Bravo Fleet
Hello Bravo Fleet! These past few months since the end of our last Fleet Action, Labyrinth, have been relatively quiet. That will all change in a little under a week when we launch our next Campaign, The Devil to Pay, and you can check out the pre-launch briefing here. But for now, I’m happy to bring to you a Fleet Command Report with some updates to staffing, recent changes, and things to look forward to as we head towards the end of the year!
Security Officer
The first and most important change is regarding the Bravo Fleet Security Officer position that was recently vacated. Originally, I had set the deadline for October 27th. However, the Bravo Fleet Senior Staff and I felt very confident in one of the applicants and felt that any last minute applicants would not sway the decision. Also, waiting until the last minute to apply is probably not a great idea!
We had several applications and a few that went above and beyond. However, one stood out above the rest as someone who was really putting forth the effort to lay out and elaborate for their vision and direction of how the future of gaming in Bravo Fleet should be handled. I’ll let them talk about that more in their introduction report, but please join me in congratulating Commander Aaslin Braim (Annex) on his appointment to the role of Bravo Fleet Security Officer! Annex has been serving as Task Force 21 Executive Officer alongside me for the past two months, and all the while has been a stalwart in our gaming area by getting together seemingly nightly gaming groups. Congratulations, Annex!
As a result of his promotion to Security Officer, the TF21XO position is now vacant. I have approached Commander Mamof about taking the position, which he has accepted. Congratulations and welcome to TF21, Mamof!
Task Force Staff Applications Open
Commodore Imya Jori (Leah) opened applications for TF staff positions throughout the fleet, recently. If you’re interested, check out her announcement here and if interested, feel free to apply here. Applications will be open until November 10th at all levels including:
Task Force Commanding Officer
Task Force Commanding Officers (TFCO) are the leaders of the Task Forces. They are responsible for developing camaraderie in their units, organizing competitions, and helping members navigate through the rank system by nominating the appropriate OCS rewards for their activity. They are also members of Bravo Fleet Command, where they have a voice in the overall direction of the fleet. Subordinate to the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer, they work with the other TFCOs to ensure consistent opportunities for members to get involved across the fleet. TFCOs must also be exemplars of activity by demonstrating at least moderately strong activity levels and participating conscientiously on Discord. A member should be at least a Lieutenant Commander to apply to this position, demonstrating familiarity with Bravo Fleet. Previous staff experience is not required.
Task Force Executive Officer
Task Force Executive Officers (TFXOs) are the deputy leaders of the Task Forces. They share the responsibility for developing a sense of camaraderie in their units, organizing competitions, and helping members navigate the rank system by nominating the appropriate OCS rewards for their activity. They are also members of Bravo Fleet Command, where they have a voice in the overall direction of the fleet. They work in partnership with their TFCOs to ensure consistent opportunities for members to get involved across the fleet. TFXOs must also be exemplars of activity by demonstrating at least moderately strong activity levels and participating conscientiously on Discord. A member should be at least a Lieutenant Commander to apply to this position, demonstrating familiarity with Bravo Fleet. Previous staff experience is not required.
Task Group Commanding Officer
Task Group Commanding Officers (TGCO) is a stepping stone to becoming TFXOs. Interacting with both the TFCOs and TFXOs, ask questions, and learn. TGCOs can assist with developing a sense of camaraderie within their units, organize competitions, and help mentor members. They work in partnership with their TFCOs and TFXOs to ensure consistent opportunities for members to get involved across the fleet. TGCOs must also be exemplars of activity by demonstrating at least moderately strong activity levels and participating conscientiously on Discord. A member should be at least a Lieutenant to apply to this position, demonstrating familiarity with Bravo Fleet. Previous staff experience is not required.
Bravo Fleet Management System Update
Earlier today, the Engineering Office released a small hotfix update to BFMS. Part of that update was the sunsetting of Dedication Ribbons. Dedication Ribbons only existed for one purpose: for BFMS to count the number of them and determine a “Time in Bravo Fleet” on people’s dossiers who pre-dated the creation of the current BFMS in the mid-2010s. For example, someone like me would have 23 Dedication Ribbons to indicate I had been in BF for 23 years, as an example. Now, BFMS has been updated so that the Bravo Fleet Join Date can be modified and Dedication Ribbons serve no purpose other than a logistical annoyance for TF staff to keep track of and have been sunset as a result. If you are one of the Old Crustys like me and have a Bravo Fleet join date that pre-dates BFMS and it hasn’t already been updated (check your dossier!), please reach out to either myself, David, or Dave and let us know so that we can confirm and coordinate with the Engineering Office to get that updated for you!
Looking Ahead
So what does this all mean for the future? Right now, we are closing out the year with The Devil to Pay Campaign, and we’re already putting together next year’s festivities. One of the big changes (depending on who you ask) in the pre-launch briefing is that Bravo Fleet is going to transition back to a 1:1 real-world to storyline year ratio in Bravo Fleet from our current 2:1 ratio. The 2:1 ratio was entirely to slow down the march of time in Bravo Fleet so that we didn’t get too far ahead of Picard. With no 25th-century show on the horizon any time soon, we have decided to return to the 1:1 ratio so that we don’t have multiple crises every 6 months in our story. In addition to that, the Logistics Office is currently brainstorming the next few releases from them to bring additional features and items for people to buy. The Academy is continuing to develop courses and programs to help members volunteer to better refine their skills and knowledge. We are already in the early stages of brainstorming next year’s Fleet Action, which will launch in late spring. Gaming continues to increase in volume in Bravo Fleet as more and more people engage there. And, of course, we are writing now maybe more than ever in Bravo Fleet history! With that in mind, I will leave you all with my good luck and have fun in the Campaign, and let’s write away!