Priority Mission
This is an OOC article referring to the Fleet Activity of Priority Missions.
Priority Missions are fleet canon storylines that occur outside of major fleet-wide events such as Campaigns and Fleet Actions. They will depict the event or events surrounding a region of the galaxy or galaxy-wide theme, where members have the chance to tell stories alone or together in this premise. Unlike Campaigns or FAs, Priority Missions have much lower stakes In-Character, and the expectation is that members opt-in, compared to the culture of campaigns where all writers are encouraged to participate. They last several months and there is intended to be much less urgency around participation; members can dip in and out over the duration as they wish.
Where campaigns and FAs detail the major events of the galaxy and Bravo Fleet, giving everyone a chance to come together for galaxy-defining moments, Priority Missions offer structured storytelling opportunities from the Intelligence Office on a less-intense, more long-term basis. The time in between campaigns and FAs is an excellent chance for members to develop their own storylines, but for those who prefer direct opportunities for collaboration or benefit from storytelling support, a PM offers IO-provided story frameworks outside of major events.
PMs will also facilitate the development of regions or factions whose story may benefit from advancing or resolving, but are unlikely to be the focus of a major campaign, such as:
- Romulan factions, already the focus of 2 Fleet Actions but with ongoing narrative potential
- Klingon factions, unlikely to be the focus of an FA without any 25th Century Trek canon, but remaining one of Trek's most popular aliens
- Regions like the Typhon Frontier, which encourages more player-led and creative stories of exploration than top-down, cohesive storylines
Structure
Priority Mission premises are set by the Intel Office, who will write a briefing for a fleet-wide BFMS Mission and a launch fiction. These will usually be much smaller than those of campaigns, with a brief overview of the situation and some minor storytelling prompts. Unlike FAs and Campaigns, which usually last around 6 weeks, PMs will usually last months and may have no set end. PMs will focus on a particular area or theme within fleet canon (a location, an antagonist, etc) and have a very broad, forgiving premise. The stakes will remain low, or at least highly localised, and be more about offering a sandbox members can enjoy for a few months than pushing a major plot.
PMs do not have individual Mission Briefings for members. Task Force Staff are encouraged to develop storylines, but these will be open to members from all TFs. PMs should offer ideas and inspiration for writers and a sense of community as they share this sandbox. By being fleet-wide, all members in any TF can benefit from the efforts of other enthusiastic members or contributing staffers. They are encouraged to share story ideas, write together if they wish, and develop wiki articles for regions, NPCs, or factions they developed in their story.
Development and Resolution
PMs are a good opportunity to develop the regions in which they are set. Members are encouraged to write/update wiki articles fleshing out the setting in accordance with their storylines. The intention is that once a PM is over, a region of fleet canon will now exist with more (member canon) locations, etc, that future writers can, if they wish, use for their storytelling. A PM may be used to resolve a regional plotline established in fleet canon. In this circumstance, certain storylines may, at the discretion of the Intel Officer, become fleet canon as a faction is defeated or a crisis averted.
The end of a PM will be advertised by the Intel Office, giving members the chance to conclude their storylines. This will usually be either because a new campaign/FA will begin soon, or a PM has run its course and is likely to be succeeded by a new one.