DorianGray wrote:Hi,
Well, hello again.
I've been looking at ADM's other products ...
I presume that was a typo and that you meant "ADB".
... and the Star Trek RPG caught my eye. However, there isnt even a review for this game at boardgamegeek.
That's okay. They don't have one for GURPS, either.
Not that's it's the best source in the world, did you check out Wiki?
Can anyone with experience with this game tell me what it's like and how it plays? I've actually wanted to try some RPGs as a break from wargaming but D&D theme seriously did not appeal to me. A star trek theme RPG seems perfect.
Well, yes and no. I have it (and just abole everything ADB has published) but never played it as the local groups are into Warhammer.
The first version of PD was "broken", in my opinion. The engine (base rules set) didn't make a lot of sense in some areas. And things were locked down a little tooo much as far as what characters one could use.
See, it makes no sense at all the the ship's captain, first officer, chief engineer, doctor, half the rest of the bridge crew should beam down together (with the token Red Shirt or two), leaving the ship in the capable hands of Ensign Snuffy.
::anyone that's been in the military and stationed oveseas has heard of Private Snuffy --- I just gave him a promotion::
At any rate, when SVC issued the basic background for PD, he set it up such that the player-characters HAD to be part of a specialized Prime Team. One could NOT play the bridge crew, not without adding some house-rules for their skill set.
The next edition of Prime Directive threw out the engine and "borrowed" the engine form Steve Jackson Games GURPS. (All the royaties have been paid for this, of course.) As the GURPS engine is well known and stable, the "broken" parts of the first version are long gone. And the players are free to play whatever character they want, even if it doesn't make any sense in the world for the captain to leave the ship at every pit stop.
If there's any one mistake in PD as published, I personally think it's that there aren't stats for the Red Shirts. As SVC points out, the "ship's security" function in Star Fleet Universe is performed by Marines, rightfully so. That makes sense, from a military point of view. But I also believe that they should have included Red Shirts for those players without the SFB background.
P.S. - One note, it seems for the newest version of the RPG, there only seems to only have the Klingon and Romulan books, are there plans to release source books for Kziniti, Gorn, and other races?
They're in the works. SVC doesn't do RPGs, so he's farmed the writing out to those that do. It takes time. If you've had any experience in writing for RPGs, feel free to contact ADB and ask where you can help. I'm sure he'd be willing to look at your resume`. Be forewarned that SVC can be a little (heck, a LOT) "gruff" via e-mail. If you're too thin-skined, you'll get your feelings hurt. It's not personal; it's just the way he is.
Or is this just a dead product line.
Now, see? This is why people on this board find you so endearing. One can't wander around the boards posting stuff like that and not expect people to think you're a troll. Seriously, dude, you need to learn to edit your thoughts and/or dial back on the attitude. At least proof your words before posting. If this was meant to be a legitimate question, you probably could have found a less abrasive way to phrase it. As it is, it -looks- like a back-handed insult, and a deliberate one at that. I really do hope it wasn't meant that way it sounds.
