To many of you, the first matter of importance is determining who you would be in the proposed SIM. This is quite understandable. So, here are the way the ranks will work in the SIM:

1) Each member will be granted their pre-existing rank when they join the SIM. This is done for two reasons. First, we need active members to join, and this provides an incentive. Second, and more importantly, we need a variety in rank to exist for the SIM to be successful. If you don't already have a rank in the sector that you join, you will join at the base level.

2)There are four important divisions in rank: Empire, Rebellion, Corporate Sector, and the all important Fringe. If you're reading this, you probably already know where you fit in. For those who don't, the greatest oppurtunities will exist in those areas with the fewest members,even if it means starting on the ground level. So think it over....

3)THE EMPIRE: Here are the ranks/benefits for the Empire... take a good look, this is where most of you are likely to be. Within the empire there are two divisions: Fleet and Stormtroopers. They have parallels within the rebellion, as well. Without further ado....

Grand Admiral		Super Star Destroyer
Sector Admiral		Imperial Star Destroyer			
Fleet Admiral		Victory Star Destroyer
Admiral			Frigate Squadron <3>
Vice Admiral		Dreadnought Cruiser Squadron <3>
Rear Admiral		Corvette Squadron <3>
Major General		Frigate <1> OR Corvette Group <2>
Lieut. General		Corellian Corvette OR Escort Carrier
Brig. General		T-D Squadron <6> OR T-A Squadron <8>
General			Gunboat Squadron <6> OR T-I, T-B, or T-F Squadron <12>

Prefect of the Legion   Legion		<10,800 Troopers>
Legatus Maximus		Regiment	<5,900 Troopers>
Legatus			Brigade		<1,800 Troopers>
Centurion Maximus	Battalion	<600 Troopers> 
Centurion		Company		<120 Troopers>
Opito			Platoon		<40 Troopers>
Sergeant		Squad		<10 Troopers>

4)THE REPUBLIC: I know we're Imperials, but what Star Wars Sim would be complete without the Republic? All IW Members are ranked and armed according to the Republic scale, as are all Rebels, and all who chose to be rebels for the SIM. (It won't be held against you :)

Fleet Admiral		Mon Calamari Cruiser Group <2>
Sys. Admiral		Mon Calamari Cruiser
Admiral			Light Calamari Cruiser 
Vice Admiral		Frigate Squadron <3>
Rear Admiral		Corvette Squadron <3>
Commodore		Frigate <1> OR Corvette Group <2>
Col. General		Corellian Corvette
Lieut. General		A-Wing Squadron <10> OR X-Wing Squadron <12>
General			B-Wing Squadron <8> OR A-Wing Squadron <10>

Major Domo		Regiment <100 Commandos>
Royal 			Guardsman	Half Regiment <60 Commandos>
Sentinel		Reinforced Deta. 
Guardian		Detachment <30 Commandos>
Watcher			Platoon <15 Commandos>
Protector		Mobile Squad <5 Commandos,
Novice

5)THE CORPORATE SECTOR: What Universe would be complete without the business men? The business men can be divided into two types; legitimate and illegitimate. Though the latter certainly sounds more glamorous, it is the former that wields the power to make or break warlords, and to shift the fate of galaxies. Rank integration between the current corporate sector, and the sector of the sim has yet to be worked out: suffice it to say that it's not a straight equivalency.

Empire

Precentor		Sector  (Two systems)			
Moff, Grand		System (As defined by map; normally: 1Plan 1/2, 1 Plan 3/4, 1 Plan 5/6)
Moff			Planet (Type 6)		
Lictor			Planet (Type 5)		
Praetor			Planet (Type 3 or 4)			
Governor		Planet (Type 1 or 2)

Consul			Sector  (Two systems)			
Illustrious Sen.		System (As defined by map; normally: 1Plan 1/2, 1 Plan 3/4, 1 Plan 5/6)
Senator			Planet (Type 6)	
Administrator		Planet (Type 5)	
Bureaucrat		Planet (Type 3 or 4)
Governor		Planet (Type 1 or 2)

6)THE FRINGE: Now for the most glamorous of professions in the galaxy: The Bounty Hunters, lords of the fringe. While we acknowledge that Bounty Hunters are by no means the only group of the fringe, the thought is to start with the basics and work our way up.

Master Hunter		S/CRV
Montare			G/CRV
Assassin		Escort Carrier
Investigator		Correlian Corvette
Scout			Mutarrian Transport
Thug			CT-100

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This section has the least action, but perhaps the most importance. Here you will discover how to change your Rank, your Ships, your Planets, etc. This SIM is not simple. Simple SIMs are rather boring, a symptom of their simplicity. Though I have labored intensively to simplify the SIM (We're down to 7 groups, from 12 :), it can only be simplified so far. So I ask you to bear with me, and feel free to ask for help from any of the listed SIM Officers, if you feel you need it.

Advancement: Advancement in the SIM is not all that different from advancing anywhere else. You have to put in the time, prove you're deserving, and then you'll be promoted. In general, this means fulfilling the following requirements. However, the SIM staff reserves the right to withold/grant promotion purely arbitrarily :)

The simplest sections rank-wise are the Fleets, so:

Empire:

Grand Admiral		Must have defeated a GA (or Rebel FA) in single combat 
Sector Admiral		Must have defeated a SA (or Rebel Sys. Admiral) in single combat 
Fleet Admiral		Must have lead three victorious Campaigns
Admiral			Must have lead two victorious Campaigns
Vice Admiral		Must have lead three victorious Task Forces
Rear Admiral		Must have lead two victorious Task Forces
Major General		Must have participated in three kills
Lieut. General		Must have participated in two kills
Brig. General		Must have defeated/conquered two forces
General			Entry Position

Fleet Admiral		Must have defeated a FA (or Imp. SA) in single combat
Sys. Admiral		Must have lead three victorious campaigns
Admiral			Must have lead two victorious campaigns.
Vice Admiral		Must have lead three victorious Task Forces.
Rear Admiral		Must have lead two victorious Task Forces.
Commodore		Must have participated in three kills
Col. General		Must have participated in two kills
Lieut. General		Must have defeated/conquered two forces
General			Entry Position

Definitions: So....what the heck does all this mean? What's the difference between a kill, a campaign, and a "victorious task force"? Read on, my friend...

Defeat/Conquest:The simplest act to perform. Just conquer one planet (in conjunction with some ground forces) or kill one unit that you don't have a treaty with (treaty?!?!? Remeber, this isn't simple :), and you have a certified defeat/conquest. Note that killing a unit means killing all ships in the unit, not just one.

Kill: A kill is the destruction of a task force (to be defined later) A kill is a more advanced level, since it normally requires cooperation with numerous other ships and units.

Task Force: A task force is, simply put, a bunch of ships, which have signed a treaty to work together. A victorious task force is one that takes on another task force, and emerges victorious. To lead a victorious task force, one must be the ranking officer in said task force. In case of more than one officer of the same rank being present, the officers work it out in the treaty.

Campaign: A Campaign is a type of Task Force mission. A campaign implies that the Task Force in question has conquered the territory of a Lictor, Moff, Grand Moff, or Precentor. For it to achieve Campaign status, the CS official must have at least two planets under his control.

Single Combat: The upper ranks of any organization or imagined scenario must be rarified. The simplest way to accomplish this goal is to make it very, very tough for anyone to reach the highest of ranks. Single combat achievs this aim admirably. Single combat means that an officer, using just the units that he has earned/purchased, defeats another officer, using just his units. Single combat is initiated by a challenge. Once the challenge has been issued both parties involved can do nothing until it has been resolved. Only one challenge may be issued at a time.

As long as we're on the subject of combat, we may as well deal with advancement in ground combat forces next:

Prefect of the Legion	Title given to a Leg. Max. by at least 2 other Leg. Max.
Legatus Maximus	One must win four Campaigns
Legatus			One must win three Campaigns 
Centurion Maximus	One must capture four units
Centurion		One must capture three units
Opito			One must defeat another force, either alone, or in a group
Sergeant		Entry Position

Major Domo		Title given to Royal Guardsman by at least two other Royal Guardsmen
Royal Guardsman		One must win three campaigns.
Sentinel		One must win two campaigns.
Watcher			One must capture three units
Guardian		One must capture two units.
Protector		One must defeat another force, either alone, or in a group
Novice			Entry Position

Definitions: For the by now thoroughly confused, there is yet hope....

Defeat: You've already had this one. It means destroying another unit(s) Though survival is its own reward, we'll even promote you.

Capture: 'Capturing a unit' implies that you have.... captured another unit. This can be either a planet, or a spacecraft.

Campaign: Again, this shouldn't be new to you. But here's where the Ground Forces fit in: to capture anything at all, from planet to spacecraft, one must use groundforces. This makes Stormtroopers eminently useful:) Winning a campaign implies participating in the capture of said units in the campaign. It is, so to speak, the other side of the coin.

Appointment: Once again, the top has to be tough. Here, we ensure a minnimum of a two to one ratio of numbers 2 to 1, lieutenants to captains, underlings to head-honchos, etc. When two of the lesser rank find it in their hearts, (or, more likely, best interests) to promote a third, we end up with a Regimental/Legionary commander. How sweet :)

Advancement in the corporate sector is, well, a little different than advancing elsewhere. The positions given in the ranks section apply only to the starting ranks (i.e., If I enter the SIM as a Moff, I get a Type 6 planet. If I enter as a Lictor, I get a type 5. If I get promoted from Lictor to Moff...then it gets a little bit different :)

Well, the way it works is like this... you start off with whatever you get for your starting rank. From there, you ally yourself with a either another Corporate Sector official, a Fleet Officer, or a member of the Fringe. They will help you conquer more territory. When they conquer, they will want a CS official to run it for them, for reasons to be explained later. the more succesful the person that you're allied with is, the more succesful you are. When you gain a rank, you gain not the planet listed there (That would wreak havoc with galactic geography :), but a cash bonus equivilant to two yearly incomes from that planet. Pretty useful, huh?

Precentor		Appointed Position, via Circle of Grand Moff's.
Moff, Grand		One must gain control of a sector (Total)
Moff			One must gain control of a system, as a Moff.
Lictor			One must gain control of at least three other planets, as a Lictor
Praetor			One must gain control of one other planet
Governor		Entry position

Republic

Consul			Appointed Position, via Upper Senate
Illustrus Sen.		One must gain control of a sector (Total)
Senator			One must gain control of a system, as a Moff.
Administrator		One must gain control of at least three other planets, as a Lictor
Bureacrat		One must gain control of one other planet.
Governor		Entry Position

Definitions: Getting to be a routine, huh? Anyway...

Planet: A large body of matter, orbiting a ball of concentrated gaseous material, hot enough to support fusion. In other words, a planet.

System: The sum total of planets orbiting a star. In order for said planets to qualify as a system, there need to be at least three of them. If you conquer the only two planets orbiting a star, then you have my congratulations on conquering the only two planets orbiting a star, but you'll still need to conquer a system.

Sector: Defined in the Galactic Encyclopedia as "an area drawn on a star map by a group of self proclaimed geographers after drinking too much one Saturday night." While this sounds ridiculous at first, after exploring the galaxy, many adventurers swear by this definition. At any event, for our purposes, a sector is an area encompasing two or more Systems, (As well as the occasional loose planet), as defined by a map. 'Nuff said.

The Fringe: As I've said before, the fringe is still young, and will likely expand over time. This makes everything said about the fringe preliminary and tentative. It also makes the fringe an exciting and oppurtunity filled place to be.

Master Hunter		Defeat the Master Hunter in personal combat
Montare			Locate and chart an unkown System
Assassin		Locate or Destroy another hunter
Investigator		Locate or Destroy three more targets
Scout			Locate or Destroy a Target
Thug			Entry Position

Definitions: You getting tired of these, too?

Target: A unit, officer, planet, task force, etc., that someone wants eliminated or destroyed. You will know that said unit is to be destroyed, since the person will issue a contract.

Hunter: Go look in a mirror

Unknown Systems: We will, of course start off with a relatively small map. as time goes by, we will have to use a larger map. This goal will be accomplished by adding Systems. A system of which you are unaware will be called an unknown system. Frankly, this part has yet to be fully worked out. for now, I'd reccomend concentrating on recieving credits for completing missions. trust me, you'll need them.

Back to Economics! What do things cost? Ahh....one of the hardest questions to answer!

But...here goes!

ITEM			COST
Character		N/A	
Swoop			3,000	
Speeder Bike		4,000			
Speeder			6,000			
Hover Vehicle		8,000			
Repulsor Vehicle	10,000				

HoverTank		15,000			
RepulsorTank		18,000			
AT-ST			21,000			
AirSpeeder		27,000			
Floating Fortress	30,000			
Cloud Car		36,000			
AT-AT			50,000

TIE Fighter		40,000
Z-95 HeadHunter		50,000
TIE Bomber		50,000
T-Wing			50,000
Y-Wing			60,000
TIE Interceptor		60,000
Assault Gunboat		70,000
B-Wing			80,000
X-Wing			80,000
A-Wing			90,000
Missile Boat		90,000
TIE Advanced		100,000
TIE Defender		120,000

Space Station		24,000,000
Imperial Star Destroyer	22,000,000	
Mon Calamari Cruiser	21,000,000
Assault Platform	18,000,000
Cruiser-class Squadron	14,000,000
Customs Platform	12,000,000
Frigate-class Squadron	10,000,000
Corvette-class Squadron 7,000,000
Assault Frigate		800,000	
Dreadnought Cruiser	700,000
Interdictor		600,000	
Auxiliary Cruise	500,000
Escort Carrier		500,000
Corellian Corvette	200,000

At the beginning of the SIM, a single master map will be produced and distributed to all participants. It will have a 2Dimensional grid, with one edge numbered, and the other marked by letters. Each square on the grid should be read by a combination of the letters and numbers. (EX: I'm Hyper-Spacing from grid square AL22 to grid square BD21) However, only a relatively small number of the grid squares on the map will have their contents listed. These will typically be locations of important resources, centrally located stars, or squares that lie along the most important hyperspace routes.

Factions and maps: When each individual applies for, and is granted membership in, the EH SIM, they are given a starting grid square. They are also given the master map, complete with the widely known grids. In addition to the map, each individual recieves certain other information. The starting information will likely include:

1)The contents of the eight surrounding grid squares

2)Locations of all forces of the same IFF code within a certain number of squares. (This would mean that a new Imperial officer would know the locations of all Imperial ships within a certain distance. A bounty hunter would know where all the other rogues were, within the same distance. A Corporate Sector man would know only the other planets within the area. However, the fact that the other officers are Imperial would provide scant protection for any officer who was deemed not be worthy to live. Remember, every officers first allegiance is to power.

3)Knowledge of all the planets along the shortest route between his starting location and a hyperspace route. (The why of it will come later...)

4)The locations of the meeting places for officers of their IFF code. All sides/types have their favorite hangouts, even if going there may prove to be more than a little dangerous.

Gaining new information: Naturally, one of the first desires of every officer will be to gain more information to augment their knowledge of the SIM enviroment. There are several ways to go about doing this. They are...

1)Explore! When you enter any new square in REALSPACE the local Inquisitor will send you its complete contents. The obvious drawback to this is that in addition to new planets, you may also discover new enemies, or even your friends relaxing at their secret bases. Naturally, they won't be thrilled to have been found by you, and are highly likely to either ally themselves with you, to keep your mouth shut, or to kill you, and get on with business.

2)Ally yourself with someone else, and stay together with him for at least three rounds. At the end of this time, he may transfer his knowledge to you. Inquisitors will have a file on every member, including a lsit of all the grid squares he knows about. ALL SIM MEMBERS are required to send a clear E-mail at the end of every session detailing which grid squares they have information on. Naturally this can not always be confirmed. However, should a member ever be found to have lied about what squares he does and does not know, he or she will be immediatly executed (This doesn't mean exiled, or excommunicated. This just means that they will be killed. If they have insurance, they can still be revived. If they have to start over they can do that, too.)

3)Find your neighborhood Bounty Hunter. Bounty Hunters tend to hang out in public places, or even to announce their locations in the rooms (A legal procedure... but it doesn't have to be true, so be careful! It could be a trap!) You pay them credits in return for information. You can work out a deal between the two of you to buy or sell just about anything. You can pay a flat rate for all the grid squares he knows, or for some of them. You can offer him a contract for a individual's location, a planet's location, even for the location of special planets.This method has a number of drawbacks. Bounty Hunters simply cannot be trusted, and the fact should never be forgotten. A Bounty Hunter might very well decide to turn you over to a more powerful officer for a reward, instead of looking around for the people you need info on. Worse yet, you can be betrayed without even knowing it! A Hunter can sell your location to the officer who you were looking for, and then tell you that he couldn't find him. (Smart officers pay on delivery) The one thing that they cannot do is sell false information, so always be wary of hunters offering "free" information :)

And All This Matters Because... In order to travel through hyper-space, you must first know what, though not who, lies in the squares that you will be traveling through. You cannot hyperspace through squares that you have no information on. Therefore, since time is money, (On AOL, this is quite literally true :), and hyperspace saves time (as well as lives), the information is incredibly valuable.

Applications and Additional Notes: First off, the office of the High Inquisitor reserves the right to change the map at any time. If they have already explored the square members will be informed of the changes.

Travel: When members travel, Inquisitors keep constant tabs on where they are. Files containing every players' location are traded among inquisitors at the end of every round of play. Players' may enter/leave the SIM at the end of each round (Restrictions on leaving are more lenient, since we've all been disconnected. If you can, though, let us know you've gone, or you may continue to be listed as a target, and it's just another headache for us.

Secrets: As in any good SIM, there are special places left to be discovered. These might include places that offer access to other points, places that offer bonuses to their discoverers, even grid squares that harbor lost fleets, there for the taking. However, the bad comes with the good. Be prepared for lost imperial bases, mine fields, and other such horrors as we can concoct :) Secrets can be found either by just entering the square, or by entering the square, and by giving a secret code to an Inquisitor. Secret codes can be bought, or found. You'll know when you get one :)

For the Inquisitors out there, I'll acknowlege what a headache this is going to be. However, I'm working on finding ways to design easily updatable files to keep track of the info. As we get closer to the launch date, I'll endeavour to design, and entertain proposals for, exact procedures to simplify the process.

Hyperspace travel can be done along diagonals as well as straight lines. When passing through a square in hyperspace, you are invisible to its occupants, and they to you, unless they have an INT, in which case.... :)

Special squares exist for special purposes. Some squares on the board will have guaranteed neutrality, as enforced by near-indestructable planetary defenses. In other words, don't fight there. these will typically be centers of trade, industry, or meeting places. Other squares can become neutral by convention. While Inquisitors don't enforce conventions, members are advised to abide by common agreements. Not doing so will lessen the amount of trust other players are willing to put in them, causing problems for them in everything from finding allies to buying Information to trading.

Certain squares aren't neutral, but can't be controlled. These typically have a resource that is meant to be available to all players. Attempts to conquer the systems will likely result in the destruction of the offenders craft.

That's about it for this document.....