Guide:Character Creation

This guide offers instruction on how to create characters in the Bravo Fleet Management System (BFMS). Upon joining Bravo Fleet, the first character you created was your Primary Character. You can create additional characters to write in Role Playing Games (RPGs) and to represent the crew of your BFMS Commands.

Getting Started Resources

Before creating any additional characters, familiarize yourself with the Introduction to Bravo Fleet Writing, which differentiates between writing characters for fiction on your own primary command, or in collaborative writing or roleplaying games.

Remember to read the rules for an RPG before creating any characters for that RPG.

The New Member Program at Bravo Fleet Academy further explains everything you can do with a character in Bravo Fleet.

All characters you create in BFMS must uphold Bravo Fleet’s Creative Integrity Policy. This policy requires, but is not limited to:

All creative writing content uploaded to the BFMS must be written by the member(s) who have uploaded it without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence. This includes the biographical details of characters.
Generative Artificial Intelligence is any tool that creates new text through a user’s prompt, which can take the form of a direct set of instructions (“write me a story about the Borg”) or by putting in something the user has already started and asking to expand or enhance that input (“expand this story I started about the Borg”). Generative Artificial Intelligence is not allowed in the composition of any creative writing in Bravo Fleet, regardless of specific application.

Steps to Create a Character

Locate the BFMS Site Navigation pane. Under the Intelligence header, click on the “Characters” link.
Above your list of characters, click on the “Create a Character” button.
On the Create Character page, enter the character’s biographical details in the sections you’d like to populate. Not every section is necessary for every character. The only mandatory sections are: Display Name, Status, and Fiction Assignment if you selected the “Story” status.
For longer character biographies, it’s advisable to draft them in another document before copying and pasting to BFMS.
Click on the “Create Character” button at the bottom of the page.

Steps to Edit a Character

Locate the BFMS Site Navigation pane. Under the Intelligence header, click on the “Characters” link.
Click on the small pencil icon to the far right of a character’s name, or click on the character’s name and then click on the “Edit Character” link beneath their title card.
You can add, remove or edit any of the biographical details you’ve previously entered.
Click on the “Edit Character” button at the bottom of the page.

Making Choices About Your Character

As long as you follow the Intelligence Office Guides, your character is yours to create. Your character may be a deeply considered form of expression, or it may be created on a momentary whim. The origins are up to you, because it’s your character.

Within the context of using BFMS, playing characters in RPGs, and populating BFMS Commands, some common questions arise from members. Based on these questions, we offer the following recommendations and common wisdom you may find helpful.

Create Characters Based on Types

These recommendations are adapted from the Command Management Program (CMP) in Bravo Fleet Academy. If you’re creating characters for your first BFMS Command / Primary Command, consider taking that course now.

Main Characters: For an RPG character or the main characters of your BFMS Command that feature most prominently in your stories, you should consider creating a full biography including a Summary, Appearance, Personality and History.
Supporting Characters: Supporting characters on a BFMS Command often have names, personalities and backstories, but they appear in your stories less frequently than Main Characters. They’re typically never the point of view characters, and the stories are almost never about them. Supporting characters often have an abbreviated biography, entirely summarized in the Short Description.
Background Characters: Background characters are equivalent to the extras on a TV show. They may sit at critical stations on the bridge of your starship, but they usually only have one line in a whole mission. Half the time, that line is “Aye, captain.” When these characters appear only once or twice, they likely don’t even need a character created on BFMS.

BFMS Selections in Character Creation

Status

For characters you’re creating for your BFMS Command, select the “Story Character” drop-down.
For characters you’re creating for collaborative writing, such as an RPG, select the “Cameo Character” drop-down to begin with and leave the Fiction Assignment empty. The RPG GM or your writing partner will give you further recommendations when it’s appropriate to change that status.
If you don’t have a command in mind for a character, select the “Retired Character” drop-down.

Rank

You can create characters of any rank up to Captain or your current In Character rank, whichever is higher.

Short Description

While not a requirement, members often use Short Descriptions as a snapshot of the character for readers who need a quick reminder, often including the character’s full name and rank, current assignment and position, and a couple of sentences about their history and personality.

History

For longer history sections, don’t limit yourself to paragraph text only. Use the drop-down to create section headers using Header 1. BFMS will automatically add a hyperlinked table of contents to your history section for your readers.

Service Record

Where feasible, limit service records to Main Characters only.

Photos

Photos can only be uploaded as the Primary Photo and to the Photo Gallery. Any other images uploaded to the biography will be periodically swept from the server. AI Images are banned from the Photo Gallery.