Before you begin constructing your character, however, there are some rules, and topics which you should consider. First of all, there are some types of characters which, for one reason or another, the administrators have chosen to exclude from our game. We do not allow any artificial life forms. We do not allow player characters to be spies, members of secret societies, or defectors from other governments. We do not allow player characters from races proven totally inimicable to humans, such as Borg drones or ex-drones.
Further, an important note: La Vida Libre does not allow ties to the established characters of Star Trek, whether seen on-screen or in a published book. This means that you can not play Jim Kirk's great-nephew, Spock's cousin's girlfriend's college roommate, or McKenzie Calhoun's long-lost son.
Please ensure that whatever character you create is someone who you can play. Don't count on their unusual nature or appearance to be the only interesting thing about them, because that ploy often fails. Whatever character you create should be a well-rounded individual, having skills, interests, and drives outside of whatever they look like.
Vitals These are the very basic facts about your character, which you must decide upon first. Is your character male or female? Your character does not have to be of the same gender you are, though many people choose to play characters which are. While there are some Star Trek races where these categories do not apply, most of the races in the United Federation of Planets are basically humanoid -- two genders, bipedal, carbon based, with similar DNA. Of what species? You may choose any canonical Star Trek species, including humans, Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, and so forth. How tall is your character? How much does your character weigh? Humans come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, from Pygmies who only grow to be three feet tall, to Watusi, who average over seven feet in height. The average weight of a pacific islander is rather lower than the average weight of North Americans. When you start thinking about people of other species, you have a whole additional group of factors. Vulcans tend to be tall and slender, while Tellarites are generally more rotund. Sometimes, it might be appropriate to explore the implications of challenging the stereotype. What is it like to be a fat Vulcan, or a svelte Tellarite? Family - No one exists in a vacuum. Family provides insight into who your character is, and why they became that person. Sometimes, family provides role-playing opportunities, later. To whom is your character related? Is there a tradition of serving in the Star Fleet, or are your parents perhaps disappointed in your choice? What do your brothers and sisters do? Or are you from a nontraditional family? How does that affect your character?
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Background/History What did your character do before you started playing them? Anything worthy of note? If so, record it here. Experiences before joining Star Fleet, or as a junior officer, if applicable, could be things that need to be noted in this section. No one exists in a vacuum. Your character has been somewhere and done something before they joined the ship. Were there any noteworthy events?
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Personality What kind of person is your character? How do they relate to others? Is she a career-minded, no nonsense type, or is he an easy-going, amiable goofball? | |
Education Because La Vida Libre is not a Starfleet vessel, and because we deal with some criminal element, education of our crew will be varied. Doctors and engineers and captains tend to have some education. Roustabouts, rogues, passengers, etc., may have less.
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Keeping your bio up to date As you play the game, you should occasionally look at your bio and make sure it's still accurate. As you role-play, new facts about your past or parts of your life may come to light. Someone you thought was dead may not be, and someone who was living may have died. You may have had a major change in your life. Update the personnel folder, as needed.
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Hints and Tips There are some things which, while not set in stone as rules, none-the-less make for better role play experience for everyone. Some of them are presented below.
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Writer's Block Sometimes, you'll have no idea what to write. Either you don't see a way for your character to get involved in the action, or you've written yourself into a corner, and don't see how to get out. In either of these situations, you might simply try writing to one of the senior members of the game, including the Captain. Usually, these people have been around the PBeM block a few times, and have good ideas and suggestions for things you might do to get involved, or get out of that corner.
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Use of Technobabble A lot of the atmosphere of Star Trek is achieved by the use of technobabble. What does an EPS conduit do? Or a flow regulator? While it's great that you can talk millicochranes and gigajoules with the engineers, keep in mind that not everyone else involved on your ship will understand what you're trying to get at. It's generally good practice to include a line or two at the end of any exchange of technobabble, explaining the net effect of what you just said, for the lay person.
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Use of Alien Languages We are pleased that you've taken the time to research your character thoroughly enough to be able to spout parts of their language. However, you should bear in mind that most of us don't speak Klingon, or Vulcan, or whatever other language you've researched. As with technobabble, feel free to use alien languages... but please provide a translation for those of us who won't understand.
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