| BOOK OF COMMAND 1. ADVANCING RANK 2. AWARDS 3. ASSIGNMENTS 4. TRANSFERS 6. SECOND CHARACTERS 8. DISCIPLINE 9. SHIPS BOOKS As CO, you have the authority to bestow the following ranks on player characters:
* Any Enlisted Rank as long as the character started out as Enlisted The Marine rankings available for your use are as follows. Because Marines canot command naval starships, in exception to extreme emergencies, all non flag ranks are open for this purpose. In the interest of level-headed promotions, there must be a minimum six-month evaluation period between promotions. As such the minimum time spent in the FRPG before attaining the rank of Commander will be two full years. The following is recommendations of time span between promotions based off player performance 6 Months >>>It is recommended that player meet ALL of the recommendations for advancement in this category 1 Year
>>>It is recommended that player meet 6 of the 7 requirements for advancement in this category >>>CO's are reminded that between 6 months and a year it is at their discresion if they have met a sufficient number of requirements for character advancement. Ie: CO 1 promoted Player 2 to Lieutenant after 8 months. Player 1 has met all the requirements for promotion, but only posts twice a month. The Council must approve assigning ranks of Captain and above. Commanding Officers have the chance to obtain a higher than captain rating. The next step above captain is Fleet Captain represented by 5 pips on the uniform. When a player's character receives a change of rank, please inform the Chief of Operations (currently Peter Aspinall As CO, you may assign the following AWARDS
to characters who deserve special recognition: Exceptional Service Awards Command Award Science Award: Engineering Award Medical Award Intelligence Award 5/10 Year Service pertains to Player continual involvement within the FRPG with a singular character. Character cannot have been absent for no more than 3 consecutive months. 10 year service is represented by a second 5 year medal, indicated on a ribbon cluster by using a single gold star over the original
Other awards are available, but their use requires approval from the
Federation Council. These awards are: Exceptional Service Awards: Command Award Science Award: Engineering Award Medical Award Intelligence Award Every player has the right to propose an award for his or her CO. Any player who wishes to make a recommendation should contact his or her ExO, or Council Rep depending on the award.
The ExO/Rep should then poll the crew about the proposed award. If there is substantial support, the ExO would then notify the Council of the award. If there are no objections the ExO would then be free to bestow the award on the CO. In the case of a Council Approved award, the Council Rep should make a formal proposal to the Federation Council. This proposal would indicate which award is being sought, provide evidence of crew support, and include a personal recommendation from the submitting ExO as well as any posts from the archives that give an example of why they think the CO has earned this award.
New Recruits - ACT Suspended
Incoming recruits are required to submit a sample writing of at least 2 pages at 12pt font TNR or similar. This replaces the requirement of a 500 word sample post.
Incoming Players are screened by the COO, and then divided up to the fleet based on 1: Player preference 2: Fleet needs. In that order. These players will start off as ensigns, unless the player's unit requests otherwise, or player requests to be civilian, enlisted or warrant officer grade.
These Players will be assigned a mentor by the unit's Commanding Officer at his/her discretion to be available to aid the new player in the development of their skills.
New Recruits – ACT Active
The COO assigns new ACT graduates to the fleet, based on player preference and available positions. All ACT graduates come into the fleet with the rank of ensign.
The COO will assign all ACT graduates to an assistant position (e.g. aFCO, aCEO, aCSciO, aSec/Tac, aCns or aCMO; see Res0009). As CO, you may promote these new players to vacant "department head" positions whenever their skills, commitment and knowledge of the game have been established to your satisfaction.
All player characters are considered members of the "Senior Staff." Even if there are other assistant level characters listed as personnel, player characters who serve in this capacity are afforded greater authority because of their Advanced Command Training.
A new graduate should *never* be placed in a department head position above an existing player in the assistant position. When possible, capable assistants who have served a successful apprenticeship under the department head on one ship should be transferred to a second ship (where they may become full department heads). See "Transfers," below.
Returning Players
All CO's are welcome to recruit forgotten friends from the past to their units. If the player has been absent for more than 6 months, the player must submit a sample of current writing ability. All returning players must have left with good standing in the FRPG. If there are any complications within writer's history with the game (ie: disciplinary actions), then returning players must be approved with the council.
1: If the player meets with current standards, the player is allowed to re-enter the fleet without delay at their former rank or lower (Commander or lower depending on storyline requirement).
2a: If the player fails to meet current standards they will be assigned a mentor to bring the player back up to level. Returning rank would be at player/Co Discretion ie: starting over or just 'tutoring'
2b: If the player fails to meet current standards, and ACT is in use, the player has a choice between a mentor, and going through ACT again.
The following positions are considered standard (see OLG). You may transfer
members of your crew to any of these positions, without submitting those
transfers for Council approval. Ops - Operations Officer As graduates of Advanced Command Training, player characters are recognized
as leaders of extraordinary ability. Those assigned to the above positions
have authority over other members of their department, regardless of rank.
In other words, ACT allows player characters holding the rank of ensign
to exercise authority over others of higher rank. NOTE: When a player's character is transferred to a new position
aboard your ship, please inform the Chief of Operations (currently Peter
Aspinall <paspinall@blueyonder.co.uk>) and webmaster. You may wish to assign players to non-standard positions aboard your
ship. Here are examples of non-standard assignments (others are possible,
reflecting the mission profile of various ships): MCO - Marine Commanding Officer Because these positions are outside the regular command structure, they
should be reserved for experienced players. Technically, adding a non-standard position to your roster does not require
the Federation Council's explicit approval. However, in the interest of
creating a "united" fleet, it would be wise to seek Council
approval for any new position. Doing so: 1. will allow other CO's the opportunity to adopt your good ideas Executive Officers and Commanding Officers are chosen by the ship's crew from the available applicants, then ratified by the authority of the Federation Council. For a player to transfer his or her character from one ship to another,
3 OKs are required. 1) Current CO The COO regulates this transfer process for the following reasons: 1) To ensure the transfering character is not just trying to run away
from a situation which could very well be addressed internally; 2) To ensure that the transfering character is heading for a healthy
ship and will not displace an established character out of his or her
position. 3) To ensure that all transfers comply with fleet-based restrictions:
probational stays within the fleet, JAG judgements, etc.
If the any of the participants fail to approve a transfer, an appeal can be filed with the Federation Council or Fleet JAG should one be elected.
During an appeal, an overturning of the original decision could result for the following reasons:
-Transfer denied because leaving captain has blatant bias against the player and whishes to keep them under his/her control
- Player Retention: If the player requesting a transfer would rather leave the game than remain on their present unit, every possible option should be explored to retain the player. A transfer overturn could be used as long as the transfer would not displace players already on that unit or it would not be a detriment to the players already there.
- In the rarity that the COO is found to be playing favorites or showing a biasness to a particular unit. It would also be suggested that in this event, the COO be brought before JAG or Council to hear charges against him/her
As CO, you may wish to invite "Guest Writers" to introduce
important characters who will either play a temporary role. The guidelines
for guest writers are as follows: 1 - An active member of the FRPG may guest write for you RP unit after
obtaining approval from his or her current CO. 2 - A former member of the FRPG requires notification of the Federation
Council before he or she can make an appearance. 3 - A writer with no affiliation to the FRPG (players who have never
gone through training) also requires Council approval. 4 - All approval must be accomplished prior to the beginning of the appropriate
mission. Also, approval is required for even the briefest guest appearances. See Res
0107. Qualified players may create an additional character to participate in
the adventures of a second RP unit. These are the requirements for forming
a second character: * the consent of those CO's affected. Upon the creation of a second permanent character, a four (4) month probation
period starts. At the end of the probation period, the CO of the primary
character, the CO of the second character, and the COO review the performance
of the writer. At that point, the three superior officers have three options:
a) lift the probation status, b) extend the probation status, c) request
that one of the permanent characters be dropped. If a writer has a character 'on probation' that writer cannot create
another character that would go on 'probation' status. If a writer is required to drop a character due to a request by the COs
at the end of a probation period, that writer cannot create a character
that would go on 'probation' unless six (6) months have passed between
the request to drop a character and the creation of a new character. If a player accepts an Administrative Position (COO, Council Chairperson,
DACT, etc), he or she must wait six (6) months before requesting an additional
permanent character. Those truly ambitious players who want a *third* active character must
receive approval from the Federation Council in addition to the above
requirements. See Res
0309. Those serving as Executive Officers are required to create a second character
for service as an ACT Instructor (see "Positions"
above). Other qualified characters may also serve as ACT Instructors.
To create a second character for this purpose, the player must: * obtain their CO's recommendation See Res 0101. At the end of each mission, a synopsis of events shall be submitted to: The webmaster, the archives and the ship's crew.
The format should be as Follows:
Ship's Log – (Unit Name) – (Unit Registry)
POSTING FREQUENCY (Res
0514) ALL ACTIVE PLAYERS IN THE FRPG MUST POST AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH. If they are unable to do so, they should contact their CO or send an NRPG explaining their reasons. Every effort will be made to accommodate players who have RL issues. Players with additional responsibilities to their unit outside of posting, namely: i) the unit's Webmaster, responsible for satellite
site maintenance, and ii) the player responsible for that unit's administrative duties such as the Ship's Books (usually the CO or ExO), are are omitted from the 2/month minimum rate -but- must post at least once a month in order to remain active players. In the case of the CO/ExO posting once per month, the other command officer must keep up a 2/month minimum. 1) The game has a rating of PG13. The Judge Advocate General works to resolve conflict at a fleetwide level.
More complete information on JAG is available from the FRPG website (see
the JAG section and Res9933
in the Council archives). NOTE: If you remove a player, please inform the Chief of Operations
(currently Peter Aspinall <paspinall@blueyonder.co.uk>). Include
the grounds for the dismissal (e.g. real life, lack of posting, etc.).
In the absence of a JAG, the Federation Council will serve as an disciplinarian board for the infractions charged.
Every RP unit must maintain an up-to-date set of "Ship's Books."
However they are configured, the books must present the following information: 1. Ship/Station specs The exact number of books and the inclusion of other information is left
to the discretion of the CO. |