The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I first read about the rumor of a new Star Trek RPG over a month ago somewhere on the web. Then I discovered that Last Unicorn Games was publishing it. After visiting their web site and reading the teaser, I waited - it was well worth it. Last week I saw this gem on the shelf in my local game store, thumbed through the 310 page Rulebook, and bought it as fast as I could get the money.

For all of the Trek gamers out there who have been in the dark since FASA's failed effort, hoping for ANYONE to do a Star Trek RPG - your starship has come in.

Appearance: The gloss-finish cover of this hardbound book has the faces of the Next Generation crew, Picard, Worf, Data, etc. placed on a black star field with the title done in a stainless steel effect near the top. The pages inside are presented in full color with photos from the films and the TV series. Next Generation, Federation "control panel" graphics are used throughout the book to delineate such items as charts, tables, playing tips, core rules, and sidebar text.

Content: There are the usual character templates that one expects to find in a contemporary RPG. You can choose to play a specific race, a Vulcan for example, and you also must choose an occupation ("medical officer" or "engineering officer" for example). Creating a character from scratch is also possible.

This Core Rulebook is geared towards Starfleet characters, although some guidelines exist for playing other characters such as ambassadors or seedy merchants. Templates are included for Klingons, Cardassians, Romulans and so forth, but they are mostly for the 'Narrator' to use as NPCs (although one could easily use the basic Klingon Template and carry on with the character creation process to run a Klingon PC.) The character creation process enables players to form a 'history' for their character while picking up more skills and enhancements along the way.

The rules are writtem to satisfy new Role Players as well as veteran RPG fans. A section on how to run the game is included as well as a section about creating Star Trek 'Episodes' and Campaigns from scratch. There are rules for personal combat and ship combat.

During ship combat, power distribution is critical, "Full power to the shields!" The damage amounts inflicted by full spreads of Photon Torpedos are absolutely deadly [as they should be - heh,heh]. No slugging away at each other ala 'Battletech'. An unshielded starship won't last long in combat. 'Can't wait to try out this combat system during a game.

Starship statistics for the Galaxy Class, Ambassador Class, and Excelsior Class are provided for the Federation along with the Romulan D'Deridex Warbird, Klingon Vor'Cha, and Cardassian Galor class vessels for the other races. There are more ship stats as well.

An sampling from the equipment section provides detailed rules for using Tricorders, Starfleet Medical kits, phasers, and the Klingon Bat'Leth, to name a few.

One of the neatest sections in the book includes a sample "Sector" with guidelines on how to design and populate a sector with planetary systems, stellar objects (black holes for example), and various inhabitants. A sample Fderation Starship, a "Nebula class," has its PC crew stats provided and a short adventure is included to help the Narrator [Gamemaster] learn how to build adventures for the game. The original artwork in this section is nicely done.

The Game System: The system uses D6's for dice. To make a 'Test' one rolls a number of D6 equal to the parent attribute of the skill being used. One of the dice must be a different color. This is the Drama die and is used to measure dramatic success or failure (like the Wild die in the Star Wars RPG by West End Games).

The highest die roll from the attribute dice roll is then added to the skill number. Skills range from 0-5 in level with some advanced characters having 6 or higher (but this is rare). The total is compared to a difficulty number to determine success or failure. I like this system since it uses D6's and it is fast [even faster the the West End D6 system]. The skill list is detailed with many specializations, i.e. "Engineering, Propulsion [Warp Drive]."

Planned Supplements: Ship and character miniatures, a Klingon Boxed supplement, a Romulan Boxed supplement, a Narrator's screen, a Vulcan supplement, a Federation supplement, a Starship Design Guide, a Neutral Zone Campaign supplement and more. These are listed in the back of the book.

Bottom Line: If you are into Trek Gaming, then beam aboard - its going to be a long ride!

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Star Trek The Next Generation Role Playing Game
Author: Christian Moore, Ross Isaacs, Kenneth Hite, Steve Long Category: game Company/Publisher: Last Unicorn Games Cost: 35$ Page count: 310 ISBN: 188953300-9 Capsule Review by Greg Crutchfield on 08/20/98. Genre tags: none	I first read about the rumor of a new Star Trek RPG over a month ago somewhere on the web. Then I discovered that Last Unicorn Games was publishing it. After visiting their web site and reading the teaser, I waited - it was well worth it. Last week I saw this gem on the shelf in my local game store, thumbed through the 310 page Rulebook, and bought it as fast as I could get the money. For all of the Trek gamers out there who have been in the dark since FASA's failed effort, hoping for ANYONE to do a Star Trek RPG - your starship has come in. Appearance: The gloss-finish cover of this hardbound book has the faces of the Next Generation crew, Picard, Worf, Data, etc. placed on a black star field with the title done in a stainless steel effect near the top. The pages inside are presented in full color with photos from the films and the TV series. Next Generation, Federation "control panel" graphics are used throughout the book to delineate such items as charts, tables, playing tips, core rules, and sidebar text. Content: There are the usual character templates that one expects to find in a contemporary RPG. You can choose to play a specific race, a Vulcan for example, and you also must choose an occupation ("medical officer" or "engineering officer" for example). Creating a character from scratch is also possible. This Core Rulebook is geared towards Starfleet characters, although some guidelines exist for playing other characters such as ambassadors or seedy merchants. Templates are included for Klingons, Cardassians, Romulans and so forth, but they are mostly for the 'Narrator' to use as NPCs (although one could easily use the basic Klingon Template and carry on with the character creation process to run a Klingon PC.) The character creation process enables players to form a 'history' for their character while picking up more skills and enhancements along the way. The rules are writtem to satisfy new Role Players as well as veteran RPG fans. A section on how to run the game is included as well as a section about creating Star Trek 'Episodes' and Campaigns from scratch. There are rules for personal combat and ship combat. During ship combat, power distribution is critical, "Full power to the shields!" The damage amounts inflicted by full spreads of Photon Torpedos are absolutely deadly [as they should be - heh,heh]. No slugging away at each other ala 'Battletech'. An unshielded starship won't last long in combat. 'Can't wait to try out this combat system during a game. Starship statistics for the Galaxy Class, Ambassador Class, and Excelsior Class are provided for the Federation along with the Romulan D'Deridex Warbird, Klingon Vor'Cha, and Cardassian Galor class vessels for the other races. There are more ship stats as well. An sampling from the equipment section provides detailed rules for using Tricorders, Starfleet Medical kits, phasers, and the Klingon Bat'Leth, to name a few. One of the neatest sections in the book includes a sample "Sector" with guidelines on how to design and populate a sector with planetary systems, stellar objects (black holes for example), and various inhabitants. A sample Fderation Starship, a "Nebula class," has its PC crew stats provided and a short adventure is included to help the Narrator [Gamemaster] learn how to build adventures for the game. The original artwork in this section is nicely done. The Game System: The system uses D6's for dice. To make a 'Test' one rolls a number of D6 equal to the parent attribute of the skill being used. One of the dice must be a different color. This is the Drama die and is used to measure dramatic success or failure (like the Wild die in the Star Wars RPG by West End Games). The highest die roll from the attribute dice roll is then added to the skill number. Skills range from 0-5 in level with some advanced characters having 6 or higher (but this is rare). The total is compared to a difficulty number to determine success or failure. I like this system since it uses D6's and it is fast [even faster the the West End D6 system]. The skill list is detailed with many specializations, i.e. "Engineering, Propulsion [Warp Drive]." Planned Supplements: Ship and character miniatures, a Klingon Boxed supplement, a Romulan Boxed supplement, a Narrator's screen, a Vulcan supplement, a Federation supplement, a Starship Design Guide, a Neutral Zone Campaign supplement and more. These are listed in the back of the book. Bottom Line: If you are into Trek Gaming, then beam aboard - its going to be a long ride! Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Star Trek The Next Generation Role Playing Game