General Information
The timeline for the official RSE Roleplay is after the Dominion
War, in the "near future". This allows us to take
advantage of current movie and TV series technology, and references.
However, individuals that are writing independent short stories for
the RSE not part of the "official" present universe, for
publication in Warnings From the Edge or in their Chapter
newsletters, are welcome to set their stories in the past, set them
alternate universes (otherwise known as "mirror, mirror")
or use time travel. Just make sure to put a disclaimer stating it
isn't part of the official timeline.
There
are basic rules that govern the RSE universe. There are no
"Super" Romulans, with the ability to fly, shoot laser beams
from their eyes, or leap tall buildings with a single bound. There are
no fairies or leprechauns, BUT there is one dragon, that slumbers
beneath the Imperial Palace. The only two people allowed to be in
contact with the Dragon, are the Empress and the Imperial Praetor. So
s/he wouldn't be out mingling with the masses. Feel free to use other
races in your story. Ferengi, Klingons, Cardassian., but steer away
from Star Trek canon characters such as Sela or those found in books.
These are copywrited by Paramount, and they take it seriously when
people play with their toys.
RSE Role-playing is more concerned with character development, and how
it reacts to different challenges. The Romulan who battles with a is
far more impressive and interesting to read about, then one who merely
whips out a disruptor and kills their opponent. If your character has
to struggle to obtain a victory, it is more believable, then if they
defeat 100 million Starfleet vessels with a single quantum torpedo. There
are no "magic" weapons, or doomsday machines in the RSE
universe. Use tactics and wit to defeat the Empire's enemies, rather
than a mega quantum torpedo.
If you ever have any questions, please contact the Roleplay Division
Chief,
Jarok tr'Deletham at
jarokdeletham@aol.com
Getting started in the RSE Universe
There
are several ways to get started with Role-playing in the RSE. The
first way is by contacting the Roleplay Division at rpg@rsempire.org.
You may request to be added to the round robin electronic mailing list
that is based on the Homeworld, or request a mission off world. If you
request a mission, you are sent a description of the mission,
objectives, and some background. There are also available assignments
listed under each of the Command Categories (Interior, Navy and Tal
Shiar). Feel free to volunteer for any of them.
Second,
is by directly contacting someone that is involved in a Mission. A
list current missions is of these is found on our web site, under each
command, with a Commanding Officer name and e-mail. When you contact
this person, they may or may not agree, depending on what point they
are in their story development process. If they do agree, please
remember that you are a guest in their story, and play a supporting
role, unless it is agreed to otherwise. So. no showboating! The best
way to keep the balance is to always keep the lines of communication
open, and exchange sections to read over, to make sure that everyone
is satisfied, and is ready to submit the final version to Tactical
Communications.
Character Creation
You do not need a lot of detail to start your character. Simply name,
race, gender, and a short background are fine. Make sure to include a
few character flaws. like a short temper (no, Romulans NEVER have
short tempers), overly curious. anything that makes your character
more "human". No individual is ever perfect, and your
character should reflect that. Complex statistics (hit points,
charisma, etc) as found in standard gaming modules are not necessary.
There is a standard on line character sheet found under the Tactical
Communications directorate, which well help get your started.
Use
of other people's characters
In the role-playing world in general, the rule of etiquette is not to
play with other people's characters without permission. To do so, is
considered rude, and may lead to your suspension from role-playing in
the RSE. This includes killing them off. We all know that these
characters aren't real, but most writers take a great deal of pride
and effort to create their characters, and when others tinker with
them, you may very well mess up any future plans that person has for
their character. If someone's story has inspired you to pick off where
they left off, please contact the original writer of the story. These
seemingly common sense rules and curtsies avoid anyone getting angry.
Communication
Good communication is the key (seeing a theme here?). If you have a
complaint about a plot line, first try to resolve it with the person,
and if that is ineffective, make the Tactical Communications
Directorate aware of the situation. Please don't post your annoyance
at someone on the electronic mailing list, in the Star Path, or other
public forums. To do so, may be considered an infraction of the RSE
Code of Conduct. Private discussions should be PRIVATE. Honest
mistakes do happen, and no one will order you executed or haul you off
to the outer reaches of the Empire. So long as you make the effort to
fix the problem, and make the people involved aware of it, that is
acceptable. Please make use of "IN character" and "out
of character" tags, to make it clear who is speaking.
The
idea of a role-play is that it should be fun, and a chance to be
creative. This isn't a place to get revenge on other members that
disagree with you in real life, or pick fights. The RSE has taken a
firm stance on this type of individual in the past, due to its
disruptive influence on the Membership at large. We do not, and will
not, tolerate this type of immature behavior, as its not what
role-playing should be. This is a fantasy world, where RSE members get
to explore the Star Trek universe using their alternate personas. We
are here to have fun. If that's what you want to do, then you are
welcome to roleplay with us.
Role-playing
rules may be added and changed, as the circumstances dictate, but
there is one rule that won't…that is to HAVE FUN!!!
