Lesson 02: Basic Posting Skills
New On Board |
Real Life Interruptions |
Responding |
No Response
Section 1: Yikes - New on board - What do I say!!
If you are brand new to simming and haven't a clue this topic is terrifying.
You know no one and have the natural human feeling of being nervous. This
topic is designed to help you with your first few posts to the list.
First of all this is a game. Nothing more nothing less. No matter if you
are 10 or 60, we all like the game of pretending or daydreaming. It's normal
and healthy to daydream. Role Playing Games are a formalized
version of daydreaming or the game of pretending. You can pretend as much
or as little as you wish (must be a minimum of once a week). One of the
things that makes this game interesting is that we all share common
interests: a fondness for Star Trek or Firefly or Harry Potter... you get the idea.
Now, you've just been added to the group. You're excited, you had great
plans, now comes the moment of truth and you can't think of one thing to say
to get yourself started. Sound familiar? Don't worry, it's normal. The
following are some suggestions that might help you along.
Standard hello: This is one of the first things that you might want to put
out. Let everyone know you've joined.
Sample:
NRPG: Hi everyone, I'm new to the ship. My character's name is (insert
name) and he/she is a (insert species) who is assigned to the (insert
department) department. I've been a fan of Star Trek for (how many) years
and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.
Note: Adjust the message as much as you like, but the basic idea it to let
everyone know you are here... and that you want to play.
Next: Posting your arrival. With this you will have to be adaptable. Find
out what is going on before you post this. Reasoning behind this: If the
ship is in the middle of a fire fight with the bad guys you just can't beam
up or arrive by shuttle at the present moment of the plot. But be aware
there are tricks to do it. This section will discuss them.
Arriving while the ship is orbiting something (planet or starbase): This
one is the easiest. Beam up... simple. Describe going to the planet's or
the starbase's transporter room, being beamed up, and arriving on the ship.
Sample:
Cadet (insert name) walked through the corridor of the Starbase to the main
transporter room. He/She was nervous (or excited) about starting out a
career in Starfleet. He/She handed the transporter chief a copy of
his/her orders and then stepped up on the pad. The transporter effect (you
can describe how you want) took effect and then in the blink of an eye
he/she was on board the USS San Francisco.
Arriving while the ship is in motion: This gets a little more complicated.
You have two choices:
- Arrive by shuttle
- (2) Post a memory about how you arrived when the ship was in port the last.
In both cases you describe
the events of getting on board. One is current time, the other takes place
in the past and you are only thinking about it.
Sample:
Cadet (insert name) sat in the passenger section of the shuttle watching as
they approached the ship. It seemed bigger (or smaller) than he/she
expected. He/she heard the shuttle pilot request and then accept clearance
to arrive.
Arriving in the middle of action: This one is limited but occurs the most.
Something is going on, and you're stuck with the task of joining. You
actually have two choices (1) Post a memory of how you got there, or (2)
Just be there. One requires you to post about how you arrived the other you
just jump right in. Obviously this will be a personal choice.
Sample:
Cadet (insert name) thought back to his/her arrival. It had been days/weeks
since arriving but with everything that has happened on board he/she hadn't
had time to think about it. It just seemed like yesterday. (go on to
describe the arrival)
Next: Standard unpacking: In your welcome letter you were given a
description of your quarters. This post could be a description of how and
what you unpack and what you think of your quarters. This is a simple post
that involves no one.
Sample:
Cadet (insert name) looked around the room that would be his/her home for
the next 4 years. The first thing to do was to unpack. He/she pulled out a
picture of mom/dad/dog/girl(or boy) friend and placed it on the
dresser.
Next: You're on the ship, you don't know what to do: Tracking down your
supervisor and getting an assignment: Now that you are on the ship you'll
want some direction about what you should or could be doing. You can ask
your questions privately by e-mailing your supervisor or make a post out of
it. In most cases, your supervisor will have responded to one of your
earlier posts and may post an assignment for you so you can skip this and go
with what you've been assigned. But real life does interfere and you may
have to ask. Don't be shy..... ask. Be aware that a Departmental Head, or
whoever your supervisor is has been simming for some time and should have
the experience needed to help you along. If you don't feel you are
receiving the help you need then move up the chain of command after you've
attempted to work with your supervisor.
Sample:
After unpacking, Cadet (insert name) left his/her quarters in search of
his/her supervisor. It was hard being the new person because there was so
much to learn. Maybe (insert supervisors name) will be able to help by
giving them something to do.
Section 2: I have a real life and I can't keep up all the time
*ouch* This is reality. Schoolwork, parents, kids, illnesses,
responsibilities of real life take preference over games. You will notice
that some people post more often on the weekends, during the week, or
every other week. Never compare your posting frequency to others, because
your lives are not the same.
Everyone is influenced by reality but it doesn't mean you can't play. Most
ships require a once a week commitment. Do you have to change the world
with your one post. Nope, just contribute as much as you can. Be aware the
frequent posters and those with the best quality will be promoted faster.
This is a fact of sim life. One word of advice, keep your Captain informed.
If you can only do a post every other week then let him/her know about it.
If you are going on vacation... once again keep your Captain informed.
I want a senior position but I can't post often now because (Insert reason here). No
problem. As stated, promotions are based on posting frequency and quality.
If you can't be frequent then increase your quality. Try to shine when you
have the time. Fact is the frequent quality poster will be promoted first,
then the quality poster and finally the frequent poster. Captains are going
to look at who will help their ship the most when filling their senior
positions. Never assume that as a Cadet you will immediately start out as
an Ensign. What you do here at the Academy does follow you. In fact
*smile* one of our recent graduates just assumed a senior position and a
senior rank right out of the Academy. Why? A report of quality and
frequency was reported to the gaining Captain.
Bottom line - Keep your captain informed and post as often as you can
without interfering with your real life.
Section 3: What do I do? I'm expected to respond! Panic!
You've been on board a day or a week and suddenly you're reading a post and
see your character's name. It's a good feeling to be included and a cause
for panic because now you have to do something.
Questions that may come to
mind are:
Now these are all good
questions and I will address each of them. If you have no questions don't
worry since each of us are at different levels in their confidence and
training. These are just a few of the more common questions that I have
addressed in the past.
Question: What do I say?
The answer to this one will depend upon what was asked of you. The first
thing to do is to identify what you are being asked to do. Are you being
asked for a verbal response or is your character being asked to go somewhere
or do something? Once you've identified what is expected of you then the
response will depend on you and how you want your character's personality to
be displayed. Logically if you are asked to join in on an away team mission
you won't respond by going to bed.
One of the things that may cause you to hesitate is the fact that you are
not sure how this response is going to affect the mission. Most often
actions that take place on the bridge are mission and plot related.
Contacting others, moving the ship, monitoring the ship's resources, firing
weapons all tend to lead towards mission completion. So if you are on the
bridge and asked to contribute you can bet that it is mission related and
important for the mission to go forward. Never hesitate to respond to a
bridge order, if you're asked to fire a weapon.... please do so.
Actions that take place in other places on the ship can be divided as to
mission importance. Medical, Security, Engineering and the Science
department are all important to the mission, but they tend to offer the
greatest potential for sub-plots (actions taking place that are independent
of the mission). Look at where the direction came from and what is being
asked of you. Obviously if the order came down from the bridge.... it's
mission related. If your character is being directed to complete an action
it is very likely mission related, if it is a fellow cadet that is asking
you to go to the lounge for a drink then it's social.
Anything that is mission related should be responded to by either doing the
action requested or responding with your opinion when asked. If it is non-mission
related or social then the response is entirely up to you.
Side note: Sub-plots and character interactions can be fun but they are
considered character development. Through your entire sim career
you will see relationships develop between characters, friendships, enemies,
romances, marriages, having children and all the normal things that occur in
what we consider real life. Are the events that take place in sim
relationships happening in real life - heck no, they are just character
development and an attempt to make the games seem more real. Do they add to
the mission, no, but they add an interesting quality to the games.
What to say and how to respond:
If you apply naturally occurring events you can make your simming easier.
Ask yourself "How can I help this mission along" or "how would I react" if
it were me? You should have some idea about what your character could and
should do. If you feel uncomfortable with using yourself as a model, think
about an actor or an actress that you admire and think your character is
like. If you use this modeling method, ask yourself what would _______ do
in this situation. While developing movement you will also develop your
character's identity. Cadet "A" quickly switched the power from the
holodecks to the shields at the Captain's request to increase power to the
shields, while Cadet "B" felt panic rise in the back of his/her throat and
turned to respond back, "What shall I do?" In both cases, a response takes
place but at the same time the readers get a hint about the personality of
the cadet.
Question: What if I do it wrong?
In most cases there is no wrong response. As long as you stick within the
mission and keep from going off in unrelated areas (such as we're on a
diplomatic mission and you suddenly begin firing on the ships in the area
*ouch*), all on board will adapt to what you've added.
One of the things that is interesting about the creation of a mission is
the fact that a beginning is created and the ending is unknown until we
reach it. The potential to fail in completing a mission is just as great
as succeeding.
Question: How do I say it? What do I include when I do post?
Once you've been asked to respond, the actual words are yours, the format is
standard. When responding you could clip a portion of the previous post and
add your response. Never add the entire previous post unless it is
important to your responses. A small clip is usually enough to remind
others of why you are posting. Anything more will become annoying. Sample:
(note this is from another sim...... Cardassian to be exact)
<snip> From Promaal:
> Promaal slowed as he approached the Medbay entrance. He could smell the
> Legate inside. He entered the Medbay..........and ran right into the back
> of a Cardassian crewman.
>
> "Legate, you wish to hold a conversation with me?"
New RPG:
Shiana waved the guards out of the way. She was waiting for the medical
staff to patch up her check but that wouldn't stop her from extracting a
pledge from Promaal. "As you see Field Gul, I've had a run in with one of
your men." She reached up and touched the still bleeding wound. "He will
be executed of course, his attack on me is enough to establish his guilt for
treason to Cardassia," she said with a hint of revenge.
Note:
Now as you can see, a small portion of the previous post was added and this
small addition gave a clear reason for the response. There was an
interaction that took place and over several posts a conversation took
place. A little bit was added from the previous post to give the readers an
idea of who said what when.
Question: How long do I have to post a response?
The person requesting the response will want an immediate one - but that
is unrealistic since real life gets in the way. The key here is to prevent
the mission from stalling out. A response within 24-48 hours is ideal, and
up to a week is a limit. The longer the delay the greater the chance that
the mission will move on without a response (a "rollover"). If the mission
moves on just put a NRPG comment that your post takes place before whatever
action happened after your expected response. Just because you've been
passed up does not mean you can't respond.
Question: What if I say something wrong and then get corrected?
This happens. There are several reasons a post will be corrected or
direction will be given to disregard the post. Some of the reasons are as
follows:
- Sometimes enthusiasm gets going and a post hits the list that goes
out into left field. It's not that it's a bad post but maybe it causes the
direction of the mission to go so far off track that it will in the end
cause more confusion than it's worth.
- The post changes the purpose and intent of the mission.
- The post causes one character to be the total complete focus of the
mission. The ship and the crew are a team. "Superhero" characters take the
fun away from one and all.
- A post that starts a sub-plot that interferes with the main mission,
causing a major shift in the direction of the sim.
- A post that changes the facts put out by senior officers. This is
similar to a change in mission.
Note: All of the above tend to be similar in nature. As long as we
remember that we are a team and we all work towards a common goal all will
go well. ie: The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.
The post is overturned, what to do next:
When your post is over turned, rewrite it to bring it into line with the
mission. Make your corrections and be a good officer about it, adapt so all
can play. We all make mistakes (including the Captain) and we must
recognize when we go against the common good and be adaptable. Overturning
posts is rare, but it does happen. You will see it more often in the
Academy than you will on a regular ship, but it does happen there as well.
In simpler terms what happens when a football or a soccer player goes off to
do whatever they want while the rest of the team is running off to get a
goal? First he/she is going to be ignored by the other players and second,
I would imagine that the coach will have a few words for that independent
player .... none too nice and all towards a theme of teamwork. The same is
in the RPG, we are a team.
Section 4: I needed someone to respond and they didn't - Help!
If you put something in your post that requires a player to respond, try to
be patient while waiting for a response. If you still haven't gotten a
response in 24-48 hours and the mission is moving one.... feel free to
rollover the needed response and either insert an assumed response or ignore
the fact that you didn't get a response. Meaning: Move on if you have to.
The most common reaction is to get angry or frustrated. Both normal
reactions, but stop and think for a moment, on the net you are dealing with
people you don't know and may never have a chance to meet in real life.
Unlike real life where you would have an idea about what is happening in a
person's life, you may never know what is happening in a net friend's life.
Patience and understanding are a must when playing this type of game. You
need to shrug it off and assume that the individual that was expected to
respond had something preventing them from doing so. It is very rare that
the intent was to out right ignore your opening or your requested response.
The most common reasons for not responding are as follows:
- Computer problem (ie: viruses, malfunctions)
- Real life pressures (net privileges taken away, school work,
vacation, family emergencies, illness)
- Language barriers (we have several non-English speaking members)
- The character expected to respond was actually placed in another
area of the ship and no response could take place. ie: .... did you place an
individual in a bad position in the first place.
- Lack of skill or confusion
As Captain, there are several occasions where I have to ignore a requested
response. Most often it is due to the fact that the Cadets or Supervisors
post has placed me in a place where I was not or I was in the middle of
another action. (ie: I am on the bridge and the requested response is in
Engineering) I, like others, do not like to ignore any opening or potential
interaction, but there are times when it is impossible to do other wise.
There will be times when minor corrections can take place to fix the mix up,
but this must be used on a limited basis since it is quite rude to change
another person's words. We all do the best that we can to interact but if
need be "rollover" and go on with your posting.
This concludes Lesson 02. Please select from the following options:
GO BACK || TAKE TEST
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