Wolf with flames, Cry Wolf FAW in front of a face

Rules

Don't Be A Dick

I could go into more, but I think that pretty much covers it. If you're not sure if you're being a dick, or if someone is being a dick to you, take it up with the command team by messaging them via the Nova, Discord, or email command (at) sfintel (dot) space.

On advice of the formerly retained legal mind, it is hereby noted that the above rule, while containing points not contrary to the necessity of the facilitation of the game is in need of expansion to fully outline the expectations, legalities, and otherwise important matters which have been notarized below:


Conduct

  1. Due to the content of the Sim and nature of the plots, Players can not be under the age of 18.
  2. No behavior and/or conduct that could be construed as illegal in your country of residence or the United States of America will be tolerated. The Command Team and Sim take no responsibility for any such actions undertaken.
  3. Out of Character communications need to be kept polite and respectful. No abuse, sexism, racism, or discrimination based upon sexual orientation, gender identity, cultural background, political values, or anything else will be tolerated.
  4. In case of dispute, the Commander Team's word is final. Failure to comply with any of these rules may result in your removal and/or banning from the Sim and associated chat programs and social media.

Chat

  1. Users are required to comply with the Discord Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
  2. Users must have a verified email on their Discord account, or be assigned a role on the server, before they will be able to send messages on the server or send direct messages to other server members. Non-crew may received the guest role only if the command team knows them, or a current crew member can vouch for them.
  3. Discord will automatically scan for explicit content if a user does not have a role. Users with a role are trusted to not post explicit images and may only link to explicit content if it is clearly labeled NSFW and preview images are disabled.

Logging

  1. This Sim uses a passive activity check, where the Command Team keeps an eye on activity and reaches out to players who may not be meeting requirements. Failure to respond when the Command Team reaches out to you may result in demotion or removal from the Sim.
  2. The goal is for every player to release at least one log every two weeks. We recognize that sometimes logs require more than can be written in two weeks, and that sometimes offline obligations can delay your ability to write. As long as you are participating in a log, or in communication with your writing partners about your status, you are considered active.
  3. If you expect to be more than 48 hours replying to an active log you're included in, please make sure to let your writing partners know. If you're expecting to be away longer than a week, please take a leave of absence and make a good faith effort to wrap up your obligations before you become unavailable. If you are delayed more than four days, or fail to let your writing partners know you'll be unavailable, the Command Team reserves the right to keep the plot moving forward without you in order to keep the Sim active for the rest of the Crew.
  4. Do not use Player Characters or NPCs without permission of their Player. Do not write tags that assume a character's response without checking with their Player first. Do not cause serious harm to a Character without their Player's consent.
  5. Our game is rated Language 3, Sexual 2, Violence 2 by the RPG Rating system. Content of logs should conform to the following standards:
    • Language should be appropriate to In Character context. While on duty, it is considered unprofessional to use profane words and thus unlikely you will do so very often. In other situations more casual, different people and cultures have different standards. While we understand this, please consider how others may take your word choices before using them in a log.
    • Sexual content should be limited. We are a ship in a military-like organization, therefore sexual relationships are not the focus of our Sim. This means while you may pursue sexual relations with your crew mates and other characters that will cross your path during the course of the game, we do not need to read the full details. Hinting at, fading to black, and use of metaphor may be acceptable.
    • Violence should be limited to where necessary to further the plot, and avoid gratuitous descriptions. For example, while it is understandable your character may need to take a life in the course of duty, you do not need to explain in detail how your character disembowels their opponent.
  6. All logs need to be titled in the following format: highest ranked/primary character for each player involved and a descriptive title. If the log is a critical plot log, adding PLOT to the beginning of the title is recommended. When posting a backlog (a log which is out of chronological sequence), please add BACKLOG to the beginning of the title. If splitting a log into multiple parts, please append Pt. # of # to the end of each title. Examples:
    • PLOT - Cmdr Waterhouse & LtCmdr Caine - "Who'll Survive If You and I Should Fall?"
    • Ens Peters - "All Around the Mulberry Bush"
    • Lt Zola & Rev Waterhouse - "We Extort, We Pilfer, We Filch And Sack"
    • PO3 duPont - "Shout! Shout! Let It All Out!" Pt II of IV
    • BACKLOG - Lt Oswin - "Our Time Will Never Come Again"
  7. All logs need to include signatures for all characters who participated in the log. The highest ranked/primary character for each player gets a full signature, and all other characters get an NPC byline. The three line format is the Character's formal title/rank and name, their position, and their ship/location. NPC byline lists player first, then the characters' formal title/rank and name, then their position; each character is separated with a semicolon when there are multiple. Examples:
    • Captain Amelia Waterhouse
      Commanding Officer
      USS Joshua Norton, NCC-74819-A
    • Empress Janicka Selok
      Empress of the Romulan Star Empire
      New Romulus, Yridian Home World
    • NPCs by Amy: Rev. Noah Waterhouse, Pastafarian Minister & Artist; Michelangelo Waterhouse, Fuzzy Green Pain in the Ass
  8. Characters should be sorted in title and signature based upon their rank/position. If multiple characters are the same rank, preference is given to the PCs, then to the characters with the most In Character time at that rank.
  9. All logs are to be written in English (the dialect at the preference of the Player, such as American, British, or Canadian) and are expected to be checked for correct spelling, and a good faith effort needs to be made towards correct punctuation and grammar.
  10. For consistency, all logs should be written in past tense, and all joint logs need to be in third person. Personal logs may be in first person.
  11. For the purposes of the Sim, a quality log is defined as providing either plot development or character development, and is written coherently and in line with the rules set out above.

Character

  1. No canon characters, or direct relations to canon characters.
  2. The first Player Character for each crew member will start at the rank of Ensign, ranks for all additional characters will be dependent upon participation within the Sim and the discretion of the Command Team. If applying for an enlisted position, or applying with an enlisted character for a position designated for an officer, please consult with the Command Team before applying to ensure the correct rank. Promotions are at the discretion of the Command Team, and will make a good faith effort to follow a realistic time frame; typically this requires at least six months of quality participation from an Out of Character perspective, and at least two years In Character since the Character's last promotion. Characters may have experience between leaving the Academy and arriving on the USS Joshua Norton. No player will take a department head position without prior quality experience in this Sim.
  3. Starfleet is similar in structure to the United States Military, and without special circumstances, your character will be at least 22 when they graduate Starfleet Academy. Please remember to age your character appropriately for whatever experience they have after graduation.
  4. All Player Characters and NPCs aboard the ship will have gone through Intelligence Training in addition to any other training which is necessary for their background and the post they intend to fill.
  5. Related, all characters stationed aboard the USS Joshua Norton are specialist Intelligence Officers who have been thoroughly tested both psychologically and physiologically, and therefore no traitors, double agents, or those of an unstable mind would be allowed aboard the ship.
  6. Under no circumstance will your character have heard of, or be a part of, Section 31.
  7. Our Sim canon does not recognize the fandom assumption that Marines exist within Starfleet. The only canon organization that was similar was MACO and they were disbanded at the founding of the Federation. If you wish for your character have experience and training of that nature, please reach out to the Command Team for assistance.
  8. When creating a character, please ensure you fill out as much detail as possible. For new applications, this will assist the Command Team in determining how well your character will mesh with existing crew and lead to approving you to the Sim faster.
  9. Players are expected to have an existing familiarity with the Star Trek universe, or a willingness to proactively research the necessary information to write their Character well. While we do not expect everyone to have watched all TV episodes of all series and seen all the movies, please have at least a comfortable familiarity with the setting. Deep Space Nine and Voyager are strongly recommended as they are the closest to our setting; Star Trek Picard is considered an alternate timeline from ours — we diverged from the prime timeline around the time of the Hobus Nova. For more information, please see out Timeline and other information the LCARS.
  10. The "Op Code Name" should be taken from Greek mythology and should not duplicate any already selected by a member of the crew, present or past. For existing names in use, and links to resources to assist in selecting yours, please visit our Operational Code Name list in the LCARS.
  11. The following species are not available for Player Characters under any circumstances:
    • Q
    • Founders
    • Borg (including ex)
    • Species 8472
    • Kazon
    • Talaxians
    • Tholians
    • Breen
    • Horta
    • Joined Trill
  12. The following species are only available as Player Characters with Command Team approval, due to either plot concerns or the problematic nature they present:
    • Ocampa
    • Gorn
    • Jem'Hadar
    • Tribbles
    • Romulan
    • Reman
    • Vorta
    • El-Aurian
    • Telepathic species that do not require physical contact or establlished connections in order to use their telepathy.
    • Soft Canon, which is CBS/Paramount sanctioned non-TV/Movie medias such as books, games, and other materials.
    • Player created species may only be submitted by Veteran players, and require a detailed species entry in the LCARS before being allowed for Player Characters or NPCs.
  13. A qualified player may be offered the chance by the Command Team to play a plot NPC. If for some reason the player becomes unable to continue playing the plot NPC, the plot NPC may pass to someone else's control if necessary for the completion of the plot.
  14. If a position held by an NPC is desired by a new player for their Player Character, you may need to reassign your NPC or transfer them to the Erebus support base if you do not wish to retire them.
  15. Due to the limited size of the crew, please do not create one off NPCs aboard ship without getting command team approval. Anyone named within the crew must be placed on the roster for reference, even if they're not going to be a personal NPC.

Veteran Player

  1. A Veteran Player is a Player in who has been active and in good standing for at least six months or a whole plot (whichever is longer).
  2. Upon reaching Veteran Player status, Players will have the option to create an email address on the Sim domain (see section Email) as well as have accounts on the LCARS and PADD.
  3. Veteran Players have the option of bringing a pet aboard ship. Pet must be suited to starship life and is at the Command Team discretion.
  4. Veteran Players become eligible to be considered for a department head position.
  5. Veteran Players are given an elevated role on the Sim Discord which comes with minor moderation duties. These duties are to be used when the Command Team is unavailable and someone is causing a problem.
  6. Veteran Players may have their Veteran status removed due to the following reasons: behavior issues and related warnings, failure to keep writing partners informed when unable to tag in a timely manner, or leaving the game without notification (otherwise known as Ghosting).
  7. Veteran Players become eligible to take on one or more NPCs.
  8. Veteran Players may also choose to elevate one established NPC to a secondary Player Character role, or submit a new character of a rank that is suitable to the player's Out of Character experience. Secondary Player Character can not exceed the rank of Player's primary Player Character, and the higher ranked character among the two must be the Player's primary character. Likewise, with the exception of special circumstances or Plot NPCs, a Player's NPCs can not exceed the rank of their highest ranked Player Character. A Player may need to make the higher ranked character their Player Character.

Guest Writers

  1. Guest Writers are not open to new player applications — they are invitation only by the Command Team.
  2. When active in a log, a Guest Writer is expected to maintain the same courtesies as other crew. Inform your writing partner/s if you'll be delayed on tagging back, and make an effort to tag back in a timely manner.
  3. Guest Writers do not earn time towards becoming a Veteran Player.
  4. Guest Writers can not have characters on the ship crew.
  5. Guest Writers can not have more than one character on Erebus.
  6. Standard Crew may be offered the option to step into a Guest Writer role as a disciplinary action, as an alternative to being removed from the game completely.
  7. Guest writers who were invited, or past crew who volunteered for the role, may chose to elevate themselves to regular crew at any time. Guest writers who were placed in the role for disciplinary reasons must prove that they are ready to move back into a regular crew role before being allowed to.

Email

  1. Veteran players are eligible to select an email address on the sfintel.space domain.
  2. Email is hosted as part of the Sim's hosting package through Dreamhost, and is subject to their terms of service: Dreamhost TOS and Anti-Spam policy. Any users found to be in violation will have their service revoked without warning.
  3. The address may be fully hosted, or can be configured to forward to another address. Gmail is not recommended for forwarding, but can be set up with Pop3 to retrieve mail from the Sim address instead.
  4. Sim takes no responsibility for service failure, including the loss of saved messages, or messages that are bounced or otherwise not delivered. Sim will make a good faith effort to assist in troubleshooting should error occur.
  5. Any Player who ghosts the Sim, or any player who is removed from the Sim at the Command Team's decision, will have their email address terminated without warning. Users who inform the Command Team when they leave may request the continued use of the email address.
  6. Users will be subject to a 200MB limit on their account if they elect the fully hosted service. Dreamhost will automatically give warning when approaching the limit, but using pop3 and deleting messages from the server when downloading can help prevent this limit being reached.
  7. Command Team reserves the right to veto any username requests.

Miscellanious

  1. Star Trek and all related marks, logos, and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan roleplay game is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-run game intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.
  2. All Players retain the copyright for their individual characters and writing, as far as they do not conflict with the rights of CBS Studios Inc., however by joining the Player does hereby give permission for any materials used within the Sim to be retained for archive purposes.
  3. All players are encouraged to submit a Character Will to the Command Team, stating what should happen to their character should the Player leave the Sim without notification. The recommended manner to submit the Character Will is create a text document on the PADD (Nextcloud instance) and share it (read only) with the Command Team user group. In the event a player goes missing for a month without contact, the directions will be followed so far as they do not contradict established Sim canon. In the event that a player has not submitted a will before ghosting, Command Team will make a good faith effort to do something that is neither detrimental to the character, or irreversible should the player return — typically this would be a vague reassignment from the ship, but the solution may vary depending upon the current plot. If the Player is comfortable doing so, they may also include contact information—such as a friend's email, social media accounts, etc.—to allow the Command Team to reach out and confirm that the player is okay.
  4. Users may not use yahoo email due to problems with bounced messages and poor security on the part of Yahoo. This includes email for other services that is provided by Yahoo, such as some Internet Service Providers.
  5. All rules are subject to change. The Command Team will make a good faith effort to notify the crew of any changes. Any changes made will come into effect upon their posting to this page (https://sfintel.space/main/rules).

Last revised 2020-02-17