I bought the Starter Set (the boxed one) and it seems to me like the “default” for the Star Trek RPG is mostly the Next Generation Era. (TNG, DS9, Voyager.) I know that there were three series set in that same general era, so a lot of source material to draw from, but I’d be interested in hearing about folks who have placed campaigns in TOS times.
I know that the Lexington series of living modules are TOS. Are there any other TOS resources out there for me to look at?
Also, it annoys me that the Star Trek folks switched colors of uniforms. Gold should be command, no matter what TNG/DS9/Voy all say. I mean, the term “redshirt” loses a lot of its pizzazz when we’re talking about command and not security dudes. Right?
Several of the standalone PDF adventures are TOS-based. All the adventures we publish are either TOS or TNG and have guidance on tweaking the adventure for the other era plus ENT. The forthcoming Strange New Worlds adventure compilation will have several TOS-focused adventures. The TOS crew pack PDF details the TOS-era crew.
You’ll see more products in the future that give the TOS era some love. TOS is baked into every book we’ve done as well, simply because we’re all stans of Trek and TOS was the foundation for it all.
(Aside, I’m about to start running a TOS-era game set on an Archer-class scout.)
Stats that are similar to the ones Erosthenes posted links to, though I also added the Pathfinder and Recon mission profile. I’d post the spaceframe stats, but they’re scheduled to appear in a (hopefully) upcoming supplement, so will hold off til then. That being said, I’ve seen several versions out there and they’re all similar. It’s great to see everyone’s creativity and individual interpretations. They’re all valid.
The Archer is one of my favourite non-canon designs (I just wish Eaglemoss would add it to their lineup of models - we’ve had the Aventine and the Titan, so why not?)
All of the modules I’ve seen published have ways to tweak them to fit different eras, so while the aesthetics of the artwork fit TNG era, I try to make stuff TOS when I can. To expand on TOS era stuff available, try looking into star fleet universe materials, as that is based on a separate timeline where TOS is cannon and branches off from there.
TOS is my favorite, it has been so since it was the only trek. it is the setting that i run in but i really don’t have any other game resources, i do have a number of books about trek that i do use though. i tried FASA’s system in the 80s and liked it so much that a friend of mine and i created our own sci-fi system (now lost). i am liking this system
Will give the big thumbs-up for the concept in general; I’ve been playing TOS Trek - be it FASA, LUG, Decipher or Modiphius iterations for closing on forty years. The setting - leaving various TNG series aside - seems to provide the greatest possibilty for the creation of dramatic confict. Need to put the Federation and Klingons at loggerheads? If the Organian Peace Treaty is left out of the equation, pull the phasers and/or disruptors and start shootin’. Situation with the Romulans? There’s every chance to have the Players take the role of the Enterprise in “Balance of Terror” and establish a new basis of conflict with a foe that embraces honour (has to, if they’re going to maintain any real stability inside their own stab-‘em-in-the-back culture). There’s even the chance to call up the Borg and see what Twenty-third-era technology is going to do when put up against those ba$tards. Although TNG can certainly fit in all those scenarios, it’s kind of neat to have all our characters wearing gold for Command, blue for Science, and red for Operations and running into things for the first time (meaning the first time) and leaving James Kirk and the rest of TOS’ crew out of the picture. Although it’s certainly possible to take any of various companies’ TNG modules and retrofit them for TOS action, it’s nice to have something that was crafted for such an era from the outset and have our boys and girls working against things that the Federation and Starfleet have only passing familiarity with.
In the published adventures I’ve read/ used they give suggestions to tailor the scenario to whatever era you’re playing. No doubt however, that STA takes more effort to create a game specific to your own group. Cracking open a D&D module and throwing dice it ain’t.
We play TOS and the players ship is a prototype tactical/ military because it seemed an interesting change from the norm and we like plenty of action. They "serve and protect.’ But will do science/ exploration missions if they encounter such.
There is no Kirk and our series starts in 2266. I don’t want to hear what someone else think is fun about ST canon. Just wipe it clean and build up.
Agreed. I guess for me I have a certain bias that the Klingons and Romulans are my favorite bad guys. I like them more than the Borg or the Cardassians. With that in mind, I find that the TOS era is more fun for me because of the bad guys.
Also, in ENT and TOS I feel like the tech is pretty solid but may malfunction at points in the plot which are most inconvenient. In the later era shows (TNG, DS9, VOY) I feel like a lot of that has gone away.
Sure. Whatever works for you is what’s best.
I remember playing Stormbringer BitD and after a while we played in a universe that didn’t include Elric. Just worked better. So, it made sense for me to do the same in STA with Kirk.
(I just wish Eaglemoss would add it to their lineup of models - we’ve had the Aventine and the Titan, so why not?)