ORIGINS: Proposal: Difference between revisions

From StarFleet Bureau of Information
No edit summary
 
(23 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Category:Bureau of Information]][[Category:Task Forces/Unit Portals]][[Category:ASR: ORIGINS]]{{Template:header_menu}}
[[Category:Bureau of Information]][[Category:Task Forces/Unit Portals]][[Category:STAR FLEET: ORIGINS]][[Category: STAR FLEET: ORIGINS Intelligence Desk]]
----
{{ORIGINS_header}}
 
<br>
<center>[[Image:Insignia_command_200.png|Starfleet Command Group Insignia Pin]]</center>
<center><font size="+2" color="#868cde">STAR FLEET: ORIGINS Concept and Outline</font></center>
 
<center>''Updated SD 2261.031</center>
 
<br>
<center><font size="+2" color="#868cde">ASR: ORIGINS Proposal</font></center>
==INTRODUCTION==
<center>''Created SD 2260.130</center>
 
 
<pre>
INTRODUCTION
============


Everything had changed.  A doorway has opened.
Everything had changed.  A doorway has opened.


The ships are legendary: ENTERPRISE...YORKTOWN...LEXINGTON...CONSTELLATION...
The ships are legendary: ''Enterprise''...''Yorktown''...''Lexington''...''Constellation''...''Farragut''...
FARRAGUT...


The names are heroic: Pike...Kirk...Decker...Tracey...Garrovik...
The names are heroic: Pike...Kirk...Decker...Tracey...Garrovik...


A doorway has opened that cannot be closed.  What were once legends are again
A doorway has opened that cannot be closed.  What were once legends are again only metal and conduit.  Who were once heroes are again only mortals.   
only metal and conduit.  Who were once heroes are again only mortals.   


A new path has begun.  The time to become legends again, to become heroes again,
A new path has begun.  The time to become legends again, to become heroes again, is now.
is now.


A new beginning has arrived. Join us.
A new beginning has arrived. Join us.
<br>
<br>
==GENERAL INFORMATION==


This is an outline for a new ASR-offshoot PBeM group, called "STAR FLEET: Origins."  "Origins" will be a writing group specifically designed to explore the alternate timeline opened up in the latest ''Star Trek'' movie by J.J. Abrams.  That movie will serve as the main inspiration for "Origins."  As an alternate timeline, "Origins" will not have a direct impact on the stories, plotlines or technologies developed in and for [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]].
<br>
<br>
==BACKGROUND==


1. GENERAL INFORMATION
The setting of "Origins" will be around 2260, just after the events of Star Trek (that movie took place in 2258), around 160 years BEFORE the current [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]] timeline.
======================
 
This is a proposal to begin a new ASR-offshoot PBeM group, called "ASR: Origins."
"Origins" will be a writing group specifically designed to explore the alternate
timeline opened up in the latest Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams.  That movie will
serve as the main inspiration for "Origins."  As such, "Origins" will not have a
direct impact on the stories, plotlines or technologies developed in and for ASR.
 
 
2.  BACKGROUND
==============
 
The setting of "Origins" will be around 2260, just after the events of Star Trek
(that movie took place in 2258), around 160 years BEFORE the current ASR timeline.
 
This setting is important, as it will affect everything about the club: the
technologies available, the storylines open to development, the writing style,
etc.
 
 
2.1  The Federation and the Geopolitical Situation
==================================================
The Federation of 2260 is a much different than the Federation of 2421.  This is
a smaller Federation, much more closely centered around the core systems of Earth,
Andor and Tellar.  It is a Federation where Vulcan has been destroyed and the
Vulcan race nearly eradicated, its 10,000 survivors now endangered species on
a colony planet.  It is a Federation of far fewer resources with which to respond
to threats. 
 
And it is a Federation of exploration and discovery.  Unlike the galaxy of 2421,
there are still large parts of the galaxy still unexplored.  Though the Klingons
and the Romulans have been discovered, there are no Gorn, Tholians, Dalriada or
Cardassians- they have yet to be discovered.  There is no Borg, as far as we know.
Though these facts may change- the landscape we once knew has been altered.
 
The Klingons are aggressive, and they do not like us.  We're in their way.  And they
don't miss an opportunity to remind us of this.
 
The memories of the Federation-Romulan War are far closer to the surface, the scars
far more recent.  However, despite Nero's timeline-altering appearance, the Romulans
have closed their borders and have kept to themselves for many years.  Will they
that way?  We USED to know...but not any more.  Is this a golden opportunity, or
a precursor to war?
 
The Federation is still young, still growing.  By 2421, Starfleet patrolled a huge
expanse, requiring hundreds of ships just to protect and aid its member worlds.
However, in 2260, the Federation was a nascent one- growing, searching out new
races and species to become members in friendship and mutual benefit.  It was less
a military organization than a diplomatic or scientific group.  Only events
afterwards changed that- events that, for all intents and purposes, are no more.
 
 
2.2  Starships
--------------
This was the era of the great CONSTITUTION-class cruiser- generally referred to
simply as a "starship" in deference to its role as a "star-jumper," moving from
system to system in peaceful exploration.  It was the most modern ship of its time,
and reflected the priorities of early Starfleet: she was equipped with expansive
science and medical labs, with staffs to match.  Its crew compliment of 430 souls
was nearly double that of any other ship.
 
These ships also carried powerful- for their time- weapons and defensive systems:
phasers, photon torpedoes, shields, even a point defense system.  They were more
than capable of defending themselves and others if need be.  But the CONSTITUTION-
class starships were not built around their weapons; they were ships of peaceful
exploration, its crews more scientists and diplomats than soldier.
 
However, these magnificent ships were not cheap, and given the far more limited
resources available to Starfleet, there were far fewer of these capital ships than
one might expect.  From 2258-2266, only 12 of these massive ships were constructed.
Very often, they were literally "The only ship in the quadrant."
 
Technologically, though at the cutting edge of technology in 2260, these ships are
far inferior to those of 2421.  There are no pulse phasers, phaser cannons, quantum
flux torpedoes, multiphasic shields, transwarp drive, d-warp drive systems, or
holodecks.  Warp 8 was considered emergency speed only; impulse drive was a simple
ion-thrust drive, not the modern gravity planing drives of ASR today.  Combat of
that era was usually more "up close and personal," given the reduced ranges and
capabilities of the weapons as compared with today's.
 
 
2.2  The Starship Captain
-------------------------
The Captain of one of these starships enjoyed a freedom of command most modern
officers do not.  As they were typically the "man on the spot" so to speak, the
Captain had a wide breadth of discretion as to the course of action he could take
to settle a dispute, tempt a planet to join the Federation, etc.  Starfleet Command-
and by extension, the Federation- had little choice but to accept the Captain's
decisions on the spot given the scarecity of other resources available.  He was,
by definition, the Voice of the Federation wherever he went.
 
However, the Captain DID have a guiding hand- the Genmeral Orders, the most
important of which was General Order #1, or the "Prime Directive." The Captain was
expected to consider these General Orders inviolate, and operate within their
boundaries.
 
The reality, however, was that it was not unusual for the Captains to bend, even
outright break these regulations if some greater purpose was served; Starfleet
accepted the treatment of these rules as guidelines tacitly for the most part, so
long as that greater purpose was served.  If it backfired, however, the Captain
could find himself cooling his heels in a general court martial.  There was certainly
a risk associated with breaking regulations if one failed.


General Order #1, however, was considered inviolate in reality as well as in theory.   
This setting is important, as it will affect everything about the club: the technologies available, the storylines open to development, the writing style, etc.
That order was not to be broken, regardless of the circumstances.
<br>
===The Federation and the Geopolitical Situation===
The Federation of 2260 is a much different than the Federation of 2421.  This is a smaller Federation, much more closely centered around the core systems of Earth, Andor and Tellar.  It is a Federation where Vulcan has been destroyed and the Vulcan race nearly eradicated, its 10,000 survivors now endangered species on
a colony planet.  It is a Federation of far fewer resources with which to respond to threats.


Those facts bring with it a pressure to succeed, to get results, and therefore a
And it is a Federation of exploration and discovery.  Unlike the galaxy of 2421, there are still large parts of the galaxy still unexplored.  Though the Klingons and the Romulans are known quantities, little is known about the Gorn, the Tholians, and the Cardassians.  The Dalriada, the Borg, the Dominion - they have yet to be discovered.  Though these facts may change- the landscape we once knew has been altered.
Captain also had a wide breadth of discretion with regards to his shipboard
chain of command.  Officers who performed well and showed ability could be promoted
quickly; those who did not could find themselves cast aside just as quickly.


Lastly, all of this freedom, this pressure to succeed, combined with the scarcity in
The Klingons are aggressive, and they do not like us.  We're in their way.  And they don't miss an opportunity to remind us of this.  Of course, they still have to rebuild their fleet after Nero's decimation of it in 2258.
their number (there were only 12 at any given time), created an 'esprit de corps'
aongst these officers; they were almost a fraternity all their own.  They worked
together, they played together when they could, addressed each other by their first
names in a departure from strict military decorum, and while they may not have all
liked each other, they all respected one another for the job with which they were
tasked- the bond of common interest.


Truly, it was a time unlike any other in Starfleet.  It was the Age of Sail in space;
The memories of the Federation-Romulan War are far closer to the surface, the scars far more recent.  However, despite Nero's timeline-altering appearance, the Romulans have closed their borders and have kept to themselves for many years.  Will they stay that way?  We USED to know...but not any more.  Is this a golden opportunity, or a precursor to war?  And if it is war they want, then with whom?  The Klingons are vulnerable as well...
It was Horatio Hornblower with warp drive.


The Federation is still young, still growing.  By 2421, Starfleet patrolled a huge expanse, requiring hundreds, even thousands, of ships just to protect and aid its member worlds.  However, in 2260, the Federation was a nascent one- growing, searching out new races and species to become members in friendship and mutual benefit.  It was less a military organization than a diplomatic or scientific group...though Nero's incursions have given voice to the more "hawkish" elements of Starfleet in recent years...
<br>
===Starships===
This was the era of the great [[Constitution-AT statistics | CONSTITUTION-class cruiser]]- generally referred to simply as a "starship" in deference to its role as a "star-jumper," moving from system to system in peaceful exploration.  It was the most modern ship of its time, and reflected the priorities of early Starfleet: she was equipped with expansive science and medical labs, with staffs to match.  Its crew compliment of 1100 souls was nearly triple that of any other ship.


3. GAMEPLAY ADMINISTRATION
These ships also carried powerful- for their time- weapons and defensive systems: phasers, photon torpedoes, shields, even a point defense system.  They were more than capable of defending themselves and others if need be.  But despite these impressive tactical systems, the CONSTITUTION-class starships were not built around their weapons; they were ships of peaceful exploration, its crews more scientists and diplomats than soldiers.
==========================


Initially, it is unlikely that "Origins" will be anything but a glorified "free
However, these magnificent ships were not cheap, and given the far more limited resources available to Starfleet, there were far fewer of these capital ships than one might expect.  From 2258-2266, only 12 of these massive ships were constructed.  Very often, they were literally "the only ship in the quadrant."
thread" to begin with, until numbers go up.  The initial goal is to aim for
establishing and crewing two units (the efforts to find interested parties outside
of ASR are taking place as of this writing), with expansion available if the
interest is there.  Two units does not make for a fleet, however, and as such do not
require additional senior administrative support than is already in place.  Until
such a time when and if 3-4 of these "Origins" units are active, the senior unit
CO can act as the liaison ("The Commodore") with the Flag Council and the CSFO.
This CO would have no formal entry into the FC; only when sufficient "Origins"
unit numbers are met would this position be on the fleet commander level.


Eventuall, it is hoped that the administrative set-up of "Origins" would roughly
Technologically, though at the cutting edge of technology in 2260, these ships are far inferior to those of 2421.  There are no pulse phasers, phaser cannons, quantum flux torpedoes, multiphasic shields, transwarp drive, d-warp drive systems, or holodecks.  Warp 8 was considered emergency speed only; impulse drive was a simple ion-thrust drive, not the modern gravity planing drives of the [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]] universe.  Combat of that era was usually more "up close and personal," given the reduced ranges and capabilities of the weapons as compared with today's.
mirror current ASR administrative practices in that there would be a "fleet
<br>
commander" overseeing the individual starship "units".  There will be no level of  
===The Starship Captain===
administration between the "fleet commander" and the units themselves; not only is
The Captain of one of these starships enjoyed a freedom of command most modern officers do not.  As they were typically the "man on the spot" so to speak, the Captain had a wide breadth of discretion as to the course of action he could take to settle a dispute, tempt a planet to join the Federation, etc.  Starfleet Command-
this not necessary at this early stage of Origin's development, it also helps reflect
and by extension, the Federation- had little choice but to accept the Captain's decisions on the spot given the scarecity of other resources available.  He was, by definition, the Voice of the Federation wherever he went.
the "freedom" of the Starship Captain of this era: with no fleet bounaries to worry
about or specific established villains to focus on or stay away from, storyline
development is considerably more open and freer than in "Classic" ASR.


This freedom, while greater, is not completely without boundaries: exploration
However, the Captain DID have a guiding hand- the Genmeral Orders, the most important of which was General Order #1, or the "Prime Directive." The Captain was expected to consider these General Orders inviolate, and operate within their boundaries.
missions and missions of "local flavor" (answer a local distress call, answering a
petition of a local govenrment, etc.) are encouraged, with confrontations between
Federation and Klingon or Romulan forces less frequent- this should not be a
problem, since so much less of the galaxy has been explored or "spoken for." "To
seek out new life and new civilizations" will be the motto of Origins.


However, remember that the Federation was somewhat like the "Old West" in 2260, and
The reality, however, was that it was not unusual for the Captains to bend, even outright break these regulations if some greater purpose was served; Starfleet accepted the treatment of these rules as guidelines tacitly for the most part, so long as that greater purpose was served.  If it backfired, however, the Captain
that means that, while the Romulans and Klingons might affectively be "further away"
could find himself cooling his heels in a general court martial.  There was certainly a risk associated with breaking regulations if one failed.
if not in reality, that does not mean skrimishes won't happen.  Exploring the past
enmity between Federation and Klingon cultures, after so many years of friendship and
relative peace, is an intriguing posibility


And remember: everything is new- Nero has wiped the slate clean.  That makes the
General Order #1, however, was considered inviolate in reality as well as in theory.  That order was not to be broken, regardless of the circumstances.
possibilities nearly endless.


In keeping with the spirit of the era, each unit would be one of the CONSTITUTION-
Those facts bring with it a pressure to succeed, to get results, and therefore a Captain also had a wide breadth of discretion with regards to his shipboard chain of command. Officers who performed well and showed ability could be promoted quickly; those who did not could find themselves cast aside just as quickly.
class starships, with the exception (for copyright reasons) of the ENTERPRISE.
This gives us an operational ceiling of 11 units- plenty of room for future
expansion if it is warranted.


The end goal of this would be to develop and maintain the off-the-cuff, renegade
Lastly, all of this freedom, this pressure to succeed, combined with the scarcity in their number (there were only 12 at any given time), created an 'esprit de corps' aongst these officers; they were almost a fraternity all their own.  They worked together, they played together when they could, addressed each other by their first names in a departure from strict military decorum, and while they may not have all liked each other, they all respected one another for the job with which they were tasked- the bond of common interest.
"flavor" of the era and allow this to come through in the writing.


Truly, it was a time unlike any other in Starfleet.  It was the Age of Sail in space; it was Horatio Hornblower with warp drive.
<br>
<br>
==GAMEPLAY ADMINISTRATION==


4. GAMEPLAY MECHANICS
"Origins" will be set up to mirror  current [http://alt-starfleet-rpg.org STAR FLEET] practices: a "fleet commander" (Commander, ORIGINS or "COMORIGINS") overseeing the individual starship "units".  There will be no level of administration between the "fleet commander" and the units themselves; not only is this not necessary at this early stage of Origin's development, it also helps reflect the "freedom" of the Starship Captain of this era: with no fleet bounaries to worry about or specific established villains to focus on or stay away from, storyline development is considerably more open and freer than in [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]].
=====================


This will be a PBeM group, just as ASR is. Posts will be submitted to a central post
This freedom, while greater, is not completely without boundaries: exploration missions and missions of "local flavor" (answer a local distress call, answering a petition of a local govenrment, etc.) are encouraged, with confrontations between Federation and Klingon or Romulan forces less frequent- this should not be a problem, since so much less of the galaxy has been explored or "spoken for."  "To seek out new life and new civilizations" will be the motto of Origins.
archive on Yahoo (we can use ASR's if it is desired for advertising reasons- we can
always tag the posts [ORIGINS] to differentiate them from "normal" ASR posts) as well
as a unit archive. Unit archives will be open for public viewing, the posts capped at
PG-13.  Again, all this mirrors typical PBeM practice.


The group would also need to maintain a web presence separate (though, again, it could
However, remember that the Federation was somewhat like the "Old West" in 2260, and that means that, while the Romulans and Klingons might affectively be "further away" if not in reality, that does not mean skrimishes won't happen.  Exploring the past enmity between Federation and Klingon cultures, after so many years of friendship and relative peace, is an intriguing posibility
be linked or even a subdomain of ASR if it is desired) from ASR, since units,
technologies and universe backgrounds would be markedly different.  This site can either
be a wiki portal within ASR's wiki, or something completely separate.  My suggestion
would be for a "origins.alt-starfleet-rpg.org" subdomain, or something along those
lines.


One additional note: with the possibility of so many new players joining "Origins,"
And remember: everything is new- Nero has wiped the slate clean.  That makes the possibilities nearly endless.
soem consideration must be given to training these raw players to ASR's format and
get them used to writing in a shared fiction environment.  My initial thoughts on this
is that each new unit, as it comes online, completes a short "mini-mission" of about a
month or so in real-time length, designed to give the players the chance to learn HOW
to write for ASR and HOW to write off of each other.  Think of it as bing akin to the
old ALB holodeck training, except it will be live (i.e. not in a holodeck since they
were not around in 2260) and perhaps expanded beyond 4 players.  The individual unit
CO's would be tasked with developing the mini-mission and making sure the players are
not just writing, but given appropriate constructive criticism when needed.


In keeping with the spirit of the era, each unit would be one of the CONSTITUTION-class starships, with the exception (for copyright reasons) of the ENTERPRISE.  This gives us an operational ceiling of 11 units- plenty of room for future expansion if it is warranted.


5. ISSUES
The end goal of this would be to develop and maintain the off-the-cuff, renegade "flavor" of the era and allow this to come through in the writing.
=========
<br>
<br>
==GAMEPLAY MECHANICS==


One issue that is bound to come up is the issue of commanding a "free thread"- are
This will be a PBeM group, just as [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]] is.  Posts will be submitted to a central post archive on Yahoo (we can use Prime's if it is desired for advertising reasons- we can always tag the posts [ORIGINS] to differentiate them from "normal" PRIME posts) as well as a unit archive.  Unit archives will be open for public viewing, the posts capped at PG-13.  Again, all this mirrors typical PBeM practice.
"classic" unit CO's to be allowed to command an "Origins" unit?


Arguments for allowing this would probably revolve around the idea that this is
The group would also need to maintain a web presence separate from [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]], since units, technologies and universe backgrounds would be markedly different.  This site will consist of a sudomain of its own (<<http://origins.alt-starfleet-rpg.org>>) with a portal page pointing towards various parts of the STAR FLEET Wiki.  The wiki, in turn, will have a separate "hub" of "Origins"-related documents, all categorized with the tag "STAR FLEET: ORIGINS" for ease of searching.  The "Origins" wiki will also have its own distinct header menu- again, for ease of searching.
such a radical departure from "classic" ASR that it is almost a separate group
<br>
altogether...and as such it would not be the same as commanding two ASR units.
<br>
We've certainly had players commanding units in both ASR and other PBeM groups
==TRAINING==
and SIMS before.
Training for new players in "Origins" will be a form of on-the-job training: the new player will be under the direction of our special Training Officer (played by [mailto:Tess691@aol.com Mary McNeely]) for his/her first few posts to his/her unit. The Training Officer is there to give suggestions and direction as to the proper formatting and style of STAR FLEET posts. Once the Training Officer feels as though the new player has grasped the basics of this, direction shifts to things such as dropping hooks and picking them up.  This process should take anywhere between 3-5 game posts from the new player.  Once the new player has those ideas down, the Training Officer informs the Captain and steps back, leaving the player to his/her own devices under the Captain's supervision- like all other writers.
<br>
<br>
==FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS==
* '''Can a player command a unit in both [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]] and [[STAR FLEET: ORIGINS | Star Fleet: ORIGINS]]?'''
*: Simply, no.  There are reasons why players are NOT allowed to command more than one unit in STAR FLEET:
*::* Because of the time demands commanding a unit makes on the CO;
*::* Because if a player were to command more than one unit, he would have more than one seat at the bi-annual Round Table, giving that player a stronger "voice" than the rest of the CO's.


Arguments against allowing this, as I see it, are simply that running two units
is against ASR's written rules.  That can always be circumvented ("free threads"
have often played by their own sets of rules)...but it does not address the
workload a player running more than one unit would have.  To me, that is the
single largest concern: can a player running more than one unit put the effort
necessary to adequately command more than one unit?  Historically, the answer
has been "no."  But, then again, as mentioned above, how many players have
commanded units outside of ASR that we don't know about?  Certainly some...have
they all been "bad captains?"  We have no way of knowing.


My personal feeling is this: we aloow "free threads" to follow a different set
* '''Can a player hold characters in both [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]] and [[STAR FLEET: ORIGINS | Star Fleet: ORIGINS]]?'''
of rules regarding command, and let the individual CO candidates decide for
*: Yes, of course.  That is at each individual player's discretion.  While we suggest that a player not have more than three characters in all of STAR FLEET, as long as a player shows he/she is able to handle the load, he/she is welcome to write in whichever unverse they prefer, or both at the same time.
themselves, with the understanding that the leash is a bit shorter than it
<br>
might otherwise be- the first sign of trouble, and a change is made for the
<br>
good of the "free thread" and the classic unit in question.
==PLAYER REQUIREMENTS==
 
Thre are only really 2 things [[STAR FLEET: ORIGINS | Star Fleet: ORIGINS]] requires of its players:
 
* '''''a willingness to be ACTIVE.''''' We abide by a slightly different posting policy than [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | PRIME]], as we prefer more frequent-but-shorter posts in order to maintain proper momentum and interest. Therefore, before joining, we ask that all potential players make sure they can post somewhere in the weekly area.  Understand that these posts can be shorter- a page or so, even a couple of paragraphs is perfectly acceptable- than what is common in [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]].
6. REQUIREMENTS
* '''''a willingness to remain IN CONTACT.''''' In [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: Prime]], it is considered "common courtesy" to inform one's CO of a impending absence of more than a couple of days; it is also considered proper to respond to any mails sent to you by a player or "superior officer" within 48-72 hours.  In [[STAR FLEET: ORIGINS | ORIGINS]], these "common courtesies" will be followed as well for everyone's benefit.
===============
<br>
 
<br>
- An administrator/liaison CO to run "Origins" (presumably me, since the idea is
==FINAL THOUGHTS==
mine).
The goal here is to blend the idealism and the "frontier" mentality of ''The Original Series'' with the gritty, industrial, more militaristic feel of the latest ''Star Trek'' movie. That's the idea, anyway.
- Interested potential captains.
* Me (CONSTELLATION or FARRAGUT, I think)
* Tim Sowards has expressed an interest in running a unit.  I've
not said a thing.  I think I'd be more comfortable with him as
perhaps my XO, personally.  I am certainly not going to let him
resign as OSYSSEUS CO- especially after what happened when he took
THAT command- to take this on.
- Crew (to be recruited individually by the captains, mostly from outside of ASR)
- A Yahoo presence (to be opened only after interest is confirmed).
- Development of either a wiki or web-based information archive.
* origins.alt-starfleet-rpg.org
- Individual unit post archives (to be opened only upon launch of units).
- Develoment of starship specs and graphics (only after interest is confirmed)
- Supplementary graphical information (some development has already taken place)
<<http://alt-starfleet-rpg.org/images/insignia/index4.htm>>
 
 
7. STATUS
=========
 
Initial informal recruiting is taking place as we speak.  I do not have firm
numbers of "interested parties" at this time, but we have had "a handful"  
(READ --> 4-5 people) respond positively to initial inquiries.  That's still a
far cry from 2 units' worth of CONFIRMED AND BIOGRAPHIED players, so we're still
only in the initial developmental stages.  Thus far, all recruiting has taken place
OUTSIDE of ASR.  I intend to keep it that way for the time being- to keep the
impact on "classic" ASR as low as possible, I want to have a solid core of new
players confirmed and with bios developed before I ask for permission to recruit
veteran players for command slots.  I will not, however, turn away anyone who
seeks ME out for information. ;)
 
If permission is given to pursue this, I work up a publishable FAQ that outlines
the concept and the procedures for getting involved and developing a character.
 
 
8. FINAL THOUGHTS
=================
 
I had not intended in getting back involved in anything like this so quickly.
The new movie has definitely lit a fire underneath me, most of which is wrapped
up in its refresshing "reboot" of things.
 
As always, criticisms, problems, and suggestions are welcome.
 
Also, as always, thank you for your time.


We also want to work hard to keep a higher level of activity than we've seen in [[STAR FLEET: PRIME | Star Fleet: PRIME]] in recent years- thus the policy of "shorter-but-more-frequent posting."


Welcome to a new beginning.
<br>
<br>
Respectfully,
Respectfully,


-- Scott Lusby
-- [mailto:comorigins@alt-starfleet-rpg.org Scott Lusby] <br>
Former CINCSF/CSFO/CINCGOLD
/\ [[ORIGINS:_Joseph_Carstairs | VADM Joseph Carstairs]] <br>
Alt.StarFleet.RPG
Commanding Officer <br>
 
STAR FLEET: ORIGINS
</pre>

Latest revision as of 21:05, 7 January 2011

Star Fleet: ORIGINS - Main Page | View the ORIGINS Trailer! | New Players | ORIGINS Player Resource Library | Join Star Fleet: ORIGINS
SIXTH FLEET: Main Page | Fleet Roster | USS Endeavor | USS Hood |
TWELFTH FLEET: Main Page | Fleet Roster | USS Constellation | USS Intrepid |


STAR FLEET: ORIGINS Concept and Outline
Updated SD 2261.031


INTRODUCTION

Everything had changed. A doorway has opened.

The ships are legendary: Enterprise...Yorktown...Lexington...Constellation...Farragut...

The names are heroic: Pike...Kirk...Decker...Tracey...Garrovik...

A doorway has opened that cannot be closed. What were once legends are again only metal and conduit. Who were once heroes are again only mortals.

A new path has begun. The time to become legends again, to become heroes again, is now.

A new beginning has arrived. Join us.

GENERAL INFORMATION

This is an outline for a new ASR-offshoot PBeM group, called "STAR FLEET: Origins." "Origins" will be a writing group specifically designed to explore the alternate timeline opened up in the latest Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams. That movie will serve as the main inspiration for "Origins." As an alternate timeline, "Origins" will not have a direct impact on the stories, plotlines or technologies developed in and for Star Fleet: PRIME.

BACKGROUND

The setting of "Origins" will be around 2260, just after the events of Star Trek (that movie took place in 2258), around 160 years BEFORE the current Star Fleet: PRIME timeline.

This setting is important, as it will affect everything about the club: the technologies available, the storylines open to development, the writing style, etc.

The Federation and the Geopolitical Situation

The Federation of 2260 is a much different than the Federation of 2421. This is a smaller Federation, much more closely centered around the core systems of Earth, Andor and Tellar. It is a Federation where Vulcan has been destroyed and the Vulcan race nearly eradicated, its 10,000 survivors now endangered species on a colony planet. It is a Federation of far fewer resources with which to respond to threats.

And it is a Federation of exploration and discovery. Unlike the galaxy of 2421, there are still large parts of the galaxy still unexplored. Though the Klingons and the Romulans are known quantities, little is known about the Gorn, the Tholians, and the Cardassians. The Dalriada, the Borg, the Dominion - they have yet to be discovered. Though these facts may change- the landscape we once knew has been altered.

The Klingons are aggressive, and they do not like us. We're in their way. And they don't miss an opportunity to remind us of this. Of course, they still have to rebuild their fleet after Nero's decimation of it in 2258.

The memories of the Federation-Romulan War are far closer to the surface, the scars far more recent. However, despite Nero's timeline-altering appearance, the Romulans have closed their borders and have kept to themselves for many years. Will they stay that way? We USED to know...but not any more. Is this a golden opportunity, or a precursor to war? And if it is war they want, then with whom? The Klingons are vulnerable as well...

The Federation is still young, still growing. By 2421, Starfleet patrolled a huge expanse, requiring hundreds, even thousands, of ships just to protect and aid its member worlds. However, in 2260, the Federation was a nascent one- growing, searching out new races and species to become members in friendship and mutual benefit. It was less a military organization than a diplomatic or scientific group...though Nero's incursions have given voice to the more "hawkish" elements of Starfleet in recent years...

Starships

This was the era of the great CONSTITUTION-class cruiser- generally referred to simply as a "starship" in deference to its role as a "star-jumper," moving from system to system in peaceful exploration. It was the most modern ship of its time, and reflected the priorities of early Starfleet: she was equipped with expansive science and medical labs, with staffs to match. Its crew compliment of 1100 souls was nearly triple that of any other ship.

These ships also carried powerful- for their time- weapons and defensive systems: phasers, photon torpedoes, shields, even a point defense system. They were more than capable of defending themselves and others if need be. But despite these impressive tactical systems, the CONSTITUTION-class starships were not built around their weapons; they were ships of peaceful exploration, its crews more scientists and diplomats than soldiers.

However, these magnificent ships were not cheap, and given the far more limited resources available to Starfleet, there were far fewer of these capital ships than one might expect. From 2258-2266, only 12 of these massive ships were constructed. Very often, they were literally "the only ship in the quadrant."

Technologically, though at the cutting edge of technology in 2260, these ships are far inferior to those of 2421. There are no pulse phasers, phaser cannons, quantum flux torpedoes, multiphasic shields, transwarp drive, d-warp drive systems, or holodecks. Warp 8 was considered emergency speed only; impulse drive was a simple ion-thrust drive, not the modern gravity planing drives of the Star Fleet: PRIME universe. Combat of that era was usually more "up close and personal," given the reduced ranges and capabilities of the weapons as compared with today's.

The Starship Captain

The Captain of one of these starships enjoyed a freedom of command most modern officers do not. As they were typically the "man on the spot" so to speak, the Captain had a wide breadth of discretion as to the course of action he could take to settle a dispute, tempt a planet to join the Federation, etc. Starfleet Command- and by extension, the Federation- had little choice but to accept the Captain's decisions on the spot given the scarecity of other resources available. He was, by definition, the Voice of the Federation wherever he went.

However, the Captain DID have a guiding hand- the Genmeral Orders, the most important of which was General Order #1, or the "Prime Directive." The Captain was expected to consider these General Orders inviolate, and operate within their boundaries.

The reality, however, was that it was not unusual for the Captains to bend, even outright break these regulations if some greater purpose was served; Starfleet accepted the treatment of these rules as guidelines tacitly for the most part, so long as that greater purpose was served. If it backfired, however, the Captain could find himself cooling his heels in a general court martial. There was certainly a risk associated with breaking regulations if one failed.

General Order #1, however, was considered inviolate in reality as well as in theory. That order was not to be broken, regardless of the circumstances.

Those facts bring with it a pressure to succeed, to get results, and therefore a Captain also had a wide breadth of discretion with regards to his shipboard chain of command. Officers who performed well and showed ability could be promoted quickly; those who did not could find themselves cast aside just as quickly.

Lastly, all of this freedom, this pressure to succeed, combined with the scarcity in their number (there were only 12 at any given time), created an 'esprit de corps' aongst these officers; they were almost a fraternity all their own. They worked together, they played together when they could, addressed each other by their first names in a departure from strict military decorum, and while they may not have all liked each other, they all respected one another for the job with which they were tasked- the bond of common interest.

Truly, it was a time unlike any other in Starfleet. It was the Age of Sail in space; it was Horatio Hornblower with warp drive.

GAMEPLAY ADMINISTRATION

"Origins" will be set up to mirror current STAR FLEET practices: a "fleet commander" (Commander, ORIGINS or "COMORIGINS") overseeing the individual starship "units". There will be no level of administration between the "fleet commander" and the units themselves; not only is this not necessary at this early stage of Origin's development, it also helps reflect the "freedom" of the Starship Captain of this era: with no fleet bounaries to worry about or specific established villains to focus on or stay away from, storyline development is considerably more open and freer than in Star Fleet: PRIME.

This freedom, while greater, is not completely without boundaries: exploration missions and missions of "local flavor" (answer a local distress call, answering a petition of a local govenrment, etc.) are encouraged, with confrontations between Federation and Klingon or Romulan forces less frequent- this should not be a problem, since so much less of the galaxy has been explored or "spoken for." "To seek out new life and new civilizations" will be the motto of Origins.

However, remember that the Federation was somewhat like the "Old West" in 2260, and that means that, while the Romulans and Klingons might affectively be "further away" if not in reality, that does not mean skrimishes won't happen. Exploring the past enmity between Federation and Klingon cultures, after so many years of friendship and relative peace, is an intriguing posibility

And remember: everything is new- Nero has wiped the slate clean. That makes the possibilities nearly endless.

In keeping with the spirit of the era, each unit would be one of the CONSTITUTION-class starships, with the exception (for copyright reasons) of the ENTERPRISE. This gives us an operational ceiling of 11 units- plenty of room for future expansion if it is warranted.

The end goal of this would be to develop and maintain the off-the-cuff, renegade "flavor" of the era and allow this to come through in the writing.

GAMEPLAY MECHANICS

This will be a PBeM group, just as Star Fleet: PRIME is. Posts will be submitted to a central post archive on Yahoo (we can use Prime's if it is desired for advertising reasons- we can always tag the posts [ORIGINS] to differentiate them from "normal" PRIME posts) as well as a unit archive. Unit archives will be open for public viewing, the posts capped at PG-13. Again, all this mirrors typical PBeM practice.

The group would also need to maintain a web presence separate from Star Fleet: PRIME, since units, technologies and universe backgrounds would be markedly different. This site will consist of a sudomain of its own (<<http://origins.alt-starfleet-rpg.org>>) with a portal page pointing towards various parts of the STAR FLEET Wiki. The wiki, in turn, will have a separate "hub" of "Origins"-related documents, all categorized with the tag "STAR FLEET: ORIGINS" for ease of searching. The "Origins" wiki will also have its own distinct header menu- again, for ease of searching.

TRAINING

Training for new players in "Origins" will be a form of on-the-job training: the new player will be under the direction of our special Training Officer (played by Mary McNeely) for his/her first few posts to his/her unit. The Training Officer is there to give suggestions and direction as to the proper formatting and style of STAR FLEET posts. Once the Training Officer feels as though the new player has grasped the basics of this, direction shifts to things such as dropping hooks and picking them up. This process should take anywhere between 3-5 game posts from the new player. Once the new player has those ideas down, the Training Officer informs the Captain and steps back, leaving the player to his/her own devices under the Captain's supervision- like all other writers.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • Can a player command a unit in both Star Fleet: PRIME and Star Fleet: ORIGINS?
    Simply, no. There are reasons why players are NOT allowed to command more than one unit in STAR FLEET:
    • Because of the time demands commanding a unit makes on the CO;
    • Because if a player were to command more than one unit, he would have more than one seat at the bi-annual Round Table, giving that player a stronger "voice" than the rest of the CO's.


  • Can a player hold characters in both Star Fleet: PRIME and Star Fleet: ORIGINS?
    Yes, of course. That is at each individual player's discretion. While we suggest that a player not have more than three characters in all of STAR FLEET, as long as a player shows he/she is able to handle the load, he/she is welcome to write in whichever unverse they prefer, or both at the same time.



PLAYER REQUIREMENTS

Thre are only really 2 things Star Fleet: ORIGINS requires of its players:

  • a willingness to be ACTIVE. We abide by a slightly different posting policy than PRIME, as we prefer more frequent-but-shorter posts in order to maintain proper momentum and interest. Therefore, before joining, we ask that all potential players make sure they can post somewhere in the weekly area. Understand that these posts can be shorter- a page or so, even a couple of paragraphs is perfectly acceptable- than what is common in Star Fleet: PRIME.
  • a willingness to remain IN CONTACT. In Star Fleet: Prime, it is considered "common courtesy" to inform one's CO of a impending absence of more than a couple of days; it is also considered proper to respond to any mails sent to you by a player or "superior officer" within 48-72 hours. In ORIGINS, these "common courtesies" will be followed as well for everyone's benefit.



FINAL THOUGHTS

The goal here is to blend the idealism and the "frontier" mentality of The Original Series with the gritty, industrial, more militaristic feel of the latest Star Trek movie. That's the idea, anyway.

We also want to work hard to keep a higher level of activity than we've seen in Star Fleet: PRIME in recent years- thus the policy of "shorter-but-more-frequent posting."

Welcome to a new beginning.

Respectfully,

-- Scott Lusby
/\ VADM Joseph Carstairs
Commanding Officer
STAR FLEET: ORIGINS

Retrieved from "http://boi.alt-starfleet-rpg.com/index.php?title=ORIGINS:_Proposal&oldid=27734"