The Voyages of the USS Aubrey

Game Master joerice

Blog has been updated with image and conditions surrounding Ziegler nebula. (Hat tip to T'neth for the image)

I'll be using that blog as a reference for a lot of stuff, and I'll try to remember to add links as I go. But worth bookmarking maybe, for visual reference....

And I'll pass the hat tip to NASA. Love getting my tax dollars worth out of Hubble Space Telescope images.

I'm a doctor, not a mad scientist!

I think the politically correct term is disturbed researcher.

Edit: Yes, I went ahead and ad-libbed stuff about the ship's layout. Feel free to nix it if you want.

Edit: Yes, I went ahead and ad-libbed stuff about the ship's layout. Feel free to nix it if you want.

Nope, it's all great!

Exactly the purpose of what we're doing here. I have a general plot structure, with NPCs to come and whatnot, but backstories, world-building, ,etc... it's all awesome when everyone adds to it!

In general, as long as it is consistent with flavor, everyone should feel free to make up as much as they want to problem-solve and move the story forward. If I want to throw a wrench in for drama purposes, I will ("That jeffries tube is filled with poisonous plasma!") but so far everyone is doing an awesome job rolling things along in a fun and entertaining way....

Do shuttlecraft have airlocks?

Do shuttlecraft have airlocks?

Nope.

OJO/T'NETH

An injured crewmen is almost conscious, at the end of the corridor... OJO, one of your trusted security mean is buzzing your communicator

T'NETH, you notice a subtle movement of the Aubrey... only you can feel it. As if it just lurched... backwards?

HERACLIO

You have decoded the mystery transmission. It is a hailing frequency like nothing you have ever seen. And the, there is a disturbance on the bridge... Commotion, but you are so focused on your earpiece, what's happening a few feet away seems... unimportant

DOCTOR

The injured crewmen are out cold, but your readings are... a power surge like nothing you've ever seen. Almost as if an energy WILLED them unconcious

I certainly don't intend for Lt. Ojo's "service animal" to be a long-running dramatic secret, but it's fun for me if it's discovered naturally. However, Von Sturm would have had to know it since Ojo is part of the Aubrey's crew, and Dr. Callahan is certainly within his rights pulling Ojo's medical records to find out what's going on. If anyone has access to that information, feel free to send a private message to Andostre and I'll fill you in. If it comes out publicly in the Gameplay thread, even better.

Assume Von Sturm has barely noticed. If he's mid-mission and it's not mechanical, he probably didn't even realize there was an alone marsupial aboard. If he noticed, he would likely just respond with a "hmm. so that's a thing" and not think about it unless it was in danger. He's a "big picture" kinda guy...

I like that it's coming out naturally...

Ah, yes. The logic of Trek. Arguing for splitting up the party and using 60s TV medicine in the same post.

I have out of character speculations about Ada'em's fuzzy parrot, but am waiting for a chatting around the command chair before the end credits moment for T'neth to voice her theories. She may speak earlier if the opportunity presents itself.

I wanna give The Doctor and Heraclio a chance to choime in before we get much further... we're getting into act 2 fast and furious...

I'm still here. Holding to give Doc and Ojo a chance to respond to events as T'neth has been chewing up scenery recently.

And the madness begins.

Oh hell yes.

Blog is updated with half-assed image.

T'Neth- looks like you have several options for regaining control of the ship. Or whatever you want to do. Give me something good.

Ojo- The action starts with you. Have fun!

Callahan- You are also in a first contact situation. remember that the shuttle is being pulled to the castle in space.

Koike- A few things; you notice that Gorchnik has knocked out Sokal with his chain. You are finally startled out of your romantic haze. Also,don't forget that the coded signal you were deciphering has been broken. I will giv eit to you when you get to it in-game.

I'm glad you see several options. Weighing a couple myself, so don't read that as a negative.

Hey Kaspar,

I just sent you a PM with a quick question. FYI.

Ha! This is the first time I've encountered this message board's profanity filter, I think.

hahaha

It just occurred to me that in the past thirty seconds (show time) Ojo started firing blazing guns, swung his axe like a club, and then ran off cursing. He is like a madman!

He is Andorian. :)

I'll take "Andorian madman" as a compliment! Thanks, I'm having a lot of fun with him!

Ojo and Tneth.... Don't move for a few posts- we need to catch up in the bridge and shuttle... You guys are about five minutes forward at the moment- I want everyone synchs for the next bit...

The blog has been updated.

And again, if anyone has any images, bio information, etc, they want me or Joe to post, please let me know.

Still waiting for synchage.

Sorry- slammed at work. Will get everything rolling again ASAP!!!

No worries, I was thinking you were probably waiting for a post from Heraclio.

Speaking of being slammed, I'll be traveling the first two weeks in January. I should have internet access, but can't vouch for the reliability. I'll get a reminder up when I'm closer to my departure date.

Sorry for the delay, guys- home for the holidays. Back now, so I should be available to keep things moving for a while.

Heraclio- you're lagging behind, hombre!

BTW, the name of this episode is "CASTLE OF THE SPACE MAGES".

Yay, the captain's back!

CHECK IT OUT:
http://ussaubrey.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-aubrey-from-many-angles.html?m=1

Learning some 3 D modeling, so I did some work visualizing our junker ship. As you can see, it is a few years out of date- next to other Constitution Class ships she is clearly past her prime.

But the old girl has some tricks left in her!

OJO AND T'NETH

Feel free to communicate with each other. All ship's functions are normal, but you are the only two people on the ship.

Ojo- please role pley your creature as well, if needed. He is with the crew in the "dungeon".

CHECK IT OUT:

http://ussaubrey.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-aubrey-from-many-angles.html?m=1

V ery cool!

Sorry if I'm not posting frequently for the next week or so, I'm visiting Disney World. I intend to check the boards, but don't know how much time I'll have for posting.

Sorry I haven't been around for a while, just got out of the hospital. Caught RSV, a respiratory infection that's only dangerous to premature babies and people with compromised immune systems. Thank the gods I'm not a preemie or compromised... Oops, I am. Compromised, that is, not a preemie. I take immune suppression drugs so I don't reject the heart that some really nice family in Maine let me have when their son stopped needing it. :( Had a really high fever but I'm doing better now. I'll try to get caught up on my all PBPs.

Let's take a few days and just do some general, slow roleplay. Character building stuff.

Between, Heraclio in the dungeon, T'Neth and Ojo alone on the Aubrey, and The Doctor and the Captain exploring, this is a nice chance to slow down for a stretch.

When everyone is back to full health and back from vacation and ready to waste time at their jobs again, we can get back into the serious action!

;)

Same here. Working on getting your info up now, Doc.

Sorry I haven't been around for a while, just got out of the hospital. Caught RSV, a respiratory infection that's only dangerous to premature babies and people with compromised immune systems. Thank the gods I'm not a preemie or compromised... Oops, I am. Compromised, that is, not a preemie. I take immune suppression drugs so I don't reject the heart that some really nice family in Maine let me have when their son stopped needing it. :( Had a really high fever but I'm doing better now. I'll try to get caught up on my all PBPs.

Aw, dang. I probably don't need to say this, but put your health first. PBPs can wait. No worries on this end.

Are we getting ready to storm into the climax?

Heraclio? Are you still with us?

Yes. Been working on some flashback weirdness.

Ok, here's an awesome and weird question: Has the future as envisioned by people in the 1960s evolved past the point where computer systems use "profiles" or accounts? Does the concept of login IDs and passwords still apply?

Yes.

In the TOS world, officers have different levels of access and use security codes and double-blinds to access certain files and information.

OjO- I like where you're going with this!

T'Neth- you have all sorts of energy readings... assume a spike and then a plateau when the Hyperzephyrians came aboard, then another spike when the crew vanished.

The odd thing.... There is no originating point for the energy.... just general atmospheric surges throughout the nebula and environs. As if you were enveloped by the energy.

The same energy signatures now exist in the Center of the nebula, where the castle is.

OJO-

Nothing of note on Gorchnik's station... if anything, it is particularly UN-used... elements left in the off position, etc.

Captain's in the midst of con season, so posting has gotten slower, but we're still here.

Hey. I tried this before but the thread wasn't working correctly. You can see who figured it out here: http://paizo.com/threads/v5748p75hohqj/recruiting

Anyway, Ruprecht Redwine is the man with the plan, he's been sending me designs and they look great. So, this is a recruitment/interest thread for a VERY rules-light TOS Star Trek pbp ...an exercise in group storytelling more than a randomized encounter. The Captain will serve as GM, setting up stories and subplots for other characters to develop and go wild with. Now, let's see if this gets more attention when the thread actually, you know, works.

Sorry. T.O.S. is which setting?

Much cheers to you and yours.

The Original Series. Classic style, in the main.

Dotting for interest. I'd like to see more about how this will work before submitting a character idea.

I think it might be fun to play a plucky young red-shirt, personally. Have an alias named "The Red Shirt" and switch to a new one when the old one dies a typically horrific death.

Generally, this would be more about collaborative storytelling than advancement. Very basic stats, very thorough character description. I will throw out a conflict in the text of the posts, and how characters react creates the narrative. I will do some rolls on this end, and chance will come into play at that point, creating outcomes for your actions.

Really simple, mainly a way to create a fun story together.

Opening Hailing Frequencies

( . ) :)

Also dotting for interest. (Hello, joerice).

"You cannot change the laws of physics... Unless the GM is willing to create some house rules."

Here are a few questions that you may wish to consider: What are you anticipating regarding character roles and the scope of the game? Everyone Starfleet? Bridge officers on a big old starship, or the entire crew of a scout ship? Any races encouraged or prohibited?

Thanks for taking the time to get this organized.

Sorry- I'm stuck in a hotel due to the hurricane. I'll write up a better description of everything once I'm back in NY.

But in short, everyone would be Starfleet. No races discouraged- in fact, interesting mix of aliens is wildly ENCOURAGED! Everyone starts as an ensign, with spots on the bridge going as "first come first serve". Whatever you think would be fun to role play.

So everyone will be bridge officers on the USS AUBREY, a retrofitted Constitution class vessel, designed for extreme deep space conditions. Ships like the Enterprise and the Constellation get the famous, shiny diplomatic missions... The Aubrey gets the dirty, messy ones. But that is how we like it. A crew of think-on-their-feet redshirts and fearless commanders. Science officers who have filed many a report as simply "UNKNOWN AND DANGEROUS", while rescuing their tricorders from sentient volcanoes and living cubes of gelatinous acid.

Field commissions and decorations will be handed out for brave and quick witted crew folk.

Also- I will likely set up a simple page elsewhere for quick reference- pics of the ship, a place for people to post images of their characters, crew manifest, etc.

This will be set between the first and second season of the original season, and if the last time we did this is any indication, the tech, language, and world should be very close to TOS Trek, but the narrative tone of the "shows" can run a bit wilder. More derring-do and whatnot.

Ship's Doctor Randy "Butcher" Callahan reporting for action, sir.

Digger, can you post your character profile, with some stats, so we have an example?

Dr. Callahan, if you could provide some background on yourself, that would be awesome!

http://ussaubrey.blogspot.com/

I will add more and do a better design job when I'm not working off of an iPad on a train. But it's a start....

Born on Lunar Colony One, Randy Callahan entered Starfleet Medical Academy after several tours of duty with the colony's Emergency Services Corps. He graduated middle of the class, undistinguished in every way, save for a tendency to take shortcuts prompted by his emergency training. His first postings were planetside at various Star Fleet Bases and, after a tour of duty on Starbase 11, received his first assignment on a deep space vessel, the USS Aubrey. He is quite excited about the opportunity.

You may find this web site of interest. Starfleet Museum

Writing up Heraclio Koike's profile.

Reporting for duty: one cunning linguist.

So, today at work I find myself saying, "If the new database is accurate, we're suddenly in the universe where Spock has a beard." At that point, I realized I have to work up a character for this. Will be back with details later tonight.

I see Heraclio is statted out - is it a point buy?
I'm working out an engineer character, probably human. Quite bright, but low self-esteem. Doesn't like being forced to make decisions.

Yeah, point buy.

Just for reference, mostly. Role-play will cover 95% of forward plot momentum. In general, if you write a compelling piece of the story about your character getting something done, that's all that matters. The "big stuff",(like what a phaser blast does when it hits a target, or how a major NPC reacts to you) will be handled by dice behind the GN screen.

Fun collaborative story is the important part.

Updating ussaubrey.blogspot.com tonight. Will add crew manifest as we get folks onboard.

So far we have Heraclio at the Communication Station, and Butcher Callahan in the medical ward.

I see Heraclio is statted out - is it a point buy?

I'm working out an engineer character, probably human. Quite bright, but low self-esteem. Doesn't like being forced to make decisions.

Love it.

Here's the character concept I've been mulling over:

“Knowing the theory of how graviton distortion forms a warp field without learning how to pilot a ship through warp space is highly illogical.” At least that’s what T’neth told her parents when she announced that she was going to Starfleet Academy instead of the Vulcan Science Academy. It’s also what she told her academic advisor when she applied for Helm Branch School instead of Science.

While T’neth speaks of her career choice as logically balancing theory and practice, through meditation and self-reflection (and a dose of common sense) she knows her motivations are truly less logical than she lets on. Piloting a starship expertly, pushing herself and her ship to their limits is, to put it bluntly, thrilling. Thrill seeking is discouraged by most Vulcan philosophies, but so is denying one’s talents. T’neth is such a naturally gifted pilot that she can claim serving as USS Aubrey’s helmsman is her most logical path.

Please let me know what else I need to add.

This crew is getting interesting as hell. The weirdos and rejects ...heh.

Here's the character concept I've been mulling over:

Quote:

“Knowing the theory of how graviton distortion forms a warp field without learning how to pilot a ship through warp space is highly illogical.” At least that’s what T’neth told her parents when she announced that she was going to Starfleet Academy instead of the Vulcan Science Academy. It’s also what she told her academic advisor when she applied for Helm Branch School instead of Science.

While T’neth speaks of her career choice as logically balancing theory and practice, through meditation and self-reflection (and a dose of common sense) she knows her motivations are truly less logical than she lets on. Piloting a starship expertly, pushing herself and her ship to their limits is, to put it bluntly, thrilling. Thrill seeking is discouraged by most Vulcan philosophies, but so is denying one’s talents. T’neth is such a naturally gifted pilot that she can claim serving as USS Aubrey’s helmsman is her most logical path.

Please let me know what else I need to add.

That's pretty perfect. Welcome aboard.

robertness wrote:

Here's the character concept I've been mulling over:

Quote:

...Abridged...

Please let me know what else I need to add.

That's pretty perfect. Welcome aboard.

I am honored to serve, Captain.

Perhaps you could enlighten me about the Human colloquialism you just used, Mr. Koike. What would be so interesting about a mythical realm of eternal torment? A static state, no matter how extreme, would lose its intellectual attraction in time.

Go team weirdo!

I've added some visual resources and links to this site: http://ussaubrey.blogspot.com/

as well as started a crew list.

This site will be updated regularly. Either myself or Heraclio can update crewmember Bio pages as well, if anyone would like that...

It has begun. We will continue to recruit as we go, but please post Character bios here, just for reference.

Thornborn, I hope I didn't step on your toes as a communicator ...we'd love to have you on board in any capacity. Lots of open positions.

Science Officer comes to mind....

Yeah, you've clearly got the technotrekese down.

A quick reminder that we're still recruiting.

Thornborn, I hope I didn't step on your toes as a communicator ...we'd love to have you on board in any capacity. Lots of open positions.

Not feeling, nor felt, stepped on. Not craving Comms, or any particular post. Just been busy. And about to go be busy some more. Consider me a fan, but maybe not an actor.

Hey Joe and Ruprecht, this is Slick from CBR.

I'm proposing an Andorian security officer. He can also double as an armory officer and/or a tactical officer if nobody else fills those roles. He is a quiet, unassuming man... unremarkable except for the fact that he has a small tarsier-like creature native to Andoria usually perched on his shoulder. Pets in most starship operations are usually against federation policy, but the creature is classified as a "service animal" such as those used to help people with disabilities. What disability the creature is helping to overcome, however, isn't readily apparent.

Love it.

Whoops, just realized the stipulation that "everyone starts as an ensign." I'll go back and make the appropriate edits.

Not a hard and fast rule- just leaves room for promotion...

If it's not a hard and fast rule, I'll just leave him at LTJG, then.

Cool- feel free to roleplay his security team as a mix of Ensigns and NCO chief NPCs.