The Romulan Crisis

[ghosty]

I've been working on this new direction for my campaign.Even after I got the Romulan boxed set, the Romulans had a tendency to be a faceless enemy and later a somewhat uneasy ally during the Dominion War I want to bring the Romulans into larger prominence.

The Romulan Crisis is a multi-part story arc and well I'm going to need some help to iron out all the difficulties.

The basic storyline begins with Starfleet Intelligence noticing a drawdown of Romulan warbirds from their patrol zones along the Neutral Zone. Fearing an attack, Starfleet masses a small fleet of starships on the Neutral Zone.

Suddenly, a warbird crosses the Neutral Zone filled with refugees and it is learned that the Borg have attacked the Empire and is on course for Romulus and Remus. Attempts to stop the Borg have failed and the Romulan Senate has refused any offer of Federation assistance.

The first adventure is basically a rescue mission where the PCs have to penetrate the Romulan Neutral Zone and extract Spock from Romulus before the Borg arrives.

As the Borg slowly advance and assimilate Romulus and Remus, the Romulans fall back and refugees begin to arrive in Federation space and factional infighting breaks out between various political factions amongst the refugees. Some advocate attacking the Federation to conquer a new homeland for the Romulan people while others plot to strike back at the Borg to regain their homeland.

Major NPCs would include the newly promoted Admiral Tomalak and Major Sela.

While I know that ordinarily the Enterprise would just intervene at Picard's own initiative and stop the Borg, I want to avoid any deus ex machina plot resolutions.

[StyroFoam Man]

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poster

[ghosty]

Let's see.

How many cubes?

One. Well actually its 18 cubes merged into one big one. I guess that answers your question about what kind of Borg I'm using. Remember the Borg are a plot element which is going to be bascially unstoppable. The Romulans are going to loose both their capital worlds and much of their Empire. Hence the refugees in Federation space.

Of course there will be a resolution to the Borg invasion - but that's at least six months away. Suffice to say it may actually involve the use of...wait, I'm keeping that card close hold for now. More at another time.

[Captain Zymmer]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dan Gurden:
HEY! I made the distinction between Real Borg and Pussy Borg several months ago, as Aslan/Zymmer will atest to...And I never once worked for WESAYSO Inc. Time to pay up your royalties!!! </font>

*scratches beard and looks out over the browning fields of wheat*

Ayup...Is true I tells ya...

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Captain Zymmer
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Visit Star Trek:Lexington at;
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[This message has been edited by Captain Zymmer (edited 09-22-2001).]

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[starkllr]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ghosty:

The basic storyline begins with Starfleet Intelligence noticing a drawdown of Romulan warbirds from their patrol zones along the Neutral Zone. Fearing an attack, Starfleet masses a small fleet of starships on the Neutral Zone...

...The first adventure is basically a rescue mission where the PCs have to penetrate the Romulan Neutral Zone and extract Spock from Romulus before the Borg arrives....

...While I know that ordinarily the Enterprise would just intervene at Picard's own initiative and stop the Borg, I want to avoid any deus ex machina plot resolutions. </font>

Just a thought here...another idea for a first episode.

Take your initial premise, a withdrawl of Romulan warships from regular patrol zones.

At the same time, several high-profile Starfleet officers disappear, all within a couple of days of each other. The common thread is that all the officers are current or former crew of the Enterprise (and/or Voyager, if your game is set post-Endgame).

The PCs are assigned to investigate this, and eventually they learn that the Tal Shiar is responsible. The Romulans aren't going to ASK the Federation for help, but they know that the Enterprise (again, and Voyager, depending on timeframe) is the only ship to have beaten the Borg, so they've taken the officers captive to learn everything they can about how exactly the Borg were beaten...and of course any other secret Starfleet information the officers might possess.

So when the PCs finally get to Romulus, they have to rescue several important NPCs from the Tal Shiar, and (depending how cruel you want to be to your players) destroy all records of any information they might have given up under interrogation. Oh, and extract Ambassador Spock as well, as long as they're there.

Fun, fun, fun!

[Dan Gurden]

HEY!

I made the distinction between Real Borg and Pussy Borg several months ago, as Aslan/Zymmer will atest to...

And I never once worked for WESAYSO Inc.

Time to pay up your royalties!!!



------------------
DanG.

"Hi, I'm Commander Troy McClure, you might remember me from other academy training holo-simulations as, Abandon Ship, the quickest way out, and I sense danger, 101 things you dont need a Betazoid to know..."

http://www.theventure.freeserve.co.uk

[This message has been edited by Dan Gurden (edited 09-22-2001).]

[ghosty]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by starkllr:
Just a thought here...another idea for a first episode.

Take your initial premise, a withdrawl of Romulan warships from regular patrol zones.

At the same time, several high-profile Starfleet officers disappear, all within a couple of days of each other. The common thread is that all the officers are current or former crew of the Enterprise (and/or Voyager, if your game is set post-Endgame).

The PCs are assigned to investigate this, and eventually they learn that the Tal Shiar is responsible. The Romulans aren't going to ASK the Federation for help, but they know that the Enterprise (again, and Voyager, depending on timeframe) is the only ship to have beaten the Borg, so they've taken the officers captive to learn everything they can about how exactly the Borg were beaten...and of course any other secret Starfleet information the officers might possess.

So when the PCs finally get to Romulus, they have to rescue several important NPCs from the Tal Shiar, and (depending how cruel you want to be to your players) destroy all records of any information they might have given up under interrogation. Oh, and extract Ambassador Spock as well, as long as they're there.

Fun, fun, fun!
</font>

Hmm...not bad.

Kidnapping the crew of the Enterprise E. Too many ramifications for the Romulans. I mean kidnapping personalities like Picard and Data sounds like a good way to spark a war with the Federation. Never fight a war on two fronts. Maybe three. Remember if you mess with the Enterprise, you mess with Worf too. Given his influence who knows what he can send to kick butt...several thousand Klingon warriors for a start.

One candidate may be Commander Shelby, Starfleet's recognised expert on the Borg. Only problem is that I've made the material in Peter David's New Frontiers series cannon which means the wild and wooly crew of the USS Excalibur may get involved.

Then again, maybe we could do it this way meaning that the PCs would have to head off these crises before undertaking their mission to Romulus. Hmmm...I have a cunning plan.

[This message has been edited by ghosty (edited 09-23-2001).]

[ghosty]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by StyroFoam Man:
Time-travling Voyager Captains Equiped With Transphasic Torpedeos and Bat-Shields?

Transphasic Torpedeos And Bat-Shields Are Copyright Pure Evil Weapons Technology LLC Wich is A Divison Of WESAYSO, INC.
</font>

Hey...can I get a WESAYSO, INC catalog...or just a Pure Evil one...MUST KILL PC...MUST KILL PC...

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[Commodore 2]

Send in the USS Audacity!
---------------------------------------------
Best speed to Gallifrey!
Commodore Horatio Richard Jaeger
CO,USS Audacity,NCC-85901

[ghosty]

Just came up with a new complication to the plot.

I was thinking the Borg want a spokesman for their invasion of the Romulan Empire (sort of like Locutus) they pick one of the Empire's most talented although maverick commanders, no not Tomalak - he's got another role in the unfolding drama - Major Sela. She was exiled into the outback after the failure of the "Reunion" operation and is picked up by the Borg to act as their spokesborg and war leader as they ravage the Romulan Empire.

[Diamond]

Ghosty,

Speaking of being exiled to the Outback, I've posted a description of a Federation Outback-sector starbase on another thread. Sounds like your Outback is the same as the one I had in mind... a quiet empty sector on the Romulan frontier.

[ghosty]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Diamond:
Ghosty,

Speaking of being exiled to the Outback, I've posted a description of a Federation Outback-sector starbase on another thread. Sounds like your Outback is the same as the one I had in mind... a quiet empty sector on the Romulan frontier. </font>

Actually I'm using the term loosely to describe the "ass-end" of the Romulan Empire.

[Captain Zymmer]

But what is to stop the BORG from rolling right into the Klingons and the Feddies next? I mean if they can gain a foothold like half the Romulan Empire, they will be unstopable IMHO.

------------------
Captain Zymmer
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Visit Star Trek:Lexington at;
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