BOOK OF COMMAND Drafter: Mike Huber =/\= Problem: Although the Federation Council has established specific rules to govern CO's, these rules have never been collected into a comprehensive source. New CO's and CO's who wish to study the exact language of existing rules must comb through the archives. Also, newer CO's may be uninformed about resolutions approved *years* before their term of service began. Proposal: All the rules bearing directly on the responsibilities of the CO should
be collected into a "Book of Command" (similar to the Ships
Books we are already expected to maintain). All CO's and ExO's would maintain
copies of this book for reference. Pros: By placing a comprehensive list of rules into the hands of each CO, we ensure the FRPG will function smoothly and according to the guidelines set forth by the Federation Council. Cons: The need to maintain an additional Book will require some extra effort from the CO's and/or ExO's. Also, the Federation Council will face the additional burden of approving specific language for any resolution bearing directly on the responsibility of the CO. To Sum it up: This Resolution would create a reference book for CO's. -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- CONTENTS: 1. ADVANCING RANK 2. AWARDS 3. ASSIGNMENTS 4. TRANSFERS 5. GUEST WRITERS 6. SECOND CHARACTERS 7. CO'S LOGS 8. DISCIPLINE 9. SHIPS BOOKS -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- As CO, you have the authority to bestow the following ranks on player characters as you see fit: * Lieutenant Junior Grade Input from the Federation Council is required before a player can advance in rank above that of Lt. Commander. The Council *reviews* every promotion to the rank of Commander. The Council must approve assigning ranks of Captain and above. When a player's character receives a change of rank, please inform the Chief of Operations (currently Francois Charette). Non-player characters (NPC's) may be of any rank. As CO, you may choose to promote NPC's. -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- 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 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 HOW CO'S ARE NOMINATED FOR AWARDS 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. The ExO should then poll the crew about the proposed award. If there is substantial support, the ExO should make a formal proposal to all ExO's in the FRPG. This proposal would indicate which award is being sought, provide evidence of crew support, and include a personal recommendation from the submitting ExO. The council of ExO's formed for this purpose would then discuss and vote on the proposal. If the measure is passed and the award in question needs Council approval, then the proposal is sent to whichever chamber of the Council (either MC or AC) does *not* contain the CO receiving the award. This Council then votes on whether the CO in question should receive the award. See Federation Council Resolutions 9811 and 0073. -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- ACT GRADUATES 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). 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. A player who already occupies a department head position can often serve as a mentor to the new player assigned to his or her department as an assistant. 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. STANDARD POSITIONS The following positions are considered standard. 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 Francois Charette). NON-STANDARD POSITIONS 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 COMMAND POSITIONS Executive Officers and Commanding Officers are assigned by the authority of the Federation Council. According to Res 9931, all ExOs are required to serve in ACT. While ACT participation is not prerequisite to becoming an ExO, it is essential to becoming a CO. The duties of ExO and ACT Instructor should occur concurrently. Exceptions and/or variations to this part of the rule may be granted by simple majority in 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. -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- 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 approval from 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. -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- <NOTE: I expect this to change after your pending resolution> 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. Those truly ambitious players who want a *third* active character must receive approval from the Federation Council in addition to the above requirements. ACT INSTRUCTORS 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 -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- At the end of each mission, CO's need to summarize the final storyline and its outcome (including promotions). Mission logs should be sent to the following recipients: * his or her ship's moderator Members of your crew and any CO's or ExO's not on the Federation Council will probably appreciate a copy of the mission log, too. By sending our mission logs to one another, players in the command structure can stay informed as to the activities on other ships. If missions last longer than a month, monthly "mission updates" should be sent. -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- POSTING FREQUENCY (Res 9813) If a player has not posted for a period of one month, he or she will be removed from the game *unless* said player has communicated with the CO. Players removed in this way should be offered the option of returning to ACT for retraining. If a player maintains contact with the CO, stays familiar with the current mission's story line, but is prevented from posting by real life concerns, he or she may be excused for a period of two months. After two months, the player must either post or be removed from the game. Players removed in this way should be offered the option of returning to ACT for retraining. RATINGS SCHEME (Res 0111A) 1) The game has a rating of PG13. JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL 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 Francois Charette). Include the grounds for the dismissal (e.g. real life, lack of posting, etc.). -<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>-=-<>- 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. ---==/\==--- In order to facilitate the way this resolution is dealt with, it was proposed that 1) a vote be called to approve the creation and outline of the book (not
the specific content) Votes on 1): Outcome: Passed SD 2.30209.1845 |