ten_fwd_mods: (Enterprise-D)
Ten Forward RPG mod account ([personal profile] ten_fwd_mods) wrote2015-06-16 12:51 am
Entry tags:

Basic Info

So you're new to the game, the setting, or the Star Trek universe and you don't know where to begin? This is a quick and dirty primer to get you started (for more detailed information, you'll want to follow the links provided). If you'd like to request something for us to add, let us know here.
In-Game Info:
   ☆ The Story So Far
Setting (Star Trek) Info:
   ☆ The Enterprise
   ☆ Corridors, Doors, and Computers
   ☆ Turbolifts
   ☆ Replicators
   ☆ Holodecks
   ☆ PADDs
   ☆ Combadges
   ☆ Phasers
   ☆ Tricorders
   ☆ Hyposprays, Biobeds, and Scanners
   ☆ Alert Signal (Red Alerts)


☆ The Story So Far ☆



On April 16th, 2366 (Stardate 43289.1), in between the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes 3.06 and 3.07, The USS Enterprise was on a mission to take supplies and relief crew to a planet called Alemar III. The ship received a visit from Q, who suggested that Captain Picard and his crew need to learn to appreciate the journey, rather than the destination. To make his point, he disabled the ship's engines, leaving it stranded. He also began bringing visitors from across time, space and the multiverse aboard the ship. As one would expect, the Enterprise crew were surprised by this development. The visitors were placed under quarantine while the crew assessed the threat they posed.

After the metaphorical dust settled, the Enterprise crew put in place procedures to deal with their guests; as more visitors arrived, it became clear those needed to be ongoing arrangements. Q, deciding he had made his point and had allowed the ship enough time to acclimatize to its new circumstances, restarted its engines. The Enterprise returned to its now much delayed mission to Alemar III. The crew and guests of the Enterprise were offered the chance to visit the scientific outpost, and while there an earthquake struck, killing some of the employees of the outpost, injuring characters, and trapping many people in the cave system under the surface of the facility. The earthquake also knocked out communications with the Enterprise. While those stranded on the surface tried to hail the ship and rescue their friends, strange aliens made of crystals from the cave walls began attacking. After three days, communications to the ship were restored and characters were rescued from the caves, and the aliens were revealed to be Crystaloids, the original inhabitants of the planet, to whom geothermal drilling was doing great damage. With the help of the Enterprise, a settlement was negotiated between the Almarians and the Crystaloids, and repairs and upgrades to the facility started. The Enterprise then left Alemar III.

In the time since, Q has intervened with little games and tests on a regular basis. On the old Earth holiday of Hallowe'en, he enforced costume changes and replicator malfunctions that would only produce candy, some of which had unusual side effects. Saturnalia festivities were next, redecorating the lounge, setting loose suckling pigs, creating holodeck malfunctions, and scattering strangely compelling mistletoe around the place. Captain Picard and the crew headed for Risa for some well-deserved recreation, and guests were allowed to disembark to take in the sights. A small team was organised to do some exploring of caves on the planet. Q, not content to let things rest for long, spiked drinks with love potions for Valentine's Day and meddled with some of the blind dates Amy Pond arranged. For Mardi Gras, he made the lounge over and changed characters' clothes (this is becoming rather too common for the liking of some). Feeling neglected by the Enterprise and her crew, Q decided upon one of his his largest interferences yet: swapping characters for their mirror universe counterparts. A certain amount of mayhem ensued, resulting in the brigging of some characters, and the impromptu roping in of some others to assist with apprehending the perpetrators of violence and vandalism. When characters were swapped back with their Prime counterparts and the damage they caused was undone, it became clear that they had no control over their alternate selves' actions. It became even more clear that something had to be done about Q, and while Captain Picard started arrangements for that, Starfleet Command began arrangements of their own...

That brings us up to June 2015 in real time, or May 16th, 2367 (Stardate 44371.2) in game time, almost exactly 1 year after the madness started.




☆ The Setting ☆




The Enterprise: [click to visit our maps page]


The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) is a Federation Galaxy-class explorer that serves as the Federation flagship. It has 42 decks, with the Bridge located on Deck 1 (the top of the saucer). This is where the ship is controlled.

Ten Forward is the social hub of the Enterprise, located in the forward section of Deck 10, in the saucer section. There are large windows in a curved wall looking out into space, with chairs and tables scattered along that wall. The bar is long and angular and has both syntheholic and alcoholic beverages in stock. There are two replicator terminals that allow production of food. The waitstaff, serving both the bar and tables, wear green.

Most crew quarters are on Deck 8, with civilian living quarters on Decks 7, 8, and 9. Guest quarters have a central living area, a bathroom, and two separate bedrooms. The bedrooms have either a single-level bed or a bunkbed, and also include a desk/chair and storage lockers for characters' possessions. The central living area contains a sofa, table, a replicator terminal, and a holographic viewer. The bathroom includes a sonic shower, which uses water and sonic vibrations to clean the body.

The main shuttlebay is on Deck 4, supported by several cargo bays on Deck 4 and Deck 18; there are twenty transporter rooms on several decks (Transporter Room 1 is on Deck 6).

Other areas of the ship include: a sickbay, nursery, and gymnasium on Deck 12; main engineering on Deck 36; holodecks located on Deck 10 and Deck 12; ship's stores on Deck 4; interrogation/detention area on Deck 5 with the brig located on Deck 33; an arboretum on Deck 17; and much more, including an unfinished multi-purpose deck on Deck 8 (where additional work spaces are set when needed).



Corridors, Doors, and Computers: [click to visit the wiki]



Starships of the Galaxy-class feature wide and comfortable concentric corridors, echoing the shape of the primary hull and interconnected with radial corridors. The corridors are brightly lit and carpeted, and allow crew and guests direct computer access through panels mounted against either wall. This allows passengers to be directed to their destination of choice (see video 1).






The computer is the AI that runs the entire ship. The LCARS operating system is what all passengers commonly access. The Library Computer Access and Retrieval System (LCARS or simply library computer for short) is used aboard Starfleet vessels, starbases, and space stations, and is accessible by both voice and keypad commands. LCARS uses sophisticated artificial intelligence routines to understand and execute vocal commands, and speaks in a pleasant female voice.

The computer can be accessed in any corridor, in the turbolifts, in the holodeck, and in all quarters through both the replicator and a desk unit. If you want the computer to do something, start the vocal command with the word "Computer". Alternatively, most access areas do have touch commands, if you are familiar with the system. You can also interface with the LCARS using PADDs, tricorders, and control panels. These will also allow you access to the library computer banks.

The computer in passenger quarters can access environmental controls, changing temperature, humidity, and lighting to your exact specifications, playing music that is programmed into the computer library, and displaying videos and holograms that are likewise programmed in. Only the crew can make changes to the environmental controls of the public areas of the ship. To access the environmental controls, stand anywhere in your quarters and say "Computer", followed by what you wish to have changed.

Any public access door will side open when approached. For your own quarters, the door will open on your approach, for someone else’s you need to touch the small black insert in the wall beside the door, which will trigger a chime. From within the quarters, the doors can be opened with a verbal command (such as "Come"), or by approaching them (see video 2).



Turbolifts: [click to visit the wiki]


Turbolifts are your main means of getting from deck to deck on the Enterprise. They basically function like a futuristic elevator, moving both vertically and horizontally. In a Galaxy-class starship, turbolifts are regulated by turbolift control and an average of ten turbolift cars are in service at any one time. During peak usage times, such as change-of-shift, this average can double. The turboshaft network is designed with the specific purpose of allowing multi-access loops and thus permitting a flexible route for each turbolift car.

Turbolifts are operated by vocal command (see video); however, there is a tactile interface located both inside the car and outside the turbolift doors. In some cases, when a turbolift is out of service a message will be displayed on the interface outside the turbolift doors alerting you to the problem. In some Starfleet vessels, a plan of the ship is displayed along the back of the turbolift, allowing for directional assistance in the absence of computer access. Turbolifts can also be locked down in the event of a security incident, blocking access to critical areas of the ship, such as the main bridge.

When battle stations are ordered, all turbolift cars may be subjected to deactivation pending the authorization of the commanding officer. In such cases, personnel are still free to move about the ship via a network of vertical ladders and Jefferies tubes.

While docked at a Starbase, the turboelevator network is connected to the network of the adjacent Starbase, allowing for easy passage without the use of an umbilical dock. This is accomplished through a connection point located at the upper terminus of turboshaft two, leading from the main bridge. When linked, turbolifts cars may travel freely between the ship and areas of the Starbase.



Replicators: [click to visit the wiki]


Replicators are small touch or voice activated devices set into the walls in all passenger quarters, as well as some other key locations such as Ten Forward and Sickbay. Replicators can reproduce a wide variety of things, though they are mostly used for food. There are some limitations, though: no weapons/explosives, Starfleet uniforms, or living things (with the dividing line seemingly to be non-sentient food, the most complex being Gagh).

They also will not produce real alcohol, serving Synthehol instead. Synthehol has the same taste and smell as "real" alcohol to most individuals, but none of the deleterious effects associated with alcohol for most humanoids, such as debilitating intoxication, addiction, and alcohol poisoning. Synthehol is a regular ingredient in the drinks served on Starfleet vessels and starbases. Some bartenders like Guinan, however, keep a supply of genuine alcoholic beverages behind the bar for customers requesting such.

Replicators are run by the computer, so you generally want to be specific. Remember, there have been a lot of people adding to this database before you came along (see video). Q has also tampered with the replicators, allowing them to create a wider variety of foods and drinks to suit the multiverse. If you're craving something the replicators don't have on file, they can add it to their databases if you can provide them with a list of ingredients or a recipe.

Replicators are free to use, as there is no monetary trade between the Federation's associated races, and as such cannot produce rare/precious metals, ores, or stones, gold pressed latinum, or any historical currencies or coins on file. Any waste can be recycled back through the replicators, such as dirty dishes. Please note that Engineering and Security can monitor replicator production on the ship, so if you try to get around any of these limitations, even if you think you got away with something, you still might just find security waiting to ask you a few pointed questions.



Holodeck: [click to visit the wiki]



A Holographic Environment Simulator, or holodeck for short, is a form of holotechnology installed aboard starships, space stations, and at Starfleet institutions for entertainment, training, and investigative purposes. The Enterprise has several. Holodecks are large rooms that run programs that are essentially 3D simulations. The holodeck is run by the ship's computer, and can therefore take voice commands or those punched in via the computer terminal outside the door (see video 1).

A holodeck can be controlled from an exterior control panel or the interior arch control. This arch can be summoned at any time to change the parameters of a running holoprogram (see video 2). If you enter a holodeck that has no program running, what you see is a black room crossed with gold lines in a grid pattern. The only other visible thing would be the exit until the doors close behind you, at which time the room will appear to have no exits. When a holodeck program is fully activated, the arch disappears and the space looks as infinitely wide, tall, and deep as the actual location. It smells right, sounds right, feels right. You can touch things and they will feel like what they are meant to feel like. Even though you walked in on a level surface, you can descend into a system of caves, dive into a pool, or leap up to fly in the clouds. Whenever you want the arch back, say "Computer, arch." Whenever you want the exit, say "Computer, exit." When you are done with a program, simply say "Computer, end program" to return to the grid.

A holodeck combines elements of transporter technology with that of replicators, by generating actual matter, as well as projecting force fields to give the objects the illusion of substance. Matter and energy are interchangeable as such objects created on the holodeck can be either matter or energy. What this means is that when you have a program running, it feels extremely real. Water, for example, would feel like actual water because on some level, it is. A holodeck can appeal to all five senses. This also means simple matter programs (such as snow) can exist outside of the holodeck for brief periods of time before they would lose cohesion without the support of the holodeck grid and revert back to energy. That means the holodeck cannot make anything that can actually leave the holodeck. Things made on the holodeck stay on the holodeck. While you might get the illusion of being full when you eat on the holodeck, you will not actually have gained any nutrients.

Just like with the replicators, you need to be specific about your requests. The holodeck also has limitations. You can ask it to create anything that would be in the computer's data banks, but the holodeck cannot read your mind nor can you presume it can replicate anything on an unrecognized world. If you want to simulate a person from your character's canon, for instance, you would have to give the computer his height, approximate age, weight, species, style of dress, and so on. Likewise, you cannot say, "Create my bedroom back home" and have it work; it will say something along the lines of, "Insufficient data." (Feel free to have fun with your character creating things just so, and handwave the rest.)

You can create and save your own programs. It's much like saving a program or video on your own personal computer under your login name. These programs can be left open for other people to access, or you can lock them so that only you can access them. Likewise, you can delete any personal programs you no longer want (see video 2).

The holodeck has safeties enabled. By default, these safeties make it so that even if you jump out of a plane to experience the thrill of falling a thousand feet, you will not actually splat on the ground. The worst you will get is the wind knocked out of you and a few bruises. These can be turned off or set to intermediary levels, but visitors will not be allowed to turn off the safety protocols. With the safeties off or lowered, you can break bones, take burns, and even die. If you are using the holodeck to create an opponent for sparing, a game, or anything of that sort, you can have the computer adjust the difficulty to tailor the experience to your own desires.

Here's a list of some basic holodeck programs pulled straight from the canon source.



PADDs: [click to visit the wiki]
Once high tech and futuristic, a PADD is essentially a computer tablet in many fundamental ways. The PADD, short for Personal Access Display Device, allows you to take notes, to interact with computer systems you have access to, to watch videos, to send and receive communications, look at pictures, read books/scripts, and even listen to music. You can set your PADD into the recess on your desk to access all the data on your desk computer, or to move information back and forth.



Combadges: [click to visit the wiki]
(starting at 0:48)
You may have noticed some people on the ship – all the crew, specifically – with raised insignia on their uniforms, and sometimes on their civilian clothes as well. These are called "combadges", a portmanteau of communicator + badge, and are used by personnel to communicate from anywhere on the ship and, in some cases, when they are on away teams (off the ship but nearby).

The ship's computer also uses combadges to track the movement of a crew member throughout the ship. Sometimes if a crew member leaves his or her badge behind and leaves the ship, the computer is not aware the person left until directed to search for him or her. Combadges are also what the transporter uses to lock on to someone's location, so that they may be beamed on or off the ship remotely.



Phasers: [click to visit the wiki]


(CW: graphic death at end of clip)
Phasers are a "directed energy weapon", and are the most common and standard tool for defense in the Starfleet arsenal. Most phasers are classified as particle weapons, and fire nadion particle beams - which is a fancy way of saying they are ray guns.

Starfleet-issue personnel phasers come in three basic types: type-1 (small hand phaser), type-2 (larger hand phaser, with a pistol grip) and type-3 (phaser rifle). Based on the intensity and field of the beam and a variety of adjustments, a wide variety of effects could be achieved. A phaser beam can stun, heat, kill, or disintegrate living creatures. Phasers can damage shields or other systems, or even cut through a hull. Phasers can also be used to cut through walls and burrow through rock. The beam can be focused to a single spot or widened to impact a large area.

Phasers aren't generally carried during day-to-day duties, unless an officer is engaged in a dangerous mission or off of the Enterprise; however, most Security personnel do carry their phasers on their hip at all times due to Q's presence on the ship. When phasers aren't in use, they are kept in locked weapons rooms that can only be accessed by officers who have the proper security clearance. Phasers are almost exclusively set to "stun" except in dire situations. Only crew members carry phasers.

There are also larger issue phasers, which are used on starships, shuttlecraft, and space stations.



Tricorders: [click to visit the wiki]


One of the coolest and most multi-purpose tools in the Starfleet arsenal is the tricorder. A tricorder is a multifunction hand-held device useful for data sensing, analysis, and recording data, with many specialized abilities. On away missions, it is the go-to device all members of the team carry, along with their phasers. Medical tricorders are indispensable with field medicine, and are the primary variety of tricorder most guests aboard the Enterprise are going to see. Gray in color, these tricorders are constructed with a durable casing, but can easily be destroyed by a phaser set to "disintegrate".

Some tricorders are equipped with a small hand sensor, stowed below the sensors, but a tricorder can be operated with (see video 2) or without it (see video 3). Tricorders provide an easy means for on the spot archive retrieval, the recording of away mission events, and constant scientific measurements including biological, geographical or meteorological. As there are a variety of different models used for different purposes, each has different capabilities. The primary function of a tricorder is analysis and diagnosis. By scanning an object or person with a tricorder, you can see their chemical makeup, medical history, relative age, and any unusual abnormalities or functions.

A tricorder can also: communicate with non-Starfleet computer systems (and are therefore vulnerable to some computer viruses); record time trials; play holographic messages (some models feature a directory structure and built-in universal translator); be configured to perform proximity checks at regular intervals; emit photoplasmic trails to help locate lost crewmembers; detect dampening fields and if doors are magnetically sealed; be configured to briefly disrupt a force field; record audio, and more.

Tricorders (TR-580 model) are stored in most equipment lockers aboard Federation starships, although it's common for personnel to keep them in their quarters. They can also be used by civilians, and as such Starfleet sometimes distributed TR-580 model tricorders to Federation allied worlds, and shipped them en masse to areas in need, such as disaster sites.

Medical TR-580s are essentially the same as standard TR-580s, with the same available features and interface. The major difference is the addition of a deployable hand scanner. While the suite of sensors installed on medical TR-580s is advanced, it is generally no substitute for the specialized equipment in a sickbay facility. Genetically-engineered microviruses were not generally detected by a standard medical tricorder scan; they also have difficulty performing accurate scans of the deceased. They can, however, communicate with many Starfleet devices, including PADDs and starship library computers, and are also designed to work closely with the surgical support frames attached to biobeds. In conjunction with a neural pad, a medical TR-580 could be used to link the nervous system of a healthy individual to that of an injured individual in order to stabilize the injured for transport.



Hyposprays, Biobeds, and Scanners: [click to visit the wiki]






When a character arrives on the Enterprise for the first time, one of the first places they're taken is Sickbay. Sickbay is the main medical center of the ship. This is where passengers will get treatments, physicals, and so forth; it can also be used for analyzing new lifeforms, and developing treatments for unknown diseases or illnesses. For more about Sickbay and its attached facilities, check out our maps page. Here we're just going to explain a few pieces of equipment you might encounter.

The first and most important piece of medical technology you will encounter are tricorders, which have their own section linked here. Tricorders are used for diagnostic purposes mainly, and function as a handheld scanner.

Hyposprays are used to inject liquids into the body, such as vaccines or medicines. They're basically a futuristic medical needle, which uses a noninvasive transport mechanism of compressed air to transfer the injectant into the subdermal layer below the skin, or artery. The skin is not punctured during use, thus reducing the risk of infection or pain. Various drugs are inserted into the hypo in vials attached to the end of the instrument. Controls at the injection head set the dosage to be administered, and the typical injection site used is the side of the neck, to the carotid artery (but the hypospray can inject even through clothing, if necessary). Unlike hypodermic needles, the hypospray is reusable. It can also be used to collect air samples in order to test it or condense air and store it for later use. (see video 1)

Biobeds are your standard exam table of the future, and are themselves a diagnostic tool. They often replace the need of a medical tricorder, though you may see both being used in tandem. Physicals, surgeries, and other medical procedures are all performed on biobeds, with the needed adjustments. The primary biobed seen in Sickbay was designed for surgical purposes (although it's also the default bed for exams), and has various hookups for surgical equipment. During general operation, it looks much like the bed in the first picture to the left. It may also be covered by a large sensor cluster, usually during serious procedures, or attached to other medical equipment such as a neural stimulator (also seen in video 2 to the left). Surgical beds usually have a large display for vital signs and other information adjacent to the bed. Medical readouts, such as ones in the second picture to the left, may also be displayed on a large computer mounted on one of the Sickbay walls or on PADDs and other smaller devices in addition to the biofunction monitors at the head of the beds. Biobeds can also be modified for stasis purposes if a patient is too critically injured for a starship crew to care for at present. This will place the patient in suspended animation until they can be revived. Other biobeds line the perimeter of Sickbay, and these are generally used for patients under intensive care or in recovery.

Sickbay doubles as a medical research station for developing medicines, vaccines, cures, and research into new alien life. At these stations you're liable to see a variety of medical equipment such as what is depicted here, which may include a variety of microscopes, analyzers, nanite technology, and machines for gathering samples. There are medical labs on the Enterprise as well, where more of these machines can be seen.

Medical Kits, or trauma kits, are like first aid kits and can carry a variety of portable medical supplies, such as a medical tricorder, a hypospray, a dermal regenerator and trauma kit for emergency medical situations. These are kept in strategic positions around the Enterprise, and are on hand for relief missions.

Here is a detailed list of medical equipment you can expect to see in the Star Trek universe, though generally you won't often run into anything more than what's described above.



Alert Signal (aka, "Red Alert"): [click to visit the wiki]
Aboard Starfleet vessels and outposts, a series of color-coded, and also generally named, alert signals were issued, usually by the ship's computer or internal communications systems during an emergency. The most common are Red and Yellow Alert. Red Alert is issued when a critical situation is happening (see video). Yellow Alert is issued when the situation calls for elevated caution.

If you are not part of the crew and either of these alerts come up – red or yellow lights flashing in all corridors, and a klaxon noise broadcast throughout the ship - either get yourself and whomever you are responsible for to your emergency assignments (for instance, if you are a school teacher your place may be in the classroom to secure your charges), or to your quarters. All public areas, such as corridors and turbolifts, are to be cleared and kept clear. Do not leave your designated area during the alert unless instructed to do so by a crew member.