For the most part there is an awful lot of freedom when it comes to posting.  Each of you will develop your own style, and we don’t want to limit you any more than necessary.  However, there are a few things that are required during posting, and a few things that shouldn’t take place.

What to do:

1. Your posting should be written as realistically as possible.  Granted this game takes place in a world that doesn’t truly exist yet, but there is enough information available to keep your posting realistic.  If you have trouble with the terminology or other areas, refer to the NF Database for help. Likewise your character should be real.  There is no such thing as a perfect officer, as much as some would like you to believe there is!  A character without any flaws is not going to be a lot of fun to be around. They will be the one’s always trying to solve the problem, having an almost god like complex.  Don’t get caught up in that.  Keep your character real, show some of their flaws, and have fun with that side as well.

2. Keep everything in line with the Star Trek ideals, your ships history, your current crew members and your character.  I can’t stress enough how important this is.  Your character building should be consistent and recognizable.  Sure, the character will evolve and change over time, but their core values will generally remain the same, barring any life altering events.

3. Have fun writing your posts! Again, this is a game and games are meant to be fun.  Don’t be afraid to throw in some humor now and then, just please remember to keep it appropriate for our audience.

4. Make your posts enjoyable for other’s to read.  All of our inbox’s are going to be getting a lot more email, so please put some effort into making your stories and interesting read.

What not to do:
1. Don’t get caught up in the superman syndrome.  Nobody wants to work with a person that constantly has all the answers.  Even the CO’s won’t always have the answer, that’s why they have crew members lol.  Input your ideas, but don’t monopolize the missions.

2. Don’t over step your role.  By this I mean that it is not logical for an ensign in the security department to order the CO on an away mission.  Granted that’s a stretch, but it makes the point. Each character has a role to play and if people start stepping outside that role, things get very confusing very quickly.  

3. Don’t misuse another person’s character.  In order to make posting more enjoyable and realistic you will have to utilize other characters in your posting.  This really is not as difficult as it seems, especially once you get used to the other characters. The golden rule works wonders in this. Don’t do anything to someone else’s character you wouldn’t want done to yours.  This includes, but is not limited to: killing them off (totally forbidden without everyone, including the CO, knowing about it ahead of time and approving of it); suggesting a romantic relationship without the other person’s consent; making major character development decisions for another character without their consent.  Hopefully this gives you an idea.  Basically, follow the Golden Rule, and if in doubt, as that person first.

4. Don’t start or finish a mission without the CO’s approval.  The CO’s are responsible for overseeing missions and usually have an idea of where they are going with the mission and what they want to accomplish.   They are the only one’s allowed to begin or end a mission. At their discretion they may ask someone from their crew to actually do the posting, but it should never be done with them giving the order.

5. Again, follow the Golden Rule.  It will save everyone a lot of trouble.

This list is not a complete account of what you should or shouldn’t do, but hopefully it gives you some general guidelines to follow. Mistakes are bound to happen, and when they do they will be fixed.  Just be careful in your posting and make every effort to follow these simple guidelines.