Starbase

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

I have two questions....

My series will be about another war. Not all of it. We won't start out being in war. Depending on what the player characters do I was thinking about have their main base a deep space outpost. They have one ship at the beginning, an Intrepid, when we go into war they will be given another ship. The USS Defiant.

1) DO you think that they should start on a space station or just one ship.

2)What would be a good starting ship that is in the NG, we are starfleet. I just mentioned the intrepid earlier because it came to my mind.

We are in the 2380 ERA just after Voyager had returned home.

Thanks for your help!!!

[CmdrBluejeans]

My advice:

None of the above.

More specifically, I suggest the following:

a) Starfleet ain't just bases and ships. Consider a planetary outpost or new colony still under Starfleet's Office of Colonial Affairs as the setting of the game. This allows for the same possible mix of civilian and Starfleet PCs and plots, while still giving you a world to play on. Perhaps, at the tail end of the Dominon War five years ago, the Federation set up a strategically important supply depot, or a new colony, and the demands of the War made the survey team work triple-time without the usual thoroughness, so there are 'features' of the world yet-unknown and some animal life forms not yet catalogged.

b) If you take the above idea, the ship should be one that could make planetfall, so a small vessel capable of planetary landfall would be your best bet. IMHO, start completely fresh and design your own Escort or Scout or Light Frigate capable of planetary landings for use 'later' in the game. Personally, I'd just start them out on the planet's surface with four Runabouts, and then when the war comes, throw in a custom-designed Escort vessel designed speciifcally for planetary support and counterattack operations. Steve Long's SPACEDOCK does, in fact, cite a few classes that are never seen or built anywhere, like the Umbria-class Light Escort designed to get Rapid Response Troops somewhere in a hurry -- it's not a stretch to see this sort of thing done, and allows you to add a Marines/RRT/Rangers element to the game as the war plots heat up.


BJ

[Dan Gurden]

If however you want to keep the Starbase concept, then I suggest changing the Intrepid.

the Intrepid is designed for deep space exploration, while a starbase assigned vessel would be primarily used for escort, rapid response (not just military, but also emergency response) and patrol duties, which would be a waste of resources, especially so close after the Dominion War.

If you want to keep Canon, one of the smaller ships is good, a Sabre or Norway class would make good candidates, or perhaps, due to losses in the Dominion War, maybe they are assigned an older vessel? A Connie, Miranda or one of the Frankenstein fleet ships, as a stop-gap until a new ship can be built and assigned... After all, the players may not be at the front of that que, they have a station, and likely a couple of Runabouts... What more do they want?

Thus allowing you to give their ship lots of quirks to iron out, and an end of the line ship that they can make their own and grow attached to...

The planets surface idea is a good one... And my not pre-clude an orbital station... Why not have both, a local comms boostre and space traffic control in orbit, with a blossoming colony and Starfleet building on the planets surface. Suddenly expanding your story potential immensly.

Lastly, when you say the are getting the USS Defiant, do you mean a Defiant class? or the ship formerly assigned to DS9? Just a question to clarify.

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

They will actually be getting the USS Defiant. After the dominion war was over they did not need the Deifant anymore. Although now that there could be a war Starfleet is working on a modernized warship but has none as of yet. This outpost is closest to Romulan space and needs protection. The defiant though is not going to be sent out until later after a war starts.

[Dan Gurden]

Originally posted by Lt Cmdr Matt
They will actually be getting the USS Defiant. After the dominion war was over they did not need the Deifant anymore. Although now that there could be a war Starfleet is working on a modernized warship but has none as of yet. This outpost is closest to Romulan space and needs protection. The defiant though is not going to be sent out until later after a war starts.

Interesting. Is there a particular reason that you wanted to give them the show ship, and play off that name, rather than allow the group to make their own ship famous?

I ask, because as a narrator, my preference is to use canon ships, but minor ones, such as my online game, the USS Venture, set aboard the Galaxy class that appeared on-screen a couple of times from 'Way of the Warrior' onward...

But I felt that the lack of history left me the opportunity to build a new history, and leave the future for the crew/playres to carve their own destiny, rather than be over-shadowed by the ships own history.

Thats my preference, so I am interested in your concepsualisation for the reason, beyond the end of the war? Will your players not always find themselves trying to match what has happened with the Defiant on-screen?

[ghosty]

I agree with Dan. Don't give the PCs a ship with too much canon history...give them another ship, same class, same type, but the name is the key.

Several years ago, the GM (not me) put us on the USS Enterprise - he thought it might encourage us - but sad to say all we ended up doing was having the Enterprise shot to bits because the CO thought he could outdo Kirk/Picard and dragged us into a situation where Kirk and Picard would have taken the most expedient course and run away...no he had to balls it out and guess where we all ended up

Besides, its difficult to see Starfleet pulling the Defiant off DS9 even after the Dominion War. The Cardassian Union is imploding and who knows what might happen. Starfleet would keep the Defiant at DS9 as its fast and mobile enough to react to any crisis. Besides, who knows what may come through the Wormhole next.

You don't draw down your forces once you win a war especially such a bloody and costly one. Defiant is needed to keep the Bajoran region safe and secure.

[AndorMan]

I would also put forward the idea that player's love to have something to call their very own. Every time the Defiant is mentioned , everyone will think "Sisko's Ship" or "The ship from DS9". Give the players something to call their own.

I always try to begin with either a rarely seen canon ship class (New Orleans, Daedalus, etc.) or an entirely new vessel designed by my players and/or myself. This way the group cares for the ship like it's their baby and really feels it when the ship is damaged or in danger.

AndorMan
Truth, Justice and the Andorian Way

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

Thanks guys for all the information... I appreciate it...

[AslanC]

If you really want to have fun, take Dan's idea of giving them a ship with Quirks.

In my new campaign (coming soon, honest) they have an old NIagara class assinged to them, during the war it got a nacelle blown off and now only has two (I knocked off the lower one). Fixed to run like that for the remainder of the war, she now is on her last tour with no need for an upgrade.

A ship like this will have lots of quirks and problems that may make it fun for the players to deal with

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

I had an old used ship.... it was blown up....

[Antonsb214]

Stations usually have smaller vessels assigned to them, with the station acting as the base for operations in the sector. Like DS9, most ships will head to the station first. It is a natural focal point for trade. I would figure any ships coming into the system would have to be cleared with the station first anyway. You don't want undesirables smuggling weapons to a militant faction on the surface. Or bringing in rogue elements of Jem'Hadar or Cardassians. Or pirates after a legendary artifact on the planetary surface (every planet needs ruins containing artifacts). Go ahead and design a ship for them. Let them put a prototype through the paces. Maybe a new escort or light cruiser like the Sabre/Saber or Norway classes, ships with a smaller crew complement (Starfleet can probably build ships faster than it can train officers and crew).