As some of you are aware, we have been planning a form of Military Chain of Command for the Guard forum to provide a bit of an authentic feel to the forum and to provide a bit more order. I expect this to be a fun addition to the forum atmosphere and life.
To assuage any fears that this will only compound the issue of Elitism on the board, I shall take measures to ensure it will not. First and foremost, is that, since Elitism is against one of the rules of the board, it shall be grounds for demotion. I shall ensure Elitism is a large hit against one's record in that regard as well. In addition, any breaking of the rules still bears with it the normal consequences concerning the forum as a whole. Now that that's out of the way....
The Chain of Command shall be a semi-formal ranking structure within the Imperial Guard forum. Outside the Guard forum, it shall hold little to no weight. Within the Guard forum... It'll probably hold the same amount of weight officially. The only real benefit of rank will be within the Chain of Command itself. Rank will hold no weight concerning anything outside the Chain of Command. You break a rule, you face the consequences like anyone else.
Rank in the Chain of Command shall be displayed in one of two ways, depending on the reaction from those above myself:
1) As titles in our forum names itself, such as "Lord Moddissar General Koonitz". Name changes will be done by the account owner once a promotion is approved. I do not prefer this method as this is an option freely open to confusion and false claims by new folk and unscrupulous persons.
2) One's custom title shall be edited to show proper rank as it evolves. This will have to be put through me to request it from the admin to have it changed. This is the preferred option, and I hope the higher ups will approve it. This way, anyone can retain whatever rank they want in their names, but official Chain of Command ranks will only be achievable through official means (IE: Through me).
We'll see how it will be in due time.
The ranks will be as follows:
Trooper
Corporal
Sergeant
Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Major General
Lieutenant General
Marshall
General
Lord General
Warmaster
The rank of Warmaster shall, for now, be held by Grim Stalker, as it is, for now, his forum for such time until he fully relenquishes it to 40kO... Any discussion from hereon in shall be stated in terms assuming Grim shall play little to no role in the upcoming months of the forum life. If, however, he does return, he has full authority and power over and above even myself concerning decisions (Though, if you read this Grim, I strongly advise you discuss it with me first upon your return until you reacquant yourself with the forum).
I am, however, egotistical enough to take the only Lord General slot. I shall be the only Lord General until such time as I step down from moderating the forum.
The rank of General shall be held by one person per army type.
a) Infantry Company
b) Armoured Company (This includes Armoured Battlegroups)
c) Mechanised Infantry
d) Drop Troops
If another list comes to mind, ask me if it deserves official status with a promotion of one of their players to the rank of General. This is also subject to change upon the release of new lists.
The ranks of "Major General", "Lieutenant General", and "Marshall" shall be made equivalent and shall have up to three per General (one of each title). These shall be the "Seconds in command" so to speak. I shall also accept a single person of this rank to be my Second in Command, reporting to me directly above the Generals. I shall refer to this rank level as "Marshall" as it is easier to type, however any of the three may be held as per stated guidelines.
Any rank between Lieutenant and Colonel may have as many members as are accepted/promoted to it. There shall be no specific army designation to anyone of this rank, unless the person wishs to state an army preference in their profile through normal means.
Any rank below Lieutenant shall be freely available, and likely will not be displayed in custom titles. Anyone who is accepted for a Commission shall start at Lieutenant.
Promotions and Demotions shall be handled through formal means. Those of rank General or above have the authority to grant promotions to worthy individuals without higher consent. I expect proper discretion from my Generals in this matter. Do not choose unwisely.
Anyone of rank "Major General", "Lieutenant General", or "Marshall" may make requests to a General or myself for someone's promotion and it shall be looked into.
Anyone of lower rank may request someone's promotion, or heck, feel free to point out good or bad deeds to me so that I may add it to my file for future reference. Any attempt to point out one's own good deeds will be taken as attempting to inflate one's own status and looked upon as not wholely positive. Any request by one of rank Colonel or below for one's own promotion will be marked negatively in their file.
Any promotion or demotion should be followed by proper paperwork to myself so that I may add it to my files.
I expect all members of the Chain of Command to follow the forum rules as is expected of them normally. As well, I expect them to hold the utmost respect to the Imperial Guard, Our Holy Lord Emperor, and ALL members of the forum, whether they be members of the Chain of Command or not.
I also expect everyone part of the Chain of Command to respect it in anything concerning the Chain of Command.
Properly abiding by these commandments will lead to good standing within the Chain of Command. Failure to abide will lead to either demotion, or even removal from the Chain of Command all together. Anyone falsly displaying rank above their station shall be dealt with accordingly. Displaying rank below their station runs the risk of making it permanent. Again, I expect proper discretion from my Generals in this matter.
Filling in the ranks shall be done in two phases, per-say.
Phase one, which will happen now, will be myself choosing Generals for the four currently open positions. I only have ideas on who would be good for one or two sections. If you feel someone is worthy of the position, feel free to petition it to myself in private. Also, for those that currently display ranks in their names, petition to me in private, and I shall see about allowing you into the Chain of Command at that or a similar rank (If it is not above Colonel).
Once Generals have been chosen, I shall allow them to decide on if/who they wish to fill in their "Marshall" positions.
Phase two will everything after Phase 1, once we get this thing underway.
I think that's basically it. Anything else that is left unsaid I'm sure is covered by one's general knowledge on real life military rank structure.
Once things are up and running, I will have expectations from my Generals, and all Marshalls. Also, once I have chosen my own Marshall, any paperwork that is to go to me, may to go to him as well, and I expect him to process it and file it to me accordingly.
And last, while this is intended to be a fun addition to the Guard forum, I expect as much integrity in this as one would expect form the real thing. In other words, let's take this somewhat seriously, and try not to be as lazy about it as we are about painting models... *smirks*
I also expect people to respect my request for anything that is to be filed to me in private, and to do so by sending me a private message. I do not want to see rank requests in public.
I now leave it open to discussion. Please feel free to discuss it here.