Okay I've referred to it in other threadsand asked questions related to scenes or situations in my campaign....
Here now is the ...:
'CLEAN SLATE' STAR TREK RPG Campaign thread
This campaign started in an embryonic/prototype form during FREE RPG Day 2009.
I recycled an old introductory FASA Star Trek adventure by setting it in the ABRAMS universe (the 'clean Slate!' universe)
Two of the players had so much fun that they asked me to start a regular campaign with that setting. It took us close to 6 months - our first game session was the last week of December 2009. We had the first game at a local game store that about 10 to 15 minutes driving time from where I live. (its NOT the store I work at)
At that game session a guy there was playing Magic:the Gathering with his friends - but he kept getting distracted by hearing us throw around STAR TREK terminology during the game session. He saw three women players and a GM playing an RPG that emulated or simulated Star Trek. He asked to join up and be included.
We now had a four players (a good number)
Heck he even tried out my attempt at a TRAVELLER-style character generation system for GURPS 4/e. (that was interesting to try)
For their first game session where they get assigned to a hip long-term I decided that the NPC captain would be injured and incapacitated in almost the first scene and the players would have to take command and complete the mission. There wouldn't be much of a choice iof they wanted to save their lives and the ship.
This is a cut & paste of what I handed out to them that first game session as a full group:
STARDATE 2258.213 (AUG 1, 2258)
Commander Cross, You and these officers are assigned to the Destroyer USS COCHISE for the next six months.
STARDATE 2258.214 (August 2, 2258)
Starfleet intelligence AND Starfleet Merchant traffic liaisons have become concerned about ships disappearing or not returning from journeys in the area of sector 3287.
The Cochise has been assigned to investigate.
…For reference purposes…:
2258 AUGUST 3 = 2258.215
2258 August 4 = 2258.216
At the end of that session the players were now the ship's Commanding officer, First Officer, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Communications Officer
Any questions? Comments?
There have evolved some 'ground rules' or agreements between the players and me their GM.
One is : NO TIME TRAVEL
I'm not messing with it in the game. The year in which their adventures are set has no reason for any 'time travel' stuff to happen. The slingshot effect has notr been discovered yet, the same with the 'Guardian of Forever' .
Two : NO 'GOD'-like beings will be encountered
Its just very, very, very unlikely. IF Starfleet ever encountered such entities - they haven't told these Starfleet officers or their friends about them.
All of this campaign takes place in an extension of the setting seen in the 2009 STAR TREK movie that was directed by J.J. Abrams.
- Ed C.
Just before this campaign started I found a really useful website. A computer graphics artist has re-done the starship designs from the Franz Joseph Technical manual in the style of the J.J. Abrams movie starfleet.
My players are the crewmembers or Officers of a Saladin-class destroyer named the USS Cochise (NCC-530)
Here is an illustration of what their ship looks like:
(http://madshipyard.com/images/Ships/Sheet_Saladin.jpg)
From this website:
http://madshipyard.com/ships.htm
Those web pages have been VERY useful in illustrating many, many scenes in the game over the past two years.
- Ed C.
You should have a Q join the crew of the ship and go by the name "Dungeon Master."
He could give them weekly quests. You could even have them explore Gurps Ancient or Gurps Modern on various trips of self exploration.
Anyway, that's what my Star Trek game is going to be like :D
That a good find thanks for sharing that.
I find your ideas intriguing and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
Seriously, though, I would like to see more from this campaign as it develops. Before Abrams' Trek was released, I tried to start a Star Trek campaign using LUGtrek with the proviso that we would be playing a more mature Trek with more modern, "realistic" sensibilities, set around the TMP era.
It never flew, because anyone interested just would not let go of the whole "but it's not Trek if you don't have..." whine.
Surprisingly, instead of being strung up on the nearest lamppost for eliminating all existing continuity Abrams seems to have been embraced by the fans, so I might have a shot at this now and I'd like to see how yours runs.
(The biggest challenge I can see for myself is getting that big screen epic movie feel in the sessions, since TOS was basically staged and scripted like a Greek morality play and TNG was The Love Boat in space).
We've recently acquired an ancient FASA boxed set for Star Trek, ca 1986 or so.
There's a lot of supplements in there, I don't think it all came with the single set. We're probably going to start on OS campaign, as one of my club-mates grew up around the Star Trek convention crowd.
I do prefer the Abrams' aesthetics, thanks for the website!
My desire to run a canon-less Abrams-inspired Trek was the main inspiration for my present design project.
Quote from: daniel_ream;484546Surprisingly, instead of being strung up on the nearest lamppost for eliminating all existing continuity Abrams seems to have been embraced by the fans, so I might have a shot at this now and I'd like to see how yours runs.
(The biggest challenge I can see for myself is getting that big screen epic movie feel in the sessions, since TOS was basically staged and scripted like a Greek morality play and TNG was The Love Boat in space).
The "Big Screen" feel kind of comes into play because for most of the recent sessions I have just under three hours to try and get as much fun, gaming, and amusing/swashbuckling story to happen.
The earlier game sessions were onm Saturdays or Sundays - the more recent game sessions sinmce our 're-start' of the campaign are on Tuesdays and are supposed to go from 6pm to just before 9pm each time.
(Remember my thread from a week or two ago ? - where we ran overtime by 10 to 15 minutes? - thats this same campaign that I was talking about)My first 3 or 4 sessions the players were 3 women and 1 man playing. Then we had a 'pause' or break in the campaign of almost 11 months due to scheduling problems....when we started up again the two or three main players and myself decided on a set schedule of every other Tuesday at the store that I work at.
Now, the mix is three men and 1 woman playing. Two of the players have beenm in the military, one of the others wasn't in the military but grew up as a Base Brat because his Dad was in the military.
Currently in the campaign there is a War going on with the Romulans and oin the fictional calendar they are just about to pass the one year anniversary of "The Battle of Vulcan" (a.k.a as the Destruction of the planet Vulcan)
I'm actually in a twisted way enjoying the fact that Vulcans are much more rare to see in that universe.
- Ed C.
Okay, here's a topic.
In addition to Koltar's "No Time Travel" and "No gods" rules, what rules would you apply to an Abrams-like setting to make it feel like Abrams Trek and not TOS/TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT ?
I can think of a couple of "No"s, but I'm more interested in the "Do"'s, as that's a more useful guide for players and GMs.
Offhand:
No:- Characters examining what it means to be human/in search of their own humanity
- Moralizing/preaching/social commentary/allegory
Do:- Know thyself (Spock and Kirk, especially)
- Boldly Go (Abrams Trek is about going out there and conquering things: your fears, an enemy, the unknown,etc.)
EDIT: damn, ninja'ed.
QuoteTwo of the players have beenm in the military, one of the others wasn't in the military but grew up as a Base Brat because his Dad was in the military.
I remember Roddenberry being adamant that Trek was
not "Hornblower in SPAAAACE" but watching Abrams Trek I was honestly getting that vibe.
While I can understand that someone wants to game in Abrams Trek I really can't fathom how anyone would chose a ship without those warp nacelle thingies.
Quote from: DominikSchwager;484602While I can understand that someone wants to game in Abrams Trek I really can't fathom how anyone would chose a ship without those warp nacelle thingies.
What are you talking about? :huhsign:
Edit: If you are referring to the ship Koltar chose, the warp nacelle is on the bottom.
Quote from: DominikSchwager;484602While I can understand that someone wants to game in Abrams Trek I really can't fathom how anyone would chose a ship without those warp nacelle thingies.
Wrong tech term.
The ship they are using is an 'updated' version of a design that Franz Joseph did - the Saladin class destroyer.
What is 'missing' compared to the
Constitution-class Enterprise is the secondary Hull with a shuttlebay hangar and that deflector dish...and an 'extra warp engine.
The fact that the players have a ship that is basically just
ONE Warp engine and a saucer or primary hull just means that they have to be a bit more creative in solving problems. (Like getting out of dangerous situations)
The smaller ship type also means they only have a crew of 201 instead of the 430 to 497 crewmembers that might be on a bigger
Constitution-class ships. That means a lot less NPCs that I have to wrangle as their GM.
- Ed C.
Here is a link to the deckplans of the ship they are using...you'll also see other useful info nand notes. It is done in the style of the classic STAR TREK deckplan blue prints:
http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/uss-saladin-destroyer-scout.php
For example...earlier tonight we had a gamew session from 6pm to 9pm, most of the character action took place on this deck:
http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/uss-saladin-destroyer-scout-sheet-8.jpg
When playing & running the game we just extrapolate or imagine out the differences that would be there because of the shape difference of the ABRAMSverse-style look.
- Ed C.
Daniel, I think you need to reclaim the idea that the weapons are all powerful. It is an idea that comes and goes from trek. I think Abrams put it back, both with the power of the super weapon and the strength of the mining ship.
If someone shoots a torpedo at a city in Abrams trek, it should take out the country with it.
I just remembered a couple of DON'TS in my campaign...and maybe a few DOs that have evolved.
DON'T hint or indicate that Starfleet ships have crews that are 98% or 100% of one race. That always seemed wrong to me.
Remember "The Immunity Syndrome" and the ship that was crewed by all Vulcans? As a kid that seemed odd or strange to me, as an adult that seems like unintentional racism within the fiction of the show. (Bad or lazy writing in the '60s)
In my version of Starfleet - ship crews are as integrated as much as possible. This also emulates what was seen in the 2009 movie. (unnamed obvious aliens on the Bridge, Orions serving in Starfleet, etc...)
DON'T mention 'replicators' or other 24th century terminology. In this era the ship has cooks or chefs, quartermasters, laundry services, and a materials fabrication department.
DO mention that the Federation and Starfleet uses money and the paygrades for the characters actually mean something. They get paid monthly. if not in hard cash when on mission in deep space - then it's automatically posted to their personal banking or checking accounts and accessible next time they are in port or at a Starbase.
DO show that crew and officers in Starfleet can have faults and quirks at times - but when battle happens they likely tough it out then deal with the stress days or weeks later. Its a human thing and the players can relate to it. (I am using GURPS 4/e after all - disadvantages and character quikiness is encouraged within reason and believability)
Oh yeah - Starfleet characters DO drink from time to time and have wild parties get a little crazy. Its human and its makes more senjse than other versions of the Trek universe. (NO sanitized boring 24th century style humans or Terrans. !!!)
MORE as I think of them or remember them.
- Ed C.
Good stuff, Ed, thanks.
Followup question: PC captain or NPC captain?
Since I read a lot of military SF, the idea of the ship's captain being the Right Hand of God and the PCs being junior officers who Go Out and Do Stuff appeals to me, but it also flies in the face of the Boldly Go directive if the captain sits pretty on his tuckus in orbit all the time.
One option I suppose is to play up the fact that there's not much the ship can actually do from orbit, and landing parties are on their own and trusted to act on their own initiative as long as they can justify it to the XO when they get back.
On the other hand, a PC captain and bridge crew means that the PCs actually have meaningful things to do in a starship combat, which is something I think you need to have for it to be Trek at all.
Re: integration - I only saw Abram's Trek once, but I don't recall any non-humans on board the Enterprize aside from Spock, but I could be wrong. Certainly there weren't any on the bridge crew. Even if there were, it's still pretty obvious that both Starfleet Academy and the crew of the Enterprise were 80-90% or more human.
I think that at the time period when the Federation is just getting started (around the time period you're talking about) that homogenous ship crews would be fairly common since most of the members of the Federation would have had their own fleets prior to entry, I would think. Think of it in terms that the shows present themselves; Spock is the first and only Vulcan in Star Fleet, in both TOS and the movie. In TNG, Worf was the first and only Klingon. Someone always has to be first, and there will always be a time before a fully integrated crew would exist on every ship. Ascribing that thinking to racism is stupid and counterproductive.
It would sorta be like a NATO military unit that was composed of a mix of nationalities, rather than 99% from one nation with 1% observers, maybe. If nothing else, communications problems would preclude such a mix early-on.
You are, of course, free to do as you see fit, I'm just throwing out my Cr.02.
Quote from: Cranewings;484662Daniel, I think you need to reclaim the idea that the weapons are all powerful. It is an idea that comes and goes from trek. I think Abrams put it back, both with the power of the super weapon and the strength of the mining ship.
If someone shoots a torpedo at a city in Abrams trek, it should take out the country with it.
Eh. The Narada's laser was explicitly more powerful than what was available at the time.
The rest of the weapons were refreshingly underpowered. No phasers vaporizing people this time.
Quote from: Koltar;484697DON'T mention 'replicators' or other 24th century terminology. In this era the ship has cooks or chefs, quartermasters, laundry services, and a materials fabrication department.
I like this. I like the idea of meals being prepared and clothes cleaned and mended etc.
Life onboard a ship.
Regards,
David R
Quote from: Werekoala;484735Re: integration - I only saw Abram's Trek once, but I don't recall any non-humans on board the Enterprize aside from Spock, but I could be wrong. Certainly there weren't any on the bridge crew. Even if there were, it's still pretty obvious that both Starfleet Academy and the crew of the Enterprise were 80-90% or more human.
Non-humans seen onboard the Enterprise besides Spock:
An Orion woman in the deleted scenes disc.
An unusual looking alien woman seen very quickly on the Bridge.
In the ending scene - Scotty's little friend named 'Keenzer' from anb unnamed alien race.
SO, thats at least three non-humans or non-terrans.
There are probably more...or there was meant to be more. Its likely time and budget limited how many aliens they could show in Starfleet uniform.
QuoteI think that at the time period when the Federation is just getting started (around the time period you're talking about) that homogenous ship crews would be fairly commo..........
Actually the 'Federation' has been around for close to 100 years at this point. The writers of the movie scrtipt said that everything that happened in the series "Enterprise"
DID happen (for the most part). That means the Federation was started in 2161, the movie's back half takes place in 2258. My game has been going on long enough that we are now adventuring in February of 2259.
QuoteYou are, of course, free to do as you see fit, I'm just throwing out my Cr.02.
Your input is fine. In the past your comments have been generally helpful with my past campaigns anmd games when I've chatted about them. I like to see RPG campaigns as similiar to better versions of TV shows or movies - except with a much larger or unlimited production budget and an attempt at better writing and a higher percentage of fun-swashbuckling.
- Ed C.
Quote from: daniel_ream;484546I find your ideas intriguing and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
Seriously, though, I would like to see more from this campaign as it develops. Before Abrams' Trek was released, I tried to start a Star Trek campaign using LUGtrek with the proviso that we would be playing a more mature Trek with more modern, "realistic" sensibilities, set around the TMP era.
It never flew, because anyone interested just would not let go of the whole "but it's not Trek if you don't have..." whine.
Surprisingly, instead of being strung up on the nearest lamppost for eliminating all existing continuity Abrams seems to have been embraced by the fans, so I might have a shot at this now and I'd like to see how yours runs.
If I ever run Trek, in any system, I wanna do the Abramsverse precisely to keep that Original Series feel while dropping all (well most) of the backstory that all the grognards will know better than I do.
Quote(The biggest challenge I can see for myself is getting that big screen epic movie feel in the sessions, since TOS was basically staged and scripted like a Greek morality play and TNG was The Love Boat in space).
Picard = Captain Steubing
Troi = Julie, Your Cruise Director
Data = Gopher, Your Yeoman Purser
Geordie = Isaac, Your Bartender
...I can see it.
JG
Quote from: James Gillen;484802Picard = Captain Steubing
Troi = Julie, Your Cruise Director
Data = Gopher, Your Yeoman Purser
Geordie = Isaac, Your Bartender
...I can see it.
LOL Well, I meant more that once the cast budget started racking up and they realized they had a lot of middle aged female viewers, they started doing nothing but shipbound relationship plots. But yeah, the physical correspondences are uncanny (I'd swap out Guinan for Geordie, though...)
This is my Info briefing for our 2nd game session of the campaign:
___ ___ ___ ___
STARDATE 2258.230 August 18, 2258
Alpha Corvalla III
A people or race that calls itself the P’Chenqa (Puh-Chenka) has contacted the Federation using an older clearance code.
______ ______ ______ _______
The Message is as follows:
“Hello There Big Hello to Federation of Many Peoples! We Might Wish or Like you to join us your Federation. Please to eat and come talk to us and our Faces.”
_______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
The USS Cochise NCC-530 is being assigned to make first contact and determine how this previously unknown race was able to access no longer used Federation Subspace channels.
Has there been a cultural contamination because of Prime Directive violation?
If so, is it repairable?
Can the cultural contamination be corrected?
How technologically advanced are the P’Chenqa?
Could these “ P’Chenqa “ possibly become citizens of the Federation?
For reference purposes:
2258 August 18 = 2258.230
2258 Thursday August 19: National Aviation Day
2258 AUGU 19 = 2258.231
2258 AUG 20 = 2258.232
2258 Aug 21 = 2258.233
AUGUST 22, 2258 = 2258.234
August 23, 2258 = 2258.235
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
So yeah - it was a Prime Directive dilemma situation. I didn't convert any book or previously published Star Trek Adventure. The whole planet, alien race and situation were 95% created by me.
The P'Chenqa were sort of humanoid in appearance. They had two arms, two legs, head in the usual place. They also had a light coating of fur on their bodies that was in various shades of gray or brown.
This fur shading was usually darker on the ones known as P'Chena Tenk.
I am going to keep posting cut & paste versions of my player handouts that I use to start the game sessions. If any of you want to know how the gtame sessions ended - jog my memory on which scenario starter you are curious about.
- Ed C.
Quote from: daniel_ream;484807LOL Well, I meant more that once the cast budget started racking up and they realized they had a lot of middle aged female viewers, they started doing nothing but shipbound relationship plots. But yeah, the physical correspondences are uncanny (I'd swap out Guinan for Geordie, though...)
Oh yeah. But Guinan was a later addition to the cast, so hey.
JG
This whole Star Trek TNG is "The Love Boat" makes no sense whatsoever.
About the only commonality is that both captains are bald. That's it.
Quote from: Werekoala;484735Re: integration - I only saw Abram's Trek once, but I don't recall any non-humans on board the Enterprize aside from Spock, but I could be wrong. Certainly there weren't any on the bridge crew. Even if there were, it's still pretty obvious that both Starfleet Academy and the crew of the Enterprise were 80-90% or more human.
I don't remember the Starfleet Academy scenes, of the movie but of the "founding races" of the Federation, the Tellarites tend towards less Starfleet members due to private starfaring economic concerns, and the Vulcans and Andorians tended towards species-specific ships, the Vulcans due to their telepathic abilities and viewing of other species as illogical, rude and violent, and the Andorians due to the sometimes violent peculiarities of their culture. Also the Vulcans and Andorians have home climates different from the human norm in both temperature and humidity.
Quote from: PaladinCA;484957This whole Star Trek TNG is "The Love Boat" makes no sense whatsoever.
About the only commonality is that both captains are bald. That's it.
They both have black bartenders. :D Issac was Guinan not Jordi.
So what.
It doesn't matter
ALL 24th Century or 'TNG" references are mostly irrelevent for my campaign.
Also, just about ALL 'canon' that takes place after the year 2234 or so with the differences piling up or accelerating around 2255.
Perfect Example: back in the summer a new player to group asked me a question right before we were to start playing. Most of the group was there.
He said:
"I have to ask - where's Khan?"
I said "There is no 'Khan', or rather there was - but he is a historical figure or footnote to this version of the universe."
I went on to briefly explain that Khan's ship the Botany Bay was encountered in 2267 (when 'Space Seed' supposedly took place) and these adventures take place in early 2259. That means that no one in Starfleet has enbcountered that drifting ship yet. Khan doesn't matter - as far as GMs and players know he and his crew are still asleep. Kirk might never encounter him in the new timeline's version of things.
This new player heard all of that and said "Damn, things are different."
YEP.... Things are different, but it's still STAR TREK.
Everything is familiar, but very Different.
The universe is new again.
Still lots of stuff to explore and bump into.
Lots of battles yet to happen - or to happen much differently than they might have otherwise.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;484987YEP.... Things are different, but it's still STAR TREK.
Everything is familiar, but very Different.
The universe is new again.
I've done this with other licensed properties that were heavily tied to the canon characters (like Star Trek and X-Files) and whenever someone brought up the "what about (canon character X)" question I always replied "That was someone else's story. This is about making our own stories."
That hasn't worked for Star Trek so far; the Trek fans around here seem really attached to their canon. I'm hoping the Abramsverse will help.
Found proof that there were other 'aliens' on 'non-0humans' onboard the Enterprise in the last movie besides Spock.
Scan this page:
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Unnamed_USS_Enterprise_personnel_(alternate_reality)
You will notice at least 4 non-human Starfleet crewmembers. The very unusual one with big dark grey head - but nice eyes stuck out in my memory. She was stationed on the bridge at the science station in the back and middle, between the two turbo lifts.
Picture of her, if this works:
(http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091115180526/memoryalpha/en/images/3/34/Alien_Enterprise_science_officer_2258.jpg)
Don't know the name of her race yet....
On the deleted scenes disc there was also this character:
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091118123009/memoryalpha/en/images/5/5d/Diora_Baird.jpg)
They had to cut her scene - because it was a payoff or punchline to a sub-plot with Kirk that got cut for time reasons.
- Ed C.
Quote from: daniel_ream;485014I've done this with other licensed properties that were heavily tied to the canon characters (like Star Trek and X-Files) and whenever someone brought up the "what about (canon character X)" question I always replied "That was someone else's story. This is about making our own stories."
That hasn't worked for Star Trek so far; the Trek fans around here seem really attached to their canon. I'm hoping the Abramsverse will help.
That was my point, yeah.
JG
Quote from: Koltar;484888A people or race that calls itself the P'Chenqa (Puh-Chenka) has contacted the Federation using an older clearance code.
- Ed C.
What do you mean, "older clearance code"?
Quote from: jeff37923;485039What do you mean, "older clearance code"?
As in its an older code that is two and a half decades out-of-date.
The P'Chenqa had a Starfleet vessel crash in the northern area of their main continent. The players discovered this within 24 hours of sending a landing party down. (Actually TWO teams - but one was hidden in case an emergency extraction was needed)
Their main city or "Big Village" had a slightly unusual adrornment on its roof - a port Warp engine that was from a smaller starfleet craft and was at least 20 years old.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;484888This is my Info briefing for our 2nd game session of the campaign:
___ ___ ___ ___
STARDATE 2258.230 August 18, 2258
Alpha Corvalla III
A people or race that calls itself the P'Chenqa (Puh-Chenka) has contacted the Federation using an older clearance code.
______ ______ ______ _______
The Message is as follows:
"Hello There Big Hello to Federation of Many Peoples! We Might Wish or Like you to join us your Federation. Please to eat and come talk to us and our Faces."
_______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
The USS Cochise NCC-530 is being assigned to make first contact and determine how this previously unknown race was able to access no longer used Federation Subspace channels.
Has there been a cultural contamination because of Prime Directive violation?
If so, is it repairable?
Can the cultural contamination be corrected?
How technologically advanced are the P'Chenqa?
Could these " P'Chenqa " possibly become citizens of the Federation?
For reference purposes:
2258 August 18 = 2258.230
2258 Thursday August 19: National Aviation Day
2258 AUGU 19 = 2258.231
2258 AUG 20 = 2258.232
2258 Aug 21 = 2258.233
AUGUST 22, 2258 = 2258.234
August 23, 2258 = 2258.235
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
So yeah - it was a Prime Directive dilemma situation. I didn't convert any book or previously published Star Trek Adventure. The whole planet, alien race and situation were 95% created by me.
That one ended with the players and their crew using a phaser shot from orbit to 'destroy' the old warp engine that was on the capital building of the natives. Their Helmsman & engineer managed to make it look like lightning from a natural storm cell.
More posts soon as i just re-discovered this thread.
- Ed C.
Destroying a Warp Engine on a planet...isn't that going to rupture the Matter/Antimatter containment and cause an explosion that would wipe out everything in 10 miles...or something? :D
Quote from: CRKrueger;490801Destroying a Warp Engine on a planet...isn't that going to rupture the Matter/Antimatter containment and cause an explosion that would wipe out everything in 10 miles...or something? :D
That wasn't an issue.
The engine itself was over 30 years old - it had been affixed to the top of a building for 20 plus years been 'dead' inside for at least that long.
It also wasn't the point of the scenario - the idea was to investigate a Prime Directive dilemma situation then decide if anything had to be done, then take action.
- Ed C.
The next game session was the 2nd one I did of this campaign (although the 4th one I've run in that version of the STAR TREK setting)
This is the briefing or orders they got from Starfleet:
QuoteStardate 2258.262 (SEPT 19, 2258)
The Cochise has been sent to investigate loss of contact with the science team on the planet Neural.
It will take two days to get there at Warp 7
2258 SEP 20 = 2258.263
2258. Sep 21 = 2258.264
SEPTEMBER 22, 2258 = 2258.265
September 23, 2258 = 2258.266
That was probably the briefing with the fewest amount of words that I had given them up to that point. The irony is that scenario wound up taking two sessions to resolve and it was also one of the most actrion filled and most violent adventures that they had played in - it also ended with one heck of a cliffhanger.
- Ed C.
Quote from: daniel_ream;484731Good stuff, Ed, thanks.
Followup question: PC captain or NPC captain?
Player Character Captain ever since the 'third' game session or so. He was assigned as First Officer his 1st game session with me and I had the ship's captain knocked out unconscious during battle 15 minutes into that game session. That guaranteed he would have to step up and take command.
Starfleet has left him in command of the
USS Cochise and made it officially his rank on STARDATE 2259.17 (January 17, 2259) just before their big raid into Romulan territory.
- Ed C.
Wow - I did post about the earlier campaign - over 10 years ago.
Look at my first page in this old thread - No Time Travel.
- Ed C
Koltar how does Gurps PD handle Star Trek?
Curious about any benefits and negatives.
Quote from: Abraxus on May 20, 2022, 10:58:09 PM
Koltar how does Gurps PD handle Star Trek?
Curious about any benefits and negatives.
It doesn't - technically speaking . "I" or 'you' as the GM handles stuff - but just use GURPS and the GCA as the technical mechanical bit to get the characters made.
Then, you toss out
ALL the damn 'Star Fleet Battles' crap and references that were never seen in any onscreen version of "Star Trek".
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar on May 21, 2022, 07:53:16 PM
Quote from: Abraxus on May 20, 2022, 10:58:09 PM
Koltar how does Gurps PD handle Star Trek?
Curious about any benefits and negatives.
It doesn't - technically speaking . "I" or 'you' as the GM handles stuff - but just use GURPS and the GCA as the technical mechanical bit to get the characters made.
Then, you toss out ALL the damn 'Star Fleet Battles' crap and references that were never seen in any onscreen version of "Star Trek".
- Ed C.
That's pretty much how GURPS approaches almost everything. It's a DIY game. That's great if you want to put that level of work into just getting things going, but it's a very front-loaded effort for the GM that can be a big turn-off.