Royal Caledon Navy Officer Ranks and Titles
Overview
The officer corps of the Royal Caledonian Navy is incredibly competitive, subject to several stages of ruthless weeding-out. The goal is to create ship and fleet commanders who are peerless combat leaders.
Entry: Graduates of the Royal Caledonian Naval Academy start at age 21 at the rank of "O1".
Ranks
Ranks in the Royal Caledonian Navy fall into three broad bands:
- Junior Officers -
- Command Officers -
- Flag Officers -
Junior Officers
All graduates of the Naval Academy start as O1 "Ensigns". The end of the first term is a major pass-fail point; ensigns who don't show the capacity to be combat leaders are shunted into the Warrant Officer corps, to serve the rest their careers as technical specialists. Success in proving one is an exceptional combat leader leads to promotion to the "Command Officer" ranks. "First Lieutenant" (O4) rank - serving as the second-in-command of a ship - is the next major pass-fail point; showing great aptitude as a leader of men in combat is non-negotiable for advancing to command rank. It is possible for an officer to spend decades as a Lieutenant without advancing to command rank or being shunted into staff work.
- O1 - Ensign
- O2 - Sub-Lt
- O3 - Lt
- O4 - First Lt
Command Officers
These officers command ships - from smaller warships and auxiliaries as a Lieutenant Commanding (O5), to Battleships as a Captain of the Line (O8). Command Officers are to a person intelligently aggressive, and masters of the art and craft of space warfare.
- O5 - Lieutenant Commanding*
- O6 - Corvette Captain
- O7 - Frigate Captain
- O8 - Captain of the Line
Flag Officers
These officers command the Navy's Task Forces, Stations, and the Navy itself.
- O9 - Rear Admiral
- O10 - Vice Admiral
- O11 - Admiral
- O12 - Admiral of the Fleet
Staff Officers
Officers above the rank of O3 who "fall off the command track" move into Staff billets. Their separate career progression is noted below.
Promotion
Referee's Note - To account for different game and dice systems, a fairly abstract promotions system is provided here.
It involves adding a character's Intelligence, Leadership, and either Ship Tactics (O6 or below) or Fleet Tactics (O7 and above) ratings, and rolling against the result.
- Outstanding Success is 1/4 or less of the number arrived at above
- High Success is 1/2 or less of the number above.
- Success is less than the number arrived at above
- Failureis greater than the number arrived at.
Note that the number will change as the officer gets additional Ship/Fleet Tactics and Leadership skill levels through his/her career.
Character Rank | Roll vs. Leaderhip + Intelligence +... | Outstanding Success | High Success | Success | Failure | Notes | |
O1 - Ensign | NA | Promotion to O3 | Promotion to O2 | Promotion to O2 | Switch to Warrant Officer at rank WO1 | It's not supposed to be easy to get past this point! | |
O2 - Sublieutenant | Ship Tactics | Promoted to O4 | Promoted O3 | Promoted to O3 | Remain at O2 | - | |
O3 - Lieutenant | Ship Tactics | Promoted to O4 | Promoted to O4 | Remain at O3 | Move to Staff (at current O-level rank) | - | |
O4 - First Lieutenant | Ship Tactics | Promoted to O5 | Remain at O4 | Remain at O4 | Move to Staff (at current O-level rank) | See First Lieutenant notes below. Subtract one from the die roll on terms after the first full term as an O4. A "First Lieutenant" is always the second-in-command of an RCN vessel | |
O5 - Lieutenant Commanding | Ship Tactics | Promoted to O7 | Promoted to O6 | Remain at O5 | Move to Staff (at current O-level rank) | Character commands a sloop or small auxiliary (<1,200 tons) | |
O6 - Corvette Captain | Ship Tactics | Promoted to O8 | Promoted to O7 | Move to Staff (at current O-level rank) | Move to Staff (at current O-level rank) | Character commands a Destroyer, Corvette, Surveillance Ship or AXL or other auxiliary <5,000 tons | |
O7 - Frigate Captain | Ship Tactics | Promoted to O9 | Promoted to O8 | Move to Staff (at current O-level rank() | Retire from service | Commands Frigate, Monitor, AXH or major auxiliary, or a squadron of Destroyers or Corvettes | |
O8 - Capitain of the Line | Fleet Tactics | Promoted to O9 | Remain at O8 | Move to Staff (at current O-level rank) | Retire from service | Character commands a battleship, carrier, or a squadron of Frigates/Auxiliaries. | |
O9 - Rear Admiral | Fleet Tactics | Promoted to O10 | Remain at O9 | Retire from service | Retire from service | Character commands a RCN Task Force | |
O10 - Vice Admiral | Fleet Tactics | Promoted to O11 | Remain at O10 | Retire from service | Retire from service | Character commands an RCN Station / Fleet | |
O11 - Admiral | Fleet Tactics | Promoted to O12 | Retire from service | Retire from Service | Retire from service | Character is in effect the commander of the RCN; O12 is an honorific bestowed by the Parliament and Prince. |
'Note about First Lieutenants - the longer a First Lieutenant remains in grade, the larger the ship he/she is second in command.
- First term: Sloop, Destroyer, Corvette, Surveillance Ship, AXL
- Second Term: Frigate (heavy or light), AXH or other large auxiliary
- Third and subsequent terms: Battleship or Carrier.
Staff Officer Career Progression
When officers of rank O3 through O8 are moved to Staff billets, they roll for promotion every term against their (INT+Bureaucracy). Success results in a promotion; failure, in remaining in current grade (through O6) or retirement (O7 and O8). At O8, outstanding success results in promotion to Staff O9; any other result is retirement.
Staff officer billets are as follows:
- O3 - Junior staff Lieutenant.
- O4 - Staff Lieutenant on a Base, Task Force or Station department (Logistics, Intelligence, Operations or Administration)
- O5 - Senior Staff Lieutenant in a Base, task force or station department (Logistics, Intelligence, Operations or Administration)
- O5 - Commander of a RCN Task Force, Base or Station Department (Logistics, Intelligence, Operations or Administration)
- O7 - Commander of an RCN base, or Chief of Staff for a Task Force.
- O8 - Chief of Station staff, or member of the central Naval Staff.
- O9 - Chief of Naval Staff. Head of all naval staff; there can be only one.