Marian Hegemony Question! How Roman is too Roman?

[BlakesBestBoi]

  So I'm working on a fanfic focusing on a member of the Word of Blake's Manei Domini, eventually he's going to head into the Marian Hegemony and come into conflict with a Principes I want to be a recurring character. I'm wondering, how Roman should I make him? 

  I'm thinking of having him be Principes Lucius Gallus of the 1st Legio, a skilled and feared Marian commander who is known to be an uncompromising, brutal strategist and a highly skilled MechWarrior. He once piloted a Hatchetman, but now pilots a Buccaneer 'Mech he salvaged after a battle with the Word of Blake and named Mors Fidei. He was born on the world Pompey and grew up around his retired Centurion father who drilled into him from a young age an unwavering sense of loyalty to the Hegemony and the Caesar.

  Part of me wants him to be a full on hardcore Roman lunatic who practices things like decimation in order to "improve" the morale of his men and views himself as superior to anyone born in another state, Periphery or otherwise, as he is "Marian born" and stuff like that. I like my Marians to be insane over-the-top, ludicrous badasses but I'd like to hear your opinion on how much Roman this Principes should have pumping through his veins.

[Sartris]

the MH is literally a massive accidental fortune + roman cosplay = nation state so i'd lean into it

[BlakesBestBoi]

That seems fair. To me, the more Rome in the Marian Hegemony, the better lol so I kinda agree with the idea of leaning into it.

[Arkansas Warrior]

Might want to rig your decimation lottery so as not to kill the children of any patricians etc.  Being hardcore is one thing, but practical realities are still a thing.

[Jeyar123]

So long as they don't try to calculate jump point using Roman numerals...

[truetanker]

So long as they don't try to calculate jump point using Roman numerals...

My Lord Principes, this pleb is in need of some of your "educational" tutorage...

Miles Pi Paxton
Loyal Pleb of the Hegemony

[idea weenie]

  Part of me wants him to be a full on hardcore Roman lunatic who practices things like decimation in order to "improve" the morale of his men and views himself as superior to anyone born in another state, Periphery or otherwise, as he is "Marian born" and stuff like that. I like my Marians to be insane over-the-top, ludicrous badasses but I'd like to hear your opinion on how much Roman this Principes should have pumping through his veins.

Just be careful with the decimation, if his troops figure they are more likely to live if he dies, then the decimator will be removed instead.

Perhaps the 'decimation' is merely floggings for when the unit has really screwed up?  And not just the ordinary infantry are flogged, but also higher ranks as well.

Or decimation in terms of supplies, where if the force screws up then he puts the remaining force and reinforcements into the field for a rough series of training, until 1/10 of his annual training budget is used up.  So his troops want to do a good job and enjoy the city life when they get back, but if they screw up badly they are in for a week of mud, rain, insomnia, military rations, and constant make-work.  This can lead to the lower officers trying to hide some problems so they can relax in the city instead of going on field exercises.  This hiding small problems can either cause the problems to be fixed, or the small problems become big problems on another raid.

[truetanker]

Totally agree Idea weenie...

May I suggest the Necromonger way?

Great quotes...

TT

[rebs]

the MH is literally a massive accidental fortune + roman cosplay = nation state so i'd lean into it

Don't forget that the accidental fortune + Roman cosplay is used to cover up glorified space pirates who are trying to appear legitimate after getting a boost from the most insane faction to ever exist Sphere-wide. 

[rufusexc]

Just be careful with the decimation, if his troops figure they are more likely to live if he dies, then the decimator will be removed instead.

Perhaps the 'decimation' is merely floggings for when the unit has really screwed up?  And not just the ordinary infantry are flogged, but also higher ranks as well.

Or decimation in terms of supplies, where if the force screws up then he puts the remaining force and reinforcements into the field for a rough series of training, until 1/10 of his annual training budget is used up.  So his troops want to do a good job and enjoy the city life when they get back, but if they screw up badly they are in for a week of mud, rain, insomnia, military rations, and constant make-work.  This can lead to the lower officers trying to hide some problems so they can relax in the city instead of going on field exercises.  This hiding small problems can either cause the problems to be fixed, or the small problems become big problems on another raid.

What? Decimation was a punishment for those units that had committed mutiny or acts of cowardice. It did not involve flogging but stoning or beating, i.e. the death of one soldier out of every ten. It was an extreme punishment rarely carried out.

[Baldur Mekorig]

Don't forget that the accidental fortune + Roman cosplay is used to cover up glorified space pirates who are trying to appear legitimate after getting a boost from the most insane faction to ever exist Sphere-wide. 

You could say that, up until Julius, i mean, using state sponsored pirates. After that, if we see mentions of raiding, its the Legios. And lets be honest, every faction in BT have done raiding, either to wreck the enemy stuff, or to steal the enemy stuff, and in some cases, to steal the actual enemy. I think almost no faction have the moral standing to look down the marians.