Prior notes: Science problem. A Cardassian scientist has a theory about a gas giant and reaches out to Velik to test it (or happens to reach the captain or friends instead). Ask some backstory questions. There's a living creature to potentially discover.
I'm not feeling this one so much. Introduce Lacroy French, perhaps, an all-purpose ensign who usually hangs out with the bridge crew.
To do List
- Ask Velik if playing ever, and then ask some backstory questions for the scientist (Belor Tridak)
- If he is, we all play together, if not, he's off with the scientist doing stuff while the players have a different plot
- Outline plot (with flexibility, more deciding what things happen due to choices that others are making)
- Prep characters (scientist, more Lacroy details perhaps treating him as red-shirt adjacent)
- Pull shuttle details
- Design gas giant whale species ("Space Whale"
- Ensure everyone gets to use their specialties (Moga pilots, Kalos doctors, Guy defends, possibly Velik engineers)
- Keep it tight, with beats to skip (two hours, please)
- Ask a question to set off the cold open for what they've been up to in the meantime (something simple, non-threatening, to encourage that they've been hanging out) (perhaps ask for names of someone else on the ship that they've been hanging out with)
- Look up technobabble cheat sheets
- 2Choose team leads (see below)
- 2Make a tractor beam dude (Hermona Debaleko)
- 3Lacroy's symptoms
Plot, Nice and Flexible
There is a Cardassian scientist, Belor Tridak, who is attempting to investigate something. He thinks there's a species in this gas giant. But the planet is about to change hands to be under an exterior authority (find someone) and they don't like the Cardassians, so he's got a limited amount of time to investigate.
He's not here for the glory or he'd just ask for finder's credit, he really wants to find the thing.
Asks for the October either because Velik specifically or else because Cardassian officer means more friendly to my cause.
We're all in teams on shuttles, investigating, when one of the dudes pops out of nowhere and damages the shuttle. Lacroy tries to fix and goes berserk (for his own reason from a chemical he swiped from the doctor) and he should need to be subdued. (Guy)
I should be specific about the kind of equipment they're bringing on the shuttle. Give options, but limits so there's something that will be easier.
Attempting to fly the ship, but there's a force out there, so a chance to investigate or else just get out of there. Nice and dramatic escape, or else a discovery and a new buddy who helps.
Does anyone stay on the ship? They can maneuver things to help the shuttle.
If all not on the ship, they can communicate with someone possibly. Or else there's a time limit before they're grabbed and some part of the data will be lost.
Background is that Belor is slowly losing it on board the ship, utterly obsessed with what's there to find so everyone is kind of focused on stopping him from taking the whole ship into the mildly corrosive atmosphere.
Opener
Ask the players for a specific person they've been interacting with, and how that's been going. Or, perhaps, 1-2 have been hanging out with another random ensign (tbd by players), another won a shipboard morale contest (what skill, and prize) (perhaps this is my opening roll), and someone else had an encounter with a bridge crew member (positive or negative).
As that's clearing up, we get a message from the Cardassian scientist Vath Tridak who is actually just about on board not giving any chance to say no.
Make this a bit of a competition.
Overall task
The PCs are attempting to map this area and do the sensor sweep. Work track is 20, Magnitude of 5, base Difficulty of 2. Resistance (remove points achieved) comes in as I add in the complications going on. Potentially. It's not a particularly difficult task (will depend on how they're approaching it as to what traits and such used for it), something they've done before, and at least to start it's not all that unusual. Just a sensor sweep.
Complication Threat spends. First, whale bumps (resistance up 2 down 1 for now we know something literally is there but also the ship is a bit damaged). Whale is also injured and confused. Second, Lacroy loses it (resistance up 1 for dumbass). Third, whales attack (resistance down 1 for clear whales but also probably not a lot of time).
Magnitude requires 5 breakthroughs to finish. 1, exists. 2, classify. 3, work out some traits. 4, further details. 5, all the data you could want and you located a population center. If they fail, they lose the competition, and also the October has to drag them out with a tractor beam. (Thought, have them do it this way anyway and introduce secondary characters)
(I should roll for some other teams to see how they do. Choose leaders and roll on their stats.)
Play with time intervals. Only so long before it's over. The October is on a schedule and will yank all ships after a certain amount of time. Each action taken takes an interval (2 unless advantage rolled or spent).
20 intervals? To match the work track? I dunno how long this stuff will take. There needs to be a lot of slush and yet it should get down to the wire.
Not just for sensor sweeps but also examining data and extrapolating, or working on psychology of it, or navigating to a better position but must be based on one of those other rolls otherwise it's a guess and random as to whether it's better or not.
Lacroy's Symptoms
This dude should have a progression. And he's not reacting to the whales but it should seem that way. He's actually been infected by a parasite previously. The parasite doesn't react well to the sound waves the whales use to communicate and navigate. It's otherwise been dormant, slowly taking over Lacroy's digestive system.
So his symptoms should relate to hearing, and to his stomach. Should be shown to be eating a lot during the opener (at a competition). He's going to start demonstrating nausea and audio sensitivity during the scan, and then he just goes berserk and goes for the controls (rather weakly). Normal means to subdue him. During the attack (or prior) he could throw up and and I would basically need them to make Con saving throws to avoid also feeling nauseous. Control + Security, Difficulty starting at 2. Being fair, ask if their character would be easily sickened.
Bonus points if they figure out that it's something wrong with him, but otherwise the ship should have the necessary equipment to figure it out.
Team Leads
Lt Ruby Baldev: Control 8 + Science 4. Decent detection amounts probably. Daring 11 + Conn 3. Really good at navigating. Presence 10 + Command 1. About average at managing team. Reason 8 + Engineering 2. Below average at repairing. Insight 9 + Medicine 1. Oof, still below average at interpreting data.
Lt Terrell Roux: Control 7 + Science 2. Not great at finding things. Daring 10 + Conn 3. Pretty good at navigating emergencies. Presence 10 + Command 1. Not his best at managing his team. Reason 10 + Engineering 1. Not great at repairing ship. Insight 9 + Medicine 2. Not great at interpreting.
Lt Lavin Otma: Control 9 + Science 4. Pretty good at finding things. Daring 9 + Conn 2. Might not do the best at flying. Presence 10 + Command 2. Okay at managing team. Reason 8 + Engineering 1. His repairs go poorly. Insight 8 + Medicine 1. Interpretation also goes poorly.
Lt Ishrath Chirhat: Control 11 + Science 1. Average detection amount. Daring 12 + Conn 5. Navigates all problems fearlessly. Presence 11 + Command 2. His team is probably doing okay. Reason 8 + Engineering 1. His ship repairs go badly, most likely. Insight 7 + Medicine 4. Average data interpretation.
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