An Island Among Men

[StarBase 118 Staff]

AKA: Why is no one interested in my character?

One of the most common difficulties experienced among Starbase 118 members is the feeling that their character is alone, completely isolated from the rest of the crew. It happens to brand new members trying to find their way, returning members who discover that all their old friends are elsewhere, and to captains who turn around one day and realise that everyone they used to sim with have moved on. There’s often a feeling of isolation, and the sense that everyone is so busy with each other, that no one is interested in you.

But what can we do about it?

When it comes to roleplay in any medium, one of the most useful pieces of advice I have ever been given was this: “The best way to get people to be interested in your character is to be interested in theirs.” The best way to integrate into a crew is to be proactive, create opportunities, hunt down those character interactions and not to expect others to come to you.

Thankfully, there’s a wealth of resources at hand to help. Our wiki is an amazing guide to the fleet – and more importantly, for our purposes – the characters within it. So if you’re ever stuck for who to interact with, spend a little time looking up the profiles of the characters on your ship. Perhaps you’ll find someone who’s shared old COs or postings, someone with the same hobby or interest, an interesting event in their history that your character might have been involved in… the list goes on. If you find something, get in touch with the player! Tag them directly in the sim, or email them OOC to discuss how your two characters could bounce off each other.

The forums are another excellent place to look. Many ships have IC games running that highlight interesting or quirky facts about their characters, and there you may very well find something that sparks your imagination. If your ship doesn’t have any IC games running, why not start one, and let your crew know?

It’s also worth thinking about appealing to your ship’s OOC list for help. It can be really helpful here to talk about what aspects of your character you’d like to explore, or suggest some hooks other people might find interesting. A few starting points can really inspire your crew as to how their characters could interact with yours.

Last of all, don’t be afraid to get your captain and first officer involved! They can offer advice and suggestions on how to help your character bond with the rest of the crew, maybe signposting you to a particular player, or interacting with you with their own. If you’re exploring a new friendship with a fellow crew-mate, considering contacting your captain and explain that you’d really appreciate the chance to sim with them next mission. It’s not always possible, but they’ll certainly try.

So remember: To be interesting, be interested!

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