Dirty Dozen

[AslanC]

Okay Sarge mentioned making this thread and I think it is a great idea. So here it is. This thread is for discussing the troubled end of Starfleet. The Tom Paris' as it were

My campaign has that sort fo thing happening with the crew. The Captain feels Starfleet is undermining her or showing their lack of confidance by having her crew filled with some rough around the edges or hard to work with people.

[Dwerf]

I hope, I got the thread intention right otherwise forget my few words:

Has the captain ever thought the other way round?
It's kind of great trust in her capabilities to manage such a "difficult" crew. Especially if there is more than one of such crew members Starfleet wouldn't risk a ship by filling it with a non trustworthy crew - maybe except for ship-wrecking. ;-)
Not any captain is able to handle such a crew - face the challenge.
If the captain is so depressed she'll be replaced by Starfleet after the next performance tests. Maybe she's happier with less difficult tasks. Life in Starfleet isn't a children's birthday.
So encourage your Captain by showing her Starfleet's trust - maybe some extra holdiday (with an extra little side-plot).
Nevertheless if the crew members are definitely not able to work together maybe the some crew members should be exchanged or should be encouraged to walk at least a bit in Paris' shoes.
A little bit of internal conflicts in the party are interesting and import to roleplay but too much is frustrating in the long run.

[Capt. K. Vaughn]

One has to becareful with just how much
internal conflict occurs especially if most of these characters are loners that do not work well with others or have a problem with authority.

In a mini-game I ran last year for a new group of players I was putting together, they decided of the options available that they would play a joint special operations team for a projects group that Starfleet Command desired to test.

The four PCs included a Bajoran former resistant fighter turned intelligence operative, a Klingon warrior from the KDF, and two Starfleet officers.

The testosterone and egos that came into play were phenomenal and the number of times they were given verbal warnings or time in the brig began to get frightening.

Ironically, the Klingon warrior was only verbally warned once and has been the least troublesome and most honorable member of the team.

After an incident on the bridge of the starship that was transporting them to a planet for further training and preparation for their long-term mission, that game was put on hold and we changed over to DnD as the players were more in the mood for individuality and high-fantasy adventure.

Recently, it was brought up that they were all interested in resuming that Trek mini-game and then going on into a regular campaign. I've talked with most of them about their behavior and what should have been the consequences and while they claim to follow it all, I only really believe one of the three players realized the truth behind their actions and will incorporate that.

The other two, I suspect will still allow their egos to clash and ignore chain of command and their superiors which if that is so they will end up being dealt with harshly..likely ending with a discharge.

At which point, we'll switch to a RRR game but in all the years I've been playing Trek, this has been the most disruptive group I've ever had to deal with and while I agree that some level of internal conflict is great for character development, this came very close to permanently killing Trek gaming with these players ever again.

If people plan to incorporate disruptive influences over a long period of a campaign, it is likely a wise point to discuss this with your players so that everyone is on the same page when the game begins otherwise the focus can easily get lost as those influences begin to dominate the game.

Regards,
CKV.

[Cmdr Corellis]

COuld someone remind me what the deal with Paris is?

[Gareth007]

Paris was booted out of SF for an incident at the Academy, and he then joined the Maquis. On his first mission as a Maquis, or one of his first missions, he was captured by Starfleet and imprisoned as a criminal. Captain Janeway sprang him because he had worked with Chakotay's group and flown the badlands.

If you're interested in looking at a "unique" crew with some bad seeds, look at the misfit crew Peter David concocted in the New Frontiers Series. But you can stop reading after book four, really. It's mostly down hill.


--G

[Sarge]

One of my favorite NPCs in my Omega Crew is the ship's counsellor. I didn't want a warm fuzzy Betazoid, so I assigned an argumentative Tellarite. He practices tough-love counselling. "Your problem is obvious. Stand up and say Pop!"

------------------

<<<<

LUGTrek isn't really dead. Not as long as we remember it.

[Cmdr Corellis]

Ihate players like that.

[SIR SIG]

Originally posted by Gareth007:
Paris was booted out of SF for an incident at the Academy, and he then joined the Maquis. On his first mission as a Maquis, or one of his first missions, he was captured by Starfleet and imprisoned as a criminal. Captain Janeway sprang him because he had worked with Chakotay's group and flown the badlands.

If you're interested in looking at a "unique" crew with some bad seeds, look at the misfit crew Peter David concocted in the New Frontiers Series. But you can stop reading after book four, really. It's mostly down hill.


--G

Hate to tell you this but your wrong!

Cadet First Class Nicholas Locarno was indeed booted out of the academy for his little incident with Nova Squadron in TNG: The First Duty. This cadet was portrayed by the actor Robert Duncan McNeil, who years later would also portray the character of Tom Paris who indeed was a member of the Maquis for a short time, and who Cpt Janeway 'retrieved' from the Penal Colony in New Zealand.

So your half right
Same actor, different character.

------------------
SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

[Owen E Oulton]

Lieutenant Tom Paris was court-martialed and dishonourably discharged from Starfleet for disobeying orders on an Away Mission, resulting in the deaths of 3 fellow crew members. He would have got away with it, but his conscience bothered him so badly that he confessed. After his discharge, he did not become a member of the Maquis, but rather was hired by them as a mercenary. He was captured on his first mission and sentenced to a rehab colony in New Zealand. Since the Maquis group he'd worked with was the one Tuvok was infiltrating when he went missing, Captain Janeway offered Paris a chance to have his sentence commuted to "time served" in return for his leading her to Chakotay's base of operations. When the Voyager was lost in the Delta Quadrant, Janeway reinstated him as a Lieutenant (jg) in Starfleet, as opposed to the provisional rank given to the Maquis crewmembers.

The Paris character was originally written as a "Locarno type", but at no time did they actually consider using Locarno. They did, however, eventually decide to use the same actor.

[SIR SIG]

Just had to go one better didn't you Owen!

But yeah he was based around Nick Locarno atleast to start with.

------------------
SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

[Phoenix]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Owen E Oulton:
The Paris character was originally written as a "Locarno type", but at no time did they actually consider using Locarno. They did, however, eventually decide to use the same actor.</font>

The reasoning was royalties, Parmount didn't want to pay the writer that had created Locardo, but they wanted to use the "Locarno type", so only the name was really changed.

Sig, they only evolved the character- McNeil was having troubles with the "constant trouble-maker Attatude".

------------------
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-Napoleon

[Phoenix]

Sorry for getting off topic.

As for trouble type crews, are we talking militant, inept, or the anti-social types. Each would have their own set of needs from a commanding officer perspecitive,

"POSSABLE SPOILER"

The one episode of VOY (I don't remember the name) addressed the situation nicely though.

------------------
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-Napoleon

[SIR SIG]

Still a Dirty Dozen theme could be a good way for some ex Maquis members to show themselves in good order to SF for recomissions or such. If they survive

A 'hard knocks' officer with plenty of attitude to lead and perhaps a SF MP or equivalent to keep the 'rabble' in line.

------------------
'...The Borg have stopped at deck 10...'
'...Deflector Control, no vital systems...'

Not a vital system! What the heck do you think stops the ship going 'poof' every time it goes to warp?

- ST:First Contact; Lt Hawk

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[AslanC]

WOW! That sounds like a fun group!

Good luck with your prank!

------------------
Aslan Collas
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Star Trek:Strange New Worlds;
http://www.geocities.com/aslan_collas/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ferengi Rule Of Acquisition #76: Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.