BattleTechWiki:Glossary of BattleTech terms

See also: BattleTechWiki:Dictionary for terms related to this wiki.

A

Abtakha 

A warrior captured but then accepted into his new Clan as a warrior.

Aff 

Clan abbreviation of "Affirmative". Generally used in place of "Yes".

Archon 

Political and military leader of the Lyran Commonwealth. For more information, refer to the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces article.

Archon-Prince 

Political and military leader of the Federated Commonwealth, a combination of the Lyran position of Archon and the Federated Suns position of First Prince. For more information, refer to the Federated Commonwealth Armed Forces article.

B

Ballistic weapons

Term for weapons which fire high-speed, unguided projectiles designed to inflict kinetic and/or explosive damage. Unlike Energy Weapons, ballistic weapons produce far less heat, but are generally bulkier and dependent upon limited ammunition. These weapons fall broadly into three classes: Machine guns, Gauss Rifles, and Autocannons.

Batchall 

Ritual by which Clan warriors issue combat challenges. Though the type and phrasing of the challenge varies, most begin with the challenger identifying himself, stating the prize of the contest, and requesting that the defender identify the forces at his disposal. All batchalls are closed and final when the phrase "well bargained and done" is spoken by both members of the bid.

Battalion 

A Inner Sphere military formation consisting of 3 Companies.

Binary 

A Clan military formation consisting of 2 Stars.

C

Canister Born 

Derisive Clan slang for the artificial breeding element of the eugenic program or the Trueborn warriors that result from that process. Occasionally shortened to Canister.

Caste 

Primary division within Clan society, which is rigidly divided into five castes in order of importance: Warrior, Scientist, Merchant, Technician, and Laborer. Each caste has many sub-castes, which are based on specialties within a professional field. A sixth, unofficial caste, the Bandit or Dark Caste, exists outside Clan society.

Captain-General 

The head of state of the Free Worlds League.

Chalcas 

Clan term referring to persons or beliefs which challenge the Clans rigid caste system.

Chancellor 

The chief of state of the Capellan Confederation.

Cho-sho 

A commissioned army and naval rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to Lieutenant.

Chu-i 

A commissioned naval rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to Captain.

Chu-sa 

A commissioned army rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to Lieutenant-Colonel.

Cluster 

A Clan military formation consisting of 4-5 Binaries or Trinaries.

Combat Loss Grouping 

The principle that a group of 'Mechs (or other vehicles) engaged in combat will accumulate damage over time, leading to a point where several or all of the group will succumb to damage at the same time. Can also be used to describe the time a unit sustains enough losses that it is no longer a viable fighting force.

Commonality 

Large districts which originally consisted of the signatory-states forming the Capellan Confederation.

Company 

A military unit designation that, for BattleMech units, usually consists of three Lances. Companies are usually commanded by a Major or a Captain (or their equivalent).

Coordinator 

The Chief of State of the Draconis Combine; also, the head of the Kurita family.

Cutdown 

Clan term referring to the minimum force necessary to win a trial for which there has been bidding. Bidders who can push their opponent into making a bid below the cutdown are considered clever, while those who win with a force smaller than the cutdown are greatly honored.

D

Dai-i 

A commissioned naval rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to that of Lieutenant-Commander.

E

Energy Weapons 

Term for weapons which deal damage by directing a concentrated beam of particles or radiation against a target. Unlike Ballistic Weapons, energy weapons are extremely light and compact and when linked a fusion reactor are ammunition free, but produce very large amounts of waste heat. These weapons fall broadly into two classes: Lasers and PPCs.

F

First Prince 

The leader of the Federated Suns and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns.

H

Hauptmann 

A commissioned army rank within the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces; equivalent to Captain. For more information, please refer to the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces article.

Hauptmann-General 

A commissioned army rank within the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces; equivalent to Lieutenant-General. For more information, please refer to the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces article.

Hauptmann-Kommandant 

A commissioned army rank within the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces; equivalent to Lieutenant-Colonel. For more information, please refer to the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces article.

HeavyMetal Aero 

the official CBT software for the design of AeroSpace Fighters, DropShips, JumpShips, WarShips, space stations, monitors & conventional (combat) fighters.

HeavyMetal Battle Armor 

the official CBT software for the design of Battle Armor.

HeavyMetal Lite 

the official CBT software for ProtoMech design, as well as printouts for Battle Armor and infantry platoon designs.

HeavyMetal Plus 

a bundle of three official CBT software programs: HeavyMetal Pro, HeavyMetal Aero and HeavyMetal Vee.

HeavyMetal Pro 

the official CBT software for 'Mech design.

HeavyMetal Vee 

the official CBT software for designing combat vehicles.

Hegira 

Honorable withdrawal from battle granted by a Clan warrior to a defeated enemy. Hegira allows the opponent to withdraw honorably from the field without further combat or cost.

High Council 

a group of both democratic, hereditary, and other officials chosen by the leadership of the member-worlds of the Federated Suns who officially governed the nation.

House of Scions 

a gathering of the Capellan nobility.

I

ICE 

Acrnoym for Internal Combustion Engine. Roughly identical to real world internal combustion engines, ICE don't provide the power of Fusion Engines, but are considerable simpler and cheaper to manufacture and maintain. See the Internal Combustion Engine page for more information.

Inferno Missile 

A short-range missile with a proximity fuse that sprays burning white phosphorous or napalm-like fuel over a target, usually 'Mechs, in an attempt to increase their operating temperature and force a reactor shutdown. Rarely carried in 'Mech ammo bays as pilots generally are afraid that an ammo explosion will engulf their 'Mech in flames, shut down their reactor, and fry them in the cockpit. An inferno missile was used by Grayson Death Carlyle to force the surrender of Lori Kalmar in her Locust in the Battle of Sarghad on Planet Trell I during a raid by commandos from House Kurita. The fight for Trell I was depicted in William H. Keith, Jr.'s novel Decision at Thunder Rift.

Isorla 

The spoils of battle, including bondsmen, claimed by victorious Clan warriors.

J

Jump 

Abbreviation of Hyperspace Jump.

Jump Infantry 

Type of infantry unit equipped with jet packs, greatly increasing maneuverability.

K

Kommandant 

A commissioned army rank within the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces; equivalent to Major. For more information, please refer to the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces article.

Kommandant-General 

A commissioned army rank within the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces; equivalent to Major-General. For more information, please refer to the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces article.

L

Lance 

Designation given to the smallest organizational collection of BattleMechs, Aerospace Fighters, or armor units. It is the equivalent of a Squad of infantry. 'Mech lances consist of four BattleMechs and are categorized based upon the average weight of the 'Mechs that comprise it (Light, Medium, Heavy, Assault). Aerospace lances consist of two aerospace fighters and are similarly categorized by weight.

Laser

Acronym for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation", a laser is a device that focuses an amplified beam of light on a small surface area. Despite generating a high degree of waste heat, laser weapons are a compact and light energy weapon type and are available in human, BattleMech and WarShip sizes. At BattleMech scales, the three common classes are small, medium and large lasers, with extended range and rapid pulse firing variants also availble.

Level I

The smallest ComStar and Word of Blake military formation, consisting of either a single BattleMech, armored vehicle or aerospace fighter, or single infantry squad.

Level II

A ComStar/Word of Blake military formation consisting of six Level I units, referred to as a demi-company.

Level III

A ComStar/Word of Blake military formation consisting of six Level II units, referred to as a battalion.

Level IV

A ComStar/Word of Blake military formation consisting of six Level III units, referred to as a division.

Level V

A ComStar/Word of Blake military formation consisting of six Level IV units, referred to as an army. Mostly an administrative grouping for regional deployment, they were deployed as field units only at the Battle of Tukayyid.

M

Melee Weapons

Term for BattleMech scale melee weapons such as Hatchets and Swords. While nominally armed with ranged weaponry, the technological decline of the Succession Wars led to the development of specialized BattleMech scale melee weapons in response to the impromptu battlefield debris for physical attacks. While many deride melee weapons as a waste of tonnage, Clans considering them highly dishonorable, their ability to inflict increased damage without a heat cost has led to appear both in and outside the arenas of Solaris VII.

N

Neg 

Clan abbreviation of "Negative".

Nova 

a Clan military formation consisting of two mixed Stars (a mixture of different types of points, a.k.a. two BattleMechs, two VTOLs, five Elementals, and two tanks.)

P

PBI 

A MechWarrior's acronym for "Poor Bloody Infantry", those forced to fight without a 'Mech or other vehicle. Often crushed underfoot, toasted with Flamers, or riddled with Machine Gun bullets by amused pilots; PBI's fight back with shoulder-launched SRMs, Inferno missiles, hand Flamers, and satchel charges.

Point 

The smallest Clan military formation, consisting either of one BattleMech, two Land Vehicles or Aerospace Fighters, five Battle Armored Infantry or ProtoMechs, or twenty-five conventional infantry. Commanded by a Point Commander.

Point Commander 

A Clan rank, given to the commander of a Point.

Prefectorate 

officially, the law-making body of the Capellan Confederation; made up of the six leaders of the Capellan member-states, which generally includes the current Chancellor.

Prefecture 

in the Capellan Confederation, small collections of planets within a commonality, each ruled by an appointed administrator.

Privy Council 

group of the highest advisors to the First Prince of the Federated Suns that is extremely important in the running of the day-to-day affairs of the state.

Q

Quiaff 

Clan word used at the end of a question in which an affirmative response is expected.

Quineg 

Clan word used at the end of a question in which a negative response is expected.

R

RCT 

acronym for Regimental Combat Team.

Recharge station 

a space station, generally located at a zenith or nadir point within a solar system, where JumpShips and WarShips can recharge their jump drives.

Rede 

Clan honor-bound promise. Breaking a rede may be punishable by death.

Remembrance, The 

Ongoing heroic saga detailing Clan history from the time of the Exodus to the present day. Each Clan has a slightly different version reflecting their own opinions and experiences, and all Clan warriors can quote whole verses of this marvelous epic from memory. See the Remembrance page for more information.

Ristar 

Clan compound word for "rising star", referring to a particularly gifted warrior on his or her way to high position.

Rotary Autocannon 

A variant Autocannon which combines multiple small caliber Ultra Autocannons into a single gatling gun style weapon. These weapons are capable of firing six times faster than standard autocannons, but at the cost of even great chance of jamming than the Ultra series. These are only available in the Rotary AC/2 and Rotary AC/5 forms.

RPG 

acronym for Role Playing Game.

Rules Expansion

a secondary line of rulesets, usually intended to develop upon the primary rulesets for one or more Classic BattleTech games (ex: Combat Operations).

S

Sho-i 

A commissioned naval rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to Ensign.

Sho-sa 

A commissioned army or naval rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent Major or Commander, respectively.

Sho-sho 

A commissioned army rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to Brigadier-General.

Star 

a Clan military formation consisting of five points.

Stravag 

a Clan epithet favored by members of the Warrior Caste, loosely translated as "freeborn."

Supernova 

a Clan military formation consisting of three Mixed Stars (a mixture of different types of points, a.k.a. two BattleMechs, two V.T.O.L.S., five Elementals, and two tanks.)

T

Tai-i 

A commissioned army rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to Captain.

Tai-sa 

A commissioned army and naval rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to Colonel or Captain, respectively.

Tai-sho 

A commissioned army and naval rank within the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery; equivalent to General or Admiral, respectively.