Subject: Re: fasatrek-digest V1 #28
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 17:02:25 -0400
From: Jeff Child <jeffc @ empire.net >
Reply-To: fasatrek @ iastate.edu
To: fasatrek @ iastate.edu
Of all the FASA/Trek material produced, I am especially impressed with the Triangle stuff. It was crafted with depth and imagination, without straying to far from what is in keeping with the Star Trek Universe. Many times I've read the entire Triangle source book cover to cover. The political and social forces there are intriguing. The authors created an area of space where many things can happen.
Unfortunately, I've never been able to use the Triangle in my campaign. By the nature of Triangle, large Enterprise-sized starships can't realistically trounce about in Triangle space. It would start a war.
After many years of running a FASA ST:RPG campaign, I shifted over to a Star Fleet Intelligence campaign, with the player characters playing operatives in Triangle, but a lot of Star Trek flavor was lost -- the players missed playing characters on a starship.
My solution is the following:
A free trader discovers a worm-hole is going to be discovered a few parsecs from the Mantiev/Chaniviev area of space. Only he knows the exact location of the wormhole, and only he knows the precise deflector shield modulation that allows safe access through the wormhole. The wormhole leads to a populated area of space on the other side of the galaxy. Because the wormhole is in such a politically volatile area of space (with the Romulans and Klingons both supporting sides of the Chaniviev/Manitiev war), neither the Klingons, Romulans, nor the Federation what's to risk the other factions access to the wormhole. The trader who discovers the wormhole cuts a deal with the three powers. For 300 million credits from each power (a total of 900 million credits), he will allow access through the wormhole. The Romulans, Klingons, and Federation reluctantly agree to pay the trader. And they also mutually agree that each of three powers will let one starship enter the wormhole in the next cycle. (the wormhole is only accessible once every 43.2 days.) So the campaign begins as one Federation, one Klingon, and one Romulan starship pass through the worm hole. Once one the other side, there's a wealth of interesting role-playing, exploration and combat as the three starships make friends and enemies with the yet-to-be discovered civilizations on the other side of the wormhole.
Eventually, the sucesses or failure of those encounters will spill over into the Triangle (similar to Star Trek DS9.)
- Jeff
Subject: Jeff's wormhole
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 1998 08:57:14 -0500
From: Guy McLimore <guymc @ evansville.net>
Reply-To: fasatrek @ iastate.edu
To: "ST:RPG mailing list" <fasatrek @ iastate.edu>
I won't quote all of the description here, but I like Jeff Child's "wormhole in the Triangle" campaign idea a whole lot! I've always liked the idea of having a whole new area of space to explore and do new things with. The clandestine struggles on the *Triangle* side of the wormhole would make an interesting campaign all by themselves.
Guy McLimore / guymc @ evansville.net
MC+ Creations Game Design and Consulting
http://bounce.to/mcplus
Subject: Re: fasatrek-digest V1 #42
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 17:18:11 -0400
From: Jeff Child <jeffc @ empire.net>
Reply-To: fasatrek @ iastate.edu
To: fasatrek @ iastate.edu
Hi folks,
I thought I'd update you all on the status of the ST:RPG adventure I'm running.
For the idea of the basic plot check out Daniel & Patricia Stack's web site:
http://www.ziplink.net/~stack/fasatrek/fasa_trek.html.
They've posted my Triangle Wormhole campaign idea under their update section.
I had an ongoing campaign for serveral years. After many years of running a FASA ST:RPG campaign, I shifted over to a Star Fleet Intelligence campaign, with the player characters playing operatives in Triangle, but a lot of Star Trek flavor was lost -- the players missed playing characters on a starship.
So I've started up the starship campaign again. The player characters are back again as the crew of the USS Republic, Jonathan Hildric Commanding. The Harold Dunleavy (an unflapable Brit) is First Officer, and Commander Starp, a vulcan, is Science Officer.
The mission is actually weaving in some Star Fleet Intellingence player characters also . These include Captain Thadeus Drake and Trevor Hilderbrand, and Malcom Stewart. They are operating uncover posing as merchant traders deep within the Triangle. Their small (3 deck, 12 man crew) merchant vessel is the SS Black Nebula. As you'll see later the paths of the two ships will soon cross.
Notes from last gamming session:
The SS Black Nebula -- Undercover Intelligence Vessel operating in the Triangle.
Commanded by Thaddeus Drake. Trevor Hilderbrand, second in command.
The agents have uncovered a developing situation which could result in either extreme threat or benefit to the Federation.
Apparently, an Orion pirate vessel recently discovered a wormwhole within the Triangle. Drake's team discovered this information from one Tony Brazia, a human member of the pirate's crew. Brazia is the younger brother of Helen Brazia, a long time friend of Malcom Stewart. Stewart is the financial/merchant-trade expert aboard the Nebula. The SS Nebula being in the vicinity, Helen Brazia contacted Stewart asking him to help her brother with a difficulty. Helen was too far away to conveniently help him herself.
The Drake and Stewart rendezvoused with Tony Brazia at a bar on Freeman's Port (a planet in the Triangle.) An agitated Brazia, with a mixture of anxiousness and reluctance, explained the gist of his problem. The story goes like this: While on the prowl for fresh booty, the Orion Wanderer Class private vessel Grenusta intercepted an alien space vessel. The pirate gave chase, and the alien fled and maximum warp. Following a circuitous course, the alien eventually disappeared through a wormhole, which appeared as if from nowhere. The pirate followed the alien through the wormhole coming out the other side somewhere VERY distant from the Triangle. Although the pirate vessel didn't do thorough astrogation once on the other side, they believe they can out somewhere in an entirely different quadrant of the galaxy.
The chase continued on the other side, with the pirates eventually bringing weapons to bear on the alien. The alien ship was severely damaged.. In exchange for mercy, the aliens promised to provide the pirates with technical information necessary for the pirates to return through the wormhole. The aliens revealed that the wormhole only opens once every 44.34 days, and that a precise energy signature is needed to safely open the wormhole. They also revealed the maximum mass that can traverse through the hole. The pirate recorded all this useful information. The pirate then suddenly cut communication and fired through the alien ship's already weakened shields. The alien ship was vaporized the in the resulting blast.
The pirate spent the next 44.34 days scouting the local stars system within range. Wishing to ensure a safe return, the vessel 's captain avoid any adventurism on the other side and returned back through the wormhole at the next cycle.
The private captain's name it Jaazed Lifaq. He was until recently an influential member of Lifaq families' operations on The Triangle Orion Colonies. Jaazed had a falling out with his seniors however, and decided to become a freelance pirate in the lucrative lower Triangle.
Jaazed is renowned among Orion's as particularly brutish, and destructive. Typical Orion's amoral, hedonistic, and opportunists. But Jaazed is definitely more of a "thug" than is typical of his race.
Being cut off from his family business also means Jaazed is cut off from his vast
former wealth. Jaazed went pirate only 6 month's ago, but although he's been successful,
he's impatient to make a "big win" to secure his fanatical future. He's
hoping the wormhole is it. With that in mind, Jaazed decided to sell the info about the
wormwhole to both the Klingons and the Romulans. He contacted the Klingon's first. They
refused to pay him anywhere near what he wanted. He realized then that playing the
Romulans and Klingons one off against the other was the best way to go. After some
haggling, an agreement was reached to provide both the Romulan's and the Klingon's with
the information simultaneously, for a price of 300 million credits each.
The deal is scheduled to take place in twenty days (?). The Klingons and Romulans insisted that deal place with hours of the next wormhole cycle, so that both factions can pass through with simultaneously with their respective ships.
The deal is relatively complex in that there's no common currency to use amongst the three. The Klingons have agreed to pay using a combination of dilithium crystals and weapons. The Romulans with pay using their special mining equipment. Brazia's problem is this. Jaazed (his captain) has tasked Brazia with handling the logistics of transporting and dispersing the 600 million credits-worth of merchandise. Brazia, a nervous and easily-flustered person anyway, doesn't know where to begin.
The story is believable to Drake's team in light of the fact that both Romulan and Klingon squadrons are reportedly concentrating at their respective Triangle borders.
Malcom Stewart and Captain Drake have agreed to help Tony. The bring him to the Black Nebula to discuss the matter further.
Drake has contacted Star Fleet informing them of the situation. He insists that Star Fleet provide the resources necessary to pull off a "ruse": (provide transport vessels, etc.)
Drake hasn’t decided exactly what the plan is yet, but he's convinced Brazia that he has powerful and dangerous contacts within the "organization" (mob) to help matters.
Brazia is unimpressed by such threats as he feels threaten enough by his present situation -- and he's afraid of failing his treachourous Orion captain.
Drake plans to meet with Jaazed aboard the pirate vessel. He also is considering some sort of ruse, whereby he and his team pose as Klingons, who insist on transacting the deal earlier. This may not work as the Romulan's expect to close their side of the deal simultaneous with the Klingons and thereby ensure no loss in advantage.
Meanwhile ...
After a three month refit and shore leave, the Crew of USS Republic (Heavy Cruiser) is back on board. Hildric has been promoted to Commodore, and Dunleavy to Captain. Dunleavy appoints Starp as First Officer. The Republic leaves Earth with Orders to proceed toward Federation Outpost 2, with sealed orders to be opened en route. The sealed orders redirect the Republic to a rendezvous with a Star Fleet squadron. The Republic is to take command of the squadron and cruse along the Triangle border. Obviously the purpose of the squadron -- in both perception and in reality -- is to counter the Klingon and Romulan squadrons should they encroach the Triangle. Star Fleet will undoubtedly inform Hildric of the reasons behind the Romulan and Klingon squadrons based on the report from Drake. Will the Star Fleet intelligence officers be able manipulate events to protect the interests of the Federation?
Perhaps they can somehow cut the Feds in on the deal. Or better yet, figure out a way to get the USS Republic through the wormhole before the Klingons and Romulans finalize their deal with the pirate.
To add to the drama, Jaazed Lifaq, according to Brazia, is notorious for a ruthless attack on a Federation starbase several years ago. In that attack, hundreds of Federation personel were killed, including none other than Sarah Dunleavy, wife of Captain Harold Dunleavy.
The plot thickens .....
- Jeff C.
jeffc @ empire.net
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