New game master

I am a new GM, I want to get the best books. I can’t afford everything.

What would be the best books to start?

Core Rules of your choice.

For a new GM, I’d probably recommend the 2nd edition Core Rules. But they’re still on pre-order and set for release in august or so. If you pre-order a hardcopy, you might get the PDF any time soon, but I don’t know when.

Until the release of 2nd edition, the free quickstart rules might be your best start.

If you can’t wait for 2nd edition, go with any first edition Core Rules. There should even be a sale right now. There are three “flavours” of Core Rules: the (original) Core Rules, the Klingon Core Rules, and the (Tricorder) Digest.

Of these three, I’d recommend the Digest. It’s basically the same book as the original core rules, but contain errata and some improvements.

For further books of first edition (according to Modiphius, you should be able to use most of their content with 2e rules with no or minimal conversion), I’d recommend (in no particular order): the GM’s guide, the Player’s Guide, Utopia Planitia, and the Shackleton Expanse Campaign Setting.

If you need the resource to kickstart ideas for writing your own missions for your players – buy Captain’s Log. It’s essentially a book of random tables that will inspire your creativity.

If you’re asking my perdonal top three GM resources, they’re: Digest Core Rules, GM Guide, and either Shackleton or Captain’s Log.

Feel free to ask for clarifications!
Until then: enjoy your game!

I have the core rules, captains log and lower decks already. I’m focusing on GMing for younger kids keeping it lighter.

I’ll look into Shackleton expanse. My ultimate favorite series is DS9, is there a campaign or books about that?

Also the differences between captains log and 1st edition seem to lead into 2e, don’t you think?

I’d go with the Gamma Quadrant sourcebook for your DS9 needs. Maybe combine it with the Player’s Guide which gives you lots of options for non-Starfleet characters and nontraditional campaigns.

Thank you, I appreciate it very much.

Shackleton gives you a space station at the edge of Federation space that is co-run with another major polity.

Just sayin… :wink:

(Also: Yes, Gamma Quadrant and Player’s Guide.)

In some ways, in that CL doesn’t have challenge dice. But you can see lots of little steps from 1e to 2e in the supplements released, and the other core books and rules digests. Apparently other 2d20 games, especially Dreams and Machines, are also where you can see refinements to the system.

The game and settings are flexible enough that you could easily adapt them to be what you want. Shackleton Expanse could easily be adapted into a DS9 campaign - although I think it would be best kept as is and just made into a DS9-like campaign. There’s just a lot of work out into developing the expanse that is great but wouldn’t work so well being merely the other side of the wormhole. That said, you could just place the expanse near the wormhole in the Gamma Quadrant, that’d work well.

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There is a ds9 character sheets I can use for certain details.

Are there special rules just for space stations?

Yes.

First (chronologically speaking) there are p. 94 ff. of the Command Division Supplement that presents rules to build starships as one builds starships, along with 4 talents, but no starbase-frames or mission profiles.

These were introduced with Utopia Planitia. In said book, you will find rules to build Starbases on p. 66/67 and p. 73 ff.; completely with a set of spaceframes, mission profiles, and talents.

For your plots, you might be interested in the “Starbase Adventures” Mission Briefs Set. It’s free. :slight_smile:

Ok does any supplement have rules for DS9 specifically as a station, or stats for it?

So far I have not seen any rules for challenge dice in the free rules for 2e. Or did I miss them?

Yes. For Fluff, see the Gamma Quadrant Sourcebook in particular.

You did not. Omitting Challenge Dice are one of the major changes from 1e to 2e.
@Felderburg referred to the lack of challenge dice as one thing Captain’s Log and 2e have in common. In that sense, Captain’s Log, as you mentioned, might be seen as a stepping-stone leading towards 2e.

Yet, there are fundamental differences between Captain’s Log and 2e, beginning with the fact that, while Captain’s Log omitted talents, 2e gave characters even more talents.
If I, personally, was to draw a tree of development of the 2d20 ecosystem, I’d consider Captain’s Log and STA 2e as different branches, both originating in STA 1e. I’d say that 2e is heavily influenced by Dune-flavoured 2d20 (omitting challenge dice, greater emphais on traits) while also taking many improvements on the STA ruleset itself that came with (especially) the Klingon Core Rules refinements, the Player’s and Gamemaster’s Guide and the Division Supplements.

Other major changes are that Captain’s Log only ever uses 2d20, there’s no Determination, and Momentum and Threat are very different from either edition of STA.

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I get it yes a stepping off pint like I said I’ll be running it for 11 yr olds so I’m not gonna rules lawyer them to death but want a working knowledge. I eventually wanna GM for a con.