Our Structure
"If your attack is going too well, you're probably walking into an ambush."
How we roll.
In the absence of our founder, Belinda Paffenbach, our direction is set by the Admiral of the Fleet. That role is currently occupied by Kalgurth.
Reporting to him is the High-Council of the syndicate. This comprises the heads of each of the syndicate branches and the Admiral's heads of staff for communication and administration.
Each of the branches then has a structure of both org officers (CO's) and non commisioned officers (NCO's), the primary difference between the two different progression paths is that NCO ranks are awarded based on skills and time served in the syndicate whilst CO ranks must also demonstrate leadership skills and meet minimum activitiy levels.
Our organization levels
Those with miltary experience will recognize much of the structure that the Eagle River Syndicate uses. There are some differences as Belinda used sources and took inspiration from many old earth institutions including the Royal Navy, the US Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and we believe a bit of Battlestar Galactica thrown in there too.
Level | Enlisted & NCO's | NCO Abbreviation | Org officers - CO's | CO Abbreviation | Officer Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | Prospect | Prspt. | Prospect has no equivalent | N/A | Probation |
13 | Cadet | Cdt. | Cadet has no equivalent | N/A | Crewmen |
12 | Specialist | Sp. | Specialist has no equivalent | N/A | Crewmen |
11 | Able Specialist | AB. | Ensign | ENS. | Junior Officer |
10 | Leading Specialist | LS. | Acting Sub-Lieutenant | A/SLt. | Junior Officer |
9 | Master Specialist | MS. | Sub-Lieutenant | SLt. | Junior Officer |
8 | Petty Officer | PO. | Lieutenant | Lt. | Junior Officer |
7 | Chief Petty Officer | CPO. | Lieutenant-Commander | LCdr. | Senior Officer |
6 | Senior Chief Petty Officer | SCPO. | Commander | Cdr. | Senior Officer |
5 | Master Chief Petty Officer | MCPO. | Captain | Capt. | Senior Officer |
4 | N/A | N/A | Commodore | Cmdre. | Flag Officer |
3 | N/A | N/A | Rear-Admiral | RAdm. | Flag Officer |
2 | N/A | N/A | Vice-Admiral | VAdm. | Flag Officer |
1 | N/A | N/A | Admiral | Adm. | Flag Officer |
Promotions and real life
We run the two track system to allow our members to progress no matter how much time they are able to put into the org and the game. We must never forget it is a game and it feels more and more like as job as you climb the ladder!
Each of our branches has developed a set of certifications, which our members are able to take to prove their competence in different aspects of the game. The certifications will continue to develop alongside the game. NCO junior roles are primarly linked to competence measured by these badges, both in the player's branch and within other parts of the org.
It is not only possible, but positivily encouraged to gain certifications from other branches. -We want our Trade and Industry team to train excellent turret gunners and our Fleet to know which end of a reclaimer is the front. Some certifications are self study and assessed, others are heavily practical. There is a great range in difficulty and time investment required, but there are no prizes for just turning up!
The levels of the ranks are aligned for a number of reasons. The NCO officer requirements always act as the base for the equivalent CO rank. So for example the NCO may have to earn 3 certifications for their branch and 1 from another to progress to the next rank. The equivalent CO would need the same 3+1 and in addition would need to meet requirements for training others, leading small groups and being active online for a minimum amount of time per week.
When a player reaches the rank of Able Specialist, a discussion together with their command team will determine if that player wants and is able to progress directly into the CO roles. This is the 'fast track' into the org officers ranks.
A player who did not meet the original requirements or had chosen to progress along the NCO track may request a change to the CO track. As may an officer who wishes to return to active duty from being an NCO. However, in both cases (assuming the requirements are met) they will always start at the CO rank equivalent to 2 ranks below their current NCO rank. This allows us to ensure they are up to date with processes and don't miss out on any vital skills and can prove their capabilities and availabilities.
CO's are able to step down when real life gets in the way and will obtain the nearest equivalent NCO rank automatically.
CO's who are inactive for 60 days will lose all command roles automatically and will be placed into equivalent NCO ranks if they choose to retutn to the game.
NCO's who are inactive for 60 days will retain their rank should they return to the game.
Promotions are recommended by Lt's for Junior Officers and Capt's for senior officers. Recommendations must be in 5 days before the end of the month. Promotions will then all take place at the same time, with a little party in game, which may well degenerate!