It looks like Amarillo Design Bureau and Mongoose Publishing are joining forces to make a Traveller variant compatable with the Star Fleet Battles universe. Could be a lot of fun, could also suck - I want more information.
Couple of teaser links below (one is the ADB site on Facebook)
http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amarillo-Design-Bureau-Inc/231728653279?sk=wall
If you can play a Ferengi Collectable Action Figure Salesman I'm sold!
Love how ADB just churns away there in the background; got their niche and are happy with it (I'm guessing at this last point, mind you).
A Traveller PD could be interesting.
p.s. Now, if we can have a cross-genre fender-bender possible due to rule compatibility, I've got to see a throw down between Starfleet pogues and Judge Dredd.
i'll grab a copy of PD/traveller (the call to arms/SFB thing doesn't do anything for me). be neat to see the trek (kinda) universe done up trav-style :)
Quote from: Ian Warner;463944If you can play a Ferengi Collectable Action Figure Salesman I'm sold!
Sadly as I understand the license, they can only use material from the original series.
give people enough time and im sure someone will create ferengi for the game.
Awwwwwwww man.
The best thing about the original Trek RPG was that you could play Ferengi with absaloutly no use to the party but lots of quality merchadise to sell!
At this point I prefer the Prime Directive/SFB universe to the official Star Trek one... it feels wilder, less new-age, less PC. I'm glad it's picking up a new branch... even if it is Mongoose.
Ferengi though, they always bothered me... they're like some old stereotype of Jewish people/Roma... in space.
the original concept for them was the perfect capitalist race, somewhere along the line something went awry though.
Quote from: Ian Warner;464114Awwwwwwww man.
The best thing about the original Trek RPG was that you could play Ferengi with absaloutly no use to the party but lots of quality merchadise to sell!
What the hell are you talking about??
The 'original'
STAR TREK RPG was either in the late 1970s or early 1980s
(depending on which publisher or version you prefer) -
before there were any fucking 'Ferengi' created for the
STAR TREK universe.
- Ed C.
FASA Star Trek RPG = 1982 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_RPG_(FASA)
Creation/writing of the Ferengi race = Summer 1987
Apparently Mongoose gets use of the SFB universe to make a RPG - Prime Directive-Traveller and a SFB version of Call to Arms. ADB gets Mongoose's figure manufacturing process, with Mongoose making a whole new line of computer designed miniatures for sale by both Mongoose and ADB.
Sounds like a win-win for everyone.
Saw this. Intrigued.
I would really enjoy ACTA using Star Trek Ships. Holy crap that sounds amazing! As long as they keep it fast and fun, I'll be hooked like a trout.
I love the Star Fleet Universe and Traveller, and I like ACtA well enough. I bet it'll be great. I think GURPS Prime Directive has been great.
I loved the original Prime Directive game, but I may be the only one.
Quote from: Koltar;464126What the hell are you talking about??
The 'original' STAR TREK RPG was either in the late 1970s or early 1980s (depending on which publisher or version you prefer) - before there were any fucking 'Ferengi' created for the STAR TREK universe.
- Ed C.
FASA Star Trek RPG = 1982
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_RPG_(FASA)
Creation/writing of the Ferengi race = Summer 1987
I was thinking of thinking of the one by the same peeps who did a failed LOTR version.
Quote from: Koltar;464126What the hell are you talking about??
FWIW with one unauthorized and one much slimmer authorized ST:TNG sourcebooks for FASATrek circa season 1 or so I'm pretty sure Ferengi were playable for it. Certainly not full blown later Ferengi but still.
Anywho, MGT alt.Trek is very welcome and a space game doubly so. I rather like the SFB 'verse and enjoyed GURPS PD (original as well for the setting info if nothing else).
While SFB can technically only do TOS type stuff the timeline's gone well beyond it and has several SFB versions of later ST show stuff.
Finally, I'd still love to see a D6 version of Prime Directive. With D6 all open content now all it needs (yet again) is somebody to actually finish writing it. >_< It and Honor Harrington RPG D6 could be very fun, the latter actually been in playtest, though for years now. I'd be ok with a D6 PD using a Legends/Prime variant ala HH.
I would think classic traveller would be a fairly good fit for "classic" Star Trek; as long as you changed the whole life-paths thing.
RPGPundit
Quote from: CRKrueger;464143Apparently Mongoose gets use of the SFB universe to make a RPG - Prime Directive-Traveller and a SFB version of Call to Arms. ADB gets Mongoose's figure manufacturing process, with Mongoose making a whole new line of computer designed miniatures for sale by both Mongoose and ADB.
Sounds like a win-win for everyone.
You know until I heard this part I was sort of underwhelmed. It seems that ADB has been putting out Prime Directive in any system they could just hoping for some sales. I think that they have diluted their (very niche to begin with) brand in doing so. This partnership, however sounds promising. A good RPG and ship combat system married to a well-developed universe and a line of minis to go with it.
-TGA
Well my understanding is they do all their printed books POD now so it's trivial for them to swap out systems so long as they have writers to do the game system stuff. Still...
FASATrek was kinda d100 classic Traveller with a huge number of dice rolling lifepath system of sorts so as long as the MGT version charts fit Trek instead of Traveller it should be alright. High TL default Traveller is rather Trek anyway (14+). Certainly the DGP equipment and ships tended to look Trekish.
Quote from: Simlasa;464115At this point I prefer the Prime Directive/SFB universe to the official Star Trek one... it feels wilder, less new-age, less PC. I'm glad it's picking up a new branch... even if it is Mongoose.
Funny, that description of it suddenly makes me not want anything to do with it.
Liking something solely for it's "un-PCness" is how we wound up with Duke Nukem Forever.
QuoteFerengi though, they always bothered me... they're like some old stereotype of Jewish people/Roma... in space.
I guess I can see that. I always got a funny little feeling in the back of my brain over the Goblins in Warcraft for the same reason, and the current version of them really doesn't help. A bunch of greedy little guys with big noses and ears, who all talk in Brooklyn accents?
It's a little much.
But then I wonder if I'm just reading too much into it, and all I'm really seeing is my own stereotypes and I get all shifty in my seat.
Quote from: Broken-Serenity;464124the original concept for them was the perfect capitalist race, somewhere along the line something went awry though.
Actually, originally, they were a bunch of mindless barbarians with magpie minds. In their first appearance they're wearing crude fur drapes and cowering and snarling in fear for most of the episode.
Then they realized this made them useless and instead they became ultra-capitalists. Then they made one a major character and realized that being totally heartless greedmongers made it hard to spin one as a sympathetic character, so they softened them more and more over time.
Sounds interesting. SFB/F&E is a wargame so the setting has much more conflict than standard Trek. Their original licencse is to the Starfleet Techinical Manual, not the show per se, but they have some kind of deal to have Trek without any named characters.* Unlike the shows, ADB is very careful with continuity and thinks about the ramifications of new tech - no throwaway solutions for a scenario that never show up again.
The problem with rpgs from ADB has always been that the Steves aren't roleplayers. They don't have the right instincts of what to put in or who to trust to put it together so the material is hit or miss. If Mongoose is leading it, it could work. Unless Mongoose gets too slapdash about it as they often do.
*Franz Joseph helped with set designs in TOS. Being an architect instead of a Hollywood person, he felt it natural to have copyright of the blueprints. From this, he published a book without need of a franchise license. Roddenbery later regreted this and took steps to indirectly invalidate Joseph's work. When Task Froce games published for ADB, they got additional rights from Trek. When Task Force went under, ADB got the additional license instead of the money they were owed and became their own publishers.
For an explination of the Ferengi I think it's best to remember that when a member of the TOS cast turned round to Rodenberry and said "we seem to be making morality plays in space" he replied "shhhh the others haven't worked it out yet!"
Star Trek was never supposed to be a realistic vision of the future its using a goofy future to talk about the present. If the Klingons represnt the dangers of warmongering, the Romulans politicking, the borg technocracy and the Dominion terrorism the Ferengi are the merchant bankers out of control.
That they cast New York actors is no accident as that's where Wall Street is!
Yeah SFB 'verse is between Trek's Mirror universe and the normal Trek one. Cos of well, the Battles part of Star Fleet Battles. They have some freebie demos which include a blurb on the setting but it should be on Wikipedia et al.
In short, the SFB setting is the alternate opening sequence of the Enterprise tv show from the Mirror Mirror episode.
IIRC the major early divergence in timelines is a major war which allows for the boardgame's battles. Then more species show and more and more, allowing for the expansions and new technology types.
As a RPG you can ignore that and focus just on Trek type conflicts. One thing I do like about Prime Directive is the Prime Teams, which is the RPG party. Specially trained for RPG type missions. IMO better than the ad hoc Away Teams.
Oh and on related news, Star Trek Expeditions boardgame by Wizkids was released this week. Cooperative play (you play an Away Team from the new Trek movie) and really nice components (a thick mounted board for example).
And it has Clix figure and ship miniatures, with a new basetype which works smoothly. Good sculpts and paint job for prepainted plastics. 1 Enterprise, 1 Klingon ship, Kirk, Spock, Uhura and McCoy. Scotty, Sulu and Chekov will be in the first supplement. Non-collectible and $50 list which really isn't bad for a licensed board game like this.
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/79131/star-trek-expeditions
http://wizkidsgames.com/startrek/star-trek-expeditions/
There's also a ship game in the works.
This gets the Rotwang! Seal of Approval. It might also get the Rotwang! Gaming Quatloo.
Ha ha ha. I made a joke.
Quote from: Casey777;464778Oh and on related news, Star Trek Expeditions boardgame by Wizkids was released this week. Cooperative play (you play an Away Team from the new Trek movie) and really nice components (a thick mounted board for example).
I bought this the other day. Haven't played it yet but the figures are pretty cool and it looks like a fun game! :)