Star Trek: Picard has arrived in role play: The USS Eminence commanded by Captain Caymen Greener. The ship is a Saber-class scout/patrol vessel assigned to the former border areas with the Romulan Empire a few months prior to the events of Star Trek: Picard in 2399.
While the sim is set near the old Romulan border, it will not exclusively run Romulan-based missions. Captain Greener has a lot of great ideas for this game, and it will only get better and better as both the crew and the series continue to build the lore.
If you would like to join simming’s cutting edge while still honoring Star Trek’s past, join the Eminence today!
It’s that time again as we reach out into the community and ask one of our esteemed members about their “Favorite Trek.” Aurther comes to us after a break from the simming world and we are overjoyed to have him back.
Aurther cut his teeth back in 2003 when he was recruited into his first Sim through a college message board. So started the adventures of James Sullivan on the USS Dragon in IDF. From lowly Ensign to Chief Engineer James rose through the ranks until that thing we call “a life” dragged him away.
But the call of Captain Youngblood of the USS Chuck Norris called him back again to engage in technobabble once more, a language in which Aurther is quite fluent. Alas life struck again and Aurther went of to live it for several years before recently stumbling on an invite to returned to his old stomping ground to Trek once more!
Now a proud father of a beautiful 8 week old daughter and a man with a little extra time on his hands (or perhaps better time management skills) he has returned to the Chuck Norris and Independence Fleet to which he has remained loyal all these years!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Aurther and his Favorite Trek :
Name: Aurther Winters
Rank: Commander
Sim: USS Chuck Norris
Position: Executive Officer
Favorite Star Trek episode? Darmok
Why? This was in the height of the TNG best writing and acting. The plot and the messages that came out of it were some of the best. The premise of being able to speak the same language but not the same language is a dynamic I don’t think is often explored enough.
Favorite Star Trek series? The Next Generation
Why? It expanded what was originally set out in TOS, but the stoy and acting was far superior. It also laid out the groundwork and subplots for would would come later in different series. Also I feel like there is nothing more iconic then then the Enterprise-D.
Favorite Star Trek film? First Contact
Why? As much as I love how Iconic the Enterprise-D was, when the Enterprise-E made the scene I was in love. As a fan of the ships on Star Trek this was one where there was just so many to see and like. This one also had a good fee call backs well also being interesting and showing us all where the line is. Here. No further! *Insert smashing glass scene*
Favorite Star Trek Captain? Captain Picard
What year did you start simming? 2004
What sim was it? USS Dragon
What keeps you simming today? Keeping the writing skills and imagination up, and love of Star Trek
Favorite non-simming hobby? Hockey
Favorite non-Trek series? The Orville
Favorite non-Trek film? Ghostbusters
Favorite book (fiction or non)? Redshirts
Favorite video game? Halo
Favorite musician or band? Greenday
Favorite superhero? Captain Canuck
If you could have any super power, what would it be? Don’t know if you would call it a superpower, but being able to understand and speak every language
Favorite sport? Hockey
Favorite team? Colorado Avalanche
Favorite food? Tacos
Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi
Lennon or McCartney? Lennon
Jordan or LeBron? Jordan
Star Trek or Star Wars? Star Trek
Rank the Trek TV shows from best to worst. The Next Generation (1987–1994) Original Series (1966–1969) Discovery (2017–present) Picard (2020–present) Orville (2017) Enterprise (2001–2005) Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) Voyager (1995–2001)
Rank the Trek movies from best to worst. II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) IV: The Voyage Home (1986) III: The Search for Spock (1984) The Motion Picture (1979) V: The Final Frontier (1989) First Contact (1996) Generations (1994) Nemesis (2002) Insurrection (1998) Star Trek (2009) Into Darkness (2013) Beyond (2016)
Was this too many questions? I mean by the end I thought you might have been asking for my shoe size, but I think this was a good amount.
Fantastic Aurther please take a bow and everyone else have a great Easter weekend!
Rook Mirtoh, your friendly neighborhood Director of Personnel here. It’s been a number of years since I was last in the IDF Admiralty. So many that I’ve lost count! Regardless, I’m back and so is IDF. March was a great month with many great posts and performances. Alas, we don’t have enough awards to honor everyone who is doing excellent things with us today. However, we can honor these outstanding members of the fleet.
Best Post
Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson (XO) & Lt. Cmdr. N’Sachzny P’Glosho (CSTO) USS Washington
For “Meeting old friends?” Beautifully written, an in depth look at the characters, history, and politics. Well done!
For jumping right in on the new website in his old role as XO and posting a fleet-high of 6 posts, all helping set the tone for what’s coming. Already stepping up as a leader and getting new crew integrated.
If you visited our website yesterday, you might have seen something peculiar: IDF replacing Star Trek with Super Space Command 3000 branding after a court order authorized CBS to collect royalties from fan fiction websites. April fools! In case you missed it, we’ve recreated that main page at the bottom of this post.
This is actually the third time IDF has pulled the ole’ SSC3K joke. The first was all the way back in 2003. The second was in 2011, when we were joined by Theta Fleet and Starfleet Legacy Alliance. Theta Fleet played along with us again this year.
Of course, thank you to everyone for being a good sport about it once more! Here are some of the best comments we received for 2020’s joke:
You’ve got to be kidding!!!!!
Not cool.
It seems wrong and I am sure even from an outsider perspective.
Come on CBS, that is such a mean move!?
This is an outrage! Greedy corporate execs! We should all write in and give them a piece of our minds 😡
How the heck are we supposed to pay royalties to CBS?
How much do I need to pay to not see that?
Did you get this on a graphic design consultation website or in house? 😛
Omg hahahaha!
Love it lol
Hahaha Hilarious!
This better be an April Fools joke.
I hate this day.
Nice April fool’s day gag.
I hate April Fool’s Day. 😝
I’m not a huge fan of April Fool’s, but well done 😉
Independence Fleet website, April 1, 2020:
The Fleet
Alert: Yes, it’s true. CBS is going to require that Star Trek role play sites pay royalties that we simply can’t afford. Here’s a link to the article we’ve cut and pasted below:
SAN FRANCISCO-A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled yesterday that CBS Studios has the authority to collect royalties from Star Trek fan fiction websites, even if the websites generate no revenue. All privately-owned publicly-facing Star Trek themed sites will be required to register with CBS immediately to pay fees based on policy to be set later by CBS.
The decision was a blow to many Star Trek fan writers, who commonly organize themselves into groups called “sims” or “role plays”. Lawyers representing an anonymous group unsuccessfully argued that CBS’s demands are a violation of free speech. CBS countered that “Star Trek” is a registered trademark. The court agreed with CBS in its 44-page decision.
Immediately following the ruling, CBS announced that official policy will be determined in six to eight weeks. Since so few fan fiction websites collect revenue, CBS is expected to charge royalties based on membership and participation. All affected websites who refuse or are unable to meet the financial demands will be forced to choose a new theme. Representatives for several websites have vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.
It is unclear if CBS plans to pursue a similar policy with any of its other trademarked franchises or if other media companies will follow suit.
But not to worry! We’ve come up with something even better than Star Trek: Super Space Command 3000! That’s SSC3K for short! We think this will give us all more flexibility with our stories and characters, and most importantly, we hold all the legal rights for SSC3K. In short, we’re excited about our future in Super Space Command 3000 starting today. Please send any comments or suggestions to star.idf@gmail.com
Thank you, Independence Fleet Command
Welcome to Independence Fleet Command! We’ve hosted top quality Super Space Command 3000 role playing since 2001. Regardless of what you call it–simming, play-by-post (PbP), play-by-email (PbEm), or even creative writing–it’s what we’ve been doing for nearly 19 years.
Join one of our exciting adventures below and tell your Star Fleet tale with other Trekkies from around the world!
That’s simply the style of writing used for the particular game. Prose means it’s written in regular language like you would find in a novel or short story. Script refers to a specific role playing syntax:
Still don’t get it? Here’s the same line written in each format:
{Planet’s Surface}
John picked the communicator up from the table. He wasn’t sure what to do. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered before speaking into the device. “Bridge, this is John.”
{Planet’s Surface}
John: ::picks up communicator from the table:: (I’m not sure what to do.) “Here goes nothing.” =/\=Bridge, this is John.=/\=
As you can see, the {Location} tag is frequently used in both formats. Also, the exact syntax will likely vary from sim to sim.
What’s the difference between traditional and open role playing?
In traditional role playing, you only write for your own character without explicit permission or guidance from other players, generally speaking. This is how almost all Star Trek simming games usually work.
Open role playing differs in that everyone writes for everyone. All characters are at at your disposal for use with every post. While this is uncommon in the role playing community, you’ll see a higher number of open role playing sims in Independence Fleet. Here’s an article from Ongoing Worlds that explains open role playing in more detail.
Independence Fleet = Excellence
Tournament of Simulations
USS Chuck Norris
2014
USS Victory
2013
USS Chirikov USS Liberty USS Rioja USS Sunfire USS Victory
2012
USS Liberty USS Sunfire
2011
Ongoing Worlds
Squiddie Award
James D. West, 2015 AJ Wheeler, 2013
=/\=
Community Honor
James D. West, 2018 Landon Wakeland, 2013
Legacy Simming League
Simming Prize
Charles Star, 2016 Independence Fleet, 2011 USS Sunfire, 2010
At 11:59 PM tonight, the USS Sanctuary will officially transfer from Independence Fleet to UCIP. The Sanctuary has been a mainstay in IDF since she launched back in October 2012. According to available records as of March 1st, the Sanctuary had seen 1,718 total posts and 17 monthly posting titles. Wow!
Perhaps even more impressive is that Commanding Officer Steven Mayta Death is not only the longest currently-tenured CO in IDF, but he is also first all-time in IDF history with 89 completed command-months, all with the Sanctuary. His alter ego, Steven Mayta Cha’Dich adds five more (one with the Sanctuary and five with Starbase Prime). What a record!
But Steven’s and the Sanctuary’s run doesn’t end here. Steven actually began his career back in UCIP, and he’s simply going home. Here’s to all the adventures he and his crew are going to continue to have for years to come!
As I often tell an old friend of mine; life and death are seldom logical, and there is nothing logical about the state of the earth right now. It seemed like a good time to reach out and check up on you all, wish you well and encourage you to stick together during these troubled times.
We are after all ahead of the game when it comes to sticking together and building communities while in reality being physically quite separate and sometimes isolated. We have a talent for using out imagination and communication skills to bridge the gaps in time and space that separate us. The world needs people like us right now.
As a trained Star Fleet doctor I could tell you all about washing your hands, and maintaining social distance but you already know the basics. So what advice should I give? I often tell my good friend that the release of emotions (something he struggles with), is what keeps us healthy– emotionally healthy, that is.
Staying emotionally healthy right now is just as important as keeping that virus at bay. We have these great imaginary worlds to lose ourselves in and express ourselves through, as well as wonderful communities of people from all walks of life to chat and share with. Reach out and make the most of it.
I’m a doctor not a fortuneteller so who knows what the future will bring, but I do know that I feel lucky to have such great communities to enjoy my time and express my creativity with.
Kirk, Spock and McCoy are lost in the Star Trek multiverse and find themselves beamed in to your stories. You can’t see or hear them but they can see and hear you. Just goes to show, you never know who’s watching. So here we go, beaming into the USS Sanctuary to witness its opening scene through the eyes of our favourite Trek heroes.
Fade in to the familiar golden shimmer of transporter beams as three figures appear in a dark room. They immediately draw phasers and glance around as if waiting for attack.
“Dammit Jim, where are we?” the doctor glanced around nervously.
“I have… no idea. What do you think of Spock?” the Captain turned to their Vulcan companion waiting for a response.
“I suspect…” Spock mused, “…that we have been drawn into an alternate dimension. We are here to witness monumental events and perhaps learn from them.”
“That’s nonsense. How could you know that you green blooded goblin.” Spat McCoy, his nerves getting the better of him.
“It is quite simple.” Spock explained, “I have read the script.”
“Oh boy!” exclaimed Kirk as he lowered his phaser in shock.
“That Captain, is the wrong franchise, but otherwise entirely appropriate to our current circumstances.” Spock replied.
“So what now?” demanded McCoy.
Lieutenant Commander Robert Razer has been dead for many years. his body lost to the cold space…
“Who said that?” McCoy jumped at the ethereal voice.
“I suggest you calm yourself Doctor.” Spock holstered his phaser, “that was just the narrator.”
A light flickered on from above and…
suddenly,
Robert gasping for air..naked… in a dark room with a single light shinning down on him …his head, arms and legs were strap down… he did not have a clue where he was nor who he was.. he felt random eyes staring down on him within the darkness… but he could not do anything to escape.. his body hurt… his mind was on fire, he was crying and he could not speak..
“Good heavens man we should help him.” McCoy made to reach for the trapped man but his hand simply passed through the solid matter like mist.
“I am afraid we can do nothing but observe.” Spock looked on impassively.
“He’s naked.” observed Kirk, “we can see his phaser.”
“Dammit Jim dont look at those.” the Doc turned his back.
“Mine’s bigger,” mused Kirk.
The scene flickered and changed. The same man but no longer strapped to the table.
Curled up in a corner Robert squeezed his legs against his body.
Kirk runs over and kneels next to the man, listening as he mumbles under his breath.
Robert- no it can be?…i can’t be alive?…. i cant? .. can’t… I am dead… I am dead…
Robert rocked back and forth repeating the words. My hurts… my head hurts so bad. why am I alive?….
The room had no lights in it.. It was bare. Bare floors, bare ceilings. There was nothing in the room but Robert.
“Who is he?” Kirk demands as the man continues to speak to himself his voice becoming louder and more frantic.
“This must be hell …. Hell. Hell…..hell (and as loud as he could scream) Hell!……
“Someone should give him a sedative.” said McCoy.
“That would defeat the object of the torture.” replied Spock.
Robert never thought of the outside world .. what was going on or where he was.. just the pain, just the darkness. there is no we ..there is only darkness.. darkness is my friend.
“This narrator is bugging me out.” McCoy looked around trying to find the source of the strange voice.
“Pretty cool though, having darkness as a friend.” Kirk considered the idea, “Hey I’m Captain Kirk and this is my good friend Darkness.”
“He was not being literal.” Spock gave a long suffering sigh.
“I bet darkness rides a motorbike.” Kirk pressed on unperturbed.
Robert rocked back and forth…. Laughter began to arise from the darkness…
“Oh he’s losing it.” Kirk stood up and went to stand next to Spock. They both looked down at the stranger named Robert as he cried out.
“Strike me down demon scum.. stop your toying with me and end my suffering.. if this is indeed hell…kill me…”
“I think he’s talking to you.” McCoy gave Spock a grin just as golden light surrounded them once more.
“That Doctor was uncalled for.” Spock’s voice lingered for a brief moment as the trio vanished into the ether.
The IDF Hall of Fame is active once again. After an 8-0 vote of eligible voters, I hereby officially approve the latest amendment to the Hall of Fame charter, which re-activates the institution after it was suspended indefinitely in 2014. Look for us to take nominations later this spring for the 2020 class that will be inducted on our 19-year anniversary of July 4th.
Below you’ll find a list of all 20 current Hall of Fame members and the newly amended charter. It’s a great day to be in Independence Fleet!
Hall of Fame Inductees
Class of 2013
Captain Jasson Asuka
Lt. Cmdr. Seth Rain
Lt. Cmdr. Mira Rodale
Captain Alayne Tolbin
Commodore Zachari Vrona
Class of 2012
Lieutenant Airika Calhoun
Captain Ace Decade
Commander Paula Fredericks
Fleet Admiral Jeremiah Griffith
Admiral Richter Hiron
Class of 2011
Captain Julie Absecon
Commander Samira Barajas
Commander Entera Danae
Commander Ingoldo
Lt. Cmdr. Reggie “Big” Johnson
Rear-Admiral Henry “Hank” Logan
Captain Steve McCloud
Lt. Cmdr. Dick Phelps
Commander Kiara Rodale
Commander Tavik
Independence Fleet Hall of Fame Charter
I. Purpose
A. The Independence Fleet Hall of Fame shall recognize individuals for exemplary service or extraordinary contributions to the fleet.
II. Eligibility
A. Characters, not players, are to be inducted. Multiple characters from a single player are eligible.
B. Characters must be inactive for at least one year prior to induction.
C. Characters shall be inducted no more than once.
III. Process
A. Nominations shall be taken every May. Nominations may be made by anyone, regardless of rank or fleet affiliation. Self-nominations are permitted.
B. Voting shall take place every June, with each nominee receiving a separate vote. All Commanding Officers and active members of the Admiralty may cast one ballot (yea or nay) for each nominee. A player with multiple characters may cast no more than two ballots per nominee.
C. Characters receiving yeas for more than one-half of their ballots and finishing in the top five of the year’s nominees shall be inducted. Characters receiving more than one-half of the ballots cast, but not finishing in the top five of the year’s nominees shall be automatically re-nominated the following year. In the event of more than five nominees receiving the required votes for induction, tie-breakers for the final spots shall be determined by the Command-in-Chief to prevent more than five inductions in any cycle.
D. Characters inactive for more than ten years, regardless of nomination status, may be inducted by consensus decision from the Veterans Committee. All active members of the Admiralty shall serve on the Veterans Committee. Veterans Committee selections shall be capped at three inductions per cycle and shall not count toward the maximum of five from the standard selection process.
E. Inductions shall take place every July 4th. All inductions are final and shall not be overturned.
IV. Amendment
A. Changes to this charter must be approved by at least two-thirds of eligible voters and Independence Fleet’s Commander-in-Chief.
B. Amendments shall not be proposed in May, June, or July.
As most of you already know, Rear Admiral Bolak is our new Director of Media. When I first told him of the old My Favorite Treks we used to do, he immediately came up with this new format. As a result, I can’t claim to be the brilliance behind it. Expect him to do a mix of My Favorite Treks and Captain’s Chairs moving forward. In the meantime, here’s Bolak…
Welcome to the Captain’s Chair, Mr. Bolak. Please input your details into the data pad before we begin.
Name: Bolak
Rank: Rear Admiral
Position: Director of Media
Fleet Sim: Currently None
Thank you, Rear Admiral. So let’s get started with your favorite Captain. Whose chair are you sitting in this evening?
“It has to be Picard’s. Sorry Kirk but despite the off screen tiff with James Corden Picard is class in a glass, and man he even has his own series now and it is fantastic. Q and I agree that Picard is our man!”
Does that make TNG your favourite series or is there another?
“TNG all the way. It’s the series of my youth and contains a whole bunch of my favourite personalities and story arcs. Also for me it brings more breadth and depth to the star trek universe than any other series in the franchise.”
Do you have a favorite episode?
“Now that’s a tough question, there are so many! Let’s go with Q Who… Why? Not only is it action packed, With a healthy dose of our friendly neighbourhood Q. This is where we meet the Borg for the first time! Fantastic. This is where shit got real for the Federation.”
How about the movies, which is the best one?
“Come on… Wrath of Khan all the way! Isn’t that everyone’s favourite? Notice I said favourite, not favorite. It’s like the Empire Strikes Back of the Star Trek universe. Dark and gritty with some amazing action scenes and even a smattering of Shakespeare.”
Good choice, and the worst?
“The Undiscovered Country. Oh Sybok, if only Deadpool would cross the multiverse and shoot you in the head at the start of the movie to save us from what follows. It’s just utter mush.”
Wow ok, so not a fan of The Undiscovered Country. Noted! How’s Picard’s chair by the way? Comfortable?
“Very.”
Good, good. How about the ship? Are we on the Enterprise-D or would you prefer another? You can have anything you like, we have a huge imaginary budget.
“Can I have a Firefly?”
Darn right you can!
“Shiny!”
When did you start simming Bolak?
“2016.”
And what was your first Sim?
“I started off with a Stargate Destiny game on Ongoing worlds. It was great fun but only had a few players so it eventually fizzled. I took a small break then before returning with a few games of my own that I still mod today.”
What keeps you interested?
“I’ve just always wanted to write and I am a huge fan of role play games. This is just the perfect hobby for me. I love the communities I write with and have had the honour to write with some amazingly talented people.”
Me being one of them of course?
“Erm, yes of course.”
What about real life? What else do you enjoy doing?
“Minecraft is my guilty pleasure, as well as working through my out of control Steam Collection. Damn you Humble Bundle why are you so cheap! Between work and the kids I don’t have time for a whole lot else.”
It take it you’re a Firefly fan given the ship we’re on. What else are you into besides that and Star Trek?
“Yeah Firefly is amazing. I am a massive Buffy and Angel fan as well.”
And at the Movies?
“Ok so let’s put Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings on the shelf because that’s too easy. I’ll also pop Shawshank up there next to them because damn that movie is a masterpiece. I am going to go with… Barbarella. That movie is bubble gum for my brain. Jane we salute you!”
Time for the quick fire round now before go to warp.
“I am pretty sure the Firefly is a sub-lightspeed vessel so capable of warp.”
Don’t be pedantic.
“Sorry.”
Quickfire round. Are you ready?
“Yup.”
Favorite book? – Mere Christianty by CS Lewis
Favorite video game? – Minecraft or anything in the ElderScrolls universe
Favorite musician or band? – Pixies
Favorite superhero? – Hell Boy
If you could have any super power, what would it be? – Good Luck
Favorite sport? – Bloodbowl
Favorite team? – Greenfield Grasshuggers
Favorite food? – Tandoori Chicken
Coke or Pepsi? – Coke
Lennon or McCartney? – Lennon
Star Trek or Star Wars? – Star Wars (Wait do I get fired now?)
Jordan or Lebron? – Jordan
Excellent! Thank you for sitting in the Captain’s Chair. It’s been a pleasure to get to know a little more about you today.
Bolak, everyone!
I’m not sure if I was conducting that interview or if it was this. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it!
After discussing the matter with his crew, Captain Shran dh’Klar has elected for the USS Washington (NCC-81533-E) to stay in Independence Fleet. The Washington had been released last month to explore opportunities outside of the fleet. However, we’re more than pleased to have Captain dh’Klar and his crew remain a part of the IDF family.
The Washington’s tradition dates back to IDF’s founding on July 4, 2001, when we launched with three active sims. The Washington’s crew has won numerous awards and set many records over the years. We look forward to watching their role play adventure continue here for many more to come.
