I'm hoping to run two short campaigns next year, of which the first will be the imaginatively named "Firefly: Season Two". As the name implies, this will be a Firefly RPG campaign, and will pretend to be some sort of a continuation of the series, albeit with the oddity that it's a new crew and a new ship. (Hmm... perhaps "Phase Two" would be a better name, mirroring the aborted Star Trek project of the same name...)
Anyway...
One of the things that I have done with my various one-shots to date is that I've maintained a loose continuity with the existing series, advancing the timeline at the same rate as real time. That means that since "Firefly" was broadcast in 2002 and "Serenity" was released in 2005, "Season Two" will take place 13 years after the series and 10 after the film. That, in turn, places it (apparently) 17 years after the end of the Unification War, and in the year 2530.
Which begs the question: what happened in the intervening years?
Well, here are my basic ideas. I should note that I've lifted just a couple of things from the Firefly "expanded universe" - specifically a name and two ideas from the unproduced episodes section on Wikipedia. However, for the most part I'm ignoring all that material, largely by virtue of being completely unfamiliar with it.
For what it's worth, the below is essentially how I would lay things out for the start of a real Season Two, if I were somehow to be charged with bringing back the show. Which sucks if you were a Wash/Book fan, sorry.
The Alliance: Immediately following the Miranda scandal, the Alliance went into a media lockdown, clamping down hard on unauthorised broadcasts of all sorts. The official story was that the Reapers don't exist, and that any hand the Alliance may have had in creating them was therefore a hoax. At the same time, things became increasingly difficult for independent spaceship operators, who found their margins squeezed, their ability to travel restricted, and increased graft and corruption throughout.
This largely fizzled out with the very public capture, confession, and execution of Mal Reynolds, the fanatical Browncoat responsible for the hoax. His death largely put to bed the Miranda scandal, and things more or less returned to the status quo. That said, the years of the clamp-down had further increased tensions on the Rim, forced a lot of formerly-legitimate traders to supplement their incomes illegally, and generally pushed the 'Verse closer to a second civil war.
Last year, two events of particular note took place. The smaller of these was a much-publicised gunfight on the Rim moon Tombstone, where the local sheriff gunned down a trio of local thugs and then herself disappeared without a trace. This event, although of little significance in itself, has grabbed the public imagination in a big way, leading to many communities becoming much more pro-active in dealing with their problems. (And what is seldom said, but often thought: if they're dealing with their problems independently, then what do they need the Alliance for?)
The biggest event, though, was the assassination of the Alliance prime minister, Davis Andrews, on Ariel. With a single bullet, the 'Verse has been thrown into chaos, and it's not yet clear what will happen next.
Mal Reynolds: To be honest, he's looking pretty good for a dead man. Mal has spent the bulk of the last decade in a deep dark hole on Perdition. However, last year he was broken out by agents contracted by Inara, and he's now back on Serenity, quietly avoiding notice.
Zoe Alleyne Washburne: Under normal circumstances, Zoe would not have rested for a moment until Mal was recovered. However, the timing of events was such that she had a higher priority: barely a month after the death of her husband, Zoe discovered she was pregnant with his child. She therefore left Serenity, and so by the time she learned of Mal's capture it was already too late. Zoe therefore retired to the moon of Tombstone where she has lived quietly with her daughter Emma, eventually taking on the role of sheriff. That came to an end a few months ago, when Zoe learned that Mal had escaped Perdition. Immediately thereafter she took action against the local thugs who had been a nuisance to her community, and she and her daughter left to rejoin Serenity. At the present time, they are yet to do so.
River Tam: In the past decade, River has largely overcome her conditioning at the hands of the Alliance, and has become the pilot of Serenity. She remains a reader, and still has significant difficulties wist social mores and with crowds, but she's much more stable than she once was.
Simon Tam: Simon's relationship with Kaylee was depressingly short-lived, largely due to his almost complete inability to keep his foot from his mouth. It was, in short, a mess of mixed messages, unfulfilled longing, and general farce, with Kaylee eventually leaving the ship deeply hurt and Simon remaining to blame himself. Simon remains on Serenity with Mal, Inara, and River, serving as ship's doctor. His contacts in the underworld proved especially useful in tracking down Mal's prison and then in contracting a crew to rescue him.
Inara Serra: With Mal captured, Zoe left, and Jayne too self-centred to help, it fell to Inara to take charge and coordinate the rescue efforts. That has been her main focus, and increasing obsession, for the past several years. She has gradually burned through every contact and every resource, but has eventually rescued Mal. Inara now remains on Serenity, no longer as a Companion, but as a member of the crew and a fugitive along with the rest.
However, Inara has a significant problem: she suffers from a terminal, and contagious, disease that will take her life if not treated. It cannot be cured, but can be controlled with drugs that she once received from her order. No longer being a Registered Companion, however, she now has months to live.
(Note to self: There's a one-shot in there. Christmas Game 2015?)
Jayne Cobb: In the same misadventure when Mal was taken, Jayne and Kaylee were separated from the rest of the crew. Given the lack of profit in the fugitive lifestyle, and given Kaylee's recent heartbreak, they had little incentive to join up with the crew, and so instead Jayne jacked a ship, and went into business for himself. Jayne now travels with a team of four: himself, Kaylee, and a rotating crew of mercs who never quite seem to work out.
Kaylee Frye: As mentioned, Kaylee's relationship with Simon never quite worked out. Heartbroken, she left the ship with Jayne, and has been travelling with him ever since. Kaylee recently learned of Mal's escape, but has not yet decided whether to return to Serenity or stay with Jayne.
Five Ships
The consequence of this is that the setting, initially at least, has five significant ships flying around. These, and their crews, are:
- Serenity: Mal (captain), River (pilot), Simon (doctor), Inara (ex-Companion), plus a new mechanic.
- Violet: Jayne (captain), Kaylee (mechanic), plus a rotating team of two mercs.
- Mutt: Zoe (captain), Emma (passenger).
- Betty: Elgyn (captain), Christie (first officer), Sabra (pilot), Vriess (mechanic), Call (tech), Johner (merc).
and, of course, the PCs' boat, whatever that may be.
