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Feudal warmonging space samurai as they are envisioned by neckbeards. The Draconis Combine exists really for one thing, conquest. That said they have never made their will to ruthlessly subjugate their neighbours a complete secret so in a weird way they are the only faction that is completely honest about their motives and certainly no hypocrites. They are arguably the worst employer to have as they love to screw over mercenaries almost as much as they like to blow up schoolchildren. They also have this weird honour system even if their actions are almost always consistently dishonourable, but if you love warcrimes this is the faction for you!
Your average Combine citizen is a devout traditionalist warlike patriot ready to give their lives for the coordinator, or at least the propaganda would have you believe. Truth is a lot more complicated than that. While the people can demonstrate a work ethic and dedication unmatched in the Sphere, life can be equally as ruthless. Riots are almost commonplace in the Draconis Combine as are brutal suppressions considering your average anti-riot device is a flamer or machine gun. Comes with the territory when putting down conquered populations. Then there is the whole Yakuza underworld thing going on but they don't like to talk about that. As long as you keep your head down and do what you are told then life should be fine, that said things have become a bit more liberal lately although this might have something to do with the coordinators son being big into anime and wanting to create his own waifu regiments.
As expected people will compare House Kurita to Imperialist Space Japan and for good reason. Concepts such as bushido and ritualistic suicide for failure is commonplace. The society is extremely xenophobic and they are not afraid to show it. They see it as their divine destiny to one day control the entire Inner Sphere under their clearly superior culture. Success is just performing duty and failure is harshly punished. Basically an extreme distorted warped view of Japanese culture.
The Combine don't really have what could be described as a hatred of others. Just a deep disgust of the filthy gaijin they see as beneath them. This has always been their way. Even in the days of the Star League they tolerated them at best. Though if you were to note if there is any special hatreds well they like to stomp all over Rasalhague schools, burn down the homes of Steiner, set fire to the farms of the Outworld Alliance, and behead Davion babies for starters. This is nothing though compared to their deep set hatred of mercenaries where they will actively do their best to show their intolerance at every opportunity. House Kurita is infamous for trying to enforce company store on mercs and if you don't know what that is, well its an attempt to bankrupt the mercs and if that doesn't work well they'll just execute their families to get their way. You'd think House Kurita only gets away with this as mercs don't have a way to strike back, until you realize the combined regiments of all the mercs that the Combine has pissed off equates to the military might of a Great House. Yeah, no way that would not bite them in the ass someday.
The tactics of House Kurita can be summed up as suicidal charges with relatively fast Mechs till the enemy run out of ammo or drowned out in corpses. This works out most of the time but not all, call it 60/40 in their favour. They have an extreme love of PPCs and finding countless ways to overheat their Mechs as well as kill their pilots. Seriously most of their Mechs have woefully inadequate cooling and some don't even have ejection seats. Guess that does inspire the fierce fanaticism they got going since if your own equipment is more dangerous than the enemy then you have nothing really to fear right? Speaking of which they are not above using penal battalions who are heavily drugged up sent on suicide missions to inflict as much collateral damage as possible.
You'd think they would have skeletons in their closet but honestly no, mainly cause their skeletons are laid bare for all to see. They secretly supported the destruction of the Star League. Slaughtered the citizens of the Outworld Alliance during the reunification war mainly for sport. Aggressively oppressed the citizens of Rasalhague for centuries. Killed the dependents of a prestigious mercenary group because they wouldn't commit warcrimes. Went after Steiner schoolchildren to draw their military away. Murdered every man, woman and child on Kentarus IV due to getting salty. None of this they attempt to hide. Overall pretty consistent chaps.
Quick summary:
Oh dear lawdy where do we start with this? House Liao is the smallest of the Great Houses but with the largest death wish imaginable. Typically they think they are super devious and clever as they hatch off plans with the subtly of a walrus making love to a brick wall and then wondering why it backfires on them. The Capellans will see a plan with a 95% chance of catastrophic failure and go “well that is at least a 5% chance of success right?” then go ahead with it resulting in the expected hilarious consequences. Seem to be written as an underdog but plot armour does not begin to describe how they have even survived so long. Lose over a third of their realm and most of their industrial capacity? Vomit out new factories and Mechs all of a sudden! Getting pegged in the rear after your armed forces are depleted? Fart out several fresh regiments all of a sudden. Really you'd think they would have been absorbed long ago. As for overall personality well they go from USSR to Imperial Space China depending where you pick them up so it is hard to judge what breed of insanity you are dealing with. They still provide state sponsored lobotomys.
People who are unfortunate enough to be brought up in the insanity that is the Capellan Confederation are often subject to a weird rigid socialist caste system that often conflicts with itself. You can technically climb the social ladder from your humble backgrounds but you can just as easily be locked into the role society has selected for you. At the heart of their system is the idea of earning citizenship, since if you don't have citizenship you are a nobody. Capellan citizens are expected to be loyal first to the state above all else and since service guarantees citizenship, will more than likely one point join the military. Speaking of state, everyone is the property of the state, even children. You merely rent them from the state and it is not uncommon for your own kids to be taken to another planet for their education and there is little to no say you have on the matter. That is if you can afford to have kids due to the almost daily food shortages.
There used to be parallels with Slavic culture till that was basically pushed out with Chinese influence, although you could argue that the Capellan Confederation is more an ant hive than earth culture. Hence the expression, Capellans aren't people. It seemed writers wanted to create a sort of Soviet like Empire with a twist of Chinese culture. What they basically invented was a slightly less ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ crazy version of North Korea.
To sum the relationships House Liao has with others; whole reason the Capellan Confederation exist is to be bullied by the other Great Houses and even Periphery while they twirl their moustache pretending everything is going just as planned. Basically they get a kick out of backstabbing everyone, planning ludicrous plots, trying to annex territories through underhanded means or sheer incompetence, then be surprised why everyone comes round to beat the crap out of you. Actually come to think of it their bullying is well deserved considering how often they provoke others into war, like you know trying to replace the head of a Great House with a clone.
Due to their size and supposed lack of industry, military tactics of House Liao is basically summed up with being sneaky. They will use ambushes, sabotage, electronic warfare, anything really to even the odds. In fact they will put their faith in advanced technology as wonder weapons meant to turn the tide which more often than not don't live up to the hype. They also have a weird relationship with Mercenaries where several of the most dependable regiments they call on are in fact mercenary which they will pay and reward handsomely, however if you are small fry they will actively stab you in the back either by putting you on suicide runs taking all your salvage rights away.
In the grand scheme of things the Capellans have not really done much in the way that could be considered bad, if you discount you know the state sponsored lobotomys, brainwashing and reeducation camps. More having bad things done to them. At least compared to the rest of the Sphere. Mean there was that one time they shot a Marik ambassador but to be fair he really would not shut the hell up. They once picked a fight with the Taurian Concordat and that resulted in a lot of bloodshed but then the Taurians would not have it any other way. Aside from being overly opportunist you can't fault them that much. Only if you dare trust them well then shame on you.
Quick summary:
Technically not a Successor State but on the list as it shows up as a career start. There won't be as much to write about here as other nations and it does not really kick off till about 3035. Still worth mentioning as they play an important role in the events to come and for naming sake going to abbreviate it to FRR. Started off as a place for Nordics to escape to before they got conquered by the Draconis Combine and forced to endure centuries of anime resulting in Nordics ashamed of being weebs. Later “liberated” in a sense if only to function as a buffer state but at least they are free to try some techno Viking. Not necessary a bad employer, they just heavily distrust mercs thats all. A trait they inherited from their former weeb overlords.
As said the people of the FRR have endured non stop hardship after suffering centuries under the Kurita boot, mainly being forced to endure anime. Result is a Scandavian culture trying to Viking larp with a Japanese taint they are desperately trying to eradicate the influence of. Basically have been fighting non-stop for their independence ever since they were annexed and they are damn well going to fight to keep it. They also have something rather peculiar in the Inner Sphere, a bizarre form of government that resembles democracy. They have an elected Prince to rule them, and this elected fresh Prince of Rasalhague has to win support of a parliament. Don't see this sort of government thing lasting long if you ask me.
FRR do have xenophobic tendencies although nowhere near as aggressive as others. More just a reaction to being screwed over by others. They try to play it neutral and while they don't exactly trust House Steiner are on far amicable terms with them than say House Kurita who spent the better part of the last few centuries ploughing Battlemechs through their schools while filled with schoolchildren. With mercs they don't exactly trust them due to them seen as unreliable although blame here can often be held with FRR for partly not knowing how to use them and expecting them to act as FRR patriots without any incentive. Comstar are for all purposes their sugar daddies but only cause they seem them as a way to keep the status quo.
Military wise they field a mix of both Lyran and Combine tech either as donations or leftovers, along with what daddy Comstar can secretly provide. Really that is what can be said. They use whatever they got either as gifts or stockpiles they inherited, whatever works in defence of their realm. Guess when you are sandwiched between two great powers who can swallow you whole at a moments notice you just better hope that nothing worse than pirate raids come from up top.
Quick summary:
If you enjoy incessant bureaucracy and infighting these might be the chaps for you. If you wondering where this constant squabbling and dysfunctionality comes from well the answer is democracy. Sort of there in the grand scheme of things who everyone kind of ignores mainly cause they never really spend much time in the spotlight. Mainly seen as mercantile, about the only thing the Marik won't stop doing is trading, even if they are war with you. Especially if they are at war with you. To their street cred they are the oldest Great House, tracing their lineage back to Medieval Terra, and have managed to once settle a war with a spanking.
If there is one word that sums up the people of House Marik then it is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. As mentioned earlier, Mariks do have democracy and the electoral system is needlessly complicated requiring a lot of administrative work. Even though the Captain-General is for all purposes a dictator even he is not free with seas of endless paperwork. How they came to be is a never ending tale of incompetent hilarity like when one leader ordered his troops to defend a swamp than repel invaders. Stubbornness is rampant and your average Marik can easily voice their say which as expected leads to more infighting. At the end of the day though they just want to make some money.
The Free Worlds League is a great melting pot of cultures, religions and traditions that is always threatening to boil over and burn your hand. About the only attitude consistent in the League is an anti-bionic sentiment although this is more a taboo caused by petty jealously more than anything. Therefore it is hard to pin them down with an analogy of any current Terran culture though if you want to take a stab at it, could go for the old Holy Roman Empire albeit with far less Civil Wars.
In terms of Marik relationships with others well it can be summed up they hate fellow Mariks but hate others more, at least when they remember. It is like brothers and sisters, they get on about as well as Lyrans and Mariks, or Capellans and Mariks, or Comstar and Mariks, or Mariks and other Mariks. Damned Mariks, they ruin the Free Worlds League! In truth though those are about the only main rivals they have. House Steiner due to them being competitors in the trade business. House Liao due to them viewing their whole culture as morally wrong. Comstar because they have not had the best dealings with them in the past. And of course Mariks because honestly Civil War is just par for the course now.
The military of House Marik can be summed up in a single word: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. It is not that the League if rigid in military doctrine, in fact their Generals enjoy a great deal of flexibility. It is the fact that each member state has basically control of their own armed forces and can provide or in more case not provide troops at their leisure. This understandably means that coordinating any military action becomes an effort in futility. They can get ♥♥♥♥ done when they put their mind to it but for the most part it is herding cats. Technology wise there is a great PPC shortage in the League even though they produce a lot of PPC boating Mechs so who knows if it is real or just a problem where they have been hidden away via paperwork. Mercenary work can be dangerously unpredictable in the League, more so because you have no way of telling what side you will be on tomorrow or if your allies are going to be shooting at you the next day.
Mariks in general can be proud of most their history in the grand scheme of things despite how crazed it was. They also were instrumental in trying to civilize war with the Ares Conventions after nuking a bunch of Capellans although some think that was just to make things more sporting so everyone gets an equal chance to bash Capellans. As mentioned they did settle a war with a spanking although that have been part of some weird sexual foreplay with the Canopians who later economically castrated the League so its hard to argue who was meant to be top in that relationship. They were also the first to give Comstar the middle finger as they figured out the games they were playing although they may have overestimated their ability to put a stop to it. On the surface you'd think they seem boring but they have an outright hilarious history.
Quick summary:
The richest of the Successor States ready to give everyone they meet a damn good fisting. That is if they don't trip over themselves first. They have the finest industry, the finest Battlemechs yet some of the most incompetent military leadership around who tend to throw weight and money at a problem till it goes away. Mercenaries can obtain great favours here if they can stomach interference of Social Generals, who only really screw you over out of greed and ineptitude more so out of deliberate maliciousness. They also have the best high school in the entire Inner Sphere.
The average citizen of House Steiner can enjoy a far more comfortable quality life compared to their neighbours Generally they have little to complain about living wise since that wealth does trickle down and can get their say, as a result people love their monarchs. Doesn't stop there being the occasional uprising especially when the potatoes and sheep get disturbed in Skye, but guess that has something to do with their Gaelic heritage. The main issue House Steiner faces is rabid corruption more so out of the fact you can basically buy yourself rather easily into a position of power, meaning that more often than not you can find someone grossly unqualified for the job in charge. Still, things for the most part are good, but if they go wrong they go wrong in spectacular fashion.
Most people see House Steiner as Space Germany, mainly due to their industrial focus and well the Steiner name. Truth is though they are more Space Britain, or at least Victorian Britain – which had an overly German Monarchy so guess that fits. Yeah there is a Germanic part of House Steiner but there is a lot of Anglo influence as well, including South African and even Australian areas of their culture, along with the fact they have a problem with the Irish. Considering that their military Generals will stop a battle for tea and see their objective focus as moving the drinks cabinet a few inches towards the enemy at a time, hard not to make this comparison.
House Steiner is arguably the most easy going of the Great Houses mainly due to their willingness to use diplomacy as an option. They will even negotiate with pirates to act as defacto privateers. The most amicable relationship is with the Federated Suns who they are going into an alliance with. Everyone else they are basically neutral. That said they do lack patience with the Free World League mainly because they just can't stand the endless bureaucracy of that state, as well as their abrupt rudeness of House Marik. As you can imagine they see the Draconis Combine as a horde of barbarians which is perfectly understandable, considering the Combine will actively target their civilians over military targets in a raid.
Despite being seen as a mostly industrial state House Steiner do in fact have a proud military tradition, mainly in part due to the Nagelring which is part high school, part military academy. While courses there are mostly military there is also a lot of social etiquette where how to perform and act at social events are compulsory. This in turn is why you have a running gag that you've got Social Generals who buy their commissions more obsessed with dinner parties than waging war. Due to the questionable competence of Steiner military leadership it is small wonder why they trust their prototype hardware for mercenaries to test, speaking of which merc work can be very lucrative in the Commonwealth. The other running meme is that House Steiner like to throw Assault Mechs at a problem till it goes away. While it is partly true in part of doctrine bias and because House Steiner produces a lot of Assault Mechs, they also produce some of the finest Lights around. All round Steiner tech is top notch, which is probably why they are snubbing their nose at what those Davion peasants are offering them.
House Steiner at present can claim the morale high ground in a manner of speaking, however their past is far from illustrious. Sure they managed to stick it to the Terran Hegemony when they stole Battlemechs but they have had their share of despots and short sighted decisions that left the Sphere far more unstable than it should have been. One example of such acts that has had long term reaching consequences is in how they annexed the territories of the Rim Worlds Republic. Essentially what they did was rather than conquering the entire territories of the fallen Rim Worlds they only picked apart what they felt like having leaving a lot of worlds forced to fend for themselves. Naturally a lot didn't survive and left a safe haven for Periphery pirates in the future. Really not a smart long term decision. Another is how they treat a lot of other sub regions, one such notable area is the Isle of Skye which is basically filled with a lot of people of Celtic descent who have been essentially shafted by House Steiner by not only being constantly on the frontlines; but having chronic under-investment as well as relatively diminished political sway leading to a population that specialises in the use of fertiliser not for farming purposes with the expected explosive results.
Quick summary:
That will happen if I try to do a Canopian thread.
IMO hero status with a house should have meant a little more like what HBS did with select lvl 5 kit and mechs avail exclusively through them from house reserves as a show of favour and sworn enemy should see you cut off from all services in their space until you redeem yourself in their eyes.
Yeah, perks comes with gaining favour.
I like Kurita's penchant for suicide and xenophobia.
I like Liao's focus on tech, specifically designs like the Raven.
I would like FRR just for the Viking paint schemes on my mechs, but it's disappointing knowing they'll be gutted by the Clan invasions after barely a few decades of existence.
Marik doesn't really seem to have any special flavor, aside from the infighting, which is a rather boring plot device.
Overall, Steiner is probably the least repulsive of the Houses, by the sounds of it.