When Nicholas Kerensky created the society known as the Clans
more than 200 years ago, he faced an interesting problem: how to
turn an army of Star League military refugees into a functioning
society while maintaining their fighting edge in preparation for
their eventual return to the Inner Sphere. The Clan homeworlds'
remoteness and general lack of resources added to the problem;
though they needed copious amounts of military hardware to remain
a viable fighting force, Kerensky and his newborn Clans could not
afford to waste anything.
Kerensky's solution was as ingenious as it was bizarre. He
created a caste-based society with the warrior caste at the top
of the heap. Warriors had the greatest power and also the
greatest responsibility of all the Clan castes. Furthermore, not
just anyone could be a warrior. Through rigorous training and
grueling tests, only the very finest fighters and tacticians
could earn that coveted title. Those who failed to make the cut
were relegated to the lower scientist, technician and laborer
castes-stations vital to Clan society but without the power and
prestige of warriors.
To reduce the waste associated with war while guaranteeing that
each generation would keep honing its combat edge, Kerensky
codified the practice of warfare into a series of combat trials,
each associated with a particular goal. The Trial of Possession
is the most basic trial, in which one warrior or Clan aims to
possess something that belongs to another. Other trials include
Trials of Grievance, Refusal, Bloodright and Annihilation.
In any trial, the two sides fight a ritualized battle-sometimes
hand-to-hand combat, sometimes full-scale BattleMech combat.
Trials are fought in a clearly defined area known as the Circle
of Equals, usually located away from populated areas so as to
inflict as few civilian casualties and as little collateral
damage as possible.
The prospective combatants then further reduce the scale of
battle by bidding. Every conflict begins with the batchall, in
which the defending force is clearly announced to the attacker.
The commanders among the attacking force then proceed to bid with
each other for the right to attack the target. The commander who
bids the smallest and least powerful force is awarded the honor
of making the attack. By ensuring that the smallest possible
attacking force will be used to take the objective, the bidding
process limits the loss of warriors and materiel.
Once battle is joined, the warriors begin the ritual of
zellbrigen, or dueling. Each warrior challenges a single opposing
warrior to a duel, and the two fight each other one-on-one. No
other combatants on the field will join in such a battle; doing
so is a serious breach of honor. In fact, if one side in a battle
outnumbers the other, the excess warriors will stand by without
interfering; they will enter the fray only when one of their
comrades falls. In rare circumstances a breach of Clan honor may
touch off a melee, where all units on the field may freely fire
on the opposing side. However, the Clans usually reserve this
barbaric practice for opponents they consider dishonorable, such
as pirates and mercenaries.
When the Clans came to the Inner Sphere, they were set in their
strange ways. At first, the Clans' odd tactics went without
notice as their powerful OmniMechs plowed through rank after rank
of Inner Sphere BattleMechs. However, a perceptive Inner Sphere
commander can spot the weaknesses in Clan fighting strategy and
exploit them to his advantage, thereby narrowing the gap created
by the Clans' advanced weapons and training. Such was the case at
the famous battles of Twycross, Wolcott and Tukayyid, in which
massive Clan offensives were blunted by the crafty strategic
thinking of Inner Sphere commanders.
GAME USE
The Clan codes of honor, also known as "rules of
engagement," are not part of the Battletech or Citytech formal game rules. However, these codes can be used to enhance
the role-playing aspect of Battletech, creating a richer game
experience more closely linked to the fictional Battletech universe. In addition, enforcing the rules of engagement
restricts the power of Clan forces, giving Inner Sphere forces a
fighting chance against the Clans' superior weapons and skills.
Using Clan honor puts Clan units at a distinct disadvantage. To
compensate, in scenarios where the Clans must abide by these
rules of engagement, they should have stronger forces or higher
skills than they might have otherwise. Players should be aware,
however, that it is difficult to accurately balance Battletech games in the first place; the use of Clan honor codes makes
balance almost impossible. Through game play you will discover
what works best for you and your fellow players. Because everyone
plays Clan honor a little differently and each Inner Sphere
commander opposes it differently, no two games are alike.
Honor Levels
Clan honor codes fall into four categories, each dealing with
a different part of combat: Batchall, Zellbrigen, Physical
Attacks and Retreat. Within each of the other three categories, a
number from 1 to 4 represents the level of commitment to Clan
honor. Honor Level 1 means strict conformity to the Clan codes;
Levels 2 and 3 require conformity only under certain
circumstances; and Level 4 throws Clan honor out the airlock.
Normally, a fighting force's overall commitment to Clan honor is
rated at Level 1, 2, 3 or 4. However, some scenarios may include
more than one Honor Level; for example, Honor Level 1 may apply
to Physical Attacks and Retreat, while Honor Level 2 applies to
Zellbrigen. Each Honor Level is determined by the circumstances
of the scenario and the particular Clan fighting in it.
Clan dueling rules and restrictions on physical attacks apply
only to enemy 'Mechs. Clan MechWarriors may attack conventional
vehicles and infantry targets without reference to Clan honor.
Likewise, Clan infantry and vehicles need not follow the rules of
engagement, though Elemental points often follow the code of
zellbrigen. Each point is considered a single unit for the
purposes of dueling.
Zellbrigen (Dueling)
Under the rules for ritual dueling, or zellbrigen, Clan
players must declare a target for each of their dueling 'Mechs. A
typical declaration might sound something like, "I am
MechWarrior Seth of Clan Steel Viper. I pilot the sole Summoner
in Alpha Star. I hereby invoke the ritual of zellbrigen and
challenge the pilot of the Orion adorned with the unit
designation eleven to a duel of warriors. In this solemn matter,
let no one interfere!"
During a duel, no other Clan warrior may attack either of the
dueling 'Mechs. If a third Inner Sphere unit interferes with a
duel, the dueling Clan warrior may attack the interfering unit,
provided that another Clan 'Mech has not already challenged the
interloper to a duel. A duel ends when one combatant is
destroyed, disabled or retreats from the battlefield.
At Honor Level 1, the Clan warrior upholds all the rules of
dueling regardless of his opponent's actions. At Honor Level 2,
the Clan warrior follows the rules of dueling until the Inner
Sphere side takes an action that violates the Clan honor code (a
third party interfering, a unit involved in one duel firing on a
'Mech involved in another duel, and so on). If this happens, the
duel immediately degenerates into a free-for-all. During the
Weapon Attack Phase, if a player declares that his unit will fire
on a target already involved in a duel, any Clan player whose
declaration of zellbrigen follows the Inner Sphere player's
declaration of a "dishonorable attack" may attack that
Inner Sphere 'Mech without regard for honor rules.
At Honor Level 3, any infringement of Clan honor in the dueling
rules renders the entire ritual of zellbrigen null and void,
leaving the Clan 'Mechs free to attack any enemy unit without
restraint for the remainder of the game. At Honor Level 4,
dueling rules do not apply.
Using zellbrigen in a game requires a certain degree of
cooperation between players. A crafty Inner Sphere player can
exploit the rules of engagement to deny the Clan player any
targets at all. Not only is this grossly unfair, but it is also
inaccurate in terms of the Battletech universe (plus, it's not
much fun for the Clan player).
Finally, the Clan player should not be expected to adhere to the
rules of engagement when it would be foolish to do so (as in the
following example).
You are playing the Clans in a scenario with Honor Level 1. You have one Daishi and your opponent has four 'Mechs: a Banshee, an Orion, an Atlas and a Spider. The Spider challenges the Daishi to a duel, which the Daishi accepts. The Spider then proceeds to use its superior movement rate to hide behind hills and heavy woods so that the Daishi never gets line of sight to it. Meanwhile, the other three members of the Spider's lance pound the Daishi to dust. The Daishi cannot retaliate because its player must adhere to Clan honor, which in this case means he can only attack the 'Mech that challenged him to a duel. He vainly attempts to chase the Spider, while "off-limits" enemies destroy his BattleMech.
Requiring the Daishi in this example to strictly obey the
rules of engagement means that the Clan player must sit back and
allow his unit to be destroyed. To give players some options in
such situations, use the following guidelines to adjudicate the
use of zellbrigen in game play.
1. Making the Challenge: One of the most important parts of the
duel is the actual challenge. This takes place during the Weapon
Attack Phase, when attacks are declared. When a Clan unit
declares an attack on a unit that it has not attacked before, it
is effectively announcing its intention to duel-the Clan player
should verbally issue his challenge at this time. Dueling makes
Initiative even more important, as Initiative also determines the
order of attack declaration and challenges.
If the Inner Sphere side outnumbers the Clan side, it is
considered bold (but acceptable) for a single Clan 'Mech to
challenge more than one opponent at the same time. All of a
single 'Mech's opponents are considered part of the same duel and
may fire on the lone challenger. However, at least one target
must be left for each 'Mech on the Clan side (this tradition does
not apply to non-'Mech Clan units). In fact, Clan MechWarriors
greedy for battlefield glory may force their own armored
vehicles, infantry units, or even Elementals out of combat in
this way.
Though a single Clan 'Mech may challenge more than one Inner
Sphere 'Mech, additional Inner Sphere 'Mechs cannot invite
themselves into a duel even if the Clans outnumber their side.
Such an action is a breach of zellbrigen.
2. Refusing a Challenge: A Clan warrior need not accept a
challenge issued by an Inner Sphere warrior, especially if he
suspects the challenge is simply a ploy to abuse the ritual of
zellbrigen and achieve victory through deceit. As a general rule,
a Clan warrior can refuse a challenge from a 'Mech of a different
weight class than his own, as long as he issues a challenge
against another Inner Sphere 'Mech instead.
Also, though Inner Sphere warriors are not expected to accept or
refuse challenges, the Inner Sphere side must abide by Clan honor
when Honor Levels 2 or 3 are in effect or else risk touching off
a melee. In these cases, the Inner Sphere player is also allowed
to refuse challenges from Clan 'Mechs outside the challenged
'Mech's weight class as long as an alternate challenge is made.
Finally, any challenge must be accepted if there are no alternate
targets in play.
3. Declaring a Duel Void: Certain situations may make a duel
void, even if strict adherence to the rules of engagement (Honor
Level 1) is in force. In these cases the judgment of the players
must prevail; however, the gamemaster can use the following
simple penalty system to judge these situations. The penalty
system is intended to enforce the idea that dueling 'Mechs must
actively fight one another for the duel to be valid. Because Clan
warriors call people without honor dezgra, the penalties are
referred to as dezgra points.
Each of the infractions listed below earns the violator a dezgra
point, unless the violator's opponent declines the penalty (which
he might do if he decides that the action was tactically
appropriate). If a dueling 'Mech accumulates 3 dezgra points, it
is clear that the duel is dishonorable, and so it becomes void in
the End Phase of the turn in which the third point was earned. No
dueling 'Mech can earn more than 1 dezgra point per End Phase.
If a dueling unit intentionally moves out of its opponent's line
of sight, the unit earns 1 dezgra point.
If a dueling unit has line of sight to its opponent but
intentionally fails to fire at the enemy, the unit earns 1 dezgra
point. (This guideline assumes that at least one shot must be
possible, meaning that the enemy unit is within the firing arc of
the weapon being fired.)
If a dueling unit moves out of the firing range of all its
weapons, the unit earns 1 dezgra point.
Once a unit has accumulated 3 dezgra points, any Clan unit may
freely fire on it for the remainder of the scenario without
violating the dueling rules.
Physical Attacks
Unlike the formal ritual of dueling, the Clans' dislike of
physical attacks in 'Mech combat is an informal, if widespread,
custom. No explanation has yet been given for this distaste,
though some experts suspect that Nicholas Kerensky chose to
encourage a long-range fighting style among the Clans.
At Honor Level 1, a Clan warrior never makes physical attacks in
'Mech combat. At Honor Level 2, a Clan warrior may make a
physical attack only if an enemy unit makes one first. During the
Physical Attack Phase, if the Inner Sphere player declares a
physical attack, any Clan unit whose declaration follows that
violation of Clan honor may freely engage that 'Mech in physical
combat.
At Honor Level 3, a single physical attack by an Inner Sphere
'Mech allows all Clan warriors to retaliate in kind against all
enemy units for the remainder of the game. At Honor Level 4, the
taboo against physical attacks no longer applies.
Retreat
Clan MechWarriors despise their Inner Sphere counterparts
because they consider Inner Sphere armies dishonorable warriors
fighting in inferior 'Mechs. Therefore, Clan warriors consider
retreating from Inner Sphere opponents a disgrace almost beyond
redemption. When allowed to choose whether or not to flee a
losing battle, many Clan warriors prefer to fight to the death.
At Honor Level 1, a Clan warrior never retreats. At Honor Level
2, Clan warriors may retreat from enemy 'Mechs that are using
advanced technology, but never from 'Mechs, armor or infantry
units using 3025 (Level 1) technology.
At Honor Level 3, Clan warriors may retreat from any vintage of
enemy 'Mech, but will not retreat from armor or infantry units.
At Honor Level 4, Clan warriors may retreat at will.
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