Ranking

A central aspect of both the various Elite games and the Elite universe is the Elite ranking system.

Combat rankings

• Harmless –
• Mostly harmless – 4 kills
• Poor – 8 kills
• Below average – 16 kills
• Average – 32 kills
• Above Average – 64 kills
• Competent – 128 kills
• Dangerous – 1,000 kills
• Deadly – 3,000 kills
• Elite – 6,000 kills

Explanation

Most traders could achieve a rank of Dangerous within about five years in space. Arguably, if a trader wanted the big profits, he wouldn’t last long unless he achieved a rating of that level. A great many pilots were Dangerous; it implied they were a seasoned space dog, ready for anything, though virtually all their kills would have been in self-defence.

Reaching the giddy height of Deadly required a lot more dedication. It meant apilot had deliberately sought out danger, witchspacing into difficult systems and facing down fierce opponents; perhaps even taking on covert military missions. Deadly implied a pilot was not just a trader, but a fighter as well; going on the offensive, taking big risks. Deadly was a rank associated with advanced skills, a rank that indicated you were cut out for bigger things, that you might be ‘Elite’ material. It indicated a single minded fixation on killing for killing’s sake, a hunter, someone apart from normal society.

Elite, of course, is something else altogether.

References

• Frontier: First Encounters manual, pg. 82 (of the manual = pg. 96 of the pdf)
• Mutabilis by Drew Wagar, pg. 49