Poll of the Week: Most Difficult Department to Sim?

[Randal Shayne]

No matter what ship you write on, what position your character fulfills, or what department they’re attached to, he, she or ner has an important role in the smooth operation of the vessel. We’d not get far without helmsmen or engineers, exploration would be a drag without our scientists and specialists, and the crew would certainly falter without the skills of the medical and counseling staff.
The shared usefulness of these departments, however, marks where their similarities end. Each has a different expectation, a different goal, and different challenges when it comes to simming for them. Finding a way to engage an engineer in the plot without having something break can often be something of a struggle. Coming up with a way to keep a counselor relevant in a given story is another often-cited problem. A medical officer needs some degree of understanding when it comes to the art of healing- not exactly an easy prospect when a writer’s only aid is a knowledge of biology, and a few loose threads shown in canon. The same might be said for a science officer. The rest have their own obstacles.
With these limitations in mind (and others that you’ve encountered in simming for a duty post) which department is the most difficult to sim for? Give us your vote, and let us know your reasons in the comments section below!
 

[+ Ferier]

I voted something else as i feel they all have very different challenges as well as positive points to them

[+ Trellis Vondaryan]

I went with marine. In part because the mentality often associated with them is slightly counter to the traditional Trek ethos. In part because they often fulfil a similar role to security. And in part because they're "outside" the regular chain of command, so figuring it out who commands who, jurisdiction on things, and incorporating them into any non-specialized plot can be hard.

[Pholin Duyzer]

It's missing the most challenging (for me ofc): Science! I have researched particles and phenomena for hours for a mission sim to make it all scientifically accurate, only to see other people have simmed it before I finished my own sim. 😅 I have a different kind of respect for all posts of course, but my experience lies in the science department.

Edited January 11, 2019 by Pholin Duyzer
clarity

[Jo Marshall]

I'm going with Marine as well.

While I've not simmed a Marine Marine (we had Rangers, they're a bit different) I can imagine the structure of their command (with a separate ranking structure and battle watch commanders) would be an entity of their own. I'm sure, for some, it works great, however as Trellis has put it, the protective operations role of a Marine kinda jars with traditional Starfleet ethos of not being a military organization until they have to be. Finding the Rangers a place alongside the Security and Tactical departments was tough, as not that many missions called for their specialism.

That being said, I'm sure Marines are hella fun.

[+ Trellis Vondaryan]

2 hours ago, Jo Marshall said:

That being said, I'm sure Marines are hella fun.

Especially when there's a rabid tribble invasion involved. 😄