Introducting Starfleet

[JALU3]

How do you best introduce star trek and starfleet to non-star trek role players?

[Ergi]

I'd borrow them on or two seasons of my TNG DVDs.

Additionally, you should search your LUG and/or Decipher books for information about the Federation and Starfleet (e.g. chapter 14 in Decipher's Player's Guide) and make those sections required reading. The players have to know a little bit about the Federation, otherwise they might have trouble understanding the motivation and principles of Starfleet.

[JALU3]

Thankfully I have the LUG players guide and Price of Freedom. Thanks, I forgot about thouse resources.

[LUGTrekGM]

If they are not already fans of Star Trek, or science fiction in general, it's really an uphill battle.

If they have played Traveller, or Alternity, or perhaps Spacemaster, then you just give 'em some pregenerated NPCs, and advise as they go.

If they are fans, it's not generally a problem, as long as you clearly specify the era, and mission.

If they are generally only D&D players you will have lots of problems with the fact that Trek is higher lethality, and has a regulations/ranks structure, and crews that "Wade in to combat" get smoked from go.

In that case, might be best to start out as merchants or something. then have them encounter starfleet in action a few times, learning by example, and THEN start a Starfleet campaign...if that is your long term plan.

[Ineti]

If they are not already fans of Star Trek, or science fiction in general, it's really an uphill battle.

I'd be inclined to agree with this. If players haven't been exposed to the forty years worth of Star Trek episodes and movies, it'll be a challenge to get them up to sufficient speed to play a Trek RPG.

If they're willing, you could show them a handful of TNG and DS9 episodes so that they can get a feel for the setting (or TOS if you're running a classic era game).

[The Tatterdemalion King]

"I agree."

Show them maybe two or three episodes that you think typify Starfleet, how it acts, and what it's goals are. If you have a lot of time, see them a lot or want to burn them some DVDs, I'd recommend two TOS eps, two TNG eps and two DS9 eps.

Now the question is, which episodes?

[tonyg]

It might be a better approach to try and work adventures that have elements that you know your players will like. For instance, if you have a player that likes solving puzzles, run a muder-mystery, but in a Star Trek setting. If a player likes horror games, run a horror story set in Trek (think "Alien").

[Alex]

I'm most surprised that there are people willing to play Star Trek but don't know anything about it. Everyone I know either is very familiar with the show, or absolutely refuses to become familiar with it.

I don't think it should be too hard to introduce Starfleet to them. I would probably pick the 2-3 BEST episodes for my era and loan them the DVD. You can always try the straightforward explanation instead of showing them. Starfleet is the para-military organization that acts as military (DS9, TOS), police, UN relief agency, and exploration wing of the UFP. Stress the aspects of the era you are playing: TOS is exploration and military, TNG is exploration and relief agency, DS9 is relief agency and military, VOY and ENT is exploration. The movies (original movies, not TNG movies) did a pretty good job of involving Star Fleet Command, and TOS had a few episodes where Kirk had to stop and explain what Star Fleet was.

[BouncyCaitian]

TOS: "The Ultimate Computer" for military aspects

TOS: "The Trobule With Tribbles" for military/diplomacy.