Decipher Trek Wishlist and Rap Session

[Homer]

Wow,

I am looking forward more than ever to the game. I really want to see the "quicly" following Engage-like product. Please give us some construction rules.

Admittedly, the Winged Defender was the best non-canon Romulan ever. A pseudo look alike appeared in Birth of the Federation computer game. I couldn't resist writing it up for Icon, and plan to add it to the Decipher melieu as well. Rocking little ship!

[Phantom]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Flamestrike:
My personal wishlist includes writeups on federation ground forces and fighter groups, now not only logical extensions of the Starfleet, but canon (per DS9) as well.

</font>

I too would like to see write ups on the Fed GFs (also Romulan). I, however, have never been able to stomach the definition of "fighter" they use in SF. What they call "fighters" I call assault craft. Jem'hadr fighters?!?!? What fighter carries a crew of about six and a squad of soldiers? You don't call a Black Hawk a fighter! If you have to include "fighter" squadrons might I suggest you hide the fact by calling them Attack or Assualt Squadrons.

As long as Decipher produces in-depth sourcebooks on the Andorians and Romulans I will be one happy camper.

[Diamond]

For me, even better than mechanical views would be an image of the ship, if you see what I'm trying to say. I imagine screenshots are expensive, but a 3/4 profile drawing can't be more expensive to draw than three mechanical views?

Actually, let me expand upon my point: For me what makes a good game suppliment is that it has an image, GAME STATS, and descriptive text for everything included. That is the tripod which I look for. When say, the Price of Freedom has text describing who the admiral in charge of Starfleet is like, it needs stats to be complete.

For Starships, the TNG Core Book was PERFECT for my needs. Unfortunately the DS9 Core book did not have images for the starships (I know, space and $ had to be found. Besides, DS9 redeemed itself by having stats and images of the cast) and I was completely lost trying to remember which of the Klingon ships were which and what some of them were supposed to look like. I have the TNG technical manual so I know now, but at the time I was confused.

Among the Clans had those three pillars of a gaming suppliment perfectly.

[J T]

Of the 3 new STs in the works (Series V, STX and DecipherST) the new RPG looks the most promising.

One thing I would ask:
Realistic ranges for the Phaser Rifles (and disruptors for that matter). After all in Voyager Paris claimed that a Disruptor Rifle with a 10,000 meter range was inaccurate. Yet there Compression Phasers have a range of 160 meters. Besides a firearm used by a good sniper can hit someone over a 1000 meters away.

Because of these problems my PC's keep replicating 20th century Earth firearms whenever they go into battle. It looked silly but I cann't argue with their results.

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Just remember, even though it’s a vacuum,
In space no one can hear you Clean.
-J.T.

[Christian Moore]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Don:


I’m hoping to talk Christian into a two-page horizontal spread that has the ship timeline/lineage ala the FASA SRMs. Those are a great resource for Narrators who want to know when a ship was in service and were especially important in a multi-era setting such as Star Trek.

</font>

We've wanted to head in this direction for a while. Now, with the new version of the game, we'll be able to finally give ships their proper treatment

We aren't quite ready to post the final release schedule. But we do have the first Starships volume on the schedule for the end of 2001. Our starships books will be horizontally oriented (landscape), and they will be full color. We plan to do a series of them over the next three years.

And your own Trekrpg.net MC, Don Mappin, has agreed to write the first book

Christian

[Christian Moore]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by mactavish:
I think that a comprehensive artificial intelligence/lifeform sourcebook (or a similar tome) would be a welcomed addition as well. You know, robots, androids/gynoids, synthetic biologicals, photonics, intelligent computers/software, and so forth. Doesn't that sound like a GREAT idea?
</font>

Actually, this does sound like a great idea

If *you* happen to be the freelancer in question, email me privately. I'd like to hear a bit more about this. We probably wouldn't do this as a separate book, but I could see including a large section or two in an upcoming scheduled project.

Christian

[Cochrane]

One more thing for now, I'd like a solo training adventure, like in WEG Star Wars and GURPS 3rd edition.

[mactavish]

I think that a comprehensive artificial intelligence/lifeform sourcebook (or a similar tome) would be a welcomed addition as well. You know, robots, androids/gynoids, synthetic biologicals, photonics, intelligent computers/software, and so forth. Doesn't that sound like a GREAT idea?

In fact I think I know a talented (yet modest) freelance writer who'd be perfect for a project like that!

I also believe that a book involving the various aspects of exploration would be paramount (no pun intended) for many starship-based campaigns.

Of course that's just my opinion.

mactavish out.

[GARY ENSMINGER]

At the top of my list would be a lot more information on the non-Starfleet side of the house. One of my favorite books from LUG Trek was raiders, renegades & rouges and I was looking forward to the Merchants & Traders book.
From what i've seen so far the Decipher Trek is going to be the best Trek rpg yet. Keep up the good work.

[Flamestrike]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Phantom:
I too would like to see write ups on the Fed GFs (also Romulan). I, however, have never been able to stomach the definition of "fighter" they use in SF. What they call "fighters" I call assault craft. Jem'hadr fighters?!?!? What fighter carries a crew of about six and a squad of soldiers? You don't call a Black Hawk a fighter! If you have to include "fighter" squadrons might I suggest you hide the fact by calling them Attack or Assualt Squadrons.

</font>

Well, I was referring to the Peregrin-class fighter... It appears to be a one- or two-man craft and used traditional fighter squadron tactics. Http://www.stinsv.com has some very good visual references....

[Phantom]

That particular class was one I was talking about. Its just in my mind a fighter doesn't carry 10 other people,as listed in the shipyard section of this site, as well as the crew. To me that represents an assult shuttle, or dropship...I have nothing against them using fighter tactics or being grouped into squadrons, I just think that they need to be re-named. I know most of my gaming group shuddered everytime they were refered to fighters.

[tonyg]

One thing that I'd like to see would be some info on the difference in technology during the TREK timeline. Specifically the advances and difference between TOS/TOS-FILM/TNG and later eras.

A lot of intereting adventures in TREK involve ships travelling through time, or "lost" ships being discovered. An adventure where a DS9 era Excelsior-class ship like the Lakota running across a TOS-FLIM era Elcelsior class-ship is a bit tough to handle in ICON, since older stats are not available.

Something like what FASA did (with a couple the different refits of a ship class being given) would be nice, or maybe even just a "TECH LEVEL" that provides a modifer to actions condicted with a ship. For example, add the difference in TECH to targeting and damage rolls or some such.

[Cochrane]

A sourcebook with detailed information about colonies in general, with write ups for several specific colony worlds

A sourcebook about humanity in the 23rd and 24th centuries, with much detail about Earth, Mars, Luna, Titan, and other Earth colony worlds in Trek

A sourcebook for playing Founders, Vorta, and Jem Hadar

Handbook of Starfleet regulations

Best of Trek Novels sourcebook

Starfleet Who's Who, including a list of all known admirals

Sourcebook about a newly designed Federation sector

Sourcebook for playing Q, Douwd, Organians, Metrons, Pah Wraiths, etc

Politics sourcebook

Science textbook

Medical handbook

Sourcebook for playing Command officers

Character Combat rulebook

Engineering manual

Sorcebook about starbases, with general information, list of all known SBs with their locations, and detailed write ups for a few

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Games. The Final Product. These are the books of the Star Trek RPG. Their five year license. To explore strange new roles. To breathe new life into get togethers. To boldly play what no fan has played before!

[Sho-sa Kurita]

Coming from a BattleTech geek, and FASA Starship Combat player, it should come as no surprise that I am now officially jazzed - ship tech readout books! Thanks for that news Christian.

A small thing I would like is org-charts of Starfleet, the UFP government, and the like. This type of thing usually comes down to balancing textual content with pictorial, I know.

Along with the idea of ship timelines/books, I would like a book dedicated to technology with a timeline included -- a Technobible if you will. I want to know just when the various types of replicators, holodecks and weaponry were introduced. And how big is an industrial replicator I wonder? This is also another good place for diagrams and flowcharts. Having system charts like some of those in the ST:TNG tech manual can be a very useful tool for players -- their characters may know how all the systems fit together, but the players don't, and having a chart in front of them can really spark clever, and true-to-Trek problem solving. "Captain, I can reroute the plasma flow from X to Y and that should give us the power we need." You see what I mean.

For some situations, tonyg's simple idea of a "tech level" modifier is rather elegant too. Sure it wouldn't be precise, but it would be simple.

I would definitely like an exploration book, with material on astronomical phenomena as well as shipboard logistics. Perhaps a combined exploration and colonization book. Both can have roughly the same levels of self-suffiency and survival hassles, just in different environments.

Enough for now. - Daniel

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-- "Since the whiskey belongs to me, and it's on me, lets drink to me!"

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I want better art! - something that looks like it's Star Trek-y. And more Worlds of the UFP (but have more made-up places!). And fix those planetary maps - use something like the icosahedral map from S John Ross's site, so you can photocopy it, cut it out and make a little globe of Vulcan (or Andor, or wherever)! That would be really cool, plus more accurate.
I also would like the stuff about Starfleet Intelligence and the DTI to fit into regular games better - like having regular Crew members doing SI stuff, like in "Chain of Command".
On a side note, how many Species Templates (or whatever) will there be in the Core Rulebooks? Andorians, Bajorans, Betazoids, Bolians, Cardassians, Centaurans, Ferengi, Humans, Klingons, Tellarites, Trill, Vulcans, what else?

[This message has been edited by C. Huth (edited 07-29-2001).]