The Inside Scoop on Gaming

In a way, I'm almost relieved. Last Unicorn Games has produced so many wonderful supplements for their Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game that I was beginning to wonder whether they were even capable of a misstep. Well, folks, LUG isn't perfect and The First Line –– Starfleet Intelligence Handbook is proof of that.

This isn't to say that The First Line is a terrible supplement; it isn't. Indeed, I am glad that I own it, because there is some good material in its 96 pages. The captain in my own campaign has an extensive history with Starfleet Intelligence. This book provided me with plenty of background information and plot ideas to last quite a while. For that, Narrators everywhere should be grateful. The First Line includes plenty of details that should make it easy to add espionage and interstellar intrigue to your own ST: TNG RPG series. Like all of LUG's supplements to date, this one serves up a lot of ideas and suggestions that will add spice to any campaign.

What bothers me most about The First Line is that it is written on the assumption that Narrators will want to run an all-espionage campaign using Starfleet Intelligence personnel. Granted, a lot of gamers really enjoy this sort of cloak-and-dagger stuff. I certainly do, as my players will tell you (quite loudly, I am sure). There are sections in the book describing how to use its material with traditional ST: TNG RPG campaigns. I wish there were more material of this sort. You see, I belong to an odd cult of people who believes that Star Trek isn't supposed to be about spies and double-dealings and backstabbing. Yes, Star Trek sometimes includes those elements (just look at Deep Space Nine), but it should never be about those elements alone. Reading through The First Line, I sometimes get the feeling that the authors of this book failed to keep that distinction in mind.

Let's take a look at the book and see if you agree with me.

The first two chapters detail the history of Starfleet Intelligence and its structure. For the most part, this is pretty standard stuff, patterned after similar sections in The Price of Freedom. These chapters are interesting enough as background, but there's relatively little that inspired me. A few sidebars did include little details that might be helpful to me, however. Chapter three briefly describes Starfleet Intelligence mission teams, their composition, and the types of operations that they commonly undertake. Again, this is nothing special and is indeed quite dry to read at times.

Chapter four is a good, if short, chapter on the life of a Starfleet Intelligence operative. There is a fair amount of information here on security clearances, briefings, and how to gather intelligence while in the field. I'd have liked to see more details here, as it would have helped to give a feel of what an intelligence agent does. Chapter five is the dreaded (well, to me anyway) equipment chapter. There are some nifty pieces of tech in this chapter, I'll admit. Yet, I can't help but reiterate my belief that Star Trek should not be a gear-heavy game. Yes, there are lots of cool marvels in the 24th century, but I see no need to obsess on them. I could just as easily survived without this chapter. The day LUG produces an equipment book is the day I know that they've well and truly lost sight of what Star Trek is all about.

Chapter six is a good one, detailing the other intelligence services of the Star Trek universe, from the Romulans to the Tholians. An odd thing about this chapter is that it includes references to both a Bolian separatist movement and a secret Andorian intelligence agency. The latter often works at odds with Starfleet Intelligence. While both groups add some much needed conflict to the utopian Federation, I find it odd that, as the years roll on, we keep finding out more and more that the UFP ain't all it's cracked up to be. Of course, given that the entirety of New Zealand is a penal colony (or is it a "re-education camp?") and McCoy's occasional comments about "mining Borite" as a punishment, you've got to wonder what we don't see in the series. Chapter seven provides details on espionage-related locales and is pretty much what you'd expect of such a chapter. Chapter eight is a nice one that includes information on several important espionage agents, both pro- and anti-Federation. These little write-ups are nice in that they don't include game stats, allowing a Narrator to tailor them to his own campaign. Several of the characters included are quite fascinating and should offer Narrators plenty of ideas for episodes.

Chapter nine is an all-too-brief discussion of running espionage campaigns. As I mentioned earlier, it is devoted primarily to pure espionage campaigns, with some space devoted to converting material to a traditional starship-based game. I found this especially odd, given that almost all of the spying we see done in the series is done by regular Starfleet personnel on special assignments. For the longest time, I thought that's how Starfleet worked, as they are a unified service without significant branches. Shows what I know. Chapter ten includes overlays for Starfleet characters and a few new skills. Chapter eleven rounds out the book with a few open-ended espionage scenarios. Some of these are quite good, but most are sketchy at best.

By now, you should see where I am coming from. The First Line is a solid enough book, but I do question LUG's priorities. Why did they feel it necessary to produce this book now? Aren't there plenty of other supplements that are needed more pressingly? In addition, I think LUG has fallen afoul of the "licensing curse." This happened occasionally to West End's Star Wars game. We only get to see so much of the setting in the series (or movies or whatever), leaving a lot of ground to be filled in by the game designers. Sometimes, like in The Way of Kolinahr, the designers get it dead-on, extrapolating and expanding upon the information we do know. Other times, as in The First Line, their extrapolations fall short of the mark. I'm not saying that this book is a bad one. It's just that it doesn't scream out Star Trek in the way that some of their other releases do. The First Line could have just as easily been a supplement for Traveller or Fading Suns. We know so little about Starfleet Intelligence that the book is about 90% conjecture.

As a result, I can't say that The First Line is an essential reference for ST: TNG RPG Narrators. Completists will want it, but it's hardly a must-buy supplement.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

The First Line –– Starfleet Intelligence Handbook
Author: Steve Long & Rick Dakan Category: game Company/Publisher: Last Unicorn Games Line: *Star Trek: The Next Generation* Cost: $15.00 Page count: 96 ISBN: 1-888953-04-7 Playtest Review by James Maliszewski on 04/20/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Space	In a way, I'm almost relieved. Last Unicorn Games has produced so many wonderful supplements for their Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game that I was beginning to wonder whether they were even capable of a misstep. Well, folks, LUG isn't perfect and The First Line –– Starfleet Intelligence Handbook is proof of that. This isn't to say that The First Line is a terrible supplement; it isn't. Indeed, I am glad that I own it, because there is some good material in its 96 pages. The captain in my own campaign has an extensive history with Starfleet Intelligence. This book provided me with plenty of background information and plot ideas to last quite a while. For that, Narrators everywhere should be grateful. The First Line includes plenty of details that should make it easy to add espionage and interstellar intrigue to your own ST: TNG RPG series. Like all of LUG's supplements to date, this one serves up a lot of ideas and suggestions that will add spice to any campaign. What bothers me most about The First Line is that it is written on the assumption that Narrators will want to run an all-espionage campaign using Starfleet Intelligence personnel. Granted, a lot of gamers really enjoy this sort of cloak-and-dagger stuff. I certainly do, as my players will tell you (quite loudly, I am sure). There are sections in the book describing how to use its material with traditional ST: TNG RPG campaigns. I wish there were more material of this sort. You see, I belong to an odd cult of people who believes that Star Trek isn't supposed to be about spies and double-dealings and backstabbing. Yes, Star Trek sometimes includes those elements (just look at Deep Space Nine), but it should never be about those elements alone. Reading through The First Line, I sometimes get the feeling that the authors of this book failed to keep that distinction in mind. Let's take a look at the book and see if you agree with me. The first two chapters detail the history of Starfleet Intelligence and its structure. For the most part, this is pretty standard stuff, patterned after similar sections in The Price of Freedom. These chapters are interesting enough as background, but there's relatively little that inspired me. A few sidebars did include little details that might be helpful to me, however. Chapter three briefly describes Starfleet Intelligence mission teams, their composition, and the types of operations that they commonly undertake. Again, this is nothing special and is indeed quite dry to read at times. Chapter four is a good, if short, chapter on the life of a Starfleet Intelligence operative. There is a fair amount of information here on security clearances, briefings, and how to gather intelligence while in the field. I'd have liked to see more details here, as it would have helped to give a feel of what an intelligence agent does. Chapter five is the dreaded (well, to me anyway) equipment chapter. There are some nifty pieces of tech in this chapter, I'll admit. Yet, I can't help but reiterate my belief that Star Trek should not be a gear-heavy game. Yes, there are lots of cool marvels in the 24th century, but I see no need to obsess on them. I could just as easily survived without this chapter. The day LUG produces an equipment book is the day I know that they've well and truly lost sight of what Star Trek is all about. Chapter six is a good one, detailing the other intelligence services of the Star Trek universe, from the Romulans to the Tholians. An odd thing about this chapter is that it includes references to both a Bolian separatist movement and a secret Andorian intelligence agency. The latter often works at odds with Starfleet Intelligence. While both groups add some much needed conflict to the utopian Federation, I find it odd that, as the years roll on, we keep finding out more and more that the UFP ain't all it's cracked up to be. Of course, given that the entirety of New Zealand is a penal colony (or is it a "re-education camp?") and McCoy's occasional comments about "mining Borite" as a punishment, you've got to wonder what we don't see in the series. Chapter seven provides details on espionage-related locales and is pretty much what you'd expect of such a chapter. Chapter eight is a nice one that includes information on several important espionage agents, both pro- and anti-Federation. These little write-ups are nice in that they don't include game stats, allowing a Narrator to tailor them to his own campaign. Several of the characters included are quite fascinating and should offer Narrators plenty of ideas for episodes. Chapter nine is an all-too-brief discussion of running espionage campaigns. As I mentioned earlier, it is devoted primarily to pure espionage campaigns, with some space devoted to converting material to a traditional starship-based game. I found this especially odd, given that almost all of the spying we see done in the series is done by regular Starfleet personnel on special assignments. For the longest time, I thought that's how Starfleet worked, as they are a unified service without significant branches. Shows what I know. Chapter ten includes overlays for Starfleet characters and a few new skills. Chapter eleven rounds out the book with a few open-ended espionage scenarios. Some of these are quite good, but most are sketchy at best. By now, you should see where I am coming from. The First Line is a solid enough book, but I do question LUG's priorities. Why did they feel it necessary to produce this book now? Aren't there plenty of other supplements that are needed more pressingly? In addition, I think LUG has fallen afoul of the "licensing curse." This happened occasionally to West End's Star Wars game. We only get to see so much of the setting in the series (or movies or whatever), leaving a lot of ground to be filled in by the game designers. Sometimes, like in The Way of Kolinahr, the designers get it dead-on, extrapolating and expanding upon the information we do know. Other times, as in The First Line, their extrapolations fall short of the mark. I'm not saying that this book is a bad one. It's just that it doesn't scream out Star Trek in the way that some of their other releases do. The First Line could have just as easily been a supplement for Traveller or Fading Suns. We know so little about Starfleet Intelligence that the book is about 90% conjecture. As a result, I can't say that The First Line is an essential reference for ST: TNG RPG Narrators. Completists will want it, but it's hardly a must-buy supplement. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)