Defining FASA, LUG and Decipher
Hey, everyone. The announcement of the upcoming Star Trek Adventures from Modiphius has me looking back at previous officially licensed Trek rpgs, and I wanted to consult the Great Link of rpg knowledge on this board with a couple questions. When you consider FASA, LUG and Decipher, what do you view as the key mechanics, features and philosophies that define each game system and distinguishes one from the others?
In my mind, LUG Trek was defined by its extensive skill and specialization lists that allowed players to create characters that felt like the hyper-competent officers we saw on TV and in film. But I've also found all those skills to be cumbersome and would prefer them to be simplified. I liked LUG's modular design for starship combat as well, but, similar to chargen, the combat rules could be cumbersome and slow as well. I also love that it supports both the classic Trek era and the Next Generation era. My opinion of LUG Trek, after nearly two decades with the system, is that it clearly works hard to deliver a Trek-flavored experience, but I'd love something that plays faster.
On the other hand, I never played FASA's or Decipher's offerings. So I'd love to hear your thoughts on the major mechanical features of those systems.
Additionally, would you want to see any of those key features carried over to the Modiphius game? Or do you think the mechanics that defined previous iterations of Trek rpgs have aged badly?