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Science Officer Simming Guide: Difference between revisions
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Just remember to temper yourself, despite all this knowledge. No one is a "superman," and weaknesses are always more interesting than strengths. How would your character feel if they hadn't seen the cause and effect chain that brought the crew to their current situation? No one can solve all the problems, but your science officer can always act as a good source of information about the scene and players. | Just remember to temper yourself, despite all this knowledge. No one is a "superman," and weaknesses are always more interesting than strengths. How would your character feel if they hadn't seen the cause and effect chain that brought the crew to their current situation? No one can solve all the problems, but your science officer can always act as a good source of information about the scene and players. | ||
=== A note about "techno-babble" === | |||
Because regs require a science officer on every away mission, a science officer is in a very good position to see a lot of "action". But if the danger for a security officer on an away mission is to become a "red shirt", the danger for a science officer is to become just a spouter of technobabble: "The alien artifact is 2.356 km that way. It seems to be composed of an unusual steel-tritanium alloy..." | |||
While a good science officer knows when to use the right sort of technobabble to help make the mission interesting and to liven up their own speech, it's important to keep in mind that technobabble is more of a filler than a productive plot device. By all means, intersperse your speech with colorful vocabulary, but also be sure to make it simple for your fellow players to understand what is going on. You can use non-speech descriptions to give more information about what you're trying to convey in a non-technobabble kind of way. | |||
On the flip side, don't forget to form your character in the appropriate way! If your character is the type who always talks in total technobabble, then by all means -- do so! The other characters will have to find a way to work around this, and you will also have to find ways to have your character react to others. The point to keep in mind is that you need to ensure that the other writers on your crew can adequately integrate what you are adding to the plot. | |||
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In summation, it's important to remember that your science officer is just like any normal person: they have activities which they enjoy outside of their "work," but are also driven by their quest for knowledge and pursuit of scientific discoveries. Find interesting ways to balance work and play for your character, but also drive their personality in the direction you want. If you're looking for a pasty-pale, wild-haired scientist, then you probably won't spend much time on pursuits outside of the lab. If you're looking for the wild science-partier, then perhaps they need to take up the science of brewing as their leisure activity! | In summation, it's important to remember that your science officer is just like any normal person: they have activities which they enjoy outside of their "work," but are also driven by their quest for knowledge and pursuit of scientific discoveries. Find interesting ways to balance work and play for your character, but also drive their personality in the direction you want. If you're looking for a pasty-pale, wild-haired scientist, then you probably won't spend much time on pursuits outside of the lab. If you're looking for the wild science-partier, then perhaps they need to take up the science of brewing as their leisure activity! | ||
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The CSO or ASCO will probably also spend some time liasing with the medical and counseling departments to assist when necessary in whatever ways they can. | The CSO or ASCO will probably also spend some time liasing with the medical and counseling departments to assist when necessary in whatever ways they can. | ||
(This is an updated and expanded version of the 'how to sim as a science officer' article found on the starbase 118 website.) | |||
== Resources == | == Resources == | ||