GURPS: TREK - THE UNAUTHORIZED SOURCEBOOK SECOND EDITION - SECOND PRINTING --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION SEVEN A - CROSSOVERS - PART ONE --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- This section is meant to provide crossover information for GM's who wish to use other GURPS worldbooks for campaign information. It can also be used to help GM's with ideas on how best to use the wealth of Trek info available. This section, except for editorial changes, is virtually totally the work of R. J. Pugh, who can be reached at: rjpugh@aol.com Any comments about this section should be sent to: tmp_harkins@dirac.physics.jmu.edu "Mr. B." GURPS: Trek - Section Seven A - Crossovers - Part One - is Copyright (c) May 1996. See GURPS: Trek - Section One B - General - Part Two - Overview for more information. --------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents ----------------- GURPS: Trek Campaign Styles TNG DS9 Voyager Crossovers Callahan's China Cliffhangers Cyberpunk Espionage Greece Horror Humanx Imperial Rome Japan Psionics Swashbucklers Terradyne Time Travel Uplift =============================================================== GURPS Trek: Campaign Styles and Crossovers ------------------------------------------ The Trek Universe is a TL11 Space campaign. Classic Trek would be halfway between TL10 and TL11. The Federation is large and varied enough that almost any kind of campaign can be run within the Trek framework. However, GM's should try to keep the "feel" of the Trek universe, and there are several ways of doing that. Three basic campaign styles can be derived from the various television and movie series - the Exploration campaign, the Starbase campaign, and the strange voyage campaign. =============================================================== The "Exploration" Campaign. --------------------------- This is the campaign of Classic and Animated Trek, and TNG. The object of this type of campaign is to "Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before." This is one of the more popular types of Trek campaign, because it is one of the most flexible and best known. Normally, PC's in an Exploration campaign are assigned to the USS Enterprise, or another Federation ship with a similar mission, as they explore the areas of space on the fringes of the Federation. Their object: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. When these encounters don't go as planned, characters can find themselves drawn into a rough-and-tumble situation, where the safest place might be behind a Phaser. One must always be careful of how their actions will affect the Federation as a whole, however. PC's could take part in "first contact" missions, where the Federation attempts to establish peaceful relations with other races. In this scenario, PC's disguise themselves as locals and attempt to gather information without being noticed. Once they are confident that the locals will not be alarmed by the arrival of the Federation, then the establishment of diplomatic relations can begin. One of the best examples of this was the TNG episode "First Contact". Exploration campaigns can also involve searching for worlds suitable for colonization or terraforming. Occasionally the Federation undertakes geological surveys of a world that may contain valuable minerals, or the mapping of an unexplored region of space. PC's could also play Klingon, Romulan, or Cardassian crews, sent to perform similar missions, or creative GM's will have teams ready to "get in the way" of PC efforts. Since all missions by these races tend to be military in flavor, there will be an emphasis on locating suitable locations for military bases or scout posts. Romulans have a special type of scout ship that is designed for spending long periods of time in deep space. One of these small, six man ships would be ideal for a party of explorers. If the GM wants to stick with the Federation, a modified Runabout can easily serve the same purpose. In these cases, PC's need not be as concerned about Federation or Romulan protocol, because they are so isolated. On the other hand, if they get into scrapes, they can't call for help as easily. Ferengi exploration missions are motivated by profit. They also want to establish peaceful relations with any new races they encounter, because such actions are good for business. If they can locate an asteroid with a large vein of raw dilithium along the way, so much the better. --------------------------------------------------------------- The "Starbase" Campaign. ------------------------ This campaign is best illustrated by DS9. It will have less moving about, and more role-playing. Diplomacy, espionage, and even mystery can be had here. In a "DS9" campaign, PC's can play officers assigned to the station, or to one of the outposts in or around the Bajor sector. They are responsible for receiving and dealing with those travellers who are going to and from the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. They will also have to deal with the constant threat of the Changelings and the Jem'Hadar shock troops from the Gamma Quadrant, and the continual sabre-rattling of the Cardassian Union right next door. Not to mention the new threat of the Klingon/Cardassian war.... Federation support isn't a given in the DS9 world. Federation ships in the Bajor sector spend most of their time patrolling the new militarized zone. A resistance group in the zone called "The Maquis" has been making life difficult for both the Federation and Cardassians over points in peace treaties. Occasionally, the Maquis make themselves known on DS9 with terrorism and/or sabotage. PC's need not play Federation or Bajoran citizens. Starbases are a major transfer point for commerce and exploration. Representatives from several races can be found. Klingons, Romulans, Ferengi, and many other races all work in a Starbase campaign with a little creative game mastering. With the Gamma Quadrant so accessible, other races can be brought in from there. Representatives from other races could include ones from the Trek Races or Aliens sections of this work, as well as from GURPS: Aliens and any the GM cares to design. If the characters are truly daring, they may want to play members of the Cardassian Obsidian Order, who are subtly trying to reestablish a toehold in the Bajoran sector. They would like very much to see the Federation *gone*, but they won't go so far as to attack a Federation starship - if they can avoid it. Another type of Starbase campaign, again not for the faint of heart, would be to play members of the Maquis. Usually these are Federation citizens living on the Cardassian side of the militarized zone, and they are very disenchanted with the current peace accord. The Cardassians frequently try to make these people leave their worlds, but they won't. Maquis are not above attacking Cardassian (or Federation!) ships. Since their ships tend to be old and out of date, they resort to all kinds of cunning tactics in ship-to-ship battles. Players who enjoy "rough and tumble" role-playing might enjoy playing a Maquis campaign. --------------------------------------------------------------- The "Strange Voyage" campaign. ------------------------------ This type of campaign is best represented by ST: Voyager. It is perhaps the most flexible, because the players are so far away from home that even the Prime Directive isn't always a concern. The objective is either to find a way home, or find a new home. Within this framework, anything goes. While the options for this type of "frontier" trailblazer campaign are enticing, it can be difficult to set up. The PC's must be somehow thrown halfway across the galaxy, or at least far enough away that it would be several years before anything familiar is encountered. In the series "Voyager", Federation and Maquis ships were transported across the galaxy by a very powerful being called the "Caretaker." If the GM wants to use this or another caretaker, fine. A rather bad tempered "Q" would be another alternative. More scientific options include unstable wormholes, space storms, and even black holes. Of course, the later might do considerable damage to the PC's ship before they emerge on the other side. More outlandish versions of the strange voyage campaign can involve time warps, where the PC's a thrown to place either well before or well after the age of the Federation and its neighbors. Once separated from what they know, the PC's can either elect to try and find a way home, like "Voyager," or strike out on their own, using their ship as a free adventuring ship. This can be used if the GM wants to introduce a lone Federation ship into a definitely non-Trek space campaign. A truly daring GM may want to have a campaign where the PC's return from their long, isolated mission, to find the Federation gone! Perhaps the Borg returned, or the Romulans finally got the jump, or something even worse. =============================================================== Crossovers ---------- As illustrated above, the Trek universe has a lot to offer. An established theorem in the Federation is Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development, which notes that similar planets with similar populations tend to evolve in similar ways. Thus, established patterns of development tend to repeat themselves throughout space. The GM should feel free to reuse GURPS historical supplements in modified forms. The universe is a pretty big place, and in the Trek universe, history does tend to repeat itself. If GM's want to try integrating materials from some of the GURPS sourcebooks, here are some suggestions. --------------------------------------------------------------- Callahan's Crosstime Saloon --------------------------- This isn't an obvious choice, but given that Trek has made references to parallel worlds, methods of time travel, and alternate timelines, it's possible that somewhere in this universe there is a place where several of these lines intersect. Perhaps there is more to that odd-looking space station than meets the eye... China ----- Given the size of the Federation, it's quite likely that somewhere there is a world that was colonized by peoples of Chinese descent. Or, the PC's could encounter a world that has a culture similar to that of Earth's China. Cliffhangers ------------ A cinematic Exploration or Voyager campaign can present lots of opportunities for daring action and fancy fighting. Resourceful Engineers, the 24th century equivalent of Gadgeteers, can have fun with Tricorders and communicators. The reverse is true. Characters placed on a world set in a 30's pulp atmosphere can provide for an interesting adventure. Cyberpunk --------- In many ways, Borg are the ultimate example of a Cyberpunk society. If a GM is careful, a PC could play a lone Borg, perhaps from Hugh's group, who comes complete with mechanical implants. A Voyager campaign would be the best place for such a character, due to the social stigma applied to Borg. Another possibility is for explorers to encounter a world that conforms to the Cyberpunk model in every respect. Federation technology would certainly become a prized commodity if it became known. Espionage --------- DS9 campaigns are ripe for espionage. Federation, Cardassian, and Maquis operatives are constantly trying to outwit each other. Similar plots can be used in the neutral zone between the Romulan Empire and the Federation, where both sides are constantly trying to second-guess the other. For a more military-style espionage campaign, PC's could be Klingon or Romulan agents trying to gather intelligence about the other during any one of the numerous Romulan/Klingon skirmishes. GM's may also wish to expand upon the limited amount of information available for Kzin, Gorn, and others for similar adventures within their campaigns. Also, Espionage-style planets could also exist. This means that U.N.C.L.E., or James Bond, or any other spy genre could really exist somewhere. For laughs, you could even consider a K.A.O.S. ("Get Smart") style planet. Greece ------ The civilization of ancient Greece has many admirers in the Trek universe. A series of powerful aliens set themselves up as its gods at one point. (TOS: "Who Mourns For Adonis?"), and at one other point, a different race who came to call themselves the Platonians settled in ancient Greece and adopted the ideas of Plato before moving to their new world (TOS: "Plato's Stepchildren"). Greek ideas were very popular in TOS Trek, such that GURPS: Greece could be very useful in a number of ways. The Federation could always discover another Greek-like planet, of any tech level. Or the Preservers could have relocated a whole threatened Greek city-state or colony to another planet. Or "Apollo" may have been wrong about him being the last of his fellows, leaving Greek "gods" as possible encounters for players. Horror ------ Who says every race in the universe has to be humanoid? Explorers could easily confront races that are horrid to look at, and more horrible to deal with. Alternatively, PC's could enter a derelict space ship and find themselves in the equivalent of a haunted house, with freak electronic or atomic energy fields creating apparent paranormal events. But then again, perhaps they really ARE paranormal events... Humanx ------ A variation of the Humanx could be neighbors, or even members of the Federation. Various aspects of the Humanx Commonwealth could be used in developing some of the numerous sub-cultures and provinces of the Federation, or one of the other major groups like the Klingon or Romulan Empires. Or, PC's could be in the contact teams that deal with the Thranx. Imperial Rome ------------- In the TOS episode "Bread and Circuses", Captain Kirk encounters a parallel world where Rome never fell. By the time Picard was on the bridge of the Enterprise-D, that world could have started space travel, and could even have worked its way into the Federation space lanes. On the other hand, explorers could encounter a galactic empire based on Imperial Rome, where gladiatorial games are still the national sport. To some extent, Romulan society itself resembles that of Imperial Rome. Japan ----- As with China, it's likely that somewhere in the Federation there is a world that is modeled after the Japan of Earth. Perhaps this TL11 world has restored the cultural structure of the old Shogunate, with phaser-wielding Samurai, and Ninjas with personal transporter devices. Psionics -------- Several times, members of Federation crews have come in contact with telepathic individuals, and even entire societies with telepathic abilities. PC's may have telepathic abilities. Vulcans and Betazoids have telepathic and empathic abilities. Swashbucklers ------------- This rough-and-tumble campaign offers lots of opportunity for swashbuckler type action. For a true swashbuckler, PC's could be merchants who work along the borders of the Federation. Or they could be renegade officers, or Ferengi pirates, who have decided to use space as a means of making money! The other facet of this is the discovery of a 17th or 18th century world where certain skills and attitudes might be required of players. Capt. Kirk was more than handy with a foil in the TOS episodes "All Our Yesterdays" and "The Squire of Gothos", and Sulu and the usually-staid Capt. Picard were avid fencers. Starfleet may wish to have data about a swashbuckling civilization in order to better understand Earth history. Terradyne --------- It's virtually certain that somewhere in the galaxy there is a TL8 society that is in the first stages of space exploration, and that Federation explorers could encounter them. Perhaps this system has applied for Federation membership. In this case, the PC's, as representatives of the Federation, will have to strike a balance between the conflicting political agendas of the ground dwellers, and the Terradyne corporation that controls the planet's moon or moons. Naturally, both factions will want to use the Federation membership to their advantage, and to the detriment of the other. Time Travel ----------- Travelling through time has been a recurring theme in Trek, with varying results. PC's could find themselves transported into the distant past, or find themselves in an alternate time line. In the TOS episode "City on the Edge of Forever" and the DS9 episode "Past Tense", the objective was to restore a portion of Earth's history after the time line had been corrupted. Uplift ------ The model of Earth in the Uplift universe won't work well with Trek, but it is possible that the Galactics could meet the Federation. The Federation will find the Galactic's practice of "uplifting" budding species a clear violation of the Prime Directive, but the Galactics won't care what the Federation thinks. Given the power of the Galactics, the Federation and their neighbors are like a bunch of rambunctious children who actually think that their will has an impact on the universe as a whole. In this crossover, it isn't just Earth that's holding out against the Galactics, but the entire Federation, as well as the Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, Tholians, the Dominion, and just about every other race that has appeared on Trek will be resisting enslavement by the Galactics. This campaign crossover is not to be taken lightly. ===============================================================