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Happy Anniversary Patterns of Force
*Nomad* {PoF}
✭✭✭✭✭
in The Bridge
1 year ago today I started our fleet, Patterns of Force. To be honest, it had a different name then, but the reason why the fleet was started was different then as well. About 2 months after we began, the reason for being changed and shortly thereafter the name as well. The next 10 months would be an amazing adventure as we grew from 1 to 50 players and from a starbase level 1 to level 101. Along the way I have met some great people and made some fantastic friends. I reconnected with some old friends who came to join us, and unfortunately, I lost a couple along the way. We have been ridiculed by some, trolled, and sabotaged, but that’s ok, we know what we are and that is happy. We are the “little fleet that could” and boy can we!
POF is based on friendship, camaraderie, and a love of Star Trek, yes even Enterprise and Discovery (you know who you are). But we also share our stories, our hopes and fears, hugs of joy and shoulders to cry on. We endure together. We have only 1 rule, have fun! And we do have fun! We have such a wonderful group of people here; I wish you could meet them all and see what it is like to be here with us.
I want to make special mention to a few of my fleet mates who have really gone above and beyond to make this journey possible. And none have done more than Captain Magnum. Without Mag, I do not think we would have made it. He was the first to join me here and took on recruiting duty bringing in people in the first couple weeks, most of whom are still with us. Mag was “on loan” to me at first, he returned to his fleet once we were up and running, but I guess we grew on him and he eventually came back us (and he is NEVER leaving again). When my mom passed away last September, Magnum took over FADM duties for me as I took some time off and we never missed a beat. We would be lost without his grace, dignity and counsel, Mag is truly special, we are so blessed to have him with us.
Next, I would like to mention my squad in my old fleet now all members here, some of whom you may know from UC: Silver, Whisper, Blue and Colli. Commander Bloodhound was there too, but sadly for health reasons she left the game and I miss her terribly. What a character Blood was, I am so glad I got the chance to meet her. Silver has been here from the beginning as well, her presence, wit and humor are felt here every day. She left for abit too, well twice, she gets that way, lol, but soon returned to us and she is another one that is NEVER leaving again! (I know where you are now and don’t think I won’t drive down there!)
Peace Blade has also been with us from the beginning, always there, steady, great player always has time to answer a question. I don’t think he sleeps at all or he has bots running his account, I cannot remember the last time he was NOT online! Az, Rep, Walker, Maxi, Tach and Kor all bring a great sense of humor to us. Each with a unique story to tell making us better in every way. Walker is so funny, talks to himself on the night shift and apart from occasionally catching the starbase lounge furniture on fire, he is always there for us when we can’t sleep and are up at 3AM.
And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my lovingly named “misfit crew”: Cuppers, Caz, Foxy, Mon and KJ. These 5 characters brought so much new energy and enthusiasm to our fleet that it took us all to the next level. Foxy and Caz, always so quick and willing with a kind word, truly special people to be with. There is never a dull moment when the misfit crew gets going….well, some things must be left in fleet chat!
For those of you who don’t know us, the next time you see a POF tag please remember what you read here. I could tell a story about every member of our fleet and I hope I have given you some small sense of just how special these people are, to me, to each other and to the STT community.
I do not have the words to describe my feelings about this bunch. With players from Canada to Malaysia, all over Europe and the US, I have learned so much from being with them, about life, love, loss and happiness. When I started this journey 1 year ago, I did not know where it would take me, or how it would end. Someone once said, its not the destination, it’s the journey, and this has been a journey I will never forget. So HAPPY ANNIVERSARY POF, I hope our 2nd year together is as wondrous and exciting as our first! From the bottom of my heart, I wish each you, my loving fleeties all the best.
I love you all! ~Noms~
POF is based on friendship, camaraderie, and a love of Star Trek, yes even Enterprise and Discovery (you know who you are). But we also share our stories, our hopes and fears, hugs of joy and shoulders to cry on. We endure together. We have only 1 rule, have fun! And we do have fun! We have such a wonderful group of people here; I wish you could meet them all and see what it is like to be here with us.
I want to make special mention to a few of my fleet mates who have really gone above and beyond to make this journey possible. And none have done more than Captain Magnum. Without Mag, I do not think we would have made it. He was the first to join me here and took on recruiting duty bringing in people in the first couple weeks, most of whom are still with us. Mag was “on loan” to me at first, he returned to his fleet once we were up and running, but I guess we grew on him and he eventually came back us (and he is NEVER leaving again). When my mom passed away last September, Magnum took over FADM duties for me as I took some time off and we never missed a beat. We would be lost without his grace, dignity and counsel, Mag is truly special, we are so blessed to have him with us.
Next, I would like to mention my squad in my old fleet now all members here, some of whom you may know from UC: Silver, Whisper, Blue and Colli. Commander Bloodhound was there too, but sadly for health reasons she left the game and I miss her terribly. What a character Blood was, I am so glad I got the chance to meet her. Silver has been here from the beginning as well, her presence, wit and humor are felt here every day. She left for abit too, well twice, she gets that way, lol, but soon returned to us and she is another one that is NEVER leaving again! (I know where you are now and don’t think I won’t drive down there!)
Peace Blade has also been with us from the beginning, always there, steady, great player always has time to answer a question. I don’t think he sleeps at all or he has bots running his account, I cannot remember the last time he was NOT online! Az, Rep, Walker, Maxi, Tach and Kor all bring a great sense of humor to us. Each with a unique story to tell making us better in every way. Walker is so funny, talks to himself on the night shift and apart from occasionally catching the starbase lounge furniture on fire, he is always there for us when we can’t sleep and are up at 3AM.
And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my lovingly named “misfit crew”: Cuppers, Caz, Foxy, Mon and KJ. These 5 characters brought so much new energy and enthusiasm to our fleet that it took us all to the next level. Foxy and Caz, always so quick and willing with a kind word, truly special people to be with. There is never a dull moment when the misfit crew gets going….well, some things must be left in fleet chat!
For those of you who don’t know us, the next time you see a POF tag please remember what you read here. I could tell a story about every member of our fleet and I hope I have given you some small sense of just how special these people are, to me, to each other and to the STT community.
I do not have the words to describe my feelings about this bunch. With players from Canada to Malaysia, all over Europe and the US, I have learned so much from being with them, about life, love, loss and happiness. When I started this journey 1 year ago, I did not know where it would take me, or how it would end. Someone once said, its not the destination, it’s the journey, and this has been a journey I will never forget. So HAPPY ANNIVERSARY POF, I hope our 2nd year together is as wondrous and exciting as our first! From the bottom of my heart, I wish each you, my loving fleeties all the best.
I love you all! ~Noms~
Founding ADM - PoF family of fleets (POF, POF2 & POF3) - Dear TP: Non sequitur. Your facts are uncoordinated.
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Today, we celebrate our 2nd anniversary as a fleet, our own little slice of space. Here, we can escape, if just for a few minutes, all that surrounds us and just relax in the company of good and dear friends. I said last year that I hoped our 2nd year together would be a wondrous as our first and it has been.
We completed our starbase, started a 2nd fleet, made new friends and continue to enjoy the bonds of friendship we have forged together. A diverse group of people, from all over the world, come together not just to play a game, but share in a love of Star Trek, the “Wagon Train to the Stars” that set a course 54 years ago and in a way led us to here.
Some say all journeys end, others the end is just a new beginning. This is the end of our “start” but by no means the start of our end. To each of you, THANK YOU for making POF such a great place to be.
I love you all! ~Noms~
Those first few months saw some great people join me and my new pet creatures in my home among the stars and many of them are still here. I guess it helps that I locked the doors to keep them in, but hey, recruiting is hard when starting new and as the saying goes, you can checkout anytime you like but you can never leave! It also helps that our 1 and only rule is “have fun” that is what is most important to us and it is what keeps us together. During the last 3 years our little family has experienced personal triumphs and tragedies in real life and having an extra bunch of shoulders to lean and cry on has been extremely helpful to many of us here. This year a few of the fleeties shared some thoughts about what POF means to them on our 3-year anniversary and I thought I would share some of them with you.
“To me, PoF has always been about inclusivity and fun. I always have fun with my fleeties and spending time with them and playing the game certainly helped the early days of the pandemic go by easier. I always try to joke around with everyone and so far, I have managed to keep the offense to a minimum! I also love to help, and most of the time I have the knowledge to do so. Being in PoF I always feel like I’m part of a community, and we are all a big family, so happy anniversary PoF, hope to stick around a little while longer!
“I joined PoF in Dec 2018. I had only been playing timelines for a few months when Whispering Dea7h ambushed me in UC, whacked me over the head (gosh recruiting methods were tough back then) and pressed me into service with the fleet. But what a fleet, wonderful people all. Like any family, though, we have had our ups and downs...., heck I even ran away from home; well, you know, I was youngish and headstrong, back in those days..., kind of; but the lovely people I left behind were always in my heart; ones who welcomed home the prodigal daughter with open arms. On a more serious note, what PoF means to me is family, and we are a family. We support one another, and as our wise leader once said, “we share our sorrows and our joys, we provide shoulders to cry on, and draw strength for each other.” Certainly, PoF has been my rock, during a tough period in my life, and if I have never told you, my dear friends, I love you and cherish the moments we have created.” – Foxlight d’ Avalon (aka High Priestess of Plomeek Soup)
“In the end, every multiplayer game is only as good as people you're playing it with, and I would have stopped playing this game long ago if it weren't for PoF.” - Peace Blade
“PoF has always felt like a Star Trek home, warm, fun, safe, and seldom stressful” - Tribblelord
“I stumbled on this game by accident and started playing not having any idea what I was doing. One day I met Nomad in UC and she seemed so nice and helpful. We talked for awhile and even though she said they had a level limit for the fleet she would let me in because having fun was the most important thing and that was what I wanted to do. I have been here a year now and I love it, everyone is so funny and nice – helpful and encouraging. I am so glad I met this group of people; they make playing fun.” – Anidae
There are more examples, but Shan said I had to keep it at a 1,000-word limit. 😊 Silver, Magnum, Kor, Whisper, Blue, Maxi, Mon, Lazer, Pizzy, Az, Ezri, Kris, Walker, our friends in our 2nd fleet, absent friends who moved on…
Hard to type that without a hint of a tear in my eye, truly heartfelt emotion from being part of a wonderful group of people. It has been great to lead POF for 3 years and make so many wonderful friends. We came here for the game, for our love of Star Trek: we stayed for each other.
George B. Shaw once said, “Progress is impossible without change” and the time is right for a change. I feel I have taken PoF as far as I can, and it is only right and fair to turn it over to a new leader who will guide it lovingly with a shared vision of what we are about but with new energy as it and the game move into the future.
So thank you my STT family one and all, it has been my pleasure and honor to lead you these last three years. Happy 3rd Anniversary POF, I hope there are many more to come! I love you all ~Noms~
The festivities will include:
A prize raffle, winning ticket holder will be presented with a 100 year Romulan ale, recently liberated from the Admiral’s drinks cabinet.
Fun and party games such as Pin the Leola Root on Neelix.
A best soup recipe competition, first prize a month’s supply of du jour.
Music to be provided by the Plomeek Soup Gang. 0.o
Drinks by our very own Captain Colli..., just don’t tell her someone raided her bar! Shh!
Special thanks to the pointy-eared hobgoblin who found the keys to the bar and drinks cabinets. 0.o
Happy anniversary, PoF!
Thank you for updating this post, @Nomad (FADM:Patterns of Force) and for all the passion you've put into the fleet, and the human connections you've made along the way
It was in December 2018 when I was whacked over the head and pressed into serving in Her Majesty Queen Noms’ PoF. Gosh I knew I shouldn’t have stopped off in that dockside inn for a glass, or two of wine.
The next morning I awoke to find myself in Herself’s squad, The Changeling, fearfully awaiting my fate. I mean, when the fleet’s admiral goes by the name Nomad, who know when you may have your mind wiped, etc?
Thankfully, though, I discovered both she, and the rest of my new fleet were wonderful folk..., albeit slightly nuts, but hey, you can’t have everything, right?
Mind you, it has to be said, that in those far off days I was a bit of a handful, and a misfit, as our Admiral lovingly name me, and, yes, I did kind of run away from home; except Shore Patrol was dispatched and a little over a year later caught up with me, whacked me over the head...., again (ouch!) and brought me home. Aww, Noms!!!
So, ok, I was welcomed back, fitted with a lovely ball and chain [honestly, anyone would believe we were living in the 18th century), promoted to Officer, then a few months later..., ahem, ‘volunteered’ to take charge of a squad. See what I must endure?
Having settled into my new role, Madame gave me a few months grace to play the game, provide crew shares, and enjoy the company of my friends; until that day when I heard these fateful words....
« Congratulations, my girl, you too can become Admiral ». Mind you, to be fair, I wasn’t hit over the head, this time.
Having passed leadership to me (😳😲😬) the next thing I know is Noms is leaving us!
Noms, I’m still not quite sure why you chose me, but I do know this....
You are a lovely person, and a close friend, and you owe me a box of Kleenex, coz I cried when you left us.
I do understand why you left, but know that you are missed, Noms Coffee Nebula will be disbanded over my dead body, and Shore Patrol has been dispatched to come on get you, my dear friend.
Thank you for creating should a wonderful fleet, you will be missed, perhaps more than you know.
Noms has asked me to do the write-up this year so hopefully I can do her and the fleet justice!
We’ve had a few changes over the past year, Noms left, came back, Foxy became admiral, left, came back, Noms became admiral again etc. I’ve been here the whole time though, even if that just means logging on to do dailies
I started playing STT in January 2017 and first met Noms in December that year. We were part of a different fleet at first but eventually Noms started PoF and soon enough I was right there behind her! I never knew our timelines family would grow to be so big and now we even have two more in our family of fleets! PoF 2 is a great place with some more wonderful people and I had the privilege of hanging out there as admiral for several months in the summer of 2020. PoF 3 is now up to starbase 78 and thriving!
My favorite thing about PoF is all the incredible people i’ve met along the way. Even though we’ve lost some great ones along the journey, if i’m feeling down, or in need of a good laugh all I need to do is hang out and have a great chat with my favorite fleeties and forget about life for a little while.
My role in the fleet has slowly evolved to somewhat of a fleet elder with lots of game and trivia knowledge and someone who’s always up for a good chat! I love my fleet and wouldn’t change anything about it! except for getting Nomad to host trivia sometime
Moral of the story is when I started playing I was simply enjoying a new star trek game, but i’ve been so lucky to find my star trek family! I love you all, and here’s to many more years PoF!
~Colli
Proud member of Patterns of Force
Captain Level 99
Played since January 2017
TP: Do better!!!
Today marks our 5-year anniversary. I cannot believe how fast time flies as sometimes it feels like
yesterday when I arrived here, alone in this little empty starbase and now we are celebrating our fifth
anniversary together.
From day 1 the only wish I had for my fleet has never changed: Have Fun. That is our one and only
rule: to be fair there is an unwritten one about plomeek soup with leola root or something like that, but you get the idea. I tell everyone who joins our fleet, this is a game, not a job, we want you and us to have fun here.
Thinking back over the years to all the people who have come and gone, moved on to one of our three fleets now, to other fleets, or who have left the game, I am struck by those that joined me during our first year who remained. Colli, Blue, Peace, Foxy, Az, Maxi, Walker, Tribble, Lazer...I know I am missing a few (I’m getting old, memory isn’t what it used to be). The fact that they have stayed with us says much about who we are: great people with a shared love of Star Trek (even Disco and ENT), great company and great friends.
This last year has certainly seen changes in the game, and as Spock might say, 2023 has been
"interesting" to say the least. But we remain hopeful that this wonderful enterprise (hehe) of STT will be
here for many years to come. Just as we will be. So, congratulations to my fleeties for completing
our 5th year together, they have been wonderful and hope our years to come will be even better!
Love you all ~Noms~