On the Radar: Fictional Past, Present, and Future

Three RPG books that caught my eye on DriveThruRPG this week were the following:

RuneQuest

Oh, yes. The latest version, and crafted by the hands of Greg Stafford, Jeff Richard, Jason Durall, and Steve Perrin. Rules update, and a delightful dive into the world of Glorantha.

Here's the book pitch:

RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha is an all-new edition of one of the world’s most influential and acclaimed fantasy roleplaying games. First appearing almost 40 years ago, RuneQuest is as dynamic and vital as ever. This all-new, deluxe edition introduces RuneQuest and its setting of Glorantha to new players everywhere.

Try out a skill-based percentile system that balances experience-based progression with deadly combat!

The core rules of RuneQuest are essential for players and gamemasters, as they contain all the rules for character creation, starting homelands, background history, professions, skills, starting Runes and magic, and the cults and gods whose influence will define your character’s activities. Further, the rules for character advancement are contained here, for the times between adventures.

Torg: Eternity

I have fond memories of the original Torg rules and setting, and wanted to impact the outcome of the Possibility Wars during its heyday with other Storm Knights. Perhaps now, if I pick this up, I'll have that chance again!

The invasion of Earth told in previous tales of TORG took place on one version of our world. The High Lords there were successful for many years, but were eventually stopped by the planet's valiant Storm Knights.

But there are infinite versions of our world.

This is the tale of a different Earth, one where things did not go as well...

The Torg Eternity Core Rules include all the rules and setting information you need to create characters and play the game, including

• Background on the Possibility Wars
• World Laws and adversaries for Core Earth and the 7 invading Cosms
• Creation and advancement rules with dozens of perks for all kinds of characters
• Magic, Miracles, and Psionics rules
• Gear for all tech levels

Star Trek Adventures: Command Division supplement

Last but not least, a supplement detailing what life is like for characters in the Command Division of Starfleet:

COMMAND A STARSHIP. A HUNDRED DECISIONS A DAY, HUNDREDS OF LIVES, STAKED ON YOU MAKING EVERY ONE OF THEM RIGHT.

The Command Division supplement provides Gamemasters and Players with a wealth of new material for use in Star Trek Adventures for characters in the command division. The Command Division supplement includes:

• Detailed description of the command division, including its role in Starfleet, the various branches within the command division, the role of Fleet Operations, life as a command division cadet, and details on starship operations.
• Expanded 2d20 Social Conflict rules, enhancing social encounters and galactic diplomacy.
• An expanded list of Talents and Focuses for command and conn characters.
• Over a dozen additional starships and support craft to command and pilot, including the NX, Nebula, Sovereign, and Steamrunner classes, as well as many shuttle types and the indomitable Work Bee!
• Advice on creating command division focused plot components for your missions to test the mettle of your captain and flight controller. 
• New rules on running Admiralty-level campaigns that let you command entire fleets, as well as information on commanding starbases.
• Detailed descriptions and game statistics for a range of Command and Conn focused NPCs and Supporting Characters.

TM & © 2018 CBS Studios Inc. © 2018 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ships without Number (list of sources)

Given the background of the default Star Without Number setting, there’s a rationale as to why a mix of ships from different tech levels and designers would combine in a fleet with a grand endeavor.

On a simple level, you could have TOS and TNG era ships in the same fleet. More combinations would have Farscape, B5, and Star Trek ships together.

Will start building this list of sources here.

Fandom Ship Sites:

• Star Wars Deckplans -- an impressive site that organizes the ships by manufacturer, and gives external art, deckplans, and D6 stats!
• B5 Tech -- the site provides images (externals), and specs. No game stats, but a very extensive listing of the ships from the show.
• Star Trek Intelligence -- similar to B5 Tech, shows images (externals) and specs for ships in the various series. Nothing from Discovery (yet), but presents the information as info gathered by the intelligence agencies of the different powers-that-be. 

 Other Ship-related posts on this blog:

• 0-hr. Carriers -- three carriers for your campaign's home ship. One is right-sized for you!

Star Trek Adventures: Online Resources 2

Official Materials

Cover of the Star Trek Adventures:
These are the Voyages book.

In addition to the main Star Trek Adventures rulebook, the following are now also available:

• For a collection of 8 ready-to-play missions, you can pick up the Star Trek Adventures: These are the Voyages - Volume 1
• For some useful reference materials, the Star Trek Adventures Gamesmaster Screen & Player References + TNG & TOS character sheets are also available.
• For characters from Star Trek: TOS, Modiphius has released Star Trek Adventures: The Original Series Player Characters.
• For characters from Star Trek: TNG, they've also released Star Trek Adventures: The Next Generation Player Characters is also available.

A Wiki with a Wealth of Material

You'll find at the Star Trek Adventures Resources Wiki, you can find a growing collection of documents that can help fill out the universe you're trying to populate. They include:

• different sheets and character sheets from various eras
• different ship registry sheets from various eras
• links to different species builds
• various space frames
• adventures
• GM & Player resources
• NPCs

Mephit James' Blog

There are several blog posts here that tackle different types of Star Trek campaigns, including campaign for

• Cardassians
• Romulans
• Klingons

 (updated: fixed prime link, added links to the individual campaigns)

Star Trek PLUS Star Wars: The Wormhole and The Empire

This is part of a series of posts that scours the internet for useful resources on the Star Wars vs. Star Trek discussion that is prevalent in fandom -- but with an eye towards a practical integration into an RPG campaign. Hence, the Star Trek PLUS Star Wars title.

In essence, these posts explore creating an additional neighbor / antagonist for Starfleet beyond our Romulan, Klingon, and other friends in the Milky Way Galaxy. I'm not sure how it would be for Star Wars adventurers entering the Trek universe, given (a) the pressing needs of the Rebellion against the Empire; (b) major technological jumps: transporter technology, replicators, warp, and -- my favorite -- the Genesis Device (also known as: hey you got another Death Star, let's make it a living world!).

The first entrant is this set of videos from the Resurrected Starships channel on YouTube:

Star Wars vs. Star Trek (part 01)

Star Wars vs. Star Trek (part 02)

Comments

Some things that I do like are:

• the idea that the wormhole near Deep Space 9 somehow connects to a galaxy far, far away -- and to a time long ago. If events proceed more or less as constructed in this video, then you could have expeditions to the NOW of the galaxy of Star Wars... and what would you find there, centuries after the events in the Star Wars movies?
• the strengths of Trek (diplomacy, intelligence gathering and study, and an infuriating ability to come up with breakthrough technologies to save the day) vs. the strengths of the Empire (the resources of an entire galaxy focused on war and subjugation, and a few brilliant and experienced strategies in charge of those forces).
• the possibility of corridor battles between Star Wars and Star Trek forces, due to the joys of transporter technology, and modulating frequencies.
• the use of the Rebellion as a possible foil to the invading armies of the Empire.
• the hint of the alarmingly large number of nigh-omnipotent (and omnipotent) beings in the Trek universe as an expression of GM fiat, should things get out of hand.

Some things I didn't like quite as much:

• the strong contributions of personas like Thrawn and Vader to the conflict; I'd have preferred generic references to brilliant personas or powerful Force users, but there are only a few of these of note in the Star Wars universe (by design).
• the Organians didn't make themselves felt here? The Dominion didn't stir themselves either? Granted, it would've made things more convoluted, but IDIC does have its benefits in this kind of conflict.
• what about them droids? Trek may have Data as its sentient construct, but Star Wars has arguably sentient mechs in many shapes and sizes -- wouldn't this be of interest to the Federation (or any one of their allies / enemies) in this war?

Star Trek Adventures: Online Resources

STAR TREK ADVENTURES (Online Resources)

With the release of Star Trek Adventures, it's a good time to pause and reflect on what a good time it is to be a Star Trek gamer. As good as the Star Trek Adventures RPG book is, there's a tendency to make reference after reference to episodes of Star Trek from various series and seasons -- which can be very frustrating when trying to get a grasp of what past or future significance in the timeline those references are, er, referring to.

Fortunately, there are Wikis to help you with that.

Wikis
1. Memory Alpha (repository of much Star Trek canon information)
2. Memory Beta (repository of much Star Trek non-canon information)

Furthermore, you have the option of going to Netflix to check out the exact episode that's being referred to, once the reference has been made. In my account, I have access to:

• TOS (even the animated series!)
• TNG
• DS9
• Voyager
• Enterprise
• TOS Movies; TNG Movies

For those who might be looking for online material concerning ships and stations, there are two YouTube channels that I recommend:

Star Trek Ships
1. TrekYards (which covers many ships from Star Trek's past, present, and fandom, along with reviews of the current series Star Trek: Discovery, and related shows like The Orville.)
2. SpaceDock (which also covers many ships from Science Fiction, including Star Trek)

All this and more are online to help your prep for campaign and adventure creation in Star Trek!

Star Trek Adventures -- The New Star Trek RPG

On the Radar: Star Trek Adventures

Star Trek Adventures is the latest Star Trek RPG to come out, and it's full of promise. I've written some things on Star Trek RPG gaming in the past (Roleplaying in the Worlds of Star Trek 1 and 2), but it's always good to get a copy of the latest one!

With Star Trek: Discovery coming out soon (at the time of this writing), the various Star Trek TV series available online via various streaming services, and no mean amount of nice online references, it's a good time for Star Trek gaming.

I'd even throw in the Star Trek Timelines mobile app as a great reference and resource. You get great pics of the various characters from the shows (some even from alternate timelines), a great tool that allows you to screencap your ship from various angles against various planets and space backgrounds, and even some great adventure ideas complete with plot progression maps that aren't solely advanced by combat.

Not sure about it? Well, before I get started on my evaluation of resources for this RPG, let me share with you the links of a Philippine Gamer's study and review of the book:

Star Trek Adventures: Part 1 -- Introduction
Star Trek Adventures: Part 2 -- United Federation of Planets
Star Trek Adventures: Part 3 -- Your Continuing Mission
Star Trek Adventures: Part 4 -- Operations
Star Trek Adventures: Part 5 -- Reporting for Duty
Star Trek Adventures: Part 6 -- The Final Frontier
Star Trek Adventures: Part 7a -- Social Conflict
Star Trek Adventures: Part 7b -- Combat
Star Trek Adventures: Part 8 -- Technology and Equipment
Star Trek Adventures: Part 9a -- A Home In The Stars
Star Trek Adventures: Part 9b -- Starship Combat
Star Trek Adventures: Part 9c -- Starship Creation and Alien Vessels
Star Trek Adventures: Part 10 -- GMing, NPCs, and Review

Target that explosion and fire! -- Star Trek Gaming

With Star Trek Beyond entering the theaters, and Star Trek Discovery entering your TVs (if CBS direct gets it right), it's great timing that we get some more options for Star Trek tabletop gaming!

Thankfully, Modiphius promises a new RPG & miniatures game to satisfy that need.

Of course, there are other older options for both role-play gaming and wargaming fans that you can take a look at. And some non-branded SF gaming options as well.

It may be time to update my old posts from 2010 for the plethora of gaming options in the classic Trek universe. But for now, here are the links:

• Roleplaying in the Worlds of Star Trek (part 1)
• Roleplaying in the Worlds of Star Trek (part 2)

Roleplaying in the Worlds of Star Trek -- Part II

In the first part of this article, I tackled finding and using some of the licensed Star Trek RPG games to get your fix of Star Trek gaming. But since those RPGs are currently difficult to find (especially here in the Philippines), what other alternatives is there?

Using a current RPG system -- one that you can get ahold of and are comfortable with -- and building everything  Star Trek-related with it!

There are two general approaches for this:

• find a generic RPG system, get all the native source material for a Science Fiction game, and get started converting to Star Trek;
• find a specific Science Fiction system, and tweak it into a Star Trek setting.

Let's tackle Generic RPG system solutions first!

Generic RPG Systems

Two of the go-to generic systems for traditional RPGs are the Hero System and GURPS. Each of them have a wealth of source material appropriate for a Science Fiction campaign and for a Star Trek campaign in particular.

Hero has a reputation for being a little more supporting of -- well -- heroic gaming, while GURPS has a reputation for being slightly more gritty and less forgiving with regard to superhuman abilities and recovering from damage.

The Hero System has a genre book titled Star Hero. It discusses the various Science Fiction genres, dissects how these genres and subgenres are applicable to games (as opposed to fiction), and lays out how to put together a Science Fiction campaign. It gives guidelines on solar system and planet creation, as well as rules for weapons, armor, technology, and starships.

Hero also has two other supplements available that are of special interest to Star Trek fans. These are the Terran Empire sourcebook (the primary Hero System Science Fiction setting) and the Star Trek sourcebooks (an unofficial sourcebook put together by fans). The former is available for purchase, while the latter must be found by searching online.

GURPS 4th Edition has a sourcebook titled GURPS Space, is a revised version of the 3rd Edition book, and is also chock full of source material on creating your own Science Fiction setting, the benefits and pitfalls of certain setting decisions regarding political structures, technology levels, etc. There are character professions appropriate for the various aspects of interplanetary and intergalactic empires (complete with recommended skillsets), and sections on weapons and spaceships.

Of course, GURPS has several other sourcebooks that may be of use to someone looking to build their own Star Trek-ish universe: GURPS Ultra-Tech and GURPS Spaceships come to mind.

By the way, both these systems use normal six-sided dice as opposed to the polyhedral dice collections favored by D20 systems, so this shouldn't be a hinderance to getting your game on.

Other generic systems you may wish to consider, with slightly different RPG philosophies are the D6 system and FATE -- and each have their own respective books that include both the ruleset and genre source material in a single tome.

D6 Space is the latest (free) incarnation of the D6 ruleset which is probably best known for the original Star Wars RPG ruleset. It also uses only 6-sided dice, and favors cinematic styles of role-play for all types of conflict. Space combat in particular is interesting due to options that allow a non-map based style of play that is fast and furious -- though this may be at odds with the traditional capital ship combat that is emblematic of the Star Trek series.

Another thing that is of note: D6 is known for really fast character creation. With pre-prepared profession / archetype templates, you can have your players finished with mechanical character creation within minutes.

Starblazer Adventures may not seem like a very generic name for a generic RPG, but it can be considered the Science Fiction sourcebook for the current FATE ruleset. Its name is drawn from a series of British pulp SF comic books, but due to the breadth of SF settings that these comic books tackled in their lifetime, the RPG talks at length about creating your own campaign setting.

FATE itself has a reputation for being more narrative in its approach to RPGs, and unless you've been playing a variety of RPGs for a while, that may not make a lot of sense. Suffice it to say that the mechanics focus less on attempting to model an internally consistent and plausible reality, and more on telling an internally consistent and satisfying story using game mechanics.

Interestingly, there's another FATE entry in the Science Fiction RPG arena -- one that attempts to describe a more Hard Science Fiction feel to a campaign. You may wish to pick this RPG (known as Diaspora) as well, and mine it for rules, guidelines, and source material that is also appropriate for the Star Trek settings.

continued in Part III

Roleplaying in the Worlds of Star Trek -- Part I

So, the new Star Trek movie was a hit and will probably spawn more sequels that are hopefully of the same caliber or better.

It's only natural that gamers will turn their thoughts to gaming in the Star Trek universe. What games and resources are out there for the gamer seeking to play in the universe of the Federation?

Licensed Star Trek Role-Playing Games

Surely there's been a Star Trek RPG out there? Why not just go out and buy it?

Well, there have been several Star Trek RPGs. The first one was by FASA -- no, wait!

The first Star Trek RPG was published in 1978 by Heritage Models, if Wikipedia is to be believed. It was called Star Trek: Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier and covered under its license the original series and the animated series.

The next Star Trek RPG was FASA's, and it came out between 1982 to 1989. It was based on the Star Trek universe as defined by the original series, the animated series, some fan fiction, and the novels of noted Star Trek novelist John M. Ford (particularly his rationale for the two apparently wildly different looking Klingons in the series). Non-gamers actually welcomed this RPG and assumed that the source material found in it was canon. They were disabused of this notion when Star Trek: The Next Generation came out in 1987 and eliminated the concepts of "Imperial" Klingons, "human-fusion" Klingons, and "Romulan-fusion" klingons, replacing them with the Viking Samurai Klingons who had joined the Federation.

Then came Last Unicorn Games' Star Trek RPG, which was called Star Trek: The Next Generation Role-playing game. It received the 1998 Origins Award for Best Role-playing Game and came out with a lot of source material. In fact, they intended on coming out with a core rulebook for each of the Star Trek TV series, and nearly succeeded (they came out with a Deep Space 9 core book, and an Original Series corebook) but lost the license to Decipher before they could finish. It's rumored that they intended to come out with a Voyager core book, but it's doubtful that they would have ever considered the other, always forgotten Star Trek TV series (Star Trek: the Animated Series).

Decipher's Star Trek RPG came out in 2002. It was called the Star Trek Roleplaying Game. They came out with several books, including:

• Book 1: Star Trek Roleplaying Game Player's Guide (2002)
• Book 2: Star Trek Roleplaying Game Narrator's Guide (2002)
• Book 3: Starfleet Operations Manual (2003)
• Book 4: Starships (2003)
• Book 5: Aliens (2003)
• Book 6: Creatures (2003)

and several others, but ceased publishing and producing the RPG in 2007. And that's where that road ends.

Fortunately, there are alternate roads.

There was an RPG published by Task Force Games in 1993 (!) called Prime Directive. It is set in the Star Fleet Universe - a Paramount-sanctioned spin-off intellectual property that is essentially the original series + the animated series but never mentions certain things, like "Trek" or "Kirk" or "Spock", but does include Klingons, and Romulans, and Constitution-class ships... For old-school wargamers, yes, this is the same universe that the war games Federation Commander and the vernerable Star Fleet Battles are set in. Interestingly enough, that the author of the original Heritage Games Star Trek RPG has a connection to Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc., the long-time publishers of Star Fleet Battles.

When Task Force Games folded, the game was ported into two other systems: GURPS Prime Directive and D20 Prime Directive.

Of course, if neither of these appeal to you, there are non-licensed RPGs that can deliver a similar Star Trek feel...

continued in Part II