USS Darwin-A SIM Handbook
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| USS Darwin-A Guidebook |
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| USS Darwin-A | ||
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 INACTIVE STATUS | ||
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Welcome aboard the USS Darwin-A! We have a lot of truly outstanding and inspirational players and an experienced, passionate staff who take great pride in our crew and what we do.
UFOP: Starbase 118 prides itself on its focus on writing and we believe in supporting our crew via mentoring and providing the right resources to enable everyone to develop their writing skills. It is our aim to bring every member of our crew up to the highest possible standards of simming while achieving a uniform standard of presentation across all posts on the ship. This guidebook is designed to function as a complete resource for new and experienced simmers alike, whether coming aboard the Darwin crew as a fresh new Ensign, transferring in as an experienced veteran simmer and as a reminder for the rest of us. As some ships have different conventions in certain areas (usually down to CO preference), this document also serves as a comprehensive framework that can be referred to any time whether looking formatting tips, information about how we view promotions or something else.
If you have a question that isn't answered by our guidebook please do not hesitate to contact the Commanding Officer, First Officer of your mentor - we're all very friendly and happy to help.
How to sim
When you came through the academy, you were given a good comprehensive course on the mechanics of simming and you honestly don't need more than that to put a sim in the right format. As you sim with us you'll continuously learn how to improve the content that sites between the symbols. The Darwin SIM format corresponds closely with that used in the academy and detailed in Tutorial #1.
There is one notable difference and that is that the Darwin crew do not capitalise the last name of their character when putting together tags.
| Reminder of Basic Formatting Symbols |
| :: (Double Colon) - Encloses written description and content of a sim. |
| =/\= - Denotes commbadge in use. |
| ~ (tilde) - Telepathic communication. |
| (( )) (double parathesis) - Location Header |
| oO Oo (little o, big o) - Internal Thoughts |
To: sb118-darwin@googlegroups.com
Subject: Ensign Maxwell - Not a morning person
Message Body:
(( Ensign Maxwell's Quarters, USS Darwin ))
:: Ensign Maxwell brought the lights up slowly and lethargically swung his legs out of bed before hoisting the rest of himself up into a sitting position. He hunched over, shielding his eyes from the too bright light before letting his hand travel down and over his rough chin ::
Ricky: Urgh! Maybe I shouldn't have had that last drink or two or three.
:: After dragging himself out of bed, he got dressed and left his quarters, heading to the bridge. ::
Maxwell: oO That ale sure was the real deal last night. Who knew it would have such a kick! Oo
:: On the way, he saw another crew member. He smiled wearily, waving his hand. ::
Maxwell: Crewman Anders, right? You're Commander Thomas's assistant aren't you?
T'tala: Response
Maxwell: Great. Hey, I'm new to the department... what can you tell me about the boss?
T'tala: Response
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Ensign Maxwell - Engineering Officer, USS Darwin NCC-99312-A
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| Helpful Tips | ||
| Talking to the computer: When talking to the computer there's no need to use =/\= if you're in the same room:- Chen: Computer, what was the last known location of the Darwin? Computer: The USS Darwin-A was last detected in orbit of this system's fourth moon. However, where a character is on the surface of a planet and communicating with the ship's computer over a comm-line, =/\= becomes necessary, purely due to the use of the comm:- Chen: =/\= Computer, lock onto my location and beam me back aboard the ship. =/\= |
Descriptive Text: All non-dialogue descriptive text should be marked with two colons (::) at the beginning and end of each paragraph:- ::He climbed up to the top of the ladder with his eyes closed. On opening them, he immediately regretted it.:: |
OOC Notes: OOC communication should be surrounded by double brackets. If you have an OOC question or sizable OOC comment, consider using the ship's OOC mailing list rather than posting it as part of an IC SIM:- ((OOC: This takes place before the JP, "Profit and Pancakes")) |
| Stage Directions and Leaving Tags: In some cases, you may wish to combine speech and 'stage directions' or 'in-line actions'. In this case, simply use the symbols to indicate descriptive text to surround the actions your character is taking or anything that is not dialogue:- Perring: ::Sarcastically:: Oh, well that's just great isn't it. ::Waving the acrid smoke out of his face and coughing:: I suppose I'll have to get a repair team to fix that. To leave a tag for another character, simply write their name as if you were going to fill in a line of dialogue for them, but instead write the word 'Response' :- Leigh: I think it's broken, Doctor... T'Ril: Response |
Telepathy and Thoughts: Where a character has a thought mid-sentence, the thought tags can be included in-line rather than starting a new script entry, as follows:- Rascon: Yeah, this has to rank up there with the best receptions I've ever been to. oO It still royally sucks, but hey, at least I'm not lying as its the only one I've attended. Oo Hold that thought, I think I'm gonna get some more watered down blood wine... |
Thoughts: To remove or not remove, that is the question... When replying to sims where someone has used telepathy (but not directly with your character) or expressed a thought, even in the middle of a sentence, remember to remove it from your sim - most characters are not telepathic and wouldn't hear it. Even if your character is telepathic, ask yourself whether they would have been eavesdropping at that moment and picked up the thought? Even if you can hear a thought, it doesn't mean you should - pick your moments and make them count. |
| Subject Lines: Email subject lines should follow the format below:- Rank and Name, "Custom Post Title" e.g.:- Commander Greir Reinard, "In At the Deep End." We do not include the names of characters tagged in the subject line. Everyone should be reading all of the posts and there are various methods of marking emails you need to return to to collect tags from depending on your email provider including: flagging/starring/marking as unread/putting a tag on them etc. If you are writing a JP, use this format:- JP: Rank and Name 1, Rank and Name 2, "Custom Title" PNPCs, MSNPCs and NPCs should be indicated as such by using those abbreviations before their names. As a general formatting point, make sure no "Re:" text strings appear in your title. Also, there is no need to manually type in [sb118-darwin] - the group list will do that for you! |
Rank Abbreviations: Ranks in subject titles may be abbreviated or written in full. Abbreviated ranks are as follows:-
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Signatures:
Signatures should be placed at the end of your SIM and follow the format below:- ===========================================================
Rank Surname - Duty Post, USS Darwin NCC-99312-A
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What to sim
Your character! We want to see your character in action and learn about them. True, our sim has much action and adventure, but like the T.V. series and books, what really drives it along is the unique and complex characters that crew the ship. We want to see yours!
Generally speaking, there's always something interesting and fun going on aboard the Darwin. We might be doing a set mission (a task assigned to the ship by Starfleet Command), something more free-form such as dealing with a dramatic event aboard the ship, or taking some shore leave. No matter what we're doing, your character should have something to do to contribute, even if this contribution isn't at the forefront of the action. With a dozen or more players aboard the Darwin at any one time its impossible for everyone to be at the forefront of things all the time but everyone will have their chance.
How your character helps out will vary dependant upon the duty post your character is assigned to on the Darwin as well as the current events in the ongoing plot. This is where your creativity as a writer comes in, but if you are ever feeling lost or in doubt, ask somebody! The Commanding Officer, First Officer and your mentor are all there and will happily bounce some ideas around with you.
| Theme & Rating | ||
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Tip: The MPAA defines PG-13 as "Some material may be not be appropriate for children under 13". More information here.
The Darwin prides itself on its serious and realistic themes, its free form nature and its interesting character driven plots. On the Victory we believe that Star Trek and all good drama in general is about the characters, first and foremost. While we do have missions, plots and external forces at play here, our primary focus is on our characters and displaying strong character development. We also tend to be slightly more "European" in what constitutes a PG-13 rating. Generally speaking, this means that we tend to prefer a euphemism ("Frak!") over a censored word ("$@#%!"), there can be shipboard romances, and we explore these through tastefully written sims and Joint Posts. We also take a relaxed, 24th century view on the personal choices and freedoms of the crew aboard. Accordingly, this means that we tend to avoid scenes with strong violence or gratuitous bloodshed if at all possible- especially acts committed by Starfleet personnel in good standing. While an occasional sim may contain violence, it is unbecoming for officers in good standing to wound or take lives unnecessarily, gratuitously or with relish. The Victory fires her phasers only when she has to. It is also important to steer clear of any explicit sexual content or conversation. Ultimately, it is the simmer's responsibility to ensure that their sims are tasteful. Repeated violations of the PG-13 guidelines may result in a warning or disciplinary action. A good rule of thumb is treat the subject the way our favorite show does. | ||
Mentors
All graduates from the Starbase 118 Academy will be assigned a mentor on arrival aboard the USS Darwin-A. The responsibility of a mentor is to act as first point of contact for a new player, to help them to settle in with the crew and to take an active interest in ensuring that they meet all of the requirements for promotion, providing support where necessary. In many cases, new arrivals may be self sufficient, in which case their mentors may be in contact on a less frequent basis. In other cases a mentor may be assigned to an officer who has been a member of the fleet for a considerable period of time if there is a need for specific support to be provided to meet promotion requirements, or for any other reason. All mentor assignments are made at the discretion of the CO.
Once a player reaches full Lieutenant, they may continue to be mentored or their mentor may be reassigned and replaced by a member of the command staff in order to guide further efforts for promotion.
Mission Staff
Each mission on the Darwin will be facilitated by a group of officers (usually including the mission author, the writers behind any of the MSNPCs involved and the command staff). Those officers will be responsible for guiding the mission towards a conclusion within the usual 6-week operating period, assisting with the incorporation of any plot twists that may have been dreamed up by participants among the crew and keeping things as exciting as possible for all involved.
Mission Submission
If you have any ideas for a mission that you would like to run, follow the steps below:-
- Ask yourself whether or not the mission is relevant to the Zeta Gelis Region. If not, could it be adapted to be relevant, or is there a good reason for the Darwin to be diverting away from the region it has been assigned to by Starfleet?
- What will all of the departments be doing during the mission? Preferably they should have something to do other than just their 'default' level of operation (i.e. having a security department just standing guard over a diplomatic talk is not necessarily going to provide a huge amount for those writers to do without a little further thought). If you're short of things for one of the departments to do, can another dimension be added to the mission? Or do the existing members of that department have secondary skills which they could put to good use (training as a field medic, expert in subspace warp fields etc?)
- When you're happy with you submission and you have checked the following two points, email your mission idea to the CO. Please be aware that the mission timetable may have a few missions queued ahead of your submission, so waiting a few months before it is put in to place is not a sign that you're being ignored!
OOC Communication
From time to time, you may be contacted by your mentor, a member of the command staff, or another member of the crew on 'official business', or for a JP request. While you are under no obligation to write a JP with another member of the crew, please try to answer all OOC communication if possible to avoid ill feeling.
Plot Twists
Creativity in SIMming is encouraged and the general rule of thumb for plot twists is to use your common sense. If the twist you're going to put in provides you and your fellow SIMmers with something interesting or exciting to do then it's likely to be a worthwhile addition to the plot. However, it would be worth contacting the CO or a member of the mission staff if you think your plot twist may have a major or serious effect on how the mission would turn out. Examples of this may include (but are not limited to):-
- The addition of a brand new alien race that has not yet been involved in the mission. (Sir, Romulan Warbird decloaking!)
- Relocation of another group of SIMmers other than your own.
- Destruction of an important building or ship.
Small twists, such as locked doors, system malfunctions or personal injury can be used at writer's discretion.
PNPC Creation
If you're intending to create a PNPC, drop the captain an email with a short bio including species and intended rank and duty post. If a department is getting flooded with too many PNPCs then you may be asked to reconsider where your PNPC will be placed. It is not the intention of the CO to deny permission for new PNPCs without due cause, but remember that your PC is the most important characters that you write for on the ship.
Posting Requirements
The Darwin's posting requirements are concurrent with Fleet full time requirements - all SIMmers are required to post 3 times per week, preferably for their main character.
Promotions (Player Characters)
Promotions occur at the end of missions, during Shore Leave. While mid-mission promotions may occur from time to time, such circumstances are extremely rare. All promotions will be awarded according to the promotions guide. Please feel free to keep an open dialogue with your mentor if you unsure what to do in order to achieve your next promotion!
In many cases, service ribbons and awards will be awarded during the same ceremony. On receiving a fleet award, you are encouraged to add the corresponding image to your wiki profile.
Promotions (PNPCs)
PNPC promotions are awarded at the same time as PC promotions by command staff only. Department heads are responsible for nominating PNPCs in their department for promotion by emailing command staff, who will discuss it amongst themselves before making a decision on whether or not to add that PNPC to the promotions list. PNPC promotions are different from PC promotions in that PNPCs should be rewarded for in character actions, rather than being promoted according to the requirements on the promotion guide on the main website. All such promotions will take place during end of mission award ceremonies.
Shore Leave
Under normal circumstances, Shore Leave will take place at the end of each 6 week mission cycle and run for 2 weeks. The length of Shore Leave may vary depending on general fleetwide circumstances and may be extended or curtailed in order to provide opportunities to take part in the annual blockbuster or joint missions with another ship.
During Shore Leave, standard posting requirements still apply, but SIMmers have the opportunity to further develop their characters with a little more freedom. This is an ideal time for characters to make friends, pursue romantic relationships or interact with other members of the crew and for their writers to give us insights into their past or inner thoughts. The galaxy is your oyster!
The USS Darwin-A
When arriving aboard ship, you are encouraged to take some time to familiarise yourself with its layout and the other members of the crew. All pertinent information can be found in the navbar on the right hand side of this document.
Where Do I Look For...?
Character Information
You can find information about any of the Darwin's current personnel through links on the following pages:-
- PCs: Darwin-A Master Crew List
- PNPCs (written by their owners only): Darwin-A Personal NPCs
- NPCs: Darwin-A Non-Player Character Listing
Duty Post Information
If you need help SIMming your duty post, the SB118 wiki contains a wealth of resources including guides for each duty post. You can find more information on the forums, as well as talk to people who have been writing for the post you are serving in for a while already.
General Help
Send questions to the ship's OOC email list, in our ship's section of the forums, or in any other relevant section. You should also feel free to contact your mentor or a member of the command staff with any specific questions (see below).
Ship Information
The nav bar on the right hand side of this page provides information on the USS Darwin-A's capabilities and deck listing. The Darwin is a Horizon-class vessel.
Species Information
When looking up species information, your first port of call should be the Starbase 118 wiki. If you don't find what you are looking for, try Memory Alpha, or the forums.
Other Information
Anything to do with the science of Star Trek is most likely to be found on Memory Alpha
Who To Contact
Any specific questions that you would like to ask can be directed through one of the following channels:-
- The ship's OOC list (sb118-darwin-ooc@googlegroups.com)
- Your mentor (you should have been given an email address when they were originally assigned and they should be in contact with you regularly!)
- The ship's command staff:-
- Commander Renos (CO)