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View Full Version : Help me work on plot for a Mass Effect campaign



Deadline
2013-04-29, 10:25 AM
So, I've got a request for all you fine folks. I've got an upcoming Mass Effect game I'll be running, and I need to put a plot together. Normally, I wouldn't outsource like this, but I've found my ability to focus has been limited of late (poor sleep - which is now being regulated by a CPAP machine). So I'm looking to basically use this thread as a sounding board so that I can give my players a great game. I've got some ideas, and I'll be posting up relevant bits of character backgrounds in a few hours, but I wanted to lay out what I'm after here, and how I'm looking to proceed with this.

First off, I'm building this campaign based on the character backgrounds. This helps focus the action and events entirely around the heroes, and really gets them invested. This is going to be a story focused campaign, the custom system is only used for combats. So don't focus on system challenges.

Secondly, I want to be sure to include some classic items from Mass Effect: Cerberus and the synthetics vs. organics struggle for example. However, here is a big caveat: We as a group decided that because everyone's Shep was different, the campaign would be taking place a few years after the end of the events from ME2, with the following changes: no reference to Shep. Instead, there was a human hero who became a spectre, saved the council from sovereign, and ended the collector threat. Humans are now a council race. Full stop. Essentially, we didn't want to further deal with the reaper storyline, so it is over for all intents and purposes. We do want to fiddle with the dropped dark energy plotline though.

Thirdly, this campaign is essentially going to run sort of like Deep Space 9, in that most things are going to be happening on a remote space station. I'm a little concerned with my ability to pace this properly, and so I'll want some help on that as well. Also worth noting is that this campaign is planned to go roughly the length of a TV season, so 26 sessions or so. I've got some early plot arc stuff sketched out in my head which I'll be listing after I get the background info out.

So get those creative juices flowing, and help me if you can, please. I'll post up more details in a few hours (when I get access to them), and I look forward to hearing from you folks then.

Amnestic
2013-04-29, 10:58 AM
Thirdly, this campaign is essentially going to run sort of like Deep Space 9, in that most things are going to be happening on a remote space station. I'm a little concerned with my ability to pace this properly, and so I'll want some help on that as well. Also worth noting is that this campaign is planned to go roughly the length of a TV season, so 26 sessions or so. I've got some early plot arc stuff sketched out in my head which I'll be listing after I get the background info out.

So get those creative juices flowing, and help me if you can, please. I'll post up more details in a few hours (when I get access to them), and I look forward to hearing from you folks then.

Remote space station? Dark Matter Plotline? Synthetics/Organics? I'd have the space station be either a research and/or outlook post on the edge of the Perseus Veil to observe, watch for and study any possible Geth activity. You'd have semi-regular contact with Quarians (naturally interested in any findings you might have), so how they deal with the Quarians would be a major aspect to how the story evolves.

Having such an important niche area of study, you'd also have to deal with infiltration/subterfuge attempts from Cerberus. They may even attempt to outright take over the station, be it through subtle (buying out) or overt (conquering) means. The constant threat of possible infiltrations would mean that people would be suspicious of double agents all the time. Perhaps even the most trusted head scientist is on the Cerberus payroll. Paranoia is only doubled when you're all alone in the middle of deep space with only a genocidal race of synthetics to keep you company*.

If it's a DS9-like campaign with little focus on combat, then disagreement (perhaps even 'conflict') between your players is something that should be not only allowed, but perhaps even encouraged. Bonus points if one of your players is actually a Cerberus agent undercover :smallwink:

*Mass Effect 1-3 Spoilers:
Yes, I'm aware the Geth aren't like that as a whole- but the player characters should likely not be. The public perception of geth is that they're entirely hostile to organics, if a little passive. It still won't be more than a few years after Sovereign, Saren and his Geth attacked the Citadel. Such things will be fresh in people's minds and the official line is "It was all Geth".

Aolbain
2013-04-29, 11:00 AM
Random brainpoop: Ex-Cerberus operative hides on your station with a rogue AI (EDIs sibling?). S/he is hunted by Cerberus, the spectres, the STG and whatever organisations you can come up with. Everyone want the AI and you players can play them against each other.

Deadline
2013-04-29, 03:23 PM
Thanks to both of you so far. I probably should have waited to start this thread until I had the rest of the material so that I wouldn't waste any good ideas.

Edit - Thanks for the thoughts. I've just noticed that one of my players has joined up here, so I've taken these details down. I think I've gotten enough info here to get the ball rolling, and can take it from there. Many thanks for the help!

Amnestic
2013-04-29, 05:24 PM
I'm gonna read it more in depth later, but on the Krogan real fast: There's never been a recorded Krogan death due to age. People aren't even sure it can happen! Some theorise that Krogan are actually 'immortal' insomuch as they never die of old age.

Kiero
2013-04-30, 06:58 AM
If you want to carry on with the classical Greek schema, how about Athena station for the civvie platform? Athena is the goddess of cities amongst many other things.