Would you like to do more than just read? How about shaping the story? Start your career in the Center Seat. Get started right now with the Quick Start Guide:
To get started, answer the following questions:
Game Type:
Pure Combat
(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)
Non-Combat
(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)
Mix
(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)
Alignment:
Federatinn
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)
Ship name:
Command crew:
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)
Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.
That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top, Dungeons and Dragons-style game playing.
Summary of Events:
TNG Era:
Negotiations between Ambassador Endara Khan and the First Majes of the Kazon Ogla and Oglamar are proceeding well, according to Captain Reggie Farrell on the USS Exeter in orbit of Oblissa III. Captain Farrell was advised that the ambassador expects to issue a statement soon detailing agreements reached, as well as a proposal for future agreements between the Federation and the Kazon.
Captain Murphy of the USS Guadalcanal reports astonishing findings in his examination of the biomechanical DNA recovered from Romulan soldiers on Oshionian VI. Microcellular scans of the biomatter revealed uniquely human DNA deeply encoded in the cellular structure, and analysis of the decay in the DNA strands suggests that the biomatter is more than two thousand years old. Quantum dating of the biomatter confirmed that finding.
In the Coramonde system, the science ship USS Lily Sloane discovered a faint subspace disturbance consistent with the passage of one or two Federation starships passing through a wormhole or other phenomena. It is attempting to probe the disturbance using a tunneling neutrino beam.
The Triangle Zone continues to be a center for hostilities between forces of the Klingon and Romulan Empires. The USS Archer and USS Arizona report four squadrons of 'Etlh Class Battlecruisers engaging and destroying a Romulan Carrier Battle Group. The Federation starships transmitted all relevant sensor data to the nearby Starbase Lighthouse in the Durandal system.
TOS Era:
Starfleet Command is denying reports that a group of starships crossed into Klingon space and destroyed a Klingon freighter. It also denies further reports that the crossing is part of an illegal military move to reinforce the outpost at Archer IV. Captain Lionidas reports that Klingon forces are beginning to pull back from their move toward Romulan space.
The USS Magellan has abandoned its search for the USS Coramonde, which disappeared on a mission towards the center of the galaxy. There are no warp trails to indicate passage of a Federation starship through the region, nor was there any subspace displacement readings to indicate the passage of other ships in the area.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Challenger NX-02 is sweeping the Denobulan system for traces of Romulan passage through the system
The two Sloane Class light cruisers pursuing an ion propulsion exhaust trail from the last known position of the EX-01 Roddenberry report that it is leading in a general direction along the course that the Roddenberry was first assigned to, towards the center of the galaxy. The ion exhaust is consistent with advanced long-distance sublight craft.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Contact" Resolution
The Away team proceeds safely through the dark and sharply tilted corridors of the USS Coramonde. Scans show no humanoid forms, but as they move further into the ship, they find small patches of the biocircuitry along the deckplates and bulkheads. More of the small patches move seemingly randomly until Hazard team member Lieutenant Keller accidentally steps on one. The patch reacts violently, trying repeatedly and frantically to break through the personal forcefield covering Keller. In minutes, there are dozens of patches converging on the team. Captain Decker calls for an emergency beam out, but the Agamemnon's scanners cannot penetrate far enough inside the Coramonde. The team will have to get back to hull breach they've created.
Moving quickly, the away team retreats to the hull breach as more of the patches begin to surround them. Soon they are all being attacked by the patches. As Lt. Keller's personal shield finally fails, the away team reaches the hull breach. Captain Decker must quickly decide how best to care for Lt. Keller, safeguard the ship and crew, and continue the investigation...
Captain Decker ordered Lt. Keller beamed up separately and suspended in transport while the rest of the team was transported to a Class Three quarantine field in the Agamemnon's sickbay. Then she ordered the science officer to program nanites to infiltrate Lt. Keller's pattern, stored within the transporter's transport pattern buffer, and extract the alien biotech. It represents radically experimental surgery, but the only way to extract the biocircuitry without allowing it to further infect Keller.
(TNG Era) "Answers and New Questions"
After hours of waiting, the nanites signal that they have extracted and analyzed the alien biotech from Lt. Keller's pattern, and the Hazard team member is safely reenergized in the Agamemnon's transporter room. Then the science department begins to examine the findings of the biomechanical cirtcuitry that had attempted to infect Lt. Keller. They discovered trace DNA that was unmistakably human, but also unmistakably two thousand years old. This presents the first clue in the mystery, and links the one hundred year old USS Coramonde to findings of the USS Guadalcanal in the Delta Quadrant. But it also presents new questions. Who or what was integrating human DNA into biocircuitry two thousand years ago, and how is the Coramonde connected? And of course the original questions still remain. What brought down the Coramonde? Does the same threat apply to the Agamemnon?
Captain Decker determines that the answers can only be found within the protected memory core of the USS Coramonde. That is located near the center of the Coramonde's saucer section, far too deep to attempt to reach with the transporter. She also knows that a Hazard team would never be able to safely reach that deep within the ship on foot...
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken.
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...something we have in common..."
Class D Asteroid/Moon
Age: 2-10 billion years
Diameter: 100-1,000 km
Location: Hot Zone/Ecosphere/Cold zone. Found Primarily in orbit of larger planets or in asteroid fields
Surface: Barren and cratered
Atmosphere: None or very tenous
Life forms: None
Example: Moon (Sol IIIa), Lunar V (Bajor VIIe)
7) A member of the crew becomes trapped on the planet.
(ENT Era)
Captain Matthew Von
EX-02 Patterson
Roddenberry Class Science Ship
Something we have in common with most species is a natural desire to protect those that we care for. That turned out to be what saved my chief engineer from an unfortunate fate on the single moon of Triacus I. While the moon has no indigenous life, its proximity to the unusually active local sun makes it a natural stopping point for a space-borne species that feeds on solar radiation. The species, which we are calling 'Jellies', for lack of a better word, is gelatinous in nature, but completely sentient, and has a neurochemistry strangely similar to ours. So similar, in fact, that the universal translator had no difficulty in understanding its thoughts. That unexpected common factor was instrumental in saving the life of Chief Science Officer McClellan. The chief had beamed down to the moon during a brief window of solar 'shade' to take a core sample when a mile-wide colony of the Jellies dropped to the surface and accidentally landed on top of him. As that side of the moon was not exposed to the sun at the time, the Jellies were unable to move, and McClellan was trapped on the surface. Fortunately, our plea for help, expressing the danger to our shipmate was easily understood, and the Jellies somehow summoned the energy to disassociate, freeing the chief before he was caught unprotected from the deadly radiation. Fortunately for the Jellies' sake, the sun came back out soon, and they were able to renew their strength and resume their migratory habits.
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
For Next Week: "...before somebody gets hurt..."
Developer's Diary:
The simple combat tourney is finished. As I reported a few days ago, I decided to complete the tourney with simple combat instead of heavy. As far as I know, nobody had any vested interest in the outcome, and I wasn't feeling up to a grueling knock down drag out between two battered ships. The USS Guadalcanal was fortunate to get a good roll against the RIS Romulus, and it won on the first volley of simple combat.
Nasty old Section 31 is rearing its sneaky head in the TOS era, in the form of five heavy cruisers pushing through Klingon space to reinforce the Archer IV outpost. In the first system, they encountered and easily destroyed a Klingon freighter. As I take those ships through Klingon space, I'll roll for an encounter, then roll to see what they encounter.
I'm redesigning the STD's to reflect things like warp nacelles, computer cores, and transporters. They'll specify which systems are required to control your ship, and which systems you can control the ship from. Here's an example:
Command and Control Systems (CCS): (Bridge, Aux Bridge)
Auxiliary/Tactical Control/Countermeasure (ATC): (Fire Control, Sensors, Tractors, Hanger Bay, Transporters, Computer Core)
Control Capable: CCS/ATC
Control Requisite: Sensors/Computer Core/Power or Aux Power(1 battery per turn)
Another changing aspect of the STD and heavy combat is that systems that you can target are located in specific facings. I'm also putting guidelines out for ship and hull classes that will allow customizing and lead to different STD's for different ships and ship types within the same class. Here's an example, the Fed Destroyer STD:
FEDERATION DD
Hull Rating 2
Shields: 108 available (6 Arcs)
Armor: 8 available (6 Arcs)
Hull: 10 available (6 Arcs)
Command and Control Systems (CCS): (Bridge, Aux Bridge) 1 each
Auxiliary/Tactical Control/Countermeasure (ATC): (Fire Control, Sensors, Tractors, Hanger Bay, Transporters, Computer Core) 7 total
Class A Weapons: (Defensive rated weapons) n/a
Class B Weapons: (Beam weapons) 1/2 total (B and C Class weapons are interchangeable.)
Class C Weapons: (Launched/Tracking weapons) 1/2 total (B and C Class weapons are interchangeable.)
Class D Weapons: (Super Heavy) n/a
Sublight Propulsion: (Impulse) 1 total
Power: (Warp) 3 total
Auxiliary Power: (Batteries) 3 total
SHIELD GENERATORS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (1 IN 10 NEEDED)
DORSAL SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
VENTRAL SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
PORT SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
STARBOARD SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
FORE SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
AFT SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Armor:
Fore 1 2
Aft 1 2
Port 1
Starboard 1
Dorsal 1
Ventral 1
Hull
Fore 1 2 3
Aft 1 2 3
Port 1 2
Starboard 1 2
Dorsal 1 2 3
Ventral 1 2 3
INTERNALS
Bridge (DORS)1
Aux Bridge (VENT)1
Fire Control (FWD, PORT, STBD)1 2 3
Computer Core (FWD)1
Photons (FWD) 1 (AFT) 1
Sensors (OMNI/FWD, AFT)1 2
Tractors (OMNI/VENT)1
Phasers (OMNI/FWD,AFT,DORS) 1 2 2
Impulse (DORS)1
Hanger Bay (AFT) 1
Transporters (DORS)1
Batteries (VENT)1 2 3 4
Warp (VENT)1 2 3 4
Warp Nacelles (Port) 1 2 (Starboard) 1 2
Control Capable: CCS/ATC
Control Requisite: Sensors/Computer Core/Power or Aux Power(1 battery per turn)
Note: Warp refers to warp power capacity and system redundancies..
It's still very much a work in progress. There'll have to be allowances for ships like the Achilles Class heavy cruiser that is loaded with photon launchers but will have to be balanced with some weakness. Maybe limited ECM capability. In the end, it'll be a nicely customized and customizable game. And by the way, in order to target systems located to Dorsal (on top), you'll actually need to get above the ship. That means heavy combat in a 3-D environment, which means a second tactical map to show relative elevation.
I still need to update the links on the website to reflect changes. In the meantime, if you're playing, either go with the rules you have or leave a comment so I can email you updated rules. Most things actually haven't changed. It's just the important stuff, like heavy combat rules and STD's. And if you joined late and don't know what I mean by "STD", its Starship Technical Database. All the pertinent data on your ship.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Fantasy Trek: Summary of Events Stardate 0409.05
Developer's Note: If you're reading this and wondering what it's all about, this is a generally weekly summary of events in the storyline in Fantasy Trek. It includes things done by players and NPC's (Non-Player Characters) over the last week in all three Trek Era's. What does that mean to you? If you have an interest in playing (which can be combat, writing, or both), click the 'comment' tab at the end of the post, and I'll happily get you started with a 'Quick Start Guide". You should also feel free to comment/question anything here, as well as participate in the Commannd College feature. Here's the Quick Start Guide:
To get started, answer the following questions:
Game Type:
Pure Combat
(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)
Non-Combat
(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)
Mix
(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)
Alignment:
Federation
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)
Ship name
Command crew
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)
Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.
That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top game playing.
Summary of Events:
TNG Era:
The Kazon-Oglamar Warship Olkunot entered orbit of Oblissa III on schedule and immediately established communication with Ambassador Endara Khan on the USS Exeter. Captain Farrell reports that the Ambassador and the two First Maje's have been in talks for more than twelve hours. There have been no signs of the disabled Romulan Warbird Decius.
The USS Guadalcanal was forced to withdraw from the area of Oshionian VI as an ion storm moved through the area. Survey teams removed all material from the surface as a precaution. The ion storm may be in the area for a week. In the meantime, the Guadalcanal's science department is continuing to study biomechanical DNA recovered from the bodies of Romulan soldiers found on the surface.
Romulan Captain T'Leena has retained command of the warbird RIS D'Shoanna after a court martial hearing in the Nequencia system. She has been assigned to unspecified maneuvers. The Romulan ambassador filed a formal complaint with the Federation Council to protest the actions of the USS Essex in the matter.
A complete sweep of the Coramonde system by the science ship USS Lily Sloane failed to reveal any explanation for the disappearance the USS Sternbach, or the USS Yorktown, which the Sternbach was sent to search for. The Lily Sloane is still studying the system.
USS Archer and USS Arizona report increased clashes between Klingon and Romulan forces in the Triangle Zone. They also report sighting a new Klingon Heavy Cruiser, tentatively identified as an 'Etlh' Class Battlecruiser.
TOS Era:
Starfleet Command reports no further progress in formulating a plan to get reinforcements to Archer IV. The Fast (Penetration) Cruiser USS Xerxes is currently the only Federation starship in the area. Captain Lionidas of the Xerxes reports no new sightings of Klingons in the area. Archer IV is in close proximity to Klingon space and largely isolated from the bulk of Federation space.
The USS Magellan failed to find signs of the USS Coramonde in the uncharted system where its transponder signal was monitored. It is continuing to sweep the system for clues.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Columbia NX-02 reports finding debris in the Denobula system belonging to a missing Denobulan civilian transport. Spectrascopic analysis of the debris reveals traces of Romulan-style atomic weapons.
The two Sloane Class light cruisers found no further hull plating from the EX-01 Roddenberry, but did pick up traces of ion propulsion exhaust consistent with advanced long-distance sublight craft. They are in pursuit.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Biomechanical Threat" Resolution
The first step in Captain Decker's investigation is to conduct an intensive scan of the planet-bound starship to confirm the apparent lack of life signs and to search for evidence of weapons fire on the hull. After establishing a synchronous orbit over the Coramonde, intensive scans are directed at the ship. Readings show no discernible weapons fire, and no definitive life readings. There is, however, an unusual and unexplainable electromagnetic signature across the length and breadth of the ship that probes launched from orbit cannot penetrate. The next step is to send an away team. In light of the mystery surrounding the ship, Captain Decker chooses four Hazard team members and the chief science officer to join her. They were all outfitted with Hazard team personal force fields and vital sign monitors continuously transmitting to the ship.
They are transported to the surface, a few meters from the Coramonde. Intensive scans show biomechanical circuitry covering the hull that was not detected from orbit. The circuitry is similar to bio-neural gelpaks found in modern starships, as well as some Borg circuitry, but it lacks the familiar Borg 'footprint' found in every recorded encounter with them. According to scans, the circuitry is covering twenty percent of the hull and growing at a rate of one percent a day.
At this point, Captain Decker determines a potential threat to personnel if they come in physical contact with the ship. At the same time, she knows that they won't learn any more without getting inside the ship. The team does have limited protection thanks to their personal force fields, but they might not protect them from whatever power brought down the Coramonde. What should be her next step?
Captain Decker decides that they have no choice but to enter the downed Coramonde. Since the starboard side of the engineering hull is the furthest from any area covered by the biocircuitry, but also directly opposite of the away team's location, she request a site-to-site transport from the Agamemnon. Seconds later, they are standing next to the Coramonde's engineering hull.
After science officer Solok uses his tricorder to create a small gap in the electromagnetic field surrounding the ship, the Hazard team's leader, Lt Commander Muñoz adjusts his phaser to drill through the hull of the ship and fires his weapon. In seconds, there is a hole large enough for the team to step through. Scanning the interior of the ship, Commander Solok determines that the biocircuitry does not exist in the immediate area within the ship. Captain Decker orders the team to proceed into the ship.
(TNG Era) "Contact"
The Away team proceeds safely through the dark and sharply tilted corridors of the USS Coramonde. Scans show no humanoid forms, but as they move further into the ship, they find small patches of the biocircuitry along the deckplates and bulkheads. More of the small patches move seemingly randomly until Hazard team member Lieutenant Keller accidentally steps on one. The patch reacts violently, trying repeatedly and frantically to break through the personal forcefield covering Keller. In minutes, there are dozens of patches converging on the team. Captain Decker calls for an emergency beam out, but the Agamemnon's scanners cannot penetrate far enough inside the Coramonde. The team will have to get back to hull breach they've created.
Moving quickly, the away team retreats to the hull breach as more of the patches begin to surround them. Soon they are all being attacked by the patches. As Lt. Keller's personal shield finally fails, the away team reaches the hull breach. Captain Decker must quickly decide how best to care for Lt. Keller, safeguard the ship and crew, and continue the investigation...
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken.
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...no obvious answer..."
Class M
Age: 3-10 billion years
Diameter: 10,000-15,000 km
Location: Ecosphere
Surface: Surface water abundant; if water covers more than 80%, planet is considered Class-O or Class-P
Atmosphere: Nitrogen, oxygen, trace elements
Life forms: Extensive vegetation, animal life, humanoids
Example: Earth, Vulcan, Cardassia Prime
15) The landing party finds itself back (seemingly) on it's homeworld. (Earth, Qo'noS, or whatever). But according to sensors on the ship, they're still where they were before.
(TNG Era) IKS NaQ'jej Vor'cha Class Heavy Cruiser
While surveying the gI'tlh system for signs of a viral outbreak threatening several frontier worlds, I led a landing party down to the third planet to discover that we were on an exact duplicate of Qo'noS. The First City had been perfectly duplicated, as well as such landmarks as the Kri'staK volcano and Lake Lursor. There was even what appreared to be fragments of Praxis in orbit. The only thing missing from this recreation was the population. The planet was completely uninhabited. Even with the recreated Klingon architecture and landmarks, we did not expect to find Klingons living here. This world is not a Klingon colony, nor has it ever been visted by the Empire.
While the humans believe in the possiblity of parallel development like this, I find the concept difficult accept. I do not believe in accidents or coincidences. And it makes even less sense considering the lack of a population, or any evidence that one ever existed. Klingons do not have an appreciation for subtlety or mysteries, and where we find no obvious answer we generally provide our own. In this case, the presence of the virus in every body of water on this planet answered every question that matters. From orbit, we bombarded the planet with delta radiation until every sign of life, including the virus, was obliterated.
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
For Next Week: "...something we have in common..."
Developer's Diary:
The Simple Combat Tourney is almost over. The RIS Romulus will face off against the USS Guadalcanal in a heavy combat engagement... once I make sure the conditions are properly set. In the meantime, the TOS storyline is going to lead into a mini-campaign with possibilities of simple and heavy combat. And the result of that campaign will determine the fate of the USS Xerxes and the Archer IV outpost.
I am refining the Kri'staK Fleet patch. I just decided I wasn't happy with the finished product. I've also designed a new TNG Era Klingon Heavy Cruiser that has a definite 'wedge' shape to the engineering hull and internal warp nacelles, and I'm looking at designs for a heavier bird of prey. I'm also thinking about a TOS advanced Romulan Bird of Prey. Maybe a TMP Era. What this will lead to eventually is a completely original, non-canon library of ships which players are encouraged to use. Not required by any means, but encouraged. Why? One thing that I've always wanted for Fantasy Trek is for it to be imagination-based. DIY Trek. Most games (including notable upcoming pay-to-play games) allow you to customize your ship, and your character to an extent. Fantasy Trek encourages you to create your ship, your crew, your character, and your career. Something else. While certain notable upcoming games are introducing new ships that copy from the "Enterprise" series, or are kitbashes, Fantasy Trek is the place for new ideas. The Ab'Qaff Class Command Class is a new design, as is the 'Etlh Class Heavy Cruiser. And there are more on the way. And yeah, it's all free. Free to own and share, and, what a concept, free-to-play.
For the future of Fantasy Trek, the Klingons and the Federation are going to square off against a mutual opponent to gain control of an area of space consisting of at least, say, ten sectors. Just like the server 'campaigns' I sometimes take part in for "Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates", factions will have to run convoys to keep starbases and shipyards functioning, and borders will shift and sometimes be defined by line-of-site. It could last, like the original multilevel play, as long as a month. While it sometimes seems like I'll never 'finish' creating this game, I realized that there's a good side to that. How many times have you played through the single-player campaign and suddenly found yourself at the end? How many times have you wondered if that was all you paid fifty bucks for? I sure have. Well, that isn't a problem with Fantasy Trek. And of course, there isn't a monthly subscription. If one of the 15 people who have downloaded a version of "Fantasy Trek" from 4shared.com is reading this, let me know how you like it. Keep in mind that some of the rules and tools have changed. Changes are posted here, and I'll try to update the links on the blogsite soon.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
To get started, answer the following questions:
Game Type:
Pure Combat
(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)
Non-Combat
(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)
Mix
(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)
Alignment:
Federation
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)
Ship name
Command crew
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)
Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.
That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top game playing.
Summary of Events:
TNG Era:
The Kazon-Oglamar Warship Olkunot entered orbit of Oblissa III on schedule and immediately established communication with Ambassador Endara Khan on the USS Exeter. Captain Farrell reports that the Ambassador and the two First Maje's have been in talks for more than twelve hours. There have been no signs of the disabled Romulan Warbird Decius.
The USS Guadalcanal was forced to withdraw from the area of Oshionian VI as an ion storm moved through the area. Survey teams removed all material from the surface as a precaution. The ion storm may be in the area for a week. In the meantime, the Guadalcanal's science department is continuing to study biomechanical DNA recovered from the bodies of Romulan soldiers found on the surface.
Romulan Captain T'Leena has retained command of the warbird RIS D'Shoanna after a court martial hearing in the Nequencia system. She has been assigned to unspecified maneuvers. The Romulan ambassador filed a formal complaint with the Federation Council to protest the actions of the USS Essex in the matter.
A complete sweep of the Coramonde system by the science ship USS Lily Sloane failed to reveal any explanation for the disappearance the USS Sternbach, or the USS Yorktown, which the Sternbach was sent to search for. The Lily Sloane is still studying the system.
USS Archer and USS Arizona report increased clashes between Klingon and Romulan forces in the Triangle Zone. They also report sighting a new Klingon Heavy Cruiser, tentatively identified as an 'Etlh' Class Battlecruiser.
TOS Era:
Starfleet Command reports no further progress in formulating a plan to get reinforcements to Archer IV. The Fast (Penetration) Cruiser USS Xerxes is currently the only Federation starship in the area. Captain Lionidas of the Xerxes reports no new sightings of Klingons in the area. Archer IV is in close proximity to Klingon space and largely isolated from the bulk of Federation space.
The USS Magellan failed to find signs of the USS Coramonde in the uncharted system where its transponder signal was monitored. It is continuing to sweep the system for clues.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Columbia NX-02 reports finding debris in the Denobula system belonging to a missing Denobulan civilian transport. Spectrascopic analysis of the debris reveals traces of Romulan-style atomic weapons.
The two Sloane Class light cruisers found no further hull plating from the EX-01 Roddenberry, but did pick up traces of ion propulsion exhaust consistent with advanced long-distance sublight craft. They are in pursuit.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Biomechanical Threat" Resolution
The first step in Captain Decker's investigation is to conduct an intensive scan of the planet-bound starship to confirm the apparent lack of life signs and to search for evidence of weapons fire on the hull. After establishing a synchronous orbit over the Coramonde, intensive scans are directed at the ship. Readings show no discernible weapons fire, and no definitive life readings. There is, however, an unusual and unexplainable electromagnetic signature across the length and breadth of the ship that probes launched from orbit cannot penetrate. The next step is to send an away team. In light of the mystery surrounding the ship, Captain Decker chooses four Hazard team members and the chief science officer to join her. They were all outfitted with Hazard team personal force fields and vital sign monitors continuously transmitting to the ship.
They are transported to the surface, a few meters from the Coramonde. Intensive scans show biomechanical circuitry covering the hull that was not detected from orbit. The circuitry is similar to bio-neural gelpaks found in modern starships, as well as some Borg circuitry, but it lacks the familiar Borg 'footprint' found in every recorded encounter with them. According to scans, the circuitry is covering twenty percent of the hull and growing at a rate of one percent a day.
At this point, Captain Decker determines a potential threat to personnel if they come in physical contact with the ship. At the same time, she knows that they won't learn any more without getting inside the ship. The team does have limited protection thanks to their personal force fields, but they might not protect them from whatever power brought down the Coramonde. What should be her next step?
Captain Decker decides that they have no choice but to enter the downed Coramonde. Since the starboard side of the engineering hull is the furthest from any area covered by the biocircuitry, but also directly opposite of the away team's location, she request a site-to-site transport from the Agamemnon. Seconds later, they are standing next to the Coramonde's engineering hull.
After science officer Solok uses his tricorder to create a small gap in the electromagnetic field surrounding the ship, the Hazard team's leader, Lt Commander Muñoz adjusts his phaser to drill through the hull of the ship and fires his weapon. In seconds, there is a hole large enough for the team to step through. Scanning the interior of the ship, Commander Solok determines that the biocircuitry does not exist in the immediate area within the ship. Captain Decker orders the team to proceed into the ship.
(TNG Era) "Contact"
The Away team proceeds safely through the dark and sharply tilted corridors of the USS Coramonde. Scans show no humanoid forms, but as they move further into the ship, they find small patches of the biocircuitry along the deckplates and bulkheads. More of the small patches move seemingly randomly until Hazard team member Lieutenant Keller accidentally steps on one. The patch reacts violently, trying repeatedly and frantically to break through the personal forcefield covering Keller. In minutes, there are dozens of patches converging on the team. Captain Decker calls for an emergency beam out, but the Agamemnon's scanners cannot penetrate far enough inside the Coramonde. The team will have to get back to hull breach they've created.
Moving quickly, the away team retreats to the hull breach as more of the patches begin to surround them. Soon they are all being attacked by the patches. As Lt. Keller's personal shield finally fails, the away team reaches the hull breach. Captain Decker must quickly decide how best to care for Lt. Keller, safeguard the ship and crew, and continue the investigation...
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken.
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...no obvious answer..."
Class M
Age: 3-10 billion years
Diameter: 10,000-15,000 km
Location: Ecosphere
Surface: Surface water abundant; if water covers more than 80%, planet is considered Class-O or Class-P
Atmosphere: Nitrogen, oxygen, trace elements
Life forms: Extensive vegetation, animal life, humanoids
Example: Earth, Vulcan, Cardassia Prime
15) The landing party finds itself back (seemingly) on it's homeworld. (Earth, Qo'noS, or whatever). But according to sensors on the ship, they're still where they were before.
(TNG Era) IKS NaQ'jej Vor'cha Class Heavy Cruiser
While surveying the gI'tlh system for signs of a viral outbreak threatening several frontier worlds, I led a landing party down to the third planet to discover that we were on an exact duplicate of Qo'noS. The First City had been perfectly duplicated, as well as such landmarks as the Kri'staK volcano and Lake Lursor. There was even what appreared to be fragments of Praxis in orbit. The only thing missing from this recreation was the population. The planet was completely uninhabited. Even with the recreated Klingon architecture and landmarks, we did not expect to find Klingons living here. This world is not a Klingon colony, nor has it ever been visted by the Empire.
While the humans believe in the possiblity of parallel development like this, I find the concept difficult accept. I do not believe in accidents or coincidences. And it makes even less sense considering the lack of a population, or any evidence that one ever existed. Klingons do not have an appreciation for subtlety or mysteries, and where we find no obvious answer we generally provide our own. In this case, the presence of the virus in every body of water on this planet answered every question that matters. From orbit, we bombarded the planet with delta radiation until every sign of life, including the virus, was obliterated.
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
For Next Week: "...something we have in common..."
Developer's Diary:
The Simple Combat Tourney is almost over. The RIS Romulus will face off against the USS Guadalcanal in a heavy combat engagement... once I make sure the conditions are properly set. In the meantime, the TOS storyline is going to lead into a mini-campaign with possibilities of simple and heavy combat. And the result of that campaign will determine the fate of the USS Xerxes and the Archer IV outpost.
I am refining the Kri'staK Fleet patch. I just decided I wasn't happy with the finished product. I've also designed a new TNG Era Klingon Heavy Cruiser that has a definite 'wedge' shape to the engineering hull and internal warp nacelles, and I'm looking at designs for a heavier bird of prey. I'm also thinking about a TOS advanced Romulan Bird of Prey. Maybe a TMP Era. What this will lead to eventually is a completely original, non-canon library of ships which players are encouraged to use. Not required by any means, but encouraged. Why? One thing that I've always wanted for Fantasy Trek is for it to be imagination-based. DIY Trek. Most games (including notable upcoming pay-to-play games) allow you to customize your ship, and your character to an extent. Fantasy Trek encourages you to create your ship, your crew, your character, and your career. Something else. While certain notable upcoming games are introducing new ships that copy from the "Enterprise" series, or are kitbashes, Fantasy Trek is the place for new ideas. The Ab'Qaff Class Command Class is a new design, as is the 'Etlh Class Heavy Cruiser. And there are more on the way. And yeah, it's all free. Free to own and share, and, what a concept, free-to-play.
For the future of Fantasy Trek, the Klingons and the Federation are going to square off against a mutual opponent to gain control of an area of space consisting of at least, say, ten sectors. Just like the server 'campaigns' I sometimes take part in for "Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates", factions will have to run convoys to keep starbases and shipyards functioning, and borders will shift and sometimes be defined by line-of-site. It could last, like the original multilevel play, as long as a month. While it sometimes seems like I'll never 'finish' creating this game, I realized that there's a good side to that. How many times have you played through the single-player campaign and suddenly found yourself at the end? How many times have you wondered if that was all you paid fifty bucks for? I sure have. Well, that isn't a problem with Fantasy Trek. And of course, there isn't a monthly subscription. If one of the 15 people who have downloaded a version of "Fantasy Trek" from 4shared.com is reading this, let me know how you like it. Keep in mind that some of the rules and tools have changed. Changes are posted here, and I'll try to update the links on the blogsite soon.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
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