I have been reading up on the lore and not quite sure understand why there are so many mercenary companies. Is it to expensive to maintain a standing army? Considered more cheap to just hire some gunslingers to take care of your problems instead of having your own military forces to deal with pirate troubles? In game there are a event where are on a bar and some locals recognize you. You take them with you to a meeting with pirates. Had me thinking I for sure would not consider any mercenaries reliable to be trusted when they are willing to hire their services to pirates.
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
I can't speak to the lore reasons why there are so many mercs (besides the obvious factor of so much fighting going on) but I can speak to reliability.
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Mercenary_Review_and_Bonding_Commission
"The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission (MRBC) is an independent supra-national organisation that serves as the Human Sphere-wide official registrar for all legal mercenary units. Created in 3052, it is the successor of ComStar's Mercenary Review Board (MRB) that previously filled the same role."
If you don't do your job, you get a bad rep, really fast.
Out in the periphery things are somewhat more desperate, so you see more things like interactions with pirates.
Btw, the video games aren't canon (though the guys that maintain the BT line can and do sometimes canonize bits of the vgs).
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Mercenary_Review_and_Bonding_Commission
"The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission (MRBC) is an independent supra-national organisation that serves as the Human Sphere-wide official registrar for all legal mercenary units. Created in 3052, it is the successor of ComStar's Mercenary Review Board (MRB) that previously filled the same role."
If you don't do your job, you get a bad rep, really fast.
Out in the periphery things are somewhat more desperate, so you see more things like interactions with pirates.
Btw, the video games aren't canon (though the guys that maintain the BT line can and do sometimes canonize bits of the vgs).
I don't know a lot about Battletech lore, but for the states that have to manage multiple planets, i think it's because it's simply easier, faster and more cost-efficient to hire mercenaries than it is to move soldiers and equipment from planet to planet, just to destroy a single lance of bothersome pirates. Mercenary groups are always combat-ready, and (i guess) most of the time in orbit/space and not on ground, allowing from quick deployment. Just hire them and point them at the enemy, done.
As for the planetary governments, maybe they simply don't have the manpower and equipment to deal with threats, and are instead forced to resort to mercenary companies
As for the planetary governments, maybe they simply don't have the manpower and equipment to deal with threats, and are instead forced to resort to mercenary companies
BT universe is modelled on Medieval Europe. That's why there are kings and queens fighting over the throne of the emperor of space Rome, why there are space knights fighting in "suits" of armour passed through generations, why there is loss of technology compared to the golden age, why there is the space Catholic Church with the space Pope and why they'll get invaded by space Mongols in a while. Space mercenaries fit right in there, as they were heavily employed by European kings, particularly towards the latter part of medieval period and early modern age.
Yes. Most interstellar states have large amounts of territory (systems, planets) under their nominal control but most of the systems and planets have only limited population which leads to there being only so many troops they can raise. This on the other means that it is common to go with the typical 'budget' solution of using lower tier units like combat vehicles instead of 'mechs, simply because it is so much cheaper. These are much harder to transport around. Which relegates them mostly to defensive duties. Larger states also use mercenaries but simply because it can be a bloody hindrance to drag standing units tens of light years away together with their support structures when instead you can just opt to use mercenaries.
If you need to deal with pirates just every once in a while would you really pay for maintaining standing offensive military units for that duration when you can likely get it done cheaper by outsourcing the that task to mercenaries?
As other said, there exists a organ that oversees the mercenary activities. Getting blacklisted - i.e. being untrustworthy - means getting kicked out of most contracts. And essentially being paid by mere pittance if it all - the catch with the mercenary board is that party paying for the mercenary activities has to deposit the payment to escrow essentially guaranteeing the payment at the completion of the contract. Being outside the system is hard and deals are rarely 'clean' but more on the illegal side. Which also means that getting blacklisted tends to lead to these former mercenary bands becoming pirates or bandit lords.
To WandererRTF Correct. It is Cheaper to Hire Merc's, One you do not have to Move them,( yea Sometimes You need to Pay for the transport to get them where there Needed But that is a Lot more Cheaper to do than Move a Lance + Mech tech + Med tech + Support Staff + Other Supply s) As far as Rats ( pirates ) If you can convince them that your the 800 Kilo
Gorilla in the Area and Need to Leave then Of Course you would get a Few Locals to be with you. it costs you Maybe a few rounds for them, Maybe a Meal or two, & your good. it alos Lets the Locals know that While your a Merc Unit you wiil not be there Long, Where if you were an Army Lance you would be there a Lot longer than any Merc Lance.
Now from what i know of the History of Europe, When a Army Moves in the female are Hidden, Children are sent to relatives, Only men and Old people are Left. With a Merc unit well the same happens but the Merc unit Knows to not Piss off the Population, because if they do more than Likly they will be run out of the town.
As far a the Merc review Board. i think that was set up to make sure that any Merc Unit ( well that is not Black listed ) will be able to depend on people hiring them to be able to pay them.
As far as the First Mission in BT well your out on the edge of civilization, Not a very well know Unit, & have few mech's. so yea some Butt Nugget is going to try and Mess with you. they think that you do not have what it takes to fight them, you would give up as to lose your Life, that if they got one or more mech's that they would be set. Sadly If that were the Case You would not be a Merc Company, You would be Single Merc's trying to scrape out a Living.
Any way that is My Opinion
Gorilla in the Area and Need to Leave then Of Course you would get a Few Locals to be with you. it costs you Maybe a few rounds for them, Maybe a Meal or two, & your good. it alos Lets the Locals know that While your a Merc Unit you wiil not be there Long, Where if you were an Army Lance you would be there a Lot longer than any Merc Lance.
Now from what i know of the History of Europe, When a Army Moves in the female are Hidden, Children are sent to relatives, Only men and Old people are Left. With a Merc unit well the same happens but the Merc unit Knows to not Piss off the Population, because if they do more than Likly they will be run out of the town.
As far a the Merc review Board. i think that was set up to make sure that any Merc Unit ( well that is not Black listed ) will be able to depend on people hiring them to be able to pay them.
As far as the First Mission in BT well your out on the edge of civilization, Not a very well know Unit, & have few mech's. so yea some Butt Nugget is going to try and Mess with you. they think that you do not have what it takes to fight them, you would give up as to lose your Life, that if they got one or more mech's that they would be set. Sadly If that were the Case You would not be a Merc Company, You would be Single Merc's trying to scrape out a Living.
Any way that is My Opinion
The prevalence of Merc companies is largely due to the SLDF exodus. While 80% of the SLDF agreed to leave the Inner Sphere, the 20% that remained mostly became Mercs hiring themselves out to the great houses during the First Succession war.
During that war and afterwards the role of Mercs in warfare was cemented
During that war and afterwards the role of Mercs in warfare was cemented
One other factor is that most of the official House units have specific defensive duties or are tied to specific areas (militia units). To move a house unit, even temporarily, leaves a hole in your defenses and/or upsets the local populations. In addition, the Successor States are generally set up as Feudal societies, so while House Steiner might be able to "call the banners" and requisition the troops of other worlds, it likely would require the use of or promise of political favors if it wasn't a crucial threat to security.
Ultimately, that all means it is simpler and easier (maybe even cheaper) to hire a group of mercenaries to handle a specific task or guard a less important border world.
One last point, each of the Successor States has a few mercenary groups that are in almost constant employ of the State, or at least on call at any time. The Kell Hounds, for example, are basically on call for House Steiner and would not take a contract that directly went against the Lyran Commonwealth (at least until Katherine Steiner-Davion screwed that all up).
Ultimately, that all means it is simpler and easier (maybe even cheaper) to hire a group of mercenaries to handle a specific task or guard a less important border world.
One last point, each of the Successor States has a few mercenary groups that are in almost constant employ of the State, or at least on call at any time. The Kell Hounds, for example, are basically on call for House Steiner and would not take a contract that directly went against the Lyran Commonwealth (at least until Katherine Steiner-Davion screwed that all up).
Oh Yea. I know In Mechwarrior 4 Merc's that the Final Battle was against 2 Assault Lances that wanted to Keep Kat in Charge. it was a Running Battle verse Fixed and Mobile Defenses
and sadly it was the End of Game either way.
and sadly it was the End of Game either way.
One other thought. I am sure that the inclusion of mercenary units in the game (as opposed to the lore/universe) was a mechanism to give players agency in how they used their mechs. The idea that the players are mercenaries allows a connected campaign to progress with a lot more natural flexibility than would a campaign based around players in a military-type outfit.
Oh Gad yes. I was in the U.S.A. Army in 82-86 then i had some time with the Alphabet Company's. The Army was Hurry up then Wait, lots of Red Tape to go thru, with the Alphabet co.
It was not only faster but easier and a Lot less Complicated.
The real reason, the game design reason, is pretty much this -- it gives so much more flexibility in designing and running a campaign, whether it's CBT/TT, or a video game.
You can have them on different planets, involved in different actions and stories, entangled with different political actors and entities, far more easily than you can a House militia or standing military unit.
Plus mercs are far less able to call on the massive assets of a House/SucState military, so you can explain the lack of massed air support, massed artillery, regiments of supporting infantry, etc.
Excellent points, one and all. :bow:
HBS's choice of 3025 is very fortuitous as it is the short span of time post-3rd Succession War and prior to the War of Davion Aggression (also known as the 4th Succession War.) MANY Mercenaries found themselves and their habitual working relationships in flux. In some ways this helps explain why the Rimward Periphery is awash is so many Mechs during the time of BATTLETECH. : )
Relative to population numbers the militaries in BT are comically tiny. Forces of a few thousand regularly conquer planets with billions of people.
You would think even a few million guys armed with SRM launchers could overcome almost any canonical invasion force short of orbital bombardment.
You would think even a few million guys armed with SRM launchers could overcome almost any canonical invasion force short of orbital bombardment.
Sure, but then again it is sort of explained in the lore. Total war started to be shunned. Fighting became formalized - more or less - and took place predominantly outside of populated areas. The decrease in the ability to project military power that took place over the Succession Wars also contributed. If you start involving millions of guys with SRMs the opposition will just go back to 'rods of god' or blasting everything with artillery approach. You kind of start seeing the BTverse gradually revolving back towards total warfare from 4th SW practically reaching it by the time Jihad starts. That is the fluffy explanation - not perfect, and not really one i would like but it is the one we have.
I think also that because of the disconnected nature of many of the planets, the general populace, particularly on the borders, is not as committed to one Successor State as the local government/nobility is. As in, the average person's life is not generally all that impacted by whether House Laio or House Davion technically rules over their planet.
So when someone conquers a world, they are not pacifying the general populace, they are controlling the capital city and the spaceport infrastructure, plus eliminating/driving off the other side's forces. Not much else really matters. That would change as an incursion penetrated further and the conqueror approached the core worlds. There nationalistic feelings are probably higher, because the people there have always been Fedrats or CapCons.
If you look at the longer term results of the 4th Succession War, you can see that although the FedCom was able to drive the Capellans off a bunch of worlds, they weren't able to hold onto most of them, hence the formation of the Chaos March and a bunch of mini-States or semi-independent worlds.
Mike
So when someone conquers a world, they are not pacifying the general populace, they are controlling the capital city and the spaceport infrastructure, plus eliminating/driving off the other side's forces. Not much else really matters. That would change as an incursion penetrated further and the conqueror approached the core worlds. There nationalistic feelings are probably higher, because the people there have always been Fedrats or CapCons.
If you look at the longer term results of the 4th Succession War, you can see that although the FedCom was able to drive the Capellans off a bunch of worlds, they weren't able to hold onto most of them, hence the formation of the Chaos March and a bunch of mini-States or semi-independent worlds.
Mike
I don't disagree with you guys and I'm not trying to read too deeply into it. It's just fun to consider how such a conflict might go.
One fact that strikes me again and again throughout BattleTech's histories and storytelling, is just how very authentically the planets along the borders between Great Houses have been nested in the histories of struggles between those Great Houses. Some planets trading back and forth according to the prevailing Winds of War, Deals of Diplomacy or Coils of Commerce. : )
As such there are numerous factions, some ascendant... some in decline, some supporting one Great House, some another, yet another a Local Power Broker, or just the vested self-interest of Greed and Avarice.
And like @Mabberton says, on select planets the flags and banners rotate but little changes in the day to day lives of the common citizenry.
As such there are numerous factions, some ascendant... some in decline, some supporting one Great House, some another, yet another a Local Power Broker, or just the vested self-interest of Greed and Avarice.
And like @Mabberton says, on select planets the flags and banners rotate but little changes in the day to day lives of the common citizenry.
I think the inclusion of Mercs also adds the capabilities for players, be it table top or rpg and what not to make their own decisions. Strategic, tactical and most importantly, moral. If mechwarriors were "always" under a house banner, they could easily fall into the trap of "just following orders" and go along with whatever the default stance of their House is. It adds a lot of freedom, in many different ways to the game.
Also, the presence of large groups of Mercs that possess "top of the line" military tech means that the Houses and other powers are taken down just a tiny little notch. Instead of being all powerful government entities that feature in so many other future universes, typically dystopian, the Battletech universe has a somewhat more even or at least assailable power structure. Merc dude A with a mech is, or at least can aspire to be equal to House Military dude A with a mech.
Also, the presence of large groups of Mercs that possess "top of the line" military tech means that the Houses and other powers are taken down just a tiny little notch. Instead of being all powerful government entities that feature in so many other future universes, typically dystopian, the Battletech universe has a somewhat more even or at least assailable power structure. Merc dude A with a mech is, or at least can aspire to be equal to House Military dude A with a mech.