Warship Log Stardate 1107.30 IKS DuranQo, on classified mission

Warship Log, Stardate 1107.30. Captain Korvus recording. In the Delta
Velorum Sector, we launched a cloaked sneak attack on the Romulan
Dreadnought RIS Romii. This pride of the Romulan fleet put up a minimal
fight, but was, inevitably, destroyed. We are looking forward to the
conclusion of this classified mission soon. Combat proceeded as follows:

Dreadnought RIS Romii (Multiplier X6)
Heavy Cruiser IKS DuranQo (Multiplier X5)

RIS Romii rolls 48. Allocation: 24,24
IKS DuranQo rolls 45 . Allocation: 21,24

Result:
RIS Romii: 15
IKS DuranQo: 15

RIS Romii rolls 60. Allocation: 30,30
IKS DuranQo rolls 30. Allocation: 0,30

Result:
RIS Romii:15
IKS DuranQo:15

RIS Romii rolls 24. Allocation: 12,12
IKS DuranQo rolls 35. Allocation: 23,12

Result:
RIS Romii: 4
IKS DuranQo:15

RIS Romii rolls 42. Allocation: 21,21
IKS DuranQo rolls 40. Allocation: 19,21

Result:
RIS Romii:4
IKS DuranQo: 15

RIS Romii rolls 36. Allocation: 18,18
IKS DuranQo rolls 60. Allocation: 42,18

Result:
RIS Romii: Destroyed
IKS DuranQo: Undamaged

Captain's Log Stardate 1107.30 USS Guadalcanal, Portas Sector, in Pursuit of Hijacked Convoy

Captain's Log, Stardate 1107.30. Captain Murphy recording

Entering Portas Sector on the edge of Breen space. Little has been heard
from the Breen since the end of the Dominion War. The ship that we
encountered at the outer fringe of Breen space bore no resemblance to
anything on the Starfleet database, and we find that the trails we've been
following have gone dry. Attempting to stop the unidentified heavy cruiser,
we were unable to establish communication. Did they receive but refuse to
answer? Were they unable to receive or understand? Readings are
inconclusive. In any case, the unidentified ship attacked us, and we were
forced to respond in kind. Apparently the alien ship had a flaw of some
kind, because our weapons completely overwhelmed their defenses, and they
were destroyed. Sensor logs have been flash transmitted to Starfleet. Combat
proceeded as follows:

Unidentified Heavy Cruiser Multiplier X5
USS Guadalcanal Heavy Cruiser Multiplier X5

Unidentified Heavy Cruiser Rolls 30 Allocation: 15,15
USS Guadalcanal Rolls 45 Allocation: 30,15

Result:
Unknown Heavy Cruiser: Destroyed
USS Guadalcanal: Undamaged

Captain's Log Stardate 1107.29 USS Guadalcanal, Iota Cephei Sector, Cardassian Frontier

Captain's Log, Stardate 1107.29. Captain Murphy recording.

The sense of optimism that we all felt as the rogue planet designated Xena
moved along a generally eliptical course away from us was quickly replaced
with one of exhiliration as we detected the first indications of five ships
being dragged away at maximum impulse. There is little doubt that we took
the right course (educated guess actually) in pursuing the missing convoy.
According to the head of our science department, Commander Whittaker, the
warp trails pulling the convoy are not Cardassian, nor do they appear to
come from Cardassian warp coils. That leads me to believe that whoever took
the convoy aren't pirates operating in the frontier. Of course, beyond
Cardassian space lie the Breen. And they are infamous. At maximum warp, we
should intercept the convoy in about a day.

Warship Log Stardate 1107.29 IKS DuranQo, on classified mission

Warship Log, Stardate 1107.29. Captain Korvus recording. In the Delta
Velorum Sector in Romulan Space. As we approach our classified destination,
we are meeting continued resistance. As we moved, cloaked, at half speed, we
came upon an unsuspecting heavy cruiser, the RIS Rael. We launched a
successful cloaked surprise attack. While suffering no damage, we destroyed
the unprepared cruiser in our initial volley. While we celebrate our victory
over the honorless Romulan Ha'dibaH, I must admit to being surprised at the
ease with which we have crushed them.

Combat proceeded as follows:

Heavy Cruiser RIS Rael (Multiplier X5)
Heavy Cruiser IKS DuranQo (Multiplier X5)

RIS Rael rolls 10. Allocation: 5,5
IKS DuranQo rolls 25. Allocation: 20,5

Result:
RIS Rael Destroyed
IKS DuranQo Undamaged

Warship Log Stardate 1107.27 IKS DuranQo, on classified mission

Warship Log, Stardate 1107.27. Captain Korvus recording. In the Delta
Velorum Sector in Romulan Space. As our classified mission takes us further
into enemy territory, we are finally starting to encounter resistance to
test our warrior's mettle. On this day, we came upon an unsuspecting Romulan
carrier, the RIS Superwing. The battle was glorious, and truly worthy of our
ship and crew, but as expected, the Romulan was destroyed. Combat proceeded
as follows:

Carrier RIS Superwing (Multiplier X7)
Heavy Cruiser IKS DuranQo (Multiplier X5)

RIS Superwing rolls 77. Allocation: 39,38
IKS DuranQo rolls 55. Allocation: 16,39

Result:
RIS Superwing 15
IKS DuranQo 15

RIS Superwing rolls 21. Allocation: 11,10
IKS DuranQo rolls 40. Allocation: 29, 11

Result:
RIS Superwing destroyed.
IKS DuranQo undamaged.

Captain's Log Stardate 1107.27 USS Guadalcanal, Mu Andromedae Sector

Captain's Log, Stardate 1107.27. Captain Murphy recording. I was prepared to
name this rogue planet after someone in the crew, but Federation
cartographical records show that the planetoid was officially designated as
Xena almost a hundred years ago when it was orbitting a star close to the
edge of the galaxy. So warrior princess it is. With that in mind, I beamed
down with a geo-science team. We found an environment rich in surprises.
Xena was home to an advanced civilization that seemed to have found that
rare balance between nature and science. This is evident in records stored,
somehow (as my science team tells me) within biomatter. Where we might learn
about terrestrial creatures from fossils, Xena's indigenous population has
stored it's entire history within the perfectly fossilized biomatter of the
planet. In order to maintain the integrity (and presumably honor the
intentions of Xena's population) of these findings, we transported down a
portable bio-imager to record every microdetail available. This was done
with scanners only. At no time was any fossil even exposed to space.

So what do the fossils tell us about the population that existed on Xena?
Our best linguists determined that the civilization on this planet was
remarkably advanced and peaceful (judging by the incredible amount of
undisturbed records, and the lack of any apparent reference to major
conflict), perhaps due in part to it's distance from major space going
civilizations that we're aware of. That is mainly supposition on my part,
and I have to admit to not being the top cultural scientist on the ship. And
of course, linguistic experts at the Sato Institute will make sense of all
the data we collected and tell us more about the civilization that once
flourished on Xena.

Supplemental entry. Xena's mysteries continue. A deep scan, as we pulled
away from Xena, showed the growth of crystalline structures kilometers below
the surface. Something is still alive within that planet. This seems to me
to justify further attention from a dedicated science mission. I've made
that recommendation to Starfleet Command. Initial projections show that Xena
should make it through the Cardassian frontier with no interference from
natural objects. Given the serious and sometimes downright depressing nature
of our assignment, Xena has been a very positive interlude, and I'll keep a
close eye on her progress.

Captain's Log Stardate 1107.26 USS Guadalcanal, Mu Andromedae Sector

Captain's Log, Stardate 1107.26. Captain Murphy recording. The rogue planet
entered the sector at 0600 ship's time, starting my shift about an hour
early. I temporarily amended the rules prohibiting coffee on the bridge and
waited while the planetoid drifted into sensor range. By 0800 senior
navigator Templar had plotted us a course that would bring the Guadalcanal
into orbit around the rogue planet by 1000. I will beam down with an away
team for a full scientific survey. We can remain on the planet for six
hours. After that, we'll need to leave orbit and change course in order to
pursue my theory about the disappearance of the convoy. My next log entry
should be interesting.

Warship Log Stardate 1107.26 IKS DuranQo on Classified Mission

Warship Log, Stardate 1107.26, Captain Korvus recording. Repairs have been
completed, and we are again underway. We will be out of the sector in a day.

Captain's Log Stardate 1107.25 USS Guadalcanal, Mu Andromedae Sector

Captain's Log, Stardate 1107.25. Captain Murphy recording. Following
yesterday's detection of what appeared to be a rogue planet traveling along
our general flightpath, Science Officer Sakharov has determined that the
planetoid comes actually not from Tholia, but in fact might have somehow
escaped a nova beyond the range of explored space. Initial scans show that
any atmosphere would have been ripped away in the cataclysm that sent it
hurtling through space. We don't expect to find any life, and I don't expect
any connection to the missing convoy. But we are also on a mission of
exploration. We can do both at the same time.

Warship Log Stardate 1107.25 IKS DuranQo on Classified Mission

Warship Log, Stardate 1107.25, Captain Korvus recording. Running cloaked at
half speed in Alpha Pictoris Sector in Romulan space as per orders, we
encountered Romulan Frigate Hawk, which launched a surprise cloaked attack.
We immediately decloaked and attacked. Despite significant damage from the
cowardly attack, we destroyed the frigate and recloaked. Combat proceeded as
follows:

RIS Hawk rolled 39. Allocation 20,19
IKS DuranQo rolled 10. Allocation 0,10

Results:
Hawk 15
DuranQo 5

RIS Hawk rolled 12. Allocation 6,6
IKS DuranQo rolled 20. Allocation 14,6

Results:
Hawk 7
DuranQo 5

RIS Hawk rolled 24. Allocation 12,12
IKS DuranQo rolled 25. Allocation 13, 12

Results:
Hawk 6
DuranQo 5

RIS Hawk rolled 21. Allocation 11,10
IKS DuranQo rolled 40. Allocation 29, 11

Results:
Hawk destroyed.
DuranQo 6

While our cloak is still functioning, the DuranQo shields were overloaded,
and it sustained major structural damage. Unfortunately, we have been forced
to stop in order to effect repairs. This will not have any lasting effects
on our mission.

Captain's Log Stardate 1107.24 USS Guadalcanal in the Mu Andromedae Sector

Captain's Log, Stardate 1107.24. Captain Murphy recording. We are proceeding at full impulse in the Mu Andromedae sector, concentrating our scans for any signs of tractored ships. Since there was no evidence of the convoy's destruction, I am assuming that the ships were either captured or towed. Capture seems unlikely, since freighters are usually equipped with "dead man's switches" which detonate the ship if the pilot releases direct manual control. It has happened, but very rarely. It was more likely that the ships were captured, and are being dragged back to some hidden pirate base. But where? That is the question. Freighters are slow, vulnerable craft, but they have powerful engines. They would have put up a struggle that even days later we should be able to detect. The alternative is to continue our course and call for a dedicated science vessel, but by then it will almost certainly be too late.



Supplemental entry. We have detected a large gravitational mass on a course generally parallel to ours. From Tholia to Cardassia, basically. Initial readings show it to be a rogue planet. I can't imagine how this can have anything to do with the loss of the convoy, but since it will be passing us at a relatively slow speed, we will investigate. I hope to have more to report tomorrow.

Warship Log Stardate 1107.24 IKS DuranQo on Classified Mission

Warship Log, Stardate 1107.24, Captain Korvus recording. Running cloaked at half speed in classified mission. No ships detected, no anomalous readings. Nothing to report, but we hope to engage the enemy soon.

 

Captain's Log Stardate 1107.23 USS Guadalcanal Entering Mu Andromedae Sector

Captain's Log, Stardate 1107.23. Captain Murphy recording.

As we entered the Mu Andromedae sector, I found myself hoping that we would
run into someone. Bigger than us, smaller than us, I didn't really care. I
wanted someone to take a shot at. Someone to blame. We didnt run into
anyone. There is still utter silence from Talarian space. An entire race
that seems to have vanished. We are getting pretty close to Cardassian
space, and I am getting a little apprehensive. We have every right, and this
Galaxy Class ship is capable of taking care of itself in a scrap. But if I'm
right (and I don't want to think about what happens if I'm wrong), we've
lost a convoy and are looking for whoever took it in the dark, largely
unpatrolled frontier of a power that not too long ago posed a serious threat
to the Alpha Quadrant.

I could easily say that the Cardassians got what they deserved, and not too
many people would argue. But lots of innocents were slaughtered, and some
Cardassian heroes died to throw off the Dominion. And there is also the
consideration that big losers in history, if victorious powers are too harsh
in post war retribution, tend to come back with a vengeance if they don't
see any alternative. Most notably, the Klingon civil war at the end of the
22nd century that swept conservative forces into power and handed us a de
facto war that lasted seventy years, and Earth's first world war, that
created sufficient poverty and despair in Germany for a rabble-rouser named
Hitler to seize control with promises of power and prestige. Steps are being
taken to avoid that here. Prime Minister Elim Garak has negotiated
permission to create a defense force that will protect Cardassia and
reinstill a sense of pride for his people. But I think our convoy has been
taken by pirates active in the Cardassian frontier, and I'm not going to
wait for the diplomats to find out for sure.

To that end, the Guadalcanal is dropping to impulse, and we are going to run
a hard scan of every sector, including Mu Andromedae, in our search area.

Warship Log Stardate 1107.23 IKS DuranQo on Classified Mission

Warship Log, Stardate 1107.23, Captain Korvus recording. Running cloaked at
half speed in Khazara Sector in Romulan space as per orders, we encountered
Romulan Frigate Decius. We immediately decloaked and attacked. There was
little challenge.

Decius rolled 12. Allocation: 6,6
DuranQo rolled 36. Allocation: 30,6

Romulan Frigate RIS Decius destroyed. While we celebrate the combat and
revel in the deaths of our enemies, we hope for a more fitting challenge
while on these classified maneuvers. We cloaked without further detection.

Ship's Log Stardate 1107.21 IKS DuranQo on Classified Mission

Running cloaked in Khazara Sector in Romulan space as per orders, we
encountered Romulan Light Cruiser Intala. We immediately decloaked and
attacked. Combat proceeded as follows:

Intala rolled 16 allocation: 8,8
DuranQo rolled 12 allocation: 4,8

Remaining points:
Intala: 15
DuranQo: 15

Intala rolled 6 allocation: 3,3 9
DuranQo rolled 12 allocation: 9,3 15

Remaining points:
Intala: 9
DuranQo: 15

Intala rolled 12 allocation: 6,6
DuranQo rolled 21 allocation: 15,6

Romulan Light Cruiser Intala destroyed. DuranQo suffered no measurable
damage, and recloaked without further detection. Proceeding on classified
mission. We have one day left in the Khazara sector.

Captain's Log: USS Guadalcanal: Entering Iota Cassiopeiae Sector

Captain's Log, Stardate 1107.21 Captain Murphy recording. We have arrived in
the Iota Cassiopeiae Sector. There is no intial sign of the missing convoy,
and no immediate evidence of its destruction. There are residual warp
trails, but they are decayed to the point of not being identifiable. That
leaves me with a dilemma. The two most probable directions to investigate
are Tholian space and Cardassian space. I have decided to proceed towards
Cardassian space for the moment for the following reasons. Relations with
Tholia are cordial at the moment. They tend to avoid contact with aliens at
all costs. unless they think someone has infringed on their space. They are
less likely to allow pirates to operate in their space than the Cardassians,
who are rumored to be using pirates to tap into cheap, black market goods of
all sorts. And most convincing of all, if the Tholians thought the convoy
was in their space, there would almost certainly be plenty of evidence of
their destruction. I am also well aware that if I'm wrong, there is little
chance of finding out what happened or rescuing any possible survivors.

IKS DuranQo Log: Undisclosed Course

Captain's Log. Ship is cloaked and undetected. We have crossed over into area of operations without incident. Helm advises that due to nature of our mission, it will take twice as long to traverse each sector. That should make the journey interesting, and greatly increase our chance of a glorious death.



(moderator's note: I am maintaining a private log of the ship's progress. To make things interesting, it will take two days... and two rolls of the dice for the ship to make it across a sector while cloaked)

Captain's Log: USS Guadalcanal

Captain Murphy recording. One day out from Iota Cassiopeiae sector, lack of readings persist. Continuing updates to Starfleet, and preparing to determine the fate of the convoy near Tholian Space. HIgh alert status continues, as I think there is foul play involved.

Captain's Log: USS Guadalcanal

Captain Murphy recording. USS Guadalcanal is enroute to Iota Cassiopeia. We are making our closest pass to Talarian space, and running an intensive long range scan. As before, we can detect no signs of any activity. No communications in or out, either government or civilian. Due to the urgency of our mission, we are not investigating further, but will continue to transmit all sensor data to Starfleet.

IKS DuranQo at Delta Doradus

IKS DuranQo cloaks at Delta Doradus. proceeds on undisclosed mission.

IKS DuranQo completes mission to Delta Doradus

Arrived in Delta Doradus sector. Rendevouz with IKS Gorkon to receive further orders.

Captains Log Supplemental: Federation Heavy Cruiser USS Guadalcanal in Gamma Trianguli Sector

Supplemental recording. Long range scan of Talarian space reveals no
artificial transmissions. No civilian or government traffic. No evidence of
natural or manmade disaster. We are continuing scans, and a copy of our
sensor data is being transmitted to Starfleet.

Captains Log: Federation Heavy Cruiser USS Guadalcanal Mission to Iota Cassiopeia Day Three

Captain Murphy reporting. Upon entering the Gamma Trianguli Sector, we began
a long range scan of Talarian space. Relations with the Talarians are not
the best right now, but the unusual complete silence from them justifies
some discreet extra attention. As we continue towards Iota Cassiopeia, we'll
pause for a complete, detailed scan without delaying our investigation of
the missing convoy. Supplemental log to follow.

Captains Log: Federation Heavy Cruiser USS Guadalcanal Mission to Iota Cassiopeia Day Two

Captain Murphy recording. Entered Beloti Sector, adjacent to Cardassian and
Talarian space. Listening post in the Tracken system reports no Cardassian
activity, despite reports of a negotiated build up in Cardassian defense
forces. Normal commercial and military chatter from Talarian Republic is
also silent. I have ordered a shipwide yellow alert as a precaution, and
intend to conduct long range scans of Talarian space as we pass it by.

(Moderator's note: see, it's just this easy)

Kapact

Launch of USS Guadalcanal to investigate loss of convoy near Tholian border

Federation Heavy Cruiser USS Guadalcanal departs Starbase 129 in Alpha Majoris Sector, enroute to Iota Cassiopeia, investigating loss of convoy near Tholian border.

Simplified Combat Chart

I've simplified the combat chart, so that all you need are two common six-sided dice (or the random number generator equivalent). I have ten classes of ships/platforms. Each has a multiplier. All you do is roll two dice, apply the appropriate multiplier, then allocate to offense and defense as usual. Here are the classes and multipliers:

Defense Platform X1
Freighter X2
Frigate X3
Light Cruiser X4
Heavy Cruiser X5
Dreadnought X6
Carrier X7
Outpost X8
Shipyard X9
Starbase X10

There will be a link to this on the side bar for easy reference.

Kapact

IKS DuranQo Combat Drills in Balduk System Round Three

Klingon Heavy Cruiser DuranQo versus Romulan Frigate Praex
Round Three

Praex Rolls
3,4,3,4 for 14
Allocation: 7 offence, 7 defence

DuranQo Rolls
4,5,4,3 for 16
Allocation: 9 offence, 7 defense

DuranQo 11
Praex 0

Klingon Heavy Cruiser IKS DuranQo destroys simulated Romulan Frigate RIS
Praex in three rounds, Shields sustain 80 percent damage. No hull or
internal damage.

The Maps

These maps come from the Star Trek Starcharts. I didn't make them up, nor was I the first person to post them to the web.

Alpha/Beta Quadrant

Political Maps

Detailed Maps








Route of USS Voyager in Delta Quadrant

Notes on Combat and other Missions

Note: These notes refer to the combat table previously posted. Any
questions/comments welcome.

Each player gets four rolls, one for each system. (Except in the case of
stationary objects, such as bases). For each system, the maximum for each
roll is as shown. For example, a frigate can have a maximum of 20 points to
work with. The player can distribute those points to taste. If player one
devotes (for example) ten points to offense and player two devotes six
points to defense, four points of damage are recorded against player two's
shields. Shields absorb five points of damage before going down. (But can
regenerate one point every three turns) After that, four more points will
disable ship. (These points regenerate at the same rate) Six more damage
points destroy the ship. So it takes fifteen damage points to destroy a
ship. In addition, a player can set aside points to reinforce shields. For
example, if a ship has sixteen available points, it can use ten points for
offense and defense, and add six to the shields. It will then take eleven
points to bring down the shields.

After five science missions, ships automatically get 1 free point toward EW
and sensors. This is to reflect the edge an experienced science officer
brings in.

After five combat engagements, the extra points go toward weapons and
maneuver.

No ship, regardless of the heroic name, starts out better than its peer.
It's up to you to make legends and heroes.

Kapact

IKS DuranQo Combat Drills in Balduk System Round Two

Klingon Heavy Cruiser DuranQo versus Romulan Frigate Praex

Round Two

Praex rolls 13, as AI evenly distributes for 7 offense, 6 defense.
DuranQo rolls 18, distributes for 15 offense, 3 defense.

Result

DuranQo 11
Praex 6

IKS DuranQo Combat Drills in Balduk System

Simulated combat was random selection. I use a roulette wheel from a casino
program as my random number generator. In this case, I had three choices,
frigate, light cruiser, or heavy cruiser. So I went by the three thirds of
the board. I got the first third, which gave me a frigate to fight. Then I
consulted this table:

(And until I find a way to import a table into Blogger, you'll just have to figure what I mean here. First number lines up with Weapons, second with Sensors, third with maneuver, and third with EW)

Weapons (O) Sensors (D) Maneuver (D) Electronic Warfare (O)

Defense Platform 4 4 0 6

Frigate 4 4 8 4

Light Cruiser 6 6 6 6

Heavy Cruiser 8 8 4 8

Shipyard 16 16 0 16

Starbase 32 32 0 32

What that boils down to is this. With the 36 numbers on a roulette wheel
(and the zero's as random bad luck counting for zero), here are the charts
for roll = result for the two ships:

Frigate Praex 20 points max possible per round

4 rolls
1-7=1
8-14=2
15-21=3
22-28=4
29-36=5

Heavy Cruiser DuranQo 28 points possible per round

4 rolls

1-5=1
6-10=2
11-15=3
16-20=4
21-25=5
26-30=6
31-36=7

Praex rolls (with one extra roll, to simulate the advantage of a cloaked
approach and sneak attack):
2,16,26,23,15

DuranQo rolls:
0,32,16,15

Using the charts above, the Praex ended up with a total of 15 points, which
I split up into 8 for offense and 7 for defense. Then I rolled for the
DuranQo, and

got 14 points. I put 6 towards offense and 8 towards defense. So the first
round ends with both ships at a level 15, or no damage.

Round One

DuranQo: 15
Praex: 15

Tomorrow is round two.

Kapact

What's Happening

As any new visitors might be looking around wondering what is going on here, here is what I am doing. I am running a bit of a shakedown with the IKS DuranQo. Stopping to run some combat drills. That means the ship won't move, and I'll start the combat tomorrow. The rules post will move down, but I'll post a link to it along the side soon. Also, soon to come are links to Trek references on the internet which I encourage players to have a look at. I'll also have a look for a web-based random number generator. Nicely takes the place of dice. Anyone looking around is encouraged to comment. If you want more info, or are interested in playing, you can either contact me through my email if you know it (if you belong to a group where I advertised it), or comment on a post. I'll receive email notification, and let you in. You can also contact me at an alternate email, kapact at xtra dot co dot nz. (obviously the dots are '.' and the at is @).


Kapact

Quick Start Guide

To get started, answer the following questions:

Game Type:

Pure Combat

(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)

Non-Combat

(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)

Mix

(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)

Alignment:

Federation
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)

Ship name

Command crew
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)

Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.

That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top game playing.

IKS Duran'Qo Vor'cha Class Heavy Cruiser H'atoria Sector to Delta Doradus

IKS Duran'Qo Vor'cha Class Heavy Cruiser from H'atoria sector to Delta Doradus Sector

Projected course

H'atoria Encountered allied ship. Maintained course.

to Narendra Arrived in Narendra sector. Nothing to report.

to Balduk Arrived in Balduk sector. No ships encountered. Stopping to conduct combat drills.

to Tyrellia Arrived in Tyrellia sector. Long range scanners show no ships in range.

to Delta Doradus Arrived in Delta Doradus sector. Rendevouz with IKS Gorkon to receive further orders.