TNG Netbook - Asking for Input

[Mac417]

Okay, folks, I've decided to throw my creative juices into this effort to keep Coda Trek alive and do a big fat netbook on The Next Generation and the resulting movies.

Here's what I've developed thus far as a basic framework for the thing:

Ch. 1: Introduction
Ch. 2: Pre-TNG timeline
Ch. 3: Year One - 2364
Ch. 4: Year Two - 2365
Ch. 5: Year Three - 2366
Ch. 6: Year Four - 2367
Ch. 7: Year Five - 2368
Ch. 8: Year Six - 2369
Ch. 9: Year Seven - 2370 (also including the Enterprise-D's last mission in Generations)
Ch. 10: The Enterprise-E years
Ch. 11: Equipment (including a uniform/rank recognition guide)
Ch. 12: Starships
Ch. 13: Enterprise crew
Ch. 14: Supporting cast (non-crew & recurring)

This is all basic and introductory, so any help or input you all could offer would be deftly appreciated.

[Sho-sa Kurita]

I would suggest keeping the seasonal info fairly short. Between previously published RPG and non-RPG material (and the eps themselves!) we don't need that much of a walk-through.

What I'd like to see is write-ups for many of the planets/cultures the TNG crew met.

And I think the ST Magazine did one of their funny stats articles on evil/mad captains/commodores/admirals, so all NPC write-ups should include this as an 'alignment' note:

Admiral Norah Satee: mad (witch-hunter)

I'd also seriously suggest seeing about submitting some preview material to Beyond the Final Frontier if GandalfofBorg would have it.

-- Make it so!

[Mac417]

Originally posted by Sho-sa Kurita
I would suggest keeping the seasonal info fairly short. Between previously published RPG and non-RPG material (and the eps themselves!) we don't need that much of a walk-through.

What I'd like to see is write-ups for many of the planets/cultures the TNG crew met.

And I think the ST Magazine did one of their funny stats articles on evil/mad captains/commodores/admirals, so all NPC write-ups should include this as an 'alignment' note:

Admiral Norah Satee: mad (witch-hunter)

I'd also seriously suggest seeing about submitting some preview material to Beyond the Final Frontier if GandalfofBorg would have it.

-- Make it so!

One idea I had for the seasonal info was begin each of those chapters with a one-page timeline of that year of Enterprise voyages, followed by writeups of the various cultures encountered that year. For instance, the Year One chapter would include the Bandi, the Edo, the denizens of Angel One and Haven, etc.

I have to agree though once I get some of this down on paper to send this off to Gandalf for BTFF.

I probably should include a "nutcase flag officer" element somewhere, then again, I was planning to keep the character writeups of the supporting cast down to characters who'd appeared in two episodes or more. Though I suppose Alynna Nechayev would come pretty close.

Thanks for the ideas!

P.S.: Just so people know, this will be in the conceptual stage for a while, since I'm prepping some art for my artist's alley table at an upcoming comics convention. Don't for one minute think I'm slackin' off, this project WILL come to pass!

[Sho-sa Kurita]

One idea I had for the seasonal info was begin each of those chapters with a one-page timeline of that year of Enterprise voyages, followed by writeups of the various cultures encountered that year. For instance, the Year One chapter would include the Bandi, the Edo, the denizens of Angel One and Haven, etc.

I like that idea. The info is easy to find, but it's still easy to know at a glance that species X came from season Y, or where to look if you know the episode/year, remember what they looked like, but can't remember a species name. You could do the same for any ships, equipment, NPCs, and then simply offer a double-TOC - a standard page-by-page, then one for subjects (Ships, Planets, etc...). Yes, I know that's an index , but I'm suggesting putting them both up front.

I liked Adm. Necheyev. She was initially written as a tad strident and adversarial, but over time I think she fared well. I think the writers had finally heard enough fandom complaining about problematic flag officers. I mean, how could Starfleet possibly function like that?

[GandalfOfBorg]

We at the BtFF would be more than glad to publish what you have to offer

GOB

[Uruz]

It'd be nice to see stats redone for every star and co-star on the show, and through the movies. Some of the stats done in the Narrator's Guide are just silly - for example, they don't illustrate migration from elite profession to elite profession (example: Geordi, who started the show as a Flight Control Officer and somehow became Chief Engineer - he obviously had two elite professions)

[Mac417]

Actually, Uruz, something I was considering was doing progressional-style writeups. Like: here's Picard's stats at the beginning of the series, here's him at the end, here's his stats during the Enterprise-E era, etc. I saw them do something similar with both the d6 and d20 Star Wars RPGs.

What do the rest of you think?

[Space_Cadet]

Mac417 , if you can, try to get your hands on FASA's TNG First Year Sourcebook.

[Mac417]

I was shopping around for that actually. Actually owned the thing at one point and lost it somewhere. I do remember a little of how they had things set up which is part of ow I plan to do mine.

Thanks!

[Sho-sa Kurita]

Actually, Uruz, something I was considering was doing progressional-style writeups. Like: here's Picard's stats at the beginning of the series, here's him at the end, here's his stats during the Enterprise-E era, etc. I saw them do something similar with both the d6 and d20 Star Wars RPGs.

AEG's Stargate books do this with Low-Middle-High level character write-ups. I like it a great deal.

[Tobian]

The Stargate books are very good because alongside all of the statted characters (appropriate to that episode) they also give you the relevant technical details for any equiptment / technology / flora and fauna / culture present, and what I like most, a detailed plot hook (including often technology items and characters for it) to give you a good follow up episode themed on the original. One of my favourite parts of the books !

[Mac417]

Ergh. Now you're making me want to expand the episodic portion of the book.

More... work... my... head... a... splode...



On the subject, I had two ideas about the progressional character writeups. Would you guys prefer to see how each character advanced by each season and movie (i.e.: Riker's season-2 stats, Crusher's stats during Insurrection, etc.) or would you prefer it boiled down a little (beginning of series, end of series, Enterprise-E era, etc.)?

Also, I came up with a means of figuring out character advancement, namely giving each character an advancement for every two episodes in which he played a significant part in resolving the mission (Data would get one for We'll Always Have Paris and The Naked Now, Picard would get one for The Big Goodbye and Conspiracy, etc.). Is that too much, not enough..?

[Tobian]

Well maybe if you downgraded your rather bolod idea ! it's not that realistic to portray EVERY episode in great detail, and for the fans it's probably a little redundant. yes if this was an official Decipher product then i could see the need for it, but perhaps what would be far more interesting as a play aid would be the following.

Episode:

Brief synopses of the plot.
Characters involved (with a stat block)
Locations (planet descriptions and or spaceships (which could simply be a page reference in a pre-established book)
Plot Hook - an expanded set of ideas on how you could add to / follow up / use in an adventure.

To Follow the Stargate model you can then gather together at the back stuff like:


Special equiptment - a breakdown of the equiptment found (such as a Ferengi mind altering device of a Varion T disruptor etc) which has not already been covered ... AND items which have been suggested in the Plot hooks

Unique (only once appeared in that episode) Aliens with creation rules. These could be as simple as saying "make the same as standard human, except with a +2 bonus to empathy" or a full write up.

Plot hooks with what to do with previous episodes are probably the most useful things you could put in the book!

[Mac417]

Okay, okay... I like it. So something like:

"ENCOUNTER AT FARPOINT"
Stardate 41xxx.x (Feb. 25, 2364)

Mission: Evaluate Farpoint Station. Collect remaining crewmembers.

Plot synopsis (one paragraph).

Stat block for Groppler Zorn.

Plot hooks:
Revisit to Deneb IV.
Run-in with the Farpoint entities.
Run-in with Q.

Cross references:
For the Bandi, see Aliens chapter.
For the Farpoint entity, see Aliens chapter.
For the Q, see "Aliens," pp. xx-xx.

"THE NAKED NOW"
Stardate 41xxx.x (Mar. 16, 2364)

Mission: Investigate loss of contact with U.S.S. Tsiolkovsky.

Plot synopsis (one paragraph).

Plot hooks:
Finding an adrift starship with all hands dead (spoooooky).
Disease hits player's ship.

Cross references:
For U.S.S. Tsiolkovsky, see Starships chapter.

And so on and so forth...

[Tobian]

Yes exactly! and in short bursts I suspect you could get allot of milieage out of the forums here for ideas for plothooks, as well as from those already established on the forums (some of them were compiled recently, I forget by whom?)

As an asside, I think that the characters should also go in a 'characters' addenum at the back (Gee I really like Stargate LOL) to gather them all together too.