Monday 29 February 2016

Press Your Space-Face Close To Mine: Returning To Star Trek Roleplaying




God bless Star Trek Online, without which I wouldn't have easy to access to pics such as the above.

It's been ages since I last ran my Star Trek RPG - in fact, a quick search on the Star Trek tag on my blog reveals the last session was mid 2014.  So, we're all gonna need a catch-up before we can get started talking about what's happening this time around in the exciting world of post-TNG, 25th century Star Trek adventuring!

So, what was it that happened last time we played?  Well, as you would expect from a game designed to mimic broadcast television I did not let my players go too long without being put the emotional ringer.  I made a Gorn scientist who defected from his homeworld return there; I revealed some junior members of the Enterprise's crew were using illegal drugs to cope with the stress of the final frontier; a Klingon medic had to cope with getting a prosthetic body part; and a inter-crew relationship with Ailsa's Vulcan/Betazoid officer that had gone swimmingly for a season and a half was put through some tensions.

The season finale, however, upped the game a bit...

"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. We will absorb your technological distinctiveness into our own. Resistance is futile... but enjoyable.".
...by having Borg nanoprobes turn up, get on board the ship and try to infect the entire crew.  Cue a Star Trek version of the zombie movie, complete with that previously mentioned romantic couple ending up with one partner having to shoot another, Borgified member.

Except a boyfriend, not a mum.
In the aftermath, the Enterprise's crew of 1700 was down 75 members due to people assimilated or killed in the occasion.  We also saw two members of senior staff depart; Raj's Gorn scientist went off to take a civilian posting while Molly's Klingon medic went off to take a course at the academy and become a full Starfleet officer.  With that we lost what might be the weirdest topic of interspecies slash fiction since I accidentally read a really awful Scooby Doo post on Usenet.

Well, that or the Gorn's debut episode "Arena" which is on the face of things pretty gay.
...Just kiss already!
Now we've covered what's gone before - what is the set-up for this fifth season of our game where even on our worst day we're still better than Star Trek: Enterprise?

Thursday 11 February 2016

Blast From The Past: White Dwarf 82

This historical event was used as inspiration by Raj in our Star Trek game for his character, Doctor Brô'c'ĥn the Gorn.
Our next Blast from the Past is dedicated to a very special issue of White Dwarf which has significance for both the roleplayers and wargamers amongst you.  Plus some Discworld for those of you who aren't quite as into elfgames as I am but might still want to see some vintage nerdity!

Set your time machines for October 1986 and make sure you've eaten plenty of riboflavin: time travel is known to deplete your reserves of that.


A cover image that will be very familiar to nerds of a certain vintage

Yes, as the issue cover proudly announces, we’re at the release of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.  As will become sort of traditional the cover art for White Dwarf is a reproduction of the cover to the latest big released.  Although GW had released RPG books before this it tended to be reprints of American material or supplements for American games – whole new RPG systems designed in-house were an oddity.

Saturday 6 February 2016

It Even Smells LIke A Street - New Warhammer 40K Terrain, Part 2

A veritable ruined street of terrain pieces.

Finally, a hobby project finished for 2016!  Yes, after a couple of weeks of dawdling I've painted up my Warhammer cardboard ruins, which means I have seven new pieces to add to my already extant four pieces.  That's a nice wee ruined city board option ready to slap down on the tabletop.


After my last post I had six pieces of terrain assembled but still bare cardboard.  I made one more ruin to use up some loose pieces of cardboard I had - another fairly large one, this time a three-walled building  - and then it was time to move onto the next steps - filler, basing and painting.