I was just thinking....who do you consider to be Cobras A, B, and C level agents/personalitiers?

I mean, I figure we all put CC, Destro, Baroness, Twins on the A level. I personally include Major Bludd, Mindbender and Serpentor on that level as well.

When we get to B and C level, it gets a little wacky for me. I would definetely throw Storm Shadow, Cesspool and Overlord B level status, meaning that are allowed in on A level meetings, but don't have full access to everything A level.

C level I consider a really, really good agent who has earned a solid reputation, and is privvy to a heckuva lot more info and priveleges that the regular troops. Examples would be Copperhead, Firefly, Crystal Ball, Croc Master, etc.These guys I would almost compare to the Troll that the orcs drag out in LOTRs. When a good fight is going on in a water battle, you can see Eels, Morays and the Cobra Navy going at it, but the troops certainly get a moral boost when Copperhead shows up.

Just curious how everyone else looks at this area.

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A level

CC
Serpentor
Destro
Baroness

B Level

Major Bludd
Twins
Zartan
SS
Mindbender
Overkill

C Level

Croc Master
Hiss Commander
Raptor
Copperhead
Wild Weasel

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Good topic, ZeeGee.

I agree with your A tier except for Major Bludd. I don't consider him or Firefly in the hierarchy at all. They are mercanaries that like Cobra's money.

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In my "personal canon"

A Level
Cobra Commander

B Level
Baroness, TomaxamoT, Maj. Bludd,

C Level
"Commander"-level Cobras and specialists that might fall outside the regular Chain O' Command
Scrap Iron, Overkill

Destro, Firefly, Storm Shadow, Copperhead, Wild Weasel, etc. I think of as mercenaries. I mean, more mercenary-ish that regular Cobra mercenaries.

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A Level
Cobra Commander
Baroness
The Twins
Crimson Guard Commander (if only because he is privy to so much information)

B Level
Destro, for political and financial reasons he cannot be directly associated with Cobra but he is too integral to their operations.
Dr. Mindbender, he has his hand in just about every Cobra operation in some way.
Serpentor, a puppet leader, but a good leader none the less
Overlord, also a good leader and important strategist
Wild Weseal, he's just too good a pilot and too important to Cobra to be with the rest of the Mercs

C level
Mercs, this includes Firefly, Major Bludd, Scrap Iron, Copperhead, Black Dragon, Night Creeper Leader, Guillitine, or Black Out, any one of which could have been a big time player in Cobra if only they were not so concerned with their own agendas.

Any other named Cobras, Cesspool, Voltar for Destro, Raptor, Slice and Dice, Big Boa, etc

D level
Officer level Cobras

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"A" Level
Cobra Commander

"B" Level
The Baroness
Doctor Venom

"C" Level
Copperhead
Wild Weasle

"D" Level
Scarface
Cobra Officer

Those are the only Cobra operatives I use, guys like Destro, Bludd and Firefly are all contractors and could be replaced by Cobra Commander at any time. I don't see why a Mercenary who failed at pretty much everything he did like Major Bludd would wind up being the leader of Cobra Command's infantry

Cobra A Group

Cobra Commander

Level B

Tomax
Xamot
Major Bludd

Level C

Storm Shadow
Wild Weasel
Copperhead





M A R S A Level

Destro

Level B

Baroness
Voltar
Darklon

Level C

IG Commander



Cobra La/ COIL A List

Golobulus
Serpentor

Level B

OverLord
Pythona
MindBender

Level C

Nemesis Enforcer
Royal Guard Commander

Then you have the Freelancers
Firefly
Zartan and the Dreadnocks
Wraith

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I put CC, Destro, Twins on first tier. (Serpentor has not yet arisen)

Second tier reserved for the tippy top - Baroness and other major team or operation leaders: Zartan, Firefly, Dr. Venom, Overlord, Headman, Prof. Appel.

Third tier belongs to high level field commanders: Wingfield, Bludd, Scarface, Cesspool; or those with elite skill set: Storm-Shadow, Wild Weasel, Zarana, Fred 2; or technology: Scrap-Iron, Fred VII, Mindbender.

The last major tier belongs to the Dreadnoks and anyone that can keep up with them: Big Boa, Skullbuster, SAW Viper, Copperhead, Eels, Snow Serps, CGs, Headhunters, IGs, Red Ninjas...

Then Vipers, Officers, then Troops.

Level 1: Supreme Unquestionable Rulers of Cobra
These are the guys that everybody just knows runs they show.
They consist solely of Serpentor, Cobra Commander, and Golobulous

Level 2:
These are the people that are willing to take command of Cobra should all three of the number 1s be out of the picture.
These are people like Destro, Dr. Mindbender, Tomax, and Xamot, Overlord, Overkill, Headman, Baroness and basically Cobra's biggest leaders

Level 3:
These are Cobra's most elite opperatives. They're liable to be put in commander of missions or teams, but unlikely to end up running the show.
They're people like Copperhead, ScrapIron, Wild Weasel, Storm Shadow, and most of the upperclass codenamed individuals

Level 4:
The Freaks
These are the characters that aren't likely to ever be put in charge of anything on a regualr basis, but on that note, non-codenamed people aren't likely to ever be put in charge of them either.
CrocMaster, Raptor, The Dreadoks, Crystal ball, and other such non-elite characters who have codenames go here.

Level 5: Elite soldiers
Mainly just the Crimson Guard, but these are the high ranking codenameless opperatives that have proved their loyalty to Cobra without question.

Level 6: Speciality troops
these are the more competent codenameless soldiers within Cobra. Most anything with (Something) Viper goes here.

Level 7: Trained soldiers
Regular Vipers and Officers of the plain blue shirt and bandanna troops go here.

Level 8: nameless hordes
people that have just started Cobra and have pretty much no skills or reputation go here. This category is mainly just for the classic Cobra soldiers with the blue outfits and the bandannas over there faces

The complete cannonfodder:
Toxo-Zombies, BATS, some of Mindbenders genetically altered living weapons. Cobra just kinda points these things in a general direction and hopes for the best.

Wow - you've solved an old predictament for me ZG! I usually thought of the hierarchy as one administrative unit and one troop level unit - but that posed a predictament for me -because guys like raptor and big boa didn't fit in either and including guys like Copperhead in the top tier kind of crowded out and watered down the top brass. For whatever reason my mind never let me see it as a multi-level administration. I've imagined chains of command for the troops but never for the executives.

I'm happy to adopt your tiers but I may have to draw up my own executive chain of command now - each with their own security clearance level..

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The Crimson Guard is divided into ten 10-man Watches, with a Watch Commander in charge. They're descendants of European Aristocracy seeking to re-assert their hereditary rule over the rest of the world, originating with Julius Caesar's Praetorian Guard. They changed their name to the Crimson Guard as they passed Caesar's body amongst themselves and their armor was stained with his blood. When the Empire fell, they went 'underground' and disseminated amongst the new medieval kingdoms.

Towards that end, one of the Watch Commanders made up a cover story about wanting to bring down the Corporate Bureacracy that infested modern governments and kept the common man down. He called his organization the COrporate Bureacracy Resistance Army, and initially hired 100 mercenaries to be his followers with himself as the COBRA Commander. He used them as bodyguards for the most part, then to rob banks and suchnot to raise funds for actual military hardware. He then ordered his subordinate Crimson Guards to raise their own 100-man armies, with him in overall command of them all while keeping a faction loyal to him alone.

The other Watch Commanders, nominally equal in rank with CC but seeing his coffers increase in wealth and the fanaticism of his followers, raised their own armies in response and either allied themselves with CC to get a piece of his pie or opposed him for various reasons.

The full accounting of the Watch Commanders is: COBRA Commander, Baroness Anastacia, OverLord, Xamot, Tomax, Interrogator, Darklon, Praetor, Baron Zemo, and Oberkommander Worms. Usually, the Baroness, the Twins, Oberkommander Worms, and the Interrogator are allied with CC, giving him 60% control over the entire Guard organization. Praetor and OverLord continually resist him as being a traitor to the millenia-long traditions of the Guard, with Darklon a frequent ally simply because he doesn't like to be ordered around by CC. All of the 'subordinate' Watch Commanders have switched allegiances at one time or another in attempts to increase their own power, riches, or prestige. Baron Zemo is largely dismissive of the entire Guard and active in his own independent operations.

Independent operators such as FireFly, Major Bludd, Storm Shadow, and Zartan are hired to fulfill specific contracts on an as-needed basis and cannot be considered 'standing personnel'.

A quick-n-dirty chart showing half of the Watches, their subordinate Guardsmen, and their Armies.

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I know this thread is more about who has authority, etc... but I don't really get that complex with things. My Cobra High Command is limited *ONLY* to those who... y'know... command:

A List: The High Command
Cobra Commander - Supreme Leader
Destro - MARS Commander
Baroness - Cobra Army Commander
Storm Shadow - Red Ninja Commander
Zartan - Dreadnok Commander
Dr. Mindbender - IRON Army Leader
TomaXamot - Crimson Guard Commanders

B List: Cobra Army Leaders
Major Bludd - Infantry Leader
Vypra - Mobile Infantry Leader
Copperhead - Naval Leader
Wild Weasel - Air Corps Leader
Overkill (IRON Army) - Mechanized Infantry Leader

C List: Cobra Agents
Firefly
Blackout
Munitia
Interrogator
Scalpel

I prefer using the 25th Ann Line as a guide. It streamlines Cobra back down to a manageable amount, cutting the fat of unnecessary characters.

We are left with...

Top Tier:
Cobra Commander or Serpentor

Depends on whatever mood I am in. The Serpentor fig is lacking, and while the CCs figs are flawed, I give CC the nod at the moment.

Second Tier:
Destro: Arms Dealer
Twins: Financial backing
Baroness: Intel

Cobra really couldn't operate without the Twins. They can arm twist CC if it comes to it. Destro also can push his weight around at times because he tires of CC's erratic behavior. CC puts up with these men because he needs a cash flow and weapons. Baroness is the token female, not a merc, totally a member of Cobra. Prefers to usually play CC and Destro off of one another rather than make power plays herself.


Third Tier:
Major Bludd
Scrap Iron
Storm Shadow
Wild Weasel
Copperhead
Croc Master

This is just a collection of Cobra agents.

Bludd is a merc hired full time to act as the closet thing Cobra has to a field commander. Scrap Iron is a weapons tester. Storm Shadow is a ninja assassin, is useful in training the blueshirts as well. Wild Weasel is just a really good pilot. Sure, the best Cobra has, but that doesn't make him Cobra's air commander. He may command an air strike, he may not. Depends who he's flying with. If someone like Destro is flying, you can bet he's in command, not Wild Weasel. Copperhead is just a glorified security guard who patrols swamps that surround various Cobra bases. He is not a naval commander in my eyes. Croc Master is also a security agent, except he uses trained crocs.

4th Tier:
Crimson Guard

These are Cobras most elite troops. Often work undercover within society. Can even be given command over named Cobra agents if given the proper authorization (as seen in the cartoon episode, The Germ).

5th Tier:
Scarface, and other Cobra Officers

People given command over troops.

6th Tier:
Specialty Vipers, Cobra Vipers and Blue Shirts

You start out as a blue shirt, eventually you get better training and gear. I don't think that just because you become a Bazooka trooper, you outrank a Cobra Officer.

Mercs:
Firefly
Zartan and Dreadknoks
Wraith

Just people who Cobra have standing arrangements with. Zartan is in it for the money and his commitment to the Cobra cause is suspect. Dreadknoks are incompetent goons. Firefly is good at his job and is a CC loyalist.


Cannon Fodder: BATS

The more I think of the Overkill character, the less I like his concept. He would overthrow Cobra if he actually existed. I like BATS as mindless killing machines, not apart of the political infighting in Cobra.

Cobra La:
Nemesis Enforcer

He is on loan from Golobulus to CC, eventually Serpentor when he takes over Cobra. He'll take orders from those who is serving. As Golobulus does not have a figure, he and the rest of Cobra La lurk in the shadows.

A-Level
Serpentor-responsible for entire organization and running of Cobra. The Emperor, President, King etc.
Cobra Commander-acts as a mayor. So if Serpentor is the governor of New York State, then Cobra Commander is a mayor like bloomberg.
Destro-as capable (and probably more) than Serpentor or Cobra Commander and is the go to guy because they know he will get the job done.
Baroness-similiar go to person and is just as capable to run Cobra

A/B floaters-
Twins-kind of float between A and B simply because they aren't completely trusted by any of the A level.
Zartan-is so duplicitous that none of the A or B trust him. However he does lead the Dreadnoks which gives him some power from that level alone.

B-
Major Bludd-the general in the field. The troops know him and respect him so he has that respect. Almost like a Roman general back in the day.
Mindbender-from an intelligence stand point he can't be matched. However he isn't a leader of men. However he has so much say over the technology and information gathering within Cobra that it puts him in a powerful position. Otherwise he would be a wacky scientist in his lab.
Overkill-depends on what continuity we go with. For the filecard he would be in A-constantly struggling to wrestle power away. In the DD continuity he is a fiercely loyal general to Serpentor and is equivalent to Major Bludd.

C-
These are like Department heads
Storm Shadow-security and protection
Firefly-is a mercenary so no one really trusts him
Scrap Iron-has close ties to Destro and is in charge of weapon development
Big Boa-training think along the lines of Sgt Slaughter for the Joes
Copperhead-naval head
Crystal Ball-interogations and works under Mindbender
Scalpel-chief medical officer but since he is so demented works closely with Mindbender and Crystal Ball. They are the "triad of terror"
Wild Weasel-air force commander.

After that would be all of the viper-sects, tech support, the Dreadnoks (who are Cobra's main black ops unit).

That was how I set it up when I was a kid and had stories that went on for years with these guys. I also had a time where "Cobra Commander" was a title and not a man. Once the real cobra commander was killed (or believed to be). This was a position where a member of the organization was appointed. He acted like a governor and had very little control since Serpentor ran the show. Once the real Cobra Commander came back though he killed everyone who had held that spot and imprisoned Serpentor so he could gloat.

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