View source for Ensigns Orientation

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[[File:Starfleet Command insignia2.png|right|200px|link=Starfleet Academy Curriculum]]
===Congratulations, Class of {{#expr:({{CURRENTYEAR}}+377)}}!===
The Starfleet Academy Alumni Association has created this guide to help you as you enter the fleet as a new ensign.

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====Getting started as a wiki user====
''Be on the lookout for your wiki account login information, which may end up in your spam/junk folder. Your new Commanding Officer will create it after you've been welcomed to your ship. Once that account is set up, and you're logged in, you can read through these resources to ensure that you have a strong foundation for participation.''
* [[118Wiki:Policies and Guidelines|This wiki's policies and guidelines]]
* [[New Wiki User|Quick wiki tutorial for new users]]

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{{Heading|Learn about your next steps|#6699cc}}

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'''[[Creation and Upkeep of a Character Page|Build your character's profile page]]'''
* Perhaps one of the most fun things about graduating from the Academy is setting up your character profile. This detailed tutorial will explain how you can lay the groundwork for an amazing, detailed area that shows everyone who your character is. 

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'''[[Promotions|Read the promotion guide]]'''
* You've just been promoted to ensign, so naturally it's time to start thinking about your first promotion to Lieutenant JG! We've put together a short list of requirements you should work on for each rank transition, so you know when you're headed in the right direction.

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'''Find us on [http://www.facebook.com/starbase118 Facebook] and [https://twitter.com/starbase118 Twitter]'''
* Follow our accounts to see our Community News and other updates in your feed. Then invite your friends to join us – we survive on referrals, and you may be surprised how many of your friends will be interested in our community. Pass on our website address (starbase118.net) via Facebook, Twitter, or even an email!
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{{Heading|Become an expert in your duty post|#6699cc}}
''Learning to play your duty post as an expert is not only a gratifying experience, but one that will also help you advance in rank faster and ensure that others around you will appreciate what you're contributing and want to sim with you. So spend some time getting to know more about your duty post, and how to hone you skills in this area to expert level.''

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'''{{s|Duty Posts|Operations Division}}'''
* [[Helm/Com/Ops (Duty Post)|Helm/Com/Ops Officer]]
* [[Security (Duty Post)|Security Officer]]
* [[Tactical (Duty Post)|Tactical Officer]]
* [[Engineering (Duty Post)|Engineering Officer]]

'''{{s|Duty Posts|Sciences Division}}'''
* [[Science (Duty Post)|Science Officer]]
* [[Medical (Duty Post)|Medical Officer]]
* [[Nursing (Duty Post)|Nursing Officer]]
* [[Counselor (Duty Post)|Counselor]]

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'''{{s|Duty Posts|Command Division}}'''
* [[Intelligence (Duty Post)|Intelligence Officer]]

'''{{s|Duty Posts|Marine Corps}}'''
* [[Marines (Duty Post)|Marine Officer]]

'''{{s|Duty Posts|Diplomatic Corps}}'''

'''{{s|Duty Posts|Civilian}}'''
* [[Civilian (Duty Post)|Civilian Duty Post]]

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'''Simming Guides'''
* [[HCO Officer Simming Guide|Helm, Com, and Ops simming guide]]
* [[Security Officer Simming Guide|Security officer simming guide]]
* [[Tactical Officer Simming Guide|Tactical officer simming guide]]
* [[Engineer Simming Guide|Engineering officer simming guide]]
* [[Science Officer Simming Guide|Science officer simming guide]]
* [[Medical Officer Simming Guide|Medical officer simming guide]]
* [[Counselor Simming Guide|Counselor simming guide]]
* [[Intelligence Officer Simming Guide|Intelligence officer simming guide]]
* [[Marine Simming Guide|Marine officer simming guide]]
* [[Diplomat Simming Guide|Diplomat simming guide]]
* [[Civilian Simming Guide|Civilian simming guide]]
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{{Heading|Hone your simming and writing skills|#6699cc}}
''Now that you've learned the basics, you can get on the fast track to promotion by being the best writer, and the best simmer you can. Learn more about how to improve your skills by reading any, or all, of the following tutorials from the [[Writing Improvement Team]].''

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'''[[Writing Improvement Team/Basic Writing Techniques|Basic writing techniques]]'''
* Tackle common grammatical errors, NPC usage, backsimming, and enjoy Q&A sessions with published authors Melinda Snodgrass and Margaret Bonanno.
'''[[Writing Improvement Team/Style and Mechanics|Style and mechanics]]'''
* This section covers style and format issues in simming, working with narrative and dialogue, using research to improve simming, and related topics.

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'''[[Writing Improvement Team/Plot and Story|Plot and story]]'''
* Here you'll find articles that help you understand different methods of plotting your mission sims, making sims more realistic, and general story considerations.
'''[[Writing Improvement Team/Character Development|Character development]]'''
* How to bring your character to life, simming romance with other characters, and using conflict are found here along with a few related articles.

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'''[[Writing Improvement Team/Creating Original Material|Creating original material]]'''
* Learn some techniques for developing worlds and keeping them realistic.
'''[https://www.starbase118.net/category/column/writers-workshop/ Writer's Workshop on the Community News]'''
* We often post tutorials on our website – you can see the whole archive of them at this link.

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{{Heading|Join a discussion|#6699cc}}
''The forums are always abuzz with lots of fun threads about our game, Star Trek, and anything else that strikes our fancy. If you haven't joined yet, be sure to [http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/register/ register today].''

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'''[https://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/forum/99-guilds/ Guilds]'''
* Our Guilds are places where people writing for characters that share similar qualities (species, sexuality, etc.) come together to develop this special trait. We currently have the Readers Guild, for psionic characters; the Species Guild, where discussion about alien species happens; and the Lambda Alliance, for discussion about Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans characters.

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'''[https://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/forum/52-duty-posts/ Duty Posts]'''
* The Duty Post forums are a great place to ask questions or meet others who play a similar role elsewhere in the fleet. You can get guidance on simming a character in your post, learn more about the In Character tools your character would use, and kvetch about how ungrateful everyone is for the people in your role! 

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'''[https://forums.starbase118.net/forum/17-trek-discussion/ Star Trek]'''
* It's the Star Trek renaissance! New movies, shows, comic books, novels, and more. Join us as we pick apart new trailers and speculate about what comes next. 
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{{Heading|Get involved|#6699cc}}
''Our fleet runs entirely on volunteer energy. So join in and help out – you'll not only meet new people around the fleet, but it'll help your promotion progress.''

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'''[https://www.starbase118.net/members/forms/join-news/ Write for our Community News blog]'''
* We post every day on our blog, and it plays a vital part in not only showing prospective members how active our community is, but also helping our search engine rankings and, of course, informing our community about what’s happening!

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'''[https://www.starbase118.net/2016/write-federation-news-service-october/ Write for the Federation News Service]'''
* Have you heard about our spin-off fan fiction site? The Federation News Service (FNS) is an exciting new venue for worldbuilding and telling stories set in the Star Trek universe.

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{{Heading|Useful pages|#6699cc}}
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'''Get to know our story'''
* [[StarBase 118 Universe Primer]]
* [[Starfleet Vessel Register]]
* [[Fleet Roster]]
* [[Federation News Service]]

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'''[[Member Resources]]'''
* [[Taskforces]]
* [[Leadership Roster]]
* [[Promotions]]

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* '''[https://www.starbase118.net/members/ Personnel forms]'''
** [https://www.starbase118.net/members/forms/transfer/ Request a transfer]
** [https://www.starbase118.net/members/forms/leave-of-absence/ Request a leave of absence]
** [https://www.starbase118.net/members/forms/retire/ Retire from the community]

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'''Reference materials'''
* [[Academy Library]]
* [[Memory 118]]
* [[Factions]]
* [[Intelligent Lifeform Index]]
* [[Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards]]
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[[Category:Ensigns Orientation|*]]