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Home Blog Hear We Can Disscuss Your Playstation Home Problems
if your good people And have a Play station 3 join us Or one of our Allied Clubs Posted on the Poster Further Down If you fit these requierments Please join us in our cause to clean up home The Commanders of the Shadow Dominions Battalions Welcome You
Crawling Darkness
Lady of Dark Light
The House of Geovonni Bruha
Dark Servent
The Anchient ones
The Housee of Seth Bruha
The Hipno Weel
T*S*D*B 508th Storm Troopers unit
T*S*D*B 508 th scout troopers unit
Call To Darkness
The Dark Book Of The Shadow Dominions Battalions Dark Nation
Thursday, 2 August 2012
The Shadow Dominions Battalions Has 3 New Club Units
The Shadow Capital The House Of Dark Demons & The T*S*D*B Capital City The Leaders Are DarkShadow_Lord And DemonShadow_Lord And DarkCapital
Friday, 22 June 2012
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Meeting Nights
As Of Next Sunday June 03 We Will Be Holding Regular Meetings To Discuss A Wide Range Of Issues From Alliances To Dutys To The Overall Direction Of The Club Attandence Will Be Required If 4 Any Reason You Cant Be at the meetings Please Give 3 Days Notice in Dark Lord Dafoes Xmb As well As Mine Grand Moffs Or General Jubes.
The Meetings Will Be Held In Any Of The Unit Houses AskWesley Or Myself Fore Club Location Each Week
I Have Let Wesley Slip In Our Orderly ness And This Was Due to the Dirrection Change, That Was My Fault However The Running Of The Club Is Going To Snap So I Hope Your All Ready We At The Next Meeting Will Be Determining Club Attire Fore all ranks The Attire Will Be Voted On And Drafted Please Give Thought to this Question For next sunday We Will Model Unit Out Fits Remembeer Each SD Unit Will Have There Own Uniform Set 4 There In Ch Uniform And In Public Uniform Difforent Units Difforent Sets of Clothes the only one not Changing Is The C.I.T Unniform All Other Rank Uniforms are Changing .
We Are Thinking Of A Recruitment Reward However Thinking and Doing are in diffrent Time Zones Right now
If We Do The One With the highest # of recruites will be winning a psn card not shure how much yet Stay tuned when it has been ironed out we will post all the detailes.
Between Now and next sunday Keep yours eyes to the text and thumbs on the report Function Remember SD Troopers Report Straight to Manadgers Of PS Corporation And If Your Making A Report Make Shure The Report is Justified Take A Screen Shot With Cammorah phone and send the evedence to wes or myself fore Submittance To The Manadgers.
Other Than That Have Fun Make Allies And Friends May Our Lord Keep Us Honest And True And Help Keep us Stead Fast God Bless All Of You
Yours In Leader Ship SLD Sith Lord Drevin
The Meetings Will Be Held In Any Of The Unit Houses AskWesley Or Myself Fore Club Location Each Week
I Have Let Wesley Slip In Our Orderly ness And This Was Due to the Dirrection Change, That Was My Fault However The Running Of The Club Is Going To Snap So I Hope Your All Ready We At The Next Meeting Will Be Determining Club Attire Fore all ranks The Attire Will Be Voted On And Drafted Please Give Thought to this Question For next sunday We Will Model Unit Out Fits Remembeer Each SD Unit Will Have There Own Uniform Set 4 There In Ch Uniform And In Public Uniform Difforent Units Difforent Sets of Clothes the only one not Changing Is The C.I.T Unniform All Other Rank Uniforms are Changing .
We Are Thinking Of A Recruitment Reward However Thinking and Doing are in diffrent Time Zones Right now
If We Do The One With the highest # of recruites will be winning a psn card not shure how much yet Stay tuned when it has been ironed out we will post all the detailes.
Between Now and next sunday Keep yours eyes to the text and thumbs on the report Function Remember SD Troopers Report Straight to Manadgers Of PS Corporation And If Your Making A Report Make Shure The Report is Justified Take A Screen Shot With Cammorah phone and send the evedence to wes or myself fore Submittance To The Manadgers.
Other Than That Have Fun Make Allies And Friends May Our Lord Keep Us Honest And True And Help Keep us Stead Fast God Bless All Of You
Yours In Leader Ship SLD Sith Lord Drevin
Losses And Welcomes
The Shadow Dominions Battallions Is Sad To Have Lost General BC/AD-Infinity
And Commander Evil One
We Have Also Lost Caddet Outlaw
However We Have Seen The Return Of Our Commander Deadeye111
It Also Seamse The Battalions Has Gained A Large Unit
SD-523-The Shining Crystal Fam Defence Unit
Welcome Back King And Queen Of The Shining Crystal Family
And Commander Evil One
We Have Also Lost Caddet Outlaw
However We Have Seen The Return Of Our Commander Deadeye111
It Also Seamse The Battalions Has Gained A Large Unit
SD-523-The Shining Crystal Fam Defence Unit
Welcome Back King And Queen Of The Shining Crystal Family
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Welcome Creatures of the Darkness
The Shadow Dominions Has Lost 1 Millitary Unit To Gain 2 Vampiric Magi Units The House Of Geovonni And The House Of Seth Bruha
Welcome To The Shadow Dominions The House Of Geovonni
T.H.O.G
Welcome To The Shadow Dominons The House of seth Bruha
T.H.O.S.B
Please Troopers Welcome all the newest members as you would all of the other Shadow Dominions
Battallions Club Members
I Am Honord You Chose SD as Your Ally Club First and Foremost
To you goes a Giant !!!Hoorah!!!
Geovonni Rules
Rules Interpretations
These are additional rules people have put together to allow some aspects of the Vampire system to align with their own interpretations.
Alternative rule on the weakness of Clan Gangrel
Our first games back in the mid-90's were very physical, meaning that at least every 2nd game session each vampire had had a frenzy. As I played a Gangrel back then, my vampire gathered a lot of animal features in a short time. After some sessions I ran out of animal features that I could think of for my character, and he had evolved into an unhuman looking thing - and had just recently lost his first point in one social attribute. After some time I came up with the following house rule that might suit other frenzy-heavy groups:
- Gangrel still gain animal features, but they develop them over a longer period of time - it takes five frenzies to fully develop the feature
- After the feature fully developed/the fifth frenzy, the character loses the point of a social attribute just llike stated in the rules
This is purely a cosmetical change, but one I (as a friend of Clan Gangrel) am very fond of.
Gangrel Mutations Expanded
In addition to the above option, Gangrel characters can also lose Mental Attributes, not just Social. It never made much sense to me that a Clan famed for becoming beast-like and subhuman can somehow keep all their mental faculties when devolving into monsters. So, when a Gangrel is subject to losing an Attribute from frenzying, roll a d6: 1 = Charisma, 2 = Manipulation, 3 = Appearance, 4 = Perception, 5 = Intelligence, 6 = Wits. Or the player and Storyteller can choose which point to drop together. Based on the roll, then choose which kind of frenzy-spawned mutation to apply. Social Attributes would be dropped by grotesque appearance or damage to the vampire's self-esteem, Mental Attributes would be dropped by becoming more instinctual and less intelligent, or perhaps from gaining a disturbing animal habit (i.e., a fixation on stalking prey might reduce a character's Wits, since they focus on the subject to the exclusion of their environment).
Another way to do this would be to apply character Merits and Flaws (such as "Territorial" or "Prey Exclusion") instead/in addition to the Attribute drops. - Lord Mad Balrog -
When determining whether or not (or to what degree) a Gangrel character develops a mutation frenzy, roll their Humanity or Path dots against their Protean dots, diffculty 6 for both. If the Protean dice score more total successes than the Path dice, they gain a mutation that scales with the successes. In other words, subtract the Humanity successes from the Protean successes. If this number is positive, consult the list below. If both sets of rolls fail to have any succesess, re-roll both pools.
- 0 Protean Succeses - No changes, obviously. The character's moral compass has led them true, preserving their human soul (and body!) in the face of the ravages of the Beast.
- 1 Protean Success - Minor cosmetic change, such as changing eye color/shape, hair color/length/amount, skin tone or texture in small patches, etc. These sorts of changes take a Perception roll to notice.
- 2 Protean Successes - Major cosmetic change, such as changing the structure of the face or body, but not altering its function; a more severe form of the changes above, such as developing hair across the entire torso, or scaley patches on the character's hands. These changes are fairly obvious, and at the Storyteller's discretion, may drop points in Appearance.
- 3 Protean Successes - Minor Abilities change, which alters the shape or function of the character's already-existing body parts, such as the "Frog Eyes", "Hide/Carapace", "Maw", "Sonar", or "Talons" mutations mentioned in pages 56-58 of Clanbook: Gangrel. A character's Social or Mental Attributes may drop by a point or two in addition to the bonuses granted by these abilities. Specific Merits or Flaws may also accompany these changes, at the Storyteller's discretion.
- 4 Protean Successes - Major Abilities change, such as the "Exoskeleton", "Spinnerets", "Tail", or "Wings" mutations listed in pages 56-58 of Clanbook: Gangrel. These give new attacks to the character, or add more dice to their Ability pools. They should also suffer a major penalty for these additions, such as reducing Social or Mental Attributes. Some specific Merits or Flaws should accompany these changes.
- 5+ Protean Successes - Whole-body change, such as obtaining the head of a wolf or big cat, the legs merging into a snake tail, assuming the form of an animal permanently, etc. These sorts of changes come with major adjustments to a character's Abilities and Attributes. For example, the head of a wolf grants the character additional dice on scent-based Perception rolls, as well as granting them Eyes of the Beast and the "Maw" mutation permanently. However, they also become colorblind and obviously can't hide a giant wolf-head from the rest of humanity. These sorts of mutations should drastically reduce or totally eliminate the character's Social or Mental Attributes. A character will almost certainly develop new Merits, Flaws, or Derangements along with these mutations.
This way of determining mutations rewards players for having a high Path rating, which will make the repurcussions of frenzying less, as well as reducing the chance of frenzy in the first place, which of course is the goal of maintaining a high Path rating. Needless to say, the most advanced forms of mutation can only come with more advanced levels in Protean; as the character's blood becomes more attuned to animal forms, they develop an increased chance of severe animal mutations.
Clan Gangrel and Werewolves
A possible take on the relationship between Gangrel Vampires and werewolves (New or Old WoD).
Gangrel and werewolves do not like each other. They compete for resources in the form of prey, space, and, according to some traditions, divine attention. The major antagonism between werewolves and Gangrel is the status of the Beast - the animalistic spirit inherent in all humans. For werewolves, the Beast is something to be proud of, encouraged, and marked as a symbol of divine favor. For Gangrel, the Beast is a terrible, uncontrollable urge to self-destruct or otherwise become less than human. Only by overcoming these differences can a werewolf and Gangrel cooperate.
Werewolves believe Gangrel are corrupt wolf- or another animal-spirits ("fomori") that seek to deprive werewolves of their just place in the universe. The Gangrel believe werewolves are big, scary sons-a-bitches that represent a threat to vampires everywhere.
Malkavians and Dominate
Pre-1997, Malkavians in the Camarilla had the option of substituting Dominate for their Clan Discipline of Dementation. However, they still possessed all the other traits of the Clan, including a native insanity. To tie this insanity back in to Discipline use, Malkavians face a lower difficulty (or even automatic successes) when using Dominate to convince the target of something unrealistic, surreal, or outright insane.
For example, a Malkavian has just broken into a bank vault, and has been confronted by security. He may try to convince the officers - by using Dominate - that a giant money-eating moth has made off with all the cash. Regular use of Dominate would probably forbid this, since it is too far beyond normal experience (a Ventrue would have to re-write the officers' memories by making it seem as if a normal criminal of a different physical description robbed the bank, etc). When they relate this story to their superiors, they will sound downright crazy, thus furthering the cause of the Madness Network.
Malkavians using "normal" applications of Dominate obey the rules as set down on pages 156-160 of the Vampire: The Masquerade sourcebook. -Lord Mad Balrog-
Serpentis Level 5 (Heart of Darkness)
The ability granted by Serpentis Level 5, "Heart of Darkness" (see page 178 of the Vampire: The Masquerade sourcebook) always sounded more like a ritual than a Discipline ability to me, especially since as it takes hours to perform, and can only be used once per vampire. Therefore, the process of removing a Setite's heart as described in "Heart of Darkness" is instead treated as a Ritual of Setite sorcery, and is instead repleaced with an ability similar to the Necromancy Ash Path Discipline of "Ex Nihilo" (see page 164), which allows the Setite or someone they subject to the Discipline to travel the realms of the dead in a way similar to a wraith or like Psychic Projection (see page 152). This ability is called "Invasion of Osiris' Realm", or perhaps "Judgement of Ma'at". -Lord Mad Balrog-
- This Discipline requires that the target be removed of all but one Blood Point (this can be achieved any way, by using other Disciplines, or draining the target's blood in ceremony). Each Blood Point lost when using this Discipline increases the difficulty of the following roll by 1 (max 10) - hence, many Setites fast and meditate before using this Discipline. Characters must roll their Humanity or Path dots against the difficulty set above. If they succeed, their spirit is transported to the realm of the dead, and may collect information as any other necromancer can. Their mortal body exists as if in a coma or in torpor.
- At the Storyteller's discretion, each use of this Discipline may also require a Virtue (Conscience or Self-Control) roll in order to pass a guardian spirit or beast ("Ammut"). If they fail the roll, their spirit is consumed, and they lose all Social Attributes while in the land of the dead, and cannot make Social rolls.
Fool´s World of Darkness
After playing Vampire: the masquerate with several Roleplaying groups, I found some alterations to the Rules and the Backgrounds that proven useful to me. Maybe you like it or parts of it. I want to share it with you.
Humanity
The Humanity rule is poetic, but in my opinion, it has a problem. You want to play a Vampire, a Monster, but this rule reduces the Vampires to merciful creatures who fears to kill. I ever wanted as a Gamemaster to picture the cruelty and evil, that is a part of being Vampire, mixed with their Human emotions, this creature is far more interesting. On the other Hand, without the Humanity rule the game would lose much atmosphere. I detest the Paths, it´s only a plea to make Sabbat Vampires possible. Here is my suggestion: You loose Humanity as the rulebook discripe, you roll on Conscience to avoid it. But when you loose Humanity, you do not transform into a wild animal. Your bounderies break, that means you have to roll on Self- Control once in a while, to avoid sins you do not wish to do, and this increases with your lower Humanity. If you visit your mortal best friend and have a Humanity rating below 4, it can be that you have to roll Self- Control to avoid feeding on him. You can simply orientate yourself on the table of sins in the core rulebook, to see which sins are no problem for you any more. That means: It is still possible (and interesting) to play a character with Humanity 0, he is still a feeling and complex being, he still knows friendship and love, but he knows no bounderies and takes what he wants. Many Elders have Humanity 0 in the Fool´s World of Darkness.
Toreador Weakness
I never liked the Toreador weakness, it remembers me on a weakness in a computer game. The character can´t move. My alternative: The Toreador fall easily in love with beauty. Beauty persons, fascinating art or architecture. When a Toreador sees beauty, he rolls Self- Control. If he fails, he is in love, he must have it, or dominate it. If they see a picture in a museum and they fall in love, it can be that they visit it every night to stare on it, or maybe they steal it or destroy it because they can´t bear the beauty. When they´re "fed" on the beauty, when they posses the thing or person, this love fades and they throw it or him away.
Tzimisce Weakness
I changed the weakness for the Tzimisce as well. In my opinion, it is not really part of the roleplay, not such a curse like the other weaknesses, which followed the other clans. You can´t play with it, narrate about it, it is simply earth you need to sleep in, and you have it or not. My alteration, which is in my opinion suited for the Tzimisce: Tzimisce cannot enter a private home from a mortal without invitation from him. Once he got the invitation, he can enter freely, the mortal cannot take it back. The Tzimisce can enter public places such as libraries, schools and shops without permission of it´s owners. He can enter homes from supernatural creatures as well, the restriction is only for private mortal territory. Abandon places can be entered freely, for example when the owner have moved or died. The Tzimisce does not need to know that, he feels if the place is forbidden to him.
Disciplines
I like the different clans and structures, but you see many stereotypes, many Toreadors or Brujahs alike. In my oppinion, it is not the clan´s disadvantages which caused it, the disciplines did. With Obfuscate, you create the typical Nosferatu spy, with Potence, Celerity and Presence many Players are seduced to create the Brujah Warmachine. Additionally, I ever liked the idea that every Vampire has different Powers, that the dark gift is individual. You can use with that the Disciplines of Bloodlines and secret or lost Clans (such as the Samedi or the Salubri) when you want to, even if you don´t include them in your game. That means: You keep the Clan structure and the weaknesses for every Clan, but you change the disciplines. Here are two ways to do it.
The free system
This system requires mature players, who could manage this freedom without abusing it for power gaming. Instead of disciplines, every player has folders. Every Vampire can have as much folders as he likes, as long as he has enough points to give a folder at least one point. For every point he has in this folder, he can take a power from a discipline of his choice. For example: If a folder has three points, he can choose Power one from Presence, Power two from Animalism and power three from Auspex. For Disciplines, which build directly from level 1 to 5 (such as celerity or potence), he has to have the lower power in one of the folders. For example: If he wants to have celerity 3, he has to have power one and two in his folders. I can understand that many groups may dislike this system, but with it you can create limitless combinations.
The choice system
This is the more simple system, suited for players who have not the complete overview over the disciplines and it has not the problems the free system may bring with it. The vampire chooses three disciplines freely, this are his natural disciplines and follow all the rules for clan Disciplines (such as the Experience costs). That means the new Brujah can have Presence, Fortitude and Quietus if he wants. Naturally, this system requires also maturity and a desteste for Power Gaming.
Background Changes
The Sabbat
I must confess, I dislike the Sabbat. But I never wanted to give him up. I showed the Sabbat as an underground cult, a few Vampires here and there which found the secret of the Blood Ritual. They are part of the Camarilla, breaking their Blood Bounds, act in the shadows and planning to destroy the Elders. In my Chronicles, this was the Sabbat, a secret society, not a rampaging Vampire Sect.
The Camarilla
I ever liked the idea of a Worldwide Vampiric Organisation, and with the erasing of the Sabbat, I put all clans in it. So Camarilla Players are free to play Lasombra, Assamites, Giovannis and Tzimisce as well. In the Fool´s World of Darkness, the Masquerade is a need for all Vampires.
The Giovanni & the Tremere
With the free Discipline System, it is imppssible to define a clan through his major Discipline, such as Necromancy or Thaumaturgie. This changes alter the Giovanni, they are really a Mafia Family, not Necromancers. I ever saw him more as in a World similiar to a Vampiric Version of the Godfather. It suites me, I never needed to portray the Giovanni as Necromancers. The same for the Tremere, but without the Magic, the Tremere are Nothing. So they are free to take a Discipline called "Rituals". For every dot in Ritual, they get a Ritual with the suited Level. I had never have a problem with them taking Necromancy Rituals, why not Death Magic for the Tremere. If you like the Discipline idea, but dislike the changes for the Giovanni and the Tremere, you can simply restrict these disciplines for the two clans.
The Assamite
I pictured the Assamite as a fallen clan, enslaved by the Camarilla after the war. Only a few Assamites remain who make their job in the Camarilla, defeated by their curse. They wait for their chance to return, when someday the curse is broken and they can diaberize freely.
I hope, I could give one or two gamemasters suitable ideas. Feel free to contact me and give me feedback, I´m interested in your opinion: dennis.koppetsch@t-online.de
Humanity, or "How Human You Are"
This is a tweak to how a character's humanity is gained/lost, and is probably better for experienced players to use as an optional rule. As presented in the books, Humanity is a generic sort of Christian-based morality: "thou shall not kill", "thou shall not covet", etc, etc. However, the use of the term lends itself more to simply how human a vampire is, and humans can be good, bad, and downright ugly.
So, when determining whether a character gains or loses humanity, do not base it off a code of morality, but rather how well or how poorly a character behaves (and believes) as a human does. A character who was an impassioned murderer may not be a saint, but they are (unfortunately) still human, and their passion for depraved acts is a mark of their humanity. While a vampire may also committ depraved acts, they typically lack the passion of the mortal. In short, this version of Humanity measures characters on "how alive they feel". The more they act (think, believe, feel) like a living mortal, the higher their Humanity. This rule change may be a good compromise between the Path of Humanity and one of the Paths of Enlightenment for new Sabbat players, as it allows them to be horrible without worrying about another Path's philosophy. It also lets Malkavians have a higher Path of Humanity rating in spite of their insanity and frenzy.
A character will still have to deal with conflicts between their Nature and Demeanor (a character with an aggressive Nature but a passive Demeanor may actually lose Humanity if they overplay the passivness, as they are not acting true to their Nature), and also still gains Willpower for playing up to their Natures. -Lord Mad Balrog-
Paths of Enlightenment Unplugged
As moral systems, the Paths of Enlightenment (Vampire: The Masquerade sourcebook, pgs. 286-295, Guide to the Sabbat, pgs. 127-146) are expressions of a code of behavior that, when violated, results in the practitioner losing control of themselves and becoming both mindless and morally void. However, the hierarchial system in the core rulebook is a little too restricting for the themes of my game. One slips and stumbles on the Path to Enlightenment; one generally does not leap head-first over a cliff. Thusly, the way I calculate the moral rating of a character on a Path of Enlightenment is to measure up their total virtues of the Path versus their total sins, regardless of their place in the Hierarchy of Sins.
- For example, the Path of Antitribu says that its followers should betray each other at every oppurtunity, they should not Embrace, never swear true allegiance to anyone, etc, etc. So, a character on the Path of Antitribu's Path Rating would be the total of all the points they practice, regardless of what order they are in. Though the Path says Embracing is worse than betrayal, if the person upholds betrayal but also Embraces a mortal, they are still credited with 1 Path point. For each and any of the Moral Guidelines the character upholds, they gain 1 point. For each and any Moral Guidelines the character fails to uphold, they do notget a point.
This house rule has allowed me to be a little more lenient in judging characters on Paths of Enlightenment, and allows Sabbat characters in particular to start with generally higher Path ratings. It also plays around with themes of good and evil, since a hunter can commit mass murder of Kindred, but still have a Path of Humanity rating of 9, if he upholds every single other virtue of that Path. He would still be counted a "good" man, but let's face it, those vampires just need to die. (I'm lookin' at you, Society of Leopold!) -Lord Mad Balrog
Feed
Inspired by the computer game Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, some Storytellers might wish to include the following Trait into their characters. This doubles as both a Trait and optional rule, since it modifies the standard feeding practice as set down on page 139 of the Vampire: The Masquerade sourcebook. The "Feed" Trait determines just how efficient a Vampire character is at drawing out blood from mortals. In its basic form, a character may draw out 1 Blood Point's worth of blood per turn from their victim for each dot in Feed (maximum 5). Note that certain Merits, Flaws, and mutations (such as "Efficient Digestion" (pg. 297 of the Vampire: The Masquerade sourcebook) or "Maw" (pg. 57 of Clanbook: Gangrel) may automatically increase the Feed Trait, even beyond its normal maximum of 5.
• Welcome, young vampire
•• You missed a spot, right there
••• You're a regular mosquito
•••• Some accuse you of Thaumaturgy, you can drain blood so quickly
••••• It's an all-night bloodbath with you around. The Sabbat will be interested
- Naturally, if this Trait is included in a Chronicle, all Vampire characters start with at least 1 point in this Trait. It is improved as per an in-Clan Discipline (see page 143 of the Vampire: The Masquerade for rules about spending Experience in this way).
- This Trait does not affect the character's maximum Blood Pool, or maximum number of Blood Points spent per turn, only how quickly they gain Blood Points per turn by Feeding.
- The optional rule within the optional rule: Some Storytellers may wish to declare that a vampire always takes the maximum number of Blood Points per turn, as determined by their Feed Trait. This means that if a character has a Feed Trait of 5, they always take 5 points of blood per turn. They cannot choose to remove less. For characters with a high level of Feed, this means they may take more blood than is healthy for the target, killing most animals and leaving humans dangerously weakened.
- Optional Rule #3: Upon gaining Feed 4 or Feed 5, characters with Humanity greater than 4 need to make a Humanity roll to see if they lose a point in that Path. They are giving in to their predatory nature in the most fundamental way possible, eschewing human habits and means. -Lord Mad Balrog-
Assamites Don't Exist!
This is something I use in all of my games. Assamites are not a Clan; they never have been and never will be. The reason is simple: a Clan of assassin's was created to entertain players obsessed with that cliche. That being the case, it should never have existed. Every Clan deals with its own dirty deeds, has their own 'assassins', and can take care of themselves. Ergo, 12 Clans. This is for those who dislike Quietus, dislike the notion of a Clan composed of near-clones, or simply because the concept of Assamites is corny.
Crossover Guidelines
Seen the great variety of the WoD setting, a great deal of effort must be taken for those who wish to involve more than one or two types of creatures in any story, not to mention troupes playing out an alliance of some sort. Knowledge seems to be the most difficult to handle, especially when considering that these creatures tend to hide their true nature from prying eyes. It is correct to assume that each of these societies are for 'members only' and that they are mainly concerned with their own agendas. However, such is not always the case...--AXVI 00:58, 29 March 2009 (EDT)
Lores
Kindred Lore, Garou Lore, Mage Lore ... The list is endless, and serves one main purpose - to limit a character's knowledge. This rather dated approach, however, is an all-or-nothing approach. A Cainite with Sabbat Lore knows nothing of the Camarilla? Not likely. My suggestion is to use a sort of expertise system with the basic knoledges, bringing a more personalized aspect to the "Lores". Troupes using the Dark Ages system will have the most ease with this approach as I have not found it in previous literature (see p142 of Dark Ages: Vampire).
The expertise system is basically one where a single ability, usually a skill, results in different proficiencies (Craft:Leatherworking, Carpentry, Sewing... Performane: Instruments, Dancing, Playing...). In the case of skills, an expertise is given for each dot. My suggestion, for Knowledges, is to apply it to Academics, Hearth Wisdom, Law, Occlut, and Politics. To respect the rarity of such Lores, I also suggest only giving one's own creature type/affiliation as an available expertise with the option of buying the others PER INDIVIDUAL KNOWLEDGE (Dark Ages: Vampire, p. 166)
Academics: In regards to the history (documented facts)of one's affiliation; Lineage, the Ages of the Cathayans, the book of Nod...
Hearth Wisdom: For an area's tradditions and legends (oral tradditions); the Carpathians' vampires, Ireland fae, Asia's hengeyokai...
Law: A specific sect's regulations; Kindred rights and obligations, Garou and the challenge of their leader, Beast Court regulations...
Occult: A creature type's powers and weaknesses; kindred's disciplines, garou's weakness to silver, the nature of the wyrm...
Politics: Intestine relations; kindred clans, garou tribes, mage tradditions...
Vampire: the Masquerade to Vampire: the Requiem Crossover
If you want to role-play out the transition from VtM rules to VtR rules, you could use the following justification: In 2004, the world came to an end. The Final Night arrived. The Antediluvians rose up and consumed their generations of childer in the epic bloodbath of Gehenna. However, due to the heroic struggle of a few individuals (perhaps your Storytelling group), the Antediluvians were put down, sent back into torpor, etc. However, most bloodlines died out, diablerized by their grandparents. Among the lost are the Ravnos (who disappeared earlier), the Setites (who willingly sacrificed themselves to their god), the Assamites (destroyed by civil war, and were no collective match for their Antediluvian), the Tzimisce (who, as it turns out, were right all along), and the Giovanni (it is unknown exactly what happened to them).
In order to survive, a few Clan Bloodlines merged via powerful Thaumaturgic rituals, or simple Vaulderie-like ceremonies. The Lasombra and Toreador merged into the Daeva Bloodline, and the Tremere, Malkavian, and scions of the Nosferatu merged into the Mekhet Clan. The Clans that survived more-or-less intact (the Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Ventrue) did so by various means. The Gangrel did what they do best: survive (rumors strongly suggest this was by adopting or diablerizing their Brujah comrades en masse). There are varying accounts of whether they destroyed or simply pacified their Antediluvian. The Ventrue are suspected of cutting a deal with their grandparent. The Nosferatu hid and scavenged while their progenitor was dealt with by the other rampaging Ancients.
There is no record of any vampire calling themselves Caine during this period. But then, there wouldn't be.
In the aftermath of all this chaos and destruction, recovered copies of the Book of Nod and similar texts were all but obliterated, and the surviving vampires had to re-create vampiric lore and political groups, resulting in the Circle of the Crone, the Invictus, and the Lancea Sanctum. Vampiric society has effectively started over "from scratch", though all the difficulties of the modern world still afflict the Kindred.
Additional Rules
Sometimes there's a nifty idea for a new aspect of the vampiric existence.
Dangers of the Blood
This rule addition is based heavily on the Animalism ability "Crimson Fury" (Clanbook: Gangrel, pg. 63), only it is always active, and applies to all vampires.
It makes sense that in addition to gaining all the supernatural benefits of a vampire's vitae, one should also be at risk from suffering the same dangers and weaknesses. Therefore, when creating a Blood Bond with a human (to make them a Ghoul) or with another vampire, Embracing a childe, or suffering diablerie, the recipient of the blood makes a Frenzy check using the donating vampire's Frenzy roll. Vampires who have strong Beasts pass on this trait when giving another their blood, and if the subject fails the Frenzy check, they Frenzy and attack the one giving them blood, either overtaken by the desire to diablerize or out of a misplaced and overwhelming passion for the vampire. Vampires attempting to diablerize another may flee or otherwise be driven away.
This may seem slightly unfair to Clans such as the Brujah and Gangrel, but serves to drive home the point that the World of Darkness is not a charitable place. -Lord Mad Balrog-
Animalism v1.5
1) Animalism grants automatic successes in rolls involving Animal Ken equal to the number of dots in the Animalism Discipline, but 2) a character's Animal Ken Skill must be equal to or higher than their Animalism Discipline. -Lord Mad Balrog-
Animalism Aura-Sensing
My interpretation of the Animalism Discipline is that it allows the vampire to sense connections between themselves and other animals (and at advanced stages, vampires and humans, since they are all fundamentally "animal"). To make Animalism a little different than simply Dominate for use on animals, I replace level 3 of Animalism (Quell the Beast) with an ability I call "Predator or Prey?" This basically gives all the same bonuses as the Auspex ability Aura Sensing/Aura Perception, but uses Wits instead of Perception on rolls. -Lord Mad Balrog-
Botch Alleviation
When recently picking up some Old World of Darkness games to run again, I was confronted with the frustration of the botch. They come up too often, eroding successes and creating frustrating bouts of sheer randomness (as opposed to the intended more dice = more chance of success). To compensate, I use the following rule; Abilities are training and talent, and it is often this training that helps the novice avoid common errors. Therefore, at ratings of ••• and above, 1s rolled in a dice pool involving that Ability can be canceled. This rewards those who take Abilities over Attributes. In the case of Disciplines based on traits like Humanity and Willpower, this does not apply (though one could allow Thaumaturgy and Necromancy to apply as such, if they wanted).
- ••• Cancel a single 1 in the pool
- •••• Cancel two 1s in the pool
- ••••• Cancel three 1s in the pool
And so on and so forth.
Extra Stuff
These ideas expand the basic system and provide details that never made it to the original releases.
The Wasteland Chronicle
The Wasteland Chronicle, a nonofficial Maryland MET chronicle that uses a graduation system, has a wiki set up by one of the storytellers that can be foundhere, it has some good House Rules that have proven to work well. Worth a look-see.
Inner City Tremere Chantry
Inner-City Tremere Chantry - A small building that's great for a branch-chantry near the downtown area of the city. Philosophers Ghost
Legendary Vampires
Dracula: Tzimisce, Ravnos, or Mekhet that has diablerized many, many Gangrel due to the Clan rivalry/personal grudge, thus gaining Protean and Animalism powers (shapeshifting into a wolf or mist, summoning vermin, etc). The inability to be seen in a mirror comes from a proto-Vaulderie ritual done with the Lasombra; the inability to enter a home without permission is either a personal phobia or part of the Tzimisce flaw (see "Tzimisce Weakness" above).
Caine: The Father of All Vampires. Following the Biblical tradition, Caine was cursed by God and otherwise obeys common lore about vampiric origins. For those more inclined to play according to evolutionist theory, Caine evolved as a separate branch of humanity - the ultimate thinking and hunting predator. He has access to at least level 5 of all Disciplines, with specialty in Obtenebration, Potence, Fortitude, Presence, Dominate, Celerity, and Chimerstry.
Lilith: In the event that the group decides to make Lilith a vampire (instead of a Mage, Werewolf, Fae, etc), she has similar stats to Caine, but specializes in Potence, Fortitude, Protean, Quietus, Vicissitude, Presence, and Animalism. Another possibility is to make Lilith a Demon. In fact, as a creature so cunning, she would never be infected with Vicissitude and would probably consider the Souleater as anathema.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
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Drill Training
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If You Are Not On The List Please Ask Commander Morbid 4 Club house invite
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Sunday, 15 April 2012
Playing With An Idea
"I In Light of the Star wars Clubs Drama I Am Considering turning Shadow Dominions Battalions To The
The backbone of Starfleet's operations were its starships. These vessels, allwarp-capable, were capable of supporting and providing the ability and resources to carry out all of the service's mandates: exploration, the military defense of the Federation, the transport of supplies and resources, and providing emergency medical care. A large range of starship classes existed. Some were multi-purpose and other were designed for a specific use.
United Federation Of Planets I Would Like Troopers Opinions."
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- For the mirror universe counterpart, please see Starfleet (mirror).
Starfleet was the deep-space exploratory and defense service maintained by the United Federation of Planets. Its principal functions included the advancement of Federation knowledge about the galaxy and its inhabitants, the advancement of Federation science and technology, the military defense of the Federation, and the practice of Federation diplomacy.
As per its mandate of deep-space exploration, its personnel were frequently brought into contact with cultures and sentient species whose existences were unknown to the Federation. Starfleet officers therefore acted as official representatives of the Federation in these cases. Starfleet vessels were also frequently used to ferry ambassadors on diplomatic missions. (TNG: "The Last Outpost"; VOY: "Innocence", "The Void"; TOS: "Journey to Babel"; Star Trek)
Contents[show] |
History Edit
Pre-Federation Edit
Prior to 2161, Starfleet was the primary space defense and exploration organization of United Earth in the early-to-mid 22nd century. The primary authority of Starfleet was referred to as either Starfleet Command or UESPA (United Earth Space Probe Agency) under the jurisdiction of the Command Council, and was located in the city of San Francisco, Earth. (ENT: "Broken Bow", "Terra Prime")
While UESPA already existed in the 2060s according to VOY: "Friendship One", Starfleet was presumably founded in the mid-2130s, as Jonathan Archer gave some thought to join the Earth Cargo Service a few years before Starfleet was chartered, and 2134 was his senior year in college. Starfleet must have existed in 2136, as Margaret Mullin turned down Archer's proposal of marriage, since she did not want to become a "Starfleet widow." (ENT: "Vox Sola", "Horizon", "Twilight")
The primary purpose of Starfleet from its infancy was to "...seek out new life and new civilizations," and "...go boldly where no man has gone before." (This quote is attributed to Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive on Earth.) (ENT: "Broken Bow")
Some Starfleet personnel worked in conjunction with the United Earth Diplomatic Corps.
In 2153, following a Xindi attack on Earth and numerous firefights that the Enterprise NX-01 had been involved in since its launch in 2151, it was determined that Earth's vessels would begin to carry detachments of United Earth's elite military unit, the MACOs, thus taking a step towards the unification of Starfleet and the military – and of the roles of defense and exploration. (ENT: "The Expanse")
One of the primary projects of Starfleet was to develop a viable and fast interstellar engine that would allow Earth to practically cross vast distances in reasonably short time. Despite some allegations of interference – or at least, a refusal of assistance – from the Vulcans, Earth had made notable progress in developing the warp five engine by the 2150s. (ENT: "Broken Bow")
Key officials overseeing the United Earth Starfleet included:
- Admiral Maxwell Forrest
- Admiral Daniel Leonard
- Admiral Gardner
- Commander Williams
Article 14, Section 31, of the original U.E. Starfleet Charter made allowances for certain rules to be bent during times of extraordinary threat. This clause was the seed for the rogue organization known as Section 31. LieutenantMalcolm Reed was recruited to Section 31 as a young ensign. (ENT: "Affliction", "Divergence"; DS9: "Inquisition")
In "Inquisition", Luther Sloan describes Section 31 as being part of the "original" Starfleet Charter, implying the existence of multiple charters – consistent with the speculative notion of the United Earth Starfleet eventually being re-chartered as the Federation Starfleet. In "Tacking Into the Wind", Julian Bashir says that Section 31 had managed to stay hidden for "over three hundred years." Therefore, the United Earth Starfleet should have been chartered before 2075. This, however, is contradicted by Captain Archer stating that he considered becoming a member of the Earth Cargo Authority "before Starfleet was chartered" in "Horizon".
The Latin phrase on the pre-Federation Starfleet seal is "Ad Astra Per Aspera" (which translates roughly as "to the stars through hardships"). It is a modified version of the NASA motto "Per Aspera Ad Astra" ("through hardships to the stars"). It is also the current-day state motto of Kansas. It may also be related to the RAF motto "'Per Ardua Ad Astra'" ("through adversity to the stars").
United Federation of Planets Edit
With the formation of the Federation in 2161, as per the Federation Charter, Starfleet and the deep-space exploratory and military services of the other member worlds were folded into the authority of the Federation. (DS9: "Inquisition"; ENT: "Detained", "Divergence")
Until as late as the 2290s, some Starfleet operations continued to fall at least partly under the jurisdiction of UESPA. By the mid-24th century, however, Starfleet operations were regulated solely by Starfleet Command, answering to the Federation President and the Federation Council. (TOS: "Charlie X", "Tomorrow is Yesterday";Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; et al.)
UESPA was mentioned early in the Original Series, before producers finally settled upon "Starfleet" and the UFP as the Enterprise crew's operating authorities. It was found in background details in Star Trek: Enterprise and on the dedication plaque of the USS Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations. UESPA was found on the United Earth Starfleet seal seen in "Demons", implying that the UE Starfleet was a division of UESPA or vice versa. It was never mentioned in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The nature of the relationship between UESPA and the Federation Starfleet was never established.
It is unclear why the fledgling Federation would utilize so many of Earth's space agencies as major contributors to its own Starfleet, especially considering both Vulcan's and Andoria's superior military and exploratory operations. One theory is paranoia. By placing the fledgling Starfleet in the hands of what was arguably the technologically and militarily weakest species, a balance remained amongst the remaining three powers, with none of the four having a significant advantage over the other three. Another explanation might be that, early on, planetary authorities operated inside of yet simultaneously independent of Starfleet, as is the case with the relationship between the European Space Agency and its national members. Whatever the reason, it is clear that – by the 23rd century – Earth had become the military backbone of the Federation. Even though less technologically advanced than other members, United Earth was nonetheless a major player in the Federation (for example, acting as its capital) and no doubt had much influence, for example the construction of Federation ships in the Sol system would have probably used UESPA and Starfleet facilities, at first, which gave it an advantage.
Organization Edit
Direct commanding authority over Starfleet was a power of the Federation President. (DS9: "Paradise Lost", Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) In addition, the Federation Council, the Federation's legislature, often directly influenced the service's operations and even issued orders on occasion. (TNG: "Force of Nature", "The Defector") The day-to-day operations of the service were managed by Starfleet Command, under a commander in chief. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
Commander in chief Edit
The commander in chief oversaw the operations of the entire service, and reported directly to the Federation president. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) In the late 2370s, the position of commander in chief was actually held by Federation President Jaresh Inyo (DS9: "Paradise Lost")
Starfleet Command Edit
This was the service's operational authority. Senior positions included the Commander, Starfleet. the chief of staffand the chief of Starfleet Operations. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
It is unclear precisely what exact functions these positions involved. Nor is it known, precisely, how they related to each other in terms of command authority.
Sector commands Edit
These oversaw operations of the service within sectors of Federation space. There were at least 23 sector commands. Sector commanders reported to Starfleet Command, and commanding officers of service vessels operating within these sectors reported to them. (TNG: "Power Play", "The Measure Of A Man")
Starfleet Academy Edit
Starfleet Academy was a facility maintained by the service for the training of its officers. Prospective officers received extensive training at this facility, for a period of four years. Undergraduates attending the facility were calledmidshipmen in the 23rd century and cadets in the 24th century. Successful graduates were commissioned as Federation Starfleet officers. (citation needed •edit)
Branches and agencies Edit
There were a number of branches and agencies that assisted Starfleet Command in the running of the service.
- Judge Advocate General
- Office of the Inspector General
- Spaceframe development
- Starfleet Administration
- Starfleet Advanced Technologies
- Starfleet Bureau of Information
- Starfleet Cartography
- Starfleet Corps of Engineers
- Starfleet Exploratory Division
- Starfleet Intelligence
- Starfleet Materiel Supply Command
- Starfleet Medical
- Starfleet Mission Operations
- Starfleet Operational Support Services
- Starfleet Operations
- Starfleet Orbital Operations
- Starfleet Research and Development
- Starfleet Shipyards Operations
- Starfleet Security
- Starfleet Science
- Starfleet Stellar Imaging
- Starfleet Tactical
Personnel Edit
Starfleet personnel were organized, using a military rank structure, into a chain of command. Personnel were in either of two groups: enlisted personnel and officers. Some personnel formally committed to the service, by taking the Starfleet oath.
Officers Edit
In the 22nd century, Starfleet was a civilian organization which adopted many aspects of Earth's earlier military forces, even though its main role was scientific development and exploration. Ranks within Starfleet closely followed the traditions of the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy.
Starfleet officers functioned as commanders and directors of the service's operations at all levels. The most senior officers ranks were known as flag officer ranks. Officers holding these ranks functioned at the highest levels of command in the service. Flag officer ranks, in descending order of the chain of command, are as follows:
- Fleet Admiral
- Admiral
- Vice Admiral
- Rear Admiral
- Commodore/Rear Admiral, lower half
Sector commanders, the Superintendent of Starfleet Academy, the Commander, Starfleet, the Starfleet Chief of Staff and Chief of Starfleet Operations, and the Commander in Chief, were all flag officers. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; TNG: "Ménage à Troi", "The First Duty")
Below flag officer ranks were other officer ranks. Officers holding these ranks usually served in field command positions, such as commanding officers and senior staff on the service's vessels. These ranks, in descending order of the chain of command, were as follows:
Graduates of Starfleet Academy were commissioned to the rank of ensign, the most junior officer's rank, and were promoted to higher ranks over the courses of their time in the service. Physicians who graduated from Starfleet Medical Academy in the 24th century were commissioned to the rank of lieutenant junior grade.
Enlisted personnel Edit
These personnel functioned under the command of the officers, usually serving aboard Starfleet vessels or other facilities. Instead of officers' training, enlisted personnel received basic training for whatever position they served in. (VOY: "Good Shepherd", et al.) The most junior enlisted rank was that of crewman. The service's enlisted rank structure, in descending order of the chain of command, was as follows:
- Master Chief Petty Officer
- Senior Chief Petty Officer
- Chief Petty Officer
- Petty Officer First Class
- Petty Officer Second Class
- Petty Officer Third Class
- Crewman
The enlisted ranks above that of crewman were not commissioned officer ranks. To distinguish them from commissioned officer ranks, the term 'non-commissioned officer' was used. All enlisted personnel were subordinate to commissioned officers in the chain of command.
Uniforms Edit
In the 22nd century, the same basic uniform was worn by all Starfleet officers, with differences in insignia and color-coded elements designed to distinguish rank and departmental function. Starfleet departments included Starfleet Operations and Starfleet Security. (ENT: "Broken Bow")
Starfleet personnel wore distinctive uniforms while on duty. These uniforms generally displayed the department color of the department/divison the enlisted person or officer served in, and also the rank insignia.
Wearing a Starfleet uniform when not actually a member of Starfleet would put one at risk of being charged withimpersonating a Starfleet officer. (DS9: "Chrysalis")
Bases and installations Edit
Aside from its headquarters, located on Earth, the Federation's capital world, Starfleet also maintained installations throughout Federation territory.
Starbases Edit
Starbases, facilities for resupply of the service's vessels and the relaxation of vessel crews, were maintained in all sectors of Federation space. In addition, the service also maintained facilities beyond Federation territory. The most well-known of these is Deep Space 9, in the Alpha Quadrant. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Shipyards Edit
The service also maintained a number of shipyards at which it constructed its vessels and designed and tested new vessels and vessel types. Among the most famous of these shipyards were:
- The Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, located in orbit around Mars
- The San Francisco Fleet Yards, located in orbit around Earth
- The Beta Antares Ship Yards, located in the Antares sector
(TNG: "Parallels", "Eye of the Beholder", "Night Terrors", "The Wounded"; Star Trek: The Motion Picture; VOY: "Message in a Bottle")
Training facilities Edit
Apart from Starfleet Academy, the service also maintained several training facilities for both officers and enlisted personnel. These included a number of Academy annexes, located in different systems. Known annexes wereStarfleet Academy (Beta Aquilae II), Starfleet Academy (Beta Ursae Minor II) and Starfleet Academy (Psi Upsilon III). (TNG: "Eye of the Beholder") The service also maintained at least one testing facility to evaluate prospective Starfleet Academy undergraduates for admission into the academy.This facility was located on the planet Relva VII. (TNG: "Coming of Age")
Starfleet academy also had a training program for enlisted personnel. (TNG: "The Drumhead") In addition at least one other such facility was located on Mars, known as the Starfleet Technical Services Academy. (TNG: "Eye of the Beholder")
Vessels Edit
The single most important asset that Starfleet possessed, apart from its personnel, was its vessels.
Starships Edit
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The backbone of Starfleet's operations were its starships. These vessels, allwarp-capable, were capable of supporting and providing the ability and resources to carry out all of the service's mandates: exploration, the military defense of the Federation, the transport of supplies and resources, and providing emergency medical care. A large range of starship classes existed. Some were multi-purpose and other were designed for a specific use.
The most famous ship of pre-Federation Starfleet was the NX-class EnterpriseNX-01. That ship was the first to be equipped with the Warp 5 engine, and made first contact with over thirty species. Under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer, Enterprise established Earth as an interstellar power after negotiating treaties between the Vulcans andAndorians in 2152, saving the galaxy from the Sphere Builders and the Xindi in 2154, uncovering the lost teachings of Surak on Vulcan and preventing a Vulcan invasion of Andoria later in 2154, helping to instigate a cultural and political coup d'etat against the dictatorial Vulcan head of state Administrator V'Las, and facilitating peace talks between the Andorians and Tellarites following a series of attacks on both races in late 2154. (ENT: "Broken Bow", "Cease Fire", "Zero Hour", "The Forge", "Awakening", and more)
The United Earth Starfleet also built the NX-class Columbia, launching that ship in late 2154, with at least two moreNX-class ships planned. (ENT: "Fortunate Son", "Home", "Affliction")
It can be assumed that the NX-class, as well as many other United Earth Starfleet vessels, were among the primary line of defense against the Romulans during the Earth-Romulan War of the late 2150s.
The United Earth Starfleet did not have any jurisdiction over what happens aboard vessels operating in the Earth Cargo Service. That responsibility remained in the hands of the Earth Cargo Authority. (ENT: "Fortunate Son", "Horizon")
The Constitution-class was historically one of the service's most important starship classes. Starships of this class were the service's frontline vessels in the 23rd century, designed for long-term exploratory missions lasting five Earth years. The most storied of these vessels was the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James Tiberius Kirk. During his historic tour of duty as captain, countless new civilizations, planets, and anomalies were studied. (Star Trek: The Original Series; Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
In the late 2260s to early 2270s, the Constitution-class starships underwent a major refit program. The actual refitting took eighteen months of work and essentially a new vessel was built onto the bones of the old, replacing virtually every major system. These upgraded refit Constitutions provided a bridge in capability until the next class of modern Starfleet cruiser could take their place at the forefront of galactic exploration, diplomacy, and conflict. Thus, the Constitution-class continued in service for a further twenty years.
The Excelsior-class was initially constructed during the early 2280s at Starfleet'sSan Francisco Fleet Yards orbiting Earth. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country dedication plaque) Starfleet had high hopes for the first ship of this class, the prototype USS Excelsior, which was equipped with transwarp drive, and was regarded as that century's "Great Experiment." (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) Despite the failure of the "Great Experiment," Starfleet forged ahead with employing the Excelsior design. After remaining in Earth Spacedock until at least 2287, the prototypeExcelsior was subsequently recommissioned for active service by 2290. In 2293, the Excelsior design was given greater notoriety when Starfleet passed on the name of a legacy. The launch of the USS Enterprise-B opened the door for the Excelsior class to become one of the most widely used designs in all of Starfleet, a design lasting well into the late 24th century. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; Star Trek Generations; TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint" – VOY: "Endgame")
In the 24th century, the Excelsior design was gradually replaced as the service's front-line vessel class by the Galaxy-class. Primarily designed at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, this class was the most technologically sophisticated in the history of the service. (TNG: "Lonely Among Us", "Contagion") Vessels of this class were the largest in size of any ever produced in Federation history, and became well-known, both within and outside of the Federation, for their capabilities in both scientific enquiry and exploration, and military action. (TNG: "Tin Man", "Chain of Command, Part I"; DS9: "Valiant") The most recognized vessel of this class was the USS Enterprise-D, commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Due to continual advancements in design, the Galaxy-class was eventually replaced by the Sovereign-class. This class featured innovations in weapons, warp propulsion and computer processing power. The most noteworthy vessel in this class was the USS Enterprise-E, again commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. (Star Trek: First Contact)
Another very well known class was the Intrepid-class. This class was older than the Sovereign-class, but more advanced than the Galaxy-class. The Intrepid-class proved itself many times beyond what was expected of it when a ship of this class, the USS Voyager, commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway, was cast nearly 70,000 light years away from Federation space, deep into the unexplored Delta Quadrant, in 2371. The ship supported Captain Janeway and her crew through dangers never before encountered by a Starfleet crew, and successfully returned to Federation space in 2378. For those seven years, the ship had no access to any kind of Starfleet supplies or maintenance whatsoever. (Star Trek: Voyager)
Other noteworthy starship classes were the Akira-class, the Nova-class, theOlympic-class, the Defiant-class and the experimental Prometheus-class. TheDefiant- and Prometheus-classes were primarily designed for military operations. (DS9: "The Search, Part I"; VOY: "Message in a Bottle") TheOlympic-class was designed as mobile emergency medical centers. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels", "In the Pale Moonlight", "Image in the Sand", "The Siege of AR-558", "What You Leave Behind"; TNG: "All Good Things...")
Other vessels Edit
Aside from its starships, the service also operated other vessels. Among these were several types of shuttlecraft, which were typically used to transport personnel over relatively short distances, such as from a starship orbiting a planet down to the planet's surface. (ENT: "Chosen Realm", et al.)
Starfleet shuttlecraft of the 23rd and 24th centuries also were equipped with limited warp capability, allowing transport of personnel within a range of several light years from the starship. (VOY: "Initiations", "Tsunkatse", "Good Shepherd")
Time vessels Edit
Interventions by Starfleet of the 29th century into the 24th century revealed vessels that the service used in that time. In this century, Starfleet had yet another mandate: to safeguard the timeline. Thus it operated vessels that were able to routinely traverse through time. These vessels were called timeships.
Classes of these vessels included the Wells-class and the Aeon-type.
General Orders and RegulationsEdit
The service maintained a set of regulations, known as Starfleet General Orders and Regulations. These governed all aspects of service operations and covered all possible situations it was thought that personnel might encounter, from protocol to situations of First Contact with unknown species.
The most important of these was termed General Order Number One, but was more commonly referred to as thePrime Directive.
Not all of the general orders and regulations were intended for general personnel knowledge. At least one, known as the Omega Directive, was a top secret of the highest order, and was known only to officers ranking captain or any flag officer rank. This was due to the extreme sensitivity and danger posed by the subject the directive dealt with. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
Appendices Edit
Related topics Edit
- Starfleet ranks
- Starfleet personnel
- Starfleet uniforms
- Starfleet captains
- Starfleet flag officers
- Federation starships
- Federation starship classes
- Federation shuttlecraft
- Federation shuttlecraft classes
- Federation Naval Patrol
- Merchant Marines
- Starfleet Mission Control
- NX test program
- Starfleet personnel (22nd century)
- United Earth Starfleet starships
- Starfleet insignia
Background information Edit
Military Edit
The extent to which Starfleet may be considered a military organization is somewhat questionable. Nicholas Meyerremarked of Starfleet's militarism, "It existed to some extent in the [original] television series but Gene Roddenberry was very adamant that the Starfleet was not a military or a militaristic operation [....] I thought it was at least as militaristic as, say, the Coast Guard." (audio commentary, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country(Special Edition) DVD) Meyer also wrote about these ideological differences in his autobiographical book The View from the Bridge - Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood. Therein, he recalled, "[Roddenberry] was emphatic that Starfleet was not a military organization but something akin to the Coast Guard. This struck me as manifestly absurd, for what were Kirk's adventures but a species of gunboat diplomacy wherein the Federation (read America, read the Anglo-Saxons) was always right and aliens were–in Kipling's queasy phrase–'lesser breads'? Yes, there was lip service to minority participation, but it was clear who was driving the boat." (The View from the Bridge - Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood, hardcover ed., p. 81) On another instance, Meyer observed that, beginning with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (which Meyer himself directed), later Star Trekproductions placed more emphasis on the militaristic perspective of Starfleet than the original series had. (audio commentary, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition) DVD) Those who were uncomfortable about Starfleet being depicted in a militaristic fashion in Star Trek II included not only Roddenberry but also Uhura actress Nichelle Nichols. In her book Beyond Uhura (hardcover ed., p. 248), she stated, "Portraying Starfleet as a military organization flew in the face of everything Star Trek stood for [....] At one point I forcefully but tactfully reminded Meyer and Harve [Bennet] that Starfleet was the philosophical descendant of NASA, not the Air Force."
A line included in the script for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country but not in the actual film was to have established that Starfleet was under civilian control, such that certain interstellar choices (for instance, whether to aid the Klingon Empire in avoiding economic collapse or to hamper the Empire, eventually causing them to become subservient to Starfleet) were entirely political rather than military decisions.
Ronald D. Moore commented, "I've always felt that Starfleet is the military/exploratory/scientific arm of the UFP." (AOL chat, 1997) However, the Federation has never been shown to have a standing army. In "Peak Performance", Captain Picard states, "Starfleet is not a military organization, its purpose is exploration."
Remarking on a Starfleet JAG getting involved with a civilian case with Richard Bashir, Moore said, "Starfleet is more than just a military entity and seems to have police and/or judicial functions." (AOL chat, 1997)
Size Edit
Regarding the quantity of starships Starfleet had in use in the late 2370s, Moore commented, "I wouldn't be surprised if Starfleet had 30,000 ships or so." (AOL chat, 1997) This was based on reasoning that the USS Hoodhas a registry of NCC-42296 while the USS Voyager is NCC-74656.
During Operation Return, Starfleet attempted to prevent the Dominion from bringing down the minefield, which would have allowed 2800 ships to come through the wormhole, which would allow for a Dominion total victory. Meaning that since, at that time of the war, the forces of both sides were about equal, the true size of the Dominion forces was much larger than Starfleet.
Doctor Zimmerman claimed that there were 675 EMH Mark I instances active in Starfleet before they were taken off duty during the Dominion War. (VOY: "Life Line")
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