If you have questions that aren’t answered here, Command Staff and the Academy are always happy to help.
Home to the internet’s oldest and finest free Star Trek role-playing community. Founded in 1991 on the Prodigy network, STF has grown and adapted through every era of online play, creating a vibrant home for Trek fans.
Today, our award-winning community includes more than 60 players writing across 13 RP environments. Whether you’re an experienced role-player or brand-new, there’s a place for you here.
We are a bulletin-board style RPG and all posts are done on the boards. Each ship has a designated posting speed (which gives you the expected max number of days between posts) and some have specialty themes or Trek eras.
Most ships have a designated Gamemaster (GM) who run the story or “main sim”, and the crew also run their own side sims and character development threads. Working together in their designated roles, they build the story up with the clues and interaction provided by the GM.
In-character posts are written in third-person past tense, similar to traditional Star Trek novels.
New members are typically able to play a Federation species for their first character, and after that we allow Allied and Custom species at the discretion of your Commanding Officer (CO).
Less conventional species like a former Borg drone or an Android are also at the discretion of the CO.
We do not allow hostile species, though in rare cases, with a very solid background story explaining how they came to be on a Starfleet vessel or base, a CO may allow it. They do, however, have the right to say no.
Because they are copyrighted intellectual property, players are not allowed to play any character from the shows or movies, nor claim their character is a descendant or relative of those characters. Gamemasters may use them for mission cameos only.
Are you new to role-playing? Or have you done other forms of RP but feel uncertain about our format? The Academy hosts training ships to help new members get a feel for STF and our RPG-style.
The Academy is entirely optional and members usually graduate after 3–4 months. Each Academy member is paired with a Mentor (their Department Head), giving you plenty of guidance and support.
While there are some temporary restrictions, once you graduate you’re free to join as many ships as you feel comfortable with.
Even if you don’t join the Academy, you can still request a mentor during your membership application.
If you already feel comfortable with STF’s format after reviewing the boards, you may skip the Academy entirely and join a Mainfleet directly as an Ensign. This also allows you to join more than one ship if you wish.
Yes! STF hosts a variety of Out-of-Character activities including social events, discussions, awards, watch parties, and live chat on Discord. The Ten Forward board is our main OOC hub.
You can request a mentor through the Academy at any time, or ask questions on Discord where many experienced members are always happy to help.
STF is run entirely by volunteers. The President is elected by the membership, and the Executive team appoints staff to oversee fleets, departments, and the day-to-day running of the organisation.
Animal nicknames are a long-standing STF tradition awarded to members when they achieve the rank of Captain. They are presented during a ceremony in Ten Forward and are entirely optional.
A: The easy formula to know what year we are playing in is Current Year+376=IC Year. So, 2026 RL = 2402 IC.
Some ships may operate in alternate timelines.
© 1991-2026 STF. Terms of Service
Version 1.21.20
