Welcome aboard Starship Avalon. You're participating in Starship Avalon's latest version of training. In the past cadet training required a cadet instructor to teach you about Starship Avalon's systems and policies. These courses are designed to take you through all the various areas of training you'll require while minimizing the need to wait for an instructor.

At the completion of each year's training course you'll be required to take an exam. These exams are open-book but you're encouraged to memorize the material first. Post-Cadet Rank Advancement is explained in your 4th year classes. To advance as a cadet you simply need to read through the material presented and then whisper the bot: REQEXAM. Be warned though. You can only write the exam once in a weekly block (sun-sat) if you fail. The bot will give you a code that is valid to start the exam. Don't lose this code as it will only be given out once a weekly block and is only valid for 10 minutes from when it's given out. Upon completion of the exam your exam questions and answers will be emailed to the Council Member in Charge of Cadets who will grade it (don't try to submit twice). If you receive the pass mark (noted on each exam) you will move up. There are 3 tiers to grading. Pass, Honors, High Honors. These add up to a simple formula explained in your 4th year. Basically if you receive all high honors you'll graduate directly to Crewman instead of Crewman recruit.

That brings us to the 1st year course: Basic Training. The course is split into the following parts: Character Preparation, Protocol, Roleplay, and Starship Avalon Life.

Your first task upon becoming a member of Starship Avalon is to develop your character. Although you're welcome to create your character to your desire there are a few restrictions including, but not limited to:

• No external characters -

• Don't bring your character or ANY PART OF THEM from another dream or roleplay without first consulting the Rah(s). Really you should be just creating a new alt for Starship Avalon, it is by far the easiest and most accepted way of bringing a new character to our Continuity. It also shows loyalty, and a determination to work within the boundaries of the guild. If you are needing assistance with Character Generation, contact the Admin or Senior Staff for help.

• No heroes -

• The whole point of this guild is to roleplay as part of a team.. not a super being who can be the hero constantly. If you need to have a genetic enhancement then you really have a self-esteem problem. You can do just as much without altering your character's body.

• Imperial -

  Everyone in Avalon with -very little- exception is an Imperial Citizen, and one of the "canon" races.  The Takimora Empire itself is a democratic centralized Governemnt, with many races and cultures falling within it's borders. In the races section of our Academy Page you will find a list of "canon" Continuity races. We do allow custom races, as the very size of our Empire means their are member races not included in our "canon" list. If you are interested in creating a custom race, please note that all custom race submissions must be approved by the Admin.

• Androids -

  Because of the Empire's continued research in Artificial Intelligence and related technologies, their are limited programs within the military that are pusuing research into Android/Cybernetic technologies. However, given the close control of such technology within the Empire, at this time we do not allow new members to create Android characters.

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When developing your character it is important to take into account the following:

• Your character's name: Don't bother trying to adapt or bring another character over from another continuity. Your name will be the first thing people see and will affect their opinion of you. Even though your name may have been accepted by Starship Avalon standards it doesn't mean it's a good name. You very well could destroy your career if you have a name that would be more appropriate for a clown. Make sure to have something that sounds appropriate.. if you're concerned your current name doesn't seem to meet this guideline please change it and speak to Chase Tylor or Gerolkae.
• Your character's background: Try to keep it normal.. if there were as many orphans in the universe as are often tried to be played then the world would be a pretty sorry place. You don't NEED a family that is one step below royalty.. in fact you'd probably be better off in the SAC to have one who are simple farmers.
• Are your traits going to affect your ability to do your job - If your character can't go out in the sun because they're missing half a dozen DNA markers that give them normal Terran skin then you wouldn't be IN the military because you wouldn't pass the physical. Keep this in mind.. you want a weakness but not one that's so great you wouldn't be able to get a medical.

Technology

Imperials(Terran), by nature, are a very science driven race, thier society based on freedom through socialogical and scientifc betterment. The Empire, puts forth large amounts of money into both Federal and Private Scientific Research. However, certain fields are limited and even outlawed such as Sentient Cloning.

Aggression

The Takimora Empire for the most part is a collection of peace-loving citizens dedicated to social and scientific progress. However, the Empire does keep a large military force, broken into several branches such as Takimora Independent Fleet Command, Takimora Marine Corps, Imperial Planetary Defense Forces, etc. While the Empire is not an agressive state, they can and do keep sufficent force for defense.

The Rest of the Galaxy

Beyond the borders of the Takimora Empire their are several races and states. Currently in the timeline the largest is the Orion Republic, a vast empire maintained by a brutal dictatorship. While calling them Orion is a general statement (the republic is a vast collection of races within it), they are by far the largest and most hostile state against the Empire.

Other Races

Again as stated, their are literally limitless possibilities of races within our continuity, so many that only a handful are considered "canon". They cam and do appear in our Storylines frequently, as well as the player created races you may see aboard Avalon.

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Color Alts

Because you may be assigned a few uniform color types or you might use your character for socializing outside of Starship Avalon as well as roleplaying inside Starship Avalon you probably will want to make a color alt. This is simply an additional configuration .ini file that contains your separate information (description, colors..etc). You can keep your normal info in one .ini and the Starship Avalon info in the other (possibly multiples). To make a color alt simply go to your C Tab in Furcadia on the alt you want to create, click Edit My Furre, then click Save As... > Save the filename as <yourname>_Starship Avalon.ini (ex: Chase Tylor's color alt file: Lee_Starship Avalon.ini). Then set up the alt in the colors, desc, species...etc that you want. When you start Furcadia using the character selection from now on you can check the filename in the bottom left and select your Starship Avalon alt to play.

Your Uniform

Your uniform is a demonstration of your position. Respected across the universe a military uniform identifies you as devoting your life to the service. Disrespecting your uniform is disrespecting the entire corp. You must keep your uniform in good condition and never break protocol with it. Starship Avalon uses a special system to grant uniforms when you pickup your keycard at the entrance to the dream. Your uniform colors will be given to you in your first division specific course at the completion of this course.

Your Description

Your Starship Avalon description is mandatory. It should be 4-5 lines (depending on the font size) and be In-Character. You could simply describe your uniform and person or a small history. If you have your description on a separate webpage you MUST have the minimum 4-5 lines in your desc and simply have the remainder on your webpage accessible via an OOC Link Tag.

OOC Tags

You can have ooc tags in your desc. Simply add them at the end in []s.. (ex: [Married to: Bob] ). OOC Links can be in here too. Starship Avalon also has a mandatory Rank tag that has your rank and a link to Starship Avalon (think of it as advertising). Every member of Starship Avalon should have this tag on when in the dream and we appreciate people having it on outside too! :). You will be given your first set of Desc Tags upon your approval of membership If you're not sure which one you should be wearing check your rank under the roster. If your name isn't up there yet please speak to Chase Tylor or Gerolkae..

Ship Operations is part of the basic crew training program all Starship Avalon members undergo when they join the guild. This course will go over the very basics of the guild and explain how to perform basic tasks in the interactive dream environment.

The Entrance

Upon arriving in Starship Avalon you will be in the main Out of Character (OOC) Lobby. This area is for sitting with guests, having conversations with member when nothing is going on, and waiting for interviews. To the northeast is the main door into Avalon, and to the Southwest around the seating area is the door to the Starship Avalon Command Council Chamber.

Your first stop upon arriving in Starship Avalon after becoming a member will be the front desk. The front desk is home to Starship Avalon's bot which has been custom made from scratch for Starship Avalon. In order to get inside you'll have to retrieve a keycard.

As shown below in Figure 1A, the keycard is an object that you pick up in Starship Avalon. Keycards are your lifeline to Starship Avalon. You currently don't have to keep your card. Keycards give you access to commands, and access to the ship. Your keycard will be identified by your rank, or if you're a crewman or cadet, your ranking group. You pick a card up with F2 or Ctrl-G or by pressing the appropriate button on your A tab. Quarterss on the other hand use Pheonix Speak and require Chase Tylor or Gerolkae to establish.

You have a period of 3 weeks 21(days) to grab a card or your access will be suspended. It is advised that sac member Show up at least 3 times a week. The More Active you are. the better your chances are towards advancement. One the card access is Suspended onlty a Command Council Member or the Rah(s) and Tanest(as) cab restore your access.. We do understand real life circumstances affect your ability to stay on this task and are more then willing to help you with in reason.

Figure 1A - A GREEN I (Cadet/Crewman Recruit) Key Card

In order to get your keycard you must stand in front of the main desk on the spot shown in Figure 1B and whisper the bot (Starship|Avalon) the word: 'card'. The bot will then run through its databases (does so in under a second) and then give you your appropriate card.

Figure 1B - The Card Distribtion Square
(Stand here and whisper the bot CARD)

Once you have your card you can be on your way to the main entrance to the north-east corner of the main lobby.. Standing right at the door tile shown in Figure 1C you can determine which transporter room you wish to go to. !Primary or !Secondary.

Figure 1C - The main entrance to the interior of the Starship Avalon

The Transporter Room

Once inside the Starship Avalon you will materialize on one of the three centre spheres of the transporter room. If you want to return to the entrance at any time simply say !Entrance.

Figure 2A - Transporter Room

Proceed out the door and find your way around to your destination. Currentyly Starship Avalon does not have Deck Maps Available.

Turbolifts

Turbolifts provide your main and quickest form of transportation between the decks of the Starship Avalon. There are two separate lifts aboard Avalon.  Lift Beta is located in the forward section and services Decks 1 & 2.  Lift Beta, located in the midsection it services decks 2-5.

Figure 3A - Turbolift aboard Starship Avalon

Quarters

Your first destination aboard Starship Avalon is probably your quarters. You can figure out your quarters by the Quarters ID listed beside your name on the roster. The ID system is set up as follows:

[Deck Number][Port/Center/Starboard/Fore/Aft][Quarters Number]

For example 5C1 would be Deck 5, Center Quarters, and the first quarters on the left. (Imagine facing the wall with the doors on it and then figure left and right). Using Furcadia's 3D perspective this means that southeast facing quarters will have the #1 quarters on the Northeast corner, Northwest quarters will have the #1 quarters on the southwest corner.

Locks

Starship Avalon has a highly complex multi-layered lock system for quarters and compartments in the ship. Each quarters in the ship has a card access locking system as well as a door chime system. Your card level will grant you access to YOUR quarters and possibly other quarters (entering other quarters without permission is a violation of IC Protocol and will result in discipline). In order to let others into your quarters you will need to unlock it before they arrive or let them in when the door chime rings. The following commands allow you change the locking state:

Computer Lock Door - Locks the Door preventing people without the right card level to enter. Terminates Chime
Computer Unlock Door - Unlocks the Door allowing all access. (This command also works during power failure)
Come - Unlocks the door allowing all access. (Command doesn't work in a power failure)

Conduits/Jeffries Tubes

During your time in Starship Avalon you will probably have to crawl through a conduit or jeffries tube at least once. Conduits/Jeffries Tubes are the access 'tunnels' that connect points of the ship with each other and have wiring, EPS conduits, and various other things running between them. There are two types of access points. One from below and one from above. Each access point has one of each. Figure 4A shows the tile position to access the conduits. Stand on this position and Press F3 to open a conduit, then walk into it to climb down the ladder. Figure 4B shows the tile position to access the upward conduits. Press F3 on this position to automatically open the hatch, extend the ladder and climb into the conduit.

Figure 4A - Downward Conduit Access.

Figure 4B - Upward Conduit Access

Messages

Starship Avalon has a state of the art duty comm system.  Rather then having to find out who's running a station/section at a particular moment you simply whisper our comm system and it will determine whom to send the whisper to.  Below is the list of prefixes and an example of how the message system works.

/comm <prefix> <msg> (ex: /comm XO Finished the task sir.)

Logging In

When you arrive at a duty station such as the helm and are the senior helm officer you would either relieve the operator or take control of the station.  To do this whisper comm:

/comm LOGIN <prefix> (ex: /comm login XO)

Note: Positions such ESF and Chief Engineer don't have a particular station.  As such they may log in anywhere on the ship.  Positions with a station like helm should be AT the station so as to be able to take commands when issued.

Logging Out

When you have completed your duties and are going off duty or have to leave the station please log out by whispering comm:

/comm LOGOUT <prefix> (ex: /comm logout XO)

Onduty Check

If you'd like to see who's onduty at what station whisper comm:

/comm ONDUTY

Public Address System

In the event of emergency or required use you may use the comm bot to make a shipwide announcement.  To do this whisper comm:

/comm PA <msg> (ex: /comm PA Medical Emergency in Shuttlebay!)

NOTE: Abusing this feature (or any other feature in Starship Avalon) will result in disciplinary action.  If you abuse it seriously enough you will be immediately removed from membership and forbidden to reapply on ANY characters.

Bridge Emit

In order to facilitate communications on the bridge the bot will emit any conversation not in []s to the entire bridge crew.  As such Bridge conversation should be longer posts rather then a series of short posts and OOC conversation is restricted to []s  Off topic short posts can use [] as well and private conversation can use [] as the bot will not auto-emit this.  (NOTE: Conversation is ONLY emitted to the bridge unlike the PA system which is shipwide.)

Conclusion

The Comm system is mainly for finding out who's onduty and messaging the senior staff member onduty in a particular area and emitting bridge material.  PLEASE do not overload the bot as it will lock it out from being able to be used by members and result in disciplinary action.  If you have a large series of commands to give it please wait a second or two between commands.  Thanks.

Protocol is one of the hardest things to master but those who do will rocket to the top of the ranks. Protocol involves such things as the chain of command, ranks, and even naval tradition in some instances.

Divisions

There are several divisions aboard Starship Avalon. Each division performs a specific function aboard the ship and is identifiable by color:

Divisions
	Command	Commands the ship and various divisions. Pilots also fall under this division.
	Intelligence
	Engineering	Keeps the ship running, maintains power systems, repairs, replaces, upgrades and generally keeps us in one piece.
	Medical	Doctors, Nurses, EMH - all keep Starship Avalon's crew from dying at an early age.
	Science	Being as Starship Avalon is a warship the scientists aboard mainly analyze the universe around Starship Avalon for strategic potential. Although they do get to study a few stray comets here and there.
	Takimora Maraine Corp (TMC)	The TMC are the combat troops aboard Starship Avalon. A while back it was decided the TMC would take over as ship board security because of their expertise as well.
	Crew Support	The crew support are actually civillians with their own rank system. They provide the logistical support aboard Starship Avalon.

Ranks - Officers

Flag Officers
	Grand Fleet Admiral
	Fleet Admiral
	Admiral
	Vice Admiral
	Rear Admiral
	Commodore

Flag Officers are responsible for general strategy and policy on a fleet-wide scale. They plan attacks, assign Captains to vessels and perform high-level court-martials. It is rare to find a flag officer serving aboard a starship unless they're serving as a sector/fleet commander or are aboard their personal flagship. When a flag officer comes aboard a general starship it's generally a stressful time as everyone is bending over backwards to make sure the flag officer is happy. It's considered against naval tradition to even speak to them in most cases and even the commanding officer and executive officer will usually work through an assistant or 'tip toe' around the flag officer.

Senior Officers
	Senior Captain
	Captain
	Commander
	Acting Commander
	Lieutenant Commander
	Acting Lieutenant Commander

Senior Officers are in charge of running a vessel or installation. They have spent several hundred hours working up to these ranks and are usually commanding divisions.

Junior Officers
	Lieutenant
	Acting Lieutenant
	Lieutenant Junior-Grade
	Acting Lieutenant Junior Grade
	Ensign
	Acting Ensign
	Officer Cadet

Junior officers usually are new division and section chiefs (aboard larger vessels). They've usually just completed Officer Training or are waiting for a senior officer position to open.

Ranks - Enlisted

Warrant Officers
	Chief Warrant Officer
	Senior Warrant Officer
	Junior Warrant Officer
	Warrant Officer

Warrant Officers are generally enlisted personnel who, for any number of reasons, never became officers. Very few people ever become warrant officers and those who do are respected to the point of senior officers. Warrant Officers can hold any series of jobs including those of junior officers.

Chiefs
	> Master Chief Petty Officer of the TIFC
	Master Chief Petty Officer
	Acting Master Chief Petty Officer
	Senior Chief Petty Officer
	Acting Senior Chief Petty Officer
	Chief Petty Officer
	Acting Chief Petty Officer

Chiefs generally will operate as assistant chiefs of divisions or as section heads. Generally the Master Chief Petty Officer is the senior enlisted member on a ship (Besides Warrant Officers).

Petty Officers
	Petty Officer 1st Class
	Petty Officer 2nd Class
	Petty Officer 3rd Class

Petty Officers have completed their Occupation Competancy Exam (OCE) and have met all requirements for the job they are in.

Crewmen
	Crewman
	Crewman Apprentice
	Crewman Recruit

Crewmen Recruits are freshly graduated cadets who are now taking their On-The-Job training portion. Depending on how well they did in their cadet exams they will be given one of the three crewmen ranks.

Cadets
	Cadet Squad Leader
	Cadet Squad 2IC
	3rd Year Cadet
	2nd Year Cadet
	1st Year Cadet
	Probationary Cadet

Cadets are the trainees aboard Starship Avalon. Their main tasks include taking exams, scheduling any practical training required by their career choice, studying, and socializing in the lounge to develop their characters.

Acting Ranks

The Imperial Government has authorized the use of field promotions to fill needed positions.  These promotions are not considered permanent and have no basis upon the person's service record except in terms of experience.  An acting rank is considered the same rank as its non-acting component EXCEPT in relation to the non-acting rank which the acting rank is considered to be subordinate to.  As such an Acting Lieutenant would still consider a full Lieutenant to be his/her superior officer.

Dealing with Superiors

• By far the most important is how you address a superior. You should always address a senior officer by their rank first, and then sir/ma'am or their rank in the remainder of the conversation.

• If there is not a critical situation in progress, when one sees the [#] Captain on the bridge notification they should rise to their feet and remain at attention until the Commanding Officer allows everyone to sit or sits him or herself.

• When the Commanding Officer enters a room where off duty personnel are present (such as the lounge), all personnel are to rise to attention until the Commanding Officer allows everyone to sits or sits him or herself.

• You should ALWAYS ask before entering an office, especially of a superior officer. Same thing goes for quarters. It can be considered a crime IC to enter someone's quarters without their permission (same as breaking and entering).

Dealing with a subordinate

Subordinates are crew with a rank less then you. They are never to be called inferiors (opposite to superiors) as this is an insult and will most likely get you transfered to a job as an ore miner. Cadets should be referred to by their status and possibly their last name (ie: Cadet or Cadet Foster).  Crewmen should be referred to using the same rule (ie: Crewman or Crewman Foster).  Petty Officers should be referred to as Crewman unless in a formal situation in which their rank group should be used (ie: Crewman or Crewman Foster - formal: Petty Officer or Petty Officer Foster).  Chief Petty Officers should be addressed as chief if a female, and either chief or their last name if a male (ie: Chief or Mister (Mr) Foster).  Warrant Officers should be addressed by their name with the Mister (Mr) prefix regardless of gender (ie: Mr Foster).  Junior Officers should be addressed by their rank or their name with the Mister prefix regardless of gender (ie: Lieutenant or Lieutenant Foster or Mr Foster).  Junior Grade Ranks (Lieutenant Commander and Lieutenant Junior Grade) should always be addressed by the full rank (ie: LtCmdr Foster addressed as Commander).  Senior Officers should be addressed by rank or rank and last name (ie: Commander or Commander Foster).  Flag Officers Should be addressed by the same manner as Senior Officers (ie: Admiral Foster).

Dealing with an equal rank

When dealing with someone of the same rank it is always best to address them by their rank unless you are in a casual private environment. This however is not the same for enlisted crew. It is quite common for enlisted crew to build up a rapport with each other and they will simply call each other by their names unless there is a crisis.

By Gerolkae, Chase Tylor, Daiktana(Ret.) & Reinee Jinera (Ret.)

A special thank you to Reinee Jinera who originally authored this handbook for the SSG Continuity and Daiktana for modifications to the former USS Lancer, We have Adopted this material and updated it to fit Starship Avalon Continuities - Gerolkae

 

Roleplaying is a very complex process, and interacting with others makes it all the more enjoyable. However, doing so also means that you are playing off of another's emotions, physical reactions, and words. Remember that they are doing the same thing when they play with you. In this light, it would seem obvious to give as many detailed, encompassing posts as possible. I'm not talking about describing your buttons for three lines--rather, I speak of incorporating facial expressions, direction you look, physical actions, tonal inflections, and general descriptions in addition to what your character says. Without this, the character is about 256 color pixels running around on the internet.

Chapter 1 - Background

"Remember where you've been and you will not forget where you're going" - Chinese Proverb

All roleplay in a strict environment like Starship Avalon starts with a deep background. Your background determines what you do in life. Someone who's afraid of technology would more then likely not take a job as an engineer. Although some of your background was designed when you applied you will constantly add to it.

The idea behind strict roleplaying (Starship Avalon's RP concept), is that the characters that are participating are fully conceptualized, working out their strengths, weaknesses, demeanors, emotional tendancies, and quirks. This character has permanence, meaning that if you get hurt, you are not magically healed the next day. It is a simple matter of keeping some continuity to your character--you cannot lift 150 pounds one day, and then have trouble dragging a 50 pound box from the cargo hold the next. Limitations placed on a character are what makes it fun to play! If we could all go around being an omnipotent being (sure, it'd be fun for a few days..) we'd be bored.

Chapter 2 - Limitations

"For the vast portion of your stay on a posting, you'll be doing run-of-the-mill things. Your days will probably look something like this: Eat. Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Red Alert. Eat. Sleep. Eat..." --Instructor Cysan

The Starship Avalon is a 6 deck Prometheus class starship. If you feel the need to constantly be doing something try to think of something other then a broken console. If we really had the number of consoles breaking that cadets seem to fix constantly we'd be back in spacedock having a full refit to try to fix the problem. Think of something more along the lines of monitoring. If there's nothing to monitor go take a break, walk around, plug your tricorder into a wall port and scan systems... run diagnostics. It impresses your superior officers more when you can roleplay the mundane then when you don't create problems to fix. Fixing something implies it was broken which implies that someone didn't do their job to maintain it.

Chapter 3 - The Military Chain of Command

If you've ever seen a submarine war movie you'll probably notice that there is someone giving an order and someone else repeating it. While we don't go this strict to make sure everyone knows what's happening it is still the division head who runs things. Think of it in the manner of "You changed the console in section B. It now requires a different password to operate. Without asking if it needed to be changed or getting permission from your superior officer you go and change it thinking it won't affect anyone. Later that day someone needs to access the console to secure something or check something out. They're unable to log in because you didn't ask for permission or notify the section head that you had completed the task. When it's traced down you might want to transfer to another ship." You have superiors to coordinate.. not simply to give orders. Without them you'd have consoles being repaired 47 times because no one realized it had already been. The key to operating in Starship Avalon is to roleplay the mundane. If you think it's boring then you aren't trying. The mundane can be extremely awesome to RP when you have 10 other people roleplaying the mundane. It gives a room character.

Chapter 4 - Ship Wide Incidents

On a navy ship the lowest man on the totem pole would not call for a red alert when he found a suspicious box in a corner. He would call security or the watch officer and would more then likely fear calling the Captain unless the box had already detonated. If you call for a red alert you'll definitely get to RP. People will be woken up. The bridge will fill up, staff will run to their stations, security will report to key areas and when it's discovered that you put the entire ship on alert when you simply had to call a security officer to come tell you that the suspicious box (which would 90% likely not be dangerous as it's on a secure vessel) is actually someone's lunch, you will then face an IC RP of you explaining to the superior officer why he has gotten in trouble from -his- superior officer for -your- actions. The key to remember is if it's not directly and definitely affecting the immediate safety of the entire ship then you shouldn't call for an alert.

Chapter 5 - Your Superior Officer is NOT your friend

At no time should you be chatting it up with your superior. They're there to make sure you do your job and to follow orders from his or her boss. In the military it is a crime for an officer to fraternize (simply put to 'hang out') with enlisted staff. Unless you're ooc you should try not to be seen by your superior unless you've done something right. It's not your place to offer a suggestion unless you're asked for it. Brutal but honest you're a grunt. Until you make a position of seniority you should be roleplaying your job as someone who does the dirty work, goes back to the messhall or their quarters at the end of the day, throws up their feet and jokes with fellow grunts talking about the day and more then likely trying to figure out what's going on since most of the time the junior staff aren't told.

Chapter 6 - If you don't need to say something, don't

More cadets embarass themselves offering suggestions or trying to technobabble when they're not part of the conversation. It doesn't impress your superior officer when they've been given an order by the Captain to do something and you come up, thinking you know what's going on, and tell them they can do something another way. Unless you're fully briefed and on the project in a position to offer a suggestion, don't. If you are over in the corner monitoring warp plasma output or scanning that piece of asteroid and the Captain and Chief are conversing quietly in the corner about something you should be trying to, at most, listen in, not giving away that you're evesdropping and offering a suggestion.

Chapter 7 - If you go over someone's head, make sure your butt is covered

There's nothing more annoying to a section head to find out one of their staff went over their head because they didn't agree with something or just didn't know (which there is especially no excuse for). Go to your section head with your problems, they'll come to you with orders. Unless you plan on ICly getting a grudge from your superior officer and never getting promoted you'd better have a really good reason for going over someone's head.

Chapter 8 - Sleep

Probably the hardest thing to accomplish. Sometimes it's necesary to just have your character rest in their quarters. If you don't like not doing anything ask a council member if you can create a Non-Player Character (NPC) to operate when you're asleep. Be advised you have to know what you're doing before you'll be allowed to do this.

Chapter 9 - The whole person concept

Most people have heard of those seminars where you try to discover who you are to better yourself. In strict RP this idea is huge.

"Gee! Does that nervous twitch of yours affect your accuracy with that thing?" --Evan Faltine

Shyness, hyper-activity, jittery, refusing to meet another's eyes--all these can be played out with your character. Mannerisms and quirks add depth to a character, but also brings side effects. Someone who is shy is probably not going to be too keen on leading an away mission. A hyper-active engineer is great, provided his added energy is focused on a task, rather than crawling under his direct supervisor's skin. Do not volunteer your character for positions that they would not normally take. A shy officer is more than likely not going to take a command position. However, if you are ordered to do something that is against your character's natural tendancies, feel free to play it out to the fullest.

"Watch the way you speak to me, Commander, or I will surely make you regret that condescending tone." --Reinee Jinera

The way we speak changes drastically, depending on with whom we are speaking. This happens in the real world, so it would naturally happen here at Starship Avalon. Just as you speak to your parents, teachers, and authority figures a respectful, if detatched tone, your conversation becomes much more laxed around those whom you know well. As there is a complex ranking system in Starship Avalon, there are also certain forms of ettiquite that are stressed for speaking to various individuals. These include standing at attention when certain officials come into the room, addressing furres by their ranks, and the like. If your character does not have respect for a certain individual, that is fine and good--but do not be surprised when the disrespected furre takes action appropriate to the offense.

Chapter 10 - Actions

"Well Ensign, are you going to attempt to repair the console, or are you going to stand there looking at me blankly until twenty-four hundred?!" --Reinee Jinera

Actions speak louder than words--but seeing that nearly everything on Furcadia is text-based, something has got to be done to make the actions stand out. This, naturally, is a good description! There is only so much that 'Ensign Joe keyed into the console,' can do in the way of stimulating roleplay. On the other hand, 'Ensign Joe frantically keyed into the console, gripping the side of the equipment with his free hand as he desperately searched for an answer as to why the power to lifesupport was being siphoned,' does much more to set the mood of the scene, and makes it easier to 'get into' character and responses.

Chapter 11 - Combat

"Hmm, fight or flight--the long-asked question as to how the brain responds to a threat. Well, unfortunately for you, I don't have wings. I guess this is the next best thing, no?" --Evan Faltine

'All right, it's about time you got to the good stuff!!!' Right? Wrong. Combat is actually a very small amount of the RP here at Starship Avalon. Why? Again, we look to practicality. If you are a particularly volatile character, eventually you will either be a) called on for your violent tendancies and shipped off the ship, or b) finally try and take on someone who is out of your league, and find yourself in sickbay or the brig. However, fighting does happen--tempers flare, insults are flung, something of that nature. So, let's discuss the basics of combat on Starship Avalon.

11.1 Turn-Based Combat

"There are things you do to better your position, and things you do not do, as it is not ethically right. Once you figure them out, the day is yours." --Instructer Cysan

Combat is established through turn-based, open-ended attacks in Starship Avalon. Meaning, you 'attempt to hit,' 'strike at her shoulder', 'release the trigger, aiming for his torso', etc. Never do you post that you actually hit, struck, or shot someone. You leave that up to the player defending. A note here, is that this is freeform. One of the major drawbacks to freeform, however, is that there is no definite answer as to whether one is successful. You have to trust the player of whoever is fighting with you.

Something to remember is someone's weapon qualification. Someone with a W5 would 99% likely crush someone with no weapon rating whatsoever. It is better to avoid the fight then to try to out-maneuver your opponent.

11.2 What to Expect

"My mistake was assuming you knew how to fire that weapon......your mistake was thinking that I am unarmed." --Reinee Jinera

The thing about combat is that it is freeform, and thus there are no dice involved. This takes a certain amount of trust on both parties involved. All weapons must be approved by council on entering of a character into Starship Avalon through their application. Any weapons acquired after that -must- be approved by council before usage. Weapons may be hidden, within reason. Obviously, one is not going to hide an omega-class shoulder rifle. However, one can very well appear unarmed and be anything but. If there is a question of how skilled a furre is, an RP moderator may be called in to watch the combat, or the combat can be submitted for review after the fact.

11.3 After-Effects of Combat

"For your sake you had better hope I never see you alive again. If I do you won't be alive long." --Daiktana

Combat has that unsavory effect of interring the hostility of those involved toward each other, as well as friends and co-workers of those involved. Suffice to say, it is unlikely that two combatants will be buying each other holiday presents. The effects of this can be quite drastic. Combat among crew may result in the demotion and/or dismissal of one or both parties.

Another serious effect of combat is the injuries sustained. No one likes playing a debilitated character, but if you do acquire injuries, you will be expected to play them through recovery. This will not be foregoed by letting your character drop to inactive for a week or so and then bringing him back fully healed. If Council catches wind of such circumstances, there may be consequences.

Chapter 12 - When in doubt, ask - Check Please.

"He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever." - Chinese Proverb

True to the proverb it is far better to not know what's happening and ask when you first discover something then to wait 2 weeks and then either find out that you've been doing it wrong which is really embarassing and doesn't impress anyone or you ask then and are embarassed because you didn't ask before and definitely don't impress your officers.

This being said, you should always check the webpage for the information first. We try to provide as many answers to questions as possible. If you ask a question that is on the webpage you'll either get a dirty look, get talked about behind your back, or just get told to check it yourself. In any case if you check first and then ask you're more likely to come out ahead.

Chapter 13 - Conclusion

If you follow the examples set above and learn to adapt to situations as they come you'll grow as a roleplayer and have great times as you advance through the ranks

OOC Behavior

The following is a mix of advice along with some insight into Chase Tylor or Gerolkae's preferences.  If you're looking to get on his good side or just to avoid his bad side these are probably helpful.  A lot of these may come across as rather anti-social or maybe even rude.  Apologies if that's the case but it's an honest topic.

Work

Chase Tylor or Gerolkae wants people who are going to help out and do their jobs.  This means showing up often, being reliable...etc.  Even joking about not wanting to work WILL annoy him even if he doesn't tell you.

Loyalty and Truth

Don't lie to Chase Tylor or Gerolkae.  They're -very good- at seeing through people and if you've lied to him he will either talk to you or you will never realize he knows and instead you'll never make senior officer or council.  This means lying about your age, lying about a reason for not being around, lying about an incident that happened...etc.  Be loyal to Starship Avalon, any disloyalty will result in you no longer being a member... this means advertising your own guild in Starship Avalon, taking patch files, stealing ideas, trying to get other members to join your guild, or even simply badmouthing Starship Avalon in front of others.

Chain of Command

If you have any questions such as where the storyline is at or policy matters, go directly to your imediate superior first. If they are unable to help, then go to the next person in line. Don't bypass the chain of command and go directly to the Commanding Officer. The Commanding Officer is usually busy with Administration tasks including setting up Shipwide events. Please be curtious and show respect by giving the higerups room to do thier job by goining to your department head first, that is why they're here.

Chase Tylor and Gerolkae are not family members

Don't go around acting like you've always known Chase Tylor or Gerolkae.  It just annoys them and makes them think you're trying to use him to raise your status with other crew.

If Chase Tylor or Gerolkae wanted your advice he'd ask for it

Chase Tylor or Gerolkae has a very specific idea of what he wants most of the time.  Although you might think offering him suggestions or ooc help or advice on how to deal with someone wouldn't bother him.... it does.   Chase Tylor or Gerolkae likes to do most of the continuity work himself, mainly because he has an idea what he wants and what's realistic.. quite often he does things certain ways for a reason.

Don't goof off in front of non-members

If you want to have fun so bad go inside and roleplay.  Don't twink RP in the lobby.  People come in to the dream, have no concept of what Starship Avalon is like and see a twink RP occurring.  They don't realize our lobby's ooc and you're just playing around.  You've now succeeded in not only making yourself look dumb but lowering the image quality of Starship Avalon.  Although you might not be spoken to about it, if Chase Tylor or Gerolkae saw it you will definitely have a result, even if you don't realize it.

Don't Apologize, Just Do It

If you goof up, don't be apologizing over and over, all it takes is a "Alright, thanks! :)".   If you're apologizing all the time Chase Tylor or Gerolkae will assume you have no self-confidence and just never give you a head position

Don't be a Hero

You don't -need- to be a hero when roleplaying.  The best roleplays are done with imperfect beings.  If you roleplay constantly as a hero who makes the perfect shot, or takes 15 minutes to fix the warpcore even when every system on the ship is crippled, or saves the man with the gaping burning hole in his chest, you're not only going to never make senior officer, but don't expect to be too well liked as a roleplayer.

Don't abuse your power

This doesn't just mean breaking the rules.  Don't be using your rank to lord over others.  There's nothing that breaks a new recruit's spirit quicker then having a senior staff member point out what they did wrong and giving them 'life's advice'.  Everyone's been in the same spot as the recruit so follow the advice rule and don't offer them advice unless they ask for it.

Chase Tylor or Gerolkae can talk on his own

When Chase Tylor or Gerolkae says something he doesn't need your approving comments, your helpful "yes it definitely helps.  I know it did for me"..etc.  When he's giving information out about the dream interrupting him with your comments is JUST as bad as interrupting anyone else.. don't do it, it gets on his nerves.

Don't complain about being bored (or anything for that matter)

Complaining about being bored just ticks off Chase Tylor or Gerolkae.  If you're complaining about it someone else is present.. which means you could be off roleplaying with them.  Complaining about being bored will very likely get you suspended.. it's a contagious problem and Chase Tylor or Gerolkae is not here to serve your personal entertainment.  They have done the 3000+ hours of building/maintaining the dream, it's now your turn to help in roleplaying.  Complaining about being bored is a subtle way of saying "I want an official RP that is organized, planned, and requires several hours of work by Chase Tylor or Gerolkae but I'm too lazy to do it myself".  Don't do it.

Starship Avalon is provided as a free environment for everyone to take part in.  Chase Tylor or Gerolkae has put his money into it and provided it to you for free.  Complaining about a free dream that you've been given a free membership in and allowed to play for free is a fast-lane one-way trip to losing that free membership and finding yourself out on the street.

Respect, or die

Respect each other, respect yourself, respect non-members and above all respect Chase Tylor or Gerolkae.  If you ever get it in your head to make a joke about Chase Tylor or Gerolkae, make a disrespectful comment, criticize or correct him.  It would be a good idea if you thought long and hard about it.  Whisper him if you think he's incorrect, they try to do that for you most of the time.  Respect each other, don't be arguing or belittling each other or you're going to find yourself demoted.  Don't have descriptions with disrespectful comments in them or you'll find yourself without a job if it's serious enough.

Listen and Learn

Don't ignore what Chase Tylor or Gerolkae say.. if he said it he obviously thought it important for you to know.  If you're told something then you should obviously take heed of it.  He'll be doubly upset if you forget what you're told.

READ THE FREAKIN MANUAL - There is a ton of academy material for you to read and learn what goes where and how stuff works..etc.  Between it and your superior officer you should be fine for knowing things.  Probably the quickest way to kill your career is to ask questions on stuff in the manual rather then looking yourself, or to just go along without thinking of what's going on and that something may be different.  Don't forget to reread everything once in a while.

Never Negotiate

Chase Tylor and Gerolkae's comments are non-negotiable.  If you start trying to negotiate something because you want it a certain way you may as well give up on your career because it's not only killing your promotions each word you say but you're immediately in danger of simply losing your job.

Don't Gripe About Discipline

Although an extension to Don't Complain, you should also remember the cardinal rule of being disciplined..  If you break the rules there are consequences.  Don't complain about Chase Tylor or Gerolkae being hard on you if you break the rule.  Chase Tylor or Gerolkae would LOVE to have every member be a perfect model crewman and promote the perfect people to the perfect ranks.. however it seems that inevitably there is always someone with an attitude problem.  Check your attitude at the door.  Starship Avalon is not here for you to vent your frustrations, don't be so selfish, we're all here to have fun and Chase Tylor and Gerolkae's JOB is to make sure that you're not encroaching on someone else's fun by being a grumpy Gus.

Naval Tradition (IC)

The following is a brief history of naval tradition along with some tips, advice, taboos and other tidbits of valuable information.  There are many customs within the navy that most people think are petty and meaningless but hopefully will be explained in this guide.

The Captain

Regardless of their rank, the Commanding Officer of a vessel is always referred to as Captain (or by rank if it's above).

For many this is one of the hardest concepts to grasp.  Even in other branches of the military the Commanding Officer is usually quite involved with the staff.  On board a navy ship the Commanding Officer is the last word on all matters.  Communications is not always present so his judgement is quite often the final say on any matter.

Because of the isolation of ships mutiny or desertion is always a concern.  Throughout history naval tradition has invoked harsh, sometimes deadly punishments for simply expressing one's disagreement with the Captain.  The same is true in current times, it is extremely frowned upon to the point of being rude, insubordinate, and shocking to anyone present.  This is hard for players who generally come from a democratic world where majority rules and debate is considered healthy.  However on a naval ship debate will get people killed and once the Captain says something it should be carried out without question.

The crew of a ship hold their confidence in the Captain.  As such if they see their senior officers expressing discontent or downright lack of confidence in the Captain's it throws off their morale and ability to focus on their work.

It is also considered improper to offer advice to the Captain if he has not asked for it.  This is partially because it's jumping rank.  The Executive Officer's duty is to filter advice for the Captain and proper ediquette is for him to ask for advice of the staff and then present options to the Captain.

The Captain should stay to themselves.  It is inappropriate for enlisted and even junior officers to invite the captain to a table or to sit down at the table with them.  This allows the captain to remain objective when assigning crew or promotions.

Behavior

The behavior of a naval member is a reflection on their skill, professionalism, and dedication to duty.  If someone is constantly using broken english they are considered to have a low english skill, and will probably not be promoted to the command staff anytime soon.  If they routinely attack someone in conversation they are considered to have poor diplomatic skills and will not make promotion very likely.  If they feel they need to be the hero constantly, they'll most likely be held back for the sake of the safety of the crew.  Remember to always watch your behavior.

Lounge

Superstitions, unfortunately, can have a major impact on morale.  One such superstition is part of lounge protocol.  For instance naval lore states that a sailor will be lost with a ring of a glass, and the devil will take two if someone stops the ring.  Because of this protocol forbids toasts aboard ship to involve 'clinking' the glasses.  General naval tradition also states that the officers mess separately from the enlisted.  Aboard Starship Avalon this is no different as we have an officers' mess on deck 3.

14 Tips to Live in Starship Avalon

1) Don't constantly whisper the Council Members or the Rah. Both groups are quite busy and whispering them is not only tiring but also destracting. If you have a question, feel free to ask one of the members in the lobby.

2) Use the Chain of Command. When you have a question ask your -direct- superior. Don't just go right up to the top of the command chain and ask the Captain directly. You might think "But it's just one question," but, unfortunately so does everyone else. So, Chase Tylor or Gerolkae gets a new whisper every 30 seconds it seems. The main key to Starship Avalon is not how much you know, but how quickly you can find it out yourself. Not being able to figure out simple problems on your own will probably prevent you from graduating for a long time.

3) Act Professional, even OOC. It's great to be excited and all, but when you run around the lobby going "Wheee" you're going to find yourself quickly looked down upon and it -will- come back to haunt you when we think of people we want to give more responsibility to. This being said, feel free to be jovial OOC, just use restraint. Don't act like you're 11 years old.

4) Do stuff willingly. Even if you don't want to do something, the best way to go about it is to just get it done; don't gripe and complain- life in Starship Avalon isn't always going to be fun even though most of the time it is.

5) Show up Often. Even when you're not RPing, simply having you in the dream adds to our total number and, like it or not, Furcadians don't go into empty dreams.

6) Bring your Friends. It's fun to RP with friends and you can hang out with them. Remember, however, that they need to become members to go inside.

7) Spread the love. Tell people about Starship Avalon.

8) STUDY STUDY STUDY. Make sure you know your stuff.

9) Roleplay even when there are no official "big picture" RPs going on. Nothing impresses the Rah more than having someone roleplay even when it's just between 2 people in the messhall.

10) If you're not going to read the instructions don't bother participating. It's doubtful you'll read this but it's the quickest way to not get promoted.

11) Don't stalk Council or the Rah. You don't need to sit beside us at every waking moment. We know you exist and all you do when you do this is make us think you want power. We don't need to see you roleplaying to know you are. We don't need you to greet us and tell you about your new chia pet. If you're lonely and looking to make a friend don't aim for the senior staff.. they have enough 'friends' and more then likely it'll just make things hard when you can't talk to them ICly.

12) It is better to remain silent and be thought of a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt. If you aren't sure of something, ask your superior. If you think you've been told before, apologize for forgetting and then ask. Don't expect to get promoted if you're asking questions that have been answered before.

13) Do not invoke the name of (insert council member here). If you so much as THINK about saying that someone on council told you something, you had better make sure you've got evidence to back it up and you're 100% sure you didn't misinterpret their statement... otherwise, you'd be best to start looking for a job as a cargo loader somewhere else.

14) Knowledge is power. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely. Be careful that you don't come across as snobbish or always correcting people. It's a quick way to turn people against you and it makes you look like a social ladder climber willing to assasinate your 'friends' to get power.

The following are the 1st Year Division Specific Course Materials. Material for YOUR division can be used ICly as your major knowledge (Doctor knowing how to perform surgery). Material for other divisions is optional reading and can only be used ICly as a minor knowledge (Engineering not knowing how to perform surgery but knowing how to perform first aid).