RT9610- P96.02.02A-1

Title:   ASR Awards Revision
Authors: D'Maris Coffman, Jeffrey Jenkins
Status:	 Part 1: Passed


Part 1:

Summary:  The present materials regarding awards proving in need of
clarification, expansion, and improvement, and to assist Commanding
Officers in properly rewarding the meritorious actions of those under
their command, we hereby propose the following set of policies,
procedures, and examples.


I.  Definition of Awards

A.  Character Awards:  There are two varieties of character awards.  The
first are 'Star Fleet' awards, restricted only to Star Fleet personnel.
The second are 'Federation' awards, presented to -any- Federation citizen
or other person deemed deserving (including Star Fleet personnel).  The
second form of award may thus be granted to ambassadors, civilian mission
specialists, irregular unit characters, etc., as well as Star Fleet
officers and crew.

B.  Unit Awards:  These are awards given to a rp unit in recognition of
superior rp, conduct of mission and command, etc.  Characters serving with
a unit so awarded are permitted to wear the decoration.  These include
such things as "campaign ribbons".

C.  Player Awards:  Player Awards are handled by honors lists.  They are
to recognize superior player contributions to role play, administration,
writing, and related aspects of ASR, and are separate and distinct from
character awards.


II.  Classifications of Awards

All three types of awards (character, unit, and player) have different
tiers--routine commendations, minor, major, and extraordinary. The use of
the four-tier system is to establish who can approve the award, and who
should bestow it on the player, unit, or character.

A.  Routine:  Routine awards are given by superiors in the chain of
command, and consist of commendations or recognitions of service,
officially attaching such things as, "mentioned in dispatches for bravery"
to the officer's permanent service record, publicly acknowledging a
player's contributions, etc.

They may also include things like "commendations for original thinking",
"initiative", etc.  Routine commendations are most often handled by the
commanding officer, or, in the case of the command personnel (XO, CO) the
task force commander, fleet executive officer, etc.

Commanding officers also have the authority to recognize players on their
ships with honors lists.  These include things like "most improved writer,
most reliable, etc."  At the discretion of the CO, these can also take on
a more humorous bent.

B.  Minor Awards:  Minor awards are service ribbons, medals, etc. given in
recognition of superior service.  In the case of character awards, the
unit's commanding officer or executive officer will write the fleet
commander (and task force commander should one be applicable) and nominate
the character for the award. If the fleet commander approves, he may
bestow the awards immediately without consulting his superiors.

If a non-command player wishes to nominate command characters (CO, XO) for
minor awards, he should write the fleet commander directly with the
recommendation. The same applies to unit gamemasters.

Minor unit awards are also handled by the fleet commander.  Fleet
commanders may create campaign ribbons -- e.g., Second Battle of Gamma--
at their discretion, in addition to awarding standard ones noted below.

Fleet commanders (and COMANC) also have the authority to create fleetwide
honors lists per the guidelines above for ship honors lists.

C.  Major Awards:  Major awards are those so prestigious that their
bestowal reflects on Star Fleet, or the Federation, as a whole.  Authority
for approving them thus rests with the Chief of Star Fleet Operations
(CSFO).  The process is the same as the one for minor awards, except that
the fleet commander must submit them to the CSFO for approval.  If the
CSFO approves, the fleet commander has the authority to then bestow the
awards directly.  COMANC should also submit major award nominations for
irregular units to the CSFO..

D.  Extraordinary Awards:  There are two extraordinary character awards in
ASR -- one is military, the other is non-military.  They are the
Federation Medal of Honor and the Federation Medal of Freedom.  These
awards are conferred by the Federation Council, and this means the CINCSF
of ASR is the only player who has the authority to confer them.

Extraordinary awards must be recommended by fleet commanders to the CSFO,
who in turn endorses them for final approval and bestowal, which rests
with the CINCSF.

There are no extraordinary unit awards at this time.

Extraordinary player awards consist of an 'honors list' which the CINCSF
presents to the Assembly twice a year.  Recommendations to the honors
list may be made by any ASR player and are subject to the sole discretion
of the CINCSF.

With the exception of the extraordinary awards, the list which follows is
not exclusive.  Other specific awards are therefore acceptable as long as
they are approved by the formal bestowing authority -- the fleet commander
for Minor Awards, and the Chief of Star Fleet Operations for Major Awards.


III.  Hierarchial List of Awards

A.  Character Awards:  These awards carry with them ribbons or medals.
Multiple bestowals of the same award are denoted by stars.  Those players
who wish to adhere to the practices of the British system may, at their
leisure, add designated abbreviations for major awards after their
characters' names, c.f.  CAPT John R. Smith, LS, in signoffs, etc.

The below is by no means inclusive but is a listing of the awards
currently bestowed.  As mentioned, approved alternates may be added.


1.  Star Fleet Awards

a.  Extraordinary:
---
 1 - Medal of Honor

b.  Major:
---
 2 - Star Fleet Cross (aka Golden Nebula Medal)
 3 - Latinum Star
 4 - Star Fleet Medal
 5 - Distinguished Service Medal
 6 - Silver Star
 7 - Legion of Merit

c.  Minor:
---
 8 - Cross of Alexander
 9 - Bronze Star
10 - Hero of the Federation (aka Star of Hope) **Posthumous**
11 - The Pike Medallion for Heroic Injury (aka Wounded Lion)
12 - Meritorious Service Medal
13 - Star Fleet Commendation Medal
14 - Star Fleet Achievement Medal
15 - Prisoner of War Medal

2. Federation Awards

a. Extraordinary:
---
 1 - Medal of Freedom

b. Major Awards:
---
 2 - Gold Lifesaving Medal

c. Minor Awards:
---
 3 - Medal for Merit (e.g., Zephram Cochrane[ENG], Richard Daystrom
[SCI], Leonard McCoy[MED], Hikaru Sulu[EXP], and Sarek[DIP] Medals)

 4 - Silver Lifesaving Medal


B) Unit Awards

a. Major Awards
---
 1 - Outstanding Star Fleet Unit Citation


b. Minor Awards
---

 2 - Fleet Unit Commendation, e.g.  Blue Fleet Unit Commendation
 3 - Theater/Battle/Action Ribbons, e.g. GAMMA Quadrant Action Ribbon


C) Player Awards

 1 - Star Fleet Honors List  [Extraordinary]
 2 - Fleet (Specific) Honors List  [Minor]
 3 - Ship (or Unit) Honors List  [Routine]


IV.  Descriptions of Key Awards

Though a detailed description of the awards is outside the proper scope of
this proposal, the CINCSF and CSFO are hereby required and authorized to
produce a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) providing such a description,
and specifying the criteria for the various extraordinary and major awards
listed above.

Likewise, shipboard commanding officers and fleet commanders are hereby
authorized to produce similiar FAQs for routine and minor awards (and in
the latter case approved alternates) on an individual fleet- and unit-wide
basis.

This is in recognition of the reality that the individual fleets and ships
have developed such widely different rping styles and objectives for
shared writing that such authority is best vested in those administrators
for the level of award which they are authorized to grant.

Insofar as this concerns individual commanding officers, this is a
reiteration of the current policy which permits commanding officers to
write commendations/reprimands, mention officers in dispatches, etc.  Any
shipboard commanding officer who wishes to propose a new minor award must
obtain approval from his fleet commander as that office is the issuing
authority for such awards.