What is Borderlands?
Is it free?
What is a 'Sim / RPG'?
What is Play-by-eMail (PBEM)?
What is Star Trek?
What is a tag?
Why is it called “Borderlands?”
Wait a minute! I don't remember any of this from the shows!
How old is Borderlands, anyway?
Who runs Borderlands?
If I join Borderlands, can I play Captain Kirk?
How do I advance?
How do I win?
Do I have to play a Starfleet Officer?
Can I start my own sim?
Hey, I already have my own sim – can we join you guys?
Boy, you guys sure are picky!
Borderlands is an affiliation of Play-by-eMail (PbeM) Star Trek Sims.
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Yes! Our players make up the game, so it's free as a bird and as fun as you can make it.
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What is a 'Sim
/ RPG'?
A Sim is a simulation. In this case, sort of a writers' collective where
a diverse group of people all collaborate on stories set in a common idiom.
It is also referred to as a Role-Playing Game (RPG), because of the similarity
to games like Dungeons and Dragons, or even Worlds of Warcraft (technically
a MMORPG). However, Borderlands and other similar 'games' have nowhere
near the level of structure or rules that true RPG's do.
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What is Play-by-eMail (PBEM)?
Play-by-eMail (PBEM) is the method used to collaborate on the ongoing
stories. One writer will begin a scene, leaving 'tags' for other players
to fill in sections of dialog or narrative as needed. This scene will
be sent to the participating group via email. Others fill in their tags,
and repeat the process to move the scene along.
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If you have to ask, you may be in the wrong place.
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A tag is a request for another writer to fill in narrative or dialog
from the perspective of the character they are playing. See the Borderland's
Player's Manual for more information on the nuts and bolts of writing
for a sim.
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Why is it called “Borderlands?”
"Borderlands" refers to our setting – on the borderlands
of settled space. In Borderlands, the Federation and Romulans have established
a treaty (the Treaty of Horizon) allowing them common use of a wormhole
connecting the Alpha Quadrant (the home quadrant of both governments –
see the Borderland's Map), and the Delta Quadrant (best known as the place
where most of the events of Star Trek: Voyager occurred, and where the
Borg come from). The Federation has established facilities in the quadrant
as platforms for exploration, commerce, and defense. The Romulans likewise
maintain a presence. These, along with one civilian and one 'Rebel' group,
make up the dutystations of the Borderlands sim group. See the Dutystations-specific
pages to learn more about each one.
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Wait a minute!
I don't remember any of this from the shows!
Borderlands is set some 30 years after the events of the most recent
Star Treks shows and films. All those sources provide canon background
information for us to use, but we have a certain freedom to develop plots
beyond what the shows ever did. As such, everything you see in Borderlands
is the product of years of independent creativity by the past and present
members of each dutystation.
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How old is Borderlands, anyway?
The group now called Borderlands has existed, in one incarnation or another,
since 1993. Borderlands Trek PBEM RPG is easily one of the oldest Trek
Sims on the net.
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Who runs Borderlands Trek PBEM RPG?
Borderlands is governed by a Council made up of the Commanding Officers
(COs), Executive Officers (XOs), and two elected representatives from
each dutystation. This council makes decisions on who becomes CO or XO
of a dutystation, who gets promoted to command ranks, what the plot of
the overall group is, and other issues at levels above the dutystations
themselves. A Chairperson is elected from within the Council to guide
discussion and open polls. See also the Borderlands
Constitution for the rules governing the Council and the administration
of the sims.
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If I join Borderlands, can I play Captain Kirk?
No. As stated above, Borderlands is set well in the future of the Star
Trek shows and movies. On top of that, as part of the 'game' aspect of
the sims, new characters begin at low ranks – usually Starfleet
Ensign, or Marine 2nd Lieutenant, and then advance over time. We discourage
using existing Trek characters, or existing characters from other genres
such as Star Wars.
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Usually through a combination of quality and quantity of posting. Ultimate
authority resides in the dutystation CO when it comes to promotions, and
there are no hard and fast rules. However, if you post regularly and with
a certain amount of creativity, you should enjoy success.
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You don't. While we call this a game, it's not about winning or losing.
In fact, if you keep writing your character as solving every problem,
winning every battle, and beating everyone else to the metaphorical punch,
you will quickly find yourself politely asked to leave. We call this Superhero
Syndrome (SHS). The bad news is: it is all too common in inexperienced
simmers. The good news is: it can be cured. Just remember that while we
call it a game, it's really about creating interesting storylines with
interesting characters set in the Star Trek universe that we all know
and love.
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Do I have to play a Starfleet Officer?
Not at all. You can play almost any type of character as long as there
would be a reasonable explanation for their ongoing presence and interaction
on one of the dutystations. We have ambassadors, merchants, traders, scientists,
Delta Quadrant natives of various types, and many more. One sim, the SES
S'Task, is a dedicated Romulan ship. The RSS Cromwell is a sim where former
Starfleet officers attempt to establish a new Federation that adheres
more closely to the 'original intent' of its founders. There is also a
civilian ship – the Axel.... The possibilities, while not endless,
are plentiful.
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Sure you can. Not with us, but you're free to try it out somewhere else.
That's not to say that the Borderlands isn't closed off to expansion,
but we need to see a powerful reason for starting a new dutystation, plus
a reasonable and well thought-out story to back it up.
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Hey, I already
have my own sim – can we join you guys?
Maybe. But it'll be a hard sell. You'll need to show us that you have
a proven track record and an established group of players to bring with
you. We want to see a viable, vital sim. Plus, your idiom (where you're
set, what timeframe and purpose you have) needs to make sense vis a vis
what Borderlands is all about.
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Yes we are. That's why we've survived since 1993.
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