Emperor's Hammer Manual

Welcome to the Emperor's Hammer Manual. This manual is a central resource and reference for the entire Emperor's Hammer (EH), covering a vast range of topics from ranks and medals to the structure within the Emperor's Hammer. This manual provides all of the information needed to function and enjoy a career in the club. The Emperor's Hammer is a complex and dynamic organization. Emperor's Hammer veterans are encouraged to periodically review the contents herein, as they are revised as needed.

About the Emperor's Hammer

The Emperor's Hammer (formally the Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet) is a historied Star Wars fan club that has supported Star Wars gaming and fan content creation since 1995. This has been through the establishment of various thematic subgroups that deliver community, collaboration, competition, and a Star Wars-flavored experience that picks up at the fringes of official media. The original trilogy of Star Wars movies depicted the conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. The Emperor's Hammer has a roleplay aspect to it in that our structure is based on our idea of how a piece of the Empire might have continued the fight and operate after the the fall of the Galactic Empire.

For information about the background and history of the Emperor's Hammer, see the article Emperor's Hammer. The Galactic Timeline also provides information about the context of the Emperor's Hammer within the Star Wars (and real-world) timeline.

Activities

The Emperor's Hammer is primarily based on online multiplayer or role play gaming in the Star Wars universe, however there are many other activities and events available across the club. The thematic elements of each subgroup tend to focus gaming activity within specific areas/genres (for example, the TIE Corps focuses heavily on space combat sims), but this is not a rigid rule. Review the subgroups to learn more about their thematic elements and supported games.

As an organization that originally grew from single player Star Wars gaming, members of the Emperor's Hammer have also created thousands of custom missions/maps for Star Wars games in the single player mode. They are available for download from the Emperor's Hammer Battle Center.

Through their activity, members earn recognition on their member profile (personnel record) including flight and combat ratings, ranks, academic qualifications, awards, and titles. Awards may recognize specific activity accomplishments, as well as meritorious achievements for members that help improve the Emperor's Hammer for other members.

The following sections contain a brief summary of some of the activities to participate in within the Emperor's Hammer.

Gaming Activities

Space Combat Simulators

For those whose interested in vaping their enemies into tiny bits in fast space combat, the EH provides a solid membership where players for online multiplayer gaming can be found. Members who participate in multiplayer gaming in supported games may receive credit on their member profiles for qualifying activity (such as winning multiplayer matches or playing with other Emperor's Hammer members). Game recognition requirements will vary by subgroup.

The EH also offers the largest library of custom missions for single player gaming in our supported game platforms. The current list of single player games with custom missions is available on the Emperor's Hammer Battle Center. Similar to multiplayer gaming, members who complete custom missions may receive flight credit on their member profiles. Members may also compete to receive high scores in each of the missions we offer. As of the last update of this section, custom missions, battles, or levels/maps are available for:

X-Wing (XW)
TIE Fighter (TIE)
X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (XvT)
X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter: Balance of Power (BoP)
X-Wing Alliance (XWA)
Galactic Battlegrounds (GB)
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (JA)
TIE Fighter Total Conversion for XWA (TFTC)

First Person Shooters

For those who prefer a more personal approach and to "pound the ground", the EH supports multiple multiplayer Star Wars-themed first person shooters, be it a trooper or Dark Jedi.

Real Time Strategy Games

For those who prefer the careful planning of strategies and the decisive strike against your enemies. Real time strategy games are also supported in the Emperor's Hammer.

Role Playing Games

For those who prefer live action character development in a Star Wars-based universe. Role playing games are also supported in the Emperor's Hammer.

Combat Events

These multiplayer-focused events bring members together at a specific place and time to participate in PvP or PvE activity.

Creative Activities

Roleplay

Members can develop their Emperor's Hammer character in detail. While multiple subgroups support roleplay to a certain extent, the Secret Order specializes in roleplay through the Path System and serves as the preeminent roleplay subgroup of the EH.

Fiction

For creative minds that enjoy stories, the Emperor's Hammer allows members to participate in a great deal of events related to writing fan-fiction:

Short-stories
Poetry
Run-on stories on the Discord servers

Trivia

Your Star Wars and EH knowledge will be measured in these events, which can be administered via e-mail, Discord, or the timed test functionality integrated into the web site.

Graphics and other Artistic Endeavors

Creating original EH-oriented graphics is a great way to contribute to the Fleet. It does not matter if you think you are the worst artist in the world, there is never enough graphic art in the EH.

Wiki Editing

Help expand the content within the Encyclopaedia Imperia wiki by creating new content to build out the history and background of your character, or describe the exploits of your unit.

Newsletters

The Emperor's Hammer publishes various newsletters focusing on specific subgroups or aspects of the Fleet. These newsletters accept contributions from all corners of the club. Give your work a broader audience. Be creative!

Imperial University

For those members who enjoy academic pursuits within the Star Wars universe, the Imperial University offers members the opportunity to complete courses on subjects ranging from Star Wars lore to gaming strategy and technical skills. Completing multiple courses within a focus area can lead to the award of a qualification at either the Certificate or Graduate level, demonstrating a mastery of these subjects. Written thesis material (for Graduate qualifications) are made available to the membership through publication in Proceedings, the academic journal of the Emperor's Hammer.

Campaigns and Competitions

All of the activities listed above can be done as an individual effort at any time. You don't wait for some "official" event to come along to be active! When official events do come along, it is always a big event. Official events generally fall into two categories: Campaigns and Competitions.

An Emperor's Hammer campaign is a named operation that advances the EH plotline with broad participation by members in one or more subgroups. Campaigns generally center around major fleet-wide activities that occur throughout the year. Two of the largest activities used for the basis for moving the plot are Imperial Storm and Raise the Flag; both occur once per year. In some circumstances, a General Campaign Medal with appropriate clasp may be awarded to participants in approved campaigns. Campaigns are big events and frequently have many different activities to encourage everyone to participate.

Competitions are events held typically at the unit or subgroup level, pitting unit against unit at various echelons (Squadron, Ship, etc.). Intra-unit competitions can settle who is the best flight in a squadron or squad in a platoon. Competitions may be run by any member, and only require approval at the Subgroup Command level. Certain competitions may be created at the Fleet level, allowing for participation by members from any subgroup.

Structure

The Emperor's Hammer is comprised of a senior governing body (the Command Staff) and several subgroups representing various elements of the Emperor's Hammer military, paramilitary, intelligence, and governmental structures.

Command Staff

The members of the Command Staff serve as the senior leadership body of the Emperor's Hammer. The Command Staff is led by the Fleet Commander and consists of nine Command Staff officers organized within six command offices. The Command Staff advises the Fleet Commander on matters of fleet-wide operations, as well as independently oversees and maintains their various areas of duty.

For more information about positions of the Command Staff, including Command Attache and Assistant positions, please see the Command Staff article.

Subgroups

The subgroup is a primary organizational element of the Emperor's Hammer that is designed to emulate different thematic elements of the Star Wars universe. Each subgroup has its own unique culture, activities, positions, ranks, and awards. While various subgroups have existed in the Emperor's Hammer history, the two currently active subgroups are the TIE Corps and Secret Order.

For a list of active and historical subgroups, and subgroup operation requirements, please see the subgroups article.

Positions

The concept of position is at the heart and core of the Emperor's Hammer organizational structure. Although ranks provide a member recognition for achievements over a period of time (sometimes associated with leadership responsibilities), position is what takes precedence, for it defines the member's roles, responsibilities, and relative influence within the club. The Emperor's Hammer is a very complex organization and once you understand these positions you will be able to understand your role as well as those of others you encounter in the club.

For a detailed list of Emperor's Hammer and subgroup positions please see the Positions article.

Ranks

Within the Emperor's Hammer, ranks are used to recognize a member's achievements over a period of time, as well as to recognize a member's elevation to certain leadership positions. Ranks exist within the Emperor's Hammer main fleet as well as its subgroups. Within the Emperor's Hammer, the term rank includes both military ranks (relative seniority within the Imperial military hierarchy) as well as non-military ranks (such as those associated with the Secret Order).

For more information please see the Ranks article.

Manuals

The Emperor's Hammer Manual serves as the authoritative top-level reference concerning the structure and operation of the Emperor's Hammer. The policy guidance of this manual is further expanded upon and supplemented by Command Staff officers and Subgroup Commanders through the publishing of function and subgroup-specific manuals.