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Reply: Star Trek Adventures Second Edition Core Rulebook:: General:: Re: [Let's Read] Star Trek Adventures 2nd edition (core book)
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 06:46:38
:bd6-2: CHARACTER LIFEPATH
The lifepath system consists of 7 steps, each with a specific set of actions to be completed, which help determine certain aspects of the PC. The book presents the steps in tables for the player to roll results on, but the reader is instructed to choose from the table and don't bother to roll if you have a very specific idea of what sort of PC you want (and you have the GM's permission).
:d6-1: Species
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 6 things:
1) a 7 in each attribute
2) a 1 in each department
3) a chosen species
4) a trait from the species
5) +1 to each of three attributes determined by species
6) a unique species ability (basically a talent granted by the species)
A finished PC may not have attributes above 12 and no more than 1 attribute can be as high as 12.
A finished PC may not have departments above 5 and no more than 1 department can be as high as 5.
As a player goes through the Lifepath, it is possible to violate the above rules, and there will be a correction for that at the end of the lifepath - i.e. it is a known issue that gets resolved later, so don't stress too much about it.
:PSC: In order to continue with the lifepath, we need to take a look at the species you can choose from when doing this step. Each species gets a full page write-up with an accompanying art piece./pic9746303.png)
The species included are Andorian, Aenar, Bajoran, Betazoid, Cardassian, Denobulan, Ferengi, Human, Klingon, Orion, Romulan, Tellarite, Trill, and Vulcan. That's 14 species to choose from!
:geek_star: Aenar, Cardassian, Ferengi, Klingon, Orion, and Romulan were not available as species choices in the STA1 core book, which means STA2 added 6 playable species to the core lifepath!
:geek_star: I think the short descriptive write-ups give the player just enough context to make that PC their own if they choose a species other than Human. The combination of the description and species traits/abilities together do enough to create a differentiating element between each species well enough that a new player can immediately see how this species is different from and also similar to Humans in the setting.
:PSC: It is also possible to make a mixed-heritage character, having parents from two different species. In this case, you choose one of the species as the 'primary' species, which will be the one to provide most of your traits. The character is treated as a member of the primary species and gets the attribute bonuses and species abilities listed for that species. The character gains the species traits of BOTH species and the character counts as a member of both species when determining whether they qualify for a talent. Talk to your GM!!
:PSC: The species sections ends with two short sections - Unique or Unusual Characters and Cyborgs. The unique character section tells the players that the galaxy is a big place and a PC can theoretically be from any species as long as the GM approves. There isn't a set of guidelines provided at this point, but it basically says you can create anything in you imagination and then compare it to one of the other species to make sure it isn't too overpowered. Talk to your GM!!
The Cyborg section is about genetic engineering and how it is received in the galaxy. A nod is given to cybernetic implants as an assistive device after injury or illness. A character can choose to add the Augment trait to their PC, which means they have had their genetics altered in some way as an enhancement. You can also add the Cyborg trait, which means you have had one or more organs or implants designed to replace a lost function or provide a function you lacked previously. Talk to your GM!!
:d6-2: Environment
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 4 things:
1) a home environment description
2) a value
3) +1 in one attribute
4) +1 in one department
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The home Environment is answering the question "Where did you grow up?" and the player can either roll a d20 and consult the random table provided in this section, or they can simply select an environment they feel fits their character idea.
Each environment on the table has an associated description and then instructs the player how to choose/create a value, which attribute to increase, and which department to increase. All of these are related to the environment and they try to keep it thematically appropriate. For example, if you come form another species' world, the attribute you increase is one of the attributes the main species on that world would increase if you made a PC of that species.
:geek_star: It is at this point that I am very glad that they decided to put a huge list of example values in this edition of STA. The entries here provide advice on how you might create a value related to the environment you were raised in, but it is still a difficult thing to do without ample examples.
:geek_star: There is a sidebar in this section that points out that even though many species in Star Trek have been presented as a monoculture type society, there is no need for any species to be monoculture just because of the representations that were seen in Star Trek media.
:d6-3: Upbringing
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 6 things:
1) an upbringing description
2) +2 in one attribute
3) +1 in a different attribute
4) +1 in one department
5) a focus
6) a talent
The upbringing of a character is answering the question "What influences were surrounding you when you were growing up?" and the player can either roll a d20 and consult the random table provided in this section, or they can simply select an environment they feel fits their character idea.
Each upbringing type on the table has an associated description. Then the player must decide if they accepted the influence or rebelled against it. Their choice will determine which attribute is raised by 2 and which is raised by 1. The upbringing type also determines which department gains a +1, with most types having a choice among two or three departments.
The player then selects a focus for the PC. Several examples are given for each type of upbringing, but the player and GM have discretion when selecting the focus, which should be related to the upbringing. Lastly, the player gets to select a talent. Presumably the talent would also be related in some way to the upbringing.
:d6-4: Career Path/pic9746305.png)
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 9 things:
1) a career path
2) a trait
3) a value
4) 3 points to spend on 2 or 3 attributes
5) +2 in one department
6) +1 in a different department
7) +1 in a third different department
8) 3 focuses
9) a talent
This step has so many more items than the others because it is the most consequential piece of the PC's history, at least in terms of skills and knowledge gained to get them where they are when the game starts.
Like the other pieces of the lifepath system, this one allows the player to roll or to choose. For this portion of character generation, hopefully the GM has given the players some guidance about the expected campaign or scenario. It would be no use rolling randomly if the premise of the campaign is that everyone is a Starfleet Officer.
If you are making a PC who is a member of Starfleet, then you also have to figure out which division you will be in (Command, Operations, or Science) by either choosing or rolling on a table.
The section goes on to describe each career path and explains the benefits and choices that must me made (e.g. which departments are available to put your +1 in) if you rolled/selected that career path.
:halfstar: This section has an easy to read layout and the information is set up in an understandable way. The issue is one that many games fall into, especially if there are a ton of options. This section starts on page 120, but to look at the talents I have to go to page 148 and sift through the categories of talents to choose one. This is a half star instead of a no-star because I do think it is better to group all the talents together in one section... but it is so far away from where you first start needing to look at it...
:d6-5: Experience
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 3 things:
1) an experience designation (novice, experienced, or veteran)
2) a value
3) a talent
This is the first step where the reader is told they should choose rather than roll randomly.
:d6-6: Career Events
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 4 things twice. That is, you run through this step two times and generate two career events, each of which gives you the following:
1) a career event (two total)
2) +1 in an attribute (two total)
3) +1 in a department (two total)
4) a focus (two total)
Which attributes and departments get the +1 depends on the events themselves.
:geek_star: There are 20 possible events that occur, but they are relatively vague and you should work with your GM to flesh out some of the details. For example, if you roll Called Out a Superior you might want to create the name of the superior and have a single sentence description of the event... this is the sort of thing that is in your record and can come back to haunt or help you in the game, so having a sentence or two is a good idea. I am not suggesting writing a 20 page fan-fic backstory to tell the tale, but you should definitely figure out something about the event.
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:d6-6::Wii+::d6-1: Finishing Touches
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 7 things:
1) a value
2) +1 in one attribute
3) +1 in a different attribute
4) +1 in one department
5) +1 in a different department
6) a talent
7) one or more pastimes
At the beginning of this step in the lifepath, the player must make sure their attributes and departments do not violate these 2 guidelines, mentioned earlier:
A finished PC may not have attributes above 12 and no more than 1 attribute can be as high as 12.
A finished PC may not have departments above 5 and no more than 1 department can be as high as 5.
If the PC has more than one attribute at 12, the point doesn't disappear, it just needs to be moved to a different attribute. Same with the department values. After redistributing those points, then you also get to add two final points to two different attributes without violating the above rule again. Same with Departments.
Check to make sure you have 6 focuses - if you don't, go back and find out what the missing one should be related to and add that to your list.
Check to make sure you have 3 talents, if not, figure out where you missed one and add it to your PC sheet. Then you get to select one more talent.
:PSC: Final PC Checkup: At this point all attribute scores should add up to 56 and departments should add up to 16, there should be 1 species ability, 4 values, 4 talents, and 6 focuses.
Now add a name, age, personality, and appearance. You can also select a pastime to round out your character, and possibly determine some relationships. The book has a couple of paragraphs about each of these, along with a big sidebar about pastimes. Much of this is not mechanically relevant in game, but you never know when your GM is going to have a PC's pastime be the main sport on that new planet you are going to explore.
:PSC: Once each individual character is complete, the group should get together and discuss/select roles for the PCs. Roles are indicators of a characters place within the crew, and each comes with a mechanical benefit related to the role.
Here is a list of ship-based roles: Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Operations Manager, Chief Engineer, Chief of Security, Chief Tactical Officer, Flight Controller, Navigator, Science Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Ship's Doctor, Ship's Counselor, and Communications Officer. And non-Starfleet roles: Bodyguard, Expert, Intelligence Agent, Merchant, Political Liaison, and Translator.
:PSC: Rank - Starfleet personnel will need to determine their rank based on the information at the end of this section. The experience designation determined in step 5 may play a role in the possible rank choice, as well as the role you are serving on board the ship. Talk to your GM, and the other players!
Thoughts So Far...
I really like the lifepath system as presented here, I think... I haven't made a PC yet, so while it all sounds great and reads well, maybe it won't be that great in action? My plan is to sit down and create around 5 PCs to see how it comes out and what questions arise. I don't want to do it until I finish this chapter though, so...
Stay tuned for my next post, covering Chapter 4: Reporting for Duty (part 3)
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Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 06:46:38
by lorddillon
CHAPTER 4: REPORTING FOR DUTY (part 2):bd6-2: CHARACTER LIFEPATH
The lifepath system consists of 7 steps, each with a specific set of actions to be completed, which help determine certain aspects of the PC. The book presents the steps in tables for the player to roll results on, but the reader is instructed to choose from the table and don't bother to roll if you have a very specific idea of what sort of PC you want (and you have the GM's permission).
:d6-1: Species
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 6 things:
1) a 7 in each attribute
2) a 1 in each department
3) a chosen species
4) a trait from the species
5) +1 to each of three attributes determined by species
6) a unique species ability (basically a talent granted by the species)
A finished PC may not have attributes above 12 and no more than 1 attribute can be as high as 12.
A finished PC may not have departments above 5 and no more than 1 department can be as high as 5.
As a player goes through the Lifepath, it is possible to violate the above rules, and there will be a correction for that at the end of the lifepath - i.e. it is a known issue that gets resolved later, so don't stress too much about it.
:PSC: In order to continue with the lifepath, we need to take a look at the species you can choose from when doing this step. Each species gets a full page write-up with an accompanying art piece.
The species included are Andorian, Aenar, Bajoran, Betazoid, Cardassian, Denobulan, Ferengi, Human, Klingon, Orion, Romulan, Tellarite, Trill, and Vulcan. That's 14 species to choose from!
:geek_star: Aenar, Cardassian, Ferengi, Klingon, Orion, and Romulan were not available as species choices in the STA1 core book, which means STA2 added 6 playable species to the core lifepath!
:geek_star: I think the short descriptive write-ups give the player just enough context to make that PC their own if they choose a species other than Human. The combination of the description and species traits/abilities together do enough to create a differentiating element between each species well enough that a new player can immediately see how this species is different from and also similar to Humans in the setting.
:PSC: It is also possible to make a mixed-heritage character, having parents from two different species. In this case, you choose one of the species as the 'primary' species, which will be the one to provide most of your traits. The character is treated as a member of the primary species and gets the attribute bonuses and species abilities listed for that species. The character gains the species traits of BOTH species and the character counts as a member of both species when determining whether they qualify for a talent. Talk to your GM!!
:PSC: The species sections ends with two short sections - Unique or Unusual Characters and Cyborgs. The unique character section tells the players that the galaxy is a big place and a PC can theoretically be from any species as long as the GM approves. There isn't a set of guidelines provided at this point, but it basically says you can create anything in you imagination and then compare it to one of the other species to make sure it isn't too overpowered. Talk to your GM!!
The Cyborg section is about genetic engineering and how it is received in the galaxy. A nod is given to cybernetic implants as an assistive device after injury or illness. A character can choose to add the Augment trait to their PC, which means they have had their genetics altered in some way as an enhancement. You can also add the Cyborg trait, which means you have had one or more organs or implants designed to replace a lost function or provide a function you lacked previously. Talk to your GM!!
:d6-2: Environment
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 4 things:
1) a home environment description
2) a value
3) +1 in one attribute
4) +1 in one department
The home Environment is answering the question "Where did you grow up?" and the player can either roll a d20 and consult the random table provided in this section, or they can simply select an environment they feel fits their character idea.
Each environment on the table has an associated description and then instructs the player how to choose/create a value, which attribute to increase, and which department to increase. All of these are related to the environment and they try to keep it thematically appropriate. For example, if you come form another species' world, the attribute you increase is one of the attributes the main species on that world would increase if you made a PC of that species.
:geek_star: It is at this point that I am very glad that they decided to put a huge list of example values in this edition of STA. The entries here provide advice on how you might create a value related to the environment you were raised in, but it is still a difficult thing to do without ample examples.
:geek_star: There is a sidebar in this section that points out that even though many species in Star Trek have been presented as a monoculture type society, there is no need for any species to be monoculture just because of the representations that were seen in Star Trek media.
:d6-3: Upbringing
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 6 things:
1) an upbringing description
2) +2 in one attribute
3) +1 in a different attribute
4) +1 in one department
5) a focus
6) a talent
The upbringing of a character is answering the question "What influences were surrounding you when you were growing up?" and the player can either roll a d20 and consult the random table provided in this section, or they can simply select an environment they feel fits their character idea.
Each upbringing type on the table has an associated description. Then the player must decide if they accepted the influence or rebelled against it. Their choice will determine which attribute is raised by 2 and which is raised by 1. The upbringing type also determines which department gains a +1, with most types having a choice among two or three departments.
The player then selects a focus for the PC. Several examples are given for each type of upbringing, but the player and GM have discretion when selecting the focus, which should be related to the upbringing. Lastly, the player gets to select a talent. Presumably the talent would also be related in some way to the upbringing.
:d6-4: Career Path
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 9 things:
1) a career path
2) a trait
3) a value
4) 3 points to spend on 2 or 3 attributes
5) +2 in one department
6) +1 in a different department
7) +1 in a third different department
8) 3 focuses
9) a talent
This step has so many more items than the others because it is the most consequential piece of the PC's history, at least in terms of skills and knowledge gained to get them where they are when the game starts.
Like the other pieces of the lifepath system, this one allows the player to roll or to choose. For this portion of character generation, hopefully the GM has given the players some guidance about the expected campaign or scenario. It would be no use rolling randomly if the premise of the campaign is that everyone is a Starfleet Officer.
If you are making a PC who is a member of Starfleet, then you also have to figure out which division you will be in (Command, Operations, or Science) by either choosing or rolling on a table.
The section goes on to describe each career path and explains the benefits and choices that must me made (e.g. which departments are available to put your +1 in) if you rolled/selected that career path.
:halfstar: This section has an easy to read layout and the information is set up in an understandable way. The issue is one that many games fall into, especially if there are a ton of options. This section starts on page 120, but to look at the talents I have to go to page 148 and sift through the categories of talents to choose one. This is a half star instead of a no-star because I do think it is better to group all the talents together in one section... but it is so far away from where you first start needing to look at it...
:d6-5: Experience
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 3 things:
1) an experience designation (novice, experienced, or veteran)
2) a value
3) a talent
This is the first step where the reader is told they should choose rather than roll randomly.
:d6-6: Career Events
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 4 things twice. That is, you run through this step two times and generate two career events, each of which gives you the following:
1) a career event (two total)
2) +1 in an attribute (two total)
3) +1 in a department (two total)
4) a focus (two total)
Which attributes and departments get the +1 depends on the events themselves.
:geek_star: There are 20 possible events that occur, but they are relatively vague and you should work with your GM to flesh out some of the details. For example, if you roll Called Out a Superior you might want to create the name of the superior and have a single sentence description of the event... this is the sort of thing that is in your record and can come back to haunt or help you in the game, so having a sentence or two is a good idea. I am not suggesting writing a 20 page fan-fic backstory to tell the tale, but you should definitely figure out something about the event.
:d6-6::Wii+::d6-1: Finishing Touches
This step of the lifepath system grants the PC 7 things:
1) a value
2) +1 in one attribute
3) +1 in a different attribute
4) +1 in one department
5) +1 in a different department
6) a talent
7) one or more pastimes
At the beginning of this step in the lifepath, the player must make sure their attributes and departments do not violate these 2 guidelines, mentioned earlier:
A finished PC may not have attributes above 12 and no more than 1 attribute can be as high as 12.
A finished PC may not have departments above 5 and no more than 1 department can be as high as 5.
If the PC has more than one attribute at 12, the point doesn't disappear, it just needs to be moved to a different attribute. Same with the department values. After redistributing those points, then you also get to add two final points to two different attributes without violating the above rule again. Same with Departments.
Check to make sure you have 6 focuses - if you don't, go back and find out what the missing one should be related to and add that to your list.
Check to make sure you have 3 talents, if not, figure out where you missed one and add it to your PC sheet. Then you get to select one more talent.
:PSC: Final PC Checkup: At this point all attribute scores should add up to 56 and departments should add up to 16, there should be 1 species ability, 4 values, 4 talents, and 6 focuses.
Now add a name, age, personality, and appearance. You can also select a pastime to round out your character, and possibly determine some relationships. The book has a couple of paragraphs about each of these, along with a big sidebar about pastimes. Much of this is not mechanically relevant in game, but you never know when your GM is going to have a PC's pastime be the main sport on that new planet you are going to explore.
:PSC: Once each individual character is complete, the group should get together and discuss/select roles for the PCs. Roles are indicators of a characters place within the crew, and each comes with a mechanical benefit related to the role.
Here is a list of ship-based roles: Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Operations Manager, Chief Engineer, Chief of Security, Chief Tactical Officer, Flight Controller, Navigator, Science Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Ship's Doctor, Ship's Counselor, and Communications Officer. And non-Starfleet roles: Bodyguard, Expert, Intelligence Agent, Merchant, Political Liaison, and Translator.
:PSC: Rank - Starfleet personnel will need to determine their rank based on the information at the end of this section. The experience designation determined in step 5 may play a role in the possible rank choice, as well as the role you are serving on board the ship. Talk to your GM, and the other players!
Thoughts So Far...
I really like the lifepath system as presented here, I think... I haven't made a PC yet, so while it all sounds great and reads well, maybe it won't be that great in action? My plan is to sit down and create around 5 PCs to see how it comes out and what questions arise. I don't want to do it until I finish this chapter though, so...
Stay tuned for my next post, covering Chapter 4: Reporting for Duty (part 3)
Reply: General Role-Playing:: Re: QOTD AUG 12: Do you go to Conventions? Why or why not? If not, what would encourage you to go? If yes, why would you suggest that others give it a try?
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 06:18:57
After one or two cons looking for a RPG group at cons, I made a resolution to show up with a one-shot RPG session prepared to cons. Players were always to be found and the cons I visited usually offered (and asked for) a nice variety of systems.
Since I moved to the Koblenz area in 2001 I haven't found a local RPG con. There are some board game groups around, but the "spend a weekend playing games" variety is rare. Would like to see more of that here. :)
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 06:18:57
by Tomcat1304
Not many Cons in the past decades. back in the mid to late 90s I regularly visited MART in Mannheim. Plus some other local ones. I prefer the small kind of con, just about 50-100 people meeting. And I don't like to plan everything beforehand, just show up and see if it will be boardgames, RPGs or chat with people that day.After one or two cons looking for a RPG group at cons, I made a resolution to show up with a one-shot RPG session prepared to cons. Players were always to be found and the cons I visited usually offered (and asked for) a nice variety of systems.
Since I moved to the Koblenz area in 2001 I haven't found a local RPG con. There are some board game groups around, but the "spend a weekend playing games" variety is rare. Would like to see more of that here. :)
GeekList Item: Item for GeekList "Games I would like to run, and games I would like to play"
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:52:28
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:52:28
by Machete_Matt
An item RPG: Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition) has been added to the geeklist Games I would like to run, and games I would like to play
GeekList Item: Item for GeekList "Games I would like to run, and games I would like to play"
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:50:39
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:50:39
by Machete_Matt
An item RPG Item: Vaesen has been added to the geeklist Games I would like to run, and games I would like to play
GeekList Item: Item for GeekList "Matt's RPG history"
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:42:22
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:42:22
by Machete_Matt
An item RPG Item: Dragonbane: Mirth & Mayhem Roleplaying has been added to the geeklist Matt's RPG history
Reply: Star Trek Adventures Second Edition Core Rulebook:: General:: Re: [Let's Read] Star Trek Adventures 2nd edition (core book)
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:23:00
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:23:00
by trystero11
Reading this, I'm flashing back to Jonathan Tweet's short essay "There Is No Try", which proposes a rules approach for handling "Kirkliness" in RPGs. I was sort of hoping that STA would include a "Kirkliness" Attribute.
One Shot Collection: Mobile Frame Zero Firebrands
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:09:16
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:09:16
A new episode has been added to the database:
One Shot Collection: Mobile Frame Zero Firebrands
New comment on GeekList Strategicon Gateway 2026 No-Ship Math Trade (Sept. 5 Los Angeles)
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:06:27
Pending Results have been posted, you can review them on the OLWLG. If you have any concerns, please DM me. Otherwise, I'll mark the trade as final tomorrow.
Thanks everyone for your participation! The Virtual Flea Market will be announced here after Todd Geller posts the Geek List.
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:06:27
by regblank
Great job everyone!Pending Results have been posted, you can review them on the OLWLG. If you have any concerns, please DM me. Otherwise, I'll mark the trade as final tomorrow.
Thanks everyone for your participation! The Virtual Flea Market will be announced here after Todd Geller posts the Geek List.
Q&A: DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR RUNNING WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE?
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:06:03
Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 05:06:03
A new episode has been added to the database:
Q&A: DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR RUNNING WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE?
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