 August 11, 2009 - 9:09pm | Mission log, UPF Scout Frigate Pegasus on a deep scouting mission seeking to locate sathar controlled systems. Last week while probing system Xui 8957 we detected a sathar outpost. After a stealth recon flight I ordered its capture. As usual most sathar suicide to avoid capture but the computer core was taken in tact. Lt. Kobiashi, our linguist translated enough of its files to learn that the sathar were planning a massive assault on the entire Rim and Frontier sectors. If Kobiashi's translations are correct, and she's rarely wrong, it appears the sathar assembled a 3 to 1 numerical superiority over Frontier and Coalition forces. Ordering the alignment of the subspace radio to report our find revealed we were too late; the sathar onslaught had swept through and destroyed the entire Rim sector plus 12 Frontier systems and nuked several planets. Fleet command was under attack in the Prengular system as we spoke. I've replayed the recording several times to listen to the battle chatter in the background recognizing the names of several ships listed as destroyed that were commanded by friends. Admiral S'nn'ck ordered us home just before he was cut off. All further attempts to raise the fleet base above Morgain's World were fruitless. I fear that by the time we return there will be nothing left but the worms. I maybe the last surviving commanding officer of the in the fleet! What am I to do? Should I throw all our lives away by uselessly engaging the sathar fleet if there are no other UPF ships left? We've reached a cut off garrison of Royal Marines on Clarrion via subspace requesting relief to save the remnants of their civilian population that weren't nuke by the worms. I plan to not jump through the Theseus system as we did on the way out but will plot a jump direct to White Light system to save time. I've promised the Royal Marine commander we'd be there in 7 days to relieve him but what will we find in White Light when we arrive? a sathar fleet? Who knows? But one thing is clear, if there is even a small piece of the Frontier civilization that I can save I will. Captain Marrick I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 11, 2009 - 9:27pm | "This is insane! The Rim and the UPF are history! Why go back? We should be headed away. Find some system where we can start over." "Shut up Sim. The Captian says we're going back and thats that. Beside most of us still have family and we owe it to them to try and look for survivores." Sim scowelled but refreigned for saying something mutinous and Kobiashi breathed a sigh of relief. They were accademy class mates but the stress of this crisis had turned him into someone she didn't know anymore or even liked. He'd been grousing for days this way. She was sure he wasn't done but as long as he didn't cross the line and actually suggest something mutinious she wouldn't have to take notice. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 11, 2009 - 10:03pm | What resources would be needed to effectively spirit away refugees to start over in a new system? 1. a mining ship of HS 14 or larger that had an Orbital Processing Lab and and digger shuttle This allows for asteroids to be mined and the ore refined-definitely a boon but it also supplies fuel for all ION powered ships in the fleet and even allows for mining a comet for better fuel than crushed rock. 2. At least 1 AG ship with ion engines. 200 beings/ hull point of ag ship can be fed per month. though sunlight will be a problem in deep space. Other ships likely to join the refugee fleet 1. at least 1 star liner 2. Pirate craft 3. exploration craft 4. corporate flagged craft armed privateers and freighters 5. independent freighters 6. yachts. obviously this is a BSG inspired campaign idea though I'd focus on the gathering survivors portion hence the name The Frontier in Flames. PCs are members of the crew of the Pegasus though the Captain is a NPC The Pegasus is a scout frigate or heavier ship with a large flight deck and a number of parasite craft some with heavy stealth capabilities to facilitate probing sathar systems undetected. Shes not really a carrier though she has 2 fighters 1 troop shuttle and one EW platform shuttle (capable of inserting a spec ops team undetected). I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 August 12, 2009 - 1:48pm | I always like stories that start by everything being destroyed. Now mix in our favorite RPG and you have a winner.... hehehe At least I got to scare an alien rabbit thingy...... |
 August 12, 2009 - 5:26pm | Sounds like a great adventure hook. The frigate is probably a little small for all of those parasite craft. I'd go with a scaled down light cruiser or a new class that is between destroyer and ligth cruiser. A HS9 ship might be ideal for deep space exploration for two reasons:
Are you thinking of running this PBP? The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of
the strong. * Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi |
August 12, 2009 - 9:13pm | Great suggestions Georgie I was thinking that a frigate was two small but I had some deck plans worked up... I'm now thinking that if you're going to take your inspiration from BSG then just maybe you should use a capitol ship and really go BIG(however a capitol ship for KH would mean a battleship or possibly a hvy carrier or heavy cruiser). I may just need to get my feet wet an run a on line game as one of the two that I play in seems to be on perpetual hold with a few fits and starts  sad cause I love the character.HS 9 you say: that would mean a ship 210m by 35m and for a class something in between a destroyer (HS6) and a Light cruiser (HS12-14) though spot on for an assault transport (HS 8-10) which carry 600-1000 troops and 1 shuttle/100 troopers. possibly 15-20 decks? so if this scout ship was a retooled assault transport it could carry as much as 10 small craft already have ion engines, gutted in a refit it would have a full up science lab and sick bay plus some energy weapons plenty of stores and spares and a good size crew including some spec ops capabilities for the scouting portion of its mission. If I did do this I don't think that you'd absolutely have to have every deck of a ship made up but it would be nice (and I'd really want to have it). I really kind of like to run one Umungus, though little intimidated as I found so many SF games on yahoo that floundered. I suspect its a commitment and dont want to make it lightly. Possibly I should start with something smaller in scope. On further thought I think this campaign would work best if every player had a PC on the bridge crew or ships officers and on in the spec ops team. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 August 12, 2009 - 9:22pm | I may just need to get my feet wet an run a on line game as one of the two that I play in seems to be on perpetual hold with a few fits and starts Yeah, to comes and goes depending on RL events that sometimes get in the way of the players or ref. sad cause I love the character.I really kind of like to run one Umungus, though little intimidated as I found so many SF games on yahoo that floundered. I suspect its a commitment and dont want to make it lightly. Possibly I should start with something smaller in scope. It definitely takes a bit of commitment but it's actually not that bad. You just have to be patient. I tried for a post every other day when I started my campaign but it just doesn't work out to do it that fast. If you shoot for a "turn" (whatever that is) a week, it's actually not that bad. My problem was I jumped into too many things all at once. I launched my website (to host my game and any others that people wanted to start), was playing in three or four others and working on my computer KH game all at the same time. Plus I picked up editing the Star Frontiersman. I was spread to thin. I've dialed a lot of that back and it's gotten better. If you decide to go for it and want to set up a PBP game, drop on over to my Star Frontiers Network site and I'll set you up a forum to host it in. I think if you did set it up, you'd get a good group of players to join in. Just plan for a small (3-4 player) group. On all the games I've been involved in, that seem to be about the size of the core that stays active. Although will all the great ideas we see you have here, you might just break the mold and get a big group  as eveyone will want to be a part of it.Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 August 13, 2009 - 4:36pm | You would think the UPF would have a secret station some where that only the top command would know about. That way they could continue on in a SHTF moment, and organize the plan from there. This may sound like the station from the newer BSG series, but it's mentioned in the Starship Trooper book as planet Sanctuary. In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
August 13, 2009 - 7:18pm | I was thinking that a frigate was two small but I had some deck plans worked up... Use'em. The dimensions are more quidelines then hard rules. Since the decks you have are smaller, compensate by making the ship longer. I do this all the time with my plans. My deep space explorers also tend to have down scaled OPLs (and rocket powered heavy duty robots instead of digger shuttles) to feed their ion drives. If you take up Terl's offer, expect BD Cerridwen to join in. That's me over there. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of
the strong. * Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi |
August 13, 2009 - 9:38pm | Ahhhh ya know time to time there is some complaints about this site being slow...Well I just tried using obsidian portal to compile a wiki of all known data on the frontier and rim minus equipment and gadgets and make it completely cross referenced. so that if I was prepping stuff for and adventure in one system I could pull up everything on that system that has ever been published ie I'd know that Task Force Wahoo was based there, it had x number of militia ships, a armed space station, all the planetary and star data, stuff from modules and the Frontiersman. So I just did a boat load of work today entering stuff into the wiki and tonight everything in the wiki besides the front page is lost and their map function is off line while they track and fix its bug! Guess I'm glad I went with their free memebership. Sheesh what a bummer! Any how if you do search for a Star Frontiers game on Obsidian portal I'm the only one: it was titled Frontier in Flames till I changed it to Galacticana Encyclopedia (shouldn't have bothered). Now I'm just ticted off. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 August 13, 2009 - 11:38pm | Re: a "mother ship" --- UPF Scout Cruiser HS:9 HP:60 Powerplant: 3 Atomic B (2 if you go by cannon, I rewrote mine) ADF:3 MR:3 DCR:90 Crew: 60-80 Armament: LC T(x3) LB EB PB RB(x4) Defenses: RH MS(x3) ICM(x6) Comm/Detection: SubSpace Radio, VideoCom, Intercom Network, Radar, Energy Sensor, WNB Misc: medium hull armor, back-up life support, deluxe astrogation package, medical and environmental labs, atmoprobes and landing modules Cargo Capacity: 2 Crew Accomodations: 4 officer suites, 8 double cabins, 20 triple bunk barracks Passenger Accomodations: 4 double cabins Ship's Vehicles: lifeboat, 2 workpods, 2 large launches, shuttle; 6 fighters (externally docked/no bays*) * must utilize workpods for repair and rearming, extra time required |
August 14, 2009 - 3:53pm | Ahhhh ya know time to time there is some complaints about this site being slow...Well I just tried using obsidian portal to compile a wiki of all known data on the frontier and rim minus equipment and gadgets and make it completely cross referenced. so that if I was prepping stuff for and adventure in one system I could pull up everything on that system that has ever been published ie I'd know that Task Force Wahoo was based there, it had x number of militia ships, a armed space station, all the planetary and star data, stuff from modules and the Frontiersman. So I just did a boat load of work today entering stuff into the wiki and tonight everything in the wiki besides the front page is lost and their map function is off line while they track and fix its bug! Guess I'm glad I went with their free memebership. Sheesh what a bummer! Any how if you do search for a Star Frontiers game on Obsidian portal I'm the only one: it was titled Frontier in Flames till I changed it to Galacticana Encyclopedia (shouldn't have bothered). Now I'm just ticted off. Dude, ouch. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of
the strong. * Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi |
August 16, 2009 - 4:03pm | You would think the UPF would have a secret station some where that only the top command would know about. In my SFU they do  . It's in a completely different system, not one of the "inhabited" systems.Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
August 17, 2009 - 3:14am | You would think the UPF would have a secret station some where that only the top command would know about. Of course the issue here is the UPF is NOT a governing entity. Simply put, it's a loose confederation of representatives from each world who have come to agreement that a certain area is in need of protection so that peaceful day to day activities can flourish. This unity is bound by one single common threat, to which a military force (Spacefleet and Landfleet) has been commissioned yet has no authority over civilian activity, unless said civilian activity is threatening a world or capable of threatening another world in a nearby system. So any secret gathering place would only serve as a place to regroup and formulate a new strategy...but it certainly would not garauntee the prosperity of the Frontier itself, even if the entire Council of Worlds was spirited away to such a location. After all, the COW is pretty much useless if their represented systems fall to the enemy, all the COW would have left is voting on future courses of action, to which no doubt UPF ship captains would pretty much be deciding on their own without the consultation of a few civilian survivors. |
August 17, 2009 - 6:25am | After all, the COW is pretty much useless if their represented systems fall to the enemy, all the COW would have left is voting on future courses of action, to which no doubt UPF ship captains would pretty much be deciding on their own without the consultation of a few civilian survivors. no doubt said politicians would be protesting loudly and stridently that said captains listen to them. 1 or 2 Smarter ones would be trying to position themselves to be the new movers and shakers in a new situation. a quote comes to mind: "Me thinks the politician doth protest too much" I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 August 17, 2009 - 3:39pm | After all, the COW is pretty much useless if their represented systems fall to the enemy, all the COW would have left is voting on future courses of action, to which no doubt UPF ship captains would pretty much be deciding on their own without the consultation of a few civilian survivors. no doubt said politicians would be protesting loudly and stridently that said captains listen to them. 1 or 2 Smarter ones would be trying to position themselves to be the new movers and shakers in a new situation. a quote comes to mind: "Me thinks the politician doth protest too much" This has happened in both BSG incarnations. In the originial series, Sire Yuri managed to gain influence over the Council of Twelve(of which Adama was a member) and force Adama to take the more dangerous Nova Madigon route to the Carrillion system, then convinces the Council to order Adama to send all his warriors dirtside, where the Cylons and their Ovine(I think?) allies would handily slaughter them. Even after granting Adama a lone hand in running the Colonial Fleet, the Twelve were to interfere again during the two-parter "Greetings From Earth," and "Baltar's Escape," on the assumption that they'd found Earth and the lost 13th colony, and the emergency requiring them to grant Adama full powers had passed. (Needless to say, old Baltar seizing one of the Galactica landing bays and taking his fellow former Councillors[all but Adama, I think] hostage convinced them how wrong they were and gave Adama back his dictatorship). As for the series just concluded, Cruz Castill—I mean Adama and the surviving civilian government have been at odds through much of the series' first couple of sesaons, with Adama and Rosen reaching an understanding following the brief stint of martial law and the resulting abortive civil war, that understanding turning into a closer relationship between the two, as evidenced in the Admiral Ro—I mean Cain, two-parter. Of course, Gay Baltar throws all this into chaos, and the military and civilian establishments end up at loggerheads again.... @Shadow, I agree with your take on the UPF, tho' it's more NATO than the UN(to which I've added just a seasoning of EuroParliament), at least that's my take on it, to the point where the Spacefleet Admiral(one of three ex officio members of the Council can assume full executive powers should the COWs declare a Frontier-wide state of emergency. I think if there's a secret rally point, the COWs would grant the senior surviving Spacefleet officer the rank of Spacefleet Admiral and give that being a more or less lone hand in the running of the surviving fragments of the Federation, until either the Sathar are defeated, or until they establish a new homeworld(or co-opt an existing foreign-occupied world, ala Operati0on Seven Swords from the Living Steel RPG)from which to re-establish the Federation. In name only, of course, as once the worms are driven back and the new colony or colonies take root, the restored UPF will boast a much more centralized and more authoritarian government than before, possibly even going the route of B5's Narns and becoming a more agressive and dangerous imperial power than the worms ever were. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
 April 25, 2010 - 7:03am | If you have not started already, I would give the fleet a cargo ship with factory stamping machines etc. You can mine ore and process it into actual metal, but what do you do with these big hunks of metal... With a stamping press you can at least get the metal down to useable shapes/sizes. Otherwise you have engineers and welders making every piece by hand. With a factory and or maybe some factory robots you can have combat scenarios where every hit isn't utter devastation to the whole colony because you cannot replace anything. If you have started you might be able to "reunite" with this ship wandering for days food supplies gone etc. -Ellzii |
 April 25, 2010 - 1:51pm | Here is something to look into maybe doing. My gaming group, to change the pace of the game, we roll played the leading political parties that are in Star Frontiers. Here is how I set it all up. First step was to make lots with the name of each world on it. Place them all into a box and have each player draw one. Since the group at the time I GMed for was 24 people, each person got a planet a some had two. Now these people are now the representatives of these planets just like in any other political group. Now the real fun begins. We start the debates and political alliances and rivalries. The group I had really enjoyed doing this to the point it was a common starting point for our gaming sessions. I kept it limited to about an hour or two while things got setup to play the regular game session. The first thing put before them was to get procedures on how the political realm was to be handled. The Parliamentary Procedures was put forth and agreed by a unanimous vote. The rest got very interesting. There were a few times that war almost broke out between worlds. The big catch with it is the person with the world has to take it to the full extent to get the most for their planet/people. Our group had enough people to even have two Starfleet representitives to throw in where they stood on what the polititions were doing. In both cases of war in the frontier was curbed by the fleet reps of declareing to blockade their planets. There were four primary discussions, political control over the lesser worlds, the military strength, the economy of the frontier, and colonization of new worlds or entrance of new worlds into the frontier. One issue that came up was regulations on weapons that civilians used. It was a fun turn of events that the group really enjoyed. |
