The USS K'Hotan is a play-by-email simulation, which, of course, means the game is played out over e-mail. A central Game Master (or GM) controls the plot, while the characters are made up by the players, and contribute and influence in their own way. An Assistant GM (s) fills in for the GM whenever she's away. We're collectively the Brass.

Think of it like those round-robin storytellings you used to do in grade school. In this case, your particular character is set in the Star Trek universe, in the late twenty-third century. It should be noted that not all missions are plotted by the Brass - you can certainly submit a mission outline to us at any time.

Be aware, typically your character will be an Ensign, either fresh from the Academy or fresh from his first or second posting. Try to write your character accordingly. More often than not, new players come aboard mid mission. In this case, it is treated as though they've been aboard ever since the K'Hotan's last stop at a Starbase, and their first post is merely their first "On Camera" appearance, so to speak. Makes things easier in the long run.

Your character sketch should include the following (Note - the better your character sketch and/or Gaming Experience, the more likely you are to start off with a higher rank.) Please remember to be as detailed as possible - it will help you in the long run.

Name: Your character's full name
Age: how old your character is, in human years
Height: character's height, in feet
Weight: character's weight, in pounds (Sorry, we're American and kilos and stones are a mystery to us.)
Species: your character's race
Place/Date of birth: when and where your character was born
Family: How much family does your character have? what are their names?
Hobbies: What does your character do for fun?
Languages: What languages does your character speak?
Service record: What ships has your character served on. (please include dates, ship name, rank, and class of ship)
Background: where did your character grow up? what major events have occurred in his/her life?
Personality: What's your character like? Are they someone you'd want to hang around? Or a grouch?
Special notes: Any particular little tidbits not covered elsewhere.

Remember, details, details, details!

Also, it never hurts to read other crew member's Bios, or go back and read some of the old logs. That'll give you an idea of what you're in for. It'll also give you an idea of the type of people you'll be playing with.

Now on to the crucial rules:

1) No killing or maiming of other PC's with out a players permission. This will get you removed from the sim. If you're going to kill an NPC, make sure it's not 'owned' by anyone by asking on the OOC list. If you're really not sure, contact the Brass and we'll help.

2) The rating of the K'Hotan is "NC-17" Anything that can be found in an NC-17 rated movie is essentially fair game. This includes language, violence, and sexual content. HOWEVER this is not an excuse to run rampant. Graphic sex and/or violence must have a plausible reason for happening, as well as do keep in mind possible illegal situations. This means no bestiality, pedophilia and similar perversions along those lines are allowed as logs will be posted on the website and those can have us shut down.

Any post with graphic violence or sex MUST have a *Content Warning* in the header as well as a slightly more detailed warning before the actual post. Something along the lines of "F/F graphic sex" or "M/M intensely graphic violence" will do. This is to protect those not posting from home and allowing those who don't choose to read those to avoid them.

3) Posting is once a week, minimum. During Audit week, this is mandatory. You must let us know if there's a reason you are unable to post.

4) DO NOT spam the mailing list. This includes forwards, virus warnings, recruitment notices, jokes, and articles (without prior approval), and messages with illegal contents.

5) Do not disable the holodeck safety protocols. It's very stupid, from a common sense point of view, and an even lousier plot point. If you do it, the Brass may very well demote or even kill your character. You have been warned.

6) Usage of other player's characters:

Common courtesy first of all. Remember, these people have as much invested in their characters as you do in yours. Don't do any developing of their character. If you are going to be using someone's character in your post, PLEASE, read the BIO first.

7) No established characters or relatives thereof. Please, be original

8) I cannot emphasize this enough, but superhero characters are not allowed! They have a tendency to ruin the game for everyone. This means NO Q, Androids, Douwd, Organians, Talosians...you get the idea.

9) Problems with other players: Handle them off the list. Either by contacting them directly, or preferably, sending an e-mail to the Brass, who will respond accordingly.

11) The Brass has the final say on anything.

12) The most important rule....have fun!

Violation of these rules results in Demotion and/or removal from the sim.