Welcome to the game notes for our Star Trek campaign. The aim is to provide a diary of the experience from a player’s perspective. The notes will follow a similar structure each time discussing the session itself as well as thoughts on the next sessions and things the players discussed post-session.
The Setup
This is a Star Trek campaign that ‘sort of’ takes place in the Kelvin timeline immediately after Star Trek Beyond. Temporally it IS the Kelvin timeline I only say ‘sort of’ as I’m pretty sure it’s sort of an amalgamation in everyone’s heads between Strange New Worlds, Discovery season two and the Kelvin films.
Basically the modern interpretation of The Original Series era.
In the parlance of today, it is a private game and is homebrew, so basically just a regular old role-playing experience. It’s played online via Roll20.
We’re using Fate Accelerated rather than Star Trek Adventures to run the game. Why is that? It’s simply because Fate Accelerated has a much lower ‘effort cost’ in terms of setting up and running it online. I think most players like Star Trek Adventures, including myself, but I tend to agree Fate Accelerated makes life easier on the GM without much being lost.
The sections
The pre-game
It was a laid back, easy in to the session so much so I lost track it was rapidly approaching. This was a big change from the cliffhanger situation that lead into the previous session.
Depending on how things go I may remove this section of the actual play reports in the future.
Key points
Despite Paris’ wishes, USS Guardian is being sent to Khitomer, a planet on the border of Romulan, Klingon and Federation space. There, diplomats from the core Federation worlds will meet to discuss this Dominion threat. The Klingons and Romulans have been invited, but neither is expected to arrive. USS Guardian will render evidence where requested, but otherwise take part of the security detail, and keep a low profile…
– The mission
The challenge is these summaries are getting quite long!
On Yorktown
- McAllister and Laker are rebuked by Admiral Paris for disobeying orders and then given their diplomatic mission to Khitomer due to McAllister’s father
- Kern has a run-in with an Orion pirate, Shingle, as he socialises with his peers at the ‘Well Actually’. Shingle is looking for him for debts owed and reckons there will be plenty of latinum to be made if war starts
- Ran is contacted by Starfleet Intelligence; they want to know what really happened and to ensure that the wormhole tech does not find its way into non-Starfleet hands. He later removes the data on the wormhole generation from the data packet being delivered to Khitomer.
- Matrix is caught short under a pile of Orion dancing girls and is teleported, drunk and semi-clothed to the bridge by Mwanajuma, to teach him a lesson.
- He is subsequently gently dressed down by the Captain and referred to Nurse Janowski for counselling
At Khitomer
- The crew meet the ambassadors from the five core Federation planets
- Jeet Mahanti (Human) – believes everyone join together
- Ban Th’vallap (Andorian) – believes in a more military solution, Objects instantly to the presence of political criminal Ran Th’Shra at the proceedings
- Naasor Bragh (Tellurite) – not sure about the viability of military engagement
- Paryn (Vulcan) – needs more data
- Deela Rwa (Betazed) – only concerned about direct threats to Betazed, cold fish
- There is an Andorian honour duel between Ran and Th’vallap’s guard to determine his right to be in attendance.
- Long hours of discussion continue, with some confusion when the hole in the data packet is discovered.
The Klingons Arrive
- Three D7 Destroyers decloak, weapons hot, shields up. Comms are open, one way (Fed >> Klingon)
- McCallister tries to communicate with them, but gets little back, eventually getting one Klingon word ‘Listening’
- The negotiations continue and then
Explosion!
- Massive destruction across the diplomatic dome
- Through the fast actions of the USS Guardian’s crew, none of the Ambassadors are killed
- The Klingons warp away from Khitomer
- The finger of blame points at the Klingons as evidence emerges that they teleported the charges into the base
- Further investigation by the USS Guardian shows this is unlikely, and the culprits are far more likely to have been … the Betazoids!
To be continued…
The session
The session was interesting because it was a complete reversal of the previous two. The last two were an exercise in ever-mounting pressure and decisions while this one was laid back with a lot more onus being put on the players to keep the momentum going.
The session was an exercise in providing space instead applying pressure for responses.
If there was a minor issue it may have been too passive, but I am prone to experiencing this as I outline in the post-game. There didn’t seem to be anything for the characters to actually do, confront or solve at the conference. Possibly this wasn’t the case and it was the way the players approached it that made it feel like that. For example, looking back I didn’t go and see the Earth ambassador while he was on the ship, it just totally slipped me by. There was stuff to learn, but no real conflict or situation to resolve until the bomb went off. I’m not even 100% sure the intention was for us to beam up in response to the Klingon vessels, albeit that’s a complete guess.
It was cool speaking to the Betazoid ambassador psychically though and a true shocker that they are behind the attack. I didn’t see that coming and am still wondering why!
I think the best thing about the session was how the characters are starting to emerge. I know I am discovering things about mine, especially along the lines of whether she is arrogant or if that’s a perception others layer on her. Never thought of that angle. All the other characters had similar moments based on their complexities and it was great. So any passive nature of the events themselves is easily compensated for by these moments and this could be the benefit of just leaving the space to be filled.
The post-game
I’ve learned something from this session, well, maybe it’s more that I’ve been reminded of it.
Imagine a spectrum with complete pressure for decisions and reactions on one end and completely open space and freedom to create on another. Either model breaks at the extremes but I certainly lean a bit more towards the pressure end.
I guess the question is why? I don’t think it’s the availability of space in this session, but the thoughts it led to. I can be prone to enjoying what other people are doing so when there is lots of space I can end up just letting other people fill it and being perfectly happy!
I can also find things substantially weaker when the space is so player-sided that the player creates, sets up the opposition and describes how they defeat it. This wasn’t part of this session but it’s a perfect example of what can be seen as cool in a game but too much of it for me weakens the experience. This is because it reduces the value of the ongoing conversation that is emerging. In order for that best conversation to emerge it needs a certain level of fission, excitement and the unexpected you sort of need that pressure of situation, decision or antagonism (and if necessary the dice).
That’s my theory anyway.
Stars and Wishes
At the end of each session, we can list stars (things to keep doing) and wishes (things we want to see).
I’m sure we had some, but I’m writing this eleven days later which is always an error in these situations. Digging deep I think there was some recognition that it’s great the characters are coming out more. There was also another feeling that the player characters should talk to each other more.
I think the challenge on the last one is finding a way in to have a conversation between characters that makes sense and has some purpose. You sort of need something to trigger it. Something to talk about, deal with or progress. These things are emerging so this element is probably a journey we are on as all the foundations are in place.
Plans for the next session
I’ve got no plans for the next session really, but I am fascinated by the game. It’s probably the most introspective gaming experience I’ve had. I don’t mean this in a bad, lonely fun way, at least I hope that’s not what’s happening. I may comment more on this in the future.
I think this is on brand, it is Star Trek after all.