PBF RPGing Trek (but not standard simming)

[sunnyside]

Ok I posted in the recruiting thread
http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/showflat.php?Number=8041364#Post8041364

But it occured to me to ask for advice here. Seems like people have been simming Trek for some time and have to a degree worked it into an art form. Thing is I'm not interested in running a standard sim and am hoping to run something that plays more like a tabletop game (using a simple beer and pretzels 2d6 mechanic).

Nobody seems to do that. So I'm wondering if you guys could tell me why that is(or point me to the groups that are doing it). Also if you can think of deadly pitfalls and solutions before I get to them that would be great.

Also I'm wondering how much one of my assumptions on the underlying mechanics of simms is right. My impression is that in many cases what someone is doing doesn't matter. For example the steriotypical two ships fighting. My impression is that what the characters do and describe cannot ultimatly affect the outcome of the conflict (except I suppose to throw it). Instead what they are doing is attempting to make the battle a good story, with extra character development, as it flows towards its conclusion.

FYI My background is from running play by forum games using the straight up mechanics of paper and dice RPGs, and running tabletop games in real life. I've never "simmed" though I think I have a fair idea of it from poking around a lot of different simms websites and logs.

 

[RookieBatman]

Fascinating. Though I can offer no advice for you, I am intrigued by this. Tell me, are you talking about just space battles (which are cool, but never seem to quite capture that feel of bold strategies and unexpected maneuvers so often seen in the shows), or personal engagements (like Elite Force) or both? And will there be any exploring strange new worlds, or will it be entirely martial? For a long time, I desparately wished that there could be a system for generating a game of space exploration without having a game master (since I didn't have any Trekkie friends at the time--I still don't, but now I can PBP), but the method has eluded me.
Actually, I might be able to offer something. I once formulated a simple game mechanic for starship combat that emphasized crew capability. Each bridge station has a rating from 1 to 10 (or maybe 1 to 6) and they greatly affect the outcome of the battle. I ran a test battle of the Enterprise (with a good crew) vs. a more powerful Klingon ship, but a weak crew, and I think the Enterprise won. I never did anything more with it, though, because I didn't have a campaign system that I felt was worth my time. (I, personally, don't like to do random battles; I much prefer any game I play to have a greater story surrounding it.) I believe I still have it on my computer, I can try to dig it up, unless you've already got the starship combat system in place.

As for why people do role-playing where what they do usually has no affect on the outcome of the battle, I'm really not sure. I was involved with a TOS-era RP for a while, but I soon decided it was too much effort for too little return. The reason I did it was for no less a reason than to "live the dream" of being in Star Trek. If you just have a game of combat and constant die-rolling without any story or characters that really live, it's not really like being in Star Trek (conversely, if you just have story and characters without any meaning to the action, then for someone like me it just gets boring). That's why Trek computer games like Armada and SFC are only as good as their story. You can only play randomly generated battles so many times before you realize it's just a lot of repetition.
Anyway, I am interested in what you have in mind, though. You can PM me if you'd like to discuss the finer points of game mechanics by e-mail, if anything I've said interests you.

 

[sunnyside]

(Warning this got long. If you just want to offer advice from the above post I'd rather have you go tl;dr and respond than zone out and not say anything)

If you have it writen up I'd be interest to hear about your system. At the least I may spin elements of it into what I'm doing. I'm also interested in where you get your numerical values when describing a ship (I'm planning to mostly use daystrom ).

Anyway no it's not supposed to be pure combat at all. And if the recruitment post gives that impression I'd better change it.

No combat should be only a sometimes thing. (in part because combat tends to be slowish) But it should be there you know?

Anyway I intend to run in in an exploration based campaign. Set at "present time" the party will be part of a small fleet trying to explore the space behind Romulan territory. Of course currently the feds are "at peace" with the Romulans so I figure it'll have a bit of a cold war feeling "over plot" while the main plots will involve whatever they've encountered (and sub plots just involving members of the crew especially if somebody posts a lot more than the others).

I figure I'll split people up when I can. This happens naturally with away teams. (so that not just the captain is leading).

I would anticipate posts will have a lot of simming elements, such as holding your own conversations with NPCs associated with you and taking about your inner thoughts. But should also include something moving things forward.

For example lets say that the ship came into a system with a warp capable culture. Reviewing subspace transmissions the crew discovers that people are disapearing all over the capital. Since this is a warp capable culture the captain orders the ship to the planet and hails them.

Initially the contact was pretty cold and the ship might get turned away but the smooth talking PC playing the ships councelor manages to convince them that they aren't there to cause trouble (maybe a dice roll here modified by the character and the eloquence of the PC).

Once help is requested the captain may send the Ops, Conn and Cheif enginer PCs down as an away team with some NPCs and then order the ship with the other PCs off to scan the sector for cloaked ships and continue talks with the culture. (Since it's forums based it's easy to split the party I can just use different fonts talking to both).

Maybe the engineer figures out that the problem is a certain kind of radiation that is interacting with the alien species biological matter to make them go out of phase. They might then attempt at a technobabble for a solution. (Probably a roll based on the quality of the technobable and the limits of the device).

The Ops and Conn PCs might then be in charge of trying to get components for the device while the engineer works. But will they make it in time when some Xenophobic members of the species decide to "send a message to the federation Xenos"?

Their actions (and dice luck) will decide.

You get the idea. Also I'm big on degrees of success. For example it isn't a matter of do they totally fail or totally save the day. The quality and cleverness of their actions may determine how many aliens die before the problem is solved, how much the culture winds up likeing the feds, and if they noticed that people were phasing out closer to their location before one of their NPC crewmen vanished.

Also maybe they'll only stop a problem, but the culprit escapes if the Captain didn't get the ship in the right spot at the right time.

Stuff like that.

EDIT: The forum this is done on allows you to make posts with a dice roll. Which is how randomization can be handled. I really like the randomizing element because when freeforming it's awkward to have things go bad, with dice the PCs know it's always a risk.

EDIT#2: While adding flavorfull character development doesn't help with whatever is going on in a "practical" sense it's fun, probably will be tied with promotions, and will certainly incline me more to a character (hey the bad guy only gets one shot and I have to decide who it's aimed at yes?)