The Tanker's Creed
The Tanker's Creed has been revised and rewritten over the decades, but it has persevered even so. A copy is always kept up within the tank, and some retired members also retain copies of their own (or at least versions of when they around).
At its core, the creed speaks of using the power of the tank to effect good in the broken world, help rebuild it, and defend those trying to do so. The earliest version contained oaths around restoring the US government and following orders of the remnants of the military, but they are long since erased as are those institutions. The current Creed reflects the freedom of the vessel and those who ride it, almost like a pirate ship's charter of old. Though with markedly less actual piracy.
A new crew member is expected to agree to the creed upon acceptance into the crew. However, actual enforcement or strict adherence to the creed varies upon the disposition of any given crew. There is no inherent punishment or imperative to follow the creed, except that which is agreed upon by the entire crew collectively. However, some take it more seriously than others. If you swear an Oath of Honor, you may take up the Tanker's Creed as your Code of Honor. I will not enforce honor loss and gain outside of an Oath of Honor. I'll do my best to remember to call out gains and losses, but it is ultimately up to you to track your honor and ask about whether a particular event is worth gaining or losing honor.
Oath of Honor: Tanker's Creed
| HONOR GAINS | POINTS |
|---|---|
| Defeat a Kaiju in combat | 10 |
| Defeat a major warlord | 5 |
| Protect a settlement or traveler from immediate danger | 4 |
| Liberate a settlement from oppression by a warlord/gang, if they ask for assistance in doing so | 4 |
| Upgrade the tank with a significant improvement | 4 |
| Return something important to its rightful owner | 3 |
| Offer sanctuary and defend that offer | 3 |
| Roll 30 or higher on a Craft check to create a masterwork item | 2 |
| Roll 30 higher on a Diplomacy or Intimidate check | 2 |
| Roll 30 or higher on a Perform check | 2 |
| Save a valuable resource from destruction | 2 |
| Discover something long lost and valuable | 2 |
| Give away a resource at great personal cost | 2 |
| Complete a contract | 1 |
| Party overcomes a challenging encounter | 1 |
| Give succor to a wastelander in need | 1 |
| Repair the Tank to full working order | 1 |
| HONOR LOSSES | |
| Allow an innocent to come to harm | -1 |
| Freeze up or be indecisive while commanding the tank | -1 |
| Fail to follow orders of the crew member currently commanding the tank | -1 |
| Ignore a wastelander in danger or need of assistance | -2 |
| Allow the tank to suffer disrepair for more than a week | -2 |
| Directly cause the destruction of a valuable resource | -2 |
| Bring harm to the tank through reckless or negligent action | -2 |
| Bring harm to your crew through reckless or negligent action | -3 |
| Abandon someone you agreed to protect | -3 |
| Disrespect a local law or custom after you've agreed to uphold it | -3 |
| Party flees an easy combat challenge | -3 |
| Renege on a contract you made for assistance | -4 |
| Steal something from a rightful and honorable owner | -4 |
| Betray your word, once given | -5 |
| Be directly responsible for the death of a charge under your protection | -10 |
| Be directly responsible for the death of one of your crew or the destruction of the tank | -20 |
Decision Making:
Both for the sake of the charter and for the sake of the game (IC and OOC), normal decisions are handled by a proposal and a second. For example, when faced with a decision, any player may offer a course of action (let's cross the bridge, we should fight that monster, let's ally with the Steelmonger on this one). If someone seconds it, I'll give a small amount of time for objections or discussion (a day or two real time), otherwise we proceed in that direction. If there is strong objection, we hash it out IC/OCC until the majority agree one way or another (vote, if needed, or otherwise if one arguing side changes their mind).
Major decisions are handled by a vote, which must be unanimous (or at least, any person can veto a course). Major decisions would include taking on a new crew member, making a very significant modification to the tank, or accepting a contract.
Tactical decisions, i.e. those made for the tank in combat, are made by whoever is in the commander's seat. The other positions are not required to follow those orders, per se, there will simply be whatever IC interpersonal consequences come about from not doing so (and a small honor loss if you have adopted the Tanker's Creed as an Oath of Honor). In the heat of combat, the gunner may decide on a different target or the driver may decide to go a different direction than the commander instructs. Sometimes those may prove to be the right calls. Sometimes the commander may need to reinforce their authority after the action. This will simply be the tension and RP of the game.
Shares and Owners:
The tank was never owned by a single person in particular. The first charter set the tank as to be owned equally by all primary shareholders (i.e. the crew). Likewise, spoils of combat and salvage found are to be divided equally among the shareholders, as well as payment for contracts performed. When an apprentice or auxiliary crew is brought on, they are given a lesser payment based upon an agreed and negotiated fee. Once an apprentice is invited to join the crew in full, they are considered a shareholder with equal privileges. While there have been past crews who altered the terms of division (for instance when they have a designated "Captain" entitled to a greater share), the current terms are for an equal split. Individual crew are entitled to pursue side hustles (like selling crafted goods or performing for money), jobs, and to find their own loot (i.e. if they happen upon something valuable while the crew is considered "off duty"), as long as none are to the detriment of the operations of the crew as a whole.
Repair, maintenance, and arming of the tank takes considerable funding. Often, the crew will decide on "The Tank's Share" of the loot. That is, they set aside a share's worth of any valuables in order to supply the tank with any needed fuel, ammunition, or parts. That will be up to the players to decide, otherwise they must work together to come up with the funding for any of these things.