A Word About Department Heads

This guide is a combination of policy discussion, observations, and recommendations. Very little in here is a "hard and fast rule," but we highly encourage reading through it and following some of our suggestions to help keep the sim running as smoothly as possible!

A Word About Department Heads

On the sim, the only "command" positions are commanding officer and executive officer, however, department heads still play a leadership role. They are the liaison IC and OOC between command and the rest of their department. They are who the in-character orders are given to and who are responsible for logging it out to help move the plot along as well as disseminating it as needed to PC and NPC departmental assistants.

As such, we do have a couple of logging policies for department heads, because we rely on you guys to help the train (or ship, as it were) keep moving!

1. A character cannot hold a department head position at a rank lower than full lieutenant.

This is simply a matter of plausibility. Without some sort of extenuating story reasons, a whole department will not be led by an ensign. And lieutenant is a good middle place for taking the lead and being able to be above your assistants in rank. New characters coming aboard into DH roles will be granted full lieutenant. A LtJG character being promoted to DH will be promoted to LT as well.

2. If a department head misses the two-post-per-month minimum for one month, they will be issued a warning. If they miss the next month as well, they will be removed as a department head.

This one is kind of a given, right? You gotta help guide the ship and lead by example. If you're not logging, then why should anyone in your department log? From command down and assistant up, we need department heads to give direction! There'll always be tough times and circumstances, of course, so you can talk to us. We will work with you as long as you keep those lines of communication open! Don't ghost us. It makes us sad.

And a Few More Words...

With the rules out of the way, here's just a few suggestions.

1. Not all departments will have PC assistants. For those who do, I recommend reaching out to your assistants from time to time in an OOC way. Especially when they first join! Help them settle in and get to logging. As their DH, you'll need to log with them too! And make sure that when the department gets orders from command, you tell them IC or OOC what part they will be playing in those orders! Just like command gives DHs direction, DHs gotta give their assistants direction. Keep in touch!

2. Keep in touch with us too. Don't know what to log about? Aren't clear on a plot element? Don't understand the in-character orders? Contact us! You can email, you can send a Nova PM, or you can find us on Discord. Your command team is here to help. We want to read great stories and help write great stories. We want to help YOU write great stories so we can read them! So don't ever hesitate to reach out. The only dumb question is the one not asked.

3. Hanging out in Discord is not required, but it is encouraged. Most of the crew is there and it's a good place to touch base, exchange ideas, set up joint logs, and just get to know one another. You don't have to live on there! Just pop in and chat from time to time, be a presence, is a good idea!

4. Going back to #2, well, this isn't just command's story. It's YOUR story too, so don't be afraid to be creative. Yes, we ask that you be respectful. Don't write something that OBVIOUSLY contradicts something that has already been logged and don't write for other people's characters and so forth, but we want the crew to drive the writing just as much as we do. If you have an idea to expand on orders, go for it. New plot element to an "open" plot point? Run with it! And, when in doubt, see #2: just ask us! We LOVE hearing ideas and we will do our absolute best to make your idea work out. And if it won't, for whatever reason, we'll work with you until we can find a different idea that might be just as good.

5. It's not all about duty. Don't forget to write some personal logs for your characters too. Interact with other department heads and your assistants on a non-duty basis to make the most of a three-dimensional character, and help that character grow. Have a bigger arc you want to do? Guess what I'm going to say... Talk to us! We can help make it work.