I’ve yet to meet anyone who can claim they served in Starfleet and can speak to how it actually works as opposed to what we see on screen.
8 Likes
That’s because it would be a breach of the Temporal Prime Directive… 
6 Likes
I wouldn’t be too sure about that. I live in Southern California… 
(And Star Trek is no less fantasy than Dungeons & Dragons.)
3 Likes
Makes me think of the people who apparently go to Renaissance Fairs dressed as Star Trek characters talking about “the primitive natives”…
1 Like
While it wasn’t my first choice, I’m planning on starting things with an NPC Captain while the party - all new to RPGs and mixed familiarity with ST - get their sea legs. (Or is that space legs?)
Then I’ll snuff him or promote him.
The Captain is dead… Long live the Captain!
2 Likes
even D n D has a party structure system with a party leader and just like that system the players can play it as fast and loose as they like. but with fast and loose in any system there are consequences (not penalties mind you) to those fast and loose actions. The key is the PC’s recognizing no matter what their choices are, they matter for the team, for better or worst. making a good “command” decision is on everyone not just a single player. But without structure (no matter how chaotic it may be) things quickly fall apart
2 Likes
Hey easy now.
General Order No. 324: There’s no first contact situation or scenario where all existence as we know it hangs in the balance that cannot be handled by sending a couple of plucky ensigns down while the experienced command staff chill in geosynchronous orbit monitoring subspace and completing paperwork.
1 Like
D&D can be pretty anarchic. My group has no formal leader. Instead, there are different informal hierarchies depending solely on the situation. Sometimes, the Paladin’s word ends the discussion immediately, sometimes the Barbarian and the Cleric argue for, like, hours, while everyone ignores the Paladin completely. “Authority” is fluid in such groups and can shift scene-by-scene. This is what i meant with “grass root democracy” in my first post: everyone gets a say in every decision and the best idea wins.
Without a formal hierarchy, the Ensign with the good idea will get the most “votes” for their idea (i.e. the most players concurring) and this idea will be the base for further operation.
Within the formal hierarchy of Starfleet, the Ensign’s best idea is null and void, if the Captain decides go a different way.
This is an excellent source of drama, yet it requires “a strong dose of player trust and a level of maturity among the players” as @Modiphius-Jim has put it.
Point is: This level of social drama, this “play with hierarchies” can be within D&D games yet is not so much an integral part of the setting as it is in a Star Trek Starfleet game.
1 Like
Nathan has suggested that this, and a couple of other topics we have agreed need addressing, will be “examined” in the upcoming products that were announced today.
Safe to say I’m very happy about this, whether it be as a result of these threads or just a happy meeting of minds from Jim and the writers.
Combination of both. I’ve spent a ton of time on social media the last few years for the game and feel pretty well plugged in to what fans are talking about and wanting. It was pretty easy to pull a group of writers together with me and Nathan and work out the contents of the PG and GMG to get the most value.
3 Likes
I’ll be most eager to enjoy. 
Can’t await Christmas (and it’s been a while since I said that the last time 
)
But in a sense, the hierarchy is just a special ability possessed by varying degrees by some of the characters.
It’s the player’s choice on how or when to use it.
Like alignments or oaths, the player must sometimes relent and acknowledge that their character would do something that they personally might think is a dumb idea.
So everyone getting their say and discussing the best course of action might need every player to step back and bounce ideas around, remembering that regardless of character rank, the players are equal partners. If they want to vote on COA, then they vote as players. Rock, paper, scissors. Whatever works,
Then they figure how to role play the outcome of the vote or discussion as their characters.
Once again, Janeway sighs, puts her hands on her hips and reminds the Ensign that his idea better work.
Or, Kirk stands up from the table and announces that’s not the way they do things on his ship. To your battle stations!
1 Like
Rank doesn’t mean that all PCs have an equal say in what the final say is going to be in a ship decision the senior officer does, in most cases. All players are not equal.
However somethings to keep in mind if you are playing a captain or are the superior ranking officer. Captains listen to their subordinates and make decisions based on the information they have and which is most often given by subordinates. A good captain needs to listen and encourage those they command to speak up and give recommendations a good captain also listens to those subordinates.
Now sometimes you may have charter that is higher rank, who is not in charge. Chef O’Brien, a Senior Chief Petty Officer, is a lower rank than Ensign Nog and O’Brien clearly is the one in charge.
One other think about rank and seniority is to be very careful if you are a captain and you are not listening to those of lower rank or who are experts instead of evaluating the evidence you are given. Experience and senior officers can and will make mistakes and inexperienced lo ranking individuals can be correct when they are wrong. A captain needs to evaluate things and use that.
If a captain or individual is going to just say something like well my Chief Medical officer says this is what we need to do or something like starfleet medical says we have to do and doesn’t keep an open mind. The logical fallacy of an appeal to authority can get them in trouble. (Side note: The statement that the Vulcan Science Academy has proven that time travel is not possible is another example of the logical fallacy of an appeal to authority that shows up often in Enterprise.)
2 Likes
All characters may not be equal but the other player is just somebody else who should probably lighten up and switch to de-caf.
3 Likes
Correct all the characters are not equal, which is what I meant by my use of the word of players in the sentence you quoted. The players who are playing the characters are equals.
Hierarchy is not just some simple special ability that means that a charter outranks another. Playing a higher ranked character entrails responsibility and the GM and other players need to watch that the player playing the commanding officer doesn’t abuse that command position and make the game not fun for others and actual does what that rank says they need to do. This ought to be done in way that makes the game fun for everyone. Emphasis on the word need. The commanding officer’s player has to walk the line of commanding the other players and let them have a major say in what gets done to make sure that the character doesn’t become a tin plated dictator with delusions of grandeur.
2 Likes
OK. If that works for you and your party.
The “captain” might wonder why he never heard about a session 2 from my group.
Best episode on bad command.
Since none of my players wish to be a captain my captain is a NPC. I made a player sheet just in case a new player joins but kept as NPC. His main role is to help during ship fight with captain actions and maybe refill pool with Spirit of Discovery/Veteran.
1 Like