DEPUTIES
> Ok, they are the advisors and aidees de camps of the
> commander: engineering deputy, cavalry deputy,
> infantry deputy; deputy is a rather disappointing
> title, anyway; is there no option for a more colourful
> title?
I used the title 'Deputy' not as an official title, but just as a *real* title. To make the issue transparent, as people have asked for a little out-of-military clarity. Sorry! :)
The above were just my thoughts. Please argue or differ! I'm sure we can have "Master of (not very many) Horse", though to satisfy the Romanophiles?
IMHO... Complex rank equivalencies occur when you have two separate militaries operating beside each other with no overarching bond. They have to sort something out so as they can operate together. With the Lunars it's different, as they do have an encompassing link at the highest levels.
That link is the foundation of how they forge multicultural armies; though each culture has its own traditions, they also know (and have been subborned to in varying amounts) the Lunar tradition of high command. I think that's the glue that allows the Imperial Army to coalesce these polyglot hordes in the first place.
Despite their prejudices, individual military cultures know this system, and can work within it. A Pelandan regimental officer probably doesn't give a monkey's about whether his general goes around with two stars or three; as far as he's concerned he's the Warlord and his boss. He would have preferred a good Daxdarian officer, who would appoint sensible subordinates in a Pelandan pattern, of course, rather than idiots who spend most of their day supporting their beard extensions, but he's in the Imperial Army, and is expected to do his duty.
So I think any Whitewall army might perhaps first be designed on a purely 'Lunar' basis. A Warlord--who might decide to appoint subordinates and aides--commanding a group of regimental commanders. As the Warlord is the supreme local commander, if he decides to appoint organs of command, the regimental commanders will have to accept that.
From that simple base, you can work on how Jorkandros or Tatius might solarize the army. Perhaps they seek to give their appointed subordinates Dara Happan titles--or if for political reasons they give a nod to an officer of a different culture, something appropriate. They might form a more bureaucratic staff. Tatius might go around calling himself the Grand Poonah of Pong.
But as far as I see it, though such issues may important to commanders, it's ultimately just 'chrome'. Dara Happans might give deference to one of Tatius' subordinates because he's a Single Star General, but others follow his orders because the Warlord told them to. Ultimately it has the same effect, and simplifies down to the Moonie system.
The army as a whole mainly sees it in the Lunar manner, simply because that's the only thing they have in common. If the army is to work, I'd perhaps suggest that it can't easily stray too far beyond that.
REGIMENTAL COMMANDERS
> "generals" or "tribunes"
I was just going off the order of magnitude numbers Donald had. The more the merrier. For the barbarians out there, the regimental ranks listed in ILH are: Karmanak (Carmania), Polemarch (D-H foot), Kastarch (D-H cav), Verumathi (Darjiin hoplites), Manimat-Suvru (" peltasts), Tribune (Lunar), Daxdargos (Pelanda), Vrivrimeron (Rinliddi) and Tvengkot (Sylilia). Just in case these pop up... to your dismay! ;)
While "general" isn't a regimental rank, you might find a Dara Happan polemarch securing the sponsorship of his Polis, just so we can waltz 'round the officers' mess with the title "Single Star General". But again, I'd say this is fun fluff, and can just be layered on top, as people wish. No other officers would probably pay it any attention :)
ARGUMENTS
> unless the commander tells them to stop doing so; they
> are part of the same army and they aren't suppose to
> argue when a horde of barabarians are screaming for
> blood over there.
I didn't necessarily mean that they'd be 'at each others throats all the time' :). Some may even be friendly! But if you did take a bunch of Darjiini, Dara Happans, Pelandans, Sylilans, twue-bwue Lunars, and whack in a lot of Provincials, I always like to envisage lots of childish preening and bickering. Doesn't have to effect things, of course, but it's always there as a patina IMG!
Stu (always drawn to the more incompetent and amusing elements of the military)
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