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Is this story a Fanfic?

Yes and no. While the story is set in the Star Trek universe, no character that has ever appeared in any Star Trek television series, novel, or any other published media will ever, EVER appear in this story. We prefer to use the term “original fiction.”

I’m really interested in Star Trek Play-By-Email(PBeM) Roleplaying! Any advice on how to get started?

Yes! DON’T.
Star Trek PBeM Roleplaying is one of those ideas that sounds good in your head, but doesn’t translate to the real world, kind of like deciding to plan an invasion of Russia for the winter months. Joining a PBeM Roleplaying group will only serve to strip you of what little innocence you have left. But, if you still think you can handle it, read through the checklist below and answer Yes or No to each question.
1. Would I enjoy reading Star Trek-related stories written by someone who had either never seen the show or totally ignored it so they could do whatever they wanted?
2. Would I enjoy being made subordinate to a sadistic egotist whose life revolves around giving people in-game orders?
3. Would I be comfortable reading Star Trek-related stories where I am expected to participate in/read pornographic scenarios?
4. Would I be interested in reading Star Trek-related stories in which every character is a half-breed (Klingon/Betazoids are rather common) or is a powerful telepath?
5. Would I be interested in reading Star Trek-related stories that have plots created by people who’ve never GM’ed a real roleplaying game before and thus have no idea what they’re doing?
6. Would I be interested in joining a group with pages upon pages of rules and regulations that I would be expected to know and adhere to, even though no one else does?
7. Would I be interested in joining a roleplaying game where no dice are used to determine the outcome of actions, and therefore any actions written by another character are set in stone before I have a chance to respond?
8. Would I be interested in joining a roleplaying game where every player is so tied up in their character that it is impossible to distinguish between the two, and any attacks or compliments made to the character automatically transfer to the player?
9. If yes to #8, would I enjoy being stalked by said player?
10. Would I be interested in being forced to roleplay a situation whereby the crews of two or more ships are forced together to play one or more barely thought-out plotlines that the captains of the ships are busy squabbling over?
11. Would I be interested in roleplaying with people who write all their characters as widows/orphans, graduated top of their class at Starfleet Academy, has a father/mother who is an Admiral that shows up at their whim, and is a member of a super-secret dark organization?
12. If yes to #11, would I be interested in roleplaying with people who write the “master plans” of these super-secret dark organizations as being so weak that a retarded lemur could see through them, but yet somehow the organization remains super-secret?
13. Would I be willing to roleplay with other players who don’t bother to take the time to read anything I’ve written?

For each question you answered “Yes” to, jam a sharp object into the back of your hand. If you have one or more sharp objects sticking out of your hand, then PBeM Roleplaying is right up your alley!

Disclaimer:

Yes, we realize that a few good Star Trek PBeM Groups do exist. We’ve run them. But by and large those you’ll find will fall apart due to the problems cited above. There are probably thousands of Star Trek PBeM groups out there, and the number of good ones can probably be counted on one hand. Please do not send us a bunch of emails that can be summed up with “I was in this one great group!”

Disclaimer II:

By reading this disclaimer, you acknowledge that you possess sufficient grey matter to realize that sticking sharp objects in the back of your hand is both painful and damaging, and should only be attempted by a trained professional.

Are you a furry? D’varrd’s a furry character, right? That's why you had all those "gratuitous shower scenes", right?

No! While it is true that D'varrd is an anthropomorphized feline, this does not make him a "furry" character. He showers because he doesn't like being dirty, just like most humans, only more so.

Why is the Federation portrayed as being run by a horde of incompetent ninnies?

Because there's so much precedent for it! The Federation is constantly dealing with high-level corruption, a lack of good sense, and general idiocy. In fact, throughout all the television series, the only thing that kept the Federation together was the One Man. Why was the Romulan attempt to help the Duras family seize control of the Klingon Empire unsuccessful? Data. Who won the Dominion War? Sloan. Who brought Voyager home single-handedly? Janeway.
The general incompetence of Starfleet officers has been further reflected through Star Trek Play by E-mail Roleplaying games (PBeM’s or ‘sims’). Most roleplayers that end up on these lists end up being egotistical, sexually frustrated children, and that gets translated into their characters. Granted, there are a few good roleplayers on these lists, but they’re few and far between. Thus, we created the Ayanami Awards, given to Star Trek roleplayers who accurately portray the sheer idiocy of Starfleet officers. The award is named for Ensign Ayanami of the USS Kodiak, who used a ship’s entire compliment of photon torpedoes (modified to explode in pretty colors) to create a fireworks display for his girlfriend... on their first date.

(To read Jacob Matthew’s essay on the One Man Theory, go here. )

(To view a list of Ayanami Award Winners, go here. )

Hey! I remember playing in the Isannah PBeM RPGs, and I remember all this going on, but the character I wrote isn’t in the story! How come?

Well, one of a few things might have happened. Your character could have had nothing to do with the story, and was therefore ignored. Your character could also only have been written for a very short period (fledgling roleplayers on a PBeM list are notorious for this), and it was less work to leave out that character rather than try to write him/her into the story.
Or, a situation that happened more than a few times, we just hated you because you were an idiot, or at least wrote like one. In this case, we viciously ripped your character out of the story and sent them screaming into the Void.
We were generally laughing when we did that.

Hey! I remember playing in the Isannah PBeM RPGs, and I remember all this going on, and my character is stuck in this horrible story! I want him/her out!

Whatever you say, mate. Thanks to the magic of Search and Replace, your character can be gone in the blink of an eye! Just send mail here and it’ll be done right quick!

How come you don’t update more?

We’ve written, edited, and compiled over 2000 pages of story so far. But it takes time to get all that text web-ready. Never fear, this site is never dead, and will be constantly updated until you see the words ‘The End’ at the bottom of one of the sections. But, if you’re just itching to see more, there are always ways to get us to update more often. We’re both rather partial to brib... *ahem* ‘Donations’.
Regular updates will begin April 1st, 2004, and take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after that.

Donations? Why should I send you money?

We’re both starving artists, and therefore we rely heavily on the kindness of strangers. Every time someone donates to a starving artist, an angel gets its wings (and the supermarket unloads another box of Ramen noodles). People are generally really nice to people who give them money, and we’re no exception! Check out the Donations Page here for more information on stuff we plan to do for all the super-nice folks that support our writing! If you have any suggestions, those are welcome too.

Questions? Comments? Self-Serving Rants? Send mail here:

I_Am_Talisan@hotmail.com

 

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Star Trek: Far Horizons is a fan fiction site that is based on Star Trek which was created by Gene Roddenberry.
Star Trek © is a trademark of Paramount Pictures registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
No copyright infringement intended. This site is created, owned, and updated by Anya Talisan.
Any characters in the story not created by Anya Talisan are the property of their respective creators and will be
immediately removed from the story upon request.
Please e-mail before using, reproducing, or borrowing any portion of this site. May the legend live on!