Tiptoeing in where angels fear to tread…
It's pretty clear that broad historical statements, even when accurate on the large scale, do not and cannot accurately portray every individual who was actively involved in the historical subject matter. In the real world of military campaigns, there are normally opposite extremes of some military leaders relying solely on force to achieve objectives even at the expense of their own troops; and other military leaders who restrain the use of force by their troops except when necessary to preserve life. In campaigns involving tribes, cities, or other native groups at war with each other, troops can be used defensively to protect one side of the other.
Military leaders with extreme approaches, on either end of the spectrum, are as a general rule (both then and now) most likely less than popular with the high command and among their own troops; which is to say that avoidance of activities falling outside of the norm at an extreme level, generally provides a safe haven on the one hand; while the "ends" (the extremists on either side) often find themselves "meeting in the middle" (evolving to a form seen generally as a danger to everyone), on the other hand.
Many in the military, both in the present and in the past, sign up initially with honorable but overly simplistic expectations of duty, glory, honor and the role of the military. But how individual soldiers respond to real life situations in the field can be strongly impacted by their own prior military engagements and as a result of what they have learned from other more seasoned veterans. Overly simplistic expectations, and how troops respond in the field, thus generally changes over time.
Finally to the point. The RPGs I most enjoy, that involve military aspects such as conquest, defense, and the like, generally offer choices allowing for opposite extremes of trying to achieve goals based solely on military prowess, and trying to achieve goals using compassion as a tactic to minimize violent harm to others and sometimes to convert an apparent enemy to a different side or to the use of different, less extreme, tactics. An RPG player aligned initially with what they view as "the wrong side" can often switch sides, or try to use their role to change their own side to the right side. One would expect this game to give the player a wide range of choices during gameplay.
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