Background: While the Orions backed the nascent Federation in their war vs the Romulans, and even 'joined' them, this didn't mean relations were normal. The Orions demanded (and got) huge trade concessions no other Federation member ha, and were exempt from many Federation laws and regulations. This didn't sit well with many Federation members.....most especially, the Terrans.

One exemption that especially galled the Terrans was the fact that Orion slavery was glossed over and allowed to exist, under the auspices of 'cultural imperatives'. While the other members dissaproved (especially the Vulcans) none were as adament (or as active) in trying to ban Orion slavery as the Terrans. Terran abolitionist groups sprung up almost instantly at the end of the Romulan War, and soon a 'underground railroad' existed to smuggle former Orion slaves to Terran (and Vulcan) colony worlds.

This irritated the Orion clans immensely.

Matters came to a head when Terran ships began stopping Orion merchanters and freeing all slaves onboard. For a brief period in Y75, an undeclared war existed between the Terrans and the Orions. It ended when a Terran task force happened to 'stumble' across a major Orion 'convoy' that, among other things, also happened to have non-Orion as well as Orion slaves.

The resulting 'misunderstanding' was famously referenced by the Andorian Ambassador to Terra during a speech he gave shortly after the Orions began 'major reforms' as a result of the battle.

"It seems our Orion friends have finally discovered what happens when you push the pinkskins onto the thin ice...."

By Mike Strain (Evilmike) on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 11:56 pm: Edit

And insert obligatory scenario....but I'm drawing a complete blank.....

Any takers?

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 08:57 am: Edit

At first glance, the concept of Orion slavery (as in, it being practiced as government policy on Ore'nn itself, as opposed to being an Orion Pirate problem) sounds like more of a Franchise Orion thing. It may not line up with what GURPS Federation has to say about mainstream Orion society.

There are a number of region-specific quirks on the Orion homeworld, mostly stemming from the various rival states which existed prior to "political coordination". And it is noted that large parts of the law code had to be revised to conform to Federation standards following accession. And that the most restless of the Sea Corsair descendants were often the first to explore the stars - and never quite accepted the new state of affairs on the home world post-unification.

But I'd be wary of going so far as to have this imply that chattel slavery was openly supported as government policy by the Ore'nn Coordination Association by the time it joined the Federation.

Which is not to say that the Terrans wouldn't find other reasons to be uncomfortable with the Orion deal, or that there isn't any potential for "incidents" between the two. Perhaps a certain well-connected Orion corporation was caught following the kind of "bad practices" that would eventually lead to it (allegedly) supporting the first Orion Pirate cartels in later years?

By Mike Strain (Evilmike) on Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 02:13 pm: Edit

"Perhaps a certain well-connected Orion corporation was caught following the kind of "bad practices" that would eventually lead to it (allegedly) supporting the first Orion Pirate cartels in later years? "

I'm figuring this incident was the primary reason that led to the "Mutiny" in Y113 and the formation of the Cartels, yeah.

I'm just drawing a blank for the scenario hook. Otherwise its a simple small fleet action between Orions and Terrans. My original attempt had some troop transports that had to be captured for the Terrans to win (slave transports), but I kept adding too many special rules (IMO).

So anybody want to go for it?

By Jack Bohn (Jackbohn) on Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 11:12 pm: Edit

I'm imagining the Orion player deciding the number of Cargo boxes on each ship which are slave Barracks boxes, and the disposition of non-Orion slaves among them (segregating the "green animal women" from the "ripe" ones). I was going to suggest each box checked by a Terran boarding party be decided by a card or counter picked from a cup, with something to "put a clock" on the search, then I thought of allowing the Orion player to choose the actual boxes on the boarding party combat diagrams, which suggests to me the Orions are forming militia... How warlike is this undeclared war? The Terrans would seem to have had to use force or the threat of force to get the convoy to stop and be boarded, and war games are not at their best simulating "go along with it" situations.

How piratical would these Orion slavers be? An "underground starship" attacked on its way to a Terran colony would be a source of Orion slaves and non-Orions that need to be disposed of. (And a propaganda point: "Where are they? Have they been secretly returned to slavery elsewhere?!?" Well, they have been.) Terran (war? or just police?) comes across a convoy, one SSD showing damage: a vessel secretly and hastily reflagged Orion. Of course, the Terran captain knows the truth, (he's read the scenario setup,) he must board the transport and survive the battle to prove it. And could there be an Orion warship lurking in the vicinity?

Here's a thought: could there be an escaped shuttle from the transport in a nearby asteroid field? The asteroids are covered with a thin layer of ice; no game effect, but color text about Eliza jumping from ice floe to ice floe, so we could have a reference to ice in two planet's cultures.

By Mike Strain (Evilmike) on Sunday, June 12, 2016 - 12:10 am: Edit

Thinking the Terrans are of the 'kill the dirty slavers' mindset, while trying to free as many slaves as possible. Ideally, all of them.

Probably need a rule preventing the Orions from simply self-destructing the slave transports. I think letting them fire on the transports might be ok, but the transport crews might object to that....

I'm not a big fan of the Advanced Boarding Rules...its like the Dogfighting rules, they're ok but man do they slow the game down bigtime.

And as for the 'ice' comment...watch 'Prelude to Axanar' to get the context of the quote. The Andorian Ambassador was basically saying the Orions screwed up, big time.