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We are bound by the rules and traditions of our great forefathers to uphold the honor and glory of the Clans. Clan warfare follows a strict code of honor - a glorious method that is designed to preserve life rather than destroy it. Only warriors adhering to such codes shall emerge victorious and worthy of the honor of being BattleMech pilots. Mechwarriors shall strive for perfection in combat, perfection in the life of a warrior - all for the glory of the Clans.

The successful completion of the primary objectives of a mission shall bestow unto a mechwarrior the glory of a victorious battle.

Performance beyond the call of duty, qualified by the successful completion of any secondary or tertiary objectives a mission may call for, shall commend a mechwarrior with the highest honor of the Clan.

By fighting a war with fewer combatants, fewer lives are lost. Engaging in battle with the fewest 'Mechs possible, in the tradition of the Batchall, shall uphold a warrior with the highest honor of battle.

Deploying lighter 'Mechs into combat than the Keshik deems necessary and preserving the technology of the Clans shall give a mechwarrior much honor through his/her career.

Engaging in battle with more than one 'Mech against a sole mechwarrior holds the least honor; one-on-one combat holds the highest Clan honor.

A mechwarrior commanding a star is held responsible for all starmates. The loss of a starmate is deemed a dishonorable act in the tradition of Clan warfare and shall be noted.

Rules of Engagement, or RoE, is the preferred method of combat for trueborn Clan Warriors. Trueborn are the product of the eugenics system of the Clans. They are created artificially in laboratories, and genetically engineered to produce the ultimate Warrior. In contrast, freeborn are people who have been given birth the natural way. According to the Way of the Clans, only the trueborn are superior and pure. They, by birth right, are with honor, and righteous. Among the elaborate and mysterious ways of the trueborn Warrior is the Rules of Engagement.

RoE was a method of combat devised after the Exodus from Terra, to minimize huge losses of valuable equipment and human lives in combats and battles. The most important aspect of RoE is single opponent combats. This brief general summary of the Rules of Engagement are as follows, and pertains only to BattleMechs vs. BattleMech battles:

A Warrior will never fire on a 'Mech already engaged with another opponent. This means that no double teaming or gang banging allowed.

A Warrior will at no time initiate physical attack, such as charging, punching, kicking, or clubbing.

Only in the event that a Warrior has no more weapons at his or her disposal, may the he or she engage in physical attacks.

Following these basic guidelines ensure that a Clan Warrior will fight with honor. There are other conditions to RoE, that individual Clans will follow. For example, depending on the Clan, a Warrior may or may not be able to:

Fire on a retreating 'Mech

Fire on a shutdown or fallen 'Mech

Fire at the rear of a 'Mech

Target the head of a 'Mech

Failure to adhere to RoE during combat will cause loss of honor for a Warrior, as well as serious repercussions from his or her commanding officer. The use of IDF, or indirect fire, will also result in a loss of honor.

However, in the event that the enemy fails to follow RoE, one may return the dishonor. For example, if the enemy attacks using physicals, the Warrior may return the physical only to that enemy. In the event where the enemy as a whole act dishonorably, the commanding Clan officer may call a Grand Melee, at which point the battle field becomes a free for all--a Warrior may at this point use any means at his or her disposal to terminate the enemy.

To a true Clan Warrior, RoE is the path for honorable combat. However, strictly following RoE does not ensure honor, and there are other implicit aspects as well. From my personal examples and first hand experience with RoE, there is more to Clan combat than just terminating your enemy. A true Clan Warrior knows when to grant hegira--the chance for an enemy who has proved his or herself to be a worthy opponent to withdraw from the field of battle without further combat or losses. In addition, true Clan Warriors will also try to challenge themselves by battling the strongest and toughest of the enemy. Success under greater odds are a testament to a Warrior's skills and honor.

The only other exception to these Rules of Engagement are when engaged with mercenaries. Mercenaries do not combat for a worthy cause. They seek only material and monetary advancement, and so they are, by definition, without honor, and deserve no RoE. Elementals are not 'Mechs, so they are not required to follow RoE.

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Honor is a big part of a trueborn Clan warrior's life. Without it they are no better than the surat scum Inner Sphere.

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, AeroFighter or Elemental 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 material..

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 first invaded to the Inner Sphere, they were set in their ways of combat which are strange to the Inner Sphere. 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 would 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.

The Clan codes of honor, also known as "rules of engagement," fall into four categories, each dealing with a different part of combat: Batchall, Zellbrigen, Physical Attacks and Retreat. 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. 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.

Zellbrigen (Dueling)

Under the rules for ritual dueling, or zellbrigen, Clan warriors 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.

Using zellbrigen in a battle requires a certain degree of cooperation between players. A crafty Inner Sphere MechWarrior can exploit the rules of engagement to deny the Clan warrior 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).

Clan warriors should not be expected to adhere to the rules of engagement when it would be foolish to do so (as in the following example).

Your unit has one Dire Wolf and your opponents have four 'Mechs: a Banshee, an Orion, an Atlas and a Spider. The Spider challenges the Dire Wolf to a duel, which the Dire Wolf accepts. The Spider then proceeds to use its superior movement rate to hide behind hills and heavy woods so that the Dire Wolf never gets line of sight to it. Meanwhile, the other three members of the Spider's lance pound the Dire Wolf to dust. The Dire Wolf cannot retaliate because its polit 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 Dire Wolf in this example to strictly obey the rules of engagement means that the Clan warrior must sit back and allow his unit to be destroyed.

Because of the possibility of situations such as that above which can be common when fighting against units from the Inner Sphere, mercenaries or pirates, Clan warriors are not required to give the honor of zellbrigen to warriors who do not fight honorably. If an enemy repeatedly violates zellbrigen, the Clan warrior can as well.

Bloodright Laws:

A Warrior’s Honor – The Bloodname

The Bloodright is the closest thing a Clan has to immortality. Earning a Bloodname is virtual assurance of an accelerated career path, and distinguishes a warrior’s codex as destined for the Clan eugenics program.

A Bloodname is worn with intense pride. Competition for Bloodnames is fierce, and nominations come as a tremendous compliment to a warrior, whether his attempt at earning it is successful or not.

In Clan society, most warriors are not Bloodnamed. Even a nomination remains in a soldier’s codex and is displayed with pride.

There are, however, rules regulating the distribution of something that is such a treasured asset universally among Clan civilization.

The following sections will detail the rules and regulations that will preserve the honor and integrity of the Bloodright.

Recognized Bloodnames

Each Clan recognizes a number of Bloodnames. Some are shared with other Clans, and others are uniquely the property of a certain Clan. Once earned, a Bloodname belongs to a mechwarrior for life. In Clan Wolf, the only way a Bloodname may be released into circulation is if a warrior is declared dezgra, or retires from the Clan willingly.

The Role of the House Leader

Each Bloodname represents a House. The highest-ranked non-Kurultai warrior within a House is the House Leader. In situations where a house is solely represented by a warrior on the Kurultai, an exception is granted. The House Leader is the spokesperson for his House in the Blood Council. To keep chat from becoming too chaotic, House members will route their questions and comments through their House Leader, who will in turn present them to the Council.

In addition, the House Leader will solicit nominations from other House members for empty Bloodname slots. When nominations are secured, he will announce via Clan-wide email a Trial of Bloodright.

Nominations for Bloodright

Each Bloodnamed member of a House votes to nominate one warrior for a vacant Bloodname slot. To be eligible, a warrior must have been on the active duty rolls of the for a minimum of two months. A House may only fill one vacant Bloodname slot per month.

With any Trial of Bloodright announcement, any warrior meeting the time-in-service requirement may apply for the wild card slot. The House Leader will supervise a grand melee, with the wild card dogid going to the victor.

All nominees and the wild card dogid will then commence with a normal Trial of Bloodright, as described in section 5.2.4.5.

In a case where there are no members of a given Bloodright represented in the Clan, a prospective claimant to the new Heritage must submit a request to the Blood Council to activate a new House. Pending Council approval, the warrior will be granted a Trial of Position versus three Bloodnamed warriors. He must destroy at least one opposing mech to be granted the House.

The Blood Council will not approve any new Bloodrights until the existing Houses are filled.

Challenges to the Nominee

If there is a stain on a warrior’s honor that would make him undesirable as a Bloodname candidate, knowledge of such must be forwarded within 48 hours of the Trial of Bloodright to the House Leader for consideration. A warrior is born anew when Bloodnamed, and past transgressions will be forever laid to rest from that day forward.

It is dishonorable to impugn a Bloodnamed warrior’s honor based upon incidents that took place prior to the Trial of Bloodright.

Appointment to the Blood Council

Immediately upon achieving victory in a Trial of Bloodright, a warrior is eligible to attend Blood Council meetings. At the next Clan-wide meeting, the warrior will be honored and officially welcomed into the Council of the Bloodnamed.