Stellar Quest: The "Season One" Campaign...

Good Afternoon, All:

I've been thinking about Stellar Quest lately, even as I've been working on the MyD20 Lite Referee's Guide, and it occurs to me that having a brief campaign outline for an imaginary "Season One of Stellar Quest" might be a good idea. In particular, I've been giving considerable thought to the fact that the Hadrons and the Artathi are on the coreward side of the Confederation, as well as some major unclaimed worlds frequented by the Romanni. I think this gives us an excellent opportunity to explore elements of the setting that were not touched by the inspirational material for Stellar Quest, namely the Gorn, Orion Pirates and Kzinti, and their relationships with the Federation.

Obviously, each group involved should have a goal that is explored over the course of "Season One". My immediate thoughts leapt on the Gorn... er, the Hadrons. Our favorite reptilians are likely seeking choice planets in the unclaimed territories, at least one of which should have a new Confederation colony present. This gives us the chance to reenact the "Arena" episode, if we so desired, but that would also require us to bring in the Transcendants or Devas. Instead, I'll skip the "Arena" episode and instead offer the Hadrons a chance to escalate their perception of the Confederation's preparations to launch an all-out attack.

The Artathi are likely interested in seeking out Progenitor technology in this region of space, for both power and religious significance. This could let us explore social-religious themes, if we so desired, and builds on the role that the Progenitors hold in Artathi culture. It also gives us a chance to integrate the Progenitors into the game, and introduce any of a number of non-corporeal races from a time period between the Progenitors and the current galactic age.

The Romanni are very common in this region, and this gives us a chance to look into their nomadic culture. A Romanni clan could perhaps take exception to the actions of the crew during their first encounter, and the fallout between the clan and the Confederation, followed by internal conflict within the Romanni, could make for some interesting background development there, as well.

Of course, there's also room for some adventures that simply build the setting, and bring in other influences from the inspirational material, including a parallel dimension, at least one time travel adventure, and several encounters with powerful psions, advanced lifeforms and the occasional alien predator.

The question then arises: Should "Season One" be released as part of the main rulebook? Or should "Season One" be a campaign/adventure sourcebook on its own?

What do you think?

With Regards,
Flynn

Stellar Quest: The Romanni...

Good Morning, All:

This is the final post of the antagonistic forces of the default Stellar Quest setting, the Romanni. Based on a mixture of the worst (and untrue) stereotypes of Romany gypsies of Earth and the Orion Pirates of Star Trek, the Romanni of Stellar Quest are the wandering raiders of the setting.

The Romanni

The Romanni are a blue-skinned humanoid species whose planet of origin is unknown, but which is theorized to lie somewhere in the unsettled territories to coreward of the Confederation of United Worlds. Diverse slave traders, the Romanni typically lead nomadic lives, travelling from one slave market to the next, gathering slaves from unsuspecting worlds and isolated vessels as they go. In addition to slavery, the Romanni are involved in a number of criminal activities, including the kidnapping and selling of Stellar Patrol crew members, assassinations, protection rackets, smuggling, and piracy. The largest of the Romanni clans form the backbone of the most powerful crime syndicate of the known universe, the Romanni Cartel.

Romanni are known for their distinctive blue skin, which ranges in coloration from a light turquoise to a deep midnight blue, depending on the age and dietary habits of the individual. Romanni males are typically hairless and, on average, taller and more muscular than an average Terran male. Romanni females are very animalistic in nature, known for their extreme carnal appetites and their innate skill of seduction. These females are aided by their ability to secrete powerful pheromones that engender an accelerated metabolism in the opposite sex of many species, raising adrenaline production to dangerous levels which causes aggression and, ultimately, a form of delusion. Its most significant effect is to make these males susceptible to suggestion. The pheromones' effects are cumulative; the longer exposed, the more pronounced are the results. Among females other species, the pheromones simply trigger negative reactions and headaches. The stoic, logical Eridanites are immune to the effects of Romanni pheromones.

Enjoy,
Flynn