About the Crimson Order

[Caden Graka]

The Crimson Order

Who are we?

The Crimson Order is an organized, mature combat unit that strives to protect the order and vitality of the Sith Empire. We uphold law, order, justice, and peace. We will eliminate all traces of the chaos and disorder that our enemies and dissidents espouse.

Our core values

Our values define who we are, what we strive for, and where we go in the future. All members of the CO are expected to live, breathe, and act in accordance to these values.

Duty. Honor. Respect. Dignity. Courage. Innovation. Adaptability. Maturity. Distinction.

Duty. Duty goes beyond what we owe to the Sith Empire and our Sith Lords. Our duty extends to our brothers and sisters in arms, and to our community. It is what we do on a daily basis: we put others before ourselves; we fight for our cause to the utmost end.

Honor. In everything we do, we act with honor. We do not cheat. We do not grief. We do not lie. We do nothing that would impugn upon the reputation of the CO.

Respect. We respect all. This includes each other, our friends, civilians, and our enemies. While this does not mean that we won’t go to whatever ends necessary to crush rebels and malcontents; we recognize that behind all the characters in the game are people, and as such deserved to be treated appropriately.

Dignity. The Crimson Order is a selective organization, bringing the best members possible together. Individuals will conduct themselves in speech and behavior that is consistent with our elevated status.

Courage. Never back down. Never surrender. When we act, we act boldly and with confidence. The lives of others, and of our society may rest on the results of our actions.

Innovation. Innovation keeps us fresh. It means we are always willing to try something new, to fix things that are broken. We pioneer new methods and new ideas. Through our innovation we will have thought dominance.

Adaptability. We respond to change. The best-laid plan never survives first contact with the enemy. This means we must never be stagnant, and we must always keep our eyes open to our changing environment.

Maturity. More than just being related to age, we expect our leaders to act and make decisions exercising wisdom and experience.

Distinction. The Crimson Order is not just another guild. We strive to be noticeably different than other organizations out there. Our primary focus is one of quality over quantity. We may never be the biggest guild in the game, but we will be best.

Our history

If we don’t know where we came from, how do we know where we are going?

The concept of the Crimson Order began in 2003 when several individuals came together with a common vision and direction for a new organization in Star Wars Galaxies. The ideals of member focused leadership, a clear cut and strong military style structure, open flow of communication, and our core values.

These leaders formed the Crimson Order, which also became known as the 1st Battalion of the 209th Stormtrooper Regiment. The Crimson Order quickly grew to prominence on its server, leading several major military campaigns and bringing together one of the largest alliances seen in the game.

Other branches of the CO have seen service in the Matrix Online (beta testing), World of Warcraft, EvE Online, Tabula Rasa (beta testing), as well as a few offshoots of the Crimson Order are currently active in Age of Conan and a newly formed detachment of the Crimson Order is active in Star Trek Online.

Our vision

The CO’s vision today builds upon on our past strengths with a focus on providing the best possible experience for our members in the present and into the future.

Our vision is to provide Member Focused Leadership, Strong Organization, Open Two-Way Communication, Service to our Online Community, and a Fun and Supportive Environment. The Crimson Order will strive for excellence in all that it does, and will aim to become the premier Sith Imperial military organization in the game.

Our organization

There are many roles to fill in the Crimson Order. Again, fitting in line with our Innovation core value, we are always looking for new roles to fill.

Our focus is to have a fully functioning, and independent army. We will cover all aspects of combat, command, training, information, crafting, supply, and dominance of the entire globe. Members can expect to have the best, and be the best, above our enemies in every way.

The CO is organized based on a slightly modified military structure with a clear chain of command led by a Sith Lord and his advisors. Platoons and other types of small units make up the backbone of our organization. We also have other specialist detachments that will focus on various tasks. The entire structure is constantly reviewed to maximize efficiency.

Promotions in the CO are earned through hard work, talent, and determination. Corruption and nepotism have no place in the CO.

Our leadership

The leadership of the CO has over fifteen years of combined experience leading guilds and organizations for a large variety of games and in real life as well. Our command staff is focused on serving the needs of their members first, not on expanding their personal power or fame.

At the top of the structure is the Sith Lord and the Kissai Caste which provide the strategic level leadership, advice, and counsel for the Crimson Order’s operations. The Kissai Caste are supported by Company Commands and Platoon leadership which provide more of the tactical leadership and driving the day-to-day affairs of the Order.

The Crimson Order places a lot of emphasis and responsibility on its lower level leadership, the non-commissioned officers. As these leaders are usually in the trenches tending to the needs of their troops, they play a vital role in building the Regiment. Therefore, we are constantly striving to find and to help develop and train new leaders.

How to join

The Crimson Order is always keeping an eye out for new members. However, we are currently in a restricted recruiting mode until the game gets closer to launch time. This means that only individuals who meet certain criteria or possess particular skills will be accepted for membership.

Who can join

We are currently looking for people with the following skill sets (this list will be updated as our needs change):

- Graphic Design Specialists
- Web Design/Coding Specialists
- Propaganda Specialists

Additionally, any former member of the Crimson Order and friends and family of members can join.

If you feel that you have what it takes to be a member of the Crimson Order, head over to our Communications Portaland sign up (be sure to use your main character’s name when you register).

Remember:

You must be a member of the Sith Empire or be well on your way to joining our Faction.

You must also be at least 16 years or older. However, we do make limited exceptions in certain cases; please contact one of our leaders for more information.

You must agree to abide by the Crimson Orders Rules and Regulations without exception or hesitance.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact any one of our leaders or designated recruiting staff.

Sincerely,

Crimson Order Command

[Caden Graka]

Section One: Rules of Behavior

If you follow common sense, and act with Honor and Maturity you won’t ever violate any of these.

1-001: Rules of Behavior apply at all times in all situations, unless otherwise noted. Appropriate offense level will be listed by every rule. These rules are subject to change, violations of these rules can lead to dismissal from the CO. If a member feels that they cannot follow these rules, then they are welcome to leave. These rules are intended to provide a mature playing environment for the members, and to keep the game fun and enjoyable. The primary rule at all times is to have fun, don’t take the game too seriously.

1-002: Respect: Members will respect all other members, whether they are superior in rank, equal in rank, or lower in rank; do not use foul or derogatory language towards your fellow members. Mutual respect is one of the tenets that the CO is founded on.

1-003: Disobeying Orders: A member shall follow all legal direct orders given. Orders that are given that do not follow the Chain of Command are not considered legal. Failure to follow orders can lead to demotion or expulsion from the CO.

1-004: Cheating/Exploits: Members will not use cheats or exploits while they are displaying the CO Tag. Cheating/Exploits includes the use of “Cheat Codes,” hacks, trainers, bots, or any other method deemed cheating or an exploit by Bioware or by Command. A member caught cheating while displaying the CO Tag will be subject to demotion or expulsion from the CO.

1-005: Members may not be in any other Clan/Guild on our selected server. If a member is found to be a part of more than one Clan/Guild, they can either leave the CO, or leave the other Clan/Guilds and remain in the CO and face possible Court-Martial.

1-006: While in public and displaying the CO Tag, members are expected to act with Honor, Dignity, Respect for other players, and Maturity. Your actions not only reflect on yourself, but it reflects on us as a whole and on the Sith. Violation can result in demotion, suspension, or expulsion.

1-007: Use the Chain of Command to resolve conflict/problems/issues with other members or the rules. Officers and leaders are here to help serve members. Please do not post grievances on public forums or in areas where the public can see, if a member has a severe problem with something that is going on in the CO, contact Command or their designee, they are here to serve.

1-008: Trolling, Spamming, or Flaming will not be tolerated on the CO Forums and any Star Wars The Old Republic Forum (including the official forums, and any fan or community run forum), at first a warning will be issued with deletion of offending material, if the problem continues, it can result in Court-Martial and/or revocation of posting rights.

1-009: Links to websites or images that contain cheats, vulgar material, pornography and other material that is deemed unsuitable by the CO Command or illegal by the State in which our website is hosted is forbidden.

1-010: Members will not use derogatory or slanderous language, nor will a member make comments about race, gender, religion, sexual preference, or creed. We will notify proper authorities if a member violates applicable laws, we will also notify Bioware if a member violates the Community Standards, End User License Agreement, or the SW:TOR Terms of Service as defined by Bioware or Lucas Arts.

1-011: Taunting of other players in a competitive/fun manner is allowed. However, do not harass other players.

1-012: Kill all members of the enemy when possible; if necessary gather support/reinforcements in order to kill the enemy. Do not assist members of the enemy; they are terrorists who only strive to bring Chaos and Death to the galaxy.

1-013: Assist all Sith civilians and allies. Neutrals are not considered to be a part of the Sith Empire and should be treated accordingly. Neutrals should also be considered as weak and cowards, unable to choose a side to fight and die for.

1-014: (If Uniform Clothing is made available) Uniforms are only required for specific Formal CO events, these events shall be announced as being Formal at least one week prior to the event. Uniforms shall be created and issued free of charge. If a member shows up to a Formal event without the proper uniform, they shall be asked to correct the problem.

1-015: Members shall not hack into other websites, if a member commits a “Cyber-Crime” or violate any laws of the United States of America in regards to the Internet; the appropriate authorities shall be notified, including Interpol and/or the FBI, and the member shall be removed from the CO.

1-016: If a member commits an act of Treason against the CO or the Sith, they shall face immediate Court Martial and expulsion from the CO. Treason is defined as aiding an enemy of the Sith, aiding an enemy of the CO, or attempting to disrupt the well-being/unity of the CO.

[Caden Graka]

The Structure of the Crimson Order

A Caste based system

In line with the canon and RP of the Sith Empire of the current time, there are several different castes:

Sith'ari is the caste of the Sith Lords.
Kissai is the priestly caste.
Massassi is the warrior caste.
Engineer caste, is well, the engineers and tradesmen.
Slave caste is the peeps that are too weak to run their own life.

How does this apply to the Crimson Order?

Sith'ari, the leader of the Crimson Order will be considered to be a member of this caste. He/she will be one of the Sith Lords.

Kissai, this caste will contain our senior functional leaders. This includes our military commander, operations/intel commander, personnel/recruiting commander, and logistics commander. Each will have responsibility over their functional areas, as well as acting as back-ups for next highest person on the chain.

Massassi, this caste will contain the majority of our players. All combat personnel, whether troopers, medics, bhs, force users, etc, will fall under this caste.

Engineer caste, our only deviation from RP will be that we will consider engineer caste members to be equal to the Massassi caste. This is for our non-combatant crafters (if they are a playable profession).

Slave caste, this is where we will consider all NPCs and companion characters (and we may think of some of our allies falling here).

What does our structure look like?



The Breakdown

The Sith Lord

The Sith Lord is the ultimate authority in the Crimson Order. While this position is ideally designed for an actual force user, it is not limited to just force users. Should a non-force user become the "Sith Lord" of the Crimson Order, then another member shall role play as the nominal figurehead for ceremonial purposes.

The Sith Lord will be elected by the membership. The Sith Lord will serve in that position indefinitely, until he/she either resigns from the position or is removed by a super majority of the membership.


Crimson Order Military
The Crimson Order military will be headed up by a General who will command the 209th Legion of His Majesty's finest warriors. The General will report directly to the Sith Lord and functions as the 2nd in Command of the Crimson Order. The General directly oversees all of the Company Commands in the Crimson Order

Company
This is the largest unit in the Crimson Order. It will consist of 2-3 platoons, and will hold approximately 20-80 members.
This unit is led by a Commanding Officer (CO), who is in turn assisted by an Executive Officer (XO). If needed, a senior enlisted NCO can be appointed to assist in running the Company.

Platoon
These units can either be specialized units or generic units. (ie, specialized would be a Spec-Ops unit, RP unit, generic would be no specific role beyond ground combat unit)
These units are led by a Platoon Leader (PL) who is assisted by an Assistant Platoon Leader (APL). There will also be a pool of 1-2 Section Leaders (SLs) who will lead small detachments of members (groups of two or more) during combat.
These units will consist of about 10-30 members. During combat, the available members of a Platoon would be separated into smaller groups (based on in-game grouping limits). The PL, APL, and SLs would each lead a group of members.

Functional Areas (The Kissai Ministries)

The Inquisitor
The Inquisitor is the third highest ranked member in the CO, and oversees the Operations Team and Intelligence Team. He/she will be responsible for planning campaigns, coordinating tactics with allies, gathering and analyzing gathered intel, and assisting the General with running the military.

The Chaplain
The Chaplain is the fourth highest rank member, and oversees the Personnel Team and the Recruiting/Training Team. He/she will be responsible for the full gambit of member affairs and will coordinate such things as LOAs, unit assignments, promotions, awards, etc.

The Magistrate
The Magistrate is the fifth highest ranking member, and the last of the Kissai caste. The Magistrate oversees the Communications/Information Team, the Web Design Team and the Engineering Caste (if applicable).

Functional Area Team Members
Members of a "Functional Team" such as the Intelligence Team or Web Design Team would be an additional duty as they will be assigned to a platoon or engineering unit. The staff members wouldn't be in a completely separate post, they'd report to a Platoon leader for combat, and to the kissai for their functional duty role.

The Chain Of Command

To make it clear who is in command at any given time, a chain of command list will be established to show where all of the officers fall.

#1 The Sith Lord
#2 The General of the 209th Legion
#3 The Inquisitor
#4 The Chaplain
#5 The Magistrate
#6 The Senior Company Commanding Officer
#7 The next senior Company Commanding Officer (if more than one Company, it would descend through seniority as determined by the Sith Lord or General)
#8 The Senior Company Executive Officer
#9 The next senior Company Executive Officer (if more than one Company, it would descend through seniority as determined by the Sith Lord or General)
#10 The Senior Platoon Leader
#11 The next senior Platoon Leader (as there will likely be more than one Platoon, it would descend through seniority as determined by the Sith Lord or General)
#12 The senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) (Such as the Sergeant Major and so on down the line)

Sized Based Leadership Scaling

Ideally to prevent there from becoming too many leaders and not enough general members, the CO will institute a general guideline to assist in determining the appropriate amount of leaders. This sliding scale will be adjusted as appropriate in response to the demands of leading the CO.
The number and types of leaders would expand in direct relation to the size of the guild.

Overall guild sliding scale:

1-44 Members: 1x Sith Lord, 1x Army Commander, 1x Company (1x Company Commander, 1x Company XO), 2 Platoons (2x Platoon Leaders, 2x Assistant Platoon Leaders, 2-4x Section Leaders). A total of 12 leaders for 44 members, approx a 1 to 2.6 ratio.

45-87 Members: 1x Sith Lord, 1x Army Commander, 1x Grand Inquisitor, 2x Company (2x Company Commander, 2x Company XO), 4 Platoons (4x Platoon Leaders, 4x Assistant Platoon Leaders, 4-8x Section Leaders). A total of 25 leaders for 87 members, approx a 1 to 2.6 ratio.

88-130 Members: 1x Sith Lord, 1x Army Commander, 1x Grand Inquisitor, 1x Lord Chaplain, 1x Logistics Leader, 2x Company (2x Company Commander, 2x Company XO), 6 Platoons (6x Platoon Leaders, 6x Assistant Platoon Leaders, 6-12x Section Leaders). A total of 33 leaders for 130 members, approx a 1 to 2.9 ratio.

Assuming we keep Platoons to average 20 members.

Platoon sliding scale:

The platoon has 1-8 members: 1 Platoon Leader
The platoon has 9-16 members: 1 Platoon Leader, 1 Platoon Assistant Leader
The platoon has 17-24 members: 1 Platoon Leader, 1 Platoon Assistant Leader, 1 Section Leader
The platoon has 25-32 members: 1 Platoon Leader, 1 Platoon Assistant Leader, 2 Section Leaders
The platoon has 32+ members: The platoon will be split, ideally the Platoon XO would become the leader of the new platoon, the 2 sections leaders would also get promoted to Platoon XOs.

Dedicated based unit assignments

Platoons will be grouped by either the level of dedication of the players (ie an entire platoon of "Hardcore" members and an entire platoon of "Casual" members) or by an appropriate mix of dedication levels (ie, one platoon will have 12 Hardcores and 8 Casuals, or similar mix).

Dedication level defined: The level of dedication is the amount of time/effort a member is willing to volunteer for guild activities. It is not meant to identify slackers, but more to fit in with peoples play styles.

Hard Core Dedication Platoon:
This group would be willing to dedicate a significant amount of time, as needed, to guild events/activities. This group would most likely also follow a somewhat more stricter and regimented military code. It would probably feel more like a military unit than the other platoons. PvPers and our military RPers would likely fit in well here.

Lower level of Dedication Platoon:
This group would be expected to participate in maybe one guild event/activity a week. Its designed for the members who like to do their own thing most of the time, or for the part-time/weekend warrior. It will likely function as a freer, loser group.

And there may be varying levels between the two extremes.

Definition of guild events/activities:
Would be any kind of military operation from raids, structured/organized pvp outings, territorial operations (if applicable), patrols, etc.

Threat Level:
Red - All combat forces would be expected to participate in combat operations. This threat level is to be used when there is a significant risk to either the organization's image/interests/territory. Ie, our home town/bases are being attacked, every member who could fight and is online would be expected to turn out and join the attack.
Orange - Moderate level of dedication combat forces are expected to participate in combat operations. This threat level is to be used when there is a risk to either the organization's image/interests/territory or a significant risk to our allies.
Yellow - High level of dedication combat forces are expected to participate in combat operations. This threat level is to be used when there is a risk to our allies or to our faction. Ie, the Republic forces are known to be engaging in a battle off-world and we have an interest in ensuring victory.
Green - Normal operations. No expectations of participation. Republic forces could be running around out there, but there is no need to call up our forces. If members want to team up and engage the enemy on a voluntary basis, it is acceptable. This would most likely be our status for 95% of the time.

Other points:
- Command would be able to have a better understanding when planning persistent military operations (for example, the Naboo Campaign and Tatooine Campaign are two examples of persistent military operations). Command would give the Hard Core units more assignments per week, and the easy-going units less assignments a week. This way we can be more certain of the levels of participation in campaigning in individual units.
- Provides a variety of experiences within our organization.
- Members can transfer as their situations or feelings change.