------------------------- The ALB Ensign's Handbook ------------------------- This Handbook is based in part on the Ensign's Handbook originally written by Lawrence VanVactor-Lee and modified by A. Rosina Bignall. Further modifications have been made by Christine Fontaine with suggestions from Amy Gross. Portions of this Handbook were furnished by D'Maris D. Coffman and Andrea Schalk. ------------------------------ 1 Introduction 2 Life at ALB 3 Commonly used jargon 4 In closing ------------------------------ 1 Introduction Welcome to Starfleet! This Handbook has been designed for all Holodeck students at Armstrong Lunar Base (ALB). It will help you prepare for service in the Fleets after you graduate from ALB. The current Commandant of ALB is Vice Admiral Harold T. Douglas, played by Takako Nagumo (tnagumo@earthlink.net). The current ALB Adjutant (second-in command) is CDOR Alex Hartigan, a female human, played by Masako Goto (fielding@uic.edu). The current Personnel Officer is CAPT Clarissa Peyton, played by Laura Ashley (ashley_laura@hotmail.com). At this point, you will have been assigned to a holodeck for instruction. Your holodeck instructor's job is to help prepare you for your first posting and to introduce you to ASR's type of roleplaying. This is the place to make mistakes, ask a lot of questions and to have fun. 1.1 Other resources First of all, there is the alt.starfleet.rpg newsgroup. If you have not checked out the many posts on the newsgroup, it would be a good idea to do so. Take a look at the ASR Web Page. There is a great deal of information there for everyone. You can also take a look at the ALB Web Page. 2 Life at ALB (Armstrong Lunar Base) ALB is a Starfleet training facility on the Earth's moon (Luna). By now you should have received character approval from the Personnel Officer, reported to the ALB Oval Office for holodeck assignment, and been assigned to a holodeck for instruction. 2.1 Posting Posts are the way in which we tell our stories in alt.starfleet.rpg. Although the alt.starfleet.rpg newsgroup is a place where everybody can see what is going on throughout ASR, the game itself actually works via email. 2.1.1 Mailing Lists Role playing posts, in which the story occurs, should go to the newsgroup for everyone to read, and individually, via email, to each player aboard your unit (Holodeck, ship, base, etc.). The First Officer or Commanding Officer of a unit will usually provide you with a unit roster, which will include the email addresses of every player serving aboard that unit. These email addresses form the mailing list for that unit. Pay attention to your mailing list and update it as necessary. Mailing lists can change fairly frequently. The Commanding Officer or First Officer will inform you when your mailing list needs to be changed, or an individual aboard your unit may inform you of a change in email address. All role playing (RPG) posts should be posted to the newsgroup and emailed to everyone aboard your unit. Strictly non role playing (NRPG) messages should never be posted to the newsgroup, only emailed to the individuals concerned. 2.1.2 Subject Lines Correct subject lines are essential. There are so many units in ASR that the newsgroup would easily become very disorganized if players did not use the correct subject lines. The subject lines of all posts should always begin with your unit. Right now, that is ALB. Other examples are the USS NEBULA and SB DELTA. Note that unit names are always in capitals. Non role playing posts (NRPG) should begin with the unit, immediately followed by NRPG. For example: USS NEBULA: NRPG: Address Change The specific format for subject lines follows: UNIT: Title of Post Some examples of good subject lines: * ALB Holodeck 20: Greeting the Ensigns * ALB Holodeck 20: NRPG: Betazoid Powers? * SB DELTA: Ensign Jones Reporting * USS NEBULA: Captain's Arrival * USS NEBULA: NRPG: Change of Email Address Examples of bad subject lines (comments are bracketed in [[ ]]): * ALB [[No location]] * Armstrong Lunar Base: Holodeck 20 [[should use abbreviation]] * Holodeck 20: NRPG [[No unit]] * ALB: NRPG: WHAT IS GOING ON!!! [[Using all capitals is judged rude]] * PUMA: Bridge --> Ready Room [[No "USS"]] * Uss Yosemite: Away Team [[USS and YOSEMITE should be all capitals]] * Holodeck 20: ALB [[Unit name should go first]] 2.1.3 Mission Dates and Stardates Mission Dates (or MDs) are used by some RP units to ease the maintenance of continuity within the plotline(s). Some units use MDs to construct time lines of happenings on the ship so writers can keep track of who is doing what with whom where at any given time. There are two parts to the Mission Dates -- the day and the time. They are laid out as follows: MD DD.hhmm 'DD' is for the day. The Mission Dates begin at the start of a mission, and is reset at the start of the next one. The 'hhmm' is for the time in the day, in military time (24-hour). For example, a scene happening at 2:00 pm on the 5th day of the mission would be dated: MD 5.1400 Mission Dates are useful in storylines in which the crew splits into Away Teams, or there are multiple threads and subplots. Another particular format for dates in ASR are so-called Stardates. While they have been mostly phased out when it comes to time-stamping posts, they are still used in bios in order to give those a Trek-like flavour. ASR is set roughly forty years after the TNG episode 'All Good Things', and one year in real time corresponds to one year in game time. The year 1998 covers the year 2410. Stardates are laid out in the following format: YYYYMMDD, where YYYY is for the year, MM for the month, and DD for the day. The first two digits are commonly dropped. For example, the 19th of January 2410 would correspond to Stardate 100119. Prior to 2410, the first three digits were dropped, as the 0 is 091231, for example, was superfluous. 91231 would be the correct Stardate for December 31st, 2409. For cases where dates might span a century or more, the full Stardate can be used to prevent confusion. In such a case, the 19th of January 2410 would be written as SD 24100119. If you should join a unit where Stardates are also used to time-stamp posts, your CO or XO will explain that to you upon request. 2.1.4 Beginning a Post Posts should begin with the Mission Date, if your unit uses them, followed by a Scene or Location that lets the reader know where the post is taking place. The Scene can also describe when the post is taking place, in game time. A good Scene tag will orient the reader, letting him or her know where and when the post is taking place. 2.1.5 NRPGs Sometimes it will be necessary to break out of role playing mode and speak directly to the reader. Such statements should be preceded by the letters "NRPG" (non role-playing game) in order to distinguish it from the role play. Posts will almost always end with an NRPG section for general statements, questions, and clarification. In the NRPG section you can ask for other players to follow up on parts of your post, or you can explain some of your ideas, even ask for feedback. Commanding Officers and other players with command billets will often use the NRPG section to give instructions to players, or to explain each player's task or assignment. So, don't forget to read the NRPGs at the end of each post. Any message that you send out that is strictly NRPG (ie. that contains no role play) should not be sent to the newsgroup. 2.1.6 Signing Off At the end of each post, always give your name, your character's name, your character's billet and your email address. This helps to identify who wrote the post. This may seem superfluous, but it is quite helpful. The following format is suggested: Your name Your character's name Billet Unit/Location Fleet email address For example: Takako Nagumo, Ensign Andalucia Lewis Helmsman USS CHESAPEAKE, NCC-31813 TACRON-33, Green Fleet tnagumo@earthlink.net 2.2 Preparing for Life after ALB 2.2.1 Shaping Your Bio By now you should have a basic bio for your character. A good bio, that describes your character, is important to have before leaving ALB. Your instructor can help you polish up your bio and answer any questions that you may have. 2.2.2. Choosing a Position Many players join ASR with a specific billet in mind (CMO, TAC/SEC, CEO, etc.). Others are uncertain. If you do not have a preference, this is the time and place to figure out what billet would suit both you and your character. Use your instructor as a resource, and monitor posts on the newsgroup. 2.2.3 Billet Descriptions Chief Tactical Officer (TAC) The chief tactical officer is responsible for the operation of the ship's offensive and defensive systems. A department head, he is responsible for various division officers and the gun crews, and often coordinates damage control efforts. Thus, the TAC officer handles all general maintenance and handling of the weapons systems, fire control computers, shields, targeting systems, electronic countermeasures and other combat systems aboard ship. Moreover, in the absence of a combat information center (CIC), the TAC handles communications with other ships involved in an exercise, and often serves as the communications officer when encountering both neutral and hostile vessels. Chief Security Officer (SEC/CSO) The chief tactical officer quite often doubles as the chief security officer. The TAC/CSO or CSO (on ships where these are split) is responsible for the security of the vessel and the discipline of the crew. Moreover, in the absence of marines, the CSO is responsible for assigning dignitary details, providing coverage for away teams, and affecting recce and search and rescue. Finally, the CSO conducts criminal and forensic investigations as the need arises. Chief Engineering Officer (CEO) The Chief Engineering Officer is responsible for the repair, maintenance and proper functioning of the ship's physical components including engine, shields, life-support, transporters, replicators, holodecks and shuttles. The CEO handles investigations of problems of a mechanical and technical nature. The Chief Engineer heads the engineering department which is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all propulsion and auxiliary machinery, the control of damage, the maintenance of shuttlecraft systems, the repair of the hull and its fixtures, and all repairs beyond the capacity of other departments. Chief Science Officer (CSciO, SCI) The chief science officer is the line officer with administrative responsibility for all scientific research aboard the vessel. Science departments are composed of two "tracks" of officers. On the one hand, the chief science officer will have several deputies who share in the administrative burdens of the position. On larger vessels, especially, the department will also be composed of a number of scientists (may of whom outrank the chief science officer and his deputies) conducting both mission specific and ongoing research. In general, the most challenging aspect of the job is allocating resources among these projects, divisions (astrophysics, xenobiology, botany, etc) and coordinating multi-disciplinary problem solving. He or she is also responsible for the operation and maintenance of the bridge science terminals and scientific sensor arrays. Navigation/Astrogation Officer (NAV/HELM) The navigation/astrogation officer is responsible for the navigation of the ship. NAV projects, optimizes and charts courses under the direction of the CONN'ing officer (the officer who has the bridge at a given time). Moreover, as a department head, the NAV officer serves at HELM during alerts, often takes the Alpha shift, and is responsible for the supervision and training of helmsmen. Flight Control Officer (FCO) On many vessels, the NAV officer also serves as the FCO. However, while the NAV officer is responsible for the ship itself, the FCO is responsible for embarked craft. Often, especially on larger ships, these positions are split. Flight control handles shuttlecraft launching, landing, and handling operations, with the service,maintenance, and repair of shuttlecraft, and with the handling of shuttle fuel and ordinance. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) The Chief Medical Officer is the ship's head doctor. He or she handles all medical matters aboard the ship. The Chief Medical Officer also handles investigation into biological matters and may develop biological solutions to problems. The Chief Medical Officer is responsible for maintaining the health of the officers and crew; the treatment and care of the sick and wounded; the sanitation and hygiene of the ship and its company; the inspection of the ship, food and water insofar as the health of the crew may be affected; and for training and directing personnel assigned to the medical department. Counsellor (COU/CNS) The Counsellor handles the ambassadorial functions aboard the ship. Often this includes dealing with alien races. The Counsellor is also responsible for the psychological well-being of the crew, and he or she is charged with advising the command staff on the morale of the officers and crew. Marine Commanding Officer (MCO) A limited number of MCO billets are available to new players. The marine commanding officer of a ship or station is the commanding officer of the marine unit, be it a platoon, company, battalion, or regiment. Second lieutenants (equivalent to ensigns) command platoons, first lieutenants (equivalent to lieutenant junior grade) command platoons or rump companies, lieutenant-majors (equivalent to lieutenant) command full companies, and so on. More information is available in the SFMC Handbook. Please bear in mind that due to the separate rank structures and different training requirements, assignment as MCO may require substantial revisions to your character's bio. 2.2.4 What Kind of Ship Ships in ASR come in a wide variety of flavours. Posting frequency,average length of a post, plots pursued, action- versus character-driven, the 'tone' aboard, pre-planned plot versus 'free for all' - these are just some of the aspects which define said flavours. A good way of getting an impression of the difference this can make is to select a few ships and follow each of them on the newsgroup, as far as your server allows it, i.e. read all posts for one ship that you can find, then turn to another. And don't disregard the stations we have - while they are more limited in terms of location, many have developed a rich backdrop against which their plots are being played out. If you find some units which you think suit you, or if you can describe what you would like in terms of those characteristics mentioned above (feel free to come up with your own), don't forget to pass on this request to the CSFO after you graduate from ALB. 2.2.5 Reporting to the CSFO The CSFO (Chief of Starfleet Operations), Admiral Tares Lanore, is played by Susan Phillipps (susanp@paradise.net.nz). Upon graduation from ALB, you will be told to 'report to her', as we call it, by your instructor. The CSFO is responsible for placing characters (and thus players) in the fleets, depending on the vacancies available as well as requests made by the player in question. Since the ultimate goal of ASR is to have members who are content, she will do her best to match your wishes. Be aware, however, that your favourite ship or station may not have a vacancy when you leave ALB, and that not every position is available at every time. Unsurprisingly, they differ vastly in popularity (CMO, Counsellor and MCO being usually found at the bottom, with CSO/TAC and CEO at the top). Typically, ASR-wide, there may not be a single CSO vacancy, while at the same time there are five or six for another position. This is why we ask you to list three positions you would be prepared to accept, and to keep your bio flexible as far as professional qualifications are concerned until you have received your final assignment. Once you have finished with ALB, your instructor will advise you to send the following to the CSFO at the above address: - your PC's bio - your requests as far as billeting goes (name three positions, as well as a description of the kind of ship/fleet you would enjoy) - any of your posts as a sample of your writing All these serve to give the CSFO an idea of where you would fit best, given the available vacancies. In return, she will answer whatever questions you have put to her, comment on your bio to help you tighten up areas which may need that and embellish on others, and finally supply your character with orders to report to one of the Fleet or Task Force Commanders, and tell you in NRPG who to contact next and how to go about that. If by that time, it is clear which ship you will join in which capacity, she will tell you that as well - but sometimes, a fleet may have more than just one suitable open billet. 3. Commonly Used Jargon There are certain terms that you will come across in ASR posts. Here are some of the more conventional terms, abbreviations and symbols that you will encounter in Starfleet. 3.1 Communication Symbols [ ] or [[ ]] is often used to denote communications or computer voice. For example: The Captain hit her comm-badge. "Captain Donne to Sickbay." [Sickbay. Doctor Trinkanto here.] Raising and eyebrow, the CMO wondered what had happened. < > or << >> is sometimes used to denote a computer voice, and [ ] is reserved for communications. * * is often used in a similar way to denote telepathic communication. For example: The Betazoid officer looked at her mother. *Mother, you _know_ it isn't polite to use telepathy around non-telepaths.* *I know dear,* her mother replied, *but this is so much more convenient.* 3.2 Common Terms and Abbreviations There are many terms and abbreviations used throughout ASR with which you may not be familiar. Information on ASR's rank structure can be found in the Document on Ranks and Ratings. The ASR Glossary, which deals with the most commonly used acronyms and abbreviations, can also be found at the ASR Web Page. 4 In Closing This Handbook is only one resource available to you. Take advantage of your Holodeck Instructor while you are in training. Once you are out in the Fleets, don't be afraid to ask questions of your First Officer and Commanding Officer. Above all, remember to have fun and enjoy. Takako Nagumo VADM Harold T. Douglas ALB Commandant (COMALB) Armstrong Lunar Base tnagumo@earthlink.net
