I have been working, slowly, on my BlackStar game. This is still not something I am looking to publish mind you, just something to have fun with. This is likely to be the most Trek-centric post of this series.
For this game I want to establish that the Universe, despite all it's wonders and dangers, is still a sane, ordered place. Yes, there are things we don't know but we are not incapable of knowing them. So for me a clear starting point for the horror to come is a normal reality. This is a process similar to what Stephen King uses and I can do worse than emulate him.
Part of my "reality grounding" was trying to determine when the game takes place. The where is easy, the Star Trek Universe. If I ever decide to publish in the future it is easy to remove that aspect and focus more on the things that are different, aka the horror, so anyone can add it to their own game.
I debated a lot with my self and with my kids about a good time. Eventually, I went back to my original idea to set it in the era just before the Next Generation. I can control the history and the future better from this point AND still have room to do what I want.
What do I know?
The Enterprise-C, commanded by Capt. Rachel Garret was lost in 2344, 20 years before the launch of the Enterprise-D in 2364 (SD 41153.7). Since my ship is based on the Ambassador Class ship, same as the Ent-C it makes sense to set it closer to then.
We don't see many Ambassador class ships in the TNG time-frame, why? I am going to say there was a design flaw that was later discovered after Starfleet Corp of Engineers went over why the Ent-C was destroyed. There is a flaw in the nacelle arrangement that was missed in the R&D phase and only seen in practice. This lead to newer warp nacelle configuration that gave us the Galaxy and Nebula class ships. Despite living in the 24th century, human Starfleet personnel can still be somewhat superstitious and the Ambassador class gained the status of a "cursed ship".
The Mystic, however, was lost with all hands en route. Not destroyed, no one knows where it is. Capt. Lazarus, XO Tawny Madison, and Chief Engineer Chen who were hand-picked by Taggert have been listed as "Missing in Action". Yes, this might work for my "Ghost Ship" adventure.
The other ships were built with various levels of failure. The "Ambassador Curse" is in full swing on the Mystic line.
Presently the only ships in "mission ready" status are the NX-3113 USS Necromancer, NX-3119 USS Imbolic Mage and NX-3120 USS Protector.
The Protector was the first one ready for a full test of the new Warp-13 drive. It is set to launch on June 13, 2352, SD 31165.86. (Exactly 333 years from today, on a Friday the 13th).
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