1. The Game Master (GM) has final say on all matters, but feedback from other players is encouraged and should be considered when making decisions.
   a) The GM determines all map navigation movement (ex. traveling to a new sector) and time spent waiting between missions.
   b) Additional rules not listed here may be added at the GM's discretion to adjust difficulty as needed.

2. There should be ONE assigned Lance Leader (aka. game lobby host) per four players. The GM may work double-duty as a Lance Leader.
   a) The Lance Leader is responsible for tracking & recording any needed player data and organizing play session times.
   b) For player groups larger than four or five, see See Advanced Rules (listed below).

3. Players can ONLY play with their assigned characters.
   a) If a player assigned to one Lance is missing, another player may stand in for them temporarily provided their own character is available to drop.
   b) Players may be assigned a temporary non-player character (NPC) if their player character is injured or otherwise unavailable.
   c) Players may be assigned a new character if their original character dies using previously agreed on Start Guide rules.

4. The Lance Leader(s) and players must reach a consensus beforehand to any terms regarding sharing Mechs between players.

5. While purchases, repairs, and upgrades may be left at the discretion of Lance Leaders, the GM's may add an additional layer of credit for players to earn (ie. "Requisition Points"). See "Requisition Points & Player Economics" below for details.

6. Combat Zones (CZs) & Missions:
   a) Because many factors must be taken into account (budget, player skill, available equipment, etc.), the GM has final say on determining the next CZ.
   b) Mission selection inside a CZ is decided among Lance Leader(s) by Drop Weight with the LOWEST tonnage Lance picking first (coin toss for ties).
   c) The GM should allow equal opportunity for all Lances to complete roughly the same number of missions before Lance(s) leave the CZ.
   d) After a CZ is determined to be "completed" by the GM, the GM should allow players the opportunity for R&R at the nearest Industrial Hub (IH).

7. Drop Limits, Time Limits, and Waiting Limits:
   a) Drop Limits are up to the GM's discretion; they may place less or more limits for a more diverse experience or as the situation demands it.
   b) Although missions do not normally have time limits, a GM may add these as secondary objectives for additional rewards to the player (ex. Raids).
   c) Waiting between missions (for repairs, upgrades, etc.) should be fairly limited to reduce player urge to min-max all loadouts before progressing.
   d) Waiting time spent traveling does not count toward the limit, but this should not be used as an exploit to "buy more time".
   e) If using the "Easy Armor Repair" mod (zero-time version), these are the recommended Waiting time limits:
   + inside Combat Zones = no more than 1 week between missions.
   + inside Industrial Hubs = no more than 2 months before leaving for next CZ.

For editting character skill caps, pick one:

• Download the MW5 Save Editor - this will allow you to manually increase the skill caps.
  WARNING: In the Save Editor, you will see two additional pilot skills labeled as "Gunnery" and "Piloting". These are unused skills; leave them blank! Also, allowing skill caps to be raised above 10 may have unintended or undesirable effects in-game! (back up your saves before editing!)

• Download 330's Pilot Overhaul mod - this applies the same changes automatically as well as allowing for additional in-game character customization.

NOTE: Either of these solutions will ensure all players start on equal footing and won't have to constantly shuffle characters for better skill caps. For details on how to address starting skills and skill caps, it is recommended you take a look at the Start Guide for specifics on that.

While the above options are by far the easiest solution, some may wish for additional ways to enhance character creation options. Please note that there is a more complex solution available (see Advanced Rules below).

Requisition Points

1. Expanded Player Count Campaigns - while it is generally recommended to limit a play group to four or five people people (which may or may not include the GM themselves), it is theoretically possible to do this with a larger player group, but will require more management from the GM.

2. Refined Equipment Costs - RP costs for claiming equipment and RP reimbursement can be calculated with the following more advanced formula:

   • (Crit Slot Size) + ( Tier Level) = Requisition Cost or Refund
     For LosTech (including Double Heat Sinks), multiply the result by 2.

   • For example, a Tier-3 Autocannon 5 would be:
     (2 [crit slots]) + (3 [tier level])
     2 + 3 = 5 RP total cost.

3. Refined Mech Costs - ignore the normal x2 cost for XL Engines or DHS (found in the above basic Economy Rules) and replace it with the following:

   • XL Engine: +1 RP cost for every 10 tons (or fraction of it)

   • Endo Steel: +1 RP cost for every 20 tons (or fraction of it)

   • DHS Engine Kit: +1 RP cost for every 20 tons (or fraction of it)

   • Ferro Fibrous: +1 RP cost for every 40 tons (or fraction of it)

4. Expanded Skill Caps - for more complex character creation and customization
   Once starting character stats are established, you can calculate RP costs for improving their Skill Caps. While GM's are welcome to devise their own system, here are two recommended formulas (PICK ONLY ONE):

• Linear Leveling = each point increase to a single skill cap costs 5 RP.

• Exponential Leveling = the cost of increasing the level of a skill cap is equal to the skill level raised:
  ex. Raising a skill cap from 1 -> 2 costs 2 RP.
  ex. Raising a skill cap from 4 -> 5 costs 5 RP.

• In summary, while this system may add new layers of character customization, it is up to the GM and players to decide if this added complexity is really worth it. Not only is it more to keep track of, but it can only be done with manual edits using the Save Editor. at the START of a campaign which leveling system they will prefer. It is also recommended that players only be allowed to improve Skill Caps during breaks between game sessions. This will reduce players waiting on the GM to make changes in the save editor. As always, it is recommended that any changes be tracked and updated on Roll20 for easier viewing by other players. Finally, remember that this only addresses Skill CAPS. To level up a character's actual current skill, just play the game as normal.