Simming organization
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simming organizations are online groups devoted to simming, a specific type of role-playing game. They generally provide a website and other resources to the sims operating as members. Some organizations are small, containing two to five simulations, while others claim to operate several dozen simulations.
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[edit] Governments
There are several types of simming organization governments, and each has been employed with varying success. [1] All simming organizations employ some sort of government structure, and most (if not all) can be mapped onto one of
[edit] Anarchy
This model of government involves a very free-form method of organizing and managing the group. Anarchies usually fail or evolve into one of the other organization types listed here. This model is often chosen in response to bad experiences in previous role-playing groups. In practice, it is unworkable. [2]
[edit] Association
The association model is entirely volunteer-based, generally lacking a formal structure with elections or other methods of delegating authority. Members interested in taking on administrative roles within the organization are invited to do so. It has been suggested that this reduces "red tape," a problem simming organization governments share with other governing bodies.
[edit] Democracy
Democracy is a widely-used model in simming organization governments. It often breaks into several subtypes, but important features include officials elected by the game masters or the group membership at large, fixed-length terms for elected positions, and provisions for peaceful transfers of power.
[edit] Despotism (Monarchy)
In a monarchy-style simming organization, the group's leadership is appointed by previous leadership officials. This is (or was — this is a matter of debate) a common organizational model for simming groups. Some of the other models of government listed here were popularized as a backlash against monarchies.
[edit] Militaristic
This style of government is similar to the monarchy, but a key feature is delegation of power by rank. The chain of command is enforced and important in militaristic organizations. They may include elements of the democracy model, such as elected councils, but the group's operations are substantially or entirely controlled by members holding non-elected (often hereditary) positions.
[edit] Sim Membership
Existing simulations typically enter a simming organization by applying for admission. Most organizations institute some sort of a review process to allow them to select sims that meet their needs; some accept any sim to apply in order to boost their numbers or provide assistance to any sim requiring it.
Many simming organizations also launch their own simulations from within the group. These are usually created by experienced hosts within an organization and launched to occupy an unfilled niche in the group's sim lineup.
Sims leave organizations for a variety of reasons. On one end of the spectrum, some leave due to disagreements with an organization's leadership. On the other, some sims are removed by the organization for failing to meet their gaming standards. Some organizations reserve the right to continue a game which has left the organization[citation needed].
[edit] Simming Politics
As organizations mature, they are typically exposed to varying degrees of political conflict, often due to disagreements over government policies. Several large organizations have gradually collapsed due to political strife, and others have seen games secede due to these political conflicts. Political conflict doesn't indicate a troubled organization, but if left unchecked, resulting infighting can weaken a group.
Political problems also occur within smaller groups of games within an organization or even individual sims, however these are outside of the scope of this article.
[edit] Support and Resources
Organizations generally provide support and resources to the game masters (also commonly known as the "hosts"). Not all organizations offer extensive support to the hosts of their sims, but most large organizations do. Some resources are centrally developed and managed by the group, while others form through projects taken on independently by individual members.
[edit] Player Recruitment
Most sims require new members to remain active due to gradual turnover of membership[citation needed]. Simming organizations frequently oversee advertising efforts to attract new players to games. Organization websites are advertising in and of themselves, guiding potential players towards sims that might interest them once they've arrived.
Many organizations also offer online application forms to streamline the process of joining a simulation. These may be independently maintained for each game or developed for the entire organization, allowing applications to be sent to simulations fitting their needs after they've arrived.
[edit] Gaming Forums
Many simming organizations offer forums for their members, and some run their games entirely using forums. Forums may serve as community centers, especially in larger groups, allowing members of different games to interact with one another outside of sim storylines.
[edit] Simming Academies
Some simming organizations offer simming academies to help new members learn to roleplay effectively. Groups have different policies on simming academies: some may require new players to attend an academy before joining a game, while others provide optional academies targeted at new or experienced players.
[edit] Host Training
Many organizations also offer support for new hosts. Some provide hosting academies to train potential hosts to run games effectively. As with simming academies, such hosting academies may be optional or compulsory, depending on the organization's policies.
Organizations may also provide hosting reference materials such as guides and training sheets.
[edit] Sim Wars and Inter-Group Conflicts
Some simming organizations take part in sim wars, using a variety of tactics to discredit or weaken other groups. Many organizations have policies prohibiting sim wars as a consequence of major conflicts between large groups. Sim wars tend to focus on disrupting the quality of gaming within an organization, although bad publicity and public attack tactics are also used[citation needed].
[edit] Associations Between Groups
Some simming organizations forge diplomatic ties with other groups, either formally or informally. Banner exchanges and link exchanges are often used to form informal associations between groups, also serving as advertising for all groups involved. Organizations with formal ties often list their associations on an associations page on their website.
Some organizations affiliate themselves with the Simming League, a diplomatic organization that bills itself as "the United Nations of Simming".[1] Simming League membership is not universal among simming groups.
[edit] Active Organizations
This alphabetical list of organizations is not exhaustive and is not limited by genre or format.
- Alpha Fleet - A Star Trek simming community, recently branching out into non-fleet sims. Alpha Fleet
- Bravo Fleet - A Star Trek based simming group, founded in 1997 with around 1500 characters at the beginning of 2006.
- Federation Klingon Alliance (FKA) - A Star Trek-derived sim group which has existed in varying forms since 1993[citation needed].
- Federation Sim Fleet (FSF) - One of the largest and more successful simulation groups on the Internet. It has been in operation for well over a decade and in 2005 absorbed Spacefleet Online (SFOL) [3].
- Independence Fleet - A Play By E-Mail group, founded in 2001.
- Nova Horizons - A Play By E-Mail group, featuring various genres and some of the longest-running simulations on the internet.
- Obsidian Fleet - 700+ characters on 71 PBEM and PBB based Star Trek simulations. (This group broke away from Bravo Fleet in 2001.)
- Qpawn - A world simulation where players select a nation and implement foreign, economic, military, and political policies of their choice.
- Section 47 - A trivia-based Star Trek sim organization founded in 2000. Section 47 uses a unique blend of democracy and strict military governance.
- Siren Fleet - A Star Trek simming organisation born from the ashes of Utopia Prime, serving the interests of simmers in various timelines and themes of sim. Most sims are PBB.
- Star-Fleet On-Line - Star Fleet On-Line (SFOL) is one of the oldest and longest running SIM groups on-line today. For nearly 15 years, Star Fleet On-Line has been around -- Dedicated to the same thing that she was dedicated to since the beginning....Keeping the Dream Alive for Trekkers World Wide!
- Spacefleet Online (SFOL) - Considered to be one of the pioneer simulation groups, it has been playing since 1990-91, and started as a club on America Online. Due to legal concerns during the launch of MSN, the group's original name of StarFleet OnLine was changed in 1997-98. In December 2002, the forum lost sponsorship by America Online and relocated services off of the ISP. In 2005, it ceased to operate as an independent organization and instead became a subgroup of the Federation Sim Fleet (FSF)[4].
- Starfleet Legacy Alliance (SLA) - Founded in 2000, a good sized group that offers a variety of science fiction sims in a number of formats. Formed by members of the United Space Federation after internal disagreements caused two sims to leave the USF[5].
- Star Trek Simulation Forum (STSF) - A splinter of Spacefleet Online founded in mid 2002. It has served as the chat based role-playing game of the official Star Trek website since October 2002. [6]. Remains the only simming organization officially recognized by the site.
- Star Trek: A Call To Duty (ACTD) - Originally created in the mid-1990s, it served as the official game of the Star Trek website when it was launched in 1996. It lost sponsorship by Paramount in January 2000 and has remained active as an independent group ever since [7].
- Star Trek: The Sixth Fleet – formed when the majority of games left Tango Fleet.
- Star Wars Sim Forum (SWSF) - Created by two past members of AOL's SWSF, this group includes a number of ongoing simulations and other resources to Star Wars simmers[citation needed].
- Star Wars Unleashed (SWU) - A message board role playing group. This organization has been in existence since early 2000. They are known for their active message boards and their IRC chat room[citation needed].
- Superpower: Classic - A nation simulator wherein players take control of a real-world nation and direct its political, military, and economic affairs in a public forum with other nations and players.
- Tango Fleet - A large Play By E-Mail simulation group[citation needed].
- Taskforce 254 - A Star Trek simming organization offering Dutch-language sims.
- United Confederation of Interstellar Planets (UCIP) - a Star Trek related PBEM and live Internet Relay Chat (IRC) group since 1994, pioneered use of training guides, web biographies and member login accounts[citation needed].
- United Space Federation (USF) - founded in 1994 as an organization of America Online live action simulations and grew into a large organization hosting sims in a diverse range of genres[citation needed].
