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OOC: Some Guides and Observations

Posted Feb. 19, 2019, 9:59 a.m. by Cadet Maximilian Woolley (Doctor) (Tim Olivieri)

Posted by Cadet Simon Starr (Security Officer) in OOC: Some Guides and Observations

Posted by Cadet Simon Starr (Security Officer) in OOC: Some Guides and Observations

Posted by Cadet Catt Beñnet (Scientist) in OOC: Some Guides and Observations
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Hey everyone, first of all good job in keeping busy and posting while things for a few of us have been hectic, I have looked over a few threads and generally, like what I see.

Rather than drop emails to everybody, I have decided to jot down a few thoughts and guides for you all so we can all see, and talk about it. You are most welcome to ask questions. So take a look at the below.

  • Signatures. Mostly this is fine, but remember the correct form is rank, name, position and can be done either ‘Captain Rhodes, CO’ or by dropping the position under the name. I prefer the latter, but it is up to you. Simply signing off as ‘CO’ is not acceptable. Some ships (and many CO’s) out in main fleet are lazy and drop to the position only. Don’t be lazy. Do it right for now, and later you can get lazy, when you’ve earned it..... especially the signing off as ‘CO’, don’t do that…kay?

  • Tagging people in thread titles. i.e ‘Captains Medical [Tag CO, CMO, doctors]’. You’re going to find that 99% of ships in main fleet Hate this and you will be told to stop it when you get on a main fleet ship. For future threads, lets practice making the thread title clear. The generally accepted way is ‘Location - Event’. So this would be ‘Sickbay 1 - Captains Medical’. Anybody reading that should be able to understand it is a medical thread, for the CO, and doctors are involved. If you start a thread specifically for someone, try and write the title or post in such a way that this is clear, and it is always ok to email the person and let them know you have set up a thread if they seem to miss it, just be polite. Different thread titles are fine for something more specific, but always make them clear.

  • Snip. This means when the thread gets a few posts long, you delete everything prior to the last three or four posts. The way the site works, it is frustrating for mobile device users to scroll through multiple lines of single words until they get to the latest post, so snip. Just be aware of this when lots of people are in a thread, try to only snip from where everyone has replied. Don’t be shy to try, you are here to learn and your DH will give feedback.

  • OOC threads. This is an Academy ship, and you are welcome to post an OOC thread (just like this one) to ask questions and even just tell someone you enjoyed a thread. Don’t be shy, we are all here to have fun and write. Most ships in main fleet also support this, you just need to watch for threads getting out of hand.

  • Specific thread tags. Tags such as ‘Pre-Sim’ or ‘Post-Sim’, ‘Main Sim’ etc are fine, but in general we don’t do it [Main Sim]. For example, one might do ‘Pre-Sim: Sickbay 1 - Captains Medical’. It’s picky, but somebody is going to tell you to stop using [these] in main fleet so we may as well do it right, now.

  • Autoing. Just a reminder, you cannot write the actions of a character that is not your own. You also should never write another character as being somewhere before the other person has posted. For example.. “Cadet John walked into the Lounge and looked around for the Captain. There he was, standing over by the bar and drinking his fourth shot of tequila and cursing the day he ever decided to take Command of a cadet ship. He would never get the vomit stains from the nervous cadet out of his expensive Persian rug.” Now, as much as Felix probably would be at the bar drinking tequila, it isn’t the original writers place to decide what the other character is doing. It can be tricky at times to get wording right, but remember to let the other writer control their own character and put them where they like.

  • Star Trek content. Just so we are all on the same page, the Challenger is in the year 2395 in the ‘Prime Timeline’. When you wish to use research tools to look up something for a post, keep in mind we use Memory Alpha as a main resource, along with Memory Beta. When a conflict arises between sources, we take what the club refers to as canon over non-canon. Thus Memory Alpha trumps Memory Beta, unless Memory Alpha has no information on a subject. It is important to note we are all here for fun, and many people have different opinions. With some understanding in the way the club views this, we can all get along.

  • Alternate time lines. This is always a tricky subject, and the name is somewhat misleading. A lot of people get confused as to what is happening when on a ship because of multiple threads people are in. Let me try and clear it up. The Main Sim, is NOW. It is the main event of the ship, and is happening now. For that reason, your character can only be in one Main Sim thread at once. They can of course leave one thread and go to another (leave the Bridge and go to Engineering), but they cannot be in BOTH threads. Usually.. unless it’s a weird temporal sim. I hate temporal sims hehe. Threads that are not Main Sim, are considered ‘alternate time line’ but that is a bit of a misleading term, you are not in a different universe. Pre Sim, Post Sim etc are pretty clear and happen specifically before or after the Main Sim. Threads without a descriptive part like that, are considered to simply happen outside or alongside the Main Sim time frame. That time frame is up to you, most people let it slide and don’t worry about it unless they have to. Clear as mud? Good.

  • Character Bios. If you do not have one, I strongly suggest you create one. Character Bios are invaluable in giving other writers content to write with, and they help you to create a character that feels real and is well thought out. Many ships in the Main Fleet only accept you as a writer if you provide a Bio that is well developed. Many people don’t have Bios, but all of the best characters and writers I have ever written with, have a bio that creates the feel of a real character. Feel free to look over Felix’s Bio for ideas on how you could create one, and we are always happy to help if you ask.

Alrighty then. Feel free to let me know you’ve read it by posting below, and questions are welcome. We are here to teach the ‘right’ way we do things, so ask questions.. I am also happy to do a post with tips on actually writing a post if people wish. I have a specific way I do things, and I am happy to share.

-Dave
CO of the Challenger

Edit - Okey, the year is 2395… my bad.

OOC: As a note it is tempting when making a character to either make them to perfect. Basically can do any job on the ship and is the best at it. Or too imperfect. Trips over their own feet, (guilty) has a back ground so tragic it would be a novel if fleshed out, (guilty), or answers every question asked within 2 parsecs.

Basically a sim is a shared universe. As players we need to interact with others give them a chance to respond. A way to do this is to plan the action you want your character to do. Then stop short of completing the task. Leave an opening for others to interact. We rarely see a long monologues except by Captains in the shows. It’s usually a give and take.
And again your character is a character. Mary Sue writing just isn’t going to fit properly. (If you need Mary Sue explained I’m sure there is a wiki.)
Hope this helps.

Roger.

Good tips here :) I’ve always seen RPs (tabletop/forum/bullliten-board based especially) as somewhere to share the spotlight, we’re telling the story together, I find it good to always remember that.
And then I forget to sign off on an OOC post… oops :P
Ben

Lima Charlie

Tim


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