Starting up with the Babylon 5 RPG.

[Mage]

A friend of mine just bought the first edition book, and I intend on reading it for ideas.
However I'll cut to the chase. About a month ago I asked friends what was Babylon five like. They gave me a very brief synopsis and I was intrigued. Then, I was lent season four on DVD. Now I am hooked. I just bought season 1 on DVD for 35 euros. Not bad at all.
I now own a set of Minabari warrior cast miniatures.

I am not new to playing in RPGs but I am to GMing and my friends who do GM are somewhat, extremist and set in their ways.

Just a few questions:

1) What are the bare essentials I need.

2) When is a good era to set a campagin.

3) How many NPCs should I have and how often should they appear.

4) Where should I set it.

5) Should I use minitures with the game. I like the models but I ;like the imagination part.

6) How descriptive should I be.

7)Any gimmicks I can use. I remember my old Call of Cthulhu GM, Leonard O'Grady, a 2000AD artist (who has now sadly moved away to the US) used to have this low, spooky music, lightts turned off and an old lantern on during play.

8) Should I listen to players, or do they do/do not know what they want?

9) How do I recognise and deal with a problem player.

10) What should I do if players do not play their character properly or not act how that character should.

11) How do i get around depending on a player's character for a game and have the player absent?

12) What other problems have I not accounted for.
I feel very conflicted about this and am finding GMing quite difficult. It could be the fact that my gamers are playing and GMing a lot longer than me, but I want to be good at it. It upsets me even to some degree. It could just be the heat in this computer lab but I really do need help.

13) Is it 100% necessary to watch the entire series before I run a game. I don't think it is.

I think it would also be cool to mix in the miniature games with the RPG. I like the main five races and the Shadows, and the Drahk are cool too. I just don't know where to go. Can I set a game in the past of Babylon 5? Why not and why so? I would maybe set it in the future but I did not like the differences between the original series and crusade (not saying it was bad, it was ok).

Thanks for listening.

 

[Eryx]

Welcome.

I'll try to help with your questions.

1. Bare essentials for a 1st edition game are the B5 rulebook and the D&D D20 Players Handbook. The other sourcebooks released for B5 are extra flavour if and when you want them. They add a lot to the game but I recommend that you and your friends get used to the basic game before branching out.

2. Its personal taste as to what era you'd like to play. Theres a lot of options to choose from: EarthForce/League during the Dilgar War, ISA Rangers after the end of the B5 series, during the series as the universe goes to hell around you, explorer ship investigating unknown space...etc. The options are endless. Pick one that sounds interesting and try it, is the best advice I can offer there.

3. In my experience don't worry too much about the NPC's. Once you know what sort of game you are running, write down some basic notes and stats for those few regualr characters (captain and other senior offices, or whoever). Just run an NPC as and when they are needed. The flow of the game will dictate whether they become recurring or not, and if so, then work them out.

4. See #2.

5. I don't use mini's myself. Its a personal thing.

6. If you are new RPG's then don't push the descriptions too much. Ease yourself into the role. Do the basics, just describe what they see/hear/smell and feel. When you've been doing it for longer this will come easier.

7. A gimmick we use is to play the B5 music at the start of the game and we give major NPC's a real actor, and do a credit sequence naming the players as their character and then special guest stars (check out my story hour on this forum and you'll see what I mean).

8. Always listen and take it in. Consider and then try and combine what you and they want.

9. Thats easier said than done. For the moment don't worry about this. Play a few games and see what happens.

10. How they play their characters is up to them, not yourself as GM. All you can do (and I recommend this in any RPG, but especially in B5) is take repercussions of actions into mind. If a military/station character disobeys orders he'll get a rollicking from his commanding officer, possibly get a short time in the brig or demoted, for example. Other characters may lose contacts or allies who don't want to be assoiciated with the them if their actions or words would harm them.

11. If its a single session they are missing, then perhaps they had work that took them away/off-station...etc. Maybe the chief of security type character (whose player can't make it) is recalled to Earth for a security conference? Maybe they just arn't in this weeks episode.
Its harder if the story goes over more than one session unless the story takes place in/on their usual base of operations. If all else fails, you as GM can take control of them and use them as an NPC until the player returns.

12. Don't sweat it. Seriously. We all started sometime and grew into the role. Just be prepared to be prepared. Do the ground work for your game before you play. Have everything ready and don't be afraid to halt the game to check something up in the books if you are not sure. Lastly, don't be a slave to the rules. If you need to bend the rules slightly to achieve what you need for your story, do it.

13. I am very tempted to say yes, you do need to watch it all, but thats just me. As long as you have watched all of season 1 then you should be ok.

Good luck and enjoy the game.

 

[frobisher]

1) What are the bare essentials I need.

The absolute bare essentials are the 2nd Edition Rulebook which has just recently been released. You can run pretty much everything you need initially from that.

I would also recommend the Galactic Guide - so that you have some interesting places to go, and the Zocolo so that you got some interesting things to buy

I'd wait for the full season guide to be published rather than buy the existing (1st edition) season books as most of the rules from them are now in the main rule book in a tidied up form.

For an Earth centric game, Free Mars, The Earth Alliance Fact Book and the Psi Corps books are essential. Don't get too hung up on the Nationality Feats thing - they are only optional feats based on national character (as of the 2200's), they are not descriptions of those nations as some offended people would have you believe.

The Minbari, Centauri, Narn and League of Non Aligned Worlds Fact Books are also handy if your campaign is to impinge those regions (though I have issues with some of the liberties taken with the Minbari background, and to a lesser degree with the Centauri).

2) When is a good era to set a campagin.

It's Babylon 5 - any era is good

There's not enough (from Mongoose as yet) information to support a campaign in the Dilgar War Era, but that could be good for an EA based campaign. Ditto the Earth Minbari War.

Starting the characters mid season 1 is a good time if you want to embroil them in the "Big plot", but similarly just after Babylon 5 splits from Earth is an awesome period to be one of the foot soldiers in the Army of Light.

3) How many NPCs should I have and how often should they appear.

Lots and as required. Not all NPCs need to be fully developed. The main characters from the show really don't need stats for the way they'll interact with the characters if you want to keep the timeline intact, but you'll be familiar with them from the show so they're an easy insert to add colour.

4) Where should I set it.

5) Should I use minitures with the game. I like the models but I ;like the imagination part.

Miniatures are a great way of sorting out combats (that's how I prefer to do it) but they aren't essential. Characters tend to be more cautious in combat if they are dealing with a map and miniatures, and that suits the fact that the combat system in B5 is reasonably deadly...

6) How descriptive should I be.

Very. Atmosphere is everything to B5.

7)Any gimmicks I can use. I remember my old Call of Cthulhu GM, Leonard O'Grady, a 2000AD artist (who has now sadly moved away to the US) used to have this low, spooky music, lightts turned off and an old lantern on during play.

The various B5 sound track CDs are helpful - you can set the exact mood you need for a moment (especially with a "big battle happening" piece).

8) Should I listen to players, or do they do/do not know what they want?

Sometimes the players are their own worst enemy plotwise - they keep giving you ideas You can adapt to what they're telling you (especially when it becomes clear they are not going to Grey 17, no matter how much you hint...).

9) How do I recognise and deal with a problem player.

10) What should I do if players do not play their character properly or not act how that character should.

All I can say is - you learn by doing. Hopefully you'll know what your friends are like, and just never put them in a situation that could cause them to behave badly in play. If that means vetoing a character idea, then so be it. Basically, have your players tell you, privately, what character concepts they want to play. Some just won't gel with each other, and some could be fun. Gently rebut any ideas that won't fly, and encourage those that will work.

The important thing is to match the characters to the players. If someone wants to play a Religious Caste Minbari, yet is a gung ho type encourage them to look to a Narn or Drazi rather than a Warrior Caste Minbari for instance.

11) How do i get around depending on a player's character for a game and have the player absent?

You can NPC them to a certain extent (some players hate that, but that's what they get for missing sessions...) but try an insure that no one character has a unique skill or ability that your scenario depends upon.

12) What other problems have I not accounted for.
I feel very conflicted about this and am finding GMing quite difficult. It could be the fact that my gamers are playing and GMing a lot longer than me, but I want to be good at it. It upsets me even to some degree. It could just be the heat in this computer lab but I really do need help.

The fact that you're even asking these questions makes me think you'll be good at it The important things are to not let the dice rule you - the GM rolls in secret and "adjusts" dice should the result be "too bad". The players are there to have fun, but not to be pandered to. Adversity is good for them. Don't let them railroad you. Luckily, B5 2nd Edition is very new, and you'll be more familiar with it than they are, even if what you normally play is OGL/d20. Stick to your guns on rules decisions.

Don't let them scour the rule book before play (a bad habit of most D&D players). Let then play a character race/class because they want to, not because it's the most l33t and they've found a rules loop hole (not that many of them it must be said...). The rules books are the GM's domain.

13) Is it 100% necessary to watch the entire series before I run a game. I don't think it is.

There are a few pitfalls plots wise if you've not seen the lot, but that's not to say you can't run games in what you've seen. Season 4 is a good time period as well - lots to do post the Shadow War and before the EA Civil War kicks off good and proper, though Season 1 has lots of possibilities. Watch as much as you can though

I think it would also be cool to mix in the miniature games with the RPG. I like the main five races and the Shadows, and the Drahk are cool too. I just don't know where to go. Can I set a game in the past of Babylon 5? Why not and why so?

There's not quite enough information to do a lot of that unfortunately (there's most on the two eras I mentioned above to do something, but that's about it)

I would maybe set it in the future but I did not like the differences between the original series and crusade (not saying it was bad, it was ok).

The Crusade era is actually fun and I'd recommend reading the thee trilogies of novels that were released a few years back (Psi Corps, Technomages and Centauri) to get a better feel for the times.

 

[Mage]

Thanks Eryx and Frobisher. You put my mind at rest.

I decided on the era being 2278 and have the party be a group of Rangers. My friend Noel has the first edition book and I'll get a lend of it tonight. Got a bunch of new ideas and am going to pitch it to players and GMs and get more insight. Need to find a few Babylon 5 fans as well and get a one to one.

Was thinking of making up a few locations for the game. Is that ok?

I also got a nice nifty idea of doing a five year story arc like the series, each peeling back a layer leading into a deeper conspipracy of the plot. I've structrued roughly the first 'season' and done the base concept for the most of my NPCs. 13 scenarios (could be more session wise) will do each season (I may run one game a month due to work constraints). I like the idea. I like the Drazi. They are in the ISA book or League of non allgned world book, right?

 

[frobisher]

The Drazi are detailed in the League book (there's no ISA book yet or even on the schedule).

2278 ish sounds fun. You have mostly a clean slate to play with as everything we've seen in the series is pretty much resolved by this time.

That's not to say that there aren't on going problems. The Drakh are driven from Centauri Prime and the Drakh Plague long since cured , but are probably a very much a problem to the ISA still.

The ISA will be looking to expand its influence, and may have had to fight a few brush wars with empires that had other opinions. Plenty of fun for a Ranger vessel.

Picking up a copy of the Rangers book might be an idea (though some of the history stuff is just rank and makes no sense, but the rest of it is dead usable (though the Whitestar variants are a bit dubious too)).

However, the important thing is to maintain the Babylon 5 feel. The Old School Psi Corps renegades are still out there, Psi Corps has its motherships unbeknownst to almost everybody, and has its hidden colonies and research bases. Bester is still on the run and not yet caught..? (It's been a while since I read the Psi Corps Trilogy so someone could correct me on that...)

The Ancients may have gone beyond the Rim, but a lot of their toys are still out there, and their minions too. What happened to the Vorlon minions for instance after they got abandoned?

There are all the former subject races of the Centauri who might by now, be strong enough to enact their revenge despite the fact that the Centauri Republic no longer exists exactly like that any more under Emporer Vir.

 

[Kizarvexis]

1) What are the bare essentials I need.

Mentioned above. The 2nd ed book is standalone, but everything else is 1st ed stats that will need to be converted. All new stuff will be 2nd ed, though.

2) When is a good era to set a campagin.

Any. Have fun with it, but check the background to fit your info in.

3) How many NPCs should I have and how often should they appear.

~Yes~

4) Where should I set it.

Anywhere. If you want to go with 1st season, then the module "Firery Trial" is a campaign based on season 1, where almost all of the work is done for you. "Into the Crucible" is based on season 2 and follows "Firery Trial".

5) Should I use minitures with the game. I like the models but I ;like the imagination part.

I've done both. Minis offer visual descriptions of what's happening in a melee. But you can go with imagination if you players only want to play with the proper minis and not what is available to you.

6) How descriptive should I be.

As much as you can. For a first time GM, I recommend going with "Firery Trial" and "Into the Crucible" as a lot of description is already there. If you go this route, read and reread the module before playing to make sure you have it down pat. Reread again right before playing that segment.

7)Any gimmicks I can use. I remember my old Call of Cthulhu GM, Leonard O'Grady, a 2000AD artist (who has now sadly moved away to the US) used to have this low, spooky music, lightts turned off and an old lantern on during play.

Gimmicks like that add great flavor. Use all you feel comfortable with.

8 ) Should I listen to players, or do they do/do not know what they want?

You can listen, but don't let them control. But this will be hard to do with former GMs as players. Remind them, gently, that you are the GM. If any of them are the "I know how to do it and here's how" types, be ready for a lot of that.

9) How do I recognise and deal with a problem player.

As best you can. Find some old articles online for this if you can. I was lucky in that I played with people who had less experience in RPGs than me, so I had less problem players.

10) What should I do if players do not play their character properly or not act how that character should.

Like above, remember the consequences. Gently remind the players the first and maybe the second and then hammer them with the consequences. They will get it. Remember to think like real life. What will the police do if someone starts running around shooting up places? B5 is set in the future and forensic science will only get better. The 'Whisperer' is a pistol weapon from "The Zocolo" that works like a PPG, but deals in subdual damage. Great for players who want to say that they are just defending themselves and no pesky murder trials. Plus, if the players can prove they took down the bad guys, Garibaldi would be grateful.

11) How do i get around depending on a player's character for a game and have the player absent?

As above.

12) What other problems have I not accounted for.
I feel very conflicted about this and am finding GMing quite difficult. It could be the fact that my gamers are playing and GMing a lot longer than me, but I want to be good at it. It upsets me even to some degree. It could just be the heat in this computer lab but I really do need help.

As above. If you can find online magazines, like Mongoose's "Signs and Portents", scan them for things you missed. And be prepared for players who are GMs to offer all kinds of advice disquised as 'help'. GMing is like anything else. It takes practice. Modules can help greatly though.

13) Is it 100% necessary to watch the entire series before I run a game. I don't think it is.

Are the same friends who told you about B5 the ones who will be playing? Do they know the series inside out? If so, then you will want to watch as much of the series as possible. If you can't find the time, you can cheat by looking at the Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. BEWARE, the Lurker's Guide will spoil some of the fun of watching the show for the first time. If you can't afford all the discs, check your local library system. Mine here in Tampa has the whole series on DVD. I suggest watching the show before playing and not spoiling yourself with the Lurker's Guide, but you may not feel that way. Go with what suits you.

I think it would also be cool to mix in the miniature games with the RPG. I like the main five races and the Shadows, and the Drahk are cool too. I just don't know where to go. Can I set a game in the past of Babylon 5? Why not and why so? I would maybe set it in the future but I did not like the differences between the original series and crusade (not saying it was bad, it was ok).

Thanks for listening.

You can use ACTA for space battles. I use Babylon 5 Wars, but it is out of print and doesn't fit as well with the RPG as ACTA.

Setting a game in the past is no problem. The old B5 RPG from Chameleon Elecletic(Sp?) started the players trying to save B1 from sabotage.

Above all, have fun.

Kizarvexis

 

[wargame_insomniac]

Thanks Eryx and Frobisher. You put my mind at rest.

I decided on the era being 2278 and have the party be a group of Rangers. My friend Noel has the first edition book and I'll get a lend of it tonight. Got a bunch of new ideas and am going to pitch it to players and GMs and get more insight. Need to find a few Babylon 5 fans as well and get a one to one.

Was thinking of making up a few locations for the game. Is that ok?

I also got a nice nifty idea of doing a five year story arc like the series, each peeling back a layer leading into a deeper conspipracy of the plot. I've structrued roughly the first 'season' and done the base concept for the most of my NPCs. 13 scenarios (could be more session wise) will do each season (I may run one game a month due to work constraints). I like the idea. I like the Drazi. They are in the ISA book or League of non allgned world book, right?

The idea of a 5 year arc sounds great. Would 2278 be too far down the line? How about 2268- you could make the 5 year arc tie in to the Crusade theme, which as it was never finished you have a free hand over. I would love to do a campaign dealing with the after effects of President Clark's dealing with Shadows and rebuilding after civil war.

And what about President Luchenko? I understand that she was a prime mover in the efforts to battle Clark from within the system. But is she one of the good guys?? Clark authorised the Shadow Omega and Warlock. But Luchenko was in power when Chronos, Delphi and Apollo were introduced, and presumably the Snickers, err I mean Marathon, and Nemesis also.

How much Shadow Tech is now being used by Earth Alliance? How pure is Earth Gov? That is what I would love to explore in more detail.

Cheers

James

 

[Chobbly]

The idea of a 5 year arc sounds great. Would 2278 be too far down the line? How about 2268- you could make the 5 year arc tie in to the Crusade theme, which as it was never finished you have a free hand over. I would love to do a campaign dealing with the after effects of President Clark's dealing with Shadows and rebuilding after civil war.

And what about President Luchenko? I understand that she was a prime mover in the efforts to battle Clark from within the system. But is she one of the good guys?? Clark authorised the Shadow Omega and Warlock. But Luchenko was in power when Chronos, Delphi and Apollo were introduced, and presumably the Snickers, err I mean Marathon, and Nemesis also.

How much Shadow Tech is now being used by Earth Alliance? How pure is Earth Gov? That is what I would love to explore in more detail.

Cheers

James

I always thought that Luchenko was mostly honest and straightforward. Sure, savvy and capable of being brutally direct, but still essentially honest.

As for the Shadowtech, we already know for a fact that elements of Shadowtech ended up deep in the Warlock design. And, there are secret EarthForce bases which have been working with Shadow technology, the existence of which is known to some of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on a need-to-know basis. But, of course, you've read the unproduced episode synopses in the Crusade book, right? :twisted:


Chobbly

 

[Chernobyl]

you may also find this useful.

Chernobyl

 

[Kizarvexis]

The 2nd ed sheet above is great. If you are doing 1st ed, then you want to use these sheets. I'm mostly happy with them and hope to do another edit on them soon.

Kizarvexis

 

[Chernobyl]

I based it on other D20 sheets on layout, and the content of the B5 2nd edition of course. took about a week to put together.

working on a smart sheet (with boxes you can fill in) hope to have it ready in a while.

Chern

 

[wargame_insomniac]

The idea of a 5 year arc sounds great. Would 2278 be too far down the line? How about 2268- you could make the 5 year arc tie in to the Crusade theme, which as it was never finished you have a free hand over. I would love to do a campaign dealing with the after effects of President Clark's dealing with Shadows and rebuilding after civil war.

And what about President Luchenko? I understand that she was a prime mover in the efforts to battle Clark from within the system. But is she one of the good guys?? Clark authorised the Shadow Omega and Warlock. But Luchenko was in power when Chronos, Delphi and Apollo were introduced, and presumably the Snickers, err I mean Marathon, and Nemesis also.

How much Shadow Tech is now being used by Earth Alliance? How pure is Earth Gov? That is what I would love to explore in more detail.

Cheers

James

I always thought that Luchenko was mostly honest and straightforward. Sure, savvy and capable of being brutally direct, but still essentially honest.

As for the Shadowtech, we already know for a fact that elements of Shadowtech ended up deep in the Warlock design. And, there are secret EarthForce bases which have been working with Shadow technology, the existence of which is known to some of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on a need-to-know basis. But, of course, you've read the unproduced episode synopses in the Crusade book, right? :twisted:


Chobbly

Hi Chobbly- I know the Warlock has got Shadow Tech- thats whay I mentioned it above. And I know that 5 year arc of Crusade was going to be eventually about EarthForce links to Shadowtech rather than just finding cure for Drakh plague. I have n't read he Crusade sourcebook yet- I don't pick it up until this coming weekend!!

Too many B5 books to read and not enough time.....

"Touch of your shadow, whisper of your name" arrived in post on Monday. I still have half a dozen of the 1st Edition sourcebooks to read. And I picked up 2nd Edition handbook on Saturday at Salute.

I need some sort of illness that does no permanent damage but is sufficiently bad for the doctor to sign me off work for 1-2 weeks.

Cheers

James

 

[Mage]

Get your appendix taken out. Not fatal and you don't need it.

I did not really want to go near the crusade thing but now that you mention it it seems like a great source to work from.

I am not too familiar with D20, but is it essentially the same system as Dungeons and Dragons? My players would already be over familiar with the rules, so in this case I'd have to absorb the rule book ASAP.
Whenever you need Shadow Tech you can never find it, LOL.

 

[wargame_insomniac]

It is pretty similar to D&D or most D20 rule systems. One difference is that armour in B5 absorbs damage rather than making you harder to hit, which I think is a nice touch. Also you have more limited set hit points per level rather than having hit dice- so your characters would gain say 2 HP per level rather than say d8.

Many of the fundamentals are the same though- character ability stats, saves, skills & feats (although obviously skills & feats are specific to B5 setting such as Computer Use which you don't find that often in D&D!!), principle of opposed D20 rolls for hiding/moving silently/bluff etc.

Cheers

James

 

[Mage]

What exactly is in the rqangers book? I think I may need it. Can I safely assume its a bunch of background and rules for the cahracter calss?

Or is there more?

I'm ordering the rule book soon!

All the old ones are compatible right? They won't be republished or have revised editions printed, right?

 

[Kizarvexis]

What exactly is in the rqangers book? I think I may need it. Can I safely assume its a bunch of background and rules for the cahracter calss?

Or is there more?

I'm ordering the rule book soon!

All the old ones are compatible right? They won't be republished or have revised editions printed, right?

Here's the table of contents

Intro
Anla'shok History
Anla'shok Directives (what the training entails)
Anla'shok Technology (cool stuff)
Important Sites of the Anla'shok (basic maps and descriptions)
Ranger Characters (the base ranger class, and prestige classes)
Gamesmastering the Anla'shok (ideas for using rangers in your campaign)

It's cool.

Kizarvexis

 

[Mage]

Thanks Kizarvexis.

Now, if only I could remember my paypal details so I could order the stuff.
Looks like i'll have to wait until tomorrow. *Sigh*

As a matter of interest, I intend on collecting as many Babylon 5 miniatures as I can ( at least one of each set). I have to say I like the minitures. The Minbari are much more impressive in your hands than in the photographs.
Can't wait to paint them. Just need to think of a cool name for their group. I remember a few from the series, like Wind Sword, and some other one.

 

[lastbesthope]

You can find plenty of names of clans in the Minbari federation fact book for the RPG, IIRC.

LBH