Posting Format

Your posting format is the most important thing you learn in the academy.  This can make or break you.  Sure, you have to have a character that is believable, but if the crew can't understand your post, then your character would be left out of the game.  I need to know when the action is taking place, where it is happening and with whom.  You need to know the same thing about me.

Subject Headings

This is an easy one on the Scorpion.  The Captain makes the subject and no one changes it.  A few goof up when they start playing the game, but it is easy to correct.  We number our posts as well and that # changes with each post.  When you post, you look at the last # on the post and you add one.  So, if the last post was "Don't shoot me #7" then the next post would have to have the same subject, but the # will have changed to "Don't shoot me #8"

If there's a Re: or Fwd: that is fine. If you want have a topic to your post you can do a OFF: <This is it, my first post!>  ON: and your post.  I sometimes do that if it is a funny one or if it is going to be a joint post.

Mailing Lists

This is where we all post so we can all read the story. Ours is startrek_uss_scorpion@yahoogroups.com

When you are accepted on the ship the CO will send you a welcome letter as well as letting you know your rank and position.  Then you are added to the mail list and will receive a greeting to welcome you.  You can then go to the group's site and read up on the mails and what has been happening on the ship.  Do not use the list for anything other then posts to the game. If you have need of information or you need a LOA or you want to quit the game send a mail to the Captain and he will help you.  If you want to quit the game and use your character somewhere else, that is not a problem.  If you need help posting we love to help.  Please don't send advertisements of any kind.  No spam is allowed, and do not give out the addresses to others not on the ship. etc.

IF you quit a sim, do it off post by sending a letter to your commanding officer.

When you write your posts, you can reply to the last one if you like, but since we use the # system it is not necessary

ON/OFF introduction

This is what tells us you are writing the story.  ON: TIME <WHERE YOU ARE> in the brackets and your post.  If for some reason you need to clarify something you then do an OFF: make the comment and do another ON:

Everything after an OFF: means that it is a comment, not apart of the story.

Everything after an ON: means that it's the actual post.

If you are doing a joint post, posting with another person, where they put in their own words it usually starts with an OFF:  This is a joint post
ON: <TIME><<WHERE YOU ARE>> and the post.  You should sign your post at the very end, after the last OFF:  The acceptable signing is:

Captain Steve Aldous
Commanding Officer, USS Scorpion
ICQ# 4403192

By putting in my ICQ, etc., it makes it easier to message me and do joint posts.

Thinking, speaking and action writing

We like to use the third person format, but anything you are comfortable with is acceptable as long as it makes sense.

You can always use a brief paragraph to describe what is happening.  A paragraph of action would be as follows:

Senik sat at his desk running over the transporter logs.  Star fleet had asked him for a full analysis of the tycho effect.  So far he had only these facts: the tribble was in the pattern buffers, and the person that it switched with had similar brain waves as the tribble, therefore providing a place for the tribble's mind to go.  The Captain and the XO were not affected by the tribble because there brain waves where not similar.  He had also found out that there was only a 234,678,234.12341 percent chance of two living things to have similar enough brain waves to switch places.  As soon as he found out what had happened in detail he would give a lecture to the transporter techs, and any other interested officers.  Right now he had to talk to Lt. Tycho about what he remembered from the accident.

Then he might say something,  so it would follow with:
Senik: "Computer where is Tycho Hunter?"

To show tapping and using a commbadge, the =/\= symbol is often used.
ie. Shu: =/\= Security report to the main transporter room.

Locations and time

Locations and time are enclosed between << and >>. For example: <<USS Scorpion>> or <<Later that day in sickbay>> or <<USS Scorpion Stardate 566957.98>> etc.