Presidential Edicts
July 5th, 1998 to March 2nd, 1999
.. the Bourdaa administration.. insert your own joke here.
.. the Bourdaa administration.. insert your own joke here.
Message posted on Stardate 98070.5 at 0339 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa. Ok, a few things real quickly.
First, I would like to announce, officially, the following cabinet appointments:
Greg Hertzsch has been appointed to the office of STF Personnel Director, replacing both BJ Phillips and Aaron Holland. (The nonsence of seperating the office would have ended under either administration, anyhow.)
BJ Phillips has been retained as FComm-5.
Larry Garfield is hereby appointed to become the FComm-4.
Nick Oven is hereby reinstated as Internet Director.
Deanne Morgan is retained as GameMaster Director.
Because Phil Bishop has not decided to return to the Academy Commandant position, I appoint Randy McCullick to that position, temporarilly.
I am also appointing Colin Wyers to be _Acting_ Engineering Director, until a final decision is made. (Colin is not going to sit in that chair long, however.)
***
The following offices have yet to be officially decided, so for now, the holdovers from the previous administration will remain in office (Note, this is NOT my appointment. I need a couple more days to make final decisions on some of these):
FComm-1 - Den Hannigan (Acting FComm because Aaron Holland was previously declared AWOL by Greg)
FComm-2 - Mike Ballway
FComm-3 - Franco Torres (Acting, since I cannot legally serve as FComm as President.)
I will make final decisions on these three offices within the next few days.
Message posted on Stardate 98070.5 at 0533 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa. Ok.. my Cabinet was "Edict #0" of my infant administration ;-)
Here's Edict #1.
No edict shall be official until it has been posted both in Central HQ on the WeBB, and in the command area on Prodigy.
After edicts are posted in these locations, they will be archived for reference at http://www.star-fleet.com/prez/ Short, sweet, to the point.
Message posted on Stardate 98070.8 at 2049 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Ah, Edict #2.. This one's a grab bag, so I'll just go through em one at a time.
1. Mike Barclay, a former STFer a couple years back, has returned. He has been readmitted to STF at the rank of Commodore. The reason is, he was a long time, committed, member, he left at the rank of modern Admiral (the last STF admiral since myself), and he's being given a shot again to see what he can do.
2. I am commissioning a new ship in the Fifth Fleet. The USS Harrier, Phoenix class, will enter service immediately. Her CO will be the aforementioned Commodore Barclay.
3. I've made Commodore Ballway squirm enough. He is officially retained as FComm-2. Likewise, Den Hannigan is officially appointed to become FComm-1, and Franco Torres is official as FComm-3.
4. Adam StClair, currently the XO of the USS Andorian, is being promoted to the rank of Captain. He will take over command of the USS Futura.
5. Ah, the big one. A little bit of election reform. Our current election edicts work well for a small club, as STF once was, but some modifications are necessary now, in my opinion, some changes are now necessary.
From now on, nominations for President will require a "second", before they can be accepted.
Additionally, the Election Commissioner will have the option to count votes either manually, or by electronic ballot (as part of a yet-to-be-written WeBB component), at his discression.
Lastly, recognizing the need to keep political campaigning as minimal as possible, to provide as small a disruption as possible, I am banning "spam." However, it is not restricted to this.
Therefore, Any member who sends unsolicited emails to other members, for the purposes of either political campaigning, selling or promoting a product or service, or harassment in general, will be subject to banishment from STF.
Message posted on Stardate 98072.4 at 2003 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Four items of business today. First, on a happy note, I am pleased to announce the promotion of Aurora XO, Commander Kevin Blomseth, to the rank of Captain, and command of the USS Aurora, the flagship of STF1. Kevin replaces Commodore Aaron Holland in that role, who was declared AWOL over a month ago now by Greg.
Secondly, as Emmie Hunt has correctly pointed out, we are overdue for the McParty. The McParty celebrates the foundation of STF, which is now over seven years old, having had its birthday this week. This McParty will also celebrate the first anniversary of the WeBB, which was born last August 1. Because the dates are so close together, it seems logical to combine them in this way.
The last two issues, unfortunately, are not on such a happy tone.
Bill Gunty has now twice sent email messages to over twenty people simultaneously, in his effort to get Randy McCullick kicked out of the Dockmaster position. I am going to state this as clearly as I can.
DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED MASS EMAIL MESSAGES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Unsolicited - not wanted, or not asked for (this means, sending a joke file to your friends, who tolerate you and your odd sence of humor, is ok. sending it to random stf members is not.)
Mass - More than five, I think, works as a definition of mass.
Bill, I don't want to read your damn petition, to be honest. Unfortunately, as President, I don't have that option. The rest of the people you sent your message to, however, DO have the option to ignore the politics, if they so choose. Do not force your opinion of life, the world, or STF, down their throats. This is your last warning, Bill.
***
Lastly, with direct regards to the petition now circulating, yes, it is legal to petition publically in this matter. I will not stop, hinder, or in any other way distract the petition itself, because it is a legitimate form of expression of member's opinions about what's going on in STF. I am angry at Bill, yes. But it is because he continues to send spam emails, and not because he is petitioning me about Randy. There will be no punitive actions, in any way, taken by this administration in responce to any petition such as this one, whether the target is Randy, another cabinet member, or myself.
However, there are facts which the people circulating the petition are not aware of, and I would like to address them here.
Why is Randy suddenly slow to respond? Like many of us, Randy has what we like to call "a life." This means, in order to have common facilities like food, shelter, clothing, and an ISP access, he has to do what we call "work."
In blunter terms, Randy's employer, AOL, is not happy that he's been using the internet from work, and has cracked down on this use of their resources. Therefore, Randy is only able to connect during certain times during the week. He assures me that he is working to reschedule his work hours so that he will have adequate time for both employment and for STF.
Thank you for your time. You may now continue your regularly scheduled witch hunt, if you so choose.
Message posted on Stardate 98072.2 at 2025 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). I would like to announce the following: Commander Chris Healey, formerly XO of the Concorde (as well as the Ares XO), is hereby promoted to the rank of Captain, and assigned to become CO of the USS Columbus, in the Fourth Fleet, effective immediately.
He replaced Captain Agee, who resigned last night.
His replacement as Concorde XO will be Butch Carter.
Chris will remain as Ares XO, unaffected by this change.
That is all.
Message posted on Stardate 98072.6 at 2112 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Ok. I can already see the headlines: STF in crisis, day 1.
Nevertheless, due to family obligations beyond my control, I am forced to take a leave of absence from STF for the next week.
During my absence, I have selected former President Greg Hertzsch to be acting President. (Unless VP Randy McCullick returns to active duty during my absence, in which case, Randy will take Acting Prez until my return)
I had planned to announce these edicts on August 1, but because I won't be here on that day, I will announce them now:
I am commissioning the Sixth Fleet of STF, effective August 8, 1998. Colin Wyers will be the inaugural FComm for that fleet, from his newly commissioned vessel, the USS Independence (formerly a part of SB202).
The USS Ares will move to Fleet 6, to join the Independence, at a time to be determined later.
Promotions, promotions:
The following officers are receiving a promotion today.
Effective immediately, in recognition of his long service to STF, both before, during, and after his Presidency, I am pleased to officially grant Greg Hertszch the rank of Fleet Captain. There is currently no ship for him to command, however, he will eventually be offered one if he is interested. It was due only to his long presidency that he did not already attain this rank, since the President cannot grant himself a promotion, even when he does a great job.
Effective August 1st, Larry Garfield is promoted to the rank of Fleet Captain. Larry has been a long time member of STF on the WeBB, and also a defacto member of STF-P* through Commodore Ballway. Furthermore, WeBBsights delays aren't his fault .
Effective August 1st, Franco Torres is promoted to the rank of Fleet Captain officially. I noticed that record of his promotion doesn't exist anywhere, so I am making that rank official here.
Effective August 8th, John Storer II is promoted to the rank of Captain, and assigned command of Starbase 202, in the Fourth fleet. He suceedes Colin, who is of course moving on to the Sixth Fleet USS Independence.
Finally, a Cabinet announcement: Effective immediately, Captain-to-be John Storer II is appointed to be the next Academy Commandant. (ACmdt).
Ok. That is all. I'll be back in a week.
Message posted on Stardate 98080.5 at 0408 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Now that we're all settled
1) The transition of Fleet Two will be beginning shortly. Tonight, the WeBB version of the Great White Fleet will be commissioned. A list of the ships to be commissioned and the COs assigned to those ships will be posted as soon as the final candidates are submitted to me by FComm-2 Ballway.
2) Since Colin Wyers will be leaving the EDept to start Fleet 6 on the 8th of August, we need a new EDir. I am therefore appointing Vice President Randy McCullick to the EDir position, effective immediately.
Message posted on Stardate 98081.1 at 1720 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Happy happy Joy joy.
Edicts for today cover the appointment and commissioning of the ships of the newly moved second fleet.
I hereby order FComm-2 Mike Ballway, per his recommendations, to recommission immediately the USS Constellation (Trafalgar class), USS Trinitron (Trinitron class), and to commission the new USS Nautilus (Aurora class).
Furthermore, I am ordering the following CO selections, also per Mr. Ballway's recommendations:
Cmdre Mike Ballway will assume command of the USS Constellation.
Cmdre Mike Barclay will assume command of the USS Trinitron.
Mark Loganbach is hereby promoted to the rank of Captain, and assigned command of the USS Nautilus.
Message posted on Stardate 98081.2 at 1751 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). I am posting this long overdue edict here, as well as in my office, since it directly affects the Engineering Department moreso than any other Department in STF.
Effective immediately, any existing, pending, or future specification submitted to the Engineering Department will be considered the intellectual property of both any and all designers, and the EDept of STF. For the remainder of this edict, the following abbreviations shall be employed.
OD - the Original Designer of any class submitted to the ED.
SD - any Secondary Designer, either to an original design, or a subsequent upgrade to a class.
CM - Class Maintainer - the person who has authority over the class, and the responsibility for upkeep of that class.
The first person to begin working on a given class is automatically recognized as an OD. Any persons who assist with the design may be declared as SDs by any OD. Any SDs who have contributed signifigantly to a design may be "promoted" to OD status by a unanimous vote of all active ODs for any given class.
In the event that there are multiple ODs of a class of vessel whom are active members of STF, the one who was the first to be recognized as having OD status shall be recognized as the CM of that class.
In the event that there is only one OD for a class who is an active member of STF, that person shall be recognized as the CM.
In the event that there are NO OD's for a class whom are active members, but there are SD's who are active, the SD's shall decide amongst themselves who shall serve as CM, by electing one of their number to become a new OD for that class (and thus automatically the CM).
In the event that there are neither any ODs nor SDs for a class whom are active members, the Dockmaster of the Engineering Department shall become the Acting CM for that class, with the full authority over that class until such time as either:
a) Any of the original ODs or SDs returns to STF, in which case they shall immediately assume ownership over the specifications.
b) The Engineering Director of STF appoints a new SD or OD to that class, for the purpose of upgrading the ship in some necessary manner.
c) The Engineering Department decides to remove the specification from the list of approved specifications.
The CM shall have the power to modify specifications in whatever manner is deemed appropriate and necessary to further their utility by the membership and the EDept.
The Acting CM shall have authority only to:
1) Make non-substantial changes to a specification (i.e. updating the fates of ships listed in any ship list based on RPG events, or changing the location or colors/backgrounds of a specification's web page.)
2) Backup a copy of the specification, in case an original copy not hosted on star-fleet.com is deleted or otherwise lost.
3) Answer questions about the specification, if necessary.
*For specifications that are currently unowned, and approved for general use, under this edict, such as Aurora and Colorado, they shall immediately revert to Engineering Department ownership.
*For specifications that are currently unowned, and NOT approved for EDept use, such as Columbus, these specifications shall be phased out unless a member of STF wishes to take over the duties of improving the specs to the level of eventual approval.
*For specifications that are owned currently, there is no real change to the status quo. This edict merely provides the framework for what will happen to specifications after the original author has gone.
If there is a dispute over who owns any given specs, that dispute shall be mediated by the President of STF. The decision of the President shall be final in any and all regards.
By submitting specifications to the Engineering Department, the owners acknoledge and accept this policy.
For existing specifications that have already been passed, the owners of these specifications shall either:
a) Do nothing, automatically accepting this policy and its effect, if any, on their design.
b) Obtain an exemption from this policy from the President of STF: Exemptions may be granted under extraordinary circumstances.
c) Ask that their specifications be removed from STF use.
Any action (a, b, or c) must be completed by October 1, 1998, otherwise the edict will have full force over any specifications not otherwise already exempted or revoked.
Any specification that is revoked, but already in RPG use, will continue to be in use until the completion of the current RPG, after which the ship will be "upgraded" to a different, approved class of starship.
Any specification which obtains an exemption will be phased out of RPG use effective whenever the owner of the specification is no longer a member of STF. This policy will go into effect immediately.
Signed,
Michael Bourdaa
President, STF
August 12, 1998
Message posted on Stardate 98082.0 at 2233 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). I was hoping to avoid an edict, but here goes.
Eric Poitras posted several advertizements all over STF for his club. As this violates the no advertizing rule, that's two strikes against him. His third strike was having three different WeBB login IDs. All have been deleted.
That is all.
Message posted on Stardate 98082.6 at 1843 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Ah, a microedict today.
Dennis Hannigan (CO, USS Arc Angel, STF1) has been promoted to the rank of Commodore.
Message posted on Stardate 98083.1 at 1541 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Just a brief announcement:
A mailing list for STF command has been formed. Although the posting rights are restricted to command level (i.e. Cabinet) officers, the list is intended to be viewable to any person who wants to read it.
In addition, exerpts from the list will be posted on the web site. Most of the traffic will probably be fleet reports and department reports.
If you would like to be added to the list, send a message to me (prez@star-fleet.com) and I'll get you added to the list.
Message posted on Stardate 98091.3 at 1824 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). And the activity in my office continues to rise..
Ok, as to the new ship, I would like to announce the following results of which fleets were willing, first, just as a summary:
Fleet 2 - Last resort
Fleet 3 - AOK
Fleet 4 - Yub Nub
Fleet 5 - (snoring)
Fleet 6 - No way, Jose.
Obviously, only one fair thing to do. Give it to fleet 5.
Seriously, it will be in fleet 5, and the reason for this decision will be made crystal clear in the next few paragraphs
[EDICT MODE=on]
[PART num=1]
After several attempts to have Fleet Captain B.J Phillips contact me, all of which have failed, and seeing evidence of a long term decline in the FComm office of that fleet, I feel that I have no choice now but to replace FCapt Phillips in the 5th fleet. Effective immediately, he is dismissed from his cabinet post.
While I like B.J. as a person.. hell, he's a great guy.. he has not lived up to the performance level that is required from a Fleet Commander. The FComm positions are the most important cabinet posts in STF - we can (and have!) survived in the past without an active IDept, GMDept, EDept, and even PDept.. but an AWOL FComm is a recipe for disaster.
[PART num=2]
With regards to the experimental ship, I would like to announce the selection of Nathan Miller to assume command of that vessel, which will be assigned to the Fifth Fleet. Concurrant with this announcement is a promotion to the rank of Captain.
[PART num=3]
I hereby appoint Captain Nathan Miller to become the new Fleet Commander of the 5th fleet, and empower him to select his own AFComm in whichever matter he sees fit. This appointment is effective immediately.
[PART num=4]
The new "fast" ship will be commissioned within the next couple of weeks. Before it goes online, the final proposal from Captain Miller will include the proposed class, and three name options.
[EDICT MODE=off]
Ok, now that I have lost my audience: Larry, the Yub Nub idea isn't half bad. It will be considered when I next talk to Nate about the ship.
[[[ Amendment to Edict #12, posted 98100.5 at 0156 hours ]]]
Ok, lets get back into our favorite creature, edict mode I am authorizing officially the commissioning of the USS Titania, Titania-Class, in Fleet Five, to become the "Daily Ship" under the command of Captain Nathan Miller
Message posted on Stardate 98101.4 at 0144 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). It is with mixed feelings that I report the results of my discussions and examinations of the ships in fleets three through six.. It is never a GOOD when three friends are asked to leave their positions.. and it is what makes this job so difficult.
On the other hand, several others now will have the opportunity to prove themselves in whole new ways, which is, for me, a source for excitement.
Since it is good news, and bad news, then, I will start with the Bad News.
Ahem: The Ironically Numbered Edict 13.
* USS Dresden: Fleet Captain Franco Torres is well over one month AWOL, after having taken a brief LOA to move back to Stanford, which was scheduled to end on Sept 3. He did arrive back in Stanford, and posted for a few days.. and then, vanished. I sincerely hope that nothing bad has happened to him, and I do look forward that, if those hopes are realized, that we can find a new position for a valuable member of the Third Fleet's Team.
Unfortunately, I must at this time, dismiss Franco Torres from his post as Captain of the USS Dresden, and his position as Fleet Commander for STF3.
* USS Athena: Fleet Captain (notice a trend?) B.J. Phillips was one of the original WeBBsters.. for thirteen months, he was a fixture, as Sec-1, then COS, then XO, and until now, CO, of the USS Athena, the First Ship of the WeBB. He was the third Captain, following myself and Colin Wyers in that post. BJ is currently on an extended LOA, so he too might well return to a position in the future.
Unfortunately, at this time, I am dismissing him from the post of Captain of the USS Athena.
* USS Montgomery: Captain Andrew Zbikowski is, and continues to be, a long term member of STF. My dismissal of him is noticably different from the above two, however, and I want to take an opportunity to explain why this move is being made. I expect some of you will disagree, perhaps even hate me for it, but here goes.
Zibby has consistantly been active on other ships, especially the USS Ares, where his great role playing skills, and responsibility, earned him the Montgomery CO spot in the first place. However, his activity on, and committment to the Monty, has been intermittant.
While intermittant is good enough sometimes, it is not sufficient for a Captain. The crew of a ship looks up to the Captain. The Captain needs to set the environment and the pace. More than anyone else, the ship rises and falls with the Captain.
Zibby is a great person, and an excellent RPGer. However, his performance on the Montgomery has lacked the committment that I feel is necessary to maintain a ship smoothly. For many people, this is a matter more for gaining experience.. several people have, in the past, been dismissed from a CO position, and returned to one at a later time. Often, a change of scenery.. a break.. can be vital. It is very possible that, when we are ready to commission new ships, Andrew will be given an opportunity to reprove himself in this field, should he desire a second chance.
For these reasons, I am dismissing Andrew Zbikowski from his position as Captain of the Montgomery.
************
Now that the difficult part is over, I can get into the part more of you are probably interested in - the replacements. All of these assignments are effective immediately.
Firstly, I would like to announce the transfer of Captain James Speck, from the USS Olympic, to take command of the USS Athena. Because he has been acting as CO for over a month now, it will be a smooth transition.
James will also take over as the new Fleet Commander for STF3.
To replace James on the USS Olympic, I have selected Commander Jim Armstrong to take the helm as the new Captain of that ship. Because is is currently the XO there, he should have minimal difficulty in ensuring a smooth transition. This assignment also includes a promotion in rank to Captain.
To replace Franco Torres on the USS Dresden, I have selected Fleet Captain Greg Hertszch. Somehow, I don't think he'll have any problems handling the Big Boat.. or maybe he will? ;-)
Lastly, to replace Andrew Zbikowski, I have selected Commander Nikolle Burchett to become the new Captain of the USS Montgomery. From her wealth of experience in the fourth fleet, I feel that this is an excellent match. This assignment also includes a promotion in rank to Captain.
*********************************
Ok.. everyone else, you can take a deep breath now. These changes should have an excellent effect on the affected ships.
Message posted on Stardate 98101.8 at 0102 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Effective October 21, 1998 at 2 am Eastern (11 pm Pacific), the following transfers will occur:
The USS Futura will be moved from fleet 5 to fleet 6.
The IKC chunDab will be destroyed, and replaced by a new ship, the USS Brandywine (Trafalgar Class), to be placed in Fleet 6.
Message posted on Stardate 98102.5 at 2319 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Effective two days ago, Nick Oven has been fired from the position of Internet Director of STF, for numerous reasons, chief amongst them being his unwillingness to work with others, and his failure to accomplish assigned tasks with plenty of time given to do so.
The overwhelming majority of the work done to the site since my election was done not by Nick, but by the AIDir, Chris Healey.
For these reasons, I am naming Chris Healey the official IDir, effective again, two days ago.
The delay in making the announcement public is due to my desire to inform Nick of his dismissal personally, before it was announced to the club.
Message posted on Stardate 98103.1 at 0039 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Ok, this is more a followup, than an edict, although it will be numbered as an independent Edict
In Edict #8 (ownership of ED ship specifications), there was a clause which allowed owners of specs to request exemptions from the policy.
One exemption was granted, and one other was given due to an AWOL status:
The Nimitz and Aurora classes are partially exempt from the dictates of Edict 8. In the event that the original designers of these specs leave STF, the Engineering Department will assume ownership, however, they may not change the content of the specifications. (They may, however, move the page, fix dead links, etc.)
Furthermore, because the Aurora class is currently in a very ambiguous state, I would like to hear recommendations on what to do about it. As I see it, I think we will eventually have to phase it out of service.
Unless, therefore, this section of the edict is countermanded by the next STF President, I am ordering the Aurora class to be phased out of service over the next 8 months (ending June 1, 1999). No new Aurora class vessels will be commissioned, and WeBB based Auroras will be converted to other classes. (the original USS Aurora, in STF1, will be exempt from the phase-out order, as long as it is on Prodigy).
Currently, these ships are Aurora class, and therefore affected: USS Nautilus, USS Athena and USS Alliance.
And just to further complicate this edict, I'm going to change the subject entirely.
Colin Wyers is hereby promoted to the rank of Commodore.
Message posted on Stardate 98111.3 at 2356 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). I am announcing several moves here.. as bad a day as it's been for me, it's time to move forward on a few items.
Seamus Hughes is named CO of the USS Trinitron, provisionally. (There may be a change here, but for now, this is it.) With this comes a reinstatement of his rank of Captain.
Bill Gunty is promoted to Captain, and named official CO of SB 202. John Storer recently announced his resignation from that position because of IRL time constraints.
Jim Armstrong is named Academy Commandant, effective immediately. Again, this follows the resignation of John Storer due to IRL stuff.
And as if that wasn't enough, Andrew Zbikowski is named CO of the USS Azimov, a new Darwin class vessel, commissioned in the Fourth Fleet.
This leaves two open spots in command level positions: Today, Chris Healey, the Internet Director and CO of the Columbus, announced his resignation. I will be considering the replacements for these positions over the weekend.
Message posted on Stardate 98111.9 at 1804 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Ah, my latest edict.
On Wednesday, Mr. Mike Smith-Whiteside sent a whining email entitled "the Riot Act" to every member of the STF Cabinet, complaining that he was treated unfairly, and making a great number of other complaints in general about the GMD.
If he had sent this email to just me, the GMDir, and the FComm involved, this would have been an ordinary incident. However, including people such as the FComm-1 and FComm-2, Academy Commandant, Personnel Director, and the Internet Director (what internet director?!) who had absolutely nothing to do with this, was very unwise.
Under the terms of my second edict, in fact, this qualified as spam. It was a letter harassing a member of STF, with political motives, sent to every member of command. For the majority of the recipients, it was unnecessary, unwanted, unsolicited, and unimportant.
For this reason, I have exersized Edict #2 to the maximum penalty available to me - Mr. Smith-Whiteside has been removed from STF, and is not welcome to return.
Message posted on Stardate 98112.0 at 2158 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). On a somewhat happer note than previous edicts, I am pleased to present the final form of the "Dangers of Life in the RPG universe"
Edict.. ah, whatever the hell number it is:
The following are the conditions under which a primary player-controlled character can be ruled to have died by a GM:
1) AWOL. If the character is AWOL, the GM can do whatever he or she likes with it, without restriction
[This part is a rehash of current policy, and is being retained.]
2) Player gives consent to the GM, for whatever reason
[Again, a rehash of existing policy]
[Now, for the new.]
3) If the character has taken actions which would result in an 90% of higher probability of death, in the opinion of the GM, a "death notice" may be served.
a) For the first death notice issued against a character, that character will be warned by the GM publically (on the WeBB or on the P* BB in the appropriate topic) against taking such chances, and remind the character that the move would ordinarilly have resulted in death, had it been real. In this case, the GM shall modify, as normal, to reverse the extremely risky move, or shall otherwise modify the situation as to allow the character to continue to survive.
b) For the second death notice, the results shall be the same as for the first notice, however, there shall also be an email sent by the GM to the ship's CO, XO, and to the character, warning that the character has recieved two death notices, and that a third will result in actual character death.
c) For the third death notice, the GM shall rule the character has died as a result of his/her actions, and that character will be eliminated from the roster and their position. The CO of the ship shall have discression as to whether to allow the person to create a new character on the same ship, and what position/rank that new character should hold on the ship.
d) In the event that it is the CO who is recieving death notices, the FComm shall be notified. In the event that the FComm recieves such notices, the President shall be informed.
e) If a character has recieved no death notices in the past six months, but had recieved them prior to that six month period, all prior notices will be erased from their record, and they shall have a clean slate to start from again.
f) If a member habitually recieves death notices (more than 5 in a 6 month span), they may be ruled to be a suicidal character player by the GMDir or by their FComm. If a member's characters are ruled as such, the limit for character death shall be one. Members may appeal a declaration of suicidal-tendancy to the President. Such a declaration shall expire six months after the last death notice placed against a character controlled by that player.
g) The GM may not intentionally place a player into a situation where any action (including lack of action) would result in a death situation. Unlike the real world, there must be at least one morally acceptable way to get out. Violation of subsection g) is the only acceptable grounds for overturning the GM's ruling of a "death notice" in this case.
*****************************
The debate on this issue had died down significantly, since the suggestion of a "three strikes" system, including email notification, was proposed. As such, I consider this now to be in effect, until such time as you convince me that I've completely lost my mind on this matter
Message posted on Stardate 98112.3 at 0053 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). By mutual request of the Captains involved, and approval of the FComms involved, I am announcing the following changes in command
Adam St Clair will leave the CO spot of the USS Futura (STF6) and become Captain of the USS Trinitron (STF2)
Seamus Hughes will leave the CO spot of the USS Trinitron, and become the new CO of the USS Futura.
Message posted on Stardate 98121.1 at 1931 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Letters, we get letters, we get..
DOH! Wrong intro. Ok. Let's try this.
Edict #21 - Cabinet Assignments, and Promotions.
a. I hereby appoint Jason Becker to serve as Director of the Internet Department. The Internet Department has been Director-less since Mr. Healey's resignation several weeks ago. This appointment will not affect his current position as Dockmaster, which is Presidentally a hands-off position anyway.
b. I am hereby promoting Deanne Morgan to the rank of Fleet Captain.
c. I am hereby promoting Owen Townes to the rank of Fleet Captain.
d. There is no section D.
Message posted on Stardate 98121.4 at 2121 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President). Kim Sandstrom (aka Kimpaa, aka Kim McOwen) is hereby removed from STF.
His/Her/Its problem has been:
1) Harassment of several COs, mostly in the Second Fleet
2) Posting numerous inappropriate topics on the Nautilus, for which he/she/it recieved a warning
3) Effectively urinating on the warning recieved.
4) Possessing multiple WeBB login IDs
5) Impersonating the President of STF in an attempt to obtain a character on the Trinitron
6) Never having posted a single in-character, RPG relevant note in several months of membership (Despite having more than enough time to perform the 5 acts above)
Message posted on Stardate 99010.7 at 2133 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
OK, this is going to be messy, but here goes.
First of all, you can disregard Deanne's resignation from STF. Instead, she has agreed to take an LOA until 1/30, which will give her a chance to prepare for her upcoming wedding. Additionally, however, her resignation from the GMDir position is fully effective.
Now, with that out of the way, I have a major edict to do:
First of all, before I left, I decommissioned the USS Aurora, STF1, from P*. That edict is seperate from this one
**********
Edict.. er.. whatever number it is.
1. Randy McCullick is hereby declared AWOL from STF.
2. Deanne Morgan's resignation from GMDir is accepted.
3. Mike Ballway is named Vice President of STF
4. Colin Wyers is named Gamemaster Director
5. Larry Garfield is named Engineering Director
6. BJ Phillips has been readmitted to STF, at the rank of Captain, and assigned command of USS Andorian
7. Bob Spurlin is promoted to the rank of Captain, and assigned command of the new ship, USS Seraph (Columbus Class, effective the moment the specs are approved by the EDept) in STF6.
8. Paul Jones is promoted to the rank of Captain, and assigned command of the USS Columbus, STF4, as soon as it makes RPG sence for his character to enter the ship.
I believe that covers everything, for now.
Message posted on Stardate 99010.7 at 2133 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
OK, this is going to be messy, but here goes.
First of all, you can disregard Deanne's resignation from STF. Instead, she has agreed to take an LOA until 1/30, which will give her a chance to prepare for her upcoming wedding. Additionally, however, her resignation from the GMDir position is fully effective.
Now, with that out of the way, I have a major edict to do:
First of all, before I left, I decommissioned the USS Aurora, STF1, from P*. That edict is seperate from this one
**********
Edict.. er.. whatever number it is.
1. Randy McCullick is hereby declared AWOL from STF.
2. Deanne Morgan's resignation from GMDir is accepted.
3. Mike Ballway is named Vice President of STF
4. Colin Wyers is named Gamemaster Director
5. Larry Garfield is named Engineering Director
6. BJ Phillips has been readmitted to STF, at the rank of Captain, and assigned command of USS Andorian
7. Bob Spurlin is promoted to the rank of Captain, and assigned command of the new ship, USS Seraph (Columbus Class, effective the moment the specs are approved by the EDept) in STF6.
8. Paul Jones is promoted to the rank of Captain, and assigned command of the USS Columbus, STF4, as soon as it makes RPG sence for his character to enter the ship.
I believe that covers everything, for now.
Message posted on Stardate 99011.6 at 0024 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
The rule on second characters on the same ship: Edict #25
Applies: Any time a person who is already a member of a ships crew requests to add a second character to that same ship
(Also applies equally to any normal RPG area, ship, base or otherwise)
Normal rule: They are not allowed.
Exemption:
A person may request permission to add a second character, from the CO of that ship. In that request, that person should include the following:
1) The extra position being requested
2) The reason for the request.
If the reason is, in the COs mind, reasonable, and the position is both useful and open, the request may be approved of. If the CO declines the request, it cannot be appealed. If the CO approves the request, and another member of the crew of that ship objects, the ruling may be appealed to the FComm, and his decision shall be final.
In the event that the CO himself wishes to add a second character, he must request such consent from the FComm. If the CO is also the FComm, the AFComm shall rule, or in his absence, the seniormost officer in the fleet who is not otherwise involved.
Consideration should be given to whether the position could be filled in the regular method or not (i.e. Bartender cannot be filled normally, but CSO can.), and the preference shall be for the "extra" positions to be filled, but not the normal ones. Also, preference shall be for subordinate positions (i.e. Eng-3) over Department Head positions, unless the department does not exist on the ship (i.e. CTO on a non-warship).
If a member who is deserving of promotion to a department head position has such a duplicate person standing in his way, the duplicate should step aside (or be required to step aside) so that as many qualified people as possible have a fair opportunity to hold department head positions.
Reason for this Edict: There have been many questions on this point, and it is time that a clarification of the rule were established. As with any edict, it can be altered, amended, or deleted by a future STF President.
Message posted on Stardate 99012.7 at 0405 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
Ok, my latest mega-edict. Brace yourselves.
I am appointing Seamus Hughes to be Election Coordinator for the Feburary '99 Presidental Election.
The election schedule, as established by STF precident, will be as possible
(All dates begin at Midnight, Eastern US time)
Feb 1: Nominations are open. Remember that a nomination must be made, and seconded, and accepted, before it is official.
Candidates may begin campaigning immediately after accepting a seconded nomination.
Feb 8: Nominations are closed. Campaigning continues
Between Feb 8 and Feb 15: Probable date for an IRC Presidental Debate. Details to be announced by the EC
Feb 15: Voting begins. All votes must be sent to vote99@star-fleet.com to be official.
Feb 28: Last day to vote.
March 1 or 2: Presidental Election results announced by EC Hughes.
March 3 (or the day after election results are official): New President sworn in, official change of command
The reason I have opted to make March 3, rather than March 1, the date of change is because Feburary, unlike the other 11 months, has only 28 days in it. Other months have 30 days, so I have used that model (considering March 1-2 to be Feb 29-30 respectively).
I do consider this the establishment for a precident regarding Feb. elections (which may be unprecidented, as far as I know, no term has ever ended in Feb before).
Any vote sent in early, late, or not to the correct address, will be ineligable. Any further questions about the election will be answered by the EC.
Lastly, I wish good luck to all the prospective candidates - may you come a respectable second, and preserve your sanity.
Message posted on Stardate 99020.1 at 0226 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
Edict #27 - Rule on same ship second characters, revised.
1) Edict 25 is hereby repealed, for being illegally confusing. ;-)
2) Here is the policy, in (hopefully) clearer terms.
A second character on a ship (SCS) is defined as any time when one individual person controls more than one rostered character on the same ship (except the GM, who is exempt from this policy).
Unless the following policy has been followed to the letter, no new SCS may be added to a ship's roster. [Existing ones are grandfathered, and under the CO's jurisdiction for whether to remove them or not.]
The order of decision for such requests shall go: Crew member, CO, FComm, AFComm, President. In the request, the requester shall identify:
[The reason for this order - if a CO wants to add it, he must get the consent of the FComm. If however the FComm is also the CO, the AFComm then has the approval right. Therefore, someone has to be able to overrule the AFComm.]
1) What position they want to add
2) Why it is necessary that the position be filled by an SCS rather than by a new crew member.
The next highest person (to the requester), in the specified order of decision has the right to approve or reject such a request. Rejections cannot be appealed.
Appeals of an approval will be ignored unless there is a specific, written, public complaint, and the complaint indicates a portion of this policy which is being violated.
Consideration will be given to the following factors, when making a decision to approve or reject the request.
1) Is the position a normal/standard one? Positions like Bartender, Mascot, or other "silly" things are much more likely to be approved than a Department Head position. Department assistants (like Eng-4) are better than a DH position, but not prefered over a "mascot" type position. [Reject permission for a well concieved mascot at your own peril, FComms and AFComms ;-)]
2) Could a new crew member do the job instead? If a position can be filled by a new recruit, or a transfer, rather than the SCS route, that is much better.
3) Is the SCS necessary for the current RPG? If an SCS is being added because it is an important plot point for the RPG, and will last only as long as the current RPG does, it is more acceptable than a permenant SCS is. The GM should be advised in advance, in such a situaton.
Permission for an SCS can be removed at any time by any person higher up on the Chain than the person who gave the initial OK, if it is being abused, or is serving to block a qualified member from a department head position.
Message posted on Stardate 99020.2 at 0152 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
Ye Olde Edict #28
In light of Nathan Miller's resignation from FComm-5/Titania CO, two appointments are necessary.
For the FComm-5, I am choosing to elevate the current AFComm-5, Deanne Morgan, to that command.
For Titania CO, I am promoting Jeremy Friedman to the rank of Captain, and appointing him as the new CO of the Titania
Because this is so close to an election, I ought to remind everyone that, while CO's are immune from elections (they can generally be removed, at least in practice, only for actual breaking of the rules, or AWOLness), Cabinet officers are not so fortunate. Whomever wins the election will be entitled to replace any or all of the FComms and Cabinet Directors upon assuming office. I would have prefered not to have to make any cabinet changes at all, at this point during my term, but conditions left me no alternative.
Message posted on Stardate 99020.2 at 0210 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
Yes, a double feature, but this is a totally seperate subject.
Edict #29
I felt that, because of my overruling of Seamus' decision with regards to Mark/Bill, I needed to clarify the rule with an Edict, so that it is clear exactly what my thinking is on this subject.
As always, edicts are only applicable as long as they are not overruled by future edicts (or perhaps the AO) but this is as permenant as I can think to do this.
In Edict #2, I reinstated the tradition of a nomination requiring a second, which existed at the time of the infamous Greg/Randy Presidental contests long ago.
The entire reason I did this was to ensure that the condition that occured last time, when Bill nominated Mark, and then Mark made Bill his Veep running mate, did not occur again exactly like that.
Requiring a second for a nomination ensures that at least one person (possibly two, as witnessed by Bob/Colin and Greg/Alan) believe that the person they are nominating would make a good President.
At Least One is the key. Even if, now, the prospective veep nominates or seconds the Prez, someone else has to also concur. As long as the playing field is balanced, it is fair.
Here's another reason. Technically, a Prez is nominated alone. One nominates Foobar, not Foobar/Rocky. Foobar, UPON ACCEPTING his nomination, appoints Rocky as Veep. To state that Foobar cannot select EITHER of the people who supported him, is to remove that person's freedom to select the best Veep possible.
To ban the Veep from nominating, because of the way we do it then, would be backwards. That is the real reason why seconds are now (again) required - so that veep-nomination would not have to be an issue
Message posted on Stardate 99020.8 at 0154 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
The newest edict... hopefully easier to understand than some of my previous ones, but I'm not holding my breath:
First of all, I want to make clear that this edict is not meant as a reflection on any past or current EDir of STF, merely as a recognition of a problem that may occur because of the way the EDept operates.
Two of the last three EDirs, however, had occasion to make a ruling on a design or technology on which they were the primary designer of. The problem with this is, rightly or wrongly, such a proposal can be interpreted as ramming through ones own tech ideas.
Additionally, this edict is not a justification for recinding the approval of previously approved designs. However, the future will be a little different, as a result of it.
From this day forward, no Engineering Director will have the power to approve any tech design, whether a technology, or an entire ship class, without the unanimous concurrance of the top three eligible persons on this list:
Assistant Engineering Director
Dockmaster
Another Cabinet officer, appointed by the President.
At the time that an Engineering Director seeks to submit a design, the EDir must advise the President of the necessity to choose a third voter for the design, via an email message. If the AEDir or DM positions are vacant, the President shall also fill that vacancy on the triad.
The Vice President (or, if the EDir is also the Veep, the AEDir instead) will collect the votes by e-mail of the three appointed persons, and announce whether the design is passed or not. The person collecting the votes is not permitted to say who voted against the design, if anyone did. (This is to ensure the balloting is secret and fair.)
However, any person who voted against is free to announce it voluntarilly, and explain why, however, to assist the EDir/Designer in improving their idea.
Executive summary: EDir can't past their own designs without a committee of three people (AEDir, DM, and a designee of the Prez) concurring unanimously with the design.
Error: Edict file not found
Message posted on Stardate 99020.9 at 2315 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
Edict 32
The USS Training Wheels Proposal
This edict authorizes the Academy to have Training Vessels assigned to its jurisdiction, in its capacity as an education vessel.
Unlike any other STF vessel, a Training Vessel will have the following unique characteristics:
1) The XO outranks the CO, on issues of ship administration. (The CO remains in command, in an RPG sence only)
2) The CO is appointed by the Academy Commandant, consulting with the President. The CO should be an XO from somewhere in the fleet, for the purposes of assisting to train for a CO spot.
3) The XO is appointed by the President.
4) The XO and CO positions on Training Vessels will count fully towards any per-person limit on these positions (currently two total, maximum of one as CO) that is in force.
5) The XO's duties are to evaluate the CO, keep the missions going smoothly, and to evaluate the cadets for readyness for promotion.
I have thought long and hard about the second "permenant" officer, who was originally proposed to be the Helmsman, later as either OPS or CTO.
However, I feel it is best to get members used to the "average" ship, and to introduce something other than an arbitrary OPS officer, or a CTO on a non-warship, when that's not the way things are supposed to (at least) be done. Therefore:
6) A second permenant member of the crew, who will fill in for the XO if necessary, and assist the XO and CO as necessary, will also be assigned. This person will be appointed by the Academy Commendant (and it may be any person, including the ACmdt himself), and serve as Counselor. The main duty of this officer, (unless filling in for the XO), is to introduce the IC/OOC difference, encourage character development and patience, and all the other "non-quantifyables" that the academy
exams just can't measure.
Serving on any training ship is optional. New members may either join as an Ensign on a regular ship, Take the Academy test in their department for a promotion to Lt j.g., or serve on the Training ship for that promotion.
=/\= Ranks on the training ship
1) The CO will hold the rank of Captain. However, this rank will be tied to the Training Ship, and will not count as the person's official STF rank.
2) The XO will hold rank of Commander on the Training ship, regardless of any other factor.
3) The Counselor (second permenant member) will hold the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
4) Non-permenant, experienced Department Heads (see below) will hold the rank of Lieutenant, senior grade.
5) Cadets who are ready to be a department head on a real STF ship (whether or not they actually hold a DH on the training ship!) will have the rank of Lieutenant
j.g. Promotion to Lt j.g. IS official STF rank (unlike the other ranks on the Traning ship)
6) All other cadets will hold the rank of Ensign
=/\= Department Heads
The ship will be a normal one (Not a Warship!), and thus will have 5 department heads:
CSO, COS, CMO, CE, and Counselor
Each department (including Counseling) will have any number of cadet assistants as are requested by new members.
All Department Head spots (except Counselor) will be filled by either
1) A Lt j.g. "graduated" cadet in that department
2) A Lieutenant-grade non-permenant experienced officer
If there is a Lt j.g. on the ship in that department, that person has priority over the experienced officer.
The Counseling department will never be taken over by a Lt j.g., only because that department's DH is permenant.
=/\= The Academy And You
Whenever a DH spot on a real ship opens, and the CO of that ship has no qualified officer in that department on his ship to fill the hole on his own, The list of any current Lt j.gs in that department on training ships will be given to that CO, so that he may select his new officer.
Only if there are no qualified DHs available in this manner, may the CO then go to other ships to get a transfer/second character fill-in. This is to ensure that those who are ready for a DH spot (and waiting, let us not forget, on the TS) have an early crack at the position.
=/\= Leaving the Training Ship (graduation)
Once a cadet is, in the opinion of the XO (upon recommendation generally from the CO, DH, or Counselor), ready to be a Department Head in STF, that person will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant j.g.
Once this occurs, the former-cadet is eligible to become a DH, either on the training ship, or on a "real" ship.
Upon being selected for a real ship, the CO who is selecting them will inform the XO. (The XO will authorize these transfers on a first-come first-served basis from STF COs) The XO will then give the Cadet his/her new orders (report to the new ship as department head), and that cadet will leave the training ship.
If a Cadet on the Training ship also chooses on-the-job training, or passing out of the class by taking an Academy exam (both of which are still available options at any time), resulting in a promotion of that person to Lt j.g., that person must inform the XO that they have been promoted via another means. However, promotion to Lt j.g. on the training ship is still not automatic in this case (although promotions on real ships remains as it was before, valid.)
If a cadet becomes a Department Head on any STF ship via any means (including on-the-job), that cadet's term of service as a cadet on the Training ship will conclude (no fair re-entering time and again just to hog DH spots!)
=/\= Administratively
1) The Academy Commandant will act as the Fleet Commander of the Training Ship Fleet, including all rights normally afforded to any FComm, unless contradicted by an edict.
2) While there is only one Training Ship, that ship will be assigned to the Command Area "fleet" on the WeBB
3) If a second Training ship is deemed necessary at some time in the future, the President will be required to consider adding a seperate "Academy Fleet" to the WeBB. (For one ship alone, this is not necessary.)
=/\= Credits
To Seamus Hughes, Jim Armstrong, and all others who gave comments and advise on the Training Ship idea. This wasn't my idea, but you guys convinced me.
=/\= Finally, using Edict 32...
Under the terms of Edict 32, establishing the power to create Training Ships under Academy Jurisdiction, I hereby order the commissioning of the Academy vessel USS Challenger, Columbus Class.
As per the terms of that edict, I am appointing Steve Ashton to serve as XO of the Challenger.
Lastly, I now request that ACmdt Armstrong work with Ashton to select a CO, Counselor, and a first-batch of Department Heads. The ship should go on-line by next Monday.
Message posted on Stardate 99021.8 at 0336 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
Captain Nathan Miller has expressed his desire to return to active status, and I have granted his request.
Nate Miller is reinstated as Captain of the USS Titania, STF5.
Captain Jeremy Friedman, formerly CO Titania, is transfered to become the CO of the USS Andorian (also STF5). He has been acting CO for long enough ;-)
BJ Phillips, former CO Andorian... need another break.
Message posted on Stardate 99021.8 at 0430 hours
Posted by Mike Bourdaa (STF President).
And, in all likelyhood, the final edict of my term...
------------------------------------------------------------
For several years, STF has gone through different Presidents, different BB homes.. even now, a different system altogether.
Ships have been added.. decommissioned.. and added yet again.
Some have come.. others have gone.. many in the time frame I speak of have done both.
One thing has remained relatively constant. Commodore Mike Ballway has been here.
During this time, he has served under every STF President, (with the possible exception of Julie Larsen.) He has, in recent years, usually been found running the second fleet, and often contributing to the Engineering Department that he helped to create, and keeping members informed of current happenings via the massive Starfleet News Network. He has been, for a very long time now, a club elder.. one who could give insight to this club's past, because he lived it.
STF's very first elected President, Jim Midyette, promoted Mike Ballway to his current rank, and if I'm not mistaken, his current ship and fleet command as well. While the ship was not always constant (but usually), and the fleet even spent time in other competant hands, the rank remained the same.
It was said that Mike Ballway ushered in the "Admiralphobic" era, by refusing a promotion to Admiral, insisting that he would go no higher than Commodore. That was at least four years ago now.
The Admiralty of STF, in the old days, was an elite clique. A mere "captain" was a nobody. More than anyone else, Mr. Ballway helped to dismantle that eliteism, by his refusal to join in it. Similar personal decisions in the past by critical members have molded this club's history, more so than any acceptance ever has.
Today, the Admiralty however, I believe, is a new entity, free from the nagging past it suffered from. Certainly, it is a status symbol of personal accomplishment, but more important than this is the duty it now carries. A responsibility to live up to the highest standards of this club, and to act selflessly in its best interests. For many years, Commodore Mike Ballway has maintained this ideal.
Despite not holding the highest possible rank (other than Prez/Veep), he served as the highest ranking non-elected member for many months, outlasting the last of the old admirals by a mile. Until my own promotion to Admiral 8 months ago by President Hertzsch, in fact, he had served a continuous stretch as the 'highest ranked non-elected officer' - a string which was broken by me for less than one day, then renewed for the first 6 1/2 months of my Presidency, until his recent agreement to accept the Vice Presidency - his first non-emergency direct participation as an executive of this club.
Yet, it is not the first time Mike has found himself in charge, of course. Leadership crisis in the past have forced him into the acting Presidency in the past, and it was he who was the core of the group that restored the club to proper functioning during the OC Crisis of early 1996.
Many of the facets of STF we now take for granted were based, in large part, on the leadership of Commodore Ballway, who has become our quasi-official historian, and sometimes, our conscience. The Engineering Department, the Office of the Election Coordinator, and the rules of sucession in a Presidential crisis, are innovations we can credit him with.
As many other STFers who have had the pleasure of working with him have found, he is more than just a survivor. He is a dedicated traditionalist, easy to get along with, and remains one of the pillars of our shared history. His insight into the workings of this club are second to none, and he has no great fear of expressing himself in this.
No person is perfect, of course. However, I felt that, for the highest promotion one can recieve in STF, a full explanation of my reasons was called for now.
While he is free to decline it, as he has once before in the past, I am officially granting Michael J. Ballway a long overdue promotion to the rank of Admiral, with all the privledges, and duties, that come with that rank.