Aurora Pilot- PLayers Stay out!

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

Anyone playing in my PBEM, USS Aurora please stay out or you will be sadly disappointed.


























The Aurora is finally starting her pilot episode after the Captain died. I would like comments on it if you will

The USS Botany was researching a Trinary star system when she lost all communications with Starfleet. Since the Aurora is the closest they are sent. No information can be retrieved about the Botany except the top three officers. [i.e. Picard, Riker, Data in TNG]

~BOTANY~

The Botany is an experimental, Boany Class, vessel that was negotiating with the locals. She was on a mission to protect the sector. The reason that she was classified was the fact that she was actually serving as an S31 ship. Her crew complement is twenty and she was sent to gather as much information about this unknown race as possible.

The Aurora will not find the Botany, but will find large amounts of tritanium debris. This has the markings of the Botany but is actually replicated material and is not the Botany. The Botany was forced down to the surface of an uninhabited class M world when their life support completely failed and have not been able to restore it.

The players will learn that one of the local races was interested in stealing the ship to strip it of all phasers, tricorders, etc to sell them on the black market to the Ferengi and Orion. They would also change the outer appearance of the ship and sell it to a group of pirates.

If the players discover this they will also find a local starbase that is abandoned only a few months prior when the Dominion took all personnel and beamed them out into space, killing all of them but a small child who has been living on the station for five months alone. He is about ten years old and is not a child prodigy if you will.

The players will be given the choice to either stay on the Starbase and maintain a Federation presence or continue on their way. Since this system is on the outer reaches of explored space staying on the station will allow them to keep the USS Aurora as a support ship and explore, but will allow them to interact in some shady environments.

*** I have not yet made the race or Station so I am lacking specifics. When I do I will post them aswell but what do you think so far?***

[Owen E Oulton]

Several questions...

Why Section 31? Section 31 would hardly be protecting a system, nor would they be negotiating with the locals. Remember, Section 31 is very small, and usually operates through others. Is there some reason you couldn't simply make it a Starfleet Intelligence mission, or even a regular albit highly classified) Starfleet mission with an intelligence officer (who may or may not actually be Section 31) aboard?

Why an experimental ship? What's experimental about it? Why would this particular ship be chosen for such a classified mission? You appear to be very ambiguous as to just what the mission of the ship was - first you say research, then negottation, then protecting the sector. Now, ambiguity as far as the PCs can determine is fine, but as a GM you may need to pin it down a little more.

You say the characters will be given a choice of staying on the station or going on their way? This doesn't strike me as something a military or paramilitary organisation would do. Or do you mean that you will give the players themselves the choice, and the in-game orders will reflect their choice?

The idea that a pirate force has grounded the ship in order to strip it is interesting. One embellishment you might add is that the planet on which the ship is stranded in not, in fact, Class M, but a hostile environment. Life support is working but shaky, and the ship is unable to leave the planet - perhaps the warp drive is out. The pirates are searching for the ship which has eluded them, and it becomes a race between the Aurora and the pirates to find the downed vessel.

[JALU3]

As for the kid idea. Sounds like some one has been watching Aliens recently.