GURPS: Prime Directive

Wait, isn't there already a game based on this universe? And it is made by someone else? Yes, while we love that game too, this is something entirely different. And this is GURPS.

My brother and I used to play mammoth sessions of Federation and Empire back in the day, and we spent our summers playing that game in epic battles between all sides. There was one game where all the Gorn fleets stacked up, waited for the right moment, and they all rushed Earth in a massive alpha attack. They failed, but the "Gorn Pearl Harbor" to this day lives on as a cherished memory, and it led to a brutal beating of the Gorn by the Federation side that allowed both the Klingons and Romulans to take over vast swaths of punching-bag Federation space.

Huge stacks of counters, massive fleets, phased turns, production, sieging planets, strategic deception, setting goals, telling other players to back off to their faces, feigning treaties, double-crosses, taking worlds, falling back to defensive positions, laying a trap and luring the other fleets one star too far, and pounding the other fleets into atoms with massed phaser and torpedo fire.

AC/DC's Thunderstruck could be in the soundtrack to this universe.

This game is set in an alternate universe Starfleet Universe that was granted a perpetual license by Paramount in the late 1970s to create games. It only covers material from the Original Star Trek Series. Paramount was very cool (back then) with fans and fan support. Regardless, this is unheard of today. This makes Star Trek and its community of creators special, and I hope this legacy continues into the future. The books tell the whole story, but this is such a cool part of parallel fandom, and it is done with a lot of care and respect. If anything, this adds to the mystique, appeal, and lore of the franchise, and it is a part of gaming history.

The main wargame, Starfleet Battles, spawned several other games, including F&E and the simplified Federation Commander, which is a more accessible Star Fleet Battles-style game. Since then, the universe and game have diverged significantly from the original series and future films, becoming their own unique entity.

And lucky for us, we have a role-playing game based on this universe, written for the GURPS system.

Where the original Star Trek universe was hopeful, peaceful, progressive, and advanced, the Starfleet Universe is its parallel opposite dimension in a "dark universe" by comparison. This is a universe wracked by wars, constant ship battles, border engagements, all-out wars, planetary bombardments, taking worlds, aggressive exploration and conquest, and all sorts of reasons to slug it out with naval starships.

And to roleplay in this insane, violent, "we are trying to be the better side here, but don't push us" universe with GURPS is a fantastic experience.

This is like what if Star Trek was set in a universe that resembled World War II and the Pacific Theater. We have battleships, carriers, starfighters, marines, bombers, dreadnaughts, fast attack craft, scout ships, destroyers, stealth ships, and a wide range of other naval warfare assets. While the RPG features ship combat, the game advises you to play it with either Star Fleet Battles or Federation Commander (my choice, as it is a comparatively more straightforward game).

A part of me just loves how "wrong" this universe is with its open hostility and militancy, and the open warfare that goes on like Klingon and Romulan ships were something to "hunt down" if they were ever spotted in Federation space. We aren't talking for half an episode here and getting to know each other, and figuring out a creative way to solve the situation without violence. No, we are loading the torpedoes, charging the screens, and powering up phasers. We are sending that scrap metal to the bottom of the universe.

It is like one of those retro games where a starship is destroyed, explosion sprites appear on it, the sound effects play, and the ship sinks "down" off the screen. Down? In space? Yep, down. It may seem illogical, but we love it.

Klingon landing party detected on a planet? Send the marines down to clear them out, bomb them with bombers and fighters, or just drop a few thermonuclear torpedoes on them, and let's get out of Dodge. 

This game and universe take no prisoners. While this game can be used for a more traditional and peaceful universe, the dial can be turned up to "battle intensity rating 10" and drop you into a constant galactic war with a level of militarization, brutality, and worlds at arms that will shock you.

And the lore has diverged and considerably expanded, creating its own universe that is careful not to include anything beyond what they were allowed to do. We have new alien and space factions, along with some of the classics. The whole universe feels vibrant and alive, different yet familiar, with many of the favorites, and so many new species to meet and planets to explore.

This is the D&D in space we never got, with battling starships, planetary exploration, and familiar faces and worlds - and honestly, only the classic game Space Opera comes close. And you can still buy these games! The prices have increased slightly, but they still come with counters and maps, and this is not a digital product. They are well worth it for a lifetime of fun.

Star Fleet Battles, the role-playing game, Federation & Empire, and Federation Commander have always been a strange, quirky, fascinating parallel fan-published piece of the galaxy. It should not exist, but it does, and we love it. And thank you to the parent company for allowing them to do something extraordinary for so long; this makes Star Trek far, far cooler than that other science fiction franchise in my mind.

Amarillo Design Bureau is a shining example of what fandom can accomplish, delivering a world of fun in the often-overlooked, yet vibrant, corners of fandom that are too small to ever be mainstream. Yet the players who love these corners of the hobby are passionate and find lifetimes of fun in these games.

And this universe can be played in GURPS.