It’s finally here: The 20th anniversary of the founding of this great club. Who knew back on July 4, 2001 that this group, launched with humble beginnings on Angelfire and YahooGroups, would not only still be around today, but standing among the titans of simming?
Independence Fleet has seen good times, bad times, and everything in between. Throughout it all, we’ve endured to create some of the best Star Trek role playing the Internet has ever witnessed. With that in mind, we have an important message from a very special guest:
In honor of this historic and momentous occasion, we hereby publish the Independence Fleet 20th Anniversary Almanac. It’s 20 pages of history, games, perspectives from the fleet, and more:
Whether you’ve been a member for one day or all 20 years, this legacy belongs to you! On behalf of the entire IDF Admiralty, we hope you thoroughly enjoy today’s message, almanac, and everything this fleet offers.
It is my great privilege to formally induct the newest members of the Independence Fleet Hall of Fame. For those who attended our 20th Anniversary Webcast yesterday, you got a sneak peak at the class of 2021. Induction into our Hall of Fame is the highest honor within this fleet. The criteria, requirements, and process can be found in the Hall of Fame Charter (pdf).
The following individuals are hereby inducted into the Independence Fleet Hall of Fame:
Inducted by Election:
Admiral Joseph “Stealth” Carroll
of the USS Washington
One of the most colorful characters in fleet history, Joseph “Stealth” Carroll has done it all. He joined the USS Washington during the fleet’s first month, then rose through the ranks and earned his first command on the USS Liberty, winning a posting title in his first month. He also served in numerous Admiralty roles up through 2020, most notably Fleet Inspector General. A contributor at every level, Carroll’s loyalty is unmatched.
Captain Wesley Chase
of the USS Avalon
A longtime Captain during IDF’s late renaissance period, Wesley Chase led many original adventures on his two commands, the USS Avalon and USS Archimedes, including during a three month stint as Commanding Officer of both. He knew how to push the boundaries while staying true to the best ideals of both Trek and simming. Chase tallied two posting titles and 2.33 Genesis awards.
Vice Admiral Caroline Marion
no sim selection
A member of the Admiralty through much of IDF’s history, from the late early years up through 2020, Caroline Marion is best known as the genius behind the fleet logos developed circa 2004-06. Building on earlier fleet emblems, the graphics received rave reviews from players and were highly influential on subsequent club artwork. Indeed, the theme and feel from Marion’s work remains today.
Fleet Admiral James D. West
of the USS Sunfire
One of the club’s three founders and instrumental throughout its history, James D. West has left an incalculable mark. He coined the Independence Fleet name, created the first bell & wings logo, and served as the first, third & sixth fleet Commanding Officer. He additionally created four sims and returned in 2020 when the fleet was teetering on collapse. Without West’s many contributions, we wouldn’t be celebrating today.
Fleet Admiral AJ Wheeler
no sim selection
The third and final individual to achieve the Fleet Admiral rank, AJ Wheeler was also the longest serving fleet Commanding Officer, a position held for more than nine years. While the fleet saw many ups and downs during Wheeler’s tenure, it was noted for its extreme growth and many contributions to the greater simming universe, including hosting and sponsoring major community events.
Inducted by the Veterans Committee:
Commander George Ruiken
of the USS Sunfire
A champion simmer from IDF’s late early period, George Ruiken was a go-to player who know how to push the plot forward and make it entertaining for all. He quickly rose through the ranks to Commander, and is still in the top 20 all-time with 6 total awards, including 2 MVPs and 2 Funniest Posts. Ruiken’s posts were always imaginative and provided many opportunities for others to get involved.
Congratulations to all six of our 2021 inductees! Well done, and thank you for providing an example for us still role playing to follow. You will forever be remembered for your extraordinary contributions to Independence Fleet. There are now 33 total members of this most exclusive club.
In a stunning coincidence, the three sims represented this year are the USS Sunfire (x2), USS Avalon, and USS Washington–identical to our original fleet line-up on July 4th, 2001.
Speaking of that, stay tuned for more news regarding our 20th anniversary today…
Wow, what a 20th Anniversary Webcast! It was so awesome that I think we have a new tradition here in this fleet. Our very own Admiral Ken Gillis hosted the event, where he introduced the Hall of Fame class of 2021 and awarded prizes to three people from among our monthly award winners. If you missed it, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the Hall of Fame inductees. However, I can give a quick recap of the prize drawing.
First, here are the prizes:
Next, the names of the monthly award winners were added to the big wheel. Players received a spot on the wheel for each award they won dating back to March 2020 (award fractions were rounded up):
Lieutenant J’goss Yass G’odoss, also of the USS Chuck Norris
and Chief Petty Officer Remal Kajun of the USS Sunfire
Congratulations to all three! And thank you again to Ken for hosting and putting this on. Bravo!
Please stay tuned for more anniversary news tomorrow…
EDIT: Due to our current embargo on shipping goods to Canada, Aurther Winters will instead be getting a Tim Hortons gift card as a consolation. Also, Remal Kajun has offered to donate his prize. As such, we drew two more winners: Lieutenant Dean House of the USS Sunfire & Lt. Cmdr. T’Ponga Shemara of the USS Montana. Enjoy the prizes!
Commander Jackson Andrews Executive Officer USS Albion
A prototypical XO, Andrews led his ship in posting and showed great leadership by nimbly playing off of the leads from other characters while simultaneously creating openings for others.
Most Posts
Lt. Chester “Duo” Maxwell Chief Security Officer USS Sunfire
For writing 13 posts.
Most Improved
Lt. Chester “Duo” Maxwell Chief Security Officer USS Sunfire
Returning to simming after a lengthy break, Maxwell rejoined the Sunfire and was a powerhouse all month. Initiating posts, working well with the existing crew, and being a general pleasure to role play with.
Rookie of the Month
Lieutenant JG Avarak Chief Science Officer USS Sunfire
Despite joining after the joint mission began, Avarak jumped straight into the fray, initiating several posts and participating in the ship-wide joints posts. A great first month!
Recruitment
No award this month. Get recruiting!
Another great month for our ships and the entire fleet. In other news, our 20th anniversary is just three days away! Also don’t forget to attend our special webcast on July 3rd. See you there!
On July 4th, 2021, Independence Fleet celebrates its 20th anniversary, having been founded on July 4th, 2001. In honor of this event, we will be holding a webcast in the fleet watch party voice channel of the fleet’s Discord server at 12:00 PM ET (-4) / 5:00 PM BST (+1) on July 3rd (in order to allow members to enjoy the holiday with their families).
We will honor our past by announcing the new members to be inducted into the IDF Hall of Fame, and there will also be prizes! Make sure to mark your calendars to tune in to our Discord server on July 3rd!
Admiral Ken Gillis Chief of Technology Independence Fleet
I hope everyone enjoyed SciWorld yesterday. It was an instant classic! Thank you to all who played a part in putting it on, including Aurther Winters, who was just awarded the Ongoing Worlds Community Honor for his efforts as Chair. Congratulations!
And now, on with the May monthly awards:
Best Post (Single Author)
Lt. Cmdr. Grexx Chief Engineering Officer USS Albion
A classic ensemble post that reads like a great sitcom episode! Hilarious!
Genesis
None this month.
MVP
Lt. Cmdr. Grexx Chief Engineering Officer USS Albion
The Chief Engineer joined the Albion after many years away from simming. He immediately integrated himself into the story, drove the plot forward, and worked well with the crew. It’s as if he never left!
Most Posts
Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell Computer Systems Specialist USS Liberty
Ensign Phoenix dove into the current mission and showed an eager willingness to advance the story, both for his own character and the greater storyline.
Rookie of the Month
None this month.
Recruitment
None this month.
Keep up the great work, everyone, but let’s make sure we have winners in all categories for June!
I love it! No one thinks about the mundane routine of a Starfleet officer and this one does that, with a lot of humor thrown in, along with a good plot hook. Well done!
Best Post (Joint Post)
Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & CPO Remal Kajun CO / C USS Liberty
Just what a genesis post should be: Short, with lots of open ended things happening. This is what gets the creative writing juices flowing.
MVP
Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen Executive Officer USS Liberty
The XO came up big again: developed our new mission, helped write the Genesis post, and continued to guide and steer the rest of the crew toward our desired outcomes. He is a continued credit to the ship & fleet.
Most Posts
Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell Computer Systems Specialist USS Liberty
For writing 27 posts.
Most Improved
Lt. Dean House Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer USS Liberty
Lt. House moved the storyline along quite well and also started a joint post to bring the crew together for some well needed off duty action–nicely done!
Major Ross jumped straight into the fray, getting involved with the current mission and establishing connections with the existing characters. He has already made a great impact on the Liberty in less than a month.
We’re less than two months away from our 20th Anniversary this summer on July 4th. As part of the ongoing celebrations this year, we held a 20th Anniversary Trivia Day this past Saturday. In addition to giving away six “fantastic” prizes to our winners, we were able to cap the evening off with a Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan watch party. For those who were unable to attend, here’s the summary:
Prizes
Description (estimated retail value)
Independence Fleet mug ($15)
Micro Machines Star Trek Generations set ($16)
A Happy Birthday message from John de Lancie ($150)
Star Trek TOS VHS signed by IDF co-founder James D. West ($0.99)
Star Trek TNG Badge & Lapel set ($17)
Spock Vehicle Decal ($25)
Results
Aurther Winters won Star Trek: TOS Season 1 and selected the IDF mug
Galaxis won Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and selected the John de Lancie birthday message
Aurther Winters won Star Trek Round Robin and selected the Badge & Lapel set
LuckyFan won Doctor Who and stole the Badge & Lapel set; Aurther Winters selected the signed VHS tape
NisaMage won Supernatural and selected the Spock Vehicle decal
NisaMage won Star Wars Original Trilogy and selected the Micro Machines set
Beyond the prizes above, we will also be sending a small token to each person who correctly answered at least one question at any point during the day. Finally, we thank our event hosts for helping make it a truly special occasion: Shran dh’Klar, Trident, Angelus, Emmalyn Marcus, and yours truly.
All-in-all, it was a fantastic experience. Thank you again to all who were able to take part.
9/9/2022 CORRECTION: Aurther Winters actually stole the mug from himself, and then selected the Badge & Lapel set.
In honor of our club’s 20th anniversary later this summer, we’re hosting a day of trivia in our fleet Discord’s general discussion chat room on May 8th. All are invited to partake: current members, former members, and non-members.
We have six one-hour sessions on a variety of Star Trek and science fiction topics planned. Feel free to pop in and out for the ones that most interest you.
Schedule of Events
EDT (-4)
BST (+1)
Topic
Host
10:00 am
3:00 pm
Star Trek: TOS Season 1
Charles Star
11:00 am
4:00 pm
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Shran dh’Klar
12:00 pm
5:00 pm
Star Trek Round-Robin
You!
1:00 pm
6:00 pm
Doctor Who
Trident
2:00 pm
7:00 pm
Supernatural
Angelus
3:00 pm
8:00 pm
Star Wars Original Trilogy
Marcus
Prizes!
Yes, prizes! We have six fantastic prizes to distribute to the six trivia winners. Here’s how it’ll work: The winner of the first event will get to pick one of the six prizes below. The next winner can then choose to take one of the remaining five prizes or to steal the first prize selected. Same thing for the next winner, all the way down to the final winner, who will have their pick of the entire lot. Anytime someone has their prize stolen, they have to take one of the unselected prizes–no back-to-back steals. You might recognize these rules as similar to a white elephant gift routine. And you’re right!
Image
Prize
Retail Value
Independence Fleet mug
$15
Micro Machines Star Trek Generations set
$16
A Happy Birthday message from John de Lancie to you or a friend Must be used within 1 year
$150
Star Trek TOS S1E17: The Squire of Gothos VHS tape signed by IDF co-founder James D. West Not guaranteed to work
$0.99
Star Trek TNG Badge & Lapel set
$17
Spock Vehicle Decal
$25
Watch Party!
Finally, please also join us after trivia at 8 pm Eastern in Discord for a watch party of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Great opening, and lots of directions to take this!
MVP
Lt.jg. Awal Kronnelti Assistant Security/Tactical Officer USS Chuck Norris
Lt.jg. Kronnelti was consistently excellent all month, coordinating joint posts, keeping the story moving, and leading the way in wrapping up our last mission. He nailed it!
Most Posts
Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell Computer Systems Specialist USS Liberty
Coming off his rookie month, Lt.jg. Zyngh took his writing and role playing to the next level, showing improved coordination with others and introducing several curveballs in the plot.
Joining mid-month, Lt.jg. McCloud is already simming like a veteran… it’s as is he’s been role playing for years!
Recruitment
None this month!
In other news, Captain Emmalyn Marcus assumed command of the USS Montana from Captain RS Harrison on April 1st. A special thanks to Captain Harrison for helping us get this sim off the ground, and best of of luck to Captain Marcus as she guides the ship to new heights! Marcus was the Montana’s XO prior to becoming CO.
