Game Rules and Explanations

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The Total War Centre Star Trek RPG
USS Indefatigable

Game Background and Basics

The Year is 2380, and the latest of the Intrepid Class starship has been launched from the dockyards on Earth. Seen as one of the most advanced ships in the Fleet, and with vast experience behind it. With a long time of trials ahead of it, the newly christened USS Indefatigable is about to begin a voyage to the Gamma Quadrant. As its commander is Captain Edward Montgomery, who in the past has served across the Galaxy with Starfleet. Seeking a brand new crew, advertisements for all positions are posted across the Starfleet's network and in the Federation's offices on various planets and space stations. Many officers seek employment on this star ship, but only some shall succeed. In the 2370s, a group called the Dominion waged war on many of the Alpha Quadrant powers. THey were able to access the Alpha Quadrant through a wormhole which near the end of the war was disabled by the Federation. As a result the Dominion were prevented from being victorious, but also it means getting there is more difficult. However in recent months, there has been news of another worm hole appearing, which is where the Indefatigable's first goal is. When found, it is the mission of the ship to explore the Gamma Quadrant and observe the changes, respond to all calls for help or assistance, and upheld the Prime Directive. Players take the role of a Starfleet Officer on this Federation Starship and aim to be promoted and decorated for their service.

Starfleet Departments

Command This branch contains all those responsible for the command and control of the ship. The most notable members of this department are the Captain and the Executive Officers. Players can join this department if they want to either be navigational officers or communications officers. Operations Responsible for the smooth running of ship functions, this is one of the most important departments. With the job of detecting objects that may of interest to the crew, they are very important to missions. Players can join this department to operate the ship's sensors and accompany teams on away missions. Security With the task to keep the ship and its crew safe, security is one of the larger branches on board the ship. Responsible for prisoners, mutinous crew members and the safety of the Commanding officer, they are equipped with weapons at all times. Security officers are also the key features of away teams. Engineering With the simple mission of keeping the starship functioning,this department runs the Warp core and any other engineering issues which may trouble the ship's compliment. Usually the first port of call when the Captain needs a solution to an unprecedented issue. Tactical During battle, there are several complicated manouvers that are the responsibility of the tactical officers. They run simulations and formulate attack manouvers for any situation. With the task of firing the ship's phasers and torpedos, as well as engaging evasive tactics at any time, players will have a high responsibility in this department. Medical This department does what it says on the tin. With the job of keeping the crew healthy, the Medical department is usually kept up to date with all situations developing on board. Even though medicine has advanced in recent years, a doctor is still always needed. Medical officers can order any officer of any rank to cease their duties if they believe it is in their medical interest. Science When a mission is set to explore and document the farthest areas of space, the Science department is crucial to that mission. With the ever changing task of analysing the area around them, they are highly overworked. Whenever a natural phenomenon is encountered, this is the department to call, but they are also responsible for any unexplained situations on the ship and are expected to be highly knowledgeable. Intelligence Not usually a feature on Starfleet missions but in this case, they are truly exploring the unexplored as Intelligence officers are a must. Knowing all they can about the enemy and their situation, Intelligence put together reports and knowledge for the consumption of all onboard. They are expected to keep on top of developing situations. Starfleet Marines (MACO) While not again usual on a Starship exploration mission, this ship has been judged at risk enough to deserve a compliment of marines. With heavy weaponry and special skills, these men are ready to engage in any sort of high adrenaline mission.

Character Creation

While it is expected that a player will create a character who is a Starfleet officer, there is also the choice of playing a member of the crew who is a civlian. Either way, players must conform to certain rules on character creation. All characters must be registered in the Service Records forum where they will then be approved by one of the Senior Officers. When creating your character, place your top two preferences for departments. Stick to one of the following races as any others would probably be seen as untrustworthy by the crew: Human Andorian Bajoran Betazoid Bolian Vulcan Klingon All characters must start at Ensign which is the lowest rank, over time promotion is however earned by the character. Unless of course you create a civilian character Please do not create 'ultimate' characters who are the 'youngest this' and 'fluent at 33 languages' that.

Ranks within Starfleet

Due to Starfleet being a quasi-military organisation, there is a system of ranks and a chain of command which all are meant to follow. Ensign (Lowest) Lieutenant Jr. Grade Lieutenant Lieutenant Commander Commander Captain Commodore Rear Admiral Vice Admiral Admiral

Rewards for Service

When serving on board, it is within the captain's power to grant promotions and rewards to the crew below him. This can come in the form of simple commendations or physical medals and in the best circumstances, rank promotion. These rewards will be noted by the Captain on a player's service record. Commendations can be awarded more than once, and should one receive 3, an automatic promotion occurs to the next highest rank. Starfleet Bronze Commendation - Awarded for good consistent service to the ship, or for an excellent single achievement while on mission. Starfleet Silver Commendation - Awarded for excellent consistent service to the ship, or for a remarkable single achievement while on mission. Starfleet Gold Commendation - Awarded for outstanding consistent service to the ship, or for an extremely above and beyond single achievement while on mission. Starfleet Purple Heart - Awared to those are wounded in action against the enemy, or to those who die while serving aboard the ship.

Fundamental Game Rules and Starfleet Regulations

There are very few concrete rules for this game that cannot be changed or altered. These directives ensure proper running of the ship and of the game and if broken can be punished In character severely. There are also less strict regulations that can be used in situations that require serious action. Unbreakable Rules The Prime Directive Members of Starfleet are not to interfere in the internal affairs of another species, especially the natural development of pre-warp civilizations, either by direct intervention, or technological revelation. Starfleet personnel are required to understand that allowing cultures to develop on their own is an important right and therefore must make any sacrifice to protect cultures from contamination, even at the cost of their own lives. Ignorance of this shall result in court martial. The Temporal prime Directive All Starfleet personnel are strictly forbidden from directly interfering with historical events and are required to maintain the timeline and prevent history from being altered. Violation can result in Court Martial. The Omega Directive Known only by those of Captain rank and above, the Omega directive directs all officers to inform Starfleet upon the discovery of an Omega molecule. All efforts should be used to destroy it. Other Orders Starfleet Order 104 Should both the Executive Officer and Chief Medical officer decide the commanding officer is medically or psychologically unfit they may relieve him of command. Officers should also relieve themselves of command if they believe they have been emotionally compromised. Regulation 3 In the event of imminent destruction, a Starfleet Captain is authorized to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means. Regulation 121 The Chief Medical Officer has the power to relieve an officer or crewman of his or her duties (including one of superior rank) if, in the CMO's professional judgment, the individual is medically unfit, compromised by an alien intelligence, or otherwise exhibits behavior that indicates seriously impaired judgment. A Starfleet officer can face court martial for failing to submit to such a relief.

The Progression of Missions

During missions in the game, a map created by Lord Rahl is used. With the quadrant split up into several sections, we can track our progress throughout our time and add to it with detail. Within each square there is the possibility of a mission or otherwise interesting event taking place, if so 7 real days are set aside to get through it. Once that it is over, or there is nothing there, there are 2 real days of travel to get to the next square. During time when not in an event or mission, off duty RP forms a large part of the game. Spoiler for The Map, LARGE IMAGE:  The red line indicates the border of Dominion space who are an enemy to Starfleet, and it is an aware we will try to avoid. The blue swirl is the wormhole to which one enters and leaves the quadrant. Players may suggest events and missions in the main forum in the suggestions thread, and can comment on what we may need to expect as we progress. In some ways it is up to the crew to think of interesting things we may encounter, and so the game relies on their initiative. Time within the game is calculated by the mods using a Stardate calculator which will ensure we always stay at a constant time in the game, even if we lose days out of character.

Weapons

Crew Weapons There are several different types of weapons which crew members can carry on their person. All Starfleet officers are issued with a standard phaser, but there is the ability to upgrade this. Phaser: The Standard tool of security officers, and others in an emergency. A device capable of emitting a beam of high powered energy which can be set at Stun and Kill, and can be even changed to emit either a wide or narrow beam. Phaser Rifle: Similar to the former assault rifle, the phaser rifle is a much more powerful weapon. Equipped with a scope and shoulder stock, it can fire rapidly at a lower power or emit high powered single bursts. Only equipped if issued by the Security Department. Modulator Rifle: Developed to specifically fight the bord, the Modulator rifle fires beams at different frequencies each time, defeating the Borg's assimilation process and ensures that they can be harmed. There are few of these rifles and can only be issued by the Security Department. Starship Weapons When in a combat situation, starships are able to utilise different types of weapons to defeat enemy vessels. These can range from low powered variants to deal with smaller threats to powerful equipment to combat highly dangerous situations. Ship's weapons are fired by the Tactical officer. Phasers: While similar in structure to the handheld variant, these are extremely powerful energy beams that can be fired at multiple objects from the starship. Again these can be modified in terms of intensity and are the usual port of call when action is required from the ship. Photon Torpedo: These are extremely powerful warheads that can be fired at warp speed from starships. They're filled with anti matter which when striking an enemy ship has destructive effect. They are able to pentrate ship's shields momentarily and fill the enemy ship with radiation. Tractor beams: Used when non-lethal force is required, or when a ship is trying to flee. Tractors can be applied to draw in an enemy ship, allowing either members of the ship to board or to simply halt thim in their tracks.

Combat

In some cases, it will be necessary for the ship to enter into either space combat, or for teams on the ground of planets to fight those who attack members of the crew. These battles will be overseen by a moderator not involved and will take into account the following. The Quality of RP plays a role, a moderator may assign bonuses on rolls to posts he thinks are of good quality The number of crew or ships also play a large role, for instance if the ship is facing off 3 enemy vessels, its odds are lowered as a result. The odds required are to be decided by the moderator responsible as well as the random number generation/dice rolling