Wondering if anyone else has good strategies for managing concurrent Scenes. Usually while on the ship, my group’s captain will order off various departments towards certain Tasks, e.g. Sci Officer, go research into this, or Chief, try to tech the tech in Engineering. Usually, this will spin off a number of mini-Scenes/Tasks at said locations, after which they’ll report back to the captain or others with a status update.
This can lead to lot of confusion depending on the number of separate Scenes. “So, did all this happen after I went to Engineering and before the Scene in Sickbay, orrr…?” “Let’s see, if I’m in the Shuttlebay, and you’re fighting off neural parasites here, where’s the doctor right now?” Etc. etc. Right now, it’s currently just me making spot judgement calls as to which Scenes happen in relation to others, but I was curious if others had a better way to manage these scenarios. Miniatures, dry erase board, something else?
We printed paper minis from that STA paper doll mini maker, placed in front of the players controlling those characters.
We typically have 4-5 players so usually either everyone is together or just separated into A and B plots (sometimes it splits ship bound vs. planet bound.)
We did have a C plot once but that was a special situation and I wouldn’t do it often because it can leave people waiting too long for their turn to do something.
I do often try to think of things for people to do if their characters are away from the GM’s attention for 5 minutes (e.g. “OK you’ll be meeting with the engineer about updating the programs in the holodeck. Come up with a list of scenarios that you want to be uploaded.”)
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Concurrent plots are some of the most exciting scenes. I use this rule: when a group has a breakthrough or complication, cut to another group. Never let a scene last more than 15 minutes. Keep things going, and please don’t forget to take notes.
Garrett
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That should be inscribed in the gospel book of running this game
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Great advice. I usually run an hour-long game over lunch, so this is doubly important. 
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