First Battalion: The Pride (Veteran/Fanatical)
Part of the initial reformation and organization of the 7th Regiment,
The Pride as it has become known, was created from two Companies each from both the 2nd and 4th Regiments. At the time each Company was made up of only two Lances, and were later supplemented with Tanks. Over the years the First Battalion has kept true to its early combined arms organization, even with full compliments of Battlemechs.
Named in memory of Colonel Henry Winson, whose callsign was 'Pride Lord',
The Pride embraced the older traditions and rituals of the 12th Star Guards. It is during their ceremonies you will most often hear the old phrase of "so say we all". The Battalion as a whole prefers a very balanced force, with each Company having a variety of weight classes and flexibility, though it certainly loses in specialization and lack in overall firepower.
Only the best pilots in the Regiment are considered for the
The Pride, and no one is allowed to transfer to the Battalion until they have served for at least two years. Combined with their devotion to the Guards and System, they are considered highly reliable and an anchor for the rest of the Regiment as well as a major asset for the Guards.
Command Company: Founder's Roar
There is some confusion on just which Winson the Command Company was named for. While one would be justified in imagining it was for Henry Winson, especially considering just how much is in Leonto, because the name was chosen by the the Company in a closed meeting and not its Commander, it could very well be meant for Lindsey Winson instead. Regardless though, the
Founder's Roar would no doubt do either proud, as it is one of the finest units within the 12th Star Guards. Made up of mostly Heavy Cavalry, with a recon Lance of Mediums and a full compliment of tanks as well as a VTOL squadron to provide fire support.
1st Company: Dark Horses
Named for Henry Winson's original command while a Captain, the Dark Horses deviate from their predecessors in the use of two medium striker units alongside an assault Lance. Like much of the Seventh the
Dark Horses also use conventional armor forces, they tend to favor fast and hover designs, and are known to experiment with Vehicle Jump Jets. Counter to their name, the Dark Horses are often fan favorites when their exercises are broadcasted, and few Companies underestimate them when they face off during a wargame.
2nd Company: Burning Lions
While not considered the best Company in the Seventh, it certainly is by only a narrow margin, because the Burning Lions are known for their intense blitzkrieg style of fighting. With a medium strike Lance, a heavy cavalry Lance, and an assault lance, the
Burning Lions round out their compliment with heavy tanks that are often used as artillery support. One of the first units in the 7th Regiment to have a Gunslinger when the program began in 3118, they have continued to have one for the past 14 years. While they can often overwhelm an enemy and finish a fight soon, on occasion they have been defeated by a more patient Company who attempt to drag the fight out. This tends to only work on occasion, as the
Burning Lions make it difficult to use their known 'weakness' against them.
3rd Company: The Hoary Claws
The only cold weather experts of the 7th Regiment, with a dedicated training regimen that includes time spent in the bitter north of District 1, the only unit that volunteers to garrison the base there every year. The Hoary Claws are devoted ambushes, using a recon Lance to bait opponents into engagements with their assault fire Lance and melee expert heavy Lance. The
Hoary Claws are the only unit within First Battalion that does not use armor support, and instead they have an attached platoon of Battle Armor which makes them rather unique in the Seventh Regiment. Proponents for Battle Armor in the Regiment, their arguments to include more has yet to gain any serious traction with the majority of the Seventh outside of the Fourth Battalion.
Second Battalion: Steel Lords(Regular/Fanatical)
While perhaps considered not as skilled at the First Battalion, the
Steel Lords are still a formidable unit. Favoring mostly heavy and assault designs, the Steel Lords take their name from a Battalion in the former 1st Regiment from before the Clan Invasion. Originally formed from two Companies from the 2nd Regiment, the Second Battalion had an amazing growth rate and were up to a full compliment of soldiers by the time its Commander, Akram Arcand, became the first Lt. General in 3095. While it would be several decades more before the Battalion would have a full compliment of Battlemechs, mainly due to their preferences in classes, the
Steel Lords have always been a favorite in the District when it comes to assignment requests.
While they too contain the strong combined arms approach that the rest of the Regiment has, the
Steel Lords are known for using fast and versatile vehicles, preferring to use them in the same way many use light and medium BattleMechs.
While there is no requirements to be assigned to the Second Battalion as there are in the First, there is certainly a standard that is required to be met. Each Mechwarrior must be prove their abilities before they are even considered, and even after they have been assigned a position, they are required to fight in the 'Gauntlet'. As one can imagine from the name this is a trial of endurance, and the tradition will often determine how the Mechwarrior is considered by his fellows. However, as the tradition was born during a time when every machine and piece of material was needed, this scenario is fought in a simulator. This aspect has often caused critics to view the Gauntlet as a half measure, but due to the difficulty inherent in the exercise, only the truly skilled are able to truly succeed and excel.
4th Company: Steel Giants
As with all the Companies of the Second Battalion, the
Steel Giants were named after a previous Company within the 1st Regiment. The former direct command of General Akram Arcand, the 4th Company is best known for their all Assault BattleMech lineup. While this has made them slow on the field, and often require them to depend on their attached armor to act as scouts and bait, with their precise gunnery and firepower they are overwhelming when engaged. Lovers of artillery tactics as well, with nearly an entire Lance of Mechs equipped with Arrow IV systems, the Giants will also use their tank compliment as spotters.
5th Company: Titanium Ogres
Exactly as one might think from their namesake and insignia, the
Titanium Ogres are experts in melee BattleMech combat. Using heavy and assault designs, at least half of which have a dedicated melee weapon, they are known to just as quickly rip out a tree to fight with as to use missiles and lasers. Known for being amazingly agile despite the size of the machines, the 5th Company are expert users of Jump Jet systems, and often use the terrain to its best advantage in order to pull the enemy close. Their tanks are often deployed as fire support, giving them at least some options for range.
6th Company: Adamantine Golems
Where firepower or ferocity are the ways of its fellow Companies, the
Adamantine Golems have taken up the banner of the unstoppable and relentless. Anchoring each of their Lances with a 'Zombie' Assault or Heavy, the 6th Company are known to modify the systems of many of their Battlemechs, combining more rugged designs with hard hitting weapons, though they do sacrifice the number of weapon systems and thus some firepower. With their armor often taking up the position of striker or harasser for the Company, the Golems are best known for fortified assault and defense.
Third Battalion: Ironmongers(Green/Reliable)
Formed in 3098, the Ironmongers were almost entirely a conventional armor Battalion, with only a total of twelve BattleMechs being parsed out among its Companies. While today they have a full compliment of BattlMechs, the Third Battalion has never quite reached the levels of training and abilities that its fellow Battalions have. This is often the subject of some confusion, as at the same time the Ironmongers were formed, so was the Fourth Battalion who have achieved a much stronger reputation in the intervening years. In truth though, the Third Battalion is often used as an introductory and training Battalion by the Regiment. Soldiers and Mechwarriors who graduate at a less than stellar ranking from NCA or FSMC are assigned to the Ironmongers in order to not only train them rigorously, but to also adapt them to the combined arms formations often used throughout the rest of the Regiment.
This has caused some concern among the civilian populace, as they often see the Companies of the Third Battalion beaten during the vid showings of the popular exercises, though those losses help to season the members before they are transferred to other commands. The Ironmongers are also the heaviest users of conventional armor, actually including two attached vehicle lances for each Company. Unlike the Mechwarriors, the armor forces tend to remain assigned to the Battalion, though they often are the stand out elements during exercises.
7th Company: Ironhearts
Like all of the Companies of the Third Battalion, the
Ironhearts suffer from the same lack of specialization or known qualities that the rest of the Regiment's Companies have. This is of course due to it being used more as a training Battalion, which has left the tactics it primarily uses as being considered 'standard', as well as an eclectic mix of BattleMechs. Still, to dismiss them entirely would be foolish, as they are highly effective in using the combination of Heavy Armor and faster BattleMechs to trap targets in unfavorable terrain.
8th Company: Ironclads
Much like the 7th and 9th Companies, the
Ironclads use what they are given, though in their case what they are given are often the heavier designs. One of the main recruiting beds for the Steel Lords after seasoning, the
Ironclads have seen an increase in equipment and second hand BattleMechs from the Third Battalion. With the addition of their lighter armor, they are often called the "junior lords", with an emphasis on the lower case. While they may be a less skilled formation, they are still quite effective on the battlefield using the same tactics as the various Companies of the Steel Lords.
9th Company: The Iron Fists
Perhaps surprisingly, it is the 9th Company that is considered the best of the Battalion, as it is often looked to as a seasoning ground for the First and Fourth Battalions. This distinction has included the addition of a platoon of Battle Armor alongside their armor compliment, making it the largest Company in terms of numbers among the entire Regiment. Made up almost entirely of fast cavalry, the Iron Fists use their armor as fire support, while Battle Armor is either ferried by VTOL transport or are designs meant to ride on the BattleMechs of the unit. Their more expansive combined arms formation has brought some interest from the Colonel Devon as well as the 2nd Regiment.
Fourth Battalion: Storm Raiders(Veterans/Fanatical)
Also formed in 3098, the
Storm Raiders have a unique history among even the entirety of the 12th Star Guards. Formed from Veterans who had come from the 4th Regiment, as well as several lances and a Battle Armor Company from that same Regiment, the
Storm Raiders were far better equipped than its sibling Battalion, the
Ironmongers. Along with this initial boost of trained and experienced personnel, which included an appreciation for Battle Armor, they were also the first unit who would receive recruits from the native populace who would become known as Haddrites. While the majority of those who choose to live in the old ways had been relocated to District 8 and had built the city of Dresden, there were still a few pockets of those who chose to live on the same land they always had. With their inclusion came a unique view of warfare compared to the rest of the Regiment as well as several traditions that have become associated with the individual companies.
Composed of mostly Heavy and Medium Battlemechs, the Storm Raiders have adopted the doctrine of hit and run warfare. As their name implies, they are Raiders, meant to strike fast then fade away, and often strike where the enemy feels most safe. Unlike the rest of the Regiment, they do not have a heavy armor presence, but they continued to increase their Battle Armor forces to include six full Platoons, divided evenly among the Companies. The Fourth Battalion also has a large contingent of support VTOL's and Aerospace fighters, allowing them flexibility in movement and attack, as well as air superiority over many other formations.
10th Company: Burning Wind
As the premier raiding force among the Battalion, the
Burning Wind Company is best know for its fast and hard hitting Medium BattleMech Lances, though this is backed up by the Heavy Cavalry Lance that is quick to take advantage of the enemy who strings itself out to chase down the faster Lances. Often modifying their Machines to include heavier weapons, the
Burning Wind are experts at cooperative fire, often collectively putting down the first enemy encountered before rushing away. Though they can carry Battle Armor support, the Company tends to transport their Platoons behind lines to strike at a target after the rest of the Company has drawn its defenders off.
Like the other two Companies in the Fourth Battalion, the 10th Company has its own traditions adopted from the Haddrite recruits who helped to found the Battalion. For the
Burning Wind, all members are taught an elaborate and fascinating dance using scimitars coated in a sort of sticky fuel. Performed at night, this display of athletics, coordination, and fire is amazing to watch and it certainly symbolizes the Company's actions while in battle.
11th Company: Typhoon Company
Like the 10th Company,
Typhoon Company focuses on speedy attacks, but instead of attempting to string the enemy formation out, they prefer to attack with speed and precision as they try to always use the terrain and gain the high ground. With a preference for quick movement, there are often several modified Mechs within their ranks that fill the purpose of fire support, including two of the captured Timber Wolf Omnimechs that have yet to be assigned outside of the Company. This is a testament to their pilots, which also include two of the current generation of Gunslingers.
Unlike the 10th Company, the tradition Typhoon adopted from its Haddrite influence is a swirling tattoo that is inked onto both of their forearms. These represent the chain wielders who once fought during the years of Haddings' regression, though they had died out a decade before the Guards had landed on the planet and saved the native population. That the marks also are reminiscent of their insignia is not a coincidence, though which came first is a point of dispute in Company history.
12th Company: Thunderstruck
Using speed to quickly come in close, the
Thunderstruck name refers not to their style of combat, but to the scene they often leave behind. With man-made lightning and physical weapons, the 12th Company takes up the same reputation of much of the 7th Regiment and its love of melee combat. Unlike the other two Companies within the Battalion, they also prefer to use the Wolverine Battle Armor, using both Platoons to savage the enemy from behind while their targets are distracted trying get space from the
Thunderstruck Battlemechs. this of course necessitates the use of several VTOL transports, but the Company has also included several VTOL harassing craft to provide escorts. They are also great lovers of the Aerospace strafe, and it is rare when at least one fighter isn't pulling such a duty.
Formed from Haddrites who had once had a strong tradition of mounted cavalry, horses are an important feature of a member's life and duties. The Company keeps a herd near Leonto, and after two years of practice and service, a Warrior must choose a horse, capture it, and break it for riding. Once this is done, a cord made from the horse's mane is made into a necklace that the Warrior's dogtags are hung from.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:01, Mon 28 Aug 2017.