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Thursday, November 01, 2012

Scenario Hooks and SPP Limitations

This is Steven Petrick posting.  

Star Fleet Battles has a lot of "hooks" in its various backgrounds. Whether a mention in a ship description that a particular ship was lost in a given battle, or a similar mention in the background of a scenario, or simply a few words about an event in a larger background article in Captain's Log. All of these are openings to create a scenario showcasing the event.

There is a concept that all that is necessary to create the scenario is for someone to point out one of these "hooks" to me (Steven Petrick), express an interest in seeing the scenario about the battle, and it will magically appear.

It is, however, not that simple.

Setting aside the basic research I would do to create a scenario (the year, available forces, other background data) there is the problem that all there is to the purported scenario is the "hook." I do not know anything more about the purported battle than the line item provides, and at the time the line item was created there probably was no concept for a scenario, just a desire to create an interesting background point.

Thus someone can ask for the scenario about the duel between a Klingon C7 and a Kzinti CVD that is mentioned, but other than my noting that a C7 could not defeat a Kzinti CVD group by itself, where do you go from there? How do you create an interesting battle where both players have a chance to win?

And how do you create a background that fits the historical context?

Obviously the C7, while the only named opposition ship, cannot normally appear and contest space with a CVD, which should be supported by an escort group (not to mention its fighters).

If you strip the CVD of some of its fighters and some of its escorts, create a situation where it is withdrawing from some battle which leaves it weak enough to be attacked by a C7 by itself, how do you make the battle interesting?

If you do not strip the CVD, but instead add a few ships to the C7 (it is a "flagship" after all), again what makes this particular battle interesting? What makes it more than "this group of ships fights that group of ships?"

So, please, do not just point out some obscure reference to some battle. Find the obscure reference and then try to imagine, within the background and rules of Star Fleet Battles, just why these ships fought. What were the victory conditions? Why did the CVD stand and fight such that the C7 destroyed it? Was the CVD all that stood between the C7 and its supporting ships and a crippled Kzinti DN, a DN so badly damaged that it was necessary not to let the Klingons even get a few long-range disruptor shots at it? Was the CVD all that stood between the C7 and its supporting ships and a Kzinti Special Attack Force being withdrawn back to Kzinti space? Was the CVD damaged in raid and has now been run down by the Klingon C7 and its friends, and must successfully hold the Klingons off until help arrives (which it historically failed to do)?

Use your imagination and try to give me something to work with beyond the "hook." Something that will add to the background and give flavor to the eventual scenario.