General Rule

18+ Rating

First and formost, all players must be at least 18 years or older in order to join the Rhea. Secondly, all material must be appropriate for the age group. We will be exploring themes of morality and what it means to be a Starfleet Officer when paradise is far away.  We seek to be on about the same level as Star Trek Discovery, Picard, and what you would find in a movie type setting.  Violence is permitted to be discussed as well as coarse language.  Sexual themes will be allowed, though we do not want to cross the line from adventure sim to other forms of entertainment.

1. General rules:

1.1 - The Rhea's main goal is to tell interesting stories, explore and develop your character and to have fun.

1.2 -  The Rhea is part of Obsidian Fleet and therefore the rules of the fleet are to be followed.

1.3 - The Rhea is an 18+ rated RPG witnh some restrictions.  Violence and language are fine, but sexual content has limits.

1.4 -  The Rhea does not tolerate any kind of discrimination, bullying, or verbal insults.

1.5 -  Writers on the Rhea are expected to post once every two weeks. Exceptions are made when multiple players are engaged in large joint posts with more than three players.  If you are working on a large JP, let me know.  A reply (or tag) to a JP needs to be completed within 3 days.  We all depend on each other, it really hurts the sim to have large posts bogged down and stall out because one player is unexpectedly not participating.

1.6 -  If you are not able to participate with the sim, for whatever reason, you need to apply for a leave of absence.  An absence of less than 2 weeks is a LOA, and an absence of more than 2 weeks is an ELOA (Extended Leave of Absence).  If you are working on a JP, you are also required to let your fellow writers know, and you need to agree what to do with the JP during your absence.  Exceptions can be made in the event of an emergency.  The main rule is just to keep the Command staff updated as much as possible.

1.7 -  After someone has missed the posting deadline they will receive a personal message reminding them they haven't posted for more than 2 weeks and asking for a reason. I will send multiple emails and PM. After a total of 1 month of inactivity, combined with not responding to mails and PMs, the character will become an inactive character and his/her position will become open for recruitment.

1.8 -  The Rhea does not allow a writer to write someone else's character, or NPC, without the permission of the creator.  If you make an agreement with another writer to write each other's characters, please make good and clear rules about it, so the chance for any problem is limited.

1.9 -  If you disagree with another writer you first need to attempt to solve the issue yourselves.  If you feel someone has made a negative comment, contact the person and explain the problem to the person.  Most of the time the person isn't aware of it.  If the situation is more severe you can contact both myself and the Executive Officer, and we'll assist in finding a solution.  If no solutions can be found, the disagreement can be escalated to Arbitration.

1.10 - Arbitration is a, hopefully, rare event where disagreements need some help to be resolved.  This will take the shape of the XO and an uninvolved player joining the discussion, hearing from both sides, then offering solutions or reccomending that disciplinary actions be taken by the CO.  If the XO is involved in the disagreement, the CO will step in for the XO.

2. Posting Rules:

2.1 Novel style writing.

We use Novel style for our posts. That entails that the story should read like a book. Dialogue should be put in "quotation" marks, punctuation should be used correctly.  Proper spelling and grammar should be used.

• Use a spell check program before you post a story. Simple errors can be made easily.
• You are allowed to give your character an accent. That however should be done in such a way that it does not affect the reader's ability to understand the post.

2.2 Post introduction.

Pay close attention that you give the correct data in the field before your post. This will be the intro to your post.

• Select the correct mission, if there are more than two active. In the mission tips will be an explanation for which one you are expected to use.
• Give your post a title.
• Location: Start with the Deck - followed by the area, office or room in which the story takes place.
• Time: Start with MD ?? and then a time 00 00 hrs. In the mission tips there is info on the current Mission Day and a time schedule.
• If you want to give your post a description instead of a time then please leave it out of the Time field.  The MD alone will be acceptable for time.  Write at the start of your post the description in cursor.  With a time description is meant "a quiet evening in ten forward" or "right after the away mission" This to emphasize a mood in your post.

2.3 Tagging.

Nova offers a great possibility for writing joint posts. Therefore it is not necessary to leave a tag in any finished posts. If you have a solo post that you would like a other character to respond to send the player a PM.

2.4 Length of posts.

                Fleet rules suggest that all posts should be at least 1000 words in length to qualify as a full post.

2.5 Measurements.

We use the (European) metric system in our writing. This means that if you want to write a length, weight, temperature you need to use cm/m, kg, or Celsius. There are many websites that offer a conversion tool, in case you are not familiar with the metric system. You can also use words as heavy, light, big, small, warm and hot in your post, instead of converting it to metric.

In a characters bio the length and a weight of your character needs to be displayed in cm, and kg. If you want you can put the imperial system between brackets after the metric system, using ' and '' for length and lbs for weight. 

3. Editing Rules:

3.1 For the writers:

To make sure our posts share a professional and uniform layout the Rhea has appointed two players to correct any spelling and grammar mistakes.

• 3.1.1 Everyone has the right to object to his/her work being edited. Let me know and I will make sure it is made clear to the editors. It does mean that you are solely responsible for contributing spelling and grammar mistake free posts.
• 3.1.2 If you have the exception on this rule, and still post with errors in your work. You will eventually lose this privilege.

3.2 For the editors:

• 3.2.1 You cannot edit any posts or contributions of a player in a JP that have the above mentioned exception. This rule is the most important rule for the editors. If I ever get word of this rule being broken, any editing abilities are ended.
• 3.2.2 You are not to change anything in a post that has not been published jet. You'll have to wait until it is posted.
• 3.2.3 Don't change a characters accent.
• 3.2.4 Don't change a whole sentence, unless you have the permission of the writer.

4. OOC Expectations:

What do we expect from certain positions, and what can you as a writer expect from the leaders of this RPG.

4.1 Commanding Officer: 

From me you can expect that I will do my best to keep all the characters engaged in the stories, create new missions and keep them moving along. Provide a good working website and keep it up to date. Keep the site active and always be on the lookout for new writers.

4.2 Executive Officer:

The XO's will take over from me when I am absent.  They will assist me in with the CO responsibilities and advise me with matters that need improvement.  They will help handle disputes, and assess new applications.

4.3 Second/Third Officer:

These positions are a back up for the command team. Most of their activities will be related to their function as department head.  However, they will also play a significant part in planning missions and reviewing of applications.

4.4 Department Heads:

I expect a department head to help new members in their department as they get started.  They should help members of their department with a story, if necessary. They should have some knowledge regarding how their department would function on a Starfleet vessel.  (Example: The CMO needs to know where the isolation ward is).  The DH’s need to know what to do when a red alert is sounded, and make sure the officers/enlisted in your crew know as well. (Example: The CS/TO needs to know where the armory is, and that with a Red Alert there need to be at least a security guard and tactical officer present at that location.)

4.5 Assistant Department Head:

The assistant is to take over the position of the Chief in case of a LOA, and the responsibilities that are part of it.