RT0510- P05.02.01

Assembled Delegates,

the following proposal is presented to the delegates and the chair for
discussion and vote.

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NAME: Proposal to change the manner in which new players are accepted and
assigned into ASR (P05.02.01)

AUTHOR: Scott J. Lusby, incorporating the suggestions of Jeffrey Jenkins,
Mike Tripp, and Kevin Richter.

SUMMARY: This proposal provides a direct means for new players to join
ASR as opposed to the current training stopover before admittance to the
game proper is granted.

RATIONALE: As observed from both conversations with other role-play
groups and simulations across the Internet as well as our own statistical
evidence, it is clear that players looking to join ASR are discouraged by
the prospect of having to go through a training program first; with the
widespread existence of other clubs who offer direct entry into their
games, there is little encouragement for players to proceed to training
with us first when they could join another group directly and start
writing immediately.

This has resulted in grave statistical losses: 70% of all new applicants
do not return when informed they would have to go through training first,
and timely follow-ups have done nothing to gain any of these applicants
back. As such, if we are to maintain our units by supplying them with new
players in a timely fashion, another solution, one by which direct entry
into ASR is the result, is necessary.

PROPOSAL: That ASR formally removes all responsibilities regarding new
players- bio acceptance and editing and training- from Armstrong Lunar
Base and place these responsibilities under the joint authority of the
Bureau of Personnel (BUPERS- the CSFO's Office) and the individual units
of ASR. The procedure would be as follows:

1) New players would no longer send a formal, full-blown bio in to
Armstrong Lunar Base personnel for approval. Instead, new players would
now send a more generic application that gives a more general description
of the type of character the new player wishes to portray and what kind of
billet the player wants. This new application, instead of going to
Armstrong Lunar Base, would go to the BUPERS office for assignment.

CHANGES: The Bio Generator would be removed from this part of the process.
A new application form would need to be created, one that is far less
detailed and more 'user-friendly.'

2) Upon receiving this application, a Personnel Officer would then contact
the new player, and go over the openings across the fleet and work with
the new player to find a unit that best meets the player's desires. It is
important to preserve the player's desires here; as such, a new player
should always be given his or her first choice of assignments, just as
current policy dictates, so long as a desirable billet on the unit in
question is open.

From here, the CSFO would then assign the player to the desired unit,
where the Personnel Officer would be personally responsible for seeing
that the new player is delivered to the new assignment in a timely
fashion. Also during this time, the Personnel Officer would provide the
new player with the link to the full-blown Bio Generator, and works with
the player in creating a bio sketch based on the interests he/she stated
in his/her application.

The new player will then report to the Fleet Commander first, at which
time the first bio sketch should be presented to the Fleet Commander. The
FC would then recommend any changes, additions or edits, and then assign
the player to the desired unit. The Personnel Officer would remain with
the player (copied on all correspondence) and continue to help guide the
player through any bio editing requested by the FC.

CHANGES: The Personnel Officers are currently employed by ALB as bio
control monitors; however, in this proposal, they are more akin to a
personal assistant for the new player to help him or her sort out where
he/she wants to go and personally delivers him/her there, creating a more
personal touch. In fact, a new player should feel free to consult the
Personnel Officer on anything regarding ASR. Currently, ASR has two
Personnel Officers working in ALB; one or two additional officers would
likely be needed due to the more personal aspects of this new role.

3) Once a player is received onto his/her new unit, he is greeted by the
unit's Game Master; at this point, the Personnel Officer's job is done, as
all guidance from here on in is provided by the GM. The GM is not a part
of the crew in an RP sense- he/she is not a posting member of the unit, at
least in this function. He is, instead, a person that helps the new
player learn the ropes in ASR. This person is a lot like an Instructor in
ALB, as he/she would handle the very same tasks the Instructors did in
ALB:

a) Guide the player through the final stages of bio creation (having
had the help of the Personnel Officer and the Fleet Commander to this
point, final fleshing out should simply be a matter of adding needed
detail)

b) Establish rules of formatting for the unit's posts (proper tense,
proper signatures, closings, use of mission dates, etc.);

c) Guide the player in creating hooks for others and in picking up
hooks left for him/her;

d) Coach players on making posts the proper length (adding detail
and description to lengthen).

Instead of creating a scenario and posting along with the players,
however, the GM would act only as a guide for the new player, offering
help when needed, providing constructive criticism to the new player's
writings, pointing to appropriate documentation and models, etc. The GM
is, in essence, a mentor for the new player as he/she plunges headlong
into the World of ASR.

CHANGES: The Game Master job could well be handled by the ALB Instructors,
as it is actually less intensive (no posting) than their current role.
Game Masters would require approval by the CSFO, just as Instructors need
to be approved by the COMALB; the GM can either be an existing member of
the crew or someone from outside the unit, depending on the desires of the
command team. However, regardless, the GM role is an admin one, and does
not exist as an RP (posting) billet.

Support documentation for the Game Masters can be found on the Bureau of
Information website (http://boi.alt-starfleet-rpg.com)- the primary source
of instruction- outside of the GM's own experience- would be the
QuickStart
Guide.

CONCLUSION: This change in the way players are admitted into and trained
for game play in ASR will allow units to get needed players more quickly-
directly- and allow new players the satisfaction of being assigned
straight into the game, thereby reducing the number of lost applicants and

promoting growth in ASR as a whole. It would also make ASR more
competitive with the other Internet-based games that offer direct
membership.