Lesson 1 - Introduction to House Structure and Salutations
~S~ MechWarrior,
Let me start off by saying, Congratulations! If you are
reading this e-mail, you are, or are about to become, a
member of House Marik! The honor that comes with this
position is enormous! You earned this through hard work,
training, and dedication to your house, the greatest house in
the inner sphere!
Firstly, you have to know the basics. The house itself is divided into 5 major Divisions: Atreus Military District (AMD), Ryerson Military District (RMD), Tamarind Military District (TMD), Dieudonne Military District (DMD), and Oriente Military District (OMD). The Districts are each broken up into three Brigades (also known as FORSCOMs or Areas of Operations), and each Brigade has three Regiments, or units. Each of these Divisions and units have Commanding Officers (CO) and Executive Officers (XO's - Second in Command). Our House has a House Leader and a House XO as well. Below, is a break down of the Chain of Command for our district, and what rank is applied to each position:
| Unit Composition | Unit Command Staff | Unit Size |
| 4 Mechs Per Lance. | LL - included in lance | 4 total |
| 3 Lances Per Company | CCO and CXO | 14 Total |
| 3 Companies Per Battalion | BCO and BXO | 44 Total |
| 3 Battalions Per Regiment | RCO and RXO | 134 Total |
| 3 Regiments Per Brigade | AoOCO and AoOXO | 404 Total |
| 3 Brigades Per District | DCO and DXO | 1,214 Total |
| 5 Districts in the House | HCO, HXO, Chief of Staff and 3 Ministers |
6,076 Total |
As with all militaries, we have a set system of Ranks and Positions. If that's not confusing enough, in the Ryerson Military District, all the ranks of Captain through Marshal are accompanied by a Noble Title. Below is a chart of Rank, Position, and applicable Nobility.
| Grade | Rank | Abbreviation | Usual Position | Level | Ryerson Noble Title |
| E-1 | Private | Pvt. | Junior Lance Member | Enlisted | |
| E-2 | Corporal | Cpl. | Senior Lance Member | Enlisted | |
| E-3 | Sergeant | Sgt. | Lance Leader | Junior NCO | |
| E-4 | Sergeant Major | Sgt. Mjr. | Company XO | Senior NCO | |
| O-1 | Lieutenant | Lt. | Company CO | Company Grade | |
| O-2 | Captain | Cpt. | Battalion XO | Company Grade | Laird |
| O-3 | Force Commander | FCom. | Battalion CO | Field Grade | Baronet |
| O-4 | Lt. Colonel | Lt. Col. | Regimental XO | Field Grade | Baron |
| O-5 | Colonel | Col. | Regimental CO | Field Grade | Earl |
| O-6 | Lieutenant General | Lt. Gen. | Area of Operations XO | General Grade | VisCount |
| O-7 | Major General | Maj. Gen. | Area of Operations CO | General Grade | Count |
| O-8 | General | Gen. | District XO | General Grade | Steward |
| O-9 | Marshal | Msh. | District CO | General Grade | Duke |
| O-10 | Field Marshal | Fld. Msh. | Chief of Staff | High Command | |
| O-11 | Senior Marshal | Sr. Msh. | Minister or
House XO |
High Command | |
| O-12 | Captain-General | Cpt. Gen. | House CO | High Command |
Now, the tricky part…
The protocol for formal communication between members of the FWLM calls for addressing personnel by their rank. The only exception is for members of RMD addressing other members of RMD. In a formal situation, a member of Ryerson addressing an Noble of Ryerson should use the NOBLE title, not the rank. Of course, when speaking to an Officer NOT in RDC, the proper address is their RANK.
As a courtesy, and when respectfully meant, a non-member of RMD may address a noble of RMD by their noble title. One caveat, however. This can be misconstrued as an insult to the feudal history of RMD, and duels have been fought over smaller matters.
All Inter-Division Relations should be handled by the Division Command Staff. No one else can or will be allowed to make decisions regarding Inter-Division Relations. For more details, consult your Superior Officer.
Sometimes, you will see players using ~S~ or ~B~ as greetings to one another. These stand for ~Salute~ and ~Bow~ respectively. They are gestures of respect to your teammates or superior officers. Though this is only a game, the role we play is that of military men and women defending our territory. As such, a certain amount of respect is required to make the system work. In the end, however, the military structure enriches the experience of the game by expanding it beyond that of point and shoot. House Marik prides itself on its respect and honor. These are two key principles of an enjoyable military role playing experience.
This lesson is based on the lessons of General Nehrul and Colonels Skywolf (ret.), Jinx, and Liam.
Col Liam
Earl of Andurien
Regimental Commanding Officer
Defenders of Andurien
Andurien FORSCOM
Ryerson Military District
Free Worlds League Military