How is the game played?

Like soap operas, the story unfolds before your eyes each time someone writes a post.  Each player is asked to write a minimum of a weekly post (you are always welcome and encouraged to do more) and emails their post to the list. This is known as posting.  Each post builds on the ones before, enhancing ongoing stories and exploring new ones.  Players are responsible for running their own character, and for establishing the nature of that character in post for other players to interact with.

An example might be: Captain Hawke is posted as having a discussion with his XO, Commander Jones.  He asks Jones to review the security team to see if they are ready for an away mission.  He then goes to the mess for some lunch.  The next person posting can pick up the story, posting their character interacting with Hawke in the mess, or perhaps meeting Jones during his security team review.  Or, they can post an unrelated thread, like having their character go to sickbay for a talk with the doctor, or perhaps a trip to the holodeck.  One by one, each player contributes to the fabric of the story, weaving threads of different plots and subplots - some mystery, some comedy, some romance - into the final tapestry.

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Who can play?

You do not need previous RPG or PBeM experience to play.

The USS Pioneer welcomes anyone who loves to write, loves to role-play, loves science fiction, and feels they would enjoy our style of writing.  Our game is played in English, but our writers come from all over the globe, and for some English is a second language.  The players enjoy writing character development as their characters "grow" and "learn" over time.  The people who have the most fun on the ship interact regularly with other players behind the scenes to co-write joint posts, or plot a story thread, or just socialize and get to know each other.  You will also find that new players are readily welcomed into the game, and anyone brave enough to "jump right in" will find a lot of fun interacting with other players, and other characters.

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Who doesn't play?

The players who have dropped out of the game have usually had a challenge in one or more of the following areas:

• They haven't had the time to keep up with the posts or write posts on a regular basis.
• Some times the players isolate themselves and write their characters in such a way that no one else can interact with them, making their participation more of a "monologue in the corner" rather than interactive play.
• Maybe they have been usually rigid and inflexible in their style of play, demanding unrealistic adherence to canon, or flouting what realism and structure the genre provides.
• A few players want a more violent action-style game, and soon find this ship isn't a good fit for them.
• Some players want to run a character that is a "super-hero" or is more suited for another genre of play.

Any player who flames someone else publicly on the list will immediately be dropped from the game.

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What are the limits for playing characters?

Characters in this game are restricted to races that are from Star Trek.  They can be any race that is not an enemy of the Federation.  IF there is enough detail and history in a character's bio for the creation of a new race, it may be allowed at the Captain's discretion. No races from other genres (Star Wars, Babylon 5, etc) are allowed. This IS, after all, Star Trek.

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What is the rating of the game?

The USS Pioneer is rated as a PG-13 game.  This means that it may contain language and violence of an explicit nature.  Children under 13 are not allowed, and if it is thought that a player has lied about their age in their application, then they will instantly be removed from the game.

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Sounds interesting, but I'm not sure...

If this form of play is new to you, you might want to consider a few things before applying to join the ship.  We encourage all players to commit to the time it takes to read all posts on a daily basis, and to make every effort to post at least once a week.  We also encourage players to interact with each other, and if someone "tosses you a thread" - or writes an opening for your character - that you attempt to pick it up and respond in post.  If you would like to be a "lurker" on the list, we would be happy to add you to the list so you can read the posts and get a sense of how the game is played.  After you've had a chance to spend a couple of weeks on the list as a lurker, you can then decide if you want to jump in and join the game.

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How do I join?

Joining is easy.  Click here to go to the Application page.  Fill out the form, press Submit, and the Captain will receive your application.  As soon as he is able to, he will add you to the mailing list and introduce you to the rest of the crew.  Why 'as soon as he is able to'?  Because the USS Pioneer may be out on a mission, and will therefore be unable to have new crew join the ship until it returns to a Federation or Starfleet outpost, station or ship, allowing the new crew to transfer onboard.

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