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ASR is short for alt.starfleet.rpg, the name of a
Usenet newsgroup, as well as the interactive fiction club which operates
under its auspices. It is a role playing game, for lack of a better
description. The 'campaign' is set in the universe of Star Trek, some
fifty years after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation. If this
sounds interesting, check out the group in your newsreader.
Those ships are what we call role playing units (you
may have seen others--like SB/starbase, DS/deep space station, [FT]/free
thread). They are players who follow one storyline together, each of
whom has a character with a senior staff position (engineering officer,
security officer, etc) on the ship or station in question.
The way ASR runs, you do not join a ship (or other
unit) directly. You join the club. We have a system in place to acquaint
you with the rules and customs here, so you don't have to guess at what
will be expected of you.
In order to get started, you need to send mail to
the
Personnel Office. Include your name, email address, and the name
of the character you wish to play. You should also develop a short bio
(or longer one if you are familiar with this type of game) which at
minimum includes information like species, gender, age, speciality,
history, and personality profile. The Personnel Officer will help you
embellish the bio and will tell you if your character idea is playable
in the ASR universe.
Once characters are approved, they have 'graduated'
from Star Fleet Academy at the rank of ensign. Describe the character's
shuttle ride from San Francisco (home of Star Fleet Academy) to the
ALB Oval Office on the moon. ALB refers to Armstrong Lunar Base. There
the commandant or adjutant will assign you to your training holodeck.
No; we ask that you do not use your real name for
any of your characters in alt.starfleet.rpg. We are not a Trek
SIMM but rather an interactive fiction forum. As you play the game,
you will see that writers are often quite different from the characters
they play. We've found that character interaction tends to go much more
smoothly if there is a clear distinction between the player and the
character. Besides, this gives people the opportunity to play species,
genders, and interests that are not their own.
Please keep in mind that many ASR players are quite
serious about the writing element of the game and want to interact with
credible characters rather than just projections of the players' own
personalities.
Yes. Why? This is to make sure that we don't have
disruptive characters assigned to ships. 'Disruptive' includes things
like active connections to the mafia/underworld and/or rival intelligence
communities, extraordinary offensive psionic capability, "hard" immortality
(Q like beings), felony criminal records, training as an assassin, etc.
These are precisely the same things that would cause MUSH/MOO wizards
to refuse to approve you and are generally not conducive to good role
play.
The Personnel Officer also looks closely special "red
flags." These include enlisted service experience (mustang or fleet
appointments), special operations training, marine/naval commensurate
commissions, non-felony criminal records, conscientious objection, unusual
age, awards/medals/decorations obtained at Star Fleet Academy, unexplained
leaves of absence, obscure racial origins, shapechanging/shapeshifting
ability, soft immortality, extensive psychological problems, and other
such exceptional characteristics.
The character probably *will* be approved, but you
are encouraged to -balance- characters and use such backgrounds *only*
if you are responsible with them. Things that confer 'status/advantages'
over others are subject to a certain scrutiny. We expect you to remember
that you are playing and writing with other people. Nevertheless, some
of these "red flags," if used *responsibly* do make for very interesting
characters. We are not trying to limit creativity, but we have a responsibility
to make things fair and fun for *all* players. Good judgment, character
balance, and maturity go a long way.
New players are integrated into ASR through completion
of the ALB training sequence. ALB involves a training exercise on the
holodeck where you and other ensigns, with the assistance of an instructor,
play out a mini-mission similar to those played on ships. This will
show you the mechanics of the game and let you sample the style of the
game before you join a role playing unit. There you will also receive
a QuickStart Guide which tells you more about how to play the game.
No; all new players must start characters out as ensigns
and go through ALB. We have found that regardless of prior RP experience,
ASR is somewhat unique in its organization and structure. There is a
rich implicit culture to be absorbed. Also, with nearly 200 people around
the world from all walks of life, there are lots of things which make
'good captains.' Rather than asking people to submit 'real life resumes,'
all players start on an equal footing and are selected for command roles
based on how they perform here. Furthermore, there is no 'rank reciprocity'
with other Trek based organizations. The characters have rank in ASR
not the players. We do, however, welcome experienced players and Trek
enthusiasts and find that almost without exception 'talent and knowledge
will out.'
Yes; by all means. ASR attracts a lot of people with
very different interests--some are Trekkers, others are not. We have
units that emphasize gaming, others that focus on interactive storytelling.
Regardless of your area of interest (classic Trek, hardcore science
fiction, military fiction, space opera), there should be at least one
ship in ASR to accommodate your tastes.
Yes; however, you must graduate from ALB and be assigned
to an active unit first. For further information, see the Second Character
FAQ.
In deference to Paramount/Viacom, we do not use the
USS ENTERPRISE or USS VOYAGER or any of the main characters
for our active role play (though brief mention may be made of them).
DS9 does exist, but is not in active play and is not staffed by any
characters in the series.
Please remember that all the administrative work in
ASR is done by volunteers. Unlike SIMMs or similar games, people do
not schedule themselves to be online at certain times. Everyone has
a real life. Please be patient. But, if you've waited more than 5 days,
mail the Personnel Office again (be sure you have the correct address).
If you still don't get a reply, send mail to
Chris
Mayberry, who plays Vice Admiral Brachthyne von Mainzel, Commandant
of ALB.
Visit our
website, or lurk on the
newsgroup or
our web archive.
For further contact information see the 'Resources' section of the ASR
website.
Welcome to ASR!
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