I thought I'd try my hand at some reviews, since it gets kind of boring writing about my past or my take on certain topics. Boring may not be the right word, more like repetitive. Calling this a review is probably wrong, as to me that implies a certain amount of objectiveness and coverage. This will be more like an opinion piece, what I think of this product and its strengths and weaknesses. To start off, I'll review the ST:TNG RPG published by Last Unicorn Games. I've been slowly developing a campaign using this game so it is more familiar to me than most games.

First off, the physical quality of the material is impressive. The main rule- book is hardcover, with glossy pages, full color pictures, and almost 300 pages at $35. Last Unicorn Games (LGU) has released several supplements now. The hard- cover books are just as good looking as the RPG, and the softcover books are printed on good paper with black and blue inks. Note that the printers are in Canada, and I've found that other games published in Canada are also physically excellent.

In terms of the layout and writing style, the authors have managed to deliver a book that is reminiscent of the Next Generation Universe. The layout is styled after an LCARS interface, with lots of boxouts and rounded corners. Each chapter has a little introductory vignette that sets a tone for the whole product. LGU has also published a TOS RPG and one for DS9, and they each have an individual style that reflects their television shows. I found the writing clear, although some points are not explained clearly nor have enough examples to make it clear.

The game system itself is on the rules-light end of the spectrum. Personally, I like rules-heavy game like Rolemaster, one where I can toss out any rules that I don't like. I find that easier than trying to introduce complexity to a simpler system. Anyway, ST:TNG RPG's Icon System is based around the d6 and is vaguely reminiscent of the Heavy Gear RPG and West End's d6 System. Each character has five attributes -- Fitness, Coordination, Intellect, Presence, and Psi -- ranging from 0 to 5 and skills ranging from 1 to 6. Actions are done by first finding the skill and appropriate attribute, then rolling d6s equal to the attribute score. The highest d6 rolled is added to the skill level to achieve the final result. One of the dice rolled is a wild die, where if a six is rolled, you can add that six and the next highest die, then the skill level, to get your result.

The system makes characters with high attributes not as useful as characters with high skills, which is not that bad a result. You can have a gifted neophyte who can be beaten by an experienced person with less natural advantages. There are also skill specializations and edges (which are attribute specializations), so you can refine your character to be strong but not have a good endurance, or be smart but not observant. Characters also have Courage, which can be used to increase the result score of a skill test.

The experience system is a little flawed. It's too easy to increase a skill in favor over a specialization, as the point cost of a specialization is only a bit less than the base skill. LUG staffers have admitted that the experience system was not designed with muchkins in mind. There is also the concept of Reknown, which works like fame or reputation in other games. As a whole, I think the suggested rewards are too high for my tastes, as the characters will quickly become much better than all the NPCs that I've seen written up in the various supplements. The PCs should be the stars of the show, but I think it should be because they come up with good ideas rather than being able to overpower the obstacles.

As a general philosophy, LUG favors the television show metaphor for running adventures. There's a lot of advice in the main rule book and the Narrator's Guide on running three-act adventures, with an introduction, buildup, and then climatic ending. I think that the advice is good and will help keep a campaign truer to the television show, more so than campaigns using FASA's Star Trek or ADB's Prime Directive, which I feel tend to be more about shooting aliens than trying to make contact with them.

In conclusion, LGU has published an excellent line of gaming material for use in running a Star Trek: The Next Generation campaign, and perhaps any Star Trek based campaign. The rules are conceptually simple and elegant, although I have a problem with its lack of refinement: a difference of one is quite significant. The experience system will need some work for some playing groups, and overall the various products are designed to help you run a television-style campaign. I think I'll have fun running a Star Trek campaign using this system, and most of my players should like it too.