Guide:Expeditionary Group

Not to be confused with the in-character article about the Fourth Fleet Expeditionary Group.

The Expeditionary Group is a writing sandbox for members of Bravo Fleet who want to collaboratively write starship crew-based stories. Eligible members may request a ship of the Expeditionary Group for a single mission, proposing a story concept and activity plan, and gather other members to write it with them. Once a mission is concluded, the group is dispersed, and the ship is available again for other members to request. IC, the Expeditionary Group assigns crews, or at least command staff, to ships for specific missions on temporary assignment.

This sandbox means that members can organise as writers, players, and/or GMs for collaborative writing or role-playing without significant commitment. Missions will not last more than a few months, and while members may propose subsequent missions with the same players, characters, and ships, this format avoids the demands of long-term investment and energy of more traditional Star Trek RPGs.

The Expeditionary Group is ideal for GMs who want to develop their skills, try something new, or have a concept for a single mission. Individual members can write with a new group, take a character on a single adventure, join a mission concept that intrigues them, or enjoy a short-term commitment to the intensity of RP writing.

Any member may apply to join an Expeditionary Group mission, but prospective GMs must hold the rank of Lieutenant Commander or higher before submitting a mission proposal. For the full Expeditionary Group policy, see the Roleplaying Game and Sandbox Policy.

Mission Proposals

Members who want to GM a mission in the Expeditionary Group may submit a proposal via BFMS. The proposal should contain three sections: a mission concept, an activity plan, and a group management plan.

Mission Concept

This should specify which Expeditionary Group ship is being requested and provide an overview of the intended mission plotline. That should include the basic concept and some explanation of the intended resolution. This is not to say the story’s ending should be predetermined, but the proposal should include, for example, what specific challenges the characters will have to overcome. It should also be specific on matters such as what canonical regions, aliens, governments, or other story elements will be used, if any. As this is a proposal for staff, the mission concept should be written appropriately and be thorough, rather than with teasing hints in the manner of a TV show episode summary.

Expeditionary Group missions should be limited in scope to member canon. They may depict various political, strategic, or diplomatic challenges, but should not seek to change the status quo of fleet canon or the Bravo Fleet setting. They should also be fully self-contained; while the GM of a successful Expeditionary Group mission may apply, upon completion, to lead another mission with a broadly similar group of players and characters, each proposal will be evaluated on an individual basis. Proposals for multi-arc missions will not be accepted.

The choice of starship should also be appropriate to the story. This does not mean that only tactical-oriented ships can be chosen for scrappy border fights against pirates, for example, but the ship class should suit the desired narrative and conflict. This may mean choosing a science ship for a scientific mission, but the story could also be about a ship and crew faced with a challenge for which they are unprepared.

Mission concepts should answer some key questions:

• What is the main story and conflict/challenge?
• How does this idea use canon?
• What will members be writing about? What will their characters get to do?
• How will, or might, the story resolve?

Example Mission Concepts

The USS Westbrook responds to a distress signal on a mining colony; they have just breached deeper subterranean passages, and a group of their miners have gone missing. An away team is sent as a search party, only to find their senses challenged in these deep tunnels, experiencing hallucinations and deep paranoia, which also afflicted the miners and left them confused and trapped. Once this is overcome and the miners rescued, the crew discover newly unearthed crystals in these deep passages are the cause - and these crystals are exhibiting signs of low-level sentience, their psychological effects a form of psychic self-defence. The crew must investigate, determine if they have discovered a new lifeform, and if so, find a peaceful compromise with the miners, or enforce a halt to protect them.

The USS Tyson is assigned to investigate a red giant that appears to have dimmed by 10% in a matter of weeks, a nearly impossible rate of change that threatens sapient and non-sapient beings living in the system. On arrival, sensors detect massive structures orbiting deep in the corona, seemingly harvesting stellar energy, and investigation reveals them to be the remnants of an ancient civilisation. Can the crew avert a catastrophe while still learning more about the incredible archaeological finding of this technology?

The USS Spartan picks up a distress call from a Federation diplomatic courier which has been attacked by Klingon warriors of a minor house seeking to stoke tensions between the Federation and the Empire. They find the ship damaged, the crew injured, and learn that a ranking Federation diplomat aboard has been taken captive. The Spartan must track the Klingons and recover the diplomat without unnecessary political escalation. The crew will have the option of a rescue mission by force or subterfuge, or by convincing the Klingons to stand down.

Each of these missions is a stand-alone adventure; though the last addresses the fleet canon of the tensions between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, it does not seek any changes to the status quo. They all contain several beats where characters can investigate a challenge, determine a resolution, and then execute that solution. The first gives a fairly clear resolution, though leaves space for writers to explore how to reach that endpoint and what it looks like. The third explains what options players will have (and, notably, offers opportunities for more complex narratives than a simple military solution). The second is more open-ended, but has a clear narrative of a desire for scientific discovery conflicting with a need for urgent action.

Activity Plans

The activity plan sets expectations for the mission’s OOC timeline. It should include how long you expect the mission to take to complete, and expectations of how much/how often participants should post. This can be approximate, but an activity plan helps the GM maintain focus and engagement from their writers, and helps the staff provide support if it looks like the activity plan isn’t being met.

It should also outline recruitment needs. Do you already have a group of players ready to go? Do you have some players but would like to recruit more? Do you have no players at all, but would like to GM for anyone interested? The Intelligence Office will discuss how best to proceed if you currently need more writers to continue.

The activity plan should include an expected start time/date for the mission; writers may need organising or recruiting, characters determined and bios written, and planning discussions had before any posts begin.

The Intelligence Office will review the activity plan, discuss any recruitment needs, and compare the timeline and activity requirements to the mission concept. We may suggest changes to either the activity plan or the story plan if we find they don’t align. Any prospective GM unsure about what specific action plan might suit their story concept is encouraged to be honest about this in their proposal; we will have an easier time offering support or guidance to a statement of, ‘I want this to be low-intensity, so I’m not sure how long this story will take to write,’ than numbers pulled out of thin air.

The activity plan does not need to be directly shared with participants, but all players should know what level of engagement is expected from them.

A mission should not be expected to last more than six months; participation should be high enough and story concepts simple enough to conclude a narrative within that period.

Example Activity Plans

I have four other members already interested in writing this mission and will not need to recruit more. We can begin writing in 1 week to give us time to discuss characters and prepare character bios. We expect to complete the mission in 4 months, with every member expected to post - or be part of a joint post - every week. I have two other members already interested and am looking for a couple more. I would like to have 2 weeks for recruitment and planning with members before beginning the mission. I plan to finish the mission in 5 months, with every member posting or being part of a published joint post every 2 weeks.

Group Management Plan

This section addresses how a GM will organise and lead their members and story. At a minimum, it must specify the mission’s intended content rating, though certain mission concepts may require more elaboration than simply the number rating. This is also where rules specific to the group/mission can be clarified, depending on the GM’s needs and subject to the IO’s approval. As an example, Starbase Bravo follows the 1-1-1 content policy rating, but has further rules which support its purpose as a universal sandbox.

This section should also address how a GM will handle applications to join the mission (will prospective members need a full biography, a writing sample, or will merely a discussion with the GM suffice, etc). A GM may wish to explain their crew roster needs; perhaps they have a mission concept where a Chief of Security PC would have little to do, and can clarify that they will instead not recruit a player to the role and use an NPC.

This is also the section to explain game management plans outside of the usual. The ‘usual’ is the presumption of a classic Bravo Fleet RPG format: every player writes their own character, and the GM writes the CO. Variations on this should be clarified. Any other storytelling techniques - the use of story tables to randomise events, for example - should be included in this section.

Proposal Feedback

The Intelligence Office will assess your proposal and discuss it with you. We may ask for various alterations to the concept or activity plan, or have follow-up questions. This should be a constructive process; our interest is in ensuring you run a successful, enjoyable mission to completion within the Bravo Fleet canon.

You should never assume your proposal will be accepted, and particularly not accepted in its original form. As with all Bravo Fleet proposals or requests, pre-empting the approval process - such as by starting to write the mission before the Intelligence Office has signed off on it - will be grounds for immediate rejection. You may assemble a group of interested players ahead of or during the proposal process, as this helps inform activity plans, and we understand many GMs will have friends with whom they know they want to write. Prospective GMs must not, however, publicly recruit for a mission proposal that has not yet been accepted.

If the IO rejects your proposal, we will do our best to make our reasons clear. The most likely explanation will be a mission concept that does not match IO creative policies or fleet canon, and cannot be reasonably adjusted, or an unrealistic activity plan.

Recruitment

Only Bravo Fleet members may participate in Expeditionary Group missions, though of course, friends from outside BF are welcome to join and can sign up to an EG mission at any rank. As stated, prospective GMs may discuss their planned mission privately with friends, gauging interest and assembling a team of writers ahead of submitting their proposal. They should not, however, publicly advertise or recruit members to an EG mission that has not yet been green-lit by the IO. The spirit of this rule is that friends who want to write together are more than welcome to request an EG ship for a mission, and that by necessity entails prior discussion, but approval for an EG mission should not be pre-empted or presumed.

Once a mission has been green-lit, GMs may begin open recruitment, and can advertise openly on the #rpg-recruitment channel on Discord. The IO will also announce the approval of any new EG missions publicly, which will include its recruitment needs. GMs are welcome to not recruit additional members. It is perfectly appropriate for an EG mission to be a closed group of friends, or for a GM to have a set cap on numbers. GMs are free to set what application requirements they wish from members, whether this entails a completed biography, a writing sample, or simply a conversation. This may be discussed with the IO during the proposal stage.

Players seeking an active or recruiting EG mission may use the #looking-for-rpg channel on Discord, and should approach a GM directly to enquire about joining.

Nobody is entitled to participate in an EG mission, and GMs may reject an application for any reason that does not violate the charter. We believe every member has the right to choose with whom they share small-group activities in BF.

Removing Players or Leaving Games

Just as a GM may recruit members as they wish, they may also remove players after they have been accepted to the mission. This may happen at the GM’s discretion, though should of course never violate a member’s rights under Article II, Section 1 of the Bravo Fleet Charter. The most obvious reason for removing a member is if they have failed to meet their activity requirements, and due to the short-term nature of EG missions, GMs are encouraged to put the completion of the mission first. As always, the IO encourages a GM to discuss problems with a member before moving for their removal.

Any member may of course resign from an EG mission at any point for any reason.

Should a member be removed or resign from an EG mission, the GM must inform the Intelligence Office on the eg-gm-lounge channel on Discord. This ensures the EG BFMS command roster can be kept up to date.

Running an EG Mission

Once the proposal has been accepted, all members involved in the mission will be invited to add their characters to the Expeditionary Group BFMS command, and a BFMS mission will be created, with a title including the ship name. Members must only post in the BFMS mission to which they have been assigned. The Intelligence Officer will set up the Expeditionary Group BFMS Command’s roster to assign characters to their specific role aboard a specific ship, and the BFMS Command will list the current active missions and their recruitment status.

How members write is subject to the GM’s discretion; some missions may prioritise joint posts, while others welcome solo stories. Members may write posts directly on BFMS, or use platforms such as Google docs to draft before posting.

Members are expressly forbidden from creating their own Discord server for EG writing. Each EG ship will have its own channels on the Bravo Fleet Discord for discussion and tagging. Expeditionary Group writing is a part of the Bravo Fleet culture, and should bring people closer to the fleet - not sequester groups of writers into isolated communities. We of course do not police people’s DMs or use of DMs!

Concluding a Mission

Once a mission is concluded, the mission on BFMS will be closed and the characters removed from the Expeditionary Group BFMS command’s roster. IC, the mission has been resolved, and the characters move on from this temporary assignment. GMs are asked to write a brief summary of their mission for the EG ship’s wiki article, to record a history of these adventures and stories, and include a link to the BFMS mission.

Members may do as they wish with their characters afterwards; assign them to their personal command, join Starbase Bravo with them (if eligible), or, in accordance with the Roleplaying Games and Sandbox Policy, continue collaboration with other members on a personal command.

If a group wishes to start a new Expeditionary Group mission, the GM must submit a new proposal. While this will be subject to the same scrutiny as the original, a successful completed EG mission is certainly strong evidence to support any additional proposals. However, the Intelligence Office cannot guarantee members will have access to the same ship; EG ships will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

While a GM may indicate to the IO that they intend to submit a subsequent proposal upon a mission’s conclusion, we will not accept any proposals until that mission is completed.

Cancelling a Mission

GMs and their crews will have every opportunity to complete a mission. However, the IO will monitor activity and reach out if they believe the activity plan is not being met, and/or if the mission seems unlikely to reach its conclusion within the agreed-upon period. Where appropriate, the activity plan and completion timeline may be renegotiated, subject to approval by the IO. Life happens, the unexpected will always arise, and the IO is here to support members. Help may entail extending a mission timeline or advising on how to bring a story to a conclusion faster, perhaps with amendments to the intended plot.

However, an EG mission cannot go on for an indeterminate period; stories must end, and the ship must be made available for other prospective GMs. If the predetermined mission completion date passes without the mission coming to a conclusion, the IO may choose to cancel the mission, closing it on BFMS and removing members from the EG BFMS command.

Likewise, while we understand stories may change in the telling, the IO may intercede if we feel that the story being written does not match the spirit of the concept originally passed - particularly if this undermines or fails to adhere to canon policies.

We encourage GMs to reach out to the IO if they feel they will not meet their activity plan commitments or are otherwise struggling with their story, and will make all reasonable efforts to help a mission reach a proper conclusion.

Expeditionary Group Ships

These are the ships assigned IC to the Fourth Fleet Expeditionary Group and are available for request for a mission. If a ship is currently in-use when requested, the IO will either advise when it may become available, or encourage a proposal to use a different ship.

Mission proposals should, as stated, request a story-appropriate ship, whether this entails a ship which IC suits a mission, or IC doesn’t suit a mission, depending on the narrative. The IO will discuss your requested ship with you during the proposal stage.

USS Spartan, Saber class

The USS Spartan is a Saber-class scout assigned to the Expeditionary Group. Small and fast, with a crew of less than a hundred officers, it was built prior to the Dominion War and has seen long service assigned to patrol and escort duties, largely in Federation space.

The Spartan is an ideal vehicle for stories about tactical challenges and scouting operations. Its size and capabilities mean it may be suitable for stories about a crew out of their depth, faced with a bigger challenge than they have the tools to easily resolve. It is not a high-profile or luxurious posting, but can be used to set a tone of a pragmatic, tight-knit crew.

USS Tyson, Nova class

The USS Tyson is a Nova-class surveyor assigned to the Expeditionary Group. A small science vessel, her primary purpose is for the surveying of planetary systems and other work of scientific charting and study within and beyond Federation space.

Similar to the Spartan, the Tyson is a small ship with a specialised purpose - in this case, surveying and exploration - that may be ideal for missions about scientific adventures, or, again, stories about a crew out of their depth against a big challenge.

USS Maximilian, Reliant class

The USS Maximilian is a Reliant-class frigate assigned to the Expeditionary Group. Small but modern, she is a highly versatile starship that can fulfil a range of mission roles, while outright excelling in few of them.

The Maximilian is an excellent ‘all-rounder’ choice of ship that could be chosen for a range of missions, and is thus particularly suitable if you want a ship with resources capable of keeping up with a twisting, turning story. While she is still small and not an especially auspicious assignment, she can deal with mid-level tactical challenges, provide basic diplomatic support, and is a capable scientific platform. Short of stories where making a show of Starfleet strength (in any sense of the world) may be desirable, there are few mission profiles she doesn’t suit - but, again, is not enormously powerful and can easily be found out of her depth as circumstances demand.

USS Westbrook, Nebula class

The USS Westbrook is a Nebula-class exploratory cruiser assigned to the Expeditionary Group. A large, multi-mission vessel, the Westbrook is capable of undertaking almost any mission expected of a Starfleet ship, though over the decades has been seen more as an ageing workhorse. With a large crew, extensive scientific and diplomatic facilities, and a strong combat profile, she is undeniably the most powerful ship assigned to the Expeditionary Group.

The Westbrook is the most classic, large starship available for EG missions. She is suited to a range of stories due to her multi-mission profile, and is a respected enough ship to ‘fly the flag’ on behalf of the Federation if needed. Her age means that problems can still challenge her, and her power and crew size make her the most likely ship to be chosen for high-stakes missions.