I think I got some further clarity - why does a Extreme Crusader hold different beliefs from a moderate?
The Extreme Crusader believes the Inner Sphere is a cesspit of barbarity (ironic, I know) and the only way to rebuild the Star League is to completely break the locals to their will. For this reason, Extreme Crusaders do not take bondsmen from the Inner Sphere.
The moderate Crusader recognises that the Inner Sphere has some things going for it, and are more willing to seek out middle ground and compromise to a certain extent. They're ok with taking bondsmen.
The extreme Wardens feel the Inner Sphere has many unique features and is willing to go against the rest of the Clans to defend the Inner Sphere way of life, even if they don't subscribe to it themselves. They're okay with bondsmen, even former mercs (e.g. Phelan).
The moderate Wardens? I need ideas for this.
The Warden philosophy is actually pretty much isolationist. "We want to Stay Out of It". Clans that chose NOT to compete for an invasion slot, or who still opposed the invasion vote.
but not all of those, even, because there are the Star Adders-who didn't push to join Revival, because they could count, while Ulric's wolves (Wardens) were the only ones who bothered to think "You know, it's a long trip, we should probably have a working supply line and bring enough consumables."
To me, the Warden/Crusader divide isn't what they pretend it was, it's more about who's got fatal levels of toxic optimism about the practicalities of launching an invasion with insufficient numbers of troops and no steady supply line.
IOW
Tactical thinkers that are
strategically blind.
(Great, even overwhelming in a fight-until they run out of ammo.)
teh real problem is that we never got to see any Wardens or Crusaders who could actually articulate their philosophy as a
Philosophy. The Crusaders wanted resources, the Wardens wanted them too.
This really
wasn't expressed well when it was relevant-Ulric opposed the invasion, sure, but he ran it very practically compared to his peers-almost a third grade understanding of the logistics of expeditionary warfare. ("Look! Clan Wolf recognizes they need spare parts and ammo!!")
none of the actual, by name
Crusaders actually recognized this basic fact. So how does that happen?
Clan society is full of
Duellists. That is how you make and keep rank, it's how you're measured, the more extreme Clans (Smoke Jaguar) embody this. Duellists fight arranged, limited engagements superbly. They don't handle sustained warfare real well.
and all the Crusaders in Operation Revival had that basic handicap...except Vlad, who recognized that working supply lines are a
good thing to have., and that the enemy isn't going to play your ball-game if they don't have to.
Thus, he gets the "Moderate Crusader" tag-not because of his goals, but because he's a
realist about how to achieve them (well, for a Clanner).
Same way, Ulric isn't an Extreme Warden...we didn't get to meet any who were. He was a moderate because he recognized that he had to be
practical in reaching his goals, and was pragmatic enough to handle a job he fundamentally disagreed with.
an Extremist wouldn't have done that. wouldn't have thought about supply lines, or brought occupation forces to secure gains, they wouldn't have had any focus beyond 'make the mission fail'.
because they're
extreme.
Pragmatism is a mark of Moderation. There are no practical extremists, (though a cynical pragmatic will use-and discard-extreme rhetoric if it works to their objectives.)
The moderate takes as realistic a view of conditions as their culture will allow-they'll accept conditions they do not approve of, and seek to be successful, even in tasks they personally disagree with. An Extremist personality will outright
deny reality if it clashes with their ideals...they will also adopt a 'by any means ncessary' because 'The ends justify the Means'.
a moderate understands that the means you use, decide what ends you have to deal with next. They'll bring supply columns and estimate their personnel needs not based on the most optimistic projections, but on pessimistic analysis, they plan to adapt to losses and plan to use strategies to reduce those losses, and they never assume the other guy is going to give them favorable treatment or adhere to their particular cultural hangups.
we didn't get to meet any extreme wardens, because they don't exist-the martial culture of the Clans as a whole simply doesn't allow for that to take root.
The divide isn't between 'warden' and 'Crusader', it's between 'Realist' and 'Idealist'.