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The GURPS Prime Directive Core Rulebook
The GURPS Prime Directive Core Rulebook (Powered by GURPS) is designed as a stand-alone rulebook based on the GURPS Lite rules, but expanded by additional material from other core GURPS rulebooks including Space, Basic Set, Compendium I, and Compendium II. However, it has been carefully designed so that if GMs and players wish to use rules presented in other GURPS rulebooks (such as the Basic Set) they may do so, and just use the information presented in the GPD core rulebook to expand their campaigns into the Star Fleet Universe. One of the strengths of GPD is that whatever kind of planet a GM wants to send his players to, there is probably an existing GURPS book to cover it.
While the initial Prime Directive roleplaying game ten years ago restricted characters to being members of a Prime Team (sort of command-scientist-diplomats), GPD gets rid of all such restrictions! Players can create characters that are bridge officers aboard a starship, members of a mercenary combat team, officers and crew aboard a merchant ship, agents working for the Galactic Intelligence Agency, Star Fleet Marines, a non-governmental relief agency, investigative journalists, or any other type of character that you want to play.
Other key items in the GPD Core Rulebook include:
- Detailed Racial Templates for over 45 races within the Federation,
Klingon
Empire, Romulans, Gorns, and others. Templates for Star Fleet Academy
graduates (and several other academies as well), plus professional
templates detailing the requirements for different jobs (for example,
helmsman on a Federation starship).
- Information and background specific to the Star Fleet Universe;
detailed
explanations on such things as rank and promotion criteria and security
clearances; detailed explanations of equipment like tricorders,
transporters, and tractors without resorting to technobabble!
- Maps showing the area of the galaxy centered on Federation Space,
including
the boundaries of the other major empires, the location of major and minor
worlds, neutral zones, and other key points.
- A complete, highly detailed timeline covering over 200 years, allowing
GMs
to set their campaigns in the early years before the Federation was
formed,
during the General War period, later when the Advanced Technology ships
were entering service, or at any other point in history that the GM
prefers -- GPD is not tied to any single period within the Timeline,
and you can even ignore the entire timeline if you want to.
- New rules and charts (for SFU-specific things like Photon Torpedoes)
to
support ship-to-ship combat using the GURPS Space (3rd edition) combat
system, including Star Fleet Battles ships converted to Space 3
specifications.
(Later products will include complete conversion data.)
- Deck plans for a small merchant ship (the Free Trader) and several
variants.
(Deck plans for other ships will be in future products.)
- New skills like the Vulcan Mind Meld and Nerve Pinch, and a simplified
psionics system which can be used instead of the BS psionics system.
The GPD core rulebook is just the first publication in this series. Subsequent books will include GURPS Klingons, GURPS Romulans, and books for other races and empires. A series of expansions starting with Module Prime Alpha will expand the gaming material, available backgrounds, and technology.
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