The Ranks of the BS&R are fairly simple. In fact, as per the BS&R Enlistment Path in the Enlisting area, each BS&R Member has already gone though 2 Ranks before becoming a full Member — Volunteer and Probationary Member. All Ranks are listed and briefly described in the chart below. Also within this chart are the Honorifics of the BS&R — special titles honoring certain Members celebrating their pivotal roles in the formation of our guild.

	Ranks & Honorifics of Britannia Search & Rescue
	Rank		Distinction
8	Guildmaster		Coordinates guild activities.
7		Deputy Guildmaster	Directly assists Guildmaster.
6	Shard Leader		Coordinates guild activities on Shard.
5		Deputy Shard Leader	Directly assists Shard Leader.
4	Chapter Leader		Coordinates small group(s) of BS&R Members. (Not necessarily the “war leader”)
3	Member		A full Member, who has had their enlistment information approved and been sworn-in with an in-game ceremony.
2	Probationary Member		One who has sent in their enlistment information.
1	Volunteer		One who has requested to serve. Has petitioned for membership after finding a BS&R Sponsor.
	Honorifics		Distinction
	Founder		The five persons who originally formed the guild that became Britannia Search & Rescue.
	Charter Member		All of the BS&R Members in place before the placing of the first Ultima Online Guildstone.
	Elder		The earliest 10% of the characters who were sworn into the BS&R.

Members of the BS&R will be assigned a Rank; higher Rank may lead to other perks not available to members of lower Rank. The BS&R Ranks are more for contact purposes than anything else, and should not be used to "bully" other players. (This is for games, after all. Let’s keep it fun.)

The Ranks of Britannia Search & Rescue are described in detail below.

Any (non-BS&R) person who acquires a Sponsor, as per the BS&R Enlistment Path in the Enlisting area, may be immediately accepted into the BS&R ranks as a “Volunteer.” This is, of course, providing that this person exhibits acceptable BS&R qualities and agrees to the Five Points of the BS&R Charter. The Five Points may be summed up to a Volunteer thusly:

Volunteers are simply that—a character who has declared their ethics to be in accordance with the BS&R and wishes to promote these ethics through an Internet game environment.

(Volunteers should be directed to visit the BS&R web site at www.hurm.com/guild.htm at the earliest possible convenience, in order to enlist using the BS&R Enlistment Form, which will move them to Probationary Member status.)

Any character whose player has not only met for them the requirements for Volunteering, but has also submitted that character’s Enlistment information, as per the BS&R Enlistment Path in the Enlisting area.

Soon after Enlisting this person will receive, via e-mail, confirmation of the receipt of this form. The e-mail will also invite the player to have that character officially sworn into the BS&R—as an in-game ceremony—but this is not required.

A full Member of the BS&R is more simple called a “Member.” This Rank is achieved after being sworn into the BS&R during an in-game ceremony. Members of this Rank are requested, but not required, to be present at occasional and infrequent BS&R Guild Events.

Members make up the most basic unit of the BS&R, the Chapter. Members may be suggested for the role of Chapter Leader, described below, subject to approval by an Executive Officer (Shard Leader, Deputy Guildmaster, or Guildmaster).

Members will automatically achieve a Commendation after being active with the BS&R for 3 months.

The Chapter Leader, an Executive Member, is the main point of contact between his Chapter and the Executive Officers of the BS&R. Although all members should maintain contact with other members and the BS&R web site, it is through the Chapter Leader that the Chapter is ensured of having the latest BS&R information. Further, it is via the Chapter Leader that the Guildmaster and Shard Leader are kept up to date on the Chapter’s activities.

Chapter Leaders are responsible for the Members of that unit (typically anywhere from 2 through 6 persons large), and answerable to the BS&R Guild for the actions of the members of that Chapter. While members of lesser Ranks may not be required to attend BS&R guild meetings, Chapter Leaders are so required (these meetings will be posted on the BS&R News page).

Chapter Leaders are encouraged to organize Events among their Chapter and the guild. The Chapter Leader is requested to be prepared to take screenshots at BS&R Events. These screenshots may be submitted, along with related text, to the Guildmaster for review and possible posting on the appropriate BS&R web page.

Chapter Leaders may recommend no more than one Commendation per month to the Guildmaster for another member of lesser Rank. Chapter Leaders may recommend no more than one Discommendation per month to the Guildmaster for another member of lesser Rank.

Note: The Chapter Leader does not necessarily have to be the greatest warrior, tactician, or wizard of the Chapter. This position is primarily administrative, and often the Chapter Leader position is best suited for the most organized member of the Chapter. Being “powerful” would merely be a bonus, but even a Tailor, Fisherman, or Cook could serve equally well.

The Deputy Shard Leader, an Executive Member, assists the Shard Leader in all Shard activities, as delegation requires. The Deputy Shard Leader may, at times, be asked to stand in for the Shard Leader on some occasions.. For more information on this Rank and responsibilities see Chapter Leader, above, and for possible additional duties see Shard Leader, below.

The Deputy Shard Leader is chosen by the respective Shard Leader, after approval by the Guildmaster.

Deputy Shard Leaders may recommend no more than one Commendation per month to the Guildmaster for another member of lesser Rank. Deputy Shard Leaders may recommend no more than one Discommendation per month to the Guildmaster for another member of lesser Rank.

The Shard Leader, and Executive Member,  is the main point of contact between his Shard and the Guildmaster of the BS&R. This position is appointed by the Guildmaster, and only one Shard Leader is appointed per Shard or World. It is through the Shard Leader (and the Guildmaster) that the Chapter Leaders and all members within the Shard are ensured of having the latest BS&R information, and via the Shard Leader that the Guildmaster is kept up to date on the Shard’s activities.

Shard Leaders are responsible for the members within the Shard and is answerable to the BS&R Guild for the actions of the members within the Shard. While members of lesser Ranks may not be required to attend BS&R guild meetings, Shard Leaders are so required (these meetings will be posted on the BS&R News page).

Shard Leaders are encouraged to organize guildwide Events, such as Expeditions and Feasts. The Shard Leader may eventually be called upon to deliver the swearing-in ceremony for new Members. The Shard Leader may be required to be prepared to take screenshots at BS&R Events. These screenshots may be submitted, along with related text, to the Guildmaster for review and possible posting on the appropriate BS&R web page.

The Shard Leader may award no more than one Commendation per month for another member of lesser Rank. Shard Leaders may award no more than one Discommendation per month for another member of lesser Rank.

Note: As with the Chapter Leader, the Shard Leader does not necessarily have to be the greatest warrior, tactician, or wizard of the Shard, and even a Tailor, Fisherman, or Cook could serve equally well.

The Deputy Guildmaster is an Executive Member. This Rank currently may be held by one member only. This member is appointed by the Guildmaster.

The Deputy Guildmaster may award no more than one Commendation per month for another member of lesser Rank. The Deputy Guildmaster may award no more than one Discommendation per month for another member of lesser Rank.

An Executive Officer and the highest ranking Guildmember. The ownership of this rank is permanent and unchanging. The BS&R Guildmaster, Nobody, is in charge of the upkeep of the guild and its web site. All privileges and responsibilities enjoyed by all other members also are held by the Guildmaster. The Guildmaster may award Commendations or Discommendations at will to any member of the BS&R.

For further explanation of the Rules, click here.

The Honorifics of Britannia Search & Rescue are described in detail below.

The five persons who formed Britannia Search & Rescue are considered its Founders. They are: Nobody, O’lorae, Severian, Blitz, and Rawfish.

10% of Britannia Search & Rescue are eligible to be considered Elders, although this honorific is awarded only by those who have been sworn-in as full Members. In other words, if there are 100 Members in the BS&R then 10 are eligible to be called Elders, but only if they are (full) Members (or higher) in Rank.

All Britannia Search & Rescue guildmembers in place before the placing of the first Ultima Online Guildstone are considered Charter Members. There were 26 guildmembers at that time.

The BS&R Guildstone(s) in Ultima Online serve three valuable purposes.

1. The first is identification. When wearing the BS&R title above their heads those who interact with BS&R Members can be assured the validity of their identity. BS&R Members may use this as a means, for example, of indicating who may be allowed within a nonpublic BS&R building. (However, the custodians of a given building may have their own, more specific requirements, and admission to a Guildstone is not a guarantee toward entrance into any BS&R building.)
2. The second is for sparring & Guildwars. Characters who share the same Guildstone may steal from, loot, attack, and even kill their fellow guildmembers without reputation or statistics penalty. The same is true for guilds that use the Guildstone’s “Guildwar” feature to declare war on one another. BS&R members and their associates shall enjoy friendly & role-played conflict & interaction in this manner. However, BS&R shall only war for role-playing and cross-guild sparring purposes. The Guildwar feature shall never be activated out of anger.
3. The third is for public relations. The visibility of the Guildtitle enables casual & detailed observers to see that BS&R guildmembers are part of a larger unity, and so they may inquire as to the nature of the BS&R — perhaps even so as to join our guild.

No member will be put on a BS&R Guildstone (such as the one currently located at the Operations Center-Trinsic, Baja Shard), without first fulfilling two requirements.

1. First, only (full) Member-characters (or that Member’s alternate characters) may be put on the BS&R Guildstone
2. Second, that Member must have maintained a verifiable positive membership status for a minimum of one month. This period of time is important. It helps to confirm the dedication and ethical standpoint of new Members, helping create a greater degree of confidence both internally and externally toward those who have the BS&R abbreviation above their head, as allowed by Guildstones.

Being listed on the BS&R Guildstone is entirely voluntary; no Member need feel compelled to be put on the BS&R Guildstone

Commendations are given out only infrequently, and Discommendations less so.

Commendations
For information on Commendations click here.

Discommendations
For information on Discommendations click here.