RPG RULES

[X]

Version 2.0.
Version 1.0 written by Jen and Kenny with updates and edits with her permission

We hereby welcome you aboard the flagship of the Treks in Scifi Fleet: The USS Arabella.  

The aim of the SIM is to have fun by getting together and telling one large group story in the vast Star Trek universe. Our ship is the USS Arabella and flagship of the Seventh Fleet. We are currently stationed out of Quirinus Station, which is located in the heart of the Romulan Empire. We are under the direct command of Fleet Captain Sevryll, who reports to Rear Admiral Quinn and Fleet Admiral Talbot. The story takes place in an alternate Trek universe shortly after the destruction of Romulus.

*Our story requires a once a week post commitment for normal writers and slightly more from department heads or critical personnel. Anytime you're on the Treks In Sci-Fi Forum, make it a habit to check to see if there are any new posts in the RPG. If you wait for a week or more to check the story, you'll soon fall behind and chaos will ensue....no one likes chaos...unless your weird... in which case, good luck with that.  

FAQ:

Q. Is there anything I need to do before I start to play?

A. Yes, consider a character.
B. Please consider creating an alternate character so that you can post from a different perspective should you need to. This character could be an NPC that everyone can use, or another main character. But submit your ideas to Just X (Chris) via PM, before you post anything. We will offer suggestions if the character will not work for our story.

- What race, or species of origin will that character be a member of? Check out the "Species Active in the RPG" thread, in the "Player Character Profiles" (linked below this paragraph) section, to see who's playing what species in the story. Try not to choose a race that is popular among other members. Especially if there are rare (El-Aurians).http://www.treksinscifi.com/forum/index.php?board=17.0
   
- What job are you interested in for your character? THERE IS PRESENTLY A CAP ON SPIES. We've reached our  limit and then some.

- Contact Just X or Hawkeyemeds (Meds) to find out what departments/positions are available. Meds and I will assign you a rank. Send us your profile so we can approve it before you post it. Please format your profile like this

- Next...visit the "Player Character Profiles" thread and read some of the profiles that have already been written. Check out the templates and copy the format. The templates are posted herehttp://www.treksinscifi.com/forum/index.php?topic=1515.0


Q. Ok, I have a character, now what?

Find out if it's OK to post. PM Meds  or I to find out. If we say, "go for it", find out where your character's commanding officer is (the person in charge of your character's department)...When I say "where" I mean their physical location in the story. If they are off ship, look for the next person in charge and report to them. When posting your first story, make sure to let us know what your character is feeling...Is he/she lost? Does he/she ask for directions? Be creative.  

A. Now, if you are a part of the crew, you can start posting! The RPG works as if it were a large collaborative Star Trek novel. The only differences being that:

- The ship is our own, as are the characters and plot.

- Each post is written from the perspective of the characters in the story.
   
This may sound complicated but I promise it's rather easy. All you have to do is carry on the story in your post from the perspective of your character.

Q. Is there anything I can and/or can't do in a post?

A. Yes but these things are mainly common sense and general manners. For example:

- Feel free to mention other player's characters in your posts, but if you wish to do anything major with them, or have them make any large decisions, then ask the member who plays that character first. We do a lot of collaborating here. Consider sending a prospective post to the member you are involving in the story, and ask them to add dialog to your scene. Sometimes Forum Personal Messages (PM's) are sent back and forth until the post is complete. Other writers are using Google Docs for their collaborative efforts. Decide who will post the scene and add it to the RPG. If you collaborate with another member, please give the other person credit by  adding "Joint post by insert name here and insert other name here".  If you don't collaborate, but include another character, read to find out where that character is before you write about them. For example, if you post that they meet with you on the ship, make sure they're not on an away mission before you post.

- Please try and keep the plot realistic and within the Star Trek Universe. Do not reference pop culture. If there is any question, PM the moderators.

- Unless it's part of a large ongoing plot no time travel and no superheroes allowed (we spread the glory here).

- No abusive language, explicit content, racist, sexist or any other -ist remarks, comments or anything of the sort. We don't discriminate here.

- Please write in third person and in complete sentences. Example of third person: Picard stood from the command chair and tugged his jacket down before heading to his ready room. Example of what to avoid: I looked around and said "go now!"

- Use spell check. If it helps, use Microsoft Word to type your stories and then paste them into your post.

- Keep track of the RPG by clicking on the "NOTIFY" button at the top of the thread. An email will be sent to you, automatically, through the forums to notify you that the RPG has been posted in recently.

- Please use the OOC thread for posting questions. Avoid adding your comments in story posts..and please leave subliminal messages out of your posts. For example, if you're annoyed because you "tagged" another character (you want them to respond to something your character has done), PLEASE don' t keep posting about how that character needs to return your communiqués. That's annoying. Some people can only post once per week" be patient, they'll respond. If all else fails, send them a PM reminder. Or move on.  

***Know that the moderators have the ability to edit or delete your post if it is too far off base—but we try to PM you first to ask you to change or tweak it yourself. The only reason we would do it without PMing the poster, is if it is out of continuity with the story, uses foul language, involves superheroes or solves a problem prematurely. We only delete or edit to prevent others for reading it before we can contact the poster.***


OK, now that we're finished dishing out the rules...Please have fun and let me or Meds know if you need any help. Feel free to bounce ideas off of us.  

[Meds]

POSTING RULES

If you do have a huge post please do break it up into two or three parts. This is one because its easier to read but two becasue when we do the ready room the narrator has a bit of a easier job. If this is your post and you have to break it down there is no rule to stop you from posting a few times a day.

Also if you have several characters you can post several times a day the same if in joint posts.