AF FAQ

From AlphaFleet

Welcome to Alpha Fleet! Please find below a few questions and answers to help you get a feel for what we're about.

Wonderful title, and I understood everything up to 'Welcome', what's it actually mean?

Basically Alpha fleet is a group of simms set on Starfleet vessels operating as a fleet within Starfleet itself.

The Fleet is set in the year 2385 in the Star Trek timeline, which puts us after the events of the latest film, Nemesis. This is a turbulent time in the Trek timeline, with the rebuilding and re-organisation that inevitably follows a conflict like the dominion war and our fleet is set at the heart of it.

The site looks good, but what exactly is it? Is this some sort of game?

Correct. Alpha Fleet and her member simms are what are known as Role Playing Games or RPG's or Simms. These are games in which each player takes a character (Similar to the ones you see on screen, like Jean Luc Picard, or Geordi La Forge.) and 'plays' them in the game. Obviously, as the sites indicate, these games are set in the Star Trek World.

Most of our games are PbMb simms. This stands for 'Play by Message Board.' All this means is we play our game over a message board, either invisions or PHPBB boards, and each player has a character from the stations crew. All the players email or 'post' to the message board with their input to the story.

So, how exactly do I play this game? What do I post?

First of all you'll need to pick your character and department but this will be covered later. Basically each mission is started by the Commanding Officer on the message board, the first post will either contact a mission briefing or will contain background information on the mission or links.

After the first post the players respond to the situation laid out in the first post with how their characters would respond in that situation. If the situation does not directly involve a character then most players generally post what they would be doing at the time on duty, etc.

So ... I pick a Star Trek character and write about them right? Can I be Spock?

Wrong. As simms (and a fleet as a whole) we create our own characters. We find that this allows each player more 'creativity' as they are not constrained by the rules laid down for the established characters. If you were to pick Spock as your character, other players would expect you to play your character in a particular way, the way that we all see Spock on screen.

This is why, as a fleet, we have made the decision that none of the major characters from the shows or movies must be used by any member of the fleet. Nor can you play a relative or descendant of any established character. Basically we don't want to be over-run by Archer's great-grandchildren!!

So, I have to create my own character? How do I do that? Are there any limits on what I can be?

Ok - I'll deal with the last question first here. Yes, there are limits on what you can be. You cannot be a Q for a start off. A Q is considered to be a 'god-like' character, something we prefer to avoid in our crews. Used the wrong way, this kind of character can completely destroy a simm and demoralise the other crew. This is not to say that you will never see a Q in one of the missions, but they are generally only used as NPC's (Non Player Characters).

There are other things you have to be careful of, such as ....

Abilities you give your character. Make sure they are in line with the species you have chosen for your character. It's not a good idea to 'build' up your character too much, things such as super powers, increased speed, enhanced strength, telekenetics etc. This creates a similiar situation as with a 'God-like' character, where one crew member has more power than the others and frankly, it's a situation we like to avoid.

Section 31 members or ex-assasins. Even in the Star Trek world these characters are in the extreme minority so to find them on a ship or base would be extremely unlikely. Characters such as these are only allowed with the EXPRESS permission of the CO and usually form part of the mission plot if used at all.

And obviously Tribbles are out. One, we can't get uniforms to fit them and two, the maternity leave would make active service a bit of an impossibility. :D All joking aside, the species you pick must be sentient and able to deal with both the duties of a Starfleet officer and deal with the other crew. Common sense should point you in the right direction.

Cross breeds are allowed, we do like players to provide a bio picture for their character so we can visualise who we are dealing with, so bear that in mind when picking your species.

Also you need to bear in mind the specific traits of the species you choose and how they would affect your character. For example, you are unlikely to find a klingon counsellor because of the nature of the klingon species. Or a Vulcan who chooses to become a children's party clown. Over exaggerated on that last example but you know what I mean.

However, this doesn't mean you can't have a klingon counsellor (or a Vulcan children's party clown but lets not go there ;)) but you need something in his or her background to explain why an individual from a typically war-like society chose a profession so distinctly at odds to their culture. For a lot of Simmers decisions like these are half the fun of playing a character.

A bio pic? Where do I get one of those from? Can't I just use a pic of Picard?

Again, last question first. You CANNOT use a picture of any of the major series or movie characters. We took this decision as a fleet because we feel it infringes on the characters we have all come to know and love. For example, can you see a character who uses a picture of Spock for a bio pic who acts more like Tom Paris ... confused? You would be! And so would everyone else. So we don't allow it.

So, where to get a bio picture from?

Well, you can use pretty much any picture you like within reason. Your own picture, a picture of a favourite actor or actress. Please bear in mind that although some simms within the fleet are rated 18+, we do have pg13 simms as well abd we do not wish to see a bio pic that is little more than porn, so anything you use MUST be clean. If in doubt, don't use it. (or the Commanding Officer WILL remove it and you will be disciplined! This is non-negiotiable and will be the only warning given on this. I am a fairly lenient CinC but on some areas I will not give an inch! ~ Carter )

If you want a 'trekkied' picture - usually one with a uniform or if you want to play a trill or klingon, or some other species with distinctive features or markings there are a few places you can look. A web search on your chosen species may turn up something that you can use or another good place to look is the USS Miranda (please remember to credit if applicable). There are also collections of character pics on the Fedhog site (http://fedhog.uss-valkyrie.com), which contains a collection of photo manipulations that you are welcome to choose from.

Can't find anything you like? Or do you want something 'different'?

There are people within the fleet who can do photo manipulations for bio pics but please bear in mind that they are not obligated to do so. Also, a photo manipulation tends to take time and MAY not turn out exactly how you expected it. This could be for various reasons, the most common are there was a confusion over exactly what was required or it may simply not be possible to achieve the effect you want with the picture you have supplied.

Right, we've talked about character species and bio pics. What else do I need?

Ok, typically any application for a simm will ask for a character bio (short for Biography). This can be as long and short as you want to make it but most simms want some form of bio for your character.

Basically a bio is a brief version of your characters history. It usually covers details like name, age, species, physical data like height, weight, hair and eye colour. Other details can include education, training and service history. Sometimes there is a background or notes section where you can write a blurb on your character that covers the details not included above. This is a great way for you to include how your character got to where they are now, what life or career choices they made and what made them the person they are now. Lots of simmers love this part of the process, others detest it and prefer to build their character as they write / play them. Everyone's different.

Arrrghh, the application is asking for department and position, what is it talking about? I just want to play someone like Deanna Troi.

Ok, we're back to basics on this one (If you are familiar with the Star Fleet department and ranking structure, skip right on by to the next questions).

Each star ship and installation within Starfleet is divided into Departments. Between them all they cover all the functions required to run the ship or base. Think of them like a formula one team, you need both the driver and the pit stop crew to win the race.

Still with me? Good. Best way for me to explain this is to take a quick tour of the departments and I shall start with colours. Even if you're new to trek you may have noticed that the characters wear different coloured uniforms or in the later films wear the same uniforms but different coloured sweaters underneath. These colours are a quick and easy way to distinguish what department group a character comes from.

We'll start with Red. Everyone's heard the old line 'The red shirt gets killed!", " Smith got worried when he realised he was the only red shirt in the away team." Or something along those lines. These days you'd better hope it's not the red shirt that gets killed first as these officers are typically your Command Officers. You will hear terms like CO and XO to describe these people.

Your CO is your Commanding Officer (Picard, Kirk, Janeway), and can range from the Rank of Commander upwards (Don't worry, I'll go through Ranks later on). A CO is typically referred to as 'the Captain' regardless of actual rank.

Your XO is the Executive or First Officer (Riker, Chakotay, etc), this officer can range from Lt Cmdr upwards. You call this officer 'Sir', 'Ma'am' or by their rank. You may not refer to this officer as 'Number One' as Picard does on screen, this priviledge is reserved for the CO only.

There are a number of other departments that wear red. These include Helm, communications (rarely seen these days) and Strategic Operations.

The next in our colour group is Orange as worn by Geordi La Forge and Data. This is a deep gold / saffron colour, sometimes reffered to as 'goldenrod'. Engineering, Operations, Tactical and Security wear this colour.

We'll move onto teal, the deep blue/green colour that Beverley Crusher, the EMH and Dax can be seen wearing. This colour denotes the wearer is from the Science or Medical branches.

We've covered the colours worn by the major characters seen on screen but there are others that are used in the fleet. An Officer wearing a black sweater is a special operations officer. These officers wear colour coded 'flashes' rather than the coloured sweaters. They can be recognised by a black rank insignia with a coloured flash at the end for which department they belong to. Also we have marine officers who wear marine green. Intelligence Officers wear grey. Diplomatic Officers wear purple.

Occasionally you will see an officer with two colours on their rank insignia. This indicates that the officer is trained in more than one field, the primary field the colour that comprises the main body of the insignia, the secondary field the colour on the flash. IE - A Command Officer with training in diplomacy would have a red insignia with a purple flash on the end. Officers on spec ops vessels like the Porinale, Warrior and Valkyrie do not use this however. The first reason is because the nature of special operations means you really don't want colourful bits on your clothing (all flashes and insignias are removed in combat) and secondly most Special operations officers are cross trained in multiple fields. (For example some spec ops officers can lay claim to red for command, black for spec ops, green for marines and the grey of intelligence. See where I'm coming from?)

But I remember Picard wearing a different uniform, a grey one. Can I wear that one?

No. The uniform Picard was wearing is known as a CO's variant uniform. They aren't common but some CO's do wear them. As the name suggests, this is an option only available for the CO.

Ok - I think I understand the colours but what do the departments actually do? And which one do I choose for my character?

Best thing for you to do is have a look through a Description of Department Positions (http://www.alpha-fleet.com/database/starship-positions.htm) and see which one you think you would be interested in. It's always best to play a character in a department you are interested in, as that way there is less chance of you getting bored.

You don't need to have a good knowledge of your chosen field, you'll build your knowledge as you simm. There are some excellent websites out there and your ship site should contain some links or your CO/XO will be able to point you in the right direction.

Right - I've picked my character, chosen a department. What about Rank? Can I choose my own rank?

Again, we'll go for the last question first. No. And no again! You do not choose your own rank and, if you've included a last known rank in your bio the CO does not have to hold to that. The CO will choose your rank for you based on your previous experience, ability (as shown in the sample post attached to the application) AND also the ranks of the crew already aboard the ship / base. This decision is non-negotiable. (And no asking / whittering / complaining at the CO about your rank. It's the best way NOT to get a promotion!!)

Most characters are given officer ranks, although sometimes an experienced player may choose to play an NCO rank so be wary, an NCO rank in NO way indicates that the player is not 'good' enough to play an officer.

For the purposes of this explanation I am using Starfleet Ranks, Starfleet Marines and Starfighter's use different ranks but you can use a comparison chart.

Officers in Alpha Fleet start at Ensign (Ens), shown in red above, although the colour will change for department. This is the lowest officer rank and is typically one of the starting ranks in the simms. An Officer at this rank is referred to as 'Ensign' or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' by lower ranks. The CO may refer to any officer as 'Mr', this is a CO's priviledge.

The rank after Ensign is Lieutenant Junior Grade (Lt Jg), shown above. This is another common starting rank in a simm. Officers at this rank are referred to as 'Lieutenant', the 'junior grade' being dropped in speech, or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' by lower ranks.

The next rank is a full Lieutenant (Lt), shown above. The last of the common starting ranks in a simm, Lt's are referred to as 'Lieutenant' or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' by lower ranks.

Following Lieutenant is Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cmdr or LCdr), shown above. Lt Cmdr's are typically department heads and are referred to as 'Commander', the 'Lieutenant' being dropped in speech, or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' by lower ranks.

The last of the commonly seen crew ranks is 'Commander' (Cmdr), shown above. These officers are typically first or second officers and are usually department heads (if not first officer). A Cmdr is reffered to as 'Commander' or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' by lower ranks.

Occasionally you may see a Senior Commander (Snr Cmdr or SCdr), shown above, who is not the CO. This will usually be the First Officer or a Senior Crew Member in the case of a well established simm. For a crew-member this is a hard rank to attain and these players are usually very experienced. A Snr Cmdr is reffered to as 'Commander', the 'Senior' being dropped in speech, or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' by lower ranks.(Rarely used - non cannon rank)

The rank after Senior Commander is Captain (Capt - shown above) and is usually the Commanding Officer, it is rare to see this rank of officer as anything less than a Commanding Officer. (although as you progress in the Star Trek simming world you will realise that there are always exceptions). Captain is generally a command rank and any officer attaining this rank will usually have switched from their initial department to command by the time they have reached this rank. A Capt is referred to as 'Captain' or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' depending on preference.

Senior Captain (Snr Capt or SCapt), shown above, this is an experienced captain who has been a CO for some time. A Snr Capt is still referred to as 'Captain', again the 'senior' is dropped in speech or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' depending on preference. (Rarely used - non cannon rank)

Fleet Captain (Flt Capt or FCapt), shown above, this is an extremely experienced captain who has been a CO for some time. This rank is last rank before an officer reaches the status of 'Flag Officer'. A Flt Capt is still referred to as 'Captain', again the 'Fleet' is dropped in speech or 'Sir' / 'Ma'am' depending on preference.

There are other ranks (which can be found here -http://www.alpha-fleet.com/images/ranks/co-eng-sci-rank.htm) but these are the ranks you will deal with on a 'day to day' basis in your simm.

Ok - got the rank thing, I think. What does that actually mean?

There is a phrase you will see crop up quite often, 'The Chain of Command'. This is how we keep order in our little section of the Star Trek world. Basically the Chain of Command details whom takes orders from whom, etc, and basically runs as such -

* Commanding Officer
* First Officer
* Second Officer
* Department Head
* Asst Department Head
* Officer

This means that the Commanding Officer gives on order and it is passed down the chain of command, through the First Officer to the Second Officer / Department Head, to the Asst Department Head to the Officers.

Sound very military?

It will do, Star Fleet itself is a quasi-military group. But the Chain of Command is NOT one way. Although an officer cannot issue an order to a superior officer except in VERY extreme circumstances (such as the XO relieving the CO of duty, although he must be backed up by procedure and other senior officers to do so), an officer can report a problem BACK up the chain of command to be dealt with. The Chain of Command does not just apply to the players within a simm, Your CO will also be subject to a chain of command that extends up to the Commander in Chief of the Fleet.

The Chain of Command for Alpha Fleet is dealt with in Section 1 - Article Two of our Constitution and states:

All players must follow the Chain of Command whenever possible and appropriate. Any breach of the Chain of Command may result in any requests being dismissed or ignored. The Chain of Command is as follows:

* Commander-in-Chief of Alpha Fleet
* Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Alpha Fleet
* Task Force Commanding Officer
* Task Force Executive Officer
* Division Commanding Officer (if one is available)
* Division Executive Officer (if one is available)
* Task Group Commanding Officer (if one is available)
* Commanding Officer
* Executive Officer
* Department Head (if one is available)

If an issue is raised that does not affect the inner working of Alpha Fleet, but rather addresses an external problem, it must immediately be brought to the attention of the Commander-in-Chief, Deputy Commander-in-Chief and the Judge Advocate General.