Ask Me Anything: WhtKnt

There is a GURPS supplement. I own a copy!

Favorite thing about Pathfinder 1E?? And have you checked out Savage Pathfinder (I know we chatted about SWADE fantasy companion), or do you play on checking it out??

In a word, versatility. If I need an orc shaman, I take an orc and slap a few levels of adept on it. If I need a young otyugh, there's a template for that. If I want a dryad berserker, I can take a dryad and add a few levels of barbarian and most of these alterations can be done in minutes, rather than having to recreate a brand new creature. The same thing applies to players. You can build the exact character you want to play (though it may take some time to come up in levels).

I have briefly looked at a friend's copy of Savage Pathfinder and do intend to get the books from DriveThruRPG, eventually. I probably won't run in the Golarion setting, since I prefer my homebrew settings, but I am interested in the ruleset.

Did you hold a rank in Starfleet?

I do, as a matter of fact. I am a Captain in STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association. Currently assigned to the U.S.S. Neptune, NCC-75013 (our chapter "ship"). Sure, it's all for fun, but we get together and do conventions, fan events, and community service. As an aside, I did serve 7.5 years in the U.S. Air Force but only ever made it to Senior Airman (E4).

Did Trek inspire you to enlist? Or are they unrelated?
What's your favorite drive?
What do movies get wrong about your job or career?
Have you finished every book you started?

Strangely enough, Trek did inspire me to enlist. That and three years of drifting through college with nothing to show for it. So the military was really a last resort and I chose the Air Force, rather than the Navy because I thought that it might at least get me closer to space.
I'm sorry. I don't understand the question.
My specific career field? The only movie about meteorologists I know of is Twister and aside from them surviving being in the middle of an F5 tornado, it was fairly accurate.
Nope. I abandoned The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe because it couldn't hold my interest. I also dropped Eragon for similar reasons. I have also abandoned a few scientific books about physics and spacetime because they were too dry.

If you enlisted in Starfleet, what branch would you be most interested in? What's your preferred flavor (series) of Trek?

What two things do you like most about Trek?

What two things do you like least about Trek?

Sciences, all the way. I am a scientist at heart.
It was the Next Generation, but Strange New Worlds has recently overtaken that.
First, the idea of a unified Earth and a utopian society. I know that it's corny, but I like to believe that such is possible. Second, is the very idea of space exploration. Exploration of the vast unknown has always appealed to me and Star Trek fulfills that desire. I've always said that I would not hesitate to volunteer if NASA came to me tomorrow and offered to waive all requirements to send me on a one-way mission into space. To see the wonders of the universe up close? Yes, please.
Inconsistency. I find it annoying when the writers can't even stay within their own rules and history. You have a bible for the show, use it! I believe that it was George Takei who once said that a guest director was on the set one day and told him, "George, when I give the signal, I want you to hit that button." George replied that he couldn't do that. When the director questioned why not, George said, "If I hit that button, the ship will blow up!" While I'm reasonably sure that it was just George being funny, the fact is that the fans would have noticed!

The second thing that bothers me most about Trek is Paramount's treatment of its fan base. Yes, there are fans who would take advantage of every loophole, but by and large, most of us just want to be fans and to share our love of the franchise with other fans. If we post an image of your starships on our website, we're not trying to infringe upon your rights, we are merely showing our appreciation for the Trek universe.

I notice that there is a Humble Bundle about Modiphius' 2d20 Star Trek Adventures. I've got a bunch of the books already, but STA is one of those possibly cursed games on GP.

Have you played it? What did you think of it in capturing that Star Trek vibe?

I have played STA. In fact, I run a face-to-face game on Friday nights. It does not lend itself well to PbP. However, my players seem to enjoy it immensely (despite the fact that we are still learning the ins and outs of the system). I would say that it goes a ways towards capturing the Trek feel, but I can't recommend it for online play. Offline, it is a lot of fun (so far), though there is a bit of a learning curve.

What is the level closer social interaction do you care to have in your gaming?

I actually prefer F2F gaming, but I like the application of using the computer for mapping and combat resolution. I have hundreds of beautiful full-color maps for VTTs that I have purchased or found online which would cost thousands to print (plus the cost of miniatures). My group meets face-to-face but one of them uses the computer to project onto the big screen for the benefit of all. They see only what the characters would see (or know) and I get to make full use of the Foundry's VTT capabilities. If they want to roll physical dice, they are welcome to do so, or they can use their computer.