Thoughts on Exploration Games

[Dan Stack]

It's been a while since I ran a Trek game and it'll probably be a while, given I seem to be in a long-term Eberron game (which is a good thing - three months ago I thought my gaming days were coming to an end).

However, I've been thinking a bit about how I would (or hopefully will) run a Trek game should I find myself playing one. Over the past few months I've been reading up on some historical eras I'm not too familiar with (classical periods including the legend of Odysseus), the Vikings, etc. In addition I'm a huge fan of the Napoleonic era (though I'm only now beginning to look at what happened on the continent, having been more interested in the seas..). Also the release of TOS Season One has gotten my mind going.

One thing I notice from the first season of Star Trek is it was in many ways an anthology show with a recurring cast - no alien culture was met more than once throughout the first season - and we never once had a clear visual of any other ship save the Romulan Bird of Prey. The big political game of TNG/DS9 is a ways out in this period. Instead we have a feeling of island-hopping like that we see in Homer's The Odyssey.

The area Enterprise patrols in reminds me of the Agean see of Greek mythology. There are city-states on various small islands, but one never knows when the next island is going to have some witch turn your crew into pigs until the captain can seduce her (man that story is just made for Kirk). But TOS does not have the limitations of Voyager - Enterprise is still in the Federation, just on the fringes of it - one planet might be a place for shore leave, the next one a parsec out might be unexplored.

Another thing I notice is the autonomy with which Kirk operates. Only on rare occasions does Enterprise visit a friendly port - indeed from episodes like "Charlie X" and "The Man Trap" one gets the feeling that Enterprise is in many ways a friendly port herself.


So how would I apply all of this? I think I would go for an era where I would not be tempted to use all of the empires and civilizations established in later eras - they make the galaxy feel too civilized. By the same token, I don't want encounters with friendly folks to be too rare - that rules out Enterprise-era. (And an occasional Klingon is ok too)

Now I'd want to stay clear of established history so I'm thinking of setting this game in the pre-TOS era - something like a decade or so before season 1 of Star Trek. A Constitution class ship on the fringes of the Federation - U.S.S. Odyssey perhaps. What I see is a few sectors of space, each of which has a couple of colonies or outposts but most planets are unexplored. And most colonies are only marginally explored, with some settled prior to the founding of the Federation or the establishment of the Prime Directive. There is a Star Base in the area - not that quick a ride to get there, but it is a port of call if need be. Criss-crossing the space lanes are merchants, speculatie traders, prospectors, and the like - lots of room for the Harry Mudds of the galaxy - and there are certain to be some pirates operating in the vicinity - most are no match for a modern starship, but the occasional surplus Klingon raider might show up from time to time in Orion hands. And the area probably is close enough to Klingon space for me to use the Klingons every once in a while if I so choose. The pirates give some opportunity for some good swashbuckling fun as we fight to drive them away from settlements. And there can be some good espionage too - historically, the American colonies bought a lot of goods from pirates.

As far as visits to planets go, one thing I'd like to do is avoid going through all the trouble of inventing a planet, its culures, life forms, etc. and use it for only one adventure. So planets will be made with a mind for reuse. There are two ways to do this - the first is to have several consecutive adventures on a planet as it is discovered - the first adventure could be the first visit, with later adventures involving learning more about the cultures, setting up an observation outpost to be left behind, etc. The other way is to visit the planet again months later (and the two methods can be combined - a few adventures on a planet and later on having a return visit). I'd foresee the ship visiting each planet for about a month or so.

This is just some rambling from a guy who hasn't played Trek for a while but still things about it. Feel free to use, ignore, comment on, or whatever.

[Sho-sa Kurita]

I'm partial to the classic exploration thing myself. Though Gene used the "wagon train in space" bit on the network execs, I think the Odyssey is a more appropriate comparison.

I'm going to hop back to my recurring theme of colonization. In addition to any 'lost' colonies, I think it could fit in well with your 'occasional visits' model to help establish a new Federation colony in the ship's patrol area. You could escort a colony convoy to their new home, and help with initial setup, then leave. The colony could require help at some later time, or the ship could just return for regular visits -- by regulation of course, you have to have that yearly medical exam.

A Federation colony can provide both a friendly port, or a hostile situation (salt suckers, oh my!). Another advantage is that the colonists are UFP citizens who have a relatively similar culture (or at least basic values) to the crew's, and you can use it to establish relationships with the ship's crew.

I'm not suggesting they get really tied into things, like DS9, but in an ongoing campaign it's good to give the crew a bigger stake in their mission.

[Sho-sa Kurita]

Hey, speaking of lost colonies... ...try these Enterprise bits on for size.

What if your ship's patrol region included Terra Nova? At this point in time, Earth, under UFP auspices, has returned to the planet. Are they avoiding contact with the Terra Novans or trying to reintegrate them into general human civilization?

Or how about North Star? You could have a showdown at the OK corral. Yeehaw!

[Dan Stack]

So some more thoughts... Ship and crew.

I mentioned the use of a Constitution-class vessel. I think it is a good default, but it may be possible to do better.

Another of Roddenberry's influences, as others have mentioned, is the "Horatio Hornblower in space" idea. One gets the feeling from those books that a frigate was a prized command - though they did not participate in the line of battle, captains had a lot more personal discretion. Also the book Master and Commander shows a commanding officer quite pleased to have a sloop. One of the most famous vessels from that era, Captain Cook's Endeavour, was unarmed for all intents and purposes. (Indeed Cook was actually a Lieutenant)

Given that, is is possible a smaller ship is desirable. But how much smaller? The thought of a survey ship, like Endeavour has a certain appeal - perhaps a vessel like the Oberth-class - though my gut says that may be a little too limiting - though I don't think a good exploration game should be heavy on combat, an occasional battle would seem in keeping with the genre. A tiny ship like a Klingon Bird of Prey has some possibilities - I ran a game set aboard one and it was great fun. David Gerrold's Worlds of Star Trek actually suggests a tiny ship may have been better for the premise of Star Trek. But I must confess it doesn't quite seem right. I think a frigate or a scout with a crew under 200 would be ideal - small enough to get the impression everyone knows everyone else but large enough to afford a few casualties and to carry passengers. A TOS version of Voyager perhaps...

Now what of the crew? One of the problems with Star Trek, in my opinion, is they give lead roles to positions which, dramatically speaking, aren't all that important. For example, the position helmsman of a vessel is really only important during a battle (at least dramatically). So if one were to have a player running the helmsman I would suggest having the character having a double role - perhaps doubling as exec - but my gut tells me not to even do that, but rather use troupe play to have players run such characters upon need.

Who is important? A decision-maker/negotiatior (captain). A life sciences/doctor type (medical officer). A physical sciences/engineering type (engineer). A cultures/first contact expert (something like TNG's counselor - maybe communications officer).

Just some more random thoughts...

[Sho-sa Kurita]

Who is important? A decision-maker/negotiatior (captain). A life sciences/doctor type (medical officer). A physical sciences/engineering type (engineer). A cultures/first contact expert (something like TNG's counselor - maybe communications officer).

I say 'yes' to the first three. For the cultures/first contact expert, I don't think it has to be like any of the roles we've seen on screen. I think it should simply be it's own post (and I think it would be from the time of TOS on). This wouldn't necessarily work on TV where you need the audience to see the same characters each week, but in an RPG it could be fine. Using troupe play makes this all the easier, since you can take the precise officer you need, rather than the main cast every time.

In an early enough period, a helmsman/pilot type character could be more important. Transporters aren't as good at this point, and can't be tweaked as much or as easily, so shuttles could be used a lot more, sending the pilot on a lot more missions. Everyone in Starfleet may be checked out on shuttles (although probably not so in pre-TOS time), but only for emergency purposes.

Here's a question for you. Would you be more likely to use the TOS model of a captain with a first officer who had an additional role, or the TNG model of the captain and XO pair?

Oh, and hey! Where's the Science officer (planetary and space)? You need someone to tell you about the composition of those asteroids mister!

I mentioned the use of a Constitution-class vessel. I think it is a good default, but it may be possible to do better.

I've always favored the smaller ship idea. I know it's heresy, but I've always disliked the Galaxy in both form and function. I was very happy when the Intrepid came out.

You were noting a crew of possibly 200, so I took a look through my FASA UFP ship manual for some thoughts. While their timeline puts several good candidates as contemporaries of the Connie, there's no reason they couldn't be progenitors instead, and obviously, any stats can be tweaked. The classes I was thinking of follow (I'm thinking you're familiar, but if not I'd be happy to expand):

Anton-class 'cruiser,' crew ~300, phasers only
Larson-class 'destroyer,' crew ~200, phasers and torps (old favorite of mine )
Nelsonclass 'scout', crew ~180, phasers only, fast

The Anton is 224m long as opposed to the Connie's 290m, has 1/2 to 2/3 the phaser power of the Connie, and has an integrated secondary hull, so it's got a different look as well.

[Tobian]

With your theme of the Oddesy, how about something like this...

Ok it's known that the Federaion is large.. but most of the time it appears it's just a few hundred lightywars accross.. We are known to have colonies as far as Antares (360 lightyears away) Rigel (True Rigel 200 lightywars away) or Deneb (2700 lightyears away!).. Who were the brave captains who travelled out so far to make friendly relations with species who might be 10 years away on the fastest warp....

Perhaps as the Federation forms it begins making announcements to starfaring powers, and asking if people want to join.. and peoples far and wide of varying technologies imply interest, refuse, chose to hide, react angrilly, attacking the federation, or radio back a treaty when they haven't even met them!

Perhaps such a species lives out as far as Antares or Deneb, and has recieved subspace messages from Starfleet and is interested in joining... A Crew is chosen to take a long voyage into the unknown, far beyond explored space, to talk to a race who may or may not want to join the Federation.. it's all a big risk, but a fabulous exuse for exploration.. They are 'beyond the known world' as you can liken it to that ancient Agean sea voyage, and travel through their share of 'crushing rocks' 'titans' and other Homeric oddities, jumping between one island to another, to try and reach their far away land, hoping they find their 'golden fleace' a new UFP member.. Perhaps allong the way they make friends and enemies, but the point is most of this is really going to be beyond what we consider the 'core worlds' - beyond even the Romulans, Klingons, Cardassians and Tholians.. a new set of space where you can have new and mysterious races to encounter without tripping over familiar ground..

While it might make for a good post NX era, It could well be any era, a new race on the fringes of the Federation..

As you say, without the Federation or Starfleet at their backs all the time, they have allot of autonomy, as Kirk did, and if they break their ship, they can't easilly limp home, they have to find local aid (worst case scenario it's only a few years to get home! It's not like Voyager!).. Just my 2 cents..

[Capt Daniel Hunter]

This design for the Antares class always struck me as a sort of TOS version of Voyager.

http://www.trekships.org/antares.htm

[Dan Stack]

I liked that design of the Antares as well... A few more thoughts.

The idea of the long journey to someplace like Antares or Rigel has some possibilities. The negative I could see would be a lack of settled worlds - one thing I think is a handy tool in Star Trek (and was used in TNG as well) is the ability to have a Federation colony world - gives some good opportunity for mysteries, alien threats, etc.

However, there is no reason that there couldn't be scattered worlds here and there on the path to that destination. For example, take Antares - perhaps there is a long trade route to Antares - 360 light years away - that would be 18 sectors so one Federation/friendly world per sector would still leave plenty of unexplored space. And Antares could be a "gateway world" to other parts of the galaxy (which would explain why there is some profit in making that journey).

[Evan van Eyk]

When I ran my Voyager camaign, which is a bit similiar to what you seem to have in mind, I decided to give the characters a middle-sized ship. I did not want to have a Galaxy-Class, because that would not match the isolation feeling I wanted to create. Additionally there would be hardly any danger the ship could not handle. But too small would have been to restrictive I think and would have had the potential of story problems, like number of torpedoes, crew, shuttles.

So I decided to use a Steamrunner-Class vessel and it apparently was a good choice. Strong enough to give the characters a fair chanec to get the crew through the Delta-Quadrant but small enough to create an atmosphere of familiarity among crewmembers. We even had a crew manifest and marked those who were killed in action...

As for the content, I had trouble first with exploration style episodes who were not just featuring a new alien species. So I sought for inspiration and found it in science magazines. I took articles from PM, National Geographic and comparable magazines and let them guide my episode backgrounds, giving the characters enough room for exploring ancient temples, new alien species, etc.

[Tobian]

Perhaps the benefit of traveling as far as Rigel Antares or even Deneb could be that it is not just one planet, but an entire confederation or even empire thinking about joining, doubling the membership of the Federation in one fell swoop.

You are right that it is a problem that there would be very few 'friends' out there.. however what they always do forget to show on the show is how far you have to get to go before you run out You could still fly for 50-100 lightyears before you completelly run out of Federation held territory, depending on your era and setting.. and there could still be many worlds out there who have also heard of both the Antares confederation and the Federation, and the prospect of both of them joining together makes them want to join too... or it could simply be they also got the same broadcasts!

From some of the back story implied by the show and the expanded universe material (source books etc) the orions had a large network of trading contacts throughout the region, especially in the direction of Rigel (true), so while you might not find any allies to fight your battles with you, there will likelly be several 'ports in the storm' whith at least a neutral stance.

Taking it beyond the Klingons / Cardassians / Romulans et all also allows you to explore some of the less heard of races (depending on which way you go) such as the Gorn, Breen, Tzengethi.. maybe even Luria for a laugh (planet of Morns! ) races who exist beyond the fringes of the Federation even now.. but who's teritory you have to pass through to get to where you are going.

Evan, sounds like a good idea, you can't have enough ancient temples

[Publius]

Originally posted by Evan van Eyk
I took articles from PM, National Geographic and comparable magazines and let them guide my episode backgrounds, giving the characters enough room for exploring ancient temples, new alien species, etc.

Very nice idea. This might prove quite useful to me not only in Trek but other games where new races are met on a regular basis. Thanks Evan.

That version of the Antares is a very nice ship Capt. Hunter, nice clean lines, I like it a lot. I also like Starfleet Museum designs like the Avenger which you can find at the Starfleet Museum

Note: attached pic is NOT MINE, but belongs to that site's creator/owner/whatever, I just didn't want to link directly to their pic.

[Eric R.]

Originally posted by Dan Stack
For example, take Antares - perhaps there is a long trade route to Antares - 360 light years away - that would be 18 sectors so one Federation/friendly world per sector would still leave plenty of unexplored space.

This is what I call the California approach. coming from the idea that California was an established state (1849) long before the plains were even settled (1880's - 1890's) owing to immegration, spired by gold, by sea and overland travel which only established a few settlements along the way (Ogala, Denver, Chicago etc...). Though never mentioned in any series they could be failry stable wormwholes within the alpha/ beta quadrant which allow ships to move relatively fast from Federation home space to the far flung worlds/systems and to start exploring from there, slowly working their way toward the "middle" as starships explore from the core area towards them.

You could even have a semi-stable wormhole with perdictable end points along the way so that small settlements could be established along the way with the ability to come back to Federation space but not to go on to "California". In this way the "California" area of space could be cut off for weeks or even months from contact with the core systems. Meanwhile starships can explore on to the next settlement if you want.

[IceGiant]

Originally posted by Publius
Very nice idea. This might prove quite useful to me not only in Trek but other games where new races are met on a regular basis. Thanks Evan.

That version of the Antares is a very nice ship Capt. Hunter, nice clean lines, I like it a lot. I also like Starfleet Museum designs like the Avenger which you can find at the Starfleet Museum

Note: attached pic is NOT MINE, but belongs to that site's creator/owner/whatever, I just didn't want to link directly to their pic.

Hey Pub,
I know you having else going, so why don't you roll out some deck plans for the Avenger & it's sister ship the predator. Chop-chop!!

I love both those designs, but at least one guy in my group hates them ...bastards!

I stated both of them up in CODA for a time when I will never get to use them.

[Publius]

Love to. You know something though? I think I actually got started on one of them, but I cannot recall which one. That is how busy I am right now. I think I did the Avenger... Or at least got started, did a deck by deck allocation of space, then... wandered off as I am wont to do.

Right now I am trying to find the time to work with Tobian on a station plan, which is tantilizingly close if not to finsih then to something approaching being done. With my extra load at the work-that-pays and the constant needy nature of the work-that-doesn't-pay (my Magazine, which is supposed to get out the first of next week to the printer) I am unable to find any time to devote to the plans at all. Arrrrrrrrgggghhh!

[skree]

If you would look I posted the stats for this ship .