BattleTech Periphery: The Marian Hegemony - A Short History
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- Опубліковано 12 кві 2023
- Today we look at one of the stranger Periphery states. The Marian Hegemony is a bit of an odd duck, mixing the past with the future in an attempt to forge an empire. Let's check it out.
Big thanks to Tuppy for offering his voice for the quotation.
He can be found here: / tuppytheducky
#Battletech #Lore #catalystgamelabs #mechwarrior #tabletop
Photos of Rome/Pompeii/Herculaneum are my shots.
Battletech and all related art and content belong to the respective owners. - Ігри
Ah the Space Irish masquerading as Space Romans
Tale as old as time.
I always argue that the Concordat was space Ireland. Oh want to occupy us, heres a nuke in a mailbox. Some people want to accuse the Taurians of being space American. That's literally House Marik. They even have a space Texas and Raytheon over there.
Always wondered if their were Roman, because it was 'Cool', there were already too many Irish references in the FedCom nations and FWL or if they were planning on having a future Deep space faction based on an Irish Kingdom likely named after Munster or Leinster (because Ulster has issues and no one but the Irish can say Connaght correct although no one can said Donegal correctly either)
Somehow the silliest faction in BattleTech but still believable
It's a bit silly out here on this side of the Inner Sphere. Maybe there's something in the water.
It's the SPESS MADNESS!
Seriously the further out from Terra you go in BT, the crazier it gets. The clans are a perfect example, given their about the furthest you can get, and well, just look at 'em. Dang aerospace phenotypes😊
@@terryhiggins5077 Wacky times out in the Periphery.
Just remember that out in the periphery there are worlds that hold televised thunderdome deathmatches and this makes a little more sense
Edit: and if the Tex talks art is canon then they also do chainsaw duels wearing welding masks as an opening act
@@robrib2682 Fair point.
Im a roman reenactor who discovered battletech last year, it was my perfect entry into the new obsession, thank you so much for this!
If you don't know there's also a good line holder mech called a centurian if that helps at all deciding what you want to be in your lance xD
Welcome to the fray then, mechwarrior!
@@robrib2682 ohhh its a good one, ran it for far too long in MW5. I recently discovered the CN9-H2 and laughed, the idea of building a mech off an industrial mech is exactly the kind of gumption we need!
@@damianlz a tractor company in the periphery makes the rifleman, the wrighters like to have fun
It's so dumb you can reenact Rome, but I get called an asshole for my Khmer Rouge reenactments
The Marian Hegemony, baby's first Romaboo cosplay pirate faction.
Some day it might be amusing to have one of the leaders do a bit of reading and realize that the Roman Empire didn't end in AD30 and decide to do a faction update based on the medieval Roman polity.
The Byzantine Empire is where all the real action was anyway...
@MechanicalFrog When it comes to the Islamic world, the Byzantines are the Romans. So much so that we call the Mediterranean the Roman Sea and the Greeks the Romans.
It's a bit ironic that the Marian Hegemony is to Star League/Successor States what the Celts were to the Romans; raiders, pillagers, and barbarians on the outside. Maybe that's why the rulers have the very Celtic name O'Reilly.
It's also nice to have a faction that feels familiar and welcoming to the 40k converts.
It definitely has a hint of wacky Imperium to it.
One thing I remember about Germanium is that it’s meant to be really rare - much more so than in the real world - to the point where computers like we see today aren’t feasible. That’s why computers weigh so much, and why missiles and the like have limited range, though I think it’s best to just hand wave that one.
Caesar's Legion from Fallout New Vegas... IN SPACE! (I kid, I know there's more complexity and nuanced differences between the two polities hailing from completely different universes... but I couldn't resist making the comparison.)
It's all silliness.
If nothing else, they kept good to the motto of “Keep the periphery weird” with gusto.
Between the cosplayers and the cat girls, that whole half of the periphery has issues.
O'Brien wasn't doing anything that Liao and Kurita weren't doing on the slavery front. The former ended the direct purchase and exchange of servitors in 3052, whereas the latter kept it ongoing, with the most well known example being Yorinaga Kurita's wife Sula and son- future Kell Hound commander Akria Brahe.
In retrospect, the Hegemony's first mention in The Periphery definitely seems like a hint at what was to come a year later with the Renegade Legion series- line authors were knee deep in Roman history by that point and needed a little place to vent.
While that may be true, it stretches the ability to suspend disbelief that we will have forgotten that slavery doesn't work by the 30th century.
@MechanicalFrog dude, we have people who forgot that the hole in the ozone layer is real and had to be mitigated by regulations on air pollution. And that happened in their life time. People will do whatever benefits them short term or fits within their ideology and rationalize it without concern for reality.
O'Reilly went full Edward Sallow. You NEVER go full Edward Sallow.
"Knowing just enough history to be dangerous" LOL. Truer words have never been spoken. Classic. Apparently in 21st century Terra "history" was defined as "Within the last 2 weeks or 30yrs, which ever has less werds".
When I was teaching, I would often have that one kid in class who fashioned himself an expert on Rome or one of the other Ancient civs. He would inevitably raise his hand and answer questions with 100% confidence. The answers were almost always half-truths or complete nonsense that then had to be immediately addressed lest the rest of the class accept them as fact.
@@MechanicalFrog 😂
Glad to see you spreading our history
Yeah it's quite interesting...
14:45-15:12 I actually like that about the Irish-led Rome periphery larpers are not goint to have an in-depth knowledge of ancient Terra besides surface-level
It is what it is...
Turns out they have a big role in Empire Alone
That other guy reading out the quote sounded cool
And some folks idly wonder why the periphery is so intriguing.
It's where all the fun is. And very few Wolves.
@@MechanicalFrog A few Lone Wolves to add some spice, heh.
🎶"There's Randis knights and bandit countries, viking duelist murder-junkies! Houses out! Nobles suck! Get out of -- Periphery!"🎶
God I hate the Legionnaire 'Mech, 10 million C-bills for a single 50-tonner with a RAC/5 as its sole weapon-and an exposed ammo feed-is a terrible idea. It also definitely doesn't need the double heat sinks, its sole gun only produces up to 6 heat.
Yeah, it's very fast and hits hard, but it's way too expensive and cripplingly overspecialized. The 2K variant is a step up, though, with a deadly-accurate ER PPC and jumping, but it would be very nice to have a backup weapon, an ER Medium Laser or Small Pulse Laser perhaps.
Its funny how one of my podcasts in rotation is Fall of Civilizations, which covered Carthage with its most recent episode. Cutting to a quote spoken by a british man talking about what a bunch of Romans were doing is how I already spent about 3 hours of my week so far. 😆
Hah!
This one Periphery state has as much fame, and likely fans, as many of the Great Houses. Just looking at social media for 10 minutes will uncover Roman styled Mechs, battle armor, and other artwork. Heck, the Cavalier Battle Armor fits right in.
I may find them silly, but many do not. To each their own.
Never underestimate the awesome drawing power of the Roman Aesthetic.
The Marians have slaves, but if it's modelled upon Rome, then a slave can purchase their freedom. Draconis society doesn't practice slavery (they have serfs, being modelled upon feudal Japan), and then of course there's the Capellans (best of luck with that second citizenship exam). And the Clans don't do any of these things- at least, that's what we're told from the bondsmen of the warrior caste, anyhow.
It's not a unique problem. I just don't know why you would intentionally add slavery to a completely fresh start, knowing what we know about how it plagued the Romans more than assisted them.
@@MechanicalFrog I'd say it's going to come up one way or another for any society, in time. That's part of what I was getting at. Rome did have a pretty good long run, though.
Limiting slavery to only military conquests mitigates some of the logistical problems you mentioned earlier. It makes slaves a rarer and more valuable commodity and prevents them from undercutting free laborers on a large scale.
Though the moral implications should have been sufficient deterrent.
It's some murky business...
I genuinely believe that if the Marian Hegemony didn't exist and I was to make my own weird Periphery faction, then it'd basically be the exact same as them. Only got into the game last year and genuinely considered painting my force as Marians, but the lack of iconic colour schemes or any interesting lore outside the crazy premise made me go for Mariks instead. It looked like they were going to expand and get more important for a while, but recent books seem to indicate they're falling apart or becoming even more irrelevant than before.
The best state in which I have decided to side with in all ventures
Hah. Vini Vidi Vici
Hello Frog.
A very nice video about one of the 'bad boys' of the Periphery. You covered just about everything about the Marion Hegemony, other than how they became a 'hegemony'. A bit more about that might have helped clear things up a bit better.
The Roman Empire is a template many use to build empires. Not everything about the Romans was all wrong, although I must admit that many things were.
I used the Roman Empire myself when creating my Stygian Compact. But I did not go as far as the Marions did. My government is a representative democracy under a Tyrant. So, it is a Democratic Constitutional Tyranny. The Compact was founded as a 'secret' colony inside the Persus-Cheperus nebula, upon a moon of one of the several gas giant planets.
This spread to other such lunar colonies, as well as asteroidal colonies as well. The primary moving force was the Mercenary unit known as the Star Lions Corps and their leader, Alexander Leonidas Granger. Granger, for his part, wanted a representative government, both democratic at the local level, and republican at the 'national' level.
Thus, the Constitution was cribbed from the old United States of American document of the same name. What Granger never expected was for him to be appointed (with a few limits) as 'Tyrant', and overall 'head of state' of the new star nation.
I have several documents about all this. Developed and written, based upon the results of hundreds of games played upon the tabletops over a 30+ year span of time. Today, the Star Lions have ceased to exist, and were reincorporated as the Ghost Lions Legions for mercenary work in the Inner Sphere and Periphery.
Of note, the Compact would not really exist, without the rich deposits of rare earth elements upon some of the moons of the gas giant planets, and the richness of the three asteroid belts in the system. During the 120 years of their existence, the Compact has developed trade relations and even a few military agreements between the southern periphery nations, such as the Taurians, Canopians, and even the Arrano Restoration.
I didn't mean to create the impression that it was all wrong. In fact, much of it was quite faithful. I just think maybe it was TOO faithful in some respects.
@@MechanicalFrog I tend to agree when it comes to the Marions. They didn't alter things enough to make a real difference. If they had, they could have had a far more stable government and a happier population base.
You mind if i ask how you handle going about making the Stygian Compact? was it just a series of campaigns you did with a bit of fluff or did you have a 4x like system to use.
@@MrCookie0510 : The Ghost Lions Legion, The Stygian Compact, the colonies in the Perseus-Cepherus Nebula, (that might be the Ceperus-Perseus Nebula, I forget), are all based upon roughly 25 years of tabletop gaming every weekend at a gaming store in Chicago, until the company went bankrupt due to bad investments by the owners. Almost all the players of BT created 'histories' for their various 'commands', like my Star Lions Corps, which kept being added to over time. Eventually, one of the players that hated me for always beating him was appointed as 'Battle Master' for a multi-week gaming session. He had me 'hired' out to the Capellans... Just as Hanse Davion kicked off the 4th Succession War. My Mercs were assigned to Spica, with their dependents shipped to the nearby star system of St. Loris. The Contract specified that my Mercs were NOT to be 'front line' troops, since the Capellans didn't trust them (The leader of the Mercs was a former Davion Heavy Guards Colonel). When Davion forces invaded Spica, my Mercs were told to "Stand and Die, or we will kill your dependents". Since this was an obvious breach of Contract, the Colonel contacted Davion command using older comms encrypted codes. His identity verified, he and the invading general came up with a plan. The Star Lions went down to the last Mech and died fighting off the Davion advance. At least, this is what the Capellans got back from the battlefield, along with transmissions by the Davion Commander. In reality, the whole thing was 'staged' so that the Star Lions could do an 'end run' and capture both the Star Port, and the Mandarin's Battle Bunker. It was done so quickly that the Mandrin was still logged onto this secure command computer system. The Merc Leader gave himself 'superuser' access and codes, and was able to direct Capellan forces elsewhere on the planet into ambushes and off on 'red herring' chase missions. This allowed the Davion invasion force to more easily take the planet and deal with defending forces. Once the planet was taken, the Davion General sent forces to take St. Loris as well, thus freeing the Corps' depenants and reuniting them with the Corps personnel. The Colonel and the General used the secure comms system to paint a 'nearly lost defense of Spica, and report the loss of St. Loris. They were also able to send priority messages for 'reinforcements' to be sent immediately. As each 'enemy' jump ship entered the system, they were captured by the Davion fleet, or destroyed. Even more forces were requested, and arrived, due to the renewal of the 'threat' of Davion invasion, and subequently captured as well. With Davion in charge of both planets, the Corps stripped three Light Mech Factories to the ground, and basically 'robbed' every bank on both planets. All the 'house' bills were sold to the Davions for about 30% of their face values, keeping only the C-Bills. The Corps took a good share of the Mechs captured, and over a dozen jump ships, and a couple of dozen drop ships. They then freed everyone in the prisons and took as many as wanted to leave Spica with them as they left the area. The Corps hit St. Loris as well, raiding the banks, with the same results, and again 'freeing' the prisoners. All former Capellan citizens were offered the same thing... work for the Corps and perhaps become citizens of a new colony they would found, or be placed upon some Periphery world far away from Capellan influence. Surprisingly, 89% of those taken chose to remain and help build the new colonies the Corps would found upon planets inside the Cepherus-Perseus Nebula. After a period of about 40 years, the Corps was disbanded and the colonies, now numbering well over a dozen, chose to found a new government. Thus, the Democratic Tyranny was established, with its Captial upon Hel, a moon of Sheol, in the Stygia system... which has NO habitable worlds. All colonies are built upon, or rather, deep inside the moons of the gas giant planets in the system. Several colonies were founded in the thick asteroid belts, and upon a couple of rocky worlds within the solar system. Later, in the period of expansion, the Stygian Compact sent discovery ships off to look at the other stellar systems in and 'behind' the Nebula, finding and colonizing several. Several more worlds were contacted and eventually assisted to the point they too joined the growing Compact. 120 years after leaving the Inner Sphere, the Compact now produces its own Mech designs, vehicles, fighters, etc. And has long-standing trade in rare earth materials and metals to most of the Periphery Governments (Auriga was reconned in later after the HBS game was released). A new Mercenary group was founded. The Ghost Lions Legions. And, that is where things stand today (roughly, 3160). Any further questions? I have dozens of 'articles' I have written, based upon that 25 years of gaming results, as well as projections of what the Mercs would do, how long it took, and what were the results.
I got really into the Niops Association, so yeah... familiar with the jerkwad Marian Hegemony. They raid Niops all the time, and it contributed to Niops' downfall.
Maybe the new IlClan can make themselves useful and go kick the Marians in the teeth...
@@MechanicalFrog The picture I got from Field Manual 3145 is Niops is on the decline and probably won't be that any time soon.
But considering the Canopians and the Marians are on a collision course, and the Marians getting the snot kicked out of them by the resurgent FWL might mean they're looking for an easy victory to bolster morale. Not to mention the Canopians could use a good jumping off point for their offensive. Niops could prove to be that easy target or strategic location.
I predict Niops is gonna eventually get steamrolled.
@@1nONLY_DRock I wouldn't bet against this outcome.
Oh, oh, oh. O'Reilly Slave parts!
:O
(Thank you so much for all the work you put into this video! It’s great as always.)
Ah the Marians, my favorite targets. As a citizen and Mechwarrior for the Magistracy I can confirm your supposition about the Magistracy’s attitude toward them. I was raised to hate and distrust the Inner Sphere and the Great Houses but I learned to hate the Marians. You can only see the aftermath of their slave raids and bandit attacks so often before you feel nothing but hate and contempt. It’s even worse because their raids often leave worlds weakened and open to raids for even worse pirates and bandits. In the end fighting the inner sphere Mechwarrior a is a duty, fighting the Marians is like fighting any other slaver and bandit it’s a pleasure.
It must be exhausting to have to deal with their nonsense.
Hello Blue Hair. And you can readily see why my 'Constitutional Tyranny' is superior to the Marions. Also, we have a 10-15 year 'indenture' for prospective new Citizens... fully supported by the State (housing, employment, education, re-education if needed, clothing, food, etc). After which, is the Citizenship Test on the Constitution, Rights and Responsibilities, and a Loyalty Oath to the Compact, the Tyrant, and the Proconsul. After which, the New Citizen has the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as any other Citizen of the Compact. Should the prospective Citizen fail, they are given the test again, within a year. Failure a 2nd time results in being shipped off to some Podunk little single world star state, and left to fend for one's self, usually some far backwater world, Deep in the deep periphery. The Stygian Compact has become a sort of 'Mecca' for citizens of any star nation of any size to 'start again' with the prospect of a viable and affluent citizenship. The 'Roman' aspects are mostly in the titles of government... Proconsul, Senators, Populares (representatives), the Mech, Vehicle, and Infantry Legions, etc. Mostly a Romanesque cover for a Constitutional government, with a 'mostly' ceremonial Head of State (the Tyrant). Contact me if you wish a copy of my Constitutional Tyranny article.
@@franksmedley7372 I genuinely have no idea how to respond to that except for…. Hahaha no, get bent weirdo.
(More seriously, thank you for typing that all out and responding to my post.)
@@franksmedley7372 Deep calming breaths... 1...2...3...
well at least the purple bird has a new target.
Yea good video I always thought these guys felt weird
They're a silly bunch.
This is the best periphery power hands down. It's unfortunate that the devs only make them look like fools.
They're kind of silly and I can appreciate that. All part of the rich tapestry of Periphery powers.
Still not as dumb as Caesar's Legion in New Vegas.
Your faction rundowns are invaluable intel
I'm so glad people are finding them entertaining.
@@MechanicalFrog entertaining but also good intro's for new players and helps gin up interest/depth for campaign factions(what I'm using them for)
Thank you for these brief less memey vids on the periphery states. Keep it up frog.
Glad you like them!
I mean, much of the societies of Battletech are neo-feudal, so being a slave isn't too different from what many under those societies would experience anyway.
You are right, there are places in the Inner Sphere where serfdom is the norm, if not outright slavery.
@@MechanicalFrog I'd even imagine that tameshigiri would exist within the Draconis Combine.
My favorite thing about the Marians are their introducing rocket launchers to the setting. By the way are we getting a "why we love rocket launchers" video at all?
Hadn't planned on it. :D
@@MechanicalFrog I should have known it was too niche a topic. Or maybe I'm the only one who actually loved them.
@@lordmalal They're neat I just am not sure there's enough content there for a full video.
@MechanicalFrog maybe if most of the video is dedicated to insulting all the other oneshot missiles.
that time when the game Devs played new Vegas lol
AVE! TRVE TO CAESAR
Someone watched a Roman History documentary just before planning out some lore.
@@MechanicalFrog good observation on the role of slavery in Rome by the way very succint
@@lorefox201 I was a history teacher for a very long time so I can't pass up a teachable moment.
@@MechanicalFrog nice!
Outstanding work.
Thank you! Cheers!
The only thing the Marian's are missing is the R-rated profanity and brazen nudity from the Rome HBO show.
Oh I'm sure there's plenty of that... heh
Man I just started watching your vids earlier in the day but it's crazy to me you have less than 10k subs your vids are on point keep up the awesome job bro
Thank you for the kind feedback!
Great overview!
Thanks!
GLORY TO THE CEASER!!!!!!
Indeed...
My favorite video, not that i play Marian Hegemony or anything......
Their political system's a mess, but, damn do the make good assault battle armor, I've got two squads of ravager armor in my pirate army and a squad in my Davion army. Never worked any into my renegade Clan Wolf in Exile army though.
It's nice they're useful for something.
Hail Cesar!
Good times had by all...
I spy some recent terran research trip visuals :)
Mmmaybe...
OWA/Snow Ravens soon?
Rim Worlds first, then we'll see what we can do.
👍Very interesting! I should make a lance of them sometime, if only as OpFor for my FWL.
It's a bit silly out here on this side of the galaxy.
If I'm being honest? These guys always sounded like they're being set up for a big fall. My guess is they're gonna be one of the first "factions" to get steamrolled when some long-lost Cameron descendant shows up to try and take their birthright back.
I would not be surprised if they get kicked in the teeth, if they're mentioned again at all.
The present CGL writters have set up the Hegemony as the "evil mooks" for now, to be trampled by the current "character faction" or "writter´s pet faction".
I love it, it's still one of my favorite factions because of how bat shit it is. There logo also kicks ass like most battletech logos.
They sure do put a lot of effort into looking tough. Logo and all.
@@MechanicalFrog yeah most of the shitty periphery nations in our world always have all the cool aesthetic to make up for the lack of...everything really.
@@thegunslinger8806 Maybe there's something in the water out there.
@@MechanicalFrog yeah I hear it's urine and according to Alex Jones chemicals, watch out frog! You night end up being gay.
I maliciously love the Marian Hegemony, exactly because of how ridiculous it is. It's like someone decided to re-create Rome with only Ben Hur as reference material, which given the Hegemony's status as a tinpot dictatorship (even by Battletech's standards), is what makes it work. It's like one of those colonies founded by some rich guy as a social experiment, only stretched out over generations and maintaining itself solely through it's own momentum.
And they richly deserve every horrible thing that happens to them. They're so laughably bad that even Alaric Ward can point at the Hegemony and say 'at least I'm not those guys'. Seriously, at least the Clans have a (deeply flawed and simplistic) moral imperative for the terrible things they do. The Marians do it because Cosplay is Fun.
Space Caesar's legion
Good times had by all.
Neat
Neato Burrito.
Always a fascinating faction. I kinda liked them until they gobbled up the Illyrian Palatinate.
Bah... I still kinda like them. I mean, they cosplay so hard they even put in the giant flaws and ran with it!
And the idea of their legions rolling into unsuspecting territories and watching the invaded people's face when they see swords 😂
The guy who got, "You will die from a gladius stab wound," in his fortune cookie thought it was silly until the Marians dropped by.
@@MechanicalFrog A.I. writes future fortune cookies 😂
What a bunch of weirdos 😂
Well put.
As of Empire Alone at least, they’re getting smacked in the face by Canopus. A possible future Magistrix is leading what some are describing as “a mech equipped lesbian freight train” towards their capital, but of course, the book stops there in mid 3151
That's one heck of a description.
Ah yes, the Mary Sue characters and their clantech mercs. Knowing the CGL present writters, we will have a new "current year" faction soon.
@@samcalderon7939 Isn't Clan Wolf and Alaric the Mary Sues?
@@KillerOrca CW has always been the Mary Sue of the setting. But check the CC since the FCCW. Ah, also check whats the favourite faction of one of CGL owners and long time writter, Coleman.
I’m hoping that the Space Cat Girls decide to put a beatdown on the Space Cosplayers. They’ve had it coming for a while now.
I'm sure the battle would look quite silly.
@@MechanicalFrog I’m seeing mechs with red feather creases in their heads battling mech with Hello Kitty paint jobs.
@@wraith7989 This needs to happen.
If only the marians forge an alliance with the bulls to put an end to the hello kitty tyranny
@@shawnm1902 Clan Hoppy Frog will wipe them all out anyway.
I've always hated these guys, just so pathetic.
I know this came first, but in my head-canon O'Riley wasn't any kind of history buff, he was just a Fallout fanboy who took the wrong lessons from New Vegas
It really does feel like a stolen valor situation. They want the honor and respect, but didn't earn it.
Indeed.
Know in the video you made it seem that slavery doesnt work in a modern time. Hate to break it to you but slavery is alive and well right now. Have a smart phone? The lithium in its battery has material mined by child slave labor in Africa. Slave wages doesnt mean they aren't slaves. In India in 2020 at a cell phone factory there was a revolt because they were only getting paid less than 7$ a month.
While I'm entirely against exploitative work like the examples you cited, it is important to note that those unfortunate souls are not slaves. An Indian or Chinese or Malaysian child cannot legally be bought or sold, nor can they be forced (under threat of physical violence) to work without pay, nor are their offspring born into the same condition.
May seem pedantic, and I'm sorry for it, but loosening the definitions of specific, often legally cited, words for emotional impact is a huge problem our culture is grappling with today.
You're not even mentioning the USA either.... sure they changed the name, but slaves are still slaves.
Not wanting to get too deep into the weeds with a discussion of economics, I would argue that the slavery in all but name going on around the world today IS actually quite harmful to world economies.
@@derekburge5294 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_21st_century