"In My Makers Image" Scenario

[Alex]

What happens when a Federation ship sails up and the CO gets on the line to these aliens, and says "I am James T. Kirk of the Federation of Planets. The object that your salvage crews are working on is on of our ships. We want it back, if you don't mind, and would like to open a dialogue with your planetary leadership explaining the Federation, and discussing your world's potential alliance or Membership in it."

This part of the post is actually a very relevant question. Consider how many of us like TOS and that style of game. Someone will surely point out that in TOS this was a very common, acceptable thing. Kirk swings into the system and announces his presence and who he works for. Starfleet/Federation ask for alliance with a new race to beat the Klingons to the punch. If the players play in that genre of Star Trek, the GM should be prepared with knowledge of the responses likely by the catfolk. I'd like to see what you intend for those of us who don't follow the Tip-toe Around Every Situation playbook distributed by Starfleet during TNG.

[LUGTrekGM]

Alex, exactly my point.

In my TOS Movies Era campaign, this scenario would last a half hour, tops, expressly because as you said, the pressure to get them to join before they join the Klingons would force the issue.

Not that this is a bad concept, it just wouldn't fit my campaign style at all.

[BouncyCaitian]

Still working on this. Just been very busy. Am also working on some graphics and species templates.

[LUGTrekGM]

Re-reading this thread, I am struck anew that this seems like material for a novel, with all of the back and forth dialogue going on behind the scenes, among the salvage crews that find the wreckage.

I'm not saying it's not a good scenario, just that the way it's laid out, it feels like material that would be seen in a novel format, rather than as a game scenario, which typically focusses on the crew's perception of events.

[Tobian]

It's also good for lazy GM's... generating a lot of fluff material like this can be extremelly timetaking, yet essential for this type of game-spin - the slow reveal with human details makes it more engrosing than rolling a bunch of dice and revealing a blip on the radar

[JALU3]

Have we done a work up on the factions within this system? General characteristics, make up, leadership, likely reactions? What of the popular media . . . or commonly broadcasted intellectual media?

If they have done their Recon . . . and had the oppertunity to do so . . . their contingent of xenosociologist can be a very valuable resource (that is if they have one)

[LUGTrekGM]

True, seeing all this backstory, that is the story, essentially.

It makes me wonder if it thus might be adaptable as the Federation accidentally crashes their own saucer into the God-like aliens' rocket (or the equivalent).

[BouncyCaitian]

Have we done a work up on the factions within this system? General characteristics, make up, leadership, likely reactions? What of the popular media . . . or commonly broadcasted intellectual media?

If they have done their Recon . . . and had the oppertunity to do so . . . their contingent of xenosociologist can be a very valuable resource (that is if they have one)

A work up for all of the factions will be forthcoming with the system write up. now that I have the time to accutally do it

[spyone]

I'm just finding this thread now, so forgive some replies to stuff from Page Two. (And Three)

The players might need to be reminded that the Locals still appear to be pre-warp civilization, therefore FC is proscribed.

"Um, Captain, I think the issue of first contact has already been resolved here: intentionally or not, the Hawking has made First Contact with these people. As for how we procede from this point, I cite the precedent of the people of Mintaka III: when a Federation anthropological study team accidentally revealed advanced technology to the Mintakans, Captain Jean-Luc Picard decided the best way to minimize the effect on their society was to make open contact and explain the situation.
"These people are less likely to mistake us for Gods than if they were in the Bronze Age, but I think we can safely say that they are now aware of intelligent life in the universe beyond their solar system, so we don't have to keep our existence secret anymore."

Originally posted by kridenow:
I don't understand how the player crew is supposed to go close to the wreck without being detected.

From what I've read, the plan goes like this:
"How close can we get to the Hawking while always keeping one of these Really Big Rocks between us and all of the alien ships, Helmsman?"
"Pretty darn close, sir. Well within Transporter range."
"Make it so."

Yes, in reality asteroid fields are not the dense clusterings of rocks seen in SF films, but Trek is one of the SF franchises that has asteroid fields that are penteratable only by stunt pilots. (Just look at the one in "The Pegasus", or "Booby Trap".)

Actually I am looking for a way to prevent players to use such an easy solution.

I already see one thing: it won't do the job. Parts of the ship have already been removed, and other parts may have been removed to distant locations. Since the objective is to prevent anyFederation technology falling into their hands, the players need to figure out what's been taken and get it ALL back before they blow it up.

Originally posted by Tobian:
This civilisation is technically not a pre-warp culture - their technology uses alternate means to provide faster than light travel, but it still does so.

Although I believe the cause of the accident was them testing an FTL drive, there is no evidence of them possessing any FTL capability: they travel around their system in fusion-powered ships, which is a fair description of a ship using an Impulse Engine.

Originally posted by Tobian:
I mean a cat Hybrid would not know it was a hybrid with a cat, unless it had seen both a cat and a human and done DNA testing.. Unless they have very advanced genetics, they might not be able to tell their DNA is not natural anyway. If cats are common on their world, then how would a cat photo be significant?! A cat, to them, might look like a wierd baby, like the way Greys often look like distorted children (or even foetuses) to us.. it's just a thought.

Well, even if it was not aware that it was a hybrid, it might well be aware that it did not evolve on the planet upon which it resides. Faced with a total absence of your ancestors int he fossil record (beyond a date a few thousand years back), there are 2 obvious conclusions one might draw:
1) GOD created your kind and plunked you down upon this planet, or
2) ALIENS transplanted your ancestors to here.

Then you find an alien spaceship, one that uses technology clearly far in advance of your own, and on this ship you find a photo that shows a member of its crew holding in their lap someone who looks remarkably like your cousin.
I can see someone in this situation looking at the cat and realizing that it looks too similar to his own people to be anything but an ancestor (or a descendant of a common ancestor).

This means either that this ship belongs to the people who transplanted you here, or that the Chief Engineer on this ship was God.

A bit of grousing will be picked up over the com channels as Erma is attempting to maneuver a body bag as well as several evidence bags in Zero-G.

Hmm. This seems ... familiar. Is it a coincidence?

Erma is not likely to shoot first given her EDF indoctrination ...

Nope: no coincindence. Been there, done that, bought the RPG.
Boys and girls, this is a franchise cross-over.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.


Keep it coming, I like it so far.

[BouncyCaitian]

I'm just finding this thread now, so forgive some replies to stuff from Page Two. (And Three)






"Um, Captain, I think the issue of first contact has already been resolved here: intentionally or not, the Hawking has made First Contact with these people. As for how we procede from this point, I cite the precedent of the people of Mintaka III: when a Federation anthropological study team accidentally revealed advanced technology to the Mintakans, Captain Jean-Luc Picard decided the best way to minimize the effect on their society was to make open contact and explain the situation.
"These people are less likely to mistake us for Gods than if they were in the Bronze Age, but I think we can safely say that they are now aware of intelligent life in the universe beyond their solar system, so we don't have to keep our existence secret anymore."




From what I've read, the plan goes like this:
"How close can we get to the Hawking while always keeping one of these Really Big Rocks between us and all of the alien ships, Helmsman?"
"Pretty darn close, sir. Well within Transporter range."
"Make it so."

Yes, in reality asteroid fields are not the dense clusterings of rocks seen in SF films, but Trek is one of the SF franchises that has asteroid fields that are penteratable only by stunt pilots. (Just look at the one in "The Pegasus", or "Booby Trap".)


I already see one thing: it won't do the job. Parts of the ship have already been removed, and other parts may have been removed to distant locations. Since the objective is to prevent anyFederation technology falling into their hands, the players need to figure out what's been taken and get it ALL back before they blow it up.


Although I believe the cause of the accident was them testing an FTL drive, there is no evidence of them possessing any FTL capability: they travel around their system in fusion-powered ships, which is a fair description of a ship using an Impulse Engine.



Well, even if it was not aware that it was a hybrid, it might well be aware that it did not evolve on the planet upon which it resides. Faced with a total absence of your ancestors int he fossil record (beyond a date a few thousand years back), there are 2 obvious conclusions one might draw:
1) GOD created your kind and plunked you down upon this planet, or
2) ALIENS transplanted your ancestors to here.

Then you find an alien spaceship, one that uses technology clearly far in advance of your own, and on this ship you find a photo that shows a member of its crew holding in their lap someone who looks remarkably like your cousin.
I can see someone in this situation looking at the cat and realizing that it looks too similar to his own people to be anything but an ancestor (or a descendant of a common ancestor).

This means either that this ship belongs to the people who transplanted you here, or that the Chief Engineer on this ship was God.


Hmm. This seems ... familiar. Is it a coincidence?

Nope: no coincindence. Been there, done that, bought the RPG.
Boys and girls, this is a franchise cross-over.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.


Keep it coming, I like it so far.

I was waiting for someone to notice

[JALU3]

Which franchise, Wing Commander?

[BouncyCaitian]

A little known comic that's been published over the Last 20 years Called Albedo Anthopomorphics. It's follows the trails and trivails of one Erma Felna, a Flight Officer in the Extra Planetary Defense Force. It takes a very hard science approach to space travel and the author stated he used anthros to eject what he called 'human perceptual baggage' from the storyline all together. it'sa young civilization, given access to space flight technologies and advanced A.I. and left behind by it's creators for reasons which no one really has been able to figure out.

It'sa lot better than most writing seen on TV and it's pretty deep stuff. It does emphasize problem solving over combat in the stories, only because when the EDF and the ILR really cut loose on each other, massive destruction ensues. A good read if you can find it

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Did you read the RPG?

[BouncyCaitian]

I've got it, but haven't cracked it open really. I've got most of the comics and collected "Command Review" issues that puts the serial into an easy to read form for reference.

I've made soem adjsutments obvious for the adventure, but I wanted to throw a curve ball at the players and make this a more problem solving than shooty scenario

[BouncyCaitian]

Contact: Um…Take Us To Your Leader?

Obviously handling this rather delicate situation is going to take some work, depending on how the players handle it. They could try to sneak away. Erma’s sensor is a simple radar/ladar system that could be jammed using tricorders, but considering her general level of paranoia, she might consider that the ship itself might be interfering and may have it’s own A.I. working under it’s own power. Or perhaps surviving crew.
The other option is to initate First Contact protocols and approach her. How the players attempt to do this is up to them, but any one who does a medical scan on her will detect heightened stress levels consistent with nervousness and more than a little fear.

Questions for Erma will be rational, probing, and perhaps a bit resentful. Awe and worship is something her collection of species haven’t really had the time to consider as they concept of “Who made the Universe?” hasn’t really crossed their minds as of yet, so her questions will be more practically based. Some examples might include.

Who are you?
What are you?
What do you want?
Why did you create my people? Food? Breeding stock? Hunting Game?
Why is this ship in our system? Were you spying on us?

If the answers are relatively honest and mild, Erma will become more friendly, as she is not one to give into flights of fancy, and the concept of Xeno’s lying hasn’t really occurred to her.

[updating as I can, but massive overtime has thrown my game writing time into turmoil]