Theta Fleet Rules for Starbase Mercury

Posted on Sat Oct 1st, 2022 @ 9:28pm by Commodore Sureth

Guidelines for Simming in Theta Fleet





1. Be Respectful of Other Players In and Out of Character.

A) We don't expect you to be perfect. We just expect you to be considerate when dealing with other players. Don’t assume they are being offensive, hateful, bigoted, or racist. We all see things differently and most of the time it is unintentional or a simple misunderstanding.

B) Don’t make fun of, belittle, or criticize others for their gender, race, religion, lifestyle, politics, disabilities, etc. We are a community of flawed individuals who are here to write together and have fun. Be respectful in and out of character. If your character is a jerk, get approval from the CO first, and make it very clear in your bio.



2. Do Not Badmouth Other Fleets on Discord or Your Sim.

The simming community is small and many of us sim in multiple fleets. Simming is not a competition. If you have a personal issue, telling your close friends is fine, but spreading it on social media or the fleet/sim as a whole is not.



3. Do Your Best to Use Proper Spelling and Grammar.

A) It doesn't matter if you use British, American, Canadian or Australian English—even if different players use different standards of English in the same post.

B) We suggest you use a spell checker. Word programs have them. Some browsers like Firefox have addons that will do this. Typos happen to all of us. All we ask is that you try to catch and fix them.

C) You can fix typos, and occasional glaring grammar issues, but don’t rewrite other people’s tags or posts.



4. Please Use Third Person Limited Omniscient Past Tense.

For example: Mark walked down the corridor and turned into sickbay. While he walked, he thought about the recent mission and the problems it would cause with the new strain of grubs he was testing. If he was successful, they would be a viable source of protein for the colonists.



5. Don’t Write for Other Characters.

A) Don't play (write for) someone else's character without their permission. The same goes for player-specific NPCs (PNPCs or Linked NPCS). You can refer to another character in your post or have them walk by, etc. You just can't have them talk or act without the player's permission.

B) If you’re playing a telepath, read the rules for telepathy. Make sure you don’t tell other people what they’re thinking. If in doubt, ask.



6. Departments, PCs and NPCs.

A) Each sim has various departments with department heads (Senior Staff) who oversee and run the day-to-day workings of that department. If the sim is set on a starbase or starship, there may be time spent in the command center or on the bridge. There will also be away missions and on-site responsibilities. One person, or character, cannot be everywhere at once, nor can he or she do everything.

B) It is a good idea to use NPCs along with your PC. These are secondary characters that add to the breadth and depth of the sim and give the player more chances to write and get involved in the story.

C) NPCs allow a player to write in multiple stories at the same time. The PC can be on the away team, an NPC on the bridge and another NPC can be working in the department.

D) Do not create an NPC if you don’t plan on using it on a semi-regular (recurring) basis. There will be many NPCs who are never put in the manifest but still show up in JPs. This is perfectly acceptable. They can be listed at the bottom of the post in the signature list. They don’t need to go in the manifest.



7. Playing an NPC in Someone Else’s Department

A) Sometimes, a player will wish to create an NPC in someone else’s department, or one without a department head. Check with the CO first to see if it is permissible or if the CO has other ideas for that department.

B) If there is a PC as the department head, the player should also ask permission from that player as it is their department. Department heads often have their departments set up in specific ways, or have NPCs with their own secondary story arcs. Or they already have descriptions and personnel that were used in previous posts. For this reason, it is always important to ask first.

C) If the department does not have a player character (PC) as the Department Head, it is preferable to have an NPC as the Assistant in the manifest and let the NPC run the department until a PC shows up. If it is an NPC department, then an NPC will be the Department Head and PCs will not be able to apply. Thus, check with the CO.



8. Follow the Chain of Command.

A) The CO/Game Master is in charge of the sim. He/she/they have the final say.

B) If your character chooses not to follow an order from the captain or to do what the CO says, there will be in character consequences. If you as a player choose to not follow the prescribed mission set out by the CO of your sim, you may be removed. Unless you get permission first. Or you get permission to do a side mission.

C) The fleet has a JAG, but it’s only for issues that go above and beyond what would be considered reasonable. Or if the matter involves multiple sims. (This is taken on a case-by-case basis.)


9. When To Take a Leave of Absence.

A) If you are going to be unable to tag on your sim for more than a week, tell your CO. If it’s more than two weeks, ask for an LOA. If it’s going to be more than a month, ask for an ELOA. Let your CO/Game Master know what’s going on and when you’ll be back.

B) If you simply disappear, you are likely to be removed from the sim. Be considerate of the sim and its players and inform people, if you can. Send an email, PM, DM, or put yourself on LOA in the Nova control panel.



10. Section 31 in Task Force 23 (Fleet Canon)

A) Section 31 was the name of an officially nonexistent clandestine organization within Starfleet Intelligence that claimed to protect the security interests of Starfleet and the Federation. The original Section 31 (ENT) was an information-gathering organization under Starfleet Intelligence.

B) Because of Sloane and others just before and during the Dominion War, Section 31 became more of a problem than an asset. Starfleet curtailed much of their previous authority, pulling them back to more of an information gathering organization.

C) For these reasons, there is no Section 31 in Task Force 23, or it is simply for gathering information. There can be one in Area 51.


 

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