Simm Rules
USS Steadfast - Simm Rules
1. Simm Rating – R rating
The USS Steadfast simm runs under an ‘R’ rating. Think of this as the same as the MPAA rating system. Meaning, if you don’t see it in an ‘R’ rated movie, don’t post it here. Violation of this rule can result in dismissal from the Steadfast simm.
2. Posting Requirements
USS Steadfast operates on a one post per player per RW calendar week, measured from Monday through Sunday. Unless otherwise stated, all RW dates and times are derived from Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 5 hours). I generally try to get my posts up by Monday morning, so everyone else has the maximum possible time to react to them while staying on schedule. This weekly cycle is considered too fast by some, too slow by others but, in my experience, it works best overall.
Tags from other players should be answered as quickly as possible, but must be answered within five days of their being posted. Tag replies do count as posts for purposes of the posting requirements, but all tags must be answered within five days, regardless of their number. If you find it hard to keep up, post on the OOC board that
you need people to back off on tagging you and give us some notion of what we need to do to accommodate you.
Even if you have not been tagged and your character is not involved in any ongoing action, you are still responsible for one post per week. Absent other hooks, you can always post an interlude involving your own character's actions. Such posts are a great way to develop your character. You can also post for an NPC that's not in use or
even create a new one to post for if need be, but please run new NPCs by me before putting them in play.
Again, as in all other things Steadfast, if you have any questions or problems, email me as soon as you realize you're stuck and I'll help you. There is always something to post.
If you can't post in a given week, take two minutes and shoot a message to the OOC as soon as you're sure you won't be able to do it. If you're real-world issues are getting in the way of posting, just request a Leave-Of-Absence (LOA). That removes your posting responsibilities until you go active again. How long I can hold your position open on LOA will vary with the importance of your position and whether or not other people have applied for it. It will never be less than a month, however.
I don't kick people out of the game for not posting, but I won't wait long periods without communication either. If posting is missed by a player in any given week, then early the following week I will "write forward" any character or NPC of theirs that I feel is holding up the story or has been tagged. After two weeks of no posting and no contact, the player's character is subject to being reclassified as an NPC and their position on the ship made available for new players. This will not necessarily happen immediately at two weeks, but it will be an option. If a PC is reclassified as an NPC,
that player's IC posts will be moderated and they will have to contact me to be re-activated. More than 4 weeks with no contact will lead to my moving the character off the ship or otherwise out of play (perhaps via injury, disease, etc) at my convenience. I
won't "kill off" a character, but will move them off-stage to clear the field for more active players.
After one month of LOA, the character will be considered eligible for conversion to NPC status and, after two months, eligible for removal from the game. All of these actions can be somewhat mitigated or delayed by communication, so take the time to reach out to me if you're having problems. Generally speaking, I'd rather grant exceptions than lose players.
Regardless, any player not removed from the game for disruptive behavior will always be welcome back. Their memberships on the lists will not be cancelled, so they can continue to follow the game. Depending on the circumstances, there may or may not be a position available for their former character, but I'll do what I can to
reintegrate them as smoothly as possible.
3. Character Types
There are three types of characters on Steadfast: PCs, ONPCs and NPCs.
Player Characters (PCs) are the primary role taken on by a player in the game. Each player can have only one PC in the game. No other player is permitted to write for a PC unless given written permission in advance by that PC's player and, as a safety measure, I strongly recommend that this be given in an email CC'd to me. I will only write for a player's PC if that player is not meeting the posting requirements.
Owned NPCs (ONPCs) are secondary roles that a player able to handle them can take on. I've discovered over the years that many players find being stuck in a single role restrictive, particularly if they are accustomed to a faster game. ONPCs are a way around that. They must be approved by me and, once approved, they carry the same tag responsibilities as PCs. All tags must be answered for them, just as for a PC. ONPCs are governed by the same rules as PCs in terms of posting for them by other players. As CO, however, I have the right to employ them as I see fit, though I will generally try to avoid writing for them as long as they are properly maintained. ONPCs are a privilege and revocable if the player does not maintain them.
Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are the general "extras" of the story and are available for use by any player. However, my approval is required in advance before any crew NPC is rendered unfit for duty. Again, this is for continuity purposes. In most cases, I'll be fine with it.
4. Respect each other.
This is the most important rule for any game, but especially critical in a free-form, collaborative writing exercise like Steadfast. Lacking a task resolution system, like a traditional RPG, the only way we can maintain character/story balance is by
cooperating and communicating.
The best rule of thumb is to not write anything that forces another player to do anything without consulting them in advance. This is occasionally cumbersome or limiting, but saves a lot of misunderstanding down the road. Trust me people, I've lost players on previous simms over such issues.
Personally, I won't even fix another character in a position in one of my posts unless, as CO, I have a reason to. If the character I want to talk to isn't located in the same area as my own, I'll post a computer search or note that I'm off looking for them, leaving the other player to determine where their character is and make the link
up. I don't write any dialogue or actions for another PC unless it's player is delinquent on posting or we have agreed in advance.
With Steadfast's one-post-per week requirement, there is plenty of time for players to chat or email among themselves to plan posts or even complete them as Joint Posts (JPs). If you can't reach them, play it safe. If you consistently can't reach another player, email me at reevalalyn@gmail.com and I'll look into the matter.
5. Leave the RW at the hatch.
This is a roleplaying-oriented collaborative writing exercise, not a forum for settling out-of-game issues. Obviously, we are all individuals and personal issues will arise, as in any group. It's important that we keep such issues out of our in-game personas.
Pretty much the only way someone can provoke me to eject them from the lists is by disruptive behavior but, in my experience, that sort of thing will quickly follow letting your personal issues color your play.
Keep personal OOC issues off Steadfast's boards. Settle them in email or personal chats. IC conflicts between characters, properly and cooperatively set up, are great role-playing. OOC ones between players are a slippery slope to a seriously messed up game. Also, don't ask me to mediate or get involved in your personal issues.
Odds are that I don't know either party personally well enough to take sides and, in any event, none of that is relevant to the game.
6. When in doubt, ask first.
I run missions with an overall, planned storyline. Via the Mission Development Team group, I provide ample opportunity for players interested in helping develop those scenarios, while allowing those who prefer to just take it as it comes to opt out of the process. I also plan my missions for maximum flexibility to things that come up
in play. However, since they do have a programmed storyline, I prefer to know what directions people want to take the rest of us in. Some COs think it's fine to have a bored player wake up one day and decide to throw the ship halfway across the galaxy and eight centuries into the past, just to see what will happen. I am not one of them. I don't write well amid chaos.
All players are by all means encouraged to develop personal or interpersonal sub-plots and are at liberty to do so without consulting me (though you are encouraged to do so, as I might be able to help in one way or another). The problem comes in when
individual player action begins to dictate things for the larger simm. Your character is gradually developing into a nervous breakdown? Great…have a ball. But before that leads him/her/it to try and hijack the ship, attack someone or otherwise break out of
the "you writing about your character" zone, you need to get my OK. That can be via the OOC or MDT boards or a personal chat/email exchange, but it has to happen.
To preserve the continuity of the game, I reserve the right to modify or delete posts which I find detrimental or contradictory to the overall storyline. That has rarely been necessary in my eight years of simming and I regard doing it with distaste, so let's work together to keep it from happening. I'll work with anyone who works with me and, one way or another, we can find a way to fit in most ideas.
7. Communicate.
I know I've hit this point before, but it is impossible to over-state. Every simm I've seen fail has done so, to one degree or another, via a lack of communication. People don't know what to post, but don't ask. People don't have time to play, but don't say
so. People who do have time to play get frustrated because other people aren't posting, but don't talk to me or voice their opinions on the OOC. People don't like the missions, but don't suggest others.
I won't lie and say I haven't been a part of that problem in the past, but I've learned from those mistakes. Now, I'm part of the solution. When I started Steadfast, I made a commitment to keeping the story moving forward continuously. I will take over characters whose players are neglecting them, if need be. I'll work to shape the missions you tell me you want. I'm wide open to virtually any suggestion or comment, though I make no promises to implement them all.
Steadfast players have multiple venues for communicating with me and each other. Use them to make this not my game, but our game and we will all be better for it.
Mark Beatty aka
David Rolandson
CO, USS Steadfast
USS Steadfast - Simm Rules
1. Simm Rating – R rating
The USS Steadfast simm runs under an ‘R’ rating. Think of this as the same as the MPAA rating system. Meaning, if you don’t see it in an ‘R’ rated movie, don’t post it here. Violation of this rule can result in dismissal from the Steadfast simm.
2. Posting Requirements
USS Steadfast operates on a one post per player per RW calendar week, measured from Monday through Sunday. Unless otherwise stated, all RW dates and times are derived from Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 5 hours). I generally try to get my posts up by Monday morning, so everyone else has the maximum possible time to react to them while staying on schedule. This weekly cycle is considered too fast by some, too slow by others but, in my experience, it works best overall.
Tags from other players should be answered as quickly as possible, but must be answered within five days of their being posted. Tag replies do count as posts for purposes of the posting requirements, but all tags must be answered within five days, regardless of their number. If you find it hard to keep up, post on the OOC board that
you need people to back off on tagging you and give us some notion of what we need to do to accommodate you.
Even if you have not been tagged and your character is not involved in any ongoing action, you are still responsible for one post per week. Absent other hooks, you can always post an interlude involving your own character's actions. Such posts are a great way to develop your character. You can also post for an NPC that's not in use or
even create a new one to post for if need be, but please run new NPCs by me before putting them in play.
Again, as in all other things Steadfast, if you have any questions or problems, email me as soon as you realize you're stuck and I'll help you. There is always something to post.
If you can't post in a given week, take two minutes and shoot a message to the OOC as soon as you're sure you won't be able to do it. If you're real-world issues are getting in the way of posting, just request a Leave-Of-Absence (LOA). That removes your posting responsibilities until you go active again. How long I can hold your position open on LOA will vary with the importance of your position and whether or not other people have applied for it. It will never be less than a month, however.
I don't kick people out of the game for not posting, but I won't wait long periods without communication either. If posting is missed by a player in any given week, then early the following week I will "write forward" any character or NPC of theirs that I feel is holding up the story or has been tagged. After two weeks of no posting and no contact, the player's character is subject to being reclassified as an NPC and their position on the ship made available for new players. This will not necessarily happen immediately at two weeks, but it will be an option. If a PC is reclassified as an NPC,
that player's IC posts will be moderated and they will have to contact me to be re-activated. More than 4 weeks with no contact will lead to my moving the character off the ship or otherwise out of play (perhaps via injury, disease, etc) at my convenience. I
won't "kill off" a character, but will move them off-stage to clear the field for more active players.
After one month of LOA, the character will be considered eligible for conversion to NPC status and, after two months, eligible for removal from the game. All of these actions can be somewhat mitigated or delayed by communication, so take the time to reach out to me if you're having problems. Generally speaking, I'd rather grant exceptions than lose players.
Regardless, any player not removed from the game for disruptive behavior will always be welcome back. Their memberships on the lists will not be cancelled, so they can continue to follow the game. Depending on the circumstances, there may or may not be a position available for their former character, but I'll do what I can to
reintegrate them as smoothly as possible.
3. Character Types
There are three types of characters on Steadfast: PCs, ONPCs and NPCs.
Player Characters (PCs) are the primary role taken on by a player in the game. Each player can have only one PC in the game. No other player is permitted to write for a PC unless given written permission in advance by that PC's player and, as a safety measure, I strongly recommend that this be given in an email CC'd to me. I will only write for a player's PC if that player is not meeting the posting requirements.
Owned NPCs (ONPCs) are secondary roles that a player able to handle them can take on. I've discovered over the years that many players find being stuck in a single role restrictive, particularly if they are accustomed to a faster game. ONPCs are a way around that. They must be approved by me and, once approved, they carry the same tag responsibilities as PCs. All tags must be answered for them, just as for a PC. ONPCs are governed by the same rules as PCs in terms of posting for them by other players. As CO, however, I have the right to employ them as I see fit, though I will generally try to avoid writing for them as long as they are properly maintained. ONPCs are a privilege and revocable if the player does not maintain them.
Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are the general "extras" of the story and are available for use by any player. However, my approval is required in advance before any crew NPC is rendered unfit for duty. Again, this is for continuity purposes. In most cases, I'll be fine with it.
4. Respect each other.
This is the most important rule for any game, but especially critical in a free-form, collaborative writing exercise like Steadfast. Lacking a task resolution system, like a traditional RPG, the only way we can maintain character/story balance is by
cooperating and communicating.
The best rule of thumb is to not write anything that forces another player to do anything without consulting them in advance. This is occasionally cumbersome or limiting, but saves a lot of misunderstanding down the road. Trust me people, I've lost players on previous simms over such issues.
Personally, I won't even fix another character in a position in one of my posts unless, as CO, I have a reason to. If the character I want to talk to isn't located in the same area as my own, I'll post a computer search or note that I'm off looking for them, leaving the other player to determine where their character is and make the link
up. I don't write any dialogue or actions for another PC unless it's player is delinquent on posting or we have agreed in advance.
With Steadfast's one-post-per week requirement, there is plenty of time for players to chat or email among themselves to plan posts or even complete them as Joint Posts (JPs). If you can't reach them, play it safe. If you consistently can't reach another player, email me at reevalalyn@gmail.com and I'll look into the matter.
5. Leave the RW at the hatch.
This is a roleplaying-oriented collaborative writing exercise, not a forum for settling out-of-game issues. Obviously, we are all individuals and personal issues will arise, as in any group. It's important that we keep such issues out of our in-game personas.
Pretty much the only way someone can provoke me to eject them from the lists is by disruptive behavior but, in my experience, that sort of thing will quickly follow letting your personal issues color your play.
Keep personal OOC issues off Steadfast's boards. Settle them in email or personal chats. IC conflicts between characters, properly and cooperatively set up, are great role-playing. OOC ones between players are a slippery slope to a seriously messed up game. Also, don't ask me to mediate or get involved in your personal issues.
Odds are that I don't know either party personally well enough to take sides and, in any event, none of that is relevant to the game.
6. When in doubt, ask first.
I run missions with an overall, planned storyline. Via the Mission Development Team group, I provide ample opportunity for players interested in helping develop those scenarios, while allowing those who prefer to just take it as it comes to opt out of the process. I also plan my missions for maximum flexibility to things that come up
in play. However, since they do have a programmed storyline, I prefer to know what directions people want to take the rest of us in. Some COs think it's fine to have a bored player wake up one day and decide to throw the ship halfway across the galaxy and eight centuries into the past, just to see what will happen. I am not one of them. I don't write well amid chaos.
All players are by all means encouraged to develop personal or interpersonal sub-plots and are at liberty to do so without consulting me (though you are encouraged to do so, as I might be able to help in one way or another). The problem comes in when
individual player action begins to dictate things for the larger simm. Your character is gradually developing into a nervous breakdown? Great…have a ball. But before that leads him/her/it to try and hijack the ship, attack someone or otherwise break out of
the "you writing about your character" zone, you need to get my OK. That can be via the OOC or MDT boards or a personal chat/email exchange, but it has to happen.
To preserve the continuity of the game, I reserve the right to modify or delete posts which I find detrimental or contradictory to the overall storyline. That has rarely been necessary in my eight years of simming and I regard doing it with distaste, so let's work together to keep it from happening. I'll work with anyone who works with me and, one way or another, we can find a way to fit in most ideas.
7. Communicate.
I know I've hit this point before, but it is impossible to over-state. Every simm I've seen fail has done so, to one degree or another, via a lack of communication. People don't know what to post, but don't ask. People don't have time to play, but don't say
so. People who do have time to play get frustrated because other people aren't posting, but don't talk to me or voice their opinions on the OOC. People don't like the missions, but don't suggest others.
I won't lie and say I haven't been a part of that problem in the past, but I've learned from those mistakes. Now, I'm part of the solution. When I started Steadfast, I made a commitment to keeping the story moving forward continuously. I will take over characters whose players are neglecting them, if need be. I'll work to shape the missions you tell me you want. I'm wide open to virtually any suggestion or comment, though I make no promises to implement them all.
Steadfast players have multiple venues for communicating with me and each other. Use them to make this not my game, but our game and we will all be better for it.
Mark Beatty aka
David Rolandson
CO, USS Steadfast