Quasi-Standard Descriptive Traits for Sherpa

This article is intended for use with Sherpa, a role-playing game by Steffan O'Sullivan published by Two Tigers Games. Access to Sherpa is necessary to utilize these rules.

Quasi-Standard Descriptive Traits is a supplement to Descriptive Traits (q.v.), which replaces Attributes, p. 3 in the Sherpa rules.

Descriptive traits provide an organic way of creating characters in Sherpa that can be liberating to one's creativity, but there are several shortcomings, most of which are rooted in the fact that there is no prescribed structure in the character creation process. For some this absence of structure is a benefit, but to others it presents a difficulty in conceptualizing their characters and/or balancing their full range of capabilities or lack thereof. To this end, quasi-standard descriptive traits may be used as an intermediate step in character creation, or they may even be used as attributes for those players more comfortable with traditional rules or for GMs who need to create non-player characters rapidly.

Quasi-standard descriptive traits use generic terms (or quasi-attributes) as a framework on which to build a character's descriptive traits. There are six:

Vocation
Avocation
Mind
Body
Spirit
Reflexes

Vocation represents a character's professional occupation, or, at any rate, the occupation by which he is primarily identified. It is the same as the Profession attribute in Sherpa, and like that attribute, it is specified.

Avocation represents a character's nonprofessional occupation or interests. It is the same as the Experience attribute in Sherpa, but unlike that attribute, it is specified.

Mind represents a character's mental capacity or intellect. It is the same as the Reasoning attribute in Sherpa.

Body represents a character's physical capacity or physique. It corresponds to the Strength and Health attributes in Sherpa.

Spirit represents a character's spiritual capacity or willpower. It has no corresponding attribute in Sherpa.

Reflexes represent a character's motor capacity or coordination. It is the same as the Agility attribute in Sherpa.

If it fits the character concept, the character may be assigned more than one Vocation or Avocation in the same manner as Dual Professions, p. 8, or they may be raised independently (see p. 24).

Once a character's Vocation and Avocation have been specified, the player allocates points in the manner described in Character Creation, p. 5. Once this is done, he then interprets the quasi-attributes in his own words, thus rendering them into descriptive traits.

The advantage is that the integrity of the character description is preserved, yet the traits, regardless of how specific they may be, can all be reduced to the quasi-attributes on which they were built, leaving no area ignored. (This avoids the potential problem of default level proliferation caused by players overlooking certain aspects of a character.)

Note: It is useful to list these traits in the same order, unless one wishes to add the quasi-attributes parenthetically.

Example: The GM is running a hard-boiled crime scenario, so she allots 10 points to each player. Player B prefers a more structured approach and opts to use quasi-standard descriptive traits. The character Player B has in mind is a crusading reporter by profession and an amateur aviatrix, which immediately translates into Vocation (Reporter) and Avocation (Aviatrix). The character is defined almost more by her extracurricular activities than her career (being an irrepressible adventuress), so 2 points are allocated to Vocation (Reporter), raising it to 6, and 3 points are allocated to Avocation (Aviatrix), raising it to 7. In keeping with her concept as an adventuress, Player B decides she is also a Crack Shot, having participated in marksmanship competitions all her life, and allocates 2 points to a second Avocation (Crack Shot), which makes it 6. The next thing to consider is the character's Mind. Player B decides she is Sharp as a Tack and allocates 1 point to Mind, raising it to 5. The character is a Tough Cookie, so 1 point is allocated to Body, raising it to 5. As far as her Spirit is concerned, she has plenty of Sass (and as mentioned earlier, she's Irrepressible), so 1 point is allocated to Spirit, raising it to 5. Player B has now allocated all 10 points before reaching the final quasi-attribute, Reflexes. As a pilot, her flying reflexes would be reflected by her Avocation (Aviatrix): 7, and as a markswoman, her hand-eye coordination as it pertains to firearms would be reflected by her Avocation (Crack Shot): 6, but in terms of all other activities involving Reflexes, her ability would be the default level of 4. Player B could reason that this is not acceptable for the character concept of an able adventuress and reduce another quasi-attribute in order to raise it, or it could be seen as an interesting handicap for the character to overcome. She may be Sassy, Sharp as a Tack, and one Tough Cookie who has an exciting career and a daredevil hobby, but in spite of all that, she just might be a bit of a Klutz. In fact, it might be more entertaining to make her a little Sassier and raise her Spirit to 6 by making her a little Klutzier and reducing her Reflexes to 3. For her Gift, Player B chooses Patron: Editor of a Big Metropolitan Newspaper (who, despite his gruffness, often bails her out of trouble and allows her keep her job when she disobeys him). For her Faults, Player B chooses Obsessed with Dance (which can be quite an embarrassment for someone who has two left feet, but is unaware of it whenever the music plays) and Recklessly Brave (which protects her from intimidation, but does nothing to protect her from her own foolhardy stunts).

Her intermediate stage of character creation, then, looks like this:

Charlotte Chevalier

Vocation (Reporter): 6

Avocation (Aviatrix): 7

Avocation (Crack Shot): 6

Mind: 5

Body: 5

Spirit: 6

Reflexes: 3

 

Gifts: Patron: Editor of a Big Metropolitan Newspaper

Faults: Obsessed with Dance (and Has Two Left Feet), Recklessly Brave

The character could be be played like this, for these are the underlying quasi-attributes, or the descriptive traits that are at the core of her concept could be substituted like this:

Charlotte Chevalier

Ambitious Reporter: 6

Daredevil Aviatrix: 7

Crack Shot: 6

Sharp as a Tack: 5

Tough Cookie: 5

Sassy and Irrepressible: 6

Klutzy: 3

 

Gifts: Patron: Editor of a Big Metropolitan Newspaper

Faults: Obsessed with Dance (and Has Two Left Feet), Recklessly Brave

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net.]

Descriptive Traits for Sherpa

This article is intended for use with Sherpa, a role-playing game by Steffan O'Sullivan published by Two Tigers Games. Access to Sherpa is necessary to utilize these rules.

Descriptive Traits, in this variant, replaces Attributes, p. 3 in the Sherpa rules. Instead of using six standard attributes to describe the capabilities of characters, descriptive traits are used.

All characters possess descriptive traits. A descriptive trait is simply anything that differentiates a character from others in a meaningful way. If a trait does not differentiate a character or is not meaningful in terms of the game, then it is not described as a trait at all. A descriptive trait may be considered anything that would be known in other games as attributes, skills, occupations, professions, vocations, avocations, areas of knowledge, areas of expertise, characteristics, statistics, classes, aspects, aptitudes, qualities, clichés, etc.

There are no predefined lists of descriptive traits. The player, upon being allotted a certain number of points by the GM, simply allocates those points to any traits he chooses to describe. Any trait he does not describe has a default level of 4 and is not listed on the character sheet. The maximum number of traits a player may describe is equal to the number of GM-allotted points. Fewer traits may be described, of course, and some traits may be lowered to raise others in accordance with Character Creation, p. 5. GM-approved Gifts and Faults (otherwise known as advantages and disadvantages) are specified as per the standard rules.

All other rules in Sherpa remain unchanged.

Example: The GM is running a hard-boiled crime scenario, so she allots 10 points to each character. Player A decides to create a police detective with the following descriptive traits: Damned Good Police Detective, Impressive Middleweight Boxer, Excellent Poker Player (and Therefore Bluffer), and Skilled and Fearless Driver. He allocates 4 points to Damned Good Police Detective, raising it to 8, and 3 points each to Impressive Middleweight Boxer and Excellent Poker Player, raising them to 7. He wishes to allocate 2 points to Skilled and Fearless Driver, raising it to 6, but he has already allocated his 10 points, so he must describe a new trait at 2 or two new traits at 3 each in order to afford it. He chooses to describe two new traits at 3 each: Sucker for Dames in Distress, which constitutes his chance to resist their hard luck stories and/or schemes, and Coffee Addiction, which means he must have sufficient quantities at regular intervals or he will be irritable, reckless, and just not as effective at his job. For his Gift he has a Photographic Memory, and for his Faults he Lives in a Bad Neighborhood (which presents all sorts of possibilities for the GM) and Suffers from Migraines (which afflict him in a debilitating manner, perhaps under circumstances negotiated between the player and the GM). Any traits that he has not described exist at a default level of 4, although some traits may be inferred from those he has described. For instance, he did not specify that his character is Strong or Physically Fit, but it may be assumed that an Impressive Middleweight Boxer: 7 has the strength, stamina, and coordination appropriate to someone of that description. Similarly, he did not describe his character as Keenly Observant or as a Shrewd Interrogator, but it may be assumed that any Damned Good Police Detective: 8 would possess those qualifications. On the other hand, if he were ever in a situation where he would need to land a plane, walk a tightrope, or operate an unfamiliar machine, he would have the same chance as anyone else: a default level of 4.

Oliver Rath

Damned Good Police Detective: 8

Impressive Middleweight Boxer: 7

Excellent Poker Player (and Therefore Bluffer): 7

Skilled and Fearless Driver: 6

Sucker for Dames in Distress: 3

Coffee Addiction: 3

 

Gifts: Photographic Memory

Faults: Lives in a Bad Neighborhood, Suffers from Migraines

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net.]

Star Trek Observations Part 7

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]

The ship prefix most commonly heard in Star Trek is "USS" as in "USS Enterprise." We know from the original series that USS stands for "United Spaceship," which is conveniently close to its historical inspiration, "United States Ship." The only other ship prefix heard is "SS" as in "SS Beagle" or "SS Columbia." We can assume in this case that SS stands for "Spaceship," pertaining to Federation ships in general, whereas USS denotes Star Fleet ships. (The historical meaning of SS, incidentally, is "Steamship.")

The question is: Do other major spacefaring civilizations also use ship prefixes? I see no reason why they should. If the Germans and the Japanese during World War II perceived no purpose for ship prefixes, why should the Klingons and Romulans? Perhaps that is an unfair comparison, perhaps not, but it possesses an appealing symmetry. Besides, the logical choices are decidedly unappealing. For instance:

• "Imperial Romulan Ship": IRS
  
• "Romulan Imperial Naval Ship": RINS
  
• "Imperial Klingon Ship": IKS
  
• "Klingon Imperial Naval Ship": KINS
  
• "Klingon Imperial Spaceship": KISS
  

I suppose one could simply resort to RSS for "Romulan Spaceship" and KSS for "Klingon Spaceship," but both sound too Federation-like, too neighborly, too friendly. The Tholian Assembly is far too alien to have any use for something as quaint as ship prefixes, and I think the Gorn are likely to lack the sentimentality to give their ships names at all. Therefore, in the Expanded Classic Star Trek Universe, USS and SS will be retained for Federation starships, Klingon and Romulan ships will have names sans ship prefixes, Gorn ships will use hull classification symbols combined with hull numbers exclusively for identification, and Tholian ships will use only hull numbers (a.k.a. registry). Furthermore, Star Fleet vessel identification will consist of the following:

• ship prefix (e.g. USS)
  
• name (e.g. ENTERPRISE)
  
• registry (e.g. NCC-1701)
  
• hull classification symbol/hull number combinations (e.g. CA-2)
  

Hull classification symbol/hull number combinations are used to identify individual ships by their type (e.g. CA for Heavy Cruisers) and their production number (e.g. 2 for the second ship of that type to be commissioned). Ships of different classes within a type are numbered consecutively for their production within the type, not the class, i.e. Constitution class Heavy Cruisers CA-1 through CA-19 might be followed by the hypothetical Magna Carta class Heavy Cruisers CA-20 through CA-22, which might be followed in turn by the Fuji class Heavy Cruisers CA-23 through CA-25. A class that is too radically different from its predecessors might warrant reclassification as a separate type altogether, along with a new series of hull numbers, e.g. USS Dreadnought (NCC-whatever) (BB-1). Here BB stands for Battleship and 1 stands for the first ship of that class.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 12 July 2007.]

Star Trek Observations Part 6a

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]

Here is a proposed list of Star Fleet hull classification symbols for use in the Expanded Classic Star Trek Universe. [See also Part 6.]

Interstellar Combatant Types

• BB: Battleship (planned)
  
• C: Cruiser (retired; formerly assigned to Light Cruisers)
  
• CA: Heavy Cruiser
  
• CC: Battlecruiser (retired; never used operationally)
  
• CL: Light Cruiser
  
• DD: Destroyer
  
• FF: Frigate (retired)
  
• K: Corvette
  

Interplanetary Combatant Types

• M: Monitor
  
• PB: Patrol Boat
  
• PF: Patrol Frigate
  

Support Types

• AGR: Research Ship (also known as Science Ship)
  
• AGS: Surveying Ship (also known as Survey Ship or Scout)
  
• AT: Tug
  

Module Types (for use with Tugs)

• AM: Auxiliary Module (also known as Module)
  
• AMA: Agricultural Module
  
• AMB: Barracks Module
  
• AMF: Factory Module (also known as Manufacturing Module)
  
• AMG: Miscellaneous Auxiliary Module (also known as General Module)
  
• AMGO: Orbital Station Module
  
• AMGR: Research Module
  
• AMH: Hospital Module
  
• AMK: Cargo Module
  
  • AMKD: Dry Bulk Cargo Module
    
  • AMKL: Liquid Cargo Module
    
  • AMKP: Products Cargo Module
    
  • AMKR: Refrigerated Cargo Module
    
• AMM: Mining Module
  
• AMP: Transport Module
  
• AMR: Refinery Module
  
• AMRD: Repair Dry Dock Module
  

Combatant Module Types (for use with Tugs)

• AMKA: Assault Cargo Module
  
• AMPA: Assault Transport Module
  
• AMPB: Patrol Boat Module
  
• AMVA: Assault Vehicle Module
  

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 1 July 2007.]

Star Trek Observations Part 6

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]

The following are thoughts about Federation ships in the Expanded Classic Star Trek Universe.

I am inspired to retain the designs pioneered by Franz Joseph in his Star Fleet Technical Manual, but I shall not be using all of his suggested names for vessels. In fact, I shall be using very few of them. Unlike the extreme diversification of ship types found in both Star Fleet Battles and the Alternate Star Trek Universe, I would like to simplify Star Fleet and limit most of the variety to different classes within each type rather than representing every possible type. Star Fleet, after all, is a "combined service," as Captain Kirk once said, and would expect most ships to be capable of carrying out a variety of missions, rather than succumbing to the overspecialization (and overspending) of historical military services. The main ship types (and their hull classification symbols), then, are Heavy Cruisers (CA), Light Cruisers (CL), Destroyers (DD), Scientific Research Ships (AGR), Scout/Surveying Ships (AGS), Transport/Tugs (AT), and Corvettes (K). Battleships (BB) of various classes, including a Dreadnought class, are in the planning stage. Frigates (FF) have been retired from combat duty as they are obsolete, having only navigational deflector shields and some hull armor, rather than the powerful deflector shields required by modern warships.

CA: Heavy Cruisers, as mentioned repeatedly in the original series, are the most powerful ships in Star Fleet, and are the envy of rivals such as the Romulans. They have the most powerful armaments and deflector shields of any Federation ship, they are the largest of the armed Federation ships, and they have extensive research facilities to allow for very long deep space missions in potentially hostile parts of uncharted space. Despite their status as ships-of-the-line, they are far more versatile than the capital ships of most other spacefaring species, and their activities can involve exploration, surveying, scientific research, emergency aid, rescue operations, transportation, diplomatic missions, escort duty, or patrol, in addition to combat missions.

CL: Light Cruisers serve much the same function as Heavy Cruisers, but most classes are older. At one time they were the only Cruisers in Star Fleet (previously bearing the hull code C), and were the cause of the retirement of the Frigates. Light Cruisers are well-armed, possess reasonably effective deflector shields, and have moderate research facilities. They are used for much the same variety of roles as Heavy Cruisers. Light Cruisers are somewhat smaller, considerably less expensive (and quicker) to manufacture, and consequently more numerous.

DD: Destroyers are dedicated warships — heavily armed, possessing powerful deflector shields, very maneuverable, and having no peaceful function except to restore peace through battle or the threat of it. Destroyers are typically deployed to protect shipping, defend populated areas, repel invasions, or otherwise engage hostile vessels close to home or deep in enemy space. The limited research facilities of a Destroyer are solely devoted to analyzing unfamiliar enemy weaponry and developing countermeasures in the field. Additional barracks are available for large armed landing parties or boarding parties.

AGR: Scientific Research Ships are unarmed, possess moderate deflector shields, and are used for — as the name suggests — conducting scientific research alone in safe areas of Federation space or with the protection of a Destroyer, Light Cruiser, or Heavy Cruiser in more dangerous areas. They have the most extensive research facilities of any ship in Star Fleet and are capable of very long missions in deep space. They are slow, however, and not very maneuverable.

AGS: Scout/Surveying Ships are very lightly armed, usually possessing no more than a single bank of phasers, with moderate deflector shields, but they are very fast and highly maneuverable. They have moderate research facilities, but their primary mission is either reconnaissance, exploration, surveying planets, charting space, or a combination. They are also used to convey messages beyond the reach of Star Fleet signals.

AT: Transport/Tugs are truly the workhorse of Star Fleet and are the most numerous of the larger ships. Transport/Tugs can be reasonably maneuverable or reasonably fast, but never at the same time. They are moderately armed for defensive purposes, possess powerful deflector shields, and are equipped with the strongest tractor beams. The three main purposes of the Transport/Tug are to convey large, modular transport containers designed for liquids, dry bulk, refrigerated goods, products, or passengers; to tow ships that are disabled or are entering or leaving drydock; and to participate in salvage operations.

K: Corvettes are small ships with small crews, moderate armament, and light to moderate deflector shields. Like Destroyers, Corvettes are dedicated warships with no available space to waste on research facilities. Their purpose is to patrol the space around Federation planets, prevent piracy, and harass larger enemy vessels. Despite their size, they can be very effective when they use their speed, maneuverability, and superior numbers to their advantage. Corvettes are the most numerous of the armed ships in Star Fleet.

BB: Battleships are still in the planning stage as of the fifth year of the Enterprise's current five year mission. If and when they are ever launched, they will supplant the Heavy Cruiser as the most powerful armed ship in Star Fleet, but they will not enjoy the diversity of mission assignments, for their sole purpose is to destroy the enemy. A Battleship will possess the greatest firepower and the most powerful deflector shields; if she has research facilities, they will be strictly dedicated to research of a military nature; she will have enough quarters to accommodate the largest armed boarding parties; and she will be equally capable of providing planetary defense or spearheading assaults on enemy fleets or bases. The drawback is that she will be astronomically expensive both to build and maintain, especially for the limited scope of her missions. Another disadvantage is her poor maneuverability, the lowest of any armed ship in Star Fleet. She will probably need to be towed into place every time she docks. Nonetheless, when she needs to reach warp speeds, she will make the jump extremely quickly (as long as she's already pointed in the right direction).

More details on the ship types, including all the classes and the names of individual vessels, will follow. Eventually.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 30 June 2007.]

Star Trek Observations Part 5

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]

Thinking further about the previous article, I have decided on the following terms to describe the Star Trek universe, which will be used in my comments and probably in the game as well:

• Alternate Star Trek Universe
  
• Classic Star Trek Universe
  
• Expanded Classic Star Trek Universe
  

It is in the Alternate Star Trek Universe that one may find all the movies and spin-offs that comprise the current official Star Trek canon. The Classic Star Trek Universe pertains only to those things that have been depicted or mentioned in episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Animated Series. The Expanded Classic Star Trek Universe is the same as the Classic version, with the addition of most of the information found in the Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph, some elements described in other games (q.v.), and original material that I shall be contributing in order to expand the setting by logical extrapolation from what has been presented before (with the original series being considered the primary source and authority where there is conflicting data). A quick note about the advantages of adapting material from secondary sources such as the Star Fleet Technical Manual, Star Fleet Battles, Federation Commander, et al: In choosing to acknowledge the existence of Franz Joseph's starship designs (the world's first published examples of Federation starships other than Constitution class starships such as the Enterprise), I am now free to use miniatures based on those designs in my own game. I can use Gamescience miniatures to represent the Heavy Cruisers, Destroyers, Scouts, Transport/Tugs, and Dreadnoughts, FASA miniatures of the Reliant to represent Light Cruisers, and various other Amarillo Design Bureau miniatures to represent new ship classes I have designated. Thus, I have no reason not to continue collecting miniatures.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 30 June 2007.]

Star Trek Observations Part 4

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]

As mentioned previously (and this might be more of a Part 3a rather than a Part 4, to be honest), I am considering all Star Trek spin-offs to be part of an alternate universe and not the "Classic" universe. (The current tentative title for the game, by the way, is Classic Star Trek: The Unofficial Role-Playing Game.) My reasons for this, apart from my overwhelming preference for the original series, is borne out both by how the depictions on screen and the events behind the scenes led to irreconcilable divergences.

For the latter, I direct your attention to the lamentable canon wars. [See the Karen Dick interview at Trekplace.com.] To sum it up, it all started when Franz Joseph Schnaubelt, who went professionally by the name of Franz Joseph, created two books, Star Trek Blueprints and the Star Fleet Technical Manual. Gene Roddenberry encouraged him and officially approved of his blueprints and manuscripts, even going so far as to recruit Joseph as a technical advisor for a scuttled show and getting his work included in an exhibit at the Smithsonian. Due to a series of fateful misunderstandings caused by differences in how Hollywood and the world of engineering do business, Franz Joseph eventually had his work published by Ballantine with the help of Paramount. Joseph's books transformed the publishing and bookselling industries, and countless Star Trek fans took his works as gospel during the interlude between the original series and the first motion picture. Roddenberry, understandably a bit vexed by the tremendous success of Joseph's books (which were originally to have been published by a company run by his wife, Majel Barrett [see the article]), reversed his previous stance toward the books and actively promoted their decanonization, if you will, beginning with Star Trek: The Motion Picture and especially with Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Although, it must be said, a number of Joseph's ideas and innovations were incorporated.) There has even surfaced something touted as Roddenberry's Rules of Starship Design, ostensibly created with the purpose of invalidating Joseph's designs of several Federation starships previously approved by Roddenberry. [See Franz Joseph's Starships and Roddenberry's Rules of Starship Design by Greg Tyler at Trekplace.com.] In short, some of the divergence of the spin-offs (or maybe much of the divergence) was caused by Roddenberry's (and probably Paramount’s) desire to avoid the necessity of dealing with Joseph in matters of royalties and intellectual property rights. Rewriting history and enforcing "official canon" solves their problems.

With regard to the on screen depictions that justify my alternate universe interpretation, there is such an abundance of examples that it would be pointless to try to list them all. I shall limit myself to just a few. First, both the original series, the spin-offs, and even the movies (e.g. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) are rife with examples of time travel and alternate time lines. Once you take into account as few as one or two discrepancies between them, it is obvious that we are talking not about one time line, but at least two.

Item 1: In the spin-offs and movies, Romulans have modified "angry brow" foreheads, whereas Vulcans do not. In the original series, Romulans and Vulcans are identical, to the extent that when a Romulan is seen by Terrans for the first time ever ("Balance of Terror"), Spock is immediately suspected by one member of the bridge crew of being a Romulan spy. What possible purpose it could serve to alter the appearance of Romulans (other than satisfying someone's alien forehead fetish) is beyond me. Obviously, we are dealing with an alternate universe here in which Romulan evolution diverged from their Vulcan kin to the point where they were not identical.

Item 2: Beginning with Star Trek: The Motion Picture and continuing with every subsequent movie and television depiction, Klingons have — you guessed it — modified foreheads. In the original series, Klingons were no more distinguishable from Terrans than Romulans were from Vulcans, except in their manner of dress and their attitude. Budget concerns aside, I think it served to show us how close we really were to being Klingons ourselves, with their hunger for conquering and exploiting those weaker than themselves (amply demonstrated in our own history), were it not for our ability to put our differences aside, promote peace, and work together to help other cultures without interfering with their natural development. In the original series you have this remarkable contrast of who we could be (the United Federation of Planets) and who we are, to a degree, now (the Klingon Empire). The forehead Klingons, I suspect, have no other excuse than that they have a much bigger makeup budget, so it's the fashion to modify everyone's forehead they can get their hands on. With regard to continuity (and disregarding the eagerness of some fans to excuse every single error ever made by retroactively "explaining" it away instead of just admitting that a mistake is a mistake), the only reasonable explanation (and the simplest one) for why forehead Klingons exist in the later spin-offs and the prequel Star Trek: Enterprise, but not in the original series, is that we are dealing with an alternate universe again where Klingons evolved differently. The alternate universe explanation, I predict, will be further vindicated when the next movie, in which the original crew of the original series will be recast with big name stars, will depict not original Klingons, but forehead Klingons. Then there can be no doubt even in the eyes of revisionist groupies that Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Animated Series exist in a separate universe from the "canon" universe of the spin-offs and movies. [Edit: Revisionists are willing to go to ludricous lengths to justify inconsistencies in the spin-offs, as demonstrated by the "Klingon augment virus," but I maintain that the spin-offs are as much of an alternate reality as the rebooted Star Trek movies are. It's the simplest and most logical explanation.]

Item 3: Cloaking devices are a Romulan invention and belong only to the Romulan Star Empire except for one improved cloaking device that was stolen by the Federation so it could learn how to detect cloaked Romulan ships and thereby avert any temptation the Romulans might have of violating the peace treaty and invading Federation space ("The Enterprise Incident"). Cloaking devices were not even known by the Federation to exist until an unknown force (a cloaked Romulan ship) was discovered destroying Federation outposts monitoring the Romulan Neutral Zone ("Balance of Terror"). Yet, this first contact event would be rendered utterly nonsensical by the cloaked Klingon ship encountered by the crew of the Enterprise in the prequel spin-off Star Trek: Enterprise. I rest my case. Not to belabor the point, but Romulans would never trade cloaking technology to any foreign power (military cultures tend to guard their military secrets jealously), especially not another aggressive, empire-building civilization. And as far as Romulans using ships "of Klingon design" ("The Enterprise Incident"), we can be reasonably certain that Romulans are not trading anything they value to acquire those designs, but are more likely experimenting with designs they stole from the Klingons.

If the preceding three items do not prove my case, then nothing will. In my view, there is Classic Star Trek exemplified by the original series, the animated series, and portions of other material such as the Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph, and then there is the Alternate Universe Star Trek exemplified by the movies and spin-offs. I prefer Classic Star Trek, and that is what my unofficial role-playing game is about.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 29 June 2007.]

Star Trek Observations Part 3

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]

Just to clarify how I plan to do things with the new game, I am viewing the following sources as canon:

• Star Trek: The Original Series [a.k.a. Star Trek] (including the pilot episode, "The Cage")
  
• Star Trek: The Animated Series (mostly)
  
• Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph (mostly)
  

The following are additional sources of inspiration:

• Star Fleet Battles by Amarillo Design Bureau (partially)
  
• Star Trek: The Role Playing Game by FASA (partially)
  
• Star Trek Role-Playing Game by Last Unicorn Games (partially)
  

The movies and other television shows and games are not considered part of the Star Trek universe embodied by this game (as I do not consider them part of the same fictional universe or time line at all). At best, I consider the spin-offs to be an irrelevant alternate universe. As far as the game is concerned, the date is the beginning of the fifth year in the Enterprise's five-year mission. The future is wide open from there. And no, Star Trek: Enterprise and its revisionist interpretations never happened and it has no bearing on the events in the game (just as it has no bearing on the events of the original Star Trek).

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 19 June 2007.]

Star Trek Observations Part 2

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]

The Gorn civilization made its first appearance in the Star Trek episode "Arena," but there seems to be little agreement on the governmental structure of that civilization. Star Fleet Battles refers to the Gorn Confederation; FASA's Star Trek: The Role Playing Game refers to the Gorn Alliance; and The Star Trek Encyclopedia refers to the Gorn Hegemony. Hegemony is the worst term, since it doesn't refer to an organization or government at all, but rather an exertion of control or influence.

Since Star Fleet Battles is the earliest source to provide a name for the Gorn government, I think I shall go with Gorn Confederation for now.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 12 June 2007.]

Star Trek Observations Part 1

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]

In the Star Trek episode "Miri," reference is made to Space Control as an agency responsible for providing long-term assistance to a planet in distress, presumably offering medical treatment, education, and help in rebuilding. So far, I have not been able to find any other reference to Space Control in the television series, in The Star Trek Encyclopedia, or on the Internet.

In lieu of any other source of information, I am assuming that Space Control is an organization that was created by the United Federation of Planets as a sort of Red Cross/Peace Corps/U.N. peacekeeping force combination. Whereas Star Fleet is used to defend Federation space, prevent piracy, explore the frontiers, and serve as emergency first responders, Space Control is used to deal with long-term, widespread medical emergencies, natural disasters, civil wars, and rebuilding efforts. I think it's a logical and effective separation of duties. Star Fleet can't be expected to do everything.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 12 June 2007.]

Marching Onward

A year and a day ago, I ended Fudgerylog. I just noticed the missed anniversary as I was preparing to salvage some more articles for Creative Reckoning, its more Fudge-focused successor. Fudgerylog had become a bit of a mess over the years, and I had been struggling with its identity for some time. When WordPress blogs all over the world became compromised a few years ago, it seriously impeded my momentum and helped me reach the conclusion that it would need to be reborn on Blogger as a Web log more narrowly dedicated to the Fudge role-playing game and its cousins such as Sherpa. Gradually, I would transfer only the relevant articles to Creative Reckoning and leave the rest in suspended animation in Fudgerylog.

Creative Reckoning has been quiet lately, but the migration of Fudgerylog articles will continue at a brisker pace. The recent passing of Leonard Nimoy has reminded me that I need to resume my ongoing project of adapting the original Star Trek to Fudge, so I will transfer all of those articles first (and probably hold new articles related to the project until this finished).

Sherpa has been on my mind lately, in part because it has been influencing my approach to Fudge and D6, so I will be posting my Sherpa material from Fudgery.net here very soon, too.

That's my plan for March.

Sherpa and the Serenity of Game Design

When it comes to rules in role-playing games, whether it's Fudge, D&D, D6, or Basic Role-Playing, my tendency is increasingly to strive for minimalism. Simplicity, for me, is the answer. Sherpa, amongst others, has been my guiding light in simplifying my approach to the crafting and modification of role-playing rules—small wonder it was designed by Steffan O'Sullivan.

Prime Objective

First on my Fudge gaming agenda of 2015 is a return to my Star Trek project (otherwise known as Classic Star Trek: The Unofficial Role-Playing Game, which incorporates the original series, the animated series, the Star Fleet Technical Manual, and a few other sources). My interest was recently revived when my fiancée and I started rewatching the original series from the beginning. To make a long story short, I have a small group of players who are eager to do some Star Trek role-playing, so I shall be working on finishing the basics of the game, designing some scenarios, and running them. I shall post updates as I make progress, and in the meantime I might repost my old Star Trek articles from Fudgerylog for the sake of completion.