The Last Outpost

If you're familiar with Asteroid Base, then you may know that I like to summarise a season's worth of episodes in terms of ratings, feedback and all that good stuff. In the case of Asteroid Field, I will be posting these reports every half-season due to the extended episode count. So I'll jump straight in to the ratings round-up.

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In Extremis:

Excellent Score: 4
Good Score: 2
Average Score: 1

Verdict: The season opener revealed that Renee Hampton had been presumed dead after being shot during a live FNN broadcast. We also saw the return of Daniel Thrace, David Rush and also an appearance by Melia Clarke to tie it all together. As far as I was concerned, this played out as well as it could having lost a sub-plot due to absences. Oh - there was also a mention of the Hobus system. Hm.

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Justitia Omnibus:

Excellent Score: 9
Good Score: 1

Verdict: The highest rated episode of the season so far and also tied with the highest rated episode of the entire series ('Where There is Discord') - the second episode  brought finality to President G'rath's long-running storyline in a showdown above a convenient pool of lava - put to bed with the immortal words, 'burn slowly.' We also saw President Taylor execute Operation Dawnstar, a drastic last resort to rid the Federation of it's corrupt Illuminati conspirators. Finally, a fleet consisting of representatives across the Federation was gathered together to back the former President in to a corner - set to the uplifting tones of Ramin Djawadi. Superb performances all round - special thanks to Jenson for taking on the G'rath mantle for the final time.

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Kingdom of the Heavens:

Excellent Score: 7
Good Score: 1

Verdict: The brakes had yet to be applied by the time the USS Hera ventured in to Halkonian Space to recover Asteroid Base: Alpha, bringing about revelation after revelation when it came to the Accobar System and the now long-lost civilization that once inhabited it. We also saw David Rush take a fateful trip in a shuttlecraft, never to be seen since. This episode worked because of your ideas - so thank you, especially once again, to Jenson.

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Do No Harm:

Excellent Score: 4
Good Score: 3

Verdict: Griffiths' first episode of the season brought Chaplain and Rogan to the foreground, while introducing a new character in the form of Kensi Shaw to rebuild the Promenade (metaphorically and literally). Although Griffiths did not believe this to be a good episode, it was rated highly amongst it's participants - myself included. Who doesn't like drunk dancing?

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Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc:

Excellent Score: 3
Good Score: 3

Verdict: An episode not originally on the list due to an absence by Griffiths saw the arrival of Commodore Leona Mason, a former ambassador to Qo'noS with ties to Alicia Costello. Doppelgängers and bomb disposal were the orders of the day as a Klingon infiltrator attempted spread the word of a elitist faction called Red Dawn. For a last minute addition, this could have gone a lot worse.

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Festina Lente:

Excellent Score: 2
Good Score: 2
Average Score: 1
Awful Score: 1

Verdict: Griffiths' second and final episode of season received a complete overhaul in the minutes (minutes) before going out. Originally designed for a storyline which has been pushed back to later in the season, Festina Lente saw the crew en-route to some much needed shore leave. However, a power failure and a floating robot which could only have been designed by SkyNet, opened the door for the reintroduction of the Tyrella Nano-Virus. Considering how much of this one was made up as we went along, it was down to the members to strike the right balance... and strike it, they did. Unfortunately, it does come away as the lowest rated episode of the season and the lowest rated episode of Star Trek: Asteroid Field. Not a fitting verdict for Griffiths' final contribution to the series.

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Till Death Do Us Part:

Excellent Score: 8

Verdict: The mid-season finale threw the crew together on a single project. You called it excellent. You called it brilliant. You called it good. You called it one of the best mid-season episodes ever attended. You also saved the Serial Roleplay. I can take a step back and let you speak for Episode 7. Even if you don't come out of it alive.

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We saw a few missteps and took a few hard knocks this season. Attendance issues, poor communication and the departure of Griffiths almost took Asteroid Field off the deep end and secure it's place in the Serial Roleplay archives. But, the mid-season finale turned it around and the SRP proved it's worth, all thanks to you.

As ever, your feedback is what makes Asteroid Field and speaks volumes to myself and the powers that be. What did we do right? What did we do wrong? What would you like to see change as we move forward? Did the first half of Season Two come close to matching the highly praised first half of Season One? If you can spare a few moments, please do share a few words on how you think the first seven episodes went.

It is much appreciated, as always  ^-^

Grizz

The Season 2.0 Report - Andzzy Essay Edition

The second season of Asteroid Field presented to us many, many changes. While this is is something we're used to as roleplayers under SRP conditions, this round was drastically different for a variety of reasons. The first thing that comes off as very different is that we had an extra producer this time around! Griffiths joined the writing team for Asteroid Field and managed to create some excellent content for the series. As the season continued, the change brought about a unique dynamic in Asteroid Field that was refreshing to see. Unfortunately, Griffiths' departure brought a crashing end to that dynamic. What I believe was most tragic about that was how well his material supplemented the material written by Grizz.

Asteroid Field has provided us with a unique experience. From the very beginning it wasn't going to be an SRP following a linear experience of a crew that interacted. This kind of experience would have been much too bland and not reflective of the extremely flexible and dynamic experience we received in Asteroid Base. From the start we were promised that the boat would be rocked contantly and that our characters would continue to make or break the SRP. This has proven to be the one universal constant in the Asteroid Field universe. No matter what we do, our characters are always driving the direction of the SRP.

As we talk about characters, we obviously have to take a look at the Survival Episode. I call it that because it is descriptive in more ways than one. When I first discovered that Asteroid Field may have run it's course, I was devastated. I loved Asteroid Field and frankly, couldn't imagine my Saturday without it. I'd just sit there from 3:30 - 5:30 every Saturday doing nothing. Till Death Do Us Part was the episode that could put it all together. And it did just that. Placing a project in the hands of Timothy Rogan is something that is just not simply done without consequence. It's somewhat like expecting Doctor Rush not to blow up a ship of innocent people carrying a nano-virus. I wonder if that happened.

I missed several episodes this season, sadly. My Saturdays were occupied with family events and work and stress. However, when I did make it to Asteroid Field, it was always the most spectacular of episodes. I have to say bravo to the crew and to Grizz and Griffiths for putting on this show for us.

Doctor Hampton is leaving us. She had a nice run, trying to run a station in the middle of a homicidal sector that is constantly unshackled by the plots of Romulans and Klingons. Of course, the Accobarians were of no help in this department, trying to constantly poke fun at the inferiority of the humans trying to study them. Hampton has had her run. But who will be her replacement? Of course, if you like to direct things, you will notice that you can do just that right here (http://www.last-outpost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6090.msg46091/boardseen.html#new). You all want Tim Rogan at the helm, of course.

What was done well? Asteroid Field always leaves us with questions. I believe that if a production does not leave you with the gripping feeling that you can't last another week then it needs to work harder. The teamwork between Grizz and Griffiths to flesh out the season was fantastic and the episodes were very well done. With so many people, there was only one thing this season that I could see that could have been done any different really...

... Local chat. At times I know that there was so much going on that I felt like local chat would have helped me differentiate between the story and the sideline. The trouble there is that you then have to define what is story and what is sideline and with so many characters actually producing the storyline this becomes a rather difficult task.

My verdict? This season is definitely a 9/10 so far and I cannot wait to see the rest of the season unravel before us in November!