Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What the heck is this all about?

A: The USS Odin is a Star Trek Simulation (Sim) set in the 25th century. It's a play-by-Nova game where a group of individuals get together to pour their creative energies into making a science fiction plot based in the "Star Trek" world. Members of the crew write logs and gradually, the plot advances through these character-based story pieces, moving towards each mission's exciting climax. It’s a little like "let's pretend" or like acting in one of the Star Trek shows. Every writer helps contribute to a larger story.

Q: I see. So how's it all organised?

A: The Commanding Officer (CO) is known in some Sims as a Game Master (GM). He (or she) is in charge of the ship, In Character (IC) and Out Of Character (OOC). S/he is assisted by the Executive Officer (XO) and Second Officer (2XO), as well as the heads of the ship's various departments. S/he cooks up a plot, unleashes it on the crew, and everyone writes their parts of the story in their logs. Everyone reads each others' logs and then responds in their own writing, which makes for an interactive story that develops every day!

Q: Okay, so what is a log, exactly?

A: A log is the bit of the story that you write. Think of every mission like a plain white puzzle. There are pieces and they fit together, but each one of us gets to color the pieces in until the plot concludes and we have a full picture.

1. A log can be "solo" (written just by you) or "joint" (written by you and one or more other writers).
2. A log can be "personal" (dealing with your character off-duty) or "duty" (dealing with your character at work).
3. Logs should be written in Third Person, Past Tense. Example: He went to do this. Not: I am going to do something.
4. Logs should be written in English, but it doesn't have to be perfect. There are plenty of writers who don't speak English as their first language, so don't worry about that.

Q: Is there some sort of age limit?

A: Yes, please read the Rules page!

Q: Do I have to be a walking Star Trek encyclopedia?

A: Certainly not! The present CO definitely isn't and nor are many of the crew. They're just a bunch of fun-loving individuals who like to write stories. You can pick stuff up along the way, learn as you play, and simply use techno-babble where you're not sure. There are resources--such as Memory Alpha--to help you learn, but this is about fun, not about regurgitating theoretical science.

Q: What year is it?

A: The Odin is set in 2419 as the writing of this, but you can always figure out the year by taking the current real-world year and adding 400--so 2019 becomes 2419. When you see a Stardare written, it's 24YYMM.DD.

Q: What's the game's canon?

"In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in the fictional universe of that story. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction."

A: We follow the canon from all of the Star Trek movies and television shows, with the exception of the JJ Abrams reboot trilogy and Discovery. Thus we do not include events from the most recent television show, and Romulus still exists in our timeline. For now, at least.

Q: What if I like to do my own thing? Like, create a character from my own race?

A: We can talk! Odin Command can't promise to approve everything and anything, but we love player-created stuff and would be happy to talk with you more about your idea.