+help ships
Obtaining A Ship
+help ships
For players who do not own a ship:
On Serenity MUSH there are four ways to obtain a ship if you don't already have one. None of them are easy; each requires time (or luck) and a significant investment in RP.
First, you can join a crew and work your way through the ranks to Second in Command (aka First Mate or XO). Then, when the old Captain passes the ship on (or idles out) you'll likely gain Captaincy.
Second, you can save your credits (or secure a loan from another player) and attempt to buy a ship from another player. This is relatively infrequent, but it happens. (Note: Ships cannot be bought out of the Bone Yard, you must buy it from another player.)
Third, we occasionally give out small non-cargo ships (Hummingbird for example) at RP events via raffle. Players who have won ships this way in the past have received generous offers from players that wish to buy them, but it's up to you if you want to sell it or keep it to zip around the 'Verse in.
Finally, there is the Ship Lottery. Ship Lotteries do not happen at regular intervals. Staff decides when they feel there is room to grow a new org on the game. They are also not lotteries in the traditional sense; they're very competitive and there's more involved than just throwing your name in a hat. Once the lottery is posted to the in-game Announcements board (#1), applicants have roughly ten days (the exact timeframe will be specified in the post) to gather the information and people required to apply and submit an application. (See: Rules of the Lottery, below.)
It's important to note that the people you recruit for your ship must stay with your ship for a reasonable amount of time. If you pull people onto the game -just- for the lottery and those people then leave the game a week or two later, your ship will be reclaimed and given to someone else. In other words, no rigging the Lottery with false (or otherwise temporary) crew members just to win. It will backfire on you.
We as staff will try to encourage those who have succeeded in the Ship Lottery, whoever they may be, to see if any of the other applicants would possibly be willing to join the winning crew. However, as the winning applicant, you have the power to hire or turn away any member of the other crew applications. Remember that by hiring on other applicants, this can help you as a new org with a new crew to grow. It also helps those whose applications failed to get onto a new ship.
+help ships2
For players who already own a ship:
Players who own ships can request an upgrade (or downgrade) at any time. To see what ships are available, you can visit the Bone Yard on Boros. Each request is reviewed on a case by case basis and we try to make a fair trade each time. This may mean a financial transaction, trade-in of multiple ships, accounting for the value of upgrades on the trade-in ship and anything else staff feels is relevant.
Players who own ships also have the option of purchasing a second ship if they have the cash, however this must be an IC transaction between players. You may not buy a ship from the Bone Yard.
If your ship goes idle, either because you are no longer playing or because you are logging in but not participating in RP or managing your ship/org, it may be removed from play or reassigned. Therefore, if you know you are going to be pulled away from the game for a while make arrangements to leave your ship in capable hands in the meantime and notify staff so we know what's going on.
If you are on a ship whose Captain has gone idle (and there is no active secondary org leader):
At the 30 day mark you may request to be made a secondary org leader so that you can keep the org running. If your request is approved, you are expected to manage the org as best you can including hiring/firing crew (as needed), running cargo (if applicable) and generally contributing to the welfare of the org and RP on the game in general. We prefer that whoever is the most senior active officer on board the ship do this.
At the 90 day mark, you may request to assume ownership/Captaincy of the ship. This is not something we do lightly, and you must have demonstrated the willingness and ability to manage the org before we will permit a full transfer of ownership.
Exceptions:
- As with all policies, there may be occasional exceptions to the rule. If you feel that you have a good case for an exception, you can @mail Mal to make your case. Be patient, it may take a while to get an answer.
- Ships owned by staff characters or NPCs are not subject to the 'idle Captain' rule. If you find yourself on a staff-run ship whose leadership has gone inactive your best bet is to contact that staff member and ask about becoming an org leader or find another crew.
Rules of the Lottery
+help ship lottery
1: When the Lottery is started, a post will be made, on BBOARD ONE, General Announcements, to that effect.
2: Get together 5-10 people.
3: Write up your application. This will include the following:
- A: A list of all player names, and what position they will be providing in the crew. (Pilot, Medic, XO, CO Owner, Security, Maintenance, etc.)
- B: Ship/Crew goal: What is the ship's goal going to be? Gaining profit? (Black Market Ops? Merc Combat Ops? Traveling medicine? Traveling entertainment? Etc.)
- C: How welcoming will your crew be to outsiders?
4: Do NOT bug any Serenity Staff about who is currently 'winning'. This will only make you less likely to win.
5: The person submitting the application will be the one applying for Captaincy of the new ship. As such, the person who submits the application will be the person contacted regarding questions, or if they win.
6: A post will be made once the winning application has been chosen and the Lottery is over. Again, do NOT page staff to try and find out if your crew is winning.
Captain Input
Here is where you, as the Captains of Serenity, OLD and NEW, are more than welcome to add in your two cents. How you got your ships. The kind of things you included in your Apps if you gained your ship through a Lottery. Some of your experiences as a Ship Captain.
Please don't erase or change anybody else's comments to this page.
