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Monthly Awards: November 2023

Posted on December 24, 2023 | by Charles Star | Leave a Comment

Merry Christmas Eve, everybody! It’s also high time I got last month’s awards announced. Congratulations to all the winners!

Best Post (Single Author)

Lt. Cmdr. Mira Rodale
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “The end of Q?”

Not what I was expecting!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Cmdr. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Cmdr. Mark Johnson & Lt. Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok & Lt. Vrax tr’Keirianh
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO / CFCO / CSO
USS Wayfarer

For “Traitors be amongst us”

Great tension!

Funniest Post

Ensign Kate Kono & Commander Jonathan Grayson
Intelligence Officer / Executive Officer
USS Washington

For “A new friend”

A new friendship leads to a great post!

Genesis

Captain Shran dh’Klar
Commanding Officer
USS Washington

For “Diplomacy and Debts”

That’s how you start a mission!

MVP

Lt. Cmdr. Aurora Vali
Chief Counselor
USS Sunfire

What a fantastic month for the Sunfire’s Counselor as she contributed several meaningful plot advancements, got other players involved, and did on absolute outstanding job developing her own character and others within the confines of the mission. Well done!

Most Posts

Lt. Cmdr. Mira Rodale
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For writing 25 posts.

Most Improved

Lt. Cmdr. Thriss Kla’ren
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Sunfire

The Sunfire’s Chief Engineer was very involved in the ship-side of the last mission and wrote several outstanding posts resolving the conflict at the end of the mission while simultaneously developing multiple characters for the future. Great job!

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Thanks for a great 2023, IDF!

Monthly Awards: October 2023

Posted on November 29, 2023 | by Charles Star | Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Kevin Lance
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Q’s Last Temptation”

An interesting conversation with an old friend.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Cmdr. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Cmdr. Mark Johnson & Lt. Ileah & Lt. Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok & Lt. Vrax tr’Keirianh & Ens. Robert Lee Jr.
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO / Y / CFCO / CSO / TO
USS Wayfarer

For “Jailbreak!”

Great dialog and great action make for a great post, all the while continuing to develop the characters.

Funniest Post

Commander Michael Murphy & Lieutenant Katja Becker
Executive Officer / Chief Medical Officer
USS Montana

For “Meet and Greet”

Not laugh out loud, but a humorous introduction that creates endless possibilities.

Genesis

Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Commanding Officer
USS Sunfire

For “Halloween”

Short and sweet, but everything you want in a Genesis Post–the crew can literally take it anywhere, but with just enough backstory for consistency.

MVP

Lt. Cmdr. Mira Rodale
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

Described by her Captain as “a simming machine,” and who are we to argue? With her second consecutive month with at least 30 posts, she continues to display superior leadership in the XO role and engages other crewmembers with joint posts.

Most Posts

Lt. Cmdr. Mira Rodale
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For writing 34 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali
Chief Counselor
USS Sunfire

Vali upped her game, finishing second on the sim in total posts with some outstanding collaboration along the way.

Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant Inara Senn
Chief Science Officer
USS Washington

Senn showed a distinct creative flair, adding a new element to the Washington in her first month.

Recruitment

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

Grayson brought in one new recruit, who seamlessly fit in with the crew.

You didn’t realize it was me this time, did you?

Monthly Awards: September 2023

Posted on October 18, 2023 | by Rook Mirtoh | 2 Comments

It’s time to announce our latest award winners…

Best Post (Single Author)

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For “So, We are Decided”

Well written post from the bad guys’ point of view! It really moves the plot forward and gives the rest of the crew ample opportunity to write. Nice work!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Cmdr. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Cmdr. Mark Johnson & Lt. Ileah & Lt. Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO / Y / CFCO
USS Wayfarer

For “Wayfarer Down”

Great post! The crew defeated by the enemy with no hope of escape. I love it!

Funniest Post

Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Patin & Cmdr. Dean House & Lt. Thriss Kla’ren & Lt. Chester “Duo” Maxwell & Lt. T’Ka O’Drisscol & Lt. JG S’Ers-a Kelek t’LyrZor, Maa t’Lyr’Zor & Lt. JG Montgomery Vala & Lt. JG Zara Ghemora & 1st Lt. Kate Score & Lt. JG Blake Leone & Ens. Syrik & Lt. Thomas Haldeman & Lt. Alison Haldeman & SCPO Ronson Mitchell
CSS / Guest / 2O / CEO / COO / CMO / CRO / CSO / CIO / MCO / DO / FCO / CDO / ACOO / Y
USS Sunfire

For “The Easy Way or…”

Lots of jokes. Well done!

Genesis

Captain Michael Intermeezo
Commanding Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Down the Rabbit Hole”

Not your typical mirror universe mission. Great opportunities here!

MVP

Lieutenant Steve Ryan
Chief Communications and Operations Officer
USS Montana

Lt. Ryan continued his Most Improved performance last month into an MVP this month. Great posting and great collaboration. But perhaps most importantly, he is always willing to fill in where needed.

Most Posts

Lt. Cmdr. Mira Rodale
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For writing 30 posts.

Most Improved

S’Ers-a ch’T’Pel Kelek t’LyrZor, Maa t’Lyr’Zor
Chief Security Officer
USS Sunfire

Sera immediately jumped into the fray and made valuable contributions to both the plot and the characters.

Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant Tedrum Savat
Operations Officer
USS Washington

The new Vulcan came aboard as an immediate team player by jumping right into the mission with excellent technical and canonical contributions.

Recruitment

Lieutenant Katja Becker
Chief Medical Officer
USS Montana

Although new to the sim herself, Lt. Becker wasted no time in recruiting a new Chief Engineer. Recruiting the bedrock of simming, well done!

Great job, fleet!

Monthly Awards: August 2023

Posted on September 23, 2023 | by Rook Mirtoh | 2 Comments

Here are your latest monthly award winners:

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

For “Potential, Simulated”

Nice work! A carefully crafted and meticulously written post resulting in a great read for anyone interested in flight mechanics.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Cmdr. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Cmdr. Mark Johnson & Lt. Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok & Ens. Robert Lee
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO / CFCO / TO
USS Wayfarer

For “Warship Located”

I love a good action scene, and this one is great. It’s a frantic scene with a bridge full of officers who know what they’re doing. Fun!

Funniest Post

Commander Donald “Don” Key
Flight Control Officer
USS Albion

For “The Bolero”

What is funnier than a fat guy in a little coat, I mean, on ice? Try two of them with a bunch of Klingons and Tribbles thrown into the mix!

Genesis

Captain Michael Intermeezo
Commanding Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “A New Threat”

A classic setup with the Chuck Norris defending DS9, and an action sequence to kick it off. Well crafted!

MVP

Ensign Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

Following up a stellar rookie performance, Ens. Kono has been writing like crazy this month, showcasing excellent solo and group posting.

Most Posts

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For writing 10 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant Steve Ryan
Chief Communications and Operations Officer
USS Montana

Lt. Ryan has come back with everything he has, not only being one of the most active posters but also defining what this sim is becoming. He went from simply posting here to becoming an outstanding writer.

Rookie of the Month

Ensign Sarik Vaster
Engineering Officer
USS Washington

The new Engineer joined with an immediate impact, working well with the crew and showing superior technical knowledge.

Recruitment

None this month.

As always, well done fleet!

USS Chuck Norris Change of Command

Posted on September 1, 2023 | by Charles Star | 2 Comments

As of today, Captain Michael Intermeezo has relieved Captain Aurther Winters as Commanding Officer of the USS Chuck Norris. Captain Winters concludes 36 months in command. However, his history with the Chuck Norris goes back much further. As a Lieutenant, he officially joined the sim on June 26, 2012 as Chief Engineer, and then sent his first post on June 28th. He picked up his first award, an MVP, in November of that year. He later became Executive Officer in 2014, and then Commanding Officer in 2020. Along the way, he snagged 12.5 total awards, including 4 MVPs and 3.5 Genesis awards, good for 8th place all-time. He also chaired the 2021 SciWorld Online Convention, for which he was awarded an Ongoing World Community Honor. If there’s one thing that stands out, it’s been Aurther’s loyalty to both the fleet and his sim! Aurther, best of luck with everything and we hope you don’t wander too far!

Captain Intermeezo, welcome to the command team! We know that you have what it takes to lead this wonderful and historical sim to even greater heights.

Monthly Awards: July 2023

Posted on August 25, 2023 | by Rook Mirtoh | Leave a Comment

What a great anniversary celebration! Now it’s time to celebrate our latest monthly awardees.

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

For “Simulated Potential”

Nice description, well written, plus a tie to Area 51.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Paxton Beckett & Lt. Cmdr. Klesh Ezah, Daughter of Aklow & Lt. Awal Kronnelti & Lt. JG Betaras K’ner & Ens. Jack Keegan
Guest / CSOO / CSTO / ACMO / ACFOO
USS Chuck Norris

For “Finding Sanctuary”

I love the Star Fleet personnel in a modern day angle. Well done!

Funniest Post

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For “Is Something Out There ?????”

A very funny break from the action. Love it!

Genesis

Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Capt. Shran dh’Klar & Lt. Cmdr. Callie Raven-Grayson
CO / XO / CC
USS Washington

For “I’ll be a Monkey’s Uncle”

A great and very original way to start a mission!

MVP

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

Lt. Durnell is the glue that holds the Sunfire while the Captain points the direction.

Most Posts

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For writing 9 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant Awal Kronnelti
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Chuck Norris

Lt. Kronnelti went from strength to more strength by adding great contributions to joint posts and successfully encouraging others to be more active.

Rookie of the Month

Ensign Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

The new Ensign showed a great willingness to jump into action with both solo and joint posting for great contributions all around.

Recruitment

Captain Paxton Beckett
Guest
USS Chuck Norris

He recruited two new members to the Chuck Norris through advertising and networking.

This is the first month in quite a while that we’ve had an awardee for each category. Well done, fleet!

For your additional viewing pleasure, here are a few of the alternate sim move posters that didn’t make it into the anniversary competition last month:

Monthly Awards: June 2023

Posted on July 15, 2023 | by Rook Mirtoh | Leave a Comment

What a great anniversary celebration! Now it’s time to celebrate our latest monthly awardees.

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign James Phoenix
Tactical Officer
USS Washington

For “Kobayashi Maru Part One”

Ah yes, the tried and true Kobayashi Maru. What a fun read!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Aven LaCroix & Lt. Cmdr. Aria Winters & Lt. Ikuyo Kita & Lt. JG Hank Solomon & Lt. JG Adrianna Baciami & Lt. JG Karri & Ens. Ethan O’Donnaghue & Ens. Bek’a ir Az
CO / CSO / COO / CEO / CSTO / CMO / CFCO / DCS
USS Eclipse

For “Sharpening the Blade”

I love the good old fashioned episodic format. Well done!

Funniest Post

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For “Snatch and Grab an Intervention”

“Meat bag” reminds me of the HK assassin droid from Knights of the Old Republic. Love it!

Genesis

None this month.

MVP

Commander Donald “Don” Key
Flight Control Officer
USS Albion

Cmdr. Key continued his excellent performance from last month with outstanding contributions to the story and creating opening for other players to get involved this month. His mentorship of newer players has also been invaluable.

Most Posts

Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Executive Officer / Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For writing 5 posts.

Most Improved

Commander Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

Commander Howard wrote some really impressive posts this month, including her character dealing with the death of an NPC.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Here’s to year 23, IDF!

22nd Anniversary Webcast: Saturday at 5pm Eastern

Posted on July 6, 2023 | by Charles Star | 2 Comments

It’s almost time for our third annual anniversary webcast. Admiral Ken Gillis returns as host, and yes, it will again include real prizes!

Join us on July 8th at 5:00 PM ET (-4) / 10:00 PM BST (+1) in the fleet watch party channel of our Discord server. We’ll be announcing the newest members of the Hall of Fame (in case you missed it!), drawing names from among our monthly award winners over the last year for some real-world prizes, and there might also be a surprise or two.

See you there!

At the movies… with Independence Fleet!

Posted on July 4, 2023 | by Charles Star | 7 Comments

And yet another year of IDF is in the books with our 22nd Anniversary today. To remind you of how old we really are, here’s a quote from last year’s anniversary post:

“On our 22nd Anniversary, we will be further removed from the premiere of the 2009 Star Trek film (May 8, 2009) than IDF’s launch was from the premiere of The Next Generation (September 28, 1987): 14 years, 1 month, 26 days vs. 13 years, 9 months, 6 days.”

Well, here we are! For this year’s celebration, each of our 12 sims created a movie poster to capture their unique essence and feel. We are also very fortunate to have Amanda Rose from RPG Writing, NX-1701-G from Zodiac Fleet, and Beth from Sim Central to judge the entries in three categories: overall image quality, how much does it look like an actual movie poster, and general creativity/originality. Before we get to the posters themselves, we first have an announcement from a special guest:

Now, the 12 movie posters:

And your winners are…
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Congratulations to all three winners, and a special thanks to our judges! However, to quote Kirk from Star Trek III, we’re not finished yet! Here are superlative awards for our other nine games:

While we’re on the topic of movies, we are now further removed from our July 4, 2001 founding than it was from the premiere of the first Star Trek film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (December 6, 1979): 22 years vs. 21 years, 6 months, 28 days. Feel old yet?

Continuing last year’s tradition, we again have a second video message:

Happy IDF anniversary, everyone!

2023 Hall of Fame Inductees

Posted on July 4, 2023 | by Charles Star | 3 Comments

With yet another July, it is again my great privilege to formally announce the newest members of the Independence Fleet Hall of Fame. Induction is the highest honor this club offers–reserved for those with exemplary service or extraordinary contributions to the fleet, according to the Hall of Fame Charter (pdf). Without further ado, your Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is as follows:

Inducted by Election:

Colonel Steven MayTa Death

of the USS Sanctuary

The longtime Commanding Officer of the Sanctuary, Steven MayTa Death was the fleet’s all-time leader in command months with 89 when he and his sim transferred to sister club UCIP in 2020. He also managed 17 posting titles during his IDF career. Finding his niche by leading offbeat missions, his crew enjoyed their Marine-centric and action-packed storylines. There will never be another MayTa!

Lt. Cmdr. Maryam Syed

of the USS Sunfire

A mainstay of the renaissance era Sunfire, Maryam Syed was an integral part of helping lead the fleet back to its earlier glory days. Her outstanding contributions in-story, affable nature, and excellent recruiting also ensured the Sunfire remained great for many years. Showing superb breadth, she won six total awards, including Rookie of the Month, Best Post, MVP, and the Recruitment award.

Lieutenant Spaardra Tamis

of the USS Sunfire

A first-rate team player, Spaardra Tamis was an indispensable member of both the Sunfire and the fleet. As IDF was reestablishing itself during the renaissance era, her superior posting quantity and wide recruiting efforts were exactly what was needed at the time to jumpstart operations. Of her five total awards, two were for Recruitment and three were for Most Posts.

Inducted by the Veterans Committee:

None this year.

Congratulations to our three 2023 inductees! Thank you for providing a timeless example for us still role playing today to emulate. You will hereby forever be remembered for your extraordinary service to Independence Fleet. Well done! There are now 41 total members of this most exclusive club.

That’s two more inductees from the Sunfire, and our first from the Sanctuary.

1st Place: USS Wayfarer CO: Captain Akeno Misaki Poster by: Akeno Misaki	2nd Place: USS Sunfire CO: Captain Rhenora Kaylen Poster by: Bonnie Durnell	3rd Place: USS Eclipse CO: Captain Aven LaCroix Poster by: Aven LaCroix
“I’m impressed by the technical skill and originality that went into this poster.” “If you’re familiar with Anime movie posters, this is spot on.” “Having anime Trek characters in the mirror universe with the crack showing the Federation and Terran emblems on different sides was brilliant.”	“Of all the posters shared this was the one that actually made me want to join the game in question.” “Image expertly merged the dinosaur imagery with clear Trek imagery without making them appear distinct.” “This poster screamed movie poster. I would expect to see this on the wall in some theater. A starship with dinosaurs and big lettering. Well done!”	“I’m not typically a fan of the starship and character posters, but this one spoke to me.” “I kept wanting to rate this poster higher in my rankings. There’s a lot to like with the faded facial imagery and ship… …[including] ‘Coming Never,’ which was mildly amusing.”

Best poster for Seinfeld/Trek crossover USS Albion CO: Captain Dick Sprague Poster by: Akeno Misaki	Some bold judges not to pick this one! USS Chuck Norris CO: Captain Aurther Winters Poster by: Bonnie Durnell	Best poster for past meeting the future USS Churchill CO: Captain James Stewart Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster if you actually watch Picard USS Eminence CO: Captain Alex Shepard Poster by: Akeno Misaki	Best poster for a random trailing light USS Ganymede CO: Captain Dyllon McMahon Poster by: Akeno Misaki	Best poster for a low Earth orbit view USS Liberty CO: Captain Kaylia Strenvale Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster for the IMAX experience USS Montana CO: Captain Jackson Adams Poster by: Bonnie Durnell	Best poster for “Aft torpedoes, fire!!!” USS Washington CO: Captain Shran dh’Klar Poster by: Akeno Misaki	Best poster that could double for Dune Starbase 80 CO: Captain Kathleen O’Shea Poster by: Bonnie Durnell