Going Icon

[IKI]

After much debate with my players, we descided to switch from CODA to the ICON system. I also found the Memory Icon site and found it a very usefull tool, but I sill have some questions left, and I'm hoping that some of you guys can answer them.

1)I found a lot of books on Ebay and on Amazone, but I do not know if some are intresting enough to purchace.

So this is what I already have in my possession:
-Star Trek, the Next Generation Roleplaying Game
-The Price of Freedom: The United Federation of Planets Sourcebook
-The First Line: The Starfleet Intelligence Handbook
-A Fragile Peace, The Neutral Zone Campaign Volume 1
-Planetary Adventures, Volume 1: Federation Space
-Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Roleplaying Game

And this is what I just ordered:
-Star Trek, the Next Generation Narrators' Toolkit
-Star Trek, the Next Generation Players' Guide
-Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Narrators' Toolkit
-Raiders, Renegades and Rogues

My interest goes maily to Icon related material (Species, Skills, Advantages & Disadvantages, equipment), so are the following books interesting enough to buy (if possible can you comment on its contents):
-Starfleet Academy
-The Way of Kohlinar: The Vulcans
-The Way of D'Era: The Romulans
-Holodeck Adventures
-All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook

2) One of my players plays a Romulan Security officer that was exiled from Romulus, and serves now on a Federation starship lost in the Delta quadrant.
He is also Martial Artist specialist in the Romulan Martial Arts. Where do I find the specifications of this martial arts?

3) If I spend experience points to rise a skill level by 1 point, do all specializations also autoatically rise one level?

4) Where can I find the ranges for a Knife or Grenade? And witch skill do I use for Thowing a grenade?

5) Falling damage seems a little low, do some of you use a different table?
To simulate this: Worf falls 40 m = 3+3D6, he has a resistance of 7 so the max damage he will suffer is 14 points of damage if he is unfortunate (all D6 max), of if he is lucky he will suffer no damage at all (all D6 min).

6) How do I perform the following maneuvers in combat, because I can't find them in the books I own: Cover fire, or suppresive fire?

[The Tatterdemalion King]

My interest goes maily to Icon related material (Species, Skills, Advantages & Disadvantages, equipment), so are the following books interesting enough to buy (if possible can you comment on its contents):
-Starfleet Academy
-The Way of Kohlinar: The Vulcans
-The Way of D'Era: The Romulans
-Holodeck Adventures
-All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook

Kohlinar, D'Era and All Our Yesterdays are fun to read, at least...

2) One of my players plays a Romulan Security officer that was exiled from Romulus, and serves now on a Federation starship lost in the Delta quadrant.
He is also Martial Artist specialist in the Romulan Martial Arts. Where do I find the specifications of this martial arts?

Way of D'era, book 2.

3) If I spend experience points to rise a skill level by 1 point, do all specializations also autoatically rise one level?

I don't think so, no...

4) Where can I find the ranges for a Knife or Grenade? And witch skill do I use for Thowing a grenade?

Athletics, I think. I vaguely recall this info being in the Player's Guide.

6) How do I perform the following maneuvers in combat, because I can't find them in the books I own: Cover fire, or suppresive fire?

I guess you just shoot at a direction (easier TN) that would prevent the opposing forces from moving through it.

[TorItara]

1)I found a lot of books on Ebay and on Amazone, but I do not know if some are intresting enough to purchace.

Well, since you say in question two that you have a Romulan Security Officer, I would definitely advocate purchasing the Way of D'era. There's a lot of information on the Romulans in it, including a number of new skills, merits, and so forth that your player might be interested in. The Way of Kohlinar and All our Yesterdays are both interesting reads, and can certainly spawn many interesting plot ideas. I'd advocate getting the Way of Kohlinar if you have a Vulcan player, or otherwise use Vulcans frequently, but otherwise, they're interesting, but may not be much assistance in your game.

3) If I spend experience points to rise a skill level by 1 point, do all specializations also autoatically rise one level?

Strictly speaking, no. This is, however, a rule I've never understood - particularly given that, according to a strict reading of the rules, a skill level of Space Sciences (Stellar Cartography) 4 (2) is a possibility due to it - and so, I usually house rule it so increasing the skill increases the specialties up to a maximum specialty level of six (given that 5 (6) is the maximum skill level most people can have).

6) How do I perform the following maneuvers in combat, because I can't find them in the books I own: Cover fire, or suppresive fire?

The rules for these maneuvers are, off the top of my head, in the TNG Players Guide which, as you said, you've ordered.

[Cut]

If you find the "The Way of D'era" box and the "All Our Yesterdays" sourcebook at a good price and withing good condition I say go for it. Those were great supplements!

[Evan van Eyk]

After much debate with my players, we descided to switch from CODA to the ICON system. I also found the Memory Icon site and found it a very usefull tool, but I sill have some questions left, and I'm hoping that some of you guys can answer them.

Very good decision! ( Sorry but I simply love Icon! )

Generally for a UFP campaign the most useful books are Price of Freedom and the Player's Guide. All others differ in usefulness for a campaign, most are rather specific and don't offer much to more general stories.

-Starfleet Academy

While it has a nice and in depth descritpion of the Academy it does not necesssarily hold much information for a non-Academy campaign. The character progress works here differently than with the standard rules. However you get a detailed description of Sol-System, including Earth, a great map and an Academy diploma with the box. The explicite usefullness for a real game is in my experience restricted, unless you decide to really run an Academy campaign - maybe as prelude to a standard one.

-The Way of Kohlinar: The Vulcans

A very detailed description of everything Vulcan this book is especially useful for Vulcan characters. However it very much lacks in terms of game balancing because it enabled characters to become superhuman combat and wisdom monsters and al in one, which makes non-Vulcans look like "idiot-childs" in comparison. In fact I very much recommend not to use the optional rules presented in the books. There are some interesting combat maneuvers and new prisonic skills, but again they should be used with much care.
Overall usefullness is not high imho.

-The Way of D'Era: The Romulans

This book is rather balanced. It first of all gives a very detailed description of the Romulan society and way of living, which is well written. It also gives the necessary tools to do a Romulan campaign, which we did once and it was quite some fun, although something totally different.
But it also features many useful ideas for UFP-campaigns, including new NPCs and overlays and new ships. I would rate this one very useful if you plan to play some adventures at the Romulan Neutral Zone or during the Dominion War where UFP and Romulus were allied.

2) One of my players plays a Romulan Security officer that was exiled from Romulus, and serves now on a Federation starship lost in the Delta quadrant.
He is also Martial Artist specialist in the Romulan Martial Arts. Where do I find the specifications of this martial arts?

They are in the Way of De'ra Sourcebook alond with some other Martial Arts skills.

3) If I spend experience points to rise a skill level by 1 point, do all specializations also autoatically rise one level?

No, you have to train Specializations seperately, but since they are cheaper to advance, this should be no problem. The reason is that Specializations simply need more detailed training than general studies over a subject. Additionally Spec. can achieve a level of 6, whereas general skills can only have a rating of 5. You might allow players to raise a specialization to the same level as the general skill, but I would not do it. ( e.g. raise Energy Weapons: Phaser 2/3 would make it Energy Weapons: Phaser 3/3, raising it again you might allow it to become Energy Weapons: Phaser 4/4, altthough the rules would make it Energy Weapons: Phaser 4/3 ).

4) Where can I find the ranges for a Knife or Grenade? And witch skill do I use for Thowing a grenade?

If I am not mistaking there are grenades in the Player's guide, I think they have ranges to.

5) Falling damage seems a little low, do some of you use a different table?
To simulate this: Worf falls 40 m = 3+3D6, he has a resistance of 7 so the max damage he will suffer is 14 points of damage if he is unfortunate (all D6 max), of if he is lucky he will suffer no damage at all (all D6 min).

You are correct, but a resistance of 7 is awfully high. Even soldiers are good when they have a resistance of 5, 7 is almost superhuman. The DS9-Book Klingon uses different rules than the TNG-book one and should not have such a high resistance rating.

[IKI]

Thanks for the all the responces.
After reading some of the books I already own, I don't understand what they where thinking to create the CODA system.
Not that the Coda system was a bad system, but I never supported the idea of a class based system.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Thanks for the all the responces.
After reading some of the books I already own, I don't understand what they where thinking to create the CODA system.
Not that the Coda system was a bad system, but I never supported the idea of a class based system.

It certainly raises some weird rules questions. CODA Trek is definitely one game that needs a 2nd Ed to tighten it up.

That said, ICON has things about it that I would question before actually playing. Like the specialties and their point-value bleed.

[redwood973]

That said, ICON has things about it that I would question before actually playing. Like the specialties and their point-value bleed.

This is easily corrected by the addition of the House Rule: During character creation keep a tally of the points lost due the bleed and allow the players to spend the lost points on skills such as Languages, Arts or Sciences, or Athletics. Great way to really develop the characters background by giving the characters hobbies and interests outside their career fields.

Another House Rule I find helpful is: Specialization skills must be two points higher than the Skill level before raising of the skill level is allowed. Thus a Security Officer with Security (Security Systems) 1 (2) must have Security (Security Systems) 1 (3) before being allowed to increase his skill level to 2. [Some time ago someone took this a step further and added to this: Characters may not increase the Skill level until they have acquired a number of Specializations all at two points higher than the Skill level. Thus our Security Officer must have Security (Security Systems) (Security Procedures) 1 (3) (3) before raising his Skill leve to 2. Thus showing his understanding of the Skill to have been an overflow of his greater knowledge of the Sepcializations.]

[The Tatterdemalion King]

This is easily corrected by the addition of the House Rule: During character creation keep a tally of the points lost due the bleed and allow the players to spend the lost points on skills such as Languages, Arts or Sciences, or Athletics. Great way to really develop the characters background by giving the characters hobbies and interests outside their career fields.

Still too complicated. I'd rather kill the separate specialization skill ranking and go with a flat +1 per spec.

[Liquidator Queeg]

Still too complicated. I'd rather kill the separate specialization skill ranking and go with a flat +1 per spec.

Good call. When I play ICON again, specs will be allowed up to +2 and don't disappear when the base skill improves.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Good call. When I play ICON again, specs will be allowed up to +2 and don't disappear when the base skill improves.

Hey, actually, you could just change the spec number from X to +(X-Y) (where X is the spec rank and Y is the original skill rating). So, 1 (2) would be 1 (+1) and 2 (3) would be 2 (+1).

Man, why didn't they think of that?

[Liquidator Queeg]

Not sure why it wasn't implemented by the LUG fellas. It was with CODA, certainly, although there were no development points to worry about. From what I gather, if my memory serves, is CODA started out as ICON 2nd edition, but had later development stuff mixed in once Decipher came into the picture.

At any rate, I think allowing specializations at a +1 or +2 (and ditching the whole spec can't be less than the base skill stuff) under ICON is fine, with the specs still costing 1 DP per "plus" as normal. Only material difference is it encourages more DP spent on base skills (which I prefer anyway) and the overall level including spec can reach 7 instead of 6. [i.e. limits wouldn't be 5(6) anymore, it would be 5(+2).]

Back in the day, I actually incorporated this into my Fantasy ICON project as an optional skill system.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I have notes somewhere on converting the CODA starship combat to ICON. I think it mostly consisted of reducing all the TNs by 2/3.

[IKI]

sorry I've been gone for while because my Gandmother has resently died so it was a heckick couple of weeks for me.
I also started a new treath on the ICON section to start converting some of the good rules that CODA has to offer into the ICON system. I hoop that I get help from a number of very experiencced persones who played with the 2 systems.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Aw : ( sorry to hear that...