Posted in: Reviews, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

Star Trek Discovery character packs season one and two: A comparison

So last month I posted about the Star Trek: Discovery season one character pack published by Modiphus. I figured that they would be releasing a season two, but I didn’t know how soon. As it turns out, it was earlier than I expected. Just a few days ago Modiphius released the Star Trek: Discovery season two character pack. I had to pick it up the moment I realized it was available on DriveThruRPG. Note, it is only available in PDF version.

The season two book also comes in at 22 pages (the largest of all the character guides) and continues the special report by Kovich to Admiral Vance detailing the events of the second season. While the “report” covers some characters we’ve seen detailed in the season one guide, it also provides information on new characters we saw in season two.

Our first new character is Captain Pike. I did notice that the science rating matches what we saw in the episodes of Discovery. Next comes Commander Saru, a character that was detailed in the season one book. This character has different stats since this is the post-Vahar’ai Saru. Lt. Commander Paul Stamets, like Commander Saru, has some changes from the season one write up as he is now Human augmented with Tardigrade DNA. The stats for Michael Burnham had also changed between her Mutineer write up to her Science Officer information. We also have new stats for Ash Tyler, Sylvia Tilly and Philippa Georgiou. Next comes Lieutenant Spock, and yes he’s different than the Commander Spock found in the Star Trek: The Original Series character packs. But this would be expected as there are several years in the life of the character. We also get the first stats for Commander Jet Reno. The supporting characters are also new with Commander Una Chin-Riley (aka Number One), Lt. Commander Airiam, the Barzan Lt. Commander Nhan and the Saurian Lt. (j.g.) Linus.

A write up is provided for the Kelpian species, but it is the same as the first season book. The write up for the USS Discovery is listed as the 2257 configuration, but the information appears to the same as the 2256 configuration. These are the only two items that are the same, everything else is different. Originally when I saw the listing of characters, I was worried that it would be the same with some new artwork. But that is not the case. This will be new information for gamemasters and players so this would be a product worth purchasing.

Modiphius sent out an email announcing this product which is how I found out about the release. The other products they announced in the same email also sounded very interesting. This August, Modiphius will be releasing the Star Trek Discovery (2256-2258) Campaign guide. This will include several new races and spaceframes. The book I’m really looking forward to is titled, Utopia Planitia. This is a sourcebook for Starfleet and will be released sometime later in 2022.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: April 11-17

Hey Valeris. What is your favorite Beastie Boys song?

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of April 11th through April 17th.

April 11
“The name of my ship is the… Lollipop.” Riker “I have no knowledge of that ship.” Holographic Paul Rice “It’s just been commissioned. It’s a good ship.” Riker- Arsenal of Freedom, Stardate: 41798.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 12
“We all have our darker side. We need it! It’s half of what we are. It’s not really ugly, it’s human.” Dr McCoy- The Enemy Within, Stardate 1672.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 13
“Humans use to be a lot worse than the Ferengi– slavery… concentration camps, interstellar wars. We have nothing in our past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see? We’re nothing like you.” Quark- The Jem’Hadar, SD: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 14
“Your new designation is Two of Ten.” Seven “Wait a minute. You’re demoting me? Since when did the Borg pull rank?” Kim “It’s Starfleet protocol I adapted. I find it most useful.” Seven- The Omega Directive, Stardate: 51781.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 15
Michael Ansara born on this date in 1922. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Michael_Ansara #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“We have no devil, Kirk. But we understand the habits of yours.” Kang- Day of the Dove, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 16
“The Seventh Guarantee is one of the most important rights granted by the Federation. We cannot take a fundamental principle of the Constitution and turn it against a citizen!” Picard- The Drumhead, Stardate: 44769.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 17
“Just a little healthy sexual energy. Helps keep the blood pumping.” Dr. Phlox- Bound, Date: December 27, 2154 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: April 4-10

My reaction to most things lately.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of April 4th through April 10th.

April 4
Happy Birthday to Casey Biggs. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Casey_Biggs #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“We will be fighting to win back our homes and our freedom, and that will make us even stronger.” Damar- The Changing Face of Evil, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 5
“Klingons do not pursue relationships. They conquer that which they desire.” Worf- In Theory, Stardate: 44932.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 6
“Romulan women are not like Vulcan females. We are not dedicated to pure logic and the sterility of non-emotion.” Female Romulan Commander- The Enterprise Incident, Stardate: 5027.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 7
“Close your eyes and imagine all the energy in your body is floating to the point where your fingertips meet. Nothing else you hear or feel is important. Let the outside-world fade away. You exist only inside your mind.” Tuvok- Innocence, SD: 49578.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC

April 8
“I’ve long been interested in the notion of time travelers.” Samuel Clemens- Time’s Arrow, Part II, Stardate: 46001.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 9
“I am endeavoring, ma’am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.” Spock- The City on the Edge of Forever, Stardate: 3134.0 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 10
“A change of scenery for an hour or two couldn’t hurt.” Tucker- Oasis, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

Posted in: Humor, My Creations, Star Trek

Making Memes Part VI

What’s that you say? You want more memes? Here is another set of memes for you to enjoy. You can see the past memes I’ve created here: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V.

I used an online meme maker for this one. I don’t recall where I found the image, I just thought it fit the phrase as most RPGs result in a lot of collateral damage.

Watching Kirk move away made me think of this phrase. I created this meme with MS Paint.

I almost didn’t share this one because the white text didn’t stand out very well. This was another reaction to the “Share this image with money and you will get some” series of memes that were plaguing social media.

Dayton Ward is a science fiction author that I’ve met several times at different conventions. When this picture was posted from one of his convention it reminded me of the “I love you, random citizen” meme that came from the Megamind movie. I posted this meme on Mr. Ward’s facebook page several years ago. It was created with MS Paint.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: March 28-April 3

What my computer seems to be doing some days.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of March 28th through April 3rd.

March 28
“Would you mind telling me who that is?” Roberta Lincoln “That, Miss Lincoln, is simply my cat.” Gary Seven- Assignment: Earth, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 29
Happy Birthday to Marina Sirtis. @Marina_Sirtis https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Marina_Sirtis #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekVOY #StarTrekENT #StarTrekPicard #StarTrekLowerDecks #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“You can handle defeat in two ways: You can lose confidence, or you can learn from your mistakes.” Troi- Peak Performance, Stardate: 42923.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 30
“But we’re going to learn from those mistakes. That’s what being human is all about.” Archer, Shockwave Part II, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 31
“I think you Klingons embrace death too easily. You treat death like a lover. I think living is a lot more attractive.” Dax- Blood Oath, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 1
Grace Lee Whitney born on this date in 1930. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Grace_Lee_Whitney #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“Permission to come aboard?” Dr. McCoy “Permission granted, sir.” Rand- Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Stardate: 7412.6 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 2
“There are some very disturbing historical parallels here. Once more, they are being asked to leave their homes because of a… political decision that has been taken by a distant government.” Picard- Journey’s End, Stardate: 47751.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

April 3
“You told me, without problems to test the limits of your ability, you can never expand them.” Seven- Think Tank, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

Posted in: Reviews, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

A look into STA Discovery and Starbases

Over the past week, Modiphius has released two new PDF products for their Star Trek Adventures RPG line. I picked up both of them on DriveThruRPG and decided to give them a review. As you may recall, I was very impressed with the IDW Star Trek Year Five Tie In that Modiphius released last October. And it is still my hope that there will be further official releases based off of the IDW Star Trek comics. Here is a BIG HINT of what I’d love to see next from Modiphius and IDW.

Last week, the Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Player Characters write up was released. This was done in the same format as the supplements covering the The Original Series Player Characters , The Next Generation Players Characters, the Deep Space Nine Player Characters, the Voyager Player Characters, the Enterprise Player Characters and the Villains NPC supplement. However, since Star Trek Discovery is still coming out with new episodes (the fourth season just ended and season 5 is currently in production) I can see why Modphius elected to focus on season one with this release. They could produce future issues covering other seasons. In a way, I wish that Modiphius would have made this a supplement covering season one and two with the next release covering the seasons in the 32nd century. I could have seen that being a logical breaking point between supplements.

This book is written from the viewpoint of a Starfleet report in the 32nd century. In an effort to learn everything they can about the USS Discovery after it’s arrival, a report was made. At 22 pages this is the largest Player Characters supplement released by Modiphius. It contains artwork from the Star Trek Timelines game with a good layout that fits the 32nd century Starfleet. There is also a very good look at the dedication plaque for Discovery. As a Treknologist, this warmed my heart.

All of the main characters are presented from Captain Gabriel Lorca to Cadet Sylvia Tilly (one of my favorite characters). A few major NPCs, such as Emperor Philippa Georgiou and L’Rell, and several supporting characters are also detailed within the book. For those who wish to play characters from the Kelpien race, the stats are available in this publication. The starship stats for the Crossfield-Class USS Discovery is also officially set for use in Star Trek Adventures with this release. A new starship talent for the Spore Drive has been detailed for game masters. At $4.99, the Discovery Season One Crew Pack is a bargain for anyone wishing to set a series in the Discovery era.

One final thought about these Player Character guides, I love these. With past games based on popular franchises, you attract a lot of new players who are fans of the series first. I’ve seen examples where someone wants to describe their character as “tougher than Worf” or “almost as smart as Spock when it comes to computers.” With these different player character guides, it helps the GM assist the new players with reaching their desired character goals.

This week, Modiphius released the Mission Briefs 005 Starbase Adventures book. On DriveThruRPG this publication is listed as a “pay what you want” with a suggested price of $0.00. So you can pick up the PDF (and those of the earlier Mission Brief releases) for free. For those of you not familiar with the Mission Brief format, it is a series of adventure seeds that GMs can drop into their campaign. For this book, the subject is Starfleet Officers serving on a Starbase or other similar facility. The details for each brief is contained on a single page and geared towards a specific officer (i.e. Medical Officer, Engineering Officer, etc.). It is written by Tony Pi who has several good articles on the STA fan website: Continuing Mission. This Mission Briefs is primarily set in the TNG era, but with a little work most of them could be adjusted to other eras. There are ten briefs in total with the book coming in at sixteen pages. While you are picking up the Discovery Crew Pack, slip the Mission Briefs into your cart as well.

Hopefully soon we will see Player Character guides for Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard and other series that are available on Paramount+.

Posted in: Fan Club, My Creations, Star Trek

Thoughts on completing a project

I get a lot of ideas in my head. I mean, a lot of ideas that I’d like to see come to fruition. They rattle around my head, and if I’m smart, I put them on paper so that I can remember them later. Role playing adventures, story ideas, blog posts, homebrew ideas and more. Being creative is a natural high for me. I also love seeing creativity in others. When I see what others have done, it encourages me to do more. Especially if I believe that I can improve upon an idea and share it with everyone.

Getting these ideas started is usually the first hurdle to overcome. Sometimes I’m over-thinking things. Do I have all of the pieces in place? Do I have the time to complete a project if I have other irons in the fire? Certain things can freeze me into place. So getting started is a big step.

Once I’m on the road, I need to stick with it until I’ve reached completion. Seeing half completed items on my plate only discourages me from completing or starting a project. Sometimes it feels like I’ve got them all hanging over my head. If I run into an issue, find away to resolve it. In the photo above, I am holding a 136 page fanzine that I’ve just completed for my Star Trek club, Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet. You don’t know how happy I am to have this done since this idea has been more than a year in the making.

This Seventh Fleet Annual is a fanzine that displays the “best of” art and articles from various Seventh Fleet chapter newsletters and blogs. There has been a lot of creativity within the fleet and I wanted to put it an outlet. Why do this with a fanzine instead of a fleet newsletter? I look at club newsletters as windows to the past. To borrow a line from Galaxy Quest, they are the historical documents. I’ve collected hard and soft copies of newsletters not only from Seventh Fleet chapters, but other fan clubs as well. This includes several newsletters from Star Trek fan clubs going all the way back to the 1970’s. Seeing things through the eyes of the fans that have come before me is very intriguing. What challenges they had to go through at the time. Not only to get a newsletter published, but to keep their fandom alive. I’ve seen how a chapter newsletter helps the chapter become stronger. Every time a new issue is released, it tells members and recruits that the chapter is thriving and growing. It makes the chapter stronger. So, creating a fleet newsletter could be a detriment to chapter newsletters, and in turn, the chapter itself. Members would be moved to submit items to the fleet newsletter instead of their own chapter publications. So I felt that having a competing newsletter would weaken the chapters, which in turn would weaken the parent organization. Instead, the fleet should be supporting the chapters. So the idea of a once-a-year annual highlighting some of the gems created by members would help the chapters, and in turn, the fleet.

Now I’ve edited newsletters for a variety of special interest groups that I’ve been involved with in the past. However at the most they have been up to 32 pages. A fanzine is much, much larger. When I discovered that I had the tools, but not the know how, I set out to learn some additional tools that the word processors provide. I am very grateful to the various instructors who have shared their knowledge in YouTube. Just watching someone do what I wanted to do on video, got the ball rolling for me. Since I had poured over decades of newsletters from various chapters, I already had a good idea on which submissions that I wanted to use. Once I had momentum, I didn’t want to let it stop. Within several days I had a rough draft that I could show to my wife who has always been a second pair of eyes for me.

I would also like to say that I love the cover. I commissioned it from my college kid studying art. She provided several preliminary sketches showing different interpretations of the cover idea. From this, I was able to narrow it down to the one that looked the best. Then she spent quite some time getting all of the details right. Seeing this process first hand gave me a better appreciation of how artists work when creating their artwork.

Once I had everything done, I sent over the document to a local printing company in my neighborhood. One I had used for several projects before. So when I gave them a heads up that this was coming through the pipeline, they were ready. Within a day I had the first prototype in my hands. Not only am I excited to see what my fellow members of my Star Trek family think of this fanzine, I’m also on an emotional high from completing a project. A burst of energy that I want to put into the next project. I’m typing up this blog post not only to re-affirm my thoughts now, but giving me an opportunity to re-read these thoughts again the future if I ever feel discouraged. Look what can be done. Look at what your efforts have produced.

Let’s see what can be created. Let’s see what can inspire others.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: March 21-27

When I get a big project finished and sent off to the printer.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of March 21st through March 27th.

March 21
Happy Birthday to Sonequa Martin-Green. @SonequaMG https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sonequa_Martin-Green #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“A year ago, I stood alone. I believed that our survival was more important than our principles. I was wrong. Do we need a mutiny today to prove who we are?” Burnham- Will You Take My Hand?, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 22
Happy Birthday to William Shatner. @WilliamShatner https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/William_Shatner #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“Death, destruction, disease, horror. That’s what war is all about. That’s what makes it a thing to be avoided.” Kirk- A Taste of Armageddon, Stardate: 3192.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 23
“My greed has to be a shining light to everyone, a testament to the rewards of avarice.” Quark- The Dogs of War, Stardate: 52861.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 24
Happy Birthday to Tig Notaro. @TigNotaro https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Tig_Notaro #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“I’m going, I’m going, get off my ass! … Sir. Get off my ass, sir.” Reno- Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2, Stardate: 1201.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 25
Happy Birthday to Robert O’Reilly. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_O%27Reilly #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“Have you ever fought an idea, Picard? It has no weapon to destroy, no body to kill.” Gowron- Rightful Heir, Stardate: 46852.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 26
Leonard Nimoy born on this date in 1931. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Leonard_Nimoy #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekProdigy #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“Spock, in this case, do yourself a favor. Put aside logic. Do what feels right. Since my customary farewell would appear oddly self-serving, I shall simply say good luck.” Spock- Star Trek (2009) #StarTrek #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 27
“Tuvok tells me you’ve got a mean left jab.” Janeway “Never spar with a Vulcan.” Chakotay- The Fight, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: March 14-20

Hey Kirk, what happens when we set our clocks back for daylight savings?

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of March 14th through March 20th.

March 14
Happy Birthday to Penny Johnson. @PennyJJerald https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Penny_Johnson #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“My job is just as important to me as your job is to you.” Yates- The Changing Face of Evil, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

Happy Birthday to James Frain. @britjfrain https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/James_Frain #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“It is the secret wish of every parent that our children make right the mistakes we ourselves have made.” Sarek- Such Sweet Sorrow, Stardate: 1050.8 #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 15
“You have to measure your successes and your failures within, not by anything that I or anyone else might think.” Picard- Coming of Age, Stardate: 41461.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 16
“Space still contains infinite unknowns.” Spock- The Naked Time, Stardate: 1704.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 17
“Try it, and you’ll be saying Hail Marys till Saint Patrick’s Day.” The Doctor- Fair Haven, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 18
Happy Birthday to J.G. Hertzler. @JGHertzler https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/J.G._Hertzler #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekVOY #StarTrekENT #StarTrekLowerDecks #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“A sabre bear is most deadly when it is trapped with no hope of escape.” Martok- Blaze of Glory, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 19
Happy Birthday to Connor Trinneer. @ConnorTrinneer https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Connor_Trinneer #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“Challenge your preconceptions or they will challenge you.” Tucker- Strange New World, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

March 20
Happy Birthday to John de Lancie. @johndelancie https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/John_de_Lancie #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekVOY #StarTrekLowerDecks #StarTrekPicard #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC

“At which time you slaughtered millions in silly arguments about how to divide the resources of your little world and 400 years before that, you were murdering each other in quarrels over tribal god images.” Q- Encounter at Farpoint, Stardate: 41153.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC

Posted in: Role Playing Games

Biggest turn-off when checking out a new table top RPG

A few days ago the independent TTRPG designer @TitanomachyRPG, asked on Twitter “Biggest turn-off when checking out a new #TTRPG?” While I gave a response to the post, I kept thinking about the question. I felt that it needed more than a quick jumble of words that fit into 240 characters. When I see a role playing game on the shelf at my favorite gaming store or online at DriveThruRPG, what makes me think that I should or should not pick it up?

Not only did I think about it, I pulled a few books down to find both good and bad examples. I collect the books, both in physical and PDF style. I love seeing the different styles and systems. When I open a role playing game, I see opportunity. Opportunity for creativity, adventure and an escape from this crappy world we live in. However since I have limited time, limited shelf space and limited funds, sometimes I have to stop myself from purchases. So when contemplating a purchase what am I considering? What turn-offs will make me not want to purchase a game?

First, am I currently playing (or plan to soon play) the game in question? Unfortunately, I am not playing a lot of role playing games right now. This is something I hope to remedy soon. Also am I planning to homebrew for the system? Right now I’m trying to homebrew for the various Star Trek RPGs so I’ve been trying to pick up the various Star Trek Adventures books and other Trek-based systems when the funds allow it. Yes, the cost of the game will make or break a purchase decision. There are several games that I’d like to pick up, but the price is a little beyond my reach. I’m also a bargain hunter, so finding an opportunity to save will help greatly in pulling the trigger. A lot of times the Bundle of Holding, Humble Bundle or DriveThruRPG Deal of the Day have offered me inexpensive options to pick up some titles in PDF version. Sales can often be found at game stores, conventions and online for the dead tree versions. Every once in a while, I can luck out and find a game at a thrift store. That is how I found the Holmes version of Dungeons and Dragons at a very good price. Now this doesn’t mean that I won’t pay full price for a book, but the higher the price, the more I’m putting it off (or using a gift card for it).

So now that the 800 lb gorilla is out of the way, let’s get down to the other items that I consider when thinking of making a game purchase. I will say that probably one of the biggest is how the game is explained in the rules. A publisher is asking me to pick up their game and play it. As RPGs are social games, I would need to explain the game in a nutshell to potential players how the game is played. So if a game takes a page or two and explains the basics of the game, I’m more inclined to buy it. I remember being at the game store and flipping through the pages of Modern Age. Right near the front the explained how the game system worked in simple terms. I ended up buying the game. When I used the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game by Cubicle 7 in the 2021 Character Creation Challenge, I spotted this.

I could show this to potential players and they would understand the concept quickly. The core concept was explained on a page or two with the extra details provided in the deeper parts of the book. This also helped me out when I was creating my first Doctor Who character in this system.

Speaking of character creation, one of the things that the Character Creation Challenge has taught me is that a book that clearly lays out the character creation system from start to finish is one that I’d be more inclined to pick up. Not just roll dice for your attributes, but step by step. This should include the equipment acquisition and a clear ending to the process. Too many times the character creation process would start, then suddenly go into the next chapter, then the next and then… well am I done? Give Step One and keep going until you give a clearly marked final step. As with the core rules, summarize then go into more details later.

Hopefully the RPG book will flow from beginning to end. When I’m flipping from one section back to another then to another just to understand how the rules work, it gets a little frustrating. So I’ll look for an index in the book. If there is one, that’s points in favor of a purchase. If the books in in PDF, is it bookmarked? Bookmark entries will also be points in favor of purchase.

We now have two methods of reading our games. Dead tree versions and soft copies (PDF primarily). While I’d prefer the dead tree version if I’m learning a game for the first time, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to learn from the PDF version. Publishers, please make sure that your books are readable in both formats. For example, here is one of the few things that I didn’t like about the Star Trek Adventures core rulebook.

I’m not a graphic designer. I don’t even play one on TV. But as a consumer, this was frustrating to me. The light fonts on a black background was very difficult to read. The over-use of the little side boxes also made it difficult to read. I’m trying to read the actual rules and these, for lack of a better term I’m going to call them pop up ads, side items would try to grab my attention. I already hate it when websites try to do this, but to see it in a book was just doubly frustrating. Yes the system was good, but as I was looking through the book, I kept wanting to re-write the chapters so it was just the rules. Luckily the publisher has received feedback on this because the PDF versions also come in a “printer friendly” option. While this doesn’t resolve the “pop up ad” items, it did make it easier on the eyes. Now Modiphius took this feedback and released the other books, like the Klingon Core Rulebook and Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, with a much better layout. It wasn’t so busy, it was easier to read. Thank you.

Speaking of graphic design, the art on the cover and in the book can add or subtract from the points towards purchase. Yes the old axiom is “Never judge a book by it’s cover”, but a good cover will help. I’ve had bad covers put me off on making the purchase. When looking at the interior art, I try to look at it more objectively now since I have a college aged kid studying this subject. I’ll ask her questions and show art examples to her to get her feedback. It’s really helped on some books. I was looking at one game that I picked up cheap on the DriveThruRPG Deal of the Day and some of the interior art, while good, didn’t fit the page it was on. You’re describing equipment, and you have the art of a character headshot that has nothing to do with the subject matter. It made me raise an eyebrow. For my final photo, I’m going to show a good cover and a not-so-good cover. The Operations Division Sourcebook for Star Trek Adventures and Technoir.

In my opinion, the cover for The Operations Division showed action and a clear image of what the book would be about. Starfleet officers in gold uniforms commonly worn by those in the Operations Division doing their jobs. The Technoir cover is, well noir-ish, but bland. It could have been a 1930’s detective cover or a futuristic style cover. Had I not been gifted the Technoir book, I don’t think I would have purchased it.

The last item that could move the needle towards or away from a purchase is the support the game has. Are there free “quickstart” versions of the game that will let me read some of the basic rules? (I have made purchases after reading the quickstarts) Is there an online community for the game? How does the vendor respond on social media? Can I grab some basic freebies from their website like character sheets, handouts, or other items?

Now stepping back into the personal realm, I do tend to gravitate towards games that are part of my general interests. Specific franchises such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who and other popular shows will catch my attention. As will specific genres such as espionage, westerns, pulp-era/gangsters, science fiction and post-apocalyptic. For fantasy, I’m sticking with Dungeons and Dragons or a good clone for that itch. Retro-versions of past games can also be picked up by my radar. What fails to grab me are horror (I’m really particular about my horror tastes, plus how can I be scared in an RPG), romance, and super-heroes. While I love hero movies and shows, I’m just not drawn to the super-hero RPGs at this time.

So in conclusion, publishers please make your game easy to understand so I can explain it to others. Make your publication readable and easy to use and investing in some good artwork will really help. Hopefully this insight into one of your consumers will help you with future sales.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some more RPG books I’d like to read through.

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