Replicator Resources: Using Online Resources to Paint the Scene

One responsibility of a GM is to paint a vivid picture of scenes to stir the imagination of players. This can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are plenty of online resources to help GMs with writer’s block.

For example, I recently had a player say that they wanted to set their opening scene in a gaming parlor on Narendra Station, the main stage for many Star Trek Adventure games. I thought to myself, what would a gaming parlor look like in Star Trek? Sure, we all know the games that were played in Quark’s bar on DS9. But what other games might be in the Star Trek universe?

I decided to do a little research. My research started (and ended) at Memory Alpha. I searched “Recreation”. I was pleased to see a list of games that have appeared in Star Trek TOS and TNG. After gathering together a short list of games, here is what I was able to create:

One of the rowdier establishments in a less-traveled corner of the Narendra Station promenade was a neon-lit watering hole named Risa’s Rendezvous. Despite the name, the place replicated few of the finer points of its namesake’s amenities. In actuality, it was a gaming hall with recreational devices, some in disrepair, collected from all across the Alpha Quadrant. The entertainment machines were haphazardly stuffed into the play center. A smattering of fun-seekers squeezed through the tight spaces that were lined with a noisy bonanza of clinking, clanking, beeping, booping, chirping, chiming, and electronic-whirring mechanisms of pleasure. Some visitors played. Some watched. Others explored to find their game of choice. An Altonian brain teaser was next to a holographic baccarat simulation console that was pushed flush against two chairs that sat on opposite sides of a Jokarian chess board. One wall was lined with over a dozen Earth-style pinball machines like Attack from Mars, Ferengi Foibles, and Betazoid Blush. Two Yridians, both third level grandmasters, sat at a Strategema console surrounded by inquisitive spectators while along another narrow alley of games a Kadis-kot tournament was underway between a few off-duty Starfleet officers. Two Bajorans sat near the establishment’s bar spellbound by the Ktarian single-player devices each individual wore over their ears. They stared into their respective visual interfaces, the devices now modified to pass Starfleet regulations after the devious Etana Jol scheme of 2368. 

How do you like those apples?

Then something struck me? How many GMs are using Narendra Station in their games? Can we possibly share the rooms and areas we create? If so, let’s start the conversation. Hit me up!