Database: The Art of Captaincy: Awards, rewards and promotions

One of the big issues with all role play over a protracted period of time is maintaining a consistent level of activity and quality. Other fleets try to insist that all players meet an arbitrary post limit (eg 1 post every week of no less than 3 paragraphs). I don't find this is a very helpful model for a number of reasons.

• 1) It forces the CO to provide scenarios where every player has something to post about every week.
• 2) It encourages fast responses rather than well thought out and considered posts
• 3) Some times Real Life just gets in the way (a week’s holiday, illness, work, school break, etc) and you don't have time or access to a computer.

There is an added and hidden trap here, that I have encountered many times, and I think all COs will. If you have set up a post to include responses from all players and one key player is ELOA suddenly and without notification, you can spend weeks trying to chase that person for a response while everyone else sits around wondering what happened.

So here are a few traps and tricks you may wish to consider when wanting players to post regularly and well;

Expectations: Let everyone know, when they are signing on what you expect of them and be consistent with it. If you are breathing down their necks one week and letting it lapse another, players will never know how serious the requirements are.

Consequences: You should have a well thought out process to respond to a non-posting player. I suggest a set of three steps (to not make it too complicated). I use the following:

• 1) If after a week a player has not completed a tag, I will try and contact them via PM, email, Skype, Facebook or some other means of communication. Perhaps their log in has died or they have forgotten their email has changed or something.
• 2) If after two weeks, and no response to my messages or the tag, then I will change the message to alert all players as to who we are waiting for and what the process is from her (name and shame). I will also issue a warning (available from the Management section of your SIMM).
• 3) If three weeks has passed and there has been no response from the player through any medium, I will issue a second warning and run their character as NPC until they return or the episode ends and they are transferred off the ship.

Rank Rewards: You catch more flies with honey, so try to keep your players motivated by recognising big achievements. Avoid rank promotions, or at least more than one a year. If you make these rare they become valuable, if you throw them around you end up with a ship full of Lt Cmdrs and no where left to promote people too. Also, as a person who went from Ensign to full Commander in two weeks, and then stayed there for nearly two years, I found this very artificial and flawed. Your players will usually tell you when they think they deserve a promotion. Mine certainly did. : )

Awards: However you do have an awards system, and this can be your best friend. Set up a range of awards, some that get awarded regularly, and some which are quite hard to achieve. Have a look at what other CO's use or at the List of Award Suggestions entry. I have three categories of awards, thought they are not labelled as such:

• 1) anyone who posts in a mission gets a service stripe. The more stripes you have, the more involved you have been. This encourages everyone to at least post SOMETHING.
• 2) specific performance awards for character behaviour, good writing, innovative ideas, behind the scenes help, etc.
• 3) longevity awards, for simply being here for a set amount of time.

Nagging: the double edged sword. Some players find a CO who only ever contacts them to nag them about a post can be annoying and a put off. Others find they need that attention and support. Get to know your crew and what level of support and posting they can manage. This will also help you to spot patterns when this changes.

The video teaser: If you can make one that excites people about what you are doing and is re-watch-able, then players who are lacking in ideas can return to watch it and become inspired again. It is also a good recruitment tool. If you don’t have the skills ask others how they got theirs and they may be able to help you.

RT Chat: It is also helpful and simple to use Skype or a FB group, especially while working on a joint post or even to just get to know the people you are working with. Besides helping with your stories it is a lot of fun.

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