An Andorian named Blandak. His preferred weapon is the Starship, but a polearm will do in a pinch (and he always has his "staff" with him).

He HATES Ferengi. And Klingons. Not real fond of humans, but his current Captain is one.

Oh, and he has a secret. He betrayed his people to the Romulans. Might even still be doing so. You, of all people can appreciate what that really means.

As an example of what kind of person you're dealing with - he once insulted a Klingon at a bar, and got into a lengthy bit of litigation involving honor and whatnot. The culmination of the legal proceedings was a meeting in a conference room with the offended Klingon and his aides, and a Vulcan arbitrator. No weapons allowed of course.

In the course of the negotiation, the progressively infuriated Klingon eventually agreed to a duel - any duel - and even allowed the Andorian to chose the weapon and time of the fight. Yes, I riled him up that bad (oh, did I mention this was a PC of mine?)

As soon as the Klingon announced the terms, the Andorian named Blandak grabbed a chair, shouted "Conference chair, now!" and beat the Klingon to a pulp. Win.

To this day, gleeful shouts of "conference chair!" resound around the gaming table from time to time.

Any questions?

Quote from: Koltar;307812And??

 ...any one got more suggestions?

- Ed C.

Which ruleset?

I picked up LUG's Star Trek TOS RPG book from a online used game shop. I also picked up the original Prime Directive. (I like Gurps, but I'm wanting something simpler,) I was hoping for Prime Directive D6 to come out but it looks like the game will be a long while before its out.  

I decided inspired by the movie to do Star Trek: The Anime Series. Basically an adult aimed cartoon version of the universe whose only canon, I'm beholden too is there was an Enterprise and its nominal crew. Yet the exact truth of those characters will be left a mystery. I'm doing my own show, taking place after their 5 year mission, and leading to new challenges.

One of the reasons I want to use Star Trek (I'm not a huge fan of anything but TOS) is because I want a reliable  community for the heroes to interact with, yet at the same time be able to present challenges that have them wonder vast distances. So a large enough starship and crew to make interactivity reliable and interesting with character's whose foibles they'll get used to  as well as adventure and action as they wander the stars. Most of my players are huge ST fans, but this  direction allows me to utilize my own ideas, without getting handcuffed to history of the universe as they know it.

One of the things I'm working on is exactly as suggested--aliens as not "good/evil" but "helpful/harmful", and it seems odd for entire races to be an enemy of a multi community group in some ways. Since that assumes a bit too "good/evil" (i.e Space Opera white hat and black hat) mode of the universe.

My suggestion was not on morality, but modes of thought. If you help said aliens, you will be treated as helpful - But not as an 'Ally', because that's a foreign mental concept. 'Consistantly helpful' would be as close as they could come.
The moral concept of 'helping your enemies' could still exist; the 'mental language' describing it would just be different, for instance.

Of course, trying to describe an alien mentality with a human vocabulary has certain problems...

I always dug the adventure (from GDW's Challenge mag way back in the day, I think) where the PCs were copies of a crew and ship encountered by this entity/machine/handwavery thing a few years prior to the date of this adventure.

Seems that, at some point, the copies got loose and began to faithfully continue their mission of exploration, but the arrival of a Federation starship and crew who seemed to be ten-fifteen years behind in terms of equipment, clothing, hair styles, etc. was a bit odd for the people and places they encountered.

The PCs' point was to figure out what they were, where they were in the scheme of things and so on.

Nifty idea, and maybe good for a one-shot.

The cutesy, sarcastic ideas might be amusing - but I'm looking for honest and useful help and suggestions here.

The key is the title of the thread.

Fpor many of us who had gotten burned out on Star Trek and had soured on it - the new J.J. Abrams actually got me to LIKE it and enjoy it again.
 The campy parody versions of the old style is not what I''m looking for.

 This game session and any future STAR TREK games I run I want toi try to get that good mood of the movie into it. The idea of "getting It Right Finally!" .

Or in other words: TREK done with the fun and right attitude of daredevil cheerfulness-defeat-any-obstacle gung-ho stuff that the new movie had. These players are going to be playing characters that are part of that Starfleet that we saw in the movie.


- Ed C.

Quote from: Koltar;307902Fpor many of us who had gotten burned out on Star Trek and had soured on it - the new J.J. Abrams actually got me to LIKE it and enjoy it again.
 The campy parody versions of the old style is not what I''m looking for.
.

I am with you here.

Are you planning to use the Mission Class Courier as the ship? With that info I can give you some concrete suggestions.

Rob

Quote from: Koltar;307902The cutesy, sarcastic ideas might be amusing - but I'm looking for honest and useful help and suggestions here.

The key is the title of the thread.

Fpor many of us who had gotten burned out on Star Trek and had soured on it - the new J.J. Abrams actually got me to LIKE it and enjoy it again.
 The campy parody versions of the old style is not what I''m looking for.

 This game session and any future STAR TREK games I run I want toi try to get that good mood of the movie into it. The idea of "getting It Right Finally!" .

Or in other words: TREK done with the fun and right attitude of daredevil cheerfulness-defeat-any-obstacle gung-ho stuff that the new movie had. These players are going to be playing characters that are part of that Starfleet that we saw in the movie.


- Ed C.

I just thought that this needed to be said again. Yes, yes, and yes!

-clash

Quote from: Koltar;307902The cutesy, sarcastic ideas might be amusing - but I'm looking for honest and useful help and suggestions here.

The key is the title of the thread.

Fpor many of us who had gotten burned out on Star Trek and had soured on it - the new J.J. Abrams actually got me to LIKE it and enjoy it again.
 The campy parody versions of the old style is not what I''m looking for.

 This game session and any future STAR TREK games I run I want toi try to get that good mood of the movie into it. The idea of "getting It Right Finally!" .

Or in other words: TREK done with the fun and right attitude of daredevil cheerfulness-defeat-any-obstacle gung-ho stuff that the new movie had. These players are going to be playing characters that are part of that Starfleet that we saw in the movie.


- Ed C.

And that's what you're getting. Helpful suggestions.

Quote from: estar;307904I am with you here.

Are you planning to use the Mission Class Courier as the ship? With that info I can give you some concrete suggestions.

Rob

I was thinking about it , yes.

If I had the photoshop skills  I would chage the warp engines into looking more like the stryle seen in the movie...and also somehow put a hexagon overlay on it instead of squares.

The other thing is that particular scenario assumes things are taking place after the Organian Peace Treaty. The movie and this game session takes place before the Organians were ever met. (well at least before the real versions of them are known). So, the background framing politics and parameters will be much different.


- Ed C.

I reread the adventure. The main problem it is esstentially a dungeon crawl through a Klingon D7. But I think it still be that but punched up the way you want.

The first thing to do is add a twist to the escape. Yeah the ambassador is the main point but one of the things the movie did is throw a couple of related things together to produce the frantic action. Not only you got Nero wanting revenge, Spock lost his mother, and Kirk needs to find his best and first destiny.

So the first I would is make the Klingon ship a test bed for a Klingon Superweapon. Let's go with Star Fleet Battle's Mauler. However the weapon is not very useful at the moment because Klingon power technology isn't up to the task. However with the Lorelei's (sp?) new crystals they can make the Mauler work. For those who are listening SFB's Mauler is essentialy a D7 built around a giant beam weapons. Similar to Traveller's Spinal Mounts.

The Klingon are desparate to get this working quickly so they have the prototype stationed just outside the Lorelei system waiting on the successful neogations. As luck as it a last minute Ion Storm diverts the Courier so it approaches the Lorelei system at a unexpected heading running across the mauler. None the less the Mauler has conventional disurptors that can be set to stun and so the players and the ambassasdor are captured. The Lorelei system fleet sees the Mauler who have to pretend they are part of the diplomatic corp.


Sense you are doing pregen I would have the following included

- Two character needs to have a personal issues with each other over a failed mission involving ... klingons. They each blame the other. The idea is that if they can overcome their differences and work to succeed at this mission they will be redeemed. Make them the Captain and the Enginneer perhaps.

- One character needs to mildly telepathics. She (or he) has the ability to sense surface thoughts and planting mild suggestions. She doesn't like doing this as she feel it would be a gross violation of ethics. Science Officer

- A Vulcan who just returned Star Fleet. The recent loss of Vulcan caused him to lose his emotional balence and he had to be confined for several weeks until the surviving Vulcan doctors could help restabilized. Although technically fit for duty he is deeply embarrassed over the incident and suffer from doubts over his ability to control himself in violent situations. Helmsmen

- "Cupcakes" the Security Officer from the Movie. After Kirk became captain he was uncomfortable remaining on the Enterprise and got the first transfer out he could. He is bit of a hot head and now has a driving need to do something to prove that he better than Kirk. Security.

- A medical officer, nominally sent to gather data on the people of Lorelei she has been discreetly tasked with keeping an eye on the Vulcan in case he "loses" it again. Medical.


I am going to go with no Organians on this one and say that the Lorelei have defenses against immediate Klingon takeover.


The plot

-Teaser
The character are summoned to the Admiral's office where they are introduced to the Ambassador and given the Mission. Of course the Ambassador should have a distinctive personality.

-Act One
The players encounter the Ion Storm. Make it a problem solving excercise involving something that you place on the table and the players have to look at and dechiper. For example use a bunch of blocks to make a maze that the players have to navitage through except you move the blocks to open and close pathways.

They are now heading into the Lorelei system and encounter the Mauler, make sure you let them scan the ship and note the unusual weaponary before bagging them.


-Act Two
The player wake up in the cells. The telepath can get them out by creative use of her skill but she will find it very distasteful. At some point if the players gain computer access let them find out the Mauler make the information dire enough so that they will want to disable it as well as escape.

Now destroying the Mauler will be problematic. However luckily the Mauler prototype is fincky enough that that well design charge can wreck the main weapon tube. setting the Klingons back for years. A charge that the enginneer is capable of designing. Make sure you give the captain some tech skill that the enginneer needs in order to do this so the two have to work together.


-Act Three
The Escape

A) The players get off by Transporter. For security reasons the conference site is protected by a shield that require parties to beam down several miles away. A Klingon Shore party will beam down after the party when a chase ensues. Either the party can defeat the Klingons or reach the conference site in which case the pursuit will be broken off.


B) THe players get off by Klingon Shuttle or using their ship. Similair to A except several Klingon Attack Shuttle pursue and a space combat ensues. The players will need to defeat the Klingons before reaching the conference site.


-Act Four
The Confrontation

If the players reach the conference site,  and Lorelei will highly upset. The Klingon Diplomatic Corp loses it and takes several important Lorelei hostage. The Character will have to work with Lorelei security to rescue the hostage.

If the players succeed up to this point they will get Lorelei to join the Federation and gain the power crystal. Plus the secret of the Mauler has been discovered.

Quote from: Koltar;307916I was thinking about it , yes.
The other thing is that particular scenario assumes things are taking place after the Organian Peace Treaty. The movie and this game session takes place before the Organians were ever met. (well at least before the real versions of them are known). So, the background framing politics and parameters will be much different.

Just say the Lorelei defend themselves enough so that the Klingons can't just take them over without a major fleet attack. So they are negotiating.

the offers can remain the same. The Klingon offering the Lorelei a mini empire of their own. And the Federation whatever that special deal the Ambassador has cooked up.

Estar assume I don't own STAR FLEET BATTLES (because I don't) back in the day I tried to use the FASA Tactical Combat Simulator for that kind of stuff. Laugh if you want to - back even back then I was weirdly ethical about copyright and I felt that FASA was more 'legal' and a tad more authentic than the Task Force Games stuff.

I was young and overly into ethics - okay?

MASSIVE EDIT: Just re-read the scenario, the Lorelyn system is mentioned in the original book. Over the deecades when IO rtan it - I normally used a different star system name. Think the reason was we had a Lorrie or Laura that played in our group or was an aquantance of everyone and we didn't want things too confusing at the table.

The basics of what you suggest is a good start.
Its only a 4 hour game block that I've got to work with - so I didn't want to go into ship combat at all. Over on the SJG forums I've asked for GURPS 4/e equivalents of the type of phasers and Communicators that we saw in the movie.
The tech details would be nice to have - but I want my focus to more on the role playing on derring do stuff.

Does anyone remember if they said Cupcake's real name in dialogue?

I have the vague memory that Uhura might have during the bar fight scene.


- Ed C.

Quote from: Koltar;307930The basics of what you suggest is a good start.
Its only a 4 hour game block that I've got to work with - so I didn't want to go into ship combat at all. Over on the SJG forums I've asked for GURPS 4/e equivalents of the type of phasers and Communicators that we saw in the movie.

Sure I understand. But I got a solution for you. Don't worry about the various ST simulators. Just treat it as GURPS Combat written larger. Except instead of the players controlling themselves they have to work together to control one combatant.

So just have DR (for shields) and a Damage Dice (for Phasers) Make a simple chart to trade off power between the two. Say 10 points of power. 1 pt of power make hex of movement, or 1 DR, or 1/2 D 6 of damage. Then run it like GURPS combat.

Or

You can say that the Courier's weapons have been disabled when the Klingon took it on board and have the players make a couple of dodge rolls. The more they make the closer they get to land to the city. And the less time the Klingon Shore Party riding along the attack shuttle have to pursue the players.

Quote from: Koltar;307930Does anyone remember if they said Cupcake's real name in dialogue?

Looks like they deliberately did not give Cupcake a name unless it was in the credits.

http://www.startrekmovie.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7902

Damn they credited him as Burly Cadet #1

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808843/

You could name Jason Smith after the actor who played him.