APPLYING TO SS FAWKES
Thanks for your interest. The link to the Fawkes-specific Nova application form can be found by following the "Apply Now" button at the bottom of this page.
In the event that our Nova site is temporarily down, you can use Obsidian Fleet's (OF) SS Fawkes-specific character application form. Please bear in mind that ranks and departmental positions are handled differently here than on typical Star Trek sims, or even most other OF sims. While any Fawkes crew member can feature a Starfleet or other military background, we are technically non-rated civilians and thus need not progress along the usual career tracks, or even derive from a canon Federation species (although canon species are admittedly preferable, since they are by definition compatible with one another). Our membership in Obsidian Fleet, however, means that certain species are strictly off limits. As the size of the Fawkes crew is necessarily limited, there are no real job titles aboard ship. If your character has both piloting and hand-to-hand combat skills, for example, they may be called upon to supply both flight control and security duties in the course of any mission, with no regard for official position. Any crew member with time to kill should be ready and willing to swab decks, stand watch or monitor cargo. At the moment we would benefit greatly from having more characters with piloting and tactical systems experience, but the most important thing is to be as specific and as realistic as possible about what your character can and cannot do. A character who can fly, fight, fix and fuck like a superhero is probably not going to impress anyone here. Nobody should be awesome at everything. One important requirement of all new submissions is that the character be able to cooperate with other characters in ordinary day-to-day circumstances. While the Fawkes crew will sometimes operate on or beyond the edge of the law, and thus would probably attract relatively peculiar or even troubled people to her crew, anyone submitting a so-called lone wolf or maverick character had better be an unusually good writer and willing to work with others when necessitated by the plot or the GM. Conscientiousness, a willingness to compromise and greater personal responsibility are all the price of a more democratic working environment. In exchange for not stomping all your thoughts out of hand, hazing your character or giving veteran players arbitrary authority over new players, we ask for and expect reasonably social behavior. Those who want to play power games or hold positions of authority can work out their pathologies in any one of the million-plus Trek sims constructed around chains of command and career advancement. We on Fawkes will survive only if we're genuinely willing to meet each other half way. AGE RESTRICTION POLICY SS Fawkes was conceptualized by originator John Conahan as having a "grittier" tone than the average Starfleet-based sim, complete with adult themes, graphic violence and profanity. As such, his sim was strictly rated for players age eighteen or above. Liz Reichardt, who took over the sim in 2012, was resolved to continue in that tradition. Sims like Fawkes are bound by federal law to enforce a strict age restriction for all players. Anyone under the age of eighteen who submits a character will be rejected out of hand, their submission to be remanded to Obsidian Fleet for redirection to a sim with a lower age rating. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES One of the things that separates us here at Fawkes is our high regard for and commitment to clear and comprehensible writing. A modestly firm grasp of Standard American or British English is imperative to a quality simming experience, and those who are unwilling to practice reasonably good grammar, or who appear incurious when it comes to improving their writing skills, regardless of their current ability, are asked to instead consider joining the many, many Trek sims out there with very few if any expectations. While no grammatical or stylistic mistake is an outright hanging offense, continuing to disregard this essential aspect of play, especially in spite of repeated CO requests to study the rules of English more carefully, can result in expulsion from the sim. If you need a little help, please consider checking out these three excellent Web resources: Lynch's Guide To Grammar, How To Use English Punctuation Correctly and How To Avoid Informal Writing. All are written for casual students and offer plenty of good examples. For information about non-canon aspects of Obsidian Fleet, please consult the fleet's Wiki Database. Our current sim year is 2388 and exists in approximate accordance with Deep Space 9's established timeline. We are opting to respect the Destruction of Romulus plot line from the newest Trek films. Information about Obsidian Fleet rules and policies is available from the Fleet Database page. Beginning OF players can get some good introductory information about the good ol' Ninth Fleet right here. To familiarize yourself with some of the basic technical language we will apply to the operation of our space freighter, please consider reading a little about naval nomenclature. When it comes to proper capitalization and abbreviation of naval terminology, we will generally obey the U.S. Navy Style Guide. If you plan to play a character with special training in technical fields such as medicine, science or engineering, please consider using Google for technical references while you write. While Treknobabble or even plain old technobabble is not for everyone, studying your subject can help you generate better ideas, including plot ideas, that may move the story in unexpected and interesting directions. A character submission should show comprehensive, succinct narration and description, particularly as it relates to personality, interests, strengths, liabilities and expertise. Please consult the Cast page for more insight into our standards, and be prepared to edit your writing, if asked. If you feel confident you were able to demonstrate your skillfulness as a writer in the description and biography sections of the submission form, we will take it for granted that you write decent dialogue and allow you to abstain from contriving a sample post. If we're on the fence, you may be asked to write a sample post, however, or to expand upon what you've written. If you're not sure you're great at writing, please include the sample post. If you have any questions about how submissions work, or about your character idea, please feel free to write Liz using the contact form below, or through email, if that's easier. To reach the character submission form, click on the button below: |