The Inside Scoop on Gaming

"Storytelling isn't easy… especially in a universe this big."

These words stretch across the back cover of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game Narrator's Toolkit, and in many ways, sum up the challenges of running a Star Trek: The Next Generation campaign. Heck, even after gamemastering RPGs for more than twelve years, and over six years as a professional game designer, the idea of running a Star Trek campaign is a little intimidating to me. That's why I was happy to get my hands on a copy of the Narrator's Toolkit. It addresses many of the challenges of running Star Trek: TNG, and offers a lot of good advice for both beginning and experienced gamemasters.

Despite it's fancy name, The Narrator's Toolkit is essentially a gamemaster screen/kit for the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game published by Last Unicorn Games. The product contains a three-panel screen and a 64-page perfect bound book. The screen contains a number of charts and tables from the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game rulebook. The book is comprised of five chapters, including advice for narrators (ST:TNG's term for gamemaster), advanced storytelling, an adventure, and a set of blank forms (including a black and white character that is much easier to photocopy than the colored one in the rulebook).

There's a lot about this product to recommend it. The section entitled 'Advice for Narrators' includes helpful advice for telling stories, overviews of several common Star Trek story types, and also a section focused on some of the specific challenges of running a game where characters are part of an established chain of command. One suggestion in particular, what author Ken Hite refers to the 'index card method' of structuring adventures and scenes is especially helpful. In his description of how narrators can use this method to create adventures for their own games, Hite provides a detailed example of how to weave together multiple plotlines into an entertaining and exciting adventure, one that I plan to use if I ever run a ST:TNG campaign. In addition, this same section includes a number of 'Advanced Play Options' including suggestions for using troupe style play, using recurring guest stars, and even advice for running a campaign in which the players take on the roles of the cast from the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series.

The following chapter, 'Advanced Storytelling,' offers advice on how to incorporate a number of narrative techniques in a story or campaign, including jump cutting, parallel plots, and flashbacks as well as a few slightly more literary techniques such as symbolism and foreshadowing. This chapter also offers advice for using a number of gaming techniques, such as improvisation, devising house rules, and how to deal with troublesome players. This chapter rounds out with a brief discussion of to use lighting and music, as well as props, to enhance the atmosphere of a ST:TNG game.

Following this chapter is a brief adventure, 'directly based on the first season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Hide and Q."' While some readers may balk at playing an adventure based on an episode from the ST:TNG series, it works very well in this book for a number of reasons. First, it's short and (relatively) simple, making it ideal for beginning and novice narrators. Second, it serves as a good example of how to take a ST:TNG episode and turn it into an adventure. Since the game is based on the series, taking existing episodes and translating them into adventures is something that all ST:TNG narrators are likely to do, and this adventure is a good example of how to do it. Lastly, the adventure involves (at least for one character) a difficult moral and ethical decision. Again, this serves as a good example for new narrators on how to incorporate these types of decisions into adventures and campaigns.

With the above having been said, this product is entirely not without problems, minor they may be. For instance, while most of the tables on the narrator's screen are useful, I wish a little more thought had been given into what narrators are most likely going to be using during games. For instance, the Psionics Skills Modifiers table takes up a lot of space that might have been better served with the Combat Options Table or some other table from the rulebook. Another minor point (and a nit-picky one to be sure) is that of minor inconsistencies and errors, such as a reference to handouts that don't appear in the back of the book as mentioned. Also, the sparse table of contents (listing only chapter titles) and the lack of an index are somewhat aggravating, as they make referencing the good material in this book more difficult than it should be. Lastly, I found myself a bit put off at times by the tone of some of the advice. Every now and then I got the feeling that the author was suggesting a 'right way to play,' particularly when it comes to conflicts between the rules of the game and the course of the story. This is one of my pet peeves, as I believe that people play roleplaying games for many reasons, some to tell a story, others to play a game. To suggest that one approach or the other is superior to the other is, in my opinion, not appropriate in a product of this type. Again, this is a minor point and I'm probably oversensitive to this sort of thing, but I wouldn't feel right writing this review if I didn't mention it.

So, what's the final word? If you plan to run the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game, or any game for that matter, you should definitely get this. While obviously focused on ST:TNG, the advice in this product is universal enough to help any gamemaster (or referee or narrator).

Now, if you're anything like me, you probably hesitate, at least a little, when it comes to buying a gamemaster screen. Buying gamemaster screens (whether they be called Campaign Packs, Gamemaster Packs, or in this case the Narrator's Toolkit) is often a hit or miss proposition, as you never know what you're going to find when you crack open the shrink-wrap on one of these. Beyond the gamemaster (or referee or narrator, etc.) screen itself, some products of this type include material cut from the rulebook due to lack of space, while others offer little more than blank character sheets and forms, or (often lackluster) adventures. In this case, you get a little of all of these, but the combination makes this product stand out, and make it one that I have no reservations at all about recommending.

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

Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game Narrator's Toolkit
Author: Kenneth hite Category: game Company/Publisher: Last Unicorn Games Line: Star Trek: The Next Generation Cost: $15.0 Page count: 64 pages, plus 3-panel screen SKU: 25001 Capsule Review by Lou Prosperi on 10/11/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Space	"Storytelling isn't easy… especially in a universe this big." These words stretch across the back cover of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game Narrator's Toolkit, and in many ways, sum up the challenges of running a Star Trek: The Next Generation campaign. Heck, even after gamemastering RPGs for more than twelve years, and over six years as a professional game designer, the idea of running a Star Trek campaign is a little intimidating to me. That's why I was happy to get my hands on a copy of the Narrator's Toolkit. It addresses many of the challenges of running Star Trek: TNG, and offers a lot of good advice for both beginning and experienced gamemasters. Despite it's fancy name, The Narrator's Toolkit is essentially a gamemaster screen/kit for the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game published by Last Unicorn Games. The product contains a three-panel screen and a 64-page perfect bound book. The screen contains a number of charts and tables from the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game rulebook. The book is comprised of five chapters, including advice for narrators (ST:TNG's term for gamemaster), advanced storytelling, an adventure, and a set of blank forms (including a black and white character that is much easier to photocopy than the colored one in the rulebook). There's a lot about this product to recommend it. The section entitled 'Advice for Narrators' includes helpful advice for telling stories, overviews of several common Star Trek story types, and also a section focused on some of the specific challenges of running a game where characters are part of an established chain of command. One suggestion in particular, what author Ken Hite refers to the 'index card method' of structuring adventures and scenes is especially helpful. In his description of how narrators can use this method to create adventures for their own games, Hite provides a detailed example of how to weave together multiple plotlines into an entertaining and exciting adventure, one that I plan to use if I ever run a ST:TNG campaign. In addition, this same section includes a number of 'Advanced Play Options' including suggestions for using troupe style play, using recurring guest stars, and even advice for running a campaign in which the players take on the roles of the cast from the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. The following chapter, 'Advanced Storytelling,' offers advice on how to incorporate a number of narrative techniques in a story or campaign, including jump cutting, parallel plots, and flashbacks as well as a few slightly more literary techniques such as symbolism and foreshadowing. This chapter also offers advice for using a number of gaming techniques, such as improvisation, devising house rules, and how to deal with troublesome players. This chapter rounds out with a brief discussion of to use lighting and music, as well as props, to enhance the atmosphere of a ST:TNG game. Following this chapter is a brief adventure, 'directly based on the first season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Hide and Q."' While some readers may balk at playing an adventure based on an episode from the ST:TNG series, it works very well in this book for a number of reasons. First, it's short and (relatively) simple, making it ideal for beginning and novice narrators. Second, it serves as a good example of how to take a ST:TNG episode and turn it into an adventure. Since the game is based on the series, taking existing episodes and translating them into adventures is something that all ST:TNG narrators are likely to do, and this adventure is a good example of how to do it. Lastly, the adventure involves (at least for one character) a difficult moral and ethical decision. Again, this serves as a good example for new narrators on how to incorporate these types of decisions into adventures and campaigns. With the above having been said, this product is entirely not without problems, minor they may be. For instance, while most of the tables on the narrator's screen are useful, I wish a little more thought had been given into what narrators are most likely going to be using during games. For instance, the Psionics Skills Modifiers table takes up a lot of space that might have been better served with the Combat Options Table or some other table from the rulebook. Another minor point (and a nit-picky one to be sure) is that of minor inconsistencies and errors, such as a reference to handouts that don't appear in the back of the book as mentioned. Also, the sparse table of contents (listing only chapter titles) and the lack of an index are somewhat aggravating, as they make referencing the good material in this book more difficult than it should be. Lastly, I found myself a bit put off at times by the tone of some of the advice. Every now and then I got the feeling that the author was suggesting a 'right way to play,' particularly when it comes to conflicts between the rules of the game and the course of the story. This is one of my pet peeves, as I believe that people play roleplaying games for many reasons, some to tell a story, others to play a game. To suggest that one approach or the other is superior to the other is, in my opinion, not appropriate in a product of this type. Again, this is a minor point and I'm probably oversensitive to this sort of thing, but I wouldn't feel right writing this review if I didn't mention it. So, what's the final word? If you plan to run the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game, or any game for that matter, you should definitely get this. While obviously focused on ST:TNG, the advice in this product is universal enough to help any gamemaster (or referee or narrator). Now, if you're anything like me, you probably hesitate, at least a little, when it comes to buying a gamemaster screen. Buying gamemaster screens (whether they be called Campaign Packs, Gamemaster Packs, or in this case the Narrator's Toolkit) is often a hit or miss proposition, as you never know what you're going to find when you crack open the shrink-wrap on one of these. Beyond the gamemaster (or referee or narrator, etc.) screen itself, some products of this type include material cut from the rulebook due to lack of space, while others offer little more than blank character sheets and forms, or (often lackluster) adventures. In this case, you get a little of all of these, but the combination makes this product stand out, and make it one that I have no reservations at all about recommending. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)