Information - USS Apache, NCC-61491

FAQ

Tell me more about the game?

Star Trek: A Call To Duty is the only online roleplaying game to ever be officially endorsed by Paramount Digital Entertainment, the creators of the Star Trek genre. It is a text-based online roleplaying game operated by a volunteer staff and supported a group of Game Administrators. This highly organized game is made up of people who each play a role as an assigned officer aboard a starship or starbase during a mission session that takes place in either online chat rooms, over email, or on message boards. Each player has thoroughly reviewed the Player's Handbook and graduated from a three week training program in which they learned the communication protocols and became familiar with the infrastructure of the Game.

What software do I need to play the game?

To participate in Star Trek: A Call To Duty, you need an internet browser and chat application that permits multiple chat rooms to be open simultaneously on your monitor. NOTE: Users of WebTV do not have the capability of having multiple chat rooms open simultaneously.

How do I create a character?

When you have graduated from the training program, you will be asked to fill out an online form to create your character. You may choose from several different species that are members of the United Federation of Planets. A full listing of allowed species can be found at http://species.acalltoduty.com.

Where are the mission rooms and how do I connect to them?

All chat rooms and mission rooms pertaining to the Game are located on the chat server at chat.acalltoduty.com and are NOT ACCESSIBLE in a web browser. You will need to use a chat application, such as mIRC or MS Chat 2.5 to access these chat rooms.

The Fleetyard (non-mission chat room) is called #TheFleetyard. Ship missions are held in #ACTDShipMissions or #ACTDShipMissions2 and Station missions are held in #ACTDStationMissions. Training sessions are held in #ACTDTrainingCenter.

What is a mission?

Each group of players assigned to a starship or station meets at the same time each week for one hour and experiences an adventure along a storyline conceived of and monitored by a Ship Manager (the Game host). The players roleplay their characters and develop the storyline as their characters react to the circumstances unfolding in the story. Following the mission session, each player is required to write a log from the perspective of their character and submit it to all the other players assigned to their starship. This adds to the overall entertainment value of the game and provides additional opportunities for players to develop their characters.

Starbase missions also consist of one-hour sessions and are comprised of a group of players that attend in the chat room at the scheduled time. These missions are more spontaneous in nature and mission logs are only required once a month for players.

How does my character get promoted?

A promotion in rank or position is based upon the quality of your roleplaying and level of participation and enthusiasm during the mission sessions, as well as the quality of your mission logs. Your character will be promoted when your Captain and Ship Manager feel it is appropriate.

What are the different positions in the game?

The following position structure is used on stations and ships in Star Trek: A Call To Duty:

CO (Captain)
XO (Executive Officer)

Each of the following may represent Chief or Assistant positions:

FCO (Flight Control Officer)
OPS (Operations Officer)
CTO (Chief Tactical Officer)
CEO (Chief Engineering Officer)
CSO (Chief Science Officer)
CMO (Chief Medical Officer)
CNS (Counselor)
CIV (Civilian/Speciailist)
TO (Tactical Officer)
EO (Engineering Officer)
SO (Science Officer)
MO (Medical Officer)

What ranks are available?

All characters are assigned to a station or starship as an Ensign or, if they so choose, a Cadet when they graduate from the training program. From there, they may be promoted to the following ranks only at the discretion of their Command Crew. A player should never request a promotion.

Ensign
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Captain

How can I determine what timezone I am in and how does that relate to the game schedule?

Visit http://www.acalltoduty.com to find the current Game Schedule and see how the ships times compare to each other. For a comprehensize listing of worldwide timezones, go to the following website: http://www.worldtimezone.com.

What is the training program?

The training program consists of several one-hour training sessions once each week. Cadets are required to attend their assigned training sessions in a row and demonstrate a clear grasp of the gaming protocols in order to graduate. Each graduated player is assigned to a ship following graduation from the training program. Each cadet is required to read the Player's Handbook (below) when they are assigned to a training schedule. They are required to review the Player's Handbook prior to beginning their training sessions so that they fully understand the communication protocols and game flow. A Training Instructor runs the training session and assists cadets in learning how to play the Game.

Can I use WebTV to participate?

No, users of WebTV cannot participate in the Game at this time because WebTV does not allow multiple chat rooms to be open simultaneously. Because of the nature of the Game, it is necessary to have at least two chat rooms open at the same time. If you are a WebTV user, you will have to connect to the internet with a different Internet Service Provider (ISP) in order to participate in the Game. However, you can participate in the play-by-email(PBeM) and message board(Newsfleet) versions.

HISTORY

The history of the USS Apache actually dates back beyond her launch. While Star Trek: A Call to Duty was still associated with Paramount Digital Entertainment the game was seeing a massive influx of players due to the popularity of the most recent Star Trek movie, "First Contact". As a result, the Game Manager of A Call to Duty (James Alan Young) put out the call for new ships to be commissioned in the game. A contest was started to name several new ships and one of the winning entries was "Apache".

Star Trek: A Call to Duty has long held specific naming conventions for specific types of ships. For instance, all Galaxy Class ships are named after mountains and all Starbases are named after forests. In the case of Apache, it was clear this vessel would be a New Orleans class vessel as vessels of that class are always named after "tribes". She would become A Call to Duty's second New Orleans Class vessel, with the Comanche being the first.

All of this occured in late 1998 and shortly afterwards A Call to Duty lost its affiliation with Paramount Digital Entertainment. With the influx of new players slowing to a trickle of what it once was, plans for new ships were put on hold and it wasn't until the following fall that the Apache would have its first mission. In the meanwhile, Cheryl Blaney-O'Quinn, Fleet Manager for the Apache, busied herself with chooseing a Ship Manager for the Apache. Eventually Bryan Paveza was selected to be in charge of the administrative side of things. Bryan then selected Susan Church (Tyria Turnbull) to Captain the Apache and participated in the selection of Rick Brookins (Alexander Valrek) to serve as the Apache's first Executive Officer.

Finally, on August 27, 1999, the Apache launched with a crew of 8 (out of a possible 14). Since that time the Apache has earned a reputation for being one of the best ships in the fleet. For the next two and half years both Susan and Bryan remained with the Apache through many crew changes. Although Rick Brookins would eventually be replaced with Heather Lane, it would be the familiarity of the Captain and Ship Manager that would allow the crew to adventure into areas of the imagination far beyond that of many other ships.

It is the communal imagination of the crew that has made the Apache great. With an average service time aboard the Apache far exceeding that of many other ships, the Apache's crew has grown into much more of a family. Currently, Ramon Apodaca (Storal Kylorean) commands the Apache and Debbie Newell (Janet Naegle) serves as the vessels Executive Officer. Now under the Administrative lead of Heather Lane, former Executive Officer and then Captain of the Apache, the Command Crew of the Apache strive to continue to provide a quality game-playing environment for the vessels crew.

The story continues...

HANDBOOK

The Star Trek: A Call to Duty Player's Handbook is a guide designed to help acclimate new and prospective members to the game. The handbook contains extensive information about creating characters, logs, communication protocols, and much more useful information. All new cadets are required to read through the Player's Handbook prior to the start of training. Current members are encouraged to view the handbook on a regular basis to keep themselves fresh on the requirements of the game.

Download the current version of the Player's Handbook.

FLEETS

Star Trek: A Call to Duty is organized into ten seperate fleets for ease of management. Each Fleet is run by a Fleet Manager who oversees as many as six ships. Each ship in a Fleet is then run by a Ship Manager and a Command Crew consisting of a Commanding Officer, an Executive Officer, and a Second Officer.

Click here for more information on the Fleets of ACTD.

JOIN

Thank you for your interest in joining Star Trek: A Call to Duty. There are a few things that I suggest you do prior to signing up for ACTD's Training Program:

Download and read the Player's Handbook. It will give you a firm idea of how the game communication protocols work and a good understanding of these protocols is vital to your success in training.
Now that you're ready to sign up for the training program, visit http://www.acalltoduty.com/join/index.html where you can submit your request for enrollment into training in Star Trek: A Call to Duty. Once you have submitted your request you should receive a response from the Training Manager within a few days.