A Few Changes

Posted on Wed Sep 2, 2015 @ 5:54pm by Captain Isha t'Vaurek
Edited on Sat Sep 12, 2015 @ 6:13pm

Thanks everyone for responding to the roll call. The manifest has now been updated.

We now want to see two mission related solo posts from *everyone* in September – this applies to civilian and Starfleet personnel. A ruddy great planet has just appeared complete with its own solar system – if you’re not creative enough to write 2 x 500 words about that happening then you’ve got no business being on this sim.

This should give us a nice kick-start into the new mission!

Please also refer to the mission notes if you need some guidance, otherwise drop us a PM.

Whilst we don’t want to be carrying the rulebook everywhere with us, the Command Team are of the opinion that we have been too lenient about issuing strikes and granting LOAs in the past – to the detriment of overall activity and sim quality, so now the Roll Call has allowed us to get everyone back on an even footing, we’re toughening up on that.

The main rules will be updated in due course but we strongly advise you to note the below guidelines.

Activity and Posting Requirements

• Every player should strive to be an active participant in the life of the sim – we love sideplots and character pieces, but don’t forget there’s a mission going on and everyone, civilian, Starfleet or alien visitor should get involved where they can.
• All players are considered active unless stated otherwise. Any player who is not able to write/log-in for more than seven days is required to request a Leave of Absence (LOA) or Extended Leave of Absence (ELOA).
• As a MINIMUM we require that you visit the site at least once a week. If logging in is too arduous for you then we politely suggest you go elsewhere.
• The minimum word count for a solo post has been increased from 200 words to 500 words.
• All players must post at least one solid mission post every two weeks, this may be a joint post, a solo post, or a personal log. Any player who wishes to post more is encouraged and more than welcome to do so.
• Joint post tags should be answered in a timely fashion, within 72 hours. If you are unable to respond within that period, please have the courtesy to notify your co-authors – there are few things more annoying then waiting on someone to update a JP for weeks on end. Failure to tag on-time without notification may result in a strike.
• Any player who continually fails to respond to tags in joint posts in a timely manner may be removed from the game.
• Joint posts should be at least 800 words long and show a contribution from each writer involved. In other words no joint posts where one or two players do the bulk of the work and the other players’ contributions amount to little or nothing. Any player who is tagged in a joint post but contributes nothing will have their name removed from that post when it is finished.
• Any active player who does not log into the website and participate for a period of three (3) consecutive weeks will be considered AWOL and removed from the sim.
• Activity will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The Command Team reserves the right to dismiss crew members who are considered inactive without cause.
• Players are expected to read all posts and be aware of what is currently going on in the story. If you are confused or don’t know where your character fits in then speak to a member of the Command Team. Going silent and sitting things out may result in your removal from the sim.
• If you plan a sub-plot please let the Command Team know in advance. We ran into issues last mission when a sub-plot, subsequently abandoned by its author caused several characters to be absent during the main mission and unable to properly participate without massive timeline contortions. Lets not go there again.


Strike Policy

Strikes may be issued for a variety of reasons, these include but are not limited to:

Failing to post in any two week period,
Failing to log in to the Deep Space Five website,
Failing to contribute to the main mission,
Failing to tag into JPs,
Abuse of the LOA system,
Metagaming.

Once a player receives three strikes, they may be removed from the sim.
Strikes clear at a rate of one per three months from the date of the last strike received.
A player's strike record is kept private and is not viewable by any other players on the sim, except members of the Command Team.

Leave of Absence

• If you are unable to post for up to seven days you do not need to request an LOA – but do inform any JP participants that you will not be around.
• An ordinary Leave Of Absence (LOA) is good up to the end of the current month (1-2 two week posting periods).
• If you need more time, you may request an Extended Leave Of Absence (ELOA) which is good for the remainder of the current month AND for the following calendar month (1-4 two week posting periods).
• Please make the effort to wrap up JPs in progress BEFORE requesting LOA/ELOA.
• If you require LOA/ELOA you must inform the Command Team through the official Leave of Absence form by changing your status in the drop-down menu from "Active" to "Leave of Absence" or ”Extended Leave of Absence” to ensure there is a record on the website. Please give an estimated duration of absence as well as a brief reason. Reasons for leave are kept between the command staff and the player.
• Once your LOA/ELOA absence has expired, as per the request form, you have seven (7) days to change your status back to Active and resume posting. Failure to return from LOA/ELOA may result in your character being moved to the inactive manifest.
• We understand that on rare occasions it may not be possible to submit your request using the official form. LOA/ELOA requested via email/PM will be granted/denied at the discretion of the Command Team. With this exception, the Command Team, in line with Obsidian Fleet guidelines, will not reject any leave of absence request unless the we feel that the leave of absence request is being abused in a way to avoid posting requirements.
• Any LOA/ELOA must be requested BEFORE the event. For example a request for LOA made by a player who has been inactive for two weeks will be treated as an abuse of the system and an attempt to avoid posting requirement. It may result in your character’s removal from Deep Space Five.
• Sometimes players will abuse the leave system and use it to circumvent any posting requirements just to stay onboard Deep Space Five. Should a player be deemed to be using the leave system to avoid posting requirements, that player will be removed from the SIM – this decision will require the agreement of all three member of the Command Team (CO, XO & 2XO).



Please note that the Command Team reserves the right to make additions, or changes to these rules at any time. New rules will be announced via the site news however it is Your responsibility to ensure you are aware of and comply with the rules. Ignorance is no defence.

On behalf of your local, friendly Command Team.

 

Category: Sim Announcement
Tags: Rules, Update

RSS Feed