The vision we've (being the Command & Staff who've participated here since the beginning of the on-line iteration of the Wolf Family Mercenary Units, LLC) always had of Armageddon Unlimited, as a mercenary unit, has continued to be that of real-world mercenary units, where organization is, more often than not, king, akin to 'legitimate' military forces around the world, with rank, awards, and pay for reconnaissance and combat services rendered.  For mercenaries, commanders more wise than honorable -honor has its own wisdom, though it often does not jive with good sense- will seek out the highest bidder with the lowest risk for paying military and para-military jobs.  However, and especially for the computer-gaming crowd, many of whom will not be, or have been, in the military, honor and structure have far less meaning than playing the game for fun, sport and, in MWOs case, in-game gain; like it or not, we as the Command & Staff, and those who come to play within the unit, will be required to deal with this sort of attitude.  Thus, what follows is the most open recruiting policy for AU that I can possibly think of; one that will maintain a level of structure appropriate to the size of the unit, and will allow for the development of further responsibility assignment, as necessary.

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Unit Structure ~ Level One
Nominal Range: 4 - 12 Players (expandable)

When first beginning this iteration of AU, the rank structure will be close to non-existant for most players; the goal of this is to allow everyone to relax, participate at their own levels and under the constraints of their other responsibilites (gaming and real-life), and to not be all that formal (NOTE: NONE of our MechWarriors may be affiliated with other MWO active units, unless special authority is granted to do so).  The Command & Staff, however, will have separate repsonsibilites, namely maintaining an off-table track of all personnel to see who will fit positions within the unit better, if they desire to take the position offered, and so records will be in place for subsequent Levels.

At this point the 'ranks' will be spread among the unit Commander, Executive Officer, a third Lance Leader, and MechWarriors for each lance.  The Lances, which may extend into Companies, and further, are listed immediately below, and this structure will remain similar through both subsequent Levels.  Outside of Gameplay, only the CO and XO of the unit will have true responsibilities at this Level, with the web designer/maintainer and forum mods also having their varied responsibilities; Education and Participation will be optional, but tracked by the CO/XO.

In Gameplay, the 'rank' structure for this Level of command authority will be in play, and should be adhered to as much as possible. Moving to Level 2 structure and command authority has to be a decision of the 'officers' of the Merc Corps, in response to dissatisfaction (participation, lack of rank structure, 'who's in charge?' or for the sake of ease of use/play).  (NOTE: Piranha Games Inc have explained that, for MechWarrior Online, there is to be a Mercenary Corporation HQ for each Merc Corps; as development is brought to the front, what will be tracked by the Command & Staff for each individual Player may be less.  You want less, so that all members will be able to play.)

The highest ranks achievable during this level of structure should be no higher than Major for Officers, and MechWarrior for Enlisted...

MechWarrior Non-Officer Players	Warrant Officer Lance Leader	Lieutenant Lance Leader	Captain Company Commander	Major Battalion Commander

← If you want to see our present level of organization, click the MW symbol to the left.

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Unit Structure ~ Level Two
Nominal Range: 16 - 36 Players (expandable)

As the unit continues to grow, it may come to a point where the Command & Staff, due to feedback from the unit's MechWarriors, or necessity of change for the sake of growth, or any other of a number of factors, votes unanimously for the unit to advance to this Level of structure.  Though the goal will remain intact for the unit to have fun, relax, and be friends, this change will be necessitated so the Command & Staff will maintain better accountability and develop channels that will better allow the chain of command and support to function as it should.  The general lack of constraint among the new ranks will remain close to, if not exactly the same, as operations at Level 1 Unit Structure, though responsibilities will increase for several folks.

The ranks will grow to include adding Officers with Positions in the unit (Commander, Executive Officer, Training, Intelligence, Command Sergeant Major-AU, MechWarriors for the Lances, and other relevant and necessary positions, perhaps eventually including a Treasurer) to develop a larger, more complete, Command & Staff and more operational/line Officers (Captains, Lieutenants).  Outside of Gameplay, the overall Command & Staff will oversee all other personnel, though this will still not be a very strong military structure, more concentrated than Level 1, but still not as strict as Level 3.  The varied responsibilities of the web site maintainer and forum moderators will remain intact.

In Gameplay, the rank structure will become more important so that we will, indeed, be able to bring our proverbial "A" game with larger forces in-play; likely, mutliple missions on individual maps will take place simultaneously, meaning our Officer and NCO Corps will need to be at the top of their game, anyone in the Lance structure able to take command of that Lance, if necessary.  Moving to Level 3 structure and command authority, should the unit rise to such prominence, will be the decision of the Command & Staff, plus the Officer Corps and the Non-Commissioned Officer Corps, ranks E-5 and above; the vote must be 2/3rds majority, or the move does not happen.  This vote may be called by any of those members, with support from others, for any one of a number of varied reasons, including but not limited to unit overall size and a serious lack of battlefield discipline (battlefield-only).

The highest ranks achievable during this level of structure should be no higher than Colonel for Officers, Command Sergeant Major - AU for Enlisted (elected from among the ranks), and MechWarrior for Enlisted...

MechWarrior Non-Officer Players	CSM-AU Highest Enlisted	Warrant Officer Lance Leader	Lieutenant Lance Leader
Captain Company Commander	Major Battalion Commander	Colonel Regimental Commander

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Unit Structure ~ Level Three
Nominal Range: 48+ Players

If a vote of the combined Command & Staff, Officer Corps, and NCO Corps (E-5 and above), with a 2/3rds majority, has lead the unit to Level 3 structure and command authority, most likely the unit is already out-of-hand and needs the maximum structure in place to keep the unit from collapsing.  This level is the preferred one, though it has been abused in the past; a way to knock the abuse off is to place only the most loyal and hard-working members of AU, to-date, in positions where they will make their reports, help the Command & Staff to keep points and scores for the various personnel within the unit, and participate in other command functions.

The display of uniforms, ranks, awards, etc., will become the norm in this case, and discipline, education, training, and participation will be expected by those who actually care to make rank and build this unit up; how those expectations play out will be on an Officer-by-Officer basis, and those Officer's will answer to the Command & Staff and/or the CO/XO of the unit. 
At this level of structure, lines of communication between the upper and lower echelons will be through the proper channels only, except on the battlefield, where expediency will be the order of the day.  Rank and position(s) will be all encompassing and play a very important role in the unit's development, day-to-day operations, chain of command and support, discipline, and fun will have to come by the drop.  Reports, After-Action-Reviews, and the like, will become important, as well, in order to keep a better track on how the unit is feeling, performing, and adjusting to the military mindset.  In short, it will be like the last two times we played in AU, only this time, hopefully through the previous Levels we'll actually have garnered the support, knowledge, experience, and good military sense we're looking for at the end of the day.

Recruit/Candidate	Private	Corporal	Sergeant Non-Commissioned Officer NCO (Basic NCOC)
Senior Sergeant NCO (Advanced NCOC)	Sergeant Major NCO (Some Officer Power)	Command Sergeant Major Armageddon Unlimited Regimental Senior NCO (Large Officer Power)
Warrant Officer Lance Leader	Lieutenant Lance Leader	Captain Company Commander
Major Battalion Commander	Colonel Regimental Commander	General Force Commander

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DISCLAIMER: BattleTech, MechWarrior, BattleMech, 'Mech, and other associated terms are Publisher and Electronic Copyright © Smith & Tinker.  MechWarrior: Online © Piranha Games Inc. and Smith & Tinker.  MechWarrior Online Log used with permission (@Garth Erlam).  MechWarrior 4: (et al) is © Cyberlore and Microsoft.  MechWarrior 3: (et al) is © WizKids, Zipper Interactive, Hasbro, and Microsoft.  MechWarrior 2: (et al) is © Activision, FASA Studio, and Microsoft.  No copyright infringement is intended by anything posted on this web site.

Armageddon Unlimited (we are the ONLY originals) started in 1985 as Red Death Squadron, '87 as Wolf's Cavaliers, '92 as Equal Opportunity Destroyers, '95 as Shadow Blade/Lynx Lancers and, finally, '97 as Armageddon Unlimited for MW2: Mercs, MW3, MW4, and MW: O each new name advanced as a result of a new Commanding Officer and/or a new era.  So, you imitators out there claiming Armageddon Unlimited as your name, make sure you hold to a high and honorable standard, or we're comin' for ya.  'Nuff said.

If you have any questions, comments, or complaints about this site, please feel free to contact the Webmonkey.