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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 6196704" data-attributes="member: 92305">III.  Strange New WorldAfter making orbit, the captain will no doubt rely on sensors to scan the world.  What they'll find is that the world's magnetic field is somehow amplified by the new radiation in the rings.  The magnetic field is actually much stronger in orbit than it is on the surface of the world.Sensors show that the world is Class M, but it is in perpetual darkness due to the masking radiation not allowing sunlight to penetrate through to the planet.  Further analysis on the strange radiation will reveal that it is eventually deadly but not immediately deadly.  Exposure of weeks or months is necessary to start feeling effects.  Therefore, visitors to the world are safe enough as long as they don't outstay the time limit.  The captain may order that a landing party wear rad suits, but it's really not necessary.All of this information should come at the result of roleplaying on the ship, interaction with NPC ship's personnel, computer analysis, and player character skill throws.Give the Chief Engineer a throw.  If he's successful, he can calibrate the transporter to work safely in spite of the radiation as long as the ship remains between the ring field and the planet.Sensors will pick up buildings, cities, even power signatures.  But, bio scans reveal no living organisms, from trees to grass to animals and inscects.  There's certainly no people down there."A Ghost Town, Spock?""A 'Ghost Planet' would be more appropriate, Captain."Any other information about the world will have to be gathered by placing boots on the ground.  The captain should assemble a landing party.Transport to the world's surface can be accomplished by shuttle or by transporter, if the Chief Engineer was successful on his throw (above)."Gentlemen, remember the Prime Directive.  Phasers on stun.  Mr. Scott, you may proceed.""Energizing, Cap'n."The landing party will materialize within a sprawling, vacant, lonely mega-city.  Buildings, skyscrapers, and roads for as far as the eye can see.  Someone may speculate on the population this city once held.  It's in the billions.Scouting around will reveal some blasted buildings and some large craters in the ground.  This is evidence of some conflict that must have happened.  Bomb craters and some of the buildings are destroyed by explosions.At some point, the landing party will venture close to one of the entrances to one of the large buildings.  Bore the players a bit with the investigation.  Let them feel the emptiness of the place.  Then, startle the players when voice booms from a speaker next to the skyscraper entry."Welcome, visitors!  Transportation is enroute for you!"This may put the PCs on edge.  They may be alert for trouble.  That's the feeling you're going for, here.  They should be curious, but skeptical.Talking to the speaker will yield nothing but silence.  It seems to go dead once the message is played once.In a few minutes, a vehicle appears.  Apparently, it is self controlled.  It is an open top affair in the front, but the back is contained in a shell, like a van.  Tricorder readings will tell the players that the last half of the vehicle is an electronic engine/robotic brain.  The nose sports headlights and a compartment for storage.  There are two rows of seats, three abreast, allowing for six people to ride in the vehicle.  If the landing party is larger than six (unlikely since the Enterprise has six pads in the transporter room), the Captain can tell the remaining personell to stay there, beam back to the ship, or stay with the shuttle--whatever is appropriate.If the PCs attempt to gain control of the vehicle, it will automatically shut down for 10 minutes.  After that time, the vehicle will start up again.  After three such tries, the vehicle will shut down for an entire day--which will probably seem like forever to the PCs because there isn't much more to do except explore the buildings (and they'll learn little more from that exercise).The vehicle will stick to the road, but the journey is short.  After about 15 minutes, the players are brought to a building.  The vehicle will slow, and a voice will say, "Please exit the craft."A Note About Language:  Star Trek usually does not much more than tip its hat to galactic language barriers.  To keep the Trek feel, I suggest nothing more than the GM mentioning the universal translator corrects itself once when either the speaker in front of the building or the robotic vehicle speaks.  As GM, if you want to go more into this "problem", then you can put a big stumbling block into the plot for the players as they work to learn how to understand the bots and communicate when needed.</blockquote>

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