Starship RP : the next season starts soon!

[Kheren]

Greetings to all RPers,

It is my pleasure to announce that, with the closing of season 3 as the USS Horizon's second adventure concludes, Season 4 will officially start on Sunday September 28th.

Season 4 of LF RP will see some important changes in our usual play format in the hope of stimulating even more participation in the game.


1- The first big change will be that I, as RP director, will come up and directly supervise all the episodes. Captains of course will still have complete freedom to handle their ship and crew, but now they will have the same thrills and chills as the other players have by not knowing themselves all the story elements as they used to. Basically, this is the classical RPG format of a Gamemaster bringing the setting and events to all the players and them uniting ideas and talents to face them.

This is not to say however that they loose all their opportunity for creativity and personalizing the adventures of their starship.


2- The second big change in our RP format will be in fact to allow each and every player to contribute ideas, plots and scenes to the story, not just their character's actions, thoughts and dialogs as they used to. It is from those ideas that the story will be built upon, instead of imposing a predetermined one. The goal is to have each and every player bring his or her own center of interest to the forefront, not just play it out with NPCs as we used to. Moreover,it will give more opportunties to have the other players involved as well, as part of the main plot. After all, interactions between the player characters is what RP is all about.By having all players stating what they want in a story right from the start and then throughout the entire play, we hope to stimulate even more and steadier participation, creativity and originality.

The story will no longer be the GM's story but truly everyone's story.

Case in point, the current changes we will experiment all came from our active player base. This trend is what we hope to keep up wether we stay with those changes or not or implement new ones in the future. This gane is your game.


3- The third change implemented with season 4 will be the opening of junior positions on board our ships. Thus, if we have many players wanting a specific position, we will have experienced players assuming senior status (department head), less experienced ones (lower ranking newcomers) assuming one of the usual three assistant chief positions and even some other Pcs take on the roles of specialists assigned to the ship and her specific mission (tailored to their proposed ideas).

This way even if, for example, everyone wants to play a tactical officer on board the flagship, everyone will have the opportunity to play one and in a significant role (and we will have then a very conflict-based story to be sure!).


4- The fourth major change will be the systematisation of the Junior Officer Cruise for new players. Conceived as a cadet cruise, this will be a starship adventure, shorter but just like the main ones, aboard the USS Alsea, our Prometheus class vessel. These shorter plays will be solely dedicated to help new players experience our RP, adjust to it's style and flesh out their character while they await the end of a story and the return of the main ship they will be assigned to... and before they involve themselves in loner play sessions.

It will also serve as a tutorial after the Academy initiation in the Kobayashi Maru test for those who feel the need to get their spacelegs in our RP.

Older RPers coming up with new characters or wanting more play time than just their main PC will also have the opportunity to participate there as well and guide our newcomers into our unique RP universe.


So, all of you out there who wants to live out adventures in the Star Trek universe, come on and join! Create a character, choose your career and send out your story ideas and interests to me, either via website PM or RP site PM to Kheren, or through Skype to Kherenkalel.

Make sure also that you read the RP Admin message on this section for getting involved right away and the right way. Again, any inquiry may be sent to me directly.

On a final note, anyone who wants to assist me in this fun work and/or contribute in recruiting new or returning players, there is a RP Director Assistant position open!

Season 4 launches September 28 with a roll call of all willing and able officers to report for a brand new mission in a novel format; the opening episode of this new season will involve both the flagship of Lotus Fleet, the Lotus class USS Horizon, and the explorer of Lotus Fleet, the Avenger class USS Phoenix in an important joint mission.

Join us to boldly go where no RP has gone before!



Admiral Kheren
RP Director

[Kheren]

"To all current, returning and new RPers;

While we wait for Season 4 to start (September 28th) and the first joint episode to follow for both ships (October 5th), here is a short Starbase episode for you all to play out while waiting.

Basically it is a plotless sandbox episode. Anyone can bring in anything relevant to their character; resting and enjoying hobbies, family, working and preparing for next launch, meeting and interacting with other crewmembers or those of the other ship, doing short personal missions etc... Anything goes (except of course things like blowing up the starbase or ships, destroying the Federation and altering the universe as we know it...)

Short and sweet for those eager to join or having sat on their thumbs too long... or to try out and play that new character you want to propose... play out your arrival to LF, waiting for your new assignment... play out those little details that make your character the officer he or she is... or more than a person in a uniform... or foreshadow that storyline you want to suggest...

But be active; it all ends by October 4th midnight EST!

Engage!"

[Jeff T]

This also helps the Phoenix and her crew because months have past since their return from their first and only mission, while the Horizon just returned more recently from their 2nd mission.

Here is the thread as anticipated and mentioned to begin this aspect: http://www.lotusfleet.org/rp/index.php/sim/viewpost/488

But as noted, we only have just over ONE RL week here to get all of this preliminary work done with the Phoenix and her crew.

By the time the Midnight toll rings on the evening of October 4th... this opportunity will have passed. 

Note: In real life, my band will be performing on October 4th so I will not be able to log on to either site but for a few minutes early in the morning... and won't be back until after midnight PST.