Join
Interested in joining Bravo Fleet? If so, you’ve come to the right place!
On this page, you can learn how to:
Joining a Simm
Bravo Fleet is a collection of online role playing simulation groups (“simms”), each with its own format and flavor. These simms are organized into five task forces, each with a distinct area of operation and focus. The first step on your path here is to pick a task force, and a simm within it, and then sign up for it on its website.
How Do I Choose a Task Force?
Were you a fan of the Dominion War? Would you rather be stranded in a far distant part of the Delta Quadrant like Voyager? Do you prefer the Klingons, the Romulans, or some other species as your principal adversary? How about exploring sectors of space never even seen on screen? Or would you rather write in the past, the future or an alternate universe? Our task forces are divided by area of operations to help you get started with your search.
- Task Force 9 (Gamma Quadrant) explores the story of the ships left to clean up the mess in the Gamma Quadrant following the end of the Dominion War, while remaining ever vigilant for the return of the Dominion.
- Task Force 38 (Delta Quadrant) follows the story of a group of ships that were exploring the Delta Quadrant through an Iconian Portal until the portal was destroyed. Now they’re cut off, left to fend for themselves, surrounded by threats like the Borg, the Vaadwuar, and others still unknown.
- Task Force 64 (Pre-TNG Timelines) focuses on the early years of Star Trek, ranging from the Enterprise-Era through the Federation/Cardassian War of the 2350s, as well as alternate timelines such as the Kelvin Universe.
- Task Force 72 (Alpha Quadrant) is the story of the Alpha Quadrant, one currently challenged by Cardassian aggression, distrust from the Ferengi, Breen, Tzenkethi and Talarians, and difficulties exploring a new region of space known as the Inconnu Expanse.
- Task Force 93 (Beta Quadrant) is dealing with an invasion by the Gorn, an aggressive new stance by the Klingons, and the ramifications of the destruction of the Romulan homeworld, all while trying to rebuild a presence in a historically important part of Bravo Fleet’s space.
- Task Force 99 (Alternate Times/Universes) dives into other eras of Star Fleet canon, from the future and alternative universes splintered from mainstream canon.
How Do I Pick a Simm?
There’s no easy answer to this. Every simm has its own unique take on things from science and medical to tactical interdiction to long-range exploration to marine aviation and deployment. Browse through the simms and see what angle interests you the most.
The Fleet details for each simm list several attributes that may help you get started:
- Format tells you what platform a simm uses to tell its story. Some use email, chat rooms or forums to write collaborative, while others use web authoring platforms, including one platform specifically designed for simming known as Nova.
- Players shows you how many authors you’ll be writing with. Simms with lots of players may be teeming with activity, but some may find the pacing too blisteringly fast, while smaller simms may leave you more room to have an impact and to climb in rank.
- Status shows you whether the simm is actively writing or whether the simm is in some other state. Generally, you’re looking for either “Active” or “Provisional”, where provisional just means that the simm is new, but often that writing has already commenced. A provisional simm can be fun to get in on the ground floor, while an active one is one that you’re walking into an already established and flowing story.
- Recruiting shows you whether or not the simm is actively looking for new members. If it is not, you can still reach out to the Commanding Officer to see if they’d like another writer, but don’t take offense if they say they’re not looking at this time.
- Rating gives you a general idea about the level of the subject matter explored in the simm’s story. A 13+ simm maintains a content level equivalent to what was seen on screen in Star Trek, while 16+ and 18+ explore progressively more mature subject matter, 18+ considered inappropriate for non-adults.
Once you’ve picked out a simm, go ahead and apply on their site! You’re free to apply to, and even be accepted on, more than one simm (although the Bravo Fleet rules do include a limit on the maximum number of simms you may participate on at once).
Creating a Fleet Account
The story of the ship you’re on, and your character, can reach far beyond just the simm itself. Bravo Fleet’s canon is a collection of the stories told through its simms, and as such, in addition to joining the simm, you should also create an account on the Fleet site where you can maintain your character(s).
Once you do this and receive your password via email, you can log in and add your character(s) from your simms by going to the Characters interface and filling them out. When you do this, you’ll want to set your character to Active, assign it to the simm you’re on, and then publish a draft for review by the game master. Once the game master approves it, they’ll be able to add the character to the simm’s manifest and then your character, along with their details, will show up on the simm’s listing on the Fleet site.
Your Fleet account is your tool to add to the story of the Fleet as a whole. With it, irregardless of if your character serves on one simm or several, they have an everlasting presence in the Fleet, and your profile will always show where it is you’re currently writing with them.
Proposing a Simm
Another way to get involved with the Fleet is, instead of just applying for an existing simm, by applying to run your very own simm. It’s no easy task to recruit and organize a group of writers to collaborate on a story, but we’re always looking for new folks up for the challenge!
If you’ve got an idea for a simm, find a Task Force where you think it would fit, log into your Bravo Fleet account and submit a Simm Proposal:
Login and Submit a Simm Proposal
If this is your first time leading a simm, don’t worry. Bravo Fleet includes a CO Academy to get you started, as well as a number of other resources to help COs with setting up their site, recruiting members, organizing plotlines, etc.
Engaging with the Community
Beyond writing on our simms or leading your own simm, there’re a lot of other opportunities to engage with our community.
- To join the conversation, hop over to our message boards or sign onto our chat and introduce yourself.
- To check out what’s currently going on with our Fleet story, skim through the latest articles of the Fleet New Service or dive deep into our Infobase.
- If you want to get involved with creating content for the Fleet, you can check out our graphics department, register for one of our community work groups, or get involved on the message boards with the committees working on designing new ships, fixing up the wiki, and writing our news articles.