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…
With a long a illustrious history in the simming community, Independence Fleet has been a bedrock for quality Star Trek role playing for over twenty years. Although IDF’s leadership works hard to ensure our members have several games to suit their role playing needs, we also know how to have fun, and what better day to enjoy our brand of humor than on April’s Fools’ Day. For those of you who have been part of IDF for a while, you know that April Fools’ Day jokes have become a pretty big tradition around here. We’ve done World Wide Sims, the classic 1990s simming website, and Super Space Command 3000. Actually, we’ve done Super Space Command 3000 three different times–no one said we were original! For those of you new to IDF this year, your introduction was our, er, rebranding where we took on a new menacing moniker.
Additionally, what we included for our humorous 2022 was the spectacular trial and banishment of our fleet CO–this is simming after all! And then added for good measure, a good ole’ useless administrative burden for sim COs, complete with threats of facing JAG. All in good humor, but these whimsical jokes mirror the real-life history of dozens of simming fleets (sadly including even this one at times), fleet XO Ken Gillis overthrew fleet CO Charles Star and installed Joseph “Stealth” Carroll as his JAG Magistrate… just in case you missed it! These were all great ‘Easter eggs’ for those of you who have been around the community and witnessed some of the ludicrous events that have unfolded in past years outside of IDF.
Here are some of actual statements Admiral Star received in response to the gag:
“Loving this year’s prank by the way! I was hoping Super Space Command 3000 would have made a come back.”
“Were you kicked out of Independence fleet?”
“Are you really in trouble?”
“Hahaha you got me.”
“Let me know if you need any help.”
“Apparently I was fooled by Ken on April fools day. He got me good!”
“What happened?”
“I just remembered what day it is. April 1st.”
And here are a few of the quotes from our Discord server:
“Qapla!”
“Wrong Empire, but you got the spirit!”
Long live the Empire…”
“I see we have a new Grand Admiral. I guess it was going to happen eventually.”
“JAG got more positions [open], or just the Director?
“I am always looking for Inquisitors.”
“Long Live the new IDF Empire!! I expect sims that post less than 300 posts a month will be immediately shut down and mothballed? Right?”
“You had me going for a while there.”
“I was around IDF in 2003 when Federal Appeals Court Judge, Lance Stiffler, had ruled that due to copyright law IDF could no longer be affiliated with ‘Star Trek’ and so had to change its name to Super Space Command 3000. I can’t believe that joke is almost 20 years old now!”
Thank you again to Ken Gillis for planning and organizing this year’s joke, and a special thanks to Charles Star and Joseph “Stealth” Carroll for playing along and being great sports. On behalf of the Imperial Defense Fleet, I hope everyone else enjoyed it! I can’t wait to see what tomfoolery that is in store for 2023 and remember: “Forget the ring! The ring is bupkis! I found it in a Cracker Jack box!“
Edit: This post was part of the 2022 April Fools’ Day gag.
The previous administration ran a pretty loose ship. Our ships aren’t posting enough, and that’s a problem!
Effective immediately, all Commanding Officers must turn in weekly reports, directly to the admiralty. Failure to do so will result in harsh disciplinary action from the JAG.
Edit: This post was part of the 2022 April Fools’ Day gag.
Charges
The Defendant, Charles Star, is charged with the following crimes:
Mutiny and Sedition
Theft of a Starship
Disreputable Behavior
Verbal Abuse
Unauthorized Shuttle Parking in Disabled Shuttlebay
Harassment
Discrimination
Sabotage of a Starship
False Statements
Dematerialization of a Beagle
Hacking
Crude Behavior
Terrorism
Facts of the Case
Charles Star was removed from command at 11:59 PM EST, March 31st, 2022. Charges were brought by Grand Admiral Ken Gillis.
The Defendant was contacted by carrier pigeon to appear. Since the pigeon did not arrive, the assumption was made that the Defendant was waiving his right to a trial by a tribunal and confessing to all above crimes.
Ruling
Presiding over the case were Judge Advocate General Joseph Carroll, Commodore Meadows, and Admiral Satie.
By unanimous vote, the tribunal has declared Charles Star GUILTY of ALL CHARGES prescribed above.
Sentence
Charles Star is hereby stripped of all rank, awards, and honors, and shall further be BANISHED from Imperial Defense Fleet for ALL TIME.
Edit: This post was part of the 2022 April Fools’ Day gag.
Today is a momentous day in the history of IDF! We are evolving beyond the organization we created over 20 years ago, and making way into a more glorious future! As of today, IDF will no longer stand for Independence Fleet (poor acronym anyway, where’s the D? In the middle of the first word?). No, it will now stand for:
Imperial Defense Fleet
Imperial Defense Fleet will be boasting a command structure, effective immediately! First of all, Charles Star is no longer in command of IDF. Star is stripped of all rank and privileges of his station.
In his place, I have taken command, as Grand Admiral. I will bring a new era of glory to IDF.
Joining me is Admiral Joseph Carroll, who will be taking up his new position as Magistrate in our newly formed Judge Advocate General Corps.
If you stumbled across our website last Thursday, you might have seen something a bit peculiar. In case you missed it, we’ve archived it here.
The prototypical 1990s simming webpage, complete with animated gifs, a repeating background, and way too many Admirals was the brainchild of our Fleet XO and Chief of Technology Ken Gillis. As most of you know, IDF didn’t actually exist back then as it was founded in 2001. However, some of our members today got their starts back in the 90’s.
As with our Super Space Command 3000 gag last year, we hope you enjoyed this too. Well done, Admiral Gillis!
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
