The "Makuda" Class Klingon Battle Cruiser Background

Awhile back, Michael Okuda shared a tale from his time working on Star Trek: The Next Generation to the Facebook page that he shares with his wife. The post includes a single photo of his suggestion for what would become the K'Vort-class. The photo shows a kitbashed model using what appears to be a K't'inga model kit as its base. He reinforced the model with a brass rod, installed lights, and attached various greebles. Rick Sternbach added weathering and battle scars. Unfortunately, the model was not used and the ILM's Bird-of-Prey became the (much larger) K'Vort.

I'm thinking about using the design whenever our Star Trek Adventures campaign starts back up. The Klingon fleet, even in the 24th century, could use a little more variety. I wrote up a quick history of the class and gave it a name inspired by its creator. Stat-wise, I'm planning on just using the K'Vort from the book.

The Makuda-class battle cruiser was originally conceived as a response to Starfleet's Excelsior-class starship. The design is a modified K't'inga-class with enhanced systems and a reinforced hull. The Klingon Defense Force ultimately rejected the design. Although the Makuda would have set new standards for battle cruiser performance, it was far more expensive than simply keeping the K't'inga-class in service. Upgrading existing K't'inga-class battle cruisers to the Makuda-class design was considered, but the estimated cost was comparable to new construction due to the additional hull bracing and upgraded structural integrity fields needed to support the improved systems and performance.

The Makuda-class design was revisited on three occasions.

The first was in response to Starfleet's introduction of the Ambassador-class starship. To save time, a new team took the existing Makuda-class design study and updated it with the technologies that had been developed in the interim. The design was well-regarded, but lost to the K'Vort-class - an uprated and expanded Bird-of-Prey design based on the B'Rel-class. Again, the deciding factor was cost. The K'Vort could be more economically produced in the numbers the Klingon Defense Force needed to protect the Empire. On the other hand, a few Houses took a liking to the design, preferring "proper battle cruisers" to "overgrown scout ships" and it entered limited production to replace older battle cruisers. Most were never deployed outside Klingon space, but a few saw action against the expanding Cardassian Union.

A proposal to expand production of the Makuda-class was put forth after the reemergence of the Romulan Star Empire along with their fleets of impressive D'deridex-class warbirds. However, the Vor'cha-class battle cruiser was entering service to glowing reports from their first crews as they shattered performance records. Another factor was the latest refit for the K't'inga-class - one that would enable the venerable battle cruisers to serve in the brief Federation-Klingon conflict just prior to the Dominion War. With brand new battle cruisers joining the fleets and plenty of freshly refitted older ones around, the Klingon Defense Force rejected the proposal and even orders from the Houses began to dry up.

The desperate early days of the Dominion War was the third and final time production of the Makuda-class for the Klingon Defense Force was seriously considered. It was pointed out that there were some slipways too small to build a Vor'cha, but not suitable for a K'Vort or B'Rel either. Most of these slipways originally built D-7 battle cruisers and had been retooled for civilian production as the Empire tried to restore its economy after Praxis. It had always been possible to use them to produce Makuda-class battle cruisers, but the direct cost of retooling and the indirect cost to the Empire's economy was always deemed to be too high. Questions of cost disappeared as the Dominion proved to be an existential threat to the Federation-Klingon Alliance.

The Makuda-class plans were once again updated, but there were limits to what could be done with the aging design and progress was slow. Only one slipway was retooled and limited production began by the time the Romulans entered the Dominion War. With the tide turning, the Klingon Defense Force halted plans to expand production further. The single slipway continued to produce Makuda-class battle cruisers - at a rate just enough to replace losses - until the end of the war. The slipways that were to be used to build Makuda-class battle cruisers were instead retooled to produce troop transports to ferry Klingon warriors to take planets in Cardassian space instead.

The Rule and Fate of Wizard-Kings

"Wizard-Kings always fall" goes the ancient saying. A wizard who seizes secular power must give up some measure of his magical progress. His hours and days become consumed with the demands of rulership. Meanwhile, his rivals and challengers are free to redouble their research, often spending every waking hour on their studies. Eventually, one such rival will unlock enough mystical secrets, gather enough arcane knowledge, and unleash enough eldritch power to eclipse the Wizard-King in magical strength and topple him in a clash of magics, seize the crown, and fall into the same trap.

Some mystics who would walk the path of rulership seek to avoid such a fate by dividing their time, only to lose ground in both the political and magical arenas. Only so much of the work of ruling can be delegated, even if enough trustworthy and talented people could be found to take on the burden. Only so much time can be pried from other responsibilities for the research that is a wizard's passion, especially compared with those free of such burdens. Political rivals will take advantage of the Wizard-King's divided attention to gain influence. Rival wizards will focus on their researches and inevitably close the gap in magical power.

It is commonly accepted that the best place for those who follow the mystic arts is to advise and assist those who already rule. This role is relatively undemanding and the time it requires can be spared more easily. While direct rule offers more political power, the influence of a trusted advisor is considerable.

But there are always those who try to use their mystic might as a stepping stone to political power. They think themselves too cunning to fall into the same traps that ensnared previous Wizard-Kings. A few have actually succeeded.

The Wizard-King Ballantyne outlawed magic throughout the realms he conquered to prevent the raise of rival wizards. One such rival escaped his notice. She sought out allies among those without political ties in Ballantyne's realms. Outland barbarians raided those who worked to bring forth the bounty of the land and wealth of its markets. Bards labeled nobles close to the Wizard-King as despots, justifying their later assassinations. A few bold adventuring parties assaulted Ballantyne directly – they failed to kill him, but injury and paranoia hampered his activities. Meanwhile, the rival wizard used her own magics to cloud the Wizard-King's scrying and counter his spells. In the end, the Wizard-King and his base of support were so worn down that his realms welcomed a challenger – a callow youth armored against Ballantyne's magics and wielding the sword fated to pierce the Wizard-King's heart. That youth was elevated to the throne by those who thought him easy to manipulate, but they were thwarted by the appearance of his chief advisor – a woman of great beauty and insight.

There are the tales of the Lich-King Koschei, who began his rule as a mortal man, but used the rituals of Lichdom to strip the flesh from his form and gain an unholy form of immortality. Without the need for sustenance or sleep, he could rule by day and study by night, making every moment of his undead existence count. As the years wore on his studies unlocked knowledge of the outer planes. His interest in the material world declined. He was removed from power by an alliance of his treacherous apprentices and rebellious courtiers, but tales hint at his survival and eventual return.

Related in principle to the Lich-King was the Necromancer Lord. His source of power was not reality-bending spells, but his endless army of undead. His rivals, both political and magical, were simply overwhelmed by the cold, unliving hands of his followers. Shortly afterwards, those unfortunates found their minds imprisoned within their own animate corpses. Enslaved by necromancy, his former rivals knelt at his feet and offered their undying support. Only his own death ended his rule – as he found himself dying of age, he attempted the rituals of Lichdom, but his ailing body caused his spells to falter. His corpse was consumed by his own army of undead.


(This was some background for a D&D campaign that never got off the ground. I found it, dusted it off, and gave it a quick edit before posting it here.)

Ashen Stars - Three Unofficial Reasons Behind the Boogey Conundrum

The Boogey Conundrum is part of the background of Ashen Stars. The Combine - something like Star Trek's United Federation of Planets - fought a devastating war against the Mohilar The war started seventeen years ago and ended seven years ago. Since then, nobody in the Combine can remember details about the Mohilar Their culture, weapons, language, tactics, and even their appearance is unknown. Trying to recall these facts leads to a state of confusion. Records exist, but accessing those records causes black outs and periods of missing time. Even trying to research the effect itself is problematic. In the end, the Combine just slapped the label "Boogey Conundrum" on the effect and called it a day.

Ashen Stars author Robin D Laws states in the rulebook that the Boogey Conundrum is not part of a metaplot. It is entirely up to GMs and players to work out what it is within their own campaigns. He does offer some suggestions, but no definative answers.

Below are three ideas I fleshed out a little. None of these ideas are official, but certain elements requite a knowledge of the game's background.

Civil War Cover Up

There was never a race named the Mohilar They never showed up with fleets and living weapons, never laid waste to the Combine, and never disappeared. It was all a cover story cooked up to hide a devastating secret - the Combine went to war with itself.

There were always tensions within the Combine. The Seven Peoples had all fought each other at one time or another. Their interests did not always align perfectly. Cooperation had brought great prosperity, but for how long?

How did it start? Perhaps the careful control of the Balla slipped. Maybe the newly developed Cybes were a step too far. Durugh trickery is an easy answer. The ambition and extremism of the Humans, fueled by their boundless energy, may have become an intolerable threat to the other races. The Tavak could have struck at the other races to preserve the Combine before it tore itself apart. Or the Kch-Thk might have just gotten really hungry. In any event, the Combine shattered under the stresses placed on it.

All of the races found themselves fighting for survival. The early war's surgical strikes failed to be the decisive. The middle of the war saw a steady escalation as fleets maneuvered and alliances were forged and broken. By the end of the war, there was only horror as population centers were bombarded out of existence.

At the end of a decade of war, somebody made a deal with the Vas Kra. The cosmic consciousness had watched the conflict with sadness as the once-proud Combine committed suicide. The Vas Kra could not reverse the damage or restore the lives lost - they were powerful, but not gods. What they could do was alter the memories of the survivors. Blame for the devastation would be cast on a race of mysterious invaders. It was hoped that this - and the implied threat of their return - would unite the Combine as it rebuilt.

The Vas Kra knew that it would take almost all of their power to accomplish the task. They did it anyway, becoming the Vas Mal. Their work was imperfect, but good enough to conceal the real reason of the near-destruction of the Combine. Unfortunately, the restored Combine is not as unified as the Vas Kra hoped it would become.


The Mad Gods

D’jellar was not the only Vas Kra to go mad, only the first. More branches of the Vas Kra turned away from the cosmic consciousness to satisfy sadistic urges. The malignancy spread quickly. Soon, the majority of the Vas Kra began to delight in using their powers to torment and destroy.

There seemed to be no defense and no hope as the decade of madness stretched on. Fleets and worlds were wiped away. Countless lives were lost as the Vas Kra amused themselves. The Combine and Durugh formed a desperate alliance, but their depleted forces were helpless against the rampage.

In the end, a way was found to reconfigure the anomaly the Vas Kra used to manipulate reality. It was widened into a gate and a weapon designed to disrupt the energy forms of the Vas Kra was sent through it. The Vas Kra were devolved into the misshapen forms of the Vas Mal.

But the crude weapon had side effects. There was a huge psychic backlash as the Vas Kra fell. The malignancy the drove the Vas Kra mad was itself a cosmic power and found itself devolving with them. Its decade of madness and joy was over, but it would go down fighting. It rode the psychic backlash, ravaging every mind in reach to create a myth. The false story of the Mohilar would serve as a distraction until it could find a way to wield real power again.

The Mohilar Went Home

The Mohilar were rolling over the Combine. The Combine's fleets were pressed up to the wall. Combine worlds burned in the night. Only a little more time and the Mohilar emerge victorious.

Then... they packed up and left.

The Mohilar's armies regrouped, withdrew from the front lines, and boarded their assault craft and transports. The Mohilar reorganized their logistics - dismantling their bases and loading everything up for the trip home. The warships of the fleet guarded the evacuation effort. Slow moving cargo ships joined convoys and turned for the home systems. Nothing was left behind.

The Boogey Conundrum was one of a number of carefully calculated acts designed to slow the Combine's recovery until the Mohilar returned. The bombardment of Earth and the fall of the Vas Kra were other parts of this plan. Leaving some of their living weapons behind was not part of the plan - the Mohilar just couldn't be bothered to gather them all up. A disrupted Combine without the aid of the Vas Kra or even any memories of the Mohilar would be ill-equipped to deal with another invasion.

Why did they go? A military campaign could be called off for any number of reasons.

Politics:

• Loss of popular support back home.
• A restless population or civil war.
• A new set of legitimate leaders who see no point in continuing the conflict.
• A political process that the leaders of the campaign need to go and participate in.

Weird:

• A religious rite that must be observed personally every 10 - 15 years.
• Some biological cycle that has already been delayed for as long as it can.

Practical:

• Ran out of slave troops and their living weapons weren't considered reliable enough.
• Ran out of the unobtainium that their technology runs on.
• Ran out of royal jelly for their queens.
• Ran out of money.

Whatever the reason, the Mohilar left. But they'll be back once they deal with whatever caused them to leave. And the Combine won't be ready.