The year is 2403. Mankind has spread across the Solar System, and their colonies have flourished on every planet. After two centuries of scientific labor, humanity's scientists have discovered subspace and created the FTL drive, allowing the colonization of star systems beyond Sol. With the creation of colonies beyond the Solar System, humanity's leaders banded together from over thirty star systems and created the Galactic Terran Alliance to truly begin galactic expansion.

Colonization is always a dangerous task, no matter how tranquil the journey seems or how peaceful the planet seems. A miscalculated FTL jump can send a ship into the heart of a star or into the void beyond the red line with no hope of return. Cosmic storms and meteor showers can tear a ship's hull to shreds. A wayward fire can lead to the loss of all hands aboard. All of these can happen before they reach the planet, where the colonists can succumb to alien diseases, inclement weather, vicious flora and fauna, agricultural failure, or civil unrest. Supply ships get attacked by pirates almost daily. Reavers, cannibals from space, capture vessels and perform atrocities of sickening horror upon their victims. Minor rebellions turn colonies against one another, forcing a GTA military intervention. Finally, humanity has yet to experience the repercussions from a first contact which is sure to happen...

As a crewmember of the small and aging Galactic Terran Cruiser Okami, your job is to protect a rapidly expanding human race from the dangers of the galaxy. You will be tasked with protecting colonies, protecting the space lanes, mediating colonial border disputes, enforcing GTA resolutions, eliminating pirates, collecting data for scientific endeavors, striking pirates and criminals through the galaxy, exploring new systems, and a myriad of other tasks expected of you as a GTA servicemember. It's the adventure of a lifetime. Welcome aboard.

Welcome to the Freespace RP startup page. The game is heavily based on the Freespace space simulation game, but it will borrow elements from many other works of science fiction. (read: This is a sci-fi fanboy/fangirl fanwank crossover of epic failure proportions that's going to be awesome anyway.) Here are some rules and guidelines to govern your play.

1.     Combat is freeform. Follow standard Gendou City rules of RP engagement when in combat (Don't play God, don't autohit, even against NPCs), and don't automatically assume that a complex action (defusing a bomb, dodging an asteroid in a capital ship, jury-rigging a jump drive in the middle of combat, etc.) succeeds. Success or failure will be determined by your character's abilities.

2.    Do you want to take that hotshot pilot into the escape pod for a steamy moment? Don't do it here. Keep it clean, guys.

3.    I highly recommend that you write your posts in novel style, not script style, and I will require the ship's staff to do so.

4.    Refresh the page before you post. This will help prevent continuity errors.

5.    To play as one of the Senior Officers, you must apply. PM me with your profile, your desired positions, and a sample play entry. I would like for these players to be experienced roleplayers, and if multiple people apply for the same position, I will assign the position to the person who is most qualified.  The available positions are as follows:

• Captain - The leader of the ship. Makes the final decision on any matters on the ship or crew. His word is law aboard the ship. At action stations (battle stations), he is in the Combat Information Center directing the battle.
• First Officer - The ship's second in command. Answers only to the Captain. He leads the missions for most away teams. At action stations, he leads the crew from the bridge and directs the movements of the fighter squadron(s).
• Chaplain's Representative - Responsible for the crew's religious needs. He advises the senior staff and does not hold authority over the crew. The Chaplain is typically an ordained minister of the ship and represents the clergy on board.
• Chief Engineer - The ship's engineer. Responsible for keeping the ship's systems (Life Support, Propulsion, FTL Drive, Sewage, Ship's Power, etc.) running. At action stations, he is found at the ship's engine room.
• Tactical Officer - Responsible for all the combat operations of the ship. At action stations, he coordinates the ship's weapons from the bridge and controls the movements of the small craft wing.
• Squadron Leader - Also known as the CAG (Commander, Air Group). Responsible for the ship's small craft operations. Answers to the Tactical Officer. At action stations, he leads the ship's fighter squadron.
• Security Officer - Responsible for the ship's security team. Answers to the Tactical Officer. At action stations, he leads efforts to repel any boarding teams that come onboard, or he assists where needed on the ship for damage control.
• Medical Officer - Responsible for the crew's health. At action stations, he treats the wounded at sickbay.
• Ship's Counselor - Responsible for the crew's mental health and well being. Advises the senior staff and does not hold authority.
• Operations Officer - Responsible for communications, internal systems controls, sensor readings, transporter operations, and navigation, among other things. The Operations Officer also doubles as the Science Officer, the scientific advisor on the ship. At action stations, he relays information on the ship's systems (Shields, Hull Integrity, Primary system stability, etc.) to the Captain.
• Helmsman - Steers the ship.

5.     To play as an Enlisted Crewmember, just post your profile. These positions are best for the first-time roleplayer. The following list contains the available positions.

• Crewman - Goes wherever he is needed. Typically a crewman fresh out of recruit basic training. Can train for a specialist position.
• Specialist, Tactical - Directly operates ship's weaponry (laser turrets, missile launchers, flak cannons, beam weapons.) Answers to the Tactical Officer.
• Specialist, Engineering - Helps maintain the ship's systems. Answers to Chief Engineer.
• Specialist, Air Wing - Repairs the ship's small craft, and helps to directs small craft to the catapults. Answers to the Squadron Leader.
• Specialist, Science - Helps research efforts. Answers to the Operations officer.
• Marine - Repels boarders and escorts away teams. Jokingly referred to as "Redshirt" in homage to a 20th century sci-fi show. Answers to the Security Officer.
• Pilot - Flies aircraft. Answers to the Squadron Leader.
• Medic - Assists the Medical Officer.
• Chaplain - A clergyman of a religion. Reports to the Chaplain's Representative.
• Any other billet I don't have listed here.

6.    Officers are highly, highly encouraged to involve the enlisted crewmembers in their actions.

7.    Once the game actually begins, we will start play in another thread.

The Profile Format is as follows.

Name: Your character's name.

Age: Your character's age

Position: Your position (Captain, Crewman, Marine, Pilot, Squadron Leader)

Physical Description: A picture can go here. Otherwise, just make a detailed description.

Background: If you want to put your character's background, by all means do so. It would be nice to play out your background though.

Lieutenant Commander Miles Halsey, the current captain of the GTC Okami, looked at the new faces, including that of the new captain sitting in the back corner of the ship's briefing room. So this is who I'm leaving the Okami to, he thought. He was due to depart the Okami to begin command of the first Deimos-class corvette. He was glad to be offered the post, but he loved the Okami. He knew, however, simply by looking into the new captain's eyes, that the Okami would do all right without him. He cleared his throat and began the lecture.

"Good morning, and welcome aboard the GTC Okami. My name is Lieutenant Commander Miles Halsey, and I am the captain of this ship. This briefing will acquaint you with the Okami, its mission, and some shipwide regulations. I recommend that you also read the "Welcome Aboard" packet you will find in your berths after this briefing." He clicked a button on his remote, and a picture came up on the screen.

"The GTC Okami is a Fenris-class cruiser. She's been around for about 40 years now since the end of the rebellion at Delta Serpentis 35 years ago, and I'll be blunt with you: the only reason why she hasn't been decommissioned yet is because we need all the ships we can get out here in Antares. This 253 meter beauty has been very well maintained, and she is one tough bitch to fight. She is armed with 5 Prometheus laser turrets, 2 AAA anti-fighter beams, two torpedo tubes, and one light beam cannon, more than enough to handle any threats our Viper squadron can't handle." At the word Viper, the new crewmembers looked at one another in astonishment. Halsey sighed.

"Now, seeing your reaction, I can tell that you are all surprised that we still use Viper II's. These fighters are, in my opinion, the greatest feat of spacecraft engineering that GTA Fleet has ever seen. Now, I know that newer ships get Apollo fighters, but do not underestimate this craft. Vipers are capable of going from 0 to 100 meters per second in 4 seconds, and can do a 180 fore to aft flip in .35 seconds. These fighters are armed with two 30mm cannons and 8 Javelin missiles. Even after 40 years, these fighters can fly circles around anything you can find in the civilian market, and those of you that are coming from flying those oversized, overweight flying coffins High Command calls Apollos will appreciate the performance. I still think these are a joy to fly." At the words "oversized" and "overweight", some pilots nodded in approval. Halsey smiled at them and moved on.

Pointing to the map, he said, "Our job is to patrol the Antares - Beta Cygni jump node. We, as you should know, are in the Beta Cygni system. We're here to protect the supply lines to the Beta Cygni colonies from pirate attack. Betelgeuse is a favorite system of pirate vessels, and we simply don't have the resources to protect every colony in Beta Cygni. Still, the only reason why the pirates get away with this is because we don't have the resources to deal with them. High Command keeps telling our squadron that we'll plan an excursion to Betelgeuse, but I've never seen any plans about it. Make no mistake, pirate attacks happen at least twice a week in this system. Be thankful, though that you're not deployed to Ribos. I hear attacks there happen almost daily." He clicked the slide again, and a map of the ship came up.

"Deck One has access to the primary sensor array and the primary communications mast. Deck Two contains the bridge, my Ready Room, and the Officer's Briefing Room. Deck Three contains the wardroom, the enlisted mess, and the galley. Deck Four holds access to the topside turrets and the Armory. Deck Five forward contains the primary laser array. You'll find sickbay on Deck Five amidships. Deck Five aft will get you to the Engine Room.

"Deck Six holds the Science department's equipment and the Combat Information Center. Deck Seven contains the Transporter rooms as well as the Astronomy and Navigation lab. Deck Eight contains the hangar bay. Deck Nine will get you to the underside turrets. Deck Ten holds the secondary sensors and communications array. Your quarters are located close to your stations."

"You will now meet with your department officers at the briefing compartments . Dismissed."

• Standard issue for all crewmembers: A communicator badge (transmit to department members only, receive from all sources), a multitool, a Hazardous Environment Suit, and a sidearm with 4 magazines of 15 rounds.
• Special Issue to Science and Medical crewmembers: Tricorder (TR-590 Tricorder X), Medical Kit
• Special Issue to Officers: Communicator Badge can transmit to all officers and to all members of departments.
• Special Issue to the XO and Captain: Communicator badge can transmit to all crewmembers.
• Available for requisition from the Department Heads under special circumstances: Tricorder, Medical Kit, department-specific toolkits, survival kits, M41A Pulse Rifles, jump jets for the standard issue HEV, demolitions equipment, Mobile Construction Vehicles, shuttlecraft, and more items to be added as needed.

• Condition One: Attack is present or imminent. This alert places the ship at its highest state of readiness. All crews go to their combat posts. Bulkhead doors are closed in case of decompression. Fighters are scrambled. The Combat Information Center is locked down and the ship's captain is on station. The call to Condition 1 is a LOUD claxon accompanied by the Operations Officer calling, "Action Stations, Action Stations. Set Condition One throughout the ship, this is not a drill."
• Condition 1-E: Called during a lull in the fighting to feed the crew and tend to casualties.
• Condition Two: Threat probable, but not present. Crew readiness is somewhat more relaxed than full readiness. This is used for planetside bombing where no opposition is expected.
• Condition Three: General wartime cruising, 1/3rd of the crew is at watch.
• Condition Four: Peacetime cruising. Less than 1/3rd of the crew is at watch.
• Condition Five: Peacetime watch in port. Enough of the crew is at watch long enough to get the ship underway in an emergency.

• Weapons: Even after over three and a half centuries of technological advancement Terrans still use bullets. All current 25th century ammunition is caseless, even the anti-ship cannons. Torpedoes in space are essentially small nukes. Smaller laser weapons are in development, but as of now are only available as the main guns for ships of cruiser size or larger. Fleet Command is currently developing energy weapons for turrets and fighters. Personal laser weapons are low priority on the Fleet Command R&D list.
• The HEV: The wiki article is mostly right, but this particular HEV suit is designed for the crew to suit up quickly, within three seconds. Furthermore, the HEV suit also doubles as a flight suit for the ship's pilots. The HEV is capable of stopping some bullets and shrapnel, but fails after a couple of shots (even less in hostile environments).