That is awesome of them auctioning off Dev shirt and signed heraldry set on Twitter. Wish they would use a different platform since I would bid/donate.
I'll begin savagely critiquing all of your life choices tomorrow.
Dang messed up and forgot that I was replying to this message. Thanks for taking one for the team and posting the questions/answers. Hmm, now I need to only think of some answers since most are easy to do.
Captain Tom "Nips" Knipple is my real name. Except I'm not a Captain of anything but my own destiny, so take the title with a grain of salt.
"I don't see your ship, Captain."
So BT put up a preview of the questions:
Name: Your name, or the name of your alter ego if not using your own name
Gender: If unsure, ask a friend.
Archetype: MechWarrior? Elemental? Intelligence Operative? Business Magnate? Solaris VII Bookie? (Non traditional roles will get higher priority for faster placement.)
Rank or Title: A reccoemndation. Writers get some leeway to make adustments for the story/
Equipment/Unit: Name your BattleMech. Or would you prefer an Avanti Limo or private VTOL?
Combat Command: Any House or Merc unit or Clan command. Custom unit names are okay, but there is no guarantee they will be used. Upgrade prirorities will matter.
Current Faction: (Who do you fight for right now?)
1) Inner Sphere // Periphery // Clan // Any
2) Academy y-n (button?) // Nation (dropdown) // Trueborn/Freeborn (button?) // None
3) Nation (dropdown) // None // Clan Name (dropdown) // None
Origin Faction (optional): (Where were you actually born/raised?
1) Inner Sphere // Periphery // Clan // Any
2) Nation (dropdown) // Nation (dropdown) // Clan Name (dropdown) // None
Catch Phrase or Quote: Keep it clean; Keep it in character please.
Notes: This is where you can make any final pleas. Do you have a (short!) history? Short meaning 10-12 words preferably? Ar eyou and some freidns trying to link toegher in a custom mere unit? Do you want to combie multiple character pledges into one big character? Here is your chance to talk directly to the line developer, artists and writers. Remember, they love pithy!
Photo 1 Upload: Up to five reference photos can be uploaded. If you haven't already seen it, please check out our Art Director's tutorial on taking good reference shots. (Link is in the survey)
Photo 2 Upload
Photo 3 Upload
Photo 4 Upload
Photo 5 Upload
Maybe we put something like, "Part of the group that got the Oosik Regulars / Irregulars added as a canon unit to the [X] Sourcebook"?
Also, since I haven't read enough BT fiction lately, are MechWarriors usually given officer or enlisted ranks, and do they go Army / AF / Marine or Navy?
Maybe we put something like, "Part of the group that got the Oosik Regulars / Irregulars added as a canon unit to the [X] Sourcebook"?
Also, since I haven't read enough BT fiction lately, are MechWarriors usually given officer or enlisted ranks, and do they go Army / AF / Marine or Navy?
I was wondering the same thing about the ranks. But I'm guessing the answer is not as simple and probably differs between factions?
So now... How do we get it across that were not merely a made up merc unit, but actually Canon going back to the second succession war?
Last night I thought putting {Member of The Oosik Irregulars} in the Notes field would be enough, but it's worth discussing if we need to be more explicative. I for one will be making it clear that Canon Nips is a member of OI during the Clan Invasion, which itself is the same OI as from the 2SW. Everyone's entitled to put their canon character wherever in the time line they'd like, but I think its most appropriate if our "primary" personas, the ones we've developed over the course of MWO's existence, live and operate during the Invasion era.
Also, since I haven't read enough BT fiction lately, are MechWarriors usually given officer or enlisted ranks, and do they go Army / AF / Marine or Navy?
It suuuuuper depends on the faction, its military structure, and how they assign rank. There's multiple articles on Sarna about it. Most importantly, for Mercs, it only matters as far as that Merc outfit cares to assign them.
Seeing as how the Oosiks are "a very loosely organized (and by loosely we mean not at all) mercenary corp that is open to anyone who wants to join." our organizational structure has only ever existed enough to get the (minimal) group's tasks handled. I could pull up the Extended Historical Rosters, but it basically boiled down to 'People Who Do Non-Battlefield Stuff' and 'Everyone Else's A MechWarrior', with special commendation titles awarded for meritorious behavior (Poet Laureate, High Priest of the Church of Dakka, etc.)
I'm imagining, for the purposes of canon, that anyone that's adding a quote-unquote Rank into their profile brings it from their life prior to the merc life. For instance, @Tox has Harddown as "1st Lieutenant"; hailing from the FRR, I'm actually envisioning that his original rank was Löjtnant in the FRR KungsArmé, and he 'normalized' it for Oosik use. Same with @TOGSolid at Captain, being a former Kapten in the FRR. OR MAYBE SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY! I'm not your mothers, or your superior officer, so you each do you. Shine on you crazy diamonds.
Bottom line: Do what you want, what you think is cool. 'Cause to the OI, it literally doesn't matter.
I'm trying to think of an archtype that would allow my character to be easier used. But, "Official Nap Instructor" of the Oosiks might be harder to use than MechWarrior.
So now... How do we get it across that were not merely a made up merc unit, but actually Canon going back to the second succession war?
Last night I thought putting {Member of The Oosik Irregulars} in the Notes field would be enough, but it's worth discussing if we need to be more explicative. I for one will be making it clear that Canon Nips is a member of OI during the Clan Invasion
That's a good idea. If we can resurrect the Oosiks outside the 2nd Succession Wars this way that'd be ace. Did you just put "Member of The Oosik Irregulars, reformed during the Clan Invasion" @Nips ?
I'm also half-tempted to link our sarna article just to make it clear the Oosiks aren't a total ass-pull.
Well no looking back, I already submitted my two! Hope People Person is good enough!
+4
Options
NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
@TOGSolid I haven't submitted yet, because I'm crafting my Notes like a precision-milled gauss round.
+4
Options
H3KnucklesBut we decide which is rightand which is an illusion.Registered Userregular
edited January 2020
@Elvenshae I don't know the specifics off the top of my head, but I've definitely seen mechwarriors with enlisted and NCO rank names (corporals and sergeants) in official materials, so I suppose if you aren't interested in ever commanding a lance there is some career track that takes you from boot camp to battlemech simulators.
From Sarna, a 3067 rank-equivalency table (there's one for 3025 as well). Note that the FWL allows member states to maintain their own rank structures for regional military units, so check footnotes for Andurien or Oriente variations.
[4] Andurien has a rank called "Force Captain" here [5] Andurien calls this grade "Flag Captain" [6] Both Andurien and Oriente refer to this grade as "Major"
[7] neither Andurien nor Oriente use this grade [8] Andurien refers to this grade as Lieutenant General [9] Ostensibly an alternative title for the FRR's Prince (head of state), similar to how the POTUS is also the Commander-in-Chief, but this can be (and often was) delegated to the most senior General of the KungsArmé, making it more akin to the SLDF's Commanding General.
Also yes, it seems FASA got the flag officer ranks backwards (Major General is subordinate to Lieutenant General in real life, akin to Sgt. Major<Lt.<Captain, or Major<Lt. Col.<Col.).
"Katzbalger" - what my MWO/Oosik character would be (if some fucker hadn't already taken that callsign, lol)
Name: Henrik Ivar "Katzbalger" Meinhardt
Gender: male
Archetype: Mechwarrior
Rank or Title: Hauptmann (LCAF, ret.), Kavellrist/'Hey, Asshole' (Oosik)
Equipment: TDR-9SE Thunderbolt
Combat Command: Oosik Irregulars
Current Faction: Inner Sphere/War College of Tamar/FRR
Origin Faction: Inner Sphere/Lyran Commonwealth
Catch Phrase: "I can't believe I paid good money to be treated like this"
Notes: Quite possibly the only sober member of the Oosik Irregulars ("that's why your rank is 'Hey, Asshole'" "well someone has to be able to navigate to the mission area & back"), who were reconstituted some time prior to the Clan Invasion by descendants of an infamous mercenary command which had been defeated in the second succession war (one of the write-in fan units for the Second Succession War sourcebook, page 97). 10-12 word bio? Former Lyran officer, resigned commission to fight for Rasalhague in Ronin Wars.
One problem I'm running into is that it asks for an academy after your current faction and not your origin faction, which seems kind of backwards? Like both of my characters would have a Lyran origin, which has some characterful Academy choices, but Sarna doesn't list any FRR academies except the one founded for ASF pilots in honor of Tyra Miraborg (the one who kamikaze'd ilKhan Leo Showers' flagship, so post Clan invasion). Is it possible to pick or write-in an academy that isn't in your current nation?
So I have ... opinions about rank structure/names, just fyi. Also I'm a fan of etymology. So below is my thoughts as a walls of text.
I always use the rank 1LT because it's clearly an officer but relatively junior and not usually a command position and generally I think it's a good generic rank for a mechwarrior to have (though personally I think pilot-class ranks should be Warrant officers, not fully commissioned).
Etymologically speaking, Lieutenant literally means "serving in place of" with the context of a Lieutenant being a substitute for a captain (which has the same root as chief, a root that means "head (of)").
Then there's Major which comes from the root that basically means "elder" or "greater than" while Colonel (a word I despise) which basically means the leader / most prominent / front of a column.
My personal favorite senior rank, "Brigadier" comes from "brigade" which basically means "troop/crowd/gang" and comes from a word meaning to fight, and ultimately a hypothesized root that means "heavy"
"General" is technically a modifier, and was originally added after Captain to basically mean senior most captain, or captain-of-captains, or else someone who held the rank of captain but was not captain of any one specific military group, but rather commanded all troops.
"Warrant" officers are a whole entire other thing and if you have any interest in military history I would encourage you to look into them because they're neat! Warrant officers were basically members of a ship's crew who were appointed by royal warrant (which the ship's Captain had authority to issue) instead of royal commission (which only the Crown could authorize) to "subject matter expert" type positions (Gunner, Purser, Surgeon). Basically when some rich fuck bought themselves an appointment to the royal navy, they didn't know fuck-all, so they bribed sailors who could read and write with higher rank/distinction/money in exchange for running the ship for them.
SO! That said, there's an in-universe quote where Jaime Wolf basically breaks down generic rank structure and offers that, due to the size of most merc groups (typically up to a brigade), the average highest-rank is equivalent to a Colonel, with the implication being that merc units really don't need more than 6 bands of officer ranks, with the top rank being a "commander of the entire unit" rank.
Additionally, I am a HUGE FAN of unified rank systems ("Armed Forces" instead of "army" and "navy" ec). So I have no problem borrowing ranks like Ensign (basically 'one who carries a badge of rank') or Admiral or how fucking cool is Commodore?!
Now, all THAT said, the FRR has its own rank structure, and additionally if you look at the history of the area, their roots are in Finland/Norway/Sweden. Looking at all of THOSE rank structures, the Scandinavians all have a lowest rank that basically means flag bearer, which sounds to me a lot like Ensign, so I'm even more cool with using that rank as a lower level officer rank.
As for enlisted, "sergeant" comes from a word meaning to serve, and basically is a universal "non-officer leader" type rank. Corporal comes from the same roots as captain and chief, and similarly means "head of." Private comes from the civilian use and just means private soldier, could have had mercenary connotation? Basically it's any soldier that doesn't lead others. Personally, I'm a fan of the Navy/Air Force use of "(job) mate" like crewmate. It implies belongingness and membership to a larger whole, which is kind of a thing in the military.
Basically, this is what I use for my merc unit, the Anaheim Kingsmen (which had originally been a planetary royal army):
Enlisted Ranks:
- Crewmate
- Senior Crewmate
- Corporal
- Lance Corporal
- Master Corporal
- Brigadier Master Corporal
- Additionally, any Corporal who is senior most within a unit, and/or is the leader of a 'mech/vehicle crew will have the honorific "(unit) Chief" and will be addressed as such within that unit.
Warrant Ranks (senior to enlisted, typically non-command roles, usually pilots/warriors):
- Sergeant
- Staff Sergeant
- Master Sergeant
- Senior Master Sergeant
- Chief Master Sergeant
- Additionally, any Sergeant who is the senior most Sergeant within a unit will have the honorific "Major" appended to the end of their title (yes, the top mechwarrior of the unit would be "Chief Master Sergeant Major")
Officer Ranks (these can be folks who pilot mechs, etc, but they are field commanders at least)
- Lieutenant, junior grade
- Lieutenant, senior grade
- 1st Lieutenant
- Lieutenant Commander
- Commander
- Captain
- Captain-General
- Brigadier General
The only change I'd recommend for the Oosiks is probably just simplify the officers to Lieutenant/Commander/Captain/General
So I have ... opinions about rank structure/names, just fyi. Also I'm a fan of etymology. So below is my thoughts as a walls of text.
I always use the rank 1LT because it's clearly an officer but relatively junior and not usually a command position and generally I think it's a good generic rank for a mechwarrior to have (though personally I think pilot-class ranks should be Warrant officers, not fully commissioned).
Etymologically speaking, Lieutenant literally means "serving in place of" with the context of a Lieutenant being a substitute for a captain (which has the same root as chief, a root that means "head (of)").
Then there's Major which comes from the root that basically means "elder" or "greater than" while Colonel (a word I despise) which basically means the leader / most prominent / front of a column.
My personal favorite senior rank, "Brigadier" comes from "brigade" which basically means "troop/crowd/gang" and comes from a word meaning to fight, and ultimately a hypothesized root that means "heavy"
"General" is technically a modifier, and was originally added after Captain to basically mean senior most captain, or captain-of-captains, or else someone who held the rank of captain but was not captain of any one specific military group, but rather commanded all troops.
"Warrant" officers are a whole entire other thing and if you have any interest in military history I would encourage you to look into them because they're neat! Warrant officers were basically members of a ship's crew who were appointed by royal warrant (which the ship's Captain had authority to issue) instead of royal commission (which only the Crown could authorize) to "subject matter expert" type positions (Gunner, Purser, Surgeon). Basically when some rich fuck bought themselves an appointment to the royal navy, they didn't know fuck-all, so they bribed sailors who could read and write with higher rank/distinction/money in exchange for running the ship for them.
SO! That said, there's an in-universe quote where Jaime Wolf basically breaks down generic rank structure and offers that, due to the size of most merc groups (typically up to a brigade), the average highest-rank is equivalent to a Colonel, with the implication being that merc units really don't need more than 6 bands of officer ranks, with the top rank being a "commander of the entire unit" rank.
Additionally, I am a HUGE FAN of unified rank systems ("Armed Forces" instead of "army" and "navy" ec). So I have no problem borrowing ranks like Ensign (basically 'one who carries a badge of rank') or Admiral or how fucking cool is Commodore?!
Now, all THAT said, the FRR has its own rank structure, and additionally if you look at the history of the area, their roots are in Finland/Norway/Sweden. Looking at all of THOSE rank structures, the Scandinavians all have a lowest rank that basically means flag bearer, which sounds to me a lot like Ensign, so I'm even more cool with using that rank as a lower level officer rank.
As for enlisted, "sergeant" comes from a word meaning to serve, and basically is a universal "non-officer leader" type rank. Corporal comes from the same roots as captain and chief, and similarly means "head of." Private comes from the civilian use and just means private soldier, could have had mercenary connotation? Basically it's any soldier that doesn't lead others. Personally, I'm a fan of the Navy/Air Force use of "(job) mate" like crewmate. It implies belongingness and membership to a larger whole, which is kind of a thing in the military.
Basically, this is what I use for my merc unit, the Anaheim Kingsmen (which had originally been a planetary royal army):
Enlisted Ranks:
- Crewmate
- Senior Crewmate
- Corporal
- Lance Corporal
- Master Corporal
- Brigadier Master Corporal
- Additionally, any Corporal who is senior most within a unit, and/or is the leader of a 'mech/vehicle crew will have the honorific "(unit) Chief" and will be addressed as such within that unit.
Warrant Ranks (senior to enlisted, typically non-command roles, usually pilots/warriors):
- Sergeant
- Staff Sergeant
- Master Sergeant
- Senior Master Sergeant
- Chief Master Sergeant
- Additionally, any Sergeant who is the senior most Sergeant within a unit will have the honorific "Major" appended to the end of their title (yes, the top mechwarrior of the unit would be "Chief Master Sergeant Major")
Officer Ranks (these can be folks who pilot mechs, etc, but they are field commanders at least)
- Lieutenant, junior grade
- Lieutenant, senior grade
- 1st Lieutenant
- Lieutenant Commander
- Commander
- Captain
- Captain-General
- Brigadier General
The only change I'd recommend for the Oosiks is probably just simplify the officers to Lieutenant/Commander/Captain/General
Honestly, if you're going for a unified rank system, I think getting rid of "Captain" as an explicit rank (since it occupies two very different pay grades in army & navy structures) and exclusively using it as a title to address the senior officer of a ship while they are aboard & in command, regardless of their rank (which it also is currently naval etiquette to do) makes a lot of sense. As I understand it, regiments are kind of a vestigial organizational layer anymore, brigades mostly operate as a set of battalions, so you could shuffle down the ranks of Maj through Col one spot each in army systems, and 'navy' ranks could be padded with Major between the Lt.'s and Lt. Cmdr's. This has the bonus that Colonel and Commander (and their respective Lieutenant forms) become equal as well.
NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
I love what you guys are discussing here, no joke. Love it.
It just more clearly reminds me that in the Oosiks we really are a completely flat org structure. Any position of "command" is fluid, e.g. someone would take up the "Shot-Caller" role in our MWO group drops, and that's pretty literally the only time anyone would any level of authority. And then that authority poofed out of existence as fast as it came once the shooting was done.
It's weird conceiving managing an all-volunteer for-profit merc outfit, that's for sure. Do you think we could finagle a 501(c)(3) status with the MRBC? I can think of a hundred plus things we need to write off as operating expenses.
It just more clearly reminds me that in the Oosiks we really are a completely flat org structure. Any position of "command" is fluid, e.g. someone would take up the "Shot-Caller" role in our MWO group drops, and that's pretty literally the only time anyone would any level of authority. And then that authority poofed out of existence as fast as it came once the shooting was done.
At the risk of sounding like a tryhard, considering this is for the actual battletech game canon, it'd be nice if we considered that the unit we're talking about was an actual military unit at one point (part of a house army)
and that it
like
survived long enough to become not only a merc unit in the Succession Wars, but survived long enough to see the Clan Invasion.
Well, the Oosik Irregulars were part of a "real" unit before breaking off into a Merc company. We were originally the Oosik Regulars, per @TOGSolid's post here:
The Oosik Irregulars formed when the 2nd Oosik Regulars, while deploying to protect a critical steelworks on Twycross, "mis-calculated" a set of jump coordinates and arrived instead in orbit of Talisker IV. Apparently not realizing the mistake, the Oosiks took up defensive positions--which would later prove fortunate, as the planet was subject to a surprise attack by a combined-arms force of 'mechs and infantry in an attempt to take control of its HPG uplink. In the ensuing battle, the HPG uplink was swiftly destroyed (allegedly due to friendly fire), but the Oosiks--now out of contact with their command structure--elected to remain on Talisker IV. They dug in around the capital city--incidentally home of the sector's only Class 3 brewery--and prepared to fight an extended siege. In the following weeks, the Oosiks earned a reputation as one of the most obdurate and immovable companies in the Inner Sphere. According to contemporary accounts, they could be dislodged neither by any quantity of enemy fire nor by the direct, angrily-shouted orders of their superiors.
In the aftermath of the conflict, the Oosik Irregulars became a mercenary unit, claiming Talisker IV as their base of operations henceforth.
Who are the Oosik Irregulars?
We are a very loosely organized (and by loosely I mean not at all) mercenary corp that is open to anyone who wants to join. The Penny Arcade community frequently makes loose groups for new games just to make it easier to find people to play with, and while this started out as just another one of those it has grown into so much more. We formed under the banner of The Oosik Irregulars as a way to honor the great forumer A Flock of Walrus who brought us closed beta footage at the expense of his access to the game, and have since become a tightly-knit group of very active players. As such, we have been active since the early days of MWO and have persevered through the ups and downs of MWO.
We don't care about player skill levels or general MWO experience. Our primary goal is to have fun and help each other out, including brand new players. If this is your first time launching the game we'll happily drop alongside you. We have a lot of experienced community members more than willing to help you out and I can't think of a single person that would refuse to let you roll in a lance with them. If you're an experienced pilot already then you'll also find players looking to push themselves as hard as possible in this game, and who are constantly working to improve their game. There is something for everyone in the Oosiks Irregulars!
Posts
Pretty sure it's 6? Typically logos are on the 6 face, since that's the "best" value.
Could be wrong though
This sheet might not get done completely tonight. Will update when I've finished.
I take it all back. It was actually pretty short branches, once I went through them, and they're all largely the same shape.
HEY EVERYBODY PUT YOUR DEETS HERE! Look for the Canon Character tab at the bottom.
I'll begin savagely critiquing all of your life choices tomorrow.
That is awesome of them auctioning off Dev shirt and signed heraldry set on Twitter. Wish they would use a different platform since I would bid/donate.
Steam: betsuni7
Dang messed up and forgot that I was replying to this message. Thanks for taking one for the team and posting the questions/answers. Hmm, now I need to only think of some answers since most are easy to do.
Steam: betsuni7
@Nips, unless you are punning, "principle paper pusher" should probably be "principal paper pusher."
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
While you're not wrong, my excuse is that it's late and I'm filling out spreadsheets half-drunk.
Wait I thought it was Captain Tom "Nips" Nipple ??? I'm so confused!
Anyway 1st Lieutenant Glenn "Harddown" Muttram reporting.
Uh oh
That's an easy misunderstanding.
Tom "CapnNips" Knipple is my character's name.
Captain Tom "Nips" Knipple is my real name. Except I'm not a Captain of anything but my own destiny, so take the title with a grain of salt.
"I don't see your ship, Captain."
So BT put up a preview of the questions:
Steam: betsuni7
Also, since I haven't read enough BT fiction lately, are MechWarriors usually given officer or enlisted ranks, and do they go Army / AF / Marine or Navy?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
I was wondering the same thing about the ranks. But I'm guessing the answer is not as simple and probably differs between factions?
Steam: betsuni7
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Captain
Buddy
Pal
Friend
Chum
Hey, Asshole
To be fair, this is pretty on-brand for the Oosiks ...
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Archetype: Dropship Pilot / HR Rep
Rank or Title: People Person
Equipment/Unit: Leopard Dropship
And everything else matches the rest of ya.
Last night I thought putting {Member of The Oosik Irregulars} in the Notes field would be enough, but it's worth discussing if we need to be more explicative. I for one will be making it clear that Canon Nips is a member of OI during the Clan Invasion, which itself is the same OI as from the 2SW. Everyone's entitled to put their canon character wherever in the time line they'd like, but I think its most appropriate if our "primary" personas, the ones we've developed over the course of MWO's existence, live and operate during the Invasion era.
It suuuuuper depends on the faction, its military structure, and how they assign rank. There's multiple articles on Sarna about it. Most importantly, for Mercs, it only matters as far as that Merc outfit cares to assign them.
Seeing as how the Oosiks are "a very loosely organized (and by loosely we mean not at all) mercenary corp that is open to anyone who wants to join." our organizational structure has only ever existed enough to get the (minimal) group's tasks handled. I could pull up the Extended Historical Rosters, but it basically boiled down to 'People Who Do Non-Battlefield Stuff' and 'Everyone Else's A MechWarrior', with special commendation titles awarded for meritorious behavior (Poet Laureate, High Priest of the Church of Dakka, etc.)
I'm imagining, for the purposes of canon, that anyone that's adding a quote-unquote Rank into their profile brings it from their life prior to the merc life. For instance, @Tox has Harddown as "1st Lieutenant"; hailing from the FRR, I'm actually envisioning that his original rank was Löjtnant in the FRR KungsArmé, and he 'normalized' it for Oosik use. Same with @TOGSolid at Captain, being a former Kapten in the FRR. OR MAYBE SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY! I'm not your mothers, or your superior officer, so you each do you. Shine on you crazy diamonds.
Bottom line: Do what you want, what you think is cool. 'Cause to the OI, it literally doesn't matter.
See? This guy gets it.
Steam: betsuni7
I'm also half-tempted to link our sarna article just to make it clear the Oosiks aren't a total ass-pull.
From Sarna, a 3067 rank-equivalency table (there's one for 3025 as well). Note that the FWL allows member states to maintain their own rank structures for regional military units, so check footnotes for Andurien or Oriente variations.
Order goes SLDF - FRR KungsArmé - DCMS - AFFS - CCAF - FWLM - LAAF
Enlisted personnel
- Recruit - n/a - Hojuhei - Recruit - Shia-ben-bing - Recruit - Recruit
- Private - Menig - Heishi - Pvt. - n/a - Pvt. - Pvt.
- n/a - n/a - Gunjin - Private First Class - n/a - PFC. - PFC.
- Corporal - Kavellrist (mechwarriors)/Korpral (other) - Go-cho - Cpl. - San-ben-bing - Cpl. - Cpl.
- n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a [1] - Senior Corporal
[1] Andurien has a rank called "Thegn" hereNon-Commissioned Officers
- Sergeant - Sgt. - Gunsho - Sgt. - Si-ben-bing - Sgt. - Sgt.
- n/a - n/a - Shujin - n/a - n/a - Staff Sergeant - SSg.
- n/a - n/a - Kashira - Sergeant Major - n/a - Master Sergeant - SgM.
- n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - Staff Sergeant Major
- Master Sergeant - Fanjunkare - Sho-ko - Command Sergeant Major - Yi-si-ben-bing - Sergeant Major [2] - Senior Sergeant Major
- n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - [3] - n/a
[2] Andurien calls this grade "Banner"[3] Andurien has a rank called "Master Banner" here, whereas Oriente calls it "Banner"
Warrant Officers
Junior Officers
- n/a - n/a - n/a - Cadet - n/a - n/a - Cdt.
- Lieutenant Junior Grade - n/a - n/a - Subaltern - n/a - Lt JG - Leutnant
- Lieutenant Senior Grade - Löjtnant - Chu-i - Leftenant - Sao-wei - Lieutenant - First Leutnant
- n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - [4] - n/a
- Captain - Kapten - Tai-i - Cpt. - Sang-wei - Cpt. [5] - Hauptmann
- Major - Maj. - Sho-sa - Maj. - Sao-shao - Force Commander [6] - Kommandant
- n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - n/a - Hauptmann-Kommandant
[4] Andurien has a rank called "Force Captain" here[5] Andurien calls this grade "Flag Captain"
[6] Both Andurien and Oriente refer to this grade as "Major"
Senior Officers
- n/a - Överste-Löjtnant - Chu-sa - Leftenant Colonel - Zhong-shao - Lieutenant Colonel [7] - Leutnant-Colonel
- Colonel - Överste - Tai-sa - Col. - Sang-shao - Col. - Col.
- Lieutenant General - n/a - Sho-sho - Leftenant General - n/a - n/a - n/a
- n/a - Generalmajor - n/a - Major General - n/a - n/a - Leutnant-General
- n/a - n/a - Tai-sho - General - Jiang-jun - n/a - Hauptmann-General
- Major General - General - n/a - Marshal - n/a - Gen. [8] - Kommandant-General
- General - n/a - Tai-shu - Field Marshal - n/a - n/a - Gen.
- Commanding General - n/a - Gunji-no-Kanrei - Marshal of the Armies - Sang-jiang-jun - Marshal - General of the Armies
- n/a - Överbefälhavare [9] - Coordinator - Prince - Chancellor - Captain-General - Archon
[7] neither Andurien nor Oriente use this grade[8] Andurien refers to this grade as Lieutenant General
[9] Ostensibly an alternative title for the FRR's Prince (head of state), similar to how the POTUS is also the Commander-in-Chief, but this can be (and often was) delegated to the most senior General of the KungsArmé, making it more akin to the SLDF's Commanding General.
Also yes, it seems FASA got the flag officer ranks backwards (Major General is subordinate to Lieutenant General in real life, akin to Sgt. Major<Lt.<Captain, or Major<Lt. Col.<Col.).
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Page 97, BTW, per Sarna.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
"Heartbreaker" - one of my HBS Battletech campaign mode characters
"Katzbalger" - what my MWO/Oosik character would be (if some fucker hadn't already taken that callsign, lol)
One problem I'm running into is that it asks for an academy after your current faction and not your origin faction, which seems kind of backwards? Like both of my characters would have a Lyran origin, which has some characterful Academy choices, but Sarna doesn't list any FRR academies except the one founded for ASF pilots in honor of Tyra Miraborg (the one who kamikaze'd ilKhan Leo Showers' flagship, so post Clan invasion). Is it possible to pick or write-in an academy that isn't in your current nation?
That became lostech until 3040.
You'll have to share once they're ready so that they we can copy off your homework
Etymologically speaking, Lieutenant literally means "serving in place of" with the context of a Lieutenant being a substitute for a captain (which has the same root as chief, a root that means "head (of)").
Then there's Major which comes from the root that basically means "elder" or "greater than" while Colonel (a word I despise) which basically means the leader / most prominent / front of a column.
My personal favorite senior rank, "Brigadier" comes from "brigade" which basically means "troop/crowd/gang" and comes from a word meaning to fight, and ultimately a hypothesized root that means "heavy"
"General" is technically a modifier, and was originally added after Captain to basically mean senior most captain, or captain-of-captains, or else someone who held the rank of captain but was not captain of any one specific military group, but rather commanded all troops.
"Warrant" officers are a whole entire other thing and if you have any interest in military history I would encourage you to look into them because they're neat! Warrant officers were basically members of a ship's crew who were appointed by royal warrant (which the ship's Captain had authority to issue) instead of royal commission (which only the Crown could authorize) to "subject matter expert" type positions (Gunner, Purser, Surgeon). Basically when some rich fuck bought themselves an appointment to the royal navy, they didn't know fuck-all, so they bribed sailors who could read and write with higher rank/distinction/money in exchange for running the ship for them.
SO! That said, there's an in-universe quote where Jaime Wolf basically breaks down generic rank structure and offers that, due to the size of most merc groups (typically up to a brigade), the average highest-rank is equivalent to a Colonel, with the implication being that merc units really don't need more than 6 bands of officer ranks, with the top rank being a "commander of the entire unit" rank.
Additionally, I am a HUGE FAN of unified rank systems ("Armed Forces" instead of "army" and "navy" ec). So I have no problem borrowing ranks like Ensign (basically 'one who carries a badge of rank') or Admiral or how fucking cool is Commodore?!
Now, all THAT said, the FRR has its own rank structure, and additionally if you look at the history of the area, their roots are in Finland/Norway/Sweden. Looking at all of THOSE rank structures, the Scandinavians all have a lowest rank that basically means flag bearer, which sounds to me a lot like Ensign, so I'm even more cool with using that rank as a lower level officer rank.
As for enlisted, "sergeant" comes from a word meaning to serve, and basically is a universal "non-officer leader" type rank. Corporal comes from the same roots as captain and chief, and similarly means "head of." Private comes from the civilian use and just means private soldier, could have had mercenary connotation? Basically it's any soldier that doesn't lead others. Personally, I'm a fan of the Navy/Air Force use of "(job) mate" like crewmate. It implies belongingness and membership to a larger whole, which is kind of a thing in the military.
Basically, this is what I use for my merc unit, the Anaheim Kingsmen (which had originally been a planetary royal army):
- Crewmate
- Senior Crewmate
- Corporal
- Lance Corporal
- Master Corporal
- Brigadier Master Corporal
- Additionally, any Corporal who is senior most within a unit, and/or is the leader of a 'mech/vehicle crew will have the honorific "(unit) Chief" and will be addressed as such within that unit.
Warrant Ranks (senior to enlisted, typically non-command roles, usually pilots/warriors):
- Sergeant
- Staff Sergeant
- Master Sergeant
- Senior Master Sergeant
- Chief Master Sergeant
- Additionally, any Sergeant who is the senior most Sergeant within a unit will have the honorific "Major" appended to the end of their title (yes, the top mechwarrior of the unit would be "Chief Master Sergeant Major")
Officer Ranks (these can be folks who pilot mechs, etc, but they are field commanders at least)
- Lieutenant, junior grade
- Lieutenant, senior grade
- 1st Lieutenant
- Lieutenant Commander
- Commander
- Captain
- Captain-General
- Brigadier General
The only change I'd recommend for the Oosiks is probably just simplify the officers to Lieutenant/Commander/Captain/General
Honestly, if you're going for a unified rank system, I think getting rid of "Captain" as an explicit rank (since it occupies two very different pay grades in army & navy structures) and exclusively using it as a title to address the senior officer of a ship while they are aboard & in command, regardless of their rank (which it also is currently naval etiquette to do) makes a lot of sense. As I understand it, regiments are kind of a vestigial organizational layer anymore, brigades mostly operate as a set of battalions, so you could shuffle down the ranks of Maj through Col one spot each in army systems, and 'navy' ranks could be padded with Major between the Lt.'s and Lt. Cmdr's. This has the bonus that Colonel and Commander (and their respective Lieutenant forms) become equal as well.
It just more clearly reminds me that in the Oosiks we really are a completely flat org structure. Any position of "command" is fluid, e.g. someone would take up the "Shot-Caller" role in our MWO group drops, and that's pretty literally the only time anyone would any level of authority. And then that authority poofed out of existence as fast as it came once the shooting was done.
It's weird conceiving managing an all-volunteer for-profit merc outfit, that's for sure. Do you think we could finagle a 501(c)(3) status with the MRBC? I can think of a hundred plus things we need to write off as operating expenses.
Can
Flagon
Stein
Growler
Keg
I already had you pegged as "Completely Legitimate Financier", so that tracks.
and that it
like
survived long enough to become not only a merc unit in the Succession Wars, but survived long enough to see the Clan Invasion.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]