The sun has set on 2023, and we are well into the swing of 2024. There is a lot to cover in our annual round up, and a lot of new details to go over. And where I am in the world it is still January, so I’ll take it.\
Let’s start with the biggest change we saw in 2023 – the creation of Task Force 13. This Task Force aims to create a new section of the fleet that will allow our stations and “less than normal” games that exist in the fleet to have a place to flourish. They still take place in the Prime Timeline, and thus still affect the changing lore of the games we have developed in that space. The only difference is that this is where more unusual games will go to live. Mary Rose for example is not a Starfleet ship, but still participates in our lore. As such, her and her crew now live in Task Force 13. This change allows us to better track these groups, and give them the love and respect they deserve to flourish. For those of you who might be worried, don’t worry, you’re still under me, and get to interact with me as your Task Force Commanding Officer.
On the theme of big Task Force changes, early we put out a news item that we have a new game available for all to write on, regardless of your time commitments. Esquimalt Station is now available for all writers, new and old, of Obsidian Fleet to jump in, create a character, and write in a collaborative space in IFS3. If you have been unsure about writing in IFS3, this is a great way to try it out before you jump ship from Nova (or don’t). Included in this post here is a list of all the possible positions that will be available to write.
A key item of note, these are non-senior positions, more over they are positions that will give you a spot to try a new character from the group up. Flesh out their time on a lower posting, or maybe take an NCO position for a spin. The sky is the limit, and you’ll have a chance to play with the character in a less serious space. Myself, the FC, and Paul will occasionally have elements added in, that will lead to events to react to, posts to write about. It’ll be much slower than other games, with no minimum requirement. However, regular posting will be rewarded.
Awards! I’ll be getting to them more in depth later in this post, but for now know I have finally gotten caught up on all of them. So feel free to submit more!
I had a chance to look at the averages across the Task Forces this year. Over all it was a solid year of posting, with some games pushed back from the brink and into a super active posting pattern. If we continue to see the increases we saw from last year, I think 2024 is going to be an exciting year for all of us! One thing to note, is that this year I plan to be a little bit more on top of posting numbers. So if you do, see me popping into your discord DMs, and harassing you about how you’re posting is going, you’ve been warned. That’s sad, I haven’t really had to come down hard as a task force commanding officer, and actually have enjoyed a year of pretty steady and stable experiences with all of you.
As you may have seen, one of the things we have added is a task force squadron breakdown. This is the beginning of an establishing lore for task force 72 and task force 13. Over this year my plan is to establish a unified lore setup, that we can all work together to develop and write within. That’s where Esquimalt comes in for most of us. Over time. The plan is to establish a series of events that are canonical to these two task forces, and establish the lure for the prime timeline of Star Trek. It’s going to be exciting to develop this with all of you, and I look forward to it coming to fruition in the near future. And as always, if you’re interested in helping in this, I would be more than excited to have you jumping and helping us write it.
Arrivals, Changes and Departures
None as of late.
Metrics
Our current numbers:
Active Games: 9.5*
Open Commands: Yes
Refit: 1
Esquimalt Station
(Ithaca Class Starbase)
- Command
- Command Recruit
- Yeoman (NCO)
- Operations
- Communications Officer
- Communications Specialist (NCO)
- Software Maintenance Specialist (NCO)
- Quartermaster (NCO)
- Supply Technician (Junior NCO)
- Strategic Operations
- Mission Planner
- Mission Specialist (NCO)
- Fleet Coordination Officer
- Fleet Coordination Specialist (NCO)
- Engineering
- Engineering Officer
- Warp Field Officer | Starbase Dry Dock Posting
- Warp Drive Specialist (NCO) | Starbase Dry Dock Posting
- Security
- Security Officer
- Security Specialist (NCO)
- Detective
- Local Sergeant (NCO)
- Constable (NCO)
- Station Control
- Alpha Shift Local Space Control Officer
- Alpha Shift Local Space Control Operator (NCO)
- Beta Shift Local Space Control Officer
- Beta Shift Local Space Control Operator (NCO)
- Delta Shift Local Space Control Officer
- Delta Shift Local Space Control Operator (NCO)
- Gamma Shift Local Space Control Officer
- Gamma Shift Local Space Control Operator (NCO)
- Alpha Shift Docking Control Operator (NCO)
- Beta Shift Docking Control Operator (NCO)
- Delta Shift Docking Control Operator (NCO)
- Gamma Shift Docking Control Operator (NCO)
- Shuttle Operations
- Shuttle Pilot
- Shuttle Maintenance Engineer
- Shuttle Maintenance Specialist (NCO)
- Cargo Handling Officer
- Cargo Handler (NCO)
- Intelligence
- Intelligence Officer
- Intelligence Analyst
- Intelligence Correspondent (NCO)
- Xenotechnologist
- Diplomatic
- Diplomatic Officer
- Diplomatic Aid (NCO)
- Marines
- Marine Officer
- Marine Senior NCO
- Marine Junior NCO
- Marine Engineering Officer
- Marine Engineering Specialist (NCO)
- Armory Technician (NCO)
- Marine Aerospace
- Fighter Pilot
- Gunship Pilot
- Ground Handling Crew (NCO)
- Launch Control Officer
- Marine Aerospace Liaison Officer
- Marine Aerospace Control Operator (NCO)
72nd Recruiting Listing
U.S.S. Vesta
(Vesta Class)
- Chief Strategic Operations Officer
U.S.S. Athena
(Prometheus Class)
- Not Actively Recruiting
U.S.S. Mercutio
(Akira Class)
- Security
- Engineering
- Medical
USS Gwydion
(Reliant Class) – RIO
- Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Hiroshima
(Vesta Class)
- Chief Engineer
- Chief Science Officer
USS Hou Yi
(Reliant Class)
- Chief Engineer
- Chief Helm
(Stardock Starbase)
- Not Actively Recruiting
13th Recruiting Listing
(Inquiry-class | Special Operations)
- Operations
- Flight Control
- Science
Haumea Colony
(Colony Class)
- Chief Science Officer
- Chief Security Officer
- Chief Medical Officer
(Constitution Refit)
- Armoury Chief
- Comms Chief
Task Force 72
(Command Positions)
If you are actively seeking a Command Opportunity, please reach out! I would love to help you find your dream ship.
Notes:
If there is a ship not listed that you might be interested in, do not hesitate to reach out, I will happily look into it for you.
Promotions
N/A
Awards
As I mentioned, this has been a segment long in the tooth for me. I have been meaning to get through this backlog, and every time I sit down to do it, I am finding myself missing these, or getting pulled to another task. That said, we are finally caught up, and finally ready to move in a direction where we
Evylyn Reynolds
SS Mary Rose
Outstanding Character Award
-Nominated by a member of the crew for their excellent character development and background.
Paul
SS Mary Rose
Time Served
-For 4 Years aboard Rosie!
Captain Henry Crow
USS Mercutio
Outstanding Game Master Award
-By a member of the crew in recognition of the hard work and dedication given by him. I can’t help but agree, and a sim that long is nothing to shake a stick at.
Now that should be all awards I have missed (and to those that took this long to get through my heartfelt apologies). Which means my queue is empty. I expect you all to fill it again!
Conclusion
A long overdue congrats to everyone who received awards in 2023!
If you are interested in writing on Esquimalt, the position list is above! That said, there is still an application process to get in, so I am excited to see your characters you put forward. The plot will be slow, and as it something still being formed we expect it will take a bit of time to get hammered out.
Lastly, if you are interested in supporting the development of the lore, let me know.
Should you have questions or concerns, you may reach me via email at [email protected], or should you need Commodore Kane, he can be reached via [email protected]. Thank you all, and safe simming.