Monthly Awards: February 2022

With month two of 2022 in the books, let’s present our February awards:

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Aiko Kato
Flight Control Officer
USS Washington

For “Alpha Shift”

I love this post! It’s simple, just a crewmember getting ready for her shift, but the detail about sharing a bunk and all that goes into getting ready for a shift on the bridge is compelling. Well done!


Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Shran dh’Klar & Lt. Deanna Celes & Cmdr. Samantha Howard & Lt. Shoniara T’ghann Dex & Lt. Callie Raven-Grayson & Lt. Seth Travis & Petty Officer 1st Class Amethyst Reece
CO / OO / CMO / ACMO / CC / CDO / CA
USS Washington

For “The Stuff of Dreams”

This was a really tough choice as there were three absolutely outstanding nominations. However, this one rose to the top due to its unique writing style of switching back and forth between Dex’s dream and the happenings in Sickbay. The incredible descriptive detail of Dex’s visions made me feel like I was actually there.


Funniest Post

Lieutenant Aurora Vali & Lieutenant Niali Korial
Chief Counselor / Chief Medical Officer
USS Sunfire

For “Apologies”

Awkward, right down to the OOC argument at the end!


Genesis

Captain Dick Sprague
Commanding Officer
USS Albion

For “The Good Ole’ Boys”

This one could have been nominated for funniest post! However, it lays out the mission parameters just fine and really gets the crew going. Well done!


MVP

Lieutenant Rania Bhatti
Chief Counselor
USS Wayfarer

Since coming aboard Lt Bhatti has consistent produced top notch quality writing in all of her posts. Her creativity has been a boon of inspiration for the rest of the crew as well.


Most Posts

Lieutenant Shoniara T’ghann Dex
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

For writing 11 posts.


Most Improved

Lieutenant Callie Raven-Grayson
Chief Counselor
USS Washington

The Washington’s Counselor has done remarkable work for her own character development as well as creating opportunities for her crewmates.


Rookie of the Month

2nd Lieutenant Emily Janeway
Marine
USS Albion

The Albion’s newest Marine hit the ground running in her first ever month of simming with 3 posts, each one better than the one before, she’s really getting the swing of things.


Recruitment

None this month.


Thanks again for the great simming last month!

Awards Time: 2022

It’s been 20 months since we last presented individual major awards. In that time, our fleet has seen a lot of growth and set the bar high in a number of areas. It’s also been just over two years since we launched our new website and URL. Bottom line, it’s high time to recognize a few of the individuals who helped make all of this happen.

I’m also very proud to announce the creation of the Special Commendation Medal, which will be awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the crewmember level. With that in mind, I hereby issue the following seven citations:

The Special Commendation Medal is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the crewmember level.

Special Commendation Medal

Awarded to Lieutenant Aurora Vali of the USS Sunfire for outstanding role playing. She is the epitome of the quiet, reliable, and drama free achiever. A true team player, she is considerate of others, puts forth great ideas to the command, and introduces excellent plot twists for others to use–she does all the little things that others often don’t see.

Awarded to Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell of the USS Sunfire for outstanding writing. A role playing force of nature, she’s already second all-time with 20.43 total awards and one of the greatest simmers in IDF’s history. Durnell continues to produce posts of such high quality that one could mistake them for production level Trek.

Awarded to Commander Jonathan Grayson of the USS Washington for outstanding role playing leadership. He’s been the Executive Officer of the Washington for several years now, understanding the nuances of the Captain’s guidance and balancing it with a great pulse on the crew. He’s an excellent mentor, coordinator, and writer to boot.

The Command Excellence Medal is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the sim Commanding Officer level.

Command Excellence Medal

Awarded to Captain Dick Sprague for commanding 10 different IDF sims, including the USS Chuck Norris and USS Albion. Sprague not only holds the record for most commands, but also the most Genesis Awards (11). In addition, he ranks third all-time among sim COs for total posts (3,198). A thoroughly unconventional CO, his sims are always unique.

Awarded to Captain Rhenora Kaylen for commanding the USS Sunfire and USS Liberty. Arguably the greatest sim Commanding Officer in IDF history, her outstanding games have garnered community wide recognition, including the 2010 Simming Prize. Incredibly, she also ranks first all-time among COs in both total posts (8,195) and posting titles (39).

The Distinguished Service Medal is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the Admiralty level.

Distinguished Service Medal

Awarded to Rear Admiral James “Rook” Mirtoh for serving as Director of Personnel from February 2020 through today. He has efficiently ensured that IDF regularly recognizes its crewmembers for their excellence in role playing, a feature not seen in many other fleets. He is always fair and his efforts showcase the best IDF has to offer.

Awarded to Admiral Ken Gillis for serving as Chief of Technology and Fleet Executive Officer from July 2020 through today. Not only does he expertly manage the fleet’s entire technology stack, but his wisdom and guidance in other areas of fleet operations have proven invaluable. He is the best fleet XO in simming, hands down.

Monthly Awards: January 2022

I apologize for the delay on getting the January awards out. I promise it was Admiral Star’s fault! Regardless, here are your January winners.

Admiral Star edit: Unfortunately, that’s true.

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For “Can you see me daddy?”

Wow! A fantastic piece of writing! It kept me super engaged and was emotionally fulfilling to boot. Well done!


Best Post (Joint Post)

Captain Akeno Misaki & Lieutenant Ileah & Lieutenant Raelyn Mckenzie & Lieutenant JG Torvin Anor
CO / Yeoman / CSTO / CEO
USS Wayfarer

For “Junior Emerges”

A very nice post with tense writing with a pleasing cliffhanger. Well done again!


Funniest Post

Ensign Laurel Zatara
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Albion

For “Get out of there! Get out!”

Not a laugh out loud post, but funny given the context.


Genesis

Captain Shran dh’Klar
Commanding Officer
USS Washington

For “A Needed Rest”

You don’t see a lot of detailed posts like this kicking off shore leave. I like it!


MVP

Ensign Laurel Zatara
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Albion

Ens. Zatara joined during January and immediately finished second on the ship in posting. Even better than that, her posts were always excellent, driving the plot forward while giving other players a chance to get in on the action, and best of all, they were usually pretty funny–which is par for the course on the Albion.


Most Posts

Lieutenant Shoniara T’ghann Dex
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

For writing 25 posts.


Most Improved

Lieutenant JG Torvin Anor
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Wayfarer

Lt. jg. Torvin joined the Wayfarer as an engineering officer and was initially mainly in the background. However, after the recent mission he really stepped up and into place of a CEO both in and out of character. He is a pleasure to write with.


Rookie of the Month

None this month.


Recruitment

None this month.


Thanks for a great start to 2022. Keep the excellent posting coming!

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Much is being made about today. After all, it is 2-22-22. Or 22-2-22, depending on where you’re from. To top it all, it’s even a Tuesday! If you’ve been around IDF long enough, you know we also like neat dates. Here are just a few that come to mind:

  • The previous USS Sunfire launched on 10/10/10
  • The second USS Pioneer launched on 2/14/11 (Valentine’s Day): The original Pioneer was known as “The Love Boat” due to its relationship centered posts & stories
  • The USS Chuck Norris launched on 1/2/12
  • IDF’s new website launched on 2/29/20 (who doesn’t like a Leap Day?)

Some of our current games were launched on dates to honor prior games

  • The USS Sunfire in July 2020 to honor IDF’s 7/4/2001
  • The USS Liberty in August 2020 to honor the original USS Liberty’s 8/1/2001
  • The USS Albion on 2/16/2021 to honor the original Utopia Fleet USS Sunfire’s 2/16/2000

My Favorite Trek: Dean House

In our continued series of My Favorite Trek, I have had the delight of interviewing Dean House of the USS Sunfire. Let’s have a look at the starship Sunfire’s Chief Tactical Officer, currently Acting Executive Officer.

Name: Dean House (aka Angelus)
Rank: Commander
Sim: USS Sunfire
Position: Chief Tactical Officer
Other Characters: N/A

Favorite Star Trek episode? “Lower Decks” Star Trek: The Next Generation. Season 7, Episode 15
Why? It’s something that always hit just right. We always know, any of the shows have the main characters and most of the time show cases them. Even though there’s always extras. However, that episode was something that was needed. While the ending was definitely sad. The writing as excellent. Show casing what the ones that actually keep things going do. Their internal struggles, their insecurities. What they want to strive to be. It was a hard choice between this one or “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” but “Lower Decks” wins hands down.
Favorite Star Trek series? Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Why? While I was introduced to TOS in syndicate by my mother, and grandmother. TNG was really more of what I came into when I was a little older and it definitely helped me to work through awkwardness in middle school. Associating more with Wesley Crusher than the other characters. Or maybe Data a little. I’m aware that he gets a bad rap but that’s not really the characters fault really.
Favorite Star Trek film? Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Why? There’s a lot of controversy over this one. It doesn’t have the greatest writing. The directing was okay. Nothing to write home about. The best thing about it I look at is its underlying message trying to be relayed. Or at least in my opinion. It’s not about Sybok trying to find Sha’kar’ri(or God.) I mean yes, that’s part of the plot. I always have believed it’s all about family. The relationships, the turmoil that they’ve all endured. Life, death, life. How through no matter what, they are always a family and always will be. Family isn’t about blood. Even when Bones always gets mad at Spock and says “You green blooded…in human…(enter explicative here.) We don’t choose our family; we are brought together. That’s the real premise of the movie. In my opinion.
Favorite Star Trek Captain? Always and will always be Kirk.

  • What year did you start simming? 1995.
  • What sim was it? USS Cortez, Email based in UCIP.
  • What keeps you simming today? Stories, the people, the relationships formed between strangers with a common love for a genre. Seeing what else people come up with.
  • Favorite non-simming hobby? [I]Have to go with Video Games. Though I’d love to get back into modeling (plastic ships and the like.)
  • Favorite non-Trek series? Supernatural.
  • Favorite non-Trek film? I have to go with Evolution (2001, David Duchovny) because it was the last movie that I got to go to an actual theatre to with my grandmother and she absolutely loved it, and so do I.
  • Favorite book (fiction or non)? Both fiction and non-fiction.
  • Favorite video game? [The] Final Fantasy Series and Resident Evil Series
  • Favorite musician or band? Non-committal.
  • Favorite superhero? Superman.
  • If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Telepathy.
  • Favorite sport? [I’m] not big into sports, but I guess….Hockey.
  • Favorite team? The Dallas Cowboys.
  • Favorite food? My Deanwiches.
  • Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi.
  • Lennon or McCartney? [I] Don’t particularly care either way
  • Favorite James Bond actor? Sir Sean Connery.
  • Star Trek or Star Wars? Both, for different reasons. Star Trek has more of the base of equality and what this world, universe should be. While Star Wars has lightsabers and I love flying and space combat (lol).

Rank the Trek TV shows from best to worst. TNG / TOS / ENT / DSN / VOY / PIC / DSC
Rank the Trek movies from best to worst. TFF / TWOK / TVH / TUC / TSFS / FC / G / N / I / TMP / ST (2009) / ID / B
Was this too many questions? No.

Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to get to know you better. We now have a nice insight into the sort of Star Trek that you like. Good luck and safe voyages with the USS Sunfire.

Monthly Awards: December 2021

Happy new year! As we close out 2021, I think of all the many great things that happened in this fleet over the last 12 months. There’s not enough room here for it all! But we do have room for our final batch of 2021 award winners…

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Aiko Kato
Flight Control Officer
USS Washington

For “Puzzle Pieces”

Lt. Kato wins for an incredible third month in a row with an excellent character introspective that distills information into direction for the rest of the crew. Well done!

Best Post (Joint Post)

 Lt. Callie Raven-Grayson & Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Lt. Shoniara T’ghann Dex
CC / XO / ACMO
USS Washington

For “Late night visitor”

A gripping read with Callie under mind control, but trying desperately to break free. Excellent!


Funniest Post

 Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Shoniara T’ghann Dex
CMO / ACMO
USS Washington

For “The Morning After the Night Before”

Oh boy, things got complicated!


Genesis

None this month.


MVP

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

Cmdr. Ramthorne returns to action! She’s a brilliant writer and an incredible asset to the ship and fleet, always willing to lend a hand or an ear to whoever needs it.


Most Posts

Lieutenant Shoniara T’ghann Dex
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

For writing 22 posts.


Most Improved

Lieutenant Brakon Ryal
Executive Officer
USS Eminence

Lt. Ryal really stepped up his game, driving the story forward and helping organize posts.


Rookie of the Month

Ensign Zack Ravencroft
Security Officer
USS Washington

The W’s new security officer jumped aboard with phasers blazing. He showed an ability to adapt quickly and push the story forward, all while developing his own character and working with others.


Recruitment

 Lt. Callie Raven-Grayson
Chief Counselor
USS Washington

For recruiting a new player who was immediately able to jump into the game and is already simming like a veteran. Recruitment is the key to success!


Congratulations to our December award winners. Here’s to many more great things in 2022!

Monthly Awards: November 2021

On this Christmas Eve, in addition to presenting our November awards, we wish everyone a festivus holiday season and a happy new year!

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Aiko Kato
Flight Control Officer
USS Washington

For “Unintended Consequences Part 3”

Lt. Kato wins for the second month in a row with a cool post about what it’s like to have extra sensory perceptions. Well done!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & Cmdr. Finchley Kerr & Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lt. Thriss Kla’ren & Lt. Dean House & Lt. Aurora Vali & Lt. JG Avarak & Harper McGinnis
CSS / CO / CSOO / XO / CEO / CTO / CC / CSO / Chef
USS Sunfire

For “Moving Out”

I’m a sucker for a well written bridge scene. This post does it right.


Funniest Post

Lieutenant Dean House
Chief Tactical Officer
USS Sunfire

For “Not Everything is Black and White”

Fun and heartwarming, with a little humor thrown in.


Genesis

 Captain Shran dh’Klar
Commanding Officer
USS Washington

For “Righting Wrongs”

Gets the story going and leaves many openings for other players to take the story in different directions, everything a Genesis post should be.


MVP

Lieutenant Callie Raven-Grayson
Chief Counselor
USS Washington

The Washington’s Counselor has really came into her own, crafting in-depth posts that moved the story, included much of the crew, and created lots of personal development for both herself and others.


Most Posts

Lieutenant Shoniara T’ghann Dex
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

For writing 13 posts.


Most Improved

Commander Finchley Kerr
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
USS Sunfire

Finchley stepped up big by driving the plot forward, offering many valuable suggestions, and creating opportunities to engage the rest of the crew.


Rookie of the Month

None this month.


Recruitment

None this month.


Congratulations to our award winners. I’ll see you again in 2022!

Monthly Awards: October 2021

Awards time, October style!

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Aiko Kato
Flight Control Officer
USS Washington

For “Through the Looking Glass of Time”

Very well written bit of backstory, with a great perspective established in the “Previously On” section.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Lt. Cmdr. Trevor Andrews & Capt. John Wells & Cmdr. Yadira Tristan House Kilrah & Lt. Cmdr. Timber Wolf & Lt. Nerex & Lt. JG Hank Solomon & MCPO Alake Van Der Luan
ACEO / CO / CEO / XO / FCC / CSO / MaA
USS Eminence

For “The Lionheart (Part One)”

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good old fashioned time travel post, and this one didn’t disappoint. Great character interactions, and the authors didn’t skip over the gravity of someone discovering they’re out of tine. Kudos also for the transporter room scene. Well done!


Funniest Post

Lt. Sheeraashaa Genno
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Albion

For “Steady as She Goes”

LOL. I can almost hear the funny light music in the background on this one. Very Orville-esque. Love it!


Genesis

Captain Dick Sprague
Commanding Officer
USS Albion

For “Consult the Anomaly”

As is typical for the Albion, the odd title is indicative of the goofy mission to follow, with plenty of opportunities to be taken in many directions.


MVP

Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

What more can I say about this powerhouse simmer? A rock-solid team-first player and sounding bound for the Captain, there’s nothing Durnell can’t and doesn’t do.


Most Posts

Lieutenant Callie Raven-Grayson
Chief Counselor
USS Washington

For writing 8 posts.


Most Improved

Harper McGinnis
Chef
USS Sunfire

The Sunfire’s new Chef joined in October, showed exceptional improvement over the course of the month, and blended in nicely with the experienced crew.


Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant Callie Raven-Grayson
Chief Counselor
USS Washington

The Washington’s new Counselor immediately brought excitement and creativity to the sim, and has been a joy to the rest of the crew.


Recruitment

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For recruiting a new player who turned out to be a game changer.


Congratulations to everyone who took home hardware this month. I’ll see you in November!

Monthly Awards: September 2021

Congratulations to all of our award winners for September:

Best Post (Single Author)

Commander Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen
Executive Officer
USS Sunfire

For “Through The Looking Glass”

Some feel a vision from the prophets is a tired old hat, but this was nicely written an left me wanting more. Great work!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Cmdr. Samantha Howard & Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Lt. Aiko Kato & Ens. James Phoenix
CMO / XO / FCO / TO
USS Washington

For “To Go Forth….Again”

Good writing from a team that is used to working together getting it done. Not all Trek posts need action sequences to be good, and this one hits the mark with the threat of violence without actually getting into it. Had me on the edge of my seat!


Funniest Post

Commander Jackson Andrews
Executive Officer
USS Albion

For “Back on the Command Track, Well Sorta Pt.1”

Lol, he was made a Yeoman? So awesome.


Genesis

Lieutenant JG Djon Zyngh & Captain Aurther Winters
CSO / CO
USS Chuck Norris

For “Death’s Triangle”

Nice intro and good tags all around on this one. Well done!


MVP

Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

What a player! From creating well crafted posts to encouraging engaging joint efforts, Durnell also acts as the Captain’s counsel to bounce suggestions and ideas off of.


Most Posts

Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For writing 15 posts.


Most Improved

Lieutenant Aiko Kato
Flight Control Officer
USS Washington

The Washington’s young pilot really worked to get involved with the crew and to become more integrated, creating some excellent contributions along the way.


Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant Trevor Andrews
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Eminence

Don’t let the rank fool you, Andrews arrived on the Eminence and hit the ground running. A great addition to the sim!


Recruitment

None this month. Get recruiting!


It’s been a while since we’ve had 5 sims represented within the awards in a single month, well done! Keep all the great posts coming, and maybe we’ll see a few more next month.

October News Updates

Three quick news items for everyone:

  • Rear Admiral Bolak has resigned his position as IDF’s Director of Media due to time constraints. His last official day will be October 31st. I would like to personally thank Bolak for all of his hard work and the many contributions he has made to the fleet, especially the My Favorite Trek and Captain’s Chair interviews.
  • This year’s Simming Fall Festival will happen on November 13th. It will be hosted by our friends over at 5th Fleet. As always, we look forward to supporting 5th Fleet and engaging with the rest of the simming community at FallFest.
  • As everyone knows, we celebrated our 20th Anniversary earlier this year. What you might not know is that several other fleets also marked significant anniversary milestones in 2021. You can read more about a few of them over on the Ongoing Worlds Blog. Speaking of milestones, yesterday was the 11-year anniversary of the launch of the award-winning USS Sunfire-D.