My First Coda Game

[Dregg]

On June 1st I will be running my very First ST game in the CODA system. I am very well versed in the ST universe (well enough to eek by), but not very well versed in CODA.

Anyone have some advice for my first CODA Trek session?

[Tobian]

Hi and welcome to the boards Dregg!

That's a lot of question in small package !

The first answer is how much experience do you have with GM'ing? If you're already a good GM (or passable ) then your shills should apply over.

Coda is a fairly simple rules set. While it's books are sometimes hard to navigate, I find the game easy to run because once you have all your facts prepared it's easy to actually set target numbers. For an adventure try and think of the problems that they might encounter and define target numbers for those tests, and decide what skills (or related skills they can use in a pinch) they need to use them.

Almost everything in the game is skill based, including combat, so it keeps all the test consistent. You either have to test the skill against an inherent difficulty or as an oposed test against a persons defensive trait (such as defence for weapons skills or savvy for social skills etc).. Don't forget the situational and social modifiers, which can turn what appears to be an easy test in to a hard one!

I find space combat quite easy to manage I did a quick sheet to help me run it -> http://forum.trek-rpg.net/showthread...t=quick+sheets and don't forget to go and download the ESO http://rpg.lionelkw.com/trek/eso.htm which is an invaluable free resource and fantastic I might add!

The most important thing is the story and that is the hard part. Do you intend to run adventures based off stories in the show? or try and fuse together components from all over the show into a new story. I am a big fan of the show, and of course if people want to play in your game, chances are so are they. It's so hard to juge how many episode they will remember and if you can 'get away with' copying your favoirite bits in there.

The question as well is: what are your favourite elements of the show and which era are you running it in: each era has a era different look and feel. You also have to watch out for continuity knots, especially if your players also know the show, you know the.. "but I thought they didn'tmake first contact untill 2334" type problems we all run into

Lots of questions for an answer

[black campbellq]

You also have to watch out for continuity knots, especially if your players also know the show, you know the.. "but I thought they didn'tmake first contact untill 2334" type problems we all run into

The best way around this is to simply lay down a few game-specific rules: the game is not the show. Establish in broad strokes what is canon; i.e., " ST:V never happened" or what have you.

Otherwise, I agree with Tobian here -- the CODA system is pretty easy to pick up on and run.

[Dregg]

Thanks guys

Yes, I have been Gming about 20 years now so that I am not too worried about. As far as continuity I agree with blackcampbell and, the game is not the show.
It will be based on the 2nd Season of TNG dealing with the maiden voyage of a Rennisance class exploration vessel. I concider it a pilot episode and we may play for about 3 weekends.

I am more worried about the system. I am horrible about digesting new systems, but once I learn them I never forget.

I thank you for the cheat sheets and such. Are there any actual play threads on this board? Something where I can see an example of play.
I have not opened my screen yet, mayhaps there are goodies in there?

[Tobian]

Hmm no there aren't any kind of threads like that.. maybe there should be ?

Combat is probably the simplest example (and often the most important in terms of mechanics as the 'interesting' buts can be fudged with roleplay)

So I'll give you a quick example..

Ok important statistics... Defence of the defender - is 7+ agility bonus (possibly plus a dodge bonus if you want to check those rules etc) .. most people are easy to hit unless you have cover etc... Targeting smaller than human items incurr penalties...

Attacking characteristic.. phasers - ranged combat: energy weapons (phasers) - wrestling / boxing etc.. unarmed combat (brawling, boxing) - Klingon hitting you witha Batt'leth - Armed combat (batt'leth) : Note each skill is seperate.. you could fire most similar 24th century weapons with 'energy weapons' but if you were to use a 14th century musket you would need 'archaic weapons' the skill... there is no generic 'ranged combat', or feats (as in D&D) you just buy up ranks in skills..

Health.. health is your health value (as determined by adding vitality to strength modifier) BUT you need to remember that you get that number 6 times.. as in you have six health levels each with a number of ;hit points' equal to your health value...

Ok using an example..

Player A wants to hit player B with a phaser on light stun...

Player A has: Energy weapons (phaser) 3 and an agility of 10 - so his total bonus to the dce roll is as follows Agility 10 = +2, +3 for the skill AND +2 for having a speciality (the bit in brackets - Phasers) = +7 in total to his roll

Player B has an agility of 9 - so his defence total is 7+1 = 8

Now ordinarily player A couldn't miss if he tried! since he has to roll 2D6 +7 to hit

However to resolve combat each player gets to roll their quicknesses. without modification each player would have as follows A=2 B=1

Player A rolls 2+3 +2 = 7 - player B 4+5 +1 =10

Player B goes first.. Each player gets 2 actions a round, these are covered in the book, but as an example Player B decides to dive for cover (since he got to go first) - increasing his defence by +4 (for the cover type he managed to get, again check the NG for cover examples)

so his defence is now 8 + 4 =12.. harder for player A to hit!

So on player A's turn (when the inititive rolls down to 7, each is taken in turn, down the numbers) he fires his phaser at player A - rolling badly, with 2+1 +7 for his skill totalling 10 - he misses. Then for his second action he moves round to get a direct line of sight to player B

Now ordinarilly player A would have to wait till his action again next turn.. and player B might use both his actions to run away.. before he can act... So instead player A takes a third action! (you can take as many aditional actions as you want.. each having a -5 penalty over the standard 2, so 3rd action = -5, 4th action= -10 etc..)

he rolls a 4+5 -5 for the aditional action, but since player B has no cover now he loses his defensive bonus and with an 11 - he hits!

Player B however is hit with a light stun setting - which he can shrug off (check the weapons tables to be sure, I'm going from memory here) - player B must roll a stamina reaction test of 9 - he has a stamina reaction of +2 - he rolls a 4+6 =12 - he passes the test... however even though he passed it he still s lightly stunned (just not unconsceous) and on all consecutive actions he recieves a penalty because of his stun (I think it's a -5, the phaser tables will tell you)

However his is still kicking so if he can get to a weapon and roll well.. he might win the day!

Does that help any ?

[chibiflor]

Hey,
Like everyone has said the CODA system ain't that hard to use. It's all pretty easy and even a bit intutive to use once you figure out what the heck the writers were talking about. I can remember when I fist opened the Narrator's Guide when it came to my door. (Which was last September when I was in the process of moving.) I looked at the book and *woosh!* Everything went over my head! I put it aside and went on preparing to move. In December when I finally got back at it I spent hours trying to decipher the book. Finally I had a half-chocked understanding oh how it worked and I ran with the ball.

What I didn't know that there were great established communities full of experienced GMs who knew extactly what they were doing and could give me great tools and tricks to understand the mysteries of the CODA system. I know of several Yahoo groups that are great with this:
RPGtools

Great RPGs

CODA Webzone (A must for CODA systems)

RPG Writer's Guild

These are only my favorite groups I constantly post to. I DO NOT run these groups or have anything to do with their owners. They are alos not in order. Still, I BELIEVE you should at least join at least one or two of them they will give you invaluable info.

Besides joining groups that teach you what to do, I suggest you get two key items: One a Character Walkthrough and Two a little program called "Star Trek Character Builder." Both are available on the
Starbase Coda website.

There are of course numerious options and extras that you can add on but you should try to stick to this timeless concept. KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. Don't make it harder on yourself than it already is, don't add lots of flashy stuff that you have no idea how to use correctly. Things like music props and stuff are good but useless if you don't know where and when to use it. Since making my first attempts to play in Feb. I have made more mistakes than you can imagine. I have also had a great core group of gamers who are helping me through my rough spots and teaching me as I teach them.

One final thing: By the time you are done will have rewritten your original series idea at least twice. When I first created the idea I decided to have a station full of rejects. When I learned more about the game and about what I was doing I rewrote again to an Q like being experimenting on the crew. After one game session though I realized that wouldn't work at all. Too much was out of my gamer's hand. So I went into my third and so far final rewrite of the series. Which I have done two game essions with and the gamers like it.

You will go through a lot, both in techinical terms and emotional. No matter how attached to your series you must be ready, willing and able to change it on a moment's notice. For the best made plans always fail.

Night,
Chibi

[chibiflor]

Sorry, the Character Sheet isn't on Starbase Coda's website. They have almost everything else I ever needed so I thought they had it too. Here is the real link: Character Generation Summary

[Tobian]

beacause of the pervasive story element, the technology and all the other usual reasons it is surprising how far away from what you planned characters can take the adventure!!

Warp drive can be a huge pain because you can go very fast and very quickly in the wrong direction! Characters can take offence at an important character, get shooting happy and ZAP: you have just fried a main story element with no chance of fudging it and bringing him back! I do have to think very carefully on how I get the characters to go on the right track and keep them too the story, though in many ways this has helped inform me on how to run better games in general.

The technology is a large caveat n Startrek. In the TV show its gret for helping to solve mysteries, but sometimes it works with more difficulty in an RPG: Characters have to be led if they don't grasp concepts (though thtis can help as you can selectivelly spoonfeed them to help them jump to conclusions) but it can also work the other way and break a mystery or a special getaway. This is where you need to always be 2 steps ahead of the players , but not make it look like you're just using what they are saying and countering it at every turn (which leads to the 'oh why bother trying, he'll just foil us!' problem ).

Imagine if a bunch of D&Ders could just raise their tricorder, scan for all the hidden loot, transport it to their ship and avoid all the traps, monsters and carefuly thought out vilains! Obviously you wouldn't run a D&D style game, but that just shows up exactly what can happen to your carefully designed plans if you don't think carefully about it

[Dregg]

Imagine if a bunch of D&Ders could just raise their tricorder, scan for all the hidden loot, transport it to their ship and avoid all the traps, monsters and carefuly thought out vilains! Obviously you wouldn't run a D&D style game, but that just shows up exactly what can happen to your carefully designed plans if you don't think carefully about it

I remember running a Fasa Trek game in the 80's and doing some wierd Star Wars cross over.
When the constitution class ship stunned the imperial base from orbit it was pretty much all over.

Yes I have to think a step ahead of the players, even moreso that thye are way more die hard trekkies than I could ever be.

[Dregg]

Hey,
Like everyone has said the CODA system ain't that hard to use. It's all pretty easy and even a bit intutive to use once you figure out what the heck the writers were talking about. I can remember when I fist opened the Narrator's Guide when it came to my door. (Which was last September when I was in the process of moving.) I looked at the book and *woosh!* Everything went over my head! I put it aside and went on preparing to move. In December when I finally got back at it I spent hours trying to decipher the book. Finally I had a half-chocked understanding oh how it worked and I ran with the ball.


You will go through a lot, both in techinical terms and emotional. No matter how attached to your series you must be ready, willing and able to change it on a moment's notice. For the best made plans always fail.

Night,
Chibi

Thats alot of wonderful advise, thank you so much for posting. What I have read of CODA I like so far... Hell I might even try and run LotR.

[Tobian]

*Starwars Startrek crossover... SHUDDERS*

Remember there are realistic limitations to any type of technology, especially on Startrek. You mentioned they stunned an Imperial base.. so this base didn't have shields?! Yes I know they are both different technologically, but Starwars still has 'shields' - and a starships phaser on stun still has to go through shields like anything else!

There is definatelly a certain breed of Startrek fan that, much like in any genre can become a 'Rules Lawyer' and because you have the awkward problem of both "on page 73 it says I can do this" *AND* "in episode 13 of Voyager Janeway said this, which means I can do it too", it can be a recipie for disaster! Fortunatelly of anyone I am that person in my group (or rather the closest) so noone can pull the wool over my eyes

One good thing about the fact CODA has only six books (more would have been nice) is there's less rules lawyering around.. Carrying round my gargantuan pile of 30+ books for Vampire Dark ages, and having people with books I don't own pulling special skills and powers I' haven't heard of STILL, even with all my collection, is a huge pain, but then equally the same can be said for Trek where it comes to specific episodes! Its one of the definate charms of running a TOS campaign.. the technology was much simpler both in terms of it's appearance, and what technically it could do, a far more grey area you can fudge round

We should probably have a page on this site called 'a big list of loopholes to get GM's out of a tricky situation'