The problem with Shraplen/Tharn is they are the excuse for the writers to dipict the Taurians as morons. Access to the old boards would show that I provided a framework for a strike against New Syrtis long ago, argueing the fact that it should have been done as far back as the 1st Successor War. I supplied supportive materials that showed in every major engagement that the Davion strikes against the Capellans always left the TC border exposed, and together the CC and the TC (even if they did not coordinate together) could have broke the Davion aggressions and made modest gains in territory. One thing I warned against was not to overextend. The first step of the TC strategy was to pin and eliminate military forces (specifically Wylie's Coyotes in 3028 and Hanson's Roughriders after 3050). Without eliminating opposing force, the TC was suceptable to counter attack. A border wide advance could not be accomplished without eliminating specific key military targets. It appears that almost every warning I included was used as a framework for writing the TC dibolicles.
I really don't think that the Taurians are depicted as morons. Overzealous, yes. Reckless, perhaps. But not stupid. They're acting completely in character.
The War of Davion Aggression, that we've been preparing for for almost half a century, finally happened. Maybe it had started even earlier, two or three decades ago. Maybe the chain of events isn't coincidental. Dedrickson's Devils, Edward's demise, Janice's illness, Doru's coup, Jeffrey's death, Fighting Urukhai incident, Roughriders rampage, Pleiades campaign, asteroid attack on Taurus. Hell, maybe
they even fed poor Ian Calderon to Thraxan devourers. Maybe Thomas Calderon was right and that's why
they deposed him. Maybe Grover Shraplen was right and that's why
they killed him. Who was wrong then? Haji Doru was wrong and now he's a butler of the Capellan Chancellor's concubine. Cham Kithrong was wrong and now he's a traitor and a puppeteer to a merc bitch and her bastard.
But enough is enough. Time to go old school, Reunification War-style. Time to bring out those nukes. Time to get some revenge. And if that means selling our souls to the
Blake Devil himself, then so be it. Bring it on.
I see the Jihad as the Taurian crowning moment of glory. They've actually managed to bring the war to their ancient foes, despite being severely outnumbered, outgunned and outclassed. Yes, they came out of the conflict battered and bruised, but they
did come out of it nevertheless, if not victorious, but not defeated either.
And from OOC perspective, I've always thought that for a
BattleTech faction, Taurians don't really get lot of actual
battles to participate in. Aside from their short involvement in the St. Ives conflict, they haven't seen combat for a few centuries since their little clash with the Magistracy. Even the Canopians tried to invade the Great House at some point. All the Taurians had ever done was being paranoid about Davion threat, which is not much of a feat. Now, they can have all the action they want, fighting other Taurians, Davions, Capellans, Canopians, pirates and God knows whom else.
A real world example played out last night in the Super Bowl that can characterize limited offense to support defense. [...]
Man, one of these days I will have to learn to understand all those American football references :)