Event: Holiday Plots!

[ten_fwd_mods]

It's that very special time of year in space. A time filled with friendship, good cheer, and ... suckling pigs? Wait.

WHAT: A Very Special Holiday Episode Plot
WHEN: December 17th – the first week of January
WHO: Opt-in/Opt-out for the whole ship!
WHERE: Both on the Enterprise and docking planetside
WHY: Profit! Why not!

Did you think Q got his fill of mischief during Halloween? Sorry to break it to you, but no. Strangely, not everyone found his attempts to "boost morale" with super-powered candies and ridiculous costumes enjoyable, so he's ready to give it another shot. Q will be causing some holiday-themed madness on the Enterprise — meanwhile, having discussed it with his crew, Captain Picard will be bringing the ship to Risa, a pleasure planet located about 90 lightyears from Earth, in his own attempts to boost morale. The Enterprise will stay docked at Risa for several weeks, where characters can come and go as they please in exploring the friendly planet.

All holiday events will be opt-in/opt-out, and run more as a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure plot rather than anything quite as organized as our first game plot was. Players can therefore feel free to come and go as their holiday schedules allow, pick events that most interest them, or create their own adventures.

Events on the Enterprise:

>> Saturnalia: The holiday mischief will kick off on December 17th, the day the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia was observed. Q, enchanted by the notion and, in the spirit of the old holiday, will make a few dozen suckling pigs appear on the Enterprise — and then sulk when none of them are sacrificed (you people just don't understand the spirit of the holiday!). The pigs will appear on every deck of the ship and in true form will be hard to catch, but someone has to do it. After all, no one wants to see what happens if a pig gets into Main Engineering. In addition to the porcine plague, Ten Forward will be getting a "carnival atmosphere" makeover in the spirit of the original holiday, and many of the tables will be set up for gambling of all sorts. Poker, blackjack, games of luck, games of skill — it's up to you!

>> Let it Snow: Freak snow flurries will begin shipwide, despite the ambient temperature of the room one's in. Some of these will be Q's doing, and some — one in particular, targeted at the Captain's Ready Room — will be courtesy of our very own Jack Frost. Unlike any regular snow flurry, the ones Jack creates fill those present with feelings of fun, happiness, and joy. Even the most soured captain may be seen smiling; how will the snow affect you? Jack's player, Arc, is available to plot with on plurk and in the comments below!

>> Nooow Kiss!: You guessed it: mistletoe. But is this just any mistletoe? Oh, no. Those unlucky enough to stand beneath it will feel absolutely compelled to kiss whomever they're with, regardless of whether or not they would normally do so. There will be sprigs hung throughout the ship, most notably at the entrance to Ten Forward, in the turbolifts, and on Deck 7 near guest quarters — but they will constantly be moving. One may sneak up on you when you're not looking, or if you'd rather avoid the mistletoe altogether perhaps you just happened to get lucky and pass at a time it wasn't there. Unlike Cupid's arrow, the enchantment will break once your characters have kissed, leaving them to process it afterward. Was it awkward? Was it enjoyable? Care to brawl? Care to take it somewhere more ... private? It's up to you!

>> Holodeck Malfunctions: Characters who use the holodecks any time between December 17th and December 31st may encounter one of two holiday-themed simulations. 1) Something naughty: no matter what your holodeck program started off as, it suddenly starts to turn into a dark, black forest. A terrible monster pursues you. You guessed it, Krampus has snuck into your holodeck program, convinced you have been very naughty and must be punished. 2) Something nice: no matter what your holodeck program started off as, it suddenly turns into a wintry landscape, bright and sparkling, with nothing but a few fir trees and a lamppost standing among the blanketing white. As you approach the lamppost, you see tracks in the snow that could have been made by a deer, or perhaps a faun. If you choose to follow those tracks, they will lead you to a warm, welcoming cabin, where your character's greatest holiday wish is waiting inside. This can be anything from the perfect present to the one person they want to see most; anything your heart secretly desires. Once the program malfunction begins your character will not be able to return to their original settings. Multiple characters can enter one simulation. All effects will end when the program ends: no more terrifying Krampus, no more holiday wish.

>> Secret Santa: It's so secret, we don't even know about it! :O The lovely Lauren, player of John Sheppard and more, is currently putting together a Secret Santa sign-ups post that will be available this week. It will feature something for both IC and OOC, with Sheppard heading up the IC exchanges. Keep an eye out for that!

Events Happening Planetside:

>> Docking at Risa: The Enterprise will be docking at Risa next Friday, December 19th, and it will remain there through the first week of January or longer. Characters will be able to transport down to the planet at their leisure, as the transporter rooms will be open to them for the duration of this event. They may transport to and from the planet as much as they choose during this time, but in order to return to the Enterprise they will need to rendezvous with a Starfleet officer who can hail the ship (this may all be handwaved, it's simply for your IC information!). Characters who were brought aboard this app period must be cleared from quarantine and have their Sickbay checks before they'll be allowed to leave the ship.

>> Go for a Holiday: Once on Risa, a wide variety of pleasurable activities will be available to your characters. We recommend perusing the Wiki article if you want as many details about the planet as possible. Risa is a tourist destination, much like Hawaii here on Earth. It's home to fantastic tropical resorts, beautiful beaches, subterranean gardens with luminescent plants, lagoons, hiking trails, caves and catacombs. It's known for being peaceful and welcoming (as well as for the frank and open sexuality of its native population), so your characters will be free to explore, sunbathe, rock climb, treat themselves to the full spa treatment, dine on fresh seafood, shop, or sight-see to their heart's content. It's fully encouraged to take the new setting and run with it.

>> Go for an Adventure: Did we mention caves and catacombs? Why yes, we did. Risa has a rich history and is no stranger to the occasional archaeologist (or captain with the odd hobby). But before we get into our mod-arranged plot, we want you to to choose your own adventure and run your own plots on Risa. We have heard some awesome ideas from all of you over the past few weeks, and there will be a section in the comments below to propose your plots and make them happen. Could be a dance-off at a local night club, or perhaps a race to see which is faster: traveling by wing, machine, or web-sling. Maybe your character is mugged or kidnapped and a rescue mission needs to be dispatched. Risa is a much bigger canvas to play with than the ship, so take advantage of the open space and terrain and go nuts.

>> Rescue a family: But wait, did we mention archaeology? Why yes, so we did. This month, a new character has apped into the game and is hoping there will be about six volunteers to run a small opening plot with her. The character's name is Ayesh, and she comes from the Ashes of the Sun book. There will be an official plot sign-up post with the details, background, and other minutia about Ayesh and her family, but the basic setup is as follows: we're looking for about six volunteers willing to explore the caves more toward the wilderness of Risa, and away from the big resorts. Located in one forgotten cave, hidden and obscured, are four large cocoons. The cocoons look like they could be big enough for an average human — and in fact they are. The volunteers should be prepared for a skirmish, for if they open one of these cocoons, they will be met with a very angry Ayesh, who will fight to protect the other three cocoons. Is your interest piqued? We will need at least one Starfleet officer (if no PCs volunteer an NPC will be provided), but the rest of the group is first come first served. The endgame is to bring Ayesh along with the three unopened cocoons back to the Enterprise, where they will be taken care of. We'll provide a link to the sign-up post here, as soon as the mun is ready with it.

IMPORTANT DATES:
>> Dec 16th: Secret Santa sign-ups.
>> Dec 17th: Saturnalia, all events related to the festival happen on this day.
>> Dec 19th: The Enterprise docks at Risa.
>> Dec 17th-31st: All holiday mischief (snow, mistletoe, holodeck malfunctions, etc) runs during this period.
>> More dates to be added as plots and sign-ups are posted

Comments

QUESTIONS

[ten_fwd_mods]

Any questions for us?

[general_chang]

Not exactly about the plot but may I direct you to this thread?

I mean, you're not going to pass up the opportunities to get Klingons crocheting, are you?

[ten_fwd_mods]

If only they could darn stockings to hang over whatever best constitutes a fireplace on the Enterprise. The warp drive, perhaps. ;)

Re: QUESTIONS

[raavashing]

Can those chasing suckling pigs get into normally restricted areas while doing so? Like, one or two run through doors leading to engineering, etc?

Re: QUESTIONS

[ten_fwd_mods]

The restricted areas are still considered off-limits, particularly during a time of "crisis" for the crew. However, since the pigs will be causing a general atmosphere of confusion on the ship, we are approving some plots that allow players to do things normally considered off-limits. If your character was to enter engineering, you can assume that a crewman would eventually come across him and give him the boot, but as long as he isn't harming anything we could approve him to be there under that understanding. :)

Re: QUESTIONS

[raavashing]

Nah, he wouldn't harm anything, but he wouldn't think to stop if he was chasing a pig through and he will be chasing a few pigs. :)

Re: QUESTIONS

[mr_laforge]

I can always have Geordi at your service if you want him to run into one of the crew while he's there! :)

Re: QUESTIONS

[raavashing]

He needs geordi time so I would love that. I'll be tagging into things on saturday!

Re: QUESTIONS

[mr_laforge]

You got it!