[USS Vanguard] Re: Old News, New Ideas

  • From: "Angus Morrison" <sirquacksalot69@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <ncv80221@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:59:18 -0300

        I'd be more than willing to take the Vanguard out for one last spin,
but after that, my vote would have to be that we move the sim into a new
ship, with entirely new characters and a new environment to give everyone a
fresh start. This doesn't mean that the characters would have to remain gone
forever, nor the Vanguard itself. Indeed, they could be resurrected later
on, should we feel the urge once the creative juices are flowing again. I
simply feel that a completely fresh start to everything tends to jumpstart
people's creativity, rather than using characters and ships that they've had
such a long history with. In this way, entirely new character interactions
can be formed, and old storylines reused somewhat. 

        Often I found that people seemed to get creatively stuck because
they had ideas for things that 'their character would never do' or 'he
wouldn't do that because of _____'. Starting fresh tends to remove those
barriers, and thus allow (at least for the starting) much more freedom in
character interaction, storylines, etc. While that eventually gives way to
certain paths being closed to certain characters or storylines, I think that
can be dealt with later on when the time comes, providing we have some
momentum already under us, and that we've worked out a system or 'council'
that takes the pressure off of the GM to make sure that things are
creatively going forward. 
        The ideal here would be for a group of 4-5 people, working with the
GM, be ready and willing to take on the burden of GMing for a period of time
should real life pressures take any of the others out of the equation. They
would be responsible for planning storylines 1-2 missions ahead of the
current one, and making sure that the story moved along semi-fluid points
('beginning, middle, end' kind of fluid ;-)) on a semi-determined
time-table. If people are stalling out, for example, the GM (or council, or
stand in, whatever) steps in and pushes it along. If they're still having a
really good run at it, then it doesn't need to be pushed as urgently. Some
sims, for example, push things on a set basis every two weeks, regardless of
the status of the crew's posting, and that seems to me to be very foolish. 

... That was very long, and I apologize for making you read it. Lol. Any
questions or comments, etc, on it, please feel free :-) I know things like
this exist already, in the CO/XO/SO form, but I was thinking of something
slightly more ratified and official, but almost entirely OOC.

As for the 5 points, we've got Mark and Andrea, myself, and Andy as of right
now. Beyond the e-mail list, I really don't have any method of contacting
anyone. I've also had no responses whatsoever from the Menelaus list, so I
presume everyone there is gone.

Establishing a Web Presence is absolutely necessary if we eventually want to
recruit more, and especially if we ever want to try and recreate a whole
fleet. Its ambitious, and a long long way off, I know, but Gamma Fleet was a
heavyweight when it came to PbEM sims, and its something that eventually I'd
like to see resurrected, in some form. 

Recruitment, well, if we get a webpage going, we'll need to sit down and
figure out where we want to try and advertise and how. I'd suggest resisting
the urge to sign into an existing fleet, since it's more than likely we'd
get swallowed whole (plus, until we get a functional sim again, I doubt a
fleet would want us in it). However, it might be worth looking into if
existing fleets would be willing to do banner exchanges, etc, to enable us
to draw some crew in. Once we're functional again, and begin to form another
fleet, we could still have good relations with those existing fleets that
helped us get a foothold, and thus further increase our presence in the area
again. 

As for the structure and trappings of a new sim, I've got some ideas that
are fairly well formed, but not so well formed that they can't be tweaked.
If anyone else has any, then throw them out there and we can discuss them. I
already laid my ideas out in my last e-mail, but they were fairly malleable.

I suppose that depending on what happens here with the Vanguard, we can stay
on the list that exists now, or start up a new one that we can add
interested parties too, just in case we're spamming anyone's mailboxes with
this who doesn't want it ;-)

Andy, obviously you're the GM of the Vanguard still, but whatever we decide,
if you feel like starting something new up or staying with the Vanguard in
some form, I'm willing and wanting to shoulder some of the stresses and time
expenditures to try and make it all work, weather that be in a planning
capacity, supporting capacity, GMing myself at times, etc.
 
Angus  

-----Original Message-----
From: ncv80221-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ncv80221-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Andy W. Ho
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 8:33 PM
To: ncv80221@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [USS Vanguard] Old News, New Ideas

All:

Funny this should come up...I was just looking over old posts and
reliving some of the best moments we had with the Vanguard. And there
were many.

First of all, I'd like to thank Angus for opening the dialog again.

Secondly, I'd like to apologize for the fits and starts of the Vanguard
over the last two years. To give you an idea of what's going on at
home, I'm working more than ever. The hospital where I now work
underwent a merger, and we're a staff of ten supporting 1,500 computers
and users.

Worse, my partner, Jennifer, has been seriously ill for about three
years. Obviously, this saps my time and energy.

These two things together have been a drain.

Nevertheless, I never lost the simming bug and love how collaborative
fiction gets our creative juices pumping.

I have a suggestion. Whether we leave the Vanguard or not--and there's
a part of me that hopes that we don't, that it exists in some fashion
or other under this new paradigm Angus has proposed--I'd like to write
a bit more and finish the current storyline. As a fresh start, perhaps,
hopefully...or as closure, a fitting end to one hell of a ride.

I know the Web page is no longer accessible, but I have the pages. I
had started a behind-the-scenes blog that I will write for (and will
post the URL for when it's updated). And I still have the last thread
in mind.

We have resources available to us, from blogs to message boards to Web
space to players who (I assume) are still interested--some of the most
interesting, fascinating, caring, creative and stellar group of people
I have ever met and in most cases, flattered to call my friends.

Hard to believe that it's been almost ten years, and we never lost
touch, for the most part. On the 'Net, that's a lifetime.

Until we get something else going--if we get something else
going--who's up for one (last?) more ride with the Vanguard? I'll pick
it up, if you are.

Here are my ideas:

1. Get in touch with all current subscribers on the Vanguard list.

2. Re-establish a Web presence.

3. Formulate a plan to recruit.

4. Determine a structure and other trappings of a new sim.

5. Establish the mailing list host (or other method of communication).

I think this can be an exciting start for all of us. And I appreciate
Angus' energy and inspiration and motivation to get us all going again.
Hell, in a way, it's just like a Starfleet reunion. ;)

I hope you're all well and wish I'll hear from you again soon.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Ho
"Santos"


       
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