Game Idea 12-08-2006
Take the following elements -
The Molly Maguires
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Maguires
Ethiopian King
Yohannes IV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohannes_IV_of_Ethiopia
The wreck of the SS Schiller
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Schiller
And make a game out of them -
Molly McGuires = En'Alfar
Irish people = Alfar. Humanoids distinct from the Elthean people.
Eithiopia = Planet Elthean.
SS Schiller = SS Schiller - a down market Starliner
Dejazmach Kassai = A Noble and competitor for power on Elthean
Tewodros II = Another Noble and and competitor for power on Elthean
Mantuab = Another Noble and and competitor for power on Elthean
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Okay - the people of Planet Elthean are humanoids, descended from the Klinzai race, a Klingon subject people. Although they have had some contact with the galaxy - the political instability of the planet prevents them from being players in the larger Galaxy. The planet is in unclaimed space.
Currently there are three main competitors for power on Elthean. Each must manage a coalition of sub-factions, ethnicities and tribes each bent on winning the big game for ultimate power.
Kassai - a noble who recieves mysterious materiel support and weapons from off world, he is popular among his people, popular wisdom has him being backed by the Romulans
Tewodros II - A Noble who recieves open support, in small amounts from the Klingon Empire and the Klinzai. They publicly support his claim to the throne of Elthean.
Mantuab - a noblewoman seeking power. She paints herself as a victim of oppression and a fighter against it. In truth she is using the death of her husband and children in the in-fighting to paint herself as a wronged party. She is receiving mysterious support from Orion flavored factions. (Starfleet Intelligence knows that her supporters are Cardassians who use Orion middle men for deniability.)
The Federation has a peace mission there, but it is largely ineffectual. The League if Non-aligned worlds has a mission there. It is successful at foiling the Federation's attempts to do anything constructive.
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The Starliner SS Schiller was on it's way from Alfar, bearing colonists for a Federation colony. The Alfari people were conquered by the Cardassian Union during the Federation/Cardassian war. The Cardassians empowered a class of land lords and corporate owners to rule as proxies. This Ruling Class survived the Cardassian withdrawl at the end of the war.
The Alfari People are staging occasional bouts of terrorism and rebellion against the ruling class. The lucky and the smart are skedaddling as quick as they can buy passage.
The SS Schiller is a down market bucket, being driven out by the space going equivalent of Use car salesmen.
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The SS Schiller skirts the Elthen system. It's right in the way - indeed Elthean would be a wonderful trade route if the natives weren't busy shooting each other.
The SS Schiller strikes an asteroid and is crippled. The crew and passengers panic. Life boats fail to work properly
Alfiri colonists are scattered far and wide all over Elthean by malfunctioning escape pods. More don't even make to the planet and drift aimlessly.
The SS Schiller itself is adrift and squalking helplessly. No one can get their crap together. The ship is bout to fall apart.
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On the planet, learning of the civil war, many of the Alfari, members of the ideologically driven En'Alfar become inscenced. How DARE the nobles of Elthean oppress the common folk and deny them their chance to participate in their own world?
This message resonates with ordinary native Eltheans, who are tired of being taxed, tortured and shot by rival nobles who don't seem to care that they're screwing the planet up.
So in various places, groups of guerilla and terrorist resistance cells are springing up, espousing the revolutionary radical leftist anarcho-syndicalism that makes the En'Alfar so popular at parties.
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Meanwhile, all three nobles see the castaway civilians as a way to apply pressure on the Federation to support their own cause. Each sends out parties to capture Alfari bargaining chips.
The PCs ship must enter the Elthean system - rescue people adrift in malfunctioning pods, and aboard the rust bucket former starliner.
Parties - of which the PCs will be one - must approach Elthea and rescue Alfari people, either beating capture parties, or locating carefully hidden and violent resistance cells or by negotiating with nobles who's main interest is getting lawyers, guns and money to ensure THEY get the throne of Elthea and no one else.
Oh - and the battle of the Elthean Succession has drawn a passle of poverty stricken alien mercenaries. Many of which would be perfectly happy to help Starfleet - for the right price. (In many cases a very low one. A Sammich. A ride anywhere else, so on.)
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Macguffin - Alfari Colonists (Civilians, mostly)
Goal - Rescue them from the middle of Elthean civil war
Obstacle - Elthean factions see them as bargaining chips
Obstacle - En'Alfari see themselves as a faction of the Elthean Civil war
Obstacle - Dying starliner and drifting pods means the starship has to do rescue outside of easy back up range.
Extra points for making any progress at all in establishing an Elthen peace.
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Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original
characters and situations in this material for me.