G:STAR TREK , Need 'Trek-specific' Disadvantages and Quirks...

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Qoltar

It doesn't matter - I was asking for Disadvantages & Quirks that work well with the STAR TREK universe or are setting-specific for it.

Honestly, I think few ST characters have any individual disadvantages, at least not presented as *disadvantages*. "Heroic" disadvantages are often OK, but they're not particularly setting specific. When characters do have something so serious as to qualify as a disadvantage, it's ordinarily racial - lots of ST races are separated from humans almost solely by a disadvantage everybody has - often a strange Code of Honor or Delusion or Dependency or Addiction.

I suppose Delusion (The Prime Directive is a virtue and not a complete abdication of ethical responsibility with a side of paternalism and preventing non-citizens from seeking redress when abused by our people) could count as a setting specific racial disadvantage for humans and other Starfleet characters, but it's actually sort of a base assumption of the setting that this is true, so you lose the ST feel if you play up it being a Delusion. A number of other common ones fall into that same category of being non-disadvantages because they are true by the setting rules - Intolerance (Machine intelligences) for example could be a disadvantage in some settings, but in ST isn't because machine intelligences are always villains.

I guess characters could have beliefs that opposed one of the implicit setting truths - The prime directive is abusive, machine intelligence is a good idea, psionics are inherently evil, The Federation is imperialist, the Klingon government needs to stamp out this stupid cult of warrior honor, Vulcans are right and humans should adopt non-emotion, wealth discrepencies are perfectly fair, (non-new age) religion makes sense - as valid disadvantages, but in the canon material anyway having one of those pretty much automatically makes you a villain.

[Flyndaran]

If you go with TOS as from an omniscient observer instead of propaganda or distorted through unreliable narrator, then Starfleet personnel just have quirks and no full fledged disadvantages of a non-heroic nature.

TL:DR: What he said.

[Riftmann]

I do understand how people may be disappointed in it since it is based on TOS/TAS without Kirk, Spock, and McCoy et. al. and can not cover the newer Trek that most people are familiar with, but it does exsit.

Dang, that makes me feel old. I have TOS/TAS engraved in the back of my skull, but except for TNG hardly watched the newer versions. And I've forgotten large parts of the TNG universe. For me Star Trek is TOS (and even TAS).

The only thing I'm really disappointed in with Gurps: Prime Directive and the supplements... how do i put this gently?... They weren't done by Steve Jackson and the Gurps team but by ADB. Star Fleet Battles and the Star Fleet Universe aren't that much different from TOS/TAS (they are based on them) and if you keep things around Y156 to Y159 it is TOS for the most part.

But G:PD is badly organized, inconsistent and confusing. Plus adds a lot of SFB/SFU background that really isn't necessary for the first book, and you have little to flesh out other areas. Most people complain PD is too military, which is true, for the first ADB edition, it is based on a wargame... But G:PD missed the chance to fix that. (Although adding the deck plans of the Free Trader was brilliant, too bad there were no real templates/lenses for non-military characters)

And when they did add non-military background, it was odd. Did we really need to take up 8 pages of the history and bio of every Federation Chairman since the formation of the UFP in Gurps: Federation?

I, too, am starting a Star Trek campaign. Since I played SFB in my youth I'll be using G:PD but with some major adjustments. I have no problem with most of the star fleet universe, especially since I'll have the time period be around Y160 (the era of the tv show for those unfamiliar with SFB)

And I have jumped into the forum again, it's been a while.

[Qoltar]

Okay - I've now printed up the pages of this thread and went through them and weeded out the actual disadvantages and quirks suggested or referred to. Again , had slight disappointment with tangents that had nothing to do with my opening question/request (There are OTHER Star Trek threads on SJG forums that discuss all that other stuff)

Here is what I got so far:

DISADVANTAGES:

Code of Honor (Logical Behavior)
Code of Honor (MACOs)
Code of Honor (Merchant Marines)
Code of Honor (Starfleet)

Delusion: Prime Directive is a virtue (not likely)
Delusion: Vulcans are always logical and emotionless

Duty (MACOs)
Duty (Merchant Marines)
Duty (Starfleet)

Enemy/Enemies

Fanaticism (spread of civilization)

No Sense of Humor (Some non-human races)

Pacifism (Can’t Harm Innocents)
Pacifism (Reluctant Killer)
Pacifism (Self Defense only)

Phobia: Transporter malfunctions [-5] or [-10]

Secret: Genetically engineered [-10] or [-20]
Secret: Not really a Vulcan, but a Romulan! [-20]
Secret (potential rejection): Stim-Junkie

Sense of Duty (Federation)
Sense of Duty (landing Party/teammates)
Sense of Duty (Merchant Marines crew) [-5]

Vow: Visit every planet in the Federation [-5]
Vow: Flirt or attempt to flirt on every planet visited [-5]

QUIRKS:

Claims to have met Zephram Cochrane [-1]

Gets annoyed when officers ignore the embargo on Romulan Ale [-1]
Gets turned on by the steady thrum of the warp engines [-1]

Habit: Always carries a phaser & communicator at all times [-1]

Insists on turning off the universal translator to regale others with his/her Klingon, which is broken (despite her/his belief to the contrary) [-1]

Obsession: Help find NEW Vulcan Homeworld candidate planet [-1]

Obsession: Help re-populate Vulcan Race [-1]

Only able to sleep when he/she can hear the ship’s engines & background noise [-1]

Uses the transporter, but always…(complains/ cringes /gets nervous) [-1]


Thats what I managed to extract out of the thread so far....

Remember I'm trying to make pre-gnerated characters or simple NPCs that a visiting player or beginner might have fun playing right away - or at least easily 'get' the disads and quirks mentioned on the character sheet.

Now I'm seriously thinking about making a thread that describes the norms or ground rules for my GURPS: STAR TREK campaign - just not sure which sub-forum that would fit into - 'GURPS' or 'Roleplaying in General' ?

- Ed C.

[Ashtagon]

Habit: Always carries a phaser & communicator at all times [-1]

This really ought to be a signature gear perk. Carrying around both of these items is simply common sense, given the usual Star Trek fare of adventures.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Ashtagon

This really ought to be a signature gear perk.

Unlikely, unless the character somehow "owns" (whatever that means in the utterly confused economics of the UFP) their own gear. Since it's issued gear usually, I'd think this was an SOP perk. OTOH it could also be a quirk or even an OPH if it includes situations where weapons are illegal, the character has been ordered not to take these items (possibly for Prime Directive reasons), when the character is on leave, or even after the character has been discharged from Starfleet for stealing a phaser from the armory and carrying it around on leave.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Qoltar

Delusion: Prime Directive is a virtue (not likely)

What? Why not? In the shows, we're given to believe that this is a mainstream cultural thing and pretty much everybody except the enlightened protagonists think this way.

Originally Posted by Qoltar

Vow: Visit every planet in the Federation [-5]
Vow: Flirt or attempt to flirt on every planet visited [-5]

There is no F-ing way I would ever give more than [-1] for either of these.

[Qoltar]

Originally Posted by Ashtagon

This really ought to be a signature gear perk. Carrying around both of these items is simply common sense, given the usual Star Trek fare of adventures.

No, they're not.

Watch the majority of the TOS episodes - the crewman are not walking around corridors with phaser sidearms worn 24/7, they also are not shown with communicators on their belts in every shot.

Those tools tend to be issued or handed out right before a landing party mission.

If you remember - there were wall spott intercom things every few metters on the ship. (On the earlier times set "ENTERPRISE" as well)

Heck, compare it to REAL LIFE currently - not everyone carries around a cell phone and personal sidearm 24/7 - which is the equivalent of what we are talking about. My cell phone is only 'on' or with me when I intend to leave the house for more than 15 minutes.

- Ed C.

[Qoltar]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

There is no ___ way I would ever give more than [-1] for either of these.

On those two I was paraphrasing or quoting another poster who didn't assign a point value to them.

- Ed C.

[cmdicely]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

If you go with TOS as from an omniscient observer instead of propaganda or distorted through unreliable narrator, then Starfleet personnel just have quirks and no full fledged disadvantages of a non-heroic nature.

Plenty of Starfleet characters -- particularly those who aren't members of the crew of the Enterprise -- have (or, in the case of characters that are no longer in Starfleet at the time shown in the series, are revealed to have had, while Starfleet characters) full fledged, non-racial disadvantages in TOS.

Not to mention the fact that the outright inconsistencies within TOS make it incoherent to view it as being from an omniscient rather than (at best) unreliable narrator in the first place.