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Thread: Star Trek RPG - Setup thread

  1. #4701
    Administrator choie's avatar
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    Sorry for the delay in my game posts, but... well, I can't speak for general_urko, but I, for one, am running out of ways to describe my character falling down to a planet.

  2. #4702
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by choie View post
    Sorry for the delay in my game posts, but... well, I can't speak for general_urko, but I, for one, am running out of ways to describe my character falling down to a planet.
    Ha - yes, I don't have much more to say either

  3. #4703
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Moving right along....

  4. #4704
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    I'm back..,
    QQ in PM for EH before I post

  5. #4705
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    Got it, and thanks.

  6. #4706
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    Hey, new player!!! Welcome!!!!

  7. #4707
    Administrator choie's avatar
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    Oh I can't wait for Dr. Villa to learn how her latest subordinate is making friends and influencing people.

  8. #4708
    Administrator choie's avatar
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    Sorry, missed the editing window. Hey can we ponder a bit how non-Earth aliens (or at least those who didn't grow up speaking/reading Federation Standard) deal with text-based language? We know that the Universal Translator magically handles all oral communication, so that's not an issue. But reading and writing are different. I suppose if something is being pulled from a computer database, it could be translated so that the crew can pick his/her own language.

    But what about the text communications the crew send to one another? (Which I know we've kinda fanwanked into existence for the purposes of this game... TOS-era communicators didn't really have that capability, right?) Or more to the point, what about something physically written in a static manner, like a regular book or handwritten/typed letter?

    This probably only matters to me, since I've got the only two non-Terran PCs remaining (waah! I miss CIAS!), and coincidentally neither of them grew up on a Federation planet. Kylah, very very conveniently, was designed as a polyglot with both empathic and (marginal) telepathic abilities, so her ability to communicate isn't a problem. (Or perhaps I should say, she can read, write and speak multiple languages fluently. Her ability to actually communicate is quite often impaired by her stupidity/hysteria!)

    But Nia, OTOH... what do we assume about people like her? She's been among Feddies for 14 years now, and she's bright/sharp, so she's obviously picked up the language (and before that, was probably given an intensive course in Fed Standard by Starfleet folks while still on Sidonia after she volunteered to leave the planet to join Starfleet). Still, do I assume that she's just as good at writing Fed Standard as she is in speaking it? (Is she speaking Fed Standard? Or is it being translated? I think she has to be speaking it... Sidonia is just so far removed from all other cultures, the UT probably wouldn't be that fluent in nuanced Sidonian.)

    I kind of like the possibility that there are still some language barriers, even in the 23rd century, for someone like Nia. I referenced her uncertainty regarding the various words in that Denebian (I think?) cookbook she bought for Andy earlier. While that was said to be translated to Fed Standard, maybe she wouldn't know abstruse cooking references.... such vocabulary wouldn't really come up very often. And that copy of The Maltese Falcon she bought for Graham was said to be an American copy from 2017. Is American the same as Federation Standard? Is there some crossover? I'd like to have her try to read it and figure out the words, but not with 100% success.

    I dunno, it's an interesting topic to me, because I just realized how fluently I have her texting Graham, including various sexy-talk, and wondered if the UT is translating this from Sidonian for her (in which case, that's a damn good knowledge of sexual idioms for a computer program!), or if she's just become an expert at knowing how to write innuendo in Fed Standard. The latter does seem in-character for her.

    It's just fun to think about, because aside from Darmok or... ugh, what was that DS9 episode about the annoying screechy aliens from their first season?... there haven't been that many language barriers. We did address that a bit in Codex: Aelyrr, although once the UT kicked in, it was no longer an issue.

    (I just flashed on the idea of Graham hesitantly asking Kylah for help translating some written post-coital note from Nia, with awkward hijinx ensuing.)

  9. #4709
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    All good questions, choie!

    The UT does only, as far as we've seen, handle spoken communications. I'm sure a visual equivalent would be available, as needed, to scan and translate written stuff (we're close to developing that capability now, I believe).

    You're right that Starfleet communicators did not, as shown on TOS, have a texting function. We've fanwanked it so that they did all along but were just never shown on the show, or perhaps that texting was only recently introduced in the latest-issued communicators. As I've said before, there's no reason why our crew, centuries from now, would have fewer technological options than we do.

    I presume Onn (and all other Starfleet personnel) are able to speak, read and write Federation Standard, as it is the Federation's principal language and instant comprehension would be necessary as a Starfleet operational and safety matter. She may indeed have taken an intensive language course, and/or there may be other hightech ways to learn languages by that time (ISTR Dr. McCoy rapidly learning Vulcan in one of the TOS books, through a combination of electronic teaching and neurochemical treatment). But there certainly could still be obscure words in Standard, let alone Denebian, that she doesn't know.

    American English does seem to have substantial overlap with Standard even if it's not completely identical. Remember that Air Force Capt. John Christopher immediately exclaimed, when Kirk greeted him, "You speak English!"*

    Given Onn's, er, off-duty pursuits, it does seem likely she'd have picked up quite a bit of sex-related slang and innuendo (which the English language has always been particularly rich in). If you have particular situations in mind where it would be interesting, or funny, for Onn to not understand something in Federation Standard, or any other language, PM me and we'll work something out.

    And yes, I miss CIAS, too....

    * http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/T...rday_(episode)
    Last edited by Elendil's Heir; 25 Jul 2017 at 11:03 AM.

  10. #4710
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    Quote Originally posted by Elendil's Heir View post
    Kylah begins seeing parachutes bloom far below her
    What a lovely turn of phrase!

    All the above makes sense, thank you! Nia probably knows all the fun sex words in a variety of languages, most likely as well as she does the words for engine parts. Actually, better, I'd imagine.

    I figure for nearly simultaneous text translation (at least onscreen) they would have something like we do with search engines via the ship's computers. Maybe instead of Google Translate they have Majel Translate. But old books... I wonder if I can find a good jargon-ridden section of The Maltese Falcon. Of course she might recognize some stuff after their last mob-tastic mission.

    But as you suggest we can also find something fun to play with in actual dialogue at some point!

    Quote Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
    And yes, I miss CIAS, to....
    ...And WES and What Exit? and (crap, who played Delaney? Or was it Pourtash? Whichever one What didn't play)... but especially funny, smart, hardass, goofy, dear anyrose.

  11. #4711
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    Agreed on all points! Thanks for bringing this up.

  12. #4712
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    Hey, fun fact: Graham and Kylah have been falling for two months. And this was just a one-hour dive!

    Also--I might have the physics wrong, but isn't it true that people who deploy parachutes don't actually rise up? It may look like they are (e.g., as seen in most videos where the skydiver appears to suddenly fly upwards after the parachutes deploy) but that's because the cameraperson is seeing them from the perspective of someone who's still in free-fall. Seems to me that initially the diver would probably keep falling since there's probably elastic in the ropes tying him/her to the parachute.

    I'm super-looking forward to learning whether Bennett is now Chief Medical Officer, or if he just thinks he is? I'm enjoying his arrogance and it's ripe for some good conflict!
    Last edited by choie; 28 Jul 2017 at 02:48 PM.

  13. #4713
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    My understanding is that parachutists do indeed feel the sudden drag of their parachute(s) as being - or seeming to be - pulled sharply upwards. But I've never skydived, orbitally or otherwise, myself....

  14. #4714
    Administrator choie's avatar
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    Ack! O captain my captain, could you please delete the first of the two Nia posts from a few hours ago? I didn't notice there was a doppelganger until just now. Sorry! Guys, ignore the first and read the one that has the little "edited" at the bottom.

  15. #4715
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    Will do.

  16. #4716
    Administrator choie's avatar
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    Thank you! Some day I'll remember to double-check for dupes, especially with that account--I use Firefox for it (to keep myself logged in with both this and the SidonianGal usernames, it's easier to use different browsers) and for some reason that often results in these duplicates. Not sure why.

  17. #4717
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    My sister in law's brother actually does close-to-orbital skydiving (he's a salesperson for a company that sells parachutes to militaries and space programs; go figure that was ever a job...) - next time I have a chance I'll ask about the uh, sensation (which for me, would be abject terror, but to each their own)...

  18. #4718
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    Ha! Yes, please do. I'd be very interested to know how high up he's ever begun a jump. The 2012 Red Bull Stratos jump, the highest yet, was from 39 km up.

  19. #4719
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    Here you can watch a weather balloon's ascent to a slightly lower altitude: https://www.facebook.com/natgeo/vide...sBHjoDZ1uxEYeU

  20. #4720
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    If you ever need some ST-nostalgic ambiance noise at home or at work:

  21. #4721
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    Well that's mesmerizing! My cat looked up in alarm at that computer "ping" noise.

  22. #4722
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    Quote Originally posted by Elendil's Heir View post
    Ha! Yes, please do. I'd be very interested to know how high up he's ever begun a jump. The 2012 Red Bull Stratos jump, the highest yet, was from 39 km up.
    I stand corrected. I just read this Atlantic article, and this guy jumped from even higher (although still not as high as our intrepid orbital skydivers): https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...-earth/524508/

  23. #4723
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    Oops, shoot I think Mellophant ate a post - reposting what I thought took on the weekend...

  24. #4724
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    I think Capt. Singh would be proud: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/09...im_a_23203030/

  25. #4725
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    Hey, just wanted to apologize for being slower on the uptake than usual. I'm down in Tampa for a writing retreat/conference and the hotel's WiFi was apparently designed by Pakleds.

  26. #4726
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    No worries. Pretty busy here, too.

  27. #4727
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    Woohoo (I think!), on my first day of jury duty I was picked for a criminal trial!

    I'm surprised I made it. There was a first group of twenty undergoing voir dire, among which I only thought three or four were obvious "no frickin' way are they being chosen for this case!" picks. But they knocked out 12 of 'em and needed a fresh batch of 20. That's how I squeaked in.

    Boy, I'd really like to have been a fly on the wall during the discussions between the attorneys as they figured out whom to boot! Like I said, there were a few that I knew would never get in given their relationships to cops and/or connections to crimes, but many of the others didn't raise any flags. Of course I'm not a jury expert and I bet the attorneys saw things I couldn't--like, little micro-reactions on the prospective jurors' faces that might not've registered to a civilian.

    This won't affect my game play, of course. I just wanted to go "yay!" I've served on a criminal trial before, but this is a bit more intense and will be longer. Not that long... probably five days, not including deliberations. Should be very educational for me as an inveterate people-watcher and old-school CourtTV fan (as in, I watched when they showed whole trials, not just the dramatic highlights).

  28. #4728
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    Thank you for your service to the community, choie. I'm envious! I've worked with juries for years as a prosecutor and now as a magistrate, but have never had the chance to actually serve on one and see how it works from the inside. I've been summonsed twice for jury service but didn't make it out of the waiting room either time.

  29. #4729
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    Rats, that's too bad, EH. Your background might make you a tough sell to the defense, I guess?

    First day of the trial itself was fascinating. Plus I've got most of the 'players' cast in my imaginary film of the case. A young Idina Menzel is the ADA (not that Menzel is all that old herself... it's just that the ADA seems super-young to me), while her more buttoned-up twin is the main defense attorney. Yeah, they look a lot alike, it's kinda weird... feels like a movie where twins are forced to play opposite sices in a trial.

    Here's kind of a funny anecdote related to my first trial, which was a burglary case. One piece of evidence introduced early on was a small velvet jewelry bag. Both sides used it a few times with various witnesses, mostly during the first morning of the trial. Later, in the afternoon, the ADA was busy questioning someone and brought up the bag, then obviously wanted to show it to the witness. She started checking around her desk to find it, to no avail.

    I was sitting in the front row of the jury, and remembered that the bag had last been used by the defense attorney. (He, BTW, was a real character--he looked like he belonged in Inherit the Wind as the pseudo-William Jennings Bryan role... I mean, what NYC lawyer wears a white and blue striped jacket, a white vest, and a bowtie?)

    Naturally I happened to glance over to his desk. He seemed not to be noticing the ADA, fully occupied in reading something... as his right hand, oh-so-casually, moved a file folder so it covered the bag completely.

    Meanwhile the poor ADA (another young gal, though I bet I wouldn't have described her that way back then, in my late 20s) came across as super disorganized because she couldn't find the stupid thing. And the judge was annoyed since she was taking so long.

    Of course, I was absolutely champing at the bit to mention that the bag was on the defense att'y's desk, but I kept silent because I had a nagging sense that this would've been inappropriate.

    After about five minutes of this, the ADA finally thought to ask the defense. He looked up with this surprised, distracted manner--solid acting job on his part!--and made quite a show of checking through all the stuff in front of him until he helpfully "found" the bag and handed it to her.

    A dick move right out of a Steven Bochco show. (OTOH, the prosecution should've kept better track of the evidence, so that part was her own fault.) I've often wondered what would've happened if I'd followed my natural instincts to help. What say you, EH? Would I have been admonished?

    I ask also because in my current trial, my next-door neighbor of a juror keeps murmuring stuff and making "hurry up" or "gee, obviously" gestures with her hands, and even says "it's upside down" not-quite-under-her-breath when one of the attorneys initially lines up a photo incorrectly using the overhead projector. Feels like she's begging for the judge to tell her to STFU already, but maybe it doesn't matter. Still annoying AF though.
    Last edited by choie; 14 Oct 2017 at 06:22 PM.

  30. #4730
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    Yes, it could be that the defense wouldn't want me on a jury, although I know of a judge (generally regarded as pro-defendant) who served as a juror in a trial in another judge's courtroom. The prosecution didn't dismiss him.

    It would be a little unusual for a juror to pipe up as to the whereabouts of an exhibit, but not a big deal, I'd say.

    Be sure to follow the judge's instructions about discussing your current case while it's still underway.

  31. #4731
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    Don't worry, I ain't sayin' nothin' 'bout the case. I'm a good jurist, I am.

    BTW, isn't Villa directing her question to T'Var? It was our dear Vulcan who made the "our CMO will be surprised to learn that" crack, so I'd imagine the CMO would be expecting her to respond.

  32. #4732
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    Heh. Either could answer it.

  33. #4733
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    It is indeed Graham at Onn's door (but you probably already figured that out).
    A most curious GM interpolation! Nia's dialogue was set up to give Graham the opportunity to announce his promotion. (He's not "Ensign" Graham anymore, after all...) Isn't exposition a tad de trop here?

  34. #4734
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    Sorry. I thought you were asking for the GM's clarification.

  35. #4735
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    Ha nice...

  36. #4736
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    No prob, EH! Worse things happen at sea, as they say.

  37. #4737
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    Hi all - we are gearing up for another trip on the Fear of Environmental Destruction bucket list. This time its the Great Barrier Reef. Tuesday we'll be heading out to Singapore to get on a ship; we'll be back in-country Dec 4.

    Unlike our last trip, most of the time we should have Internet access - but occasionally I may disappear for a long flight and the time zone will be weird, so a heads up that posts may depart from the usual cadence!

  38. #4738
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    Understood, and thanks, g_u. Have a great, safe trip!

  39. #4739
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    WOW, that sounds amazing, g_u! Safe and happy travels to you! We'll understand if you're a tad too distracted by your surroundings to spend as much time cooped up on the Yorktown.

  40. #4740
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    Ugh, sorry for being AWOL this week, guys. Health scare waiting for results put me in a virtual catatonic state of misery. Tests came back and it was nothing. So I'm back to putting Kylah through hell instead, as usual.

    On a more sober note, I believe this is the first anniversary of the day Naomi (anyrose) passed away. I miss her.

  41. #4741
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    Glad to hear all is well.

    And here's to anyrose's memory.

  42. #4742
    Ape must not kill ape! general_urko's avatar
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    FYI we're on our way back to normal life as of Tuesday.

    Here are a few photos from the Outer Reef - about 90 minutes from Cairns. Happy to say no evidence whatsoever of coral bleaching or ill-health in that area at all.

    https://1drv.ms/f/s!AsNfrxixmvhLnX0JHS33r8tCyZey

  43. #4743
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    Yes, I was just thinking of anyrose the other day. I still miss her.

    Glad to hear you got a clean bill of health, choie. Hope you feel better and better.

    And thanks for the pics, g_u - very cool!

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    Those images are gorgeous, g_u. What are those fish we're looking at in the last one?

    Sorry for the delay again, guys... I'd read the first version of EH's post shortly after it premiered, when I don't think it had the extra bit for Nia!

  45. #4745
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    No worries.

    I will be in rural Connecticut through late Tuesday with an iffy Internet connection, so please bear with me.

  46. #4746
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    Thanks SidonianGal ... embarrassingly, there were people at various points explaining types of fish and coral etc but I have no recollection of which of the latter was which. (For coral, the funny thing is that the names are super descriptive: "stag coral" looks like horns. OK, got it...)

    Will share some more once we get them sorted out...

    Where in CT, EH? (Assuming its not an 'undisclosed location')...

  47. #4747
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    Near Canaan, for my wife's nephew's wedding.

  48. #4748
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    I hope all who celebrate it have a very merry Christmas! And happy holidays to the rest of us. I hope to see The Post and The Shape of Water during my days off. Kind of an "unchecked dictatorial government sucks" mini-marathon. Somehow it seems appropriate right now.

  49. #4749
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    Quote Originally posted by Elendil's Heir View post
    "We were just reviewing the theta-matrix compositor telemetry over the past month"
    Awesome! You deserve applause for coming up with that obscure reference.

    The scary thing is that I laughed out loud when I first read it 'cause I was certain you'd got it courtesy of a random Trek Technobabble Generator! I should've never doubted the ST writers' ability to produce gobbledegook.

  50. #4750
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    Heh. I actually Googled "warp drive components," and "theta-matrix compositor" was one of the things that came up. I can't claim to be that inventive.

    Did you see the two movies you mentioned, SG? Both look good from the previews.

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