Positions Guide

Chief Engineering Officer

This guide will give some hints and tips on how to sim the position of CEO aboard a Federation starship.

The Chief engineer is responsible for the engines and the general running of the ship, making sure that all critical and non-critical systems run properly, malfunctions are fixed and all kinds of other engineering jobs are carried out.

One of the main jobs a CEO is responsible for is the maintenance of the engines of the starship, the thrusters, impulse and warp engines alike. You can sim this position in a number of ways. You will be called upon by your CO to have the warpdrive repaired by a certain time or you can create a problem with the engines during a mission. Be careful not to damaga the engines too severely without permission from your captain because that could endanger the mission he has set out. On the other hand, creating a warpdrive failure can be a good way to make the mission more interesting.

A CEO also takes care of other systems aboard the ship. There might be a need for more power to the shields or weapons or sensor arrays or some other system may be in need of repair. The options are almost endless so it is a good idea to vary between missions. You will work with all kinds of gadgets. You can use gadgets that were established in the shows but you can easily create a tool or something when the need for it arises. The fact that it hasn't been used before doesn't mean a certain tool doesn't exist so use your imagination.

The chief engineer will often be the one who comes up with fancy plans to save the ship in a certain situation or to find a way to do the almost impossible.

I stress the word almost in the last sentence because you do have to be careful not to perform miracles. It is never a good idea to fix things to easily. If you captain has a plan for a mission that involves a malfunctioning system it is not good to fix the problem in a 5 minute post. Remember that in real life things take time to do properly and its no different aboard a starship. Don't create a tool that can repair an exploded replicator in 2 minutes because that is not realistic. Also, if for instance your CO wants the transporters to be offline you can't go repair them without being ordered. If in doubt always ask your captain via a private message what his intentions are.

A CEO might also be asked to go on away missions to perform engineering tasks on a planet or alien ship. This is also a good opportunity to create good storylines and to have fun with your character.

It will also occur that in a given situation your character might have less to do. When you just leave spacedock there could be a time when the mission is building up that nothing is to be done. Take this time to perform diagnositcs, repair less important systems like a replicator or something or other to keep your character occupied. Also, a CEO is a person so feel free to sim him socializing with the rest of the crew. Have a drink in the messhall or meet someone on the holodeck for recreation. Being a CEO does not limit you to work 24 hours a day.

Apart from the CEO himself, you can create a junior staff for the engineering department. Create a few ensigns who are there to assist you. You can have fun writing for these characters interacting with your CEO character, you can order them around and in emergencies or battles you can even have some of your crew injured or killed. These characters, called NPC or non player characters are your opportunity to do things without endangering your main character. Again, be imaginative and have fun, that is the most important part of simming. When in doubt as to what you can or cannot do, feel free to ask your captain or first officer. They are there to help you and give you advise.