In joining the Gatekeepers Battalion, you have set yourself up for military service in the Capellan Confederation. This entry deals with several key issues that need to be gone over for new members just joining the unit: the Attendance Policy, the Certification Program and the HLGK Community Manager. In addition to serving as an orientation into these core battalion concepts, this certification will also be useful to longstanding member who need to be updated on the policies that have been in common practice in the battalion for some time.
As in any sort of organization, a common goal and set of practices is needed in order to sustain cohesiveness as an organic whole. This is doubly important for a military unit, as our adherence to training and understanding of a set doctrine is what we rely on during tactical encounters. The following concepts are important to that doctrine, and should be understood before continuing to more advanced training.
The HLGK Community Manager
The Community Manager is used by the unit to coordinate the unit and track progress in many different areas. It is a Google sheet, available here. If you have the proper clearance, you can request access using your MWO username in the message. More information will become available detailing all the information in the Community Manager and how to use it to your benefit, but Recruits should simply be aware of its' existence and two of it's main functions: Attendance & Certification tracking.
Each pilot has their own record in the Community Manager. This sheet is continually, albeit haphazardly, updated with all the latest collected records regarding Gatekeepers details. Usually, this will be on point by Battalion Ops nights.
Attendance Policy
The date of your last attended Battalion Operations or check-in with the Command Staff will be noted in the Community Manager. If at any time it has been more than two weeks since your last appearance, you will be flagged by the Community Manager as Inactive. Inactive players are subject to dismissal at any point while they remain Inactive.
This can easily be prevented in a variety of ways. If you're going to be absent for a time, let us know - the Community Manager can note your period of absence. For instance, if you're going to be gone for three weeks, we can note that in the Manager. Once that date arrives, you have two weeks to check in or you will be flagged as Inactive.
Members that are dismissed due to being Inactive are required to rejoin the battalion as Recruits. Partcipation is key. We need active players so we are not constantly retraining warriors who regard themselves as experienced. Review the Operations page to find our most active hours and current events to get involved!
Combat Certification Program
The Gatekeepers doctrine is fairly easy to understand, but requires several layers of progressively in-depth component familiarity to function fluidly at the top levels. In order to accomplish a complete understanding of our tactical doctrine, we have implemented a training program all members are required to complete and keep current. The Tactical Manual delineates and links to all the material you will need to accomplish your training.
Each certification will require a different level of understanding to accomplish. Certifications, and Participation in general, will be more important as we begin to implement more levels of our overall plan. To register and receive your certification, review the material in the Tactical Manual. Each linked article is a different certification.
Once you have reviewed the material, meditate upon it. Talk to other members about it. When you are confident you have achieved understanding of each entry, advise an officer your are ready to achieve certification, and he will assess your viability. For each component you complete to the satisfaction of the Command Staff, you will be issued the corresponding Gatekeepers Combat Certification. Their mastery can be regarded as milestones in your milsim career.
Roleplay Considerations
The Liao Reserve Regiments suffered horrendous losses during the 4th Succession War. The few fighters that were not Dispossessed by the end of the war fled from Davion aggression, and began to regroup. Scraping together what pilots and battlemechs they could, they eventually formed several regiments across the eastern region of the Capellan Confederation, along the border with the Federated Suns.
The Liao Cháng-Chéng (or Great Wall) as it has come to be known is comprised of several different units. Currently the organization is too small to be recognized by the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces as an "actual" military reserve, the small units comprising the Great Wall are building in stature and experience. One such unit are the Gatekeepers.
Founded in 3047 by a small band of partisan fighters to conduct retribution terror attacks along the Davion border, after attracting a great number of pilots in the lead-up to the Clan Invasion the Gatekeepers established themselves as a "para"military organization with a very tight discipline. Since then, they have gained notoriety in the Chaos March. Today, the unit is composed of vengeful warriors who seek to continue their war against the Federated Suns.
Roleplay & The Community Manager
The [HLGK] Community Manager handles a lot of the roleplay information for us. We have a number of writers who regularly contribute to our ongoing narrative, and the idea for collecting "character" information on mechwarriors came about as a way to collate and share the ideas we had for the storyline. Now, we have a more formalized and robust system.
Each member has an Assignment. This refers to the "job" your character performs with the unit. This will be reflected in any story entry that contains your character. However, there are also duties associated with each Assignment. When you join the unit, you are automatically assigned as MechWarrior, and this won't change unless you specifically ask for an assignment. The Assignments available are noted in the Community Manager.
In addition, we've compiled a list of every character's Traits. These are descriptive terms used to aid in characterization, and are great resources for our authors. Choose two words or phrases to form the basis of your character. All Gatekeepers share the following Traits: Loyal, Vengeful, Patriotic and Honorable. Check out the Community Manager for some more examples. Note that there is no "Master List" of Traits, so be creative!
Related to your RP information is your MechWarrior's preferred weight class and role. This will be recorded in the Community Manager as well for several purposes, including unit reviews by the Command Staff. Getting HLGK colors is a bold move as well, and if you sport any HLGK colors / patterns your support will likewise be noted.
If you'd like to write up your character's backstory, we'll feature it on the site. Submissions must be at least 3 paragraphs of at least 3 sentences each. If you have a specific image you want published with your backstory, make sure to include a link to it. The number of stories you write / are mentioned in is noted in the Community Manager, as well as if you've published your backstory on the site.
Unit roleplay helps with morale and immersion a great deal. This mindset forms the basis for our "try-hard" mentality, providing impetus and activity for the entire unit. The more folks participate in RP, the more the narrative grows. The shared narrative builds camaraderie, and I think that's something most of us can appreciate. Report your finished works / Community Manager updates directly to the Zhong-Shao. So get out there and hash out your stories, Gatekeepers!
Those are the very basic policies that you must understand are in place to facilitate activity and community. Participation is key, and the battalion does not feel it is asking for much that you abide by them. We aim to provide an active, fun environment using every means at our disposal to achieve a level of immersion for our members, and we hope you enjoy our efforts.
Good Hunting!
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