Back to Basics

[Dan Stack]

In my Andromeda thread, it was asked what I viewed as a "back to basics" game.

What I'm working on is planning a game that gets back to the roots of Star Trek, away from the Dominion War and Post-Dominion War eras - time periods I like and have used a lot, but I feel I need a fresh start.

What I'm working on is a game set earlier in the TNG era, quite possibly a few years before season 1 of TNG (unless my players rebel, wanting collared uniforms, in which case I'll move it to season 3 Of course, if they rebel against the whole concept, then I'll have to think of something totally different )

This gives us a universe where the Borg are unfamiliar, the Romulans in isolation (or just returned), the border with the Cardassians disputed, lots of minor powers (Tzenkethi, Talarians, Tholians), an optimistic Federation dedicated to exploring the galaxy. And a mimimum of universe-shattering events. From Deep Space Nine season 4 onwards, the Federation (and the galaxy) seems dominated by overwhelming issues - interesting ones, but ones which seem likely to dominate the game.

I'm hoping to set up a game where I have a pretty clean slate and a Federation that has not gone through the horrors of a war for its survival. A lot of exploration, a lot of action, often resolving conflict though diplomacy, other times needing a fully charged phaser. A bunch of colonies to be threatened by bug-eyed monsters. The use of "lesser" bad guys allow me to have skirmishes without needing to worry about a full-scale galactic war. Indeed, it is clear that the Federation would currently be having a minor war with the Cardassians over the disputed border.

I'm also hoping to be able to run this via Troupe Play - having each player have a high-ranking and low-ranking character, with the low-ranking one being mainly used for away teams (which I think will be the bulk of the adventures) and the high-ranking one being for the shipboard, political adventures. (only one character per adventure though)

A nice comfy Galaxy-class ship, a long mission, a lot of unknown, and a lot of baddies jealous of the Federation. Maybe U.S.S. Galaxy, though the bad thing about her is we know she survives, having appeared in DS9... Need some element of danger.

[AslanC]

Hmmmm....I dunno the USS Galaxy could be a fun choice.

Especially if you realize her ultimate fate.

You can foreshadow your buns off

Overall I like your idea.

Not my favorite era but then I like my Trek a bit grittier.

Still probably the best all around RPG era of them all, next to TOS.

[Dan Stack]

Actually one thing I've learned is that favorite era/setting as a fan does not always translate into best gaming era. My favorite Trek era as a fan is TOS and while we've tried a few TOS adventures, it doesn't seem to work for me as a narrator. Curious.

btw, I thought Galaxy survived her two-second appearance on DS9.

[AslanC]

Wasn't she rammed by the Jem Hadar?

No that was the Odessy... my bad!

[Calcoran]

While I understand that you don't want all those overwhelming issues seen in late DS9 seasons ... doesn't this lack some "sense of wonder" a bit?
True, you can play one the USS Galaxy, first of its kind theme, but still, won't your players aspire to something ... I don't know ... more ambitious? Just asking...

[PGoodman13]

Frankly, getting back to basics like this, and going off in a new direction, is the best way there is to get back to basics. Send USS Galaxy into the great, unexplored bulk of the galaxy, and seek out new life and new civilizations. Get back to Trek and stop trying to outdo Babylon 5, which Deep Space Nine spent a lot of its time doing. I enjoyed DS9, at least in its later seasons, as much as the next guy, but it really wasn't Trek to me.

[Dan Stack]

To be honest, I've done quite a few of the meta-cammpaign series... My Trek campaigns in the past few years have consisted of...

U.S.S. Quetzalcoatl / Icarus - Mainly was a pretty standard campaign about a group of officers assigned to two Galaxy-class ships around the 5th season of TNG. A lot of exploring, a lot of dealing with a partial Klingon player.

U.S.S. H.G. Wells - A Federation starship unstuck in the multiverse. Starfleet, smugglers, Romulans and Klingons drifting to alternate dimensions and into the past. Baseline time was shortly after the Dominion War.

borta'SwI - Klingon game aboard a Bird of Prey during the Dominion War.

Bridgetown - Station-based game as a sequel to the Wells game. Dealt a lot with the post-War Cardassians.


The Dominion War and Bridgetown games had a lot of war and post-war politics and the Wells had its fair share as well.

To be honest, going back to a starship exploring the galaxy is a big change, which is something as narrator I need. And I think it enhances the "sense of wonder" quite a bit. One thing I noticed in DS9, which is probably my favorite of the modern Treks. Space seemed a lot smaller in DS9. In TNG, especially early on, space seemed mysterious, a great unknown. There was a reason to have huge city-starships like the Galaxy, Yamato, and Enterprise - these ships were expected to go on long-term missions, deep into unknown space. You get this feel especially in the first few seasons of TNG.

Does putting the characters on a Galaxy-class limit the ambitions of the characters? I don't believe so. It certainly didn't on TNG. But, I have a backdoor in case it does. My intent is to play troupe style - each player to run an ensign and a senior officer - the ensigns will be most likely the main characters, as I plan for a lot of away missions. These characters are at the start of their careers.

[Durion]

I would think that a post-DS9 Gamma Quadrent would be pretty fun - After all the end of the dominion war didn't mean the end of the dominion on the otherside of the wormhole and it's still pretty uncharted. Also you've got the potential for familiar faces and races but you can also go with the unknown and exotic. And you don't have to worry about players worrying about future events like the arrival of the borg - "You hear a whirl of machinery..." "Right, I'm switching my phaser to modulating frequencies" "...as the door opens to show a dark room full of lights" "I fire as every light in the room" "No of the wind up historical toys survive your onslaught"

[Ineti]

Originally posted by Calcoran
True, you can play one the USS Galaxy, first of its kind theme, but still, won't your players aspire to something ... I don't know ... more ambitious? Just asking...

Shoot, what's more ambitious than exploring the unknown galaxy?

[Dan Stack]

I have conemplated the post-Dominion War exploration of the Gamma Quadrant.

In some ways I do like it. It truly is unknown space. I always got the impression from DS9 that the Wormhole wasn't in Dominion Space - or if it was, was on the very fringes of the Dominion. What I've considered in this regard is the possibility of exploring non-Dominion, unclaimed space within the Gamma Quadrant. It certainly gives opportunity for encounters with Cardassians, Jem Hadar, Romulans and the like.

I have a few concerns about such a setting however.

One concern is a staple of Trek storylines is the "isolated Federation colony in trouble" - needing a vaccine, being bothered by a monster of the week, etc. It is a bit trickier to do this in the unexplored Gamma Quadrant - true one could have the starship helping strangers, much like in Enterprise, but I'm not certain it'd be the same.

The larger concern is how different, at least to me, the Federation and the galaxy feels in this era. I suspect it would strongly influence my narrating style. The galaxy seems darker - compare the universe of season 1 of TNG vs season 7 of DS9 (or the movies First Contact and Insurrection). This is a Federation which has had the crap beaten out of it, that almost sounds hypocritical when it preaches its ideals. It seems to have lost its innocence.

It may be doable - while I have the concept locked (i.e. back to the basics of exploring the galaxy, in a Federation that lives up to its ideals, etc.) I'm still a little flexible on some of the finer details - i.e. the time period - it just needs to be one that inspires me for the campaign I'm working on - perhaps someone here can provide me with even better inspiration. The key is I'm trying to keep it simple, to give myself the largest possible pallette for adventures - that will also help control Gamemaster Flightiness Syndrome. (tm) (And I'm still waiting for feedback from my players as well, which may well tweak or change things)

[AslanC]

I think you have the right idea Dan and I wouldn't let the whole "We saw the USS Galaxy in DS9" aspect get to you. Just go with it anyways.

If your players cry foul, tell them that some things are the same as the shows and some aren't.

Should keep them on their toes.

Now I am inspired to run a Voyager style game (since I don't used Voyager in my games) and strand a ship in the Delta Quadrant Maybe a Galaxy calss called the USS Voyager

[C5]

Well, a series happening during shortly after - or during - the Cardassian war would be nice. With the Romulans almost absent, the Cardassians would have the role of the Klingons in TOS, and you could even use the Tzenkethi (sp?) as TOS Romulans (or the opposite).
Like in TOS, there would be enough room for a lot of planets to discover, strange life forms, and still some diplomacy (with the Cardassians and Tzenkethi, not to mention the recently allied Klingons). And the technology would be almost TNG-like (although you might have to use an Ambassador instead of a Galaxy).

[tmutant]

I'm just starting a Gamma- quadrant campaign. I have the Founders retreating from their oppression of the solids, with a resultant power vacuum. There is still the possibility of rogue Jem Ha'Dar, and lots of new races, and survivors from the few colonies that got established before the war, now struggling to pick up the pieces. And new colonies being established. I'm hoping for a very TOS like feel, but my players are leaning towards TNG.

[Dan Stack]

The colonies idea in the Gamma Quadrant is one I rather like. Setting it a few years after the end of DS9 would allow the major powers to have a few colonies in the Gamma Quadrant, giving them all a presence, much like the European nations in the Americas during the 16th thru early 19th centuries. Reminds me of some Horation Hornblower stories.

What I'm trying to do is get away from super-complicated meta-plots (often of my own making) and do the opposite of what I usually do - get to something a bit more episodic. It worked well for TOS and TNG. This isn't to say there can be no character development, just getting back to the basics of space exploration.

The main era I've been considering is as I indicated, early TNG, for the reasons indicated here and in other posts.

The other two eras I've considered (and still might go for) are the post-DS9 and pre-Federation eras.

Post-DS9 has the advantage that I can use everything that ever happened in Star Trek. The main disadvantages I see are the smaller galaxy feel and the darker feel to it. A few people here have given ideas how to open it up to exploration, especially by use of the Gamma Quadrant, which, even after years of DS9, feels largely unknown (intellectually I know that is true for other areas as well, but it does influence me as a narrator). The other is the darker feel - I'm not sure I see those dark uniforms on a bright Galaxy-class starship.

Pre-Federation obviously is wide open for exploration and I hope optimism. The big worries there are bumping toes with Enterprise and the lack of any settled space. In addition, I'm not certain my idea for troupe play would work as well in this era. But, in many ways, it truly is back to basics. The slate is almost completely clean - space is totally unknown. And there isn't that pesky Prime Directive.

While it is my favorite personal era, for whatever reason I've had a rough time narrating/writing TOS adventures, so I'm planning on avoiding it.

So fans of the two eras I'm also considering, feel free to sell them to me. I want to make sure before I kick off the game I've evaluated all my options fully - I've already gotten some neat ideas for a Gamma Quadrant game that I hadn't fully thought of. The only restriction I would make would be avoidance of a meta-plot - the common thread between my adventures should be the simple mission of exploring the unknown.

[NobAkimoto]

Perhaps set it in a sort "Stargazer" era?

Give the players a Constellation, and send them on a 22 year long mission.

I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

There was apparently a frontier of sorts in the alpha quadrant as late as the early 2370's with the presense of a Federatoin colony as far as Iriandi.(sp?)

Perhaps an Ambassador having recently gone through a major refit, and taking on new crew would work?

We rarely if ever saw those ships during the Dominion War, they might have actually been on the opposite frontier, still exploring, and trying to keep the Federation's ideals alive.