Clan Rules of Engagement:

Note: This information was taken from "Twilight of the Clans" as it is the most up to date information on Rules of Engagement.


Honor Levels: Clan Honor codes fall into four ratings. A number from 1 to 4 represents the level of commitment to Clan honor required from the troops involved.
Honor Level 1 means strict conformity to Clan codes
Levels 2 and 3 require conformity only under certain circumstances
Level 4 throws Clan honor out the airlock!

Normally, a fighting force's overall commitment to Clan honor is rated at Level 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Clan dueling rules apply only to enemy 'Mechs. Clan MechWarriors may attack conventional vehicles and unarmored infantry targets without reference to Clan honor. Likewise, Clan unarmored infantry and vehicles need not follow the rules of engagement.


  1. Zellbrigen (Dueling): Under the rules for ritual dueling, or zellbrigen, Clan players must declare a target for each of their dueling 'Mechs. A typical declaration might sound something like, "I am MechWarrior Seth of Clan Steel Viper. I pilot the sole Summoner in Alpha Star. I hereby invoke the ritual of zellbrigen and challenge the pilot of the Orion adorned with the unit designation eleven to a duel of warriors. In this solemn matter, let no one interfere!"

    During a duel, no other Clan warrior may attack either of the dueling 'Mechs. If a third Inner Sphere unit interferes with a duel, the dueling Clan warrior may attack the interfering unit, provided that another Clan 'Mech has not already challenged the interloper to a duel. A duel ends when one combatant is destroyed, disabled or retreats from the battlefield.

    At Honor Level 1, the Clan warrior upholds all the rules of dueling regardless of his opponent's actions.

    At Honor Level 2, the Clan warrior follows the rules of dueling until the Inner Sphere side takes an action that violates the Clan honor code (a third party interfering, a unit involved in one duel firing on a 'Mech involved in another duel, and so on). If this happens, the duel immediately degenerates into a free-for-all. If a warrior fires on a target already involved in a duel, any Clan player whose declaration of zellbrigen follows the Inner Sphere player's "dishonorable attack" may attack that Inner Sphere 'Mech without regard for honor rules. Only the violator may be attacked in this way.

    At Honor Level 3, any infringement of Clan honor in the dueling rules renders the entire ritual of zellbrigen null and void, leaving the Clan 'Mechs free to attack any enemy unit without restraint for the remainder of the game.

    At Honor Level 4, dueling rules do not apply.

    Using zellbrigen in a game requires a certain degree of cooperation between players. A crafty Inner Sphere player could possibly exploit the rules of engagement to deny the Clan player any targets at all. For example, a fast Inner Sphere 'Mech could challenge a slow Clan 'Mech and then run and hide, leaving the Clan 'Mech without an opponent and honor-bound not to aid other dueling Clan units. To give players some options in such situations, use the following guidelines to adjudicate the use of zellbrigen in game play.


    1. Making the Challenge: One of the most important parts of the duel is the actual challenge. When a Clan unit declares an attack on a unit that it has not attacked before, it is effectively announcing its intention to duel -- the Clan player should verbally issue his challenge at this time. If the Inner Sphere side outnumbers the Clan side, it is considered bold (but acceptable) for a single Clan 'Mech to challenge more than one opponent at the same time. All of a single 'Mech's opponents are considered part of the same duel and may fire on the lone challenger. However, at least one target must be left for each 'Mech on the Clan side. This tradition does not apply to non-'Mech Clan units. In fact, Clan MechWarriors greedy for battlefield glory may force their own armored vehicles, infantry units, or even Elementals out of combat in this way.

      Though a single Clan 'Mech may challenge more than one Inner Sphere 'Mech, additional Inner Sphere 'Mechs cannot invite themselves into a duel even if the Clans outnumber their side. Such an action is a breach of zellbrigen.


    2. Refusing a Challenge: A Clan warrior need not accept a challenge issued by an Inner Sphere warrior, especially if he suspects the challenge is simply a ploy to abuse the ritual of zellbrigen and achieve victory through deceit. As a general rule, a Clan warrior can refuse a challenge from a 'Mech of a different weight class than his own, as long as he issues a challenge against another Inner Sphere 'Mech instead.

      Also, though Inner Sphere warriors are not expected to accept or refuse challenges, the Inner Sphere side must abide by Clan honor when Honor Levels 2 or 3 are in effect or else risk touching off a melee. In these cases, the Inner Sphere player is also allowed to refuse challenges from Clan 'Mechs outside the challenged 'Mech's weight class as long as an alternate challenge is made.

      If a warrior's challenge is refused for an alternate, the warrior who issued the challenge is free to issue a new challenge against any available targets.

      Finally, any challenge must be accepted by Clan 'Mechs if there are no alternate targets in play.


    3. Declaring a Duel Void: Certain situations may make a duel void, even if strict adherence to the rules of engagement (Honor Level 1) is in force. In these cases the judgment of the players must prevail; however, the players can use the following simple penalty system to judge these situations. The penalty system is intended to enforce the idea that dueling 'Mechs must actively fight on another for the duel to be valid. Because Clan warriors call people without honor Degzra, the penalties are referred to as Degzra Points.

      Each of the infractions listed below earns the violator a Degzra Point, unless the violator's opponent declines the penalty (which he might do if he decides that the action was tactically appropriate). If a dueling 'Mech accumulates 3 Degzra Points, it is clear that the duel is dishonorable, and so it becomes void in the End Phase of the turn in which the third point was earned. No dueling 'Mech can earn more than 1 Degzra point per End Phase.

      1. If a dueling unit intentionally moves out of its opponent's line of sight, the unit earns 1 Degzra Point.

      2. If a dueling unit has line of sight to its opponent but intentionally fails to fire at the enemy, the unit earns 1 Degzra Point. (This guideline assumes that at least one shot must be possible, meaning that they enemy unit is within the firing arc and range of the weapon being fire.)

      3. If a dueling unit moves out of the firing range of all its weapons, the unit earns 1 Degzra Point.

      4. If the unit earns no Degzra Points in a turn, it may remove 1 Degzra Point in the End Phase of that turn. A unit may not, however, eliminate all its Degzra Points (reduce them to zero) in this way.

        Once a unit has accumulated 3 Degzra Points, any clan unit may freely fire on it for the remainder of the scenario without violating the dueling rules.




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