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Cicatrices Bellorum, the Scars of War
RECRUITMENT LINES ARE OPEN AND RECRUITMENT OFFICERS ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP WITH ANY CONCERNS
Company information and history: Cicatrices Bellorum was started in '98 in the competitive online game Ultima Online, and was simply called 'Scars of War' in its earliest incarnation. Since then, our core group of gamers have crossed into almost every facet of competitive online gaming, most notably Planetside, Lineage 2 and League of Legends (but if you name an MMO, I guarantee we had boots on the ground in it). We shy away from fast-paced run & gunners like Call of Duty and Halo, and opt instead for the thoughtful, deliberate pacing of games like Mechwarrior, Battlefield and Planetside, where our group dynamics and tactical decisions can shine alongside our precision and lethality. We have a rich history of being mercenaries, but we do so for a rather unique purpose; in our early stages we were considering the philosophies of mankind, as well as the concepts of competitive play and historic conflict. We came to the unsavory conclusion that war is an evolutionary tool of mankind, a product of centuries of development, and necessary to our survival and evolution as a species. By accepting the necessity of war, one can truly find their role in it and strive towards perfection of it; to perfect themselves as a warrior, a tactician, a teammate, and a responsible soldier. We hold our values of honorable combat, honesty and brotherhood in the highest regards, we only serve as mercenaries because we wish for our combat experiences to be undiluted by political agendas. This is our mindset and modus operandi, but one must never forget that we're here to have a good time, just like everyone else. ;]
We are small at the moment, and in the past have generally strived to maintain a small, elite group. We have records of winning fights against "impossible" odds (our best was 8v40, but I won't bore you all with the story) and hope to continue with that legacy. With that being said, we are opening our doors to those pilots who understand our mindset and want to be a part of it, to develop their own abilities and help us develop our philosophies.
We are primarily east coast at the moment, but our hours of play (being dependant on our working schedule) varies greatly, which means no one will be denied the right to join based solely on their global location or preferred playtime.
Organization and ranking: We have a fully functional ranking system for the company, but we have decided not to impliment it in MWO (that may change in the future, but will be a decision that the entire group makes). At present there are only two ranks; Cicatrix (leaders and co-leaders) and Chalybs (members). Authority will vary within the ranks by seniority, performance and experience. For instance, one Chalybs could be a new recruit while another is a seasoned officer. We hope that this will create an atmosphere that rewards personal accomplishment without creating internal conflict. Despite seniority and even in the case of Cicatrix=>Chalybs, decisions for the company are made by the company. As the company commander I don't want the stress of making one-man decisions, and I'm sure no one else wants their futures dictated to them, so we function as a loose meritocracy/democracy.
Our lances are primarily medium and heavy variants, relying on a balance of mobility and firepower to complete objectives (although the specific tactics to be employed are still in contention). Regardless of that fact, we are in dire need of more scout and assault pilots to round out our forces. Pilots interested in fielding multiple roles will be given special consideration. We also emphasize dynamic, flexible formations to create an atmosphere of 'controlled chaos'; our people don't need to look organized if we know they're organized, and it creates a huge amount of confusion for our opponents if we appear to be disorganized.
Additionally, for contracted missions the lances that the company chooses to drop will most probably be flying only approved mech designs. This means that our engineering team has taken a chassis, fine-tuned its loadout and system specs to near-perfection and then sent it back to us as a combat-approved platform. Doing this allows our company and lance commanders to know the loadouts and system specs of all of our lances, as well as their strengths, weaknesses, operational limits, et cetera.
Civilian roles: As a whole we feel that MWO offers a unique opportunity to mix competitive play with certain aspects of role-playing, and (as I'm sure is apparent by now) we intend to make the most of it to create a truly unique personality for Cicatrices Bellorum. One facet of this idea is our 'civilian roles' initiative; these are non-combat slots that any member can fill, are volunteer-only, and have no limit (so a member can choose not to participate at all, to become a member of one role, two roles, or even all roles). Below I'll outline some of my initial thoughts on civilian roles;
Engineers/technicians: These pilots focus their free time on fine-tuning mech variants to better accomplish the tasks assigned to them, or to better augment the lances that they're a part of. Balancing a design's mobility, armor, firepower, defense, command potential, heat efficiency, et cetera. When a situation demands that all of our pilots drop in Cicatrices-approved designs, we'll be fielding the designs of our engineering team. To thrive in this role a player must be very active, knowledgeable in the playstyles of scout, assault, defender, flanker and commander, and be willing to spend inordinate amounts of money fine-tuning specific designs. Engineers should also have a good mind for numbers. Easily one of the most demanding civilian roles, but also the most well-respected.
Tactical unit: These pilots assist with the tactical demands of the company, and help review and change lance and company tactics as needed. They do not need to be commanders themselves, but they will be working closely with company/lance commanders before and after engagements. This is a very good role to fill for members who wish to pursue an officer career within the company, but it is very important to note that they serve as experts and advisors to the commanders; in combat they are still expected to follow orders. Players that would be eligible for this role are those who have real-life experience (military) or who have extensive knowledge of gameplay/tactics.
Combat and Tactics trainers: Veteran pilots who choose to spend their free time assisting with the development and combat aptitude of their teammates. Basic training will be given to all new recruits, and instructors could be asked to teach any number of new recruits the basics of teamwork as a member of Cicatrices. This means they must be well-versed in our methodology and tactics as well as our mech variants, combat roles and combat expectations. They must also be capable of micromanaging a lance as a training commander. This is a very good role for members who aspire to become an officer or a commander, as they can display their expertise in training missions with unproven members. Advanced combat training is also their responsibility, but will be dispensed upon request; any member of the company may approach an instructor to ask for assistance with increasing their personal abilities.
Recruitment Officers: These pilots are tasked with bolstering the ranks of Cicatrices Bellorum with other like-minded pilots, and supplying them with basic information about the company. They must coordinate closely with the commanders and combat instructors to put new recruits on the right track, and they must be active within the Cicatrices and MWO communities (forums, website, chatrooms). Fulfilling the demands of this role requires a keen eye for talent, mixed with a dash of salesman.
Other: More civilian roles may be added as needed or as requested by the company. Those listed above are simply my initial thoughts on the project, and I'm very interested to see how the Civilian Roles initiative is received.
Joining Cicatrices Bellorum:
To be eligible to join, a player must:
-Be at least 18 years old
-Write and speak English
-Own or be willing to buy a microphone
-Be willing to embrace teamwork
If you find yourself interested in Cicatrices and eligible, respond to this post or send me a private message with the following information:
Required:
Name, Callsign or both;
Age;
General gaming experience;
Competitive (pvp) gaming experience;
Mechwarrior/Battletech gaming experience;
Combat role; (scout, assault, defender, commander, etc)
Possible civilian role;
Optional:
Questions or concerns about the company;
Personal information;
What makes Cicatrices Bellorum appealing to you?
Edited by Nihilum, 05 September 2012 - 10:39 AM.
