Star Trek (movie) made me think of Star Trek RPG... so...
jaerdaph
#UkraineStrong
I still like and play Last Unicorn Games Star Trek. Some recent (unofficial fan) offerings that look cool:
True20 Star Trek
True20 Star Trek Backgrounds
Microlite20-inspired Star Trek - and it's home page here.
True20 Star Trek
True20 Star Trek Backgrounds
Microlite20-inspired Star Trek - and it's home page here.
jaerdaph
#UkraineStrong
Not obscure or uncommon at all - WotC just didn't adequately review the LUG/Paramount licensing agreement and catch the clause that terminated the license if LUG were ever to be sold. This was pre-Hasbro days so they didn't have those attorneys to check it out either. Those kind of clauses are actually quite common.
I heard this directly from the unfortunate soul (formerly) at WotC who made this mistake, but they shall remain nameless.
I own LUGTrek but I haven't played it. It looks neat, though.
Prime Directive is set in the "Star Fleet Universe", essentially an alternate timeline that builds off of certain aspects of the original series and the animated series and goes from there (ADB's license doesn't allow them to discuss the main characters, but they can use races and ships). It is the game universe of Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander.
The SFU is a lot of fun (just did a rollicking 3 on 3 cruiser action in Federation Commander last night... Royal Hydran Navy smacked down those Klingon low lifes!). It has your standard guys (Federation, Klingons, Romulans), the lesser-known races (Gorns, Tholians, Orions, Andromedans), a race that only appeared in the animated show but that you've probably heard of (Kzinti), and some races original to the SFU (Lyrans, Hydrans, Vudar, etc.). There's a lot of variety. Note that the Klingons of the SFU are not Rastafarian Samurai like in NextGen; they're cagey Mongolian Commies like in the original series.
The Star Fleet Universe is very military. Most of the timeline involves major wars, and the General War encompasses all the major and minor races and was hard-fought and bloody. In Prime Directive, the default campaign model is that of the "Prime Team", essentially Star Fleet Navy SEALS. The game doesn't have a whole lot to do with the "prime directive" in the sense of something that a supercilious Picard might stand around pontificating about... it really has more to do with replaying Where Eagles Dare as a Star Trek adventure.
Prime Directive is set in the "Star Fleet Universe", essentially an alternate timeline that builds off of certain aspects of the original series and the animated series and goes from there (ADB's license doesn't allow them to discuss the main characters, but they can use races and ships). It is the game universe of Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander.
The SFU is a lot of fun (just did a rollicking 3 on 3 cruiser action in Federation Commander last night... Royal Hydran Navy smacked down those Klingon low lifes!). It has your standard guys (Federation, Klingons, Romulans), the lesser-known races (Gorns, Tholians, Orions, Andromedans), a race that only appeared in the animated show but that you've probably heard of (Kzinti), and some races original to the SFU (Lyrans, Hydrans, Vudar, etc.). There's a lot of variety. Note that the Klingons of the SFU are not Rastafarian Samurai like in NextGen; they're cagey Mongolian Commies like in the original series.
The Star Fleet Universe is very military. Most of the timeline involves major wars, and the General War encompasses all the major and minor races and was hard-fought and bloody. In Prime Directive, the default campaign model is that of the "Prime Team", essentially Star Fleet Navy SEALS. The game doesn't have a whole lot to do with the "prime directive" in the sense of something that a supercilious Picard might stand around pontificating about... it really has more to do with replaying Where Eagles Dare as a Star Trek adventure.
talien
Community Supporter
I wrote an article about this topic: RPG Examiner: Gaming in the Star Trek universe
Short answer -- there are lots of official Star Trek RPGs, and only one current that's a d20 variant.
Short answer -- there are lots of official Star Trek RPGs, and only one current that's a d20 variant.
Woas
First Post
I'd also suggest using Traveller for a Star Trek based game. However a follow up question I always had (I've always been interested in a Star Trek game) would be exactly how you would run it? Obviously the player characters would be the 'stars' of the show... the Kirks, Picards, Spocks, Scottys, Datas. But would they just get spoon fed 'missions' from Starfleet every game session? It always seemed so rail-roady...
Donovan Morningfire
First Post
Ah, I remember LUGTrek. Fun system, but sadly only got to play a handful of sessions before the GM flaked out on us. Took a look at the Decipher version, but was pretty soured on it after some lackluster experiences with their other CODA game, Lord of the Rings.
BTW, thanks Green Apple for those site links. I remember Trek RPG Net from back in the day, and that they had some really neat stuff.
BTW, thanks Green Apple for those site links. I remember Trek RPG Net from back in the day, and that they had some really neat stuff.
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Hawke
Explorer
Over a decade ago I used to do simming on IRC - basically it was freeform (no-stats) RPG weekly on an IRC channel. Usually an hour long. The Captain of the ship took the role of the Captain and sort of GM light (they got the ability to control events and NPC enemies) while each character played a specific position (helm, ops, ceo, tac, etc). Since it wasn't tactical, there weren't rolls involved and usually the other players had almost as much say in the direction of the story as the Captain... with a good group and dynamic it was a great storytelling system and a fun way to spend an evening online (and eat up by-the-minute net costs).
If I were to do it again - i'd probably use a drama-heavy system. Something that avoided rolls but allotted players "drama points" that could be spent to twist the story a little bit in the direction.
To me, Trek seemed very teamwork and puzzle solving oriented but not very combat oriented. As much fun as it'd be to phaser klingons for several sessions, I think what could truly set your "Trek RPG" apart would be immersion into a story with a system that didn't emphasize combat so much.
I'd also take a look at systems like the SpyCraft stuff - I'm not super familiar but my understanding is SC has some really cool things that treats social/diplomacy stuff like combat. Never used it myself, but if the wind I'm getting is true a modified system could be used to solve diplomatic missions. Not sure if there's a "solve random technobabble science issue" system out there.
Good luck!
If I were to do it again - i'd probably use a drama-heavy system. Something that avoided rolls but allotted players "drama points" that could be spent to twist the story a little bit in the direction.
To me, Trek seemed very teamwork and puzzle solving oriented but not very combat oriented. As much fun as it'd be to phaser klingons for several sessions, I think what could truly set your "Trek RPG" apart would be immersion into a story with a system that didn't emphasize combat so much.
I'd also take a look at systems like the SpyCraft stuff - I'm not super familiar but my understanding is SC has some really cool things that treats social/diplomacy stuff like combat. Never used it myself, but if the wind I'm getting is true a modified system could be used to solve diplomatic missions. Not sure if there's a "solve random technobabble science issue" system out there.
Good luck!
Kwalish Kid
Explorer
When I ran a LUGTrek game, I discovered that for most adventures, the game system served as a framework in which to express the technobabble solutions of the players. Without a great knowledge of Star Trek, the players soon got into the groove of saying things like, "Can we use pattern buffers to enhance the signal?" or other technobabble solutions. At which point, I would use this as an opportunity for them to use their skills toward solving the problem (which would sometimes involve them moving to a particular area where I wanted to move the story forward).
The great thing about this was, they really seemed to feel like they were part of a Star Trek (TNG) story.
Wombat
First Post
One of the biggest problems with Star Trek roleplaying is ... which Trek?
No, I don't mean which series necessarily, but what is your vision of Star Trek in general.
Take for example Starfleet Battles, a very influential vision of what Star Trek is all about -- in this game (first developed in the latter 70s) there is s strong emphasis on combat, especially space combat. Starfleet is essentially a military venture with a science overlay. In addition Larry Niven's Kzinti are involved and Klingons and Romulans (pre-movie era for the most part) are entirely enemy forces with no chance of alliances. This would require a set of rules based primarily, although not entirely, on starship combat. The game would be generally battle-intensive, even for on-the-ground dealings.
Then there is TNG, with its emphasis on talking matters out, diplomacy, and scientific problems. This would need an entirely different set of rules, with an emphasis on social interaction and scientific/engineering discovery.
The new movie could be almost anything -- the vision is still being formed, although it seems to be more action based than TNG; in some ways it feels like a throwback to TOS action ... yet the characters are still rough, unpolished, even unprepared.
So when deciding on a system, what kind of game are you playing? If it is personal-combat-oriented, go for some version of D&D; that would be as good as anything. Traveller might work better for a set of starship combat rules. For the more social aspects, you might be better served by a variant on World of Darkness or something like FUDGE or FATE or other more "freeform" rules.
Anyway, a few thoughts on the topic...
No, I don't mean which series necessarily, but what is your vision of Star Trek in general.
Take for example Starfleet Battles, a very influential vision of what Star Trek is all about -- in this game (first developed in the latter 70s) there is s strong emphasis on combat, especially space combat. Starfleet is essentially a military venture with a science overlay. In addition Larry Niven's Kzinti are involved and Klingons and Romulans (pre-movie era for the most part) are entirely enemy forces with no chance of alliances. This would require a set of rules based primarily, although not entirely, on starship combat. The game would be generally battle-intensive, even for on-the-ground dealings.
Then there is TNG, with its emphasis on talking matters out, diplomacy, and scientific problems. This would need an entirely different set of rules, with an emphasis on social interaction and scientific/engineering discovery.
The new movie could be almost anything -- the vision is still being formed, although it seems to be more action based than TNG; in some ways it feels like a throwback to TOS action ... yet the characters are still rough, unpolished, even unprepared.
So when deciding on a system, what kind of game are you playing? If it is personal-combat-oriented, go for some version of D&D; that would be as good as anything. Traveller might work better for a set of starship combat rules. For the more social aspects, you might be better served by a variant on World of Darkness or something like FUDGE or FATE or other more "freeform" rules.
Anyway, a few thoughts on the topic...
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