Where Do Missions Come From?
When a mommy mission and a daddy mission love each other very much…
This is a question that comes up pretty frequently and I sometimes see differing interpretations, so hopefully this will help avoid confusion and give everyone some common ground.
A “mission” in this context is both OOCly an RP prompt and ICly an assignment to go do something. I am talking about the justification behind most Starfleet-style RP events. Not every event will have a mission attached (e.g. social events, or events that start with a surprise to the characters involved), but a very common format is:
“USS Whatever is assigned to go Do ScienceTM on Planet X”.
The question that sometimes needs answering is: who told our characters to go do that? This may seem simple, but as the mission in question becomes more complex, the answer becomes more important.
Below you’ll find a few scenarios broken down by where the OOC idea for a mission came from originally, with some guidance on how to handle each.
From You
A very common situation is a player saying, “I want my character to go do xyz”. This section assumes that YOU have an idea for a mission that involves your own character (with or without others).
As long as your idea does not require approval (see constraint cases in the Argo Character and Story Policy), you have two basic options:
Option 1: Just do it! Assume Fleet Command approved off-screen.
If you have A Plan for a mission, you can (and SHOULD) simply assume that the plan either came from or was approved by Fleet Command off-screen beforehand.
This has some huge benefits. You do not need to schedule meetings or engage in bureaucracy before getting to the mission/event/RP you want to do. You do not need to provide background info to players/characters who will not be directly involved in the mission. You do not run the risk of your mission/event/RP being delayed or rejected.
Your character (or whatever character is ICly in charge of the mission) can simply show up at the appointed time and say “this is the mission.” Whatever other characters or ships or resources are involved should simply say that they were ordered to participate by Fleet Command. Everyone has a built-in reason for being there, and no further justification is required.
THIS IS THE DEFAULT ASSUMPTION. If you don’t specify where a mission came from everyone will assume that it came from Fleet Command.
There is one big caveat to this: When using this assumption, it is generally NOT a good idea to ICly approach Fleet Command characters to discuss the plan that they are assumed to have approved. You do not need (and should not try to get) them to rubber-stamp it on-screen. This would put those players in the position of having less information than their characters AND railroad them into having to provide you with responses that allow you to continue as planned. If you NEED to have this kind of discussion for some reason, please have an OOC conversation with Staff beforehand.
Option 2: Present a plan & incorporate feedback.
If you have the time and want to go through the bureaucracy of having your character come up with a mission plan and present it for approval, that is always an option. I recommend writing it up on the forums and sending it as an IC comm message to @38th.Command. If you’d prefer to have your character discuss it with Command ICly first, that’s fine too, but at the end of that meeting they will most likely ask you to put the plan in writing anyway.
The trick with this option is that you don’t know/can’t dictate in advance how your plan is going to be received. Once you put it into RP, you have to be willing to accept that things are going to change. Command may reject the plan outright (we try not to, but sometimes it happens!), or give major feedback (that you are then obligated to incorporate). Other characters may get involved for further review. The expected participants of the mission may change. The list of possibilities is endless and you should be prepared for some uncertainty.
The other big factor is time. All of the RP generated by bringing a plan to Command takes time, and you’re stuck waiting for the resolution before you can actually go out and do your mission. If you have a strict timeline (ie. “My event is Saturday at beta”) this is the wrong option for you, because we cannot guarantee that things will be ready in time.
That said, if you are willing to accept the delay and uncertain outcome, working with Command (and inevitably others involved) to come up with a mission plan can be an incredibly rewarding collaborative RP experience.
From a GM
If you have a GM running a mission for your character there is only one answer: they will tell you where the orders came from. If it’s not clear, ask them!
If you ARE a GM running a mission that does not involve your own character, keep reading!
Once again, the default assumption is that missions are handed down by Fleet Command. Scroll up and read Option 1: Just do it! Assume Fleet Command approved off-screen. for more info on the concept.
You can usually formalize that assumption pretty painlessly. In your mission brief, or your first GM-post, including some wording such as “Today’s mission is…” or “Command has sent USS Whatever…” cements the idea that whatever your players are doing, they are doing because they were sent to do that by Command. It takes the burden off their shoulders entirely, which is usually a good thing.
If you are having an on-screen mission briefing, simply let the player of the briefing character know where their info came from. If you are feeling enterprising or you’re running a big-impact plot, Fleet Command players may be willing to attend the briefing and provide the info to your participants if you contact them in advance (and if scheduling allows).
If you want your participants to come up with a plan on their own you need to be explicit and upfront about this. You need to be sure to tell them whether they’re providing the plan to OOCly to YOU (which you then use assuming command approval), or to Command. If you have the players present their plan to Command, then you should read Option 2: Present a plan & incorporate feedback. above and, ideally, you should chat with Command and/or Staff so that we’re ready for what’s coming our way.
If using an NPC to provide info to your participants the easiest thing to do is have the NPC be within the fleet’s chain of command. It should not be some random Admiral or intelligence officer or someone from Starfleet HQ. The same assumption applies - the orders for the mission came from Fleet Command. Your NPC is just providing the info. More on this below.
More on External Authorities
Sometimes players will invent Admirals or intelligence officers or government entities to provide orders to start a mission. I understand the appeal: it’s convenient to be able to have some other authority infodump without needing to involve players who aren’t participating in a plot/event.
This brings us a ton of headaches. From an IC standpoint, none of those invented authorities are actually allowed to order Argo characters/assets to do anything. They’d need to go through Fleet Command anyway (which removes any convenience factor). OOCly, it obliterates both accountability and the potential for the plot to affect the rest of the fleet.
If you absolutely must have the mission originate with an external authority my recommendation is to open a ticket and make your case. If we agree that it’s best coming from outside the fleet for whatever reason, we can have command receive a request from that authority and provide appropriate orders to make it work.
From Fleet Command
Sometimes, especially during fleet-wide story arcs, your character will be assigned a mission by Fleet Command. This is easy. Obviously, the mission came from whoever gave it to you ICly! If you have any questions about a mission that comes about this way, reach out to the player that assigned it or pop open a ticket and talk to Staff.