Lesson 1 - An 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 five Brigades (also known as FORSCOMs or Areas of Operations), and each Brigade has four 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. | LCO | 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 |
| 4 Regiments Per Brigade | AoOCO and AoOXO | 538 Total |
| 5 Brigades Per Division | DCO and 3 DXO's | 2,694 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 | Private First Class | Pfc. | Junior Lance Member | Enlisted | |
| E-3 | Corporal | Cpl. | Lance Member | Enlisted | |
| E-4 | Sergeant | Sgt. | Lance Member | Junior NCO | |
| E-5 | Staff Sergeant | SSgt. | Senior Lance Member | Junior NCO | |
| E-6 | Master Sergeant | MSgt. | Senior Lance Member or
Lance Leader |
Senior NCO | |
| E-7 | Sergeant Major | Sgt. Mjr. | Lance Leader or
Company XO |
Senior NCO | |
| O-1 | Lieutenant Junior Grade | Lt. jg. | Company XO or
Company CO |
Company Grade | |
| O-2 | Lieutenant Senior Grade | Lt. sg. | Company CO | Company Grade | |
| O-3 | Captain | Cpt. | Battalion XO | Company Grade | Laird |
| O-4 | Force Commander | FCom. | Battalion CO | Field Grade | Baronet |
| O-5 | Lt. Colonel | Lt. Col. | Regimental XO | Field Grade | Baron |
| O-6 | Colonel | Col. | Regimental CO | Field Grade | Earl |
| O-7 | Lieutenant General | Lt. Gen. | Area of Operations XO | General Grade | VisCount |
| O-8 | Major General | Maj. Gen. | Area of Operations CO | General Grade | Count |
| O-9 | General | Gen. | District XO | General Grade | Steward |
| O-10 | Marshal | Msh. | District CO | General Grade | Duke |
| 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...
When speaking to an Officer WITHIN RMD (A Noble of RMD), you
are to address them by their NOBLE title, not their rank.
When speaking to an Officer NOT in RDC, you are to address
them by their RANK.
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