Annual Newsletter
Contents
Introduction
Welcome the annual newsletter! I know this is about 30 days late, but I hope, after you look at everything here, you understand why I might be running a little late. Without further adieu, lets jump right into this—there’s a lot of ground to cover.
Where We've Been
This year has been relatively quiet on the site. We saw some player departures as well as some returns. Overall, our membership level remained fairly constant. In short, we didn’t grow, but we didn’t really shrink either. We decommissioned the USS Comet and consolidated its personnel to existing ships. We also did some ship swaps. The USS Titan was swapped with the USS Ticonderoga and the USS Yeager was swapped out with our very first space station, Sierra-18.
Where We're Going
In the year ahead, we’ve got some exciting things planned. We will be running a site wide plot through most/all of this year. In fact, we’ll be running two site wide plots. The House Divided plotline will revolve around the romulans while the Genesis Gambit will focus on a well known scientific device. Both of these plotlines are going to be a little more subtle than previous site-wide plots. In fact, they are both already running.
The Fed Space Wiki Project Goes Live
As you can see, the Fed Space Wiki is now live. Let me take some time to highlight some features of our wiki, let you know where we’re at in the project, and tell you what you can do to help.
Before I go into explaining our wiki, I need to pass along my sincere thanks to the folks that really made this happen. Capt Treborn, Cdr Tregelen, Lt Elswin, Capt Grant, LCdr Tei, Cdr Yvette, Cmdr Daher, Lt Col Bateson and Maj Braggins. Thank you all very much for putting in a lot of hard and tedious work to make the wiki come alive. We’ve still got some work to do, but thanks, again, for your time and dedication to making Federation Space a better place.
Looking at the Navigation window on the left hand site, you will note the top link is titled “Main Page”. This is pretty much the wiki’s home page. Selecting this link will always bring you back to the same page.
The Categories link might be a good way to just explore certain sections. For instance, let’s say you want to see all the articles pertaining to Engineering. Just select Categories. A new page will load listing all of the categories on the wiki. Select the Engineering category and yet a new page will load with all the articles tagged for engineering, in alphabetical order, will load.
The FNN link will take you to The Federation News Network, which will be the place to go to find out what’s going on in game, from various news reporters perspectives. Some of you old timers might remember FNN from a while ago…well it’s back. This will be a developing part of the wiki. I’ve got some ideas, but we’ll be looking for folks to run the show. More about that below.
The Recent Changes link lists all changes recently made to the wiki. If you want to keep on top of the wiki, this link is a great resource to see new content or how old content has changed.
The Random Page link is pretty self explanatory. Click it to be taken to a random page within the wiki.
The Help Link is not written yet, but will contain directions and help on how to post on the wiki.
The Online Store link will take you to the Fed Space Online Store. More about that below.
Finally, the Message Board link will take you into the play area of Federation Space.
Below the Navigation links is the Resources links, which are almost identical, in function, to the resource links we’ve had on the content side of the house from the very beginning. Some highlights to take a look at there:
Medical: Cdr Yvette has been hard at work developing and editing our medical content. We have, I believe, one of the finest medical sections for an RPG, on the web.
Marines: Though it’s still a work in progress, Lt Col Bateson and I have been working hard to finally develop some marine content for the site. Again, it’s still rough around the edges, but it’s nice to have some content there. You can see the new Marine Ground Assault Gunship in an image to the right.
One link I’d like to point out under the Tactical section is the link titled In Game Astronomical Objects. This section will list, by name, all astronomical objects encountered by ships/crew members within the Federation Space Universe. As you can see, it’s pretty sparsely populated right now. What I’d like to see this grow into is a great resource for the site to maintain continuity and help develop our own little mythos, in regards to locations/objects.
Now that I’ve given you a little bit of an overview of the wiki, let me tell you where we’re at. We’re very close to completing phase 1, which was to move all the content from the flat, html version to the dynamic wiki format. Phase 2 will be, primarily an editing phase, where we scrub through the wiki for accuracy and continuity. As you browse the wiki, please remember, it’s still a work in progress.
There will also be some changes in the way BIO’s and rosters are updated. Your point of contact for BIO updates is now your Commanding Officer. Your CO’s will also be updating your ship’s roster as well. Please Note:You need to change the link in your message board profiles that points to your BIO. The pages that are home to your BIO's will soon be deleted. To find your current BIO link, select the Personnel link the the left. Then Select the Alphabetical roster, find your name and then click on it. The new page is where you need to copy and paste your new BIO link from.
How can you help? Initially, we’re going to have a closed wiki. That means that only certain people will have the rights to edit the wiki. This is done, primarily to preserve the content. In essence, we’re almost using the wiki more like a content management system (CMS). However, that doesn’t mean you can’t contribute. When you are browsing the wiki, and you come across red linked text, that’s an article that still needs to be written. Before you write the article, contact the division head (Or if all else fails, send me an email) and ask them if you can write the article. Most will probably say sure. Occasionally, they may say, I’m already working that article. Be a little flexible. The overall goal for the wiki would be to have no more red links. That will not become a reality without everyone pitching in.
Federation News Network – Job Opening
I’m going to change the focus of FNN slightly from the way it worked before. Primarily, most of FNN’s reports were in game posts. What I’d like to see FNN evolve into is the total news network for the Federation Space Universe. I’d like to continue the in game reporting that we had before, but I’d like to couple that with Out of Context stuff like promotions, medals, or other events that happen out of the scope of the game. Additionally, I’d like to see a section focus on current Star Trek news. Maybe not the definitive source for Star Trek news, but maybe a couple highlights of what’s going on in the Star Trek Universe. I’d like to also see a real world science article of the month as well as maybe some star trek related comics.
What I need, first and foremost, is a Director. A person to lead a team of players to accomplish everything I mentioned above and more. So, consider this a job posting for a new division head. Here are the position requirements:
--Must be able to lead a team of players to write and maintain a monthly news and notes section that covers in game and out of game topics.
--Must have an understanding of how to format/use the editing functions of a wiki, or be willing to learn. (It’s not really that hard)
--Must be able to take constructive criticism and gentle nudges from a meddlesome President.
This will not be an easy job, it will require a consdirable amount of your time. Please only volunteer for this position if you are willing to put in the time and effore to make it successful.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please email me and put FNN Director Position in the subject line.
New Site Logo
Some of you may know that even though I designed our last logo, it was still something I wan not overly fond of for our site logo. Along the right side of this newsletter is our, official, site logo--one that I do like. The previous logo will become our communicator badge.
New ID Cards
This is just a gee whiz kinda thing, but some of you may enjoy having you're very own Star Fleet Identification Card. This is what you must do to get one:
Send me an email with a link to your BIO (wiki link please) and a picture of your character. I don't care if the picture is in uniform or not, that's up to you. You can use celebrity photos, your own photo or photos in the public domain. Your service number will be generated for you using a formate set up in the wiki working group. Please do not ask for a specific service number. The method we're using to generate the numbers will ensure everyone has a unique number. The ID cards will be posted on your BIO and will be color coded to match your department.
Online Store
Those of you that have been around for any time know that I've been promising a Federation Space Online Store for a long time. Well, we are within about 2 weeks of finally making that a reality. In fact, I've already set a lot of the store up. The folks that have been working on the wiki had a preview of the store and the response was favorable. There are a few more details to work out, but I hope to have the Online Store open before Feb 15th. Items that will be offered include, but are not limited to, T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Mugs, Mousepads, clocks, calendars, and several other items. I'll post more information once the online store opens its doors.
Short Story Contest
Sigh...I'm very sorry to report that I need to delay the announcement of the winners yet again. The stories have been judged and rated, with one exception. There was a story sent in a format that could not be opened. I did not find this out until I got home from work at 2am last night. So, in order to give all participants a fair chance, we are waiting for the story in question to be sent in a format that can be opened. Once that happens it will be judged and compared to the other stories and the winner will be announced. If I don't have the story by Saturday, I'll disqualify it and announce the winners with what we've got. I'm also waiting on 3 submitters to supply me with titles for their entries. Again, I apologize for having to delay this again, I know it's frustrating to some of you. Please hang in there for 2 more days and I'll have it up, one way or the other on Saturday.
Introduction Text Winners
Now let me announce the winners on a contest I had full control of. I have chosen 3 winners whose entries I combined and edited slightly. The winners are: Mid Tek Jansen, Maj Paul Braggins and LCdr Vaebn Tei. Congratulations and thanks to all the folks that submitted entries. I had 14 entries on this competition, which is great! The final text looks like this:
Violence and dissent has spread through the Alpha and Beta quadrants like wildfire. Bloody wars tear empires apart and trust between governments fades. As the galaxy grows unstable, the Federation turns towards the future. Nebulae beg to be charted, planets yearn to be colonized, and as of yet undiscovered species eagerly await first contact. But In the shadows, the specter of an old enemy lurks, waiting for a chance to strike. Once again, fleets mobilze to defend the beliefs upon which the Federation were founded. Uncertainty reigns. What longstanding friendships will be shattered? What new alliances will be forged in the flames of war? Can the Federation survive?
Star Fleet is in dire need of good people. Can you become one of the heroes of the Federation? Do you have the strength, intelligence and courage to boldly go where no one has gone before? If so, see your local recruiter...It's time to see what really is out there.
Welcome to Federation Space, a Star Trek Role-Playing game set 37 years after the events portrayed in ST:TNG, ST:DS9 and ST:Voyager. Players assume the roles of Star Fleet officers and enlisted members stationed on ships and bases throughout Federation Space.
Conclusion
Eight years...it seems like just yesterday we were on free servers, only had the Yoritomo, and only had a handful of players. We have evolved nicely over the years--mostly thanks to those of you reading this. Thanks to all of you and I look forward to the year(s) ahead.
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