Section 47

Q: What is Section 47?
A: Section 47 is an Internet based trivia quiz/sim, set in the Star Trek universe in the year 2388, ten years after the events of TNG, DS9 and VOY. A sim is a role-play game where you and the other crewmembers tell the story of a group of characters. In the case of Section 47 you are Starfleet officers on starships or a civilian on a starbase and write their adventures. By answering the weekly trivia and poll questions about the star trek universe and section 47 you raise in rank.

Q: How do I join?
A: To join, read and understand the rest of this FAQ and the rules page and then simply fill in the join form. You can choose between joining as trivia only member or joining the sim.

Q: How do I leave?
A: Simply send an e-mail to the personnel officer and, if you are simming, to your captain. They will see to it that you are removed from the Section.

Q: I will be unable to take part for a short time, what can I do?
A: If you will be unable to take part in the sim for a while then please inform your superior officer. You will be placed on leave until you are able to get back. Please do not stay on leave for long periods of time. Anyone absent on-leave for a long period will be transferred to the reserve list and taken off of their ship, unless notice has been already given. If you do not give notice then you could be removed from the section for being AWOL (absent without leave).

Q: Do I need a biography for my character?
A: Yes, all members are required to have bios for their characters. A bio allows your crewmate to learn more about your character and is also your chance to create a history for your character. Did they have a happy childhood? Do they have any brothers or sisters? Etc. Examples of bios can be found at http://section47.virtualave.net/positions.htm, a guide to writing your bio can be found at http://section47.virtualave.net/guides/biotemp.htm.

Q: When are the new trivia questions posted?
A: Every week Usually the new questions are uploaded on Friday evenings, a message is posted on the message board when the new questions are online. They are always found under our trivia section at http://section47.virtualave.net/questions.htm.

Q: I answer the questions but I never get any points. What am I doing wrong?
A: There are a number of reasons for this, you could be using the wrong username, in order for points to be added to your total you need to use the name you joined Section 47 with. It is also possible that the trivia has not yet been marked, it is only marked at the end of each week. It can be up to at least a week later until the points are uploaded onto the site, please rest assured that your points will be added as quickly as possible. of course it is also possible you did not answer any questions correctly, the answers to the trivia will be uploaded to the site after the trivia has been marked for you to compare. For details on your point totals, contact the Ranks Officer

Q: Why do I keep getting e-mail from "YahooGroups!"?
A: Section 47 makes use of several e-mail groups from Yahoo. They are very reliable and tend not to give everyone access to your e-mail. Only the group administrators will be able to see your e-mail address. You will automatically be assigned to the s47-announce group when you join section 47. Unsubscribing from this group will be taken as a sign that you wish to leave Section 47. You will be assigned to other groups when you are assigned to a ship and join site departments.

Q: My ship does not seem to be taking part in any sims. What should I do?
A: First you should make sure that you know whether the sim is taking place on e-mail or on the message board. Then you should contact your captain and first officer to find out what is going on. If their reply is not satisfactory you have a number courses to go down. Firstly, you can complain to your squadron or fleet commander about the level of simming on your ship. Secondly you can contact a Fleet Rep, who will try to help you a third option is to contact a member of CSS, who will be able to check the ships status for you, and if necessary assign new members to the crew. The last option is to request a transfer from the personnel officer, though it is recommended you do this after already contacting at least your Captain, Squad/Fleet CO and Fleet Rep about your problem. Please note it is extremely important to notify someone if your ship is inactive, the best person to contact is your Squad CO, though you can contact any of the people stated before (Fleet Rep etc).

Q: Why do I get e-mails from my old ship when I have transferred to a new ship?
A: Lots of people like to keep in contact with their old ship and appreciate knowing what is going on on their old ship. Because of this it is your responsibility to remove yourself from that mailing list or ask someone for assistance if you do not know how.

Q: Can I change my e-mail address?
A: Yes. Simply e-mail the personnel officer, your captain or squadron commander and they will pass on your change of details to everyone who needs to know.

Position Questions

Q: I have (done something) but my name does not appear on relevant web-page yet. What's wrong?
A: Please be patient. We cannot always update the web site as quickly as people would like. Rest assured, if it isn't on the web site yet, we are probably working on it. If nothing is added to the web page after a week then contact the Staff member in charge of that page.

Q: How do I graduate from the Academy?
A: To graduate you need to successfully complete the academy course. You can achieve this by joining a training ship or by being an acting ensign on a regular ship. The academy course takes four weeks, and during that time you will get scores for your posts and for answering trivia. If you have enough points at the end of four weeks you will graduate and be promoted to full ensign or higher (depending on your trivia score) and assigned to a regular ship. If you have applied as trivia only you will graduate after having answered one trivia question correctly. You will find more detailed info about the academy in your welcoming package.

Q: What is the difference between a training ship compared to a regular ship?
A: The training ship is a special ship where the cadets are taught how to sim. There is an instructor for each department who helps the cadet in the first attempts of simming and answers all questions the cadet might have. The instructors are experienced officers who start a four week training mission and guide the cadets through that mission by encouraging them to post, directly involving them in the storyline. A training ship is the right place to go for people who are new to simming.

Q: Can I transfer to another ship?
A: Yes. First contact the Captain of the ship you wish to transfer to, in order to check if the position you want is open and to make sure the Captain agrees to your assignment on their ship, secondly you need to inform your current Captain that you are going to transfer. After you have done all this fill out a transfer request form found at http://section47.virtualave.net/req.htm and the Personnel Officer will handle the transfer for you.

Q: How do I sim my position?
A: A full set of guides for each ship position can be found at http://section47.virtualave.net/guides/guides.htm.

Q: How do i sim a civilian?
A: If you want to sim a civilian simply fill out the join form and choose the option civilian. You can be anything from bartender, shopkeeper, child of a starfleet officer, any kind of specialist or whatever else you can think of. Civilians can either serve on one of the ships or on the starbases. The starbase message boards are open for everyone to pass by.

Q: How do I become a First Officer?
A: First Officers are normally appointed at the request of a ship's captain. They are required to be of high rank (Lt. Commander or Commander, preferably Commander), and have taken an active role in simming on their ship. They are either approached by the Captain or the Personnel Officer.

Q: What does a First Officer do?
A: The First Officer will assist the Captain in the running of the ship, this includes the sim, ship web page (if ship has one) and keeping of the logs. The First Officer should also know the duty of everyone onboard and make sure that every member of the crew is fulfilling his or her duty. The First Officer also needs to make sure the Captain is doing their job right, if they find that the Captain is not doing certain tasks then they should do the tasks themselves or contact their Squad Commander. The First Officer should also be prepared to take command of the ship if and when the Captain is not able to for a short time (The Captain could be going on holiday etc). A more detailed description of the First Officer's duties can be found at http://section47.virtualave.net/guides/guides.htm.

Q: How do I become a Ship's Captain?
A: To become a Ship's Captain you must be of high rank (preferably a commander with a high points score), and a current First Officer. You must have been an active simmer on your current ship. It is normal practise for a first officer to be promoted to the be captain of his ship if the position is free and he falls into the above criteria, otherwise it can be awarded to other people in the fleet.

Q: What are the responsibilities of a Captain?
A: The Captain's main responsibility is to command and run the ships sim. The Captain is also responsible for all the logistics of the ship, including running of the message board, mailing list, web page, and keeping the ships mission log, though they may delegate these tasks to members of their crew. Every Captain is required to submit monthly reports to their Squadron Commander, detailing the current status of their ship, (crew activity, current mission etc). The Captain also needs to make sure all members of their crew are taking part in the sim and help any crewmembers who are having difficulties, if a crewmember has not posted for a long time the Captain should contact them over email and try to discover the reason for their inactivity, if no response is received, or the Captain does not believe the reason given is good enough then they should request that that crewmember be removed from the ship. The Captain also needs to welcome all new crewmembers to the ship, inform them of the ships current mission, posting style (1st person, 2nd person etc) and anything else they need to know, the Captain should also congratulate any crewmembers who are promoted or who receive commendations. A much more detailed list of the Captain's responsibilities can be found at http://section47.virtualave.net/guides/guides.htm.

Rank Questions

Q: How do I get promoted?
A: Promotions through commander are awarded on the basis of points scored in the trivia. Promotions past the rank of Commander need to be earned by good role-play and sim management, or helping out with Section 47 businesses. For details please refer to the promotion guide found at http://section47.virtualave.net/guides/guides.htm.

Q: I am my ship's Captain, but my Rank says that I am only a Commander. What is wrong?
A: It is common Starfleet practice to call the commander of a ship Captain, but this does not mean the commander holds the rank of Captain. In Section 47 you are required to complete the command-training course before you can be promoted to Captain. It is common practice to promote a ship CO to Captain after they have held command for a few weeks.

Q: How do I get promoted to the rank of Captain and above?
A: Promotion to the rank of captain requires successful command of a ship at a high standard. It is also a requirement that you have participated well in the site. Leading a squadron is normally required for promotion to the rank of Commodore. Promotions above Commodore can be gained by working for the section behind the scenes with great effort for a length of time.

Q: My Captain and or my First Officer are inactive what should I do?
A: If both the CO and FO are inactive then contact your Squad Commander, they will be able to handle the situation for you.

Department Questions

Q: What is CSS?
A: CSS stands for Command Staff of Section 47; it is the organisational running body of the site, made up of the Section Admiral, Admin XO, Ranks Officer, Trivia Officer, Bios Officer, Personnel Officer, Academy Commmandant and the Head of the CCS. Each month they meet to discuss current site affairs and decide what action needs to be taken for the next month, they will also award high medals and senior promotions at these meetings. Most members of CSS will have an assistant, the assistants are known as the Junior CSS as they do not attend the meetings and do not have a vote in site matters.

Q: What is CCS?
A: CCS stands for Communications Corp of Section 47, it specialises in the administrational running of the site. Overseen by the Head of CCS, the department is responsible for running the Fleet Rep elections, the weekly polls, proof reading of documents, message board management, note taking services, and anything else CSS decides needs doing. More information on CCS can be found on the CCS page, which will be put up in September.

Q: What is JAG?
A: JAG stands for Judge Advocate General, it is the justice department of the site, responsible for mediating disputes between Section 47 members and for reviewing and in some cases giving interpretations of the sites rules. The JAG department is run by the Chief Justice, more information about JAG can be found on the JAG homepage.

Q: What are the Fleet Reps?
A: The Fleet Reps are elected representatives of the members of Section 47, each Fleet Rep is elected into office by the members every 3 months in the Fleet Rep elections. The Fleet Reps will represent the members interests at the monthly CSS meetings and will also act as an advisor and problem solver to the members. Any members with problems should contact there Fleet Rep, even if the Fleet Rep can not help you they will be able to tell you who can, and can even speak on your behalf to the site departments. For information on who your Fleet Reps are check - http://section47.virtualave.net/rep.htm.

Q: What are the Fleet Rep elections?
A: The Fleet Rep elections are the process by which the Fleet Reps are elected into office. Ran by the Returning Officer every member is given the chance to stand for office, after enough candidates have stood the Returning Officer will announce that voting can take place, whoever wins the elections becomes the new Fleet Reps, each member who votes in the elections will receive four bonus trivia points. For further details on the elections please refer to http://section47.virtualave.net/rep.htm.

Q: What are the Inspections? And why are they needed?
A: Every three months all ships are inspected by the Inspector General, the Inspector will review the simming on all the ships and give each ship a mark, the ship with the highest score will win a medal. The inspections are needed to tell the CSS which ships are inactive, which ships need help and which ships are simming well. More information on the inspections can be found at http://section47.virtualave.net/inspection.htm.

Q: I am a Captain whose ship has scored low in the Inspections, does this mean I am not doing my job correctly?
A: No, the inspection scores do not in anyway reflect on the Captain's performance, they reflect on the overall simming performance of the entire ship.

Q: What are Commendations, and how do I get one?
A: Commendations are medals awarded to officers who have done something good for the site, this can be anything from good simming to working hard behind the scenes, the list really is limitless, refer to the commendations page for a full list of commendations, and what requirements need to be met for each award at http://section47.virtualave.net/medals/medal.htm.

Q: What are the polls? And do I need to answer them?
A: The polls are weekly questions set by the CSS to gage the member's reactions to certain issues. You are not required to answer them but it would be greatly appreciated if you did. One bonus trivia point is awarded to all members who vote in the polls, which are run by the Returning Officer. Details on the current poll can be found at http://section47.virtualave.net/polls.htm.

General Questions

Position Questions

Rank Questions

Department Questions

Other Questions