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Bren
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Joined: 19 Aug 2010
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Location: Maryland, USA
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 Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Mikael Hasselstein wrote: | | Does he have a use for incompetent Moffs? Does he have limitations on his power that can be supplemented by appointing popular idiots to certain positions in order to keep this or that faction happy? |
Well aside from the fact that Tarkin was either so overconfident or so overly concerned with looking unafraid of the Rebels that he couldn't be bothered to launch a couple of wings of TIE fighters to intercept the Rebel attack, I don't see the films giving us much information about the competence of the Moffs and Grand Moffs. Desite that, I would say yes. I think everything Palpatine does is designed to maintain his personal power and authority and one way to do that is to create inefficiencies in the system and prevent anyone from ever gaining enough power to be a rival or a threat. Generally that strategy includes some promotion of less competent folks over more competent rivals.
In addition, I tend to take a note from Glen Cook's Black Company series and I envision the Emperor as being like the Dominator or the Lady in the sense that his subordinates (like theirs) spend a lot of their time and energy scheming against each other rather than fighting the Rebels or doing their day job. I see this as one (mostly unintended) consequence of Palpatine's extreme centralization (compared to the Republic) of Imperial power in himself, his court, and on Corsucant is that the ambitious in the Empire see one upping their rivals at court as the way to power, wealth, and success, rather than objectively achieving anything. I like this explanation as it helps explain why the Rebellion and our PCs are not quickly squashed. YMMV. |
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Mikael Hasselstein
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Joined: 20 Jul 2011
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| Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | In addition, I tend to take a note from Glen Cook's Black Company series and I envision the Emperor as being like the Dominator or the Lady in the sense that his subordinates (like theirs) spend a lot of their time and energy scheming against each other rather than fighting the Rebels or doing their day job. I see this as one (mostly unintended) consequence of Palpatine's extreme centralization (compared to the Republic) of Imperial power in himself, his court, and on Corsucant is that the ambitious in the Empire see one upping their rivals at court as the way to power, wealth, and success, rather than objectively achieving anything. I like this explanation as it helps explain why the Rebellion and our PCs are not quickly squashed. YMMV. |
That's compelling of course, but given his massive Force abilities, I'm not sure he would have to engage in the same type of machinations any normal dictator might, because he would be a LOT harder to knock off than some junta general.
As such, I don't think he really would need to play the same sort of divide and conquer games that most dictators have to do.
Then again, he may just enjoy it. A guy has to have a hobby. |
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Bren
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 2:25 am Post subject: |
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The Black Company is fantasy. The Dominator and the Lady are the number 1 and 2 most powerful users of magic. So there are some similarities to Palps and Vader. The Dominator's lieutenants are all very powerful MUs.
In my SWU the Emperor has his Chosen, Dark Side minions in addition to Vader. The Chosen are not as powerful as the Dark Lord of the Sith, but they are powerful. One can think of them as a disfunctional family. Vader is the mom, the Emperor is the dad, and the Chosen are poorly behaved children always scheming against each other and vying for dad's attention and approval. As a GM, the Chosen provide villains more suitable to oppose the PCs and that I can use, abuse, and even have killed without upsetting most of what we see in the original films. It works for me.
As regards, Palpy, there are other force users in various EU sources - including WEG sourcebooks and scenarios. Given the fate of his master and the usual succession of the Sith, Palps has to have some concern about being overthrown by an apprentice. So keeping them scheming and at each others throats helps prevent strong rivals from arising and, as you said, a guys got to have a hobby.  |
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Azai
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:46 am Post subject: |
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You have to think too, the galaxy is a huge place. Just by that fact only, there is only so much time in the day(and night, as I believe I read that Palp, doesn't sleep)
And one can only concern themselves with a limited amount of issues. I also believe the TIE fighter game, a large part of it, was about a rebelling Moff. So there is a lot of evidence of scheming.
Also, I believe in the wookepedia article about royal guards it comments on how Papl would create elite circles, within elite circles, within elite circles... To keep people trying to accomplish things, and spending time undermining others that they didn't focus on his rule.
So there is evidence to show Palp is similar to Bren's Dominator and the lady. |
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Mikael Hasselstein
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 1:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Azai wrote: | You have to think too, the galaxy is a huge place. Just by that fact only, there is only so much time in the day(and night, as I believe I read that Palp, doesn't sleep)
And one can only concern themselves with a limited amount of issues. I also believe the TIE fighter game, a large part of it, was about a rebelling Moff. So there is a lot of evidence of scheming. |
Of course there has to be scheming! It wouldn't be any fun without scheming. Also, there's obviously room for resistance to the Emperor's will. The fact that there's a rebellion is evidence enough of that.
My question is if there are constituencies that Palpatine has to appease or keep happy. If he rules by fear and discord, then there should be less of a need for him to promote blithering idiots into the ruling ranks. (Blithering idiots as opposed to useful idiots. Useful idiots are always useful, ergo the adjective.) |
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Bren
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Mikael Hasselstein wrote: | | My question is if there are constituencies that Palpatine has to appease or keep happy. If he rules by fear and discord, then there should be less of a need for him to promote blithering idiots into the ruling ranks. (Blithering idiots as opposed to useful idiots. Useful idiots are always useful, ergo the adjective.) |
Rather than "has to appease' I would say 'chooses to appease as the path of least resistance to achieving his aims.' And I would say that yes, there are constituencies that Palpatine chooses to appease - at least for a time. But I would imagine if for egotistical reasons if nothing else, Palpatine thinks of appeasement as a tactic he chooses to use not one he is compelled to use. |
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Mikael Hasselstein
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 2:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | Mikael Hasselstein wrote: | | My question is if there are constituencies that Palpatine has to appease or keep happy. If he rules by fear and discord, then there should be less of a need for him to promote blithering idiots into the ruling ranks. (Blithering idiots as opposed to useful idiots. Useful idiots are always useful, ergo the adjective.) |
Rather than "has to appease' I would say 'chooses to appease as the path of least resistance to achieving his aims.' And I would say that yes, there are constituencies that Palpatine chooses to appease - at least for a time. But I would imagine if for egotistical reasons if nothing else, Palpatine thinks of appeasement as a tactic he chooses to use not one he is compelled to use. |
Okay, so more of a carrot to get people to do what he wants more enthusiastically than by threat of the stick. |
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Fallon Kell
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Joined: 07 Mar 2011
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Location: Tacoma, WA
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Azai wrote: |
And one can only concern themselves with a limited amount of issues. I also believe the TIE fighter game, a large part of it, was about a rebelling Moff. So there is a lot of evidence of scheming.
Also, I believe in the wookepedia article about royal guards it comments on how Papl would create elite circles, within elite circles, within elite circles... To keep people trying to accomplish things, and spending time undermining others that they didn't focus on his rule.
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TIE fighter had two campaigns about admirals mutinying. Harkov tried to defect to the Alliance, and Zaarin attempted a coup. Also, if you did well in your missions, you could advance through some of those circles within circles.
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Volar the Healer
Jedi
Joined: 04 Aug 2003
Posts: 664
Location: Arizona, USA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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The Old Republic was a confederation, just like the United States when it first started. We later abandoned the Articles of Confederation for a constitutional republic.
The Empire is an absolute dictatorship with a few trappings of a constitutional republic. The United States is now an oligarchial dictatorship with the trappings of a constitutional republic.
Hmmmmmm...maybe George was trying to tell us something?
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garhkal
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Joined: 17 Jul 2005
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Fallon Kell wrote: |
TIE fighter had two campaigns about admirals mutinying. Harkov tried to defect to the Alliance, and Zaarin attempted a coup. Also, if you did well in your missions, you could advance through some of those circles within circles. |
I remember those "secret mission" bonuses you could get to earn entrance into those circles... Pity i have never gotten TIE to work on my Win xp machines.. even running in Win 95 emulation mode.
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