The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Rating: ***1/2 (out of a possible of five)

"Back to the future"
"Ahead to the past"
"Sideways to today"
All Our Yesterdays, Last Unicorn Games

All Our Yesterdays (AOY) is the time travel supplement from Last Unicorn Games. While apparently set during the latter part of the Dominion War (judging by references to both the Cardassian Union and the Dominion) the book is designed to work in any of the Star Trek games: ST: TOS, ST:TNG, ST: DS9. This presumably also works for ST: V.

The book details time travel, and alternate time lines. It goes into much detail coving the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations, and lays out a handful of new equipment, advantages, disadvantages, and so fourth. The book generally success in its goals.

"The limitations on our understanding of time travel and our own linear perception of it often lead to situations considered logically impossible." All Our Yesterdays, Last Unicorn Games

The book has nine chapters, each devoted to a specific subject. Each chapter leads easily into the next. This is an improvement over many RPG books with poor transitions from a subject in one chapter to the next.

The first chapter discusses temporal physics. This includes times travel and crossing into alternate time lines. Several potholes in space and time are described, such as the temporal causality loop in the Typhon Expanse. This chapter also details time travel artifacts, such as the Guardian of Forever and the Bajoran Orb of Time.

The second chapter details a number of existing alternate times lines, such as one where the Nazi won WW II, or another where Khan was never driven from the Earth.

Chapter three covers the history of time travel of which the Federation is aware. Most of these incidents come from Star Trek movies or episodes, a few are the creation of LUG.

Chapter four goes into the Department of Temporal Investigations in great and usable detail.

The five chapter covers DTI characters, including overlays, advantages, equipment, and the like.

Chapter six discusses other major powers, and their own efforts at time travel. For the most part this is limited to the Romulans, who try to manipulate time in a subtle fashion, having been burned by it in the past (so to speak).

The seventh chapter covers time travel vehicles, such as Federation time ships, Borg time spheres, and Krenim Time Ships.

The eighth and last chapter gives advice to narrators on dealing with time travel.

The left-hand margin of all even numbered pages includes a basic time line, detailing major and pivotal events in the history of the Star Trek universe. There are also numerous "windows" where episode, or even series, seeds are detailed. Many of these are very interesting.

The art, while of typical LUG quality (take that as you will) is rather funny. Much of it contains hidden "Easter eggs" that can only be caught by careful eyes. For example, the picture of the Kennedy motorcade on page 37 includes a Romulan with a disrupter, and plain clothed men on the grassy knoll with a phaser rile. Another, on page 124, ha s Lincoln at the helm of a star ship.

"Given that the past can be altered, it is difficult to determine how any given change will affect the future." All Our Yesterdays, Last Unicorn Games

The book does have its flaws.

Not all the art is even passable. A definite size limit should be given to Andorian antenna – the ones on page 47 are comically huge. Likewise, the picture of the Krenim on page 88 does not depict the dark region running down the side of their face that they had in the Voyager episodes.

The book is unclear if a time traveling individual makes a change, does it alter the future of the existing time line, creating a new time line, or simply dump the traveler into another and preexisting time line.

In addition, while the mechanics of time travel are laid out clearly, they are all to easily accomplished. The difficulties should be higher across the board.

The book could have used more time equipment.

Finally, the book suffers from some of the same flaws, as does the Star Fleet Intelligence book: it assumes that narrators and players want to run an all DTI campaign. Very little information is given for incorporating time travel into existing campaigns, or including a DTI agent as part of a group or crew. This means narrators will have to make this up as they go along.

In general though, the book is good and worth the money. It simply could have been better.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

All Our Yesterdays
Author: Steve Kenson, James Kiley, S. John Ross, Steven S. Long, Kenneth Hite Category: game Company/Publisher: Last Unicorn Games Line: Star Trek Cost: $20.00 U.S.A. Page count: 126 ISBN: 1-889533-23-8 Playtest Review by R. Sullivan on 03/22/00. Genre tags: Science_fiction Modern_day Historical Far_Future Space Espionage	Rating: ***1/2 (out of a possible of five) "Back to the future" "Ahead to the past" "Sideways to today" All Our Yesterdays, Last Unicorn Games All Our Yesterdays (AOY) is the time travel supplement from Last Unicorn Games. While apparently set during the latter part of the Dominion War (judging by references to both the Cardassian Union and the Dominion) the book is designed to work in any of the Star Trek games: ST: TOS, ST:TNG, ST: DS9. This presumably also works for ST: V. The book details time travel, and alternate time lines. It goes into much detail coving the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations, and lays out a handful of new equipment, advantages, disadvantages, and so fourth. The book generally success in its goals. "The limitations on our understanding of time travel and our own linear perception of it often lead to situations considered logically impossible." All Our Yesterdays, Last Unicorn Games The book has nine chapters, each devoted to a specific subject. Each chapter leads easily into the next. This is an improvement over many RPG books with poor transitions from a subject in one chapter to the next. The first chapter discusses temporal physics. This includes times travel and crossing into alternate time lines. Several potholes in space and time are described, such as the temporal causality loop in the Typhon Expanse. This chapter also details time travel artifacts, such as the Guardian of Forever and the Bajoran Orb of Time. The second chapter details a number of existing alternate times lines, such as one where the Nazi won WW II, or another where Khan was never driven from the Earth. Chapter three covers the history of time travel of which the Federation is aware. Most of these incidents come from Star Trek movies or episodes, a few are the creation of LUG. Chapter four goes into the Department of Temporal Investigations in great and usable detail. The five chapter covers DTI characters, including overlays, advantages, equipment, and the like. Chapter six discusses other major powers, and their own efforts at time travel. For the most part this is limited to the Romulans, who try to manipulate time in a subtle fashion, having been burned by it in the past (so to speak). The seventh chapter covers time travel vehicles, such as Federation time ships, Borg time spheres, and Krenim Time Ships. The eighth and last chapter gives advice to narrators on dealing with time travel. The left-hand margin of all even numbered pages includes a basic time line, detailing major and pivotal events in the history of the Star Trek universe. There are also numerous "windows" where episode, or even series, seeds are detailed. Many of these are very interesting. The art, while of typical LUG quality (take that as you will) is rather funny. Much of it contains hidden "Easter eggs" that can only be caught by careful eyes. For example, the picture of the Kennedy motorcade on page 37 includes a Romulan with a disrupter, and plain clothed men on the grassy knoll with a phaser rile. Another, on page 124, ha s Lincoln at the helm of a star ship. "Given that the past can be altered, it is difficult to determine how any given change will affect the future." All Our Yesterdays, Last Unicorn Games The book does have its flaws. Not all the art is even passable. A definite size limit should be given to Andorian antenna – the ones on page 47 are comically huge. Likewise, the picture of the Krenim on page 88 does not depict the dark region running down the side of their face that they had in the Voyager episodes. The book is unclear if a time traveling individual makes a change, does it alter the future of the existing time line, creating a new time line, or simply dump the traveler into another and preexisting time line. In addition, while the mechanics of time travel are laid out clearly, they are all to easily accomplished. The difficulties should be higher across the board. The book could have used more time equipment. Finally, the book suffers from some of the same flaws, as does the Star Fleet Intelligence book: it assumes that narrators and players want to run an all DTI campaign. Very little information is given for incorporating time travel into existing campaigns, or including a DTI agent as part of a group or crew. This means narrators will have to make this up as they go along. In general though, the book is good and worth the money. It simply could have been better. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)