New: Starbase 593 (free, open-ended, email, human, startrek, rpg) From: donotreply@pbm.com (PBM List Autoposter) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 07:13:01 +0000 Name: Starbase 593 Costs: Free Frequency: One post per week minimum preferred, more if tagged Email: commander.curran zat googlemail.com URL: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/starbase593/ Type: PBEM, station-based Trek action, no fleet affiliations Last-Update: 2006Apr24 Keywords: free, open-ended, email, human, startrek, rpg Description: Game name: Starbase 593 (Game description appears near the bottom of this ad) Genre: Star Trek (station-based action, no fleet affiliations, no awards required) Timeframe: Just after Nemesis Group site: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/starbase593/ Game site: Visit the group site for the link ("Related link" is how it is described on the Yahoo site) Minimum age: 15 (but see below for more information) Contact: commander.curran zat googlemail.com There are many more positions available - please visit the game site to find out what is still available. OK, so what makes this game any different from the other 1001 Trek games out there? Well, frankly, just from reading this ad - nothing. They all promise something different, they all promise to rise above the plankton... but do they actually deliver? The only way you can find that out is to check out the group site and read the current messages for yourself. Sims can fail for a number of reasons:- (1) A lack of core details, lack of prior planning, no proper basis for the storyline - this leads to players not really knowing what they're supposed to be doing, and without guidance, they fumble around a bit and eventually lose interest. (2) A lack of time, or lack of passion for the game - this leads to a drought of posts, threads stall, players get disheartened and it all grinds to a halt. This is where the moderators would be expected to step in and keep things going, but often they are the worst culprits. (3) Wild, clich�d, unrealistic or otherwise silly plots or characters - this leads to some of the most bizarre threads you can imagine, or else people feel lost because there is just such a wide range of character types that you just can't find any common ground and interaction drops to a minimum. If a character can't find a place to fit in, it just ends up going solo on some ridiculous sub-plot and the game becomes a joke. This often leads to problem #2 above. We have tried to address these issues in our own way:- (1) The game site (accessed via the group site) has already been prepared, and contains everything you need to know to get going in the game. If there are any details you still feel are missing, we are quite happy to get them sorted out for you. Just as an army can't march on an empty stomach, so a sim can't run on an empty basis. By all means check out the game site, and see for yourself the level of detail we have in place. (2) We understand that from time to time, our real lives get in the way. It happens to us all. But here's the thing: even if all other players cease posting, the game WILL continue - because we, the moderators, will continue posting. That way, whenever new players come looking at the group site, they will see it is still moving and thus worth joining. (3) We have a fairly strict set of rules in place. This is often mistaken for anal tendencies, or Control Freak Syndrome. Believe us, it is not so here. By being specific about what can and can't be done (particularly about sub-plots and character creation), we are attempting to limit the damage caused by wild creations, thus creating a channel for creativity that will hopefully make the game endure. There is still plenty of scope to create an interesting character without the need for those Borg implants or half-breeds many players like to create. If you prove yourself with solid writing, then you will be given more freedom to get creative. Finally, in order to further help make sure the game stays running on more than just our own efforts, we are looking for serious players who are passionate about the Trek genre, who want to do some serious role-playing, and who have some time to commit to us. We are also looking for people with a good grasp of English language and grammar - nothing spoils a game like an unreadable post. Thus, while we don't have a severe age limit, please bear in mind these requirements. If you can read all of this (and all the rules!) and still feel you want to join and have what it takes, then we DO want you. ---------------------------------------------------------- And now, onto the game itself: 2382: No-one thought it would actually happen, but it did. After the fiasco with Shinzon a few years ago, a substantial group of Romulans, tired of being everyone's baddies, made contact with the Federation through the Vulcans and made a serious attempt to negotiate some sort of agreement. What resulted, exactly 70 years after the Treaty of Algeron, was an agreement to open trade between the two factions, through the Neutral Zone, which would remain in place for the time being. OK, so not an alliance as some might have hoped. There have been far too many issues over the decades between the two to get anywhere close to that. But it was a valuable attempt to improve relations - the first since the Treaty of Algeron - and so both parties agreed to open trade as a symbol of trust, and see where it might lead from there. The trick will be making it work. To avoid making either side nervous, no new outposts would be built on the edge of the Neutral Zone itself. Instead, a single major outpost would be built exactly halfway between the Calder system and the Kaleb sector, and the area between these systems would become the new trade gateway on the Federation side. The Romulans would build a suitable opposite number on their side. After an incredible effort by various Federation races in co-operation, Starbase 593 is finished about a year later, and is about to go into full operation. It has a skeleton crew to begin with, but needs a full and permanent crew. Since the Federation's primary goal has always been exploration, investigation and co-operation, our emphasis will be on Science, Medicine and Engineering, but since we are now at the gateway to the trade route, we will also supply and refit ships passing through, provide R&R for crews from both sides, and act as a conference centre for the various races. Of course, not everyone approves of this agreement and our appointment to manage the Federation side of things. The Klingons and Andorians refused to be part of it, the Ferengi want their share of the profits, the Cardassians... well, they just don't like it. And even the Romulans themselves know that many of their own people will not accept relations with the Federation. It's not going to be easy, and both sides know it. For this reason, while we don't have the support of a ship of our own at this time, as part of the agreement, we DO have a reasonable arsenal of weapons on the station (including shields) and are quite capable of defending ourselves. Commander Bob Curran, CO Lieutenant Commander Kano Kurasi, XO [ This is a new entry for the PBM List. You can find the list itself, and instructions for adding games or comments, at http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/pbm_list/ -- greg ] Up