<![CDATA[Federation Space - Admin Announcements]]>

<![CDATA[Federation Space - Admin Announcements]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/ Fri, 08 May 2026 02:32:18 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[State of the Site - May 2025]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=576 Sun, 18 May 2025 20:50:15 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=576
USS Titania/USS Zephyr

Some of you may have noticed that the USS Titania is no longer an active ship on Federation Space. To be transparent, the Titania had been struggling members-wise for over a year, and despite the efforts of Autumn and I, it wasn't improving. Closure and transferring the crew to vacancies elsewhere in the fleet seemed, at the time, the smart move. Given that neither of us want to close a ship and further shrink the site, we were overjoyed when the Titania crew as a whole presented a potential solution, and so the Zephyr was born.

The Zephyr will be commanded by Gabe aka Commander Morad Ameen, former First Officer of the Titania and (as Captain Gabriel Archer) historical Commanding Officer of Space Station Sierra-18, and of the USS Intrepid.

In the short weeks since the changeover, the Zephyr has already increased its membership and the crew are enthusiastically preparing for their new mission. I look forward to seeing what they can do!

Membership

Artemis: 11 Active, 1 ELOA (12 PRCs)
Aquila: 8 Active (7 PRCs, 1 SRC)
Yeager: 10 Active (8 PRCs, 2 SRCs)
Zephyr: 7 Active (5 PRCs, 2 SRCs)

Recruitment and Openings

As you can see above, we're still holding more-or-less stable membership-wise. We've lost four members to inactivity or real-life in the last two months, and while that is always unfortunate, those members will always have a place with us on Federation Space.

Given our numbers, I have been looking at new avenues of recruitment. With help from Nicole, aka Lt Ra'an of the Zephyr, a new ad has been generated to advertise the site across Star Trek fan groups and Discord servers. I have also once again opened the Discord server to non-members, who will be locked to a single thread until they graduate the Academy, but still otherwise able to interact with current and other prospective members.

Current Openings
DH Openings:
Aquila: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Science Officer, Chief Medical Officer
Yeager: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Medical Officer
Zephyr: Chief Engineer

Non-DH Openings:
Aquila: Engineer
Yeager: Engineer
Zephyr: Tactical Officer, Medical Officer, Engineer, Security Officer

Funding

Federation Space has never, and will never, be a site where members are expected to pay to participate. It will remain a free-to-play site. However, times are tough for just about everyone these days, and Autumn had been paying out-of-pocket for the server hosting for a few years now. We migrated to this forum and a new server host in 2023 because it was significantly cheaper, but costs still add up.

The breakdown I was provided by Autumn was around $20/month for hosting, and one-time payments of $25 each for server renewals for the forum and wiki. That's nearly $300/year, all told.

In an effort to avoid us having to resort to entirely-free software, which would have included migrating our wiki to a Fandom page (complete with ads and malware), I put out a call for donations on Discord. Those of you who know me know I loathe asking for help, but given the options were to swallow my pride or start moving us somewhere else, the answer was fairly self-evident.

I am glad to say that the membership responded, raising a total of $413.45 (thanks conversion fees!) for the continued hosting of the site. We're funded now until the middle of next year, when Autumn and I will discuss the situation once again.

Closing

We're a little down when it comes to numbers, but we have a solid core that we can build upon. If you know friends who want to write, former members who might miss the community, or even run an RPG of your own and want to consider a member swap, please invite them to take a look around!]]>
USS Titania/USS Zephyr

Some of you may have noticed that the USS Titania is no longer an active ship on Federation Space. To be transparent, the Titania had been struggling members-wise for over a year, and despite the efforts of Autumn and I, it wasn't improving. Closure and transferring the crew to vacancies elsewhere in the fleet seemed, at the time, the smart move. Given that neither of us want to close a ship and further shrink the site, we were overjoyed when the Titania crew as a whole presented a potential solution, and so the Zephyr was born.

The Zephyr will be commanded by Gabe aka Commander Morad Ameen, former First Officer of the Titania and (as Captain Gabriel Archer) historical Commanding Officer of Space Station Sierra-18, and of the USS Intrepid.

In the short weeks since the changeover, the Zephyr has already increased its membership and the crew are enthusiastically preparing for their new mission. I look forward to seeing what they can do!

Membership

Artemis: 11 Active, 1 ELOA (12 PRCs)
Aquila: 8 Active (7 PRCs, 1 SRC)
Yeager: 10 Active (8 PRCs, 2 SRCs)
Zephyr: 7 Active (5 PRCs, 2 SRCs)

Recruitment and Openings

As you can see above, we're still holding more-or-less stable membership-wise. We've lost four members to inactivity or real-life in the last two months, and while that is always unfortunate, those members will always have a place with us on Federation Space.

Given our numbers, I have been looking at new avenues of recruitment. With help from Nicole, aka Lt Ra'an of the Zephyr, a new ad has been generated to advertise the site across Star Trek fan groups and Discord servers. I have also once again opened the Discord server to non-members, who will be locked to a single thread until they graduate the Academy, but still otherwise able to interact with current and other prospective members.

Current Openings
DH Openings:
Aquila: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Science Officer, Chief Medical Officer
Yeager: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Medical Officer
Zephyr: Chief Engineer

Non-DH Openings:
Aquila: Engineer
Yeager: Engineer
Zephyr: Tactical Officer, Medical Officer, Engineer, Security Officer

Funding

Federation Space has never, and will never, be a site where members are expected to pay to participate. It will remain a free-to-play site. However, times are tough for just about everyone these days, and Autumn had been paying out-of-pocket for the server hosting for a few years now. We migrated to this forum and a new server host in 2023 because it was significantly cheaper, but costs still add up.

The breakdown I was provided by Autumn was around $20/month for hosting, and one-time payments of $25 each for server renewals for the forum and wiki. That's nearly $300/year, all told.

In an effort to avoid us having to resort to entirely-free software, which would have included migrating our wiki to a Fandom page (complete with ads and malware), I put out a call for donations on Discord. Those of you who know me know I loathe asking for help, but given the options were to swallow my pride or start moving us somewhere else, the answer was fairly self-evident.

I am glad to say that the membership responded, raising a total of $413.45 (thanks conversion fees!) for the continued hosting of the site. We're funded now until the middle of next year, when Autumn and I will discuss the situation once again.

Closing

We're a little down when it comes to numbers, but we have a solid core that we can build upon. If you know friends who want to write, former members who might miss the community, or even run an RPG of your own and want to consider a member swap, please invite them to take a look around!]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - 25th Anniversary Edition! (March 2025)]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=549 Sat, 01 Mar 2025 20:06:16 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=549
The site is now old enough to vote in every nation on Earth! (The UAE voting age is 25, I looked it up!)

It's hard to imagine that there are online communities that make it to twenty-five years of consistent activity, and it stands as testament to the effort and love that you as members and players show for the site and the community as a whole. Federation Space isn't the oldest online RPG out there, but it's definitely up there as one of the longest consistently-running RPGs, without any major change in play styles; in fact, the only real change we've seen is that every player, regardless of rank or position, posts using the same colour!

For those who joined post-2005 or so, in the "olden days," Admins posted in red text, COs posted in green, and GMs used purple. On the old white, blue, and yellow forums, it worked and was easily legible, but as we moved to a more mature and less eye-watering theme, it's probably for the best that we ditched that particular idea.

While we're not a three-fleet, twelve-ship RPG any more, the site as a whole still has the strength of those old days. We still have a collection of dedicated and hard-working people looking after the back-end of the site, and the player-base is as talented and committed as it ever was. Twenty five years in, we're still going strong!

Player Spotlights

I'd like to take this opportunity to highlight some members who have been around for the majority of Federation Space's life. Several of the people on this list, myself included, were teenagers when we joined, and the site has literally been a part of our lives since childhood.

⦁ Ed, aka Edward Gregg/Lucy Devereaux - Join Date: July 22, 2003 (21 years 7 months 10 days).
⦁ Paul (me), aka Jennifer Braggins - Join Date: March 16, 2004 (20 years 11 months 16 days).
⦁ Gabe, aka Gabriel Archer/Morad Ameen - Join Date: January 9, 2005 (20 years 1 months 23 days)
⦁ Amber, aka Tyra Crawford - Join Date: June 17, 2005 (19 years 8 months 14 days)
⦁ Autumn, aka T'Mana, Adaran 225, et al. - Join Date: November 20, 2005 (19 years 3 months 11 days)
⦁ Roger, aka Daniel Brooks/Keval ch'Alev - Join Date: August 15, 2007 (17 years 6 months 17 days)
⦁ Jen, aka Judith Tucker/Carol Harriman - Join Date: July 16, 2007 (17 years 7 months 16 days)
⦁ Amanda, aka Jane Fields - Join Date: October 15, 2007 (17 years 4 months 17 days)
⦁ Evan, aka Sothrick - Join Date: January 9, 2010 (15 years 1 months 23 days)
⦁ Ken, aka Alexander Talion/Kalli Thorn - Join Date: June 22, 2014 (10 years 8 months 9 days)
⦁ Luke, aka Jadaris - Join Date: August 3, 2014 (10 years 6 months 29 days)

Note: This list includes active members, and their current time as consistent players. We are grateful to anyone who has been with us for any length of time, regardless of any time taken away from the site.

Membership

Artemis: 13 Active (13 PRCs)
Aquila: 9 Active (9 PRCs)
Titania: 8 Active (5 PRCs, 3 SRCs)
Yeager: 10 Active (9 PRCs, 1 SRC)

We're still holding strong at 36 active members, an average of 9 per ship. Membership distribution is, of course, subject to the wants and needs of the players, as well as staffing aboard different ships. Ships without DHs cannot receive a new member in that department, for example, because every new member needs a mentor. In order to fill those roles, it's important that players reach out to their friends and command teams to advertise DH openings, and encourage players to create SRCs or NRCs to fill those gaps.

Current Openings
DH Openings:
Aquila: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Science Officer
Titania: Chief Tactical Officer
Yeager: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Medical Officer

Non-DH Openings:
Aquila: Engineering Officer
Titania: Medical Officer, Engineering Officer, Security Officer
Yeager: Medical Officer

Closing

It's crazy to think that Federation Space is now in its twenty-sixth year! The site has stood firm for a quarter of a century while players have received degrees, gotten married and started families, bought houses, and gone into the workforce. We've had players of different ethnicities, religions, and gender identities join from all around the world, a true melting pot of writing talent. For some, the site has been an escape, for others, an opportunity to develop skills for their careers. Regardless of our differences, what united us was our love for Star Trek, and for the writing craft - we live the philosophy of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

Lifelong friendships have been made on these very forums, and if I had to pick the facet of Federation Space that was most important, that would be it.

While the future is never certain, I feel confident that, so long as we have a solid group of writers, the site will continue to be there for us in return. We will continue to strive for quality posts on fun and engaging missions, and continuing the spirit of Star Trek.]]>
The site is now old enough to vote in every nation on Earth! (The UAE voting age is 25, I looked it up!)

It's hard to imagine that there are online communities that make it to twenty-five years of consistent activity, and it stands as testament to the effort and love that you as members and players show for the site and the community as a whole. Federation Space isn't the oldest online RPG out there, but it's definitely up there as one of the longest consistently-running RPGs, without any major change in play styles; in fact, the only real change we've seen is that every player, regardless of rank or position, posts using the same colour!

For those who joined post-2005 or so, in the "olden days," Admins posted in red text, COs posted in green, and GMs used purple. On the old white, blue, and yellow forums, it worked and was easily legible, but as we moved to a more mature and less eye-watering theme, it's probably for the best that we ditched that particular idea.

While we're not a three-fleet, twelve-ship RPG any more, the site as a whole still has the strength of those old days. We still have a collection of dedicated and hard-working people looking after the back-end of the site, and the player-base is as talented and committed as it ever was. Twenty five years in, we're still going strong!

Player Spotlights

I'd like to take this opportunity to highlight some members who have been around for the majority of Federation Space's life. Several of the people on this list, myself included, were teenagers when we joined, and the site has literally been a part of our lives since childhood.

⦁ Ed, aka Edward Gregg/Lucy Devereaux - Join Date: July 22, 2003 (21 years 7 months 10 days).
⦁ Paul (me), aka Jennifer Braggins - Join Date: March 16, 2004 (20 years 11 months 16 days).
⦁ Gabe, aka Gabriel Archer/Morad Ameen - Join Date: January 9, 2005 (20 years 1 months 23 days)
⦁ Amber, aka Tyra Crawford - Join Date: June 17, 2005 (19 years 8 months 14 days)
⦁ Autumn, aka T'Mana, Adaran 225, et al. - Join Date: November 20, 2005 (19 years 3 months 11 days)
⦁ Roger, aka Daniel Brooks/Keval ch'Alev - Join Date: August 15, 2007 (17 years 6 months 17 days)
⦁ Jen, aka Judith Tucker/Carol Harriman - Join Date: July 16, 2007 (17 years 7 months 16 days)
⦁ Amanda, aka Jane Fields - Join Date: October 15, 2007 (17 years 4 months 17 days)
⦁ Evan, aka Sothrick - Join Date: January 9, 2010 (15 years 1 months 23 days)
⦁ Ken, aka Alexander Talion/Kalli Thorn - Join Date: June 22, 2014 (10 years 8 months 9 days)
⦁ Luke, aka Jadaris - Join Date: August 3, 2014 (10 years 6 months 29 days)

Note: This list includes active members, and their current time as consistent players. We are grateful to anyone who has been with us for any length of time, regardless of any time taken away from the site.

Membership

Artemis: 13 Active (13 PRCs)
Aquila: 9 Active (9 PRCs)
Titania: 8 Active (5 PRCs, 3 SRCs)
Yeager: 10 Active (9 PRCs, 1 SRC)

We're still holding strong at 36 active members, an average of 9 per ship. Membership distribution is, of course, subject to the wants and needs of the players, as well as staffing aboard different ships. Ships without DHs cannot receive a new member in that department, for example, because every new member needs a mentor. In order to fill those roles, it's important that players reach out to their friends and command teams to advertise DH openings, and encourage players to create SRCs or NRCs to fill those gaps.

Current Openings
DH Openings:
Aquila: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Science Officer
Titania: Chief Tactical Officer
Yeager: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Medical Officer

Non-DH Openings:
Aquila: Engineering Officer
Titania: Medical Officer, Engineering Officer, Security Officer
Yeager: Medical Officer

Closing

It's crazy to think that Federation Space is now in its twenty-sixth year! The site has stood firm for a quarter of a century while players have received degrees, gotten married and started families, bought houses, and gone into the workforce. We've had players of different ethnicities, religions, and gender identities join from all around the world, a true melting pot of writing talent. For some, the site has been an escape, for others, an opportunity to develop skills for their careers. Regardless of our differences, what united us was our love for Star Trek, and for the writing craft - we live the philosophy of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

Lifelong friendships have been made on these very forums, and if I had to pick the facet of Federation Space that was most important, that would be it.

While the future is never certain, I feel confident that, so long as we have a solid group of writers, the site will continue to be there for us in return. We will continue to strive for quality posts on fun and engaging missions, and continuing the spirit of Star Trek.]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - January 2025]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=451 Sat, 11 Jan 2025 20:29:53 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=451
Membership

Artemis: 11 Active (11 PRCs), 1 ELOA
Aquila: 9 Active (9 PRCs), 1 ELOA
Titania: 7 Active (5 PRCs, 2 SRCs), 1 ELOA
Yeager: 10 Active (9 PRCs, 1 SRC)

We also have three players on Special Leave of Absence, or SLOA. SLOA requests are approved by the Admin Team when a player in good standing has a long-term disruption to their posting ability but wishes to remain a member.

In total, we have 36 active players on the site, an average of 9 per ship. We've gained members to replace members who left over the last few months, so we're holding stable with no net gain or loss.

Recruitment

While I have tried to actively recruit using several Star Trek Discord servers, the success rate has not been stellar. People either do not apply, apply but then never post at the Academy, or drop out soon after graduation. Obviously this is disheartening for me but also affects the crews needing new members.

If anyone has any recruitment strategies that they think might help the site, please let me know.

Mission Assignments

I've been asked recently about the time it takes for a mission to be assigned to a ship following the conclusion of their previous mission, and in the interests of transparency, I'm going to be honest and say "it depends". First the CO of that ship has to tell me they finished the mission, archive the ship and upload the files to Google Drive. Then I purge the threads so the ship has a fresh start. This is also the time where the CO should be uploading Crew Logs and Bio Updates to their ship's wiki page so that the character development and site history isn't lost. That's Step One.

Step Two involves finding a mission that will suit the crew; while a CO has final say in whether or not they accept a mission, it's my responsibility to ensure I'm setting the crew up for success. If the CO wishes to write their own mission, this is the time for them to pilot the idea, but there is no guarantee the mission they want to run fits the needs of their crew; we've had instances in the past where a mission hasn't been right for a crew, and they have gotten bored or gone inactive. The good news is that I have plenty of mission outlines either ready to go or in need of ship-specific tweaks, although I always welcome new ideas.

Step Three involves finding a GM with the right post rate and temperament for the crew; this can sometimes take time, as GMs need a break, too. If one is not found, the CO may be asked to GM the mission (they can also volunteer), but this is a last resort; having a CO and a GM means the mission will always have someone to drive progress even if one of them needs a break. If they are the same person, there's no backup and it falls to the FO and I to figure out a way to keep the plot moving and players engaged.

Once those three steps are complete, the crew are free to begin their new adventure! Usually this process takes four to six weeks, though can be delayed for a variety of reasons. If you feel your crew's leave is going on too long, feel free to DM me to find out where in the process your ship is.

Staff Openings

Going forward, I am going to highlight staff openings on different ships so that players know where the DH vacancies are, where there might be opportunities for an SRC or NRC on other ships, and where recruitment is needed for specific departments. These openings are based on the latest updates to the Admin master roster.

DH Openings:
Aquila: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Science Officer
Titania: Chief Tactical Officer
Yeager: Chief Medical Officer

Non-DH Openings:
Artemis: Security Officer
Titania: Medical Officer, Engineering Officer, Security Officer
Yeager: Security Officer

Other Openings:
Academy: Academy Instructors
Creative Team: Mission Writers, Junior GMs
Content Team: Wiki Editors

If you have any questions about any of these positions, please feel free to contact me.

Closing

I think that's about it for this State of the Site. We're in a good place. I would like 2025 to focus on the community both within the crew and across the site, and ensure that the missions and adventures our characters go on reflect the hope of a utopian future for mankind that Gene Roddenberry first brought to us almost 60 years ago.]]>
Membership

Artemis: 11 Active (11 PRCs), 1 ELOA
Aquila: 9 Active (9 PRCs), 1 ELOA
Titania: 7 Active (5 PRCs, 2 SRCs), 1 ELOA
Yeager: 10 Active (9 PRCs, 1 SRC)

We also have three players on Special Leave of Absence, or SLOA. SLOA requests are approved by the Admin Team when a player in good standing has a long-term disruption to their posting ability but wishes to remain a member.

In total, we have 36 active players on the site, an average of 9 per ship. We've gained members to replace members who left over the last few months, so we're holding stable with no net gain or loss.

Recruitment

While I have tried to actively recruit using several Star Trek Discord servers, the success rate has not been stellar. People either do not apply, apply but then never post at the Academy, or drop out soon after graduation. Obviously this is disheartening for me but also affects the crews needing new members.

If anyone has any recruitment strategies that they think might help the site, please let me know.

Mission Assignments

I've been asked recently about the time it takes for a mission to be assigned to a ship following the conclusion of their previous mission, and in the interests of transparency, I'm going to be honest and say "it depends". First the CO of that ship has to tell me they finished the mission, archive the ship and upload the files to Google Drive. Then I purge the threads so the ship has a fresh start. This is also the time where the CO should be uploading Crew Logs and Bio Updates to their ship's wiki page so that the character development and site history isn't lost. That's Step One.

Step Two involves finding a mission that will suit the crew; while a CO has final say in whether or not they accept a mission, it's my responsibility to ensure I'm setting the crew up for success. If the CO wishes to write their own mission, this is the time for them to pilot the idea, but there is no guarantee the mission they want to run fits the needs of their crew; we've had instances in the past where a mission hasn't been right for a crew, and they have gotten bored or gone inactive. The good news is that I have plenty of mission outlines either ready to go or in need of ship-specific tweaks, although I always welcome new ideas.

Step Three involves finding a GM with the right post rate and temperament for the crew; this can sometimes take time, as GMs need a break, too. If one is not found, the CO may be asked to GM the mission (they can also volunteer), but this is a last resort; having a CO and a GM means the mission will always have someone to drive progress even if one of them needs a break. If they are the same person, there's no backup and it falls to the FO and I to figure out a way to keep the plot moving and players engaged.

Once those three steps are complete, the crew are free to begin their new adventure! Usually this process takes four to six weeks, though can be delayed for a variety of reasons. If you feel your crew's leave is going on too long, feel free to DM me to find out where in the process your ship is.

Staff Openings

Going forward, I am going to highlight staff openings on different ships so that players know where the DH vacancies are, where there might be opportunities for an SRC or NRC on other ships, and where recruitment is needed for specific departments. These openings are based on the latest updates to the Admin master roster.

DH Openings:
Aquila: Chief Tactical Officer, Chief Science Officer
Titania: Chief Tactical Officer
Yeager: Chief Medical Officer

Non-DH Openings:
Artemis: Security Officer
Titania: Medical Officer, Engineering Officer, Security Officer
Yeager: Security Officer

Other Openings:
Academy: Academy Instructors
Creative Team: Mission Writers, Junior GMs
Content Team: Wiki Editors

If you have any questions about any of these positions, please feel free to contact me.

Closing

I think that's about it for this State of the Site. We're in a good place. I would like 2025 to focus on the community both within the crew and across the site, and ensure that the missions and adventures our characters go on reflect the hope of a utopian future for mankind that Gene Roddenberry first brought to us almost 60 years ago.]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - November 2024]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=432 Sat, 02 Nov 2024 21:21:00 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=432

Membership

Artemis: 11 (11 PRCs)
Aquila: 10 (10 PRCs)
Titania: 8 (5 PRCs, 3 SRCs)
Yeager: 11 (10 PRCs, 1 SRC)

Membership has remained stable at 36 players since my last update in August. We've had a few prospective members join, but either not post, or drop out during the Academy. The good news is that nobody has left the site, and that we currently have two Cadets who have just joined, both of whom show promise and will be an excellent addition to whichever crew they join!

However, a reminder: If a department doesn't have a Department Head, we can't assign new players to it. New players need a contact point and role model to mentor them and help them grow, and mentoring new players is great training for those who have their eye on further promotions.

If you have friends who are looking for an RPG that prefers quality over quantity, with in-depth missions and larger crews for a richer role-play experience, please feel free to recruit them. Not only do you get a points bonus and medal ribbon when they make Ensign, you're helping the site as a whole as well!

Stardates

To be honest, the way we have done Stardates on this site has been unfortunately lacking in consistency. As Admin teams changed, so did the way they wanted to do things. This means that bios, mission logs, and site history can be something of a mess when it comes to reading them.

To simplify and unify Stardates, we are going to go with the following (former) format - {Current Year}{Current Month}.{Current Day}. This would appear in a YYYYMM.DD format. So a log posted today, November 2, 2024, would be written as 202411.02.

I have directed the Creative Team to start adjusting dates on the wiki, prioritizing active character bios and mission logs.

Bios and Logs Follow-Up

We've seen some improvement here, but a member e-mailed me the other day stating they believed the process of doing the updates was too complicated, and that there was a lack of clarity on how to complete it.

It's actually a very simple process: You e-mail your CO with the updated details or history that you want to add for your character. It is the CO's job to upload it. Job done! If this does not happen within a week (without a reason being given), please direct the e-mail to the Wiki Manager who will do it. Note: if your ship has a dedicated wiki editor, please contact them first before emailing the Wiki Manager.

Holiday Party

I'd like to bring back the tradition of the yearly Holiday Party on the site. This would be an in-game party that takes place outside of mission timelines, allowing everyone to congregate and mix with players from other ships. It would, of course, be voluntary and mission posting would take priority. I'm looking for a volunteer to run this; they would be responsible for planning the different events, any shenanigans that may occur, etc.

If you're interested please E-Mail me or DM me via Discord.

Reflections

As 2024 starts to draw to a close and FedSpace prepares for its 25th anniversary, I want to reflect on how things have been since the most recent change in Administration. I think we can all agree that any change of leadership can be challenging, but the members of this fine site made it as painless as possible for Autumn and I, and for that we thank you all.

Forum Change
We moved to this forum in August 2023, due to the fact that our last forum software was horrifically out of date, expensive to update and maintain, and open to security threats. That transition was not seamless, and unfortunately data was lost. We have also had to learn to cope with E-Mail notifications not working correctly, archiving posts being more difficult, and no easy way to switch between accounts.

We did, however, come together as a community and move past these ''growing pains.'' The new forum may not come with all the bells and whistles we were used to, but it's still our home as writers, and over the last 18-ish months, we've seen some excellent stories being told!

Availability and Changing Times
Over the last few years I've started and then abandoned a number of projects on this site; part of this was due to lack of player interest, partly due to my ADHD brain getting bored or forgetting, but mostly due to the changing times we live in. When a lot of us joined the site, we were in our late teens or early twenties (some of us were even younger), and had the sort of free time that allowed us to embark on subplots and have dozens of characters, et cetera.

It's 2024 now, and I'm pretty sure that very few of us are still in our twenties. Our founding members who are still around, either active or lurking, are mostly in their late forties or older. The younger generation of players, at this point, are all in their thirties and have careers and families.

This means the site appears to have slowed down; the two posts per week guideline remains in effect, but in most cases now it's a guideline rather than a hard and fast rule. For some, that might be disappointing, but personally I've always been a fan of quality over quantity - if you're only posting on average once a week but they're good, solid posts, that's preferable to rushing two posts a week just to meet a quota.

Note: This does not stop players being declared AWOL after 30 days with no posts or communication. Nor does it stop players being declared Abandoned after a further 30 days of no contact.

Closing

We're still here, nearly 25 years after founding. I've been a member for 20 of those years, and FS has been a major part of my life for the entire time. Times may be changing, and we're taking things one day at a time these days, but with such a dedicated group of writers, I see no reason we can't get to our 30th anniversary!]]>

Membership

Artemis: 11 (11 PRCs)
Aquila: 10 (10 PRCs)
Titania: 8 (5 PRCs, 3 SRCs)
Yeager: 11 (10 PRCs, 1 SRC)

Membership has remained stable at 36 players since my last update in August. We've had a few prospective members join, but either not post, or drop out during the Academy. The good news is that nobody has left the site, and that we currently have two Cadets who have just joined, both of whom show promise and will be an excellent addition to whichever crew they join!

However, a reminder: If a department doesn't have a Department Head, we can't assign new players to it. New players need a contact point and role model to mentor them and help them grow, and mentoring new players is great training for those who have their eye on further promotions.

If you have friends who are looking for an RPG that prefers quality over quantity, with in-depth missions and larger crews for a richer role-play experience, please feel free to recruit them. Not only do you get a points bonus and medal ribbon when they make Ensign, you're helping the site as a whole as well!

Stardates

To be honest, the way we have done Stardates on this site has been unfortunately lacking in consistency. As Admin teams changed, so did the way they wanted to do things. This means that bios, mission logs, and site history can be something of a mess when it comes to reading them.

To simplify and unify Stardates, we are going to go with the following (former) format - {Current Year}{Current Month}.{Current Day}. This would appear in a YYYYMM.DD format. So a log posted today, November 2, 2024, would be written as 202411.02.

I have directed the Creative Team to start adjusting dates on the wiki, prioritizing active character bios and mission logs.

Bios and Logs Follow-Up

We've seen some improvement here, but a member e-mailed me the other day stating they believed the process of doing the updates was too complicated, and that there was a lack of clarity on how to complete it.

It's actually a very simple process: You e-mail your CO with the updated details or history that you want to add for your character. It is the CO's job to upload it. Job done! If this does not happen within a week (without a reason being given), please direct the e-mail to the Wiki Manager who will do it. Note: if your ship has a dedicated wiki editor, please contact them first before emailing the Wiki Manager.

Holiday Party

I'd like to bring back the tradition of the yearly Holiday Party on the site. This would be an in-game party that takes place outside of mission timelines, allowing everyone to congregate and mix with players from other ships. It would, of course, be voluntary and mission posting would take priority. I'm looking for a volunteer to run this; they would be responsible for planning the different events, any shenanigans that may occur, etc.

If you're interested please E-Mail me or DM me via Discord.

Reflections

As 2024 starts to draw to a close and FedSpace prepares for its 25th anniversary, I want to reflect on how things have been since the most recent change in Administration. I think we can all agree that any change of leadership can be challenging, but the members of this fine site made it as painless as possible for Autumn and I, and for that we thank you all.

Forum Change
We moved to this forum in August 2023, due to the fact that our last forum software was horrifically out of date, expensive to update and maintain, and open to security threats. That transition was not seamless, and unfortunately data was lost. We have also had to learn to cope with E-Mail notifications not working correctly, archiving posts being more difficult, and no easy way to switch between accounts.

We did, however, come together as a community and move past these ''growing pains.'' The new forum may not come with all the bells and whistles we were used to, but it's still our home as writers, and over the last 18-ish months, we've seen some excellent stories being told!

Availability and Changing Times
Over the last few years I've started and then abandoned a number of projects on this site; part of this was due to lack of player interest, partly due to my ADHD brain getting bored or forgetting, but mostly due to the changing times we live in. When a lot of us joined the site, we were in our late teens or early twenties (some of us were even younger), and had the sort of free time that allowed us to embark on subplots and have dozens of characters, et cetera.

It's 2024 now, and I'm pretty sure that very few of us are still in our twenties. Our founding members who are still around, either active or lurking, are mostly in their late forties or older. The younger generation of players, at this point, are all in their thirties and have careers and families.

This means the site appears to have slowed down; the two posts per week guideline remains in effect, but in most cases now it's a guideline rather than a hard and fast rule. For some, that might be disappointing, but personally I've always been a fan of quality over quantity - if you're only posting on average once a week but they're good, solid posts, that's preferable to rushing two posts a week just to meet a quota.

Note: This does not stop players being declared AWOL after 30 days with no posts or communication. Nor does it stop players being declared Abandoned after a further 30 days of no contact.

Closing

We're still here, nearly 25 years after founding. I've been a member for 20 of those years, and FS has been a major part of my life for the entire time. Times may be changing, and we're taking things one day at a time these days, but with such a dedicated group of writers, I see no reason we can't get to our 30th anniversary!]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - July/August 2024]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=409 Tue, 30 Jul 2024 15:28:53 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=409
Bio Updates, Crew Logs, and Mission Summaries

I've noticed these have dropped off recently, and while I am well-aware that 1) we're all busy people and 2) we're here to write our characters in the present, it's really important that we're making regular updates (at least once per mission/adventure) to our bios. That's a running record of what your character has achieved and how they have grown; but if you lack that detail, other players aren't going to see or understand that. I once had a player say to me "well my character's done this, this, and this", but there was no record of it anywhere on the site as they didn't update their bio or post any Crew Logs. Your characters matter to you as players, they also matter to me as Creative Director, and I don't want the contributions you or your characters make to be forgotten.

This also extends to Mission Summaries; tied to Crew Logs, these summarize what happened on any given mission and detail the exploits and growth of the ship and crew as a whole. It can be difficult and time-consuming to do, and I've neglected it myself much to the aggravation of the Wiki Manager. If you have time and the inclination, please volunteer to help your CO by writing the summaries down. Full archives of the mission can be provided in HTML or PDF form depending on preference to assist you!

Membership

Membership currently stands at 38 active, posting members. We've been pretty stable maintaining this number, which has kept a fairly decent pace of posting on all four ships. Nobody is significantly over- or understaffed.

Artemis: 11 (11 PRCs)
Aquila: 9 (9 PRCs)
Titania: 9 (6 PRCs, 3 SRCs)
Yeager: 11 (10 PRCs, 1 SRC)

In-Game Relocation

Over the next few days, you might see a forum pop up and disappear on the boards called "Vanguard Station"; this will be our new Starbase Alpha for those who wish to post there with NRCs or characters on leave between missions. Where will we be in terms of the Star Trek map, you ask, well we're going "South" aaaaall the way down to the bottom of Federation Space.

I had to shrink the map pretty extensively to make it fit in the post without blowing up peoples' devices; we'll be just to the "Northwest" of the "Delta Triangle", nestled comfortably between the Klingon, Tholian, and Gorn Empires, but still giving us easy access to other under-utilised species like the Sheliak Corporate and the Talarians. This is the general area where the original USS Defiant was lost in a dimensional rift, where the Galileo 7 escaped from the giant barbarians, and where the Enterprise crew found a pocket dimension in The Animated Series. We'll also be near several planets mentioned but never seen on screen: Tiburon, Cait, Pacifica, and Grazer.

Why are we moving? Honestly, to keep things fresh. Everyone has been working in or around the Cardassian border for several mission cycles now (over three years since the first mission in that area) and that will be coming to a close following the end of the current mission cycle. The main reason, however, is that being on the borders of the Federation, and crucially not somewhere any of the main shows since The Original Series have paid much attention to, is we get to explore and create our own stuff without risking it being ploughed under by Paramount if another series comes out. Having a central space will also be nice for players to hang out when ships end mission cycles on similar schedules, pilot and tweak new NRCs before they move to their assignments, or put older NRCs to pasture.

CD's note: I am aware of the Vanguard series of novels, and am in discussion with the Creative Team about whether we should add them to our canon or not. Ultimately it does not necessarily matter, as the events of those novels were classified and it's unlikely anyone in the early 25th century is even aware the region exists.

Closing

I'm looking forward to what the second half of the year will bring. As always, if players have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me via any official form of FS communication!]]> <![CDATA[You're The Admiral!]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=358 Sun, 02 Jun 2024 23:32:43 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=358
"You're the Admiral" puts players in charge of a sector of nonaligned space and presents hypothetical situations for them to address and solve, moving the plot of the scenario towards a solution. At times, players will also be invited to critique other players' responses, and create their own situations for other players to address to ensure that no player has the exact same experience. It's a lot of thinking, a lot of writing, but it should give people a chance to exercise their brains - especially those who aspire to command.

More details and the rules can be found here.
The first scenario, "Sector Alpha" can be found here.

Have fun, everyone!]]>
"You're the Admiral" puts players in charge of a sector of nonaligned space and presents hypothetical situations for them to address and solve, moving the plot of the scenario towards a solution. At times, players will also be invited to critique other players' responses, and create their own situations for other players to address to ensure that no player has the exact same experience. It's a lot of thinking, a lot of writing, but it should give people a chance to exercise their brains - especially those who aspire to command.

More details and the rules can be found here.
The first scenario, "Sector Alpha" can be found here.

Have fun, everyone!]]> <![CDATA[Ship Consolidation and Changes]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=259 Sat, 09 Mar 2024 21:59:03 +0000 Autumn]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=259
We have some upcoming changes to the FedSpace fleet. As Paul mentioned in his State of the Site post, membership levels continue to slowly drop. As older players leave, we've not had an equal number of new players join the site to fill their place. Forum-based RPG games just aren't as popular as they were 20 years ago. Unfortunately, that's left us in a situation where we have two ships that have reached critically low crew levels, the Charon and the Titania. We also face a critical shortage of GMs. As Paul also mentioned, there aren't enough GMs to go around, and many are doing double duty to handle the current load of five ships. Due to both issues, we've made the difficult decision to consolidate the fleet and drop one ship.

In the past, when we've closed a ship it was due to the loss of its command crew or problems with its command staff. In those cases, it made the decision easier on which ship to drop. The task wasn't so easy this time however. The Charon's and the Titania's issues are not due to problems with their command team. The problem lies in low membership numbers, and there's no magical solution to suddenly increase membership levels. Paul and I discussed this matter thoroughly and talked to others involved in the process before coming to a decision. That decision is to close the Geronimo and merge its crew into both the Titania and the Charon. And the Charon crew itself will be transferring to the new Aquila. The Geronimo was chosen as the sacrificial lamb simply because Sothrick and Keir are the least senior command team on the site, and for no other reason. Trust me, it was a hard decision to make, as the Geronimo was my ship, but it was the most fair decision in our minds.

This will give all four ships on FedSpace ten players each and fill several empty departments. This should hopefully make the site more fun for everyone in the long run and perhaps make it more attractive to new players. It's easier to keep new players engaged when they have a full and active crew to post with. We lose new players quickly when they're assigned to ships with small crews and low activity.

I hope you all understand the reasoning behind this move. It was not done lightly. We'd like to see FedSpace continue onward for as long as players want it to be here. We've put off consolidation for over a year, and now it's time to finally face reality and do it.]]>
We have some upcoming changes to the FedSpace fleet. As Paul mentioned in his State of the Site post, membership levels continue to slowly drop. As older players leave, we've not had an equal number of new players join the site to fill their place. Forum-based RPG games just aren't as popular as they were 20 years ago. Unfortunately, that's left us in a situation where we have two ships that have reached critically low crew levels, the Charon and the Titania. We also face a critical shortage of GMs. As Paul also mentioned, there aren't enough GMs to go around, and many are doing double duty to handle the current load of five ships. Due to both issues, we've made the difficult decision to consolidate the fleet and drop one ship.

In the past, when we've closed a ship it was due to the loss of its command crew or problems with its command staff. In those cases, it made the decision easier on which ship to drop. The task wasn't so easy this time however. The Charon's and the Titania's issues are not due to problems with their command team. The problem lies in low membership numbers, and there's no magical solution to suddenly increase membership levels. Paul and I discussed this matter thoroughly and talked to others involved in the process before coming to a decision. That decision is to close the Geronimo and merge its crew into both the Titania and the Charon. And the Charon crew itself will be transferring to the new Aquila. The Geronimo was chosen as the sacrificial lamb simply because Sothrick and Keir are the least senior command team on the site, and for no other reason. Trust me, it was a hard decision to make, as the Geronimo was my ship, but it was the most fair decision in our minds.

This will give all four ships on FedSpace ten players each and fill several empty departments. This should hopefully make the site more fun for everyone in the long run and perhaps make it more attractive to new players. It's easier to keep new players engaged when they have a full and active crew to post with. We lose new players quickly when they're assigned to ships with small crews and low activity.

I hope you all understand the reasoning behind this move. It was not done lightly. We'd like to see FedSpace continue onward for as long as players want it to be here. We've put off consolidation for over a year, and now it's time to finally face reality and do it.]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - March 2024]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=258 Sun, 03 Mar 2024 01:13:09 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=258
Happy Birthday, Federation Space!

Yesterday, March First, Federation Space turned twenty-four years old! Who knows whether FAdm (later Pres) Beckett knew that the site he would create would go on for nearly a quarter century, but the fact it has says a lot about the dedication and tenacity of the membership.

In that time, the site has changed, as has Star Trek itself. Regardless how people feel about the newer shows (Discovery, Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Picard), they are now all part of the Star Trek universe. When the site was formed, no such shows existed (Voyager hadn't ended and Enterprise had yet to premiere), and the game Star Fleet Battles was instead used as a base. As time has gone by, that basis for the site went from being a boon to a drawback as prospective members found it difficult to identify with the site's plots and unique ship classes.

We made the decision to therefore integrate site canon with real canon and "move back" events twenty years to help prospective members and fans of the newer shows find a home here. We continue to honour the work of those who came before us, but in a way that embraces the continuing development of Star Trek lore.

Membership Update

Membership has dropped in the last four months to 35 active players. Since the site moved to the new forum I have been conducting biweekly sweeps of active members to ensure Autumn and I have accurate information about how many people we have and how many characters each is playing.

Artemis (11) - 10 PRCs, 1 NRC
Charon (5) - 5 PRCs
Geronimo (9) - 8 PRCs, 1 NRC
Philadelphia (10) - 8 PRCs, 1 SRC, 1 AWOL
Titania (7) - 4 PRCs, 2 SRCs, 1 AWOL

The USS Aquila Returns

Eagle-eyed members may notice that the Aquila has returned to the boards. This is part of a planned ship-swap at the request of a CO, who thought their crew needed a change. Though we try to keep ships the same in order to foster consistency, sometimes a change is needed and a ship may be retconned into a new design to better line up with canon (like the Geronimo was), or due to the requirements or preferences of the crew. These changes are always carefully considered by Autumn and I; we aren't simply handing out new ships like candy to anyone who wants one.

It's also worth noting that some missions may require crew to temporarily take charge of a ship other than their own. In future, rather than just having the crew post in multiple Away Team threads, I'll create a temporary posting area for that crew; it adds more depth and richness to the site overall.

Creative Team Updates

The Creative Team is looking for Mission Authors and GMs! The team I currently have is overworked and burned out, and I need people to step in so they can take a break. Prospective GMs require CO approval, and the OOC rank of Lt (JG). Mission Authors can apply regardless of rank. Interested parties please e-mail me using the E-Mail function on the forum!

As always, players who wish to contribute ideas but are not interested in becoming full Mission Authors may submit their ideas here.

I am also, starting next cycle, going to start experimenting with time limits on missions. Obviously crews all post at different rates, but players being on the same mission for eight or more months can get tedious. Back in the day, missions had a hard limit of three or four months, but this is not always feasible. My goal is mission start to finish being no longer than five months, with a month between missions for shore leave. This would ideally mean every ship gets through two missions per year. Whether or not that works, we'll just have to wait and see!

Closing

As we head into Year 25 of Federation Space, be on the lookout for new and exciting things that the Creative Team is cooking up! Including the possibility of a much-requested sitewide set to conclude on the 25th Anniversary!]]>
Happy Birthday, Federation Space!

Yesterday, March First, Federation Space turned twenty-four years old! Who knows whether FAdm (later Pres) Beckett knew that the site he would create would go on for nearly a quarter century, but the fact it has says a lot about the dedication and tenacity of the membership.

In that time, the site has changed, as has Star Trek itself. Regardless how people feel about the newer shows (Discovery, Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Picard), they are now all part of the Star Trek universe. When the site was formed, no such shows existed (Voyager hadn't ended and Enterprise had yet to premiere), and the game Star Fleet Battles was instead used as a base. As time has gone by, that basis for the site went from being a boon to a drawback as prospective members found it difficult to identify with the site's plots and unique ship classes.

We made the decision to therefore integrate site canon with real canon and "move back" events twenty years to help prospective members and fans of the newer shows find a home here. We continue to honour the work of those who came before us, but in a way that embraces the continuing development of Star Trek lore.

Membership Update

Membership has dropped in the last four months to 35 active players. Since the site moved to the new forum I have been conducting biweekly sweeps of active members to ensure Autumn and I have accurate information about how many people we have and how many characters each is playing.

Artemis (11) - 10 PRCs, 1 NRC
Charon (5) - 5 PRCs
Geronimo (9) - 8 PRCs, 1 NRC
Philadelphia (10) - 8 PRCs, 1 SRC, 1 AWOL
Titania (7) - 4 PRCs, 2 SRCs, 1 AWOL

The USS Aquila Returns

Eagle-eyed members may notice that the Aquila has returned to the boards. This is part of a planned ship-swap at the request of a CO, who thought their crew needed a change. Though we try to keep ships the same in order to foster consistency, sometimes a change is needed and a ship may be retconned into a new design to better line up with canon (like the Geronimo was), or due to the requirements or preferences of the crew. These changes are always carefully considered by Autumn and I; we aren't simply handing out new ships like candy to anyone who wants one.

It's also worth noting that some missions may require crew to temporarily take charge of a ship other than their own. In future, rather than just having the crew post in multiple Away Team threads, I'll create a temporary posting area for that crew; it adds more depth and richness to the site overall.

Creative Team Updates

The Creative Team is looking for Mission Authors and GMs! The team I currently have is overworked and burned out, and I need people to step in so they can take a break. Prospective GMs require CO approval, and the OOC rank of Lt (JG). Mission Authors can apply regardless of rank. Interested parties please e-mail me using the E-Mail function on the forum!

As always, players who wish to contribute ideas but are not interested in becoming full Mission Authors may submit their ideas here.

I am also, starting next cycle, going to start experimenting with time limits on missions. Obviously crews all post at different rates, but players being on the same mission for eight or more months can get tedious. Back in the day, missions had a hard limit of three or four months, but this is not always feasible. My goal is mission start to finish being no longer than five months, with a month between missions for shore leave. This would ideally mean every ship gets through two missions per year. Whether or not that works, we'll just have to wait and see!

Closing

As we head into Year 25 of Federation Space, be on the lookout for new and exciting things that the Creative Team is cooking up! Including the possibility of a much-requested sitewide set to conclude on the 25th Anniversary!]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - November 2023]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=215 Mon, 06 Nov 2023 01:47:06 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=215
Constitution Updates

To reflect the changes in Administration and the duties of Senior and Junior Leadership, a Constitution Update is on the way.

Geronimo News

For those who were not aware, Autumn has decided to step back from the day-to-day posting role of Geronimo CO to focus on her real life and the behind-the-scenes Admin stuff that makes the site work. While we have migrated the server to a new and cheaper host, and are now on a free forum software, we still need to migrate the wiki - this will be a time-consuming job by itself, so I think we all agree she deserves the break!

Commander Sothrick, formerly Geronimo FO, has been elevated to CO in her place.

As part of the change, we have retconned the Geronimo to no longer be part of fan-canon as the Wallace-class, and instead brought it in line with canon as a member of the Phoenix class (like the Eleos XII from Picard).

Membership News

Membership is mostly stable with 40 active members, with 5 additional SRCs bulking out the numbers, which makes 45 Rated (points-earning) Characters. Numbers vary from ship to ship, however:

Artemis - 10 PRCs, 1 NRC
Charon - 7 PRCs
Geronimo - 8 PRCs, 1 NRC
Philadelphia - 8 PRCs
Titania - 7 PRCs, 3 SRCs

As I've mentioned before, minimum staffing level for a ship is 7 Rated Characters. We have Charon and Philadelphia both at or close to these numbers, which means they will be prioritized for new Midshipmen. If we can't increase or at least maintain the numbers, we may need to further consolidate members to ensure no empty departments on ships.

Creative Team News

As a way of collectively brainstorming Missions/Adventures, Sarah (aka Maggie Murphy) has created a Google Doc where people can collectively brainstorm ideas and comment on other members' ideas to help flesh them out prior to submission to me for evaluation.

More details can be found here.

For people who have ideas they would rather just submit, use this form.

The most recent 20 Questions interview in the FNN made mention of Sitewides; I'm open to running them, but planning something for 5 ships can be a pain in the posterior. Right now I've got a two-ship mission running with the Artemis and Philadelphia, so we'll see how that runs before developing anything bigger. If you're an enterprising young mission author who'd be interested in writing a multi-ship or multi-mission plot, use one of the links above!

NRC Ship Ideas

Earlier this year I started a plot for an NRC ship, the Yeager, that unfortunately had to be shelved due to me needing to take over as CO of the Aquila in addition to the two ships I was GMing. I would like this concept to continue, in one form or another, as it builds our universe up and opens new doors for players. I have an idea to resurrect the Yeager at the conclusion of the current Philadelphia mission, and it will be my own little pet-project should I decide to follow Autumn's example and step away from being a full-time CO.

We've seen this work in limited scale with the USS Crusader, Captained by Aitrus Colso (an ex-PRC and current NRC of Matt, aka our Assistant CD/LCdr Elias of the Artemis.) If people have concepts or proposals, please reach out via e-mail or Discord!

As far as I know, that's all I had to say for this update! Look for another one in January 2024, unless I remember something, in which case I'll add it here!]]>
Constitution Updates

To reflect the changes in Administration and the duties of Senior and Junior Leadership, a Constitution Update is on the way.

Geronimo News

For those who were not aware, Autumn has decided to step back from the day-to-day posting role of Geronimo CO to focus on her real life and the behind-the-scenes Admin stuff that makes the site work. While we have migrated the server to a new and cheaper host, and are now on a free forum software, we still need to migrate the wiki - this will be a time-consuming job by itself, so I think we all agree she deserves the break!

Commander Sothrick, formerly Geronimo FO, has been elevated to CO in her place.

As part of the change, we have retconned the Geronimo to no longer be part of fan-canon as the Wallace-class, and instead brought it in line with canon as a member of the Phoenix class (like the Eleos XII from Picard).

Membership News

Membership is mostly stable with 40 active members, with 5 additional SRCs bulking out the numbers, which makes 45 Rated (points-earning) Characters. Numbers vary from ship to ship, however:

Artemis - 10 PRCs, 1 NRC
Charon - 7 PRCs
Geronimo - 8 PRCs, 1 NRC
Philadelphia - 8 PRCs
Titania - 7 PRCs, 3 SRCs

As I've mentioned before, minimum staffing level for a ship is 7 Rated Characters. We have Charon and Philadelphia both at or close to these numbers, which means they will be prioritized for new Midshipmen. If we can't increase or at least maintain the numbers, we may need to further consolidate members to ensure no empty departments on ships.

Creative Team News

As a way of collectively brainstorming Missions/Adventures, Sarah (aka Maggie Murphy) has created a Google Doc where people can collectively brainstorm ideas and comment on other members' ideas to help flesh them out prior to submission to me for evaluation.

More details can be found here.

For people who have ideas they would rather just submit, use this form.

The most recent 20 Questions interview in the FNN made mention of Sitewides; I'm open to running them, but planning something for 5 ships can be a pain in the posterior. Right now I've got a two-ship mission running with the Artemis and Philadelphia, so we'll see how that runs before developing anything bigger. If you're an enterprising young mission author who'd be interested in writing a multi-ship or multi-mission plot, use one of the links above!

NRC Ship Ideas

Earlier this year I started a plot for an NRC ship, the Yeager, that unfortunately had to be shelved due to me needing to take over as CO of the Aquila in addition to the two ships I was GMing. I would like this concept to continue, in one form or another, as it builds our universe up and opens new doors for players. I have an idea to resurrect the Yeager at the conclusion of the current Philadelphia mission, and it will be my own little pet-project should I decide to follow Autumn's example and step away from being a full-time CO.

We've seen this work in limited scale with the USS Crusader, Captained by Aitrus Colso (an ex-PRC and current NRC of Matt, aka our Assistant CD/LCdr Elias of the Artemis.) If people have concepts or proposals, please reach out via e-mail or Discord!

As far as I know, that's all I had to say for this update! Look for another one in January 2024, unless I remember something, in which case I'll add it here!]]> <![CDATA[Official Yearly Awards 2023]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=191 Sat, 16 Sep 2023 15:18:32 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=191 doing it! The Official 2023 Federation Space Yearly Awards are here!

This is going to be a slimmed down version of previous years; there are fewer categories so people can focus on what is important - the people of Federation Space!

The categories are:

Best Ship
Best CO
Best Rated Character (PRCs and SRCs are eligible)
Best Non-Rated Character
Best GM
Best Newcomer (Players that joined after December 31, 2022)
Best Player Who Has Left

Best Ship
Best CO
Best Rated Character (PRCs and SRCs are eligible)
Best Non-Rated Character
Best GM
Best Newcomer (Players that joined after December 31, 2022)
Best Player Who Has Left

Nominations are voluntary and players may leave entries blank if they do not have a nomination. Nominations will be open until Midnight, Site Time, on September 22. The top 3 nominated players in each category will go ahead to the voting round, which goes live on September 23 and closes at 00:00 Site Time, on September 30.

Results will be posted on October 1.

It's a quick turnaround, but I want to give time before this and the Unofficial Federation Space Awards which will happen in March, with results being posted on April 1, 2024.

Nomination Form]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - September 2023]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=187 Mon, 04 Sep 2023 18:06:58 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=187
New Forum

The new forum has been live for a little over three weeks now, and even though we've had some teething problems, most of the kinks appear to have been worked out! We've got some members who have yet to log in, however; if you're having difficulty logging in, please let your CO and I know as soon as possible to avoid any absence-related repercussions like AWOL or Character Abandonment!

Membership

Not including players who are listed as either SLOA or AWOL, we currently have 40 active members and one Cadet going through Academy training for a total of 41 players. That's an increase of 3 over my latest post in June. LOA players are listed seperately to the active players.

Player distribution looks like this:

Artemis: 9 PRC/1 SRC
Charon: 6 PRC (1 LOA)
Geronimo: 8 PRC/2 SRC
Philadelphia: 8 PRC
Titania: 8 PRC/1 SRC (1 LOA)

Artemis, Geronimo, and Titania are looking nice and healthy with ten players on each ship. Charon and Philadelphia are looking a little more sparse with 7 and 8 members, respectively.

SRCs

Having discussed with Autumn the importance of SRCs if we're to keep five ships open, we have decided to lift the restriction on starting rank for SRCs going into DH positions on a case-by-case basis. Though they will start at the same 1500pts as any SRC, DH SRCs will be allowed to start with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade and make up the points deficit before they are eligible for further promotion.

Alternative options for players with a surplus of points would be to transfer points from their PRC to their SRC, up to that starting rank of Lt (JG).

Missions

Currently Titania and Geronimo are on leave following the conclusion of their missions.
Artemis and Philadelphia have both just launched on a joint mission.
Charon has been on-mission for 9 months.

Discord

Following issues with several trolls (or one troll with multiple accounts, the jury is out), I have taken the step to return access to the server to full members only (i.e. those assigned to ships). Any Cadets currently on the the server will retain their access.

Medals and Awards

President's Medals were awarded to Matt and Sarah for all the background work they do on the site; without them, we wouldn't have the quality missions we have or a wiki that was functional and user-friendly.

The Outstanding Unit Achievement was awarded to the crew of the Artemis for their contributions to the site beyond their posting activities. The crew of the Artemis currently contribute the majority of GMs and AIs the site currently uses, taking on those duties to ensure people outside of their crew have the best experiences the site can offer.

Other Announcements

In June I promised the return of the Yearly Awards, then the forum changeover took most of the Admin's time. I will be putting that together today, along with the Creative Corner Questions and the Ask An Admin forms. Not all questions will be able to be responded to publicly, but the idea is that everyone who has a question or an idea will get some sort of response.

As always, if you have questions or comments please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail or on Discord. I have an open-door policy, though sometimes it may take a few days to respond!]]>
New Forum

The new forum has been live for a little over three weeks now, and even though we've had some teething problems, most of the kinks appear to have been worked out! We've got some members who have yet to log in, however; if you're having difficulty logging in, please let your CO and I know as soon as possible to avoid any absence-related repercussions like AWOL or Character Abandonment!

Membership

Not including players who are listed as either SLOA or AWOL, we currently have 40 active members and one Cadet going through Academy training for a total of 41 players. That's an increase of 3 over my latest post in June. LOA players are listed seperately to the active players.

Player distribution looks like this:

Artemis: 9 PRC/1 SRC
Charon: 6 PRC (1 LOA)
Geronimo: 8 PRC/2 SRC
Philadelphia: 8 PRC
Titania: 8 PRC/1 SRC (1 LOA)

Artemis, Geronimo, and Titania are looking nice and healthy with ten players on each ship. Charon and Philadelphia are looking a little more sparse with 7 and 8 members, respectively.

SRCs

Having discussed with Autumn the importance of SRCs if we're to keep five ships open, we have decided to lift the restriction on starting rank for SRCs going into DH positions on a case-by-case basis. Though they will start at the same 1500pts as any SRC, DH SRCs will be allowed to start with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade and make up the points deficit before they are eligible for further promotion.

Alternative options for players with a surplus of points would be to transfer points from their PRC to their SRC, up to that starting rank of Lt (JG).

Missions

Currently Titania and Geronimo are on leave following the conclusion of their missions.
Artemis and Philadelphia have both just launched on a joint mission.
Charon has been on-mission for 9 months.

Discord

Following issues with several trolls (or one troll with multiple accounts, the jury is out), I have taken the step to return access to the server to full members only (i.e. those assigned to ships). Any Cadets currently on the the server will retain their access.

Medals and Awards

President's Medals were awarded to Matt and Sarah for all the background work they do on the site; without them, we wouldn't have the quality missions we have or a wiki that was functional and user-friendly.

The Outstanding Unit Achievement was awarded to the crew of the Artemis for their contributions to the site beyond their posting activities. The crew of the Artemis currently contribute the majority of GMs and AIs the site currently uses, taking on those duties to ensure people outside of their crew have the best experiences the site can offer.

Other Announcements

In June I promised the return of the Yearly Awards, then the forum changeover took most of the Admin's time. I will be putting that together today, along with the Creative Corner Questions and the Ask An Admin forms. Not all questions will be able to be responded to publicly, but the idea is that everyone who has a question or an idea will get some sort of response.

As always, if you have questions or comments please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail or on Discord. I have an open-door policy, though sometimes it may take a few days to respond!]]> <![CDATA[Requesting New Accounts for SRCs and NRCs]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=28 Sat, 29 Jul 2023 01:32:45 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=28 THIS FORM.

Creation of new accounts is handled by our Personnel Officer. To get your account approved and created you MUST:

Obtain written permission from your primary character (PRC) CO.
Obtain written permission from the CO where the new registered character will be used.
Submit the form.
The site Personnel Officer will then verify the information on the sheet, including checking with both CO's, and then create the account.

This may take a few days, especially if a CO is slow to respond.]]> THIS FORM.

Creation of new accounts is handled by our Personnel Officer. To get your account approved and created you MUST:

Obtain written permission from your primary character (PRC) CO.
Obtain written permission from the CO where the new registered character will be used.
Submit the form.
The site Personnel Officer will then verify the information on the sheet, including checking with both CO's, and then create the account.

This may take a few days, especially if a CO is slow to respond.]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - June 2023]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=27 Sat, 29 Jul 2023 01:31:01 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=27
Membership

We are currently down two full members since my previous update, bringing our total number of active members to 38. The good news is we have a handful of Cadets currently coming through the Academy, which should hopefully start filling some of the gaps in our rosters.

Here is a breakdown of the active player numbers on each ship - PRC and SRC characters only, as NRCs do not contribute to crew numbers when we decide whether a ship/department is empty or full. Players on LOA are added in brackets at the end, as they are not currently active members of the crew until they return.

Aquila: 7 PRCs, 1 SRC
Artemis: 10 PRCs, 1 SRC
Charon: 5 PRCs (2 on LOA)
Geronimo: 7 PRCs, 2 SRCs
Titania: 6 PRCs, 2 SRCs

As you can see this list puts the Artemis at the top end of the personnel assigned, being one away from "full" and no longer being in consideration for Cadets or new rated characters except in special situations. Charon is on the other end, at the smallest crew with between 5 and 7 active players.

Recruitment/New Member Placement

Obviously we try to put new members with their friends or recruiters, because that just makes sense. However, the needs of the site sometimes come first, and we as Admins also have to take into account whether or not a new member will have a mentor when they are assigned to their new ships.

Because of this, we try to assign new members without specific requests to crews that have had the vacancies for longest, unless that department has no active DH; this is because it's the DH's job to mentor new players, and putting that added responsibility on the CO or FO often isn't fair given the other OOC stuff they have to do as part of their position.

Missions

All five starships are currently on their assigned missions, to varying degrees of completion:

The Artemis and Geronimo have both been on-mission for 5 months (as of June 13).
Charon has been on mission for 6 and a half months.
Titania has been on-mission for 7 months (as of June 17).
Aquila has been on-mission for 7 months and 1 week.

From my own observations based on posts and mission outlines, it seems as though Artemis is in the endgame of their mission. Titania and Aquila appear to be between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way through their missions (Titania maybe at 3/4). Geronimo is about 1/2 way through. Charon appears to be about 1/3 of the way through.

Other Announcements

Going live on Monday will be the new format Yearly Awards; these were stopped due to being perceived as nothing more than a popularity contest, and allegations of rigged results from members who felt they should have won and did not. The idea is to celebrate the winners for their contribution to the site, and that is the tone I intend the awards to take

We will also be using this time to award the President's Medal (which will probably need renaming since we don't have one any more) to a single member each year who has shown exceptional dedication to the site. I have to discuss the format with Autumn in order to determine whether we will accept nominations this year or if the two of us will simply decide.

In future these will be held in January/February so winners can be announced on the Site Birthday of March 1.

Creative Corner Questions and Ask an Admin will also be returning, where people can ask questions about how missions are written or assigned, or how the site works and how they can contribute more to it. Not all questions will be able to be responded to publicly, but the idea is that everyone who has a question or an idea will get some sort of response.

As always, if you have questions or comments please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail or on Discord. I have an open-door policy, though sometimes it may take a few days to respond!]]>
Membership

We are currently down two full members since my previous update, bringing our total number of active members to 38. The good news is we have a handful of Cadets currently coming through the Academy, which should hopefully start filling some of the gaps in our rosters.

Here is a breakdown of the active player numbers on each ship - PRC and SRC characters only, as NRCs do not contribute to crew numbers when we decide whether a ship/department is empty or full. Players on LOA are added in brackets at the end, as they are not currently active members of the crew until they return.

Aquila: 7 PRCs, 1 SRC
Artemis: 10 PRCs, 1 SRC
Charon: 5 PRCs (2 on LOA)
Geronimo: 7 PRCs, 2 SRCs
Titania: 6 PRCs, 2 SRCs

As you can see this list puts the Artemis at the top end of the personnel assigned, being one away from "full" and no longer being in consideration for Cadets or new rated characters except in special situations. Charon is on the other end, at the smallest crew with between 5 and 7 active players.

Recruitment/New Member Placement

Obviously we try to put new members with their friends or recruiters, because that just makes sense. However, the needs of the site sometimes come first, and we as Admins also have to take into account whether or not a new member will have a mentor when they are assigned to their new ships.

Because of this, we try to assign new members without specific requests to crews that have had the vacancies for longest, unless that department has no active DH; this is because it's the DH's job to mentor new players, and putting that added responsibility on the CO or FO often isn't fair given the other OOC stuff they have to do as part of their position.

Missions

All five starships are currently on their assigned missions, to varying degrees of completion:

The Artemis and Geronimo have both been on-mission for 5 months (as of June 13).
Charon has been on mission for 6 and a half months.
Titania has been on-mission for 7 months (as of June 17).
Aquila has been on-mission for 7 months and 1 week.

From my own observations based on posts and mission outlines, it seems as though Artemis is in the endgame of their mission. Titania and Aquila appear to be between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way through their missions (Titania maybe at 3/4). Geronimo is about 1/2 way through. Charon appears to be about 1/3 of the way through.

Other Announcements

Going live on Monday will be the new format Yearly Awards; these were stopped due to being perceived as nothing more than a popularity contest, and allegations of rigged results from members who felt they should have won and did not. The idea is to celebrate the winners for their contribution to the site, and that is the tone I intend the awards to take

We will also be using this time to award the President's Medal (which will probably need renaming since we don't have one any more) to a single member each year who has shown exceptional dedication to the site. I have to discuss the format with Autumn in order to determine whether we will accept nominations this year or if the two of us will simply decide.

In future these will be held in January/February so winners can be announced on the Site Birthday of March 1.

Creative Corner Questions and Ask an Admin will also be returning, where people can ask questions about how missions are written or assigned, or how the site works and how they can contribute more to it. Not all questions will be able to be responded to publicly, but the idea is that everyone who has a question or an idea will get some sort of response.

As always, if you have questions or comments please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail or on Discord. I have an open-door policy, though sometimes it may take a few days to respond!]]> <![CDATA[State of the Site - April 2023]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=26 Sat, 29 Jul 2023 01:28:36 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=26
In future, this may also cover our financial situation in terms of income through donations and expenditure for hosting, as well as updates regarding our social media presence and any site-specific merchandise we have available.

Membership

Currently the site has forty active members. By active members we mean individuals currently posting on one or more ships; we are not including members on SLOA or who do not have permanent posting positions. Nor are we counting SRC or NRC accounts.

Given our five player starships, that averages out at eight players per ship - meaning as a whole we are reasonably healthy, but we could be doing better.

As a reminder, a ship needs to have a minimum of seven players to remain viable; that's a CO, FO, and a DH in every department. In edge cases we might lower that number to six with an FO pulling double-duty as a DH.

Missions

All five starships are currently on their assigned missions, to varying degrees of completion:

The Artemis and Geronimo have both been on-mission for 3.03 months.
Charon has been on mission for 4.7 months.
Titania has been on-mission for 4.93 months.
Aquila has been on-mission for 5.3 months.
Missions last, on-average, between 6 and 8 months depending on posting rate and crew numbers.

A mission running quicker or slower, however, is common, so these numbers are intended as an update more than anything else.

Recruitment

Recruitment is down; we've had 7 prospective members showing interest since the beginning of March 2023 but so far none have progressed to the Academy. We are investigating whether this is an issue with the Academy process itself, or if members join and then immediately lose interest.

We are also investigating new incentives for members to bring new people to the site beyond the 100pts per person. This may include free stuff from our mech store.

Furthermore, if a member knows of an independent RPG that fits with Federation Space's ideals and is in need of a new home, the Administration will consider reaching out to offer them a new home.

(Note: characters may be required to take a rank deduction, and Admiralty ranks remain off-limits to those outside of the FedSpace Administration).

Social Media/Site Exposure

Federation Space has returned to Twitter in an effort to spread our name out onto the internet and get more people looking at us.

Further expansion into other forms of social media are on the drawing board, including Twitter alternatives.

We are also reaching out to other established RPGs to investigate partnerships and banner shares.

We are in the process of creating a merch store for FedSpace-related products - keyrings, stickers, etc. These can be for personal use or ordered in bulk for distribution at cons, events, etc.

(Aside from cost of materials and shipping, 100% of income will go back into the site.)

That's all for this State of the Site. We're a way off the 100+ members and 12 player ships we had back in 2006/7, but we're still going strong with a solid core of veteran members! We've been here 23 years, and we'd like to keep adding those anniversaries as long as we can!]]>
In future, this may also cover our financial situation in terms of income through donations and expenditure for hosting, as well as updates regarding our social media presence and any site-specific merchandise we have available.

Membership

Currently the site has forty active members. By active members we mean individuals currently posting on one or more ships; we are not including members on SLOA or who do not have permanent posting positions. Nor are we counting SRC or NRC accounts.

Given our five player starships, that averages out at eight players per ship - meaning as a whole we are reasonably healthy, but we could be doing better.

As a reminder, a ship needs to have a minimum of seven players to remain viable; that's a CO, FO, and a DH in every department. In edge cases we might lower that number to six with an FO pulling double-duty as a DH.

Missions

All five starships are currently on their assigned missions, to varying degrees of completion:

The Artemis and Geronimo have both been on-mission for 3.03 months.
Charon has been on mission for 4.7 months.
Titania has been on-mission for 4.93 months.
Aquila has been on-mission for 5.3 months.
Missions last, on-average, between 6 and 8 months depending on posting rate and crew numbers.

A mission running quicker or slower, however, is common, so these numbers are intended as an update more than anything else.

Recruitment

Recruitment is down; we've had 7 prospective members showing interest since the beginning of March 2023 but so far none have progressed to the Academy. We are investigating whether this is an issue with the Academy process itself, or if members join and then immediately lose interest.

We are also investigating new incentives for members to bring new people to the site beyond the 100pts per person. This may include free stuff from our mech store.

Furthermore, if a member knows of an independent RPG that fits with Federation Space's ideals and is in need of a new home, the Administration will consider reaching out to offer them a new home.

(Note: characters may be required to take a rank deduction, and Admiralty ranks remain off-limits to those outside of the FedSpace Administration).

Social Media/Site Exposure

Federation Space has returned to Twitter in an effort to spread our name out onto the internet and get more people looking at us.

Further expansion into other forms of social media are on the drawing board, including Twitter alternatives.

We are also reaching out to other established RPGs to investigate partnerships and banner shares.

We are in the process of creating a merch store for FedSpace-related products - keyrings, stickers, etc. These can be for personal use or ordered in bulk for distribution at cons, events, etc.

(Aside from cost of materials and shipping, 100% of income will go back into the site.)

That's all for this State of the Site. We're a way off the 100+ members and 12 player ships we had back in 2006/7, but we're still going strong with a solid core of veteran members! We've been here 23 years, and we'd like to keep adding those anniversaries as long as we can!]]> <![CDATA[Site Communications Policy]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=25 Sat, 29 Jul 2023 01:27:38 +0000 Paul]]> https://fed-space.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=25 Our new message board system that we installed last fall offers two great features which encourage the social aspect of our community. I find these to be great features, and I use both regularly.

That said, there has been some question of late as to what counts as ‘official’ means of communication on Federation Space, and I want to clarify the site’s communication policy.

Official means of communication indicates things that are to be used for any rules, personnel, and other ‘official’ guidelines. This includes anything where you are looking for an official answer from someone up your chain of command, all the way from where you are up to the President; and to issue answers or instructions to those down the chain of command from yourself down to Cadets. Communications done by Official means of communication are the only kind accepted by the site administration for site official matters, and the only kind which will be used by site administrators when addressing official matters. The same should apply for all personnel at all levels.

Unofficial means of communications indicates things which we use daily to ‘stay in touch’, to have informal discussion, share ideas/brainstorm, post statuses, and keep our community friendly and alive. Please note that in the case of any sort of disciplinary action, site admins may, at their discretion, utilise Unofficial communications in adjudicating whether or not rules were violated.

Below is a list of each of our types of communications and their Official or Unofficial status on Federation Space:

Email: Official
Forum Post (non-HF): Official
Discord Chat: Official
Forum Private Message (PM): Official
Instant Messenger (Google Talk, Skype, AIM, Yahoo IM, etc): Unofficial
Voice/Video (telephone, Skype, Google Hangouts, etc): Unofficial
In-person: Unofficial
Telepathy or imaginary communications: Unofficial

The bottom line on this is if you want a private, official interaction with another member of the site, especially someone in your chain of command, Email is your best bet. If you want to ask a public question, there is a FAQ section in Red Alert which you can use.]]> Our new message board system that we installed last fall offers two great features which encourage the social aspect of our community. I find these to be great features, and I use both regularly.

That said, there has been some question of late as to what counts as ‘official’ means of communication on Federation Space, and I want to clarify the site’s communication policy.

Official means of communication indicates things that are to be used for any rules, personnel, and other ‘official’ guidelines. This includes anything where you are looking for an official answer from someone up your chain of command, all the way from where you are up to the President; and to issue answers or instructions to those down the chain of command from yourself down to Cadets. Communications done by Official means of communication are the only kind accepted by the site administration for site official matters, and the only kind which will be used by site administrators when addressing official matters. The same should apply for all personnel at all levels.

Unofficial means of communications indicates things which we use daily to ‘stay in touch’, to have informal discussion, share ideas/brainstorm, post statuses, and keep our community friendly and alive. Please note that in the case of any sort of disciplinary action, site admins may, at their discretion, utilise Unofficial communications in adjudicating whether or not rules were violated.

Below is a list of each of our types of communications and their Official or Unofficial status on Federation Space:

Email: Official
Forum Post (non-HF): Official
Discord Chat: Official
Forum Private Message (PM): Official
Instant Messenger (Google Talk, Skype, AIM, Yahoo IM, etc): Unofficial
Voice/Video (telephone, Skype, Google Hangouts, etc): Unofficial
In-person: Unofficial
Telepathy or imaginary communications: Unofficial

The bottom line on this is if you want a private, official interaction with another member of the site, especially someone in your chain of command, Email is your best bet. If you want to ask a public question, there is a FAQ section in Red Alert which you can use.]]>