Prime Directive RPG

[mike]

I was that Steve Jackson games is doing a GURPS version of this game. I've never played PRime Directive but I realize its based on Star Fleet Battles. I assume that TNG is not part of SFB or PD.

How can SJG do a GURPS version when Decipher has the license???

Mike

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"Only Nixon can go to China" Spock

[spyone]

Several decades ago, Franz Joseph (who had been art director for Star Trek's third season) created a book called the Star Fleet Technical Manual. Because Paramount thought the Trek franchise was virtually worthless, they granted him broad rights to the material.
One of the things that Franz Joseph did was sell the rights to make games using the data in his book. Star Fleet Battles was such a game. Prime Directive is the RPG form of Star Fleet Battles.
Paramount retains the rights, however, to the Star Trek universe. Thus, they have granted different companies over the years the rights to make an RPG based on Star Trek.

So, Steve Jackson can do a version (or actually licence their system for use in a version created by another company) of Prime Directive, because that licence is held by the creators of SFB. Decipher, on the other hand, holds the licence to do a Star Trek RPG, including the rights to TNG, DS9, and Voyager.

And if you think that was confusing, try figuring out the rights to the Kzinti.
See, Larry Niven wrote an episode of the Animated Series and featured his Kzinti in it. Now, the rights to that story might belong to him, or to Filmation (who made it), or to Paramount (who bought all the rights to Trek from Roddenberry).
Larry Niven sold the rights to make games based on his books to a computer game company 15 years ago or so. But he also sold the rights for a Ringworld RPG to Chaosium, who were promptly sued by the computer game company for infringing their rights to make games based on those stories. So, either might feel they held the rights for an RPG product featuring the Kzinti.

Basicly, Paramount gave Franz Joseph a very broad (and poorly worked out, IMO) licence for his book, failing to forsee that it allowed all kinds of derived products. Like the Prime Directive RPG.

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You're a Starfleet Officer. "Weird" is part of the job.

[Cochrane]

It all boils down to the Star Fleet Technical Manual. the universe that contains Prime Directive is not subject to paramount because of a loophole. Apparently, Prime Directive and it's relatives are allowed to use the trek information from the Technical Manual, but everything else they have to invent for themselves. One thing they're not allowed to do is use characters from the show.

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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 bold... ly play what no... fan... has played... be... fore!

[Cochrane]

Yeah, what he said.

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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 bold... ly play what no... fan... has played... be... fore!

[Captain Zymmer]

And they still have much connection with Viacomm/Paramount.

According to the SFB people and the PD people they are currenbtly working out the details of the license, to lock down more of what they can and cannot use...basically the idea Paramount is working from has to do with anything they have put in print in the past will be considered part of their license.

Now they just have to sit down and catalogue it all.

IIRC

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Captain Zymmer
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Visit Star Trek:Lexington at;
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[Eric R.]

Franz Josef was never part of the Trek Staff he did all of his drawing and etc.. as a freelancer with Gene Roddenberry's oversieght and approval in the early 70's. FJ's popularity caused, then Ballentine, to buy and sell his work in the original Constituton class deck planes and Tech manual. At the same time the Trek Concordance was published which included information from the Aniamated series. Enter Steve Cole who with both Trimble's and FJ tacit approval used information in their work to create the SFB universe. This is important both never entered into an official agreement with Steve Cole but also never pushed the matter. Fast forward ten years. Paramount goes nuts on rights to the Trek name, (including hunting down Web Sites), Task Force Games is currently publishing the game (mind you they are the third publisher by this time none of whom have ever got an official agreement to use this stuff.) TFG drops the game in face of PAramount pressure while Steve Cole is attempting to get it back (he had been slwoly pushed out of it over the years). Paramount granted Cole permission to print the game using only that material which had already been produced for the game and any original work within the established SFB universe. It forbid work in the TNG era. Now comes Starfleet Command based on not Established Trek but SFB, hell it even got George Taki in it! next thing you know its the most popular game, fans demand more and especialy the Kzin but SFB can;t use the Kzin for various reasons. Enter the Mirek Empire which is slowly taking over the position of the Kzin in the SFB universe.

[REG]

Actually, Task Force Games is out of the SFB business, and the property has been given to Amarillo Design Bureau, Incorporated (or ADB). And yes, ADB will be the one to publish a new Prime Directive RPG using the GURP engine, thanks to an agreement between them and Steve Jackson Games.

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Anyhoo, just some random thoughts...

[tonyg]

ADB were always the design team for SFB. Sort of a subcontract.

Paramount must have approved some deal for SFB, because the STARFLEET COMMAND series of computer games are based upon Star Fleet Battles, but uses a lost of post-TOS era ship designs, including the Klingon Bird of Prey. And they have George Takei doing voice overs as Captain Sulu.

[REG]

Oh, I am sure that Paramount have a share of the profit made by the sales revenue of the Star Fleet Command computer game. If they didn't, SFC would not have existed. Plain and Simple.

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Anyhoo, just some random thoughts...

[tonyg]

Probably enough to put a smile of the face of a Ferengi!

[spyone]

If I may shift this topic a little bit:

I'm very interested in adapting/adopting some of the material from SFB for my games. I mean, if nothing else, it is a decent source for images of ships that share a design philosophy with the Constitution Class. I would like to learn more about the setting, though, and would like to do that without buying hundreds of supplements that are mainly filled with information I don't need.

So, who here knows a bit about the background? What are the Hydrans like, for instance?
And does anyone here know more about the new Orion Pirates computer game than appears in ST:The Magazine?

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You're a Starfleet Officer. "Weird" is part of the job.

[ImperialOne]

As a clarification, as I understand from Stephen Cole (owner of ADB, and designer of SFB), the Prime Directive rewrie using the GURPS roleplaying system will be a GURPS line of products... hence the title "GURPS Prime Directive."
It will be followed by books that nclude GURPS Klingons, GURPS Romulans, etc for the Star Fleet Battles Universe.

[REG]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">HYDRANS: A alien race from a mehane world,</font>

That's methane, as in poisonous to human, if not too smelly to breathe.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">As a clarification, as I understand from Stephen Cole (owner of ADB, and designer of SFB), the Prime Directive rewrie using the GURPS roleplaying system will be a GURPS line of products... hence the title "GURPS Prime Directive."</font>

Aw, crap. Well, so much for the "Powered by GURP" marketing scheme, and the baby step toward open gaming development for GURP.

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Anyhoo, just some random thoughts...

[tonyg]

spyone,
The Star Fleet Battles universe is similar to TOS Trek, but winds up being a bit more militaristic. This is primaily becase SFB is a game of space combat, so they designers needed to have more battles.

The some of major cultures in SFB are:

THE FEDERATION: About 85% TOS Star Trek, with a bit of WWII and Modern Day US Navy tossed in. In other words not quite as forgiving as TOS Starfleet, but basically okay folks.

THE KLINGONS: TOS Klingons with a few twists. Primarily that Klingon culutere considts of several races. The crew is often made up of slaves, who have dangerous duties, and are prone to revolt during combat. They are the majoe foe for Starfleet.

ROMULANS: TOS Romulans. This makes themsomewhat more trustworthy that TNG Romulansa, and far more relaible that TOS Klingons. They are thus very militaristic and agressive, but tend to lag behind in technology They have a history of warfare aginast the Federation AND the Gorn. They allie with the Klingons to get updated technology and wind up with some pretty powerful ships, but it does them little good snce they wind up taking the brusnt of the losses in the General War from the UFP and the Gorn.

ORIONS: While techincally part of the Federation, they enegage in a lot of smuggleing, piracy and other questionable activities. They tend to stay neutral unless they own intrests are threated,or a major threat to the existance of the UFP. In the game they are dangerous becuase they trade with everyone and can wind up with all sorts of alien tech (Romulan cloaking devices and plasmatorpedoes are favorites).

THE GORN: Based on the species from TOS. The Gorn comprise three species of retile-men. They ALLIED with the Federation after resolving a misunderstanding. The Gron wind up being very similar to the Federation, but use plasma weapons like the Romulans. They are a bit more vengeful that Starfleet through. They have a long histroy of warfare with the Romulans.

THOLIANS: A cryaline species that inhaibt a small area of space near Klingon territory. They are actually refugees from another galaxy, although this isn't known. They are very paranoid about being discovered and limit thier dealing with other species to a minimum.

KZINTI: From Larry's Nivens books. Aggresive felines, they actually wind up as enemies to the Klingons more than the UFP, and wind up allied with the Federation during most wars. Kzinti tend to favor drones (automatic missiles) for weaponry during starship combat.

LYRANS: Similar to the Kzin, the lyans are a feline race. They are enemies of the Kzin and the Hydrans, and allied to the Klingons. Starship weaponry inclues disruptors and a device called an epanding sphre generator (ESG) that creates a globe of energy that damages all ships within a certain range.

HYDRANS: A alien race from a mehane world, they have three limbs, and even three sexes. They favor fighter craft, and have some special weaponry such as fusion cannon and something called a hellbore. These weapons are both short ranges but very nasty if they can get "up close and personal" with the enemy. The Hydrans are another ally of the Federation, being caught between the Klingons and the Lyrans.

[Paxton]

hence the title "GURPS Prime Directive."[/QUOTE]
Aw, crap. Well, so much for the "Powered by GURP" marketing scheme, and the baby step toward open gaming development for GURP.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Well, it depends on what you mean by "open source". GURPS Prime Directive will be meant to be compatible with GURPS Lite, and will include a modified version of the GURPS Lite rules in it (though you can use more GURPS stuff if you want). It is being produced entirely by the people at Amarillo Design Bureau, with minor involvement from the folks at Steve Jackson Games. AFAIK, Jackson has to look at and sign off on the final product, and other SJG staffers have been available for occasional rules questions, but that's it.

So, like the much-delayed GURPS Conspiracy X, this may be the first step into a wider world of GURPS, if not actually open sourcing.

Myself, I'm pretty jazzed about the whole thing.

Paxton