Game Procedures

Since the intro block is also used to advertise in LFG, it's inappropriate to put it there. I have moved it here. I want to state the procedures for this game: STAR FRONTIERS is TSR Inc.'s first entry in science fiction in 1982. It has a fast personal, vehicle and aerial combat system. Great for "how-to" notes about playing and being a referee (game master). The rulebook is available for free download at <a href="http://www.dwdstudios.com/sfdrdownloads" rel="nofollow">http://www.dwdstudios.com/sfdrdownloads</a> I am only going to use the initial rules box, which was later called "Alpha Dawn". Do not miss downloading the "Alpha Dawn Quick-Reference Booklet" also. These are all the tables from the game and are quicker to use in play than the book. Combat modifiers on p. 4, weapon tables on p. 6! Spaceship rules were added in "Knight Hawks" and a revamped rules system with a colour-coded Action Table was in "Zebulon's Guide", but I will introduce them only gradually if at all. GUIDELINES: Pre-generated player-characters (PCs) will be provided, especially for the introductory one-off games I will use again and again with interested new players. This is more to introduce people to role-playing than to act as a launch for a campaign. For the more extended multi-week campaign, where adventures may be several weeks each and interconnected with each other, you may create your own starting character exactly according to the instructions in the rules and gain experience and develop new skills and even increase characteristics according to the rules. I will try to enhance the uses of sound: sound-files and background music. You may hear the odd sound-effect: not from Roll20's library (unusable, since I can't cue up to the part of the SoundCloud file I want), but from my own computer's sound mixer. Use the Roll20 microphone and cam system. Text is only for dice-rolls and in-game notes that I or anybody else cares to make. If Roll20 lags too much I may switch to Skype, which is very clear sound for conference calls. Everyone, try to get a Skype account. Of necessity, I will be doing much of the talking. Be sure not to miss my descriptions; it is my forte. Then I will solicit PC reactions one at a time. Maybe a Speaker will be appointed, and all the players discuss with that person. The Speaker then relays the final decision about each PC's actions to me. Sometimes the party may have to split up, for example to use different character specialties in different places. When that happens, BE EFFICIENT. Speak directly about what your PC doing, don't go into side-issues. I will handle each in turn. This means down-time for most people; I recommend you make yourselves useful by --studying the awesome Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn rules --monitoring the state of your gear: noting what you're low on and figuring out where and if you can get a refill (I will not slow down the game by going into much detail about equipment and gear) --plan your next moves. Have a pencil and paper handy to bring up your issues at the right time. If you didn't know already, in Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Firefox you can maximize your window by pressing F11 to get rid of browser command bars on top. All handout files look bigger and you see more of the map that way. Roll your mouse over the top of the screen to get the command bars back. Press F11 again to get out of this mode.

BUILDING YOUR OWN CHARACTER: You don't have to use the pre-generated characters I presented here for the test game. &nbsp;You can build your own character as follows: 1. &nbsp;Go into the game, get a copy of the Character Sheet from the Characters section. &nbsp;Do not alter the master character sheet itself. &nbsp;Instead, press the Duplicate button and Save Changes. &nbsp;A new sheet called "Copy of Character Sheet" is presented. &nbsp;You can erase the caution-header, and give your character sheet a name. 2. &nbsp; Select your name in the editing permission space, and then remove "All Players" from the editing permission so no one else can alter the sheet except you and me. (Correction:&nbsp; players don't get a Duplicate button.&nbsp; I duplicated the master blank Character sheet for each of you.&nbsp; Look for the sheet titled "For (your in-game name).) 3. &nbsp;Follow the game rules for designing a character, but you can get extra skills. &nbsp;For this game start, you are a Star Law Ranger. &nbsp;Your Primary Skill Area (PSA) has to be military. &nbsp;You get one skill in the Military PSA, another skill can be from any of the PSAs. &nbsp;Then in addition to these (2 skills according to the book's character generation rules), you get a free Environmental 1 skill because of your situation, and *2* extra skill levels from any PSAs. &nbsp;For these 2 extra skill-levels, you may either add a new skill OR increase an existing skill on your sheet by one level (+10% chance of success.) &nbsp;So you may end up with 5 separate skills all at Level 1, 4 skills (3 at Level 1 and 1 at Level 2),&nbsp;2 basic skills of character generation plus Environmental, and one of these is built up to Level 3, etc.;&nbsp;the total skill levels is 5.&nbsp;&nbsp; It is your choice. &nbsp;Characters with technological or biosocial skills have them to serve the investigation and detective functions of Star Law (a kind of "CSI Port Loren" concept.) Be warned. &nbsp;With great skill comes great opponents. 4. &nbsp;The game characters may not necessarily stay in Star Law. &nbsp;You may find a patron in the style of the TRAVELLER game to go on missions for them. &nbsp;You may even tackle the exploration of an entire planet (gee, can I write something as extensive as the Volturnus modules? &nbsp;Maybe I can!) &nbsp;We'll have to see where the campaign goes.

What about equipment?&nbsp; Same as in the book, 1d100 +250 credits? Any standard starting equipment other than PSA kits, since we are Star Law?

Same as in the book, and you get appropriate kits for skills like you said. In addition, Star Law issues: --one rifle* of your choice (getting or buying a weapon includes one ammo clip of the proper type.) --your choice of either an Albedo Screen, Inertia Screen or Anti-Shock Implant*. &nbsp;(There is a long-standing typo in the rules, by the way. &nbsp;An Albedo Screen consumes 1 Standard Energy Unit (SEU) / 5 pts. laser damage absorbed, or part of 5 pts. thereof. &nbsp;It is not 1 SEU/min.) --two Freeze Fields if on active, dangerous duty. *Since there is so much wear and tear and you'll be using some items constantly, you're assumed to keep such things if you ever muster out of Star Law. &nbsp;Other things are job-issue only and are returned to the supply depot. If you want to try to Requisition anything else from the Depot, you will meet a runty little clerk in Star Law named Walter "Sonar" O'Shaughnessy who may cut a supply-barter deal with another detachment to try to get what you want. &nbsp;The guy's a little strange and tends to mutter what you're saying before you say it, but he's a wiz at supplies. &nbsp;Don't expect too much if you're rookie cops/colonial marines. &nbsp;With experience, you'll be issued more sophisticated Star Law gear.

Exactly how do you make a copy of the character sheet? &nbsp;I see "edit".. and if I do that I can save changes (don't worry, i didn't make any changes) but there's no save-as-copy or save-as or copy.. or whatever...?

Copying a Character Sheet in the Journal is only a GM/Co-GM function. I know, pain in the but eh? Also kinda silly. You cannot change the name of the character either. That is also only something the GM/Co-GM can do.

How did you do that thing whare you took a character sheet and put it on a fourm post?

That looks to be a screen capture.

Bellyboy . said: How did you do that thing whare you took a character sheet and put it on a fourm post? Take a screenshot of what you want and save it to a file. &nbsp;I used GIMP to do this. Click the image button on the toolbar.. its the next to last one on the list there.. drag the file from a file browser to the "drop file here" box and whalla.. you have an image in your post. Gimp is more powerful than I need but it works well. &nbsp;Basically I just use threse four steps out of everything Gimp can do. * create from clipboard to get the image into gimp in the first place (alt-print-screen first obviously) * &nbsp;Draw a rectangle with the "Rectangle select tool" over the area of the image I want to keep * right click on the image and select image cropy to selection * export the image to a file (ctrl-shift-export) &nbsp;- careful not to use "save" because it wants to save in gimp's xcf format, no idea why that is the default.. crazy.

OKAY!!!! &nbsp; I made a mistake ! &nbsp;For the GM a "Duplicate" button appears where you can make a Copy of a sheet. &nbsp;I thought if I gave All Players control you could do it too. &nbsp;But you don't get a Duplicate button. &nbsp;So I Duplicated the Character Sheet and gave editing control in each of your names.&nbsp; Look for the sheet "For (your in-game name)". 3 players changed their names when I ran a mini-game to a Character (Player) format, but you should still be able to find and use your sheets. &nbsp;Tell me if you can't access and edit it. A few players like Amber R. and Bruce are in my campaign roster of players outside, but I can't call up their names from the selection list inside the campaign. &nbsp;I don't know why not. &nbsp;(EDIT!: &nbsp;Possibly it's because they have to jump into the game area at least once for the system to put them in the selection list.&nbsp; Or possibly they changed their in-game names, in which case the sheet is For (in-game name).&nbsp;&nbsp;If you haven't done so before; please jump in and read the Handout materials, and the race summaries where the race names and descriptions are actually designed as Characters in the Journal section.&nbsp; (This is so that I can Whisper something in a racial language, and only those characters from that race (and who have dummy control of the character) will understand it.) I can offer any assistance you need generating characters with the rules + my guidelines for enhancements.

Do things work now for you guys?&nbsp; Can you each access a character sheet with your name and make any editing changes?

If people are having trouble proceeding, I may call a character generation session before the main adventure campaign. &nbsp;In any game, the first night or two might be needed to sort people out. When that is, however, I'm not sure, as I'm about to get a new baby in the family: &nbsp;the TRAVELLER 5 core rulebook at a bouncing 656 pages. &nbsp;What, did you think I was talking about a REAL baby? &nbsp;I toss it on the pile with the 80 other RPG babies!