Hi.. I've been interested for a while on how I would create my own star trek rpg? I know that some people use NOVA where it like automatically gives you templates and things but I found it very difficult to use. Could someone please help me by telling me what I would do to start my own RPG? -erin
Re: How to create your own Star Trek RPG? by the way the title was supposed to be How to create your own Star Trek RPG?
Well more than software, websites, or templates what you need is a solid foundation of ideas of what you want to do and how you're going to accomplish it, along with a solid core of people. A rpg without other people defeats the purpose. I will say that a good half of trek rpgs that crop up over the years don't get off the ground because of a lack of vision and primarily the creator just wants to be the captain. A lot of people do want to be the captain after all, it is human nature to aim for the top. A commanding officer does need great people skills, organizational skills, patience and an imagination. Coming up with new missions on a regular basis alone is no mean feat for example. Whether it's the big chair or a new vision you're aiming for however, the best way to accomplish this is often by joining an existing sim fleet where you can network with new members to possibly join yours, or earn your shot at the big chair from the bottom up. Trek rpgers are a rather tight knit clique and I will say often the worst thing you can do for a sim is to go on other people's sites and message boards randomly advertising your own. Establish a reputation as a quality guy who contributes to the rpgverse however and you can get away with it. I wish you luck with your endeavors, and if it would help you I can link you to a sim I participate in with a number of people, that you'd get out of it what you contribute to it.
That's good advice - my next tidbit would be - if you do find a fleet you like, expand on your skills. Read a lot. Get ideas. Don't simply rehash things you've already seen or take things from whole cloth from other media. You can be inspired by it, but don't rip it off. Just because you got back from seeing Dark Knight Rises, that a distopia story is awesome and create a Batman like character. Secondly, there's nothing wrong with being in or even having a small RPG group. My own group - Starbase Byron is really only myself and a small handful of other players that come and go. It happens. If you get crushed too soon because some 'key' players leave, then you're not ready to run your own group. If you can weather the storm with only like two or three people besides yourself, you're golden. And good times will come again. Its just the nature of Trek sims, people come and go as their interests change, or personalities conflict. So really, I would say - start with joining an already formed RP group (at least one that's more than a few months old - but not one that's decades old) and get to know people. Learn how to write. Learn how stories get put together. Then when you are ready and you've established a rep - then... you can go ahead and form your own group and recruit.
I've always wondered why there hasn't been a good Star Trek role-playing video game. Something like Skyrim or Mass Effect. If it was done right it would be an incredible game.