Couple of Questions

[Arknight]

Hey guys!

Love the new previews and the chat transcript helped fill in a couple of questions for me. However, I jsut thought of a couple of more.

1) Looking at the Preview of the characters, I'm missing something. What about Psionics? How are they handled?

2)In Icon, you had the Alien Upbringing and Mixed Heritage Advantages. Are there comparable in CODA? How do they work?

Just a couple of quick thoughts.

Tom

[Don Mappin]

Originally posted by Arknight
1) Looking at the Preview of the characters, I'm missing something. What about Psionics? How are they handled?

2)In Icon, you had the Alien Upbringing and Mixed Heritage Advantages. Are there comparable in CODA? How do they work?

Hi Tom!

Psionics are handled very similar to Icon in that they (psionics) are skills. To pick up said skills, and the necessary psionic attribute, you have to pick up the related trait, Psionic. As you might surmise, a number of species (Vulcan, Betazoid, etc), pick this up for free and/or have several psionic skills as professional skills (i.e. easier to raise).

Mixed species no longer exists but there are rules for creating characters with a mixed heritage. Alien Upbringing is reflected in spending your free ‘rounding out’ picks during character generation on your species-specific skills. Any character, without penalty, can now have a background like, being raised on a Klingon outpost, without having to pick up a special package/advantage.

Hope that answers your questions!

[AndorMan]

Especially for starting characters! My players and I always begin our campaigns as the Bridge Command Crew (i.e. Capt., XO, Chief Engineer, etc.). How does this apply in the new CODA systems? How many years of service is an Advancement pick and that sort of thing.

AndorMan
To Live and Die on Andor

[Doug Burke]

There is no set length to each Advancement, AM. They vary according to the needs of the game and the character concept.

If you want a young but more skilled officer (say a Jim Kirk or Wesley Crusher), the advancements could represent as little as a few weeks each. If you want an older but less skilled character (like Picard after he "fixed" his past in "Tapestry"), the advancements would represent a much longer timeframe.

[Don Mappin]

Originally posted by Doug Burke
There is no set length to each Advancement, AM. They vary according to the needs of the game and the character concept.

That's up to the Narrator to decided (both the PG and the NG give advice on this topic). Essentially the Narrator makes the determination how many advancements you start with ("You all get 10 advancements") and from there it's up to you to decide how to spend them.

I’m seeing a trend of people wanting to know how many advancements a “typical” Starfleet Captain has.

There’s no answer to this, because there’s no definition of a “typical” Captain outside the framework of a Narrator’s campaign and the fact that you create the characters anyway you want. If you want to make a young hot-shot that’s flown through the ranks, then you can—spend your advancements on the necessary traits. However, be aware that you’re slighting potentially crucial skills in the process. Sure, you’re a Captain, but a Captain in the vein of Harriman who doesn’t really know what he’s doing. Alternately you can make your grizzled veteran who takes the center seat late in his career and has been around the sector a few times—provided the Narrator gives you enough advancements to do so.

It’s a lot like real life—the guy sitting next to you doesn’t have a sign on his head that says “I’m a manager with 10 advancements.” Neither do characters within your game.

I did an Ensign Kim write-up for Voyager with no advancements (straight out of character generation) and was quite pleased with the end results. Kirk, on the other hand, IIRC, has over 50.

[AndorMan]

How do you determine special or better then average?

Originally posted by Don Mappin


I’m seeing a trend of people wanting to know how many advancements a “typical” Starfleet Captain has.

There’s no answer to this, because there’s no definition of a “typical” Captain outside the framework of a Narrator’s campaign and the fact that you create the characters anyway you want.

Wasn't Kirk exceptional compared to his peers when he assumed command of the Enterprise. Most Constitution Class COs were older men and Commodores at that. If most COs were not "a thing", how would we know being "something else" was special?

Also, this doesn't seem to solve the "Narrator's Discretion" problem that CODA claims to do away with.

AndorMan
From Andor with Love

[Don Mappin]

Originally posted by AndorMan
How do you determine special or better then average?

This is squarely in the realm of personal opinion, but I think that’s for the individual to decide.

Let me tackle this from a different angle. The PG shows you what traits you need to be a department head. It shows you what traits you need to command a starship. It tells you what skills an officer from the Command branch should have. It provides you with really cool abilities that go with said branch. Those are the tools.

You, the player, then spend advancements and pick this stuff up. The order, or degree of relevance is up to you. If you want to short three professional abilities to instead pick up the necessary traits, then great for you. We don’t dictate to you on how you have to make your Captain. You make that determination in whatever means you feel is best for your character concept. There’s a whole section on this thought process on page 97 of the PG.

You could have a captain that earned his command through skillful negotiation and diplomacy. Perhaps he saved a colony from Klingon aggressors while demonstrating a tactical ability desperately needed by Starfleet. Perhaps his commanding presence and ability to inspire others caught the eye of the Admiralty. Perhaps he did all three! Who is to say which of these examples is a “typical” Starfleet captain?

Also, this doesn't seem to solve the "Narrator's Discretion" problem that CODA claims to do away with.

From a mechanics standpoint, you need Command 2, for example, to be a captain. How much clearer does it have to be?

Suffice it to say you can create department heads from the book, guidelines are given, and it can be done.

[AndorMan]

...To say the least.

I'm not certain I understand or agree completely with the thinking behind the system as you describe it, but I do understand what your saying.

I am certainly very curious to read how this is addressed in the PG and NG. I may have to end up tweaking it a bit, but not before trying it out as written.

Thanks as always Don,
AndorMan
The Andorian Who Loved Me

[Don Mappin]

Originally posted by AndorMan
I'm not certain I understand or agree completely with the thinking behind the system as you describe it, but I do understand what your saying.

Okay, you need 15 advancements to make a “typical” captain.

Better?

Note: This number was scientifically derived after extensive and exhaustive research by a crack team of twenty Pakleds working at Memory Alpha for a period of sixteen months. We contend that it must be right.

Take it easy.

[Perrryyy]

Originally posted by Don Mappin


Note: This number was scientifically derived after extensive and exhaustive research by a crack team of twenty Pakleds working at Memory Alpha for a period of sixteen months. We contend that it must be right.

Is this Trek-ese for 100 chimps at a keyaboard for 100 years eventually typing Shakespeare or something like that?

[danltaylor]

Originally posted by Doug Burke
If you want a young but more skilled officer (say a Jim Kirk or Wesley Crusher), the advancements could represent as little as a few weeks each.

I believe this is the first time ever that these two characters have been compared to one another.

[AndorMan]

Originally posted by danltaylor
I believe this is the first time ever that these two characters have been compared to one another.

...And hopefully the last

Unlike others on the net, I can take the ribbing and thank Don for being patient with my questions. While I'm the first to advocate a simpler system of rule mechanics, I want those mechanics to reflect MHO of what the Star Trek universe is like.

The rules should be simple, but God is in the details

AndorMan
Bluefinger

[Ineti]

Originally posted by Don Mappin
It’s a lot like real life—the guy sitting next to you doesn’t have a sign on his head that says “I’m a manager with 10 advancements.”

Don, I don't know why, but this statement had me rolling for a good couple of minutes. Thanks.

Sure would make interviewing and job hunting easier.

Isn't "crack team of Pakleds" an oxymoron?

[Darth Malice]

Originally posted by Ineti


Isn't "crack team of Pakleds" an oxymoron?

That depends on just how much Crack they've smoked

-dm-

[Perrryyy]

Interesting sig line DM