It’s been far too long since we’ve had a puzzle…
Source: Discovery Education
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Monthly Awards: March 2023
With the year nearly 1/3 over, the year’s total awards are hereby 1/4 presented:
Best Post (Single Author)
Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Wayfarer
For “Coming to grips with true love”
A follow-up to last month’s best post: Sweet nothings.
Best Post (Joint Post)
Capt. Shran dh’Klar & Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Cmdr. Samantha Howard & Lt. Cmdr. Shoniara T’ghann-Travis & Lt. Cmdr. Callie Raven-Grayson & Ens. T’Plana-hath & Ens. James Phoenix & Lt. Seth Travis
CO / XO / CMO / ACMO / CC / IO / TO / CDO
USS Washington
For “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Lots going on in this post! Way to keep it all together!
Funniest Post
Marine Captain Emily Janeway
Marine Commanding Officer
USS Albion
For “Debriefing on the issue of cargo transport failed”
Good one.
Genesis
Captain Shran dh’Klar
Commanding Officer
USS Washington
For “Signal Mystery”
Great way to get things going.
MVP
Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Wayfarer
Excellent writing and teamwork! She stayed engaged and found ways to help the plot even though her character wasn’t with the rest of the crew on Risa. True talent!
Most Posts
Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington
For writing 10 posts.
Most Improved
Ensign Kitiuas Thenis
Science Officer
USS Sunfire
One of the newer members of the Sunfire, Thenis steps up with month some quality posts and helping others get involved.
Rookie of the Month
None this month.
Recruitment
None this month.
I also want to comment on the retro version of the IDF website earlier this month. While our website no longer looks like this, it’s amazing to think that these awards that we started in month one of July 2001 are still going strong today thanks to all the great writing from YOU!
We’ve Gone Plaid!
If you visited our website yesterday, you probably noticed that it looked like it was straight out of 2002 (or 2001?). And you would be right! Using records from the Internet Archive, we reconstructed our Angelfire site from the days of yore using the current fleet line up, creating a mash up of then and now. The simming world was quite different back then–and so were our web development capabilities! In case you missed it, we’ve archived the 2023 retro site here.
But why now? Fast forward to April 14-16, 2011–it was exactly 12 years ago that IDF hosted the first modern SciWorld Online Convention, which incidentally was 12 years after the original SciWorld in 1999. In early 2011, the Simming League was largely dead and the community had drifted apart over the previous few years: Clubs rarely interacted with each other anymore. SciWorld 2011 changed all of that by serving as the genesis for a new era of cooperation and celebration. In addition to SciWorld, we also now also have FallFest, Khitomer, and Babel. SciWorld renewed interest in the Tournament of Simulations and the Simming Prize as well.
On a related note, a few of you have pointed out that we missed our typical April Fools’ Day joke this year. While we can’t go back in time to fix that, we hope this blast from our past was still fun nonetheless. Until next year…
Monthly Awards: February 2023
With zero days to spare in March, here are your February award winners, finally!
Best Post (Single Author)
Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Wayfarer
What a lovely post! Well written, simple, easy to read and a topic as beautiful as two people falling in love. Well done. And fitting for February.
Best Post (Joint Post)
Lt. Cmdr. Deanna Celes & Lt. Ayana Hillis & Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Cmdr. Samantha Howard & Lt. Cmdr. Callie Raven-Grayson & Ens. T’Plana-hath
OO / ACSTO / XO / CMO / CC / IO
USS Washington
For “The return”
Lots going on in this post, and the composition makes it easy to read. Nice work!
Funniest Post
Ensign Kitiuas Thenis & Lieutenant Thomas Hadleman
SO / CDO
USS Sunfire
For “Repair Crew – Day 3 – Kit and Tom”
Great banter, I like it!
Genesis
None this month.
MVP
Lieutenant Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Wayfarer
The Lieutenant’s storytelling is excellent, she is very active & engaging, and fun to write with. Her crew looks forward to her post tags every day.
Most Posts
Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen
Executive Officer / Executive Officer
USS Washington / USS Sunfire
For writing 3 posts.
Most Improved
Cmdr. Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington
Despite real life getting in the way, her writing, insight, and leadership were invaluable to keeping the sim moving.
Rookie of the Month
None this month.
Recruitment
None this month.
Look on the bright side: We’re already really close to next month’s awards!
Monthly Awards: January 2023
We’ve hit the new year running with some great posting:
Best Post (Single Author)
Ensign Alyssa Strong
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Albion
For “The Strong Jerk Manoeuvre”
Great post that pushes the plot forward that also could have won a Funniest Post.
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
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO / CFCO
USS Wayfarer
For “He’s Dead Jim…”
Ah, a classic whodunnit. Love the interplay of the characters and the descriptions around a crome scene. Well done!
Funniest Post
Lieutenant Ayana Hillis & Commander Samantha Howard
ACSTO / CMO
USS Washington
For “Moral Dilemma”
Starfleet officers browsing goods at Spencer’s Gifts. Brilliant.
Genesis
Captain Dick Sprague
Commanding Officer
USS Albion
For “The Assessment”
I’ll be curious to see where this ‘mission’ goes. How has Sprague’s career lasted so long!?
MVP
Lieutenant JG Adrianna Baciami
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Eclipse
Contributed some great posts that helped this sim get launched right. Sky’s the limit for the Eclipse.
Most Posts
Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire
For writing 9 posts.
Most Improved
Lieutenant Commander Mark Johnson
Chief Medical Officer
USS Wayfarer
The Wayfarer’s CMO also wrote some excellent posts this month, which led to his promotion to Lieutenant Commander.
Rookie of the Month
Ensign Syrik
Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire
Syrik has bounced onto the Sunfire with a bang by seamlessly integrating into the crew and storyline.
Recruitment
None this month.
And don’t forget that it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow!
New Sim: USS Eclipse
Less than a month later and we already have another new sim joining us: the USS Eclipse officially launched on January 16, 2023. This is a brand new sim focusing on science and exploration that takes place in a post-Nemesis timeline. Take a look and consider joining today!
| USS Eclipse | NCC-72382 |
| Format: Prose | Era: Post-Nemesis |
| Type: Traditional | Class: Nova |
| CO: Captain Aven LaCroix | Join! |
Welcome to the fleet, Captain LaCroix and crew!
The Record Book Has Been Rewritten
With 2022 in the books, it’s high time we checked in with the latest version of the IDF Record Book over on our About page. As it turns out, we have a new all-time leader in monthly awards. Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell of the USS Sunfire now has a grand total of 29.83 awards, passing the previous leader, Jenna Ramthorne (of a prior version of the Sunfire), who has 24.83. What’s even more incredible, is that both characters are played by the same person!
| Best Post | Funniest Post | Genesis | MVP | Most Posts | Most Improved | Recruitment | Total | |
| Durnell | 5.05 | 5.78 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 29.83 | ||
| Ramthorne | 4 | .83 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 24.83 |
Prolific across multiple award categories, the two stat lines seem to mirror each other. However, the difference is clearly Durnell’s five plus Funniest Post awards to Ramthorne’s zero. See what adding humor to your game can do! Congratulations to Lieutenant Durnell on this incredible accomplishment!
As it turns out, we have quite a few current or recent members who have moved up leader board since we brought the Awards back for March 2020:
Active Member — received an award within the last year or confirmed to currently be on a sim
Hall of Famer
In addition to all those who’ve won awards, I also want to thank each of our sim Commanding Officers for submitting nominations month-in and month-out and to Rear Admiral James “Rook” Mirtoh for running the program and selecting winners. Without their tireless efforts, the awards simply wouldn’t be possible.
I’ve long been of the opinion that the monthly awards are one of the absolute best features of this fleet, and they’re a key bonus that really distinguishes us from other groups out there. The numbers speak for themselves: Through the end of 2022, we have 969 total documented awards presented to 506 different individuals through 1,226 different award records. Each one is permanently part of our continuing history, starting all the way back with the five original awards presented for our very first month of July 2001 going up through today and beyond.
Now it’s time to add your legacy to the story…
Monthly Awards: December 2022
Welcome to 2023, folks! However, it’s time to honor the best of the end of 2022…
Best Post (Single Author)
Commander Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington
For “Introspection”
Wonderfully written reflection post.
Best Post (Joint Post)
Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Lt. Thriss Kla’ren & Ens. Kitiuas Thenis & Lt. Thomas Hadleman & SCPO Ronson Mitchell
CSS / CEO / SO / CDO / Y
USS Sunfire
For “Jump Start”
One word: Raptors.
Funniest Post
Crewman Patin & Commander Dean House
Guest / Second Officer
USS Sunfire
For “Uber ride”
Two words: Great banter.
Genesis
Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Sidney Harper & Lt. Ileah & Lt. Avery Coyle & Lt. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Rosaleen O’Donnell & Lt. Mark Johnson & Lt. JG Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok
CO / XO / MA / Y / CFCO / CSTO / COO / CMO / FCO
USS Wayfarer
For “Something’s Afoot (Part 1)”
Three words: Now that’s how you start a mission! Wait, I suppose that’s more than three words.
MVP
Ensign T’Plana-hath
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington
After winning Most Improved last month, the Washington’s Intelligence Officer takes home the MVP this time. Although newer to simming, she has expertly integrated herself into the veteran crew, frequently pushing through and collaborating with others on excellent posts.
Most Posts
Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen
Computer Systems Specialist / Executive Officer
USS Sunfire
For writing 9 posts.
Most Improved
Lieutenant Raelyn Mckenzie
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Wayfarer
Lt. Mckenzie really stepped up her game in December, pushing forward some great ideas while showing both her writing ability and how to work well with the rest of the crew.
Rookie of the Month
None this month.
Recruitment
None this month.
I hope everyone’s year is off to a great start. Keep up the great posting.
Welcome to the USS Churchill
We don’t often have outside sims join our fleet. However, I am very proud to announce that the USS Churchill joined us last month with their first official post as a member of IDF coming on December 23, 2022. Captain James Stewart is the Commanding Officer.
| USS Churchill | NCC-86255 |
| Format: Prose | Era: Post-Dominion War |
| Type: Traditional | Class: Luna |
| CO: Captain James Stewart | Join! |
Welcome aboard, Captain Stewart and crew!
Congratulations to the USS Chuck Norris
Congratulations to our very own USS Chuck Norris on winning a Squiddie award back in November:
“For its noteworthy contributions to the greater simming community. Unprecedented for an individual sim, the USS Chuck Norris hosted the 2012 Simulation Cup to keep the recently returned Tournament of Simulation from again becoming a relic of history, and to date it is still the only game to sponsor a tournament. Furthermore, when host club Independence Fleet’s website went offline in 2019, the Chuck Norris crew continued to sim over email until a new fleet website came online in early 2020. Without their action, their mother fleet like so many from the earlier eras would almost certainly belong to the ages today. In addition, they won the Creativity award in the 2014 Tournament of Simulations.“
For those well versed in Independence Fleet history, you might know that January 2nd is an important day for the USS Chuck Norris. For those who don’t, we have a special guest who can fill you in:
Well done, and here’s to many more years for the longest continuously active sim in its present form in the current Independence Fleet line up.