************************************************************************
Command
Guide
UCIP-Internet Academy's
Command Officer's
Guide
"Commanding Quality, Excellence,
and Fun"
Version 4.1, January, 2009
RAdm Jason Roberts
Credits
Various
people have given their help and suggestions during this
guide’s
development and revision. We learn
from the past so to those in the
past,
we thank you. Some content was also adapted or taken from
these
sources:
UCIP SimGuide v5 by Evelyn Knight, which
itself bases a lot of its
content on earlier
versions and other documents.
Executive Officers Training Guide v1.0
by Tom Magdiarz, the
immediate functional
predecessor to this document; also, the first
and second XO Exams by
Tom Magdiarz.
Command Officers Guide v2.0 by Commodore
Daniel Brown and Commander
Suzanna Blokpoel
Command Guide V2.5 by: Commodore
Christopher Lennox and Captain
Suzanna
Blokpoel
Command
Guide v 3.1.2 by Prof. Suzanna Blokpoel (Commo.)
Command
Guide v Version
4, August, 2002
************************************************************************
List of
Contents:
Preface
Section
1: General Overview
1.1 Overview of
Command Positions
1.1.1
Executive/First
Officer
1.1.2
Captain
1.1.3
Notes
on other Positions
1.1.4
Structure of
Command
1.2
C.A.R.T
1.3
Basics of
Leadership
1.3.1
Leadership Begins with a
Question
1.3.2
Communication
1.3.3
The
First Thing You Do is Agree
1.4
Spreading/Delegating Your
Leadership
1.4.1
How
to Delegate/Share
1.4.2
Listen
Closely
1.5
Being
a Leader: Dealing with Others
1.5.1
Chain
of Command
1.5.2
Setting the
Example
1.5.3
Edification and
Respect
1.5.4
Earning
Respect
1.5.5
Saying “No” is Never
Easy
1.5.6
Here
Comes Real Trouble
1.5.7
Problem or
Opportunity?
Section
2: In Sim Duties (IC Duties)
2.1
CO
and XO responsibilities during a Sim
2.2
Starting and Stopping a
Sim
2.2.1
IRC
Sims
2.2.2
E-Mail Sims
2.3
Absentees/Guest
Positions
2.3.1
In
IRC
2.3.2
In
E-Mail
2.4
Plot
Starters/Mission Briefings
2.5
Away
Teams
2.6
Directing the
Plot
2.7
Position Identification
Tags
2.8
Potential
Problems
2.8.1
Slow
Sims
2.8.2
Loss
of Control
2.8.3
Time
Line Issues
Section
3: Administrative (OOC Duties)
3.1 Personnel
Duties
3.1.1
Rosters
3.1.1.1 Rosters and
Transfers
3.1.2 Accepting New
Crew
3.1.3
Accepting
Transfers
3.1.4
Sample Welcome
Letter
3.2
Promotions
3.2.1 Promotion of
Position
3.2.2 Rank
Promotions
3.2.3 Senior Promotion
Form
3.3
Reports
3.3.1
Sample IRC Sim
Report
3.3.2
Sample Email Sim
Report
3.3.3
Hybrid Sims and
Reports
3.4 Resigning/Taking
a Permanent CO Position
3.4.1
Assigning/Taking an Acting-Command
Position as a Captain
3.4.2
First
Officer as ACO
3.5 Mission
Briefings/Plot Starters: Creating
Congratulations on becoming or
aspiring to be a Command Officer in the
Confederation. If you have made it
to this point, your current
simulation abilities must be of
high quality, that fact alone makes us
even
more proud of you. Soon you will be in a position to
direct
simulations; having the unique
ability to enhance the fun for your
crewmates whom will be under your
command.
Many
years of Command Experience go into this document, however this one document
will not teach you everything about command. It takes years of experience to
master the art of a simulation, everyone is in constant
learning.
You
need to know how to recruit, talk to your crew, create missions and keep
everyone happy at the same time. Being a Command grade officer is a lot of
responsibility. We as an organisation entrust you with a group of
8
to 20
role-players to mold them to follow in your footsteps along
the
path of
command. You are their guiding light in the organisation,
you
are
their link to the fun and exciting world of Star Trek. You are
the
master
of your domain, your simulation.
This
Guide acts merely as a mini-encyclopedia; within you will find procedures used
by existing COs, hints, advice and examples pertaining to both administrative
("paper work") and simulation aspects of Command that otherwise come from
experience (or not at all). One thing that is key to remember - Is that every
command officer will have their own unique approach and methods. What works for one doesn’t always work
for another..
This
guide is formatted in sections, so that it can be referred to again when you
need it, and we recommend that you keep this and other materials in the Command
Course handy. Even if you are an old hand at being CO or XO, you should find new
information, be reminded of ideas or find slight alternatives within these
pages. Thus, regardless of your qualifications, take the time to read the entire
Guide and see the ideas presented here.
Experience: If you've got this
guide, do you really need it? Absolutely.
These
pages can only hold words; it will be up to you to gain
the
experience needed to guide a plot,
solve people-problems, and still
enjoy being an XO/CO.
Overview of the Command Positions,
and Command:
It is
expected that you are already familiar with the SimGuide's
description of the Captain and
First Officer. Here we explore the
command
roles a bit deeper than the simulation Guide touches upon
the
subject.
1.1.1
Executive/First
Officer
As a
character in the simulation, the First Officer is the
Captain's
hypothetical third arm and second
mind. Thus, the job covers a complex
set of
in-simulation responsibilities. When on the bridge with the
CO,
the XO
should offer courses of action and advice by asking for
information from the bridge
officers, and making expected command orders
(eg.
going red-alert when encountering hostile threat) which the
Captain
needn't
worry about (but see Section 1.4 direct orders). Unless
ordered
or
expected otherwise, the First Officer's place is on the bridge
with
the
Captain.
Another
duty is commanding the ship in place of the CO (unless the
Captain
is incapacitated or unavailable, this should be an
explicit
order).
In this situation the XO takes on most responsibilities,
notifying the CO if his attention
is required. Notification should be
given
to the Commanding Officer about incoming communication,
security
alerts,
and other important issues; minor problems need not be
reported
to the
CO if the XO can handle the problem. If the CO is
incapacitated
or
unavailable, then the XO takes all responsibilities until the CO
is
available and fit to resume
command.
There
are some Non-bridge duties which are common or expected of
the
First
Officer. These include, but are not limited to, advising
the
Captain
during diplomacy, leading away teams, ensuring the
Captain's
safety
when he must leave the ship, and keeping tabs on how the
crew
feel
about the Captain. It is also common for a CO to have the
XO
personally oversee important tasks
elsewhere on the ship, eg. moving
critical supplies into
storage.
Out of
character duties include the XO brings the crew to
attention
before
and after the simulation. The XO usually plays the characters
on
the
view-screen (preferably changes nicknames before doing so) that
the
ship
encounters. Simulations are different in the respect of what
OOC
duties
are assigned to the XO and what duties are not. (see OOC Section)
As the
Executive officer, it is key to talk to your Commanding Officer and find out
exactly what is expected of you, before you step onto the bridge for the first
time.
1.1.2
Commanding Officer / Captain
The
Commanding Officer is the central control person of the
simulation.
All
bridge stations report to him/her when new Information regarding
the
mission
at hand comes up; new discoveries (eg "new ships decloaking")
or
finished commands (eg "arrived in-
system" or "shields are up").
Impulsively, or in response to new
information, the Captain asks
questions (to stimulate more input)
and gives orders. This system forms
a
structure that both controls (so it doesn't get out of hand)
and
guides
the simulation. If you are just learning to CO a simulation,
have
this
"input/output" system in mind.
1.1.3
Note on Other Positions
As a
command-level officer, you should be well-versed in the
responsibilities of all other
simulation positions. It's not necessary
to be a
jack-of-all-trades to be a command officer, but a broad
knowledge is required in order to
know what to ask them and what to
expect
from them in return. If there are certain positions you are
not
familiar with, see the SimGuide and
read over the advanced Academy
guides
to become familiar with them. If in doubt, read the SimGuide
and
the
Academy Course guides; they are a good read, and will keep you
in
the
know. Remember, if you are not sure of something technical, do
not
be
afraid to find out the information ICly or message a crew member
on
your
ship; we said a CO is not a jack of all trades and should not
be
expected to
be.
1.1.4
Structure of Command
One bit
of knowledge that some new First Officers do not have is
the
fact
that only the person that has control of the bridge gives
direct
orders
to the bridge crew and senior officers. Meaning, if the
Captain
is on
the bridge, the First Officer cannot order the Helm officer to
lay
in a
new course or the Ops officer to transfer power (and
certainly
cannot
tell the Tactical officer to fire weapons!) unless expected
(or
has
permission) from the Captain. Your relationship with the
Commanding
Officer
has an effect on the extent of your control on the bridge.
The
First
Officer, while he does not have control of the bridge, can
only
make
suggestions to the Captain, and ask for additional information
from
the
bridge and senior officers. The same "control" applies to
away
missions; a First Officer, when
leading an away team, gives direct
orders
to the others. Another member of the team cannot be giving
orders
to the
other, unless it is the usual cooperativeness needed to get
the
job
done. This same one-person-in-command also applies to
chief/
assistant department structures,
eg. the Chief Medical Officer gives
orders
to the two assistants, but one assistant doesn't give an order
to
the
other unless the CMO is absent (then, of course, the
first-
assistant becomes the
acting-Chief).
The
major reason of this is because command requires that one
person
have a
plan of action, and the ability to have their immediate
subordinates fulfill that plan. If
someone else is giving orders without
the
person-in-command's permission (eg. the First Officer is
giving
bridge
orders while the Captain is on the bridge), this interrupts
the
commander's plan of what needs to
happen when.
Thus,
remember, unless you're the one in command, don't become
over-
enthusiastic to help and start
giving orders. Your idea of what needs to
happen
can easily be different from your superior's. Acting
independently will easily bring
disorder to the simulation. Suggestion
and
communication is key, if you have a suggestion you are allowed
to
voice
your opinion through the chain of command.
1.2 C.A.R.T
Characteristics and traits that
applies to both Captain and First
Officer:
"CART"
Communication:
In
character communication is key to the quality of a simulation.
An
Executive Officer is a key element
to the simulation. As an executive
officer, they receive information
that may not seem important to inform
the CO
of at the time it was received, but it may prove to be
important
as the
simulation develops. The XO and CO need to communicate so
that
the
important and non-important information comes together to see
if
there
is a congruence.
Adaptablility:
If the
plot is not going the way you planned it, try to adapt your
grand
plan to
go with the flow of what everyone else is moving toward. It
is
better
to let your crew take a plot somewhere then it is to have
you
direct
it where they do not want the plot to go.
Respect:
Onboard
a simulation, the executive officer must support the
decisions
of the
Commanding Officer unless the decision endangers the lives of
the
crew or
the Commanding Officer. It is important for the crew to see
you
support
the actions of the CO especially in times of difficulty.
Teamwork:
The CO
and XO that work well together will complement each other in
the
responsibilities of commanding a
simulation, and result in a good
simulation environment for the rest
of the crew. Team work is one of the
main
key things.
1.3
Basics of Leadership
Leadership is one of those
challenges that can be defined in countless
ways.
For our purpose here, think of it this way:- A leader is
expected
to get
others to work together to have fun. A real leader uses
teamwork
and
respect for others to get the job done. If others think of you
as
just
the "boss", you are probably not leading. If they think of you
as
one of
the guys and everything you set out to do is getting done,
you
can bet
you're doing a pretty good job leading.
Other
Command officers currently use these skills and don't even
know
they
are doing it. Observe a successful simulation and watch how
the
commanding staff acts. Watch them
closely. They ask a lot of suggestions
and
make many suggestions, don't they? They also know when they need
to
make
orders. (Note that orders are given in the simulation, but
when
dealing
with the crew it is better to ask for suggestions and
opinions
before
making a final decision out of character.) Use the other
Command
Officers as resources. When you
face a new challenge, chances are
they've
faced the same or a similar challenge. They can help you
meet
the
challenges that you are faced.
Finally, it's important to see,
right from the start, that everyone in
command
has been down the trail you're just beginning to travel. You
can
take
advantage of their experiences. One of the easiest ways to do
this
is by
in the field work with your own simulation and asking for
advice.
Experience in the field is a must.
It will help you discover what's
expected of a leader in your
position. When you know how to be right,
it's a
lot easier to be right. The more often you can do the
right
things,
the more the other crew-- and people in
general-- will respect your
leadership.
1.3.1
Leadership Begins with a Question
Are you
good at keeping a secret? Let's hope not, at least in this
case,
because
one important key to good leadership is a good question.
Unfortunately, that's probably one
of the best kept secrets in the
World.
So let's see to it that every Command Officer is in on the
secret.
How did
that last paragraph begin? With a question, right? What did
the
question do? It led you into the
next statement. "Now, wait a minute,"
you
say, "You can't trick me that way. I didn't have to read the
next
statement." Well, that's true. You
didn't have to. But you did read it,
didn't
you? Now it's not a leader's job to get people to do things
they
don't
want to do. Not at all. A good leader gets things done by
respecting others and helping them
learn to grow through their own
Simulation experience. He provides
direct hands-on leadership when he
has to,
but always with respect toward others as a guiding force.
Let's
take a quick look at how this will work every time. Say you
need
some
help with a problem as an away team leader on a planet.
Ensign
Jackson, one of your crewmembers is
anxious for a chance to prove
himself. If you are on top of
things you will know this. Because you
know he
wants to prove himself; you can give him the opportunity to
help
solve
the perplexing problem you face on the planet. You know
Jackson
will be
anxious to help because he wants to prove himself to the
crew.
So when
you ask him to assist the ships Webmaster with the webpage,
if
he has
the experience he will jump at the chance.
As
important as a good question is, it's certainly not all you need
to
know to
be a good leader. Leadership is about relationships,
problem
solving, and achieving goals. One
skill is not going to make you a good
leader.
Each time you add a new leadership skill though, you become
a
better
leader. On a scale of 1 to 5, you need all the skills to be
a
five.
Any skill you lack makes you that much of a leader. So if all
you
can do
is ask questions, you probably have some work to do.
1.3.2
Communication
Communication has to be one of the
more important. You might think of
this as
the ability to get and give information. If you communicate
in
such a
way that people understand what you need and why you need
it,
they
respond the way you want them to. There are many skills to
communicating. We've all seen how
the "magic words" work. A "please" or
a
"thanks" is always a good idea. Using "we" or "ours" will do much
more
toward
your leadership success than "I" or "me" A smile, is also
a
great
thing to give. It's interesting-- no matter how many smiles
you
give
away, you never run out. Maybe it's because every time you
give
someone
a smile, they give you a smile right back. And, did you
ever
notice
how hard it is to stay mad at someone when you're smiling?
It's
nearly
impossible.
How
about a good laugh? That works every time, too, especially if
you're
laughing at yourself. We all make
mistakes, and if the crew of your ship
see
that you recognize your mistakes with a laugh, they will be
quicker
to
forget them. Laugh at your own mistakes, and not the mistakes
of
others
or feelings will get hurt.
1.3.3
The First Thing You Do Is Agree
When
someone says he doesn't want to work on an IC project with
you
because
it's a lot of work, don't argue. Agree with him. Try
responding
this
way: "You're right, Jackson. It is a lot of work. That's what
the
fellas
on the alpha shift thought last month when they were
assigned
this
diagnostic. But once they got into the project, they found
that
time
went by quickly and the work was soon completed"
This
method is called the "feel, felt, found" method of leadership.
I
understand how you feel. Others
have felt the same way. But they have
tried
it, they found that...
There
are several important things happening here. First, by
agreeing
with
Jackson, you've stopped the argument. You agreed with him,
so
there's
no one for him to argue with. Then, you further tell him
that
others
felt the same way when they first started their work. This
tells
him
that he's not some kind of dummy for thinking the way he does.
Now
Jackson
is listening to you rather than arguing with you. You're
speaking his language. So it's time
to let him in on what other crew
members
discovered when they gave it a try. You'll win him over when
he
sees
how he might have misunderstood the difficulty of the work
ahead.
This
method is most used when ordering is not crucial to the
operation
of a
ship. On a ship we use orders to get things done, but ensuring
a
fellow
officer about their feelings can never hurt.
1.4
Spreading your Leadership
1.4.1
How to Share Leadership
Often a
new leader gets frustrated because he tried to make all
the
decisions himself. Once he
recognizes that others can help, his job
becomes
much easier. This is because he shares leadership. The
Commanding officer shares
leadership to the crew by assigning different
responsibilities to them. By
discussing things with the members of the
Crew,
the command staff share their leadership. Each crewmember
OOCly
gets to
voice their opinion about matters. This way the plan that
comes
out of
the crew meetings will incorporate the thoughts and ideas of
the
rest of
the crew, not just senior leaders.
There
is an old saying that, "You have to inspect what you expect."
This
means
you need to let people know that once they've accepted an
assignment they're not going to be
able to slide by without completing
it.
It's up to you to help other crew on your ship become
successful.
Besides
of that... you are only as good as your back up system ;-).
It
is
imperative that you as CO ensure the continuity of your SIM
by
training your XO and 2XO to be able
to take over from you if you have to
take an
unexpected long term LOA.
1.4.2
Listen Closely
Taking
the time to listen closely to what people say is one way to
share
your
leadership. The other crew will like it when you listen to
their
ideas.
It tells them you care. It shows them you think their ideas
are
important. When a leader isn't
listening to those he's trying to lead,
he
really doesn't know if they're following. Pretty soon he's trying
to
understand why everyone is always
grumbling behind his back. Why is the
crew
unhappy? Why did someone drop out? Often the answer is that
they
didn't
feel they were part of the action. Nobody cared about his or
her
thoughts or feelings. As a
Commanding officer the nobody would be you.
1.5
Being a Leader: Dealing with others
1.5.1
Chain of Command
In any
organisation, especially one that is based on a military
structure like the various fleets
are, there is a Chain of Command to
the top
level President.
Dept.
Head -> XO -> CO -> Section Manager-> Divisional Director
->
Those
Sims that have either Firrst Force Teams or a Full Unit, Marine Detachments or Civilians or all three have to account
for those sub-chains. While the Marine Cmdr or Civilian Governor can run
separate plots for their respective people, they ultimately report to the CO/XO
of the Sim they are a part of and should provide the courtesy of informing the
CO/XO of their plot plans so the Command Team knows what’s going on and whether
anything might clash. Ie. Marine Cmdr may want to run ‘war games’ off
ship/planet but CO/XO wants to use the Marines in the main colony plot…they need
to keep each other informed.
Marine
-> Marine Cmdr -> XO
-> CO ->Section Manager-> Divisional Director
->
Operator
-> Team Leader/Unit CO -> XO
-> CO ->Section Manager/FFCO-> Divisional Director
->
Civilian -> Civ. Governor ->
XO -> CO ->Section Manager-> Divisional Director
->
That
means that an assistant with a problem should first go to the
Dept.
Head,
if it can't be resolved, it goes to the XO. From there if
unresolved it will go to the CO,
Section Manager,
Divisional Director etc. In the case where for instance, the
Subfleet
Commander is also the CO, the
matter will be automatically deferred to
the
Deputy.
The
chain of command will be enforced and not bypassed. There have
been
instances that a CO, for instance,
has bypassed a Section Manager and
gone
straight to the Divisional Director. The opposite has also happened
and
people
up the chain have gone straight to COs rather than work
through
the
Chain of Command.
If you
do jump the chain of command, don't be surprised if you are told
to
follow
the chain, and to take it to the right person. Anybody
found
jumping
the chain of command will referred back to the right person
in
the
chain. There is a major effort going on in the UCIP to improve
our
communications, and we need your
help in doing so. Jumping the Chain of
Command
does not help our attempt to improve communications, it
also
shows a
lack of respect to the officer being left out in the
chain.
1.5.2
Setting the Example
As you
can see, there are a lot of things for a leader to do.
Each
leader
is going to do these things a little but different from
another
leader.
And that is all right. Still, there is one thing that
every
leader
of a simulation wants to do and that is set the example!
Setting
the example is the most crucial part to your job
descriptions.
Often
the crew you lead will learn most of what they know about
Simulations and Command from your
example. You are their model of what a Commanding Officer is. Your ideals will
become their ideals, your skills you will pass along to them. If it looks like
you think you can do things in a
sloppy
fashion, the crew will soon think they can too. If you're
always
talking
about how a plan you have won't work, that's what your crew
will
think
as well. However, if you are enthusiastic, they will be
enthusiastic as
well!
1.5.3
Edification and Respect
Linked
closely with setting the example is that Command Officers
are
expected to have a professional and
respectful attitude when dealing
with
our peers in UCIP. Yes, this is a game, but we still need to
bear
professionalism in what we do in
mind, regardless of personal feelings,
especially when you get to the
level of CO and higher.
It's a
simple concept, treat people the way you want to be
treated
yourself. Your Divisional Directors
expect you as Command Officers to set an
example
and to lead by this example. We can not ask people to do what
we
are not
prepared to do ourselves.
This
also has to do with edification, talk positive about people.
The
dictionary definition of 'to edify'
states: To instruct, especially for
moral
and personal improvement. What does it mean in practice...
Talk
positive about those on your level
and your superiors to those under
your
command and treat everyone, regardless of status or who they
are
with
respect. Think about it.. if you were to talk negative about
your
superiors to your crew. It not only
makes the superior look bad, but
also
the UCIP and you, yourself will look bad... But what is there
to
stop
your crew from talking equally negative about you to their
peers
and
those under their command? They will do as you do, not as you
say.
We all
need to blow of steam at times and are unhappy about
things
happening. That is understandable,
but don't complain down the chain of
command, to your crew. If you feel
the need to blow off steam, talk and
complain UP the chain of
command.
An
issue that has cropped up on the odd occasion that I wish to
touch
upon
here too, is something that is considered a very serious issue
of
unacceptable behaviour. A few COs
have been bashing/dissing other COs to
crew
members of that CO. Sometimes even in the middle of the CO's
SIM.
But let
me make it VERY clear: That sort of behaviour is TOTALLY
unacceptable. You don't have to
like someone, but you DON'T talk
negative about a CO to that CO's
crew. To give an indication of how
unacceptable it is, Starfleet
Command has stated that if a CO is found
to have
been doing this, to expect punishment along the lines of
resetting the time frame for next
promotion consideration and/or
restrictions on awards for the
CO.
Like I
said above, if you as Command Officer feel the need to
complain
or blow
of steam.. do so UP the chain of command, NOT down to your
crew..
and NEVER to someone else's crew. It is extremely bad
form.
1.5.4
Earning Respect
When
you first become a commanding officer, there are certain
things
that
are likely to happen. After everyone has congratulated you,
someone
is
likely to try to see if she can get some special attention from
the
new
leader. Perhaps she is a good friend and all she wants is to
be
promoted sooner then the minimums,
"just this one time." You know the
promotion minimums are in place for
a reason but she is a really good
friend:
you enjoy your friendship, and you want to keep it that
way.
Look
what happens if you give in to this request. First, you're going
to
feel
bad. You knew it wasn't the right thing to do, but you did
it
anyway.
Then you're going to possibly answer to someone above you as
to
why the
promotion took place. The other crew might find out and
become
unhappy
about how you played favorites. This individual is not
respecting you as a leader, or as a
friend, and is using you selfishly.
On your
simulation you must take into account the best interests of
the
crew.
If you do a favor for one person, a favor will often be
expected
from
the others. Set you policies and stick by them.
1.5.5
Saying No is Never Easy
Even
though it isn't easy to say no, this does not excuse you from
doing
so when
necessary. No one likes to say no, especially to a friend.
Still.
If that's the correct response, it's what a good leader will
say.
It is
your responsibility to gauge when a situation is right or
wrong
and
make the call. In a battle, if an engineering officer asks to run
a
Level
one diagnostic on the systems, this would result in a no
response.
You as
the Command officer on the ship must make the final call and
be
firm in
your decision.
1.5.6
Here Comes Real Trouble
Occasionally a crew will discover
that it has a real "wise
guy"
that is always causing trouble. This isn't the guy who likes
to
toss in
a joke once in a while. It isn't the crewmember who moans
and
groans
when they have to do an assignment. The troublemaker is
the
crewmember who constantly pushes
the newer crewmembers around. Maybe he
thinks
it's okay to always argue with the Department Head or to make
fun
of
everyone else's opinions. Chances are that this is also the guy
who
always
says, or wants to say, "No," and doesn't want to do much
of
anything.
It
won't be easy to take action. Other crew may laugh at his antics.
If
you
read their laughs to mean they like having every
simulation
interrupted, you are wrong. It
won't be easy, but in the interest of
your
ship and your crew, you will have to take action. If you want
the
others
to follow your leadership, they're going to need to see that
you
can
take care of the tough jobs as well as the easy ones.
Fortunately, we don't run into much
"real trouble" in UCIP. The people
who
join the group know up front what the group is all about and what
is
expected of them, they want to be
here to have fun. Most are not joining
because
they are looking for trouble. Still, it can happen that you
get
faced
with someone accused of doing something wrong to someone else.
You
can not
let it pass. You must take a stand. If you don't you'll
always
know
you should have, and it will bother you a lot. Even more
important,
what
will happen to your ability to lead? The other guys are going
to
see
that you walked away from a serious problem, rather than facing
it
the way
a leader should. Whatever respect you've earned up to that
point
will
quickly disappear. They will see that you don't have the courage
to
do what
you know is right.
What do
you do? The answer to this question is tough. The actions
to
take
won't always be the same. Still, there are certain things you
will
want to
do just about every time. Begin by taking a good, hard look
at
the
facts. Be as certain as you can that you know what really
has
happened. Be certain that the
problem is real. Does he admit it? If not,
who's
making the charges? Do you really believe the charges are
true?
What is
the proof? Try to give the accused crewmember the benefit of
the
doubt.
Did he know what he did was wrong? If not, explain why the
action
can't
take place again. Get a commitment from him not to do it
again.
Make
sure that he knows what actions you'll take if it does
happen
again.
Maybe
she says she doesn't like a certain rule. Let them explain
while
you
listen carefully. Try to understand what they're saying and why
they
feel
this way. Then explain why the rule exists and why it's
important
that
everyone in the crew do his or her best to obey the rule. Maybe
you'll
convince him. Remember to use the
"feel, felt, found" method, which has
been
proven to work. If he won't agree to follow the rule, or if
he
breaks
the rule again, consult the person who is next on your Chain
of
Command. It may be necessary to
bring the Section Manager (if in
Starfleet), StarDivisional Director or
the Vice President or President into the situation
if it
becomes difficult.
Hopefully the crewmember that is
causing the problem will do what is
right
when you face up to him. But be careful not to spill all
the
details
to everyone you see. It's no one else's business. If the
problem
is
really serious, though, everything changes. Remember that you are
not
all
alone. If you have a problem that's too hot for you to handle,
use
your
resources, and go up the Chain of Command. Maybe the other crew
on
the
ship can help. Again, you may want to confide in those officers
who
you
report to, including the Vice President and President. Use the chain of
Command,
it is
there to help you.
1.5.7
Problem or Opportunity?
If you
can learn to view problems as opportunities, you will be well
on
your
way to success as a leader. Don't look at every simulation
or
activity as being littered with
problems. View them as activities filled
with
opportunities. You can not demonstrate your leadership skills
if
you
never get the opportunity. Does that mean you want people to
argue?
No, of
course not. But when it happens, and it happens in the best
of
organizations and ships, you have
the opportunity to be a leader.
Every
leader will get his share of criticism. You might want to think
of
it as
the spice of leadership. After all, the right spice can turn
a
humdrum
meal into something special. So, if you're getting honest
and
accurate criticism, you will want
to be thankful. Criticism should help
make
you a better leader.
If
you're getting heavily peppered with criticism, there may be
a
problem. You need to ask yourself
why. Maybe you need to ask another
Command
officer or your superiors for help and advice. But you
don't
want to
object to useful criticism. Without it you might never know
that
something needs changing. If
criticism is unfair, you have another kind
of
opportunity. Most likely your critic thinks he is being very
fair.
You're
going to have to find out why. This is where the questions
we
talked
about earlier can come into play again. Ask many questions.
Find
out why
he feels this way. Let him talk while you listen closely. If
you
discover, while listening, that
there is some truth to the criticism,
address
it positively. You'll be a better leader because of it.
Perhaps
you can enlist the crews' assistance in solving problems;
the
crew is
a resource you have to use. In solving a problem, both of
the
people
involved will grow as a result.
2.1 CO
and XO Responsibilities During a simulation
The
Captain of a simulation has these responsibilities:
Controlling the beginning and ending of
the simulation, or in
Email the
plot.
Giving in-character direct orders to
bridge crew and senior
officers
Speeding along the plot during slow
times (with the use of ACTION,
and in Email with
logs).
Communicating with crew members in
private for behind-the-scene
orders (e.g.asking the
Science Officer to find tetreon
emissions).
Keeping all officers involved in the
current plot, if someone is
not involved find
something for them to do.
Evaluate information that is received to
find possible effects on
the
simulation.
The
First Officer's responsibilities are:
Assisting the Captain during the
beginning / ending phase of the
Simulation. In Email
helping to steer the plot.
Requesting in-character input from
bridge crew and senior officers
and evaluating if the CO
needs to be informed about the
information or if the XO can
handle the information.
Making in-character suggestions to the
Captain.
Taking in-private requests from the
crew, taking care of what s/he
can and presenting what they
cannot to the Captain.
Taking command of Away
Teams.
2.2
Beginning and Ending a Simulation
2.2.1
IRC:
This
outline is used by most UCIP IRC SIMs, with some
variations.
Starting: Procedure to begin a
simulation
Call for attention (usually done by XO).
This is normally done
with:
<CmdrKeen> ATTENTION ON
DECK!
All
crew should respond with ::attn::, then if it is the XO that
called
for
attention, then (s)he should say:
<CmdrKeen> The crew is at
attention, Sir ::attn::
Assign
absentee and guest positions (optionally have everyone
report
their
positions for the guests). Give mission, then ask for
questions.
Start
simulation. Usually like this:
<CaptKangaroo> ******** BEGIN
Simulation ********
Pausing: Procedure to stop a
simulation in the middle (A pause is a very
handy
tool for a Commanding Officer to use however should only be
used
when an
ACTION can not resolve the conflict. A pause disturbs the
flow
of the
simulation and should only be used in emergencies where
private
messages and IC actions can’t
resolve the conflict or if too many crew are lost in a netsplit to
continue)
Pause simulation and call for attention.
Example:
<CaptKangaroo> ******** Pause
Simulation ********
<CmdrKeen> ATTENTION ON
DECK!
Then, the
following:
CO makes comments to resolve
the situation which stopped the
simulation A brief re-cap of
what has occurred up to the pause
Crew is asked for
questions.
Un-Pause simulation and continue with
simulation. Example:
<CaptKangaroo> ******** Resume
Simulation ********
Ending:
Procedure to end the simulation for the day
End simulation and call for attention.
Example:
<CaptKangaroo> ******** END
Simulation ********
<CmdrKeen> ATTENTION ON
DECK!
Then, the following in whatever logical
order: (most of them
optional)
CO makes
comments
Request for comments (NOT
OPTIONAL)
Promotion ceremony (if any
are due – this is sometimes done at the start
of the SIM
by some CO’s)
CO reports what is planned
for next week
Crew is dismissed
Requesting for comments is NOT
optional. There has also been a slight
trend
for making promotions before the simulation than afterwards; it
is
the
decision of the CO to decide to do it then rather than after
a
simulation.
2.2.2
Starting and Stopping an Email plot
It's
the CO's, or in the CO's absence the XO's, responsibility to
start
the
plot. This is done by posting a 'plot starting log'. This log
should
contain
enough background information and orders to set the scene,
such
that
the rest of the crew has an indication of where the plot will
be
heading
and they can then start logging accordingly.
Email
plots don't always have a clear ending, as one plot
sometimes
rolls
into the next. But where possible a concluding log, which has
a
short
overview of the events that have happened, and perhaps a
mention
of the
performance of the crew is advisable. An example would be to
use
a
'Captain's log, Stardate:... ' for this purpose.
2.3
Absentee/Guest Position Assignments
2.3.1
In IRC.
Even
before attention is called for, you should be alert to
which
officers of your crew are absent,
and note that their positions, esp. a
bridge
or chief position, are open. It is often helpful to have
your
crew
contact you before-hand if they will not be in attendance at
the
simulation. This allows time
previous to the simulation to find a guest
who
might wish to participate. The next step is to assign assistants
to
take
over chief positions, at least until their Chief comes into
the
simulation. Assistants have
priority over guests when taking over a
Chief
position.
The
next step is assigning guests, if you have any. Previously
you
should
have taken note of those open positions you have that you want
to
fill
first; if you have certain guests you want to fill certain
positions, ask for them to take it.
You may also allow your guests a
choice
of which open post they will take, although this process can
be
time-consuming but they will feel
more in control of their character. If
you are
looking to save time, you may want to ask them to take
certain
positions instead of giving them a
choice.
At the
end of the simulation, thank your guests for attending, and
ask
them
for their Email addresses. When you make your simulation
report,
note
them in the attendance, and CC: them when you mail the
report.
2.3.2
In Email:
Unlike
IRC SIMs, in Email SIMs, 'attention' is not called and the
requirement is for only one quality
log a week. It can happen that the
CO
posts a log on Saturday in which he/she gives orders to, or
requires
information from, the CMO. The CMO,
however, may not have the time to
log
until much later in the week and the CO/XO must be able to deal
with
this
situation to avoid the plot coming to a stop while they wait
for
the CMO
to respond.
It
should be stressed to the crew that they need to inform the CO
and/or
XO if
they know that they will be unable to log that week, so that
it
can be
taken into account when writing your logs. If the absence is
only
going
to be one week, the CO or XO can speak for the officer
involved,
avoiding the plot having to wait
for the officer to return. If the
absence
is going to be longer, an acting chief can be appointed IC on
a
temporary
basis.
Guests
are relatively rare in Email SIMs, and would be unlikely to
hold
a chief
position while they are on board. Guests in Email SIMs
usually
join
during a fleet plot. Like in IRC, thank your guest(s) for attending
at
the end
of the plot, and when you make your SIM Report, note them in
the
attendance.
2.4
Mission Briefings / Mission Statements / Plot Starters
There
should be no need to introduce Mission Statements, or briefings
to
an
experienced IRC simmer. In Email however, the plot doesn't
start
without
a 'plot starting log' from the CO, or in the CO's absence
the
XO,
it's their responsibility to start the plot. This log should
contain
enough
background information and specific orders to set the scene,
such
that
the rest of the crew has an indication of where the plot will
be
heading
and what they need to do to get started in the plot. The
plot
starting log should paint a picture
of the situation as it is at the
moment
and give a good indication of what can be expected, ie, what
sort
of
direction the plot is going. The latter is done by issuing
specific
orders
to all Departments Heads. They will then log accordingly,
adding
to the
plot themselves as it develops. Remember, unless you tell them
IC
in a
briefing or other way, via message or comm badge.. they do not
know
things. You need to talk to your crew to get them started in
the
plot. (some ideas on plot creation are at the
end of Section 3)
Remember that as CO you have to
look at the bigger picture, you need to
ensure
that *all* your department heads are involved in the plot
you
create
and give them information and orders in your plot starting
log.
They
will then involve their assistants. If it is not possible
to
involve
all the department heads, you can consider creating a
small
subplot
for them (or allowing them to create their own, discussing it with you of
course) until you can get them involved in the main plot.
It may
be worthwhile to note that there are several types of
missions,
depending on what you as a CO want
your crew to simulation on a
particular week or during a
particular plot. The different kinds can be
broken
down into this list:
Exploration - Going to "uncharted
sectors", and the like.
Scientific - Investigating scientific phenomena,
like "polarized
nebula".
Rescue - Investigating
why a ship/outpost is experiencing
trouble.
Tactical - simulation involving
combat, or military-related
missions.
At
times two or more Sims (or an entire fleet) may band
together
to a
common plot, and often this may call upon more of one type
of
simulation than another. For
instance, when a fleet-wide plot has many
simulations fighting off an
invading force, many simulations during this
situation will be Tactical
simulations. Afterwards, there may be some
Rescue
simulations for fallen comrades. Two Sims that agree to
become
a two-ship mission of voyage on the outer rim of known space
will
have a
lot of Exploration- and possibly Scientific- type
simulations.
And so
on. On the whole and during times when your Sim is acting
alone,
however, a good mix of all types is a good idea in general.
If
you
have any trouble knowing what each of these types involves, ask
the
instructor for
examples.
2.5
Away Teams
Unless
an Away Team mission is completely safe, e.g. dining on
another
secure
ship, or going to a diplomatic gathering, the Captain
should
never
lead an away team. Instead, this is the responsibility of
the
First
Officer and (s)he selects the members of the team. The CO
advises
the XO
on the selection of members of the away team in critical
missions. It is suggested that the
XO be allowed the control to select
his or
her team as the XO will be the one working closely with
the
individuals.
When
preparing for an Away Team, make sure to select the
appropriate
officers for the teams needs.
Almost always take a Medical officer
(preferably the CMO) along in case
illness befalls the Team. Tactical
and/or
Security officers (and, a "team" of NPC security personnel
if
wanted)
are a good idea for potential combat. Science, Chief Ops
and
Engineering are appropriate for
situations that require scientific
investigation or technological
study/fixing.
As for
equipment: Hand phasers and tricorders are usually
appropriate
for any
situation where the Away Team is going into unknown
situation,
even if
encountering hostilities doesn't seem likely. Type-III
Phaser
Rifles,
on the other hand, are expected in case of an away mission
where
there
will be hostilities. Environmental suits are needed for
radiation,
non-breathable (or complete lack
of) atmosphere, and zero-gravity
environments. You might even want
to bring transporter beacons in case
you
need them to come back to the ship.
Once
the team is ready, the away team leader should contact the
bridge
(or a
transporter chief, if your ship has one) to transport the
team,
then
notify the ship once you successfully materialize. Keep it in
mind
to
notify the ship often as the mission unfolds. As soon as the
away
team
leaves the vessel, the away team leader is in command,
regardless
of
rank.
During
the Away mission, be sure to stay focused on accomplishing
the
goals,
as opposed to concentrating too much on one find. Away
missions
have a
tendency to prolong an IRC simulation beyond its normal
time,
which
for some members puts a kink in their real-life schedule, or some may have
back-to-back Sims since it may be the only day they have to sim.
In
addition, sometimes concentrating
too much on fine details in a
simulation simply produces a
lesser-quality simulation than if it were
kept
moving.
As an
away team leader you take on the functions and
responsibilities
for
that team, that the CO has over the entire ship. As the leader
you
control
the activities of the crew assigned to you. You must keep
the
plot
moving along and be able to keep the team on task.
Like in
IRC, in Email, Away missions have a tendency to prolong the
plot
too.
This can cause problems if the outcome of the Away Mission
is
crucial
for the plot and takes too long to complete, resulting in
the
crew
back on the ship not being able to move the plot forward. It's
then
the
CO's responsibility to ensure that both sub-plots, the away team
and
what
happens on board, keep enough pace and don't run too far apart
in
the
time line.
2.6
Directing the plot
In
Email, after the plot has been started and the crew has
started
logging
based on the 'plot starting log', the CO will need to post
logs
as and
when the plot requires it. Please remember that the
general
logging
requirement is only one log a week and the crew will need
*at
least*
24 to 48 hours to respond to logs. In your logs, as CO, you
need
to
clarify situations, make decisions, and in doing so steer the plot
in
the
direction you want it to go.
It's
the CO's and XO's responsibility to ensure that the logs posted
by
the
crew are tied into the main plot line and story. This is done
by
creating a sequence of events from
the crew logs, confirming details
established in those logs from the
crew and on a regular basis
establishing an overview of what
has happened in your logs (the latter
can be
achieved by reflecting back briefly over what has happened in
the
last
few hours/days for example) before moving the plot forward
again.
This is
to make sure that the logs posted by the crew make sense
within
the
plot, creating cohesion and become a story rather then stay
loose
and
'bitty'.
You
can, and at times, will need to speak for some of your officers
in
your
logs to ensure that your orders are carried out and for the plot
to
be
moved forward. Care should be taken though that when you do,
you
portray
the character correctly. Play it on the side of caution if
you
are
unsure, and keep the conversation to a minimum without harming
the
log or
the plot.
Attention to the *DETAILS* in the
logs from your crew is *CRUCIAL*, and
whenever possible you should use
them. The logs from the crew need to be
confirmed in the logs from the CO
and XO. Not necessarily by quoting
them
literally, but by using the information given in those logs to
move
the
plot forward and dealing with the situations in the subplots
created
by the
crew. The crew wants and *NEEDS* to have the freedom to add
to
the
plot, move it forward with their own ideas as well. They
will
become disillusioned and eventually drop out if they can't or
if
they
*feel* they can't, and if they are always only filling in the
bits
after
the event so to speak. They each have a great imagination,
let
them
help you write the plot and unfold the story.
Having
said that, the crew should be made aware that major changes
to
the
plot should be cleared by the CO and/or XO before being posted
to
the
list.
Extra
subplots should only be introduced by the CO if the crew are
not
doing
so themselves, or if the plot needs to be guided into a
specific
direction.
Unlike
IRC SIMs, Email SIMs have more depth rather than width,
and
creation of subplots by the CO for
the sake of it, is not Encouraged.
Too
many subplots make the plot too complicated and confuse the
crew.
They
won't know what to focus on and the result is half
finished
subplots that haven't had the
opportunity to be properly developed
because
of time constraints and the possible confusion. This in
turn
will
harm the overall quality of the plot and the SIM.
Also,
be aware *NEVER* to end your log with a cliff hanger, it may
look
good
for a general non-participating reader. But unless someone else
in
the
crew knows how you want to move the plot forward and will do
so
within
24 hours of your cliff hanger, such an end of the CO's log
will
stop
the plot dead in the water until you log again and move the
plot
forward.
Email
SIMs move slower then IRC SIMs, they are generally less
'action
packed'
in the sense of direct interactive action, but they more
than
make up
for that in having more depth and background. Allow at least
24
to 48
hours for the crew to respond to logs and as CO you should
not
expect
more then one log per week from each of your crew members.
It
should also be noted that an Email CO has less *direct* control
over
the
plot than an IRC CO. If something has been posted in a log, it
*has
happened* and you as CO and XO need
to deal with it. It can not just be
ignored. It requires the ability to
improvise and adaptability on the
part of
the Email CO to be able to deal with the things your crew
will
add to
your plot. Everything fits, otherwise we'll make it fit...
and
doing
exactly that is half the fun of Email COing ;-).
2.7
Position Identification Tags
In some
IRC simulations you will notice a more formal nickname in
use.
The
formal nickname was brought into UCIP by the USS Coronado under
the
Command
of Captain Tebrun Lora Kor. Formal nicknames have many advantages
to
their
use. It is the decision of the Commanding officer as to use
the
nickname identifiers on his or her
simulation. These nicknames take a bit of getting used to, but once you are
you'll find they provide tremendous advantages during the
simulation.
These
simulations have a very specific protocol for nicknames
for
characters on duty. While off duty,
you will generally use your
character's first name, without
rank. The general format for an on- duty
officer
nicknames is:
{Rank}{Position}_{Name}
Position is a two-character code
indicating your position on the vessel.
Rank is
your character rank. The values are taken from the following
two
tables:
Exploration Rank Code
Marine Rank
Code
Captain
CP
Colonel
CO
Commander
CR
Lt. Colonel
CL
Lt.
Commander LC
Major
MJ
Lieutenant
LT
Lt. Major
LM
Lieutenant
(JG) LJ
1st Lieutenant L1
Ensign
EN
2nd Lieutenant L2
Cadet
CD
Cadet Officer
CD
Master
Chief
POMc
Sergeant Major
Sm
Chief Petty
Officer Cp
Gunnery Sergeant Gs
Petty
Officer
Po
Sergeant
Sg
Specialist,1st
class s1
Corporal
Cp
Specialist,2nd
class s2
Lance Corporal
La
Crewman
Cr Private
Pr
Position Codes
Chief
Positions
Code Assist
Code
Commanding
Officer
CO
Executive
Officer
XO
Marine
Commandant
MC
Company
Commander
CC
Squadron
Leader SL
Operations
Manager OP
Op
Tactical
Officer
TC
Tc
Flight Control
Officer HL
Hl
Engineering
Officer EN En
Science
Officer
SI
Si
Medical
Officer
DR
Dr
If you
are playing Lt. Brian Jameson, the USS Coronado's Chief
Helmsman,
your
nickname while on duty should be LTHL_Jameson. If you are
playing
Squadron Leader 2nd Lieutenant Anna
Crispin, your nickname while on duty
should
be L2SL_Crispin. The advantage of this nickname format is
two-fold. First, since most IRC
clients sort nicknames alphabetically,
it
allows you as a player to immediately identify the ranks of
the
personnel around you. Second, you
will be able to determine at a glance,
who the
Chief Engineer is, for instance, without having to
remember.
This is
especially useful for new players, and established players
working
with new players.
The
second nickname change has to do with Away team missions. While
from
time to
time, Away missions will happen in channels other than the
main
one,
most of the time Away missions will be held in the main
simulation
channel
with the simulation so everyone can be part of the
excitement.
However, to easily differentiate
who is on an Away mission and who is
not
during these times, a nickname format change is needed. While
you
are on
an Away mission, the commander of that mission (usually the
XO)
will
instruct you to change your nick to include two brackets on
either
side of
your nickname. This tells everyone at a glance where you are.
If
more
than one Away mission happens at once, each team will have
their
own
nickname separator defined by the team commander. Dashes
and
underlines are two other possible
separators.
So
while on the Away team, Lt. Jameson above would change his nick
to
[LtHL_Jameson]. Do NOT remove your
position designation from your nick
while
on an Away team. It helps give your team commander a sense
of
where
your specialties lie during the Away mission.
2.8
Potential Problems
Below
are some potential problems you may encounter while running a Sim and ways to
compensate/adapt to them.
2.8.1
SLOW simulation (How to keep it alive)
At
times, a simulation may run slowly. Primarily, this is due to
key
officers not having much to do,
being incompetent in playing their role,
or
experiencing networking/Email or OOC RL trouble. When the
simulation
is
going slowly, and you do not suspect networking trouble, try
to
prompt
key officers into getting more involved. Ask for more input
from
them,
or order them into doing a long-term activity like keeping
watch
for
certain conditions, going to a part of the ship to fix
something,
etc.
The executive officer should be watching for occasions such as
this
and
should handle them personally if possible.
In
Email, you do this by posting a log, specifically asking them for,
or
ordering them to do the above
mentioned suggestions. It is not advisable
to
create a completely new subplot in an attempt to speed up the plot
in
these
circumstances. This could only cause (more) confusion with
the
officer
involved and even the rest of the crew. Remember to leave
enough
time
for the existing subplots to develop in Email.
Also
check whether an officer that seem quiet or hesitant is
such
because
of their incompetence in playing their role. You may need
to
coach
them in what they need to do, or in a more extreme case,
asking
them to
yield their post to another crewmember.
Part of
the job of the Executive Officer is to make sure that the
crew
is able
to do their duties. The CO may flag out a specific individual
to
the XO
so that the individual may be instructed in message on what to
do
in IRC,
or with OOC Emails or IC interaction for Email SIMs. The XO
is
an
extension of the Academy in the effect that it is their
responsibility to ensure the
training at the academy took hold and that
individual is ready to do their
job; if not... train them.
In case
a crewmember or crewmembers seems to be experiencing
network
troubles in IRC, you can wait until
they recover, or re-assign someone
to take
their place if possible. The main thing is to make sure
the
simulation continues despite the
trouble of one officer, unless of
course
that officer is singularly important to the simulation. If a
key
officer
is incapacitated in some way, and you feel that the
situation
will be
resolved, it is appropriate to either use ACTIONs or PAUSE
the
simulation until they are able to
recover.
In
Email cases of a crewmember or crewmembers seemingly experiencing
OOC
problems that prevent logging, you
can wait until they recover by
speaking for that character in the
mean time in your logs if required,
or
re-assign someone to take their place if possible in an
acting
position if the problems lasts
longer. As in IRC, the main thing is to
make
sure that the plot continues despite the trouble of one
officer,
unless
of course that officer is singularly important to the
plot.
2.8.2
LOSS OF CONTROL (How to keep it in-line)
Inexperienced members who freeze up
during an IRC simulation, or stop
logging
in Email, are one thing, but one that causes loss of control
is
another. When faced with a
situation where the plot is going where it's
not
supposed to, you must determine why. In IRC if a particular
officer
is at
fault, you need to contact them in private, or if you feel
you
need
to, in the channel with double brackets << >> to re- direct
their
playing
to be more on the correct course of the plot.
In
Email, if a particular officer is at fault, you need to contact
them
in a
private Email asking them what they had in mind for this
subplot
and
pointing out that subplots with major implications to the main
plot
need to
be cleared before being posted to the listserv.
If a
log introduces a sub plot that is totally away from the
plot
direction you have in mind, you can
send an OOC message over the
listserv to retract the whole log,
or part of the log. This should only
be used
as a *total LAST RESORT*, for instance in case of
fleetplot
where
this log would impact on other SIMs in a major way.
Generally
speaking the CO and XO need to
incorporate as much as possible from that
log and
only changing the very bare minimum of the details from
the
'wayward' log in your own log as
you steer the plot back in the
direction you want it to go. This
shows not only leadership on your
part,
but also the ability to improvise and adapt to the
circumstances.
Because, if it has been posted IC
in a log.. it has become fact and has
happened and you need to deal with
it. The key of doing this is in the
creation of a sequence of events,
doing this you can make nearly
anything fit into your
plot.
Retracting a log should be AVOIDED
at all cost and as said above, only
ever be
a LAST RESORT because the retraction of a log over the
listserv
not
only crushes the self-confidence of the officer involved, he/she
may
not
have been aware of the implications of their log, it also sends
a
message
to the rest of the crew that will stifle their creative
endeavours and their willingness to
add to the plot for fear of a public
retraction. If a log needs to be
retracted or changed because it is
impossible to 'fix' it in your own
log, it would be better to contact
the
officer in question in private explaining the problem and
asking
them to
change their log themselves, assuming that the circumstances
in
the
plot allow for this of course.
If it
seems the loss of control is due to no one particular
person,
private
notes to key officers, or an ACTION:, are likely what's
needed.
If you
feel the need for a total stop in the simulation, at last
resort
you may
use a PAUSE in order to calm a situation down and enable
your
crew to
re-focus on the simulation. In Email, private emails to
key
officers, or a log from the CO or
XO are likely what's needed to steer
the
plot back into the desired direction.
Note
that there is potential for one member of the crew (or a guest)
to
intentionally attempt to crash the
simulation. Don't tolerate it! In
IRC,
kick and ban the offender from the channel if they do not yield
to
warnings. If your crew all have Ops
or Voice, Moderating the Channel (+m) is another way. In Email, remove the
person from the listserv and change the
setting
of your listserv so only people subscribed to the listserv
have
posting
access. In both cases report their behaviour to their CO if
they
belong
to another simulation.
2.8.3
TIME LINE ISSUES
In
Email SIMs it's important to keep track of the timeline and
regular
time
skips are necessary. Email SIMs do not use the ACTION command
as
such,
as IRC SIMs do, to speed up the plot. It's up to the CO and XO
to
pace
the plot in your logs and any necessary time jumps need to be
made
clear
in your logs. Unlike IRC SIMs, OOC time is very rarely the same
as
IC
time. Different crew members can be logging about the same thing
at
different points during the week.
And in general it is best to avoid too
many
direct references to time in logs.
Care
should also be taken as it's very easy to get stuck logging
about
events
that take IC only a few days for several weeks of OOC time
when
that
was not the intention. If this has happened, the CO needs to
make
sure
that a time jump happens before the new plot starts.
Although the duty logs come first,
the crew on Email SIMs needs time to
do
personal logs, and for that to happen IC time needs to pass. The
crew
needs
time off duty to sleep and handle personal matters. Personal
logs
are
very important in Email SIMs as they build the characters, they
give
an
insight into them which will make it easier for other crew members
to
interact. As such, personal logs,
promotes interaction among the crew,
which
in turn will help make them feel part of the team and that
improves the overall quality of the
SIM.
Crew
members on IRC sims, can also log if they wish. It allows them to add in extra detail or
to work on character development – Off duty time, convey something about their
personality/background. While not
essential, do add to the overall quality.
This section contains information, examples and options on ways to maintain the OOC requirements expected of a CO (or XO) in UCIP, while recognizing that all CO’s will develop their own unique way of accomplishing the same goals.
Some
duties can be passed to the XO or 2XO to take care of. It helps them to understand what’s
involved in the background with running a SIM.
“You
can delegate Responsibility, but you can’t delegate accountability”. This means you can pass on tasks to
other members of the crew, but ultimately you as CO are responsible for making
sure they are done in a timely fashion.
Tasks
such as rosters, welcoming new crew whether they be new cadets or transfers from
other SIMs. Promotions, especially
those to LtCmdr and above, should only be done and authorised by the CO. Whether
the CO does all of these or the XO takes part depends on the
CO.
As you gain experience and confidence in the Command positions you’ll find what works best for you. There is no right or wrong way to these duties, but in some cases there are certain requirements of information which must be included.
3.1.1 Roster:
It's
surprising how often such a simple but important list can
be
neglected for months. Keeping a
list of crew and their assigned position
is
important because your crew must know each other and what
position
they
Sim in without having to guess; outsiders may also want to
know
who is in your simulation as well.
Given
this importance, the roster should be kept accurate. Your
crew
should
receive regular updates via email, and it should preferably
be
accessible to others via a webpage.
Don't rely on your crew to look up
the
roster on a webpage if you have it there already -- they can't
be
bothered enough -- so DO send them
regular updates. Also, as a CO, make
sure
that your XO has an accurate roster even when the rest of the
crew
haven't
received an update in a while; at some time they will need
to
become
an ACO, and having an out-of-date or no roster is unhealthy
to
that
week's simulation when that time comes.
Simply
put, to make and keep a roster, make a list of all posts in
your
simulation, and fill in the name of
the officer and their current rank
next to
that post. Add more details if you wish (species and gender
are
good to
include). Then, make changes whenever something occurs -- a
new
recruit
joins, a promotion, replacement/removal when a crew member
leaves
the simulation or goes AWOL for too long, etc.
When a
cadet resigns, transfers, goes on an extended LOA, or even
goes
AWOL,
you should remove them from your active roster but save all
the
information you have on that
person. There is always a chance you will
be
asked for that information in the future, and it might come in
handy.
Also
keep extra roster information in addition to what you publish
to
your
crew and the world -- last promotion dates, whether a cadet
has
gone
through Academy, attendance/logs-done, and possibly other
data.
This data assists you in doing your job as a commander of a simulation.
What you use to keep this information is up to you..
Some programs you could use to keep this information up to date could include:
Wordpad, Word, Excel (or some other version of spreadsheet) If you feel you can even a database could be established to contain all the information. Remember though, make sure both you as the CO and your XO have the same program if you want to have a backup copy and the other is kept with an up-to-date copy.
The first two could look something like this:
CREW
ROSTER:
Position
Name
Rank
Contact Email
-------------- -------------- ----------
------------------------
-
Captain
Kangaroo
Captain bouncy@toomuch.tv
First
Officer Michael
Keen Commander
peewee@football.net
Tactical
Dana Sterling
Lieutenant
dana@distraction.com
Operations/Ops Zatharos
Lieutenant
humpback@notre-
dame.ac.uk
Navigator/Helm Ro Laren Ensign
striking@dangerous.net
Chief Engineer Rebo of Bab Cadet
rebo@quack.com
Asst-1
Engineer Zooty of Bab Cadet
zooty@zoot-zoo.net
Asst-2
Engineer - open
-
Chief Medical Musica Masters Ensign
musica@robotechnology.com
Asst-1
Medical - open
-
Asst-2
Medical - open
-
Chief Security Jenifer Riley Ensign
badgirl@aliens.com
Asst-1
Security - open
-
Asst-2
Security - open
-
Chief Science John Galen Lt. JG
professor@startrek.com
Asst-1
Science - open
-
Asst-2
Science - open
-
An advantage of Excel (or some other version of spreadsheet) is you can use a tab for each crew member, recording the information required including attendance records. With this method, you can create a template then make enough copies for you current crew. Make sure you keep one blank to make a new tab for a new crew member. If someone leaves, you can move the tab to the end maybe using the template tab as the break between current and past crew.
3.1.1.1 Rosters and Transfers
This is the prime reason for keeping accurate and detailed records – eventually a crewmember may transfer to another Sim and like it or not, sometimes they don’t keep their bios up-to-date. And it’ll be Murphy’s Law that the one that wants to transfer off is one of those that doesn’t keep their bio updated.
You’ll need to provide information to the new CO. Below is a very basic text record, (you could use other programs to record the information), but everyone has a text editor of some kind.
If you use a different program to record the information, you may need to convert it to a text form to send to the new CO via email.
A Simple text Crewmember record:
Name: Dana Sterling
Rank: Lieutenant
Post: Tactical
Email: dana@distraction.com
Promotion
Dates:
240207.30
Lieutenant
240204.23 Lt Jnr Grade
240202.05 Ensign
240201.01 Joined as Cadet
Awards:
240207.23 Purple Heart
240207.02 Meritorious Service Medal
240203.12 Golden Shield Award
240202.19 Purple Heart
Academy Courses:
Basic IRC
Tactical
Engineering
Senior Officer Course
Attendance:
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
|
1 – P |
5 – P p |
5 – E |
2 – P |
7 - P |
4 – E |
2 – P |
6 – P |
|
8 – P |
12 – P |
12 – P |
9 – P |
14 – P |
11 – P |
9 – P |
13 – A |
|
15 – P |
19 – P |
19 – P |
16 – P |
21 – P |
18 – P |
16 - P |
20 – P |
|
22 – P |
26 - P |
26 - P |
23 – P p |
28 – P |
25 - P |
23 – P |
27 - P |
|
29 - P |
|
|
30 - P |
|
|
30– P p |
|
** Lower-case p indicates a promotion.
A – emergency situation arose and no time to give any prior warning, but didn’t know about this until following week.
3.1.2 Accepting New Personnel
A
simulation needs new people from time to time. If this process
of
adding
new officers doesn't occur, eventually degradation will happen
as
each
crewmember becomes either temporarily or permanently unable
to
attend
anymore. So, it is vitally important to respond positively to
new
applications, assuming you're not
receiving too many. Either the CO or
XO can
handle this process; which one will be a decision by the CO.
Be
sure
that, if you're the one doing the personnel duty, your
other-half
is kept
updated on happenings with personnel, possibly by CC:-ing
them
communications with
cadets.
Sometimes you can not simply rely
on applications from personnel as
being
your only source of incoming cadets. It is suggested that if
you
need
crew that you go out and recruit your own people. Recruitment
can
be done
in many ways, just keep in mind to be friendly with everyone
you
meet.
As you recruit you represent UCIP.
How to
accept a new recruit (step-by-step):
Send a "welcome" reply to the
application. Simply hit "reply" to
the application letter, in
your email program, and be sure to
replace the TO: header with
the cadet's email address. (Your
mailer may automatically
choose to reply to the personnel
officer that forwarded the
application; they do not want your
reply.) In this response,
include:
+ That
their application is accepted,
+ That
they are assigned the post they requested, a different
(eg. an assistant) post, or if they need to choose
another
(and list the ones that are available),
+ Note
that their current rank is Cadet, and
+
Information about your simulation including a brief summary of
current plot and the fact they need to
attend the Academy's simulation-Guide course (and
information about how to attend).
+ Give
them info about the SIM, the URL of your website, how and
where to find the channel in IRC.
Note
also that your Divisional Director(s) may also wish to be CCed on
cadet
replies; please check this with
them.
Have
the cadet attend 3 of your simulations (or produce 3 weeks of
Email
logs).
At the end of their 3rd simulation-week, if they already
finished
their
training (if they go to the Academy, you will receive a note
when
this
happens), promote them to Ensign.
Some
COs follow the rule that, when a Cadet turns Ensign on a
simulation, that an email is sent
to the entire crew officially
welcoming them to the
ship/starbase/SS unit/colony. You may wish to
follow
this as part of your procedure for initiating Cadets as part
of
your
crew. (See Also: An example cadet-acceptance letter found at the end 3.1.4).
3.1.3
Accepting an existing UCIP officer (Transfers, New
Characters)
Sometimes an existing UCIP officer
wants to either drop their simming
with
another simulation and sim with you instead (or the other
way
around), or may decide to be on your simulation in addition to
being
on
another simulation.
The
procedure for both is simple:
Transfers:
The
former case, dropping their character from the previous
simulation,
is
called a transfer. Preferably, a member should use the
online
transfer form found on the UCIP
website. Both the previous and next COs
of the
transfer will receive notice of the request.
When an
officer of yours is transfer out, you should reply to the
transfer request -- TO: the new CO,
CC: your officer and the personnel
officer
forwarding the request, and including:
+ Your acceptance or rejection of the
request (and give a reason as
to why)
+ If accepted, details about the officer
-- full name, rank, last
promotion date, and any other
information. The more you can
provide to
the new CO the
better.
(see 3.1.1.1 Rosters and
Transfers)
When
you are receiving a transfer, you reply confirming your
acceptance
or
rejection of the transfer, and acknowledge receipt of the data
from
the
previous CO.
Once
both sides have confirmed the transfer, the member is officially
a
member
of the new simulation. Be sure to note the addition to your
next
simulation
report.
New
Characters:
All new
characters will start at a rank no higher than Ens/2Lt or
Spec/LCpl. The rank of
Cadet/Cfc/Pfc is issued to new members of the
UCIP,
who have not completed the basic Academy for their SIM format.
A
rank up
to LtJg/1Lt or PO3/Cpl may be granted to UCIP members who
have
higher
ranked characters, however, this is not a given right, this
is
subject
to the COs discretion and simmer's completion of the
relevant
basic
course to the type of SIM format. Characters from other
groups
may
request a rank transfer from their previous group but this
is
subject
to discretion of the Division Commander.
In the
latter case, creating a new character on your simulation, it is
a
simple
matter of accepting the officer into your simulation. The
new
character must start at Ensign or
equivalent -- they cannot use a rank
they
have already earned, as this is a new character. You may
record
their
first attendance / log as their last-promoted date for
consideration when they are
promoted to LtJG (or equivalent).
Finally, note the roster change in
your next simulation report for
personnel to
see.
Traps:
when accepting an existing officer's new character, check
that..
..that
they are not using the same character on two (or more)
simulations. This conflicts per the
UCIP-Internet bylaws. If they
already have that character on another
simulation (and not
transferring), and ask them to create a
new one -- it will help
add creativity to your
simulation.
..that
they are not on too many simulations. When this occurs,
simming ability can be thinly stretched;
it can take away from
your simulation, and may prevent new
members arriving if your ship
is nearly full. Talk with your officer
if you know they are on
multiple simulations -- it may be wise
to refuse, or observe their
performance just in
case.
3.1.4
Sample Cadet Acceptance Letter
From:
Captain Kangaroo <bouncy@toomuch.tv>
To: HAL
<computer@2010.movies.tv>
CC: XO
-- Cmdr Keen <peewee@football.net>,
Subject: UCIP Application
Accepted
I have
received your application, and I'm pleased to report it has
been
accepted. However, because the post of Chief
Security Officer is
already
assigned, you are now assigned as:
Second Assistant Security
Officer.
The
Rustolium simulations every Tuesday night at 11:00pm EST (US
East
Coast
time), in the channel #USS-Rustolium on any "kdfs.net" server. If you need help setting up IRC let us
know and we’ll help you out.
<You
could include information about the current plot status so that they know what’s
going on. It enables them to write
an arrival log if they wish>
As part
of being a new UCIP member, you will have to attend the
basic
SimGuide course through the
Academy, via IRC or E-mail. See
the
automatic reply to your application
from the Academy about attending the
course,
or reply to me directly if you are having difficulty (or did
not
get the
automatic reply).
If you
have any questions, feel free to e-mail one of us:
CO -
Captain Kangaroo: bouncy@toomuch.tv
XO -
Commander Keen: peewee@football.net
CSEC –
Ensign Jenifer Riley: badgirl@aliens.com
Also,
you may find these web addresses useful:
Rustolium's homepage:
http://www.ucip.org/rustolium
UCIP-Academy SimGuide:
http://www.ucip.org/academy/guides
Welcome
aboard,
Captain
Kangaroo
Commanding
Officer
USS
Rustolium
UCIP-Internet
Division
3.2 Promotions:
3.2.1
Promotion of positions
When
faced with crew leaving, especially at XO and Senior Officer
level,
be it
for RL reasons a person no longer having the time to SIM, or be
it
for a
transfer to another SIM. Always look INSIDE your own SIM first
for
a
replacement, and do not be put off by a 'low' rank. I've seen COs
look
outside
their SIM for these positions and when I questioned why
not
promote
from within the SIM, I heard the answer 'they are not
ready'.
They
may not be ready at this moment in time, but give them a
chance.
You
show not only to the officer in question that you have confidence
in
their
potential, you also show the rest of your crew that you believe
in
them
and their abilities. You show that you are prepared to train
and
invest
time and effort in your own crew. Sometimes all a junior
officer
needs
is a little push, be challenged or given the chance to show
what
her or
she is capable of.
“To
give an indication, I was assigned as IC XO on an email SIM 4 weeks into LtJg,
when I had barely figured out what I was supposed to do as Chief Science. I
didn't think I was ready. But the CO had seen the potential that was there and
threw the challenge at me. I was
given direction and clear orders IC and OOC hints as to what was expected and
within a few weeks I started to grow into the position and the rest is history
;-). “
[Suzanna
Blokpoel]
Don't
ever be put off by a low rank or someone being in an assistant position, I have
seen several Cadets who started out in Assistant Positions or Department Head
positions go on over time to XO and CO positions.
If a
Senior Officer leaves your SIM, assign an Assistant in an acting Capacity for a
period of 4 weeks and give them a probationary period during this time. Advise
them to take the Senior Officer course during that time and that you will review
their performance during this time. You catch more than one bird with this
stone, it solves your immediate problem of the vacancy in a key position. It
sets a positive example to your crew and if it doesn't work out you will know
within two weeks, and you have bought yourself some time to look at
alternatives
3.2.2
Rank promotions
Promotions are relatively
straightforward on most simulations. Once a
crewmember has reached the minimum
number of simulations, and has shown
acceptable attendance and simming
quality for their level, hold a
promotion ceremony in which the
officer is promoted. As a CO, you may
make
additional requirements to the minimums, eg. "A Lt. must
show
willingness to help newer officers
before becoming LtCmdr."; these are
at your
discretion. We try to be friends with the crew, however
promotions must reflect what you
expect to see in the rank you are
promoting that individual to. Even
if the individual meets the basic
requirements it is up to you to
decide if they reflect what you believe a
person
of that rank should be.
Promotions on the minimums are for
exceptional officers, if individuals
are
always promoted on the minimums there may not be a
maturity
progression over the period of
time. Ranks reflect the maturity of an
individual within the organization,
it is a reward for acting as someone
should
who holds that rank. We are trying to mold the command
generation
which
will follow us... so be careful how you promote, it is a
serious
matter.
Please
remember that Cadets need to have completed the Academy
before
they
can be promoted to Ensign.
In
Email promotions and awards are *always* handled IC and in a log.
The
CO
should post a log in which he/she 'physically' hands out the
required
pips
and/or IC medals/ribbons *individually* to the officers
involved.
In
Email, things only happen if it has been written out in a log.
The
officers on your crew work hard for
their promotion and an IC ceremony
is the
least they deserve. As far as promotions and awards are
concerned, it is nice to surprise
your crew by promoting them IC in a
log if
the plot allows for it, before it is announced OOC in the
SIM
report.
As well as the time requirements, there are also academy course
requirements.
Here
are the minimum requirements for promotions up to RAdm:
Starfleet/SFMC
*
*Promotion Guidelines
* Cadet
to Ensign/2nd Lieutenant
·
3 weeks active
· Basic SIMGuide
Exam
Ensign/2nd Lieutenant
to Lieutenant JG/1st
Lieutenant
· 8 weeks active
Lieutenant
LG/1st Lieutenant
to Lieutenant/Marine Captain
·
12 weeks active
Lieutenant/Marine Captain
to Lieutenant
Commander/Major
· 16 weeks active
·
No unexcused for 4 weeks
Lieutenant Commander/Major
to
Commander/Lieutenant Colonel
· 20 weeks
active
· No unexcused for 8 weeks
·
Senior position
· Fleet
approval
Commander/Lieutenant Colonel
to
Captain/Colonel
· 28 weeks active
·
No unexcused for 12 weeks
· Command
position
· Fleet approval
Captain/Colonel
to
Commodore/Brigadier General
· 36 weeks
active
· No unexcused for 16 weeks
·
Position of responsibility
· Division
approval
Commodore/Brigadier General
to Rear
Admiral/Major General
· 44 weeks
·
Position of responsibility
· Division
approval
Rear Admiral/Major General
to Vice
Admiral/Lieutenant General
· 48
weeks
· Position of responsibility
·
CinC approval
Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General
to
Admiral/General
· 52 weeks
·
Position of responsibility
· CinC
approval
*Enlisted Rates
Starfleet/SFMC
Starfleet/SFMC
Promotion
Guidelines
Crewman/Private
to
Technican/Private First
Class
· 3 weeks active
·
Basic SIMGuide Exam
Technican/Private First
Class
to
Specialist/Lance Corporal
·
6 weeks active
Specialist/Lance Corporal
to
Petty
Officer 3rd Class/Corporal
· 8 weeks
active
Petty Officer 3rd Class/Corporal
to
Petty
Officer 2nd Class/Sergeant
· 16 weeks
active
· No unexcused for 4 weeks
Petty
Officer 2nd Class/Sergeant
to
Petty Officer 1st Class/Staff
Sergeant
· 24 weeks active
·
No unexcused for 8 weeks
Petty Officer 1st Class/Staff
Sergeant
to
Chief Petty Officer/Gunnery Sergeant
·
32 weeks active
· No unexcused for 12
weeks
Chief Petty Officer/Gunnery Sergeant
to
Senior
Chief Petty Officer/Master Sergeant
· 40
weeks active
· No unexcused for 16
weeks
Senior Chief Petty Officer/Master Sergeant
to
Master
Chief Petty Officer/Sergeant Major
· 48
weeks active
· Division approval
·
No unexcused for 20 weeks
Warrant
Officer Ranks
Starfleet/SFMC
Starfleet/SFMC
Promotion
Guidelines
Warrant Officer
to
Chief Warrant Officer
(Grade 1)
· 16 weeks active
·
No unexcused for 4 weeks
Chief Warrant Officer (Grade
1)
to
Chief Warrant Officer (Grade 2)
·
24 weeks active
· No unexcused for 8
weeks
Chief Warrant Officer (Grade 2)
to
Chief Warrant
Officer (Grade 3)
· 32 weeks active
·
No unexcused for 12 weeks
Chief Warrant Officer (Grade
3)
to
Chief Warrant Officer (Grade 4)
·
40 weeks active
· No unexcused for 16
weeks
Chief Warrant Officer (Grade 4)
to
Chief Warrant
Officer (Grade 5)
· 48 weeks active
·
No unexcused 20 weeks
Special
Notes:
(*) All
mentioned time periods are *bare minimums* only!
(*) All
promotions will be considered on a character basis.
(*) All
senior promotions (above LtCmdr) follows the promotion
form
which goes up through the
chain of command, ending at the office of
the respective Cmd level
(either Subflt, Flt or President depending on the
rank being requested).
Command readiness, maturity, superior officers'
opinion, need and SIM-ship
position status are each reviewed. You need to
use the Promotion Package to
fill in the relevant form. It can be found
at www.ucip.org/logistics.
For Email SIMmers in Starfleet, also include 2
logs of the
officer up for promotion, for review.
(*)
Ranks ranging to and past Commodore must be authorized by
UCIP
International.
(*) In
special circumstances and the approval of the Commander in
Chief, Internet Division,
certain promotions may avoid the
Promotion Policies set
limits.
(*)
Where there are two requirements noted for the minimum time
#
length for promotion, namely
SIMs and months, be aware that both
conditions apply. In the
case of email SIMs, the number of SIMs
equates to the minimum
number of logs.
Differences to the previous
method:
LtCmdr
-> Cmdr promotions are now approved by the Section Manager rather than
going to the President.
Cmdr
-> Captain are now approved by the respective Divisional Director (ie Starfleet
Cmdr approves promotions to Captain within Starfleet, RSR Cmdr does Romulan Capt
promotions, KDF Cmdr does Klingon ones..)
3.2.3 Senior Promotion
Form:
For
Senior Promotions (above LtCmdr) a special procedure and form
is
used, a
copy of which can be found at www.ucip.org/logistics. This
form
goes up
through the chain of command, ending at the office of the President (or other Cmdr as
required).
Command
readiness, maturity, superior officers' opinion, need and
SIM-
ship
position status are each reviewed. The CO of the Officer
in
question, or XO/Section Manager
if the Officer to be promoted is a CO,
will
initiate the procedure. (S)He will fill in the appropriate
details
and
give comments on the performance of the officer to be promoted and
a
recommendation. The form is first
sent to Logistics
(logistics@ucip.org), who will then
send it on to the Subfleet Cmdr if
in SF
or the Flt Cmdr of RSR or KDF. For Email SIMmers in
Starfleet,
include
two logs for review. Each person should send a copy of the form to the person
*before* and the person *after* them in the Chain of Command
so
verification of receipt, and action
can be confirmed and traced back.
Final
Report with Acceptance or Denial will be sent to all members
in
Chain
from President/Vice President, at the time of
writing,
have
exact rank equivalents.
The KDF
has a different rank scale, and thus have different requirements; you as a
Klingon Captain should have this (contact the KDF Divisional Director if not).
Remember to note the time since last promotion when doing the simulation report
that includes officer promotions.
Please
note that the senior promotion for is your opportunity to
'sell'
the
promotion up the Chain of Command. Elaborate as much as you can
and
give
good reasons why you think the officer deserves a promotion as generally those
further up the chain are very likely not to know the officer in
question.
From:
Captain Kangaroo <bouncy@toomuch.tv>
To: Fleet/Div/cinc @ucip.org
Subject: Commander Drano-> Captain, Promotion
Recommendation
3.3
Reports: Running
a simulation can seem like paper shuffling at times, but is quite helpful to you
and other administrative volunteers. For you and your crew,
it summarises the plot each week and
your crew know how attendance is going,
it also acts as a published reference into past attendance and
a plot
history. For email SIMs, the best plot summaries are when
you summarise the logs for each
crewmember in one sentence. That way it shows
that you have been paying attention to their logs and what
is going
on in the SIM. For your Divisional Director, it lets them know
what's going
in within their command. For personnel, the attendance and
roster notes
gives the information they need. Some
Section Managers include in their weekly or fortnightly report a list of the
main items that should be included in the Sim report, and some like it in that
order so that it’s easier for them when it comes time for the Subfleet
Report. All the information is in
the same order in each of the reports so is easier to find.
The
crew roster and attendance/log counts can be combined if you wish. It relays the same information while at
the same time reducing the size of the report. The
main items for a simulation report are a plot summary, and adding to that the
stardate, a list of attendance/logs-done, promotions or awards, and roster
updates. Stardate/Week of logging it
covers Plot summary (what happened in the
simulation) Attendance for IRC
simulations: Who
attended Who was
absent Guest
simmers or Attendance for E-Mail
simulations: Number of logs for each crew
member Guests logging that
week Promotions (if
any) Awards (if any) Roster list &
changes CO’s
are free to add other information such as servers to use, and other information
for their own crew. Personnel recommends that
simulation reports include a full roster in addition to changes made to it
since the previous posting. This is a generally good idea, as it gives
the crew an update on what is happening among
their ranks. Do note that it is required that, when
listing promotions, you must include (in
whatever format you please): Name of officer The old rank The new rank Time they have held the previous rank
(date of last promotion) Comments
(optional) Adding
some comments as to what the officer has done to deserve
this promotion is a good way to say
thank you to the officer in question and encourages your other crew members
to follow the example. After
this is written up, of course you have to send it. When
emailing this,
send it to your (sub)Fleet listserv and logistics as well as your
crew. Note,
however, that in the case of Starfleet simulations, your
direct superior may be the Section Manager relevant to your simulation, and so your
reports should go to Subfleet listserv. Example: on 240010.31, you're
writing a simulation report for a Starfleet simulation in the Alpha
Subfleet. You would send your report to: To: your crew CC: Fleet Report List Example: on 240007.16, you're
writing a simulation report for a Home Fleet
simulation. You would send your
report to: To: your crew CC: home-reports@ucip.org
3.3.1
Sample IRC Sim Report This
report combines the Attendance and Current Roster as one. From:
Captain Kangaroo <bouncy@toomuch.tv> To:
rustolium-list@ucip.org To: home-reports@ucip.org Subject: USS Rustolium simulation
Report - 240207.23 /=----------------------------------------=\ |
USS
Rustolium NCC 99999-A | |
Mission Report - Stardate: 240207.23
| \=----------------------------------------=/ 1
: Sim Attendance 2
: Promotions & Awards 3
: Personnel Information 4
: OOC Comments 5
: Mission Summary "...ships
quote if you have one..." /=----------------------------------=\ |
S I M A T T E N D A N C
E
| \=----------------------------------=/ Present:
7 Absent:
1 LOA:
1 Total
Crew: 9 Guests:
1 Observers:
2 Logs:
3 Single
[1] – Keen Joint
[2] – Galen/Rebo, Sterling/Riley P
R E S E N T CO
– Captain Kangaroo TAC
– Lt Dana Sterling OPS
- Lt Zathros CEO
– Cdt Rebo AEO
– Cdt Zooty SCI
– LtJg John Galen SEC
– Ens Jennifer Riley G
U E S T S CMO
– Ens Musica Masters A
B S E N T ABSENT: XO
– Cmdr Michael Keen (exc) LOA: NAV
– Ens Ro Laren O
B S E R V E R S Sam,
Penny /=--------------------------------------=\ |
P R O M O T I O N S & A W A R D S | \=--------------------------------------=/ Promotions: Zatharos: LtJG -> Lt (11 weeks) Comments: Zatharos has shown great
progress and has written excellent logs! Riley:
Cdt -> Ens (3 weeks) Comments: promising Cadet that jumped
straight into the plot! Awards: Lt Dana
Sterling: Purple Heart for sustaining injuries in the line of
duty Academy: Cdt
Rebo – Basic Simguide Red Ribbon Ens
Jennifer Riley – Tactical/Security Ribbon /=--------------------------------------------=\ |
P E R S O N N E L I N F O R M
A T I O N
| \=--------------------------------------------=/ -
OPEN Posts Assist
Science, Assist Medical, Assist Engineer, Assist Security -
DROPPED/Resigned -
Removed LtJG. Lateman from Assistant Security (D) -
NEW RECRUITS + Added
Ens. Musica Masters as Chief Medical (requested permanent
duty) -
TRANSFERS Lt
Arlise – Counsellor (joins sim next week) /=------------------=\ |
OOC COMMENTS
| \=------------------=/ With
next week being a holiday, there will be a relaxed Character development type
Sim for those of the crew who wish to Sim anyway. Next
week we have two new crew members, Ens Musica Masters who guested as CMO tonight
and Lt Arlise as counselor. /=---------------------------------=\ |
M I S S I O N S U M M A R
Y
| \=---------------------------------=/ The
Rustolium was ordered to investigate a "round square" phenomenon
on Rubic-4, near the edge of explored
space in hopes of finding new technology. Along the way a strange case of tetanus
was sweeping the crew,
and nearly 25% of the crew are now confined to quarters with notable exception
to Rebo and Zooty, who continue to dilligently cure the power matrix of excess
iron- oxide.. Next week, a cure
will be synthesized and the investigation will be
completed. /=----------------------------------------=\ |
USS
Rustolium NCC 99999-A
| |
Mission Report - Stardate: 240207.23
| \=----------------------------------------=/ 3.3.2 Sample Email Sim
Report Example
Email simulation Report From:
Captain Kangaroo <bouncy@toomuch.tv> To:
rustolium-list@ucip.org To:
omega-fleet@ucip.org Subject: USS Rustolium simulation
Report – 0207.22 - 0207.28 Crew
Roster and Report 0207.22 - 0207.28 ------------- Plot
Summary: The Rustolium was ordered to
investigate a "round square" phenomenon on
Rubic-4, near the edge of explored space in hopes of finding
new technology. Along the way, Musica discovered a
strange case of tetanus was
sweeping the crew, and nearly 25% of the crew are now confined
to quarters, with notable exception to
Rebo and Zooty, who continue to dilligently cure the power matrix
of excess iron- oxide. ----------- Promotions: Zatharos: LtJG -> Lt (11 weeks) Comments: Zatharos has shown
great progress and has written
excellent logs! Riley: Cdt -> Ens (3
weeks) Comments: promising Cadet
that jumped straight into the plot! ------- Awards: LtSterling: Purple Heart for
sustaining injuries in the line of duty ------- Roster: Changes: + Added Ens. Musica as Chief
Medical - Removed LtJG. Lateman from
Assistant Security Officer
Post
Logs ----------------------------------- Command: Capt
Kangaroo
CO
1 Cmdr
Michael Keen
XO
Excused Lt Dana
Sterling
2O
2 Bridge: Lt Dana
Sterling
Tac
2 Ens Ro
Laren
CONN
0 Lt
Zatharos
OPS
1 Engineering: Cadet
Rebo
CEO 1 Cadet
Zooty
1AEng
1 - open
-
2AEng Security: Ens
Jennifer Riley
CSec
0 - open
-
1ASec - open
-
2ASec Medical: Ens
Musica Masters
CMO
2 - open
-
1AMO - open
-
2AMO Science: LtJG
John Galen
CSO
1 - open
-
1ASO - open
-
2ASO Guest: - none this week
- Logs This Week:
11 Number Excused: 1 Number Unexcused: 2 Total
Posts: 18 Total Open: 7 Total
Posts Filled: 11 3.3.4 Multiplatform Sims and
Reports
The Multiplatform sim is one in which IRC and Email run side by side. The CO, XO and all Dept Heads are required to both log as well as attend sim, they act as the link that connects email and IRC simmers. From there, all assistants may chose to be either email or IRC. Each of these is represented by a 'shift' - Command Shift, required to attend IRC sim and put out 1 log a week, Alpha Shift, Required only to attend IRC Sim, Beta Shift, Log once a week.
Now, as a CO/XO of a simulation like this, theres a few things you must do to keep all parts able to work together. After the normal IRC Sim you must send a copy of the IRC Sim Log and must send a summery of the IRC Sim to your simulations list no later then 24 hours after sim, this' so those on Beta Shift can log and stay caught up on events. From: Captain Kangaroo To:enterprise@ ucip.org Subject: SD240901.13, USS Enterprise Sim Log <CaptKangaroo>::hits the deck hard and pushs up::report! <EnsOps>::pulls herself back to her station::sir, we've hit some kind of anomily, all systems appear to be draining <LtHelm>sir, no response from helm As you can see above, each line is double spaced. This is because it makes it easier to read the log and pull out all the needed information. From: Captain Kangaroo To:enterprise@ ucip.org Subject: SD240901.13, USS Enterprise Sim Summery Enterprise encountered an unknown anomily that stopped the ship in its tracks. Though there was no physical damage, all systems experianced a severe energy drain causing some systems not to function. Engineering along with Helm tackled the problem and worked together while Science and Ops scanned the anomily and went through sensor scans to figure out what they'd hit. Security disseminated through the ship to help any wounded back to sickbay and get those trapped in lifts, jefferies turbes, etc out. Above, the summery includes not only key points, but also what orders each department received. This can allow for logs to start fast from the Beta Shift simmers and help find where they would be faster. How you
record the information in your report is up to you, one possible way is as
follows.. It also shows a very thorough summary.. Sample
Muntiplatform Sim Report:
Out-Of-Character: 3.4
Resigning/Taking a permanent CO position It's
not often that the command of a simulation changes hands, but
it's important that such transitions are
smoothly handled. Resignations should
be sent to the Section Commander . Section Commanders then appoint
to
write him/herself out of the plot IC or the new ACO will have
to
do
that. Here is
a checklist of things a resigning Captain should transfer
to their
successor: + An up-to-date roster
list. + Last-promotion dates for all officers of
rank Ensign and above. +
Information about current cadets - if they have gone to
the Academy, and the number of
simulations attended thus far. + Access to the simulation's website, or a
copy of the website files if giving access is not
reasonable. (sometimes the site may be
maintained by a crew
member + If you can arrange the transfer of
Listserv ownership, Sim Menu control to the new CO. If it’s not practical the Subfleet CO
can arrange this. After
this information is turned over, the new Captain should be
ready to
select a First Officer. In an ideal case, the Second Officer,
or simply
the next most experienced member of the simulation, will
qualify and be
willing to take the position. Per the bylaws, though, no
one person
may have two Command-level positions within UCIP. If your favourite candidate is already a
Captain or First Officer of another simulation, you must choose someone
else, or look to other SIMs for a willing
and capable candidate. All COs
and XOs are on the captain's list. When the ACO selects an
AXO, (s)he
should send an email to the captains list to inform everyone
of the
change of command. If there is a CO change, the Section Manager
should
send a message over the appointments list to inform everyone of
the
change
of command so that the Academy, Logistics and Personnel
knows. At the
same time letting the Database team know so that the SIM menu and listserve can
be transferred to the new CO. Handling all of this quickly is the
easiest way to make the transition between
COs with as little disruption to the simulation. If this will
be you in
the near future, then good luck, and may God have mercy on
your soul... 3.4.1
Assigning/taking an Acting-CO position As a Captain: It is
rare that anyone who becomes a Commanding Officer will never
miss a
simulation while they are the CO. When this happens, BE SURE TO
GIVE ADVANCED NOTICE to your First and
Second Officers. It is inappropriate to miss
that step except when it can not be helped (ie: the
computer completely crashed, you had to take
a family member to the hospital, you are in
the hospital, etc.). Giving notice to all of your crew is also required with a brief not of who is left in charge . If you
require your crew to notify you if
they
are going to miss a simulation, it is not optional to notify
them in the
same way as required of them, unless it was an emergency. In
your leave,
assign your XO, or if they can not make it, assign your
Second Officer
to take command of the simulation. Give the assigned
individual the
mission briefing, where to take the simulation (i.e. your goal
for the
simulation, if any), and instructions for making the
simulation report.
It is also a good idea to request a log of the simulation which you missed so
that you are totally informed and capable of running the next
simulation. Be
warned about assigning an acting-XO; many times this
temporary assignment creates reluctance with
the officer to go back to their normal
duty. To avoid this sort of situation, select a "second
officer" who you
know to be capable of being an Acting First Officer; then,
try to only
assign them this post unless the plot would really warrant
it, eg.
away missions. On the other hand, an extended absence (3 or
more simulations) warrants a formal AXO
post. 3.4.2
First Officer as ACO: In
IRC: When
taking over for your Captain, you should endeavor to run
the simulation as smoothly as your
Captain would, from its beginning to its end.
This means adapting his/her habits, such as the order in which
you prepare
for the simulation (calling for attention and giving the
mission statement), carrying it through its
mission, and cleaning up after it (bringing crew to attention, asking
for comments, dismissing, and doing the Sim
Report). The
officer who was put in charge of the Sim must follow the
plot as
ordered by the CO and make all efforts to accomplish that
goal. Unless
specified by the CO no drastic changes may happen to the ship
and the
plot may not be altered beyond the COs directives. If a
mission has not already been selected for you, be sure to make
one that
does not interfere with the simulation's ongoing plot. A holo-simulation is often a good
idea, as it discredits any deaths and damage
incurred during that week's simulation. As said
in the previous section, avoid formally assigning an Acting-
XO unless
the situation warrants it, as it is best to keep other crew
at their
normal posts during a one- or two-week absence of the CO. In
Email: When
taking over for your Captain, you should endeavor to run the
plot as
smoothly as your Captain would. If the leave of absence is a
short one and
expected, then run the plot assuming the CO is still actively
IC onboard, speaking for the CO as
his/her character, as and when required. If the
leave of absence is unexpected or for a longer period (more
then 2
weeks), then it would be better to have the CO in sickbay,
temporarily off
duty or off the ship, which ever fits best in the current plot
line, and the
XO running the plot as ACO until the situation is sorted
out. In both
cases (IRC/Email), the XO is responsible for the OOC duties like welcoming
cadets and doing the SIM report during the entire absence of the CO. Be sure to
keep in touch with your Section Manager in cases like this, they will be able
to provide you with OOC advice as and when you need it. 3.5
Mission Briefings/Plot Starters:
Creating Mission
Briefings/Plot Starters are an essential part of commanding, although you can
and should allow and encourage other crew to develop plots to run you as CO have
the final say in what plots run when.
They can be plots that run for two – three weeks (IRC) or months
even. While
some like to plan plots out well in advance and have most of the details
prepared, others like to prepare an outline with some simple goals and let the
crew fill it in and be willing to adapt what you have to what the crew adds to
it.. Adaptability.
There
will be some plots which need to go a certain way and need to be steered to the
appropriate goal ‘markers’ you’ve set down. Some
Ideas to Consider when Creating your plot: Types:
Exploration, Scientific, Tactical, Rescue Advanced Plot
Creation: Some
Cos/Xos who have the knowledge, choose to use literary devices in their creation
of plots.. Plot
Elements:- Symbols:
(Examples) -
Red,
to foreshadow rage and revenge. Red
walls, the red beams, the red collars of the men -
Darkness, to symbolize dispair and
isolation. The dark Ship, the
dark station, the darkness of the
nebula. -
Bright light, to symbolize
hope. Bright lights appear when the
station is restored with power. A
bright beam of light appears when the Jem'Hedar fighter bay is opened. The flickering lights cease to flicker
and becomer brighter Aphorisms: -
A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an
adage. -
A brief statement of a principle. Cliches: A trite or overused expression or idea Anachronisms: -
The representation of someone as existing or something
as happening in other than chronological, proper, or historical order. -
One that is out of its proper or chronological order,
especially a person or practice that belongs to an earlier time: “A new age had
plainly dawned, an age that made the institution of a segregated picnic seem an
anachronism” (Henry Louis Gates, Jr.). -
Something that cropped up first (to my knowledge) in
Shakespeare when he had a large clock in the town square in the play
Caesar. Basically, it means
something that exists in a time that it should not yet exist in. Themes:
Revenge; destruction; the future; wisdom; relics Used
correctly these tools can add atmosphere, and additional intrigue to plots. A lot of the crew may not know what they
are but should enjoy the effects which they add to the
sim. (Some
of the examples above are from Capt R
Trolious) By doing things like in the above examples, you not only cut your crew out of the plot but you take away the fun for them of simming that plot and being a part of finding the answers.
-----
/ \
/ \ -------------------------------------------
/ _ \ - U N I T E D C O N F E D E R A T I O N -
/ / ' \ - O F -
/ / \ - I N T E R S T E L L A R P L A N E T S -
/ / / \ \ -------------------------------------------
/ / / \ \ -=[Senior Promotion]=-
/ /__/ \ \ -------------------------
/ , ____----, \
/ \____----- ,/ \
\_______________________/
Scientia Espiritu Imaginus
-----------------General Information-------------------
Name:
Bio ID#:
Current Rank:
Requested Rank:
Last Promotion Date:
Positions *currently* held:
Positions held since last promotion:
Sponsoring Officer:
-----------------Commanding Officer's Comments---------
Date Sent:
Comments:
-----------------Section Manager’s Comments---------
Date rec'd:
Date sent:
Comments:
=======FORM COMPLETE FOR PROMOTIONS TO COMMANDER & CAPTAIN================
-----------------Division Director's Comments------------
Date rec'd:
Date sent:
Comments:
=======FORM COMPLETE FOR PROMOTIONS TO COMMODORE & REAR ADMIRAL=====
-----------------President’s Comments------------
Date rec'd:
Date sent:
Comments:
=======FORM COMPLETE FOR PROMOTIONS TO VICE ADMIRAL & ADMIRAL=====
Incoming
UCIP Transmission... |
- USS Enterprise and USS Cortana -
Captain Delenna Pierce-T`Sorach & Commander Nathanial Chardan
reporting
___________________________
Mission Report on SD
240901.13-240901.20
Note: Best viewed in Courier New, font size
10
__________________________________________________________
1)
OOC Address Enterprise
2) Promotions/Academy Courses/Awards
3)
Plot Summary/Plot Objectives
4) Quotables
5)
Additions/Removals/Current Duty Roster/Open Posts
6) Important
information
__________________________________________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) =/\= OOC Address USS Enterprise =/\=
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings All. :)
Looks to be another active
week, we're very pleased with attendance and participation, keep up
the good work!
I do need to give out a reminder though that log
subject headings *must* follow format instructions given on every sim
report, and on the website. If you're not sure, then please
ask! After this week, any logs submitted without the proper subject
lines will *not* be counted toward your log totals. Please double
check, if necessary. I'd hate to see that happen to anyone!
Captain Delenna Pierce-T`Sorach
Executive Officer,
Task
Group Executive Officer
USS
Enterprise
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2) =/\= Promotions/Academy Courses/Awards =/\=
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Promotions:
Awards:
Enterprise Excellence
Award, Awarded to everyone in attendance on 240901.13
Academy:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3) Mission Briefing:
=/\= Briefing =/\=
=/\=
Title: =/\=
Last Week: Tonight it's been about
two weeks since Enterprise pulled into port. The crew has been off
ship while the warp core was installed due to there being no life
support outside of engineering. With the new core installed, the ship
is open to be aboard, but the crew is still allowed another little
bit of R&R while the core, ships systems and a few other things
are inspected and done. You may start where you like.
This
Week: It's been another week since last sim and everyones returned to
the ship. Tonight we pick up in the Delta Quadrant heading to a
previously unknown planet in answer to a distress call of a medical
nature [no, not zombies.] The symptoms appear to be lack of appetite,
lethargy and a few others. Tonight will be getting ready for
the
encounter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=/\= Plot Summary/Plot Objectives =/\=
John Kirk acquired
a holodeck program designed to simulate the Americans taking Peleieu
during WWII. Intent on sharing the fun, he invited Lt Kiv and
Lt Williamson to use the program with him. Both accepted, Kiv as the
Corpman and Williamson carrying a rifle, while Kirk elected to be a
demolition specialist. The took the beach, with much shooting and
crawling as bullets whizzed over their heads, ultimately taking
shelther in an enemy foxhole after Kirk disaptched the two Japanese
soldiers occupying it. Next objective was to take the bunker.
The HD safety protocols were not only left on, but cranked up to
promote crew safety during this difficult simulated mission.
Laeryc
Tiogar stopped into one of the holodecks, recreating an area sacred
to him, where he fed a native fox like creature with a mace like tail
and razor sharp teeth from the palm of his hand. Then he
performed a mysterious ritual with a sacred spear stuck in the
ground, reflecting moonlight on statues all around.
Ritual completed, he reported for duty.
Medical Specialist
Tiffany Skylar bumped into Ens Erik Stanley in an Enterprise
corridor, where she apologized and he thought nothing of it.
Eager to get to know people on board, Tiffany introduced herself and
offered medical services, should he ever need anything. Erik, not
being good at small talk, was glad to meet her, but didn't say much
else, so she excused herself to let him get back to his work.
Chloe
De'Luvia proudly showed off her gardening efforts at the De'luvia
family ranch to her brother Angelus and Lt Cooper. Both thought Chloe
had done an excellent job, given the hot, dry terrain. Then Alanna
and Chloe made dinner together, while Angelus did some farm chores.
When he returned, the meal was prepared and the all enjoyed it
together. Then a suggestion was made that Alanna and Chloe go
shopping together, since Angelus didn't want his head to explode from
having to accompany women while they shop...it was too giggly, pink,
and girly" for him. Chloe took offense, thinking her older
brother was treating her like a child, and went to bed.
Then
Cmdr De'Luvia and Lt Cooper went swimming together at the ranch in
Dallas, and she told him the story of how she became joined with a
Trill symbiont. On a First Force mission, a Trill friend of
hers had died, and Alanna had been the least wounded. The symbiont
was given to her as a temporary host, and when rescued, they couldn't
remove it without killing her.
Whole crew began to prepare to
respond to a distress call from an unknown planet where the
inhabitants have come down with some sort of plague. Williamson
briefed his staff and had them begin preparations to treat the
victims. Capt Pierce also reported to medical, taking Kivicus
with her, to get a status report, and to recommend that science
and medical work together to solve this potentially biohazardous
mystery. Ltjg Hart worked with Deck Chief Corbin and CEO Steck
to coordinate a system to bring people up to the shuttle bays but
keep it quarantined from the rest of the ship to limit exposure...
just in case the transporters didn't work which the colonel seemed to
think was likely. SCOO Taggart met with Ens Stanley and got
professionally acquainted, then contacted Hart to find out how and
why the fighters were b eing modified without his knowledge or
consent.
The Raptor Squadron XO called Deck Chief Corbin to
his office, ordering some modifications to be made on his fighter,
including moving the control yoke to the right side of the cockpit,
and putting the ejection handle in the place of the center control
yoke. Also, the possibility of putting the guns on a swivel, if
possible, to take advantage of the look and fire on the Helmet. DC
Corbin answered that she'd be happy to upgrade his bird with
the latest AI helmet, and that of course is connected to the phasers,
giving him the 'look and shoot', and that mods would be completed in
three or four days.
RAdm Jason Roberts called a meeting with
BGen Richard Sharpe and FFU1CO Lt Alanna Cooper. They, along with
FF's Unit one, minus Cmdr De'luvia, and 2,000 of the General's marine
forces were headed to a class N planet known as cH'LO'PO Five; a
planet with a rapidly deteriorating government thanks to the
Enterprise doubles and grand scale riots. Their mission to assist the
government nad restore order to the planet. Richard and Alanna agreed
to work togethre, with Sharpe in command if necessary. However, when
given the information that lethal force was not to be used, Richard
was less than happy and demanded to have the Rear Admiral's orders in
writing. Jason pointed the padd he'd handed Sharpe when he came in
and spoke to both of them. "These are scared civilians not
dedicated Dominion soldiers. If you two can't come up with strategies
that don't keep your people safe and don't
involve the typical
shoot and kill then I will send you both back to Earth and replace
you with people who will. You were both trained for doing this, if
you are incapable of thinking past taking lives then tell me right
now."
Enterprise arrived in orbit of Tarris and Col
Corbin opened a channel to Prefect Zanty, who cleared our personnel
to come to the planet, then excused himself due to lethargy, saying
that Chief healer Julissa Zaenserai would meet our crew.
Chloe
De'luvia visited GBGen Sharpe in his quarters, where he informed her
he'd be headed out on a mission as per Adm Roberts' orders, and that
he didn't know how long he'd be gone. They kissed, and she left.
Ens
Erik Stanley took some pilots on a CAP, and ran through some
aerobatic war games around an asteroid field, then called them all
back to base to go over the mission.
Ens Faelain decorated her
quarters with a few personal touches and worked up an appetite doing
so.
CHelm Hart, DC Corbin, SCO Taggart, CMO Williamson, and
CEO Steck worked together to create a quarantine area in the shuttle
bays, and also to make sure the biofilters would be able to screen
out whatever the plague on the planet was. Taggart was not
happy that his fighters had been reappropriated without his
knowledge, but Hart had been acting ont eh Colonel's behalf.
Hart also hoped to enlist Sabrina Corbin's help in modifying the
shuttles, but evidently only the fighters were her job, and the
shuttles were engineering's purview. Steck offered his
assistants to help Williamson, who made some notes about the
biofilters on the shuttle transporters and left to report for away
team duty.
Meanwhile, on a different planet, cH'LO'PO Five,
BGen Sharpe was exercising some crowd control, and some self control,
defending his activity with Alanna Cooper against the jibes of
Patrick Harper. When all was said and done, the General's face
was bandaged, and he and Alanna set off to see the wizard----err, the
ruling body of cH'LO'PO Five.
CPO Corbin called two Flying
Chiefs to take the modified fighters on a test run, and after a few
drills, they returned to Enterprise, Corbin reported to the CHelm
Hart that the birds were ready to go as requested.
CHelm Hart
was in the shuttle bay, instructing his pilots and the engineering
staff on loan to him from Steck, about the conversion of the shuttle
bay and the empty room adjacent to it, into a makeshift quarantine
area separate from the ship. There would be separate quarantine areas
for infected patients and healthy crew on their way to the planet,
an area to sterilize the shuttles coming and going from the ship, and
an automated system to make things all work smoothly. Once
intsructions were given, he left the shuttle bay to report his doings
to Colonel Corbin.
Meanwhile on Tarris, the Away Team landed
in full biohazard gear, and were greeted by Honored Healer Julissa
Wynne Zaensaerai. Introductions were made and Almost
immediately Kivicus detected an anomalous energy reading and
requested permission to go check it out. Delenna agreed, as she along
with the other doctors followed Julissa to see the
patients.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4)
=/\= Quotes =/\=
"These are scared civilians not
dedicated Dominion soldiers. If you two can't come up with strategies
that don't keep your people safe and don't
involve the typical
shoot and kill then I will send you both back to Earth and replace
you with people who will. You were both trained for
doing this, if
you are incapable of thinking past taking lives then tell me right
now."
~~RAdm Jason Roberts asserting his authority over
BGen Richard Sharpe and FFU1CO Alanna Cooper.
To
nominate a quote send it to us at enterprise-command@ucip.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5) =/\= Additions/Removals/Logging Information/Current Duty
Roster/Log
Count =/\=
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additions:
Removals:
ASec Lt(jg) Ava
Michaels 6921
aSCO 1Lt Flynn
Taggart 7060
a) Logging Information
Please remember that all MAJOR plot changes need to be
cleared with
the command staff before a log goes through! You can
do this by
sending the command staff
(enterprise-command@ucip.org)
a log
labeled with "Draft" tagged to the subject line.
We'll typically
let you know if it's approved within 24 hours, or
tell you what
might need to be modified before it's sent to the
listserv.
When using other characters in your logs,
please keep in mind that
person's characteristics. Character
information can be found on the
website (under roster -- just
click on the number next to
the character's name). If you're
still unsure how to interact with a
character, then privately
mail the person involved, and I'm sure
they'll be willing to
help.
Conversely, if you feel that your character is
being portrayed
incorrectly by someone please contact them to try
to work out an
agreeable solution. Just keep in mind when logging
to treat other
characters the way you'd like them to treat you --
with the respect
due to any member of Starfleet who is a
specialist in their field.
If you think your log may be
going out of bounds, then please ask!
If you are having
problems finding things to write about or would
just like some
help with your log, please contact your department
head or the
command team. Remember, you don't always have to log
about things
relating to the main plot -- logs that develop your
character's
personality are encouraged! We're eager to help if
you're having
trouble; just email the command team
(enterprisecommand@ucip.org).
Please remember to use the following format for your
subject lines:
Personal or Duty Log, Post Rank
Name
e.g., Jason Roberts' subject line would be:
Duty Log CO RAdm Jason Roberts
or
Personal
Log CO RAdm Jason Roberts
or
JL CO RAdm Jason Roberts
& XO Capt Delenna Pierce-T`Sorach (For joint
logs)
The
[Enterprise] and stardate part of the subject are placed by the
listserv automatically, so you don't need to include them.
b) Awaiting First Sim/Log
c) SIM Roster/Log Count
+-------------------------------------------------+---+---+---+---+
| USS ENTERPRISE
| JAN
| FEB
+------+-------+---------------------------+--+---+---+---+---+---+
| Pos | Rank | Officer Name(shift)| DBID | 13 |
20 | 27 | 03
|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| COMMAND STAFF
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| CO | Col | John Corbin
(CS)| 5558 |P +0|P +2|- -|- -|
| XO |
Cmdr | Delenna Pierce(CS) | 6344 |P +5|P +4|-
-|- -|
| 2XO | Lt | Mathias
Kivicus(CS)| 6826 | - SEE CSCI -
|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| BRIDGE STAFF
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| aCHLM| Ltjg | Alexxis Hart (CS) | 4627 |P
+2|P +2|- -|- -|
| aCOps| Cdt | Thomas
Shadow (CS) | 7104 |P +2|U L|L L|L
L|
|CSec|Tac|LtCmdr|Jonathan Kirk (CS) | 6850 |P +5|P +1|-
-|- -|
| CSCI | Lt | Mathias Kivicus(CS)|
6826 |P +0|P +1|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| ENGINEERING
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
|aCEO | Ltjg | Steck
(CS) | 6982 |L -|P +1|- -|-
-|
| AEO | Cdt | Jake Freeman (AS) | 7062
|P -|U -|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| SECURITY
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
|
ASec | Lt | Va'Lok (CS)
| 4997 |U -|U +0|- -|- -|
| ASec | Cwmn |
Lewis Little (AS)| 6979 |U +0|U -|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
|FIRST FORCE UNIT 1
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| FFUCO| Lt | Alanna Cooper(CS) | 6484
|P +5|P +3|- -|- -|
| FFUX0| Cmdr |Angelus
De'luvia(BS)| 945 |P +4|P +2|- -|- -|
|
SNCO | CPO | Jason Cooper (BS) |
|- +0|- +0|- -|- -|
| FFU3L| WO
| Laeryc Tiogar (AS) | 6385 |- +1|P +1|- -|-
-|
|+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+--+
| MEDICAL
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| CMO | Lt(jg)| Eric Williamson(CS)| 6952 |P +5|P
+3|- -|- -|
| CNS | LtCmdr| Tarron Larel(BS)
| 6363 |- +1|- E|- -|- -|
| GP
| Ens | Sekaya Morak(BS) | 6683 |- +1|-
+0|- -|- -|
| AMO | Ens |Julianna
Faelain(AS)| 7118 |U -|P +1|- -|- -|
|
CNS | Ens | Kira Grant (AS) |
7122 |P +3|P -|- -|- -|
|MedSpc| Cwmn
| Tiffany Skylar(AS) | 7126 |- N|P +2|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| XFS 311 Raptors - Fighter Unit
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| SqLt | Ens | Erik Stanley (AS)| 6666
|E -|P +3|- -|- -|
| FP |
WO | Chloe De'Luvia (BS)| none |- +4|- +2|-
-|- -|
| FP | Cdt | Richard Duncan
(BS)| 6568 |- +0|- -|- -|- -|
| DC
| CPO | Sabrina Corbin (AS)| 6699 |P +5|P +3|-
-|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
|
JAG
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
|aLJAG
| Mgr |Krysha D'Knyght(CS) | 6053 |U +0|E
E|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| Enterprise Battle Group Staff
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
|
CO | RAdm | Jason Roberts(CS) | 2651 |-
+2|- +1|- -|- -|
| NCO | Capt |Zachary
Chandler(BS)| 3048 |- - |- -|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| Enterprise Task Group Marines
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| MEUCO| BGen | Richard Sharpe (BS)| 585 |-
+4|- +3|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| Civilians
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
Retired| Cmdr | Carrie Roberts |
6608 |- +2|- -|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| GUESTS
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
|
SIA | Cmdr | Marcus Refelian | 4858
|- -|- -|- -|- -|
| HFCO | LtGen |
Mike Johnson | 4839 |- -|-
-|- -|- -|
| Res | Capt | Javiad
T`Sorach | 3359 |- +1|- -|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+----+----+--+
|
NPC's
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+----+----+--+
|
Healer Julissa Zaensaeri |-
-|- +1|- -|- -|
| Elder Aliatha, Elwith
Leader |- -|- +1|- -|-
-|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| TOTALS
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| Total Sim Time |1
hr 19|1hr 37|- -|- -|
|
| Total Crew
Logs |
51 | 35 | | |
|
|
Total NPC Logs |
00 | 02 | | |
|
| Total
Guest Logs |
01 | 00 | | |
|
| TOTAL
PHYSICAL LOGS
| 32 | 14 | | |
|
| TOTAL
JOINT LOGS
| 52 | 37 | | |
|
| TOTAL
LOGS (Including J/Ls) | 52 | 37
| |
|
+-------------------------------------------------+------+------+-----+
| Excused |
01 | 02 | | |
|
|
Unexcused |
05 | 02 | | |
|
| On
Leave
| 02 | 01 | | |
|
|
Dropped/Resigned
| 00 | 02 | | |
|
|
Active Crew |
25 | 19 | |
|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+------+------+-----+
| Total Crewmembers
| 25 | 19 | |
|
+------+-------+---------------------------+------+------+------+-----+
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6) =/\= Important information =/\=
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enterprise CO - Col John Corbin = ahorman@gmail.com
Enterprise
XO – Capt Pierce-T`Sorach = Swans.mail@gmail.com
Enterprise Command List
= enterprise-command@ucip.org
It is important to remember, while creating a plot then running it, that you don't skip to the end or try to jump to the solution. The crew should be given the chance to do what they are here to do, sim. It's hard at times to not have your character find the solution, but its very important you don't. IE-If you running a medical plot, don't have your medical department start researching then suddenly be handed a cure or have security on a mission to secure a site and suddenly have both sides be friendly.