Campaign Planning - I could use a little bit of help, please.

[Sparx MacGyver]

Well, it's time to start planning my campaign. As you might guess, I'm going to be using the CODA Trek by Decipher, as that's the one I have. I do tend to play my games (Star Wars or Star Trek or otherwise) in an 'alternate universe'. It keeps things simple in case my players decide to kill off main characters before they can do what they're supposed to, or otherwise muck up the timeline as we know it.

With that in mind, I'm sort of fumbling for ideas. I did think about making them fresh faced kids out of the academy, stuck on an older ship in the middle of some war nobody wanted.

It's 2385, the Federation has been drawn into another war with [insert bad guys here]. I've considered many of the classic bad guys: Dominion, Breen, Jem'Hadar, Borg, Species 8472, and Rolulans. None seem truly fitting, save for maybe the Romulans.

From here, I'm thinking of placing them in a Miranda class. Perhaps the war sin't going as well, and so some older ships, a first run Miranda is brought out of mothballs. She's old, just getting a basic repair job and barely running at minimal crew, almost a skeleton crew, the USS Atlantis NCC-1865 is showing multiple hull patches through her haphazard paint job.

While escorting (i.e. trying to run after a battle) the USS Saratoga (NCC-1887-B, Sovereign class) who is heavily damaged, USS Reliant (NCC-1864-A, Miranda class), USS Brattain (NCC-21166, Miranda class) USS Vigilant (NCC-74212, Defiant class), they are attacked by 3 Borg Cubes. The small convoy begins a mad dash to flee, returning fire as best they can. The Saratoga is unable to warp due to damage, and a torpedo from the cube causes the warp core to breach, causing damage to both the Brattain and Atlantis, who attempt to escape through a wormhole, which opens a good distance in front of them. Both ships arrive on the other side relatively unharmed, though they are unable to ascertain the fate of the Vigilant or Reliant. When sensors do come online, the chronometer reads that they are now in the year 2155, and they are the most powerful ships around. Although the crew doesn't know it, they are in the mirror universe, and as luck would have it, are about to be found out. The Brattain would be damaged beyond what the two crews could repair without a station, though this will only be found after they fend off their first set of attackers.

I'm thinking of having the Brattain decide to go hide behind a moon/nebula, while the Atlantis goes to seek help/supplies/etc. Eventually, if/when the players return for the Brattain, they will find it missing. Starting off, they will have no way of repairing major damage, or refueling, or rearming. Hopefully they think tactfully. This is about all I've got so far, most this info unknown to the players. What do you guys think? Where would you take it form here? What would you change? Is my idea to much?

Any help ya'all can give would be appreciated.

[BouncyCaitian]

the problem with the Miranda and actually the Excelsior class at the end of the Dominion war is that it's pretty much the equivalent of running a WWII Frigate that while having electronic updates, is still painfully inadequate for the task against more modern vessels. There was even a mention in the DS9 that the casualty rates were atrocious among these classes because they were antiquated.

Star Trek online Actually kinda got around this with the introduction of the Shi'khar class, which is roughly they same size and design, but updated to more modern. while it is not a warship by any stretch, it at least has the virtue of not being a antiquated rust-bucket probably failing apart at the seems. Never have understood the GM obsession of stating people out in the most crap ship possible....

Anyway: 3 borg cubes? Remember what 1 Cube did at Wolf 359. With what you've just described, that convoy is assimilation bait as those things are 5km square typically. perhaps a Borg sphere? Much smaller but still a credible threat to the flotilla.

Well the ship would be beyond bleeding edge of tech for Starfleet at the time (24th century sensors anyone?), but depending on the amount of hull stress it took, probably not in much of a position to do anything, even after the patch up.

the crew would need to get back home as quickly as possible and probably would need to figure out somewhat to facilitate Slingshot (not advisable in the rustbucket). or some other form of Temporal travel.

perhaps you can use this to make them aware of the Federation Time Fleet or some other time travelling faction that is good or bad depending on what plot twists you feel like throwing there way