Coalition Galactic Council

CGC Official Handbook

Protocol Enclosed

Table of Contents:

I. Letter from the Commander In Chief

II. What is a Simulation?

III. General Sim Guidelines

IV. Description of Posts

V. Description of Ranking System

VI. Description of Biographies

VII. Description of Logs

VIII. Can my ship join the CGC?

I. Letter from the Commander in Chief

Greetings New Member(s) of the Coalition Galactic Council,
 

      The Coalition Galactic Council is one of the premier Sim groups on America Online!  The CGC has so much to offer its new members. New and experienced Simmers will find the CGC an inviting atmosphere to Sim in. For the advanced Simmer, we offer high intensity, dramatic Sims. For the beginning Simmer, we offer the Coalition Galactic Council Academy. The CGC Academy is where people that want to learn how to Sim or just brush up on their technique come to practice. I invite you to become a member of our group. I promise that you will not be disappointed!

Fleet Admiral Joel Bryans

Fleet Admiral Keith Casal

Coalition Galactic Council Senior Directors
 

II. What is a Simulation?

So you ask, what is a Simulation? A Simulation (Abbr. Sim) is the ultimate Role-Playing Game. During a Sim you are assigned a post aboard a starship and given the duties that your post entails. A Simulation is best described as a Novel with you and your fellow crewmates as the authors. During the Sim you will help evolve the story and take an active part in your creation. Simulations are what you make of them, because you are the writer. Before a Sim, your Commanding Officer (CO) will issue a mission brief. Consider this to be the storyline that you shall work with. Although the CO is in charge of the mission, every crew member can help the main plot evolve and explode into a realistic and vibrant adventure in role-playing.

III. General Sim Guidelines

In order to make Simming in the CGC more enjoyable and fun, we request that you follow these general rules:
 

When you are moving or performing some sort of action, enclose your text in two to four colons (please do not put any more than this, it is excessive and annoying). During a sim, an action or movement would appear as...
"Ens Jobbee: :::Whips out tricorder and checks the corridor of the abandoned vessel for life signs:::"
 

If you are attempting to communicate with someone not in your general location, such as in separate areas of the ship, place the person in which you are communicating's postion in 'plus' signs. For instance, if you were attempting to communicate with the Operations Manager, your text would appear as...
"LtCdrCarey: +OPS+ Sir, we are having difficulty appeasing the situation in Engineering."
 

If you are speaking with someone that is in the same room as you, place their position right after your position. Then type your message to them. For example, If you were trying to warn the Captain of danger, your text would appear as...
"Cmdr Price: <XO><CO> Sir, Look out behind you!"
 

If your character is Betazoid (or some telepathy-capable race) and you wish to communicate telepathically with someone who also shares this skill, then enclose your text in two to four bracket signs (again, please do not put any more than this, it is excessive and annoying). For instance...
"Ens Troi: {{{Captain, I am in the cave on the surface, I fell down a chasm}}}"
 

If you are on an Away Team, once you beam over to your destination, type, "@" ahead of all text. For example...  
"Ens Pagano: @ Look over at that mountain, the Romulan Base is concealed there. Let's go get them."
 

If you are speaking of items not related directly to the sim and/or sim plot, then enclose your text with one or two (yet again, please do not put any more than this, it is excessive and annoying) greater than/less than signs. Like this...
"Lt Myers: <I was absent last week, would someone please update me?>"
 

Until you become more intimately familiar with your shipmates, it is requested that you place your post within greater than/less than signs, as well. You should display your post in this way...
"LtJGMurphy: <AMO1> I found those medical scans you requested, sir."
 

Commanding Officers ( COs ) control the plot of the Sim. It is up to them to take the sim where it needs to go. In this case, COs have the power of the action. Actions are only used by CO in CGC. An Action is a way of telling the crew what is happening so the crew can better follow the plot. The Actions can be used in many ways, It is up to the Commanding Officer of the ship on how to use them. Here is an example of an Action...
"CaptnBaker: ACTION> Klingon ship fires, lights dim and a large explosion happens. The ship has suffered heavy damage!"
 

Also, make sure that when you are simming, you follow the plot set by the CO. Simming is a lot more fun when everyone participates and contributes ideas relevant to the plot. In our Federation Sims, it is essential to follow Protocol when it comes to fighting ship-to-ship, fighting hand-to-hand, and encountering new races.

IV. Description of Posts

Commanding Officer:  The Commanding Officer of a sim basically presents the ideas and lowdown of the Sim plot and allows the crew to find new and creative ways in advancing those plans. The CO position is maintained by a CGC host and is assisted by his/her Executive Officer.
 

Executive Officer:  The Executive Officer helps accelerate the Sim plot initiated by the CO. He/She is second in command of the ship and helps out the CO and the crew whenever he/she can. The XO leads nearly every Away Team within the Sim. He/She is also directly responsible for the CO's safety; like his personal bodyguard.
 

Helm:  The Helm Officer of a starship, in a nutshell, steers the ship. When it comes to a battle situation, the Helm Officer performs high-risk manuvers and will keep the starship in one piece by initiating attack plans from their console.
 

Operations Officer:  The Operations Officer is essentially the overseer and coordinator of most ship functions. They are usually a jack-of-all-trades. Their console is able to control and distribute power to most systems on the ship. They coordinate, correlate, and regulate the ship's departmental functions. They are sometimes also asked to help other departments of the ship in a certain task.
 

Tactical Officer:  The Tactical Officer on a starship is the operator of weapons during battle. He/She also controls the communications channels most of the time. It is a necessity for this performer position to be able to respond to the CO's commands quickly and efficiently. After all, the Tactical Officer's actions hold the fate of the crew. He/She fires weapons, keeps an eye on shields, operates the tractor beam, and maintains the cloaking device, when applicable, as well as the communications system.
 

Counselor:  The Counselor of a starship is responsible for the emotional state of the crew. The Counselor is a key character when the crew encounters a new race. He/She should give individual advice to the crew, as well as the Command Officers (CO&XO) of the ship. They are responsible for upkeep of morale and mental well-being.
 

Engineering Dept. (Chief / Assistants):  The Engineering Officers are responsible for keeping the ship in prime shape. They must be intimately familiar with every function of the ship as if it was a part of their own soul. They are called upon often during times of battle to repair damaged areas of the ship.
 

Science Dept. (Chief / Assistants):  The Science Officers on a starship are responsible for gaining knowledge on new species, artifacts, weapons, and whatnot. The information they obtain is often vital to the CO for command decisions. They often go on Away Teams.
 

Medical Dept. (Chief / Assistants):  The Medical Officers are responsible for the physical health of the crew on a starship. They perform crew physicals and assist injured, battered, and ill people back to health.
 

Security Dept. (Chief / Assistants):  The Security Officers aboard starships are responsible for all security, on and off of the ship. They provide assistance on Away Teams and escort denizens to the brig. Security Officers also make sure that guests have proper escort and protection. They are also directly responsible for the ship's complement's safety.
 

V. Description of Ranking System

The following is the Ranking System:

Ensign: (Ens, Ensn, Ensign) Initial rank in the CGC. This is given to all new Simmer recruits.

Lieutenant, Junior Grade:  (LtJG) Next rank up from Ensign. Lieutenant Junior Grades must have a bio and satisfactory duty and personal logs for all Sims attended. A minimum of 8 Sims must be on record.

Lieutenant:  (Lt) Next rank up from Lieutenant, Junior Grade. Lieutenants must have a bio, good duty and personal logs for all Sims attended, a specialized hold over his/her station, and developing command ability. Lieutenants must have attended at least 14 Sims.

Lieutenant Commander:  (LtCmdr, LtCdr) Next rank up from Lieutenant. Lieutenant Commanders must have a bio, excellent duty and personal logs for all Sims attended, and excellent command ability. A minimum of 25 Sims must be on record.

Commander:  (Cmdr, Cdr) Next rank up from Lieutenant Commander. Commanders must have a bio, vastly superior duty and personal logs for all Sims attended, and outstanding command ability. Commander need to have attended at least 30 CGC Sims.

Note:  The following ranks and postions are CGC Host status and may only be appointed by the Coalition Galactic Council

Captain:  (Capt, Captn, Cpt) First host rank. A ranking of Captain implies command of a vessel in the CGC.

Fleet Captain:  (FCapt, FCpt) Second host rank. A ranking of Fleet Captain implies that the Host is in charge of an internal function of the CGC, as well as being responsible for keeping an eye on all of the other Captains within the group.

Admiral:  (Adm, Admrl) This Rank implies Deputy Commander of a certain area within the Coalition Galactic Council. Admirals work deeply inside of the internal functions of the CGC.

Fleet Admiral:  The ranking of Fleet Admiral is held by the Directors of the Coalition Galactic Council, Star Admiral TDK. This rank implies total leadership and command over the group.

VI. Description of Biographies

Biographies (bios) allow the crews to establish the personal aspects of their characters. Questions like: "What does your character doing for fun?," "What is your character's favorite food?," and "What are your character's personal statistics?," should all be answered by your bio. Once you join one of our Federation Ships, you will be given a form you can use for your bio. Don't let the barriers of the form discourage you. If you have anything else that you believe may be relevant to your charcter's psyche, then by all means, add it. Remember, bios are supposed to make it possible for your shipmates to learn more about you at a glance.

VII. Description of Logs

There are two types of logs that you are required to make in the CGC: Duty Logs and Personal Logs. To make a Duty Log, you must look at what happened exactly in the sim. Questions like: "Did that Vedek make it back to the temple before the Romulans caught up with him?," "Was the sabotuer stopped before he could shutdown the engines?," and "How did the Alien Ship get destroyed; whose idea was it?" should all be answered inside of your Duty Logs. All of your Duty Logs should be written from a "Duty-First" point of view. Your comments about the Sim are reserved for your Personal Logs.

Personal Logs are used to express your opinions and feelings about the sim, sim plot, and characters within the sim. Questions like: "How did you feel when you learned about the Genocide attempt by the Dominion?," "What was your reaction to the new race you encountered?," and "Why do you think the Captain decided to let the traitor die in the vacuum of space?," should all be answered inside of your Personal Logs. You should also speak of any friendships you made with other crew members, anything you learned from your last sim, and any ideas you might have for what to do about some problem that has carried over into another sim. Always remember to have fun with your logs, they are a direct reflection of you.

VIII. Can My Sim Group Join the CGC?

Well, the answer is yes! The Coalition Galactic Council welcomes ships that are interested in flying under our banner or sim groups which wish to merge. As with most groups, we have some basic rules that apply for ship admission. The primary rule is that a CGC Host must attend your Sim for a few weeks to check its stability. Two other rules is that the ship have a complete set of specifications and that it not be affiliated with any other group. Also, the ship must have at least 8 active members. Finally, your ship must have a roster.