~~ USS Freedom - Tentative Guidelines for Posting ~~

We have a mailing list for "In story" posts, and a separate list for the player green room. The story list is moderated.

Basic Information:

The USS Freedom is currently crewed by adult players from three continents. Some of the players have played together for quite a while now and some know each other in "real life" as well. All of them, however, are more than willing and able to provide any help or assistance you might need. Remember: The only stupid question is the one you did not ask.

New crew members will be monitored for approximately one month. You will send your posts to the Captain before they get sent out to the crew members. This serves to ensure that you get all the help you may need and gives you plenty of time to ease yourself into the established story line. It also serves to head off personality clashes before they occur.

When you apply, you will receive copies of some recent posts. Please take the time to read these carefully to bring yourself up to speed and to get a feeling of the style and content of this RPG. Any questions, please ask. Captain Mara will be more than happy to answer.

This RPG is rather focussed on character development as opposed to constant battles, phaser fire, fist fights and the like. The guidelines for playing this Star Trek RPG are designed to encourage imaginative writing and a smooth cooperation between players in a setting that gives the individual player the highest possible amount of freedom of expression whilst at the same time ensuring that each and every player can enjoy the game. Consequently, regulations are held at a minimum and are generally arrived at through discussion amongst the players with each and every one of them having an equal say in every matter concerning he game.

This minimum, however, will be strictly enforced by the Commanding Officer (or Game Master), Captain Mara.

The basic regulations are as follows:

1. Be polite.
   Our players come from all walks of life. If we wanted rudeness, we could find it much easier elsewhere. We are all here on a voluntary basis, nobody gets paid and nobody wants his or her fun spoilt by personal attacks or insults.
2. Read the posts.
   Reading all the posts enables you to keep track of what is happening and who is currently doing what and prevents glaring contradictions in the flow of the story. You know it makes sense!
3. Fulfill the posting requirements.
   You are required to post once a week and we all like reading fairly longish posts. Whilst we all know that work and life in general can interfere even with the best intentions, a regular posting frequency is the foundation for a good and interesting game. Should you find that you cannot post for whatever reason, please let the Captain know as quickly as possible. Oh, and yes, the Captain does keep track of your posting frequency and takes this as one of the determining factors for promotions.
4. Get authorization before introducing new technology
   Please do everybody the courtesy of asking the Captain for authorization before introducing major and/or radically new technology. This will save on a lot of confusion on the part of everyone.

There are also a few Don't's to remember:

1. Don't be sexually explicit.
   Whilst this RPG can cover mature topics and can go rather beyond the old "Captain Kirk sits on the bed and pulls his boots on ...", out and out X-rated writing as well as insults directed towards players or their characters will not be permitted.
2. Don't kill off or seriously injure another player's character.
   There will be no exception to this rules unless such an action has received prior approval by either the Captain or the player in question.
3. Don't make yourself into a God-like being.
   We have had some problems with immature players in the past who thought that being a hero meant knowing everything, being able to do anything and generally putting themselves above all other players and their characters. We do encourage you to be a "hero" but we will not be happy if you go out of your way to make everybody else look like drooling half-wits.
4. Don't assume you know what other players/characters are thinking.
   Please avoid writing at length what another character is thinking and feeling. Chances are that you are wrong anyway. Plus, the Captain of this vessel can get rather ratty about this pet peeve of hers.

Addresses:

RPG related questions can either be directed to the Green Room or directly to Captain Mara at the address: emdrury at aol.com.

Some of the players occasionally coordinate posts with other players involved in the actions in question before publishing the post. This, however, is not a requirement.

Format for posts and abbreviations:

Format for posts
1. Posts are written in the third person and generally in the past tense. Please start every post with the following:

   Stardate: Year (one digit)-Month-Day.Time
   Name: Character name & rank
   Time: With reference to other posts
   Place: Where the post mainly takes place
   Subject: Title of the post
   
        Example:
   Stardate: 81114.10 = 1998 Nov 14 10a.m.
   Name: Captain Mara
   Time: After "A Briefing" (or during or even before another post)
   Place: USS Freedom (or sickbay or bridge or whatever)
   Subject: Walking a tightrope

2. Please sign every post with your character's name, rank/position, your real name, and your email address.
   
        Example:
   Captain Mara
   Commanding Officer
   USS Freedom
   

   Ellen   emdrury at aol.com  ICQ# m 22968828

Abbreviations and action signifiers:

Abbreviations

• RPG ---- Role Playing Game
• NRPG -- Non-Role Playing Game (remarks that have nothing to do with the game itself)
• PBEM -- Play By E-mail
• ST ------ Star Trek
• NPC ---- Non-Player Character

Action signifiers

• [ ... ] comms transmissions -- example: [Bridge to Lt Smith] "Lt Smith here." [Lt, please ...]
• < ... > computer voices -- example: "Computer, where is the Captain?" <The Captain is currently on the bridge.>
• ~ ... ~ telepathic messages (can also be used to signify thinking)

These guidelines have been written by the original crew of the USS Freedom.

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