From UFStarfleet LCARS
**'This information is currently being revised'**
As with the Star Trek® that we all know and love, Logs are a quintessential part of the duty of a Starfleet officer. Logs predominately come in three forms; personal logs, duty logs, and mission logs and are little story snapshots, moments in time that move your character along from one moment to the next. They’re NOT independent stories; they’re more like scenes in a screenplay and posted in the relevant forum board depending on where you are currently stationed. What follows is an introduction to each type.
Personal Log
A personal log is a type of log used to record a person's thoughts about a current mission, which can be recorded in a personal log by name or as an unofficial documentation of events as viewed from their professional position. It is also used to capture a person’s thoughts about everyday life and events that are affecting them. It is similar to a diary or journal, and is meant to be a personal record not available to others.
Here is an excerpt from a personal log of Captain James T. Kirk.
"Personal log, Stardate 3620.7. Have I the right to jeopardize my crew, my ship for a feeling I can't even put into words? No man achieves Starfleet Command without relying on intuition, but have I made a rational decision? Am I letting the horrors of the past distort my judgment of the present?"
When making a personal log try to include hints into your own character. Add in, not only your thoughts, but other personal information about your character that may pertain to your past or even possible future actions. Hints into your own character's life, interests and dreams will help your crewmates learn how to work with you more effectively.
Personal logs are a great way for you to build your characters personality and provide other players with a window on the type of person your character is. This can only serve to enhance roleplay interaction.
Duty Log
A duty log is similar to a personal log in so much that it is used to record a person’s own thoughts. The difference is that the subject matter will be solely about matters concerning the job they perform.
Here is an excerpt from a duty log of the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Voyager.
"Chief Medical Officer's Log, Stardate 54014.4. It's been 48 hours since the away team returned to Voyager. Thanks to the neural suppressant I've been able to extract most of their Borg technology. The Captain and B'Elanna are on the mend but Tuvok will need a little more time to recover.”
Mission Report
The mission report is the formal summary of events as they took place during a mission. It is retrospective and focuses purely on facts as they happened. If you are a Science officer then it will be slanted towards science, if you are a Security officer then it will slanted towards security and so on.
Some good examples of mission reports can be seen at the following places...
Non Playing Characters (NPC’s)
NPC stands for "Non Playing Character". This can be anything from a starship, to an Admiral to a petty officer first-class. Basically anything or anyone that can enhance a roleplay plot.
An NPC has no bearing on your long term character. They can be victims or they can be victimisers, though they are always requested and always expendable. They are for single scenes or storylines and provide an opportunity to do what your regular character would not. Think of them as simple story or scene devices and not as characters to become attached to.
This guide is not the end all be all, by any means. But it will help you discover a way to work into or out of certain situations, and to be deemed a good, if not a great roleplayer within UFS. It can be very intimidating to walk into a new medium of play or to learn a skill that before you've not possessed. You don’t know anybody; you’re not sure how it’s done. And more than likely, you screw up right off the bat. But that’s okay, everybody had to start somewhere and as UFS is transitioning to a FULL RP area, (with the exception of the welcome centre) you may as well start now.
Detail of all NPC characters can be found with the following links:
Ships - UFS Fleet
Personnel - NPC Character