The box did not include a packet of Decipher's ST:TNG CCG cards as did THE WAY OF D'ERA - too bad, as these make good visual aids and bookmarks. I am told by sources at LUG that they had to pay for that little bonus in WAY...too bad. You'd think Decipher might give them away as free advertisement.

The three booklets are the core of the product and deserve detailed attention. Each softcover booklet features black and blue interior text, with sidebars superimposed on blue. They are profusely illustrated with original art. The drawings are serviceable; they rarely impress, but they also do not detract. The overall appearance is very similar to some earlier LUGTrek products, including the excellent PLANETS OF THE UFP. THe covers of the first two booklets are printed a single tone, while the Cadet's Guide features an attractive black cover depicting the planet Earth as seen from space. I had not realized, until it was pointed out to me, that this is the same cover design as the Cadet's Guide Dr. Bashir gave to the Ferengi cadet, Nog, on an episode of DS9 - kudos to LUG for such a cool little detail.

The Starfleet Academy Handbook, unsurprisingly, features lots of information about the Academy, including its history, procedures and rules, buildings and grounds, listings and descriptions of a sample of the course cirriculum, a similar sample of some of the advanced training programs available at the Academy (including some mentioned in the highly-recommended ST:TNG PLAYERS' GUIDE), anddetailed descriptions (including game stats) of some key faculty and staff members. The Handbook ends with a long section on creating Academy cadets as player characters, and a technology section detailing some of the nifty gadgets cadets learn to use. This book is clearly written, well-organized and informative, and includes liberal amounts of welcome humor. By the time one gets to the character generation info, the reader has a very good feel for what the Academy is all about, and the unique and potentially interesting series options it offers.

The rules for generating cadet characters differ somewhat from those for generating Starfleet officers, as presented in the ST:TNG CORE GAME BOOK - and reasonably so, as these are essentially untrained characters. Playing an Academy cadet means playing a character with fairly little going for him/her/it other than a few Skills, basic Attributes, and personality. This means the Narrator and players have to be realistic about what such characters can accomplish, compared to experienced Starfleet officers - they are more suited to solving mysteries on the Academy grounds than fighting the Jem'Hadar.

Befitting characters who are essentially defined by personality, the rules for cadet characters focus on establishing a personality archetype, consisting of a general personality type (Adventurous, Brash, Calm or Romantic, for example) and a driving motivation (such as Defender, Leader or Rebel). There are several of each listed, with numerous combinations possible, and each will result in a different character shorthand. For example, a Cautious Analyst and an Egotistical Analyst are both interested (and skilled) in finding things out, but each will approach a situation differently. This archetype system provides some guidance for playing a character with limited abilities while also not being too strictive, and it can also be applied to typical (i.e., non-cadet) characters.

The next booklet, the Narrator's Guide, gives lots of good advice on how to structure an Academy series or adventure, and also discussed how to run Academy adventures involving officer characters (in flashbacks, foreshadowing a "present time" adventure; or perhaps the characters are guest lecturers or have returned to the Academy for advanced training). The Guide also includes two adventures, one a survival exercise that is more than it seems, the other a mystery at the Academy. I won't discuss either in detail, for fear of ruining the surprise for anybody who might play in them at some point, other than to say that both are very fun, well-written adventures very appropriate to an Academy series (but easily adaptable to a more typical Trek series) that continue LUG's record of excellent game adventures. I am particularly fond of the second adventure, Steve Long's "The Medusa Syndrome," which reads sort of like "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew at Starfleet Academy" but is really much, much better than that description would immediately suggest.

The final booklet, the Cadet's Guide, is set up as sort of a cadet's orientation/travel guide. It starts with an overview of the various planets, space stations and astronomical features of Earth's solar system; in each case, sidebars and inserts provide nifty adventure hooks. Next, the discussion focuses on Earth, where San Francisco (the site of Starfleet Academy) is discussed in some detail, and some other interesting places on Earth are briefly examined. Combined with some of the information in the Handbook, the Cadet's Guide goes a long way toward establishing a detailed, interesting setting that a Narrator could use to extend an Academy series well beyond the Academy grounds.

When LUG first announced this product, I was initially intrigued, but questioned how much I would use it, and if the cost was equal to the potential play value. No worries there; STARFLEET ACADEMY is a good value, whether you intend to use it as a setting for an ongoing series, or whether you just want to take some details and use them in any Trek campaign. Frankly, after reading this, the idea of running or playing in an Academy series is quite attractive. In additoin, I recommend Trek narrators give the personality archetype idea some consideration, particularly if you are trying to introduce some newbies to roleplaying or if some of your players are having difficulty deciding on a personality for his or her character (cadet or officer).

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)