1.1 - INTRODUCTION

The “Mercenary Review and Bonding Commision (MRBC) League” is an unofficial (player operated) MechWarrior: Online divisional ladder style league. League play is divided into multi-week seasons with the off-season period used to add new teams and move teams up and down the ladder based on prior season results. The goal of MRBC is to provide a competitive yet fun league structure for both highly skilled teams as well as teams that are just starting to enter the competitive scene. MRBC also puts an emphasis on showcasing competitive gameplay and teams via uploaded media, news postings, live streams, and shoutcasts.

1.2 - SEASON LENGTH

Standard season length is 6 weeks with one match scheduled each week. A 1 or 2 week extension may be added if needed to resolve matters that could not be handled within the 6 week period. Additionally, divisions that have a non standard amount of teams may have a truncated season to accommodate.

1.3 - SCORING

Each drop is a simulated mercenary contract, where reputation is gained for victories and/or number of mechs destroyed. You will not lose reputation for how many mechs you have lost, but losing certain mechs could deny you bonus reputation on a per-drop basis (see 6.1 “Reputation Rewards”). Teams will compete over several matches throughout the season, with each match consisting of five drops. Each drop earns reputation and as such every drop must be played regardless of number of drops won or lost in a match (not a best of 5 format). Accumulated reputation will add to a team’s MRBC Rating and their ranking in their respective division.

1.4 - ADVANCEMENT

At the end of each season the top team of each division has earned their right to advance to the one above, the lowest scoring team may drop down. Teams are assigned by the league admins based on their competitive history and roster but may be asked to play an exhibition with a team if they are unknown, in order to determine their unit strength. Sign-ups will cause fluctuations. Final decision rests with MRBC admins. Teams will not be moved or introduced mid-season, or once the schedule has been determined.

1.5 - DIVISIONS

A division is a group of 4 teams that are roughly equal in ability. Teams assigned to each division will play each other in a double round robin format. Divisions are rated alphabetically with the more seasoned teams in Division A and newer or more casual teams in Division E and lower depending on number of teams that sign up. Occasionally when there are too many similar teams to fill a single division, parallel divisions will be created such as Division E1 and Division E2. Teams advance and decline in division level based on season results. Occasionally there is a need to run a division with a different number of teams. In these cases, fixtures may be configured differently such as single round robin, or a truncated season. Always check the Fixtures Page to verify what matches your team is expected to play.

1.6 - REGIONS

To ensure teams are grouped with opponents of appropriate skill who can engage in matches at appropriate times, they will be split into divisions within three regions. Teams are encouraged to group within their regions, so that we can keep the scheduling process as smooth and easy as possible. Teams are expected to be able to complete a match during the prime time periods for each region listed below. The fallback start time is to be used if a time cannot be decided between team leaders. (see 3.3 "Scheduling")

NA - Americas: 20:00 - 00:00 New York Local Time (Fallback start: 21:00 EST/EDT)
EU - European: 19:00 - 22:00 London Local Time (Fallback start: 20:00 BST/GMT)
AP - Asia Pacific: 20:00 - 00:00 Sydney Local Time (Fallback start: 21:00 AEST/AEDT)

1.7 - FIXTURES

After the season sign-up period ends, fixtures will be drawn up for both maps and divisions. Fixtures will be posted in the Fixtures Page after they are drawn. You will be able to view the entire league schedule from this page to see what division each team is in, who each team is playing and on what week. Specific dates WILL NOT be displayed here. Dates WILL be on the Upcoming Matches Page.

1.8 - WINNING A DIVISION

At the end of a season the team at the top of each division table will be considered the winners of their division, and will be eligible to claim their prize by having a Team Leader submit a ticket to the admins. The prize will then be transferred to the Team Leader by an MRBC admin. The Team Leader is then responsible for distributing the prize to their team as they see fit. At the moment PGI are providing MC prize packages for winning teams but this is subject to change should PGI decide to withdraw their support from MRBC League.

1.9 - TIE FOR FIRST PLACE

If two teams are tied in score at the top of a division they are separated by number of mechs killed, with the team that killed the most taking the top spot. Note that a cap win does not guarantee 8 destroyed mechs in this instance, unless you physically killed those 8 mechs. In the rare and unlikely event that this score is also tied teams will be made to play an extra match against each other to determine a winner.

2.1 - CREATING YOUR TEAM AND ADDING TEAM LEADERS

To create a team with the intent to enroll in a season you will need to create a user account, and then submit a ticket through the MRBC help system. Include in this ticket:

• - Your desired team name
• - Any other users that require Team Leader permissions (they will need to create user accounts before this can be done).

Additional Team Leaders can be assigned at any time by an existing Team Leader, however if they have never been assigned any Team Leader permissions before this will need to be done initially by the admins via submitting a ticket. All Team Leaders will have the ability to modify Team Profiles/Rosters/Matches in their assigned team. Team names that are inappropriate will not be approved.

2.2 - ENROLLING IN A SEASON

Once your team is created, you can manage it by clicking “My Team” under the MRBC Team Menu in the sidebar. At the top there will be a button to “Sign up for Season X”. This button will flag your team to be included in the fixtures for the next season. If you wish to remove your team from consideration for the next season after you have already signed up, you will need to submit a ticket.

2.3 - CREATE INITIAL ROSTER

A Team Leader should create the initial roster by editing their team profile (via the "My Team" page), and adding names under the "Edit Pilot Roster" section. Team Leaders that also intend to play for their team will need to include their name here in order to be eligible, as it is possible to be a Team Leader for multiple teams and not play in matches. Pilots on a roster do not need to have user accounts created on the MRBC website, but it is encouraged. See section 2.9 “Pilot Name Specificity” for specific guidelines for adding pilots to your roster. You will need to have at least 8 pilots on your roster prior to the end of the season sign up period or your team will be removed from consideration.

2.4 - ADD TEAM DESCRIPTION AND LOGO

A team leader should upload a team logo and add a description. These elements will be displayed during MRBC shoutcasts. Action will be taken against teams that submit descriptions and logos that are inappropriate.

2.5 - AMENDING YOUR ROSTER

Rosters can be amended at any point during the season. A pilot will count as eligible for a match as long as they are in the Pilots Roster at least ONE HOUR before the scheduled start of the match in question. Rosters can only be amended by Team Leaders under their "My Team" menu. All roster changes are logged by the site and are viewable by referees and administrators only.

2.6 - PLAYING FOR MULTIPLE TEAMS

Every pilot, including his alternative accounts, can only play for 1 (one) team per season. A pilot that has played a drop for any team in the league may not switch to another team until the next season. Pilots who were on another team’s roster but did not actually play a drop for that team are allowed to move to another team during the season but if they feature in a drop for their new team they may not move again until the following season. If a team withdraws from the league, all pilots who have played in a drop for that team in that season remain ineligible to move to another roster until the next season.

If a player was wrongly put on a roster and wants to compete for a different team they can create a ticket for consideration by the admins/referees. This is handled on a case by case basis, and typically is only declined if the player has played in a drop.

2.7 - UNIT TAGS

The unit tags a pilot is wearing in game do not need to be those of the team they are playing for in MRBC.

2.8 - ROSTER SIZE

There is no maximum size to a team's roster, however it is not recommended to add inactive players to the roster beforehand, they can be added at a later date/time for when they become active again.

Please Note: In all cases it is the team leader's responsibility that the roster they submitted is correct, and that players are not added against their wishes.

2.9 - PILOT NAME SPECIFICITY

Pilot names in the roster are case sensitive and must be entered correctly. There is no excuse for failing to create the exact variant ‘A1ex Kerensky’ you have playing for your team. Nicknames are prohibited (e.g. FROST is not the same as Frost Pendragon).

If a pilot changes their name during a season this will need to be updated on the team roster at least 1 hour before they play a drop for that team. Failure to do so may result in a penalty.

Using a pilot in a drop that is not on your roster will incur a penalty against your team.

3.1 - EXPECTATIONS OF TEAM AVAILABILITY

It is expected that teams will select 4 (four) days in each match week that they would be willing and able to gather to play a match. One of the 4 days must be a weekend day (Saturday or Sunday) and one must be a weekday (Mon-Fri). You will only play 1 match per week, but to ensure a fair match day selection, a comparison will be made between the selected days of both teams which will result in a minimum of 1 day that overlaps.

3.2 - PREFERRED MATCH DAYS

A Team Leader will select 4 days in the team profile that the team is able to play a match. These days will only be visible to the leaders of the team, the referees, and the administrators. The days should be placed in order of preference, with the first option being the most preferred. It is not guaranteed that you will be granted your first option when it compares your preferences with your opponents. You can change these days as often as you like, but the days will only be referenced by the scheduling system every Sunday at 23:59 UTC. You will need to make sure the days are set up how you would like before this time.

3.3 - SCHEDULING

The week before a match is due to take place is referred to as the scheduling week. At the beginning of the scheduling week, your preferred days will be compared with your opponent and a mutual match day and default region time will be selected for you. To see the match day that was selected for you check the "My Matches" section.

3.4 - RESCHEDULES

Team Leaders may request to change the time or day of the match using the "Edit MatchTime" feature in the "My Matches" section. The time must be during the prime time range listed for your region (see 1.6 “Regions”). A Team Leader from the opposing team must agree to the new time or day before the end of the scheduling week (Sunday 23:59). If a new time or day is not agreed upon by both teams, the automatically selected fallback date stands and the default time of the match is set to the Fallback Time marked in brackets in the regions section. (e.g. 21:00 Eastern Time for NA Region).

4.1 - MATCHES AND DROPS

Each match consists of 5 drops with varying restrictions. All 5 drops are played every match (not best of 5). It is possible to drop with less than 8 pilots if necessary to avoid a forfeit as long as the force deck limits are not exceeded. The mech class that is not dropped is immediately considered dead for the purposes of scoring. See section 5 - "Drop Procedure" for information on handling disconnects and re-drops.

4.2 - MATCH LOBBY SETTINGS

Gamemode: Domination for drop 1, Conquest for drops 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Region: By default region is set to the region the teams are signed up in, with the exception of AP who will default to NA temporarily due to Oceanic server issues. Only if both teams agree can this be changed.
Matchtime: 15 minutes
Time of Day: Day (if applicable)
View-mode: First person only
Full Teams: No
Stock Only Mode: No
No Efficiencies Mode: No
Lobby teams: Team 1 is the home team, and team 2 is the away team.

4.3 - MAP

Maps will be generated at the start of the season for each drop of each match and can be found on the fixtures draw page. For the double round robin format, in the 2nd half of the season the same map order will be run through a second time in the interest of fairness so each team has a chance to play both sides of a map against the same opponent before the end of the season.

4.4 - SPECTATORS

Spectators are allowed if the Spectator clearly states their purpose to both teams. If either team does not wish to allow a Spectator, they have the right to decline. Attempting to pressure a team into allowing a Spectator is poor sportsmanship and may incur penalties.

If agreed upon, Spectators can either use the Spectator slots which allow them to see the entire field of play, or join a team and suicide immediately to enter Spectator mode for the in-cockpit camera of that team. Spectators that join a team must destroy their mechs as soon as possible either by overheat or running out of bounds. Spectator deaths will not be counted when deciding between a HOLD or a mulligan in the case of a disconnect. Teams that have spectators in non spectator slots will not be able to use the API match input feature.

Neither team is allowed to prevent a Spectator that is part of either the OFFICIAL or AFFILIATED Shoutcaster Groups for the sake of a cast (see 8 - "League Shoutcasting") OR a Spectator that is recording video for OFFICIAL MRBC promotional purposes from joining a lobby and using either the Spectator slots or joining a team and suiciding. This rule dues not apply for reasons outside of casts or promotional purposes (i.e. wanting to coach a team during a match) and will require both teams to agree.

4.5 - CONSUMABLES AND MODULES

ALL consumables are allowed in ALL drops.
This includes Artillery, Air Strikes, UAVs, and Cool Shots.
This also includes the MC only versions of these consumables. (identical to cbill consumables)
ALL modules are allowed in ALL drops.

4.6 - AUTHORIZED MECHS

Only Mechs that are available for purchase in game with c-bills or have an IDENTICAL (same hardpoints) variant that is available for purchase in game with c-bills prior to the start of the first scheduling week are allowed. Mechs will not become eligible mid-season.
Clarification:
(H)ero mechs ARE NOT allowed.
(H)ero omnipods ARE NOT allowed.
(F)ounders mechs ARE allowed.
(G)old mechs and omnipods ARE allowed.
(I)nvasion mechs and omnipods ARE allowed.
(P)hoenix package mechs ARE allowed.
(R)esistance and Resistance 2 package mechs ARE allowed.
(O)rigins IIC package mechs ARE allowed.
(C)hampion, (S)pecial, and (S)arah’s mechs that have an identical C-bill variant ARE allowed.
(L)oyalty mechs or omnipods that have an identical C-bill variant ARE allowed.
2017 (L)oyalty variants or omnipods ARE NOT allowed in Season 10.

If an opponent brings an ineligible mech see 6.2 “Reputation Penalties”.

4.7 - FORCE COMPOSITION (DROP DECKS) AND DUPLICATE MECHS

Each drop has a specific force composition that changes what types of mechs are present on the field. The drop force compositions that are defined below will remain unchanged the entire season. Each team is only allowed to bring 1 (one) of each mech CHASSIS (not variant) per drop with one exception. Taking more than one of the same CHASSIS counts as a “duplicate mech”. You are allowed to bring 1 (one) “duplicate mech” per drop. If more than one duplicate mech is brought into a drop, or the number of mech classes brought exceeds the limits, a penalty will be enforced. (see 6.2 “Reputation Penalties”)

It is possible for a team to drop with less than 8 mechs to avoid a forfeit. If this occurs, the mech class that was not filled is counted as dead for the purpose of scoring.

Example of a LEGAL drop 5 deck:
(Light) JR7-IIC-A
(Light) JR7-F (not the same as a IIC as JR7-IIC is a clan chassis)
(Heavy) TBR-PRIME
(Heavy) HBR-PRIME
(Assault) BNC-3M
(Assault) KDK-3
(Assault) KDK-1 (this is the duplicate chassis)
(Assault) AS7-S

Example of an ILLEGAL drop 5 deck:
(Light) ACH-PRIME
(Light) JR7-IIC
(Heavy) TBR-PRIME
(Heavy) TBR-PRIME (this is the first duplicate chassis)
(Assault) DWF-S
(Assault) KDK-3
(Assault) KDK-1 (this is a second, illegal, duplicate chassis)
(Assault) KGC-0000

Be sure to double check that your drop deck follows the restrictions and required force composition for the drop. If you have any questions regarding drops, please contact a referee on the forums or by submitting a ticket.

4.8 - DROP SPECIFIC RULES

DROP 1 - RECONNAISSANCE
Gamemode: Domination
Required force composition: 4 Lights, 4 Mediums
Special Restriction: No lock weapons

DROP 2 - RECON IN FORCE
Gamemode: Conquest
Required force composition: 2 Lights, 4 Mediums, 2 Heavies

DROP 3 - COMMANDER ASSASSINATION
Gamemode: Conquest
Required force composition: 1 King Crab or Atlas or Dire Wolf (commander), 3 Mediums, 4 Heavies

DROP 4 - FLANK ENGAGEMENT
Gamemode: Conquest
Required force composition: 2 Lights, 2 Mediums, 2 Heavies, 2 Assaults

DROP 5 - CENTER OF BATTLE ENGAGEMENT
Gamemode: Conquest
Required force composition: 2 Lights, 2 Heavies, 4 Assaults

5.1 - START RECORDING

Have someone start a recording at the scheduled start of your match. Video will be required to determine if a team was not following the rules in regards to delay of game or any other infraction.

5.2 - STARTING ON TIME

Once both teams have agreed on a time and the match week has started, the units will be held to their obligations.
Teams will have a maximum of 15 minutes after the agreed upon match time to finalize all preparations and launch Drop 1. If a team is not ready within 15 minutes you will still need to play Drop 1 and the video must be submitted to the referees showing that Drop 1 did not happen on time. If Drop 1 still does not occur within 30 minutes of match start, the team that is ready can leave and submit the video to the referees and the match will be forfeit in their favor. If a team is kept waiting without the opponent being able to play a drop for 30 minutes at any point during a match they may claim a forfeit for the match against the offending team as long as they are able to provide video evidence to prove their claim. A favorable ruling cannot occur without proper video evidence.
The only way to fully avoid forfeits for delay-of-game infractions is to not have an infraction in the first place. Record video footage to prove that there was no infraction and know that a player or leader saying “No, it’s fine, you can delay” is not binding.
If no results are submitted for the match by the end of the match week it will be assumed that neither team showed up and a double forfeit will be applied to the match.

5.3 - TIME BETWEEN DROPS

There is an allowance of 15 minutes to prepare between each drop. If a team is not ready in 15 minutes the drop must still be played and the video must be submitted to the referees showing that the drop did not happen on time and a forfeit will be applied.

5.4 - LANCE ASSIGNMENTS

Team 1 will pick lance assignments first and should type to the other team that their lances are locked. Team 1 can not switch their lances after they have been locked. Team 2 may inquire whether Team 1’s lances are locked if there is any question. Team 2 will pick lances after Team 1 is finished and then the match can be launched. Any Team 1 that is found deliberately not locking their lances to delay the Drop will be penalized.

5.5 - DISCONNECTS

If a team loses one or more players due to disconnection WITHIN THE FIRST MINUTE OF PLAY and BEFORE A MECH IS DESTROYED, the team will call a HOLD in All Chat and report the situation to your opponent. Both teams must stop immediately and await further instructions unless these requirements are not met. Damage dealt does not interfere with a hold request. If the HOLD occurs before a cap point has been taken in Conquest or any time has counted down in Domination both teams may hold in place until the disconnected pilot reconnects. Otherwise, a re-drop must occur (see 5.7 "Redrops"). If the disconnected player reconnects, pick a time on the game clock that is within 15 seconds and say “GO at XX:XX”. As soon as the game time that is announced is reached, play can resume.

If a player cannot re-connect in a timely fashion this drop will not count, and will need to be re-dropped. We recommend that teams record their drops in case they are accused of not holding when they actually did.

THE KONG-STUN RULE: If 2 or more ALIVE mechs from EACH TEAM disconnect at any point during the match due to an unforseen server or network outage the match will need to be re-dropped.

5.6 - DRAWS

In the event of a “Draw” result in a drop the result is nullified and the drop must be re-played immediately without changing dropdecks. Teams should get into the lobby quickly as the 15 minute between drop rule does not apply. Any team found taking an excessive amount of time to ready up may face penalties at the discretion of the referees.

5.7 - RE-DROPS

In the case of a re-drop, teams may change their drop deck, but may not take more than 15 minutes to do so. This helps to address two issues: Firstly, some teams use a drop deck that they feel works best if the other team doesn't know what they are taking. If a team was forced to use the same drop deck the team might be at a disadvantage. Secondly a team player's mech may be locked in, so they will need to swap to a different mech. If there are disconnects after the first minute or if a mech has been destroyed, that is unfortunate. The match will still count.

5.8 - REPORTING DROP RESULTS

TEAMS MUST TAKE END OF ROUND SCORE SCREEN SCREENSHOTS FOR EVERY DROP.
After the drop, team leaders from BOTH teams will report their results by clicking the ‘My Matches’ button under the team menu on the left of the page. Enter your data and screenshots there and the league table will update. You can enter data using the drop down boxes, or alternatively if you have exported your match data to the PGI api, you can enter the 5 drop id's and it will calculate the totals and bonuses. Using the new API feature will give you access to more detailed match reports. Results must be entered before the end of the match week. If this is not done any potential points earned from the match for the offending team will be lost. The end of a match week will be considered to be midnight on Sunday 23:59 (UTC for EU region, PST/PDT for NA region, and AEDT/AEST for AP region) of the corresponding region.

6.1 - REPUTATION REWARDS

+ 300 for winning a drop regardless of number of mechs destroyed
+ 25 for each enemy mech destroyed by the LOSING team in both conquest and domination
+ 50 for destruction of any 5 enemy mechs in Drop 1
+ 50 for destruction of any 5 enemy mechs in Drop 2
+ 50 for destruction of the enemy mech commander in Drop 3, but only if your own survives
+ 50 for destruction of all enemy heavy and assault mechs in Drop 4
+ 50 for destruction of all enemy assault mechs in Drop 5
+ 10 for uploading recorded video of each drop. (see 7 - "Recording")

6.2 - REPUTATION PENALTIES

In the event that a team brings an illegal mech or illegal duplicate a - 100 Rep penalty will be applied once.
A second illegal mech or duplicate infraction WITHIN A SEASON, even if it is in the same drop, will incur a - 200 Rep penalty in addition to the first penalty.
All subsequent illegal mech or duplicate infractions will result in a forfeit of drop(s).
The MRBC referee team may impose reputation penalties depending on severity for other infractions including but not limited to missing screenshots or sportsmanship

Example:
Team A brings 3 Shadowcats in “Drop 2” of the first match of the season. Team A receives a -100 Rep penalty for that drop.
Team A brings 2 Atlas and 2 Timberwolves in “Drop 4” of the fifth match of the same season. Team A receives a -200 Rep penalty for that drop which brings their total penalties on the season to -300.
If Team A has any more illegal mech or illegal duplicate infractions for the rest of the season, any drop that they have the infraction in will be forfeit.

Bringing streaks during “Drop 1” will result in a - 200 Rep penalty for the first infraction. = All subsequent “Drop 1” streaks infractions WITHIN A SEASON will result in a forfeit of the drop.

6.3 - FORFEITS AND EJECTIONS

Drops where reputation penalties occur will be forfeit if penalty limits are exceeded for the season.
All WEIGHT CLASS violations will result in forfeiture of drops where the violations occurred such as bringing too many Assault Mechs, or bringing an Assault where none are allowed. This includes “Drop 3” if you bring an assault other than the allowed commander mechs.
Delay of Game violations may result in forfeiture of drops. (see 5 - “Drop Procedure”)
Sportsmanship or Cheating violations may result in forfeiture of drops and/or ejection from the league. (see 9 - “Sportsmanship and Cheating”)
Refusing an Official or Affiliated shoutcaster from casting your match will result in a forfeiture of the match. (see 8 - "League Shoutcasting")

Multiple penalty forfeits may result in ejection from the league.
Deliberately gaming the system “eating a penalty” to get a win will result in ejection from the league.

League administrators reserve the right to declare a forfeit drop or match for any reason that is not explicitly covered in these rules.

6.4 - FORFEIT RESULTS

If a DROP is forfeited by a team, then the non-forfeiting team gets maximum Rep for that drop, including bonuses. If a MATCH is forfeited by a team, then the non-forfeiting team gets maximum Rep for all 5 drops of the match including bonuses.

6.5 - FORFEITING A MATCH IN ADVANCE

If you wish to forfeit a match in advance make sure to inform your opponent (forums/pm/teamspeak) and submit a ticket to the referees so that they are aware.

6.6 - WITHDRAWING FROM THE LEAGUE

If you wish to withdraw from the league you must submit a ticket to the admins. If you withdraw after sign ups but before the fixtures are drawn your team will simply be removed from the tables, however if you withdraw after the fixtures are drawn your team will be shown on the league tables until the end of the season and any relegation that occurs due to earning no points during the season will be upheld for the following season.

6.7 - MISSING SCREENSHOTS

The league table will not reflect Reputation earned unless screenshots are submitted. If you do not have your own end of round screenshots for a drop, you can take a screenshot of the EOR screen in a recording, shoutcast, opponents recording, or re-upload your opponents screenshot. This should only be done as a last resort and is simply an acknowledgement of the drop results, but it will still count towards your screenshot bonus. At the end of the season all scores are counted and 20 Reputation will be deducted per missing screenshot.

7.1 - RECORDING VIDEO

Recording and broadcasting of matches is highly encouraged. We plan to use these recorded matches to provide shoutcasts, analysis, and entertainment. We understand the FPS limitations and the time it takes to set up, however where possible we would like teams to submit their recordings as doing so will cover your team in the event that a referee decision needs to be made over an infraction accusation. Vidoes must be of a reasonable quality, where mech detail and HUD text is clear and visible.

7.2 - EARNING REP FOR VIDEOS

Each match consists of a series of 5 drops. The first video of a drop will reward your team +10 Rep. You can upload more than one video per drop, but only the first video per drop will earn you Rep. The maximum reward your team can earn for providing videos for a match is capped at 50 (i.e. one bonus for each drop).

Teams have until the next Sunday 23:59 (UTC for EU region, PST/PDT for NA region, and AEDT/AEST for AP region) after the match week to hand in their videos. Recordings submitted after this deadline will not count towards the bonus. Any drops missed due to opposing team forfeits will not reward any Reputation Points.

In order to count towards the bonus, the videos must be captured from a member of your team. Reposting vidoes from the opposition does not count.

7.3 - CLARIFICATIONS

• Permissions for uploading videos is automatically given to team leaders. If you wish to designate other streamers please submit a ticket.
• Comms will never be required for recordings. We want you to be able to speak freely and enjoy your game time.
• All uploaded videos are publicly available, and they must be uploaded to be publicly available.
• Whether the other team hands in its recordings first has no effect on your team’s ability to gain the up to 50 Rep bonus (you just need to make sure to hand your recordings in before the deadline).
• An uploaded video does NOT replace the need to submit a screenshot. However a screenshot can be taken from a video to be uploaded but teams are responsible for uploading their own screenshots. Referees, admins or your opposition will NOT do this for you.
• Do not edit videos to show offensive, vulgar, sexist, etc images.
• A single continuous video will need to be broken into 5 parts and uploaded separately each drop to gain any bonus points.

8.1 - SHOUTCASTING IN MRBC

Match videos and streams are a big part of MRBC league and we hope that with accessible content showing high quality matches with entertaining commentary we will help to grow “MechWarrior: Online” as an e-sport. All Official and Affiliated MRBC casters are expected to use the official MRBC twitch channel at twitch.tv/MRBCLeague or one of the “backup” channels. In some circumstances, a Caster’s private channel might be used.

If you are interested in shoutcasting for MRBC, please submit a ticket.

8.2 - TEAM CASTING AGREEMENT

By signing up to MRBC League, teams are agreeing to allow casting by Official and Affiliated MRBC Casters and may not refuse a cast by them. A team may, however, refuse a cast by an Unofficial Caster.

8.3 - CASTING GROUPS

OFFICIAL MRBC CASTERS are chosen by the MRBC admins from those interested members of the community who meet specific guidelines and are seen as suitable for professional presentation of MRBC league games.

AFFILIATED MRBC CASTERS are chosen by the MRBC admins from those interested members of the community who have shown potential and willingness to improve in the delivery and execution of the casts. With improvement and experience, these casters may be considered to become Official MRBC Casters at a later date.

UNOFFICIAL CASTERS are members of the community who are casting MRBC matches on their own and are not affiliated with MRBC. Unofficial casters are not held to any standard or code of conduct put forth by MRBC and teams should be vigilant who they allow to spectate their matches.

Membership of the OFFICIAL and AFFILIATED Caster Groups will be displayed on the MRBC Casts page.

The ranking of Official and Affiliated Casters is dependent on consistently following the Caster CoC (see 8.4 "Caster Code of Conduct"). The placement of interested casters into the “Official” or “Affiliated” categories is determined by the MRBC administrators, at the discretion of the administrators. Any MRBC Casters may be promoted or demoted in standing at any time, at the discretion of the administrators.

8.4 - CASTER CODE OF CONDUCT

All Official and Affiliated MRBC group casters are expected to meet the following requirements:

• Swearing, while permitted, should be kept to a minimum
• Do not engage in shady behavior that could give one team an advantage over another
• Maintain a respectful attitude towards the league, teams, fellow Casters, the audience, PGI, etc during casted matches
• Maintain a respectful attitude towards the league, teams, fellow Casters, fellow players, PGI, etc on forums and other public areas
• Shall endeavor to show no evidence of bias with the exception of rooting for a close match (e.g. rooting for the “underdog”)
• Strive to present equal parts criticism and praise in coverage of a match
• Shall not be drawn into negative or pointless arguments with viewers intent on degrading the quality of the cast (any viewer intent on flaming, being derogatory, or being disrespectful can be moderated)
• Must be on-time for their matches and cast for the duration of the match
• Casts must be streamed on a minimum of a five minute delay
• Casters must be willing to cast matches outside of the top division
• The primary Caster is responsible for the performance of the co-Caster and the casting team as a whole.
• Use of a professional-looking overlay is required (Official MRBC overlay is strongly suggested)
• Do not violate Twitch, YouTube, Beam, or PGI’s terms of service

If a team has a particular issue with an individual or group of Casters and believe they are not following the Code of Conduct established here, they may register a formal complaint privately with the MRBC administrators. These matters will be addressed at the discretion of the MRBC administrators on a case-to-case basis.

8.5 - OFFICIAL MRBC CASTER GROUP REQUIREMENTS

Official MRBC group casters are expected to meet the following requirements:

• Maintain a high level of professionalism throughout the presentation
• Strive to maintain interaction (within reason) with viewers
• Must cast at least 50% of the number of match weeks to remain an official MRBC Caster (e.g. in a 10 week season, must cast at least 5 matches)
• Must provide the high level of enthusiasm and energy required to entertain an audience
• Must show knowledge of the current competitive community, strategy, and gameplay
• Should always make an effort to have a co-Caster during an official MRBC cast
• Begin the stream with the pre-stream video 30 minutes before the scheduled cast time

8.6 - CASTING PRIORITY

Official and Affiliated Casters may select any match to cast. Priority is first given to Official Casters, followed by Affiliated Casters over Unofficial Casters. Teams are not permitted to refuse an Official or Affiliated cast. Any team that refuses to let an Official or Affiliated Caster cast the match forfeits that match.

9.1 - MWO TOU AND COC

Pilots and teams must meet MWO's Terms of Use and Code of Conduct.

9.2 - RESPECT

Harassment, malicious trolling, or being offensive towards an MRBC official or member of a participating team may result in a ban for the offending player. This includes attempting to pressure an opponent into agreeing to a decision that would benefit your team over theirs. Players are expected to behave respectfully towards each other and to those that volunteer to help run the league.

9.3 - DISCONNECTING PURPOSEFULLY

Teams may not disconnect purposefully within the first minute of play (e.g. to preview the opponents deck, to restart a game if they feel they've made a mistake, etc.). A team that does so, may suffer forfeiture of games, or removal from the league.

9.4 - PURPOSEFULLY FAILING TO BE COMPETITIVE

The referees reserve the right to take action against a team that willfully fails to be competitive during a match. (e.g. showing up to play, but only bringing troll builds to waste your opponent's time)

9.5 - PURPOSEFULLY FAILING TO PLAY

The referees reserve the right to take action when a team willfully fails to play a scheduled match.

9.6 - CHEATING

Cheating is not allowed and will not be tolerated! If PGI has banned a player for cheating during an ongoing season, all drops the cheater participated in will be forfeit in favor of the opponent. This procedure counts for the whole season, because it may affect the league table.

PGI has reached out and offered services to detect cheating if there is suspicion.

9.7 - "SMURFING" or "SANDBAGGING"

Any team that is found using alternate accounts to play in a lower division may face penalties or ejection from the league after review.
Any team that adds a significant number of players that are much higher tier to their primary roster AFTER fixtures have been drawn may face penalties or ejection from the league after review.

9.8 - DISHONESTY

Referees reserve the right to penalize teams that lie to referees and admins.

Disputes between teams can be brought to the referees attention by team leaders in the Team Leader section of the forum or via a ticket. Quick decisions will be made in cases that are clearly defined by the rules. In questionable cases, a ref council (consisting of at least three MRBC admins) will decide.

If you must alert a referee to a dispute, please be ready to provide concrete evidence of the other teams misconduct.

The league organizers reserve the right to add or adjust rules for clarity, to address any issues, or to adapt to any changes that may be introduced by a game patch, even during the season. Any changes that are made will be logged and time stamped.