Where is this game going?

[stule]

Hey all.

I gotta question.

If Decipher is not going to put out anything for this system what happens next?

I have noticed a lack of player supported Coda Materials on the net.

Will another company pick it up?

Are they really going to let Star Trek RPG just die?

I see Moongoose Publishing cranking out books upon books for Babylon 5 for pete sakes and no one can pick up Star Trek, the King of the Sci-Fi world?

I like the rules i see so far in the Coda system (Although i have a neat House rule that says if you lose your shields you get no protection at all...) and I really hope that Star Trek RPG will continue.

If anyone can tell me what is going to happen or can put sites up on this post that others can use to get House rules and the like, I would be grateful.

Stule

[Owen E Oulton]

"If Decipher is not going to put out anything for this system what happens next?"

If Decipher doesn't put anything out, nothing happens. They have an exclusive license extending through next year. After that, some other company may pick up the license and come out with yet another rules set.

"Will another company pick it up?"

See above.

"Are they really going to let Star Trek RPG just die?"

Who knows. Looks like it...

"I see Moongoose Publishing cranking out books upon books for Babylon 5 for pete sakes and no one can pick up Star Trek, the King of the Sci-Fi world?"

See above.

[Ineti]

Decipher is not going to put out anything for this system what happens next?

The Coda System lives on only through fan-made materials.

I have noticed a lack of player supported Coda Materials on the net.

You may have missed the first issue of Beyond the Final Frontier, a regular fanzine devoted to the CODA Star Trek RPG.

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/coda_webzine/

There are also some good resources starting to go up at Decipher's official forums.

http://forums.decipher.com

l another company pick it up?

Hard to say at the moment, but I imagine Trek is still a lucrative property. I'm sure someone will pick it up once Decipher's license expires.

Are they really going to let Star Trek RPG just die?

Decipher, seems so. Paramount, not likely.

[IceGiant]

Ineti,
You're also forgetting to mention the sheer volume of stuff done by us here on ths board!!

[mattcolville]

I don't think CODA is distinct enough or, frankly, robustly designed enough to generate the kind of fan interest that leads to lots of fan support.

I think we've yet to see a company take the Trek license and really produce and support a game worthy of the place the franchise holds in our culture. So far, the last two iterations were overseen by people who thought "rules lite" was a good way to go, and companies either incapable (LUG) or unwilling (Decipher) to promote it and support it.

[IceGiant]

Matt,
Your comment seems weird since you were involved in the proecess at decipher. But I'd rather see rules lite than say GURPS trek.

[Tobian]

Well I have to say I disagree with both of the statements ! There has indeed been alot of fan stuff generated right on these boards (which seem to have functioned as a nexus). While the whole short shelf life of Decipher, as well as the bad feeling generated by the loss of LUG has meant less people have been generating massive projects, a few have come out, most notably KW's fantabulous ESO.

I know we all seem to have nit picked Decipher to death over typos' and printing errors but the rules set for their game is in my opinion a really solid set of rules, and I don't find it 'rules lite' - I find all too many games 'Spreadsheet of death' - "if you just check your roll against the table on page 23, then cross refer with the special rules section on page 18, 34, and 192 you can arrive at a figure which you can check against p78... " Gah - Startrek is a character and plot driven show and therefore I want to run my game like that - I don't want 'reality' - how much 'reality' can you have with a phaser!

The major flaw with both versions of the games was the lack of good design in terms of finding information in the books - I.e. a fast track to making characters.. that however is design not the rules persay.

The sad part is while some of us (you know who you are!) want to buy into the thought police and generify trek into *hacking sounds* d20 or gurps or something, some of us would just like it if they continued with the products WE OWN so we don't have to buy a whole set if fricking books again! If Green Ronin can work with Warhammer I am sure they could work with Coda! (of course they may not be able to / have the time whatever..)

[IceGiant]

What Tobian said!!

[RaconteurX]

I'm with Tobian and IceGiant, in that I believe CODA is a very robust system. It is easily adjusted to allow for different styles of play (just look at Trek and LOTR), and writing alternate rules is a snap. I've seen a lovely Fatigue-based psionics system for Trek using LOTR's Weariness mechanic, for example, which works beautifully. Already mentioned was KillerWhale's Extended Starship Operations, better than a great many so-called "professional" publications.

For fans of ICON's more detailed skill system, I have always recommended tweaking the CODA skill system. Eliminate the +2 modifier for specialties and assign a -2 modifier for any use of a skill outside a character's listed specialties instead. This lowers overall character competence, but works very well if you prefer a grittier game while keeping the same advancement scheme. For me, ICON is far less robust and CODA starship combat rules.

[Ineti]

Originally posted by RaconteurX
I'm with Tobian and IceGiant, in that I believe CODA is a very robust system.

I agree. Having seen most of the LOTR RPG playtest materials, and what was coming for the game, I don't think we've even begun to scratch the surface of all the things we can do to the system and add to it.

[Tobian]

I have to agree with the whole overpowered skill, but then it lets you have more fun in the drama dice area!

I always did wish I'd got into the idea of LOTR roleplaying but i always like to do something ... different... it's the same reason I never bothered to buy Starwars.. how do you escape the films gravitational pull! Starwars always seemed like such an open environment.

i would love to see Coda conversions for other games, it would be interesting to see how well it stands up!

[GandalfOfBorg]

I find the core rules very robust and have altered them very little when I have began creating my rules set for the Harry Potter world. The things that I made up on my own were mostly things specific to that world, otherwise it was fairly simple to extract items directly from Star Trek and Lord of the Rings. I believe Doug Burke is working on his own rules in another fantasy setting (Belgariad I think). For those who wish to see what I have done so far, check out the link below.

Harry Potter RPG

GOB

[Tobian]

Cursed yahoo groups ! I hate websites i have to subscribe too *grins*

Yes I can see Harry potter working quite nicelly with this system, because D&D magic would NOT work! A fatigue based magic system is far more appropriate (just replace psi for magic and you have a functioning magician!) ... interesting idea.. keep us updated!

I do recall J.K.Rowling stating she would never make an RPG based on Harry Potter, so i guess this will remain a strict fan game. Another system which would work nicelly too would be the Witchcraft system, which i am becoming quite fond of!

[IceGiant]

/Threadjack On

Tobian ,
Yes Witchcraft is a great syste. I own Witchcraft, Armageddon & All flesh must be eaten and most of the supplements.

/Threadjavk Off

[mattcolville]

The existence of ANY fan support is not the same as "lots." As a rule, there is fan support for every RPG ever made. And CODA has support in far less proportion than the number of books sold or properties it was used with. Compare it with Eden's Unisystem, also not hugely popular, not as many books sold, way, way more fan stuff for it.