StarBase 118 Staff

Voting has just completed for Set 2 of the Top Sims Contest and a winner has been selected: Saveron of the USS Invicta, for his sim, “There, but for the vagaries of chance, go I“! After sims are nominated by our general membership for the contest, a panel of judges reviews the nominations from each rounds and selects their favorite to proceed to the corresponding run-off round. The yearly calendar of rounds is divided into four sets, with about seven rounds each. For more information, check out the Top Sims Contest calendar. Saveron’s sim now moves on to the final run-off round of the year in December to compete against the three other set winners for the title of “Top Sim of 2016.” Many congratulations to Saveron on this honor. Everyone is welcome to nominate sims of their fellow crew for the contest. If you think a sim is particularly well-written, be sure to show that writer how much you enjoyed the sim by nominating it! Just head to the Top Sims Contest forum for the rules. The post Top Sims Contest Set 2, 2016 Winner: Saveron appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

As standard for your duties, you walk into the transporter pad to transport to a nearby ship, for transfer. After a final look back, you sigh and nod to the transporter chief and feel the familiar blue haze engulf you. An instant later the blue shimmer disappears and you stand there, in the very same transporter room, looking at the very same, albeit surprised, transporter chief. “Sorry, sir.” she says, as he starts checking the computer for an explanation. She contacts your destination ship, but there seems to be a problem. Apparently, you are already there. For some reason, as your pattern was transmitted, the computer failed to eliminate your copy from this ship. The transporter chief doubts. Two armed security officers enter the room. “Sorry, but we would need you to step back into the transporter so it can complete its cycle.” This is a new entry in our Morals of Trek category. This time, it’s a familiar scenario from TNG, where Commander Riker experienced something similar – but not exactly the same since, where the two Rikers had years to lead separate lives, you barely had a few seconds! What would you do? Come to the forums to tell us what you would do! Click here to vote in the poll now. The post Poll of the Week: Transporter Double appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Prudence (Rue) Blackwell, Umi Kaj, and Mike Hudson! The post New Academy Graduates appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

In appreciation of the important role that each of us do in recognizing our peers’ contributions, by nominating their sims in the Top Sims Contest, the Captains Council has approved the formation of a new badge – the Top Sim Nominator badge. The Top Sim Nominator badge is presented to an individual who identifies themselves to the Contest facilitator as having nominated a sim in eight discrete rounds during a contest year. Once you have nominated at least one sim in eight separate rounds, contact the Top Sims team facilitator who will verify your contributions. Once this is done, you will be presented with this new badge, which you can display with pride as a champion of recognizing your fellow players. There is no time like the present to work towards earning this badge! Open a new thread in the Top Sims Contest forum and nominate a worthy sim, and remember to return each new Round and nominate again. The post New Badge: Top Sim Nominator appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

The Executive Council is pleased to announce the launch of a new vessel: the USS Athena! Under command of Capt. Selene Faranfey, the USS Athena is an Odyssey class starship – the third of it’s kind to be launched, after the USS Odyssey and the USS Apollo-A. Previously serving aboard the USS Doyle-A, the crew and her captain have already moved to their new vessel where they’ll be shifting mission focus to deep space exploration, focusing on the first exploration of the Gamma Quadrant using slipstream drive. The Athena was named after the Greek goddess of wisdom. You can learn more about the starship class, the Athena, and her crew, on our wiki. The post USS Athena launches under Capt. Selene Faranfey appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

This is the second in a two-part article interviewing members of the Science duty post. You can see part one here. We pick up where we left off, with LtCmdr. Trellis Vondaryan of StarBase 118 Ops interviewing John Valdivia (Chief Science Officer, USS Darwin-A), Merrick R’Ven (Science & Cybernetics Officer, USS Darwin-A), and Ayiana Sevo (Chief Science Officer, USS Gorkon). Trellis Vondaryan: Any interesting items, species or phenomena that you have discovered? John Valdivia: For my personal interests (as in real life personal), the most interesting object would be a Dyson Sphere. And during his career, Valdivia has found two! And they are amazing objects in that they have nothing to do with each other. Each Dyson sphere gives you a new world to explore. Actually, something several million times the size of a world. And it’s like discovering a new race. You can take it on a mission, or extend the exploration for several missions, or years. Other amazing things I remember dearly were the Reman Vampires, or the Mini Air Ones, a group of nanobots that were the Star Trek version of an old Catalan legend (the Minairons, hence the name). Ayiana Sevo: The episodes and sims I remember the most are ones that affect Ayiana in some way. The first mission on the Gorkon, A Sinking Ship, involved us rescuing a Starfleet ship. On board, the crew had been driven insane by escaped parasites. They had set traps all over the ship, severely hindering our ability to save them. At one point, Ayiana found herself and her group, including Captain Reynolds, trapped in a jefferies tube filling with water. She had to use her exceptional swimming skills (which I made up right there) to save the day. Other times, I have thought up fun, scientific ways to turn the tide in a conflict. In the same episode, I came up with a way to nullify phaser discharges using her tricorder. The thing that fascinates me the most is Quantum Slipstream. Ever since VOY introduced it, I have been enamoured by the concept. It was explored even further in Andromeda (another great sci-fi show). It is the reason why I made Ayiana an expert in it. One of the last missions of the Victory had her doing a shakedown cruise after a major refit. Ayiana was glued to the computer, analyzing every single detail of the new QSD. Speaking of that mission, it saw her engage Tholians, a very interesting race. Merrick R’Ven: Well there are two of note I would think: In an episode called A Series of Unusual Events the crew of the Apollo encountered a runaway experiment with Quantum Entanglement. This was the brain child of whomever was running the episode, but in the episode an alien race had managed to find a way to create the technology and use it in an attempt to leech energy from their sun but had actually opened up a hole into other quantum realities. In the end the crew saved the day and R’Ven has been pondering what to do with this technology since then. In another episode called Awakening, this one on the Darwin-A, the crew encounter the Borg however their nanoprobes have become sentient. In the Darwin’s investigation they found a machine that seemed to be at least partially, if not wholly responsible for the Borg’s predicament. At the moment there is somewhat of a debate about whether the machine was constructed to control/reprogram the sentient nanprobes, or if it was the machine itself that had actually granted the nanoprobes sentience in the first place. However the original mission has ended and now the machine is sitting in the Cybernetics lab and R’Ven is trying to unlock its secrets. Have you managed to do anything with those discoveries in game, or do you plan to in the future? Valdivia: Most of them lasted a mission and were the main subject during the whole mission. Some of them spanned during several, or as a B-plot that stayed with us for some time. In particular the last Dyson sphere has become a base of operations for the Darwin in the Delta Quadrant. And we haven’t even been able to get inside yet! This one is intended to be there for as long as the Darwin is, and we will be pulling missions out of it for as long as we can think of them. And then some scientific projects were my character’s pet projects (the Mini Air Ones, for example), so he used them on shore leave and free time, lasting for some time until another project came up. Sevo: I want to. Its mostly a matter of the right time. I have ideas for various real-world quantum mechanic concepts I want to sim. I am trying to do some OOC activities, like starting a scientific journal to explore the concepts I think of, or things Ayiana comes across in her career. R’Ven: At the moment R’Ven has not. I know he plans to finish his study of the machine and perhaps write a doctoral thesis on it. In the last episode R’Ven was partially assimilated by the sentient Nanoprobes. But since the nanoprobes were no longer precisely Borg, neither really is he, although some may not quite look at that way. He hopes that the machine will help him to understand how the probes were created, and what they… and possibly he, will ultimately become. Which is another fear he is dealing with. He has also developed a… fascination for the machine. What will become of that when the machine is eventually sent elsewhere or proves to be hostile will be interesting to play out. Any advice to new players interested in this position? Valdivia: Be aware of powerplaying. I think science is one of the departments where it is easier to powerplay inadvertently, and even get away with it. You are even sometimes induced to do so. So you have to be very careful to sim coherently. For instance, what are your character’s interests? If they are a physicist, they will not know a lot of exobiology. Maybe the basics, but be sure to delegate that area (even if it is to an NPC created on the spot). The same applies to any other area. Your character will easily expected to know everything science related. And you will need them to (for the sake of the plot). It’s just a matter of expliciting where they go and check with others, or even with the computer, the parts they don’t know. And similarly, if you see Star Trek, science can solve everything. A bit of Treknobabble here and there and any problem finds a solution. This can be fun if you allow others into the solution (as I said before), but you also have to be careful to avoid solving every problem with some Trek magic. Sevo: I’d say you have to enjoy science. Many of its concepts are not easy to grasp. You have to explain something in a way the layman will understand. As said by Valdivia, you have to be careful not to make your character too knowledgeable. Every real-life scientist has a particular field of study they are experts in. Stephen Hawking may have taken numerous different science classes as part of his general education and postgraduate work, but he focused on only one aspect. The same is true of Ayiana. She loves physics, and chemistry to a lesser extent. However, she hates biology (as do I). R’Ven: First, figure out who your character is, their interests, their focus, their drives and subjects of interests. It is these things that color the way your character will see the world. Try to develop what their area of knowledge is and perhaps any areas that they are lacking (weakness can be as character defining as strengths) and play it to the hilt! Don’t be afraid to take chances and have your character fail. That is something I am still working on, but I find it an interesting challenge and one that is helping R’Ven to grow. Also never be afraid to talk with your mentor, captain, first officer and any of the other experienced people on the ship, they can provide invaluable advice. Lastly, have fun! Have you seen (or written) any sims that highlight a good science officer? Valdivia: I have seen them, and I would like to think I have written some. But I’ll show some posts to illustrate what I said before, the part where your job is to explain what is going on so it makes sense form a Star Trek point of view. These are joint posts by the then science officers of the Darwin. On a mission, we found an O-class planet (oceanic) governed by a religious order of Zolrak, the God of Water. But the planet had been in the past of M class, so the whole mission was of underwater exploring and archaeology. Which had the following question passed on to the science department: how exactly does an M class planet become an O class planet? And specially in such a short time. So the sims don’t even feature our characters, but on we went to sim it. Later our characters found the recordings of these moments as an explanation: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Sevo: I don’t recall many sims of other people. In my time in the fleet, the science positions haven’t been filled very much, so I haven’t had the opportunity to see a lot of other scientists. One person I do recall with fondness was Lt. Tarsii Asmara, a real-life scientist Brazil. While he had trouble with English, his scientific concepts and methodologies were excellent. I also have a great Lt. JG on the Gorkon who shows promise. As for me, I think sims showing Ayiana applying her knowledge of the universe to be some of my best. A few examples are her dissipating phaser energy, using stone, chemicals, and her hair to start a fire, and confusing an enemy fleet’s sensors to impede their targeting. R’Ven: Besides my own!!! LOL!! Just kidding! Seriously I am playing under another Science Officer right now who is showing me what it is like to actually be in charge of a science team which is really cool! Actually it was he that placed R’Ven in the cybernetics section which was a perfect fit. Merrick has had a Borg fascination from the beginning, but placing him there crystalized a lot of things in his character and has made playing him SOOO much easier and fun. I can’t point to any one sim, mostly because I have a bad memory, but watching of the progression of quality sims have shown me a lot, especially that there are different ways that science officers can be played and that there is no one right way. Not every science officer is going to be Mr. Spock, and wouldn’t it be so boring if they were? Thank you all for your time. You can learn more about the Science post on the wiki, and read previous sims in the archives. The post Duty Post Spotlight: Science (Part 2) appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. 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The Publicity Team is dedicated to reaching out to other Trekkies across the internet and showing them what we have to offer. We are the face of our community and want to put our best foot forward. Without such missions it would be very difficult to show other Star Trek fans the adventure and gaming fun we have on our wonderful ships. One of the most recent accomplishment is making contact with our good friends over at Role-play Headquarters, who have given us the privilege of being a guest blogger on their site. They are our cousins, the tabletop game and their goal is to create a place for both sides of the role-play world to hang out. If you want to help us recruit new members, and enjoy spending time talking to others on forums across the web, we could use your help as a Forum Ambassador to represent us! An Ambassador participates in discussions on other forums and helps to foster a good relationship so that people looking for a simming game know where to find the best one on the internet today. To join the team, simply use the form below to volunteer. We are waiting for your great ideas and energy to benefit our community’s endeavors! Your preferred email address* Your primary character name* Your current ship*Please choose... USS Athena USS Constitution-B USS Darwin Duronis II Embassy USS Gorkon USS Invicta StarBase 118 Ops Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The post Join the Publicity Team as a Forum Ambassador appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

Each month, we interview a captain or first officer of the fleet to gain more insight on what it takes to command a ship and learn more about how each of these staff members found their way into these roles. Last month, we interviewed FO of the Constitution, T’Mar. This month we’re interviewing FltCapt. Quinn Reynolds – Emma – who’s had a really stellar year since her last interview, this past September. Let’s dive in! WOLF: FltCapt. Reynolds, congratulations on your multiple award wins in this year’s recently completed Awards Ceremony! You received both the Staff Member of the Year and the Christopher Pike Pendant, which is an incredibly prestigious haul. What does it mean to you to receive these awards? REYNOLDS: Thank you! It’s difficult to put into words how much these awards mean to me. I’m obviously honoured to receive them, but most of all I was really touched to read the nominations from my crew and colleagues around the fleet. The group has been a part of my life for nearly a decade now, and it’s really heartening to see that the time and effort I invest has made a positive impact on the individuals that I work with on my ship, and the fleet as a whole. You were originally the commanding officer of the Eagle many years ago, then took an LOA. Since you returned, you took command again and are now in the center chair of the Gorkon. Can you give us some insight into how the fleet, or the experience of command, has changed since your first run? One thing that I’ve certainly noticed is how much more visual things are. We have the Image Collective, making sure that everyone has a character avatar if they want one; the wiki is beautiful and well-illustrated as well as informative; the website is sleek and easy to navigate; and that’s just to name a few examples. I find it difficult to write if I can’t conjure a picture of the scene in my head, and it’s so much easier with all this imagery and visual inspiration we now have. I’ve also found that the command level of the group has made great strides toward being more open and approachable, to the membership as a whole and to each other. One of the strengths of our group has always been the sense of community, and I feel that’s really grown over the years. You chose a Sovereign class as your current command and named it the Gorkon. What led you to that class, and that name? I chose the Sovereign class because Star Trek: the Next Generation has always been my favourite of the series. At the time there had very recently been a Galaxy-class in the fleet and I wanted a class that wasn’t currently in active service, so there was only one solution: the same class as the Enterprise-E. It certainly helped that the Sovereign is such a lovely-looking ship! The name came about because it’s been increasingly bothering me just how human-centric Starfleet can be, despite all the equality and diversity that it’s supposed to represent. We see very few starships named after non-human places, mythologies or people, and I wanted to chose a ship name that honoured something (or someone!) that wasn’t human in origin. It was a close run thing between the names Gorkon and Kumari: the former because the Undiscovered Country is my favourite of the Trek films; and the latter is the name of Commander Shran’s ship in Enterprise, who was by far my favourite guest character in that series. Can you give the readers some insight into what it’s like commanding a ship in UFOP: SB118? It’s all about listening, I find. Not just to what people tell you, but what their actions (such as sim quality and quantity) are saying as well. Understanding what people enjoy, and what they struggle with, is such an important part of being a captain. Once you’ve got that down, then everything else falls into place: you can create plots to engage your crew, give them roles within a mission that they’ll enjoy, and offer support as and when necessary. The other important thing for me is to seek the advice and opinions of my fellow staff members. There’s a real wealth of experience on the Captain’s Council and if I’m ever uncertain as to the correct course of action, or I’d just like some input on an idea, I know that I can get some really thoughtful advice and opinions from the fleet’s captains, commanders and first officers. I’d like to ask about your time on the Executive Council. You were inducted as a full member of the EC in November of last year. Has there been anything that’s surprised you about how the EC works? I think the greatest revelation for me was how little the EC actually gets involved in the day-to-day running of the group — and I mean that in a good way! There’s often this perception that we’re constantly making plans and micromanaging the fleet behind the scenes, and in reality that’s not what’s happening at all. The other surprise for me was how varied the thoughts and opinions can be on the council, and how each member can approach a problem at a completely different angle. It’s relatively rare that we all immediately agree on something, and I think that’s a good thing. Plans and ideas are often challenged and refined before they get anywhere near implementation. Tell us more about your writing style. What’s your process for putting together a sim? Usually I use the last sim posted in a scene, and then I work backwards through everything that has come in since I last wrote to make sure that nothing gets missed out. It’s essential to me that I respect and include everyone’s contributions as much as possible, so if someone has taken the time to describe what their character is doing, then I will take the time to make sure it’s included in mine — from my character’s perspective, of course! Once that’s done, it’s time to add my own original content. Creating an evocative image for the mind’s eye is very important to me, so when it’s appropriate, I always try to make sure that I use all five (or six, if I’m writing a telepath) senses to describe a scene. Thanks so much for your time! You can read more about FltCapt. Quinn on the wiki, and read the Gorkon sims in our archive. The post Captain’s Corner: FltCapt. Quinn Reynolds appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

Tumblr is a social network that lets you post photos, quotes, links, music, videos and text posts to the wider audience of the internet. And as of now, Starbase 118’s fleet Tumblr is back online and ready – all we need is our crew to follow our page! By following us with your Tumblr account, you’ll receive all your Starbase 118 news in one location, including ship reports, FNS updates and headlines, Star Trek news, inspiration for sims and more! Click here to head to the Tumblr page, then click “follow” in the top right-hand corner. You can also set to receive notifications when we post. The Tumblr can be accessed from our forums – just look for the “t” among our social media tabs. Reblogs of our Tumblr posts can spread Starbase 118 to a wider audience and spark outside interest in Starbase 118, so remember to hit that reblog button! The post Fleet Tumblr relaunches – follow us! appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

Did you find the Enterprise’s battle against the Planet Killer to be it’s most epic? Or did you feel nothing could beat Khan and Kirk facing off in the Mutara nebula in Star Trek II? How about the enigmatic battle with the Romulan ship? Or was it the battle with Chang’s Bird of Prey that could fire when cloaked where the Enterprise-A was joined by the USS Excelsior, that is your favorite? Was there another you found to be even better? Head to the forums and tell us what do you think the most awesome space battle of the Kirk era! This is the first in our ongoing series of General Trek polls. There are four more parts to this series coming soon, so keep an eye out for more! The post Most Awesome Space Battles: TOS/Movies appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Cam Parsons and Aitas! The post New Academy Graduates appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

LUXIS SYSTEM – The USS Thunder-A dealt with augment felines as Duronis II Embassy crew captured enemy infiltrators. The USS Thunder-A was towing a runaway freighter back to Duronis II, while the away team continued to investigate the cause of how the entire crew of the Betazoid ship was in a sleep-like state. Medical teams examined the crew; the Thunder examined scans of the ship; and the away team searched the ship. There was no virus, no pathogen, sabotage, or attack by hostile forces. The answer? “Cats,” Lt. Cmdr. Brayden Jorey responded with visible disgust on his face. “Some idiot of a Betazoid scientist decided to breed the furry abominations with Betazoid DNA. These augments had uncontrolled telepathic abilities that were wreaking havoc on the crew’s minds.” The freighter’s captain and crew were treated by the Thunder’s medical staff and the feline augments were incapacitated and held in quarantine. Meanwhile, at the Embassy on Duronis II, plans were set into motion to draw out suspected moles working at the Embassy. A rumour was started and spread that Fleet Admiral Wolf was en route to the Embassy for an unscheduled stop. Embassy intelligence closely monitored communications in hopes of uncovering the mole. It was during this time that a few senior marines were enjoying an evening of drinks. However, their evening off-duty was cut short when they realized that they were seated near a small group of likely operatives posing as Federation officers. After a brief meeting with Admiral Turner, it was decided that they would make their move before morning to take down and capture the operatives. All the preparations set into motion to make it appear as though the Embassy was getting ready to receive Fleet Admiral Wolf were put to good use. Both the Embassy teams and Thunder teams were able to come together and celebrate their respective successful mission. Celebrations coincided with the fleet’s annual award ceremonies, where Admiral Turner also handed out mission ribbons and a few well-deserved promotions. The post Enemy infiltrators captured at Duronis II Embassy appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

As players in any roleplaying game we’re drawn to certain character classes and types. Some like the strong fighter-type, some like the sneaky information handler. In this new feature, we highlight different players who are in the same position to show how they approach their post. What drives them? What do they like most about the post? Have they discovered anything interesting in their duty? This month we focus on Science Officers around the fleet. Trellis Vondaryan: To start, tell us a little about the writers behind the characters — what are your names and where do you hail from? John Valdivia: I’m Eric, and I am from Barcelona. My character is John Valdivia, Chief Science Officer aboard the USS Darwin-A. Valdivia is a mathematician, and so am I. However, my Real Life character is not a Starfleet officer, but a future high school professor. When I was little, a public TV here passed sci-fi shows at dinner time, and that’s how I started, first with TNG, but then Stargate, Babylon 5, Farscape, Voyager… On the other hand, I have been into tabletop roleplaying for years (started with D&D, but I would play possibly any game). My playing mates, however, were not that much into Star Trek, so I did not manage to get any Star Trek roleplaying done, decided to look on my own… and you know how that ends. Ayiana Sevo: My name is Aaron. I’m from California, in a small town just south of Yosemite National Park. My main character is Lt. Commander Ayiana Sevo, Chief Science Officer of the USS Gorkon. She specializes in Quantum Mechanics, Subspace Mechanics and dabbles in Stellar Cartography. We both have a love of science, but my skill ends at math. It hurts my brain. Star Trek has always been a part of my life. I can’t remember when I was first introduced to it; it was always just “there.” I grew up watching TNG, then later DS9 and VOY. I love pretty much anything sci-fi, from Farscape, Stargate, to Babylon 5. Merrick R’Ven: My name is Preston and my primary character is Merrick R’Ven, Science & Cybernetics Officer on the USS Darwin-A. I live in several places along the east coast of the USA, but at the moment I live South Carolina. I started roleplaying in general in middle school in the mid 80’s. Starting off with Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, AD&D, AD&D 2Ed), and progressing into Villains and Vigilanties, Star Frontiers, DC Heroes, Marvel and even a home spun version of Transformers. (Yup the friends I had liked to roleplay!). From 2000-2004 I enjoyed the MUSH/MUX sites which allows you to roleplay with other in real time. I played on Transformer sites, most of which are gone now unfortunately. However my love for Star Trek goes back to 1979 when I saw Star Trek: The Motion Picture. At that point I was hooked and went back to watch all the other episodes and then later on onto TNG and beyond. I have played at one other Star Trek RPG site before coming here, but I didn’t stay there long. This place is just awesome! What first drew you to the science post? Valdivia: I am mathematician in real life, and in some sense I wanted to portray myself in Star Trek. Not only that, but I had always seen Star Trek as a series about exploration, and with my background, that’s were I could sim comfortably. That being said, my character’s research interests have been changing slowly as he mover in Starfleet, as I saw his original background was not that useful on a starship. Sevo: Except for the math, I love science. I am always reading up on the latest advances and experiments, and comprehend most subjects well. Just don’t put numbers in my face. My eyes will glaze over more than a donut. I learned that the hard way in college. I tried to major in Physics but could just not grasp Calculus. R’Ven: Well I have always been a Spock fan and I like science. Even when I was playing on the transformer sites I liked playing scientists, so when I came here it was a natural thing. What is your favorite thing about the post? Valdivia: Your ability, and responsibility, on explaining what your ship is facing. You might be up against a phenomenon that is affecting your shields while preventing your phasers from working. Ok, someone on the ship wrote that, to use as a plot hook. But they will look at you and say “what is exactly happening?”. And it is ultimately your job to find an explanation that will make it sound as an interesting Star Trek story instead of a chain of random events invented by an overly cruel Game Master. Sevo: Mostly because it matches so well with my own interests. I have a natural grasp of scientific concepts. It is also a great way to explore and explain the Star Trek universe. I try and figure out, scientifically, how a particular piece of technology or science works, if it’s not already explained. There are many times where a unique solution needs to be found in a crisis, and a scientist’s unique perspective of the world may just turn the tide. R’Ven: Being a know-it-all?? LOL!!! I like all the technical details and the information. I am a person who thrives on data and making connections, so having characters who do much the same thing makes it fun. In many ways the science officer becomes the interpreter of events. When there is a strange object coming or an energy weapon in use, it can be the science officer who defines what it is . . . and perhaps how to counter act it. How do you play your character (quirks, ideals, drawbacks, etc.)? Valdivia: In the beginning, I wanted to present Valdivia with a complete lack of social skills. But that is not easy to sim and in the end, not that interesting. So as I have grown as a simmer, so has Valdivia into social skills. But possibly he still has problems transmitting his science ideas into common language. However, something I definitely like on him, is that he is non-violent, and he is a problem-solving strategist. He will refuse to carry a weapon if he can. And in a firefight, he will take cover, pull out his tricorder, and start shouting data at his more-adept-at-shooting companions, like who is hiding where, possible structural weakpoints, that sort of things. That is, if he ever gets stuck in a firefight, which he utterly avoids. Even out of firefights, he has a similar approach. He has great ideas, but usually needs someone else to implement them. That’s more of an OOC decision. Seeing Star Trek, you could see always saving the day, with a beam, or radiation, of polarity change, or whatever. So I try to have him find the way, but then find a problem that needs another department (“we can do this, but the generator must be right into the enemy camp. Security?” “We can do this, but I need the deflector modified, engineering?” “For this to work, we have to be within 2km of the enemy ship. Helm?”). Sevo: In the beginning, Ayiana was extremely shy. She wanted to be a wallflower, being ignored and staying out of the light. As she has advanced in rank, and found herself in a position of authority, she has had to quickly come to terms with dealing with other people; sometimes stumbling along the way. She has a brilliant mind, and if you get her talking about scientific things, she won’t shut up. The thing I like most is to explore the Trill species and culture. I find them one of the most fascinating races ever conceived on Star Trek. It is difficult to conceptualize how one lives multiple lives, but is fun to do. In a way, it allows me to sim different characters, personalities and timelines. One thing I explored was how a particular disorder in a past life might affect the new host. Early in Ayiana’s career, I had her suffer from claustrophobia, eventually falling into a coma. There, I explored the dreams and memories of the symbiont, going all the way back to it’s birthing pool. A particularly tragic event in its life lay mostly dormant through multiple hosts, and manifested greatly in Ayiana. R’Ven: One of R’Ven’s biggest drawback is his lack of people skills, so I play him as an awkward individual and even ignorant of many of the nuances of social interactions. I wrote this elsewhere but I am including it here since it is such a driving force in his character. Up to this point Merrick has been a self-Isolationist. he grew up as a Rodulan on a Vulcan ship and then went to school on Vulcan so he has always felt like the outsider and has tried to make up for his perceived deficiencies with intellect. However what he has become is a Rodulan who acts like a Vulcan, so he is still cut off from most people by his own efforts to adapt to his environment. At the moment I have him studying the behavior of others, watching vid-programs, trying to learn how to be more natural. The results have not been the most spectacular as of yet, but it is an interesting journey. I have gotten good help from my Mentor and my Captain in spreading him out a little. In a recent episode R’Ven has undergone quite a few changes in his life and the drive to fit in has become quite a bit stronger. So this conflict between wanting to fit in and not knowing how to do that is interesting to play out. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this feature. You can learn more about the Science post on the wiki, and read previous sims in the archives. The post Duty Post Spotlight: Science (Part 1) appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

On Sunday, July 10th StarBase 118 Chat Team hosted the 2016 Chat Trivia competition featuring over 30 contestants from six ships. There was an incredible turn out both for trivia participants and cheerleaders. Participants in the trivia contest all earned the brand new Chat Trivia Participation Badge for this event, and one knowledgeable winner walked away with the elite level Chat Trivia Winner badge! Congratulations to our top three contestants: In 3rd place, from the USS Invicta: Commander Roshnara Rahman! In 2nd place, from the USS Darwin, Lt. Commander Brell! And our 2016 Chat Trivia Champion is: Fleet Captain Aron Kells from the USS Invicta! Also, big congratulations to the people behind the scenes who helped make this chat a major success, our scorekeepers: Lieutenant Mirra Ezo and Lieutenant Antero Flynn from StarBase 118 Ops! To see the list of all the contestants, rankings and give everyone a big congratulations, please head down to the chat forums. Congratulations to all the participants, and we hope to see everyone back for a bigger and better 2017 Trivia contest! The post Congratulations to the 2016 Trivia Winners! appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

The Federation News Service is a spinoff of UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek PBEM RPG, reporting news headlines from across the United Federation of Planets to Federation citizens, along with other reader-submitted stories from other RPGs and fan works. The stories below were published on FNS in the month of June. Capture of Cardassian war criminal raises questions, tensions – Stardate 239306.02 BAJOR — The unexpected capture of a Cardassian war criminal in Federation territory has caused diplomatic tensions to mount between the Federation Council and the Bajoran Council of Ministers. Starfleet considers recruitment center shake-up – Stardate 239306.10 SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH — Starfleet officials released a report today that proposes a reorganization of its network of recruitment centers. Seeking to reverse the continued decline in applications to the academy, the report recommends closing approximately fifty centers with consistently low recruitment and reassigning their resources and personnel to existing centers where recruitment is steady or rising. In addition, approximately twenty new centers would be opened in areas of so-called “high impact potential,” such as New Sydney, which has applied for Federation membership. Risa begins overhaul of weather control system – Stardate 239306.25 RISA — The popular pleasure planet and tourist destination began a large overhaul of its aging weather control system. The network, which was installed nearly three hundred years ago, will be slowly upgraded with new computer hardware, atmospheric control systems, seismic regulators and energy collectors, and security upgrades over the coming months. Interested in keeping the public updated on the latest developments across the Federation? The Federation News Service welcomes both one-time and regular story submissions. Enjoy a creative avenue for simmers, role players, and fan fiction writers to develop the larger prime Trek universe. What’s going on in the entertainment world of the Federation? What’s happening back home on Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, and beyond? You can help shape life in the 24th century! Learn more at fns.news. The post Federation News Service: June 2393 appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

Many, many thanks to the writers of Alex Blair, and Oddas Aira, for their generous contributions to our annual donation fund which pays for our yearly website expenses. Can you contribute $5, $15, or more to help fund our website? Our community is entirely member supported. It’s easy and secure to contribute and only takes a few minutes! The post Thanks to two members for their donations! appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

We’re heading into the final weeks of Runoff Round 2 of the 2016 Top Sims Contest. In the runoff rounds, members (like you!) decide which sims head to the final round of the Top Sims Contest in December. These sims below were chosen by a panel of judges (one from each ship) from the sims submitted in Rounds 7-13 of the contest. TO START, please read these sims: Round 7: Captain Shelther Faranster, “Lost Context“ Round 8: Cpt Jalana Rajel, “Fear the Reaper“ Round 9: Dr Tarna & Iria, “The pain of rejection“ Round 10: Lt Commander Falcon/Rhino the hamster, “The New Smell“ Round 11: Doctor Saveron, “There, but for the vagaries of chance, go I“ Round 12: 302nd Tactical Fighter Wing, “New Assignment“ Round 12: LtCdr Sinda Essen & LtJG Solaris McLaren, “New Experiences“ NEXT, vote for the sim you like the most. Click here to go to the poll now. It should be the sim that’s the best written, with strong characterization, and evocative or descriptive scene-setting. DON’T vote for a sim just because you serve on the same crew as the person who wrote it. Any crew that “stuffs the ballot” (by having everyone on the crew vote for the same sim to ensure that it wins this poll) will be eliminated from the contest and shamed by the rest of the community as terrible, terrible cheaters. That would be awful. Good luck to the nominees! The post Time is running out to vote in Top Sims Runoff Round 2 appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

LERAYN — A Suliban guest, discovered to be a sleeper agent responsible for the murder of Minister Junor, claims to have been programmed by a government’s guard, a secret member of the Cabal. Though the tensions between the USS Constitution (NCC-9012-B) and the Suliban government had been high tinseled enough to feel through the vast space between the planet and starship, Minister Fayne was cooperative. Little did he know that far more sinister operations were afoot, continuing to stick their noses into the USS Constitution’s investigation. Meanwhile, the crew members sent planet-side continued to pop out of contact. The sudden loss of officers aboard the USS Constitution – as they were beamed off the ship by an unknown source – prompted acting commanding officer Lieutenant Commander T’Mar to send Lieutenant Commander Sinda Essen to the planet. Sinda and a team of officers were to seek out their people and possibly uncover the truth of all this madness. With swiftness, the team lift off, and more interference arose when the shuttle was attacked. A strange computer virus wormed its way through the USS Constitution’s systems, not only did it draw the attention of the Ops chief, Lieutenant Commander Nathaniel Wilmer, but also that of the chief medical officer, Lieutenant Commander Shar’Wyn Foster. The reason for that was that the virus was actually a herd of microbes. “You never really think about a computer virus being a medical officer’s problem. But I guess that just goes to show how strange things can be,” said Lieutenant JG Abicrom of the Medical Department. With the help of a handful of Operations Officers, Wilmer and Foster eliminated the virus and restored the Constitution’s systems to their former state. The teams on Lerayn had by then found the lost officers and their guest Suliban Akana, who to their surprise began to shoot the Starfleet officers. After being rendered unconscious by a Suliban guard, she came to shortly after and not only admitted to having killed Junor but also accused the aforementioned guard of being behind the act. As the teams on Lerayn converged in the theta-radiated, abandoned part of the government building, a temporary truce was made for all to get to safety. Once beyond the dangerous grounds, everyone was transported to the USS Constitution, where the search for answers began. It was later found out that all the interference was caused by members of the Cabal, one of which was the guard who admitted having programmed Akana to be a sleeper agent to do his bidding. He was left to be tried by the Suliban government for both treason and murder. Akana, on the other hand, has been handed over to the psychological Facilities on Starbase 11 where experts will work on deleting the programming. She will then face a trial to determine her future. Many questions still remain a mystery, perhaps never to be answered. Despite it all, the USS Constitution is headed for some much-deserved rest and relaxation. The post USS Constitution-B uncovers ties with the Cabal appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

There is all kinds of hype for the new Star Trek: Beyond movie as, once again, the USS Enterprise takes flight to the farthest reaches of uncharted space! A captain, a crew, a cast of talented, fresh faces – from both previous and new films – is what awaits moviegoers this month. Some highlights to look for are Zachary Quinto as Spock, late actor Anton Yelchin as Chekov, and Chris Pine as Kirk, along with a whole cast relaunch that brought the USS Enterprise to a new generation of fans. Once thought to be a dead franchise, J.J. Abram’s was able to prove one of the most critically acclaimed universes could still live in our time. Star Trek fans from all over the world are excited to see what this new movie will brings in what J.J. Abram’s is now calling the “Kelvin timeline,” which is named after the ship that was the first to be destroyed in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, under the command – during its final moments – of George Kirk, father to James. If you’re a Trek fan from any generation, now is the time to hunker-down with movie snacks and go see what’s what in theaters this month as Star Trek: Beyond takes to the silver screen tomorrow, July 22, 2016! Once you’ve watched, head to the forums to talk with others about what you liked, and didn’t! Do you like to write? Are you captivated by the magic of Star Trek? Would you like to invent a character to who joins Starfleet and explores the stars? Now you can, all you have to do is click join! UFOP: StarBase 118 is a free Star Trek Play By E-Mail role-playing game that combines the beauty and mystery of the future with the realism and imagination of today’s writers. Come immerse yourself in StarFleet and progress through the ranks starring in your very own section of a story written by you and other members across the globe! The post Star Trek: Beyond is here! appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

We’re here with another interview with a newer member of our community. The title of this column is “Lower Decks,” hearkening back to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled “Lower Decks,” in which junior officers aboard the Enterprise-D speculate on the reasons for recent unusual actions taken by the command crew near the Cardassian border. This month’s interview is with the writer behind LtJG. Jerome Milsap, playing a human male assigned to the USS Constitution-B. WOLF: Tell us a little about the writer behind the character — where in the world do you hail from? MILSAP: I live in New Jersey in the U.S. I’ve moved around from city to city, but I’ve always lived somewhere in NJ. Were you a Star Trek fan before joining UFOP: StarBase 118? If so, what were your favorite shows and/or movies? I grew up watching reruns of TOS, but I wasn’t a real Trek fan until TNG came along. That’s still my favorite series with DS9 a close second. As far as the movies, Generations and First Contact are my favorites, but I have to say (and this may be a bit controversial) that I also enjoy the J.J. Abrams movies. That said, I think the smartest thing J.J. did was setting his movies in an alternate universe instead of trying to do a true reboot, because you just can’t replace the originals. Is this your first simming experience, or have you done other forms of role-playing before? It’s not my first, but definitely my most successful. I’ve played in Trek sims before but they usually fizzled out after a while from lack of participation. I have no fear of that happening here! Aside from Star Trek simming I’ve been playing tabletop RPGs since I was about 12, starting with Dungeons and Dragons and eventually branching out to Call of Cthulhu, Rifts, TMNT, Robotech, Toon, Mechwarrior and probably a few others I’m forgetting. How’d you find out about our community? I found out about Starbase 118 from a player in one of my other games. He joined that game after I did and commented on how much faster paced Starbase 118 was. He pointed me to the website and I applied right away. What duty post are you playing, and how’d you choose it? My main character Jerry is a medic (assistant CMO). In the other games I played my character was always either a helmsman or security/tactical, so when I signed up here I wanted to try something different. Really though, it depended on the concepts I came up with and whatever department felt like it would be the right fit. My original concept for Jerry was a Gorn who became obsessed with human culture by intercepting transmissions of our old TV shows, except the only show he got was “Hee-Haw” so he thought the entire species wore overalls and told jokes in cornfields. Thinking about it now, I honestly don’t know what department I would have put him in. I toned that down a little bit and made him a human but I still wanted him to have some country or southern flavor. I started thinking about country music and recalled a song called “Amos Moses” by Jerry Reed that mentions “a man called Doc Milsap”, so right there was the name and post. What’s been your favorite part of being with the community so far? I think my favorite part of the community is the fact that there is a community. In the other games I’ve played I hardly ever talked to other players outside of IC posts so I never really had any idea of who they really were or what they were like. At Starbase 118 everyone just seems so much friendlier and more accessible. I’ve never seen another group that has this level of interaction with forums, news articles (both IC and OOC), podcasts, a Wiki and regular live chats. Even the mentor system (hi Noelle!) to help new players beyond their initial training was something new to me. Beyond that, I’ve also enjoyed improving my writing skills along the way. Everyone I sim with is a fantastic writer, and just keeping up with them all makes me better in the process. Thanks for your time, LtJG. Milsap!! You can read more about LtJG. Milsap on the wiki, as well as reading the Constitution-B sims in our archives. The post Lower Decks interview: LtJG Jerome Milsap, USS Constitution-B appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

With the close arrival of Star Trek: Beyond (closer in some places than others), we wanted to do a special dedicated poll to be able to discuss it. The reboot Star Trek (2009), Into Darkness, and Beyond movies have caused a great deal of controversy in the realm of our fandom. We know we could easily list off everything that is not liked about the reboot series, but what about the changes you enjoyed? Whether you liked the reboot or not, we think it has a great cast, and some great portrayals of the characters we already loved. So we wanted to ask you, what do you think? Who do you think is the best portrayed character in the reboot universe? Come and tell us in the forums, and share your reasons after answering! The post Poll of the Week: Best reboot portrayal? appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. View the full article

What’s the latest news on Bajor? What’s going on in the world of sports on Andoria? What’s the newest holonovel to hit the suites across the Federation? You can help shape life in the 24th century! The Federation News Service is an exciting new venue for worldbuilding and telling stories set in the Star Trek universe. Stories like… Risa begins overhaul of weather control system. Starfleet Academy applications drop as civilian opportunities increase. Trill Festival of Life kicks off with dancing, food, and costumes. You can read these stories and more on fns.news. Want to write your own? The Federation News Service welcomes both one-time and regular story submissions! Enjoy a creative avenue for simmers, role players, and fan fiction writers to develop the larger prime Trek universe. There are two ways to write for the FNS: Use the submission form on the FNS website to submit your story directly to the FNS editors. Join the FNS as a staff writer! Check out the FNS’s website or learn more about the FNS team on the 118 Wiki! The post Love worldbuilding? Write for the Federation News Service! appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. [url={url}]View the full article[/url]

MENTHAR CORRIDOR — The USS Yarahla has been stolen by a crew of Starfleet officers determined to continue the search for the missing USS Gorkon. In breaking news, the Luna-class USS Yarahla — one of the vessels involved in the search for the USS Gorkon — has been stolen by a group of Starfleet officers and civilian accomplices. After setting a course that took them into the sensor shadow of a nearby star, the Yarahla appears to have engaged its quantum slipstream drive. Its whereabouts are currently unknown, and Starfleet has mobilised a fleet to capture the renegade vessel. Rumours continue to persist that Starfleet was premature in calling off the official search. When asked for a comment, Captain Henshaw, the commander of the search and rescue fleet stated, “The search for the Gorkon was thorough and conducted by experienced officers. We are regrettably confident that Gorkon has been lost.” “Captain’s log, stardate… uh… I haven’t the faintest idea. I’ve lost all sense of time; with no end in sight, the days are blurring into each other. Now that I think about it, I can’t remember the last time I actually slept in my own bed, rather than the couch in my ready room. “When Erik Jansen placed a king’s ransom on our heads, we were forced to flee from the Helase, a Ferengi casino-ship-[...]-mobile-black-market, without anything to show for ourselves. Without the chance to complete negotiations, our deflector is still critically damaged, forcing us to travel at speeds of warp five or less. “With few appealing options, we decided that our best course of action was to head toward the site of a massive battle from the war, now little more than a graveyard of derelicts. It’s a journey that should have only taken us four days, had we been able to use our normal cruising speed, but instead required nearly three weeks. “Three weeks, and that was before before a catalogue of diversions and obstacles in our path. We had to detour and spend a week hiding from a patrol fleet in the orbit of a pulsar. Two weeks were added the ship was damaged in a pirate ambush. A few more days were spent gathering raw foodstuffs from a M-class planet. One of our cargo bays is now a makeshift refrigerator, completely dedicated to the nutritious and utterly tasteless flora we’ve gathered. It is, as many of my crew are fond of pointing out, very much like eating cardboard for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “Now we’re here, things are going little better. Commander Blair is leading a team to scavenge for consumables: food, medical supplies, dilithium… anything we could run out of. They didn’t even manage to reach a derelict before their shuttle was hit by something, and we’re not sure what. Some kind of cloaked mine? It physically damaged the shuttle, not to mention some of its occupants. At least they were able to right themselves and get underway again. “Lieutenant Commander Sevo had more success, finding parts and supplies aboard a Galaxy-class hulk. Even her team suffered for their attempts, with several injured in a booby-trap. Something very odd is going on aboard that ship, and when they returned to the shuttle they found it had somehow escaped its moorings and was tumbling away, out in space. “Meanwhile, I took a team out in the captain’s yacht to chase a unicorn — a cloaking device. There are a few Klingon ships in the graveyard, and we’re hoping that with a combination of modified sensors and probes, we’ll be able to find a functional cloak. If there’s one to be found, that is. “This universe had taught me well. I don’t hold out any hope.” The post Starfleet vessel stolen in renegade plot to find USS Gorkon appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. [url={url}]View the full article[/url]

The Captains Council of UFOP: StarBase 118 is pleased to announce the promotion of Lieutenant Commander T’Mar to the rank of commander! Commander T’Mar – OOC, Mel – is currently the First Officer of the USS Constitution-B. She joined our community in 2012, and has served on the Apollo, Gemini, and now the Constitution in Security and First Officer roles. OOC, Mel is currently a co-facilitator of the History Team, a member of the Podcast Team, and an Academy trainer. She has also participated in the Publicity Team and was a judge in the Top Sims Contest. She has been awarded the Sheathed Sword, and Natasha Yar Pin, and earned the Excellence in Training Badge. You can read more about Mel in our recent Community News interview. Head to the forums now to join in on the post party congratulating Mel on this accomplishment, and thanking her for all the hard work she put in to get here! The post T’Mar promoted to the rank of Commander appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. [url={url}]View the full article[/url]

Each month we interview a member of the Academy Training Team for insight on how our training works, and as recognition for all the hard work that goes into training new members each and every week of the year! This month, we’re sitting down with Rustyy Hael, who joined the team as a Lieutenant, which is impressive! The minimum rank required to join the team is normally Lt. Commander, but Lieutenants can be proffered by their commanding officers if they show extraordinary promise. WOLF: Hello, lieutenant! Can you tell us a little about yourself for the folks who may not know you? Hael: Oh, there isn’t anything really too special to say. My name is Noelle and I am from Michigan, USA – where the weather can’t make up its mind, 90F one day 40F the next. In between SB and work I cook, doodle, farm, garden and play with animals. I race thoroughbred race horses and hope that it takes off one day to make a career out of it. I have been a huge fan of Star Trek for as long as I can remember and then some. The original series will always have the top spot for me and my collect of Star Trek paraphernalia is spread out over an entire state because my husband won’t let me bring it all home from my parents’ house… One day!! How did you learn about UFOP: SB118 in the first place, and what drew you to join our community? GOOGLE! It was my first and only click, one and done. When I snooped around I found I really liked all the wiki pages. Like everyone had their own special page that added their uniqueness to the game as a whole. It also showed how dimensional and involved the game would be like. I was also drawn in by everything that we do and how much interaction there is. It isn’t some dictatorship with a script, it’s way more involved than that and everyone is such a pinnacle piece, it really makes you feel useful and appreciated. That was the home run for me. How long ago did you get involved with the Academy Training Team, and what was it like getting started? It was, a while ago… And nerve racking!!! Every new position or task put a million butterflies into my stomach. But everything is laid out so clearly, that with some help and a few people pointing things out, I’ve grown rather comfortable and confident in being on the front lines for those joining us. The best bit of advice I could have for anyone just joining this team is to take a deep breath and just be you. The rest is laid out step by step. But you are the key piece to bring in the newbies and making them feel warm and welcomed, and that goes a long way. I know it did for me! What’s been your favorite part about training so far? Everything! Being able to write with a variety of people I wouldn’t have otherwise had a chance too is pretty sweet. Meeting new people and making new friends every chance I can is awesome. Being that person that can watch new cadets turn into ensigns and grown, improve and shine, I enjoy that and being one who helped make that possible. That the top of the cake right there. Are you working toward command? That’s the general direction I am slinking towards. But not in a huge rush. I’ve found this adventure to be more enjoyable on the ride than the destination. Though the destination is pretty shiny. Besides the Training Team, where else are you involved in the fleet, OOC? Let’s see… I lend a hand in the History club – logging all of the history of SB and her past ships. From the people to their adventures. The top sims club – where I get to read sneak peeks into everyone’s ships. And recently took on dabbling with the species guild club – working on the wiki and forums… I’m pretty sure that’s it. Thank you so much for your time — we’ll let you get back to training! You can read more about Lt. Hael on the wiki, and learn more about joining the Academy Training Team on this page. The post Trained by the best: Rustyy Hael appeared first on UFOP: StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG. [url={url}]View the full article[/url]