Attending Starfleet Academy: A Guide to Loving Background Tables

Most people agree that making characters is generally a fun experience.  However, not all systems provide the same type or quality of experience during the character making progress.  Some games like Pathfinder or Savage Worlds take a less is more approach, allowing you to make a character is a very small amount of time and leaving the details (if any) of the character's history to the player.  Other games, like Hackmaster 4th edition and the FASA Startrek game take a very different approach.

Now I'm not going to beat around the bush, I like background tables.  They provide you with guidance, tie your character into the setting, and provide a balanced field on which all characters are created.  Not to mention when they are done well they are just plain fun.  Our first game of Hackmaster one of the most fun nights of gaming was making characters.  That night each of us went through the course of events that had led up to the beginning of the campaign.  The Professor's character, a Mage, was probably the most entertaining.  The tables simulated his character getting into and attending a magical academy.  Everyone was keenly interested in what was going on and each die roll seemed to be more imperative than the last.  Though it wasn't even my character I still had an absolute blast.  

Fast forward to present day.  Our group recently decided to start a Star Trek game using the Savage Worlds system.  Being new to Savage Worlds I got the book and looked over the character creation rules.  It only took a few minutes and I had the basics down.  It only took a couple of more minutes to create a completed character.  The rules are very streamlined, something that the makers of Savage World have clearly strived for.   Those of you who don't know the game, Savage Worlds is made to be played in any setting and in any genre, so it doesn't have much by way of setting specific information on Star Trek.  For that I took a ride on the way back machine to FASA's 1st edition Star Trek Role Playing Game.  

In that game I was met with the polar opposite approach to character creation.  Thinking it would be fun to get the full experience I decided to remake my same character using this different system.  I wanted my character to be a Starfleet Officer so that meant that I had to go through what he did in his early life, go through the long process of attending Starfleet Academy, his cadet cruise, branch school, multiple tours of duty, and command school.   The process took a really long time. 

It was a blast.

Not only that but my character ended up with a rich history tied in closely with the setting.  In addition to being fun the experience wasn't a waste as that background was still perfectly usable for my Savage Worlds character. 

So even in this day in age when rules light games are all the rage and people balk at having even the smallest detail of their character's backstory decided by anyone or anything but themselves, I encourage you to reacquaint yourself with the background table.  You might just find that they prove to be an interesting addition to the character creation process.  Hell, you might even find that you really like them. 

Gary Gygax Wasn't Perfect

My last quote inspired article, "Game Balance and the Conformist Utopia" seemed to be greatly enjoyed by our readers so I decided to follow it up with another one.  


Gary Gygax, often dubbed the father of our hobby, is obviously beloved by nearly everyone.  Why not?  He inspired countless men and women, was friendly and welcoming to those he met, and above all passionate about what he did.  Yet Gary, like all of us, was not perfect.  For proof we need go no further than Gary himself.

"There's a number of things in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that I never should have done. I shouldn't have put Psionics in there, but somebody talked me into it." -Gary Gygax

So as we see, Gary didn't regard himself as perfect, nor did he see his creation as a flawless masterpiece.  As seen above he particularly regretted addition psionics into the game.

Psionics remains something of a hot button issue today.  Most people harbor a strong dislike for them, preferring to leave them out of their own games.  Others harbor a strong and fervent love of them and tend to lash out at those who take pot shots at one of their favorite parts of D&D. 

I gave psionics a go multiple times, but just found that they generally don't fit in games and settings that I play.  They are too close to magic to have each be special and play a vital role in both the setting and the story.  I have played with people who used psionics to replace magic altogether, and in my opinion this would probably work better than having both and creating a big jumbled mess, but would alter the feel to be something other than a typical fantasy setting.  Given the psionic abilities in 3rd edition the game would probably feel more like a sci-fi game than a fantasy one, though it would probably be really cool if you were playing a post-apocalyptic fantasy game.

Giving the Mega-Dungeon a whole new meaning

Blame Mass Effect 2

 

That's right, blame Mass Effect 2 for my lack of posting.  I am very fond of Bio Ware games and Mass Effect one was one of my very favorites.  For those of you yet to get your hands on the sequel I won't spoil anything for you, but suffice to say it is a very worthy successor. 

Those of you unfamiliar with the series should definetly go check it out if you are into SciFi RPGs, as this is the best series going for console of PC. 

Rest assured, faithful readers that I am finished with the game and life should now return to normal. 

...That cheer you heard was actually my wife's. 

Gamer Movie Review: Top 10 Sci-Fi

There are a ton of Sci-Fi games out there. Gamers love Sci-Fi, even those who choose not to play within the Genre. Whether you play Sci-Fi games or not there is a ton of inspiration to be drawn from the very best films the genre has to offer. Often the technology element in the story can be substituted for magic when playing in a fantasy game, making the transition easier than most people think.

So without further fanfare here is the list...

***
TOP 10 GAMER SCI-FI FILMS

10. Back to the Future – Time travel is so rarely done well, but Back to the Future really hits a home run with it. The first one is great, but as happens so often, the subsequent films are not quite as good. Still, the whole trilogy is worth watching.

9. The Thing – Great setup for a film. This film is full of tension, as no one knows who has been taken over by the alien. One of Kurt Russell’s best.

8. Alien - Alien and Aliens are great. I try not to hold them responsible for Aliens 3, or anything AVP related.

7. Predator – Well if we couldn’t fit Conan in I’m glad we at least worked Arnold in! The Predator was a great film but those that came after it (Including the God awful AVP films) are not so good.

6. Blade Runner – Harrison Ford will always be known as Han Solo and Indian Jones, but if there is third thing he should be known for it is his role as Rick Deckard in Bladerunner. This movie is a must see for any Sci-Fi fan.

5. Terminator – Terminator 1 and 2 are great. The third film was bad (see below), but it wasn’t enough to ruin the franchise. Thus Arnold makes another well deserved appearance on our list.
4. The Matrix – Before you get on me about this one know that I am only talking about the first one. If you can think back to a time when it was the only one I am sure that you too loved this movie.

3. Star Trek – Whichever is your preference, I prefer the original. Star Trek has become a massive franchise, spanning television, movies, toys, and of course RPGs. Star Trek’s influence on pop culture and the Sci-Fi genre cannot be denied.

2. Serenity/Firefly – Yes, I put it higher than Star Trek. Let me have it, if you want, but I’m not changing it. Yes, I know I put Firefly on the Western list as well. No, I’m not changing that either. Color my coat brown, people. Serenity and Firefly are truly amazing works of art. If we have seen the last of it (God I hope not) then let me go on record as saying that Joss Whedon and Company did more with fourteen episodes and a movie than some people could do with three blockbuster films and endless resources (Yeah, I’m looking at you George Lucas). Margaret Weis Productions released a Serenity RPG in 2005. Those of you who love Serenity/Firefly are encouraged to check it out.

1. Star Wars – Ok now that I’ve ripped GL over his recent work let me talk briefly about why his older work earns the number one spot. Star Wars came from no where to have a huge impact on popular culture and the sci-fi genre. Then it did more. It has permeated our culture so much that its influence has spanned well beyond just inspiring science fiction. Star Wars is one of those timeless classics that nearly everyone has seen, and confessions of having not seen it are met with justified incredulity. As with Star Trek, Star Wars is a massive franchise now. Movies, television, books, and toys have been around for a long time. It has a long tradition of video games, the more recent Knight of the Old Republic series being extremely good. Let’s not forget the pen and paper RPGs as well. Star Wars ignites the imagination like few other things can, and it is only natural that gamers would be drawn to it.


Skip It
Predator 2
Terminator 3
The Matrix 2&3