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U.S.S. America Play-by-Email FAQ

What is an e-mail role-play?

E-Mail role-playing (also known as a Play By E-Mail (PBEM), or E-Mail Simming) is the process of creating a character, then portraying that character in situations set up and run by the Game Manager (GM) and his/her crew. The emphasis in an e-mail roleplay is on developing your character to make him or her more realistic and to interact better in his/her environment.

Why create a character?

Creating a character instead of just being yourself gives you the chance to broaden your horizons and see things a different way than you normally see them. In essence it's an interesting way of putting yourself "in the other person's shoes", and also gives you a place where you AREN'T expected to be yourself. It is highly recommended however that you be realistic within the environment.

What goes into a character?

For the most part, anything you want. Most GMs have a list of information about your character that they want as a minimum; the information you provide is called a bio, or biography, and essentially is a "cheat sheet" on who your character is. This information will be placed on the sim's website so that other players interested in learning more about your character can. Again, most GM's prefer realism within the environment. In other words, a one eyed titan would be a bit out of place in a Star Trek sim. By the same token, a Starfleet officer is a little out of place in a Star Wars universe, unless that is the GM's intent, and so on...

How does E-Mail Simming work?

Each person is expected to write a log or addition to the story using their character at least once or twice a week; you can have your character just about do anything that's within the logical realm of the sim's background. There are several suggested rules you need to follow when you write your log as well.

E-Mail Simming itself takes place through either a mailing string, which is a list of addresses that every crew member must send a log to, or via list servers, which is a program that you send the log to, and it in turn sends it to the crew.

I generally have limited access to the Internet each week, is this a problem?

It can depend on several factors. On average, you can receive anywhere from 20-60 emails, possibly more, from the role-play during the course of a week. In addition to contributing at least one or two logs a week, you should read all other logs and emails you receive. With limited access, that can be a lot to do in a short period. So more frequent access is advised.

I'm frequently out-of-reach on business trips or have frequent periods when I cannot access e-mail or write logs. OR I'm going on vacation. What should I do?

For one, let your GM know this if you're already in a sim. Most GMs are flexible around posting, and sometimes will let someone take over for you while you're away. Your GM will keep an eye on your character to keep him/her out of trouble.

What if I'm going to be away for more than a few weeks?

DEFINITELY talk to your GM about this. It may be possible to turn your character into an NPC or non-playing character for the time you're away. Each GM has his/her own rules regarding this.

How does the era and setting of the TOS era Trek story affect how I use the technology in my posts?

Common usage of TOS Trek era technology is writing posts and creating background. Here is a page of the most common technological devices in the TOS era ... and what's not available.