GUMSHOE Trek

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I've started thinking about a GUMSHOE adaption to Trek, probably using Trail of Cthulhu as a baseline.

Watch this space!

[RaconteurX]

Would you set up a special investigative branch of Starfleet, or try to handle it as more or less a normal crew? Many episodes do fit the "gather facts, find a solution" model that characterizes investigative fiction. Gumshoe can be a trifle harsh where action and adventure are concerned, however. I suppose one would also have to give empaths and telepaths somewhat more trouble than they seemed to encounter in the various series. Perhaps Mutant City Blues will answer that issue, when it's released. Currently, that really isn't addressed by the psychic powers rules in Fear Itself.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Would you set up a special investigative branch of Starfleet, or try to handle it as more or less a normal crew?

It'd be straight-up normal Trek. Most episodes have something relating to a interpreting information, even if it's mostly Interpersonal skills like in To the Death (which, if I'd convert, would be about finding out enough about the Jem'Hadar that the Defiant crew can avoid fatally pissing them off). Even Family could be interpreted as an investigative episode (with half of the players taking the place of relatives).

Many episodes do fit the "gather facts, find a solution" model that characterizes investigative fiction. Gumshoe can be a trifle harsh where action and adventure are concerned, however. I suppose one would also have to give empaths and telepaths somewhat more trouble than they seemed to encounter in the various series.

Actually, I was thinking of making Empathy, Mind Meld and the like as a floating pool to apply to Interpersonal investigative skills (with differing flavours of narration), although Aura Reading more or less covers Troi's empathy or reading surface thoughts. Deep telepathic communication like mind melds are usually, in the episodes at least, a way of getting access to information that cannot be retrieved otherwise. Melds would allow you to use, say, Interrogation on a comatose patient, or Reassurance on the weird lumpy rock-creature.

Perhaps Mutant City Blues will answer that issue, when it's released.

Empathy, Read Minds and Telepathy are all perfectly applicable to Trek. Other powers, like Memory Alteration, might be something you can adapt for certain technologies. Which makes me wonder whether there should be general abilities tied to scientific investigative skills that allow you to make spends on effects like that.

Currently, that really isn't addressed by the psychic powers rules in Fear Itself.

Aura Reading is more or less what a player character telepath wants to be able to do. All the other powers are things you could see in a Trek episode, but which might not make good PC abilities.

[spshu]

I've started thinking about a GUMSHOE adaption to Trek, probably using Trail of Cthulhu as a baseline.

Watch this space!

Never heard of GUMSHOE or Trail of Cthulhu. What type of system is it: diceless, FUDGE based, etc.?

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Here's the blurb.

[First of Two]

This is relevant to my interests!

Well, hopefully. At least sorta.

My GF has been afraid to game for a long time, but has finally expressed interest in running a solo ST game, IF she gets to play a "criminal profiler" type of investigator.

So Star Trek adaptations of an investigatory bent currently hold great interest for me.

[RealPity]

If memory serves ...
there's a Starfleet Security Branch Criminal Investigator overlay on Owen's Memory Icon pages ... if it's of any interest to you/her.
I seem to recall doing up an NPC with that once along with a JAG officer supervisor for something ...

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Notes

-Some of ICON's advantages and disadvantages may be adapted to GUMSHOE.

-Courage points - floating pool? rerolls?

[IceGiant]

I'm taking a look at The Esoterrorists. I like it. I'm wondering how you would do races though.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I'm taking a look at The Esoterrorists. I like it. I'm wondering how you would do races though.

I'm thinking things like species-specific abilities, free spends, difficulty breaks on general abilities.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

NECRO

So my players decided they wanted to play a Trek game using GUMSHOE. I've been hauling out my (very old!) notes on how to adapt the system to Trek, and after I have an episode or two complete I'll be posting some links to what I've come up with.

The big difference is that, since the GUMSHOE SRD has been made OGL in the mean-time, I can present it as a complete game instead of just some notes pointing to other books.