Malton Radio Defense Network/Positions

The Malton Radio Defense Network offers great rank mobility for its members. The progression up to a certain point is set, and depends upon service time, required skills, and superior evaluation, but once a certain level in the organization is acheived members can request duty changes as desired. All personnel changes are left to the discretion of the Command Unit, but the system is very fluid.

Information Technician

The entry level position of the MRDN is highly important, as these individuals ensure that we don't simply broadcast to empty ears and dead radios. Information Technicians are responsible for tagging a suburb or area with MRDN tags, talking to the population about the MRDN, gathering intelligence for reports, and disseminating approved intelligence to the population.

An IT will not spend much time fighting, and a lot of time tagging, so the tagging skill is recommended (though not required) to maximize effectiveness and aid in the acquisition of experience points.

Suggested Tags

• "The MRDN: Tune in, Turn on, Drop Zeds"
• "XX.XX - You're on the air with the MRDN"
• "Tune in to XX.XX - The MRDN WILL be broadcasting"
• "The MRDN - Firearms < Fireside Chats"
• "The Malton Radio Defense Network is now online"
• "Join the MRDN - Strength in Communication"
• "HAM not spam - Join the MRDN"
• "MRDN Broadcast Station, please don't retune"
• "This district's frequency: XX.XX - The MRDN"
• "The MRDN - Intelligence while you sleep"
• "Join the MRDN - http://tinyurl.com/wpt3b"

Supply-Maintenence Officer

If there are to be broadcasts there must be radio transmitters; if there are transmitters there must be generators, and every generator requires regular fuel. None of these items may be omitted if a unit is to remain operational, and thus we are brought to the duties of a Supply-Maintenance Officer.

After having served a period of time as an IT a member of the MRDN can request promotion to the rank of SMO. Supply-Maintenance Officers will be assigned to a Satellite or Relay Broadcast Station and are responsible for keeping the following items on their person at all times:

• One generator,
• One radio transmitter
• Three cans of fuel

These will be saved against the possibility of a Station safehouse breach and equipment destruction, as well as general maintenance of the fuel-chugging generator. SMOs are also expected to carry a minimum of first-aid kits and a revivification syringe on hand. These ensure that the broadcast chain not be broken for several days if a Broadcast Operator is killed. Instead of tracking to a revive point and waiting for an unspecified amount of time, their SMO can revive them immediately.

Daily duties include monitoring and maintaining the designated Station and supporting its Operator, as well as maintaining the required reserve of specified items. Since these are not expected to spend a whole day's AP, SMOs are free to act as they choose, provided all above conditions are met. They may work towards neccesary skills or perform the duties of an IT at their discretion.

Due to the large amount of searching an SMO will be expected to perform, the civilian skills shopping and bargain hunting will be required prior to promotion. A few days turnaround to travel to and search a mall will often be more productive than walking around a suburb to scrounge local resources. Science skills such as diagnosis, NecroTech employment, and lab experience will also be required for consideration as an SMO. For this reason, scientist characters will most easily be able to acheive this rank, though it is open to survivors of any class.

Defense-Maintenance Officer

There will, of course, always be zombies, and these are sure to be attracted to the powered buildings from which MRDN units will be operating. In order that the units remain operational and self-sufficient, each is assigned a Defense-Maintenance Officer, whose duty it is to ensure the safety of their unit.

Following service as an IT and the aquisition of the required skills, an MRDN member may request a post as a DMO, which will be assigned when needed/available. A DMO will be responsible for minimizing the zombie threat by doing the following:

• Maintaining barricade levels for the Broadcast Station and nearby buildings. A single extremely heavily barricaded building will draw the attention of hungry zombies, but by setting up "dummy cades" said attention can be confused and the danger decreased. DMOs will work with local groups to follow an established barricade plan, or invent one if none is present.
• Setting up dummy generators. Since powered buildings are seen from the street and assumed to contain survivors, powering nearby non-MRDN buildings is a community service and a wise strategy.
• Harassing troublesome hordes. One DMO with Advanced Weapons Training and a brace of shotguns could conceivably knock down 3 or 4 zombies at a go, inconveniencing the undead and distracting them from their goals. If a DMO and an SMO were to work together, the threat could be reduced even further.

A post as a Defense-Maintenance Officer is an ideal career choice for military characters, though any survivor with the appropriate skills may be considered for the posistion. The civilian skills construction and shopping will be required prior to consideration for promotion to DMO, as well as the military skills basic firearms training, pistol training, and shotgun training. These will ensure a high enough hit rate to properly deal with the undead menace.

Broadcast Operator

The final and most critical position is that of a Broadcast Operator. Though the two types vary slightly in duties, any Broadcast Operator is considered the commander of their unit, and makes decisions including the location of the stations, the duties of their ITs, and promotion evaluations, among others. With the exception of the Command Unit, which may be composed of members of any rank, BOs are the voice of authority in the MRDN.

Satellite Broadcast Operator

A Satellite Broadcast Operator deals with a specific region or building. SBOs generally operate out of a 5-suburb district or near a mall, and are the first link in the chain of communication within the MRDN. It is the responsibility of an SBO to in some way acquire information that is to be passed along the chain, usually survivor/zombie counts, general barricade reports, and PKer locations. It is also the responsibility of an SBO to determine the priority of the message. Priority protocols are intended to maximize effectiveness and minimize AP usesage, so this is a duty requiring utmost consideration. Service as either an SMO or DMO, as well as the civilian skill radio operation are required before consideration for promotion to SBO.

SBOs are responsible for full and complete knowledge of protocols, codes, and ciphers employed by the MRDN. They are expected to carry a minimum of 3 radio receivers on their person to facilitate communication and gather intelligence.

Daily duties of an SBO are as follows:

1. Develop report from IT, SMO, and DMO intelligence.
2. Assign IT duties ingame.
3. Broadcast report through appropriate channels.
4. Personally visit surrounding buildings and address survivors, informing them that MRDN is operating in their area, ensure they know the appropriate radio frequency, let them know that MRDN is very open to new members, even offer to broadcast messages for them through MRDN channels.
5. Perform a brief scout for personal reference and the next day's report.

These are expected to fully exhaust a day's AP. It is important to remember that a post as an SBO is a full-time requirement, with rigid duties each day. An SBO should never need to resupply, never need to find a revive point, never need to barricade. These are all dealt with by by subordinates.

Relay Broadcast Operator

A Relay Broadcast Operator is responsible for dealing with the broadcasts of several SBOs, rewording/organizing them, and then rebroadcasting the message according its priority level. An RBO is the head of their unit, and makes all decisions with regards to changes of station locale, as safety is the primary concern for individuals in this position. RBOs are expected to serve first as SBOs and may be promoted at the discretion of the Command Unit.

RBOs are responsible for full and complete knowledge of protocols, codes, and ciphers employed by the MRDN. They are expected to carry a full compliment of 10 radio receivers on their person to properly monitor all active channels beneath them.

Daily duties of an RBO are as follows:

1. Read the previous day's broadcasts.
2. Rebroadcast according to priority protocols.
3. Personally visit surrounding buildings and address survivors, informing them that MRDN is operating in their area, ensure they know the appropriate radio frequency, let them know that MRDN is very open to new members, even offer to broadcast messages for them through MRDN channels.

These are expected to fully exhaust a day's AP. It is important to remember that a post as an RBO is a full-time requirement, with rigid duties each day. Again, an RBO should never need to resupply, never need to find a revive point, never need to barricade. These are all dealt with by by subordinates.