View source for Unit and Fleet Merger Information

==Introduction==

ASR does not just look for individuals to join its ranks-  entire units and task forces have joined the ASR universe in the past  as well.  If you are the commanding officer of an established unit,  task force or fleet, and would like to bring your organization into  the ASR universe, the guidelines below should help you decide if your  organization is compatible with ASR.

It is strongly recommended, after reading these guidelines, that you visit the [[:Category:ASR Library]]  and peruse the Role-Play and Administrative documents contained therein, especially the [[Alt.StarFleet.RPG_Player's_Manual | ASR Manual]].

If, after reading these guidelines and checking out the  Library, you decide that your unit or task force is compatible with  ASR, then send a note to  ASR's Senior Administration to inquire about merging with ASR.
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==Requirements==

*The incoming unit or task force must follow a similar method of play- it must be a play-by-e-mail (PBeM) group.

*The incoming unit or task force commander must agree to bring the unit's timeline into synchronicity with one of the established ASR timeline, either in ASR's [[ASR: PRIME|Prime timeline]] (circa 2422), [[ASR: ORIGINS|ORIGINS' "Alternate" timeline]] (circa 2261) or [[ASR: BEYOND|BEYOND's "Future" timeline]] (circa 2771).

*The incoming unit or task force commander must agree to adhere to the established backdrop of the ASR timeline he/she chooses to join. In other words, the unit commander must stay consistent with the previously-established "facts" of the ASR timeline with regards to technologies, political alliances, etc. For example, if, in the ASR universe, we are at war with the Romulan Empire, then the incoming unit must adhere to that.

*The incoming unit commander must agree to allow the unit to become part of the established chain of command in ASR.  For example, ASR: Prime is subdivided into three smaller "fleets"- GOLD, BLUE, and SILVER.  Any new unit would become part of an established ASR fleet, and fall into that fleet's chain of command, reporting to the Fleet Commander and/or Task Force Commander.

*Incoming groups of larger than 2 units are usually handled slightly differently:
**Groups of between 3-5 units:  If the incoming group size is between 3 and 5 units, the group would  either be split up and absorbed by the existing ASR fleets (depending  on the general health of the existing fleets at the time of the  merger), or they would be grouped together into its own task force (or two) and absorbed en masse by an existing ASR fleet.  In the end, the solution would be the one which is deemed best for ALL parties concerned.
**Groups of larger than 5:  If the incoming group is larger than 5 units, the group would either be split up and absorbed by the existing ASR fleets (depending on  the general health of the existing fleets at the time of the merger) or, if the existing fleets are in good health, the incoming group could possibly be lumped together and designated a new fleet within ASR.  In the end, the solution would be the one which is deemed  best for ALL parties concerned.
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==Benefits==

*Individual units no longer have to worry about advertising or the recruiting and training new players- ASR has a proven system  in place to handle this.

*Most players within the individual units would retain  the rank and position they carried before the merger, so long as it  does not contradict established ASR guidelines.  For example, flag officers (Commodore and above) do not command individual ships  in ASR (flag rank is a task force or fleet command designation)- if  the CO of a unit holds a flag rank, this would need to change.  However, this is only an example- most of the time, players would  be able to retain their rank. 

*ASR works very hard to give individual unit commanders  as much freedom in terms of mission development and story lines as  possible; this would not change for the incoming units.  The restrictions on plot lines and threads are the same as those observed  by all ASR units- the mission framework must fall within the story  arc of the fleet to which they belong, and must be approved by the fleet commander.  Everything else is open for development between  the unit, task force and fleet commanders.

*All new unit commanding officers would have the same  responsibilities and privileges afforded to the existing unit commanders-  they would participate as a voting member in the bi-annual Round Table;  they would not need permission or approval to create new player characters,  etc.
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==Notes==

* This document was written by Scott Lusby, with edits by Jeffrey Jenkins.
* Contents last updated SD 220110 (10 January 2010)