The Inside Scoop on Gaming

After I first briefly scanned this fine product, I told the author, S. John Ross, that I was very impressed, and I promised him a more detailed review after I finished reading it. Well, here's a review.

First, let me just say that this is an excellent product, and simply the best "how to run a game" product I have ever seen.

I have been a RPG enthusiast for 20 years now, and I have always run games more than I have played, mostly becase I have always been okay with being the DM/GM/Narrator/whatever, while many of my gaming pals have not enjoyed this task. Despite my years of experience, including many long-running campaigns (several AD&D and Champions campaigns lasting 3 years or longer, and my current In Nomine campaign, which has gone past the 2 1/2 year mark), I am always on the lookout for new ideas about how to run a game and how to do it better. I figure, if professional writers and film directors can continue to hone and improve their craft, it certainly does not hurt a gamemaster to keep trying new things.

LUG has produced two "Narrator's Toolkits" so far, one for the Star Trek: Then Next Generation setting and, more recently, the one for the Original Series setting. I have never found any "how to GM" resources that I considered better than, or even as useful as, these two books. Of the two, I prefer the Orignial Series (TOS) one. This is not to disregard the TNG one by any means; the ST:TNG Narrator's Toolkit is full of useful tips for writing adventures and running a game. I simply feel the ST (TOS) Narrator's Toolkit is even better.

The writing in the ST Toolkit is clear, well-organized and at times very funny to read; the humor informs and lightens, and is never distracting. Both Toolkits include adventure scenarios; the TNG one is an adaptation from an episode of the TV series, and it is okay. The TOS one is an original adventure, and a very good one. The TOS Toolkit is also full of lots of good adventure seeds; I will be using one for a "special Halloween episode" of my ongoing LUGTrek campaign. Actually, LUG's Star Trek game books are almost always filled with great little adventure seeds, and that happy trend continues in the TOS Toolkit.

One major benefit of the Toolkits is that, while they focus on Narrating a Trek game (of course!), the presentation is not heavy on game mechanics and system-specific elements, such that the essential information can be lifted out intact and appliled to virtually any RPG, altered only to fit setting and genre considerations. Awhile back I loaned my TNG Toolkit to a younger gamer who was just starting out running his first campaign (in White Wolf's WOD games) and was not very pleased with how his first couple adventures had gone. This guy was completely disinterested in Trek, and pretty cynical about how much use he would get from the Toolkit, but he did read it. The next time I saw him, he thanked me, saying he had indeed found it very useful. He went on to tell me how he had utilized some of the tips for how to structure a game adventure, and said his players had praised the improvement in his storytelling. Next time I see him, I plan to strongly recommend he purchase the TOS Toolkit (hey, he got one freebie, he can pay for this one; LUG and the local game store could both use the business).

Both Toolkits also come with Narrator's screens. The ST:TNG Narrator's Screen was okay, but it included some tables of limited utillity (how often does one look up experience point rewards in the midst of a session? no phaser damage tables??). The TOS screen is excellent, with a much more useful choice of tables. One minor caveat: the paper stock for the TOS screen is not as sturdy as the one for the TNG screen. This is, literally, the only criticism I have of the TOS Toolkit.

For anybody who wants to run LUG's Trek games and does not have lots of GM experience, I cannot recommend the Narrator's Toolkits enough; if you can afford only one, buy the TOS Toolkit, but both are highly recommended, as many great ideas are to be found in each. I also recommend these products without reservation to experienced Narrators and GMs of all sorts, but again give the nod to the TOS Toolkit, due to slightly higher (IMHO) play value. No matter how experienced a Narrator you are, I would be very surprised if you did not find something useful in the TOS Toolkit.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Star Trek Roleplaying Game Narrator's Toolkit
Author: S. John Ross Category: game Company/Publisher: Last Unicorn Games Line: Star Trek (Original Series) RPG Cost: $16.00 Page count: 62 Narrator's Screen ISBN: 1-889533-19-X Capsule Review by Jeffrey Kramer on 10/09/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Space	After I first briefly scanned this fine product, I told the author, S. John Ross, that I was very impressed, and I promised him a more detailed review after I finished reading it. Well, here's a review. First, let me just say that this is an excellent product, and simply the best "how to run a game" product I have ever seen. I have been a RPG enthusiast for 20 years now, and I have always run games more than I have played, mostly becase I have always been okay with being the DM/GM/Narrator/whatever, while many of my gaming pals have not enjoyed this task. Despite my years of experience, including many long-running campaigns (several AD&D and Champions campaigns lasting 3 years or longer, and my current In Nomine campaign, which has gone past the 2 1/2 year mark), I am always on the lookout for new ideas about how to run a game and how to do it better. I figure, if professional writers and film directors can continue to hone and improve their craft, it certainly does not hurt a gamemaster to keep trying new things. LUG has produced two "Narrator's Toolkits" so far, one for the Star Trek: Then Next Generation setting and, more recently, the one for the Original Series setting. I have never found any "how to GM" resources that I considered better than, or even as useful as, these two books. Of the two, I prefer the Orignial Series (TOS) one. This is not to disregard the TNG one by any means; the ST:TNG Narrator's Toolkit is full of useful tips for writing adventures and running a game. I simply feel the ST (TOS) Narrator's Toolkit is even better. The writing in the ST Toolkit is clear, well-organized and at times very funny to read; the humor informs and lightens, and is never distracting. Both Toolkits include adventure scenarios; the TNG one is an adaptation from an episode of the TV series, and it is okay. The TOS one is an original adventure, and a very good one. The TOS Toolkit is also full of lots of good adventure seeds; I will be using one for a "special Halloween episode" of my ongoing LUGTrek campaign. Actually, LUG's Star Trek game books are almost always filled with great little adventure seeds, and that happy trend continues in the TOS Toolkit. One major benefit of the Toolkits is that, while they focus on Narrating a Trek game (of course!), the presentation is not heavy on game mechanics and system-specific elements, such that the essential information can be lifted out intact and appliled to virtually any RPG, altered only to fit setting and genre considerations. Awhile back I loaned my TNG Toolkit to a younger gamer who was just starting out running his first campaign (in White Wolf's WOD games) and was not very pleased with how his first couple adventures had gone. This guy was completely disinterested in Trek, and pretty cynical about how much use he would get from the Toolkit, but he did read it. The next time I saw him, he thanked me, saying he had indeed found it very useful. He went on to tell me how he had utilized some of the tips for how to structure a game adventure, and said his players had praised the improvement in his storytelling. Next time I see him, I plan to strongly recommend he purchase the TOS Toolkit (hey, he got one freebie, he can pay for this one; LUG and the local game store could both use the business). Both Toolkits also come with Narrator's screens. The ST:TNG Narrator's Screen was okay, but it included some tables of limited utillity (how often does one look up experience point rewards in the midst of a session? no phaser damage tables??). The TOS screen is excellent, with a much more useful choice of tables. One minor caveat: the paper stock for the TOS screen is not as sturdy as the one for the TNG screen. This is, literally, the only criticism I have of the TOS Toolkit. For anybody who wants to run LUG's Trek games and does not have lots of GM experience, I cannot recommend the Narrator's Toolkits enough; if you can afford only one, buy the TOS Toolkit, but both are highly recommended, as many great ideas are to be found in each. I also recommend these products without reservation to experienced Narrators and GMs of all sorts, but again give the nod to the TOS Toolkit, due to slightly higher (IMHO) play value. No matter how experienced a Narrator you are, I would be very surprised if you did not find something useful in the TOS Toolkit. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Star Trek Roleplaying Game Narrator's Toolkit