Creating a Character For Stargate Beta

What Are The Character Rules?

Every player is allowed to have up to two characters. That doesn't mean you have to; it means you can. But no more then two, please. The only players that are allowed to have more then two are the SGB Management members. But even that runs the Management thin. Note: The two character rule applies to the entire RPG. You may only have two character's total. This include the Avalon Colony. (There are various combinations to the two character rule, such as one on Area 111, one on Avalon, two on Area 111 or two on Avalon. Only members prior to June 2004 were allowed to create a third character for Avalon Colony.)

Your first character can be any rank that listed on the Application Form. Lieutenant, Lieutenant J.G., Sergeant... anything that's listed. But *please* do not fill in "Colonel" in the Other Ranks area of the application or any other ranks that are higher then Lieutenant. It's guaranteed that you're not going to get that rank. 

Your second character, preferably, should be an enlisted character. Sergeant, Airmen, Private... any of the enlisted ranks unless you're told otherwise. We also ask that your second character not have the same job description as your first. For example, if your first character is a doctor, your second character cannot be one, again, unless you're told otherwise by the SGB Management.

Most RPG's select the rank for you. We try to keep it open here. Please be modest when selecting the rank. If too many people abuse the privilege, then we will revoke it and start assigning ranks to new characters.

Please note: You must create an original character. You are not allowed to play any of the NPC characters on base. The NPC's are controlled by the GM and the Assistant GM's unless otherwise stated.

Can My Character Be An Alien?

If you are interested in creating an alien race for this RPG, please write a detailed outline of the character and send it to Stargate_BetaRPG-owner@yahoogroups.com. The GM and Assistant GM's will review the character outline and get back to you. :) The only thing we ask is to steer clear of the supernatural-power aliens. :) Aliens that can bend steel with their mind are frowned upon. It's not fair to the mere mortals on the group.

Can My Character Be A Member Of Another Military Branch, Such As the SAS or Russian Military?

It is allowed, yes. But we prefer that your character be a member of the American Military. It's easier on the person who posts the picture of the various rankings on the Squad pages, and come promotion time, it's easier to figure out what the next step in the ranking process is. If you decide that you want your character to be a member of the, say, Canadian Military, then send a note to Stargate_BetaRPG-owner@yahoogroups.com and ask first. We're flexible, but we would prefer that your character be a member of the American Military.

Can My Character Be a Civilian?

Sure. :) But please use your head. There aren't a lot of 21 year old Doctor's of Physics, or 22 year old double Master Degree holders. Please use common sense when creating characters.

How Will I Know When My Character's Been Accepted?

There will be an ADMIN note posted through the email list. The note will welcome your character and announce which team you've been placed on.

Please note: The Stargate Beta Management reserves the right to refuse characters submitted without an explanation as to why.

Can I Pick Which Squad I Want To Be On?

No. If you select "SGB Field Team" on the application form, then the SGB Management will place you on the Squad of their choice. It depends on the openings on each Squad. Chances are, you're going to be placed on one of the Squads with listed next to it on the "SGB Personnel" page. 

Can I Be A Commanding Officer or Second In Command Of a Squad?

Not if you're a new player. Commanding Officers (CO) and Second in Command (2IC) positions are appointed by the SGB Management. The position has to be earned, so to speak. 

If you are made the CO or 2IC of a squad, there is a separate list of rules you need to read.

Note: Civilian characters CANNOT CO nor 2IC a team.

Can I Change My Character Bio After I've Submitted It?

It depends on the changes. Minor changes (giving the character a middle name, changing the characters birth date, adding to the Background) are okay. Drastic changes (changing the character from United States Air Force to United States Navy, Royal Air Force to Civilian) due require Gm approval. Depending on the change being made depends on the reply. Military to civilian is usually all right, but changing branches is not allowed.

Can I Remove My Character And Replace Him Or Her With A Brand New Character?

Once you've submitted your character to the RPG, that will be your character for your stay here. However, if you feel the need to remove your character from the RPG and replace him or her with an entirely new character, you may appeal your request to the Stargate Beta Management. They will review your request and inform you of their decision.

How Come There's Pictures of Actor's On the Character Biography Pages?

They're there mainly for fun. :) You're allowed to pick an actor or actress to represent your character. Just be careful not to pick someone that's already been chosen! There's a list of actor's already taken on the "Enlist" page. :)

Note: The GM and AGMs are aware that there are some actors chosen as characters who have made an appearance on SG-1 and/or Atlantis. Those actors were picked well before they made an appearance on SG-1 and/or Atlantis and have been allowed to remain.

When Are Character Promotions?

Working your way up the chain of command takes some doing. There are certain qualifications that the SGB Management looks for. However, character promotion nominations are accepted from the Squad CO's at predetermined intervals within the year. There will be announcements through the email group when it's time for CO's to nominate their fellow teammates.

The SGB Management will nominate CO's for their promotions, again, if seen fit.

General Rule of thumb for promotions for Officers:

These are the ranking rules for this RPG. This is mainly so we don't have squad members outranking the 2IC, 2IC's that outrank the CO, or a squad full of Lieutenant Colonel's. Not a good thing. ^_^;; (Too many colonel's spoil the team?)

If your character is on a squad and has reached the rank of Captain (Lieutenant for Navy characters), in order to reach the rank of Major, your character can only reach the rank of Major if they are appointed to a 2IC position. 

If you're going to be away from your computer due to a family vacation, a huge term paper, health issues, whatever the case may be, please email the GM and your team CO and let us know!!! Your character will be placed on "LOA" until you return. This will also hold your account from being deleted due to inactivity.

Posting For Stargate Beta

Where Do I Post?

Send your posts through the Stargate Beta Email Group on Yahoo! The address is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stargate_BetaRPG

You have to be a member of the email group and a member of this RPG in order to post. :)

Posts MUST be more then a paragraph. Considering this is a PBEM, each post is a part of the story. Please make sure that your posts are at least several paragraphs in length.

The email list is for posts and ADMIN emails only. All OOC emails are to be posted to the Message Board: http://betagate.proboards41.com

How Often Do I Have To Post?

The minimum amount of posts is two posts per character. Every month, an ADMIN email will be sent through the listserv with the number of posts per character on every team.

If your character has not met the minimum during the month, you will receive a warning by your CO or an AGM. If two months have gone by and you have not met the minimum, you will receive a second warning by an AGM. If three months have gone by and you still have failed to meet the minimum posting requirements, your character will be removed from the game.

What Key Information Should I Include In the Post?

There's a few things we look for:

1.) Quality Posting

2.) Paying attention to the plots

3.) A title for the post. 

4.) Sign your character's name at the bottom. Examples:

Lt. Colonel Rhiannon Malloy, USAF

2IC Alpha Squad

Diplomat

Lt. Colonel Tyler McLean, USAF

Area 111

Chief Medical Officer

Carmen Josie Kelley

Kappa Squad

Aerospace Engineer

YES! There are two perfectly acceptable ways of posting for Stargate Beta. For Area 111, the following ways are preferred.:

Title ~ Attn: Squad

i.e.: Into The Fire ~ Attn: Alpha Squad

Squad: Title ~ Character

i.e.: Kappa Squad: Of Evil Twins and Ice Cream ~ Kelley & Lightfoot

If you haven't posted for your character in over three months and have not contacted the GM requesting LOA, the GM and AGMs assume that you are no longer interested in participating in the game. That being said, your character's bio will be removed from the website and you will be removed from the mailing list.

If you wish to continue playing after your character bio has been removed, please contact the GM. We allow players back to the game on a case by case format.

If that character belongs to another player, no.

The only character you are allowed to post for is your own. No one else's. While it's okay to have additional characters in your posts with dialogue, if you write anything long or extensive for characters that are not yours, drop the player responsible for that character an email asking their approval. This includes fellow teammates, characters on another squad, or base staff characters. If you're not sure who plays which character, all character rosters list who the player of each character is.

Any post that the SGB Management feels contains excessive writing for characters that do not belong to the player will be pulled from the mailing list, and an ADMIN email will go out asking all team members to ignore the previous post.

General Questions Concerning Stargate Beta

What's SGB's Cover Story?

The general cover story is that SGB Area 111 is a weather base. Course, it's really a top secret Stargate-like place. But since it's a top secret Stargate-like place, people that don't have the security clearance are told it's a weather base.

And just as a side note: Area 111 is CLASSIFIED. Unless outside characters have the necessary security clearance, you're not allowed to have your character tell them what they really do. Just use your head and it'll be okay.

Stargate Beta Command is a completely different program then that of the SGC. There is no General Hammond, SG-1, Dr. Fraiser or Walter.

 

For a complete list of characters, especially the command staff you can check out the "SGB Personnel" section. Here's a quick run-down of the essential and often mentioned personnel:

 

Brigadier General Jonathan "Jack" Elias, USAF = Base Commanding Officer

Captain Emmanuel "Manu" de Laforêt, USN = Base Second-in-Command

 

Again, for a complete list, please view the "SGB Personnel" section.

Do We Ever See Or Hear From the SGC? SG-1? Walter?

Not normally, no. Again, this is a completely separate program. There are references to Cheyenne Mountain and the SGC, but other then that, no. Sorry, SG-1 will not be doing a joint mission with your Squad anytime in the near future.

NO. Stargate Beta is a wholly independent PBEM RPG and it will remain that way until doomsday. We've gotten emails from people forming new Stargate SG-1 PBEM RPGs that want to merge and take over (when judging from their website [or lack there of] they have no experience whatsoever in PBEM RPGs), and emails from people running Star Trek PBEM RPGs that want to merge. (We're not even in the same universe!!) 

We are not interested in merging with another RPG at ALL. Please do not email us for we will not email you back in any which way, shape or form. Stargate Beta is the player's game, not the GM's. It's not fair for the players to up and convert to new rules and regulations. We've done good so far, we're gonna stay that way.

NO. See the previous question for your answer.

General Questions Concerning Avalon Colony

In the summer of 2004, Stargate Beta expanded and created the Stargate Beta: Avalon Colony. The colony is no different from Area 111... expect that it's located off-world, there's no underground base and is doesn't have nearly as much snow as Anchorage. The colony is a place for Earthlings to get their feet wet in space exploration. Avalon is a fully-functional base -- getting it's energy/electricity supply from solar power and back-up battery generators -- and is home to scientists and military personnel alike.

 

The planet, P4J-8282, is not located on the Abydos Cartouche and there is no indication that the Goa'uld System Lords know Avalon exists. We plan to keep it that way.

Here's a list of details/guidelines pertaining to the Avalon Colony:

History: Avalon Colony was built as a joint effort between Stargate Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Stargate Beta in Anchorage, Alaska. Avalon Colony took several years to build with parts of the colony still under construction. Personnel began moving to Avalon in the summer of 2004.

Planet: Avalon is located on P4J-8282, a world not located on the Abydos cartouche. The planet's conditions and weather are similar to that of Earth. The immediate area where Avalon is located is home to trees and Lake Viviane. The only wildlife in the immediate area are the fish in Lake Viviane, which the Zoology Department urges everyone to avoid.

Command Staff: Avalon Colony has a separate command staff that reports directly to Brigadier General Jack Elias. Avalon Colony is commanded by Colonel David King and Lt. Colonel Jennifer Marin. The command staff offices are located in the Camelot Building.

Contact With Earth: Avalon Colony tries to keep in constant contact with Earth. However, some communication tricks we use for granted are not exactly practical. Telephones work from building to building, however one cannot pick up a phone and dial Earth. (Cell phones are out of the question, as well.) Radio contact is the only way to send a message through. It is possible to send emails, provided the Stargate is active at the time. Due to the enormous amount of power (and money) it takes to open up the Stargate, the Area 111 activates the Stargate to Avalon for 38 minutes four times a day: 2400 hours (midnight), 0600 hours, 1200 hours, and 1800 hours. However, if there is an emergency or urgency, the Stargate can be opened for immediate contact.

Security: Unfortunately there is no "big honkin' weapon" to defend Avalon. The Stargate does have an iris and there are MP's that patrol the Stargate and the colony itself. Given that the Goa'uld System Lords do not know that Avalon or the planet exists, it gives Earth the advantage. Let's just hope it stays that way.

What's The Difference Between Avalon And Area 111?

There really is no significant difference other then the fact that Area 111 is located on Earth and Avalon is located on P4J-8282.

How Do I Join The Avalon Colony?

Avalon Colony has a separate application form. Go to the "Enlist" page, click on "Sign Up" then click on "Avalon Colony". See the character rules for more information.