Foundry Challenge Topics

drogyn1701

Thanks everyone for continuing feedback in the other thread. In this new thread we will talk about Foundry Challenge topics.

I have collected the previous challenge topics in a list here (along with dates and winners): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UKGRqNp3FA1AdQSbo4A534YRNN-hRcfERGRCBSxV74E/edit?usp=sharing

As you can see, there's quite a variety. What I want to know from people is: do you prefer narrowly defined topics, like the first or second Challenges back in 2012, or do you prefer a broadly defined topic, such as Challenge 8. Narrow topics make it easier to compare missions, but broad topics allow more creative freedom. Discuss!

Also: you can go ahead and post topic ideas here if you have any. I'll keep a list.

*Disclaimer from the other thread: I am just gathering this feedback on my own right now. There is no involvement from PWE. At the very least, the Foundry Roundtable will be running its own challenge the near future.

elijahthomassto

Broadly Defined Topics

I had one idea for a topic that goes with the end of the Iconian War and its fallout.

"New Frontiers" or "The Challenges of Peace"
The Iconian War brought the galaxy together in a way that nobody ever thought possible and now new frontiers are open for exploration or exploitation by the Federation, Klingon Empire and Romulan Republic. Create a mission that explores the challenges and opportunities of the new, more closely connected galaxy that we find ourselves in.

This topic falls, I think, into the "broad" category and really just invites players to explore combinations that weren't possible previously. Will the Federation start inviting Delta Quadrant planets and governments to join? Will the Klingons or Romulans want stake out new territories for themselves? Will other means of travelling between the Quadrants emerge or be explored?

There are alot of possibilities there.

duncanidaho11

Broadly Defined Topics

elijahthomassto wrote: »

I had one idea for a topic that goes with the end of the Iconian War and its fallout.

This topic falls, I think, into the "broad" category and really just invites players to explore combinations that weren't possible previously. Will the Federation start inviting Delta Quadrant planets and governments to join? Will the Klingons or Romulans want stake out new territories for themselves? Will other means of travelling between the Quadrants emerge or be explored?

I like that so long as the emphasis is on new combinations (not just a post-war setting.)

thay8472

Narrowly Defined Topics

Depends on the challenge theme.

Then again... thinking about it... regardless wouldn't they all fall under "Broad" ?

duncanidaho11

Broadly Defined Topics

thay8472 wrote: »

Depends on the challenge theme.

Then again... thinking about it... regardless wouldn't they all fall under "Broad" ?

Specific example: STO Christmas Carol episode where a given villain is visited by three non-corporeal entities which show him/her the true meaning of not being a complete TRIBBLE.

Any topic, in the conventional sense, would be considered broad but for foundry challenges you can have a very heavily specified list of parameters that creates a specific topic.

markhawkman

Broadly Defined Topics

Also.... IIRC the Tholian challenge was really about using the Tholian NPCs in a mission and not so much about the Tholians themselves.

elijahthomassto

Broadly Defined Topics

duncanidaho11 wrote: »

elijahthomassto wrote: »

I had one idea for a topic that goes with the end of the Iconian War and its fallout.

This topic falls, I think, into the "broad" category and really just invites players to explore combinations that weren't possible previously. Will the Federation start inviting Delta Quadrant planets and governments to join? Will the Klingons or Romulans want stake out new territories for themselves? Will other means of travelling between the Quadrants emerge or be explored?

I like that so long as the emphasis is on new combinations (not just a post-war setting.)

I absolutely agree, and that was my intent. The first concept that would spring to my mind would be the Federation getting an application for membership by a Delta Quadrant culture, perhaps one that made its "first contact" with Voyager originally and was left with a good first impression. Alternatively, going from the same line of thinking, perhaps one of the many bad encounters that Voyager had in the Delta Quadrant comes back to bite the Federation. There were more of those than PWE could EVER put into official contact

Anyway, my intent was very much a focus on stories across Quadrants that could never have happened before this new interconnectivity that the galaxy now has.

thay8472

Narrowly Defined Topics

markhawkman wrote: »

Also.... IIRC the Tholian challenge was really about using the Tholian NPCs in a mission and not so much about the Tholians themselves.

We only had Tholian NPC's at the time.

No contacts / props etc.

starswordc

Broadly Defined Topics

I usually find with literary challenge topics that I end up having to broaden the parameters of the challenge if the scenario is too specific.

captainhunter1

Broadly Defined Topics

starswordc wrote: »

I usually find with literary challenge topics that I end up having to broaden the parameters of the challenge if the scenario is too specific.

This is one of the reasons I didn't participate in the first couple of Challenges. The scenario set up presented was so specific it gave very little wiggle room for creativity.

duncanidaho11

Broadly Defined Topics

elijahthomassto wrote: »

Anyway, my intent was very much a focus on stories across Quadrants that could never have happened before this new interconnectivity that the galaxy now has.

That's still my top pick at the moment...but I've been toying around with just how broadly you could take the opposite topic. Remove a connection (with an alternate universe or temporal superweapons) and see what happens. That's a simple prompt with a lot of angles, but it could be a little too specific for some.

hauriant

I think I would lean towards general topics over specific, but the right kind of specific topic could work well. The first challenge with a Stahlonian ;-) on Risa is specific in the wrong way. It could get repetitive, and people would have different images of a Stahlonian. But with the second, time travel based, story, apart from it having to be in Pi Canis, I think the specifics help. Distress calls are common, but it's reasonable that they be common. Time travel is also common. That can lead to a variety of missions that keep on the topic. I also love a lot of the derelict ship missions.

I would encourage, for perhaps more than one challenge, to have exploration be a key part of the requirements. Require encountering a new species or ruins from a never-before-known civilization. Exploration is one of the key parts of New Dawn (and Star Trek in general), and I've seen those elements in "Sunrise" and the mechanics of the Admiralty system. But we aren't likely to have a large number of exploration missions from Cryptic for some time. (I'm still hoping; I'm sure they'd like to.) Emphasizing exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new civilizations for a while could do for New Dawn what the Tales from the Iconian Front did for the Iconian War—adding needed depth and extra missions to emphasize the theme of the season.

duncanidaho11

Broadly Defined Topics

hauriant wrote: »

I would encourage, for perhaps more than one challenge, to have exploration be a key part of the requirements. Require encountering a new species or ruins from a never-before-known civilization. Exploration is one of the key parts of New Dawn (and Star Trek in general), and I've seen those elements in "Sunrise" and the mechanics of the Admiralty system. But we aren't likely to have a large number of exploration missions from Cryptic for some time. (I'm still hoping; I'm sure they'd like to.) Emphasizing exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new civilizations for a while could do for New Dawn what the Tales from the Iconian Front did for the Iconian War—adding needed depth and extra missions to emphasize the theme of the season.

That may be a little too broad. For instance I could (if I was really lazy) just throw up my first mission to that suggestion and say "hey, this won't qualify for any kind of special kudos (because I made it a few months ago) but it's something to add to the compendium. Now I'm off to make a Power Rangers parody of the SSF series" (to which I'm only half-joking about). More likely I'd make another exploration mission but it would just be something to fill the contractual obligation of a "new" submission. Most authors would definitely get a kick out of making a "strange new world" but for those who tend to do that anyway this would more or less be a sharp jab to "Get back to work!" while everyone else has fun with the new territory.

I think this is one of those cases where more structure would definitely be helpful. Apart from making sure that not just ANY exploration themed mission would qualify there's the secondary problem of finding something to do after you've made your introductions. That isn't something you tend to think about too much when creating a setting but, unless you've put some thought in early, creating a plot for that setting could easily become a painful trap for the unwary (and make the challenge less fun than it could be).

Building a general plot idea into the setting prompt would probably be helpful. It wouldn't have to be much either. For example...

"Explore a new alien civilization, who another Star Trek faction is also interested in." (ex. Gemini, TOS: Friday's Child)
or
"Explore a new alien civilization, who requires your help to deal with impending catastrophe or some other dire problem" (ex. Sunrise, ENT: Dear Doctor)
or
"Pick either or of the above."

It's still an open prompt, but with bumpers in place to keep the ball rolling.