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I remember reading something (I would think it would be in the NG) about switching out computer stations. With LCARS this is supposed to be fairly routine, I think. Does anybody remember where that is referenced? I'm especially curious how long it takes, in case the crew wants to do so in the middle of a battle.
I found references to Transferring Power (NG, pp. 99-101, interrupted by the Travel Times at Warp chart on p. 100).
You might also try pp 187-188 of the PG, in the section on computers and LCARS consoles.
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Originally Posted by Fugazi Grrl
You rock! Thanks, FG! :cool:
Read over those sections again, and don't see any specifics (though the NG part pointed me to some info about Cloaked ships that was helpful).
The part that references LCARS in the PG makes it sound like you can instantly bring up any station any time you want. I'm thinking that it should at least take an action, if not a full round turn to do so.
The issue that came up is what if a bridge crew member gets stunned? Or what if the Captain suddenly wants a different crew member to take over (say, by firing on the enemy)? Should command of particular stations (Engineering, Helm, Tactical) be instantly available to any bridge personnel, if - for whatever reason - another crewmember decides to change their station to that particular designation?
Remember the scene in Star Trek: Nemesis when Troi is empathically targeting the Reman to use her ability to find his mind to help Worf penetrate their cloak ?
"Remember... me !?"
And she has to guide Worf's hand across the tactical console so it is his finger that pushes the "fire button" and not Troi's ?
This indicated to me that an officer must be logged into their station.
The way we do it ?
When T'Prala (our chief engineer) has to transfer engineering control to the bridge engineering station when she comes on the bridge she does it with a voice command "Transferring Engineering control to the bridge. Recognize Marquez-Beta-5-Alpha."
LaForge did this without the recognition code, and I always presumed the computer recognized Geordi's voice and authorized the transfer. After the Dominion war I'm sure Starfleet would implement some kind of safeguard to keep a Founder from posing as, say, Jean-Luc Picard, and taking control of a ship.
Ergo Commander Marquez's use of a very Tuvok-esque recognition code.
Omega, the android ops chief can transfer console controls pretty easily - Systems Operations (Operations) test, TN 5 under normal circs, TN 10 or 15 in a tense situation. Such as a battle.
Thus when Captain Northcote orders; "Mr. Omega, transfer tactical control to the science station !" - Omega rolls System Ops (Ops) at TN 10 and the science chief has control of the weapons to use the science sensors as a targeting sensor.
For an officer who is not Omega to do it, it would require a Systems Ops (appropriate console) test - For T'Prala to take over the science station and use it as an engineering console it would be System Ops (Science) because she is trying to manipulate the science console, maybe with a Computer Ops affinity.
What I'm driving at is, most officers can activate their own console with their voice command, Ops officers can transfer console controls using their ops board, to change the function of one console to another requires a skill test to use the console you're trying to change.
Great stuff (as always). In fact, I'm going to copy and paste your response into an email for my group, as I think you've spelled things out really clearly and have defined this really well. Situation like the Founder that you mention (or any other kind of spy) were exactly what I was driving at, and why I thought there should be some kind of security involved. Your method is perfect in that it addresses this and yet still keeps things pretty fast and simple. Thanks again! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Fugazi Grrl
Hey, again glad to help !! And if you have any more questions feel free to ask.
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Fair enough, I will. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Fugazi Grrl
The player that runs our Captain wonders if - in your example above - the LCARS system shouldn't just allow a character to completely reconfigure the display? In other words, where you had the Science Officer make a System Operation (Science) skill roll, since the character is using scientific scanners to function as tactical sensors, he thinks a chararacter should be able to configure the system completely (given that they make the skill roll and say the right verbal commands), effectively turning the Science station into a Tactical station.
I believe that's his view, anyway. :)
Here's how my player put it:
the science station, once reconfigured to tactical, would no longer tie in to the science scanners, but would instead route all data from the actual targeting system to the newly configured targeting station. ( and NOT be targeting with science scanners.)
Your captain is basically right, unless the consoles are coordinating.
If Captain Northcote orders the tactical officer (Lt. Commander Painter) to coordinate his targeting scanners with science, for example.
But is a console is reconfigured then it becomes the interface it has been reconfigured as. I think we've only had to re-configure a console once. But we've coordinated consoles several times.
But, to transfer control from one console to another I think should require the Systems Operations (appropriate system) test like I described. With the computer-operations affinity.
To completely reconfigure a console, use the same skill, at a higher difficulty (a TN 10 to transfer control from one console to another might need a TN 15 to reconfigure)