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Jaime Lawrence
Australia
Sydney
New South Wales
See Below.
Evil Bob: Lawful good since 2038!
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Last time on ‘Engaging Enemies’, I wrote about the traditional structure for an enemy book, citing the Hacklopedia of Beasts, a mockery of the Monster Manual as my model. The problem with both of those books as a model is that they explore a very particular approach to gaming – the Hack and Slash/fantasy game. But how does the old monster book fare when tossed into a genre whose main goal is exploration, discovery and the seeking out of new life and new civilizations?
For many Science Fiction games, it would be a fallacy to say that they were ‘about’ something different from what fantasy gaming is about, but Star Trek is different from your average Science Fiction game. The mechanical design of this game encourages players to attempt a mix of action, diplomacy and investigation. In short, if all we’re going to do is negotiate a peace treaty, why do I need the stats for a Breen? More to the point, how do I assign stats to a Consciousness Parasite?
If, like me, you are plagued by such questions and cannot sleep at night, Creatures is the book for you. The first twenty pages are devoted to explaining two things: how to use creatures in games that aren’t about killing them and how to create them from the ground up. Ever wondered how creatures in these books are ‘balanced’ against each other? There are a dozen tables here telling you how to do it, detailing habitats, challenge level, organization, activity, demeanor and likely actions that a creature will take. Calculate all of these, than add on details about its stats, abilities and skills and you can tell exactly how much of a challenge the creature will be.
Perhaps more importantly, there is significant discussion of how these creatures fit narratively into a game. First, decide if the creature is an obstacle or the main focus of the episode. If the latter, it can fit in several ways; a physical threat to the crew, a cultural dilemma to be resolved, a moral dilemma to engage with or a scientific enigma to study? Creatures in Star Trek are meant to form the basis of entire episodes, not just temporary moments of tension.
Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a book if it were just twenty pages of how to build and use creatures in Star Trek stories. The rest of the book details all the animals of the galaxy, from the Ape to the Yridian Yak (apparently there are no creatures in the galaxy whose name starts with a ‘z’). Let’s be serious for a moment though – how do either of those creatures pose a threat to an away team armed with Type III Phaser Rifles?
As observed above, the game is structured in such a way that creatures are not direct threat. That Yak may be the last of its kind, just as the Ape may be sacred to the tribespeople you’re negotiating with. In fact, all of the entries in the book, especially those for unusual creatures like ‘Denevan Neural Parasite’, have sections not only on their behaviour and environment, but details on how to best use them in adventures and encounters.
For some, this may be too prescriptive, but essentially, this book is giving you dozens of adventure hooks that you can use either as the centerpiece of a story or just as a passing moment in something larger. At the same time, it has all the stats you’d expect of an ‘enemies’ book and that amazing ‘how-to’ introduction. Overall, it has to score 8½ Klingon Targs out of ten. Not only is Creatures a step away from the traditional, boring presentation of enemy books, it’s an insightful look at how such books are created.
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DMSamuel
United States
Ithaca
New York
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Isn't that the helmet Princess Leia wore when she defrosted Han Solo?
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Jaime Lawrence
Australia
Sydney
New South Wales
See Below.
Evil Bob: Lawful good since 2038!
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Many people have noted the similarity between the Breen and Leia in RotJ (Bossh?).
The makers of Star Trek have remained silent on the matter...
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DMSamuel
United States
Ithaca
New York
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Hida Mann wrote: The makers of Star Trek have remained silent on the matter...
Because she's holding a thermal detonator!!!!!!!!
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