Guidelines for Characters in Theta Fleet
This is a basic list of expectations.
1. Please Use Complete Bios.
A) Fill out your bio completely. Have weaknesses as well as strengths. This makes your character more believable and more fun to play. Pictures are helpful for you and other players to have a good idea of what your character looks like. Histories are important, don't leave them out. If you MUST have something classified in your bio, it must be approved by the CO. It is generally better to put it in your bio with a disclaimer that it is classified so that other players have an idea OOC of what happened.
B) COs have the right to ask you to change or remove anything they feel is inappropriate for their sim.
2. No Superhero or Mary Sue Characters. There are some canon characters in various universes that are considered superhero and not allowed in Theta Fleet because they are too powerful.
A) Superhero characters go above and beyond what is plausible for Star Trek or other universes. They can do anything and everything, have superhuman abilities, or have been augmented in some way. Vulcans, Betazoids, and many (but not all) canon characters are not superhero characters as their abilities have limitations—although some players can go too far in their portrayal of these species. If so, the CO may ask that the character be toned down.
B) Superhero, or Mary Sue characters are more like video game characters with no flaws and can do most things better than everyone else.
C) Some examples of superhero characters are:
a) A character who can read the thoughts of everyone in the room at will, or force his/her will on another through telepathy.
b) A character that can adapt to any atmosphere and drop 30 feet with no damage because he/she has been augmented.
c) A character who is half Klingon and half Betazoid and the only surviving head of both an honorable Klingon house and a powerful Betazoid house.
d) A human whose father is so respected by the Klingons that he has been given an honorable Klingon house and his descendants are recognized throughout the galaxy for their prowess as fighters.
D) That being said, there can be exceptions as there are players who can take what looks like a superhero character and play it as a flawed, realistic character. Exceptions will be taken on a case-by-case basis and must include equally compelling weaknesses.
E) Superhero characters can also be referred to as Mary Sue, SHS (Superhero Syndrome) or OP (Overly Powerful) characters.
F) This goes for PNPCs and Linked NPCs as well. Pancake characters are discouraged.
3. Who Owns the Character When You Leave a Sim?
While the character belongs to the player/user, when that player leaves the sim, the character becomes part of the history of the sim (game). He/she/they will be deactivated but will stay on the sim and be linked to the posts that character was in. When you join a sim, the character and posts become a part of that sim and its history. However, they will not be used as NPCs or by other players once the owner has left the sim (except for a brief time to write them out of any ongoing posts. Nova 2.5 and later hide archived characters from the personnel manifest.
4. Avoid Affiliations with Canon Characters.
Do not tie your character to a canon Star Trek character (or canon character from any other genre). No children of T'pol and Trip (for example). No working with Spock on Romulus, etc. You can be on a ship with them, but you can't be their friend/mentor. An Ensign on the Enterprise might see Picard, but he's not likely to do more than greet him in a corridor in passing.
5. Can You Play Special or Home Brew Characters?
A) Each CO has the right to accept or reject any character. If you have an idea that is different, ask first.
B) Have weaknesses. Your character should have realistic weaknesses that make him, her, or they relatable to other players.
C) Take suggestions. If the CO is interested, he, she, or they may suggest changes. If you want to write on that sim, you should consider those changes. Or find a different sim. Not every character is going to be a fit for every sim.
D) Remember that Theta Fleet does not allow Mary Sue characters. They take a good deal of fun out of playing the character and interacting with others. No one wants to write with a “perfect” character. So please do not create a character that is the best-of-the-best or is better than everyone else on the ship.
6. Playing the Same Character on Multiple Sims
A) Players cannot play the same character on more than one ship/game in Theta Fleet. Not even if it’s in different Task Forces/universes.
B) It is perfectly acceptable to use the same character in multiple fleets.
C) As we recognize that players occasionally play the same character/s on multiple sims in multiple fleets, it is possible for that other sim to join Theta Fleet. So, if you have the same character established on two different sims and they both end up in Theta Fleet, you can keep both characters and justify the duality. This has been done in canon with parallel universe characters, mirror universe characters and transporter malfunctions.
7. Children of Two Player Characters
A) The child of two player characters belongs jointly to both players as long as both players share in writing the child in posts. If the two characters separate, they share joint custody as long as they are in the same fleet. If the players end up in different fleets, then the child belongs to both players and can be played as an NPC in both fleets.
Special circumstances may require a child of two player characters to become a player character himself and be played by one of the two parents on a sim. If the child has previously been played by both players as an NPC, it remains in joint custody as listed above.
B) For example, two players have a child on ship A in fleet A. Parent A stays on the ship with the child while parent B goes to ship B in the same fleet. In this case, the child will belong to both parents and spend time with both parents, just like in real life. Work it out so the two players have joint custody. If parent B goes to ship C in fleet B, then both parents (characters) have full custody and the child exists on both ships in both fleets.
C) If, however, the child is created and played FROM THE BEGINNING by one player only, then and only then does the child belong to one person as their PNPC.
8. In Character Insubordination
A) Disrespect of superior officers in character will have consequences, just like in the real military. If someone feels like being insubordinate, their superiors have the right to bring them up on charges. Watch a few episodes of Classic Trek like "The Corbomite Maneuver", or "Balance of Terror" to see how a commander deals with disrespect.
B) Although it isn't recommended that you do this on a regular basis, a little insubordination can make a mission more interesting. So can a stay in the brig.
