by Lux_Bux

Related Item: RPGG News

Have a very happy Birthday, Michael! 🎂🥂🎸

by aramis

pdzoch wrote:

How does spam, phishing, whaling, catfishing, and other internet scams feature in your modern/future era RPGs?

Generally, they don't. Largely because
① Star Trek is mostly utopian about networks.
② Traveller lacks a consistent internet, since it has no non-ship information transfer between systems, and with 11000 inhabited bodies, there's no chance of large scale consistency
③ Star Wars HoloNet could do it, but my players wouldn't like it. It just feels too modern and out of genre.
The one time it did come up was in about 1987... with a Conman called Norman... and an Amway knockoff supply plan... It felt out of genre... lead to a fun story...
④ Not the kind of thing I do to Supers as, like star wars, it feels out of genre.
⑤ Twilight 2000 no longer has Internet.
⑥ I tend not to run other modern/future settings

by NormandyWept

An item RPG Item: Ghost Stories has been added to the geeklist The Between: A Study in Sapphire - Hunters & Threats

by aramis

chuckdee68 wrote:

aramis wrote:

That's a small slice of the player space for a large wedge of designs... PBTA gets a lot of talk from a small population.
The big chunk of playerspace is still Trad, playing D&D or Pathfinder.
Only time I see PBTA stuff at my FLGS is on Free RPG Day. (Seriously.)
Closest to PBTA I've heard of being run there is Sentinel Comics (which credits DVB and MB in the starter set, but not the core...).

THey just don't get any demand for it. College town.
The new LGS in town is a satellite store of a huge Portland store, and might have a few... but not in the local store to me, because that satellite store is very minis and boardgame focused.

A lot depends on locale, and I think that what you're talking about is an American-centric view. In a less American centriv view, that would certainly change.

It's pretty much more specific to Pacific Northwest... I know there are people playing those games, and in Oregon - because some of the publishers are in Portland and playtesting locally... but the only time I see others playing non-Tier I/II (D&D/Pathfinder, respectively) is at the local Con. Or at my table.

by PzVIE

An item RPG Item: Dragonbane Bestiary has been added to the geeklist GCL Gelato 746 - You had to be there

by JudgementDave

agramore wrote:

JudgementDave wrote:

agramore wrote:

JudgementDave wrote:

agramore wrote:

JudgementDave wrote:

jsteidl wrote:

JudgementDave wrote:

jsteidl wrote:

agramore wrote:

I just don't think they are my "jam", as the kids say (if they still say that). 😆

My older one still says that, but I think it's not current for 20-somethings!

The phrase is being thrown away like yesterday's jam.

I think we have some jam in the fridge that's about as old as the kids. Whether eating that would be more deadly than having to play a game I hate is an open question - and an experiment I will probably never attempt!

I wondered if the phrase ‘yesterday’s jam’ needed explaining…
Have you ever watched the UK sitcom The IT Crowd? Yesterday’s Jam is (iirc) the title of the first episode and a phrase used by one character. It’s met with ridicule by other characters due to obvious reasons.

I've seen clips, but haven't watched an whole episode, much less a series or the whole show. Is that a common expression? I assumed it meant something that was old and had to be tossed out, like jam that had gone moldy.

It's never been an English expression. In the first episode, a character called Moss is worried that he'll be thrown out like yesterday's jam. Moss is an intentionally strange character, and, iirc, the others point out that nobody ever says that and that it's meaningless as jam lasts for years.

The phrase never appears outside of that one episode.

Ah, okay. 😆
(I have had jam go moldy - maybe it was improperly preserved and/or improperly stored)

Refrigerate after opening. Much as you might do with some paint mixtures while breaking in the middle of a project (he says attempting to not appear too off-topic).

In that case, I had kept the jam in the fridge. I have never put paint mixtures in the fridge. Didn't think that would help much with them. I think the best thing for paint mixtures would be an air-tight container. I do keep my greenstuff in the freezer when not in use (the raw blue and yellow parts), as I heard somewhere long ago that it slows down whatever chemical processes happen in greenstuff. I don't know if that really does anything or not. 😊

I recently painted some terrain with craft paints and colours I mixed in sealable plastic pots (chinese take aways for the win!). As the UK was undergoing a 30+ heatwave, and I wanted them over a few days, I put them in the fridge while not in use.

I heard it a few years back as a tip for wet palettes when the temperature climbs.

It seems to help both wet palettes and wet paint.

by Zhu Bajie

YOU are a veteran of a thousand psychic wars,
YOU are a warrior of the cosmic wastelands,
YOU are a lone clone one man war machine,
YOU are... THE ZONE TROOPER.

YOUR mission: infiltrate enemy territory, retrieve top secret plans recorded on VHS tapes, and escape. But the hardest mission of all? just staying alive.

Zone Trooper is a minimalist, retro 80's sci-fi inspired, 1-bit pixel art, one colour, black and white, print and play, one page, hybrid board, solo roleplaying, hex and chit wargame that fits on a single A4 sheet of paper.

All you need are 2 dice, a pencil, an eraser and some scissors to undertake this mission. Get to it Trooper!

Download now on itch.io https://zhu-industries.itch.io/zone-trooper

by Shardra

Water

by lorddillon

CHAPTER 2: STARFLEET

This chapter is 20 pages (runs from pg 41 through pg 61) and covers the ins and outs of the main "exploratory and defensive organization" in the Star Trek setting. Since the vast majority of campaigns will consist of PCs who are members of Starfleet, this chapter goes into enough detail that the reader has a strong sense of the main objectives of Starfleet as well as the rules and regulations guiding the behavior of its members. This is another chapter that readers might be tempted to browse through rather than read intensely, but I am excited to see what level of information is assumed to be known by even the newest member of such a venerable institution.

In this chapter our reading is guided by Ensign Laniyar Tennan of the U.S.S Challenger - this information is provide to us in a thin sidebar on the first page of the chapter. Tennan is, indeed, a freshly minted Starfleet officer, as he tells us in his opening sidebar, "Having just graduated from the Academy, I’m eager to tell you all about it." I believe this character is one of the people provided as a playable PC in the STA2 Starter set (which I think is also true of Commodore Xen - audience, correct me if I am wrong, please).

:bd6-1: STARFLEET'S MANDATE
Starfleet is tasked with exploring the universe and defending/protecting its members. Headquarters is on Earth (famously in San Francisco) but it maintains facilities throughout Federation territory. Starfleet Command is the main organizational unit overseeing Starfleet. Most Star Trek fans will already know this most basic information, including that Starfleet's motto is 'Ad Astra Per Aspera' which the book tells us is Latin for "To the Stars Through Hardship". The least surprising element of this is that the motto is Latin, as many 20th and 21st century organizations love to use a Latin phrase as their motto.

:geek_star: There is a sidebar here explaining why different people might enlist in different organizations - This sidebar basically gives 'permission' to the players to join the Klingon Defense Force or the Cardassian Navy... but it merely introduces the idea that Klingons or Cardassians might want to do that and doesn't delve any further into that idea, yet... I am assuming it might do so later, but perhaps not in this chapter. They are really leaning on diversity of PC type and era in this core book - much more so than I see in my casual browse through STA1.

There is a second sidebar discussing the state of Starfleet in the different eras of play. This is a basic, cursory description, but is enough to give an idea of how strong the organization is in each era.

This section of the chapter has 3 subheadings:
:PSC: Exploring the Final Frontier - Provides information about the exploratory division of Starfleet and how it interfaces with research and development and often gets requests for help from civilian organizations on member worlds.
:PSC: Defending Those in Need - Serving as peacekeepers and defending colonies and outposts is part and parcel with exploring the unknown and being in potentially hostile regions.
:PSC: Organization - This section provides a hierarchy of authority (chain-of-command) for Starfleet. The Federation Council and the President of the United Federation of Planets are at the top of the pyramid, followed by Starfleet Commander-in-Chief, then Fleet Admirals, who give direct orders to the captains of Starfleet vessels.

:geek_star: There are two more sidebars which mention possibly little-known segments of Starfleet that might not be known by a generic Trek fan or new player. The first is Section 31, which is basically a secret military intel + black ops organization within Starfleet whose existence is hidden and not officially approved. The second describes Division 14, a subdivision of Starfleet devoted to treating illnesses and injuries that have unknown origin and/or are brought on by previously unknown pathogens or technologies. Given the primary exploration goal of seeking out new life it surprises me that Division 14 isn't bigger than what is implied in this sidebar.

:bd6-2: THE PRIME DIRECTIVE
This section is all about General Order One, also known as the Prime Directive, which is the foremost guiding philosophy of Starfleet. Ensign Tennan, in a sidebar, tells us that The Prime Directive, "prohibits personnel from interfering in the affairs and natural development of other cultures." Generically this is applied to non-warp-capable civilizations, but really applies to any civilization that did not request the assistance of Starfleet and is not a member of the Federation. It can also be ignored and contact can commence with a non-warp culture as long as they are otherwise sufficiently advanced, and also if a civilization contacts Starfleet. Commanding officers have a lot of power to make decisions regarding the Prime Directive and Starfleet's command structure gives Captains wide leeway in applying the principle.

:PSC: Prohibited Activities are those deemed as 'interference' - what is deemed interference? Here is the list this section provides:
-Revealing the existence of other inhabited planets or civilizations.
-Providing knowledge of undiscovered technologies or science.
-Actions that could generally affect a civilization’s overall development.
-Become involved in the internal affairs of another society (backing one faction over a competing faction).
-Helping a society escape the consequences of their own actions.
-Saving a civilization from a natural disaster.
-Subverting/Avoiding the application of a society’s laws.

:PSC: Exceptions to the rule are allowed if:
-The society already knows about the Federation.
-They communicate with or attack a Federation vessel.
-They send a planetary distress signal to any and all spacefaring societies.
-The Federation is in diplomatic discussions with the society
-The civilization was previously contaminated by Federation citizens or non-Federation actors.
-The officer is complying with valid orders from Starfleet Command.

:geek_star: I am glad this section gives specific examples of what is prohibited and also where the exceptions can be made... it gives good grist for the players to debate the directive and how it might apply to their circumstances in-game. It is the accompanied by the supportive 'Prime Directive in Play' section discussed below.

:PSC: The Temporal Prime Directive -
A corollary to the Prime Directive that applies to any member of Starfleet who finds themselves in a different time. They are prohibited from:
-Interfering with past events that could affect the future.
-Giving people in the past any information regarding future events.
-Using advanced technology to avoid revealing they are from a different time.

:d10-1: The Prime Directive in Play
:geek_star: This short section admonishes the GM (and players) to not let the Prime Directive prevent fun at the table. Instead, General Order One should be used to increase drama and explore philosophical issues around contact and interference. The Prime Directive is sufficiently vague so as to allow differences in interpretation, which is an area ripe for use in game.

:bd6-3: STARFLEET ACADEMY
The next few pages of the chapter are about Starfleet Academy, the premier officer training center. While the main campus is on Earth, there are also training complexes in at least 4 other systems in Federation space. After mentioning how difficult it is to get into Starfleet Academy, this section has 4 subheadings explaining what happens once you are there:

:PSC: Fostering Life-Long Learning - Each cadet completes a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum designed to ensure that "graduates may temporarily stand in for any department on a ship or station, if needed."
:PSC: The Academy Experience: Making Connections - The Federation recognizes that teamwork and cooperation are required in order to fulfill its mission, so a main tenet of education at the Academy is to build cooperation.
:PSC: Hands-On, Cutting-Edge Research - Starfleet Academy is a research university and, as such, employs professors at the leading edge of experimentation and discovery.
:PSC: Graduation - Cadets who graduate earn an officer's commission and duty assignment.

:geek_star: The previous section is very basic, but may be necessary for players who have not attended college, a military academy, or formal technical training college. People in the know often feel that a section like this is too basic and doesn't provide enough details, but sometimes a new player just needs to have the most basic things spelled out in a way that is clean, simple, and easy to understand.

:bd6-4: DUTY ASSIGNMENTS
A lot of words are spent in this section to say that an officer is assigned a duty station where they are most needed. Depending on your specialty, you will be assigned to either the Science, Operations, or Command Division, and your duty will assignment will be based on your area of expertise (or desired expertise). It also explains that ships have long duration missions with many smaller missions within the overall mission of the vessel or base.

:d10-1: Long-Duration Missions - The duration of a ship's mission might depend on the era of play. In the 23rd century ships had a five-year limit on their missions. In later centuries the five-year limit was lifted due to technological changes.
:d10-2: Quarters - The quality and size of standard officer's quarters also depends on era, with earlier time periods having smaller crew areas.

:halfstar: Not sure what to say about this short section - it almost feels like filler, but.. again, I feel like maybe it is extremely helpful to new players or those who have never lived on a ship, military or otherwise. The info reads as very basic to me, but it might be new to someone who did not previously have an interest in such things.

:bd6-5: MISSION TYPES
This section provides a list of different types of missions by category. It does point out that this list is not exhaustive, but simply meant as examples of missions that PCs might be involved in. Most of these are self-explanatory, so I will not say much about them individually.

:d10-1: Science and Exploration - includes Deep Space Exploration, Planetary Exploration and Survey, Research and Development, and Stellar Phenomenon Survey, each which get a short description.

:d10-2: Diplomatic - includes Conflict Resolution, Diplomacy, First Contact, and Second Contact. Each of these also get a short description.

:d10-3: Defense and Aid - Includes Aid and Relief, Escort, Patrol, Support Operations (supporting starbases, deep space stations, outposts, and colonies), and Tactical (providing protection in an area with a likely hostile enemy in the region, without starting a war).

:bd6-3: AWAY TEAMS
Missions away from a ship or base which usually involve going planetside or transporting to another facility in uncertain condition. Away Teams come in 5 different flavors - like the mission types these are mostly self explanatory: Exploration and Scientific, Diplomatic, Relief Teams, Peacekeeping and Military, and Covert Operations.

:geek_star: There is a proper sidebar at the end of this section giving three examples of non-Starfleet campaigns. This is in like with the tenor of the book overall, which has allowed a wide range of eras and situations to be played within the bounds of the Star Trek Universe. The sidebar suggests and describes 3 ways to have a non-Starfleet Campaign:
-Non-Starfleet crew in a Starfleet setting (PCs on a ship, but not members of Starfleet, though their family members might be).
-Federation Civilians in Civilian Setting (Form colonists or legal teams, anything that might be interesting in way tangentially related to Starfleet).
-Crew on Another Civilization's Ship (all Klingons or all Romulans or whatever, on a ship of their own or as ambassadors in Federation space).

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THIS CHAPTER

I feel like this is a good chapter - like chapter 1, it doesn't get too far into the weeds, but does give a decent overview of what it means to be a member of Starfleet.

The sidebars in this chapter, even the personal log ones, go a good way toward making things understandable and adding flavor to Starfleet and the Star Trek Universe.

I like the descriptions of the mission types and away team categories - these are all relatively short and straightforward, but they provide a short bit of info that might help a new player or GM figure out what a mission might entail, or even help a GM write an elevator pitch for a short one-shot session.

So far we haven't gotten into any rules or mechanics, and I am really hoping that all of these ideas being laid out in this front matter information is going to be supported with game elements.

Stay tuned for my next post, covering Chapter 3: The Final Frontier

by jasri

By now I've played Brindlewood Bay (from which the rules for Paranormal Inc. derive = "carved from brindlewood" system). Only once so far, but I liked it. And I've played Paranormal Inc., twice. I like that it's GM-less (or GM-full, depending on your view), and I love how the story comes together from a bunch of prompts. Maybe I'll try my hand at creating a mystery (that is, lists of prompts) myself, although for the next few sessions I will use mysteries included in the core book.