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statusreport) wrote2016-06-10 09:40 pm
statusreport) wrote2016-06-10 09:40 pm
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How Star Trek though?
Don't worry, you don't have to be familiar with Trek in any of its incarnations to play. It might make it a little easier, since you'd already know what deuterium is or what a stable warp field entails, but chances are your character has no idea, so it's really not a hindrance to you to be 100% canon blind. All you really need to know is that we're on a spaceship, which was on a peaceful exploration mission before it was hurled outside the Milky Way, and now you're along for the ride.
Did you say most of the crew is dead?
Yes. Sadly about 2/3 of Illyria's crew was killed in the mysterious incident that flung the ship all the way out here. Good thing you strangers are showing up in the transporters! You can fill in the holes! That doesn't mean you're gonna be a lieutenant commander your first week here, but if you make a good impression and keep your nose clean, you might wind up a decorated officer by the time we get back to our corner of space!
So how does this work?
The ship is cruising through uncharted space, and when it encounters a planet or a space station or maybe even another ship, we'll stop and have a look. There will be mission events every other month (for now), and time providing, there will be smaller events in the downtime. The game has three main ways of interacting. The communityillyria_rpg is used for in-person logs as well as open communication sent throughout the ship or across the communicator badges to all crew members. Since there is only one mod at this time, it's just easier to keep things in one community; please use either the *comm or *log tags to categorize what sort of entry you are making. Additionally, individual comm conversations are also permitted, and work like 'inboxes' do in other games. You can set this up in your character's personal journal. Please keep in mind that conversations carried out in this manner can only count as five of your activity comments. There is also the OOC community,
About those tags?
Every character will have their own individual tag, canon: character name, that should be added to every post you start or respond to, along with the *comm or *log tag. Please try and remember to tag everything appropriately, as it will make it easier to find things later.
What kinds of characters are accepted at this game?
Illyria accepts canon characters, canon AUs, and original characters. A canon AU is defined as a situation where the same character exists in two otherwise separate and distinctive canons, such as James Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series, and James Kirk from the 2009 Trek Reboot. Both characters are James T. Kirk, but they come from different canons with different events, both of which are considered canon. This doesn't cover small discrepancies between adaptations, such as a manga version of a character versus an anime version of a character, and is only valid in the case of the sources being vastly different (such as Envy from the first Fullmetal Alchemist series versus Envy from the manga/Brotherhood anime).
Minor characters are fine, provided you have sufficient canon information to apply with. If a character is more than 50% headcanon or so, they might be a little too minor, and are more like a canon-based OC, in which case you're better off just making an OC based on that character, as canon OCs are not permitted. The exception to this is Trek-verse OCs. If you want to make an OC who is already stationed aboard the Illyria as part of the crew, you may do so, however for the most part we'll be asking you to stick to junior officer or enlisted ranks. If you're seriously dying to play the Chief Engineer or something, please PM the mod account so we can discuss it, since logically the captain would have some kind of relationship with their senior staff.
Fanmade AUs, character doubles, game transplants/CRAUs, and real people are not allowed to be apped at Illyria (with the exception of fictional representations of real people, such as Leonardo DaVinci from Ever After). If you have any questions about this, please feel free to ask!
Are there any age restrictions?
Since we're exploring space and may encounter some scary or dark situations, you the player must be at least 16 years old as of 15July2016 in order to apply for Illyria RPG. Your character can be any age, however both of you must be at least 18 in order to play out any sexual situations.
What if my character isn't human?
Star Trek is all about discovering new alien species, so if you're not human, that's totally cool. Elves might get mistaken for Vulcans with those pointy ears, but in general even the most unusual looking individuals will be fairly well received by Starfleet personnel. We can't speak for your fellow player characters, though.
The one exception here is for characters of an especially large size. If your character is gigantic, like a Transformer or something, they're going to have to be shrunk down to a more standard humanoidish size, if only so they can make their way about the ship without getting trapped in a turbolift.
So what about Star Trek characters?
Your Starfleet officers and Klingon warriors are welcome here! Since characters come from all different times and places, there's no reason someone from TOS can't wind up here alongside someone from Voyager. For the purpose of keeping things running smoothly, the senior staff of the Illyria will remain NPCs for the moment, so that the plot and missions can go as the mod has in mind, so if you apply for Captain Jean-Luc Picard, he may have to settle for being a tactical adviser or something for a little while, since the hierarchy on this ship has already been established. That isn't to say there won't be opportunities for advancement later on, though, if there's reasonable interest!
Additionally, it should be noted that all Starfleet records onboard the Illyria are original canon compliant. That means we're working in the universe from the original series, not the reboot, so any reboot characters may be puzzled by what they find in the computer where the events differ and wonder when in the heck they did all this stuff their files indicate happened.
And if my character is a Trekkie?
We'd prefer to keep the 4th wall intact, so if your character is familiar with Star Trek, we're gonna ask you to tweak it slightly so that your character is familiar with something similar, but not Star Trek proper, if the subject ever arises. The same goes for other canons--a lot of characters wouldn't fare well learning that they're 'fictional', so please try not to break the 4th wall.
What year is it?
The game will be taking place in the year 2381, approximately four years after the events of the Voyager series, and two years after the events of the Nemesis movie, but six years before the cataclysmic events that catalyzed the first reboot movie. That way we have access to all the cool tech from any point in the series, and there's wiggle room to make up some of our own.
How about supernatural powers?
In general, most powers can be retained. Aliens in Trek have had all manner of unusual abilities, from crazy regeneration to telepathy to superhuman strength and beyond, after all. Abilities that are dependent upon environmental situations may be affected, such as Clark Kent's superpowers being incumbent on the light of Earth's yellow sun, and abilities that could potentially break things may need to be watered down a bit; we blame this on those malfunctioning transporters. Please use your best judgment, and if tweaking is necessary, you'll be informed in a response to your application.
What sorts of events can I expect from this game?
Every other month (for the most part), the Illyria will come across a planet or a space station of some sort, allowing characters the chance to explore a new setting and encounter new situations. These missions will provide situations that range from mundane meet n greets to possible skirmishes and maybe even some illegal or illicit encounters. Player characters will have a good amount of freedom on these missions, and are welcome to interact with locals and engage in whatever shenanigans they see fit. Additional events may be triggered by characters' actions, such as discovering uncharted locations, or exposing clandestine undertakings. Players will have the opportunity to make suggestions and add to plot ideas as missions are revealed.
There will also be ship-based events to keep characters busy between missions as time allows. Between planets/stations, characters will have free run of the ship and can arrange for meetings or shenanigans as they wish.
My character was mortally wounded or deathly ill at the canon point I'm bringing them from, are they still circling the drain?
They can be. If you want to wake up in Sick Bay and three days have passed while you were unconscious being patched up, that's fine, but Trek has made amazing advances in medical technology, so unless your character's physiology is exceptionally bizarre, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to be healed promptly upon arrival.
What will my character be permitted to bring with them?
Anything on their person at the time they're collected can be brought along, within reason. If your character is riding a horse when you pull them into the game, we're going to have to ask you to leave the horse behind. The clothes and jewelry that they're wearing, and anything in their pockets or a bag on their person is fine, however weapons will be removed when you are taken to Sick Bay. It's just Starfleet procedure. Provided your character behaves themselves and doesn't attack the EMH, you can probably have them back if you ask the security chief nicely. Small animal companions are permitted, provided it is reasonable for the animal to be with your character at the time, such as Rapunzel and Pascal, or Bolin and Pabu. In the case of larger animals, such as Korra's polarbear dog, we're not going to say absolutely not, but please bear in mind that you're going to be sharing what amounts to a dorm room with up to two other characters, so large animals may be... cumbersome in the long run. Sentient animals, such as Toothless the Night Fury, have enough personality that they would be considered characters in their own right, and would not be permitted to tag along as companions; they would have to be applied for as characters. All animal companions and characters will be subject to the same gamebreaking or environmental power limitations as any character.
Do you allow app challenges?
No. You can reserve a character, which will allow you to submit your application in the first 24 hours of the application period, and no one else will be permitted to apply for that character during that time. If, after the first 24 hours, a reserved character has not had an application submitted, that character will be open for general applications, on a first-come first-served basis. If multiple applications for the same character are received, applications will be reviewed and approved or denied in chronological order.
What is the time scale?
This game will run on 3:1 time--three OOC days will equal one IC day. Granted, we're in space, so day and night are kind of subjective, but stardates are still based on earth days, and most of Starfleet is accustomed to a 24-hour day. Time on the ship will be in standard military time, 00:00 to 23:59, and characters will be expected to show up for duty shifts on time. That doesn't mean that the day/night schedule on alien planets will be 24 hours, but as far as the stardate is concerned, 3 days in real life will be 1 day in-game. We hope to have a calendar available to make this easy to follow.
What are the activity requirements?
AC will be the first seven days of each month, and you will be required to have made 20 comments over the course of the past month. 15 of these comments must be in a log or an open communication post; only 5 private comm-conversation comments will be permitted to count toward activity, as we don't want to encourage insular behavior and we want characters to interact with multiple people. Threads submitted for activity must be at least ten total comments in length to be counted.
Additionally, there will be no AC Warning List. The mod team is very small, and we're all supposed to be reasonably mature and at least partially educated here, so it's going to be your responsibility to do AC, not ours to remind you.
Is there an HMD?
There will be an HMD every other month (for now; this may increase if the game picks up momentum). The gamewide HMD is not mandatory, however every character will be required to have a personal HMD post on their journal, which will be linked on the Taken Characters page. It us up to player discretion whether they want this to be anon-enabled or screened, but everyone has to have one.
Can my character die?
Given the advancements in medicine and technology in the 24th century, it takes an extremely grievous injury to actually kill anybody these days. That said, if you want your character to die, make sure you're really committed to it, because death is permanent. That's right, folks, if you want to be a Redshirt, make sure you're really sure it's your color, because if a character dies, that character will stay dead, and the same individual cannot reapply with that same character in the future. If someone wants to apply for a character who died in-game, this is permitted, but they will be unable to pull that character from the same canon point as their predecessor.
Want third-degree plasma burns? That's fine. Want to break every bone in your body? Go for it. But death will be permanent for your version of your character, so don't make that decision lightly. This decision was made because so few games actually have permanent consequences for recklessness, and with the amount of damage that can be repaired in the 24th century, death takes some real effort.
Can I canon-update?
Yes! If you would like to canon-update your character,they can fall victim to another "transporter malfunction", and can disappear for a while after attempting to beam down to a planet, only to rematerialize later unconscious in the cargo bay like when they first arrived. They must be missing for at least 24 hours, but will be gone no longer than a week.
What about hiatuses and drops?
If you need to take a hiatus, there are a few options. One is that your character can fall victim to those pesky transporters again, and vanish for a little while. Another is that your character can get injured or fall ill by way of some alien parasite or something of the like, and be out of commission during the time you're gone. You can also just put them on 'autopilot' and discuss what they might have done or seen during your absence when you return. This is all at player discretion. If you would like your character's absence or departure to effect plot somehow, please feel free to PM the mod account with any ideas and it will be taken into consideration!
Tell me about the network?
The "network" is ship communications. Every character will be given a comm badge, which they can use to contact other crew members whether they are onboard or planetside (provided there's no interference from external sources). This method of contact is audio-only, and is usually used for duty-based communication. "Bridge to Engineering, what the bleeping bleep is going on down there?" for example. Quarters and work stations also have computer terminals that can send communication, which can be video, but sending a shipwide communique about your inability to work the replicators is generally frowned upon. In essence, there is a network at your disposal, but logs are greatly encouraged, since using the ship's network for personal correspondence is not usually recommended. Think of it like the walkies at work: you don't really chat about how drunk you got at your bachelorette party on the open channel.
Your comm badges also have a locator in them, so as long as you are wearing yours, anyone can ask the computer where you are and find out. Unless you are made an official member of the crew and given rank, you are not required to wear your comm badge, but it is recommended.
Does the network have filters? Can it be hacked?
Your comm badge can address a certain individual, or a particular group of people, such as security staff, bridge staff, or engineering staff. It can also send messages shipwide. It cannot address a specific group of people you choose, however. Computer terminals can, though; you can send messages to multiple individuals that way, however all messages can be monitored by ship security, so be careful what you say. If your character is particularly tech-savvy, they may be able to create filters that aren't immediately visible to security, but how long you'll get away with that is up in the air. Hacking restricted messages or classified files will definitely alert security, unless you're like The Greatest Hacker There Ever Was. If you are, please contact the mod to discuss this, because it could be entertaining.
Can my character make an accidental post? Or an anonymous one?
It is feasible that you could forget to turn off your comm badge or your computer terminal, but if people start abusing the 'OOPS ACCIDENTAL POST' thing, we'll have to do a bit of a communications overhaul. Anonymous messages are not possible, as your individual badge is attached to all messages sent through it, and you have to log into the computer to use it. That isn't to say you couldn't steal someone else's comm badge or login, of course...
Ask the computer?
Yes, the ship has a fully integrated voice-responsive computer system. You can ask it just about anything! You can ask it to locate someone for you, and it will track their comm badge to let you know where it is. You can ask the date and time, and it will tell you. You can ask it to do your math homework, and... well, it can probably do that, too. It will display maps of the ship and planets/stations we've already been to, as well as any unclassified Starfleet information it has available, which is essentially anything you find here that wouldn't logically be restricted-access. Quarters also each have a replicator, which can create food and drinks, as well as clothes and most standard items. If you want something specific from home, you may have to input some parameters, though. The replicator will not, however, under any circumstances, make you the following: a Starfleet uniform, a weapon, any toxic or harmful compound/drug besides normal household things such as ammonia or bleach for cleaning. Any attempt to replicate any of these items will be logged and security will be having a chat with you, wondering why you're interested in such things.
But my character doesn't speak English!
Neither do most of the aliens in Trek. Thank goodness for the universal translator! So long as you're in earshot of any Starfleet machinery or have a communicator badge on you, anything you say will be understandable to everyone around you, and vice versa, regardless of your native tongue.Still got a question? Feel free to ask below and you will get a response as soon as possible!
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In the future, please don't edit your app once it's submitted. If something is really wrong with it, please pm a mod and we'll work together. Thank you!
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