character creation points

[grayson]

I'm new at the game. I'm having trouble understanding the character creation points. When do you use them? How many do you start with? Are disadvantages for when you go over the point limit?
I'm used to a game called Champions where the numbers are all there at the begining.

[Greg Davis]

Well, firstly, welcome to LUG-Trek!

To try to answer your question, you have 3 options (at least):

1) You can use the templete/overlay/back history development charts found in the rules. The charts provide development point totals if you want to buy the packages (if, for instance, you are providing the players with a set level of development points.

2) You can provide "x" number of development points. Using the standard LUG system out of the core books (for Starfleet officers) the total is 125 points. Of course, if you have the Player's Guide, then the numbers can change if you want to include things like the expanded Cadet Cruise, the advanced training packages, and so forth.

3) You can "wing it". Through this system, you throw out what you read and "go with your gut". This can done by designing a few practice characters (this also helps familiarize yourself with the rules, which never hurts!) Also, you can use the characters from the series (found in the Price of Freedom book and the DS9 core book) as a reference for the sort of points you might want to provide. Obviously, more seasoned characters and higher ranking characters are going to be more skilled than the average Lieutenant...

In any event, find a method that works for you, and run with it. You can't really mess anything up, as you can always just start over. Some things to remember and think about, though, are things like: what kind of adventures do you want to run? Do you need more skilled characters than normal, or will more normal characters work? What sort of ranks do you want for the characters? Do you want them to be command level, or do you want a more "lower decks" sort of affair, with J.G. Lieutenants and Ensigns?

In the end, it's all up to you. Don't be afraid to tinker and experiment with the points, even as you go along. It can be a learning experience, and you can still have a lot of fun, and that's what's the most important!



Cheers, and good luck!


Greg

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Recently awarded the coveted "Pink Elephant" from Steve Long, for a new starship name...and out of pity!

[Keny Suda]

Originally posted by grayson:
I'm new at the game. I'm having trouble understanding the character creation points. When do you use them? How many do you start with? Are disadvantages for when you go over the point limit?
I'm used to a game called Champions where the numbers are all there at the begining.

I too welcome You on behalf of the German LUG Trek players!

Character creation points (or: Development Points = DPs) are spent during character creation. Well, that was not quite an answer, but correct.
The rules "suggest"(!) that you use DPs for skills/attributes/dis-advantages which the character would most likely have aquired during the part of his life for which he receives the DPs. (e.g. Early Life)
But this is (like everything else) just a suggestion!
Unexperienced players might want to pick one of the packages instead of spending the DPs for themselves. But if you are an experienced roleplayer I would say you create your first character by using the packages, play one or two adventures to familiarize yourself with the system and to find out what skills you might need most for your prefered kind of adventures (action,diplomacy,science,ship-combat...) and then discard (or frame it for your hall-of-fame) this character, start making a new one (fully developed with background story and all you can think of, well, make him YOUR new hero) and start the "real" campaign with a "personel" character you want to keep for a long time (if he survives of course, no idea what kind of cruel narrator you have/are). My first Star Trek character was my first character I ever created, I was totally new to roleplaying. And in the end I was somehow relieved/happy (?something like that?) when he was killed, so i could make a new one when I had a bit more experience.

How many? You start with your species Template and your Starfleet Overlay. Write them down on your character sheet, take the points (5 DPs) OR!!! the packages for Early Life (all worth 5 DPs), proceed with Academy Life (8 DPs), Cadet Cruise(1 DP) (An addon product, the former mentioned "Players Guide" gives the optional Expanded Cadet Cruise on which the character had a more exciting duty, therefore receiving 3 DPs). You then have an Officer (Ensign) who just left Starfleet Academy. You now can add Tours of Duty (10DPs for the first, any additional 5DPs) and again you have lots of Paykages to chose from instead of buying the skills by yourself.

Disadvantages give you negative DPs, therefore expanding the DP-pool you may spend. Thats all, despite that the rules suggest a maximum of Disadvantage points for Starfleet officers.

As it is almost 0100 over here in Germany I hope my school English as good enough to help you finding your way into the corerules. (You will soon start to hate some of them, I just want to mention the Drama Die Rule, but this is something different you should find out for yourself *G*)

[grayson]

Thanks to both of you for your help. I sure appreciate it!
I'm going to sit down and make up a bunch of NPC's for the sake of practice. That way when I get the rest of my players together I should have an easier time with helping them make characters.

[Liquidator Queeg]

Welcome indeed! It's nice to have another 'Nuck on the boards... the "take over" slowly creeps along.

[Note: Sorry, just a little board humour, randomly engaged by the 'Nucks around here]

Anyway, I'll get to the gist.

Keny and Greg sum up and point out different methods of character creation pretty thoroughly, so I don't have too much to add in that regard.

I do, however, strongly emphasize the "mutability" of the ICON system in general. Game and character "balance" are always a concern for game masters, especially when learning and playing a game for the first time. If one character dramatically overpowers the other characters in a campaign, players are often left with a sense of hopelessness and futility, or an all around feeling of insignificance. If the "hot shot" character can do everything, then why do we all need to play?

In my opinion, the LUG designers did a great job of taking the "balancing act" inherent to good roleplaying game mechanics design and twisting it on its ear so that we can properly create (or simulate) the Starfleet characters that we see "on screen" in Star Trek. The very nature of Starfleet characters creates an "imbalance". There are superior officers, subordinates, and equals in the Star Trek universe. This has to be part of the game, and it does create imbalance among the characters in any group. Especially if you have a PC captain and the rest of the gang are ensigns!

However, such an imbalance does not ruin the ICON System gaming experience. From the ship's captain, to the first officer, department heads and right on down to the lowliest ensign or enlisted-rank crew member, every single character in the ICON System Star Trek game can fill a role in a story or be dramatically important in some way, shape or form. Within the rules, you can literally create a character of any "level" or "power", and (if handled appropriately by the Narrator--a BIG if, mind you) these characters can intermingle, work together and assist one another because they all have a role within the game regardless of their personal "power".

If anything, this imbalance in Starfleet character "power" helps to create "better" stories in the long run. It doesn't create a situation where the players compete against each other so that they can "get the spoils" or pit one player against another because one of them has more "magical/technological stuff". The way characters are designed, built, jiggered with, given a coat of paint and shipped out of the ICON System factory inherently prevents this kind of player-to-player antagonism, IMHO. However, there's nothing preventing this kind of intense competition in character by any stretch of the imagination. If, as Narrator, you want to encourage that, the game's "mutability" once again comes into play: just toss out a few advantages or disadvantages (like Obligation or Rival) and have at it!

Anyway, I've just realized that I've rambled on long enough without any real purpose, other than to say:

The ICON System rocks! Take it by the proverbial Unicorn's horn, and ride it with gusto.

LQ

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"No one controls me. I'm uncontrollable. The only one who can control me is me... and that's just barely possible!" -John Lennon

[This message has been edited by Liquidator Queeg (edited 12-16-2000).]