FedNet 2000's
Email SIM Manual
Note: This is the official Email SIM Manual of The Federation. Written by Douglas Paxan. Updated August Fifth, 1997.
Table of Contents: E-mail Sim Manual
- Division Information:
- What is a SIM?
- Can SIMs ever proceed through chat?
- How to join a Federation Email SIM:
- Division Application Procedure
- SIM Observation
- In the SIM:
- While On Duty
- While Off Duty
- What does NRPG mean?
- Misc. Help
- If you have a question...
- If you won't be able to SIM for a while...
- If you need to leave/quit the SIM...
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Captain Ty
What is a SIM?
The word 'SIM' takes its roots in the word simulation. Thus, when we participate in a SIM, we are simming, short for "running a simulation". This is a situation in which a group of people "re-enact" or create an environment and
characters based on a common element. All Email SIMs of The Federation are based loosely upon the Star Trek universe.
All of the players in a SIM need to have a character that they will portray during the SIM. Each SIM is run by a Commanding Officer (CO) who is generally the Captain of the particular Federation vessel. The CO is responsible for moderating the SIM as well as maintaining a
website as well as order for that particular SIM.
Can SIMs ever proceed through chat?
Of course. Otherwise we would never have posed the question!
It is the CO's prerogative as to whether or not a particular SIM group will use chat. So, if you are already in a SIM, ask your CO how to proceed in this regard. If you wish to join a SIM that uses chat as well, try Email our COs.
The fundamental difference between Email SIMming and Chat SIMming is that Email SIMming takes place over a much wider span of "real
life time". Most fully Email missions last for approximatley a month, while adding chat to a SIM adds new perspective to each mission.
Often, a good chat can be used for an Email post. A few examples are: a conversation between the ship's counselor and another character; husband/wife conversations; conversing through subspace with characters from other SIMs.
In consideration of Rank Promotion, we focus on character development and SIM quality as well as quantity. All of our COs are encouraged to reward players
for excellent character development as well as exemplary SIMming, although rank promotions still take place in the SIMworld based on the character's service to the ship.
As to comparisons of Email SIMming and Chat SIMming, Email SIMming is more accessible due to the large number of Email providers now in service.
Millions worldwide are gaining accesss to Email. While Chat SIMming must be planned and scheduled according to time zones, availability, etc; Email SIMs can be participated in at any time!
Division Application Procedure
To sign up for a SIM, you need to first visit their website. Current website links are available at the
FedNet 2000 Webspace. Some sites will have online forms for you to fill out,
while other sims ask you to Email them for more information. This sign-up procedure may be
changing to help unify the divisions and consolidate division signups to one site. (More below in the next section).
One of the most important requirements you should have for participating in an Email sim is a love of writing. Most sims have a 1
log per week posting minimum that you MUST meet every week. Skills that will help you sim also include good grammar and
spelling.
You'll also need to write a biography for your character that AT LEAST includes the following information:
Your character's name and age should NOT be your own age and name. This will help you remember that your character
is someone else, not you. Some people decide to go around this rule, and sometimes it works, but generally this is a good
rule.
Be careful when selecting an alien race to portray, as it can be an influence on your character's behavior. Also, avoid using
aliens who simply could not be in the sim, ie Delta-Quadrant aliens, Cardassians, Changelings, and depending on when the SIM
is set in the Star Trek timeline, Klingons. Do not hesitate to make your OWN species; in some cases, this has resulted in a very
interesting characters.
Your character's history should at least cover his/her experience at The Academy, including what their studies entailed (Command, Security, Medical, Engineering, Science, Psychology?) as well as
their class standing. Remember that not everyone can be in "the top 10% of the class", and that the challenge of SIMming your
character is to have an average person see, feel, and undergo above-average events.
The history area is also where you can provide information (factual or fictional) of past ships your character has served on,
information on your parents, friends, fiances/significant others, pets, or talents.
Optional information in your bio can also include birthdate, place of birth, personal experiences, past lives, hobbies, and
talents. Also keep in mind your character can be a civilian in some sims.
SIM Observation
Feel Free! Our logs, missions, and journals are open to the public. Feel free to experience a SIM by reading its past encounters; this may also help you get a feel for any particular SIM.
While On Duty
On duty, you are expected to be alert, courteous, and professional at all times. You are to obey your senior officer's orders, and if
you are the head of a department (Engineering, Tactical, Security, Science, or Medical), you may also have additional duties. If
you are an assistant or a junior/enlisted officer, then you should answer to the senior officer of your department. Your CO,
commanding officer, or senior officer should outline the duties you will be expected to perform.
Be aware your actions can impact other actions. Don't take the warp core offline for a diagnostic test if you're travelling at Warp 9
to evade Wesley Crusher, and beware of other common sense conflicts. If you aren't sure about whether your actions may pose a problem
to the SIM, contact your CO.
While Off Duty
This is when your character can most become a believable person. Participating in sports, helping out others, enjoying a
holodeck program, drinking in a lounge, kicking back with some friends, or spending some time on a favorite hobby is an excellent
way to pass the idle time. Also remember that your off-duty hours are also when you're supposed to sleep, so don't stay up late,
because another day means another duty shift.
What does NRPG mean?
NRPG is an abbreviation that stands for "Non-Role-Playing-Game". For each Federation SIM, messages are catalogued by their subject lines so that the C) knows where to put them. When writing a post (i.e. a story for the SIM), use the subject line as outlined below:
[VESSEL NAME] [NRPG/RPG]: [MESSAGE SUBJECT/TITLE]
If you have a question...
...regarding the sim in general.: Direct it to the game master or captain.
...regarding inconsistent logs.: Don't worry about it unless it is one of your logs that is incosistent. In that case, talk to
the other people involved and take action (retract or amend the offending log(s) )
... that is an "in-sim" question such as "Where are my quarters?" or "Where is so-and-so?": Use an NRPG message directed at the entire crew as posts are, to ask
if anyone knows this information.
...about the operation of the SIM.: Direct inquiries of this nature to the FedNet President at
fednet96@hotmail.com.
If you won't be able to SIM for a while...
This is always a serious problem to the SIM in general, as some plausible explanation must be made for your character's non-active
state. ALWAYS e-mail the CO and/or your department's senior officer regarding your absense IN ADVANCE (preferably 2
weeks if possible). He/she will then explain to you what will need to be done and ask you if you have a preference.
There are several ways to render a player "inactive" for an absense of his or her player. If it's a short absense (say, less than
a week) then the simmers are just generally warned not to use your character. If it's for a longer duration, your character may
be converted into an NPC (non-playing-character) or will be rendered ill (sudden coma, rare illness, etc.).
If you need to leave/quit the sim...
ALWAYS Email the CO IN ADVANCE regarding this!! Make sure he/she knows that you will be leaving the
SIM on a set date. Also state if you would like your character "preserved" (turned into an NPC) or if you will be writing a final
log for the character in which he/she is either killed, lost, or transferred to another ship.