The many different faces of Star Trek RPGs

Hi all,

I was working on a thread at rpg.net concerning the many different versions of Star Trek rpgs released over the past 20+ years. I was trying to see if Trek holds the title for the most published versions of a roleplaying game. Here's the list we came up with:

1) 1978 - Star Trek: Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier (Paramount & Heritage Models)

2) 1983 - Star Trek: The Role Playing Game, 1st ed. (FASA)

3) 1983 - Star Trek: The Role Playing Game, 2nd ed. (FASA)

4) 1993 - Prime Directive (Amarillo Design Bureau & Task Force Games)

5a) 1998 - Star Trek: The Next Generation Role Playing Game (Last Unicorn Games)
5b) 1999 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Role Playing Game (Last Unicorn Games)
5c) 1999 - Star Trek: Role Playing Game (Last Unicorn Games)

6) 2002 - Star Trek: Roleplaying Game (Decipher)

7) 2002 - GURPS Prime Directive, GURPS 3e rules (Amarillo Design Bureau & Steve Jackson Games)

8) 2005 - GURPS Prime Directive, GURPS 4e rules (Amarillo Design Bureau & Steve Jackson Games)

9) 2005 - d20 Prime Directive (Amarillo Design Bureau & Battlefield Press)*

10) 2005 - D6 Prime Directive (Amarillo Design Bureau & Final Sword Productions)*

11) 1982 - [unofficial] Starfleet Voyages (Terra Games)

Ten official and one unofficial versions of trek. Whew!! I listed the LUG games together since I was told the rule systems were pretty much the same across all three rulebooks. I was mainly looking to list all published rule systems one could use to play trek.

Did I miss any? I didn't include non-published works, but those can be added as well.

Finally, if you know of any other rpg title that's been published in so may rulesets, I'd like to hear about it. Please list the versions as well. Maybe another system has been bounced around even more than Star Trek!

danielc56

*I'm not sure if Battlefield Press & Final Sword Productions will be mentioned in the final product. I just used the 1st page of GURPS Prime Directive as an example.

Actually, none of the Prime Directive games are official versions of Star Trek. They are licensed by Franz Joseph Designs through a legal loophole , not Paramount, and are legally forbidden from using the name Star Trek.

Battlefield Press & Final Sword Productions will probably not be listed as publishers as they are being contract to produce the material as ADB can not sublicense them as it is a restricted license.

Prime Directive may be coming out as a second edition or printing of the original Tri-code rules and may be downloads only. Prime Directive Hero System may be in the works. Prehaps the great Steve Long might make a comment here if he can.

There are some more unofficial Star Trek RPG than just Starfleet Voyages. Here my document on Trek RPG systems that was going to be an article or forum post on this site (but you beat me to the post):

Star Trek RPG Systems From the Beginning...

Currently there is

Star Trek (Coda System)
1st ed by Christian Moore, Ross Isaacs, Kenneth Hite, Steve Long (2002) Decipher

Before that there was the

Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game
Star Trek Roleplaying Game
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Icon System
Last Unicorn Games

And we all know about the 1st or was it...???

Star Trek
1st ed by Guy W. McLimore, Greg Poehlein, David Tepool (1982) FASA
2nd ed by Wm John Wheeler (1983)

Nope, this was ...

Star Trek: Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier
1st ed by Michael Scott (1978) Heritage Models
http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/e...rtrek_heritage

And do you think that is all?


Guess again!!! There are a number of other RPG that emulated Star Trek:

Starships and Spacemen
1st ed by Leonard H. Kanterman (1978) FGU
http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/e...ipsandspacemen

Starfleet Voyages
1st ed by Michael Scott (1982) Terra Games
http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/e...arfleetvoyages

FSpace RPG
1st ed by Martin Rait (1991) FSpace Publications
KAPCON Edition ed (1995)
SpaceRPG Concise Rulebook v4.0 ed (2001) http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/e.../F.html#fspace

Warp 9
1st ed by David Sicé (1994) Warp 9
http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/e...l/W.html#warp9

And this RPG is design to not only emulated Trek, but Star Wars and others too:
Space Opera
1st ed by Ed Simbalist, A. Mark Ratner, Phil McGregor (1980) FGU
http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/e...tml#spaceopera
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I now I left off Prime Directive(s) as I knew about that one before I found the RPG Encyclopedia and would have included before publishing.


D&D, AD&D, xD&D and D20 system RPG list move to companion thread.

It is best you stick to "Star Trek" RPGs -- official and unofficial versions -- only in THIS forum.

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Originally Posted by REG

It is best you stick to "Star Trek" RPGs -- official and unofficial versions -- only in THIS forum.

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Got it. I'll just narrow my original request and say 'if anyone knows of an RPG title that beats Star Trek in the number of published rulesets, please let me know'. I'll do my own research to find out the details.

danielc56

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Originally Posted by Owen E Oulton

Actually, none of the Prime Directive games are official versions of Star Trek. They are licensed by Franz Joseph Designs through a legal loophole , not Paramount, and are legally forbidden from using the name Star Trek.

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I consider them quasi-official as Franz Joseph Design's Star Trek Manual was created through a license with Paramount and can use many identifiable Star Trek terms and races, etc as long as it is not Star Trek, any major characters nor any thing new in the movies, TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise. Hence, the forum for Prime Directive here. Similarly, Hackmaster is a fully licensed version of Advance Dungeon and Dragons 1st Edition with additional rules but not the AD&D or D&D name.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by REG

It is best you stick to "Star Trek" RPGs -- official and unofficial versions -- only in THIS forum.

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REG, we have allowed parallels brought up various Star Trek threads, just look at the discussion over the Viacom co-COO misuse of money bringing up the James Bond 007 franchise and even you have participate in that thread without complaint.

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Originally Posted by danielc56

Got it. I'll just narrow my original request and say 'if anyone knows of an RPG title that beats Star Trek in the number of published rulesets, please let me know'. I'll do my own research to find out the details.
danielc56

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The Star Trek > General Systems & Mechanics subforum is what I think he means by "THIS forum", not the full set of forums here. Technical, I still am a moderator -- a "junior" one at that -- (and Website Development Team member) in this forum. But since REG brought it up we could start a companion thread in the Other Roleplaying Game forum. This interest me and it would stop you from getting the same RPG over and over again. I can not seem to find the rpg.net thread that you mentioned in your first post.

By the way, welcome to the Trek RPG net Forums!!

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Originally Posted by spshu

I can not seem to find the rpg.net thread that you mentioned in your first post.

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Here is the thread: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=181843

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By the way, welcome to the Trek RPG net Forums!!

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Thanks! I've been lurking for a few months, reading up on different threads. I'm not very experiened at roleplaying, but I've been purchasing both Star Trek & Star Wars RPG books for the background information they provide. I love how RPG books 'flesh out' both of those franchises. I enjoy reading reference & information books of fictional sci-fi worlds. Maybe one day I'll get to play the game!

danielc56

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Originally Posted by spshu

REG, we have allowed parallels brought up various Star Trek threads, just look at the discussion over the Viacom co-COO misuse of money bringing up the James Bond 007 franchise and even you have participate in that thread without complaint.

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So, the reason for listing the various versions of Dungeons & Dragons is to parallel ... what?

And to clarify, I use the term "forum" to distinguish one of many topics groups set up on this messageboard. Sometimes I also use the term "sub-forum," or merely "thread."

[Moderator hat on]
Discussion regarding the ADB Star Fleet Universe/Joseph Franz license in relations to Paramount have been split off and move to the Prime Directive Forum: ADB Star Fleet License from Paramount . This was off the topic of the thread and would be more appropriate in the Prime Directive forum.

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Originally Posted by REG

So, the reason for listing the various versions of Dungeons & Dragons is to parallel ... what?

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The number of versions of Star Trek RPGs, official and unofficial. As part of this inquiry is:

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Originally Posted by danielc56

~snip~ I was trying to see if Trek holds the title for the most published versions of a roleplaying game. ~snip~

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I thought ARS Magica is the most published versions, at least in terms of "edition." Atlas Games have released their 5th edition.

Discussion regarding other systems continue in this thread: the most published versions of a roleplaying game

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Originally Posted by spshu

I now I left off Prime Directive(s) as I knew about that one before I found the RPG Encyclopedia and would have included before publishing.

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Here they are so far:
Think again, there are the semi-official Prime Directive, officially license to use the Star Trek TOS background but not the Star Trek name:

Prime Directive
1st ed by Timothy D. Olsen, Mark Costello (1993) Task Force Games
2nd ed (2002) Amarillo Design Bureau a.k.a. Starfleet Games (uses GURPS 3rd Edition rules)
3rd Ed GURPS (2005) Amarillo Design Bureau a.k.a. Starfleet Games (uses GURPS 4th Edition rules)
3rd Ed. d20 (2005) Amarillo Design Bureau (& Battlefield Press)
d20 Modern Edition (October 2008) Amarillo Design Bureau

Never saw this thread. Should probably thrown in Enterprise by Tsukuda Hobby (1983) as it was officially licensed.

It's funny that, 4 years later, there's still no sign that PD D6 will see the light of day anytime soon, though they insist it's being worked on.

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Originally Posted by mechascorpio

Never saw this thread. Should probably thrown in Enterprise by Tsukuda Hobby (1983) as it was officially licensed.

It's funny that, 4 years later, there's still no sign that PD D6 will see the light of day anytime soon, though they insist it's being worked on.

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Part of that is problems that the Purgatory Publishing, Inc. (d.b.a. West End Games) was going through some financial problems forcing him to initial put the system up for sale.

From what mechascorpio indicates on his blog, we should included as an emulator and as a predecessor/sucessor and related system, Space/Star Patrol.

Star Patrol
Space Patrol ed by Michael Scott Kurtick, Rockland Russo (1977) Gamescience
1st ed (1980)
2nd ed (1982)

In case anyone is interested, I see that someone has listed Star Patrol on eBay.