Are the Circinians the Ron Swansons of Battletech?

[Alan Grant]

The question is in the subject line. Ron Swanson, an independent minded capitalist loving character from the TV series Parks and Recreation.

As a Battletech character, would he be a Circinian?

And vice versa, would you say that the Circinians have a culture and value system akin to his?

Just curious... the thought occurred to me and I found it amusing and interesting. But then I wondered if it was accurate.

[jimdigris]

I think we're comparing apples and oranges.  He'd fit in among the Lyrans, Davions, Canopians, FWL, and Taurans. 

[worktroll]

The Circinians strike me more as "If it's not nailed down take it; if it's nailed down, give it a kick" types. Not that I have a problem with that.

[Turaglas]

Ron is more Taurian or Mica Majority.

[Natasha Kerensky]

No, not at least as I wrote them for FM: Periphery.  The Circinians are a slave-owning, false-flag raiding, mafia family.  They are among the most professional of the bandit kingdom scum.

Ron Swanson may be eccentric and chauvinist, but at his core, he’s a straightforward, stand-up guy.  The Circinians are neither and usually the opposite.

[Alan Grant]

That's interesting because I got a very different vibe about them from Handbook: Major Periphery States.

It made them sound like the people living in a wild west culture (particularly in its justice system) with tacked on blood sports and gambling as the caveat to that image as the primary source of entertainment. Yeah con games and gambling aren't really a Ron Swanson thing, but the "tough-as-nails" and "you don't mess with us" independent to a fault streak fits. Alongside the rotgut alcohol and the interesting folk music.

So when I read that book they come across as extremely straight-forward, like to a bizarre "eye for an eye" extreme. A people that utterly refuse to be bullied or controlled. To the extent that the criminal underworld can get away with it, it's things like con games, rather than violence, because the locals will just respond to threats of violence with actual violence. Also the "townsfolk" are usually right and the smallish government just leaves them alone.

The image you get is a Circinian sitting on his front porch with three weapons within reach, playing a musical instrument, with a jug of rotgut liquor nearby. Trespassers get one warning shot if they are lucky.

Reading that book I don't get a mafia vibe, or a duplicitous vibe outside of what the Black Warriors do.

So I guess I'm saying there feels like a disconnect between FM: Periphery and Handbook: Major Periphery States. At least to me.

[jimdigris]

You're better off putting Ron in the Concordat.

[Sharkapult]

Alongside the rotgut alcohol
.

Single malt Scotch is not rotgut alcohol. Them's fighting words.  ;D
I've always loved the Circinians. Rogue armies, evil empires hiding in plain sight, pirates and privateers, and bloodthirsty leaders.

[Daryk]

*snip*
So I guess I'm saying there feels like a disconnect between FM: Periphery and Handbook: Major Periphery States. At least to me.

There are many disconnects in the game universe.  I chalk most of them up to unreliable narrators.

[ThePW]

There are many disconnects in the game universe.  I chalk most of them up to unreliable narrators.

Soo...... Morgan Freeman narrated some of the older Field Manuals... and Polly Shore narrated one (or two)?

[rebs]

Worse...

Comstar. 

[Natasha Kerensky]

It made them sound like the people living in a wild west culture

That’s newer canon and folks should obviously pick and choose as they want.  But I’d argue that the frontier backdrop in HB:P goes against other sources.  Various maps and timelines show that the Circinian worlds had been around since the Rim Worlds Republic.  The SLDF used state-of-the-art military training facilities to organize 17 volunteer regiments on those worlds during the Amaris crisis.  And the cover of J:FR depicts a downtown metropolis on Circinus.  They’re not New Avalon, but neither are the Circinian worlds undeveloped, frontier planets.

As written in FM:P, what frontier remained on these worlds during the Succession Wars was economically exploited through a system of indentured servitude that developed into outright slavery over time.  The model would be closer to the pre-Civil War US South than the US Wild West.

Frontier worlds would be the nearby Lothian League, where the population literally makes its bones hunting and trapping.  Lots of Ron Swansons there.
 

Reading that book I don't get a mafia vibe, or a duplicitous vibe outside of what the Black Warriors do.

The Black Warriors are state-sanctioned pirates operating under false flags to maintain the government’s deniability.  The were a model and trainers for the Shadow Divisions.  Duplicity and organized crime is arguably inherent to the state, if not the society.  Slavery is inherent to both, at least according to FM:P.  Dunno why these elements were dropped in HB:P, especially when they were important to the evolution of the Blakists in the run-up to the Jihad and especially when other realms (Lothian League, Mica Majority, etc.) have had the Wild West frontier backdrop from the get-go.

So I guess I'm saying there feels like a disconnect between FM: Periphery and Handbook: Major Periphery States. At least to me.

I think you’re absolutely right.  You just gotta decide what appeals more.  And if in conflict, newer canon trumps older.

[Colt Ward]

Ron is more Taurian or Mica Majority.

I can definitely buy the Taurians with the whole 'Leave me TF alone.'

[Colt Ward]

The image you get is a Circinian sitting on his front porch with three weapons within reach, playing a musical instrument, with a jug of rotgut liquor nearby. Trespassers get one warning shot if they are lucky.

May as well say banjo since that was the stereotype you were going for . . . but when at home, 3 weapons in reach is a good standard to hold.

[Gribbly]

I can definitely buy the Taurians with the whole 'Leave me TF alone.'

Taurians are fairly big on government services, although they completely exclude some professions from taxation. Although I guess Ron did in fact work for local government despite opposing it.

There are many disconnects in the game universe.  I chalk most of them up to unreliable narrators.

There are a few unnecessary and jarring little inconsistencies that shouldn't have made it through fact checking.

The Capellans providing medical technology to Canopus during Xin Sheng, for example. That just felt like the writer was completely unfamiliar with the Magistracy. The removal of any mention of North American and British influences in the Duchy of Oriente was another odd one.

[Gribbly]

Sorry, double post.

[Colt Ward]

The Capellans providing medical technology to Canopus during Xin Sheng, for example. That just felt like the writer was completely unfamiliar with the Magistracy.

I think this is based on some lines in Double Blind . . . but the question does come down to the Capellans having a better chance of picking up knowledge from the Helm core than the Canopians.  Specifically the only medical tech I can think of is how the Capellans were augmenting individuals with myomer for spec forces.  Plus in the late 3050s, the Capellans have also sent a few forays against the Clans which had better medical tech than the IS.

So yeah, they probably had some medical tech the Canopians did not, even if their medical tech base was superior to other periphery states.

[Gribbly]

Specifically the only medical tech I can think of is how the Capellans were augmenting individuals with myomer for spec forces. 

Canopus had some myomer options and prosthetics independently of the Capellans (not the chameleon stuff though). I thought the implants available in the Confederation were primarily due to the Thuggee Phansigars?

So yeah, they probably had some medical tech the Canopians did not, even if their medical tech base was superior to other periphery states.

You can certainly rationalise it that way, but I doubt the original writer gave it as much thought as your reply. Magistracy medical technology was superior to the majority of the Inner Sphere outside of core worlds, not just the Periphery. That's part of the subtext throughout the lore that puts the lie to anti-Periphery prejudice in the Successor States.

It feels equivalent to writing 'the Outworlds Alliance imported aerospace fighter instructors from the Draconis Combine'  ;D

[Elmoth]

Taurians are defined in some aspects as an European style welfare state. They are isolationist towards the fedsuns, but quite far from rednecks.

[Daryk]

Well, a "European style welfare state" with nukes they were willing to USE, at any rate...  >:D

[Elmoth]

One thing does not invalidate the other :P
Keep off our lawn is different from being a redneck that does not believe in government.

[Daryk]

I didn't mean to imply they were mutually exclusive, just that both characteristics in a single state is an amusing combination...  O:-)