Rules for Player Characters

## Player Characters

Player characters can be any race not in the restricted category. To create a character you need to have: name, race, age, division, era, ship requested, and a bio.

Player characters cannot be existing characters seen on screen, or their relatives. You can mentions having met them in passing, however.

Given that the 22nd-24th centuries are further advanced than our own society, some things we might find unacceptable or odd are acceptable in those centuries. Relations between ethnicities, sentient species, the same genders, gender switching are acceptable character backgrounds. It is asked that a PC is simmed appropriately to the sim's rating. Genetically enhanced characters are acceptable provided they aren't overpowered in comparison to the rest of the crew. Gender switching is acceptable for any character provided the character is genetically changed into the new gender, whichever that is, by whichever means chosen - mind swap, genetic engineering, etc. - and the switch is simmed appropriately. Sexual situations or 'highly attractive' sim characters are also acceptable, provided that the character is simmed appropriately to the rating of the ship's sim, the captain approves of the character (and can establish limits on posting for that ship), and the use of 'enhanced attractiveness' is central to the 'theme' or 'main idea' of the character. The use of such kinds of special situations is up to (a) the captain of the ship; (b) the task force; (c) the fleet and the admiralty thereof. If the captain approves of the character but (b) and/or (c) do not, then the character can continue but should be simmed appropriately to the rating of the sim according to the captain, but will not be allowed to switch ships within that task force or fleet without being changed, but can continue as-is on the ship without changes.

## Character Images

You can choose any image for a character you find on the internet provided it does not show nudity. You're here to sim and a headshot is all you need. Within a given fleet in Alternatrek, you should not find duplicates of the same actor/actress. Personally I've seen several ships within the same task force having Jessica Biel and Gal Gadot or Chris Hemsworth. So, a given actor or actress should only show up once within a fleet.

Any main player character needs to provide an image when applying to the sim. The captain will then place the headshot into the appropriate uniform era, color, and rank either himself/herself, or by asking for someone to do so.

## Character Physical Descriptions

Your characters should be realistically described. They are in a military, so they should be as fit as a person who regularly engages in exercise, as most earth militaries do daily. Men should be at the very least athletic in build, as should women. Men can be as muscular as someone like the Rock if they engage in heavy exercise or their species is naturally more muscular (there is a medical condition in some humans that causes this also). Women can also be curvier/more endowed than the current 21st century average, such as models found online with a cursory search, provided they are simmed appropriately - i.e. they are not there simply to be eye candy but are a competent member of a stellar military/navy. It is acceptable to provide physical measurements for male or female members to help yourself or others visualize that character, so remember that this is likely to be seen on any ship you might apply to. If others are offended by this, they should either (a) ignore the character, or (b) find a ship more acceptable to them.

## Restricted Characters Policy

Whilst Alternatrek recognises and welcomes a wide array of variety in the characters that are included within, there are some races within the Star Trek universe that are simply too powerful, or would have no place In-Character on a sim within the fleet. As such, the Alternatrek Admiralty enacts the following list of characters and races which are restricted from sims for use for player characters in the fleet, pending approval from the sim's CO and the Alternatrek Admiralty:

1. Shapeshifter (Changelings, Chameloids, 8472...)
2. Androids, Augments or mobile emitter-equipped Holograms; this does not include unwillingly or unknowingly genetically altered beings, like Julian Bashir for example.
3. Races from the Delta Quadrant.
4. Races from the opposing side of recent wars or of a hostile nature to Starfleet.
5. Characters with physical or mental powers beyond those shown by major characters on the shows/movies (Excluding other restricted or disallowed races)
6. Characters with physical appearance or behavioural traits dissimilar enough so as to cause confusion over the characters actual age. (ie: Adults that look like children or characters appearing childlike behave as adults)
7. Characters from official sources, or their relations.
8. Characters whose purpose appears to be or can be interpreted as relating to current Earth political or social events or trends to make a political or social point relevant to Earth now.

The following characters or races will be disallowed for all player characters.

1. Borg, unless free from the collective.
2. Q, half-Q, Q in human form, etc
3. Any race that is prohibited from any form of contact with other races, such as the Talosians.
4. Ship AIs

Alternatrek recognizes that at times races or characters on this list may be an important aspect of missions sims within the fleet run. As such, this list only applies to active Playing Characters, and does not restrict the use of mission-specific Non-Player Characters (NPCs). If you are unsure whether a character or a race would qualify as a restricted race, then you may consult with the next step up on your Chain of Command, who will attempt to clarify on a case-by-case basis where required. If a player wishes to use a restricted character or race, it can be used if it approved by both the sim's CO and the Alternatrek Admiralty. If the CO approves of the character, the player and CO must submit a request directly to Alternatrek's admin with at least the following:

* Name of your ship
* Name of the proposed character
* Character that you wish to allow
* Reasons for the player wanting to use this character. Please give as much detail as possible.

Once the proposal is received, the Alternatrek Admiralty will discuss the proposal and may ask you questions regarding it before voting on it. Once the vote is complete, you will be notified of the decision as quickly as possible.

Genetically altered/engineered/enhanced characters are allowed with the following provisos: (a) it is not an augment like Khan, etc.; (b) the character did not knowingly/intentionally become genetically altered and has a good explanation why the genetic alteration is part of the character concept; (c) the genetic alteration does not overpower the character in comparison to other species found in Star Trek. For example, a human that was forcibly altered and finds himself/herself twice as strong as a human, or just slightly quicker mentally will be allowed provided (a) one per ship; (b) the genetic alteration is core to the concept of the character; (c) the fact that he/she is genetically altered is not bandied about all over the ship; (d) the genetic alterations don't result in a Mary Sue or deus ex machina situation where your character is perfect and always has the answers or knows more than everyone else. As is the case with Bashir, it is illegal, and exceptions can be made, but they are exceptions, not the rule. However, if your character is altered to be twice as strong as a Klingon, or as strong as Superman with Superman powers, that would not be allowed.

A captain can decide if a genetically altered individual can be allowed on the ship, provided (a) the character is simmed responsibly and appropriate to the sim rating; (b) the genetic alteration isn't disruptive to the sim (i.e. the character is an obvious Mary Sue, or constantly solves everything better than everyone else and is always right, like Discovery's 'Michael Burnham') continuing to function smoothly at the discretion of the captain. Transfers of a genetically altered sim character should be decided between the simmer and the two captains. If both captains agree, the character can transfer.

## Adult Content

Certain simmers may wish to post content that is 18+. This depends on the captain and the rating the captain choses for the sim. If a captain wishes to increase the rating, he can make a request to the admiralty to increase the sim rating at any time.

Characters may engage in relationships and relations appropriate to the rating of the sim. If a sim is rated R, it includes content that would be found in an R-rated movie in 2021. If a sim is unrated, it can include content past an R-rated movie, provided adult content is not found in any main post; only side posts.

## Equal Opportunities Policy

Alternatrek realizes that the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries are far enough in the future that many taboos or hang-ups from the 20th and 21st century might not apply, and we firmly believe that people should not be subject to discrimination or harassment, and that equal opportunities are paramount to the fun gaming environment that is meant to be the goal of the Alternatrek.

We therefore work fervently to prevent discrimination against any person or group of persons on the grounds of race, color, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, appearance, disability, religious or political beliefs, illness, marital status, or age, save that persons under the age of 13 may not join because of COPPA (or similar as proper for their locality) regulations, and that certain sims within the fleet have been granted higher age restrictions that have been authorized as per the Sim Rating Policy.

Alternatrek will view any violations of this policy with the utmost seriousness, to the point that violators will face expulsion from Alternatrek unless it is believed that the severity of the offence does not warrant such action.