Greetings! We are happy to see that you have come so far as to read up on our Sim Guide. Perhaps this means you are considering making an application to join us! Either way - here are the general rules and regulations regarding our sim. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to email the Captain. She's a pretty nice lady (The CO is really a woman - but the character is a guy), and always happy to help when needed. All applicants must read this section, and agree to the rules before making an application.

It should be noted that, while we enjoy having new players, the Archimedes Sim does not openly recruit. We know that most other sims love to badger people with constant adverts and "please join our sim, we're the best!", but we simply do not need players so badly that we waste our time on such endeavours.

Perhaps this sounds arrogant - but the Archimedes crew are happy with what we've got. We have half a dozen close friends who have enjoyed writing together in one form or another since 1997. If you've somehow stumbled upon us by mistake, and you like what you've seen of our site, logs, etc - then please do contact our Personnel Officer for more info, and to make an application. Odds are better, however, that you are here because you are friend to one of our current players. In any event, please be prepared for the realisation that we are highly selective, and only consider outstanding writers and simmers to be qualified. You can tell from our logs that we love to interact, with Joint Posts taking up around 98% of what we write. With that in mind, we try to choose wisely when considering a new player - since we only want those we feel we can successfully interact with on a regular basis.

If you are new to simming, and wish to join in the fun, the IKS Tagh will be more than happy to accept you aboard. The Tagh is a support vessel attached to the Archimedes, and has it's own Captain and crew. The CO of the Tagh is a friendly person who will help you become a great simmer. See the "Tagh Crew" page for information on what positions are available. Keep in mind that the Tagh is crewed entirely be Klingons, so be ready for the culture shock.

E-mail sims differ from traditional online sims because all the action occurs in E-mail between crew members. Unlike other role-playing games, there is no system to determine your character's actions. The only limits to what your character can do are common sense, your creativity, and imagination! As you'll quickly find out, E-mail sims focus on character development, role-playing, and character interaction. When working with others on a sim, everyone confers and agrees upon the overall characters, content and resolution of the tale.

We differ from others as a storytelling group in two specific ways. First, the story which we're writing is open-ended. It's full of surprises because we don't know what's around the bend. It may never have a conclusion as more threads are added, others dropped, and the players come and go over time. Second, within each given scenario, we don't collaborate in the normal sense. There is occasionally some direction when a major storyline is under way but in general we derive particular enjoyment from seeing what the other players will come up with next.

Creating a Character
I can't really tell you how to go about creating a character. That's something the player has to do themselves. Plus they must feel comfortable with creating their own character in their own format. But I can tell you some pitfalls of character creation. Nothing kills a story like super powers. In a futuristic setting like ours, almost three centuries from now, all kinds of wonderful technologies and exotic life forms can be imagined. But the challenge of the story, and the source of drama, lies in weaknesses. For characters, add errors of judgment, personality flaws, the Achilles Heel that makes them vulnerable. For technologies, don't go overboard. Don't use technology or character attributes to such excess that it gives unfair advantage, suffocates the story, or excludes dramatic possibilities. Challenge yourself to get out of the most difficult situations with the least gadgetry and with the greatest mortal limitations. Your readers will be more sympathetic and may yawn less at your entries.

USS Archimedes Guidelines
Within your logs, you can use action of other crew members to help you tell your story. If your use of another character is minor, you probably don't need permission from the other person. However, if you extensively use the other character, or have any uncertainty as to what actions or words they would say in your log, please E-mail a DRAFT of the log to the other person and get permission and input, before sending it out to the entire crew. This kind of teamwork is very much encouraged and makes the E-mail sim a lot more fun.

Be sure to write your character's bio promptly, submitting it to the commanding officer for position assignment. Your bio should be fairly detailed - along with the basic description (height, weight, hair, eyes, etc), we ask that you make a good effort to tell the story of your character. If you would like to see what we are looking for in a bio, please see Captain Robison's bio HERE.

Also, you must read your mail at least twice a week; and if you are in a position that is vital to the operation, of you must be willing to write a minimum of once a week. If you will be taking a vacation or leave of absence, or for whatever reason cannot check your mail for any length of time, you must contact the Commanding officer to advise him of your absence. There are positions open for occasional writers, and they are welcome too, but to maintain continuity of plot line, if you are involved in a major storyline please see it through with frequent postings.

Legibility
Separate your paragraphs. Don't run ideas together. Stay on an event long enough to make it comprehensible. Use a spell-checker. Use a thesaurus to add variety to your writing without losing precisely what you mean to convey. Borrow methods from others. Look at how your favorite writers present their stories and try to emulate their style. Don't rush. Most important, have a clear idea of your objective within the entry and focus on achieving it (of course, sometimes a complete about-face in the expected outcome makes for a more interesting story).

Exposition
Naturally, as a reader, you may know things that your character couldn't possibly know. Keep the two separate, and avoid employing EXCEPTIONAL means to have your character learn something they shouldn't - or to empower the character in some way that may be detrimental to the group. It's unfair to give your character the advantage of insights they might not otherwise have. Doing so could amount to super-status. Abuses of this kind can and should be met by rejection from the other players.

Depth
We want to know what's going on in the character's life. We want depth and motivation. Naturally, you don't want to tell all. You should keep the reader wondering about the subtleties, and where the story will go. But a character who doesn't share their personality, particularly their weaknesses, with the reader can't be identified with.

Promotions
The focus of the Archimedes sim is not on promotions, but character development, role-playing, and having fun! Since promotions are a part of life aboard a Starship, however, we will be using a Point System which will eliminate nepotism and make promotions 100% fair to all involved. The Command Staff (CO, XO and 2XO) will also perform evaluations every month, and at the conclusion of a mission. Awards will be presented to those who have earned them.

Click HERE for an outline of the Point System

Respect
This is what everything boils down to: respect for other players, acknowledgement of their characters, and respect for the game. Cooperation is a must! The story takes precedence. Nurture it, feed it, protect it. If your ultimate concern is with the welfare of the group, then you can't go far wrong.