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USS Pegasus Simulation Manual
Written by Ross Glenn, Edited by Heiwa, Farrell, and Cerin

The U.S.S. Pegasus Special Procedures Manual is an expansion of the standard ship's roleplaying Manual, and includes information on the ways that Pegasus sims differ from traditional AIM sims. Our ship is extremely challenging, and this document will help make your transition to Pegasus easier.

If you're already an experienced AIM simmer, you don't really have to read the Manual unless you're interested. However, it is strongly recommended that you review this document in detail. It will tell you about the differences between Pegasus sims and other AIM sims. Many of these differences are optional -- you can sim your whole career on Pegasus without using LCARS, or winning a medal or commendation. But, some of these differences are what make the Pegasus experience special.

U.S.S. Pegasus Special Procedures Manual Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Nicknames during the sim
Chapter 2: LCARS, and how to use it
Chapter 3: Logging Pegasus sims
Chapter 4: Your character biography
Chapter 5: Ranks and seniority
Chapter 6: Special In-Sim Protocols
Chapter 7: Promotions and other Pegasus peculiarities

Acknowledgements

The crew of Pegasus would like to thank Jester, the original author of this helpful file, for the donation of this and other documentation used on this site. Thanks also go to Darkoven for his creative rank system and Warp for his HTML work.

Chapter 1: Nicknames during the sim

The most immediate and obvious difference between Pegasus and most AIM sims that you will notice are the more formal nicknames we use. These nicknames are a bit annoying to remember and use at first, but once you get used to them, you'll find they provide tremendous advantages during the sim.

Pegasus has a very specific protocol for nicknames for characters on duty. While off duty, you will generally use your character's first name, without rank. The general format for a Pegasus on-duty officer nicknames is:

{Rank}{Position}_{Name}

Position is a two-character code indicating your position on the vessel. Rank is your character rank. Note that enlisted personnel (non-commissioned officers) use lowercase letters:

Exploration Rank	Rank Code
Captain	CP
Commander	CR
Lt. Commander	LC
Lieutenant (SG)	LT
Lieutenant (JG)	LJ
Ensign	EN
Cadet	CD
Master Chief Petty Officer	mc
Chief Petty Officer	cp / cpo
Petty Officer, 1st Class	po1
Petty Officer, 2nd Class	po2
Petty Officer, 3rd Class	po3
Crewman	cr

---

Position	Chief Position Code	Asst. Position Code
Commanding	CO	---
Executive	XO	---
Second Officer	2O	---
Counselor	CN	cn
Engineering	EN	en
Helm / CONN	HL / CONN	hl / conn
Medical	DR / MD	dr / md
Science	SCI / SI	sci / si
Tactical / Security	TC	tc
Civilian	none	none

(This is a modified version of the rank/position system originally used by Darkoven of FSG on the U.S.S. Discova. Use is with permission. Thanks, Dark!)

So, if you are playing Commander Todd Marshall, the Pegasus' chief helmsman, your nickname while on duty should be CRHL_Marshall. If you are playing Crewman Lynette Alva, assistant engineer, your nickname while on duty should be cren_Alva.

The advantage of this nickname format is two-fold. First, since most AIM clients sort nicknames alphabetically, it allows you as a player to immediately identify the ranks of the personnel around you. Second, you will be able to determine at a glance who the Chief Engineer is, for example, without having to remember. This is especially useful for new players, and established players working with new players.

The second nickname change has to do with Away team missions. While from time to time, Pegasus Away missions will happen in channels other than the main one, most of the time Away missions will be held in the #uss-pegasus channel with the sim so everyone can be part of the excitement. However, to easily differentiate who is on an Away mission and who is not during these times, a nickname format change is needed.

While you are on an Away mission, the commander of that mission (usually the XO) will instruct you to change your nick to include two brackets on either side of your nickname. This tells everyone at a glance where you are. If Chief Engineer John Farrell goes on an away mission to fix a damaged computer core on a large-scale sensor array, his nick would be [LTEN_Farrel]. If more than one Away mission happens at once, each team will have their own nickname separator defined by the team commander. Dashes and underlines are two other possible separators. So while on the Away team, Crewman Alva above would change her nick to [cren_Alva]. Do NOT remove your position designation from your nick while on an Away team. It helps give your team commander a sense of where your specialties lie during the Away mission.

Chapter 2: LCARS, and how to use it

During most sims, a small channel-control bot known as "LCARS" (but whose nickname in channel will be Pegasus) will be available and active in the channel. LCARS' primary role is to recognize Pegasus crewmembers as they come aboard and grant them the appropriate privileges in the channel. In addition, LCARS watches for inappropriate behavior, and acts as the channel security system should sim observers become disruptive.

Most of the time, though, LCARS' primary usefulness is acting as the Pegasus's main computer system, and responding automatically to the command functions entered by the ship's crew. As Pegasus crewmembers activate ship's systems that are more or less automatic, LCARS will provide the appropriate ACTION statements - and occasionally sound cues - to show the ship reacting to the commands of the crew. The functions that LCARS currently recognizes and their effects are:

When you type...	...LCARS will....
+taps+	...automatically makes the commbadge chirping noise.
+comm+	...automatically makes the ship's communication noise.
+allcall+	...automatically sounds the All Call chime.
hails	...sounds the "hailing frequencies open" console chirp.
engages engines	...sounds the "engage" console chirp and engages the engines.
engages warp	...engages the warp engines.
intruder alert	...automatically initiates the intruder defense systems.
yellow alert	...if CO or XO, sets ship's condition to YELLOW.
red alert	...if CO or XO, sets ship's condition to RED.
raises shields	...automatically raises the shields.
fires phasers	...auto-fires a single phaser volley.
fires torpedoes	...auto-fires a single torpedo.
engages tractor	...locks the tractor beam on target.
activates EMH	...auto-initiates the Emergency Medical Hologram.
energizes	...beams the Away team to the transporter coordinates.
rings doorbell	...sounds the doorbell chime.
enters TL	...takes the turbolift to the specified destination.
injects OR hypos	...prepares and administers an audio hypospray.
fires multiple phasers	...auto-fires all phasers.
fires torpedo volley	...auto-fires a torpedo volley.
fires all weapons	...unleashes all the weapons available to Pegasus.

The functions above cover only the major functions provided by LCARS -- there are many others that you may discover during your career aboard Pegasus. If you have any other automatic functions that you think would be good candidates for LCARS, please send your suggestions to the Commanding Officer.

Chapter 3: Logging Pegasus Sims

Logging of Pegasus sims is very similar to logging other AIM sims, also, but the ship uses its own log system. This allows visitors to the site to read everything about the ship, including the officer's log entries, without having to visit other websites to do it.

To log your sim on the Pegasus, simply send the log in an email to uss-pegasus@egroups.com, or post it through the Pegasus Yahoo eGroups page directly. Be sure to use the email address you joined eGroups through, or your message will be rejected.

Chapter 4: Your character biography

The Commanding Officer of the Pegasus takes biographies very seriously -- as a matter of fact, officers without a valid, up to date bio may find someone else given the Chief position in his or her department. If you are serious enough about the Pegasus to sim with us week after week, you should be serious enough about it to take 30 minutes and put together a character biography...

Even above and beyond departmental chief potential, the bio will help other crewmen learn more about your character, and could spawn potential sim ideas in the CO's mind -- causing YOU to end up in the limelight!

Element	Description
Name, species, gender	These are simply the basics.
Age, height, weight, hair/eye color	You would be amazed how often these elements are forgotten, but they provide the most basic physical description of your character.
Language, Sociology	The Universal Translator isn't 100% accurate, so knowledge of alien languages is still vital, as is knowledge of other cultures, to prevent any sort of 'faux pax'. List all languages (or major languages) currently spoken by your character. List only ones that your character is fluent in, or currently learning -- not languages in which he or she knows 5 words.
Physical description	Is your character muscular? Shapely? If male, does he wear a beard or mustache? If your character is non-human, describe the apparent differences between your species and human norms. Does your character always seem to be smiling? What would an outsider's first impression of him or her be?
Physical notes (Optional section)	If there is something physically unusual about your character, list it here. An artificial heart, strength of your psionic abilities if Betazoid or Vulcan, age of your symbiont if Trill, etc. If you are creating a new race (as approved by the CO), this section is vital!
Personality dominants	Pick three words that best describe your character.
Personality description	Here's where you can go into a little more detail about your character's personality and responses, as well as the background that shaped them.
Interests	What does your character do in his/her spare time?
Starfleet/Life chronology	Describe the other jobs or posts that your character has held, in and out of Starfleet.

The more detailed your character biography is, the more useful it will be to the Captain in developing stories or opportunities centered upon your character. In addition, you'll find a printed biography makes it much easier for you as a role-player to "get into character" before the sim starts, especially if you review your three "personality dominants," at the very least. Don't get stuck playing all of your characters as if they had your personality -- they should have their own!

In addition, some sort of visual image of your character would be highly appreciated, and gives your biography a wonderfully "finished" appearance. If you have a picture that you would like to use, please send it to the Commanding Officer, and he will pass it on to the appropriate party. The picture can come from any source you like, from an actual photograph of yourself to scanned images from a variety of sources.

If the picture you would like to use is on hard copy of some type, and you don't have the ability to scan it, the Commanding Officer will make special arrangements for you.

Chapter 5: Ranks and seniority, including Marine ranks

The chain of command aboard the Pegasus flows as follows:

Officer	Notes
Commanding Officer
Executive Officer	Regardless of relative rank Can relieve the CO for cause
Second Officer (if any)	Regardless of relative rank
Chief Science Officer	Regardless of relative rank

After these listed ranks, the command flow is more fluid. Per the captain's own preferences, bridge officers maintain seniority over non-bridge officers in the command structure, to a degree. Senior staff refers to the heads of all major departments, including various heads of scientific branches, such as Astrophysics; Senior officers are crewmembers with a rank of Lieutenant Commander or above.

All Senior Staff at the Senior Officer level	By rank, then seniority in rank (to Lt. Commander). Bridge personnel outrank non-bridge personnel.
All remaining Senior Staff	By rank, then seniority in rank (to Lt. Commander). Bridge personnel outrank non-bridge personnel.
Other Bridge Officers	By rank, then seniority in rank. Command & Science personnel have seniority over similarly ranked personnel from other departments.
Other Non-Bridge Officers	By rank, then seniority in rank. Command & Science personnel have seniority over similarly ranked personnel from other departments.

Aboard the Pegasus, officers at the rank of Lieutenant Commander and above are considered senior officers; those at Lieutenant or below are considered junior officers. All departmental heads (like Chief Science Officer and Chief of Operations) are considered senior staff, regardless of rank.

Note that in general, aboard an Exploration vessel, all officers follow the same chain of command. There are, however, certain exceptions. Ambassadors and members of the Lost Tears Squadron are not generally answerable to every officer on the ship, and vice versa. The Squadron in particular follows a separate chain of command, reporting to the Squadron Major, who reports to Chief Tactical/Security Officer, the XO, and the CO. Civilians on board, however, are answerable to all Starfleet personnel.

Chapter 6: Special In-Sim Protocols

Pegasus has some protocols used during simulations that you may not be used to, if you have participated in other AIM simulations. One, the use of location markers, helps the flow of action on board Pegasus by providing some sense of "place" aboard Pegasus. The other, the use of the OOC channel, allows a place to have fun and make off-hand comments about the sim with fellow simmers without actually disrupting the sim itself.

LOCATION MARKERS

Location markers are one method that you can use to let other simmers know where on board the ship your character currently is. Why is this important? If you are in Sickbay and the captain is on the bridge, you cannot speak to the captain unless you are speaking over the internal comm system (by using your commbadge, +taps+). Just like in real life, two people not in the same room cannot interact physically, or see each other. Officers not on the bridge are not aware of what is said there, just as the captain on the bridge is not aware of the goings-on in an officer's personal quarters, or in the shuttle bay.

For this reason location markers (also called location tags) have been a useful tool when many things are going on at once in different areas around the ship. Location markers are placed before a spoken line of text, like so:

<SultryLady> E> Ohh, Mr. Troost ... perform a diagnostics upon my dilithium matrix!

The following location markers are commonly used.

CB> Cargo Bay JT> Jeffries Tube LOR> LORASON Pod Off> Office (presumably yours) RR> Ready Room SH> Shuttle Hangar TL> Turbolift	E> Main Engineering L> Lounge M> Sick Bay (M = Medical) Q> Quarters (again, yours) SB> Sick Bay S> Science Lab TR1> Transporter Room 1
*> A non-descript location, such as a corridor. TR2> Transporter Room 2, and so on...

Please note that the bridge and the conference room of the bridge do not use location markers. Since the bridge is the command center of the ship, when you leave it you are indicating with your location marker where you have gone. The absence of a location marker generally indicates that you are on the bridge.

If you are somewhere other than one of the places listed, you can create a new location marker for yourself very easily. For example, if you are in the arboretum and some significant action is going on there, you might type this the first time you speak or perform an action at that location:

<CRCO_Poe> Arboretum> ::plants some new hyacinth seedlings::

== OR ==

<LTOP_Gargon> Astrophysics> Mr. Hawk, you asked to see me?

But instead of listing the whole location the second time, shorten the name somewhat:

<CRCO_Poe> Arb> ::looks up and sees two Romulans destroying his gardenias::

== OR ==

<LTOP_Gargon> Astro> ::eyes begin to glaze over as Hawk drones on about physics::

If you forget to use your location marker every line, that's fine - using it every 2 or 3 lines you type will usually get the job done.

OOC CHANNEL

On an almost weekly basis, people wanting to make side comments about the sim (also known as "out of character" or OOC comments) in the vein of MST3K can use the channel #ooc-pegasus, which is usually opened by one of the simmers. It is a place where you can have lots of fun discussing the sim and/or making comments about it - but keep it clean, please. Aside from comments that might border on any type of harassment or pejorative comments though, this channel is unmoderated ... so let the simmer beware. ;)

OOC comments can be disruptive to the sim, especially in high quantity. The CO and XO thank you for keeping them to a minimum (once in a while, a comment just has to be shared with the room ;)).

Chapter 7: Promotions and other Pegasus peculiarities

Unlike many AIM sims, Pegasus doesn't use "points" for promotions or ranks. These are artificial constructs that actively impair good role-playing and character development -- players become more concerned with how many "points" this or that action is worth rather than developing their character's personality, background, and experiences.

That is not to say that promotions never happen -- they do. However, they primarily happen with the simmer involved has earned the respect of his or her crewmates, and has proved through his or her actions that they are worthy of the promotion. They also occur when it makes sense plot-wise to do so.

There are many ways of making a promotion more likely. Consistently writing logs is an excellent way, especially if the logs are written jointly with another simmer or greatly develop your character's personality. A total of two individual logs (duty, personal, or even in story format) and one joint log (co-written by one or more simmers aboard Pegasus) are required from each simmer before they will receive a promotion. This is not to suggest that upon doing so, a promotion will be given by the CO - the logs are merely a requirement instituted to promote log writing amongst the crew. Good role-playing, character development, and writing a good solid biography for your character will also help you rise in rank.

Being involved in side plots (otherwise known as "B-plots") with fellow crewmen shows initiative and creativity -- two things that are duly noticed and often well rewarded. When your department is not heavily involved in the main action, it doesn't mean you should sit around and say/do/type nothing. The officers that keep busy with their own side plots or find ways to involve themselves in the main action (like volunteering for an away mission, for example) always stand out over those that simply sit idle.

Another good way to expand your responsibilities is to go for one of the Department head positions on Pegasus. These slots require a written biography for your character, but also provide you with the opportunity to be much closer to the center of the action. A good Department head will also take the effort to instruct the other simmers in their department in the finer points of how to sim and develop their characters. Even keeping those in your department busy is a good way to stay on the CO and XO's good sides!

Plot ideas sent directly to the Commanding Officer that are later used are also a good way to make yourself stand out. Even if the Commanding Officer decides not to use your plot idea, just the fact that you're interested enough in the sim to submit ideas is often a sign of a dedicated officer.

At all times, please show respect for your fellow Pegasus simmers. In particular, please report for sim duty on time, or if you cannot attend, please notify the CO or XO through AIM, e-mail, or online messaging system -- as soon as possible -- that you will not be attending. Reliability and responsibility are also two hallmarks of good simmers. In these cases, it's also often a good idea to notify the players of characters that are currently interacting with yours that you will be unable to attend.

Pegasus sims, if they were rated as movies, should rate no higher than a "PG-13" rating -- therefore, cussing should be kept to an absolute minimum, as should graphic descriptions of violence or sexuality. In addition, discriminatory, inflammatory, or gender or racial slurs will not be tolerated aboard under absolutely any circumstances -- not as a joke, not ever. If you break these rules, the CO or XO may deduct one or more promotion points, kick-ban you from that sim, or remove you from the roster, temporarily or permanently, depending on the nature and seriousness of the offense.

Remember to have fun! If there's some way that the CO or XO can make the U.S.S. Pegasus a more fun sim to be in, please do not hesitate to let us know!