Roleplay FAQ
Curious about the weekly Stonewall RP events? I'm going to collect a lot of the common questions new players have about their characters here, for a starting point and for future reference.
What do I need to get started?
Why can't I play a Vice Admiral?
Because a Vice Admiral wouldn't be permanently assigned to a single ship, and couldn't really have interesting interactions with the crew anyway.
Why can't I play a Commander?
You can! You just can't start as one -- you have to earn that promotion in-story. This keeps our bridge crew from being unrealistically top-heavy. Even the Enterprise-D, flagship of the entire Federation, started with only two Commanders aboard: Riker and Crusher.
Can I play a civilian? A freighter captain? A time traveler? A spy?
I'll do my best to find a place for whatever oddball role you can come up with! Just talk to me about it ahead of time, so we can come up with a reason for your character to encounter our explorers and stick with them.
Can I be a department head?
Generally, we don't specify department heads. This allows us to have a very flexible attendance policy. If you miss a night, it's no big deal: whatever medically-oriented character happens to be present is the "Doctor on duty" and is treated as the ship's doctor for the duration of the event.
That said, reliable regulars get their pick of positions. If you're there every single week playing an engineer, to the point where you become the de facto ship's engineer, I'll be happy to make it official.
What's the setting?
We're in the game's timeline. We are the crew of two allied ships, the USS Sally Ride and the RRW D'Galan, on a joint "five-year mission" to explore the unknown space past the boundaries of the Romulan Republic. We're seeking new life and new civilizations where no one has gone before -- and also trying to solidify the Federation's relationship with the fledgling Romulan Republic.
What uniform should I wear?
Our Starfleet crew uses the official Stonewall uniform. To reflect the ragtag nature of the Republic fleet in the storyline, our Romulan crew does not have a set uniform. (That said, you could push for one in-story, if that interests you.) If you don't have the right uniform, we'll just pretend that you do unless you make a point of its absence.
Can I have more than one character?
Absolutely. Most of us have a Starfleet character and a Romulan character, at the very least. You may have more than that, although I recommend having a couple of "favorites" -- playing the same character a lot gives you a chance to build more interesting relationships.
Can I have a whole storyline about my character?
Yes! If you have an idea for a plot originating from your character's back story, talk to me about it! In my experience, these kinds of plots create great relationship hooks. Keep in mind that the idea may mutate a little bit, both as I adapt it for the rest of the crew, and as their reactions shape the narrative.
Can I watch an event or two before I join?
Sure thing! Join the SFRoleplay channel as an event is starting and you'll be all set to listen in.
How do I roleplay?
The basic concept is pretty simple: instead of just talking in the channel, you're describing what your character does. The formatting isn't really important, so long as we can understand what's going on. I tend to be really narrative, personally, so I'll say something like
but you could also say
or
As long as it's clear what your character is saying and what your character is doing, you'll be fine.
Some advanced stuff:
To pose your character in a certain way, you can use emotes. I find the /emote_notext command really helpful for using a motion that doesn't necessarily fit the flavor text the game insists on posting. For instance, if you want to lay down without going ZZZZZZZZZZ, type "/emote_notext sleeping". Your character will lay down without spamming any weird white text. Ladies in skirts: "/emote_notext sit_captain". You're welcome.
If you want to investigate the world around you, type it as an action and I'll PM you the results. For example, if you say, "Geordi scans the room with a tricorder", I'll PM you anything important you find. For example: "You notice a weak point in the wall that you could break through with concentrated phaser fire." You'll generally get better results if you specify what you're looking for: "Geordi uses his tricorder to scan for an escape route."
You can also PM me if you want to be secretive or provide more specifics. So, maybe something like this:
Is there a lot of action? Romance? Jokes?
The hosted events are, like Trek shows, generally oriented toward exploration and adventure. I present you with constant threats, puzzles, and challenges. Generally, during the event, there's a lot of action, some opportunities for humor, and not much time for character development. We also have "downtime" for the crew to hang out together immediately after most hosted events, as well as for a whole night between "episodes" of the plot. Downtime is the reverse of the events: lots of space for personal interaction, no action.
My thinking is that you don't need a hosted event to do personal interaction RP -- you can just hop into any RP-friendly zone in the game and cut loose. The fleet RP's job is to provide an ongoing storyline and action/puzzles to challenge the player. I encourage players to seek each other out between events and do their own RP without me. Having the fleet RP as a backdrop can give your downtime RP a lot more depth, and building relationship with other characters outside of the events will make the plot more exciting.
What do I need to get started?
- Your character has to be Federation or Romulan (KDF-aligned Romulans included).
- You need to give your character a rank Lt. Commander/Centurion or below.
- You need to pick an area of expertise for your character. This can be as broad as "science" or as specific as "nonsentient xenobiology."
Why can't I play a Vice Admiral?
Because a Vice Admiral wouldn't be permanently assigned to a single ship, and couldn't really have interesting interactions with the crew anyway.
Why can't I play a Commander?
You can! You just can't start as one -- you have to earn that promotion in-story. This keeps our bridge crew from being unrealistically top-heavy. Even the Enterprise-D, flagship of the entire Federation, started with only two Commanders aboard: Riker and Crusher.
Can I play a civilian? A freighter captain? A time traveler? A spy?
I'll do my best to find a place for whatever oddball role you can come up with! Just talk to me about it ahead of time, so we can come up with a reason for your character to encounter our explorers and stick with them.
Can I be a department head?
Generally, we don't specify department heads. This allows us to have a very flexible attendance policy. If you miss a night, it's no big deal: whatever medically-oriented character happens to be present is the "Doctor on duty" and is treated as the ship's doctor for the duration of the event.
That said, reliable regulars get their pick of positions. If you're there every single week playing an engineer, to the point where you become the de facto ship's engineer, I'll be happy to make it official.
What's the setting?
We're in the game's timeline. We are the crew of two allied ships, the USS Sally Ride and the RRW D'Galan, on a joint "five-year mission" to explore the unknown space past the boundaries of the Romulan Republic. We're seeking new life and new civilizations where no one has gone before -- and also trying to solidify the Federation's relationship with the fledgling Romulan Republic.
What uniform should I wear?
Our Starfleet crew uses the official Stonewall uniform. To reflect the ragtag nature of the Republic fleet in the storyline, our Romulan crew does not have a set uniform. (That said, you could push for one in-story, if that interests you.) If you don't have the right uniform, we'll just pretend that you do unless you make a point of its absence.
Can I have more than one character?
Absolutely. Most of us have a Starfleet character and a Romulan character, at the very least. You may have more than that, although I recommend having a couple of "favorites" -- playing the same character a lot gives you a chance to build more interesting relationships.
Can I have a whole storyline about my character?
Yes! If you have an idea for a plot originating from your character's back story, talk to me about it! In my experience, these kinds of plots create great relationship hooks. Keep in mind that the idea may mutate a little bit, both as I adapt it for the rest of the crew, and as their reactions shape the narrative.
Can I watch an event or two before I join?
Sure thing! Join the SFRoleplay channel as an event is starting and you'll be all set to listen in.
How do I roleplay?
The basic concept is pretty simple: instead of just talking in the channel, you're describing what your character does. The formatting isn't really important, so long as we can understand what's going on. I tend to be really narrative, personally, so I'll say something like
[SFRoleplay] Airen@DoctorDisaster: "Augment tech from a parallel dimension?" Airen shades his eyes and peers up at Zoril. "Where's that tricorder, Branok?"
but you could also say
[SFRoleplay] Airen@DoctorDisaster: Augment tech from a parallel dimension? *shades eyes and looks at Zoril* Where's that tricorder, Branok?
or
[SFRoleplay] Airen@DoctorDisaster: Augment tech from a parallel dimension?
[SFRoleplay] Airen@DoctorDisaster: *shades eyes
[SFRoleplay] Airen@DoctorDisaster: *peers up at Zoril
[SFRoleplay] Airen@DoctorDisaster: Where's that tricorder, Branok?
As long as it's clear what your character is saying and what your character is doing, you'll be fine.
Some advanced stuff:
To pose your character in a certain way, you can use emotes. I find the /emote_notext command really helpful for using a motion that doesn't necessarily fit the flavor text the game insists on posting. For instance, if you want to lay down without going ZZZZZZZZZZ, type "/emote_notext sleeping". Your character will lay down without spamming any weird white text. Ladies in skirts: "/emote_notext sit_captain". You're welcome.
If you want to investigate the world around you, type it as an action and I'll PM you the results. For example, if you say, "Geordi scans the room with a tricorder", I'll PM you anything important you find. For example: "You notice a weak point in the wall that you could break through with concentrated phaser fire." You'll generally get better results if you specify what you're looking for: "Geordi uses his tricorder to scan for an escape route."
You can also PM me if you want to be secretive or provide more specifics. So, maybe something like this:
[SFRoleplay] Bob taps at his PADD intently.
[Tell] I'm looking up security records to find out when Jim was here last.
(I reply:) There's an entry log for an hour ago...but no exit log. He's still in here with you!
Is there a lot of action? Romance? Jokes?
The hosted events are, like Trek shows, generally oriented toward exploration and adventure. I present you with constant threats, puzzles, and challenges. Generally, during the event, there's a lot of action, some opportunities for humor, and not much time for character development. We also have "downtime" for the crew to hang out together immediately after most hosted events, as well as for a whole night between "episodes" of the plot. Downtime is the reverse of the events: lots of space for personal interaction, no action.
My thinking is that you don't need a hosted event to do personal interaction RP -- you can just hop into any RP-friendly zone in the game and cut loose. The fleet RP's job is to provide an ongoing storyline and action/puzzles to challenge the player. I encourage players to seek each other out between events and do their own RP without me. Having the fleet RP as a backdrop can give your downtime RP a lot more depth, and building relationship with other characters outside of the events will make the plot more exciting.