Thinking of positions on ships, other than on a carrier, why is there a FCO...even on a scout ship? The main positions are obvious with CO, FO (XO), CTO, CEO, CSO...but then the size of the ship might cause things to vary. COS duties would be handled by the COT on a smaller ship. Flying the ship might be part of Tactical department in many cases. OPS might also fall under Tactical or Security. We also saw many instances of one person holding more than one position.
My point is that the staffing might be tailored to the ship. Such changes should be thought out and considered before we roll out. This is the time to think of anything and everything that we want to refine and tune up. Ease of play and a clear understanding of what to expect from the system is very valuable. The challenge should come in the creativity, not navigating the site or understanding the roles.
As for the loss of old characters, this should be no problem. Amy could now become Tina (or some other name) and you create a similar character. You know what worked and was was fun about her, so build it into your next one. Just because you might be starting out as a LT or higher, that doesn't mean you can't write backstory into your BIO. Like going from TOS to TNG, we are starting fresh and will get to meet new faces, but they will need to have a history of some sort. Discovering some aspects of it as we go along is part of the journey.
I will create a character to fill whatever role I need to. In this way, I can fill the need as it presents itself. Some people hate certain departments or have serious strengths in others. If possible, we play to the strengths. I've done CO/SM stuff on down, so I have no issues with any rank or position, including CNS. As it is, I will likely play a number of NPC positions dealing with EMH and the likes, especially if we introduce the programs I'm proposing. It is entirely likely that we might see an EEH to assist in Engineering for damage control and so on.
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XO LtCmdr Samantha Waters
Lone Wolf
lonewolfdagaz@hotmail.com