What system for Star Trek?

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Aglondir

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I never thought I'd be interested in Star Trek again, or consider GM-ing it. I've got a DS9 game in mind. Here's some options I know of, in alpha order. Any others? If you've used one of these (or something else) let me know how it went.

Cepheus Trek: I saw a PDF of a Trek game using the Cepheus Engine, but I forgot the name. Can anyone confirm, or point me to a link?

Decipher: I always thought it had potential. Critics claim it was a badly organized D20 ripoff. Agree to the former, not so much the latter. I've heard the starship combat was good, but never tried it. I sold off my copy years ago, and it's not exactly cheap now ($40 on Noble Knight.)

Dungeon World but for Trek: Another PDF I saw online and forgot the name of. I'm not a big fan of DW but I wish I had downloaded it so I could look it over more. Links welcome.

FASA: Too old to be a contender.

Lasers and Feelings: No.

Last Unicorn: Used to own it. I recall it was a questionable resolution mechanic with pages of fluff. Good fluff, but I can find that online if I need it.

Modiphus: It looks gorgeous, but when I read anything about 2d20 my reactions range from boredom to nausea. I played in a one-shot, and the GM mostly ignored the narrative elements, so I guess the game didn't get a fair shake.

Starships and Spacemen 2E: It looks like a really well-done version of Trek with the serial numbers filed off, using Labyrinth Lord. But again, I don't want the TOS era.

Where No Man Has Gone Before: This is a gem, but I'm not a Microlite fan. And I don't want the TOS era. I'm also afraid it would turn into camp.
 
I used Last Unicorn's Icon system for many years. It isn't perfect, but it worked. I'd use it again, since we're still lacking a better alternative. I see the books available on e-bay at reasonable prices to this day.
 
I know this sounds weird but Savage Worlds. This guy did some fun Savage Worlds hacks of popular genres including heavy metal sword & sorcery, macho 80's action, and of course not-Star Trek. Yes, I realize the tone is more "one-shot game after a couple beers" but the rules themselves could easily be adapted for a more serious endeavor.
 
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I’m not anti-Modiphius 2D20 system to the extent that I’d totally dismiss the current licensed edition.

I’d probably adapt a version of Traveller in all honesty, as I would with most space-faring sci-fi (and make use of the Element Class Cruiser rules to get the starship command flavour), but I would take note of M-Space, which actually uses percentiles as the show itself frequently does. I’d also note that GURPS does still have a Prime Directive PDF available at the SJGames website.
 
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Yeah, my first thought is Traveller.
But I'd be aiming at some variation of 'not-Trek' so I could avoid any/all arguments about canon... just keep the aesthetics and themes of exploration and problem solving, with violence/interference as a last resort.

Is GURPS Prime Directive a rulebook unto itself, or would it still require GURPS core?
 
It all depends on how much lore I need for Star Trek, and how much I want to build myself.

The GURPS version is getting a bit old now, but I remember that the whole GURPS Prime Directive line looked pretty good to me.
I also think the current Modiphius 2D20 version will have heaps of Star Trek lore, I doubt I'ld find better than that.
It's also custom-built for Star Trek, so that's a big win. And it's pretty easy to find, so that's another win.

However if I don't need the lore and just want a set of game mechanics then, I would probably go with the BRP BGB as a good all-round set of mechanics, and use the SciFi/Space Opera genre build. Ezy Pzy, Done. The other option is to go Mythras M-Space, that's perfect in many ways.

If I want to have less techie flavour and more handwavey vibes, I'ld settle for something rules-lite like Fate Core. It has an additional Space Toolkit which would be essiential for this. Although getting Aspects right can be tricky, so something more straight forward may be good.
Reading BoL it strikes me as a good simple system which could be adjusted for genre, so perhaps the Everway book could be handy for this.
However I'm likely to go with PDQ at presen, it is even simplier. For PDQ I would just make several required Qualities, such as Race, Rank, Role/Department/Speciality (Medical, Engineering, Security, etc); there really isn't much more to add. That would definately be a simple way to run Star Trek, the rest is narrative trappings.
 
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I found the 2d20 version really good as a player - and I’ve run Conan a bit so have used the system from the GM side as well. I like it, your characters feel competent (like the bridge crew of a Star Fleet vessel should be), momentum gives a great mechanism to reflect team work where one crew member uses the success of another to springboard - so a sensor check of a spatial anomaly can provide bonus momentum which can then be used by the helmsman to navigate through it safely etc. It has extended action rules for science, engineering, medical projects etc. The way starships work is also good; for things like basic sensor, knowledge, piloting checks, it basically as an assistant to skill checks. For combat, it has a bit more under the hood but models what you see in the show well and gives everyone something to do which can vary from turn to turn (e.g. engineers might boost power generation, repair shields, undertake damage control, work on a project to build the special device etc. )
 
Slightly left field, but given serial, TV nature of the source material, how about something like Matt Wilson's Primetime Adventures? Played it a few times back in 2005-06 and it works really well for the kind of melodrama that Star Trek trades in (that's not a critical comment - I love Star Trek!)
 
Scum and Villainy, while technically a SW, would be a sweet ruleset for a Star Trek game. The mechanics handle the episodic structure really well. There might even be a hack for it already, IDK. Just checked, there is a hack for ST called To Boldly Go. The link is for a free QS.

Edit, found a second ST hack called The Final Frontier.
 
Where No Man Has Gone Before: This is a gem, but I'm not a Microlite fan. And I don't want the TOS era. I'm also afraid it would turn into camp.
I understand it's not your thing but thanks for the tip. A complete game with scenario and world generation in 50 pages. Characters have 4 stats, 6 skills, and a few talents - very manageable but enough to differentiate players.
 
Well, last time I did it with GURPS and I'd like to run 2d20 trek sometime but the real answer is Galaxies In Shadow of course!

My friend uses Star Frontiers but it's a bit of an odd fit because there's no phasers. I mean, it could work, a phaser is like a laser but it gets 100 shots from a clip cell and does up to 20d10 damage and can stun like a sonic stunner and ignore any defense if you spend a turn recalibrating the frequency.
 
My friend uses Star Frontiers but it's a bit of an odd fit because there's no phasers. I mean, it could work, a phaser is like a laser but it gets 100 shots from a clip cell and does up to 20d10 damage and can stun like a sonic stunner and ignore any defense if you spend a turn recalibrating the frequency.
I think an issue of Star Frontiersman said cut wounds in half & add 10, or something to that effect to keep it more dangerous.
 
Here's the free, fan-made Cepheus version.


If I were gonna run any Star Trek, I'd use the OG Prime Directive from Task Force Games, but I'm probably in the minority there, it's based on Star Fleet Battles but inspired heavily by TOS, and it's not really canon in any event.
 
GURPS Prime Directive is a "Powered by GURPS" title, meaning it's written to be a stand-alone book. So you don't need the GURPS Basic Set, if you want to minimize rulebooks, though of course there is more stuff you could use by adding the Basic Set and other books, if you wanted to.

Prime Directive is also based on the setting in Star Fleet Battles, the crunch-tastic starship combat game, which I think is great, but it may be too ship-centric, and too crunchy for some RPG players. And OP Aglondir mentioned he didn't want TOS content, which SFB is.

Er, there's also a later (past my time with SFB) Prime Directive - compatible starship game that's designed to be simpler and easier, called Federation Commander. http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/academy.shtml
 
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If you’re doing DS9, I’d go Last Unicorn Games. Steve Long (of Hero fame) worked on the TNG game and was lead on the DS9 game. There were tons of TNG/DS9 ships with detailed specs. Getting it all might be difficult depending on your opinion on pirating an abandoned game line no longer sold by anyone. However, unlike all the other games listed, you won’t have to come up with a tons of stats yourself. They had pretty cool books on Andorians, Klingons, Vulcans, Romulans, etc.
 
The Star Fleet universe goes in very different directions after the original series (which is a series of training films and dramaticizations of things that happened to a variety of different ships). It's a war torn universe with a number of races that don't exist in TNG.
 
Here's the free, fan-made Cepheus version.


If I were gonna run any Star Trek, I'd use the OG Prime Directive from Task Force Games, but I'm probably in the minority there, it's based on Star Fleet Battles but inspired heavily by TOS, and it's not really canon in any event.

That's the one! Thanks for the link. What an excellent pdf.
 
If you’re doing DS9, I’d go Last Unicorn Games. Steve Long (of Hero fame) worked on the TNG game and was lead on the DS9 game. There were tons of TNG/DS9 ships with detailed specs. Getting it all might be difficult depending on your opinion on pirating an abandoned game line no longer sold by anyone. However, unlike all the other games listed, you won’t have to come up with a tons of stats yourself. They had pretty cool books on Andorians, Klingons, Vulcans, Romulans, etc.
I'm considering purchasing it, If I can find it. Years ago I had the entire line.
 
Where No Man Has Gone Before: This is a gem, but I'm not a Microlite fan. And I don't want the TOS era. I'm also afraid it would turn into camp.

The whole POINT of WNM is that it will turn into camp. There's actually a random table (optional) to describe the various changes imposed on the campaign because producers are trying to jack up the failing ratings.

JG
 
Here's the free, fan-made Cepheus version.


If I were gonna run any Star Trek, I'd use the OG Prime Directive from Task Force Games, but I'm probably in the minority there, it's based on Star Fleet Battles but inspired heavily by TOS, and it's not really canon in any event.
This is an excellent fan hack. I have Mongoose Traveller, so adding this to it is probably the winner for me for doing a quick Star Trek game
Not sure if I even need to add it to the Traveller core book, it looks reasonably self-contained. Cool! :thumbsup:
 
I understand it's not your thing but thanks for the tip. A complete game with scenario and world generation in 50 pages. Characters have 4 stats, 6 skills, and a few talents - very manageable but enough to differentiate players.
Spent last night looking through this and I kinda love it, even though I've soured on d20 derivatives. I like the idea of running Trek, but I've never done a deep dive into the lore like other licensed properties. The idea of reskinning it into a Trek knockoff appeals, especially since I lean heavily into humor in most of my games and while that's not always appropriate for Trek, it worked for Galaxy Quest (or John Scalzi's Redshirts). It also neatly sidesteps potential canon violations as Simlasa mentioned.
 
I think I would use Cubicle 7's Doctor Who (if only for the initiative system where people who talk act before people who shoot).. It really fits with Star Trek overall feel (though the classic series is a bit more pulpy than Next Generation, for a DS9 game I would import the Trust mechanic from Cold City). How important would space combat be in your campaign and for your group as this can be important as well. Doctor Who makes it quite easy to import things from Cepheus/Traveller as well.
 
Here's the free, fan-made Cepheus version.


If I were gonna run any Star Trek, I'd use the OG Prime Directive from Task Force Games, but I'm probably in the minority there, it's based on Star Fleet Battles but inspired heavily by TOS, and it's not really canon in any event.

Thanks for the link; while I have never really used it, I have a growing interest in the Cepheus Engine game system.

I'll also second a look at Prime Directive. It's very much an alternate universe Star Trek, but that gives it a certain charm too.
 
Thanks for the link; while I have never really used it, I have a growing interest in the Cepheus Engine game system.

I'll also second a look at Prime Directive. It's very much an alternate universe Star Trek, but that gives it a certain charm too.
I'm a big fan of the OG Lrime Directive. It has a really cool system. No starship rules, though. They thought people would use Star Fleet Battles for that. Not sure whether they've added starship rules for the GURPS version or not, but I'm guessing they have.
 
I am currently running a reverse-ST: Voyager campaign using Savage Worlds.

The rules themselves are pretty generic skills-based, with the option to "specialise" and get some bonuses by investing in the requisite skills to gain Edges, but what will probably work trope-wise are the Chase rules and the Dramatic Tasks rules.
 
Star Trek : Alpha Quadrant is amazing, but it would be even better if it used the classic traveller prior history. Rolling for promotions and mishaps every turn is definitely Trekish. I would break it down into name of ship you served on, captain, type of mission, roll for skills, roll for promotion, etc. And include the Mongoose-like random events that Cepheus lacks-- the stuff like "Your department head is falsifying data to get promoted. Expose him and gain X and an enemy. Keep quiet and get Y."

There was a supplement, either LUG or Decipher, that broke down your characters prior tour of duty. Or maybe it was fan made?
 
I know this sounds weird but Savage Worlds. This guy did some fun Savage Worlds hacks of popular genres including heavy metal sword & sorcery, macho 80's action, and of course not-Star Trek. Yes, I realize the tone is more "one-shot game after a couple beers" but the rules themselves could easily be adapted for a more serious endeavor.
I loved Rel's stuff when I was really into Savage Worlds. Too bad he hasn't done much in the last few years; hopefully it's just due to having other things going on.
 
I am currently running a reverse-ST: Voyager campaign using Savage Worlds.
What do you mean by reverse-ST: Voyager?
Presumably a ship from the Delta Quadrant is stranded in Federation space. Possibly the Federation launches a long-term (like, fifty-year-mission long) expedition in that direction on purpose.
 
What do you mean by reverse-ST: Voyager?

Voyager was transported against their will to a faraway part of the galaxy which they know very little about.

In our setting FTL is really fast, and almost all of our own galaxy is explored. In this campaign our ship and crew voluntarily went through a wormhole that was believed to be what an extra-galactic alien race used to invade our own galaxy. Now the crew must travel through unexplored territory to find where the aliens came from and learn how to prevent another invasion.

It's more like Voyager than say TNG because they are the only "not-Federation" ship in that galaxy. No orders from HQ, no starbase to dock at for repairs, not even a familiar enemy. Everything they run into will be new, as it was with Voyager - and they don't even have a Neelix with them.
 
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