Trek RPGing

pyratejohn · 08-28-2006, 11:42 AM

Promtped by something sjard wrote in another thread:

Quote:

I recently dropped $50 on the core books for the decipher trek game sight unseen based on a paragraph a friend had sent me about how it's got the best information on running a campaign that feels like a tv series and my disappointment in the setting for GURPS Prime Directive. Decipher's Trek game just does the job better and feels more correct for me.

I'm looking for similar opinions about any Trek rpg that has been published. What do you see as the strengths of each, drawbacks, etc? I'm especially interested in a comparison of LugTrek vs Decipher Trek.

sjard · 08-28-2006, 12:13 PM

Well, I'm not really familiar with the LUG trek version, though as I understand it most of the writers are the same and the systems are fairly similar because of that. The decipher version has a very nice presentation and the narrators book has a lot of good information in it. The major downside in my opinion (and most others I've talked to) is that character creation is more difficult than need be due to the rules being scattered all over the book and hard to find.

The other downside for me is that after a certain point they went all pdf releases with no corresponding dead tree edition and that decipher seems to have stopped doing much of anything with it.

You can probably find better comparisons here http://forum.trek-rpg.net/

pyratejohn · 08-29-2006, 06:12 AM

Cool. Thanks for the link! I may run a GURPS Star Trek campaign someday, and this will help me find things to mine for ideas and so on.

Mark Caliber · 09-07-2006, 10:25 AM

The other thing to keep in mind is that ADB has a line of Star Trek RPG's all "powered by GURPS."

I've been a player using this system and it worked well for our group.

pyratejohn · 09-08-2006, 05:42 AM

I've actually been standing at the checkout counter with that in hand, and turned around and put it back down. Sure, I'll probably by it someday, but there's something about it that turns me off. Probably the interior art. ;^)

Spudzill · 09-08-2006, 06:47 PM

My prob with Prime Directive is that there isn't enough work done on the world itself. I think giving the Fed the Alternate Earths treatment (explaaining it's world of the mind etc..) would have helped immensly. IMO it just wasn't quite up to GURPS Standards. The Traveller stuff is much more in keeping with the quality and detail I've come to expect from SJG.

Qoltar · 09-08-2006, 09:05 PM

That might be because the PRIME DIRECTIVE stuff was made by Amarillo Design Bureau - NOT SJG.
Their styles of presentation are quite different.

Personally I wish Green Ronin would do "powered by GURPS" products - their books generally look pretty nice.

Last Time I ran a "STAR TREK" RPG it was the old FASA rules...and I had converted it to the 24th century TNG/DS9 time period.

- Ed Charlton

Spudzill · 09-08-2006, 09:37 PM

Pritty kewl!

flyingwombat · 09-09-2006, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spudzill

My prob with Prime Directive is that there isn't enough work done on the world itself.

The Core book is 200 pages long. Around half is GURPS rules. That's a rough guess... It's enough to get started. I dare say it's longer than Classic Trek's writer's bible.

Spudzill · 09-09-2006, 01:34 AM

It seems to me to be lacking, I dunno, something. What does the average person in the Federation,well, do? How do they think? That sort of thing. They have trade, but claim to have no money, how does that work? You know the little stuff. That's what I was looking for.

08-28-2006, 12:13 PM	#2
sjard Stick in the Mud Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Rural Utah	Re: Trek RPGing Well, I'm not really familiar with the LUG trek version, though as I understand it most of the writers are the same and the systems are fairly similar because of that. The decipher version has a very nice presentation and the narrators book has a lot of good information in it. The major downside in my opinion (and most others I've talked to) is that character creation is more difficult than need be due to the rules being scattered all over the book and hard to find. The other downside for me is that after a certain point they went all pdf releases with no corresponding dead tree edition and that decipher seems to have stopped doing much of anything with it. You can probably find better comparisons here http://forum.trek-rpg.net/ __________________ MIB #1457

08-29-2006, 06:12 AM	#3
pyratejohn Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Columbia, Maryland	Re: Trek RPGing Cool. Thanks for the link! I may run a GURPS Star Trek campaign someday, and this will help me find things to mine for ideas and so on. __________________ Happily RPGing since 1976. My Gaming and Reenacting Site (under construction)

09-07-2006, 10:25 AM	#4
Mark Caliber Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Central Florida	Re: Trek RPGing The other thing to keep in mind is that ADB has a line of Star Trek RPG's all "powered by GURPS." I've been a player using this system and it worked well for our group.

09-08-2006, 05:42 AM	#5
pyratejohn Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Columbia, Maryland	Re: Trek RPGing I've actually been standing at the checkout counter with that in hand, and turned around and put it back down. Sure, I'll probably by it someday, but there's something about it that turns me off. Probably the interior art. ;^) __________________ Happily RPGing since 1976. My Gaming and Reenacting Site (under construction)

09-08-2006, 06:47 PM	#6
Spudzill Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hemet,Ca.	Re: Trek RPGing My prob with Prime Directive is that there isn't enough work done on the world itself. I think giving the Fed the Alternate Earths treatment (explaaining it's world of the mind etc..) would have helped immensly. IMO it just wasn't quite up to GURPS Standards. The Traveller stuff is much more in keeping with the quality and detail I've come to expect from SJG. __________________ what is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamntation of the women.

09-08-2006, 09:05 PM	#7
Qoltar Pike's Pique Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio U.S.A.	Re: Trek RPGing That might be because the PRIME DIRECTIVE stuff was made by Amarillo Design Bureau - NOT SJG. Their styles of presentation are quite different. Personally I wish Green Ronin would do "powered by GURPS" products - their books generally look pretty nice. Last Time I ran a "STAR TREK" RPG it was the old FASA rules...and I had converted it to the 24th century TNG/DS9 time period. - Ed Charlton __________________ Take me out to the black Tell them I ain't comin' back Burn the land and boil the sea You can't take the sky from me.... A vote for charity: http://s3.silent-tower.org/TheKlingonVotes/index.html

09-08-2006, 09:37 PM	#8
Spudzill Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hemet,Ca.	Re: Trek RPGing Pritty kewl! __________________ what is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamntation of the women.

09-09-2006, 01:34 AM	#10
Spudzill Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hemet,Ca.	Re: Trek RPGing It seems to me to be lacking, I dunno, something. What does the average person in the Federation,well, do? How do they think? That sort of thing. They have trade, but claim to have no money, how does that work? You know the little stuff. That's what I was looking for. __________________ what is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamntation of the women.