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Hi,
I know that in general the concept of running a purely military campaign in Star Trek is frowned upon, but if one were to do so, how would one make it interesting? Deep Space Nine kept the characters out of more of the mundane actions of the war, is it possible to not put the characters in the midst of every special situation, but still make it interesting?
Thanks!
Running a military campiagn does not mean that you have to constantly keep your PCs in combat or involved in political intrique. In fact it can be as varied as any other type of series in missions and plot content. What Military means is that you scribe to the idea that Starfleet is a lot more formal and military in origin when it comes to organization, customs and manners. Sometimes the term Realistic has been used as well to descibe this type of campiagn. Unlike the shows players should be conscience of Rank, position and even on an occassion argue over senority when it comes time to take command in any given situtation. PC's who are informal in there manner toward fellow officiers while on duty would be considered suspect and called on deck for it. In addition there will be some form of ground froce in this setting be that Marines, Ground Forces, RRTs or what ever you want to call them. There size and purpose up to the narrator (personally I have always liked the idea of detached GF officers serving in Starship crews to add a bit of drama and conflict.) Good examples of TV shows to watch are MASH and JAG to get an idea of the extremes you can get while still staying close to the original idea of a military series.
A pure military campaign has some great Rping opportunities, especially if you pit them against ruthless enemies. You could have situations where the enemy indiscriminately kills civilians, commits atrocities and overall act barbarically. Entice feelings of hatred amongst the characters then you can start putting up missions with the enemy in a softer light. POW's taken to be cared for reveal a soft side to the conflict, enemy civilians aren't as bad as they thought, etc...
Getting a real gritty feel to the whole thing is key IMO. The characters should be led first one way then shown the other side of the coin, then they can see the complete picture. Its a great way to develop some in-game stories for characters. And if you continue later on with a more standard exploratory series, the PC can share war stories or meet up with former foes. Works especially well I find with the Bajoran/Cardassian occupation and the Federation involvement.
Band of Brothers is a good example of a military based story where the characters are not constantly just shooting. There are all sorts of plot threads available. Planning and executing a stealth mission into enemy territory to grab prisoners, heading to a rear aid station that is supposed to be safe and engaging in character romance. Diplomacy type stories. Interaction with locals. Hell, maybe there's even a "hearts and minds" aspect to the campaign that causes its own problems and plotlines. Maybe the heroes even uncover a conspiracy on their own side that goes against Federation and Starfleet ethics. maybe even Section 31 shows up to make problems or task the PCs for a special op.
Granted, such a campaign is likely to be heavily focused on combat. But that doesn't mean all of the stories have to be combat-based to be fun.
Strictly Speaking