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"Being the CO"
Advice and guidelines to being a good CO.
Written by Jenson
Edited by Academy Faculty
Find the original thread [here (http://www.last-outpost.net/forum/index.php/topic,829.0.html)]
The CO is one of the most important roles in an RP as you are in command of the overall plot. First, let me just say this: unless you are a skilled RPer, you should NOT be CO if you don't have a plot! Too often I see servers where someone has taken the position of CO just because it holds the highest rank. This is disastrous for the RP. In most cases, he will ask 10 minutes later for a plot. As CO, it is vital that you yourself have a plot that is your own. Having a plot that is not your own might seem okay at first; however, as the RP progresses things will change and you must have a clear direction. While you are the primary leader of the plot, this does not mean your crew can not add in minor things to change the plot around a bit and you need to be ready to alter it and know where it needs to go. That said, you don't want to run an RP with no plot letting everyone throw in whatever plot twists they wish either! Balance is always required--you are the helmsman on the great ship that is Role Playing and you need to be able to adapt to any situation.
On this point, there will be times when you have someone who tries to hijack the plot. Plotjacking is a very significant change that completely interferes with your plot. If such a situation arises under your command, use OOC chat to ask that the crew disregard what was said and politely PM the person to let them know why. Here are a few words of advice to CO's from my personal experiences as a CO and as a crew member.
1. Use combat sparingly! Out of the thousands of Star Trek episodes, how many involved any type of combat? Factoring in DS9 perhaps 10%-15%. Of course combat is not something that should always be avoided but you should take care to make sure that majority of your plots do not focus on combat unless you are in a war arc.
2. On combat—Intruders. I myself have had a few RPs with intruders but I only did those when I was absolutely sure the RPers in the role play were experienced enough to handle it correctly. Intruder situations can very easily turn into a n00bfest and they are best avoided unless they are necessary to your plot and you know you do not have a n00b crew. If you are not sure of the second, I recommend an NPC boarding situation...it can be done.
3. If you have a complex plot, call a conference. I can't tell you how valuable the senior staff conferences have been to my own RPs. I believe that in about 95% of my plots I call such a conference. Conferences allow you to include EVERYONE in the RP by delegating certain responsibilities which will aide you in your task in the plot. If, let's say, you're doing a science plot and you have a tactical officer, what are you going to do to keep him in the plot? Perhaps it's a nebula, a very strong one that could cause serious damage to the ship if the shields aren't properly adjusted. Assign your CoS to modify the shields and keep an eye on them throughout your journey into the nebula. This gives him something to do and includes him in the plot. Conferences are also a great way to let your crew know the basic idea of your plot so that their contributions can be all the more helpful.
4. Keep things within cannon. While you don't have to be 100% spot on with cannon, I would strongly advise that you remember certain things. The Borg are pretty much gone, the Dominion are friends with the Federation, and the Romulans are on good terms with the Federation as well. I've involved some RPs with hostile Romulans; however, in my plot they were Romulans lead by a rogue faction of the Tal Shiar that was rebelling against the empire over its relations with the Federation. Just because cannon is there doesn't mean it restricts your plot, you just have to be creative about it! Don't randomly bring in a Dominion warship to attack you because under normal circumstances that's impossible. You need a creative arc (a series of RPs) to truly establish what is going. Remember, you should be able to have in your head an understanding of why someone is attacking you, and reveal that at some point in your RP (or arc).
5. Not every plot has to end in one RP. I myself have done many story arcs which allowed me to have a complex but interesting plot which would've spanned about 6-7 hours if it was 1 RP. Obviously, it doesn't really matter how interesting your plot is because after a time, people are going to have to leave. Star Trek itself divided up its episodes sometimes and so you should divide up your RPs if they are very long and complex. Certainly there is the possibility that some of your original crew will not show up, but in the end I think it's worth it. Just let them know when you're doing part two!
THE GOLDEN RULE: ALWAYS make sure EVERYONE has something they can do during an RP. While more experienced role players will busy themselves with relevant work, not everyone is a veteran role player. Do your best to incorporate everyone into the plot and to not leave someone idle too long.