What's the best system for doing Star Trek?
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tireironmike
First Post
I played in a Decipher/Coda Star Trek game before. Now a big fan of Character generation but once you get past that it flows very nicely if you are more into role play than roll play.
Thunderfoot
Hero
STAR TREK: The Role Playing by FASA - best, hands down....
It's based on the hard fought premise that you had to slog through life and the Academy and possibly a few crappy postings before getting to your current rank and position - the character creation is beyond belief and extremely detailed (and unlike Traveller (why is this a spelling error) the original edition you can't die during CC). By the time you pick up the dice and start playing, you have a life, a history and some amazing back story - as well as a fully fleshed out Star Fleet Officer.
As for Role Play - you had better have a dynamite administrator or things go slanty fast - and that's regardless of the system you use.
It's based on the hard fought premise that you had to slog through life and the Academy and possibly a few crappy postings before getting to your current rank and position - the character creation is beyond belief and extremely detailed (and unlike Traveller (why is this a spelling error) the original edition you can't die during CC). By the time you pick up the dice and start playing, you have a life, a history and some amazing back story - as well as a fully fleshed out Star Fleet Officer.
As for Role Play - you had better have a dynamite administrator or things go slanty fast - and that's regardless of the system you use.
aramis erak
Legend
1) Trademark... in the US you could not (in the 1970's) trademark common words in correct US spelling (which is traveler - one l).
2) Browser settings. The spellcheck is usually done by your browser, not the BBS. So, if your browser is set for US English, Traveller will ding as an error.
GeekPunk
First Post
Now, here's a thread that's grabbed my attention...
I'm currently working on a "Star Trek inspired" setting called ASTRO CORPS using Icons: Superpowered Roleplaying. It's definitely geared more toward The Original Series and The Animated Series. Characters are more along the lines of "Trained" as opposed to having powers, but the powers are working well for things along the lines of "Trek-like" equipment (phasers, communicators, transporters, tricorders, etc...) and alien beings. I'll be sure to share what I come up with.
I'm currently working on a "Star Trek inspired" setting called ASTRO CORPS using Icons: Superpowered Roleplaying. It's definitely geared more toward The Original Series and The Animated Series. Characters are more along the lines of "Trained" as opposed to having powers, but the powers are working well for things along the lines of "Trek-like" equipment (phasers, communicators, transporters, tricorders, etc...) and alien beings. I'll be sure to share what I come up with.
Personally I just love the d6 system for all high-tech combat-light settings. The main appeal is that all skills are covered by their broad catagories. You can specialise a bit, but everybody knows exactly what their skill in "reversing the polarity and causing a nutrino wave" is.
High-tech settings have too many instances where you need specific skills, having broad catagories to fall back on when the person does not have that skill is great. I can't imagine a Rolemaster style system in a high-tech environment. I like rules-light for high-tech.
Another option is to play up the exploration and problem solving nature of the setting by using PDQ (or FATE). I find people RP and problem solve more when their character sheet cannot be looked at to provide the answer.
PDQ Characters look like this:
Security Officer +2
Starfleet Academy Track and Field Champ +2
Natural Born Leader +4
Combat Medic Certification +2
When that is your character sheet, you have a well defined guy, but its up to you to decide how you can use those assets to solve the problem at hand. Many of my best games are in PDQ. Perfect for horror, diplomacy or investigation games when you don't want the rules to get in the way.
High-tech settings have too many instances where you need specific skills, having broad catagories to fall back on when the person does not have that skill is great. I can't imagine a Rolemaster style system in a high-tech environment. I like rules-light for high-tech.
Another option is to play up the exploration and problem solving nature of the setting by using PDQ (or FATE). I find people RP and problem solve more when their character sheet cannot be looked at to provide the answer.
PDQ Characters look like this:
Security Officer +2
Starfleet Academy Track and Field Champ +2
Natural Born Leader +4
Combat Medic Certification +2
When that is your character sheet, you have a well defined guy, but its up to you to decide how you can use those assets to solve the problem at hand. Many of my best games are in PDQ. Perfect for horror, diplomacy or investigation games when you don't want the rules to get in the way.
I've been running a Star Trek campaign using the Last Unicorn Games system. Four sessions in, and I think everyone's having a pretty good time with it so far. After kicking the tires pretty thoroughly, I decided to put together all my thoughts on the system. You can read my full review here: http://treklug.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-review-of-lugs-icon-system-for-star.html
The short version: the system shows its age in a few ways, but its greatest strength is that the designers built it with a focus on telling Star Trek stories, which turns out to be the system's saving grace. As I said above, my group is definitely having a good time with it.
The short version: the system shows its age in a few ways, but its greatest strength is that the designers built it with a focus on telling Star Trek stories, which turns out to be the system's saving grace. As I said above, my group is definitely having a good time with it.
Man in the Funny Hat
Hero
I like this idea. I've not actually played EotE, but have been watching a few videos and giving it some thought. For SW I think I'd actually still prefer the D6 system, but for Star _Trek_ I think the mechanics of advantages and complications would work better for that setting than I think it would for SW. At least for the kind of games I think I'd lean towards in those respective settings.
GuardianLurker
Explorer
I can't speak to d20 Modern - Urban Fantasy, as I haven't played or GM'd it.
I *can* speak to d20 Future (the D20M variant you'd be using).
RUN AWAY! It isn't often that I'll say anything like this, but d20 Future *fails* at replicating *any* of the popular sci-fi novels, tv series, or movies. It is just as professionally produced as you'd expect from WotC, but looking pretty isn't enough to save the system.
aramis erak
Legend
I used to be die-hard about d6 SW über alles, but once I got rolling with EotE, there was no chance of me picking d6 for Star Wars first anymore, despite my initial major misgivings.
I don't think the tree system would work as well for trek, and rank matters a lot in trek, and isn't mechanically addressed in FFG SW nor WEG SW... and isn't fluff addressed yet in FFG SW.
I think FFG SW is almost too fickle for it to be used in trek with the dice as is...
But I'd like a similar dice-type for Trek, just with less fail and less side-effects. And more even between green/purple and yellow/red.
Man in the Funny Hat
Hero
That sounds like a job for...
the 3D printer I can't afford.
Jester David
Hero
Kicking around adapting WOIN for Trek...
Bought the POD books from DMsGuild credit. Looks good so far.
Bought the POD books from DMsGuild credit. Looks good so far.
There is a fan created Star Trek chassis for Thousand Suns, called Final Frontier. It has some cute features like narrative authority so the player gets to influence the story every so often if they can some up with something that fits in with their trademark abilities. It's basically how Kirk gets the girl onside.
When I think about roleplay in the ST universe, I don't really see too much in it that requires a specialized system. There are no Mecha or power armor suits, nor a lot of personal or commonly used tech that is radically different from a host of other Sci-Fi settings. How often will you need to model the precise way ship-level tech warp drives or cloaking devices operate?
So I'd go with any system y feel comfy running that can let you model the ST races adequately.
So I'd go with any system y feel comfy running that can let you model the ST races adequately.
EvilPheemy
First Post
I've run Star Trek in many different game systems over the years... FASA, HERO, Traveller (in a HOST of editions and revisions), Prime Directive, BRP, and some d20. My point being that (as has been implied), the system you use to play *your* Star Trek game needs to serve how you want your game to feel. One of the things I love about using the Star Trek Universe is how adaptable and versatile it can be towards different stories and styles of play. The source material is so ingrained into our Pop Culture that as a GM, you can take some explanatory shortcuts and fill in your players with a lot of background in only a few short statements. (If you're running a Star Trek game, there is little need to explain what Ferengi are, or who Q is). This quality allows me to be truly creative in adapting different systems to my player's gaming style. If the players are a detail-oriented bunch who enjoys defined rules for all situations, use a crunchy rules-system like HERO or GURPS or a d20 variant. If you have a gaming crew in love with narrative and loosey-goosey rules structure, use a Cypher System or FATE, or even Fudge or Dread. In so many ways it doesn't matter if my groups definition of Phasers set to Stun match your groups definition, so long as both our groups are having fun. Then we can all come back to Forums like these and tell our tales.
aramis erak
Legend
There used to be one, but it wasn't very good; it was floating around WWIV-net in the early 1990's... as a text file.
Still, one can see hints of trek in the SFKH rules...
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