Fandom How About An Episodic Star Trek Roleplay?

[Darkraven]

So I've been thinking about starting a Star Trek Roleplay, and I have a few good ideas for several 'episodes'. I believe they are best used in the Voyager and Post-Voyager Era of star trek.

Basically, it will be an application of my army management system on a much smaller scale - on a starship. You get to Roleplay as your character as usual, but might have to make decisions, some trivial and some with consequences or benefits.

What I got so far is that you get to play as part of the bridge crew, but the senior positions will be off-limits... At least initially. However, due to circumstances and story, you guys will get to do a lot of important things.

I would like this to be in an Episodic format, each with its own self-contained story. As such, there will be arcs spanning multiple episodes. This also means that the RP will sustain lower risks, and so will the roleplayers. However, I expect commitment all the same. There will be breaks in between episodes.

Anyway, I'm partial to a Voyager/Post-Voyager Era Roleplay as half my Episodic ideas fit in that timeframe, but I'm open to other eras.

I would also be making this as faithful to Star Trek as possible, in terms of Canon facts and the feel... And the feels

Let me know how many more bridge officers my ship will be taking.

Comply!

 

[Error 420]

Alright. Could be cool.

 

[Field Marshall]

I have only seen the new star trek movies

 

[Inactive User 002]

You had my interest when I read Star Trek RP.

As for eras have to say I like the idea of doing it during the Wars but also interested in post Voyager.
I’m voting for Dominion Era.

 

[The Prophet]

I'm in!

 

[Darkraven]

Hmm... *Closest thing to a consensus we have here is during the late periods of Star Trek... I'll wait a little longer. Maybe a couple more people ought to do it.

 

[Master Hand]

I'm interested. I've watched a lot of Star Trek. Anything that's Enterprise or newer I've either forgotten a lot of or don't care. But most other periods I can work with.

 

[Darkraven]

Hmm... Okay, at least one more person. But I won't lie, I'm already planning things to be set in the middle of DS9 and VOY. However, elements from other time periods might decide to show up whenever appropriate, but that would be for the future.

Anyone else in?

 

[Luminari]

I'd love to but I haven't watched past TOS so as long as I can understand what's going on without direct DS9/VOY knowledge I'm in

 

[Darkraven]

I'd love to but I haven't watched past TOS so as long as I can understand what's going on without direct DS9/VOY knowledge I'm in

You should be fine. I'll provide whatever information that is needed for players in the narrative.

 

[Inactive User 002]

By the way when you say senior position do you mean the captain and first officer or do you mean the entire senior staff? If so are we going to be like Miles O’Brien and Reginald Barclay when they were serving on the Enterprise? At least rank and importantance wise.

Mainly I’m wondering if your have a particular list of positions you want filled?

 

[Darkraven]

I'm thinking of putting you guys in the secondary bridge crew, people who are in line for promotion into seniority, who are in between the main bridge crew and the lower decks-styled characters. However, other positions wouldn't be out of bounds either... Right now, one difficulty I have though is that I'm struggling with how I can keep everyone within the story together - by making everyone work in the same part of the ship, I was thinking that it could eliminate this problem. However, I don't see why characters can't be separated from time to time...

Anyway, here's a little something from what I've been working on:

 

[Inactive User 002]

Also just a point the best place I think for them to get together is off duty like in ten forward or on away missions were you need multiple skills. Also if you want to keep us together then engineering is a good place maybe a few other places could work.

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

NNNNF. Star Trek. Count me in as fuck.

 

[Darkraven]

Also just a point the best place I think for them to get together is off duty like in ten forward or on away missions were you need multiple skills. Also if you want to keep us together then engineering is a good place maybe a few other places could work.

Yes, indeed

NNNNF. Star Trek. Count me in as fuck.

Thank you for your interest.

While I'm putting things together, I'll leave this right here:

Stardate 48315: The ship, USS Voyager is lost in the badlands on an assignment to root out Maquis activity. The ship nor its crew are never heard from again. The USS Vigilance, USS Voyager's sister ship, has been stuck in dry dock while this is happening, but the admiralty has ordered it to be launched ahead of schedule in order to assist in the investigation of the missing ship as resources are limited and no other ships could be spared.

Selected to captain the USS Vigilance is Captain Ke'varr, who hails from Kraekira. A shining example of the species from there who have only joined the Federation in 2351, he has been chosen because of his bottomless experience and unique insights. But then there's the crew, as they will no doubt play an important role, for a captain is nothing without a crew, and they are nothing without a ship.

The badlands await...

Note though that I myself won't have a character, as I basically have to run the entire universe...

 

[Kassogtha]

Star Trek is my love language. But, Trillllllll.

 

[Inactive User 002]

What do you mean but Trill? You a Trill phobic? LoL

 

[Kassogtha]

Trillphillic.
That came out weirder than intended.

 

[Inactive User 002]

No worries it’s Star Trek things are gonna get weird.

Anyone got any ideas for species they want to play besides humans?

 

[Leaky_Faucet]

Hmmmmm. Count me interested. I've been on a Star Trek kick lately and I was about to post another interest check for a Trek RP.

 

[Inactive User 002]

Darkraven Just wondering how it’s coming along and wether we can get a character sheet to work. Also if you need any help or just want to talk about what’s going on I’m always happy to listen.

 

[The roaming tome]

This Rp looks interesting. Would it be possible to join?

 

[MechanicalSnake]

I would like to join. Also, I voted but its not really that important to me.

 

[Darkraven]

Okay guys, here's the issue I've been running up against no matter how many times I simulate this RP. I'm going to put down my thought processes here for a reason I will reveal later.

- The very first decision I made in planning the RP is that players cannot assume the role of senior/bridge officers. The reason is the prodigious rate of drop-outs in rpnation.

- Thus, roleplayers assume the role of 'beta shift' bridge officers or non-senior officers on the way to bridge appointments. This will pave the way for actual bridge positions to be taken up by PCs with roleplayers in charge who won't frickin' ghost the RP the moment it starts.

- Now, there's a problem with that as well. Participation in events would be tough to handle that way. 'beta shift' bridge officers are basically given night duties, and non-senior officers are stationed where they don't get to see what's happening beyond the ship rocking and sparks flying from energy weapons attacks, and most of the time, they'll just be going through the dull routines of their lower-deck jobs. However, if the RP is to be successful, roleplayers must get the front seat view of EVERYTHING. However, that is not possible without a cheesy every-bridge-officers die trope that reminds me of J. J. Abram's Star Trek and how alternate Kirk and his crew gain control of the Enterprise - No thanks, plus it's been done. Either that, or the senior officers must somehow be unavailable half the time.

- Now, what could and will work very well is if PCs are sent on away missions. That, and some off-duty action might work, but this would be a very minor part of the RP, too minor that it can't account for all the fun. Beyond this, the occasional episode where almost the entire crew, right down to the bridge officers, are incapacitated, might allow PCs to shine - however, it can't be all the time. Another possibility is to make time skips often to skip on parts where the PCs have no part of... However, it might be a little too often.

- In other words, I've basically painted myself into a corner as I plan the RP, I'm afraid. I think I've basically discovered why there aren't any successful or even semi-successful Star Trek RPs in this site. Star Trek makes for a good television show, but it's hard to work with as RP material.

Now, about why I talked about all this:

There are 3 routes we can take here...
- I give up the idea, and we never speak of it again.
- We just go full steam ahead anyway, damn the difficulties and the quirks that might crop up in the RP.
- Someone else can try being GM of the RP. I'll be glad to pass on any material I've been working on, if they're of any use.

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Okay guys, here's the issue I've been running up against no matter how many times I simulate this RP. I'm going to put down my thought processes here for a reason I will reveal later.

- The very first decision I made in planning the RP is that players cannot assume the role of senior/bridge officers. The reason is the prodigious rate of drop-outs in rpnation.

- Thus, roleplayers assume the role of 'beta shift' bridge officers or non-senior officers on the way to bridge appointments. This will pave the way for actual bridge positions to be taken up by PCs with roleplayers in charge who won't frickin' ghost the RP the moment it starts.

- Now, there's a problem with that as well. Participation in events would be tough to handle that way. 'beta shift' bridge officers are basically given night duties, and non-senior officers are stationed where they don't get to see what's happening beyond the ship rocking and sparks flying from energy weapons attacks, and most of the time, they'll just be going through the dull routines of their lower-deck jobs. However, if the RP is to be successful, roleplayers must get the front seat view of EVERYTHING. However, that is not possible without a cheesy every-bridge-officers die trope that reminds me of J. J. Abram's Star Trek and how alternate Kirk and his crew gain control of the Enterprise - No thanks, plus it's been done. Either that, or the senior officers must somehow be unavailable half the time.

- Now, what could and will work very well is if PCs are sent on away missions. That, and some off-duty action might work, but this would be a very minor part of the RP, too minor that it can't account for all the fun. Beyond this, the occasional episode where almost the entire crew, right down to the bridge officers, are incapacitated, might allow PCs to shine - however, it can't be all the time. Another possibility is to make time skips often to skip on parts where the PCs have no part of... However, it might be a little too often.

- In other words, I've basically painted myself into a corner as I plan the RP, I'm afraid. I think I've basically discovered why there aren't any successful or even semi-successful Star Trek RPs in this site. Star Trek makes for a good television show, but it's hard to work with as RP material.

Now, about why I talked about all this:

There are 3 routes we can take here...
- I give up the idea, and we never speak of it again.
- We just go full steam ahead anyway, damn the difficulties and the quirks that might crop up in the RP.
- Someone else can try being GM of the RP. I'll be glad to pass on any material I've been working on, if they're of any use.

We could be a long-term away mission team of some description, maybe? I like your away mission idea. Getting away from the ship and outside the command structure is the only way we'll be able to do this. Or perhaps we could be stranded on a planet somewhere after the ship ran into some hostile ship/CAPTAIN WE FOUND AN ANOMALY/other and we're the most senior surviving officers, precisely because we weren't on the bridge and thus weren't getting targeted first.

Granted, all this would render the RP distinctly not episodic. But I'm okay with that if you lot are.