StarZone: The Original can be played online, or at home, with friends or acquaintances who enjoy role playing games. The more players you have the more fun the game can be. Remember, these are only guidelines for running the game, your imagination and creativity will set the limits.
1> To qualify as Commanding Officer (CO) or Executive Officer (XO) of one of the StarZone Fleet ships, you must complete all three levels of training: Boot Camp, Academy, and Officer's Training School(OTS).
2> To qualify as a player on an existing game ship: you must complete Boot Camp to play as a noncommissioned officer, or Boot Camp and the Academy to play as a junior or senior officer. You will need to choose either CCA or EGO as the training for each is different.
3> To find an existing Fleet ship to join, you will need to go to the CCA or EGO fleet pages. You will find a list of the ships in each fleet. You will be able to click on the ships to get a brief description or to find out how to join their crew or claim the ship as your own if it is available and you have your OTS training completed.
4>If you want to command your own ship, once you pick out an available ship, you will use your individual identification code given you upon completion of OTS. Ship availability is on a first come basis, so there is no guarantee that the ship you want will be available to you. Ship lists will be updated daily.
5> Ships may be claimed for periods of 3 months, at the end of the three months, the CO may reregister the ship, or continue to play without registering it. If the registration is not renewed, then the ship may be registered to a new CO. Those with registered ships must maintain an active e-mail address and must abide by the regulations of EH, Inc. in order to retain the "registration in-good-standing" status.
6> To submit missions for inclusion in either Alliance or Empire e-zines you must send the edited transcript of your mission to StarZone submissions: Alliance@ehgamezone.com or Empire@ehgamezone.com. The official submission form must be included with your submission. The form can be found on the submissions page. Transcripts must be free of offensive language, they must be free from pornographic or obscene materials, they cannot contain materials trademarked or copyrighted by any individual, group, business, or corporation, and they must correct StarZone terminology.
Example of acceptable mission submission:
CpRogers: ::looks at the members of his away team:: Okay, this is it. We've got one chance to escape. Get your SABREs ready. On my order, LtKong and I are going to blast our way past the Griz. The rest of you will lay down cover fire. We'll make it to the launch, then activate the STEP manually, and bring the rest of you to safety. ::Turns to Kong:: You ready?
LtKong: ::grunts and checks his rifle:: Aye Captain, I'm with you.
CpRogers: ::turns back to the rest of his team:: On my mark...
Example of an unacceptable mission submission:
CpRogers: Okay this it team... we're f***ing cooked if we don't get out of here... so we're going to slaughter these B***tards. Get your Blasters ready... Kong and I are going to run for the lanch, then use the transportr to get you on the ship. This it Kong, let's roll.
Kong> Aye sir. ::ready to kill the MFs::
CpRogers> ::screams:: Go! ::makes a run thru enemy fire::
Running a successful RPG can be a challenge. It takes a commitment to the game and the players. As CO or XO of the ship or base, you have to put the good of the ship first. It can be fun having a free-for-all where everyone is blowing up everything and creating all kinds of bizarre actions. But, at the end of the day, you have to have something to come back to next week. Just blowing up ships can become tedious after a while and your players will become bored.
1> Stay consistent and help your players stay consistent. Be a leader, not a dictator.
2> Build your character's personality through sidebars and logs.
Sidebars are similar to short scenarios or stories that you don't have time to do in the regular game setting, they generally have two or three characters in them. They help establish a setting or non-playing characters or build on character personalities.
There are two kinds of logs, personal and duty. Personal logs reveal more of the characters personality, their reactions to what is going on, and what is happening outside of their duties. Duty logs are a first person account about what that character was doing while "on the job."
The best way to get your players to submit logs and sidebars is to send them out yourself. Be a good example and the rest of your crew will likely follow suit.
3> Know technical aspects of every player's job, that way you can help build scenarios that involve all members of your crew. In general, you can't focus on all divisions at the same time, so it is okay to highlight one division in a particular mission. Just try to focus on all of the different divisions at one time or another so that no-one feels left out of the primary action all of the time.
4> Steer your strongest players to some of the more technical divisions. Generally a strong player can find ways to involve their characters in what is going on, while weaker players struggle if the action doesn't directly involve them. The more they play the stronger the players will become, so be patient with those who are weaker in the beginning, give them a chance to get the feel of the game. CO's and XO's often find it easier making their roles secondary and shifting the primary focus to their crews during the game itself. That leaves you free to run actions and monitor what is going on. Often CO's and XO's will trade off which one is taking the lead during different parts of the game.
In other words, the Captain doesn't always have to lead the Away Team and be the hero. Sharing the spotlight can often earn you more rewards than stealing it on every mission.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun yourself, it just means as Captain you have to look out for your crew's fun as well as your own. Give everyone a chance to be the hero, including yourself.
5> Set standards for awards and promotions. Be sparing with promotions. There are only so many ranks they can climb so don't give them all away right at the start of your game or you will have nothing left to shoot for after a while. Use the different Commendation medals to reward your crew instead of promotions for regular game play. But, also be consistent in your standards for promotion. Reward the crew with praise and honors.
Example of promotions standards:
a> Participation in a particular number of games. Attending all of the games or sending a notice to the CO before being out. If a key player misses games all of the time it can really throw the action of a mission and cause the rest of the players to have to work harder to cover for them.
b> Knowing the technical aspects of their position and using their knowledge creatively and correctly. If they consistently call the weapons by the incorrect names then they aren't setting a very good example for a security or combat officer.
c> Making a positive difference in the outcome of the mission. If a player suddenly stands up and charges the opposition and in the process gives away his/her teams position and makes them a target, they have put everyone in jeopardy and shouldn't be rewarded for that.
d> Going to the extra effort of sending out logs and sidebars.
e> Earning a certain number of commendations and awards.
6> Keep your crew aware of what is going on. If you are playing via the Internet or e-mail, then make sure your crew knows if a game channel has been moved or if a game has to be canceled. Send out the game transcripts and mission recaps on a regular basis so your crew knows when to expect them. Send them out in enough time for your players to read them before the game. The more inexperienced your crew, the more time they need for preparation.
7> Divide responsibilities up with your XO. Work as a team.
8> Protect your crew's privacy, especially if you are playing over the Internet. Don't post e-mail addresses or reveal real names to strangers on the net. If you haven't met them in person, you don't really know who you are dealing with. BE CAREFUL and BE SMART.
Plan ahead, but don't be inflexible.
Sometimes the best plotline develops from something that happens during the game.
Discuss parts of upcoming missions with the crew members the mission focuses on so they can plan ahead. You don't have to give everything away, but it can make the game flow more smoothly if the player knows in advance that (for example) they are suppose to be taken prisoner so you can run a rescue mission.
If a player has to be away, build a scenario that accounts for their time, maybe they went on leave, maybe they were called to training, or maybe they had to run a secret mission that sets things up for the rest of the crew. If their character is essential to the story running during their absence, then get their permission to play their character for them during their absence.
Be creative, not every mission has to be a shoot 'em up. Battles can be fun, but variety is better.
Types of missions:
1> Combat : you vs the enemy, this can be ship-to-ship or person-to-person depending on where the action is taking place. It can be a planned attack, or a surprise attack. It isn't necessary for your ship and crew to win every battle. Never "kill off" a member of your crew without their permission. If a player is bored and wants to go out in a blaze of glory so they can introduce a new character, that is one thing. But, to "kill off" an active character who isn't ready to go, can also "kill off" your game.
2>Medical or Scientific: these missions can be the most challenging to plan, because you have to take the time to set up scenario in a way that will keep your medical and/or science officers busy without having to resort to: "did more research", "did this and that". You might have a plague strike a planet, or discover a new source of a particular mineral, or have to resolve a chemical disaster. Make the mission important so your team feels as though they can really put a good effort into resolving the situation.
3>Engineering: keeping your engineers on task can take some effort, you don't want them continuously developing engine trouble in the heat of battle. Your ship should be well enough built that it can run smoothly and reliably when you need it. But, at the same time, you don't want your engineers to become bored. Use their expertise on missions, let them assemble and disassemble alien technology that stands between you and your goals.
4> Diplomatic: sometimes, you may want your crew to experience a change of pace. Let your ship carry the diplomatic envoy from a neutral world to a special meeting. Have them experience a change in culture, make friends with a little known species. Give your crew "shore leave" and spend a game night with the crew while they are "off duty" at a station or on a planet.
There are endless possibilities for mission scenarios. The personality of your ship and crew will be key in determining which are the most successful styles for your game.
The first rule of role playing is don't get discouraged if it takes a few game sessions to get into the swing of things.
A Role Playing Game is a great way to challenge your imagination, it is very like an impromptu play. You have to write your own lines, but you have to sound realistic in how you are responding. So focus on the setting, and the mission at hand in order to perform at your best.
As a member of the crew, it is your job to respond to the action going on around you. Since this is in real time, you have to know your character and your character's responsibilities or you risk getting left behind.
The CO and XO of the ship are in charge of the missions and of selecting their crew. If you can show them you have completed training in an area that they have a need for, it will help your chances of getting selected for a crew. Sometimes you have to opt for a different position than you initially wanted, but the job you want might come open at some point in the future.
Be responsible. Learn all you can about your character's responsibilities and duties. Know the technology used by your character.
In other words, take the time to go through the training you need for your character. The tutorials are online and they are free, so take advantage of the opportunity. If you are in search of a game to join, check the recruitment board and see if anyone is looking for a particular crewman. We can't guarantee that there will be a slot open, but, we try to keep the boards as up to date as possible. So, hopefully, you will find a crew to join soon.
Don't be wild and out of control. It is fun to have an interesting character, but if you make the rest of the players miserable, there won't be a game to play after a while. Either it will fold because the rest of the players have quit, or your character will be dismissed.
Be willing to share the spotlight. Don't rush in to save the day on every mission, especially if your character really wouldn't have the means or opportunity to accomplish the task. Your CO and XO should be giving everyone a chance to shine, so look for ways to excel that make the game more fun for everyone.
Sometimes your CO and XO are trying to give a primary role to a player who is usually in the background. Support them by taking a secondary role for that mission.
Be cooperative, work with the other players, help them accomplish their tasks, even if that means creating your own secondary role to play. For example: if you are a member of the Medical Division and there is a battle going on, don't keep calling up to the CO or go charging into the middle of the battle, busy your character treating the incoming wounded, even if the wounded are non-player characters. Set up the triage unit, set up the operating rooms, do what your character would be doing at that point, don't feel like you are being left out simply because you aren't the center of attention during a particular game.
Share your ideas with your CO and XO. Don't expect them to drop everything else to pick up on your idea, but work with them see if there is a way to include the mission scenario that you have developed.
Stay current. Read your game transcripts and your mission recaps. If you continuously make mistakes simply because you haven't bothered to keep up with what is going on, don't expect the rest of the crew to go out of their way for you, and don't expect many commendations or promotions to come your way if you aren't doing your part.
Develop your character's personality and personal life. Participate in sidebars, send out personal and duty logs. Let the rest of the players know about your character.
If you notice that a new player is having a hard time keeping pace, step up to help them out. After all, the more quality players your ship has, the better your games will be. Everyone has to learn the ropes, so be patient with those just starting out.
Above all else, don't say or do anything that might hurt your fellow players. Everyone there is a person with feelings, even if all you see are words on the screen. Be considerate in your interaction with them. If you have a conflict with another player, or if someone makes you uncomfortable, report it to the CO or XO, part of their job is to keep the game fun for everyone.
Event Horizons, Inc. reserves the right to close down or pull official status from any ship/base or related game, and/or to revoke rank and/or status of any player if that player/game violates copyright, engages in illegal activities, violates the corporate policy on nondiscrimination, or for general cause. Only those games and players/characters posted on the StarZone bulletin within this, the official Event Horizons, Inc., site are considered official.
*Please note: all submissions become the property of Event Horizons, Inc. and no compensation, monetary or otherwise, will be awarded. Submission does not guarantee publication.
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