Input Needed

[selek]

Hi All,

I'm running a TOS adventure for this years CONduit, set aboard the Starship Chesapeake.

I've got four hours to play with- and I want to capture some of the swashbuckling/cavalier feeling of the Original Series- the sort of bare knuckle exuberance of the Pike/Kirk era.

The heroes will be assigned to the Chesapeake- a "short hull" Constitution class on her first real deep space assignment. Chesapeake is outwardly identical to her sisters, but a number of shortcuts were taken in her design and construction- and she's been marked as a "bad luck ship". (Considering the fate of the other Constitution class starships, this could be a serious problem!).

The adventure will center around "breaking the curse" and will involve Klingons and very likely the Prime Directive.

So- to my question:

In your opinion, what are the primary thematic elements on which I should concentrate to invoke the TOS feel?

I've been running Next Generation and post-DS9/post-Voyager campaigns for some time, but I really want to recapture the innocent bravado that characterized not only the Original Series, but also the James Barron/John Paul Jones era of the United States Navy.

What are your thoughts?

Any suggestions?

[Sarge]

Sounds like you're familiar with the early history of the USN, so I'll ask what's the Klingon term for Leopard?

Off the top of my head, a big Klingon ship could pull alongside, insist on searching Chesapeake for contraband or fugitives from Klingon justice, suddenly disable your shields and capture key parts of the ship with boarding parties. Make things happen fast, don't give the players time to think, and be prepared for the obvious countermeasures (convenient malfunctions in the intruder defense systems and so forth). Lock up the PCs and let them figure out how to escape and retake the ship. Klingons don't know how to play fizban, do they? Combat should definitely include knocking phasers out of their hands, and doublehand chops while classic fight music plays in the background.

[Sea Tyger]

To me, TOS thematic elements include:

1. Characters solve the problem despite technology: Technology is often an impediment in the story, and the stars of the show often succeed despite it, rather than because of it.

2. Creative skirting of the Prime Directive: Put the stars into a situation where the Prime Directive is in place, but give them a moral imperative to justifiably act despite of it. In a broader sense, this could be seen as Starfleet regulations as an impediment to successful resolution of the problem.

3. Nothing beats a good fist fight: Throw one in for good measure.

4. Cold War Klingons: Klingons are more like Soviets than the samurai vikings of TNG and beyond.

5. Captains as action heroes: Of course, the stars of the show should always go on the landing parties and be at the center of the action. This might be more difficult to pull off if you have a full ensemble.

[RaconteurX]

There are some lovely parallels between TOS and military adventure stories set in the Napoleonic Era. Read lots of C.S. Forester (the Horatio Hornblower series), Patrick O'Brian (the Aubrey-Maturin novels), Bernard Cornwell (the Richard Sharpe series), and Dudley Pope (the Lord Ramage stories). Oh, and toss in a little George MacDonald Fraser (the Flashman tales) for comic relief.

[selek]

Sounds like you're familiar with the early history of the USN, so I'll ask what's the Klingon term for Leopard?

I believe it's a variation on "Aauuggh! Get it off! Get it off!"

Off the top of my head, a big Klingon ship could pull alongside, insist on searching Chesapeake for contraband or fugitives from Klingon justice, suddenly disable your shields and capture key parts of the ship with boarding parties. Make things happen fast, don't give the players time to think, and be prepared for the obvious countermeasures (convenient malfunctions in the intruder defense systems and so forth). Lock up the PCs and let them figure out how to escape and retake the ship. Klingons don't know how to play fizban, do they? Combat should definitely include knocking phasers out of their hands, and doublehand chops while classic fight music plays in the background.

I'd tossed the idea around, but in my mind, the potential problems outweight the benefits.

First and foremost (again in my mind), combat is usually the slowest and most dice-heavy portion of the game, and gives the heroes the least opportunity to roleplay their characters. Given the luck-of-the-draw nature of convention players, I'm not sure we could complete this sort of combat-heavy story within the available time window.
I'm planning a fierce combat scene (both ship and shore) as the climax of the adventure- but I think "retaking the ship" would be a bit too involved for beginners to either Trek or to the RPG.

Second, "you left spacedock without a tractor beam?" has been done to death...

Also, the post-mission court-martials and duels-to-the-death are quite a downer.

Finally, the Klingons aren't going to be content to seize a few alleged deserters and sail off.

When Leopard molested Chesapeake, tensions between the Americans and British (both putative allies) ran blood-hot. The war fever was mitigated only by the fact that America was the skinny new kid on the block and had little or no recourse to avenge the wrong. The event was still pivotal in forcing the United States into a war she could ill afford and not possibly win.

Were a British frigate to attempt a stunt like in the 1859 we'd undoubtedly have fought the third British American War instead of the Civil War.

The Federation of the 2260's and 70's had the means and the will to take the fight to the Klingons- and both sides were already on a hair trigger. In my mind, a replay of the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair would result in interstellar war*.

* Hmmmm....if I did need to go that route, I could set it just prior to the events in "An Errand of Mercy"- making the second rape of the Chesapeake as either concurrent to or a provocation for the Battle of Organia.
Of course, this also defeats my purpose of "lifting the curse".

Tell me all you like that sailors are not superstitious- but in the intervening 200 years, only two vessel of the U.S. Navy (after the first) were named Chesapeake. One was decommissioned after only a year of service and the other was renamed Severn just five years later.

By contrast, there have been 10 Wasps, 8 Enterprises, 8 Hornets , 6 ships named Congress, 5 named Essex, and 5 Lexingtons. Constitution is still in commission, and Constellation has had two successors.

5. Captains as action heroes: Of course, the stars of the show should always go on the landing parties and be at the center of the action. This might be more difficult to pull off if you have a full ensemble.

Ironically, this is how I run nearly all my missions, so it's not a problem.
I've actually had more trouble keeping the "bridge switchboard operator" busy- so I took the unusual step of elevating the Communications Officer to third-in-command. Outta solve that problem right quick!

There are some lovely parallels between TOS and military adventure stories set in the Napoleonic Era. Read lots of C.S. Forester (the Horatio Hornblower series), Patrick O'Brian (the Aubrey-Maturin novels), Bernard Cornwell (the Richard Sharpe series), and Dudley Pope (the Lord Ramage stories). Oh, and toss in a little George MacDonald Fraser (the Flashman tales) for comic relief.

With the exception of Cornwell and Pope, you just tossed off the top slots on my normal reading list!

Got some new titles to read! Thanks!

I recently threw a mission at two of my groups based on the (real-life)misadventures of Lieutenant Platt and the United States Schooner Beagle.
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b3/beagle-i.htm

Let's just say that both were more respectful of local soveriegnty than was Commodore Porter.

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These are all excellent ideas and insights.

Please- keep them coming!

[nightwind1]

Ironically, this is how I run nearly all my missions, so it's not a problem.
I've actually had more trouble keeping the "bridge switchboard operator" busy- so I took the unusual step of elevating the Communications Officer to third-in-command. Outta solve that problem right quick!

When I run Trek, I always reserve the Communications Officer as an NPC. It makes it extremely easy to relay missions and other GM-to-player info.