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What's in a Name.
I ran a campaign set on the Romulan Breen Border.
I names the station DS47. THe station orignally had a different desination (it was very old), but was refitted to a Deep Space station. I kept its 47 number (it was orginally a Regular Style science station, I think R-47 becuase it was ther study the area).
Many people in the campaign kept using the old designation, and many of the other cultures just referred to as as the "Federation" or "Starfleet" Outpost.
Well here is the idea.
A group of races in an area of space has been inspired by the Federation and are forming a social/military unit to protect themselves from their enemies.
The enemy race has decalred this union illeagal and has promised to destroy it.
The new union makes a request to Starfleet for help.
Starleet agrees to deploy a peace-keeping force int he area. But as it is after the DW, it will be a limited one to be sure.
Now I need the hook, that happens midseason to suddenlty make this place important (ala the wormhole at Bajor).
Star Trek: Emerald Eye
Actually with the set-up you've described, this basically makes the new polity a protectorate of the UFP (ah, there's a name right there -- ST: Protectorate).
Also, given the post-war timeframe, I think you need a really strong reason for the UFP to get into this situation in the first place. Perhaps this is pretty much the same hook that makes it important come mid-season. Hmmmm.
How about this for setup: the protectorate is actually wholly inside declared Federation borders (near a frontier with one or more large powers), but none of the systems is affiliated with the UFP directly. This, at least, gives the UFP a reason to have in interest there.
Mid-season: as a demonstration of power, the enemy race sets off some kind of device similar to Genesis (hey, it is century old tech at this point). They do this on a barren rock in a nebula. Unfortunately due to some techno-babble regional wierdness in the space-time continuum, the reaction doesn't stop, instead pulling matter through some subspace rift. Who know where the material is coming from in the first place, and oh, the strange things resulting from this...
-- Daniel
Well for a hook the system could hold the hull of a very old and very big starbase, only remnant of a race long gone. It would be right in the middle of the new union, and hence used as the base of their new governement (like Earth for the Federation, only they took a neutral soil).
Archeologists (and scavengers) have scanned the empty base, and found nothing of interest.
Only in the dark recesses of the station, the utopians discover that not everything from the old civilisation was lost. Some door opens to an undetected part of the station, and there, some very old backup system knock on-line... and now there is a barely functionning computer in the station, not very useful, save for its huge databanks, full of data of the lost race (well alternatively, you can have a piece of functionning tech, but the Iconian Gateway may have been overused ;)).
Not only will the utopians have to deal with their ennemies, they will now have to deal with many many other powers who want to get a crumb of the station's data... including Federation archeologists (and then what if the utopians don't want anybody to access their computer ?).
Oh well... some idea that poped in my mind... I really should go to bed.
Star Trek : Shattered Dream ?
Ooh, I like the "Shattered Dream" idea, C5.
AlsanC,
Some possiblities for your setting
Justfying UFP involement:
You could put some sort of valuable resource in the protectorate. Maybe dilithium.
You could have another power, like the Romulans, Klingons or whatever giving support the the Enemy Race. Not full out support, but supplies and such. This would help to explain UFP involment ("Balance of Power") plus add some additional tension to the campaign, since the UFP wouldn't wan't to antagonize thier new Romulan allies.
Perhaps the small protectorate gave the UFP support during the DW. That would provide a strong motivation to reciprocate. For isntance maybe they gave the UFP acces to thier repair facilities and supplies of thier resource that Starfleet needed desparately (perhaps even letting the UFP use thier Space station as a sector 0 HQ after the Dominion destryoed the nearest Starbase).
As for the midseason hook:
Iconian Tech could be found in the territory. This could attrack some attention.
Other forms of Alien tech, like say an old Doomsday machine or 3.
Another valuable resource.
Some sort of spacial anomality/pehonenom. Lie a ringworld, rosetta, or some such. Some that everyone would want.
A new species show up with some strange tech that give them an edge over everyone else in some way. They could be begin and standoffish or outright hostile. Perhaps their tech is limited (for instance, swiping form SFB- a species that exists in a nebula but has tech that cancels the penalties of the nebulae).
A mystery. Perhaps something isn't as thing see. For isntance maybe ships or people disapeear for no reason.
Surprise! Perhaps once of the "nice" aliens have a terrible secret (like the've been taken over by the parasitic race form the first season of TNG and are using this new alliance as a wa to inflitrate the area; or maybe they've just PO'd someone powerful and wanted to get allies before they showed up).
Actually I think UFP involvement with a burgeoning union is itself enough. These are not memebrs to be, but actually a cluster of systems that are making their own mini-Federation called The Galactic Union, or the G-Union for lack of a better name.
Their enemies, the Vandarians, are an evolved Humanoid-Swine race. They have been terrorizing the three races forming the G-Union for well over 100 years.
As the Motarps, Selgelians and the Adromusans have managed to put aside some differences, they have requested the Federation help them.
As the Federation is not willing to interefere, they are willing to help try and bring peace. So a DMZ or Neutral Zone between the two will be craeted and Starfleet will patrol it, working out of a refurbished Starbase of some kind.
Now whatever is found has to be something that would bring business and traffic to the station, but be completely unforseen, thereby taking everyone by storm.
The reason I want to wait until halfway through the station is to wait for the players to be entrenched, so Starfleet can't replace them with high-profile officers when the mission becomes very important.
Hope this clears things up. Though the suggestions made so far are really helping me think here, keep em coming gents :)
Hmmmm...maybe I could use the enigmatic Breen in this fashion, providing the Vandarians with powerful weapons and "advisors" at this point. Hmmmm....Quote:
Originally posted by tonyg
You could have another power, like the Romulans, Klingons or whatever giving support the the Enemy Race. Not full out support, but supplies and such. This would help to explain UFP involment ("Balance of Power") plus add some additional tension to the campaign, since the UFP wouldn't wan't to antagonize thier new Romulan allies.
Okay that works... Though maybe the Romulans would be better as they are easier to understand. Though my players would be expecting them. Ahhhhhhh... I dunno... I just dunno....
eep
Ok...
Off the deep end here, what if the refurbished station is the old Regula 1 from Genesis that has been stripped, searched, analyzed scanned etc...there is just no information to be had on the station.
That is till a descendant of one of the scientists shows up and through a genetic coded lock he/she is able to bring part of the information online and now the Breen or whomever wants to know who activated the "genesis wave".
Just a thought, again
Ronin84
Just a couple comments on this....Quote:
Originally posted by AslanC
The reason I want to wait until halfway through the station is to wait for the players to be entrenched, so Starfleet can't replace them with high-profile officers when the mission becomes very important.
I wouldn't wait till the middle of the season to drop the surprise on them. Hit 'em with it right from the get-go - don't give them a chance to breath. Start off mundane, with the local goings-on, then make things worse by introducing this plot point, which could well be the "unique quality" that sets your game apart from TNG, DS9, VOY, and every other series you've done.
Starfleet won't replace them with high-profile officers because the PCs ARE the stars of the show and therefore cannot be replaced by NPCs. :) Starfleet didn't replace Sisko and co. when the wormhole was found; it just made all their jobs a whole lot more interesting.
Just my opinions anyhow.
If you need enemies then I suggest the Ferengi. Firstly, whatever importance the system has it must have a "market value". Secondly, the Ferengi could aid both sides (whichever that may be) by providing "access" to advisors, mercs and the like. Hiring out muscle in a way so each side can levy wars by proxy upon each other.
The Ferengi's goal could be to destabilize the region and make a grab for the planet/starbase/resource. All for profits sake of course. Since it could become a burgeoning center for space travel, maybe a few shops setup near or in the starbase. Your friendly local Ferengis setup shop (and smuggle weapons to each side).
Just my thoughts...
Okay a couple more decisions.
1] The ship assigned to the peacekeeping detail will be the old Niagara class, missing a nacelle from the DW, USS Iguazu (named for Argentina's Iguazu falls.) under the command of vetern Captain Percy Elias Collas. He sees this as his last outing and soon will retire. The Iguazu is on her last legs as well, barely being kept together by spit and bailing wire ;)
Aslo opporating out of the station is the USS Exeter, Ambassador Class, under the command of Captain Lee Zymmer, but she is doing a long range exploration beyond the DMZ/NZ and only checks in once every 6 months. In an emergency she could rush back, but it would take her the better part of 24 hours to get back.
I may put one more ship in the area, but with a Niagara and an Ambassador she would have to be smaller (and notice older as well).
Okay this is coming together slowly... keep the ideas coming, it is helping figure stuff out guys :)
Intertesting idea. Interesting idea to be sure.Quote:
Originally posted by Ronin84
Ok...
Off the deep end here, what if the refurbished station is the old Regula 1 from Genesis that has been stripped, searched, analyzed scanned etc...there is just no information to be had on the station.
That is till a descendant of one of the scientists shows up and through a genetic coded lock he/she is able to bring part of the information online and now the Breen or whomever wants to know who activated the "genesis wave".
Might not go exactly witht his, but I am thinking I will use a Genesis idea in here somewhere.
And all this talk of Genesis makes me have a name now...
Star Trek: Genesis :)
Yes and no. I see your point as it has a lot of merit. But I am not sure that I want then swept up right away. Myabe, but this is a group that likes long conversations in character more than they like fast paced adventure (three White Wolf players ;) ) So that said I may want to establish a comfort level first and then shake things up. I will give though to your words though :)Quote:
Originally posted by Ineti
I wouldn't wait till the middle of the season to drop the surprise on them. Hit 'em with it right from the get-go - don't give them a chance to breath. Start off mundane, with the local goings-on, then make things worse by introducing this plot point, which could well be the "unique quality" that sets your game apart from TNG, DS9, VOY, and every other series you've done.