Regiment

A **Regiment** is an important administrative building block in the UNKNOWN [?] Trading Company. To the outsider, the UTC appears to be a single, unified organization, but in reality, the Company is sub-divided into regiments, each with their own unique cultures and traditions. They generally function like an autonomous clan that operates on their own; independent from waiting for orders from the Directory and is usually comprised of a Regimental Captain or leader who may or may not have Lieutenants below them.

Regiments can be composed of Company members and non-Company members, but is nowadays the usual method for people to join the UTC.

## The Regimental System

In the regimental system, each regiment is responsible for recruiting, training, and administration; each regiment is permanently maintained and therefore the regiment will develop its unique *esprit de corps* because of its unitary history, traditions, recruitment, and function. Usually, the regiment is responsible for recruiting and administrating all of a Company member's career. Depending upon their function, regiments can be either combat units or administrative units or both such as the 222nd South Aspermont Regiment.

This is often contrasted to the "guild system" generally adopted by other clans in various games. In the guild system, the members are the functional player member, and its leader(s) is the administrator of every aspect of the formation: ranks, orders. Generally, guilds are garrisoned together and share the same installations: thus, in a guild administration, a clan officer is just another officer in a chain of command. Members and officers in the guild system are given or transferred functions as required.

Some regiments have their regimental depots in a specific area, and usually incorporated the place name into the regimental name. In other cases, regiments would recruit from a specific player type such as gender (e.g. 95th East Yawpton), player ranks (e.g. 29th Whitehaven), or newbies (e.g. the 101st North Aspermont). In other cases, new regiments were raised for new functions within the Company; e.g. the 93rd Regiment of Virtues, "*the Dungeoneers*".

A key aspect of the regimental system is that the regiment is the fundamental tactical building block. This flows historically from the pre-June Reforms, when members were widely dispersed and virtually autonomous, but is easily adapted to a number of different purposes. For example, a regiment might include different types of players (e.g. gatherers, healers, fighters) of different origins (e.g. Company member, non-Company member).

Within the regimental system, members and officers, usually operate with their own regiment whenever posted to field duty. In addition to combat units, other sub-organizations are very much part of the regimental family: regimental training, regimental associations (retirees), cornets and associated cadet groups. The aspects that an administrative regiment might have in common include a Regimental Captain (often a member of the Directory), a Regimental Captain and First Lieutenant who protects the traditions and interests of the regimental family and insists on the maintenance of high standards,battle honours (honours earned by one unit of a regiment are credited to the regiment), ceremonial uniforms, cap badges, peculiarities of insignia,regimental colours, and regimental marches and songs. The regiment usually has a traditional "home station" or Regimental depot, which is often a historic garrison that houses the regiment's alts and assembly station.

## see also

Regiments of the Company

Disbanded Regiments