Today, we’re pleased to bring you the second column of Commander Toni Turner’s “Life in Starfleet” project. The entire column can be found after the jump, and the original published article can be found here. Life in Starfleet
by Toni Turner
“Withstanding the Ravages of Time”
From the sheer number of Star Trek related PBEM RPGs online, it makes one wonder how they are surviving the more modern interactive games. The answer to that lays with those who play them – writers and fans who find great pleasure in expanding their craft through exposure to other styles of writing, or playing offshoots of their favorite Star Trek characters. These are the people who have stood the ravages of time for the sheer joy of keeping Star Trek in its raw written form alive. Why? They simply have a great affection and loyalty to those space traveling characters created by Gene Roddenberry, and want to take part in the beloved stories by adding to the continuing saga with non cannon characters and species of their own creation.
Most PBEM RPG owners have left nothing to chance, incorporating every facet of the Star Trek Universe to give the experience as much realism as possible. From a sophisticated Academy to guide the novice writer to the finer points of Star Trek and writing as a group, to a well-organized command network with bylaws and a Constitution, these groups attract people from all over the World, hoping to one day captain their own ship, or journey through the stars using their own imaginations. It