Operations Policy

Section 1 - Chain of Command

The Chain of Command (CoC) is the path that members should take to ask questions and resolve issues related to specific issues like awards, promotions, and activities, or to seek mediation for disputes. If a resolution can’t be reached or if a member of the chain of command is unavailable, you may ask the next person in the chain. General questions may be asked in the appropriate areas on Discord, and suspected violations of the Magistrate Code should be reported directly to the Magistrate. Not all of these roles may be present for every member to go through:

• Task Group Commanding Officer or Staff Assistant: New Members
• Task Force Executive Officer or Staff Officer: New Members
• Task Force Commanding Officer
• Bravo Fleet Operations Officer
• Bravo Fleet Executive Officer
• Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer

Section 2 - Units

All active members are assigned to a Unit, which is either a Task Force or a Training Unit. The purpose of these units is to divide the fleet’s membership up to allow for individualized attention for awards, promotions, and competitions. Each unit has its own theme and strives to build a sense of esprit de corps and camaraderie for everyone. This is the level at which most members will have their most regular interactions and is your home within the fleet.

Task Forces are the primary organizational units of Bravo Fleet, which house all active members at the rank of Ensign or higher. They are led by Task Force Commanding Officers (TFCOs). Task Forces are divided into at least two Task Groups. The Fleet currently has four Task Forces:

• Task Force 17;
• Task Force 72;
• Task Force 86; and
• Task Force 93.

Training Units are an additional organizational unit in Bravo Fleet, which house all active members who have not yet reached the rank of Ensign. They are led by staff members in the Operations Office. The Fleet currently has one training unit, which serves as a place for new members to learn the ropes before being placed into one of the task forces:

• Starbase Bravo

Section 2.1 - Unit Staff

• Every task force has a staff with leadership responsibilities within the unit:
  • Task Force Commanding Officers (TFCOs) are the charter-defined leaders of task forces, with primary responsibility for awards, promotions, competitions, and promoting a positive and active community. Task Force Commanding Officers are appointed by the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer.
  • Task Force Executive Officers (TFXOs) are the deputy leaders of Task Forces, sharing responsibility for awards, promotions, competitions, and promoting a positive and active community. Task Force Executive Officers are nominated by the Task Force Commanding Officers to the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer, who will consult with the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer and Bravo Fleet Executive Officer to consider the appointment.
  • Task Group Commanding Officers (TGCOs) are staff members at the Staff Assistant level assigned to assist a Task Force Commanding Officer in leading a Task Force by taking specific charge over mentoring and encouraging the members within that unit assigned to one of its sub-units. This is a leader-in-training position suited for members wishing to gain experience mentoring others. Task Group Commanding Officers are appointed by the Task Force Commanding Officers with the approval of the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer.
• The New Member team has responsibility for helping new members integrate into the fleet, especially those members assigned to a training unit. This team is part of the Operations Office.
  • The Staff Officer: New Members has primary responsibility for awards, promotions, competitions, and promoting a positive and active community for the training units.
  • Staff Assistants: New Members help welcome new members to the fleet, especially to help steer them towards activities that interest them and how to advance through the OCS ranks and awards system.

Section 3 - Departments

Departments are the primary support system for Bravo Fleet’s community. A department oversees a service, or range of services, offered to/for the fleet community.

• Each department derives its power from Charter-defined Bravo Fleet Command positions;
• Department Heads may, upon conferring with the BFCO or BFXO, appoint Deputies and Staff Officers to assist in operating a department;
• Department Heads may, at their discretion, create teams with Staff Assistant positions to help departmental operations.

Bravo Fleet’s chartered departments are organized as follows:

• The Bravo Fleet Lore Office maintains and develops the fleet’s canon;
• The Bravo Fleet Office of the Chief of Staff maintains the fleet’s roster, awards, and competitions;
• The Bravo Fleet Operations Office supervises unit leadership and oversees the fleet’s games;
• The Bravo Fleet Communications Office provides recruitment, social media, and news services to the fleet;
• The Bravo Fleet Internet Office maintains the fleet’s online infrastructure;
• The Bravo Fleet Gaming Office supports online video gaming activities for the membership;
• The Bravo Fleet Magistrate Office investigates player complaints and mediates conflicts.

Section 4 - Games (Writing Groups or "Sims")

Games (also known as writing groups or sims) are an activity offered by the fleet where a group of members come together on a regular basis to tell the story of a single ship or base together as a crew. Generally, each member controls a character or set of characters and they work together to either roleplay through a scenario or to proceed through a set plot, though there are many variations on these themes.

All games are administered through the Operations Office, which offers games set within the fleet’s shared canon in 2399 (the Expeditionary Group and Forward Operating Bases), games set before or after 2399 but still in our shared canon (the Historical Group), and games set in other realities or in non-Star Trek universes (the Holodeck). Each game is free to decide where it wants to be set and what kinds of stories it wants to tell within the boundaries of its proposal and fleet canon.

Section 4.1 - Definition of Game

• A game is a group of two or more members led by a Game Manager writing together on a collaborative story that takes place within fleet canon. Games are distinct from fictions (which fall under the purview of the Lore Office) in that they are associated with a BFMS registry entry, may have their own website, and may have their own Discord server.

Section 4.2 - Game Manager Responsibilities

• Game managers are responsible for story development, recruitment, maintenance of their game’s BFMS entry, and (if applicable) maintaining the game website's contents, serving as the leader of a group of writer-roleplayers creating a story together.
• Game managers are free to appoint as many assistant game managers as they wish, who help them in their duties. Assistant game managers need not necessarily also hold senior in-character positions in the game.
• Game managers may maintain a separate Discord server for their game, but the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer or their designee must be present on this server.
• Game managers are expected to:
  • adhere to the canon policy; though not everything a game does will automatically become fleet canon, game plots should not be wildly divergent from fleet canon;
    • In terms of historical and alternate reality games, a game's specific relation to fleet canon is defined in its proposal, and the game manager should adhere to this agreement; and,
    • In terms of non-Star Trek games, there is no requirement to follow the canon policy.
  • promote the fleet's other activities with the members participating on their games, including competitions, campaigns, fiction writing, and video gaming opportunities. At a minimum, this means ensuring that fleet-wide announcements are forwarded to their groups. Active members tend to be more active in all areas of the fleet when they participate widely, which makes our games and our whole community stronger;
  • ensure that any individuals who join their game before formally joining the fleet do so as soon as is practicable;
  • ensure that the members on their game keep an accurate record of their characters positions on their game on the BFMS;
  • maintain an active dossier within a task force and report their own activity through the BFMS on a regular basis, as to set a good example for those writing on their games;
  • develop, follow, and update as necessary an activity plan with the Operations Office which explains their goals for posting and recruitment on their games;
  • participate actively in their own games; and
  • remain in regular contact with the Operations Office about the status of their game, at least once per month.

Section 4.3 - Game Proposals & Appointing Game Managers

• Game managers are appointed by the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer.

• Members must reach the rank of Lieutenant before applying to run an open game.
  • Applications for premade games are available with the open games entries on the BFMS.
  • Applications should demonstrate knowledge of the open game's prebuilt concept and history, as well as ideas for stories that game might tell.

• Members must reach the rank of Lieutenant Commander before proposing a custom game.
  • Proposals are submitted through the dashboard of the BFMS.
  • Members must select from existing unused registry entry for custom proposals.
    • Proposals for registry items outside of the fleet's 2399 timeline, alternative realities, or other genres will be considered on an individual basis.
  • The use of a registry entry is at the discretion of the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer and the Bravo Fleet Chief of Staff.
  • For a proposal to be considered, the applicant must submit a detailed plan for their game, including a premise and possible missions realistic for the selected class.
  • The proposal should reflect the applicant’s ability to manage a game and should provide a sense of how the game’s niche would enhance the fleet’s current offerings.
• The Bravo Fleet Operations Officer, when approving proposals or creating new open games, must ensure that there is enough capacity in the fleet to host a new game, must consult with the Bravo Fleet Loremaster on the canon suitability of the proposal, and must request the use of a registry entry from the Bravo Fleet Chief of Staff before communicating to an applicant that a game has been approved.

• By submitting a game proposal or applying for an open game, all Game Managers agree to the following:
  • You acknowledge that you are applying for a game in Bravo Fleet. If for whatever reason you resign your game, Bravo Fleet may, at their discretion, without restriction and without notice to you, reuse the name and registry number of the ship, base, or other entity in use by your game in Bravo Fleet. By submitting this application, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to this;
  • You acknowledge that if you resign/are removed from your game for whatever reason, Bravo Fleet may contact the members writing on your game about the situation. Games cannot be removed from Bravo Fleet;
  • You acknowledge that if you resign/are removed from your game for whatever reason, Bravo Fleet reserves the right to use your game’s plot and story; and that your game’s history will remain a part of fleet canon;
  • You acknowledge that the fleet reserves the right to reuse your Bravo Fleet-hosted website (including all of its content).
  • You acknowledge that if you resign/are removed from your game for whatever reason, Bravo Fleet may repurpose your game as a premade game, open for any eligible member to apply for.
  • You acknowledge that any major changes to the premise of your game must be approved by the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer, who may request a new proposal. Changes to name, class, or registry must also be approved by the Bravo Fleet Chief of Staff.
  • Notwithstanding any of the above, the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer may award a game to the AGM or another crew member when a GM resigns or is removed.

Section 4.4 - Game Manager Good Standing and Removal

• Game managers must remain in good standing to retain their game.
• Good standing for game managers is defined as:
  • Following the policies listed in sub-sections 4.1 through 4.6 of this section; and
  • Responding in a reasonable amount of time to Operations staff, which is defined as within seventy-two (72 hours).
• The Bravo Fleet Operations Officer may remove a game manager if they fail to maintain good standing and do not rectify the situation within thirty (30) days of being informed of their loss of good standing.
• The Bravo Fleet Operations Officer with the approval of the Bravo Fleet Executive Officer may remove a game manager if credible complaints from a game’s players regarding the game manager’s conduct, activity, or ability to run the game are received and substantiated, and mediation between the game manager and the other members on the game is unsuccessful.
• Within 24 hours of removing a Game Manager, the Operations Office must inform the crew of the game. The Bravo Fleet Operations Officer may select a new Game Manager at their discretion. If no replacement is selected within seven (7) days after notifying the crew, the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer must close the game.
• Members shall be considered under probation from becoming a game manager upon removal or resignation from running a game.
  • Upon a Game Manager’s resignation or removal, that member shall not be able to run another game in the fleet for 90 days.
  • If a Game Manager is removed for extended inactivity or because of player complaints, that member shall not be able to take another command in the fleet for 180 days. Should the member apply for another game, a full review must be conducted by the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer, subject to the approval of the Bravo Fleet Executive Officer.
• Game Managers anticipating being out of contact for 72 hours or longer should inform the Operations Office.

Section 4.5 - Game Ratings

• Bravo Fleet uses the RPG Rating System to define appropriate content based on three metrics: Language, Sex, and Violence.
• Each game must list a rating of each metric on a scale of 0-3.
• Game Managers are allowed to designate their own rating up to Language: 2, Sex: 2, and Violence: 2 (16+ age rating).
  • Any rating above “2-2-2” (18+ age rating) must be approved by the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer.
  • Any game rating above “2-2-2” must have a content filter to restrict access to explicit content.
  • Any game rating above “2-2-2” must have a member of the Operations Staff present on the writing platform.
• No game may inappropriately depict acts of sex, assault, or violence. Appropriate content is determined by Bravo Fleet Command.
• Games using a three in any category must not allow the explicit content to be the primary theme of their game. For example, explicit sexual content and explicit violent content should only be present when it would be a logical component of the story, rather than as the extent of the story.
• If a game breaks any of the restrictions outlined in this section, Bravo Fleet Command reserves the right to remove the Game Manager and suspend Fleet hosting.

Section 4.6 - Activity Classifications

• There are four activity classifications for games in Bravo Fleet, which refer to the administrative classifications in place related to the number of members writing on a game, its activity, and the status of its GM, active, provisional, inactive, and open:
  • An active game:
    • Has a game manager in good standing as defined in section 4.2;
    • Has been in the fleet for at least one (1) month;
    • Has at least two members (including the GM); and
    • Adheres to its activity plan and proposal.
  • A provisional game is defined as:
    • Has a game manager in good standing as defined in section 4.2; and
    • Has been in the fleet less than one (1) month.
  • An inactive game is defined as:
    • Has a game manager in good standing as defined in section 4.2; and
    • Is on hiatus, but has communicated a plan to the Operations staff to return to active status within an agreed-upon timeframe.
  • An open game is defined as:
    • A game that is open for applications from members interested in becoming game managers.