2d4chan - User contributions [en]

War

2023-06-16T18:33:34Z

2607:FB91:1135:82BE:30AC:6D63:3F9D:9F49: /* /tg/ relevance */

{{topquote|War, what is it good for?|Edwin Starr}}
{{topquote|Everything!|[[Team Fortress 2|Soldier]], replying to the upper question.}}

War, for some the be-all-end-all of civilizations, the harbinger of death to others. For thousands of years, perhaps even millions, us humans have gone to war for as long as we've been able to create weapons. Whether it be over matters of ideology, natural resources, or territory, men have fought for millennia on end for the betterment of mankind as a whole... or for their own interest.

War has been part of human society for a very long time. So long in fact that we can hardly even pinpoint when did the fashion of [[Orks|bashing someone else with a big pointy stick]] even started originally. Some even theorized that the practice of warfare is not something proper to humans, but perhaps to animals as well, as our cousins the apes have learned how to manipulate sticks and machetes. Meanwhile, ant colonies have waged a global war since time immemorial. In any case, wars have been omnipresent for a long while. So much so, in fact, that we humans have draw a lot of inspirations for our stories and cultures. War is present in our books, our ancient texts, our games, our movies, our shows, and so on and so forth.

==/tg/ relevance==
{{topquote|War in its ensemble is NOT a science, but an art. Strategy, particularly, may indeed be regulated by fixed laws resembling those of the positive sciences, but this is not true of war viewed as a whole.|[[Fulgrim|Antoine-Henri Jomini]] in his military treatise, Précis de l’Art de la Guerre (Summary of the Art of War)}}

[[Warhammer 40k|Are]] [[Warmahordes|you]] [[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game|seriously]] [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle|asking]] [[Horus Heresy|that]] [[BattleTech|question]] [[Bolt Action|here]] [[Flames of War|of]] [[Team Yankee|all]] [[Beyond the Gates of Antares|places?]]

Barring any horror, mystery, civilization-building, RPG, and puzzle tabletop games, you’re more likely than not to find a tabletop game focused on war. Hell, the earliest version of modern tabletop [[wargaming]] came from military war games using set miniatures pieces and military unit markers for strategists to sharpen their tactics with wargaming skills. Even their board game relatives of checkers, shogi, chess, and go all have military strategy overtones associated with them. And ironically it’s still a practice that continues to this day despite the proliferation of [[Video games|software simulations]] and [[LARP|live fire]] [[RPG|training exercises]]. Both with hypothetical scenario exercises for governments and think-tanks to ponder before updating their foreign policy and tactical doctrine or for private service members finding some peace and quiet from painting miniatures before marching them to war.

==War in practice==

{{topquote|Men, steel, money, and bread, are the sinews of war; but of these four, the first two are more necessary, for men and steel find money and bread, but money and bread do not find men and steel.|[[Perturabo|Niccolo Machiavelli]] in his military treatise, Dell'arte della Guerra (The Art of War)}}

{{topquote|All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.|[[Alpharius|Sun Tzu]] in his military treatise, 孫子兵法 (The Art of War)}}

Warfare. A profession for many, an art to some. Wars can be waged by just about anyone, but they cannot be won by everyone. At the end of the day, as long as there's still conflict to be settled, [[Team Fortress 2#Sniper|someone is gonna want someone else dead]]. To maximize the chances of winning, plenty have elaborated plans of actions to conduct war in a proper manner. Any regime that had plenty of men and who knew how to use them made some pretty drastic changes in history, plenty left their mark through sheer force of will... And lethal application of weaponry.

So, you wanna wage a war, son? Or... Well, have some tips to write a good war for your '''worldbuilding considerations?'''

First of all; you need to decide what kind of war do you want, and for what purpose. Authors don't bring up wars for the same reason, they can either serve as the primary source of conflict, a means to a greater end, or the consequences of unfortunate situations. You also need to establish the stakes; are people fighting for a greater philosophical cause and for the good of the country, or is it just a matter of natural ressources and successions?

For instance, fantasy tends to invoke that the entire world is at stakes because a dark lord, or a demon, or an order, or anything for that matter, is/are trying to change the way of things. This serves for an effective if manichean way of generating conflict. It's vague enough to have little to no political implications, prefering to rely on philosophy and morality to justify itself. This usually means that the consequences of the war could have an impact on a cosmic scale; as in, the world might literally change depending on who's the victor. This usually ties into the cosmology or the way the whole world function on a magical/literal level. For instance, in [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]], Chaos is the primary opposing force that drives the conflicts present in the Warhammer world, that is due to its destructive nature and its main emphasis on spreading corruption. While it isn't exactly the only antagonistic faction of the game, it remains one of its biggest threats.

If you wish to take a more realistic approach, consider that all wars are always about one thing; a faction can't do something because of another, so it seeks to make it right through the application of violence. Because usually wars intervene when diplomacy becomes useless. Look out for historical examples and read eye-witness accounts of battles, they are very good ressources to write your conflicts. Keep in mind that feuds where one side was clearly in the wrong and the other in the right were spectacularly rare, and that every soldier was a person, not [[Orc|a mindless mook meant to follow the orders of his superiors]]. Sure, there are examples of tyrants, religious zealots, warmongers and powerhungry buffoons who needlessly wasted lives over petty games of power. But just remember that usually those kinds of wars and conflicts are considered very lackluster in literature and games. Especially game-design. Try to find an appeal in every faction you write, so that your players have an interest in playing them.

==Why do we go to war?==

{{topquote|War is merely the continuation of policy by other means. We see, therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse carried on with other means. What remains peculiar to war is simply the peculiar nature of its means.|[[Roboute Guilliman|Carl von Clausewitz]] in his military treatise, Vom Kriege (On War)}}

{{topquote|[[Ogre#Shrek|Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.]]|Any ruler worth his crown in History.}}

<span style='color:green;font-size:115%'>BECOZ IT'Z A ZOGGIN' GUD TIME, DATZ WHY!</span>

Okay, seriously, why do we go to war? You might have heard philosophers, politicians, artists, thinkers, or even people on the street saying that war is terrible and should be avoided at all cost. Even military officials highly suggest to not apprehend conflict at all. As it seems that War brings more bad than good. But if that is so obvious, then why do people '''still to this very day''' fight to the death? It has been a very frequent subject of debates and researches. Despite the disapproval of war as a concept, it is ever omnipresent in our media and culture. Even games! How many tabletop games do you know are based around the concept of war? Isn't that enough proof that despite the odds, there is an interest in the matter of conflict?

Over the years, many explanations for war were given, but none really serve as a definitive answer.

*Natural resources have been a frequent one in the early days of civilization. The Euphrates river, for example, has been the theater of a metric ton of conflicts and battles over the water the river provided. And given how it was one of the only sources around in Ancient Mesopotamia, you better believe people were going to fight over it. With the first development of agriculture and infrastructures made to circumvent problems created by the river, the disputes lasted until the establishment of the first Akkadian civilization.
**Later down the line, natural resources kept being a main motivation for war; but instead of it being based on its literal rarity, most cases were economic matters. Say a country is doing a blockade on certain trades and another needs said trades to complete certain megaprojects. In most cases, negotiations were cut short in favor of a simple cut to the throat. In desperate times, men can get very violent. Or repress with a lot of violence.
**Additionally, said wars can not be just merely for seeking more favorable terms regarding resources, trade access, and political prestige at another’s expense but also conquest and annexation of land and subjugation of people inhabiting it (whether it be for labor, tax sources, or pacification of unruly neighborhoods). Even nomadic migrations of armed displaced people or nomads is a thing as seen with the Mongols, German Barbarian Migrations, the steppe Khanates, and the Sea People.
* Following the "realist" political theories, war is the result of nations trying and failing to produce stability with their neighboring nations by maintaining a balance of military power with each other (while ideally to their mutual benefit, at worst, in their self centered interests); often by using coercive actions to warn neighbors to take their considerations into account when all other options (such as tense diplomatic negotiations, embargoes, tariffs, and blockades) are either nonviable or failed. If that does not work out (say, because one nation is believed to be [[Nazi|developing nuclear weapons]] and [[USA|we'd rather be the ones holding that particular trigger]]), war happens to try and balance it out so war can be avoided in the future. This also works with other resources; if a country is in need of water, oil or other necessities, war becomes more likely as their desperation rises (see current east-European/Russian relations).
* If you're an authoritarian regime, war is one of many ways to keep your regime propped up. This serves multiple purposes; it provides the populace with jobs in the form of industry and conscription, it directs people's negative sentiments towards an external foe and away from the state itself, and if the war is successful, gains the state prestige and resources (which are intended to not only offset the cost of the war but also grow the state's overall power). The threat of an external foe also justifies an increase in the state's power, such as cracking down on civil liberties. That being said, if the state is already unstable or overextended and you fail to make any meaningful gains, people will start questioning the legitimacy of the ruling class.
* Ideology may be a major dividing line between two opposing forces; while political ambitions and desire for power usually coincide as motivating factors, a major ideological difference can make it intolerable for two different groups of people to live with each other due to the fundamental incompatibility with their ways of life. This dividing line can be further exacerbated by ongoing bad blood between the two different factions, making long-term reconciliation difficult.
* Sometimes wars are because diplomacy can be a huge clusterfuck. Let's say you're Country A, a mercantile power who has a vested interest in keeping your home region nice and stable and not constantly mired by war. Country B, meanwhile, is a very militaristic power that's looking to increase its power and prestige, potentially by gobbling up smaller countries C, D, and E. Were this to come to pass, not only would you lose many trading partners, but country B would also be in a much bigger position to boss you around, so you form an alliance with C D and E, telling B that if they were to attack any of you, you all go to war with them. Well, B decides to call your bluff and attacks C. If A doesn't go to war with B, then other countries won't want to form any more treaties with A, and B will look for new ways to throw its weight around. This is WWI and the alliance system in a nutshell; while the intention is to prevent war, it has no power if the threat has no follow-through.
* Civil Wars usually start with some segment of the population being upset with who's in charge of the nation, be it an interest group, a socioeconomic class, or a particular head of state. This can take a number of different forms, occasionally multiple of these at once:
** Rebellion - A group of people are unhappy with the current state of affairs and want to set something on fire about it. Rebellions are, if we're defining things for categorization here, mostly just an outlet for pent-up frustration or some unbearable conditions, not a fully formed attempt to establish a new order. You don't need a manifesto, just a brick. They tend to be the prelude to something more serious.
** Coup d'Etat - The rebel faction wants to replace the current ruler. Generally, this happens as a conspiracy by military officers, government officials, the nobility, or some outside force that's gotten the ear of any of the previous three.
** Succession Crisis - more common in a [[Monarchy]]; if it's unclear on who will be the next ruler, if the heir apparent is deemed unfit to rule, or if the next in line is someone that everyone absolutely can't stand, the different claimants will fight each other for the throne.
** Secession - The rebel faction wants to splinter away from the country to form their own country. This undermines the authority of the previously united national government, leading to high tensions even if the secession itself is peaceful, and often leads to war afterwards when the seceding party throws the emperor's diplomats out a window, finds a big strong friendly nation with a vested interest in building a canal, or starts a war in a fit of jingoistic arrogance then cries about losing for the next 160 years.
** Revolution - The rebel faction wants to change the system of government entirely. These are, generally speaking, The Big Ones. Since the concept of a revolution in the modern sense, beginning in the late 18th century, revolutions hardly ever stay in one country. Power bounces around into new and unknown hands, long-established societal norms are challenged openly, and more often than not the neighbors start to get nervous about it and decide to help, quietly or in full force, one side or the other. No matter the outcome of one single revolution, in a world that has grown ever more interconnected, it's bad news for the powerful and unpopular everywhere when the barricades and banners start showing up.
** Failed State - If the central government fails altogether, local populations will start fighting each other to reestablish a new state; usually with different warlords wanting to eventually defeat the rivals and become the new ruler of the country.
*** Partition - if a country (often a buffer state) between neighbors is unstable to the point of having conflict spill over national borders, then said neighbors may consider such a state as an existential threat and should be split between each other for the sake of keeping their realms in order. Oftentimes, this means mutually agreed annexation of land at the expense of the locals (whether it be via political marriage, puppet states, or plain old forced population transfer).

War

2023-06-16T18:32:27Z

2607:FB91:1135:82BE:30AC:6D63:3F9D:9F49: /* /tg/ relevance */

{{topquote|War, what is it good for?|Edwin Starr}}
{{topquote|Everything!|[[Team Fortress 2|Soldier]], replying to the upper question.}}

War, for some the be-all-end-all of civilizations, the harbinger of death to others. For thousands of years, perhaps even millions, us humans have gone to war for as long as we've been able to create weapons. Whether it be over matters of ideology, natural resources, or territory, men have fought for millennia on end for the betterment of mankind as a whole... or for their own interest.

War has been part of human society for a very long time. So long in fact that we can hardly even pinpoint when did the fashion of [[Orks|bashing someone else with a big pointy stick]] even started originally. Some even theorized that the practice of warfare is not something proper to humans, but perhaps to animals as well, as our cousins the apes have learned how to manipulate sticks and machetes. Meanwhile, ant colonies have waged a global war since time immemorial. In any case, wars have been omnipresent for a long while. So much so, in fact, that we humans have draw a lot of inspirations for our stories and cultures. War is present in our books, our ancient texts, our games, our movies, our shows, and so on and so forth.

==/tg/ relevance==
{{topquote|War in its ensemble is NOT a science, but an art. Strategy, particularly, may indeed be regulated by fixed laws resembling those of the positive sciences, but this is not true of war viewed as a whole.|[[Fulgrim|Antoine-Henri Jomini]] in his military treatise, Précis de l’Art de la Guerre (Summary of the Art of War)}}

[[Warhammer 40k|Are]] [[Warmahordes|you]] [[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game|seriously]] [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle|asking]] [[Horus Heresy|that]] [[BattleTech|question]] [[Bolt Action|here]] [[Flames of War|of]] [[Team Yankee|all]] [[Beyond the Gates of Antares|places?]]

Barring any horror, mystery, civilization-building, RPG, and puzzle tabletop games, you’re more likely than not to find a tabletop game focused on war. Hell, the earliest version of modern tabletop [[wargaming]] came from military war games using set miniatures pieces and military unit markers for strategists to sharpen their tactics with wargaming skills. Even their board game relatives of checkers, shogi, chess, and go all have military strategy overtones associated with them. And ironically it’s still a practice that continues to this day despite the proliferation of [[Video games|software simulations]] and [[LARP|live fire]] [[RPG|training exercises]]. Both with hypothetical scenario exercises for governments and think-tanks or private service members finding some peace and quiet from painting miniatures before marching them to war.

==War in practice==

{{topquote|Men, steel, money, and bread, are the sinews of war; but of these four, the first two are more necessary, for men and steel find money and bread, but money and bread do not find men and steel.|[[Perturabo|Niccolo Machiavelli]] in his military treatise, Dell'arte della Guerra (The Art of War)}}

{{topquote|All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.|[[Alpharius|Sun Tzu]] in his military treatise, 孫子兵法 (The Art of War)}}

Warfare. A profession for many, an art to some. Wars can be waged by just about anyone, but they cannot be won by everyone. At the end of the day, as long as there's still conflict to be settled, [[Team Fortress 2#Sniper|someone is gonna want someone else dead]]. To maximize the chances of winning, plenty have elaborated plans of actions to conduct war in a proper manner. Any regime that had plenty of men and who knew how to use them made some pretty drastic changes in history, plenty left their mark through sheer force of will... And lethal application of weaponry.

So, you wanna wage a war, son? Or... Well, have some tips to write a good war for your '''worldbuilding considerations?'''

First of all; you need to decide what kind of war do you want, and for what purpose. Authors don't bring up wars for the same reason, they can either serve as the primary source of conflict, a means to a greater end, or the consequences of unfortunate situations. You also need to establish the stakes; are people fighting for a greater philosophical cause and for the good of the country, or is it just a matter of natural ressources and successions?

For instance, fantasy tends to invoke that the entire world is at stakes because a dark lord, or a demon, or an order, or anything for that matter, is/are trying to change the way of things. This serves for an effective if manichean way of generating conflict. It's vague enough to have little to no political implications, prefering to rely on philosophy and morality to justify itself. This usually means that the consequences of the war could have an impact on a cosmic scale; as in, the world might literally change depending on who's the victor. This usually ties into the cosmology or the way the whole world function on a magical/literal level. For instance, in [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]], Chaos is the primary opposing force that drives the conflicts present in the Warhammer world, that is due to its destructive nature and its main emphasis on spreading corruption. While it isn't exactly the only antagonistic faction of the game, it remains one of its biggest threats.

If you wish to take a more realistic approach, consider that all wars are always about one thing; a faction can't do something because of another, so it seeks to make it right through the application of violence. Because usually wars intervene when diplomacy becomes useless. Look out for historical examples and read eye-witness accounts of battles, they are very good ressources to write your conflicts. Keep in mind that feuds where one side was clearly in the wrong and the other in the right were spectacularly rare, and that every soldier was a person, not [[Orc|a mindless mook meant to follow the orders of his superiors]]. Sure, there are examples of tyrants, religious zealots, warmongers and powerhungry buffoons who needlessly wasted lives over petty games of power. But just remember that usually those kinds of wars and conflicts are considered very lackluster in literature and games. Especially game-design. Try to find an appeal in every faction you write, so that your players have an interest in playing them.

==Why do we go to war?==

{{topquote|War is merely the continuation of policy by other means. We see, therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse carried on with other means. What remains peculiar to war is simply the peculiar nature of its means.|[[Roboute Guilliman|Carl von Clausewitz]] in his military treatise, Vom Kriege (On War)}}

{{topquote|[[Ogre#Shrek|Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.]]|Any ruler worth his crown in History.}}

<span style='color:green;font-size:115%'>BECOZ IT'Z A ZOGGIN' GUD TIME, DATZ WHY!</span>

Okay, seriously, why do we go to war? You might have heard philosophers, politicians, artists, thinkers, or even people on the street saying that war is terrible and should be avoided at all cost. Even military officials highly suggest to not apprehend conflict at all. As it seems that War brings more bad than good. But if that is so obvious, then why do people '''still to this very day''' fight to the death? It has been a very frequent subject of debates and researches. Despite the disapproval of war as a concept, it is ever omnipresent in our media and culture. Even games! How many tabletop games do you know are based around the concept of war? Isn't that enough proof that despite the odds, there is an interest in the matter of conflict?

Over the years, many explanations for war were given, but none really serve as a definitive answer.

*Natural resources have been a frequent one in the early days of civilization. The Euphrates river, for example, has been the theater of a metric ton of conflicts and battles over the water the river provided. And given how it was one of the only sources around in Ancient Mesopotamia, you better believe people were going to fight over it. With the first development of agriculture and infrastructures made to circumvent problems created by the river, the disputes lasted until the establishment of the first Akkadian civilization.
**Later down the line, natural resources kept being a main motivation for war; but instead of it being based on its literal rarity, most cases were economic matters. Say a country is doing a blockade on certain trades and another needs said trades to complete certain megaprojects. In most cases, negotiations were cut short in favor of a simple cut to the throat. In desperate times, men can get very violent. Or repress with a lot of violence.
**Additionally, said wars can not be just merely for seeking more favorable terms regarding resources, trade access, and political prestige at another’s expense but also conquest and annexation of land and subjugation of people inhabiting it (whether it be for labor, tax sources, or pacification of unruly neighborhoods). Even nomadic migrations of armed displaced people or nomads is a thing as seen with the Mongols, German Barbarian Migrations, the steppe Khanates, and the Sea People.
* Following the "realist" political theories, war is the result of nations trying and failing to produce stability with their neighboring nations by maintaining a balance of military power with each other (while ideally to their mutual benefit, at worst, in their self centered interests); often by using coercive actions to warn neighbors to take their considerations into account when all other options (such as tense diplomatic negotiations, embargoes, tariffs, and blockades) are either nonviable or failed. If that does not work out (say, because one nation is believed to be [[Nazi|developing nuclear weapons]] and [[USA|we'd rather be the ones holding that particular trigger]]), war happens to try and balance it out so war can be avoided in the future. This also works with other resources; if a country is in need of water, oil or other necessities, war becomes more likely as their desperation rises (see current east-European/Russian relations).
* If you're an authoritarian regime, war is one of many ways to keep your regime propped up. This serves multiple purposes; it provides the populace with jobs in the form of industry and conscription, it directs people's negative sentiments towards an external foe and away from the state itself, and if the war is successful, gains the state prestige and resources (which are intended to not only offset the cost of the war but also grow the state's overall power). The threat of an external foe also justifies an increase in the state's power, such as cracking down on civil liberties. That being said, if the state is already unstable or overextended and you fail to make any meaningful gains, people will start questioning the legitimacy of the ruling class.
* Ideology may be a major dividing line between two opposing forces; while political ambitions and desire for power usually coincide as motivating factors, a major ideological difference can make it intolerable for two different groups of people to live with each other due to the fundamental incompatibility with their ways of life. This dividing line can be further exacerbated by ongoing bad blood between the two different factions, making long-term reconciliation difficult.
* Sometimes wars are because diplomacy can be a huge clusterfuck. Let's say you're Country A, a mercantile power who has a vested interest in keeping your home region nice and stable and not constantly mired by war. Country B, meanwhile, is a very militaristic power that's looking to increase its power and prestige, potentially by gobbling up smaller countries C, D, and E. Were this to come to pass, not only would you lose many trading partners, but country B would also be in a much bigger position to boss you around, so you form an alliance with C D and E, telling B that if they were to attack any of you, you all go to war with them. Well, B decides to call your bluff and attacks C. If A doesn't go to war with B, then other countries won't want to form any more treaties with A, and B will look for new ways to throw its weight around. This is WWI and the alliance system in a nutshell; while the intention is to prevent war, it has no power if the threat has no follow-through.
* Civil Wars usually start with some segment of the population being upset with who's in charge of the nation, be it an interest group, a socioeconomic class, or a particular head of state. This can take a number of different forms, occasionally multiple of these at once:
** Rebellion - A group of people are unhappy with the current state of affairs and want to set something on fire about it. Rebellions are, if we're defining things for categorization here, mostly just an outlet for pent-up frustration or some unbearable conditions, not a fully formed attempt to establish a new order. You don't need a manifesto, just a brick. They tend to be the prelude to something more serious.
** Coup d'Etat - The rebel faction wants to replace the current ruler. Generally, this happens as a conspiracy by military officers, government officials, the nobility, or some outside force that's gotten the ear of any of the previous three.
** Succession Crisis - more common in a [[Monarchy]]; if it's unclear on who will be the next ruler, if the heir apparent is deemed unfit to rule, or if the next in line is someone that everyone absolutely can't stand, the different claimants will fight each other for the throne.
** Secession - The rebel faction wants to splinter away from the country to form their own country. This undermines the authority of the previously united national government, leading to high tensions even if the secession itself is peaceful, and often leads to war afterwards when the seceding party throws the emperor's diplomats out a window, finds a big strong friendly nation with a vested interest in building a canal, or starts a war in a fit of jingoistic arrogance then cries about losing for the next 160 years.
** Revolution - The rebel faction wants to change the system of government entirely. These are, generally speaking, The Big Ones. Since the concept of a revolution in the modern sense, beginning in the late 18th century, revolutions hardly ever stay in one country. Power bounces around into new and unknown hands, long-established societal norms are challenged openly, and more often than not the neighbors start to get nervous about it and decide to help, quietly or in full force, one side or the other. No matter the outcome of one single revolution, in a world that has grown ever more interconnected, it's bad news for the powerful and unpopular everywhere when the barricades and banners start showing up.
** Failed State - If the central government fails altogether, local populations will start fighting each other to reestablish a new state; usually with different warlords wanting to eventually defeat the rivals and become the new ruler of the country.
*** Partition - if a country (often a buffer state) between neighbors is unstable to the point of having conflict spill over national borders, then said neighbors may consider such a state as an existential threat and should be split between each other for the sake of keeping their realms in order. Oftentimes, this means mutually agreed annexation of land at the expense of the locals (whether it be via political marriage, puppet states, or plain old forced population transfer).

Mercenaries (Battletech)

2023-06-16T16:23:51Z

2607:FB91:1135:82BE:30AC:6D63:3F9D:9F49: /* Life as a Merc */

Not so much a unified nation in [[Battletech]] and more of a conglomerate of various mercenary bands, Mercenaries are an unaffiliated faction that exists in all parts of the Battletech universe.

== Overview ==
In human history, there have been two jobs that have survived from caveman times up until the time of the BattleMech; [[Magistracy of Canopus|prostitution]], and mercenaries. Mercenaries have always been a need for militaries. And changing the playing field from county to county, country to country, continent to continent, and finally planet to planet hasn't caused any meaningful change to that arrangement for any reason. Their specific use had been declining for centuries however, and it wasn't until things got going in the 23rd century and the Great Houses began their ascent to power that they became a ubiquitous part of the Inner Sphere's way of doing things. By then they were merely fill-ins from people lucky enough to own 'Mechs or ad-hoc groups put together. Very little prestige was involved but it paid their share for doing the wetwork for whoever had no experienced troops but enough cash to spare.

All that changed after the [[Star League]]'s collapse and the [[Amaris Civil War]], however.

With 80% of the largest and most well-equipped army in human history fucking off to god knows where in bumfuck space, it fell to the remaining 20% to find a way to make some money now that the Star League wasn't fitting the bill. And wouldn't you know it, the Great Houses were perfectly willing to shill out a little cash to whomever could help fill space in their armies as they began the [[Succession Wars]]. While the bulk of the SLDF remnants in Spheroid space would join ComStar as the Com Guard, a decent remainder decided to strike out in the name of the highest bidder. As a way to better facilitate this, [[ComStar]] created the '''Mercenary Review Board''' (later succeeded by the independent '''Mercenary Review Board & Bonding Commission''') to better allow Mercs and interested parties to do business with each other transparently without the risk of parties backstabbing each other blatantly. To keep things civil, the MRB/MRBC encouraged mercenaries and clients to negotiate in public hiring halls on mercenary worlds like Outreach, Galatea, and [[Solaris VII]] (though the latter had a reputation for solo prima donna’s with an independent streak instead of large battalions able to take orders). To make things even more complicated, Clan Sea Fox has begun managing mercenary contracts after the HPG Blackout and the IlClan’s rise.

At the beginning of the Succession Wars, they actually had to reign their employers in because they had begun to ask them to commit war crimes. This might seem counter-intuitive for mercenaries to insist on fair war conduct until you realize that: (1) scorched earth warfare would leave no [[LosTech|salvage]] for mercenaries to loot for money, (2) blatantly killing everyone instead of holding officers/VIP's for ransom and treating civilians fairly would lead to a "kill-on-sight" target painted on their backs for generations (as seen with the Free Rasalhague Republic’s grudges), (3) any employer seeking to antagonize all mercenaries, like with Takeshi Kurita's "Death to Mercenaries" edict, would find every mercenary running for the hills instead of risking their skins under such clients. Nevertheless, they still have a reputation as being the guys you call in when you don't want to sully your hands with particularly grim work or risk civilian outcry from massive casualties in your military roster.

Mercenaries have had a major impact on the life of the Inner Sphere; able to enforce what became known as the [[Ares Convention|Honors of War]] creating the standard limited warfare of the Inner Sphere, and for reviving the LosTech that'd been all but forgotten in the ravages of the Succession Wars.

== Life as a Merc ==
Understandably, it's not an easy life being a soldier of fortune. For one thing, you will more often than not be in the thick of some of the worst fighting the Inner Sphere can put you through. And many times over you might find yourself working for one side and then the other; ensuring absolutely nobody you interact with is going to respect or trust you. Finally you have to provide pretty much everything that for yourself; no supply depots or dedicated mechanics. Many contracts will provide for some measure at least a few of these, especially transport as most minor outfits can only dream of being able to afford owning and operating even the smallest DropShips (which gives your employer another way of keeping you under their thumb). All the rest is on you. But hey, at least the C-Bills are good.

Merc Companies vary wildly in size and in influence, some being only a single MechWarrior, or big enough to say they rival the power of [[The Periphery|Periphery States]] or even simply prop some up entirely. Moral Codes are also understandably pretty varied, as it can run the gamut from being quasi-pirates and bandits set to live fast and die young, to honor-bound paramilitary units that’ve lasted centuries. It’s a common stereotype that many mercenaries are military units from Great House militaries that went independent or defected. Conversely, many Successor State militaries seek to pay mercenaries for their dirty work or outright coopt them into being drawn into permanent service as a standard military unit, though this is an arrangement that can often backfire on a particularly poorly run military with revolts or defections being a risk. Understandably, relationships between clients and merc's vary with some relationships being closer to a sponsor leaving the heavy lifting to a long-trusted confidant on a prickly war front. On the other end of the spectrum, you have arrogant patrons using merc's as plausibly deniable assets or cannon fodder to avoid wasting their own people in the meatgrinder. Meanwhile other merc's can betray their patrons' trust by looting and cutting loose while leaving their former employers to clean up the mess. Hence why the MRB/MRBC tries to keep track of each mercenary company and client's reliability records to ensure honesty.

And while the allure of fighting for fortune on your own terms is appealing, especially in a setting where independence as a concept is at a specific premium; the majority of mercenaries have to run a gauntlet of obstacles to keep their heads above water. Such as getting certified (and then closely monitored) by the universal Mercenary Review Board (else they'd be rogue with no way to find work outside of risky black market deals with organized crime), have enough cash to avoid bankruptcy which often means taking very dangerous contracts, securing a base on an inhabited planet to rebuild or recruit after leaving a meat-grinder, and ensuring your supplies as well as transportation or contracts aren’t held on a tight leash by your employers. Oh, and when the MRB/MRBC collapsed during the Blakist Jihad or Grey Monday, the ones put up after them sucked ''ass'' for the Mercs, so you might have to take more missions for more employers just to pay the bills. It got to the point of being so dysfunctional that Clan Sea Fox decided to make a killing by offering more lucrative and flexible brokerage for mercenaries down on their luck.

== Well known Units ==
* ''' Wolf's Dragoons''' - The Protagonist/Mary Sue Merc faction of the BattleTech universe founded by a pair of freeborn Clan brothers named Jaime and Joshua Wolf. Formerly a compromise by the Clans to try and figure out Inner Sphere tactics, the Dragoons would break from Clanner ways entirely and eventually make themselves distinguished as the single biggest and best armed Merc company in Sphere space, serving each Successor State once, getting their dicks punched in by the Combine in the Battle of Misery, and then got the planet of Outreach from the FedSuns. They spent a lot of time trying to find Star League caches; including only taking Outreach once it was confirmed that it did indeed have one. Eventually joined back up with Clan Wolf when they made their bid for IlKhan. Once the Wolf Khan used them as meatshields while denying them their custom of being the tip of the spear in the attack and were ground down to 1/3rd of their size, they swore a grudge against the IlClan...which was apparently [[Just as Planned]] for the Clans since they understandably want to punish the Dragoons for betraying them by going AWOL.
* '''Eridani Light Horse''' - One of the biggest and oldest living Merc companies in the Inner Sphere. Distinguished for being one of the last remaining non-Comstar aligned SLDF regiments left in the Inner Sphere and made themselves as a major force in the Amaris Civil War, but eventually ended up pressganged by the Draconis Combine for most of the first two succession wars until Jinjiro Kurita got involved, wherein they fucked off for greener pastures in the Periphery. They joined up with the Second Star League as a taunt and sign of disapproval at how the Clans had devolved from the SLDF in service of the people to ritualistic warlords. They would remain affiliated with the Second Star League before it disbanded. Finally got gunned down in the Dark Age by Clan Jade Falcon but survivors remain; notably among the Clan Goliath Scorpion who had absorbed a portion during the Wars of Reaving.
* '''Northwind Highlanders''' - A band of Scottish mercenaries hailing from the planet Northwind. Once upon a time they were a formal Royal Guard unit for House Cameron in the SLDF but they went free agent when the Star League fell apart, after which they mostly worked for House Liao. They got a surprise happy blakesday party that destroyed their HPG and wiped out their aerofighters but otherwise they survived and joined the Republic in 3081. With the Fall of the Republic, they were forced to surrender with their leader loaned as a liaison from the IlClan to the Jade Falcons; which is notable due to both factions historically and currently originating from, the Black Watch, elite SLDF units working as bodyguards for the First Lord of the Star League and nearly prevented the [[Amaris Civil War]].
* '''Snord's Irregulars''' - take Wolf's dragoons above, cut them down to a small unit, and give them the secret task of preserving historical artefacts. Originally recruited by a member of the Wolf’s Dragoons names Cranston Snord who “officially” fell out, they were actually a deep cover unit who were sent out to investigate rumors of hidden SLDF fortresses, automated factories, and weapon depots for the Dragoons to quietly acquire. Their kleptomaniac persona remained even after the Clan Invasion, all while listening to the author's favourite rock music. Once [[Internet Troll|trolled]] Clan Jade Falcon into coming after them by identifying themselves as "Clan Snord" and stole a cluster's equipment in an underbid trial of possession over an SLDF space station.
* '''Kell Hounds''' - Stackpole's darlings. A usually two regiment outfit under House Kell with close ties to the Lyran ruling family, the Kell hounds hit a low spot when their commander Morgan Kell faced THE samurai's samurai - Yorinaga Kurita. Unable to kill each other (due to Kell's... special abilities) both leaders quit warfare and joined monasteries. The mercenaries took this as a hard betrayal by their commander, slumping into their worst period. Years later, Yorinaga is recalled to service and winds up killing Patrick Kell, Morgan's brother, while trying to intercept the Lyran princess travelling to Federated suns to prepare for marriage to Hanse Davion. Yorinaga also trains up an elite Kurita equivalent to the Kell hounds - the Genyosha. This is enough to get Morgan to leave the monastery and gather the Hounds together. During the little drunken brawl following a certain wedding, the two units eventually faced each other again, with another drawn duel - Morgan tricks Yorinaga into shutdown from overheating. Yorinaga commits seppuku to preserve his honour, while the Kell hounds become one of the most renowned elite mercenary units of the IS. Years later, Morgan's son Phelan gets caught by mysterious enemies while hunting periphery pirates, and is our first close look at the alien Clans as he progresses from a captive to a warrior of the clans. Managing to climb right to the top when the Falcons and the Wolves go to war against each other over the whole Tukayyid affair, Phelan lead the Warden faction of Clan Wolf into the Inner sphere where they join up with the Kell Hounds and formed a major part of the defences against the Clan aggression as the Arc Royal Defence Cordon. Both later got decimated by an omnicidal Jade Falcon Khan during the Dark Age. Once the Jade Falcons scrambled the bulk of their military forces to Terra, the Kell Hounds were able to retake their homeworld when the Jade Falcon occupation zone and Lyran northernmost territories balkanized from the power vacuum. On the other hand, their commander has a big grudge against the Steiners for leaving them out to dry. While somehow, the Warden-Crusader division between the Wolf Exiles and the Wolf Empire got [[what|swept under the carpet]] despite separating the two for over a century.
* '''Gray Death Legion''' - the original mercenaries from the very first novels, they a unit tied to House Carlyle of Lyran nationality. Notably got embroiled in a ComStar plot to secretly dig up an old Star League facility, which the GDL managed to foil AND walked away from with a whole Star League memory core full of technical data. Uncharacteristically, for mercenaries, they didn't sell the core to the highest bidder but instead made sure the knowledge was spread around the Inner Sphere, starting a whole technological renaissance. Instead, they resumed mercenary activities and made a nice side business of manufacturing the first IS powered armor suits. While they are supposed to have been destroyed down the line by the Word of Blake, no one really buys the theory and recent lore suggests they've been reformed during the Lyran Commonwealth's civil strife during the Dark Age.

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[[Category: BattleTech]]