The Road Less Traveled/TOS

This is my first post, so please bear with me.

I am going to start a TOS based campaign soon, and am looking for some ideas. I already have plans for the setting, tone, and background, but I am always open to suggestions. What I’d really like is some input from people who have more knowledge of Star Trek than I do.

Specifically, I am interested in hearing (reading) ideas that will challenge my players’ assumptions. They’ve all seen the usual background material, and I’d like to use this “assumed knowledge” to catch them off-guard. Allow me to explain.

The “Star Trek” Universe of TOS was very different from the background presented in TNG/DS9/Voyager. For example, the Klingons of the TOS era were very different, and not just in appearance. They were devious and treacherous. In fact, the book “Making of Star Trek” specifically states, “Honor is not a favorable trait among Klingons.”

This is very different from the way Klingons were presented in TNG, but I believe it is a perfectly valid way to show them in a TOS based game- and doing this will certainly surprise the players.

Can anyone else think of ways in which TNG/DS9/Voyager superseded Old Trek? What are some “questions” that TOS asked that TNG/DS9/Voyager answered – that could be answered differently?

I anxiously await responses…!

I like the way you think... http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif

One thing TNG and DS9 delved into a lot is politics. In TOS, we know very little about how the Klingon and Romulan Empires are run. In TNG we get to see a lot of both. The Romulans look very much like a Soviet-style government while the Klingons become WARRIORS!!!.

Why not change those things. Have the players go to the Klingon Homeworld and find no high council, instead a powerful emperor. If you have access to some of the "Star Trek: Phase II" story ideas (the aborted late-70's Trek revival), the story "Kitumba" has some possibilities, where the Enterprise meets the future leader of the Empire. John Ford's vision of Klingons (the Final Reflection) is one possible way to go.

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Like Dan said, politics would be a biggy.

Just the overall interaction and location of empires that exist in both TOS and TNG.

Eg Tholians and Gorns, they seemed impressive in TOS (what you saw of them) but become misc aliens in DS9.

Don't retire the Constitutions! Upgrade them as the main battleship of the battlehardened Federation. And lots of them.

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'...The Borg have stopped at deck 10...'
'...Deflector Control, no vital systems...'

Not a vital system! What the heck do you think stops the ship going 'poof' every time it goes to warp?

- ST:First Contact; Lt Hawk

One could argue that the TOS and the TNG/DS9 world were in fact two very different alternate Star Trek universes. I am, of course, fond of alternate universes.

I think the John Ford Klingons are really the best TOS Klingons out there. They are consistant with what is known of the Klingons in TOS writings and shows, as well as being a fascinating, if repellant, culture in their own right.

BTW, this applies only to the John Ford Klingons contained in his two books, and in the 1st edition FASA supplement, though the latter is rather badly written. The 2nd edition FASA supplement includes some "details" of Klingon history which are just too implausible for my tastes.

For Romulans, I (naturally) rather like my own Vatakhsu (see the Romulans thread in the Star Trek chat), though to make them more TOS, one should probably eliminate the Tal Shiar entirely and make their behavior more honorable and less devious than is common in TNG.

The result is three very different political systems: brutal exploitation (the Klingons), rather racist paternalism (the Romulans), and pseudo-democratic socialism (the Federation). If that last sounds harsh to the Feds, consider how different the TOS Federation was from that of TNG/DS9. How often did starship captains and starbase commanders have power of arbitrary arrest and confiscation of property?

If nothing else, this shows how our own society has evolved.

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Slan agat!

The biggest advantage you have with running a TOS series is that it is less sterile than TNG, and brighter than DS9.

In TOS, politics is a big part with most things, but you are less likely to be hamstrung by politics as you would be in TNG. The Klingons were dirtier, the Romulans were sneakier, the Gorn were aggressive, the Tholians were highly territorial...you have Trelane (to replace Q) http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/eek.gif ... and Starfleet was more gung-ho than in later series.

On the downside, their are the technology advancements you won't have: replicators (the biggest loss), Holodecks, PADDs, Comm badges; Tricorders won't be as efficient as you see them in TNG; Medical facilities will not be able to cope with as much as they do in TNG; and more.

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How do I set a Laser Printer to stun?

Actually, I think the lack of tech makes the TOS series more challenging and character oriented.

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Originally posted by qerlin:
Actually, I think the lack of tech makes the TOS series more challenging and character oriented.

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I agree whole-hardedly .

Less tech, more room to do stuff, makes playing in TOS a challenge to the PC's.

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'...The Borg have stopped at deck 10...'
'...Deflector Control, no vital systems...'

Not a vital system! What the heck do you think stops the ship going 'poof' every time it goes to warp?

- ST:First Contact; Lt Hawk

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

One of the things I like best as a player in a TOS setting was that our GM made it really feel like we were in S P A C E. We couldn't contact homebase and talk to an admiral for assistance or even more information. We were out there in the vastness of space. If we ran into problems there were no reinforcements coming to help us out. This was also the case with the places we visited. Sometimes we were the first visitors a colony would see in years. And like in the original series the experts would take advantage of the situation by creating their own little kingdoms.

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Originally posted by qerlin:
Actually, I think the lack of tech makes the TOS series more challenging and character oriented.

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You are so right!

I just started a TOS Movie Era game and I’m coming up with adventure and plot ideas that I would have never gotten away with in the TNG/DS9 era. It is a whole different mindset.

Mind you, I enjoy both, but I was surprised that the differences that I noticed. I want to get back to that “Horatio Hornblower” mentality of the films and reliance upon adventure and characters.

A great observation, qerlin.


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Don
trekrpg@trekrpg.net
http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/sig_don.gif

It is interesting how there is still so much so appealing about the whole TOS setting. It offers more challenge than the TNG world, and just a more adventurous atmosphere.

I think in some ways the change from TOS to TNG/DS9 reflects the evolution of Western society in general since the 1960s. By the time of TNG, the wonder and idealism are far less, and yet the certainties are gone. Today's enemies may be tomorrow's allies and vice versa.

The world is more prosperous, yet far more constrained, and EVERYTHING depends upon internal politics, on who you know, to the point that there are conspiracies within conspiracies even in Starfleet Command.

TOS is cruder, more primitive, and generally a lot more likable. It feels more sincerely, and behaves more naively, often to the point of looking silly. In general, all of the series after TOS have been living on the vision started then, getting farther and farther away with each successive series.

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Slan agat!

And remember despite the Prime Directive the Federation negotiated trade deals and starbase deals with races that had now warp drive, heck some of them didn't even have energy weapons. The Cappelans anyone?

TOS is the truest form of Star Trek, even in the Movie Era. It is SPACE...as said it takes days if not weeks for messages to reach ships etc, vessels go missing all the time without trace. The Romulans are mysterious and almost nothing is known of them. The Klingons are sneaky and constantly in comeptition with the Federation for planets and resources.

Aliens are odd and have really sterotypical behaviour patersn, instead of just being a set of face makeup and no culture.

And never forget the vaule of Hodgkin's Law! http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif

Gwads, now I wanna run a TOS campaign http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif

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Aslan Collas
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Star Trek:Strange New Worlds;
http://www.geocities.com/aslan_collas/
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Ferengi Rule Of Acquisition #76: Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.

Or earlier.

I still like the idea of a campaign set ca 2146. UESPA is exploring space. The Andorians are new and myterious. The Tellarites are obnoxious and possibly a little villainous. The Vulcans and Centaurians are close allies, but also almost unknown.

Orions are every bit the treacherous enemies that the Klingons will later become, in competition for lots of worlds. Mysterious neutral races include the Gideonites, the Deltans, the Kaferians, the Saurians, and others.

There are races like the Haliians, whose first contact dates are completely unknown. They could be included in such a campaign.

The possibilities are endless!

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Slan agat!

While I agree with the virtues of TOS posted thus far, I'm rather curious with the premise behind the original post. Suppose you had just TOS to work with, no TNG or DS9, etc. And you were in the mood to throw the players for a little loop... What would you do?

Tweaking the Kligons is the most obvious idea. But what else?

One other idea I thought of is the fragile nature (in my opinion) of the Federation of the 23rd century. I've always viewed it as a pre-Civil War United States - a much looser central authority than the 24th century. Perhaps that can be played with as well - the TOS core rules mention the Axanar Rebellion. Perhaps there are other disputes that can threaten the entire Federation - a dispute over the admission of a world which had once been at war with a member world, Vulcan threatening to leave the Federation, a skirmish between two members threatening to break out into war, etc.

Or, one could just throw out the whole idea of the TNG timeline, and let it evolve on its own. I always thought it would interesting to see what would happen to John Ford's Komerex Klingon when it couldn't grow anymore.

Instead of the Federation-Klingon alliance, I had thought, back in my FASA, pre-TNG days, that the Klingons were likely to collapse as lack of expansion room forced a buildup of internal tensions, and resulting civil war. Then, the Romulans and Feds get involved in backing a variety of minor factions in the mess that the Klingon Empire has become, producing lots of interesting gaming possibilities.

My speculations only got about that far, so I don't know if a new Romulan War would result.

My guess is no. The stakes would be too low for either side, given that neither is really strong enough to absorb the whole Komerex Klingon. More likely, each power would absorb the parts of the former Komerex on their borders, and the rest would be claimed by some sort of revivalist Komerex which rejected both the Feds and the Romulans.

Who knows? This might lead to a Federation-Romulan alliance, which always seemed more likely than a Federation-Klingon alliance to me in those days.

And, of course, if history is completely re-written from the TOS era onward, then the Feds and Romulans might meet any type of new aliens, and not the ones they did in canon.

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Slan agat!

Although my regular campaign group runs a post-Dominion War era game, we have among our players some die-hard TOS fans. So we have come up with a solution which offers, in our opinion, "the best of both worlds" (no reference to episode intended).
What we do is, insert a time travel story every now and again; by the way, amazing how many excuses exist in Star Trek for time travel, voluntary or no. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif
Our crew has already on a few occasions been propelled back through time...to the TOS era!
Can anyone say, "Back to the Future" theme? Even if you never liked those teen films (you should, though, 'cause it's got Commander Kruge in them..well, sort of. True movie buffs know what I'm talking about), the potential inherent in these time romps should be obvious; you can have that whole "Tribbles & Tribulations" (DS9) feeling, and best of all: in roleplaying, "special effects: cost nothing!

I do feel that locking your campaign on to the TOS is too limiting, even though some whoppers of fun advantages have been pointed out by earlier speakers on this board. I mean, of course it's fun to tackle the original Klingons and Tholians...but even more fun, in my mind, to tackle them AND then to return to the 24th century and meet them again, even see story threads work out over the intervening years!

I'd like to thank everyone for the *great* responses! Please keep 'em coming!

I went out yesterday and bought the book "Final Reflection," as was recommended. It is outstanding- I stayed up waaaay too late last night reading it- that's exactly the type of thought-provoking information I'm looking for.

Please keep the great suggestions coming!

I've been reading info on the net about the "New Trek Series." Supposedly it is going to be set pre- Original Series.

I wonder how they're going to approach the dilemma I first proposed? For example, everyone *knows* the Romulans are an off-shoot of the Vulcans. That was revealed in TOS. What are they going to use as "surprises" without invalidating TOS?

Also, what are they going to use as "Big New Threats?" They won't be able to introduce a Dominion or Borg without also invalidating TOS?

(That's one nice thing about being a Narrator instead of a writer. I can- and will!- bulldoze TNG/DS9 assumptions without getting thousands of letters from upset fans!)

You can also use the old stanby of introducing other alien races, that for whatever reason, didn't make it into the 24th century.
If anyone reads the New Frontier books by Peter David, the collapse of the Thallonian Empire is a perfect example. Well, ho about something like that in the TOS era? The lack of technology would be even more apparant, and the distance from home even greater. You can play with Voyager themes-if the empire in quesation was out in the extreme fringes of the 23rds century UFP, it might take the better part of a year just to get there. What about playing with one of the minor named races that we never see much of? The Breen or the Tzenkethi, perhaps?
Just some random thoughts from someone who never watched TOS. LOL. I think I've seen maybe 5 episodes. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/redface.gif

One of the most interesting ideas is the change that the Federation faced between TOS and TNG. Exploring the events that changed Starfleet proceedures and policies during the Lost Years would a very interesting campaign.

The concepts of Lost colonies (like Tasha Yar's home), and what caused this would be an excellent time to adventure. What was caused these colonies to be lost? A war? Economic collaspe? Both?

Could be an interesting time to adventure in.

Well my primary campaign is set during the 'present' post DS9/VOY period. However, I'm also running an occasional TOS campaign that involves a deep space exploration into the area of space that the 'modern' crew are currently exploring.

The basic idea is to run scene-setting adventures that will later link to events that will have repurcussions in the 'modern' campaign. I chose not to have all the modern Trek players participate in the the TOS campaign, so as to keep some mystery about those events.

For instance, I'm planning to run the excellent Conquest's Tools soon. However, before I do, I'm going to first run a TOS adventure where one of the exploartory vessels is lost in mysterious circumstances. Which will of course be revealed when I run Conquest's Tools for the TNG era folks.

As another little link between the two as well, my girlfriend is playing a Trill character in both campaigns. Same symbiont, different host. She acts as a useful continuity link for the players.

It's proving to be a thouroughly enjoyabe experience.

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Captain Daniel Hunter
CO NCC-73602, U.S.S. Intrepid
Star Trek: Intrepid

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Originally posted by USS Intrepid:


As another little link between the two as well, my girlfriend is playing a Trill character in both campaigns. Same symbiont, different host. She acts as a useful continuity link for the players.

It's proving to be a thouroughly enjoyabe experience.

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Wow. THAT is a heck of an idea... if she plays it well (and I'm sure she does) that "same symbiot/ different host" idea has a LOT of potential. I'm going to have to think on this one...



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"I'd rather die standing than live on my knees..."
Shania Twain

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Originally Posted by Cessna

I am going to start a TOS based campaign soon, and am looking for some ideas. I already have plans for the setting, tone, and background, but I am always open to suggestions. What I’d really like is some input from people who have more knowledge of Star Trek than I do.

Specifically, I am interested in hearing (reading) ideas that will challenge my players’ assumptions. They’ve all seen the usual background material, and I’d like to use this “assumed knowledge” to catch them off-guard.

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At first I was thinking this is a good "thread that makes one go hmmmm...." But now I'm reversing my opinion. What is the value of challenging your players' assumptions with regard to basic Trek knowledge? On the one hand, they will be surprised naturally, and may even be shocked based on the natural differences between Gene's Trek and Berman's Trek. That's fine. Being a lover of the former and hater of the latter, I can see the appeal of making them squirm if they got too comfortable with Voyager, DS9, or Enterprise. But when it comes down to it, how does it further your game, how does it enhance their enjoyment of the game?

So Klingons aren't honorable. Some can take that. Others will quit in open revolt. Shocking, but true. But the other things that you can accentuate between TOS and "the rest" should be minor "hmm" moments for your players and not big upheavals. If you throw in something that is radically different, you better be prepared for player outrage (having a good explanation of why is fine, or letting the players know in advance that certain knowledge and preconceptions need to be thrown out because the characters of this time haven't met Race X should be enough). But if you are doing it to cause a stir in your group, I think you've got the wrong idea unless you have player buy-in in advance (like you tell your players "I want to use the Trek universe in general, but make some radical changes starting at Point Y in the timeline" and they come back and say "go ahead, we're all about exploring the unknown"). Keep in mind, for some people Star Trek is about exploring the unknown and for others it is about reliving moments of the TV series that they loved and if you go tampering with the series, you may eliminate their familiarity with the setting and thus their desire to play the game.

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Originally Posted by Alex

Keep in mind, for some people Star Trek is about exploring the unknown and for others it is about reliving moments of the TV series that they loved and if you go tampering with the series, you may eliminate their familiarity with the setting and thus their desire to play the game.

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Interesting points, and probably true. A GM has to keep a campaign in line, to some extent, to what the players want.

It is also, alas, very much to the players' discredit if they insist on comparing every single factoid introduced in a campaign to what some staff writer invented in episode 128 to overcome a corner he'd painted himself into.

As I always say....canon is the last refuge of the uncreative. :cool:

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Originally Posted by AslanC

And remember despite the Prime Directive the Federation negotiated trade deals and starbase deals with races that had now warp drive, heck some of them didn't even have energy weapons. The Cappelans anyone?

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Yup. I never liked the Prime Directive in the form it was used, particularly in TNG. Enterprise did a good job of showing the Vulcans used the PD prior to Starfleet. I always thought of it as an excuse for moral cowardice... "not our problem!"

TOS violations seemed driven by realpolitik : the weapons deal, for instance, was to counter the Klingons, IIRC.

On another note: anyone notice how no one mentions the PDin Nemesis? "Kolarus is a pre-warp society..." :D

In our campaign, the PD has been undergoing review and revision to try and make it more situational...unsuccessfully.

Yup. I never liked the Prime Directive in the form it was used, particularly in TNG. Enterprise did a good job of showing the Vulcans used the PD prior to Starfleet. I always thought of it as an excuse for moral cowardice... "not our problem!"

Sooooo.......this leads me to think that there is a reason that the PD is so radically different in TNG and onwards in comparison to TOS. Maybe the players have a hand in that, for good or ill. Maybe they interefere in a pre-warp culture and then they are destroyed/enslaved or whatever, causing the UFP to rethink the rules. Or, they stop it happening because someone else interfered. The PCs save the day, and the UFP decide to change the rules.....same result arrived at in differing ways.

Cheers

Tas

:)

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Originally Posted by Poolshark

Sooooo.......this leads me to think that there is a reason that the PD is so radically different in TNG and onwards in comparison to TOS. Maybe the players have a hand in that, for good or ill. Maybe they interefere in a pre-warp culture and then they are destroyed/enslaved or whatever, causing the UFP to rethink the rules. Or, they stop it happening because someone else interfered. The PCs save the day, and the UFP decide to change the rules.....same result arrived at in differing ways.

Cheers

Tas

:)

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Horribly evil story ideas to inflict on players. I like it!

WARNING: This is meant to throw in ideas not anger people.

TOS the original series. Running a game with the same political background as now adays. I like to use current events in my games and put them into my Trek game. You can do this this in any era. TOS is a really good one to use even with modern situations. As much as this will be a sore spot for many of us including me: use Iraqi and Afganastan some where in there. Make them worlds or colonies something the Federation has to deal with. Keep this in mind. This is all about Cowboy Diplomacy in the Federation before the Age of Diplomacy. Hell the Al'Quada as something too. When Star Trek was made in TOS it reflected many of the 60's ideals. Some of those same situations are reappearing here in the 21st century.

Good ideas!

The original Trek was often a political or social metaphor - and the War on Terror would have been the kind of subject it dealt with. My Movie-era game had Orion nationalist terrorists (FASA Orions were half in Federation territory), as well as Klingon and Romulan agents provocateur. The climax involved an attack on the UFP's presidential vessel during a goodwill tour.

Throw in the aftermath of a supernova in the affected area, and you'd get a good parallel to some of today's events.

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On another note: Anyone notice how no one mentions the P.D. in Nemesis? "Kolarus is a pre-warp society. . ."

--black campbell

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I had read somewhere a version of the Prime Directive the included a section about not only non-interference, but also preventing others from interfering (Franz Josef perhaps?). I had written the Nemesis omission of the P.D. off due to this; thus by collecting and removing the advanced positronic technology from a primitive (so to speak, didn't they say pre-warp industrial society?) world they were in fact upholding the P.D.

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Originally Posted by Cessna

I've been reading info on the net about the "New Trek Series." Supposedly it is going to be set pre- Original Series.

I wonder how they're going to approach the dilemma I first proposed? For example, everyone *knows* the Romulans are an off-shoot of the Vulcans. That was revealed in TOS. What are they going to use as "surprises" without invalidating TOS?

Also, what are they going to use as "Big New Threats?" They won't be able to introduce a Dominion or Borg without also invalidating TOS?

(That's one nice thing about being a Narrator instead of a writer. I can- and will!- bulldoze TNG/DS9 assumptions without getting thousands of letters from upset fans!)

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Oh my God, how old is this thread?

Looking at the points made in this post, though, the more things change, the more they stay the same..... :)