Joining the Crew
From Star Trek: Theurgy Wiki
At this juncture, Star Trek: Theurgy is open for new Applicants. However, Applicants may only apply for positions from the Wanted Positions list. Recruitment is not open for any other kind of character unless a listed position is applied for. Please bear in mind, however, that:
- You may not get the position you apply for depending on the character concept you apply with. See below for more information about proposing your character concept.
- In-Character, as s/he travels to the Theurgy, s/he will not know what position s/he might get on the ship. This is decided In-Character after arrival.
Current members of the sim may create new characters if they are eligible (see below). In that case, they must pick a role in the Wanted Positions list.
Joining Information
"What kind of writers are we looking for at Star Trek: Theurgy?"
We will be looking for good, descriptive and creative writers that can handle English fluently. You should also know enough about the Star Trek Universe to be able to partake in creating intense, interesting storylines together with the other writers. We are a very literate group, with rules that demand a minimum posting requirement of 200 words per post, and with a deadline of 7 days maximum to reply in all the threads you are involved in. The commitment to the story is long-term. We have been running the story actively for years, and we will continue for many years to come. Therefore, we are not interested in casual, brief commitments, but something that will last.
In other words, if you are not a dedicated and prolific writer, who can write long posts and reply to threads within 7 days, you should not apply to join this sim for your own sake as well as the present writers. Also, you should be well versed in proper Forum Writing Etiquette.
Lastly, Star Trek: Theurgy promotes socially progressive views, including all sexualities, identities, male/female/trans artistic nudity, gender equality, civil rights, and multiculturalism. If you have a problem with this, then you should not register.
"What's the nature of the story?"
Star Trek: Theurgy is a detailed, quite dark, story-driven and long-term roleplay and while it has a 18+ rating, it is not some shoe-horned excuse to write Star Trek smut scenes. If that's what you are looking for, you can look elsewhere since you'll be really disappointed.
It is not expected of any of our writers to detail the intimate relations of their characters with others, even if it's allowed. Several writers among us have an aversion to writing graphic sexual scenes, so if that's not what you care for, then that's no problem at all. The story revolves around a ship and a crew in dire straits, against impossible odds, and with a lot of intrigue and mystery to it. We just don't enforce limits on what you care to write, like explicit scenes of violence or intimacy, as long you adhere to our General Rules and all writers consent to the specific scene their characters are in.
In short, this is a serious Star Trek sim, not a dating sim.
"How do I join the story?"
This page should serve quite well for an answer, but it's recommended you contact the GM if you have any questions.
1. Register on the Forum
First, in order to join Star Trek: Theurgy, you need to register on the Forum. To register, you must be 18 years or older. If we find anyone who is younger than that, it will result in an immediate ban in the interests of protecting minors. Upon registration, you verify that you are of age, and at the discretion of the GM, an age verification process will be conducted if there is cause for doubt to your claim. For more information on age restriction, read our General Rules.
When you have read the General Rules and registered, you should check the Star Trek: Theurgy Canon page and read through the Story Archive.
Feel free to have a look around, and get acquainted with the place.
2. Contact the Game Moderator
When you feel ready, send a PM (personal message) with your character concept via the forum to the Game Moderator, Auctor Lucan. Send the GM your questions first and we take it from there; perhaps you just want to verify if you have the right profile to write with us.
Here are the steps in the Joining Process:
- You pitch a character concept for the GM initially, without filling out an entire character sheet. This is really important. You pitch a character concept for the GM initially. Again, without filling out an entire character sheet. Since your character idea might be rejected, you should not waste your time writing up a character entirely. Instead, you should just describe what you have in mind in terms of a character concept. Things worth mentioning at this stage are:
- Name and species
- Personality and traits
- Position from the Wanted Positions page you apply for
- In-Character ambitions, short term and long term
- Out-of-Character ambitions for the character, short term and long term
- Upbringing and education
- Defining character flaws
- What faceclaim you have in mind for the character - If the concept is approved, the Game Moderator will then send you a character template to fill out, and you PM the filled out template to the GM for a first review. The template is not made available here because the character concept should be discussed with the Game Moderator first, before any further time and effort is spent on creating a character.
- When the PM with the filled out template has been reviewed, you will be sent feedback and a link to a wiki form, where you create a draft page for the character in our wiki database, using the template and implementing the feedback.
- When you have filled out the form (remember that you need to be logged into the wiki!), and you've generated the draft page, you PM the hyperlink to the Game Moderator for a final review.
- When is approved, after some rounds of edits, the application will be processed, and the character added to the sim.
3. Joining Application Accepted!
When the character is approved, the GM will notify you of this and an announcement will be made on our OOC board (Out-of-Character). You will also be given full access to the site. Next, you will be writing your inaugural post in the story, and begin the adventure.
Welcome aboard the Theurgy!
Onboarding Information - Aldea Prime Anthology
If your created character is originally assigned to the titular USS Theurgy, it is recommended that your character has been in stasis since before Episode 01, and only now could be resuscitated after getting the medical attention he/she needed. Your character would then have been injured during the flight from Earth and Starfleet and put into a stasis pod to preserve his/her life.
Another method of joining during the Aldea Prime Anthology (between Seasons 01 and 02), is that your character is affiliated somehow with the Director of Covert Operations in Starfleet Intelligence, namely Rear Admiral Joseph Nerva Anderson. Perhaps your character used to be a Starfleet Intelligence operative? In any case, Anderson has personally convinced your character to join the Theurgy crew, having great faith in you because of this previous affiliation that you conjure in your character background story. Your character was contacted by Anderson on March 15th, 2381, after he'd verified that the crew of the Theurgy aren't the traitors the Infested in Starfleet Command claimed them to be. After March 15, your character could have reached the Theurgy through a few different paths. Please see the map to the right and consult the text below.
Please also note that regardless the position applied for during character creation, your character would not be assigned to such a position prior to arrival. This needs to be handled In-Character.
Option 1: Arrival on the IKS Vor'Nak
Here is how your character might have got to Aldea on the IKS Vor'Nak. Either your character took a transport to Deep Space K-7 from...
- Risa
- Starbase 2
- Starbase 67
- Starbase 211 or...
- Starbase 133 (Rebuilt since 2353)
- Some other location close to Deep Space K-7
...and there, s/he jumped aboard the Klingon Goralis-class cruiser IKS ChunDab, which would later rendezvous with the IKS Vor'nak at the planet Kayvok. After your character stepped aboard the Vor'Nak - which is under the command of High Chancellor Martok - the Vor'nak would then arrive at Aldea and the Theurgy on April 7 (also referenced as Day 28 during the Aldea Prime Anthology, set before Season 2).
Option 2: Incognito voyage from Starbase 82
A second option would be if your character happened to be on Starbase 82 when Anderson contacts him/her on March 15, and your character travelled incognito directly to Aldea. This trip would take 17 days at Warp 8, the distance being 50 LY, and it would for example have to be aboard some inconspicuous civilian freighter. With that velocity and starting-time, your character would then arrive at Aldea on April 1st (Day 22). Of course this could be sooner if travelling at higher warp speed.
The choice of how your character arrives at Aldea is up to you, but the above are the recommended options.
Arrival at Aldea
If s/he travels there on their own, your character's name and file would have been put on a list sent by Director Anderson to both the Theurgy and General Chu'vok, whom is posted at Aldea by the Klingon Defence Force. The presence of the Theurgy is both on a high security clearance level and the shipyards are also cloaked. So, upon arrival, your character would simply have to:
- Use an individually unique password when contacting any Klingon officer at Aldea.
- Your character would then get to speak with General Chu'vok, whom grant security clearance to the Aldea Prime Shipyards.
- Chu'vok would then have a Klingon beam your character to the shipyards, putting them inside one of the Theurgy´s docking arms and right before one of the airlocks.
- Your character then reports his or her arrival to the security officers in the airlock. While waiting for a superior officer to arrive, s/he is screened for any parasitic infestation with an anyon sweep inside the airlock. Depending on which department your character belongs to, s/he will await the arrival of the relevant officer, before being assigned quarters and a duty shift.
If your character arrives on the IKS Vor'nak, however, s/he would step off the Klingon ship right inside the cloaked shipyards, and can simply walk straight to the airlock instead of having to go via General Chu'vok - your character's name already cleared and reported ahead of arrival.
Onboarding Information - Episode 01: Advent of War
A third way of joining during Episode 01: Advent of War in Season 02. Please see the map to the right and consult the text below. Please note again that regardless the position applied for during character creation, your character would not be assigned to such a position prior to arrival. This needs to be handled In-Character.
Option 01: Arriving aboard the IKS Kajunpak't
While your character would still have to be affiliated with Director Anderson (see above), your character could be a straggler who didn't manage to reach Aldea in time, but had to reach the Theurgy aboard a different Klingon ship, namely the IKS Kajunpak't. Please read this thread for more info on the scene in which your character would be stepping aboard the Theurgy: CH02: S A Most Furtive Transfer
When this thread was created, there were ten (10) character slots available for this Option, in which characters affiliated with Director Anderson would join the Theurgy crew.
Option 02: Will be added soon!
Here are our Mentors!
Given the size of our community, we have a number of friendly writers that are not only experienced with the story and the functions of the forum, but they are also available to write an inaugural thread with your inherited character. This all depends on how many threads the Mentors are already writing, of course, but once you have become a full member it is encouraged that you reach out to these writers on Discord or via PM on the forum so that you can learn the ropes. If the Mentor you contact is temporarily available, they will help you find someone else to write with instead. The GM is also available to help with any questions you might have, and in that case, it is encouraged that you write him a PM on the forum.
If you need help with a first, aka inaugural thread, it is advised that you pay careful attention to what characters the Mentors are writing (see below). If you have an idea for how to start up with your inherited character, and one of the Mentor's characters would be perfect in the scene, then make sure you flesh out the idea for the scene you have in mind when you contact the Mentor. You should also factor this into account before you approach a Mentor: Does the Mentor's character have a reason to interact with your inherited character? Are they in the same Department aboard the Theurgy? In either case, does this have relevance for the scene you have in mind? Here they are!
| Mentor Program | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Theurgist | Characters | Discord | Personal Message |
| Argyros | Available | Link | |
| Brutus | Available | Link | |
| Griff | Available | Link | |
| jreeves1701 | Available | Link | |
| Juzzie | Available | Link | |
| Pierce | Available | Link | |
| Nolan | Available | Link | |
| Stegro88 | Available | Link | |
| Swift | Available | Link | |
All Mentors earn 5 Story Tokens for writing inaugural threads with new Theurgists, but it's not mandatory that your first thread in the story is with one of the Mentors. Perhaps you already know one of the writers here, or you get to know someone on Discord that you can write with. Either way, the Mentor Program is there to help those who need help starting up.
Do you want to add another character to the story?
If you have been an active member of the sim for more than 3 months, and you would like to add another character, you should take a look at the Wanted Positions Page, and then contact the Game Moderator via PM on the forum (not on Discord) and see if you are A) eligible to add another character, B) if your character concept fits the story and C) if s/he can be added at the current juncture in the story. If the story is in the middle of an Episode, this might be difficult depending on the circumstances.
The maximum allowed player characters in Star Trek: Theurgy is 4 (four) characters for all members except the GM, who has to tell the story on many fronts, spread across the whole ship and all its departments. Total number is not counting NPCs, which are available for all writers. There is also a Token Reward on the Story Objectives page to strive for, if you're ambitious. Besides this Token Reward, the only exception to the maximum limit of 4 characters is if the Game Moderator grants specific permission to write a story-specific, temporary NPC in an Episode.
"How do I know if I am eligible to add another character?"
Just like with new characters, additional characters are approved at the behest of the Game Moderator, and they are approved based on writing capacity for each member. These are the criteria for all requests:
- 3 months must pass between each character addition request or after you joined the sim.
- The writer should not have a tendency to break the 7 day minimum response time rule (See General Rules)
- Writing capacity is judged by number of In-Character posts per active days in the sim. (Total posts - OOC posts) / (Total days - Inactive days). A writer is marked as Inactive if s/he leaves the sim and returns at a later time. The resulting number (the writer's Capacity) is an indicator that tells the Game Moderator if the writer has the capacity to write another character. Se the table below:
| Capacity | # Characters | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | <<<< >>>> | 0,19 | 1 Character |
| 0,20 | <<<< >>>> | 0,29 | 2 Characters |
| 0,30 | <<<< >>>> | 0,39 | 3 Characters |
| 0,4 | <<<< >>>> | ~ | 4 Characters |
If your Capacity rating is high enough, you reply within 7 days in all your threads, and it is 3 months since you last added a character to the story or joined the sim, you are eligible to add another character. The Game Moderator can quickly tell if your Capacity rating is high enough since he has a spreadsheet that can easily crunch the numbers for you.
"I am eligible, and the character can be added to the story! What happens next?"
Just like with new characters, here are the steps:
- You pitch a character concept for the GM initially, without filling out an entire character sheet. This is really important. You pitch a character concept for the GM initially. Again, without filling out an entire character sheet. Since your character idea might be rejected, you should not waste your time writing up a character entirely. Instead, you should just describe what you have in mind in terms of a character concept. Things worth mentioning at this stage are:
- Name and species
- Personality and traits
- Position from the Wanted Positions page you apply for
- In-Character ambitions, short term and long term
- Out-of-Character ambitions for the character, short term and long term
- Upbringing and education
- Defining character flaws
- What faceclaim you have in mind for the character - If the concept is approved, the Game Moderator will then send you a character template to fill out, and you PM the filled out template to the GM for a first review. The template is not made available here because the character concept should be discussed with the Game Moderator first, before any further time and effort is spent on creating a character.
- When the PM with the filled out template has been reviewed, you will be sent feedback and a link to a wiki form, where you create a draft page for the character in our wiki database, using the template and implementing the feedback.
- When you have filled out the form (remember that you need to be logged into the wiki!), and you've generated the draft page, you PM the hyperlink to the Game Moderator for a final review.
- When is approved, after some rounds of edits, the application will be processed, and the character added to the sim.
- The Game Moderator announces the character in the Main OOC thread on the forum.
Congratulations on your new character!
