Bravo Fleet
Members of Bravo Fleet:
It has been some time since I came to you with a Fleet Command Report. Since then, we’ve done some things! We had the mini-Campaign in Shore Leave, where the Fourth Fleet (finally?!) went on holiday. After that, we partook in the experimental Wargames, which turned out to be a huge success. Enough that I strongly feel it’ll become a regular, yearly event in the rotation.
Currently, we are knee deep in New Frontiers: the fall Campaign, where the Fourth Fleet explores the newly accessible Shackleton Expanse. This is a Campaign, so if you’re new to the fleet, this is a focused writing event that runs for weeks, where the entire fleet focuses on the same mission, and many people intertwine and even write together about it. The Campaign runs until almost the end of December, so there is plenty of time if you haven’t jumped in yet! But we also have tons of other things going on…
New Merit Awards
One of the biggest pieces of news I am happy to share is that we are adding three new Merit Awards to the Bravo Fleet awards slate. When the current system was first introduced, we had five primarily activity-based merit awards and five higher-level awards for projects and leadership. We later added the Rachel Garrett Order of Heroism and the Legion of Merit, but that was all the way back in May 2021. Yes, it really has been that long!
David and I have been talking with Dave for months, maybe even a year, about introducing new awards. There are several reasons for this, but the main one is that Bravo Fleet has become increasingly active over time. Our discussions have focused on identifying gaps in the awards system, improving balance, and filling in areas where recognition was lacking. Then came Fleet Assets, and we realized that the relationship between awards and prestige was not quite where we wanted it to be.
So, without further delay, here are our three new awards…
The Bravo Fleet Awards page has been updated with these awards, where they slot relative to the already available awards, and their prestige. With these awards, all other merit based awards will be updated for their prestige cost. The Bravo Fleet Awards page has already been updated with the new prestige per award, and look for the official Logstics Policy to be updated in the coming days. And, for clarity, updates to award prestige will not be retroactive for awards already earned, only going forward.
Bravo Fleet 2025 Fall Survey
You’ve probably heard by now, but our Fall 2025 Survey is live! We’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill it out.
I want to stress that the survey is completely anonymous, unless you choose to identify yourself. Because of that, we genuinely want you to be honest with us. If we’re doing great, tell us why. If we’re doing badly, definitely tell us why. Don’t just say we suck, tell us how and why we suck!
For example, someone rated “How well do you think Bravo Fleet as a whole is being managed?” as a 1, and “How likely are you to recommend Bravo Fleet to another Star Trek fan?” as Unlikely. Great! Though I do wonder why they’re still here when dossier deletion is an option. But seriously, we don’t just want to see low scores. We want to understand what’s behind them. That’s why there are open-ended text boxes throughout the survey. Tell us why we suck!
Right now, we’re seeing about a 50/50 split between detailed, thoughtful feedback and surveys with just the rating boxes filled in. If you’ve got something to say, please say it! And if you’ve already completed the survey but realized you have more to add, feel free to fill out another one, we’ll take it! The only way we can make Bravo Fleet better is through your honest feedback.
Survey Feedback Thus Far
That being said, we believe we are on the right track. Many of the suggestions we have received so far have either already been implemented, are currently in development, or are on the radar for implementation soon.
We have been reviewing options to make more free ships available at the Midshipman level, though after the recent Affiliate Command push, the Specifications Team could use a bit of a breather. We are also examining ranks and the deployment of slots. A new built-in notification system for BFMS (similar to Facebook notifications) is currently being developed. In addition, we are exploring ways to improve the join process and early onboarding steps for new members. For several years already, we have provided detailed explanations and displays on bravofleet.com (while not logged in) that clearly outline who we are and how the organization works, and we also have the FAQ, which can be found in the BFMS menu under About.
Please keep the ideas coming. A significant amount of feedback has focused on the Fleet Marketplace, which is great to see. The system is still relatively new, so any suggestions for additions beyond the current offerings of ships, portraits, and other items are greatly appreciated.
Ship Rarity System
Speaking of the Fleet Marketplace and ships, one of the next major projects we are working on is a Ship Rarity System. One of my biggest concerns as BFCO is ensuring that every member enjoys meaningful interaction with the fleet and gets value from being part of our organization. My focus is not on how much the big spenders can enjoy things, but rather on the average member’s experience.
A long-standing concern of mine, which Cath can confirm because she has heard it from me many times over the years, is the availability of ship names for everyone. While prestige rich ‘whales’ like myself could easily claim many of the “good” ship names, that leaves fewer appealing options for most others. The Ship Rarity System was created to help address that issue.
To preface this, what follows is a high-level overview of what we envision. The tl;dr version: it is inspired by a roleplaying game rarity system.
The challenge we are starting to face is that all of the “good” ship names may eventually be claimed by a few individuals. Several solutions have been discussed, but we want to avoid overcomplicating the Fleet Assets system. Right now, it is very straightforward: if you have the coin, Khajiit has the wares. A rarity system fits naturally into our framework since Bravo Fleet already has strong RPG elements.
The general concept is that each ship would have a rarity category. For simplicity, imagine three levels: common, rare, and legendary. This rarity could be based on factors such as whether the ship appeared on-screen, was mentioned in canon, or has other historical significance.
For example, my ship, the USS Yorktown, would be considered a Legendary ship. Within this tier, the ship’s cost might increase by a small percentage, say 5%. So instead of costing 90,000 credits, a Legendary Yorktown might cost 94,500. You would be paying a premium for the name. Additionally, members would have limits on how many ships of each rarity they could own, perhaps one Legendary, two Rare, and unlimited Common ships. Once I own the Yorktown, I would not be able to purchase another Legendary-tier vessel.
The goal of this system is to prevent name hoarding and ensure fairness by allowing more members access to desirable ship names. Looking further ahead (with no timeline yet), the concept could expand to include ship “slots” for things like weapons, shields, or small craft (a concept that was envisioned for Fleet Assets almost when it was conceived). In that case, Legendary ships might have more available slots than lower-tier ships, continuing the RPG-style progression.
Of course, ship names are highly subjective, and tastes change over time. However, we believe this system will promote greater fairness and variety across the fleet. When the idea first began taking shape, I asked MJ to compile an inventory of all current ships and assign some very early rarity ratings. The tl;dr was that members of the BFSS might have to make a few tough choices to set the example, which we are fully prepared to do. However, at that time, no one outside of the BFSS that I can remember was affected, so there is no reason to worry or panic if you think something is going to be taken from you.
Quick Hits and Other News
- Don’t forget that the Bravo Fleet Podcast is still bringing you regular episodes!
- A New Academy Program: Task Unit Leadership Program
- Judicial Code Update: More rehabilitation, less punishment!
- The release of BFMS v3.7, long live our great Bolty!
- Affiliate Commands: The Romulans and Klingons are here!
- New Supported Game: Jump Space
- RPG Updates and the introduction of the Expeditionary Group
