Avoiding plot pitfalls in Star Trek RPG

Question

We are about to start a Star Trek campaign and I'd like some suggestions on avoiding the obvious plot pitfalls that exist in canon Star Trek. I want the players to think through the plot points and focus on interactions.

Here are some examples of things I want to avoid:

1 - Using the transporter to save the day, like restoring the characters back to their original pattern, or putting the bad-guy directly in jail (or in solid rock, etc)

2 - Allowing the tricorder or sensors to give away everything

3 - Asking the computer for the answer to the issue at hand (parodied beautifully in Galaxy Quest)

4 - The Chief Engineer/Scientist/Doctor suddenly thinks up (i.e. rolls up) a brilliant solution from thin air.

5 - The non-human crew member suddenly finds a previously unknown special ability (Spock was the worst offender in this) that renders the plot point meaningless

6 - Time travel in any form

Answer 1

You can't prevent many of these. They're a major part of the genre. Taking them in turn...

Using the Transporter to Save the Day

You need to clearly define you're allowed limit on transporters. "Decanonize" certain episodes to prevent "repaterning" people. But, once those limits are set, further nerfing simply makes you a bad GM, and is not indicative of bad roleplay.

I run trek with a pre-pattern-buffer timeframe and a "No messing with the matter within" caveat. It's not that I won't have malfunctions happen - I simply won't let players replicate them.

Sensors

Set your limits clearly. The shows don't, but don't need to; Gaming does need them set. Pick them, stick to them, and accept that within those limits, you as GM need to suck it up.

Computers

Simply enough - restrict to yes/no/maybe answers, or "which of the given methods works best" type questions, and "how long" type questions. And accept that genera reference data and probability matrices are areas where they should be using the computer, and they should get valid answers out.

Nerf the computer too much, you lose the trek feel.

5 Special Racial Powers

Stick to what's been established. If they come up with novel uses for those powers, great. LET THEM No "new powers" just new uses.

And make certain to note these new uses for future reference.

6 Time Travel

Is usually imposed by the GM. Just simply state ahead of time that you don't allow it. If they try it, kill them. "...harmonic reality vibration shatters the warp core - KABOOM!!!"

Answer 2

What system are you using? I agree with @aramis that you should embrace these tropes of the game, they're what make Star Trek - trekky. The set of Star Trek games from Last Unicorn Games embraced them - there was a holodeck sourcebook, a time travel sourcebook... The corebook had a Random Technobabble Generator. It was a great example of embracing genre emulation.

Now if you want to not embrace genre emulation, and run a "realistic game in the Star Trek universe," you should probably be prepared for more or less trouble (if playing Old Series, most...). ST is very much not hard sci-fi so some degree of fast and loose will be required. Let things work once but not again (transporter saved the day last time... this time there's some BS reason it doesn't).

Answer 3

In the canon Trekverse, all of those brilliant things have risks and consequences associated with them. You never see any of the main characters fail catastrophically, but they do take those risks. The "always successful" rule in the movies should not necessarily apply to your characters. They should risk terrible outcomes when they attempt such things.

Montgomery Scott may be smart and bold enough to push the ship to Warp 11 but is your player's character the legendary Scotty? Probably not. Then he runs a serious risk of damaging the warp core, and dropping out of warp in the middle of nowhere with only the impulse engines to limp to the nearest piece of rock in about 40-100 years, assuming a core breach doesn't destroy the ship first.

So I'd say, let them try such things, but make success difficult and the risks great. And if they are bold enough to try, have no mercy. They will be much more careful with their next batch of characters.