Embassy of Duronis II Officer's Manual

			Embassy of Duronis II • USS Thor

The Standard Operating Procedures of the USS Thunder-A and Embassy on Duronis II lay out expectations for each simmer aboard the ship. Any questions or concerns about these procedures can be directed to the Captain or First Officer, who are happy to explain anything further.

Sim Form

The Embassy sim form is essentially the same form you were introduced to in training:

• Please include your character name in the title line.
• Most simmers on the ship also list who they are tagging in the subject line.

(TAG: NAME)

• At the beginning of each sim reference the location.

((the location))

• Set descriptions off by placing them in text blocks.

::The dark hall.::

• Place speech behind the Character name.

Turner: Hello. Welcome to the USS Thunder.

• Thoughts are place in bubbles.

oO thought Oo

• Telepathic thoughts receive a ~.

~ My mind to your mind. ~

• Place OOCs comments in parentheses.

(OOC: This is a really long document.)

• At the end of each sim place your name, duty post, assigned ship, and your Author IC Number.

Fleet Captain Toni Turner

Commanding Officer

USS Thunder-A

E238209TT0

• Run Spell Check and Grammar Check if you have it!

Don't simply hit reply or cut and paste another's sim and fill in your responses. Rather, begin a new sim, adding established dialogue where necessary, but remembering to fill in your character's own ::actions::, oOthoughtsOo, and so on. Remember, your character isn't omniscient - s/he only knows how to look at the world through her/his own eyes!

The sim form is important to facilitate clear communication, and is one of the criteria your CO will look at for promotion from Ensign to Lt. jg. If in doubt look to the Captain's and First Officers' sim form and emulate it.

Simming Standards

Frequency

• Full Time Simmer: 3+ times a week (Ideally at least 12 sims a month)
• Part Time Simmer: 2+ times a week
• Occasional Simmer: Less than 8 sims a month
• Secondary Simmer: Maintains an active character else where, but sims Occasionally.

• Any simmer who does not sim in 30 days or is Occasional without being a Secondary will receive a note advising them of UFOP policy and the possibility they may be removed from the list.

• If a simmer does not respond to the above mail and start simming within 72 hours they will be removed from the Embassy/Thunder Google Group and must contact the CO and FO to be re-added.

Content

This is a Star Trek Sim, the Content should be Star Trek in nature, and reflect the standards of the show. (example: you can't beam through shields.)

UFOP is a PG-13 forum. The rule of thumb is, if you wouldn't hear it or see it on the shows, don't put it in your sim. Any vulgarities should be represented as ----- or $%**&. Even then keep them at a minimum.

Please limit posts to the board to those messages relating to the Embassy/Thunder sim site. No extraneous emails please. (Such as jokes,pictures, and inspirational stories.) The Embassy/Thunder has a site for such messages on the UFOP Message Boards at http://www.starbase118.net/forums/ . Please take a few minutes to check out the board and if relevant, post your messages there.

Sim Theme

Keep in mind as you sim that Star Fleet is a paramilitary organization. Chain of Command is part of the Theme. In normal circumstances, a junior officer reports to the Department Head. The Department head reports to 1st or 2nd officer. The 1st and 2nd officers report to the Captain.

In emergencies call the Bridge, not the Captain who may or may not be on the Bridge. The Bridge is the center of the ship, receiving and redirecting information, and directing action.

Away Teams

1. Report down and safe. This is a SOP within Star Trek.
2. Inform the bridge of findings.
3. Ask permission when deviating in anyway from the mission briefing.
4. All away teams should be lead by a Senior Command officer and contain at least 1 security officer.

Sim Tips

1. The best way to improve at simming is to sim.
2. Involve/Interact with others when you sim.
3. Remember once an idea is simmed, it can go in many directions. It may or may not go as you planned.
4. If an error is made, always try to fix it in sim. It is extremely rare for the CO to rescind a sim. Think creatively and fix issues in the sim.
5. When simming with others always give them time to respond. UFOP standard is to wait 48 hours for response but no more than 72 hours. After that, continue on.
6. Do not sim for others. You may move a character if it is logical he or she would follow the orders a superior officer has given, but do not provide dialogue or sim for that character beyond a logical assumption that they would follow orders. You can also do joint sims by using chat soft ware, or exchanging emails. Command decisions should always be RESPONSE
7. Do not create and solve a problem in one sim. Nor should one push the plot too far all at once. Doing so is called a Marathon sim or Power Simming, and while useful for administrative reasons, should be avoided.
8. Avoid Meta-simming; there may be times when the player knows exactly what is going on, but the character remains ignorant. Mysteries are often spoiled by Meta-simming.
9. Be gentle with one and other. Everyone can have an off day, or miss something. Ultimately this is a friendly game.
10. Expect consequences for IC actions. If someone phasers an innocent bystander, expect to be hauled up on charges. As a CO, I believe highly that IC actions have IC consequences. Think about the consequences of your actions before you sim.
11. Captains hate surprises. If you are planning a sudden plot twist that will re-write the mission contact the command officer to clear the idea. If you plan on the death of you primary PC ALWAYS contact the command staff first.
12. IC can bleed into OOC. Be careful when simming confrontations between characters. Often such sims should be proceeded by an OOC discussion that specifies what will happen, and how to resolve the confrontation.

    (For Example: If your character is intolerant of non-humanoid species, be sure to email another simmer OOC and assure him or her that your problem wasn't with them, but rather was simply an IC trait you are exploring.)

    If you need to sim any type of difference of opinions, be it an internal hatred of anyone to fisticuffs in the mess hall, use your OOC judgment and contact the people involved, as well as your command staff. Always CC these types of OOC's to the command staff.

13. Ultimately Simming is not about what you do, but how you do it.

Sim Philosophy

Character Development and Interactions is the reason to sim.

There is no I in TEAM!

Simming on the Embassy/Thunder is a team effort, with everyone reading and playing off of each others sims. Command staff will set the stage for large plots in the form of a mission briefing, back ground information, or background sims. A plot evolves one step at a time, expanding on and developing into the ideas laid out during the briefing. Eventually, the crew will move towards a graceful conclusion. The plot may actually travel quite far from the original idea. This is only natural when everyone contributes.

Expectations for Crew Members

The keyword for our expectations is respect. This includes the following:

• A. Other writers - Everyone has a different style of writing and writing experience. All are to be accepted as equals and respected for their abilities.
• B. Superior officers - As in the Military orders from your superior officers are to be obeyed without question. This does not mean that you can’t "think" they are wrong, as long as you carry orders out. Remember, your character may see part of the situation, while your superior officer sees a wider scope of the situation. This is IC as well as OOC.
• C. Evaluations - On occasions either the Captain or someone designated by the Captain may send you suggestions on how you can improve. These suggestions are designed to help you as a SIMer, and to achieve rank advancement when the time comes. They are not meant as anything but constructive. Respect the one sending them for wanting to help. It is up to you whether you implement the suggestions or not.
• D. OOC list: Out of Character activities are a vital form of communication with the entire crew. Respect that by not sending Forwarded emails or anything that does not directly have to do with Star Trek.
• E. Respect UFOP: SB118 by not soliciting for another RPG.
• F. Missions: Each Mission is designed to be so that all players can find something interesting to do, and left open for individual creativity and enjoyment. Please don’t make major changes or add any mission altering characters unless you first obtain permission of the Captain. If your idea has merit, it will be implemented. If not, then it may be included as a separate mission if you care to write one. We encourage all players to write missions for this group.
• G. Sim Pace: The Sim Pace Goal for this particular ship is 250+ sims a month. To do that, we require everyone to sim at least three (3) or more sims per week. The exception to this rule is as follows: At times when RL issues prevent you from meeting the Sim Pace (e.g. Vacations, hospitalizations, work, school, etc.), all you need do is email the CO or FO, and you will be excused from this requirement for a duration no longer than four weeks unless we hear from you.

NOTE: Anyone not siming at all and not sending the CO or FO notice of the reason, will be assumed AWOL and will be dismissed from the ship.

• H. Tutorials: This Ship adheres to the rules set forth for Sims in the SB118 Academy Tutorials. You will find the tutorials here: http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/
• J. SB118 Constitution and By Laws: We respect the rules set forth in the Constitution and By Laws found at http://www.starbase118.net/members/constitution/constitution.php

Promotion

One cannot deny the appeal of power of promotion. Yet, each rank has its own pleasures. Promotion is not an end onto itself, but rather a side result of continuous quality simming. Many factors go into promotion. One is time; the average Captain has been in the club for at least 3 years. Many officers never achieve Captain, while others who do step down at some point. Even the best simmer needs time to learn the protocols of UFOP and how to handle fellow players. But, it takes more than putting in time to be promoted. Each simmer must reach certain markers of achievement to advance; nor are the markers necessarily the same for each simmer. Here are some of my thoughts on what each rank should be capable of. Keep in mind this list is not exhaustive and that there are other requirements which may or may not apply to your promotion. Each simmer's situation is unique and promotions are considered on an individual basis taking into account the entire experience of the simmer.

Be aware these requirments assume full time simming. If you are a part time simmer, occasional simmer or take a Leave of Absence during a mission, it will affect your promotion prospects.

Ensign

Ensigns should be enthusiastic, using the proper sim form, and willing to adapt to their new ship.

Ensign to Lieutenant junior grade

An Ensign is promoted to Lt. junior grade once they demonstrate the following:

• a mastery of the sim forms
• an ability to interact with others
• an ability to follow the ship's basic plot
• consistency in their simming

The simmer will have completed a minimum of one mission aboard the ship before promotion to Lt. Junior grade.

Lieutenant junior grade to Lieutenant

Simmers must achieve the following to be promoted to full Lieutenant:

• sim reliably
• push forward the plot
• develop their character
• exhibit a willingness to assist other simmers

Lieutenants to Lieutenant Commander

Simmers must move beyond the desires of personal glory to be promoted to Lieutenant Commander. A Lieutenant Commander shows leadership by sacrificing their own role in the plot to encourage others to sim. For example, they may allow their primary character to be injured or detained to give their fellow simmers impetuous to sim. When faced with a chance to solve the entire mission they will leave others a chance to assist.

To become a Lieutenant Commander the Lieutenant must be willing to reach out to new simmers in their sims; perhaps with something as simple as doing a welcome aboard conversation sim. When asked to assist the captain with OOC tasks a person deserving of Lieutenant Commander rank will show a willingness to help. Continued character development and details will also be evident. In many ways Lieutenant Commander is about mastery of simming.

Lieutenant Commander to Commander

LtCmdrs. are recommended for the command test when they show a continual desire to assist with the OOC activities of running a ship. Commander is the first rank at which the simmer moves to being staff of UFOP. To have anyone at the rank of commander who does not wish to or is unable to assist with the club work in unacceptable. As captain I will look for concrete examples of what the individual has achieved. Do they participate on the message boards? Have they worked on the Wiki? Do they assist with problem simmers? Do they help out in training?

As I said these are only guides; often times a Captain's own instincts play a major role in promotions. All promotions are at the Commanding Officer's discretion.

Occasionally, feedback is offered to simmers to assist their advancement. However, feel free to solicit advice on what you need to do for promotion.

Department Heads

The position of department head (E.G. CMO, CEO, CSO, etc.) is very important. They should be: supportive of other simmers and their ideas, willing to assist other simmers, sim reliably, develop their characters, and advance the plot. Under normal circumstances I will be looking for all department heads to be full time simmers. Department head positions are not guaranteed and may be rotated upon the discretion of the command staff.

OOC Conduct

Ultimately this is a game, and we all share the same goal, which is to have fun. In OOC contact, officers of the Embassy/Thunder are expected to be respectful. Do not post any inappropriate or graphic items to the Embassy/Thunder site. Be kind to one and other, everyone has an off day occasionally. Let your fellow players know of planned absences like vacations. If there is any developing OOC problems between players advise the Command staff and copy them on emails. Abuse or Flaming Others will not be tolerated.

NPC's, PNPC's and Secondary Characters

NPCs move through the background of our sims giving life to our writing. They can be everything, from a lost ensign to a girl friend, or a trusty security guard. Some are named, and many are not. Named NPCs should be treated with some care, and not killed with out contacting the creator if possible. Every simmer is free to create NPCs as needed. Still NPCs are window dressing and players should feel free to use them. An example is the nurse in Sick Bay. The Chief Medical Officer may use this NPC character a lot, but others are free to sim the NPC. They do not have to put in Tag lines.

PNPC's and Secondary Characters are the fall back character for a particular simmer. They are typically activated when ones primary character in incapacitated, or to sim something ones primary would never be able to do. A good secondary will be different from the primary, and have a unique personality. Sometimes, a secondary replaces one's original character. I advise most simmers wait till they are Lieutenants before creating a secondary. Secondary Characters should be used with the permission of the creating player, or leave the response tag lines.

Transfers

Transfers are properly requested through a ship's Captain. He or she then contacts the Fleet Placement Officer (FPO) and other Captains, to work out the transfer.

Leaves

Simming is a cooperative effort. If you are going to be gone (or otherwise without Internet access) an extended period of time -- say, four days or longer -- please advise the ship's Captain and crew. This will prevent anyone from having to wait, as well as, preserve your placement on the ship should the absence be greater than 30 days. If your absence is greater than three weeks you will need to fill out a Leave of Absence Form on the UFOP: SB-118 main site.

Grievances

If you ever have any concerns or questions please feel free to contact the Captain or First Officer.

Questions/Clarification

If you have any questions or need clarificatin of anything in the Embassy/Thunder SOP please be sure to contact the Captain or the First Officer.