Character Creation and OOC

Mar 1, 2024 11:55 pm
Let's discuss your characters in brief and their roles, and decide upon them before actually building the characters.

Once all six roles have been assigned or agreed upon, we'll go through character creation together. As to the ship we choose, that's also up for discussion.

I will have no real character vetoes, other than your character must be a member of Starfleet and the Federation.

Another thing you could add in here, is what you'd like to see in this game, if you have such a particular wish.

When we get to actual character generation, an option is the online generator here.
[ +- ] Star Trek 2d20
Mar 2, 2024 2:59 am
I am interested in the security officer. I've never played this game before but I do have the book.
Mar 2, 2024 6:34 am
I'd like to play a science officer if possible, the gribblier the better.

As a more structural suggestion, based on games with military-style hierarchies, I'd like to recommend a PC captain and an NPC First Officer. This puts a PC ultimately in charge of the ship, without the captain having to look like he's shiftless, but also gives the GM a really important "voice in the room" for command decisions, someone who can chime up about expected protocol, provide infodumps, and offer cautionary words if we start getting a little off-book, and pose aloud all those thorny ethical questions that Star Trek does best.
Mar 2, 2024 5:37 pm
If like to be a command officer or the ship's doctor I think
Mar 2, 2024 9:40 pm
Thank you for the invite, Qralloq.
Seeing what the other plays have preferences for, I'm happy to be a pilot/conn or engineer.
Mar 3, 2024 5:52 am
Yes! Thank you for the invite Qralloq. Okay I see interest in security officer, science officer, medical officer, engineering officer, and command, so...I could play Chief Counselor.
Last edited March 3, 2024 5:54 am
Mar 3, 2024 4:14 pm
We're still waiting for @Seuss to accept the invitation, but let's get going a little further.

https://i.imgur.com/SqeTmnU.jpeg

What scale of skip do you think we should use for a ship? Public

Scale 3
Scale 4
Scale 5
Scale 6
Mar 3, 2024 6:22 pm
Sorry for the brusque first post, I've been captured by Helldivers. It's great to be here, and I'm very excited to start Trekking across the Stars.
Qralloq says:
What scale of skip do you think we should use for a ship?
I'd very much like to score a ship around 4 or 5.

First, operating on this scale is something that's almost unique to Star Trek among games. You can cruise around in a Defiant class equivalent in most Star Wars adjacent games, and I've done quite a lot of tramp freightering, and want to lean into the unique opportunities of Trek.

Second, a larger ship is bursting with people. There are plenty of opportunities to grab random NPCs and use them as support characters. This also has the side effect of burdening the major characters with command - they have to consider the consequences not just to themselves and their ship, but to their crew. Is the cost in redshirts (although I guess in this era they are yellow shirts?) really worth it?

Third, a larger ship contains a setting. Facilities like engineering, sickbay, 10 Forward, the Ready Room, and the holodeck are iconic, and provide much more texture than the two rooms of the Millennium Falcon. A larger ship also affords some space to be a little "fuzzy," and add facilities like laboratories, personal quarters, jeffries tubes, gymnasiums, and shuttle bays that can all make great set dressing for dramatic storytelling.

And fourth, and finally, we have to examine the essential Star Trek aesthetic question - what wonky configuration do we use to attach those nacelles to the saucer?

Much as I like the Galaxy class, I think the whole flying city aspect of the ship might be just a bit much, so I think 5 is plenty.
Last edited March 3, 2024 9:32 pm
Mar 3, 2024 7:33 pm
I agree with GreyGriffin's thoughts and reasoning.
Mar 3, 2024 8:28 pm
Me too. I'm on board.
Mar 3, 2024 9:31 pm
Sounds good to me too. Need a nice medway to patch up the inevitable injuries you all get
Mar 3, 2024 9:33 pm
part of me wants to be a klingon yes it will leave scar, you must wear it with honor *ignores the advanced system for patching injuries
Mar 3, 2024 9:33 pm
part of me wants to be a klingon yes it will leave scar, you must wear it with honor *ignores the advanced system for patching injuries
Mar 4, 2024 2:22 am
I would also agree with GreyGriffon's assessment and reasoning. 4-5 allows for supplementary support characters.

Also I am on board characterwise to fill in whatever niche is needed. I've actually been leaning/thinking more towards noncom with the goal to eventually go to officer candidates school.

Thank you for the invitation and I look forward to playing with you all.

Seuss
Mar 4, 2024 2:27 am
That's great, gang's all here. So who wants to be captain?

Or who wants to be first officer? (Cackles evilly)
Mar 4, 2024 5:39 am
Not it!

But seriously, I do think we should have a PC be captain of the ship.
Mar 4, 2024 10:07 am
I'm happy with medical.
Mar 4, 2024 12:28 pm
That's a lot of crew to be responsible for, Yikes!

I can't see a ship's counselor in that role. Not I.
Mar 4, 2024 1:40 pm
Since everyone seems to be shying away from the role, I would be willing to pivot on my initial idea and consider creating an XO character.

I do agree with GreyGriffin and that the Captain should be an NPC. Next Gen seemed to faithfully adhere to the 'no captain on away missions' and that always made more sense to me.

Seuss
Mar 4, 2024 3:52 pm
Seuss says:
I do agree with GreyGriffin and that the Captain should be an NPC. Next Gen seemed to faithfully adhere to the 'no captain on away missions' and that always made more sense to me.
I think I've been misquoted. I think the captain should definitely be a player character, in order to put a player character at the top of the chain of command, and give us agency over the ship. This way, the GM is not deciding what our course of action is - a player makes the ultimate decisions.

This is supported by the system, I believe - for situations where a particular Main Character's presence would be inappropriate, you assume the role of a support character.

I think the XO role is actually the perfect place for an NPC - the XO follows the orders of the captain, but is high enough in the chain of command to participate meaningfully in briefings and debates, and is a place for the GM to inject the setting and try to keep things on an even keel.
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