The "Suggestions for Missions and Storylines" thread has gotten long and a bit unwieldy...possibly even intimidating.

So this thread is for the plotting of side stories, outside or only loosely connected to the main story. These should be no more than six missions in length (exceptions can be made), and may be one-off missions if they're a particularly interesting concept.

When suggesting story concepts, the level of detail should at least include an indication of divides between missions, some suggestion of which characters may be involved (and basic descriptions of any new characters), some indication of what type of planet each stop should be at, and any particular twists or jokes you'd like included. Writers are, of course, welcome to present considerably more detail on any of the above points, up to and including complete mission texts.

If you present an idea but don't wish to develop it further yourself, please indicate that so someone else can give it a go guilt-free.

Small? Well, as far as I can tell this is my original idea, it's something akin to a mission with a 1% chance of happening, and what it does it kind of like the Auroran Drop Bear, except with engine trouble. Let's see if I can find that desc...

And then the mission itself takes away some money for the repairs. I dunno if this is what you're looking for, but your welcome to incorporate it into the TC.

Yeah, something like that or a random bar fight that doesn't lead to anything more might be fun. :)

But I was more thinking of arcs designed to bring various story elements into focus which can't fit easily into the main tale, such as the Companion's Guild.

Okay, thought on Mal's earliest involvement with the Companion Guild. Short series of missions from Core bars offering transport of Companion Guild equipment to the outer Core worlds, which lead up to passenger transport of Companions themselves (extremely indignant about Ji.) Sort of like the GalPost missions. It does just the basics to establish Mal as a credible and respectable transport ship. Maybe one mission with a very low chance on a world where Mal's dropped off a fancy lady, where Mal would assert a bit of chivalry towards a disreputable or arrogant snotnose (like in Shindig,) and find himself at barrel's end, getting Mytych and Fritz to bail him out. Perhaps he might even save the lady (though vowing never to again.)

What do you guys think?

Gonna use this post to collect side stories mentioned elsewhere but not in the mod yet, and/or not complete. If we had a wiki I'd just edit a page there with this stuff, rather than re-collecting it every few months like this.....

-The Peggy Stewart string (M/S thread page 22, for starters)
-A Morrigan string from Trasker's End (optional depending on player choices)
-Everything here. Although one bit of it has been used, and another bit will be in Part 2 with the new timeline.

Story hooks from planet descriptions which haven't been used. Some of these should be major, some should be minor.
-The abandoned monastery on Meteora
-The mysteriously vanishing supply shipments to Ferris
-The Pike/Patience rivalry
-More Adventures With Monty™, including the botched Beylix job.
-The caverns of Murdoch
-Bribery on Dauphin
-The Vishnu-worshiping sect on Lhasa (related to the Hands of Blue mercenaries?)
-The Asianness of Xin Shanghai. It doesn't feel special right now.
-The Medical center on Greenleaf
-Barnum or Bailey (pick a side!)

Reaver Space. Obviously nothing Miranda-ish, but *some* storyline should force the player into the outskirts of Reaver space. Perhaps relating to those old mining stations in Xhao-Leverson. Or as-yet-unadded planets down thataway.

-I don't think this is used yet.

Feel free to use any of the established characters in side stories. We can control when they are presented easily enough by using a mission bit to represent the eligibility of each character to appear in a story. If everyone relevant is around, the mission is available; if not, it isn't.

I'm a little overwhelmed with finals at the moment, but I'll write some samples up next week and see what you guys think.

GunRunner, I'm looking at the Peggy Stewart storyline now. Actually, I'm not sure why we're calling it that, because I don't see more than a passing reference to the ship anywhere.

Since the original purpose of that side story was to reunite Mal with his gun, it serves little purpose without that. But it's got enough character moments that I'd like to keep it in some form.

I'm thinking about alternatives to the gun which could proceed along similar lines. Presumably the package isn't from Zoe, but maybe someone else Mal knows? And the sniper attack is too sudden not to tie into something larger....but, to avoid another monstrosity of a storyline, perhaps that something is primarily linked to the other character, and at this stage Mal is only a peripheral player. It could be elaborated on in Part 2.

Need some brainstorming here.

So:
1) Ship blows a gasket and has to limp back to Shobe. Since this is unrelated to the rest, it could even be an independent one-time deal. Or is it unrelated?
2) Mal gets a mysterious box in the mail. (Not a dead guy.) It includes a message to meet <someone> on <some planet>.
3) Mal gets there, meets the person, and a sniper takes a shot. Mal + friend (?) escape unharmed.

So, all we need is the who's and the why's.

Origionaly that was ment to push the story along so in hinsight it does seem kinda abrupt.

But including the limping back to Shobe would be good as an indipendet storyline would be good as well.

The Peggy Stewart and crew were just disposable characters.

I'll see if I can whip something up tonight, then.

Concept: If we still want the Jade Jaguars to eventually turn out a bit on the evil side, Mal could tumble to them by discovering a book on <insert evil subject here>, then closing it and finding an ornamental etching of a green stone cat on the cover.

This would riff on a similar discovery in a second-season episode of Angel.

Concept: A side-string of perhaps five or six missions involving Barnum versus Bailey, with a pair calling themselves the Ringling Sisters attempting to take both of the Bs down.

All right, project is done, school's out, and I've had a few days to unwind from all that. Time to start writing again!

We currently have maybe five side stories. Before Part 1 is released I want at least 15, of at least 2 missions each; some of those should stretch to as many as 4 or 5 missions.

It would take me quite a while to write that many myself. So here's the plan. If you're willing to put in some writing for a story, post here and include a basic concept. (One sentence is fine.) I'll work with you to expand it to an outline; you give me a draft; I polish it. I feel most of the best descs we've gotten so far have come about from one person conceiving an idea and another fleshing it out, so hopefully this will work well.

Hopefully enough people are still checking the board that something actually happens here.

Concept: Mal is hired to transport a scientist looking to put together the Church of Sol. Basically he's organizing a quest to identify which of the many stars in the night sky is orbiting the homeworld. This information may be known to some, but is kept confidential if so.

Why a Church? Because that gets him a bigger tax break than calling it a research group.

I have a dialog in mind calling out the extreme unlikeliness of a 9-star system arranged in the *exact* manner necessary to maintain extensive habitability zones among them, and how this is proof of something very profound (although no one's sure what). I'd like to write that one, but ideas and additions from others are welcome to flesh this out.

The target is three major missions, plus the possibility of recurring minor missions and maybe a follow-up down the road.

We've done zippo with the Strykers, based on Svendo. Even if we're saving them for Part 2, we should give them a mention of some type in a mission or two.

The start of a 2-3 mission bit on Pegana (100%, get this first visit).....

Idea, maybe half the planet is looking for Aliens while half the planet is looking for other human civilzations.

BTW my new computer is down for repaires so thats the reason for lack of new stuff. :angry:

I'm on it. Finishing up an assortment of random bar fights, including an homage to Jaynestown. I'll get started on this one as soon as I'm done with that.

Pete

What if Pegana is the planet that Mr. Universe eventually takes over? Perhaps after something drives out the current scientists.

That certainly could work. We could set up Mal's relationship with Mr. Universe by having the string drive out the scientists and set up Mr. Universe to monitor the planet's transceiver array (perhaps a downsizing, efficiency thing?)

Pete

Universe seems fairly young. I'd think actually introducing him should be a Part 2 thing. However, we could make the planet more obviously his as a wink-wink thing.

What about this: we set up Mal's association with the outpost, and establish that the Alliance is getting tired of throwing money into something that's not doing a whole lot. It would set up a Part 2 string getting Mr. Universe into the fray. Would that work?

Pete

Sounds like we're thinking along the same lines.

Cool. I'll get started as soon as I'm done with the bar fights (probably in the next few days.) I finally got a job for the remainder of the summer, so I'll have a little less time, but I should be able get something for you soon.

Pete

I think side stories should be approached like this: Choose a planet, invent someone who lives there, and figure out why they'd want Mal's help. Sounds simple, but I feel that starting with the planet rather than the mission should speed the idea process; there's already a fair number of story hooks in various planet descs.

At this point I'd say we've got maybe a third of the number of side stories I want before Part 1 release at least in development, so we still need a few more. At least 3 or 4 at least 4 missions long; the rest can be only 1 or 2.

I want a side story that involves a rock garden in some way. I dunno, I just think that'd be neat.

I'm on it.

Pete

Following another long Joss Whedon tradition, one of the side stories should be launched by a completely over-the-top scene involving some odd behavior by our main characters.....only to have Mal wake up in the middle of the desc.

However, let's wait to use this until we have a good reason to do so.

Update. Now and then I need to collate these things so that the amount of work to be done doesn't seem overwhelming. I said up-thread that I wanted 15 side stories, and at first glance it seems we have that; but some of these are very short, so a few more very short ones to compensate wouldn't hurt. "Claim Valuables" length, I'm thinking.

Any from the second list that anyone wants to tackle, just say so. Depending on your specific concept, they may be targeted for part 2 (lower priority). The one on there that I'd really like to get at least a few missions of into part 1 is the Morrigan stuff.

Side stories so far:
1) Pilgrimage to Sturges
2) GalPost (mostly BBS)
3) Mandatory Rescue Mission
4) Bypass Customs
5) Claim Valuables
6) Snowbank/Renshaw chain
7) Col North side missions (need a few more)
8) Capshaw string
9) Carefully nonexplicit Doctor Who crossover (incomplete)
10) Pegana/Reavers string (edited, not yet fully added to the game files)
11) Barnum/Bailey strings (mutually exclusive)
12) Hell's Edge/Reavers string (not fully edited)
13) Parts breaking down stories (not yet edited)
14) Atmospheric bar fights (not yet edited)
15) Companion string (not yet edited)
16) Jaguar BBS missions (not yet added)

Additional concepts:
1) Package/sniper bit upthread
2) Morrigan string from Trasker's End (optional depending on player choices)
3) Illegal Salvage (from a derelict)
4) Companion Transport (BBS)
5) Blue Sun Sponsored Mission Packets
6) Construction supplies to the planet in "Dead or Alive" (Part 2 or 3)
7) Mud shipments from Canton on Higgins' Moon
8) Black market beagles/kittens/something cute.
9) Atmospheric "missions" that don't do anything but show former Indies aren't welcome everywhere, show the dangers of travel in the Core, and other such things.
10) Mal delivers apples to a warehouse, but one of them explodes....causing a chain reaction that destroys the warehouse. Some small groups gets angry at Mal for this. Or was it intended to go down that way? Maybe save this for the Pike/Patience rivalry (Part 2).
11) The abandoned monastery on Meteora
12) The mysteriously vanishing supply shipments to Ferris (Part 2 or 3)
13) More Adventures With Monty
14) More GalPost details, maybe Mal didn't originally meet that guy in "The Message" as a client.

I'm going to adapt this to a limited-time-window side mission since it won't fit easily into the main story now.

Tie this into the potential Universe/Pegana story, perhaps.

Need to shoehorn this into some minor side mission.

Did I ever remember to send you the Companion side string? 3 missions with a recurring equipment transport and Companion transport? I might have forgotten to send that. Otherwise, I'll get working on the other side string of ideas. It might be a few weeks, since lesson planning and grading have ground me to a halt at he moment.

I've got that one, yes. As I recall I wanted the Guild missions to be more differentiated than they seemed there, but it's a good starting point.

How so with the differentiated? I'm not quite sure I follow. Different kinds of recurring missions?

More that the missions feel a bit generic. If we're going use the Guild I'd like there to be more atmosphere to it. We can worry about that more when I'm done editing the Hell's Edge ministring.

Sounds like a plan.

Since I first landed on Sanctus, I've thought that it was begging for a story to go with it. I've got an idea for a fairly comical one, but I'm afraid it could be misconstrued as offensive. Here's an outline for what I have in mind.

<offered from a planet near Sanctus>
1. Transport a newly converted priest to Sanctus (he used to be Baptist). He mentions that he is going to head up the spiritual outreach program. You can meet him in the bar on Sanctus if you want to help progress the faith and make a few credits on the side.

<offered from Sanctus bar>
2. Your contact tells you that he's building up a 'revival' to be held on Sanctus next month (due to lukewarm residents of Sanctus and the unholy heathens on the surrounding planets). He asks you to retrieve some supplies (tents, hymnals, Bibles, ect.) from a couple of nearby planets.

<offered from Sanctus bar>
3. This mission will split into one of two stories, depending on the player's choice. A shady character will ask you to help them sabotage the revival by slipping in some Lutheran Bibles with your next shipment. He's willing to pay as much as fifteen hundred credits. If you refuse to double-cross your employer, you will get a couple more standard delivery missions (with funny dialogue and back-story) before your services are no longer required. Otherwise...

4. You mess with a couple more delivery missions and end up as a fairly-trusted operative for the local Lutheran movement. It will end with you helping the leader of the movement to escape from a Sanctus prison during the revival (starting up some bad blood between you and the local militia).

If this idea is too far out there, let me know and I'll drop it. It needs to be made more believable somehow, if that's within the realm of possibility.

Hmm, there's potential there. Might be funnier if it's Protestants rather than Lutherans....not sure why, maybe I'm just remembering that scene from Those Magnificent Men And Their Flying Machines.

Two things I can see being played for humor: What a priest is doing in a bar in the first place, and Mal's reaction to the whole thing.

Mal is not an atheist. He's just not on speaking terms with God. I've tried to play that up every time religion enters the equation anywhere. I think it's important to keep things consistent in that respect.

I do wonder if this could be tied into Meteora somehow. At present there's no good reason for the player to head to that part of the galaxy at all.

Meteora? What's that? You're right - Protestants would be much better. Don't know why I didn't think of it in the first place. I just need to iron out a few details and I ought to have it written by the end of the day.