but it didn't change the fact that it happened. 

The Taurians are like this.  The Taurians have a history of being isolationist, then suddenly not being, and then moving inward again.  They were isolationist before they were 'discovered', then they were involved in the Age of War in things like Ariana's War, and then with the rise of the Star League they pulled away from the Inner Sphere.  During the League they had one Protector who was actively involved in League Politics, but overall they were in no position of power to stop their systematic raping by the Inner Sphere powers.  Following the fall of the League, the Taurians were in no real shape to particpate until the Magistracy War when they had a single Protector (change of politics) who thought he'd play conqueror.  This failed, and they pulled inward again.  This continued until the era of Jeffrey Caulderon, who began looking outward again.  While his politics didn't lead them there, it once again got the Taurians thinking about the wider world, and gave an opening for the more fundementalist/militant faction under Sharplin to take power when Jeff died (with whatever else happened to push these events being ultimately irrelevant to the fact that they happened).  Sharplin inherited a more open-minded Concordat, and while Jeff was looking more peaceful, Sharplin latched onto the Capellans who preyed on his anti-Davion mindset.  He then led his faction to an increasing level of involvement in IS politics until ultimately the Jihad happened.

It does not require everyone in a nation to be on the same page as the person in power to have a faction move against their historical interests.  When it happens, it rarely 'makes sense'.  It is a matter of force of personality, strong arm tactics, propaganda, threats (real or perceived), and other such tactics where nations change suddenly.  There are usually forces working in the background before this, and there surely were in the Concordat (like there were in Romania in the above example), but because we don't get THAT much information on the Concordat, we only have limited in-text explanations of why this happened. 

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As for their recent actions of sitting back and watching the Capellan/Davion conflict, that makes a lot of sense.  Going back to the very first time they got involved in a conflict between Capellan and Davion forces, it has always been better for the Taurians to allow the Houses to beat up on each other rather than seek involvement themselves.

Again, a change in politics and physical reality leads them to this policy.  After the war with the Davions, the Concordat simply could do nothing BUT sit idly by.  They couldn't even stand up to their former colonies and the Caulderon Protectorate, let alone the Great Houses!  This doesn't represent them 'going back to their roots', because an examination of the political structure of the nation at that time is VERY non-Taurian (Military Junta).  Remember: Correlation is not Causation, and for the Taurians looking inward is often due to their own weakness rather than some 'truly Taurian' mentality of peacefulness or isolationism.

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The above noted porcupine method has always been much more effective for them.  They were a defensive alliance when they were created and have always worked better as a defensive alliance then as an offensive alliance.  Both in style and in results.

It has never worked for them.  The Taurian Concordat has never been WORTH conquering since the Reunification War, and even then the only real reason to do it was 1) because they had a decently large navy and army, and COULD be a threat to the League, and 2) Because House Cameron had a vision of uniting humanity.  There has never been a war where the Concordat was on the defensive that they didn't lose (The first Capellan Concordat War lost them territory, the Reunification War shattered them, the war with the Davions similiarly shattered them).  The Taurians have followed more of the "Mouse" Strategy in that they have attempted to stay below the radar and not paint a target on themselves.
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Taurianspy

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #26 on: 18 August 2016, 11:44:28 »
Hello all, it's been a while since I have been on the boards, and many of you old coots know what is coming.  Get your reading glasses on, cause long posts are to follow.  Prep your canon for argument, cause your opinion is one thing, but it doesn't count for anything unless you have canon to validate premise for your argument.

I will get the simpler questions of the original post out of the way.  The first question is a very broad question asking for comparison to the Successor States.  TC faction information is my specialty, and for comparison, my knowledge of the Inner Sphere is only in context of how it affects the TC, not in understanding the politics, social, and economical motivations of the Inner Sphere.  Due to the nature of the canon resources available to cover the TC, and the periphery in general, many subjects are left un-canonized and under-developed.

With that in mind, my opinions and views are and will always be controversial.  I do not intentionally contradict canon, but the real world economics do not provide for proper thought and fact checking by the writers when it comes to developing periphery canon (EX:  Some yahoo moved the primary military leader of the TC to the MoC, and a whole back story was created to validate it afterwards).  I, on the other hand do not have economic restraints on my development, no limits on word count; only the limitation of available time and resource.  Bergie, Medron Pryde and Liam's Ghost can attest to the level of development, documentation and thought process that I bring forth.  While we do not always agree in point or position, our debates have sparked many items of canon that are now in print.

With all that said, grab a whoopie cushion, a salt shaker to take my opinion with a grain of salt, a fresh case of Mountain Dew and let's get thinking about it.  I will be back after lunch to reply and rebuttal this whole post. 
"Bosephus" and "Stumprunner" was not just a man and his mech.  They were a style of play that left everyone thinking about the impact of piloting skill on the game.  Unconscious pilots and prone mechs are easy targets even for poor marksman.

Maelwys

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #27 on: 18 August 2016, 13:58:47 »
Well, that's a pretty broad question. And for what era?

Taurianspy

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #28 on: 18 August 2016, 18:47:12 »
TC Mechwarriors in general have several traits that are different than their Inner Sphere counterparts.  First and foremost, military or civil service is mandatory in reparations for free education.  While mandatory, TC military vetting ensures individual MechWarriors motivation is obligation, not by mandate.  In essence, TC MechWarriors become MechWarriors because they feel a perceived need to defend their TC culture and traditions.

Second, TC Mechwarriors are not dominated by the elite social classes because social class is not hereditary.  While it is true that the financially wealthy would have increased access to advance training, the limited urban development of many of the TC holding provides a steady flow of 'common working' individuals with specialized skills and experience adaptive to MechWarrior skills.  Skills like driving industrial mechs and farming equipment produces excellent battlemech pilots.  In my games, this is reflective of equal or even better piloting skills than that of gunnery skills.

The answer in my opinion is that TC born mercenary MechWarriors would be limited as most trained pilots are completing an obligation to repay their debt for their free schooling.  Those that wish to continue in the seat of a battlemech have many opportunities to do so in the militias, loyal forces, corporate forces, or the present mercenary commands already in TC territory.  The one exception that I have used is a TC sponsored special forces unit that resolved issues like piracy based in other territories, corporate retribution strikes and industrial espionage.  The second viable option would be a disgruntle TC unit, but a group that has its identity shattered in a manner that causes them to walk away from their fundamental being could not be trusted by anyone; piracy would be their only option.

Ultimately, there is a reason why you do not know of any Taurian mercenaries units. 
"Bosephus" and "Stumprunner" was not just a man and his mech.  They were a style of play that left everyone thinking about the impact of piloting skill on the game.  Unconscious pilots and prone mechs are easy targets even for poor marksman.

Taurianspy

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #29 on: 22 August 2016, 23:01:40 »
Taurians are difficult to negotiate with, defiant when situations don't go their way and quick to anger?


Why does one sleeping dog bite you when it is kicked and another sleeping dog does not?  Because the former dog has been taught to respond defensively while the latter dog is secure in its position.  If the first dog did not feel it had to defend itself, it would not have bitten you. Don't continually kick a sleeping dog and then get mad at it when it bites you.

If one party leverages military advantage to manipulate negotiations for a one sided agreement, the second party has little option but to discontinue negotiation because there is no value to the second party in the negotiation.  Hence, the Taurians are difficult to deal with and quick to anger because they walk away from negotiations?

If both parties are of similar strength, the first party has incentive to obtain what it wants by negotiation because in the process of taking something by force, the second party can mitigate the value of gain with the value of loss.  In the case of Inner Sphere House negotiations, one House does not possess the overwhelming military force that would make military resolution more efficient than negotiation.  The Inner Sphere Houses and the Periphery powers are not of relatively equal strength, therefore House military action can be more economical than negotiation. 

If the first party has a tendency to resolve conflict with force because they are militarily stronger than the second party, the second party has a tendency to be defiant.  Hense the Taurians are defiant and quick to anger.

If the first party has historically built a reputation to take what they want by force, entering into future negotiations by the second party is mute and the second parties response will be to not enter into negotiations in the first place.  Hence, the Taurians are difficult because they will not negotiate.

The "logical" proven response by the first party is to take what they want by force.  Now we know why the Taurians are paranoid of the Davions;  The Davions lack the ability to obtain what they want by fair and equitable exchange because they have the military capabilities to take what they want in a more efficient manner militarily, thereby validating their right to take what they want by force.

If the first party has shown a historical tendancy to attack and take what they want, the second party has nothing to loose by fighting back.  The only way the first party is going to stop attacking the second party is if the second party can cause enough damage to the first party to deem the attack more costly than the advantage gained by the attack.  The second party is going to minimize the value of the object to which the first party seeks while caising as much damage as possible to the first party.  Hence the Taurians are angry and fanatical because they destroy what they built in order to equalize the cost/reward.

Back to the dog.  Why does a non-aggressive dog get aggressive when it's master is threatened.  Because the dog is a loyal companion and protector.  They have been bred for those traits for hundreds of years.  A good dog will attack another animal much larger than itself to defend its master.  We praise and respect the dog for those traits.

The Taurians are only doing what they have been bred to do for hundreds of years.
"Bosephus" and "Stumprunner" was not just a man and his mech.  They were a style of play that left everyone thinking about the impact of piloting skill on the game.  Unconscious pilots and prone mechs are easy targets even for poor marksman.

trboturtle

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #30 on: 23 August 2016, 01:01:42 »
The simple reason is that the Concordant has always had a uneasy relationship with the Federated Suns going back six centuries. This means that it varies from wariness to out and out paranoid.

When Sharplin took the leadership role, he saw Davion spies hiding behind every tree. His sate of mind wasn't help by the Word of Blake, who were running the Concordant's HPG stations. The Concordant had always considered the Pleiades Cluster theirs, even though they hadn't controlled them for centuries.

So, Duke Hasek decides to invades the Confederation. Sharplin decides that raids against Davion would be a good idea (Whether or not the Word influenced this mindset is open to discussion). The raids happen, the Concordant troops find the Davion garrisons are gone, so they turn the raids into occupations. One of those worlds was Bromhead, where they massacred two thousand dependents of Hansen's Roughriders.

To make it short, the Roughriders stamped a few Concordant formations into paste, and the Concordant backed off. Then the Concordant capital was obliterated by asteroids, and the evidence pointed to the Davions. The Concordant launch a full-scale invasion, throwing nukes around at the slightest hint of resistance. The Davions managed to get enough forces together to halt the Concordant and face them back. A few years after the Jihad, the Davion grabbed most of the Concordant border worlds (Though the Concordant hung onto the Pleiades) and forced the Concordant to sue for peace. Now in the Dark Age, the Concordant is a military dictatorship with a weak military and paranoid in the extreme

Craig
Author of 32 Battletech short stories including "The Lance Killer," "Hikagemono," "Negotiation," "The Clawing," "Salvage," "The Promise," "Reap What You Sow," "Family Ties," "The Blood of Man," "End of Message," "Heroes' Bridge," "Kurodenkou," "Thirteen," "My Father's Sword," "Evacuation," "Operation Red Lion," "A Matter of Honor," "State of Grace," "Operation Blue Tiger," "A Warrior's Fear," "Shadow Angels," "Murphy's Method," "End of the Road," (IAMTW 2019 Scribe Award nominee!), "Tales of the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance," "Laws Are Silent," "No Tears," "Tales of the Cracked Canopy: Shadows of the Past," and "Three White Roses."
Novels -- Icons of War, Elements of Treason series, "Vengence Games." Upcoming: "In the Shadow of Dragons" and "Poisoned Honor" (WoR #1)

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Prussian Havoc

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #31 on: 14 September 2016, 09:05:56 »
By Harebrained Schemes' Aurigan Coalition Backstory Kickstarter Update, it appears that in 3025 the "Winds of War" are blowing between the Taurian Concordat and the Aurigan Coalition.

My question is: As HBS launches BATTLETECH next Summer, can we expect CGL to incorporate any resulting conflict between the Concordat and the Coalition into Canon and Lore?
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles ~ Sun Tzu

snakespinner

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Re: Taurian Concordat question(s)
« Reply #32 on: 18 September 2016, 20:47:19 »
CGL are working with Harebrained on this so it could be a strong possibility.
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