RiP, gaming group.

[Tobian]

Don't be so hard on yourself! Everyone has to start somewhere...

Just have a set of answers for everything, it's not hard!

Ok first off - no customisations. If you aunderconfident DO NOT allow them to be anything which is not in the book.

Do not allow them to be aliens, machines or anything which says "It is not recomended you allow player characters to play this race"

It is easy to stick to the standard "standard set of officers on a ship or station" but then look at DS9 - a remote setting in which the Starfleet was in technical dominance, and not far from home for backup, but there were also a number of non Starfleet main characters who involved themselves and powerful aliens.

Ok the first thing you should start off on is - find out what they want to play. If they don't want to play a squeaky clean TNG adventure, suggest either TOS or DS9 Style - the past has penalties because they don't have UBER technology. A DS9 style setting is a ballance problem.. how would you have Quark in EVERY episode!

Well I actually braved out that scenario and it worked out as one of my best and most successful campaigns. The Crew are stationed on a requisitioned vessel (form some pirates who attacked them!) and it consists of a mix of Starfleet and non starfleet... Ok how on earth did this wierdness happen?

Ok, well when I began not eveyrone wanted to play Starfleet so I thought how can I? The setting is post dominion War, and the players are located on a very remote Starbase on the Edge of the Federation. The Choice was simple - if you were a Non Starfleet officer you worked FOR starfleet - you could be a smuggler a thief a Warrior or a Mystic - anything you could envisage, but you worked at the Starfleet outpost.. why ? Starfleet has a serious staffing problem post dominion war, so they often take on 'crew' to get things done. You could be a scientist and work in the science department, if you were a warrior - you worked in security.. The upside for such players is they have FAR more personal freedom, and can technically have 'night jobs' You get good pay and accomodation, and everyhting is FREE! The Down side - you can only access what the Fleet officers say (Computer information, controll panels and rooms) - You can only replicate what you are allowed (So no phaser bombs or home made explosives) and you do what the Starfleet officers say: SO yes you are technically not bound by the Prime directive - but THEY are, and if neccessary, just like everyone else you can get vapourised if you treat it flagrantly !

So long as the boundaries are clear, they can probably play the character they like from the shows, and it makes them less unrully because they aren't playing something they don't want too.

[Dan Stack]

I've just survived a death of a gaming group. We had players come and go but several months ago it became obvious we were losing our critical mass - people moving, babies, marriages, etc. I decided to do two things - the first was to wrap up my favorite game, our Star Wars game. I wanted it to end - an actual ending to a campaign, something I am always loathe to do. But the characters had become real and I didn't want them to wind up in gaming limbo. It was a good experience ending a game on my own terms before it could die. And the adventure was enjoyable, with the characters sabotaging the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor (preventing a backup shield from protecting the Death Star core). All sorts of old enemies and friends showed up.

Secondly I went on a major recruitment drive. Though I've been hesitant to invite strangers, I decided I really wanted to at least try to keep gaming. In effect a new group was formed, with two "old-timers" from the old group and three new people. We will be having our third bi-weekly session next week - so far, so good - it's been a lot of fun and the infusion of new blood has re-energized the grizzled gamemaster. We'll see how it goes long-term, but I'm having a lot of fun. We're playing a D&D Eberron game - a switch from my usual Star Trek/Star Wars games.

So don't give up hope. I hope things to work out well for you.

[Dan Stack]

Oh on the non-Starfleet Klingon and artificial lifeform front... All gamemasters have different styles, but as long as the players don't want total wacko characters (a Klingon berserker who kills everyone she meets) I'd suggest being open to some oddball characters. Most people I know love Star Trek for the Spocks, Datas, Worfs, Odos, and Seven of Nines... Something about those characters that a lot of people identify with. So when they want to escape from reality it is not surprising that is their first choice. Your mileage (or kilometer-age) will of course vary.

[Mac417]

Thanks for the tips, guys, I really appreciate 'em.

I just think I need to get some players who're less combat-driven he-who-has-the-most-toys types. Said person who asked if he could be a machine is bloody infamous for blowing up half of an SG-1 party because he insisted on trying to a) throw grenades with impunity and b) insisted on trying to stuff one down a Jaffa's mouth.

Needless to say, he's not allowed grenades anymore.

And to be honest, I'm REALLY against having ANY Klingons inmy Trek games. Prior attempts have never been good. I remember too well the guy who'd insisted he'd be a "diplomatic" Klingon beam down with a bat'leth and two phaser rifles as his weapon loadout...

[Tobian]

Ok well some tips for that.

1) Don't let said Klingon be Security chief for the below reasons..

2) the Security Cheif (Or cheif of operations or above) sets the default phaser setting to stun. On a mission the mission leader can authorise this to go higher BUT remember even a phaser has a lockout and a subspace transponder so the section leader can lock this back down, at any time, remotelly! They would have to bypass the security chief's code (between TN 15 -25 in computer use) - and then if they did - err hello COURT MARTIAL dissobeying orders!

3)Don't allow non regulation equiptment to go on away missions or to be carried about ship.. I.e. No Klingons with a Battleth wander round the ship without being thrown in the brig for insubordination..

Remember that weapons are NOT toys and they are kept locked up just like they are today!

[Mac417]

Good ideas, all. And said Klingon PC was worse than Security Chief.

He was the ship's XO.

God, I'm too accommodating sometimes...

[Tobian]

Oh dear, yes that's worse !

Well In that case.. don't let the PC's be in command of the ship, start them off, as it is according to the rules, as bog standard Ensigns! Part of the point about Roleplaying is you should earn your Experience, not just get a big pile of it for free, especially if you think the players will let it go to their heads! At the very least it means they don't controll eveyrhing and you can steer the ship away from potential doom if neccessary.

To give them a shot at command, let them command small missions (ok one of them) on a shuttle or plot device ship, so they can still hae a feel for it without being completell on a lose tether.

Ok So hang on here.. You have a klingon XO on a Starfleet vessel, who's not in Starfleet ? WHAAAAT ? Ok Yes there is one example of a Klingon as the XO of the USS Enterprise D; in that case he was an exchange officer, but even though he was a FULL blooded Klingon, wanting to smack people in the face for disagreeing with him he FULLY respected the laws and traditions of the Federation - why? Because despire all their caveats Klingons are VERY honourable, and they stick to their word and act with honour. While many things people said were 'dishonourable' in a Klingon sense, he abided by the Rules of the Federation becuse he was both acting in the best interests of the treaty between the klingons and the Federation (and without it he couldn't be there!) and because, just like Riker, His commanding officer told him too!

So if your player thinks he can be a non Starfleet Klingon serving aboard the ship as an XO exchange officer, and still weild his Bat'leth round the room like an idiot every time someone challenges his personal honour, he will have another thing coming!

In terms of game mechanics he will be spending allot of his courage points to stop flying into a Klingon rage all the time, and bottom line is he will be out on his ear if he disobeys direct orders.. because he will be shiped back to Qo'nos before a diplomatic incident occurs.

Always remember that Startrek is about the ethics and morals of the 24th century and Starfleet is a military organisation. The players have to abide by the rules and morals of the game, and if they don't they will be court martialed and kicked out of Starfleet - Being Court Martialed is virtually the same as being 'dead' because the Character can't easilly come back; remind your players of this!

It's easy to munchkinise the rules and become a whirling cavalcade of death *See the other thread * - but roleplaying according to the Genre is the challenge!

[Mac417]

Actually, just to clarify, this game with the Klingon XO was ran several years ago, the character was in Starfleet, when the only Trek gaming product out was the TNG Core Book from LUG.

This was basically a milk run on running the game, using the pre-written adventure in the book. Plus it was my first time GMing *anything.*

[KillerWhale]

Well, I had a long chat with the players and I'm glad to announce we'll, at least, finish the season... and then there's some possibility that we continue Trek but with a new premise. I hope it'll work! I'll post the series seed at the FBR.

Thank you all for your support: it helped a lot.

Mac417: don't worry, GMing Trek is difficult, it has its own mechanics, different from classical RPGs. Maybe you should impose a campaign type, depending on what atmosphere your players and you would like... Starfleet would be easier IMO if your players already know the series.