star trek adventures blog

Shipping to the UK now available!

Login to my account

Enter your e-mail and password:

New customer? Create your account

Lost password? Reset password

Recover password

Enter your email:

Remembered your password? Back to login

Create my account

Please fill in the information below:

Already have an account? Login here

Your cart is empty

STA Dev Blog 004: A Guide to Star Trek Adventures

By Nathan Dowdell, 2d20 System Developer

Basic Rules: Values

In Star Trek Adventures , your character’s Values are an important part of what defines them as a person: they are your character’s most deeply held beliefs, their ideals, and their self-identity.

A character’s Values won’t directly impact every task, but when they do come into play, they can have a major impact, and for this reason, it’s worth looking at them more closely.

Choosing Values

During character creation, you’ll be asked to create four Values for your character. The rulebook does provide examples for this, and some advice, but there are lots of possibilities so extra guidance is helpful.

Values should be easy to understand, so that you and your gamemaster can quickly judge when they’re helpful, when they’re a hindrance, and when they don’t apply at all. Your Values can’t help or hinder you if you don’t know what they mean.
You will want to have at least one Value that causes you trouble, holds you back from taking certain actions, or compels you to act.
You’ll want at least one Value which is helpful to your character, or which represents them at their best.
Your Values can change over time. Because they can change, you don’t need to worry too much about choosing the perfect Values right away, so start simple, and let them develop.
It doesn’t matter if you have Values that contradict one another. A person can hold conflicting beliefs, and the situations when those conflicting beliefs clash is often a source of drama and tension in play.

Beyond that, a character’s Values can be anything, but they should reflect a character’s deeply held beliefs, their principles, their self-identity, or the relationships that define them (whether those relationships are to another person, a group, or even an institution or culture).

A character’s Values could be shaped by their background, their training, or their upbringing. Many Starfleet officers are driven by an intense curiosity about the universe that drives them to explore, or by a powerful sense of duty to help or protect others. A character may be scrupulously honest, unwilling to deceive others, or have a strong sense of personal honor which cannot allow them to cheat or employ unscrupulous methods. A character may be motivated by powerful loyalty to a particular group or organization, or by the ambition to achieve some feat or attain some status, or by a resentment or animosity for another group.

These are just a few possibilities, of course, but they should provide guidance about how to think about and create a character’s Values.

Using Values

In play, your character’s Values have the potential to affect the tasks and other actions you perform.

When you attempt any action where one of your Values would support or encourage that action, you may spend a point of Determination, gaining a significant benefit to help with that action. You don’t have to spend Determination in these situations, but acting in line with your Values creates an opportunity to dig deep and push yourself in ways that aren’t normally possible, represented by spending Determination.

On the other side of things, whenever you attempt any action that goes against one of your Values, then your Value may hinder you, impair your judgement, keep you from acting, or otherwise blind you to possibilities. You may suggest situations where this happens, as may the gamemaster. When you’re faced with a situation like this, you have two choices:

You comply with the Value; you suffer a complication (which can result in you being unable to attempt that action, being compelled to take a specific action, or an action becoming more difficult), but you gain a point of Determination in exchange.
You challenge the Value: you cross out that Value, and can no longer use it… you’ve tested your belief and found it less important to you than you believed. You gain a point of Determination. You can only challenge a Value once per adventure.

Any action may only involve one Value, either positively or negatively. The exception to this is when you challenge a Value: when you challenge one Value, you may apply a different Value if that other Value supports your action. In that way, you may gain one Determination from challenging a Value, and then immediately spend it with the other Value, essentially choosing one Value over another.

At the end of an adventure, as part of character advancement, you may re-write any Value that was challenged and crossed-out. The new Value should differ at least slightly from what it was before, though it could be significantly different if the character has found something else to believe in.

Example Values

There are many examples of Values in the core rulebooks and various game supplements (for example, check out Notable and Major NPC write-ups). Here is a short list of example Values. Look to character dialogue for ideas on statements that reflect that character’s Values.

The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few
Never Leave Anyone Behind
Starfleet to the Core
Words are Some of My Sharpest Weapons
My Faith Will Keep Me Warm
Desperation Breeds Inspiration
There is a Tool for Every Problem

Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures ! Keep your frequencies open for additional STA development blogs on a wide variety of game-related topics in the coming months.

Get the latest info on product releases, new sales, and development updates.

100% free, Unsubscribe any time!

Opens in a new window.

Cannibal Halfling Gaming

Star Trek Adventures In-Depth Review

Gamemaster’s Log, Stardate 57252.7. It has been several months since the launch of the New Orleans -class starship U.S.S. Verrazzano , NCC-07302, from the Foggy Peak system. Since that time, I have seen her crew serve with distinction in accordance with the finest traditions of Starfleet. I have also seen them called before a board of Admirals to review their actions and directive violations, and while impressive the fact that no fewer than three starbases have had to be commissioned to deal with the discoveries from their missions is beginning to put a notable dent in the power requirements for the local sector’s industrial replicators. As the Verrazzano is currently away, responding to a distress call from a Vulcan Expeditionary Group, I have decided that this is a fine opportunity to review their so-called ‘ Star Trek Adventures ’ in-depth, to better understand how they have and will continue to boldly go where no one, not even the rest of Starfleet, has gone before.

Characters and Core Mechanics

The most basic mechanic for Star Trek Adventures is this: you’re rolling 2d20, and you’re trying to get results on the individual die that are equal to or lower than a target number. The more results that are equal or lower, the more successes you get, and different actions will require a different number of successes. A task requiring 1 or 2 successes is quite possible, but obviously if you need any more than that you’ll need something special. Enter the crew of your Starfleet vessel. Characters have six Disciplines that represent their specialties in Starfleet (Command, Engineering, Science, etc.) and six Attributes (Fitness, Daring, Insight, etc.) which represent their personal abilities. When you’re facing a task, your target number is determined by a combination of a Discipline and an Attribute: Security+Control to fire a phaser, Conn+Daring to fly a runabout through exploding asteroids, Medicine+Reason to diagnose an alien virus.

Characters are built through a series of stages that gradually build these stats up: species, background (plus whether you accept or reject your upbringing), what branch of Starfleet you go into, and a series of career events like being forced to call out a superior, making scientific breakthroughs, or a conflict with a hostile culture. Along the way they’ll pick up Talents that enhance or grant extra abilities, and Focuses that can (if they can roll underneath their Discipline rank as well as the target number) grant a second success on a check. Characters also define Values, things that they care about and believe. All of the other stuff is about what your character can do; Values are about who your character is . All of this leads to characters that just . . . they just click very easily. Values provide a challenge, as while there is advice on how to create some, they are entirely unique to every character, not picked from a list. But overall creation is simple, and you immediately have a lot to work with mechanically and narratively.

Aboard the Verrazzano , that gets us the Vulcan Captain Salok, forced to take command, who focuses on Diplomacy with a firm belief that Diversity Is Strength. His first officer, the Gnalish Commander Korg, strives to Defend and Aid Those In Danger or Need and is a known friend to the Klingons. Lt. Commander Flint Northrock’s file is mostly redacted, but he is a particularly Bold helmsman: “ My answer to any distress call is “’I’m Coming’”. Lt. Commander Be’zur is the ship’s Chief Engineer, a Liberated Caitian Borg with a knack for Improvised Technology, a talent for pushing things Past the Redline, and a conviction that There’s No Such Thing as The Unknown, Only the Temporarily Hidden. Lieutenant, later Lt. Commander, Ava is a sliver of an extra-dimensional being; naturally, he serves as the Science Officer with A Mind for Design and Insatiable Curiosity about the universe he finds himself in. The Bajoran Lieutenant (j.g.) Edon Reil might be a relatively young officer but he has Untapped Potential, and serves as a fine Chief of Security: “Beware invaders calling themselves ‘friend’”.

Here’s something to consider, especially if you’ve been playing games that are more hardscrabble: STA characters can be extremely competent in their particular area of expertise. It’s certainly possible to build something akin to a generalist, but given that characters are naturally going to gravitate towards certain roles (the Captain, the Chief Engineer, the Science Officer) it’s very easy for them to have a target of 17 or so for their primary focus (5 in Science and 12 in Reason for the Science Officer, for example). Speaking of Focuses, if chosen well there are plenty of opportunities for them to come into play, offering multiple successes on a die. As I’ll address shortly, there are multiple ways to roll 3 or even 4d20 just on your own, as well as a way to automatically get at least two successes. Other characters can assist you, and if you’re on your starship it usually contributes another d20 to the pile as well.

Some actions are going to be impossible, and you’ll need to create an advantage to make them something you can actually achieve. I’ve read the number of successes called out as being impossible as five, though, and that’s . . . not really the case. Seeing six, seven, and even eight successes hit the table isn’t common, but it’s not all that rare either. So, a minor but important point, while needing 4 successes is probably still a good high-water mark, I would keep the reason for a task being impossible as purely narrative.

So, in short, this is not a game with an awful lot of failure, further reinforced by the fact that you can Succeed At A Cost, with ‘failing forward’ actually being built into the mechanics outright. STA is more about characters figuring out what needs to be done and how they want to do it than whether or not they’re going to succeed, followed by the consequences of their actions (even if they succeed) as further enabled by the aforementioned costs and Complications. On the one hand, GMs shouldn’t be too concerned if things seem ‘too easy’ for their players at first blush. On the other, well, a few things: don’t be afraid to ask for three or four successes on really difficult and important stuff, you can get a little extra challenge by throwing things slightly out of a character’s area of expertise at them, and when failures do come up they need to matter. When Northrock (who includes among his Values ‘The Best Way to Defeat An Enemy Is To Make A Friend”’) failed to resist the impassioned plea of an oppressed species convincing him that patience and diplomacy would not work, that he would have to violate the Prime Directive, that needed to have an impact. It actually kicked off a small not-mutiny, actually, along with a few other consequences that I’ll get to use as examples later.

Meta Latinum

There are three types of metacurrencies in Star Trek Adventures: Momentum, Threat, and Determination.

Momentum is a player resource, gained via extra successes – 3 successes on a Difficulty 2 check, you get 1 Momentum. Momentum has a lot of uses. When used immediately it can be used to boost attacks by doing more damage, ignoring Resistance, or activating weapon traits. It can be used to create Advantages that can make future tasks easier or impossible tasks possible. In my experience it is most commonly used immediately to Gain More Information , a key use that often sees characters diving past their basic observations to really discover what’s going on or what they’re dealing with. If not spent immediately, however, points of Momentum go into a pool; they can be used in several ways once there, but by far their most common use is buying more dice to roll for a check. A 3rd d20 costs one Momentum, a 4th one costs two.

Threat is primarily a GM resource, and in several ways it mirrors Momentum. It can be used for adversaries rolling extra dice, it can make attacks lethal (by default they are not), it can make tasks more difficult or increase the chance of a Complication (something Bad that usually only happens if a character rolls a 20 on a die). With enough Threat in their pool GMs can even end scenes entirely and take narrative control, which strongly reminds me of the Doom Pool from Cortex games.

GMs begin every mission with twice as many points of threat as there are players, which is good, because in my experience you’re not likely going to get too many more. There are a couple ways to add more Threat, but the only one that doesn’t require a specific circumstance is that player characters can also use Threat by choosing to give it to the GM instead of spending Momentum at the same rates. That’s great, because it gives the GM more to play with and gives the players options if they run out of Momentum. Honestly, though, it doesn’t seem to happen very often. A large part of this is certainly biased in this specific campaign by the luck of the dice and the characters themselves. The Verrazzano crew have often been able to generate more than enough Momentum for their needs, rarely running completely out. Also, the entire line of Bold Talents, which let you re-roll dice if you have used Threat to enhance the roll, are designed to be a big motivator for Threat use – but only Northrock and Reil have any of them, and they both have only the Conn variety. So, you might find yourself with players giving you oodles of Threat . . . just be prepared to use what you get at the start of a mission carefully, if you don’t.

The final metacurrency is Determination, and it’s the big one. Every character starts a mission with at least one, and it is deeply tied to the character’s Values: if they are acting in accordance with a Value, a character can spend a point of Determination to add a die to their roll that is automatically set to a result of 1, meaning an automatic two successes towards the roll. Note that this still counts as adding a die a la Momentum/Threat, in that if you want a 4th die you’ll need two points of those other resources, but still! Alternate uses of Determination still require you to be acting in accordance with a Value, but include: re-rolling all your dice, immediately taking another action on the same turn, and automatically creating an advantage.

You can get more points of Determination if you challenge a Value, meaning your character is having a big think about whether or not they actually believe that any more. You can also be offered Determination by the GM to compel you to act in line with a Value when it would make things more difficult for you, which reads an awful lot like Fate points. Determination isn’t just a big deal because of the mechanical impact, although that can’t be undervalued either. But since Determination, whether spending it or gaining it, plugs into your Values it is often a very important factor in your characters ‘leveling up’.

Advancement

‘Milestones’ are the method of advancement in STA, and there are only three ways to get them: suffering (and surviving, obviously) a lethal injury, challenging a Value (thus getting a point of Determination), and using a Value either positively or negatively (meaning you either spent or received a point of Determination while acting upon it). You get a ‘Normal’ Milestone for just doing one of the above during a mission. The GM can award a ‘Spotlight’ milestone if a character or characters would earn a Normal Milestone and also made a particularly big impact in a mission, and the players decide who among them receive it. Eventually, you acquire enough Spotlight Milestones that your next one is an ‘Arc’ Milestone instead (or, if the GM feels it appropriate given the character’s actual narrative arc, they can award one out of hand). Here’s the thing, though: the Arc Milestone is the only one that actually adds anything to a character.

With a Normal Milestone, first of all, if a Value was challenged it gets rewritten or replaced to reflect how the character’s perspective was changed. After being forced to realize that “The Best Way to Defeat An Enemy Is To Make A Friend” would not always be the case, and subsequently getting in a fair bit of trouble for acting as such, Northrock reaffirmed his commitment to the crew and to following Salok’s lead instead of going off on his own: “When The Way Is Unclear, I Follow My Captain.” Aside from that very cool and dramatic and character-growth-driven aspect, though, Normal Milestones are very light: you can move a point from one Discipline to another, or replace one Focus with another. Spotlight Milestones let you pick one of the options from the short list of the Normal Milestone’s, as well as one of several others: moving points between Attributes, replacing a Talent, moving points between the ship’s Departments or Systems (Discipline and Attribute counterparts, really), or replacing the ship’s Talents. Arc Milestones grant the benefits of a Normal and a Spotlight Milestone, but are the advancement that finally lets you increase a Discipline or Attribute, gain an additional Talent, Focus, or Value, increase one of the ship’s Departments/Systems, or add another Talent to the ship.

As mentioned above, STA player characters are probably starting off as very competent just based on stats, never mind what their Talents can bring to the table, so they don’t really need to be growing mechanically all that much. What’s really important to this system is how their Values, what they care about and who they really are, are highlighted, are challenged, are grown and changed. Changing up Attributes, Disciplines, Talents, and Focuses also reflects this choice of priority – a Captain who starts to take more of an interest in what’s going on down in the warp core while leaving the navigation of the ship up to their hot-shot helmsman might shift a point from Conn to Engineering.

So far, they seem to be working just fine. Captain Salok and Lt. Commanders Northrock and Ava are both on the cusp of their first Arc Milestone as of this writing, and given how competent the characters are nobody seems to be minding that they haven’t been ‘gaining’ anything, and there have been comments that they like the idea of switching things around to better match the character – it’s true that you’ll certainly never have a dead-end Talent or Focus for very long.

I’ll admit that awarding the Spotlights has felt . . . a little anemic on the GM’s side of things. The book recommends giving out a single one every two or three sessions, but these are players and characters who have really taken the ‘Go Boldly’ thing to heart. Salok ‘crushed’ a mutiny with little more than an iron will and by convincing the mutineers that a starship takes many to succeed but only one to fail. Northrock took command of an absolute disaster involving a wormhole, a shapeshifter, friendly fire, and a dying ship and somehow got everyone out alive. Ava solved an astrogation and physics problem that had confounded Starfleet for decades , and then went on to help establish a stable wormhole to another universe . Be’zur’s technological monstrosities have caused me to throw out more notes and plans than any two other characters combined. Korg and Reil have both been responsible for saving the lives of their crewmates from certain death or worse, whether it was a rampaging tentacular plant unleashed from the Verrazzano’s labs, Orion raiders trying to steal an artifact powered by time , or a desperate and murderous Starfleet doctor gone rogue.

So, in short, I’m probably awarding Spotlights a little more frequently than the book would like me to, every other session at least, and I’m often throwing two out at once. Since Normal and Spotlight Milestone benefits can be banked for later, the system certainly doesn’t seem to be breaking as a result. If it were a longer, slower-burn campaign I might stick closer to the book’s recommendations but to be honest I think that, as with determining if a task is impossible, you’re best served by ignoring hard numbers and focusing on the narrative.

Support Characters

If there is any one mechanic that has been a runaway hit during the campaign, this has been the one. Supporting characters are the ‘extras’ on set, the people in the background of the show that only get speaking roles every few episodes, if ever. Star Trek Adventures lets you bring those characters into the spotlight by spending points of Crew Support – every ship gets an amount that is determined by how big the ship is, and then player characters can each take a talent to get more, which two Verrazzano crew members did. Broadly speaking there are two reasons to play a Supporting character. First, because they cover a skillset that the main player characters lack. This was the case of Lt. Gunther von Doomstone, the Chief Medical Officer, and Lt. Khumail Jaosh, the transport chief. The second is when it doesn’t make sense for a player character to be present, such as on away missions, but the player still wants to be a part of the scene. This was the case for Lt. Joran Mal, a Joined Trill diplomat, when Captain Salok had to remain behind on the ship. Sometimes it’s both. Cadet Groorin, part of the second wave of Ferengi following in Nog’s footsteps, appeared when the players decided Joran needed an assistant to deal with an upcoming legal tribunal, but really got played when Lt. Commander Northrock was stuck at the helm and there was a Ferengi away team to negotiate with.

I suppose there’s also a third reason, which is because you have a cool character idea you wanted to include. Lt. Jurling , Klingon Ship’s Counselor ( “It is a good day for conflict resolution!” ), was added to the crew to cover that role, yes, but mostly because I wanted him to be there. Consider it my payment for running the game.

Supporting characters start off comparatively light – their highest Attribute will be a 10, their best Discipline a 4, with three Focuses but no Talents or Values. Supporting characters don’t gain milestones themselves, although a player character can choose to use the benefit of one of their own milestones to switch things around for a supporting character. Instead, Supporting characters improve by the number of missions they appear in through the use of Crew Support – every time they show up they gain something, and while they still have lower caps (they can only ever improve a Discipline once, for example), they can still end up fleshed out quite a bit. Funnily enough, Supporting characters are thus going to ‘advance’ at a much faster rate than player characters will, which can help scratch the itch a little for those players who enjoy getting mechanical rewards.

Supporting characters are . . . kind of strange, in terms of gameplay and narrative. First of all, for groups with a lot of players they’ll end up taking up most of the NPC slots left on the ship – that hasn’t stopped me from making more NPCs, but it has felt a little odd to jump into a Supporting Character now and then as the GM.

They’re also supposed to be supporting characters but in many cases they’ve been in the spotlight just as much, if not more than, the ‘main’ characters, and some of them are quite beloved. Like any character, you end up wanting to make them interesting, and together we have. Doctor von Doomstone is from a planet that would have featured in a TOS Planet of Hats episode, a Frankenstein setting, and he’s trying to avoid going down the mad science path of his ancestors. Jurling has a reputation for unconventional ‘team building exercises’, a love of Klingon opera that’s shared with Commander Korg, and a genuine care for his patients. Joran quickly gained a reputation for being in over his head and soldiering on anyway, surrounded by literal piles of PADDS and joining the Captain in his coffee habit while reviewing First Contact protocols.

I wonder at what point you might just give up the charade and make them main characters in their own right with storylines of their own, capable of gaining milestones for themselves and surpassing the limitations of a supporting character. Perhaps a player could have multiple full characters (while many are shared, I’ve noticed some support characters functionally ‘belonging’ to a single player), or perhaps the ‘upgraded’ characters could remain in a pool for troupe play, which would keep the pool of Crew Support fully functional.

Supporting characters as a concept have also highlighted for me the need to have time spent back on the ship and in the ready room, for the simple reason that the Captain just doesn’t leave the ship very often. In terms of ‘screen time’, Aaron has spent more time portraying Lieutenants Joran and Jurling than he has Captain Salok, and yet the Captain has still managed to net himself some Spotlight Milestones, primarily on the bridge and in the aforementioned ready room.

Material to Work With

Star Trek Adventures is extremely well-supported. Since release there has been a unique book for all of the galaxy’s quadrants, another one each for Command, Operations, and Science, two full mission anthologies, character profiles for a bunch of the shows so you can play as/interact with them, and a whole bunch of standalone missions. This is on top of the free Quickstart, the free character sheets, and the free character builder (which incorporates player character creation, supporting character creation, and starship creation material from pretty much everything I’ve already mentioned, it’s a fantastic resource). There’s also a Klingon core book which I haven’t even touched yet. You’re not exactly going to run out of reading material very quickly, is what I’m saying.

I want to particularly focus on the pre-made missions, however, for the simple reason that – with a single exception – my campaign has consisted entirely of them. This is a symptom of the fact that the U.S.S. Verrazzano was sort of rushed into service, as it were – I put Star Trek Adventures up as an option to run for a short campaign because I owned it and thought it might be interesting, but I didn’t picture it as a front runner and I didn’t expect it to catch quite as well as it has. It’s still going to be short, as campaigns in this group are reckoned lately, but still: suddenly I was running a game and had exactly zero material prepped or even ideas solidifying. So, I turned to the mission files.

So far I’ve run Nest In The Dark , Stolen Liberty , The Prize , and A World With A Bluer Sun . I’ve got two more queued up at the moment, but I won’t say which because there are players lurking about. Through these missions the crew of the Verrazzano have struggled through time dilation, radiation bursts, disruptor fire, crushing gravity, and interdimensional phenomena. They’ve been forced to face intelligences vastly superior to their own, weigh the oppression of an entire species against the Prime Directive, race against archeological poachers, and navigate the factions of a Starfleet crew turned on itself. So there’s the first thing I’ll say about the pre-made missions Modiphius has put out: oh my goodness there is a lot of variety. Not every mission will fit every crew, but many will, and aside from a certain predilection towards First Contact scenarios (come on, it’s Trek, duh ) the Verrazzano has never really faced the same problem twice.

One additional good thing is that many of these missions could be used as a launching point for further adventures. Every one ends with a ‘Continuing Voyages’ section that highlights how a crew could follow up on the events of the mission or how said events could otherwise impact the campaign. I haven’t been able to take advantage of many of these yet, but there have been a few new crewmembers of a sort added to the ship’s roster as a result. More dramatically the events of Stolen Liberty saw Salok, Korg, Northrock, and Be’zur having a chat with some Admirals about the Prime Directive and their viability as a command team while Ava took command of the ship to chart a cataclysmic nebula (and blow some Jem’Hadar holdouts out of space, although they didn’t know that going in), the only non-pre-made mission so far.

A nebulous thing is that the missions are always written with a specific era (ENT, TOS, or TNG) in mind. They also always have advice for running the mission in a different era, which usually involves switching out who the bad guy is – if the Borg are the threat for a TNG mission then it’s probably the Klingons for a TOS crew or the Andorians for the ENT crowd. I’ve been able to put that advice to good use for several of the missions, but . . . there are also a few that don’t quite fit right, for me. A TOS mission that’s a little too Those Old Scientists, a little over the top with giant rock monsters for a TNG feel, or the TNG tech is just too necessary to solve the problems facing an ENT crew. In the anthologies, that’s not so big a deal since there’s something for everyone, but you might want to read up on a one-off mission carefully before purchase to see if it’ll work for you.

Some of that actually falls to layout – there are some TOS missions that are done up in a completely different style from the core book and the other missions, and maybe it’s silly but that just makes it harder for me to think about transplanting those specific missions over for the Verrazzano . That leads into another thing: sometimes there are some editing flubs. Missions are sometimes written out with a very specific series of events in mind, or don’t quite explain why certain events happen the way they do, and neither is the kind of thing that can survive contact with players. This is old advice, but if you’re running one of these pre-made adventures, you’re going to want to have read the whole thing, and you’ll want to be ready to throw the rails out the torpedo tubes.

One final thing about the actual material: thank the stars for whoever created the index in the core rulebook. It’s comprehensive and well-organized, making it easy to find whatever you need . . . and without it the book may have just been unreadable. It is crowded in there, there is practically no negative space of any kind, every spare inch has been packed with art or console designs or words and words and more words. There is a lot here, and reading it straight cover to cover would take forever. Remember that this campaign went from an option in a poll to an active game very, very quickly, we’ve all been learning the system as we go (partially why I think writing about it has some value, to be honest), and without the index allowing us to flip to where we need to I know I at least would’ve been completely lost.

Everything Else, And Final Thoughts

So what are all those words about? We’ve covered the basic mechanics, advancement, supporting characters, none of which are particularly thorny, what else is there? Well, of course there’s a fair bit of space spent on listing individual talents and such, ships the crew can serve on, planets they could visit, GMing advice . . . but there are also a lot of other actual mechanics that are way more situational. There’s an entire reputation system, tied to rank, privilege, and responsibility. There are mechanics for extended tasks that might be the focus of an entire mission, and slightly different ones for when a crew is applying the scientific method (which is how Ava solved the nebula charting problem). Then there’s the ship, with its many different stations, it’s Power resource that needs to be managed, the various systems and the myriad, unique, and advancing things that happen to each and every single one of them if they happen to be the one hit when the shields get breached.

The core mechanics? Pretty straightforward! All these other bits? A fair degree more fiddly, and they might not show up every session. Every other mechanic adds more complexity, triggers more page-flipping (there’s the index saving the day, again). By no means does it jam up the works like, say, Shadowrun’s many many subsystems. But we got the knack of the basics very very quickly; going into our eighth session, there’s still a fair bit of rust on the others. Given more time that would probably go away, but only if we spend the time to focus on those systems, and in some cases I don’t see it happening.

In checking in with the players about how they felt about the system, Aaron managed to sum it up the best way, which I’ll use here. The group has dealt with games where the system got in the way for us, like Exalted Second Edition. When we tapped into the Powered by the Apocalypse ruleset, we found that the system actively helped us. Star Trek Adventures is in the middle.

It handed us the basic toolset and then has mostly stayed out of our way, piping up from the back of the crowd when it’s needed. It demands very little in terms of mechanical understanding on a task to task basis, but wants you to pay more attention when certain situations crop up. What it really wants is for you to have good, strong Values that your characters can believe in and challenge and change; everything else (you might note that the Gnalish species isn’t RPG-official, and Ava’s existence as an extra-dimensional avatar is original to us as well) can be tweaked, but that one is non-negotiable. That being the case, it’s really the players who are going to bring what’s truly necessary for Star Trek Adventures to function the way it wants to.

Star Trek is, primarily, a television series. It can do novels and comics, it can do big movies and long-running arcs, but it’s always eventually returned to a weekly format, and the heaping majority of that is episodic in nature. Look, I’ve tried the episodic thing in a bunch of different games, every time it gets a bare handful of ‘episodes’ in before one plot or another gets too complex and grabs the controls and takes off. Star Trek Adventures , like Star Trek at large, certainly could manage a blockbuster event, or a Dominion or Burn-style long arc, but it sings as an episodic game, and I think that’s because the game trusts its players to bring what they know and love of Trek to the table and fly “second star to the right — and straight on ’til morning.”

Like what Cannibal Halfling Gaming is doing and want to help us bring games and gamers together? First, you can tell your friends about us! You can also find our Discord channel and drop in to chat with our authors and get every new post as it comes out. You can travel to DriveThruRPG through one of our fine and elegantly-crafted links, which generates credit that lets us get more games to work with! Finally, you can support us directly on Patreon , which lets us cover costs, pay our contributors, and save up for projects. Thanks for reading!

Bringing Games and Gamers Together!

Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Subscribe Subscribed
Copy shortlink
Report this content
View post in Reader
Manage subscriptions
Collapse this bar

Star Trek Adventures Is Clunky and Uninspired

Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not a wizard!

Star Trek is a difficult setting to roleplay in. The canon is labyrinthine and confusing, with material drawn from hundreds of episodes, many of which contradict each other. The aesthetics vary widely depending on the time period and the series, making it hard to imagine they exist in the same universe. Powerful technology can easily break your story. Perhaps worse, the Federation is meant to be a utopia. How do you generate compelling conflict in a utopian setting?

It would take a really good system to handle all of these problems. Unfortunately, Star Trek Adventures is not that system. While it has some bright spots, the system will not deliver a good Star Trek experience without a lot of extra work on the GM’s part. What’s that, you’d like more detail? Then make it so. *

Character Creation Is Fun and Flexible

One of those bright spots I mentioned is the character creation . Instead of simply handing players a bunch of points, the system takes them through each stage of their character’s life, from childhood through Starfleet Academy and into their first assignment. Players decide what kind of life their characters have led and receive points accordingly. If a character grew up on a dangerous colony world, they might get points in Daring. If their parents were diplomats, they might get points in Presence. The list goes on.

Perhaps more important than points, characters earn a new value at each stage of their lives. A value could be something like “Everyone should have access to advanced technology.” These values are important roleplaying guides, and they tie into the system’s meta currency. Because characters get a value at each stage of their lives, it’s easy to set up opposing values for maximum drama . For example, at the academy, a character could pick up the value “Negotiation can solve any problem.” But when their first posting is on the front lines of the Dominion War, they’ll learn a new value: “Sometimes violence is the only answer.”

Character creation is highly structured , which might be frustrating for advanced players, so the system offers an alternative. Instead of going through each step, the players can simply take the equivalent amount of points to be spent at will. While this has the potential to create unbalanced characters, it’s a useful option for players who like extra customization.

The only critique I have for the character creation is that there aren’t any well developed options for playing characters of mixed species. All the game offers is a side bar that’s purely cosmetic. Considering how many half-vulcans and half-klingons the Star Trek shows have, this is an annoying absence. Even so, character creation is undoubtedly enjoyable. I made six characters in a row for the review oneshot, and I never got bored.

Correction : Originally, this section claimed there were no rules for being raised on alien planet, which is wrong. It also missed the sidebar for mixed species.

Supporting Characters Are a Great Idea

One of the the major problems with Star Trek as a roleplaying setting is who the PCs should be. The obvious choice is for them to be senior officers, but that has a huge drawback: not every story will feature all the senior officers. This is even more pronounced in stories based on away missions. Even though the TV shows often ignored this problem by sending the entire command staff out in a shuttle, doing that in an RPG will seem absurd.

To solve this issue, Star Trek Adventures offers rules for each player to have multiple characters. A player’s primary character is assumed to be a department head or some similar role, but they can also have supporting characters of lower rank. These supporting characters aren’t as capable as the primary, but they can get the job done. This way, the captain can play their supporting security officer when it’s time for an away mission, or the ship’s counselor can try out an engineer when the story has no call for social skills .

This system fits naturally into the secondary cast that most Star Trek shows develop. * Many episodes focus on a guest star who shakes up the status quo, and in most systems, that guest star would have to be an NPC. But in this system, the GM can give the role to one of their players. Supporting characters also allow for important deaths that don’t ruin a player’s experience, because they still have their main character to fall back on.

Despite my praise, there are some limits to supporting characters. Used too often, they can leave players disconnected from their main character. To address this, I recommend only using supporting characters in longer campaigns , when there are plenty of sessions for each player to get invested in their primary PC. The other problem with players having more than one character is what to do when those characters need to talk to each other. It’s awkward for the GM to play someone’s character, and even more awkward for a player to talk to themselves. My best advice is make sure there’s an NPC present who can cover for the secondary PC.

The Meta Currency Is Empowering but Abusable

The primary meta currency in Star Trek Adventures is Momentum. Players earn Momentum by scoring more successes on a roll than they need. All Momentum goes into a communal pot, where it can be spent by any PC. This provides an immediate benefit to rolling higher than necessary, something that a lot of games don’t have. If players roll twice what they needed, they like to get a reward for their efforts, and this game provides them with one.

The first problem with this meta currency is that it’s easy to set up a perpetual Momentum machine. By using some common special abilities, players can easily get two points of Momentum from a roll for every one they spend. As you might imagine, this makes it nearly impossible for PCs to fail rolls . The rules also create an incentive for players to find easy rolls they can make to earn Momentum, even if those rolls aren’t necessary.

How you set up the Perpetual Momentum Machine

Each character starts with six focuses. A focus is something that the character specializes in, too narrow to be covered by a full skill. Common focuses are things like “repair” and “phaser rifle.”

When a character’s focus applies to a roll, their successes count double. That means if they buy an extra die with Momentum and it comes up a success, they get two successes, which likely means they get the momentum back, and even earn a second one.

Correction : Players only get two momentum from focuses if their d20 rolls equal to or under the character’s discipline. This makes the Perpetual Momentum Machine less likely, though it still incentivizes players to find easy rolls for generating momentum.

To make things weirder, this game features two additional meta currencies. The first is called Threat, and it’s basically Momentum for the GM. Instead of spending Momentum, players can give the GM Threat to get bonus dice. So even if the PCs haven’t built up a large pool of Momentum, they can get as many dice as they like. In theory, the GM can then use Threat to make the villains more dangerous, but this falls a little flat since the GM can already make rolls as difficult as they like. Adding Threat on top of the appropriate difficulty sets up an adversarial relationship that isn’t good for the health of a campaign.

But wait, there’s more! The third meta currency is called Determination. It gives a bigger bonus than Momentum, and it’s harder to get. It’s also limited to each character rather than being in a communal pot. While Momentum and Threat are useful for anything, Determination is only spent on actions that line up with a character’s values. This helps differentiate it from the other two meta currencies, but it’s still a little confusing to remember all the different ways players can get bonus dice . It’s also unlikely the PCs will ever need Determination, considering how easy it is to generate Momentum.

The Core Dice Mechanic Is Fine

One thing I can say about Star Trek Adventures is that it has a unique core dice system . When a task is in question, players roll 2d20. Each d20 that comes up equal to or lower than the character’s relevant skill+stat is a success. So if a character has a Command of 3 and a Presence of 10, each die that rolls 13 or less is a success. Different tasks require different numbers of successes, and players can spend Momentum or invoke special abilities to add more d20s.

That’s nothing like any other RPG I’ve ever played, and it takes some getting used to. At first, it’s a little annoying to add together skill and stat for every roll, but most players get used to it quickly. However, it’s still weird that without spending Momentum or invoking a special ability, characters can’t ever succeed at a task that requires three or more successes. This is true no matter how good the character is at their chosen task, because they only have 2d20. * Momentum and special abilities are always in ready supply, but it’s not an easy dynamic to learn.

Once players learn the dice mechanic’s quirks, it functions adequately but isn’t anything special. The game tries to spice things up by adding a system of environmental traits that influence rolls, but the traits are easily forgotten in the heat of the moment. The book also talks a lot about what to do when a roll is failed, which is good, but doesn’t provide robust rules. The goal seems to be something similar to Mouse Guard , where PCs who fail their rolls can still get what they want but at the cost of suffering a penalty. The problem is that while Mouse Guard’s penalties were baked into the system, Star Trek Adventures’ don’t have much impact.

Even though the 2d20 system doesn’t do anything spectacular and has a bit of a learning curve, my group still enjoyed having something else to do with all our d20s. Outside of the D&D family, there aren’t many systems that employ them.

The Rules Are Confusing and Overwritten

The first and most obvious problem with Star Trek Adventures is the low quality of its writing . The rules in this game aren’t that complicated, but it can take multiple reads to understand them. Often, they’re just stated in nonsensical ways. Consider this quote from the rules on spending Determination:

A point of Determination may be spent to grant the character a single bonus d20. This bonus d20 diﬀers from most in that it is considered to have already rolled a 1, and thus generates two successes automatically. The normal limit of additional d20s bought for a Task still applies.

Instead of just adding two successes, Star Trek Adventures wants you to purchase a phantom d20, then have it roll a 1, thus granting you two successes. The rules are written this way so as not to fall afoul of the system’s maximum dice limit, a limit that isn’t spelled out anywhere and must be pieced together from reading several different sections. It feels like navigating an IRS form .

The system also has a serious problem with unnecessary rules . I mentioned before how the GM is expected to assign forgettable environmental traits in every scene, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The crowning glory of redundancy is that the system has two sets of rules for tasks that require multiple rolls. The first is called an Extended Task, and the second is called a Challenge. These rules are virtually identical, with only the most minor of differences. When I got to the Challenge chapter on my first read through, I thought I’d skipped back to the Extended Task chapter by mistake.

When the rules aren’t repetitive or written like they’re trying to evade a d20 tax, they’re often surrounded by paragraph after paragraph of flavor text. This makes the actual rules hard to find. The most egregious example by far is the chapter on social conflict. Star Trek is all about social conflict, but it quickly becomes apparent that this chapter is a lie . Despite pages upon pages of text, there are almost no rules for social conflicts. Instead, the entire chapter is vague advice on what kinds of social tactics a character might employ. It’s nearly useless, but you have to read several pages to figure that out. This is too bad, because Star Trek could really use a social-conflict system.

Rules this badly written are difficult to learn, hard to teach, and even harder to look up. The game can easily grind to a halt because the GM can’t remember a rule, and looking it up is a major chore.

Combat Is Boring

Unlike social conflict, Star Trek Adventures has actual rules for physical combat. The good news is they’re mostly free of the overwritten flavor text and repetitive mechanics of other sections. There’s still a few questionable rules, like how you have to spend an action each turn to keep your phaser set to a higher power level, but otherwise the combat is pretty straightforward.

The problem is that it’s D&D style stand-and-deliver combat . That is, the combatants line up and take turns attacking each other until one side is out of hitpoints. * Characters in this system may use phasers instead of swords, but the results are the same. The book tries to address this with flavor instead of rules. It has several paragraphs about how important it is for each side to have an objective and why combatants should retreat when injured. But none of that is actually supported in the mechanics.

Stand-and-deliver combat is boring. There are few choices to be made and almost no point to creative thinking unless the GM goes the extra mile. This is especially true in a game like Star Trek Adventures. At least in D&D , players can get their fun by building characters from a vast array of options. In this system, character options are limited, so there’s little satisfaction to be had in crafting a combat machine.

Combat is also slow. Barring a lucky roll, it usually takes two or three shots to disable an enemy, assuming every shot is a hit. That’s a long time spent away from fun space adventures. I have some sympathy for the designers here, because combat has always been a difficult subject for Star Trek RPGs. Back in the days when Last Unicorn held the license , combat was an inferno of instant death as phasers did enough damage to vaporize a mountain. * But my sympathy has limits. If the designers couldn’t come up with a combat system that works for Trek, they should have forgone it entirely and had the GM resolve fights with a single roll or an Extended Task. As things stand, many character abilities are geared toward combat, and simply skipping over it is difficult.

Ship Rules Are Ancillary

Star Trek has always been about a ship * as well as the living characters, so it’s no surprise this game has ship rules. Sadly, they’re not very good. The system tries to keep things simple by having ships act like large characters, even having their own sheets complete with stats like Engines and skills identical to a PC. This approach has the advantage of saving development time, and Star Trek Adventures isn’t the first system to employ it.

The problem with treating the ship as a scaled-up PC is that it blurs the line between them. Except in combat, the rules aren’t clear when a PC should make a roll and when the ship itself should roll. If the PCs are making rolls, then the ship’s abilities aren’t needed. If the ship is making rolls, it takes the focus off the PCs , and a good GM doesn’t ever want the focus taken off the PCs.

Most of the time, the ship is little more than a setting for the characters to walk around and have scenes in. It has no mechanical influence on the game. Ship combat is a little better. At least here it’s clear what function the ship provides, and there’s a fun minigame to be had managing how the ship’s power is allotted.

The main problem with ship combat is how much reading it requires. PCs have a multitude of options based on their bridge assignments, but few of those options are obvious or intuitive. Unless you have a group where everyone loves to read the rules , expect to spend a long time going through each option, and then going back because you’ve forgotten one. A cheat sheet like those provided by Burning Wheel would be helpful here, but as far as I can tell, Star Trek Adventures doesn’t have one.

Even with their flaws, the ship rules in Star Trek Adventures aren’t terrible; they just feel unnecessary. Unless your group is really into space battles , it’s not clear what you’ll do with most of them.

Skills and Stats Are Vague

Star Trek Adventures eschews traditional stats and skills. You will not find such mundane entries like strength or stealth. Instead, the designers have created an entirely new set of Attributes * and Disciplines * designed specifically for Star Trek . Behold!

You can see a few problems right off the bat. First of all, it’s not clear what some of these even are. What’s Control? And what’s Daring? It turns out Control is basically dexterity, whereas Daring doesn’t have an easy comparison. It’s used whenever a character is acting aggressively or, well, daring.

Unintuitive stat names are annoying, but it’s not a huge deal. Worse is that even once you’ve read the rules, it’s often not clear which combination you should use. My first instinct was that melee attacks would use Fitness, and ranged attacks would use Daring. Silly me, melee attacks use Daring, and ranged attacks use Control.

At least in those examples the rules actually say what combination of stats and skills to use. Often that’s not the case. What combination should be used when commanding a ship in battle? That sounds like it would be Command, but Security is usually used for combat , and I’m even less sure which Attribute to use.

The biggest hole is social skills. I cannot for the life of me figure out what Discipline is best for that. Command works when addressing lower-ranked officers, but what about a superior officer? What about someone outside the command structure entirely, like an alien ambassador? Command feels wrong there, but there’s nothing else that even comes close.

This uncertainty about which abilities to use creates two problems . One, it means players don’t know how to build their characters to do what they want to do. A player might build a master martial artist with high Fitness, only to find out that attribute is useless for kung fu. Worse, it gives players an incentive to argue for whichever abilities they’re best at. If a PC has high Command and Presence, they’ll want to use it as often as possible, and the rules don’t provide enough guidance on when to say no.

The Problems of Star Trek Are Not Addressed

This system does a lot wrong, but more damning is what it leaves out. Namely, there’s little in Star Trek Adventures to address problems like abusable technology and the difficulty of creating compelling conflict in a utopian setting. The system makes a few attempts at narrative rules, but they’re completely vestigial. What you’re left with is a run-of-the-mill simulationist system in a setting that it can’t handle.

Star Trek Adventures works, but it will require a GM who is both very into Star Trek and ready to wrestle the system into submission. The dense and confusing nature of the rules will make this harder. If you want a Star Trek campaign, the more rewarding path would be to go with a heavily abstracted narrative system like Primetime Adventures or Fate. That way it’ll be easier to gloss over the problems with technology and go straight for your story.

Treat your friends to an evening of ritual murder – in a fictional RPG scenario, of course. Uncover your lost memories and escape a supernatural menace in our one-shot adventure, The Voyage .

More in Roleplaying Systems

Why You Should Try Roll for Shoes

Q&a: are there any good steampunk rpgs.

Seven Changes to Improve D&D’s Next Edition

D&D 5E Barbarian Subclasses From Worst to Best, Part 1

Rising Tide: Our Dark Seas Expansion for Torchbearer

Steve Ferguson Old enough to have watched the initial airing of the original Star Trek series.

Your patronage keeps this site running. Become a patron.

Recent Articles

Six Tips for Constructing a Heroic Sacrifice

Why Michael Moorcock Despises Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

How the Bobiverse Turned Excitement Into Boredom

Finding Your Story’s Throughline

Why Nothing Good Ever Happens in an Interlude

SunlessNick

Oren Ashkenazi

Love Mythcreants?

Be our patron.

Join our community for special perks.

Comments on Star Trek Adventures Is Clunky and Uninspired

I’d have also mentioned how the basic attributes and disciplines are so obviously centered around being a Starfleet officer. Which of those disciplines apply to, say, an undercover agent for the Federation? A pergium miner on Janus VI? A groundskeeper at Starfleet Academy? It doesn’t look to me like this character system can really function outside the narrow limits of “You are a Starfleet officer or alien equivalent.”

That’s also true. I didn’t think to mention it because I’m generally okay with games that have a very narrow focus but yeah if you pick this game up wanting to play someone like Quark you’re gonna be in trouble.

I have a question for you Mr. Ashkenazi, do you have the same feelings about Fate Core?

I don’t think so. I’m not a big fan of Fate, but it’s a very different system with different strengths and weaknesses.

I enjoyed reading your article, but there’s several inaccuracies here. Like, all rolls double successes on 1, and Focus only increases that range based on the associated Discipline (basically enhancing “critical threat range” in d20 terms, so the “perpetual momentum machine” is far from a given, even for gullible GMs). Supporting characters are not dedicated to a player – they are a shared resource that can be “activated” on a limited basis per adventure. One of the first rules I read in the book specified a 3-die purchase limit on any task. Ships can provide assistance roles on many types of tasks beyond combat, supporting the Star Trek “ship is a character” mentality. Etc.

All of which probably supports your thoughts that the organization of these rules could be better, but playing it once does eliminate most of that.

I will say, I agree about the adventure writing advice. Nothing (in any game I’ve seen so far) compares to the amazing advice given GMs in the Decipher ST Narrator’s guide and I still use it.

To add to MrBlue’s comments, you also missed that during character creation there is a option to grow up on an alien’s planet, Option 6 under Enviroment and there is also a side note on page 102 for a mixed heritage

Being a long time GM, DM, I thought the character creation was refreshing, very interesting, and very fun. My groups loved it and it nice that compared too many other table top RPGs character creation is super easy to explain and takes much less time too develop the character.

I really want to like this game, and still do at the moment, but I’m one of those dedicated Star Trek fans like you mentioned.

Watching YouTube videos on how to play, and searching for opinion pieces like this on the game are probably not good signs of an easily understandable system… and that is what I’m doing.

I like the 2d20 method and I like the Lifepath creation system, but I wonder how future supplements will handle Romulan, Klingon, Trader, etc. characters – if we are lucky enough to see them.

In my opinion, I would have been fine with Modiphius making two books instead of one, and/or eliminating the flavor text. Good grief. They must have had a page count goal in mind. That stuff, as you say, is EVERYWHERE. They could have quadrupled the number of player character races available if they would have removed a tenth of the exposition- and I’m not kidding.

Additionally, additional proofreaders would have helped tremendously. In this age of desktop publishing, these errors are everywhere in media. However, that does not excuse them. The book is rife with misspellings and comma splices. It is also just too wordy.

They need a GM QuickStart like they have for PCs (free pdf download).

The metacurrency problem includes that it’s very easy for threat to snowball, as, unlike momentum, it’s not capped. Having run a campaign of about 3 months duration (during playtest), with a mix of their and my adventures, and 5 regular players, there is a snowball effect when players pay threat to get extra dice, and then get unlucky. Threat has several uses besides additional dice; it’s not used to directly adjust difficulty. (Complication traits are scene-persistent, typically, and only apply to later rolls. Further, they can be overcome and/or deleted by actions.)

It is used for: • Additional Dice for NPC actions • Avoiding NPC Complications (2 threat for each complication avoided) • Increasing the PC’s complication range (downward – 1st point drops the complication range from 20 to 19-20, 2nd 18-20, 3rd 17-20, 4th 16-20. • Creating Complications without PC’s rolling them – 2 points each. • Reinforcements – 1 or 2 points per each. Without this spend, the GM is not supposed to add characters during a scene. • Creating new environmental situations mid-scene. • cutting a scene short (2 per PC in scene.)

I’ve had 3 sessions where the threat pool went up so fast, and the players luck was so poor, that the end still had a huge pile of threat left (and since it’s supposed to be tokenized, and visible), in the case where they pulled it off left them feeling like I hadn’t been fair; they felt robbed of their success, because it was obvious I was going easy on them. The third, they failed horribly, and it was obvious that I’d gone easy and they still failed. This is from bad rolls right at the star with large pools, followed by relevant complications there from. One of those rolls was 5d20, no successes gained, and 3 20’s showing up – about 1:1108 chance. JT has done that twice in the playtest….

One key caveat about scenes is buried in the GM Threat Discussion (p. 281): “When you are framing a scene, it is up to you which Traits you establish affecting how the Player Characters will interact with the scene. Once the scene is underway, the only way to change those circumstances is the use of Threat, or through the actions of Non-Player Characters.”

I will say this: The system as adapted does not interfere with a Trek feel… but it won’t create it mechanically, either.

And, as regards comparing it to Fate Core, and also to Cortex Plus… • In Fate, when the GM applies the mechanics to your detriment (compels, Invoking your aspects against you) you get paid Fate Points (the metacurrency), and when you invoke yours you pay back the Fate Points. This is a positive reward cycle for accepting the bad juju. • In Cortex Plus (Firefly, Smallville, Leverage, Marvel Heroic Roleplay), the GM has to buy the complications rolled by PCs for them to materialize into traits, and players likewise when the NPC’s roll complications. Again, positive feedback loop for bad stuff happening. • In 2d20, you do not get rewarded for the complications; this encourages those players who are ethically challenged to lie about their rolls. Negative reinforcement loop. Roll Bad early, and it makes things harder.

All three are about the same level of complexity, the same level of story-drivenness, and similar levels of indeterminism with gear…. but 2d20 uses metacurrency more often, and for more severe uses, than either Fate or Cortex Plus.

One positive change from playtest is that threat range is now worded so it appears to be only for a single action, unless it’s scene framed (and then it applies to the NPCs, too).

Perhaps this game will finally encourage you to kick out those “ethically challenged people”, otherwise known as cheaters, from your group. The game shouldn’t have to reward you for getting a complication. Fate doesn’t do this either. Bad things can happen as a result of dice rolls and you get nothing. In Cortex+ you can get rewarded by the GM buying your 1’s, but you only get a single plot point per complication they inflict on you. If you roll 4 1’s they can buy them all and give you a nasty complication for only a single plot point.

Threat may increase rapidly but it’s a great tool too use too show the players how much just might go wrong! It is used to increase tension. As the GM you can decide how and when to use it and you shouldn’t feel as though you have too use all of it. Your the GM in control of the game. If the players don’t feel satisfied by the end of it, it is not the threat/momentum mechanic.

Stumbled upon this ‘review’ while searching for something else. I think its clear the writer hasn’t actually done any real playtesting of the rules. I’ve been running a group for over a year and they love the game. While its not perfect, over and over what I have heard from my players was ‘it feels like Star Trek’. It’s been a huge success for Modiphius and was a huge draw at GenCon this year one year after release. If you are considering buying and playing this game, please do some other research.

I’ve played two long sessions of this game so far and it’s going terribly. The amount of time it takes the GM and the players to find any information about what they want their characters to do is just painful. The Index and Table of Contents are of no help. The rules on social interaction are confusing and not useful. I have even watched many fan created video tutorials on Youtube and read the core rulebook thoroughly. I have felt much more stress than fun while learning this game. It’s a shame, because I am a huge Trek fan.

I’m on the same page with you. I’d love to have a Star Trek game that works well but for me this one just isn’t it. I’ve found both Fate and Primetime Adventures work pretty well for Trek though.

I’ve been running a game for a while now and to be fair a lot of the faults the reviewer highlights I must agree with him. I’ve taken to only using rules that I like and pretty much doing my own thing with the rest. This game needs a re-write.

House ruling for the win!

I think you’re right on the money. I don’t mind the “number of successes” bit; I actually think it’s ok. I could care less about Threat and Momentum.

Unfortunately, it seems like all of the Species Talents simply modify how Threat and Momentum are used, so that cuts in half the uniqueness of playing a different species, at least mechanically.

After 30+ years as a “student” of Star Trek RPGs, I have to say that less rules and mechanics is more… much more.

I think you’ll find it’s “fewer rules”.

Basically if a thing comes in finite units then it’s “fewer” and “less” if it’s more homogeneous. So, now that you have fewer soldiers; you have less firepower. Now, that you have fewer grains of sand; you have less sand. We have fewer liters of water, so we have less water.

Even if things come in different shapes and sizes, it’s the finite identity that causes the word fewer to be used instead of less. Now that I have fewer kitchen utensils, I have fewer recipes that I can attempt. This is different to; “Now that I have less food in my pantry, I have fewer recipes I can attempt.” So even though rules come in different shapes and sizes, I suspect it’s “fewer rules” not “less rules”.

Dude! LOL!!

I’m glad you liked it. My other common one is:- There’s no K in everything. By default that means there’s no such words as “somethink” nor even “anythink”.

Oh and “turret”:- a “turrent” sounds like a cross between something you fight battles with and something you put in a Christmas cake.

Rules come in specific packages. Hence SFB has rule numbers. http://www.starfleetstore.com/core-rules-c-1_2/ Even the introductory rules allude to the rule numbers with rule numbers being retained in the chapter headings. http://www.starfleetgames.com/CadetTraining.shtml

Great work Dr. Pedanticus! Your Iron Grammar Savant Protocol has once again saved the whole World from a terrible doom!

It is never fair to judge a new game system to that of D&D, which is on its 5th full revision. So far I love this system as it supports more of a narrative structure, and less meta gaming, which matches the universe. My players like it thus far, as long as the rolls are about situation you create, I don’t find the Attribute/Discipline system hard to figure out at all. The Attributes are stacked to show the top and bottom are almost opposites, Control/Daring, Fitness/Insight, and Presence/Reason. The book is confusing and lacks brevity, and could benefit from more tables for quick reference. Also, anything that is an open option should have more off the shelf options, like focuses and values. But like i stated, this is a narrative based game system, D&D wins for tactics and meta gaming, but that also requires the GM/DM and players to memorize so many micro rules.

Out of curiosity, Zach, what in this review makes you think I’m comparing Star Trek Adventures to D&D?

As much as I find the rules are in need of revision the game I am running seems to be going really well using a “Star Trek Lite” version of the rules. The game lends itself very well to narrative gaming and as long as the GM and players are not meta game focused and as a collective want to enjoy the world of Star Trek it makes for a good game. I think you are right, over a period of time and with rule revisions it can only improve and as is a good foundation to work from.

Regarding the inability of PCs to succeed on a Difficulty 4+ Task on their own, given how robust the Assist action is (Can the player helping out figure out some way their PC’s abilities can help? Then go ahead and roll a single d20 using that Attribute/Discipline set and add that to the initial player’s roll), I’d say that it’s an intentional attempt to reward focusing on teamwork. Which is pretty thematically appropriate for running a game involving a crew on a Federation starship, actually.

The flexibility of exactly what Attributes go with what Disciplines does require players and GMs to work together on figuring out what needs to be rolled, and that takes the GM getting into a cooperative, “let’s build this story together” mindset, and a fair amount of winging it. I could see a stereotypical “TOMB OF HORRORS IS THE BEST D&D MODULE EVER!” kind of GM having issues.

The writing really is extremely hit or miss. The background info is mostly great, the rules are largely okay, some bits spell things out perfectly, and some *really* don’t. There are also more typos than I’ve seen from WotC or FFG games.

I do like the fact that the game assumes that all of the PCs are going to be competent at their jobs from the beginning. Also, the GM Screen includes player cheat sheets for basic rules and the stuff various bridge positions can do, which is awesome.

Having played and run games in multiple editions of D&D, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition, the FFG Warhammer 40k and Star Wars games, and read enough of the rules to be able to play in NWoD and Shadowrun, I could see bits from all of their rules in STA, so it does feel a bit Frankensteined together to me.

The last thing I have to say is that one of the supplements allows a truly evil GM to inflict Lwaxana Troi on the players. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I’m so hoping the Starter Boxed Set is clearer than the current core rules hardback. I like the game, but Lord, is it wordy… and confusing in places…

“The Star Trek Adventures Hardcover Colour Book comes in a full colour edition with black text on a white background exclusive to DTRPG (Drivethrurpg.com)!”

They advertise that like it’s a good thing

I think I agree with you, but was curious as to your reasoning. My reasoning it’s not a good thing is that to get a more readable copy, one must purchase an exclusive book – and many of us already have the retail copy.

I’ll admit I’ve been tempted, but I don’t think the black text on white print will help me absorb the game any better.

“Star Trek is all about social conflict, but it quickly becomes apparent that this chapter is a lie. Despite pages upon pages of text, there are almost no rules for social conflicts. Instead, the entire chapter is vague advice on what kinds of social tactics a character might employ.”

But Oren, you don’t need to write rules for this stuff! Just say it’s important and tell people to roleplay it, letting them handle it however they want. That’s good enough, right? Ugh. I hate the token “Oh, sure, social situations are important. Figure them out yourself.” that so many RPGs include. Can you imagine if someone tried to pull that off for the combat rules?

While I can understand you feeling the social conflict of STA is lacking, the idea of allowing groups to figure out how they want to handle matters is a strength of the system, at least for me. As a suggestion, here’s the approach I’ve taken since the playttest:

Diplomacy is handled as an Extended Challenge. Debates are handled by adapting unarmed combat – Resolve (Social Stress): Command + Presence. Damage inflicted is equal to a number of challenge dice equal to 1 + Command. With many of the same features of hand to hand combat – such as Guard easily adjusted to social conflict with no change to difficulty. When trying Deception such outright lying and the like, it is a toss up between a simple roll verse difficulty or just straight up role play.

Have at. I personally don’t mind this being set-up the way it was.

Just for the record, I don’t super mind a lack of more complex social rules. It’s a little disappointing, but NBD, not every system can have those rules. The issue is that there’s an entire chapter promising me social rules but then there are none to be found. If it just wanted me to handle things the way makes sense to me, a couple paragraphs would have done the trick.

I’m willing to overlook a lot of the criticisms I’ve read in this article. But my main question is: What does a DnD level 20 character look like in Star Trek Adv??? I haven’t gone through the core rule book yet, but I haven’t seen much regarding why I would want to start out as a Starfleet Officer. It seems like you would want to start out as the lowest of positions on a ship and work your way up…

As I recall, you don can start out as any rank you like that the group agrees to, you just have the same number of skill points. So one PC is the captain, one is the first officer, etc, but they have the same number of points to buy skills and stats with.

From there you gain XP and raise skills like you do in most skill based systems. The difference between a starting character and a character with lots of XP is a lot smaller than it is in D&D. You might get a higher Command skill, but you’ll never become the demigod type character that is a level 20 D&D character.

I’m just starting to go through the book for the first time, but I think it’s important to note here that a 20th level D&D character doesn’t look like anything in STA, because the character creation & progression goals are radically different.

The idea of STA is for you to portray more or less the bridge crew of a Starfleet vessel (or space station equivalent for you DS9 fans (yes, pre-Defiant) out there) from day one, same as we’re introduced to Kirk, McCoy, Spock, and Chekov on day 1.

You do pretty much just choose your rank during character creation and it’s just as easy for someone to start as a captain as an ensign. There are some rules that give you a risk/reward system for choosing a higher or lower rank. Higher rank gives you some benefits for recognition or ‘pulling rank’ in some scenarios, but you’re held to a higher standard than the ensigns of the group.

From what I’ve been able to see, the trade-off to starting with the wildly competent characters in STA is that progression is monumentally slow. For the most part, there’s ways to move some points around and ‘retrain’ as you go.

For what it’s worth, I don’t see this as a failing of the STA system, it’s just apples/oranges when compared to a level-based progression system like D&D.

The system does allow for creating non-starfleet officers – “Below Decks” crewman and such if you want. Just remember, Star Fleet uses a military heirarchy with enlisted and officers. Focus on the enlisted side of things and keep the officers as NPCs. Hell O’Brien worked his way into a primary character and he was just a Chief Petty Officer – yet headed the engineering department of DS9.

Hey there! Middle-aged, long-time table-top RPGer – been playing various RPGs since I was 8 years old (1981). In anycase, I’ve been playing STA since the play test. Between the old FASA percentile system, LUG/Decipher, d20 Prime Directive, and STA – for me STA hits all the marks for Star Trek.

Despite my love for the system, I do have two criticisms: …the core book is not easily referenced if you feel the need to look something up. something I’ve overcome with having an at a glance; and, …the “meta-currency” interferes with the occurrence of players outright failing. Yes, I believe failure/set-backs are integral to an enjoyable game experience. As a player I don’t want to have any kind of agency to put matters such I increase my chance of success beyond that which my character is capable. As a GM, I loathe seeing any kind of agency that usurps the natural flow of the game. Sometimes things just go badly AND that should NOT be decreased, removed, or enhanced in game play.

Beyond those two criticisms, I love the flexibility and apparent simplicity of the system. I have yet to have a session in two years of running in my home group and at Save Against Fear in Harrisburg that failed to feel like Trek. To each their own. If you’re looking for a “clearly-defined” system – STA won’t work for you. It focuses on not getting bogged down with minutiae.

” It focuses on not getting bogged down with minutiae.”

Except when dealing with Threat and Momentum. Come to thing of it, most of the rules and “exceptions by rule” deals with Threat and Momentum.

A few points here concerning this review. I myself am about to run this game, so needless to say, I’ve been pouring over the rules like mad.

– I’ll agree that the rules are confusing. But not because it’s overly complicated. I find the problem here is one I’ve seen other RPGs run into which is poor layout. Most (not all) STA rules are fairly straight forward. The problem is you’ll have one rule on one page, and then another rule that’s directly tied to it in a completely different section. So it’s a slow learning process involving lots of turning back and forth from section to section and is indeed annoying. But aside from that, the rules are actually fairly streamlined. But it is indeed a more abstract system than straight forward crunchy systems like most iterations of D&D.

– Combat is anything but boring. In fact, combat is quite deadly, especially ground combat. Without cover or armor, it’s fairly easy for someone to land lethal or non-lethal injuries since all they need to do is roll 5 or more damage regardless of how much stress the targets still has. And one really wonderful thing here is that ground combat and ship combat are virtually the same. The only real difference is that ships can take considerably more punishment than individuals and hence can and will suffer multiple breaches before being taken out. And don’t forget spending Momentum here. Momentum usage is *critical* in combat for dealing with strong opponents or when you want to end a fight quick. Mind you, the GM can do the same with Threat …

– A ship is *never* the core dice roller on any action. It only ever assists. And when a ship can assist is very simple: is the action performed by the player dependent on using a ship system to make it happen? Then it assists. So a tactical officer firing a ship’s weapons gets assisted by the ship. That same officer firing a hand phaser at a boarding Jem’Hadar does NOT get assisted by the ship since he’s not using the ship systems to shoot that target in the corridor. It’s really straight forward. Personally, I am absolutely in love with how ship mechanics works in this. I do agree that ship combat can get clunky without reference material, but fortunately, the GM screen provides cheat sheets for that. Plus you can always print them out from the PDF.

– Skills and Stats are vague … until they are not. The problem here is not one with the game itself, but is instead a fault in us players. That is to say we are so grounded in the very precise and large skill list that we are grounded in that way of thinking. Also, the attributes in STA are radically different than in other games … and BETTER. It’s really really simple. Control and Daring are the ACTION stats. Control is simply when you do things in a precise methodical manner. Daring is when your action is instant and reactive. Is your engineer taking his time to patch up the warp core? Control. Is your engineer hurridly hammering commands because something went wrong and a device is about 10 seconds from exploding in his face? Daring. Insight and Reason are UNDERSTANDING stats, but also along a similar line. So Insight is the knowledge version of Daring … you quickly notice something at the corner of your eye, or you’re engaged in negociations and spotted a delegate suddenly looking uncomfortable when you bring up a treaty. Reason on the other hand is when you are using your logic to sift through data to find what you are looking for. So say the captain wishes to research local customs before meeting delegates … that would be a Reason+Command roll. As for Fitness and Presence … these are basically like passives, sorta. Fitness is your physical endurance. Presence is your raw charisma. That’s about it.

Overall, I really like the system … but it DOES have a sharp learning curve due to how different it is from anything else. But once that learning curve is dealt with, it’s actually quite a smooth system. I LOVE the momentum and threat economy as it makes the game very team focused.

I’ve been playing STA for over a year now and I agree with Karl’s take. The original review reflects a read through the game, but my experience from play has, over time, shown that it’s actually quite a good game in a lot of ways, if not without some flaws.

Unquestionably, the game’s learning curve is tough and the main rulebook is also an unnecessarily difficult read. (The rules in the new Klingon book are MUCH clearer.) 2D20 games read weirdly but play well once you get the hang of them, although they’ve been trending in a more abstract direction than STA I’m not as happy with. So a review that doesn’t actually involve a reasonable playtest isn’t going to catch those aspects. Unfortunately “a reasonable playtest” isn’t likely to be a quick one. Achieving a reasonable degree of system proficiency is an undertaking.

STA has some really great qualities, though. With only six Attributes, six Disciplines, Talents, Values, and Focuses, it’s possible to generate markedly different characters. I played two Science officers and have seen a third in play and all have been markedly different, despite serving the same basic role on the ship.

STA makes it interesting and indeed essential to help others take actions, too, which is fairly unusual in RPGs. Usually helping feels like you lost your turn, but here it’s an integral part of the game. Taking actions to build Momentum are very much part of how the game runs and there are characters whose Talents make them very good at helping.

I totally agree about combat being quite deadly and dynamic once you understand it. A lot of the tactics comes from using Momentum and Talents to break out of “I go, you go, I go, you go” cycle. If you’re not using those, you’re really missing out on what the system offers.

In sum: It’s most definitely not a space simulator, it’s a TV show simulator. Anyone who wants the former is going to be disappointed. However, once you learn how to play the game it works very well and does indeed generate a “Star Trek” feel, at least insofar as it simulates being a Starfleet crew.

Thanks for writing this out and patching in clarifications. Im planning on running this soon, and seeing its weaknesses lets me prepare for them.

No problem, glad you found the review helpful, and good luck with your campaign!

I respectfully disagree with the overall poor review of this system. My husband has been running a one on one game for me for almost two years now and it is amazing. He is the best GM/DM I have ever encountered/watched and he caters his style to his players. Since I am a huge roleplayer and get invested in my characters and their stories, that’s where he puts most of his energy. He has long been a Trekkie and knows the lore very well. We learned the system together and went into it with open minds knowing it would be different than any other tabletop RPG we play. There are still some rules we have to look up, but I can say that for every system. I am very sorry you don’t enjoy this system. Personal preferences abound in all things, don’t they? :) May you have good GMs and epic adventures!

The attributes are not that unclear, but each (excepting reason) mixes mental and physical Control: Both Dexterity and Willpower, also attention to detail, even some rigid logic forms Daring: reaction speed, agility, and bravery. Fitness: constitution, health, and resistance to both mental and physical stress Insight: Physical perception, intuition.empathy Presence: Attractiveness, Charisma Reason: raw intellect, memory, logic.

The issue is the disciplines… The linking them to the departments is a cute gimmick, but that’s really what it is – a gimmick. That’s where 90% of the player confusion lies in my experience. Command is the default for interpersonal…. John Carter goes even more in that direction, by using only attributes – always pairs – The fluff is great, the game is not bad, but far from great (and I was part of the playtest … it’s better than it was in playtest.)

I’d rather have seen more concrete discipline titles (and ones that do not have the same first 3 letters as any attribute nor each other)… and maybe more of them. The discipline/focus combination works nicely… I tend to have trouble, however, spending all the threat my players generate without violating the advice to not be a jerk. A number of playtesters did.

2d20 overall is fun, but I really prefer a less abstract and slightly more simulationist ruleset… Still, I’m running it, and enjoying it.

A great game helps to enforce the genre in a subtle but powerful way. STA doesn’t, but it also doesn’t get in the way.

So your review makes me think you’ve misunderstood the entire system. All of your complaints, other than poor book layout, boil down to one thing: A bad GM who doesn’t understand the system.

You complain there are no rules for social conflict, and then complain there are too strict rules for physical combat, despite being wrong on both counts. You complain that the 2d20 system makes it too hard to succeed, but turn around and complain about the systems that make those rolls possible. Some you ignore, traits you mention but say you just ignored in-play, and you even complain that momentum lead to your players continually making easy rolls, despite the fact you could have just not let them, because you’re the GM! In fact, based on the fact you thought the ship could roll (it never does) and that someone had to point out the very obvious character creation options of alien homeworld and mixed species to you, I’m pretty sure you never bothered to actually read the book.

Side note, players CAN get three successes on two dice, read the rules. But even if what you said WERE true, there are so many different things they can use to get there. Plus, difficulty 3 is a pretty significant difficulty. You’re basically complaining that a player needs to use the mechanics to do something very difficult in-game, and they can choose from traits, momentum, talents, determination, equipment, assistance, focuses, threat, success-at-cost, and more to help them succeed.

The system is a narrative and flexible system, built to adapt to the story and encourage role-playing. If you’re upset your players are succeeding, this is not the game for you. If you’re upset you need to establish scenes, this is not the game for you. If you’re upset that the GM is expected to know the rules, this is not the game for you. There are lots of smaller systems given as an example of what COULD happen because it’s up to the GM to tailor the system to the narrative. Anything could happen, so it’s an inherently open system to allow many different methods of mechanical resolution based on the narrative.

In case anyone else finds this and feels turned off from this system, I would suggest completely ignoring this and finding a different review. Almost everything complained about in this article is blatantly wrong, or from a perspective where actually role-playing in a role-playing game is never even considered.

Problems I see:

• Disorganized rulebook. This isn’t the worst I’ve seen (that medal goes to Polaris) and it follows the 80s/90s RPG tradition of being a tangled pile of rules spaghetti… but that doesn’t justify just how poorly organized it really is in the current gaming scene. Like, get with the times, read how other games have organized their information, and do what’s necessary to speak clearly.

• If my players can’t keep track of what’s permanently written on their character sheet that they themselves chose (which is the norm for the vast majority of gamers) they will never ever be able to track a metacurrency or remember that it can even be used at all, let alone 3 different metacurrencies.

• The math is about the same as it is for a standard roll-to-hit system, it’s just rearranged and ultimately conceptually confusing. So, you want your stats as high as possible, but you want your rolls as low as possible, so you can get as many hits as possible. It’s basically the THAC0 problem all over again. Even if people are capable of doing the math easily and understand how it works, they will never understand why the game is designed to have its values alternate between positive and negative logic. D&D and most other games in general learned this lesson a long time ago: Bigger numbers should equal better results all the time, run everything in positive logic, or normal non-enthusiast people will dislike your game and not buy it. Is bigger=better the mindset of an ignorant juvenile? Yes. Of course it is. Welcome to the human species.

• Initiative combat. Yuck. I’m sick of this approach to combat. Can you imagine playing a wargame where each unit has a turn instead of each army having one unified turn? Awful mechanic that consumes time for no return on that investment and locks people out of play while one person strains their brain for several minutes trying to figure out if they want to shoot target A or target B. My solution: Start of combat, everyone describes how they plan to contribute to their side’s effort to win the fight. These descriptions decide which stat combination they roll against and whether any traits/focuses/talents come into play. People buy extra dice if they can. Everyone rolls and pools all of their hits for their side. Whichever side rolled the most hits wins. Anyone who rolls a 20 got injured. If they got injured multiple times, it’s a severe injury. Shish boom bah, you’re done. Want to make it a longer combat? Make it a challenge so they have to do it several times, or run the combat until everyone on one side has been shot down. Want to represent something other than combat like a tense negotiation? No problem, just use different stat combinations, gear, traits, etc., and skip the injuries step! What you roll depends on how you roleplay your approach to the conflict, so the roleplay is mandatory to know what you’re even doing in the system.

Been GMing since ’85 and played FASA and SFB to-death, and have been forming my first campaign with new and experienced RPG players using the latest STA rules. I must say that several of the high-level observations in this thread are correct, in particular poor writing that includes a lot of redundancy, interrupting flavor text, and just lazy descriptions of key concepts (Momentum vs. Threat, Social Conflict, etc.) To make it accessible, I transcribed the rules into an better-organized, abridged document and (sometimes painstakingly) clarified/re-wrote certain mechanics. These are the rules we now refer to, using the rule and source books to add flavor.

However, consider that Star Trek is really, really *big*. The amount of mechanics required to get players into a military-structured environment with almost limitless sci-fi capacity is stupefying with any set of rules. Any Star Trek game is going to be heavily reliant on the quality of the GM, as well as players curious about the universe and willing to take on a lot of additional time doing research into the cannon and past events. The GM really needs to break it down for the players and be well-read and prepared to officiate the mechanics, as appropriate. Beyond that, they also need to understand Star Trek *very* well and use the STA tools (like Scenes, Tasks, etc.) to keep it all under control.

Regarding concerns around Momentum/Threat, this is where – IMO – the game shines, *if* the GM clearly explains the purpose of the system to the players, sticks to the STA guidelines that constrain the GM from just making up stuff, and then work the points systems to keep the amount of Threat under control – its not easy; not for the novice GM, but can be very rewarding when executed well, and that takes practice and experience.

Another benefit to this system is that it makes it easier than most to convert legacy materials to modern play, if/when the GM wants to do that. The Attribute + Discipline system adapts well to new content, and experienced players quickly figure out which Attribute cover which situations. P.S. I *never* allow the ship to make a roll – its only/always an Assist for a player taking a Task check. The ship, like any piece of equipment is a tool; never a player.

So, far, in short, my gaming group finds it “very Trekkie” and fun to play, but mainly because I’ve taken a lot of extra time and effort to clean up the rule book. Someone else posted above, and I agree, it needs a total re-write to clarify some of the important concepts and make it more accessible to more casual gaming groups. However, I’d still recommend it to any GM with some years under their belt and a passion for going where no one has gone before!

Would you be willing to share your re-written rules? I (like many others) also find them quite painful to go through, and have thought about rewriting them myself.

Hi Donald thanks for your comments Re: Star Trek Adventures

Just browsing through as I received this game for Xmas and some of the criticisms concerned me. Your comments were a relief as many comments are dated. I was wondering if you would be willing to share your clarification of Terms and rules for a novice GM just starting out. Let me know. Ta Cheers Darren Merry Christmas to all

Just stumbled on this review. Enjoy the game. Grew up on Original Star Trek but not a “hardcore fan” or anything. Also, I do prefer more narrative RPGs like PbtA rule sets but sometimes enjoy something with a little more crunch.

My group and I have not house ruled anything yet in Star Trek Adventures. I am guessing we don’t have as much of an abuse of technology because we are running in the Original Series era, so I cannot comment on that aspect of this review.

One thing about this review that struck me, though, was the author’s inability to determine what combination of Attributes and Disciplines to use for a given occasion. The rulebook dedicates a couple of pages specifically to address any confusion a person may have with this. As weirdly as this book is organized (I find the layout not intuitive to learning the game, and probably my largest gripe), that section is rather obvious,

This, for me at least, calls into question the entire review and its accuracy. I would encourage people to give the game a try, as long as you like some crunch in your mechanics (my Monster of the Week players would shoot me if I introduced this game to them).

I agree with the comment about the combination of Attribute + Discipline, but once again, it comes back to the atrocious layout of the rulebook. In the rulebook, this section is a run-on list split over 5(!) pages with redundancy (with a half page of image unnecessarily inserted inbetween) and some of the sections being split between two columns. It will also give you a running text of the _general_ purpose of the Attribute/Discipline and some visually easy to finde very _specific_ examples as bullet points. As a GM, one of my main tasks is determining what combination of Attribute + Discipline to use for an outlandish task my PCs attempt. So I want the exact opposite of what this layout provides – I want to at a glance see what the general purpose of an attribute is and to skip it if I see it doesn’t fit. Actually, I would have loved a quick lookup table where you have the attributes on the left side and the disciplines at the top, with the table containing examples for the tasks. So quite frankly, I do not blame OP for complaining about this part.

It Builds Character—Ideas for Bringing Your Characters to Life in Star Trek Adventures

By Troy Mepyans

Sometimes it’s hard to come up with an idea for a character, particularly human characters that aren’t just two-dimensional paper cut-outs without any real dimension. What I have found to help counter this is to randomly select a birthplace, or location where the character spent their formative years, and build the character from the ground up. This is particularly useful if you are having the character start from Earth since there are so many tools on the web to randomly select countries, cities, and even smaller towns from which to begin.

Once you have your starting point, it pays to do a little bit of research about the area that you have come up with and the culture that is in the surrounding region. For example, if you randomly came up with Tokyo, Japan, you would want to research a little about the city itself and the surrounding area, along with the culture from the past to modern times. Your character may be able to trace their lineage back centuries to a famous figure of the region, or they are simply familiar with the history of that part of their family and it has become a hobby of theirs.

The population would…come together for survival in ways they hadn’t before those times. Cultures and ethnicities would blend together and the strong lines of demarcation between them would blur as the decades and centuries pass.

Something to keep in mind is that humanity of the 23 rd and 24 th centuries would likely look very different than it does now. After the Eugenics Wars and the Third World War, the population would have been forced to come together for survival in ways they hadn’t before those times. Cultures and ethnicities would blend together and the strong lines of demarcation between them would blur as the decades and centuries pass. That’s not to say your character has to follow that model, but it is something that may help you design an even more fleshed-out backstory as you make your build. For example, the character from Tokyo may have been born in Japan and have Japanese ancestry on one side of their family; but they may have an entirely different ethnicity on the other side of their family that they can trace back to various groups fleeing wars, famine, disease, or whatever crisis comes to your mind.

In addition, in the idealistic future, hundreds of years of racist policies and ideologies would have faded away encouraging a new, wiser society that encourages and celebrates multicultural and multiethnic unions.

Once you have the foundation laid for your character, it’s time to breathe a little life into them. Choose hobbies or activities that dovetail with the focuses and talents you’ve chosen for your character. For example, if you have chosen Mean Right Hook as a talent, your character may be a skilled boxer or at least a student of that particular sport/martial art. Other things to think about are how they relate to their past and how that can translate into talents and focuses as well. This is where your upbringing can really come into play, rather than simply adding to stats on a piece of paper. If your character grew up on a farm, what focus did they choose and how did that focus apply to life on the farm?

This same process can be applied to Academy life; and, even later, to the events that shaped their careers before they arrived at the assignment that will be the focus of your campaign. Was your character involved in athletics at the Academy? What did they do when they had time away from their studies? Did they travel to other worlds as part of their curriculum? If so, where did they go and why? Perhaps your character was involved in the Battle of Wolf 359, or the Dominion War if you’re in the TNG, DS9, Voyager era; or the Romulan or Klingon Wars of the 22 nd and 23 rd centuries. Was there an event that truly changed their outlook and personality? How have they dealt with the aftermath of those events? Even positive events like First Contacts or being Mentored can have a lasting impact on the development and attitudes of a character. Always be thinking of how things you are doing as you build the character might affect them as people and officers.

“I used Random World Cities to help generate a hometown for my latest homebrew character. I build the backstory from there.” Troy

Whatever you choose to do, keep in mind what you have discovered as you build your character, especially their Values and possibly their focuses as well. Don’t forget to let your GM in on your character’s background, as they can use that to craft plots and subplots that help develop that even further and truly bring your character to life.

Above all else that has been mentioned here, HAVE FUN! If some of this works for you, but not other parts, that’s great! If you already have a concept in mind, run with it and see if you can add even more to it! Not a human? That’s cool too! Do some research on whatever world they’re from or use a random world generator from the web to create something totally new and different to start your journey.

Good luck as you take your first steps into the Final Frontier! Live long and prosper!

Discover more from Continuing Mission

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Entertainment /

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fourth season

While paramount has ordered another season of star trek: discovery, the lower deck animated spinoff has been canceled..

By Charles Pulliam-Moore , a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.

Share this story

Two men, one wearing a blue shirt, and the other wearing a yellow short, standing with their arms behind their backs in a futuristic control room.

Season 3 of Paramount Plus’ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is still in production, but the streamer has already decided to renew the series. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Star Trek: Lower Decks , which is coming to an end.

Paramount Plus announced today that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be back for a fourth season following the premiere of its third sometime in 2025, and Star Wars: Lower Deck ’s upcoming fifth season will be the series’ finale. In a statement about Strange New Worlds ’ renewal, executive producer Alex Kurtzman and showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers said they were thrilled about being able to continue telling new stories about the crew of the Enterprise.

And while Lower Decks is wrapping up, Kurtzman and showrunner Mike McMahan hinted that the crew of the Cerritos could “live on with new adventures” in the future after season five brings the series to a close this fall.

Spotify’s lossless audio could finally arrive as part of ‘Music Pro’ add-on

Oh no, i started playing fallout shelter again, galaxy ai features are coming to last-gen samsung phones — including the s21 series, tesla slashes price for monthly full self-driving subscription, the fitbit charge 5 is a steal at 50 percent off.

More from Entertainment

Game publisher blames media for studio closure

Fitbit Charge 5 in white on light background

Inside the quest to finish Super Mario Maker’s disappearing levels

The Original Series
The Animated Series
The Next Generation
Deep Space Nine
Strange New Worlds
Lower Decks
Star Trek Movies
TrekCore on Twitter
TrekCore on Facebook

It’s not that Cruz doesn’t seem happy as Culber, not at all, but there is a distinct looseness in his portrayal of Jinaal that is miles away from how he plays the calm, contemplative Culber. Jinaal’s no Curzon, but he certainly enjoys having a body again (“This guy really works out!”) and is very enthusiastic about the long hike to the next clue he gets to lead Burnham and Book on.

A consistent criticism I’ve had of Discovery is that the dialogue often feels unreal to me, like something someone wrote and not something someone would really say in the moment. Dialogue in Star Trek has always been highly stylized – even disregarding the technobabble there’s something specific and staid about the way most people in the future speak (and which makes the occasional Jett Renos of the world so immediately refreshing).

But I have to say, the dialogue in “Jinaal” is uniformly great , and Culber’s Jinaal is just the start. It’s full of different textures for different characters, it’s funny, it’s thoughtful without seeming overthought, it’s quick without being quippy. And more than anything, it feels real. One of this episode’s writers — Lauren Wilkinson — joined Discovery this season, with this episode being her first writing credit on the show. Kyle Jarrow, her co-writer, wrote two episodes last season, including one where I spent a decent chunk of my review criticizing its stiff writing, especially for secondary characters.

Discovery has a chronic problem with flattening its secondary characters to silent nods on the bridge and factoids blurted out to superior officers only when the plot demands it. “Jinaal” does this too (a lot!), but it’s with a deliberate self-awareness that turns one of my biggest complaints into one of the episode’s best gags.

Back aboard Discovery , demoted Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) is far too impatient and brusque to actually do the ship tour and crew meet-and-greets Burnham has tasked him with; instead, he orders each crewmember to come to his office and tell him something about themselves in 20 words or less.

Thanks to some nimble editing and an understanding that the gag only gets funnier the longer it goes, we get a fast flip through character after character — several of whom we’ve never met before this episode, and several of whom have been around since Day One but who I now, finally actually feel like I know.

Dr. Pollard (Raven Dauda), for example, who’s been on the show since the first season, finally has a personality thanks to the deadpan no-bullshit way she delivered her 20 words. Not only is Linus (David Benjamin Tomlinson) a father three times over (or, three clutches over), it’s clearly something he’s very proud of. Who knew?

And when the crewmembers we don’t know get the “standard Discovery factoid treatment”, it doesn’t feel clunky so much as illuminating. That Bajoran gal who is unbeatable at tongo — Lt. Commander Asha (Christina Dixon) — I believe it and I really want to see it. The new helmsman who had to “save her drag racing story for next time” — Lt. Gallo (Natalie Linconti) — I hope we get to hear it, and I hope it’s not told immediately before a drag race just happens to become a major plot element to save the day.

Tilly (Mary Wiseman) is present throughout all of this, and her writing gets a huge boost this episode as well. Tilly is a character I often find myself wanting to like more than I actually do, and who I think has so much potential that’s undermined by writing that doesn’t go any deeper than portraying her as quirky and flustered.

Here though, we get a confident, assertive Tilly, one who still feels true to character, but is a more adult version of that character. Her core motivations are there — her focus on a supportive crew, her concern for treating people with respect — she just has more grown-up way of expressing them. She is, after all, an instructor at the Academy now and can’t be fumbling through every interaction, especially when confronting something that she feels is, in a sense, bullying.

It’s clear from the way the two characters leave their working relationship at the end of the episode that Tilly has gained Rayner’s respect, and that he takes her criticisms of his attitude to heart. He’s still Rayner, he’s still a grouch, but he’s not unreasonable — and he’s not an actual bully. He just finds it easier to pretend to be one.

Back on Trill, the hike gives Jinaal a chance to unload some exposition about why this puzzle exists in the first place. Long story short, the group of scientists which included Jinaal and Vellek found the Progenitors’ technology and immediately recognized its incredible power. But with the Dominion War raging they worried about its use and decided to scrub their research and identities from history, and hide the location of the technology away until the galaxy was a more peaceful place.

What isn’t a peaceful place is the canyon Jinaal has lead Book and Burnham to as the supposed location of Trill’s clue. Why? Because gigantic semi-invisible bee moths who shoot red bolts of electricity live in this canyon! I didn’t know it until I watched this episode, but it turns out I’m a very big fan of gigantic semi-invisible bee moths who shoot red bolts of electricity, just FYI. I enjoyed these guys a lot and I’m glad they and their clutch of eggs made it out unscathed. It’s not that I was rooting against Burnham and Book, but more that I was just firmly on Team Bee Moth.

The bee moths themselves were also a test: a way for Jinaal to observe how Burnham and Book behaved when faced with an innocent aggressor (they were wild animals simply protecting their young, after all) before deciding to give them the clue. In choosing to prioritize the bee moths, they pass and Jinaal hands them another map piece… which was never where he said it was in the first place.

Mission over, Jinaal is returned to Bix and — if I understood the episode’s closing montage correctly — Bix is pretty immediately returned to the milk pools. I’m sure the moment was supposed to be one of happiness and contentment, watching a symbiont finally get to take a nap after fulfilling a lifelong mission, but all I could think about was Bix’s current host.

That old lady may have been tired but she certainly didn’t look to be on death’s door so, uh, is she okay? I’m thinking she might not be okay.

Meanwhile throughout all of this, Saru (Doug Jones) and T’Rina (Tara Rosling) have their first fight… one that’s very polished and diplomatic, but no less serious than if it had involved bigger displays of emotion. It’s time for an engagement announcement to be sent out, and what first seems like a minor quibble over some language thanks to Saru’s modesty — does T’Rina have to refer to him as “the handsome and erudite Captain Saru”? – quickly becomes a matter with much larger consequences.

T’Rina’s assistant Duvin (Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon) who carries on the long and proud tradition of snooty Vulcans you kind of want to punch, is concerned with the optics of her union with an “outsider” — particularly with respect to what the Vulcan Purist movement is going to think about it. Saru decides to cancel the announcement “for” T’Rina, T’Rina feels that Saru has overstepped, and it’s icy for about five minutes until they make up and Saru admits that he doesn’t have a whole lot of experience being in this type of love.

It’s refreshing to see mature adult characters talking about their lack of experience with relationships, as it’s really not something you see often. Usually storylines about learning how to navigate love are contained to younger characters, and understandably so, but not everyone figures these things out at the same pace.

Another well-handled relationship moment occurs between Adira and Gray, both of whom are genuinely happy to see each other, but who also recognize that things have changed between them. As with Book and Burnham, I don’t know that Adira and Gray will remain broken up through the rest of the series, but for now anyway they’ve decided to move on from being a couple.

OBSERVATION LOUNGE

We have another mention of the Breen. Between these references, L’ak’s (Elias Toufexis) mysterious identity and quips about helmets, I’m officially joining in on the speculation that he’s Breen.
I’m a big fan of Rayner’s personality quirk of using slightly old-fashioned human expressions with a deadpan scowl on his face. Never has “I can walk and chew gum at the same time” sounded so irritable. Keep it up.
“To rush a sehlat is to risk a goring.” Between this and “It is difficult to ride two valebeasts with only one set of buttocks” from “Choose to Live,” Saru is a veritable font of folksy aphorisms.
Was that a Selay , the cobra-headed aliens first seen in TNG ’s “Lonely Among Us”, at the negotiating table? Why I do believe it was.

According to Tilly’s data regarding Trill, the planet has a 26.5-hour day and a 483-day year.
Like human fingerprints, Trill spots are unique to each individual — and it seems the Trill government keeps records of all spot patterns, even after 800 years.
While Gray permanently inhabits his clone body through the Trill zhian’tara ritual, Culber’s z hian’tara experience parallels the Deep Space 9 crew; they took on the personalities and knowledge of Dax’s previous hosts in “Facets.”
Saru’s office at Starfleet Headquarters is filled with many alien plants, like his quarters aboard Discovery .
Jinaal notes that the discovery of Progenitor tech occurred during the Dominion War, meaning that his group of scientists hid the bounty no later than 2375 (when the war concluded). “The Chase” took place in 2369, just six years earlier.
Lt. Commander Nillson has transferred to the Voyager -J, meaning it’s unlikely we’ll see actor Sara Mitich this season.

The bartender in Red’s serves Tilly a glass of green Ferengi Slug-O Cola, introduced on Deep Space Nine and last seen in Picard Season 3.
Reno’s complaint about chips refers to her Starfleet interrogation in Season 3’s “Die Trying.”
The “day for night” filter used during the Trill canyon night scenes isn’t very effective when the actors have visible shadows.
The latest Progentitor clue leads to coordinates located in Tzenkethi space, a dangerous species mentioned twice in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
As foreshadowed at the beginning of the episode, we see Burnham kneeling in a Vulcan meditative pose, exactly like Spock in Star Trek II. (Someone please get her some of those little knee pillows Sarek had in “Light and Shadows,” the floor of her quarters has to be pretty hard to kneel on!)

Adira says their goodbyes to the guardians before beaming up to the ship, and as they do so… oh no, one of the guardians is Mol (Eve Harlow) — and she’s slipped a tracking chip onto Adira before slinking away into the shadows!

Was Mol there the whole time, and if so, was she worried that any of the Trill present were going to realize she had no idea how to do any of the ceremonial stuff that she was presumably fumbling her way through? Probably not, as a seasoned galactic mercenary she’s way too cool for that. But I would have been.

DSC Season 5
Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery's Five-Season Mission

In the lead up to Discovery's final adventure, the cast and creatives behind the hit series reflects on their journey so far.

Graphic illustration featuring an episodic still from the Discovery crew celebrating in 'Coming Home'

StarTrek.com

We're mere days away from Star Trek: Discovery launching its final adventure with the premiere of its fifth season on April 4.

In need of a catch up of where we last left off with each character? We've got a guide for that . Want a spoiler-free tease of what's to come for the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery ? We've got you covered there as well .

Ahead of their last mission, the cast and creatives behind the hit series that relaunched the Star Trek universe seven years ago has been reflecting on their experiences on- and off-screen during their latest stints on Star Trek: The Cruise VII, SXSW, WonderCon, World Premiere junket, and more. Here are the biggest takeaways from their promotional tour!

"Under the Twin Moons"

Following the finale of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005, it would take the franchise 12 years to return to television screens with the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017.

Speaking directly to StarTrek.com during the press junket at SXSW, executive producer and showrunner Alex Kurtzman detailed how they selected Sonequa Martin-Green to usher in the modern era of Star Trek . "Sonequa's amazingness just radiated off the screen, and that was just from an audition," shared Kurtzman. "We actually didn't meet her in person; she was in New York at the time. It's that beautiful thing. We had been looking for so long for the right Michael Burnham. And it's that miracle moment that you always wait for when you're in a casting process where just the right person shows up and starts saying the lines, and you go, 'That's my Michael Burnham.' That's what we got with her just out of the gate."

"On top of being a brilliant Michael Burnham, she's also just the most amazing Number One ever," continued Kurtzman. "She's such a beautiful human being, such a wonderful leader. She created a space on set for everybody to be joyful and to do their best work. I honestly don't think we can say enough about how amazing she is."

This sentiment was echoed amongst all the cast members, including the newest addition to the series, Eve Harlow , who praised Martin-Green during an exclusive conversation with StarTrek.com during Star Trek: The Cruise VII, "She is that captain, and she treats everyone like an equal. I've just never been on a set where everyone, the crew is so appreciated. She knows everybody's names. She knows what they do. She knows their family life, what's going on with them. She genuinely cares, and being around that, that spirit is infectious."

"The Hope That Is You, Part 2"

Sitting in the SXSW Studio , Sonequa Martin-Green reflected on being the first Black woman to helm a Star Trek series. "This is one of the things that I'm most proud of," exclaimed Martin-Green. "There's no way that i could not be. We made television history twice. First, it was the first Black female lead, and then it was the first Black female lead and captain. Those moments mean so much to me even being able to just sit in the chair. I could distill it to that moment of being able to sit in the chair. I was carrying my daughter at the same time. So being able to share that with her, and then being able to become a producer and then an executive producer behind-the-scenes."

During the Discovery panel at WonderCon, executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi reflected on Michael Burnham's journey throughout Star Trek: Discovery. " [Sonequa] is an incredible human being, and she's an incredible actor. Here she was playing these multiple roles, lieutenant to prisoner at one point. It takes an actor of incredible range and incredible capability to be able to pull that off. To be believable in each of the different roles of each of the different phases of her life. It was really fantastic to be able to see and have a front row seat to that. It's one of those things I'll cherish for the rest of my life."

During the WonderCon panel, executive producer and showrunner Michelle Paradise added, "She surprises me every episode. She just really incredible. I remember when I first started on the show, one of the first things Alex said to me is that there's nothing Sonequa can't do, and he's absolutely right. I saw that very early on. And as a writer, that is just a gift because you can take the character anywhere. She's a formidable presence and performer, and just so emotional, and the tiniest moments, she just brings them to life. It's a real treat honestly to get to work with her."

"Coming Home"

In the SXSW Studio, Doug Jones shared how Saru helped fans as well as himself. "Science fiction does parallel real life a lot," noted Jones. "That's why i think the fandom for this genre is so strong because people do see that they can watch something fictional and then go into their real life and go, 'I've got the power to face my demons or whatever is coming in my way that day.'"

"With my character on this [series], I found that the fans seem to be responding to Saru's imposter syndrome, his fears, his anxieties that he starts with in this series," explained Jones. "Watching him work through it, watching him evolve past it, watching him find confidence and courage in himself. That's a theme that so many people have related to and told me, 'Oh my gosh, watching Saru has helped me through this, this, that.' And me too. Me watching Saru go through this has been 'Oh gosh, i don't have to have imposter syndrome anymore. I actually do belong here dagnabbit."

Blu del Barrio also reflected on how their character Adira and Ian Alexander's character Gray has resonated with fans as well as themselves. "It was really perfect timing because the way that Ian and I were introduced," stated del Barrio. "Right after this massive time jump was really perfect, and the way that we were introduced was very nonchalantly, which I think was the right way to do it. There's very rarely a trans character on a TV show. There's never two, and they're never in a relationship. So the fact that I got to do that with Ian is definitely what I'm most proud of in all of the way that I've done here. I feel immensely grateful to have been allowed to. [To Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise,] you guys gave us this platform."

"I didn't realize the effect that it would have, and I'm hugely grateful for it every single day" added del Barrio. "I love the way that we were portrayed. I love the way that I got to bring a lot of my own life and transition into Adira, and that I got to do that on-screen. Although it was very scary, I'm grateful for it. I'm glad that I could do it, and I'm glad that it was not the most interesting thing about either myself or Ian's character. In fact, we literally never talk about it which is perfect. I love that."

Wilson Cruz echoed the same sentiment earlier in the conversation, "I'm feeling grateful for the experience, for people to have been introduced to all of these people who have become a part of my life. I'm grateful for being able to tell this story with this incredibly diverse cast, and finally give voice and face to communities that had been longing to see themselves in this franchise for so many years."

Get ready for Discovery 's final adventure when Season 5 premieres with the first two episodes later this week!

Get updates by email.

Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Graphic illustration of Guardian Xi performing the zhian'tara Trill ritual on Kalzara Bix and Hugh Culber in 'Jinaal'

Login to my account

Enter your e-mail and password:

New customer? Create your account

Lost password? Recover password

Recover password

Enter your email:

Remembered your password? Back to login

Create my account

Please fill in the information below:

Already have an account? Login here

Your cart is empty

STA Dev Blog 003: A Guide to Star Trek Adventures

By Nathan Dowdell, 2d20 System Developer

Basic Rules: Momentum and Threat

At the heart of the gameplay of Star Trek Adventures are two resources which will be generated and spent during play. These are Momentum and Threat .

Momentum represents the opportunities and advantages that come from success and cooperation.
Threat represents the unknown perils that await in space, the unforeseen challenges that will arise to meet you, and the uncertain consequences of action.

All tasks can generate Momentum, but only a group of player characters can save Momentum for later use. Only the gamemaster has Threat, but NPCs can spend Momentum to add to Threat, and player characters can add to Threat in some ways.

When you succeed at a task , any successes you score beyond the minimum needed to match the Difficulty become Momentum: each excess success becomes one point of Momentum. When you generate Momentum in this way, you have two choices: spend or save.

Any Momentum you spend right there and then can be used to improve the outcome of the task you just succeeded at. This can be done in a variety of ways, and the rulebook explains numerous different options, but one of the most common is to Obtain Information , where each point of Momentum spent lets you ask one question about the situation and get a true answer. You may spend Momentum like this one at a time, seeing the effect before you choose whether to spend the next point; with Obtain Information , that would let you ask a question, and hear the answer before you decide whether you have more questions or if you want to save the rest of your Momentum.

Some Momentum options are listed as Repeatable. These can be used as many times as you want. Other Momentum spends can only be used once per task, or once per round in a conflict (which we’ll discuss in a future article).

Any Momentum you save goes into a group pool, and up to six points can be saved in total. This pool of Momentum can be used or added to by any member of your group – it is a shared resource, so your successes can benefit your allies, and their successes can benefit you. A Starfleet officer knows that cooperation makes a crew greater than the sum of its members, and a Klingon warrior is only as strong as those who stand side-by-side with them.

With most uses for Momentum, you can only spend saved Momentum in situations where you could already spend Momentum – immediately after a successful task – but some Momentum uses are listed as Immediate. These can be paid for at any time, spending directly out of the group pool, or even paid for by adding directly to Threat. The most common examples of this is buying additional d20s for a task, or paying to increase the Difficulty of an opponent’s action.

Momentum needs to be maintained, however. At the end of each scene, the group pool loses a point of Momentum, as the passage of time allows opportunities to pass and the urgency of action fades a little. Momentum is there to be used, and if you don’t use it, it’ll fade away.

Using Momentum

It’s a common instinct for new players to hoard Momentum, saving it up for that situation where they really need it. This isn’t necessarily wrong, as saving a couple of points for an emergency can make all the difference, but it’s useful to temper that instinct. Momentum can be generated quite easily, and spending Momentum to buy extra dice can often result in some of that Momentum coming back, especially if the character is highly skilled.

In addition to being easy to generate, Momentum will fade if not used, and there’s a maximum amount you can save, so hoarding Momentum is more likely to result in it being wasted. A proactive approach to using Momentum helps avoid that wastage.

Threat is all the things that could go wrong when exploring the unknown or facing a challenging situation.

In many ways, Threat is a lot like Momentum in how it is used during play: the gamemaster spends Threat to benefit NPCs in the same ways that players can spend Momentum to boost their player characters, and NPCs can save their unspent Momentum as Threat in a similar way to the player characters saving Momentum.

But there are a number of key differences.

Adding to Threat

While the gamemaster will begin each session with a small amount of Threat (normally 2 per player character), that supply is unlikely to last long. However, there are a number of ways that Threat can grow during the course of play:

Complications suffered by the player characters may result in 2 points being added to Threat instead of some other immediate problem occurring – in essence, this trades an immediate problem for a later one.
Player characters can pay for Immediate Momentum options, such as buying bonus d20s, by adding to Threat instead of spending Momentum, representing the character taking a risk to gain a benefit.
NPCs may spend Momentum from their tasks to add to Threat, mirroring how player characters can save their Momentum.
Some actions, such as using lethal force, or entering a situation with high-powered weapons such as rifles, can add to Threat, escalating a situation and making things more dangerous and unpredictable.

There can be other situations which add to Threat as well, but the four above are the most common.

Spending Threat

While Threat can be spent in the same ways Momentum can be used, those aren’t the only ways the gamemaster can use Threat. Ideally, the gamemaster should be using Threat in small quantities fairly regularly throughout each scene, rather than allowing it to build and build. The gamemaster should manage the Threat pool – spending it down or saving it up accordingly – to reflect the desired level of tension and peril in the adventure: lots of Threat signals a difficult challenge ahead, while little Threat means fewer things going wrong.

Threat can be used by NPCs in all the ways Momentum can be used by the player characters.
Some NPCs may have options or abilities which require spending Threat, such as equipping an enemy with a disruptor rifle instead of a disruptor pistol.
The gamemaster may create a complication for the players by spending 2 Threat. This complication should make sense for the situation, and be something that could logically happen.
The gamemaster can spend Threat to introduce additional opponents into a scene: enemy troops beaming down from their ship or responding to a disturbance, an enemy vessel arriving suddenly or decloaking.
The gamemaster may also spend Threat for story reasons, introducing new problems and challenges to overcome.

Players and Threat

While we’ll deal with interesting ways for the gamemaster to use and manage Threat in a later article, it’s useful to approach a common concern with Threat: how players interact with it.

Players, especially new ones, are often unduly worried about Threat building up, fearful of what the gamemaster could do with it. This is especially the case in groups where the gamemaster doesn’t spent Threat often, as the pool will build and build, deepening the fear of what it’s building towards. In truth, a point of Threat is no more menacing than a point of Momentum, and often as useful for the players as the gamemaster.

If your group is low on Momentum, there’s nothing to stop you from buying a die or two by adding to Threat, boosting your odds of succeeding… and better yet, if you do succeed, that Threat might produce Momentum for you to use so that you don’t need to add to Threat so much later. Similarly, adding to Threat might give you an edge in the short-term which is necessary to overcome a particularly imposing challenge or deadly foe. Using Threat occasionally and decisively can mean victory against impossible odds, and that kind of calculated risk-taking is entirely in keeping with the traditions of Starfleet and the Klingon Empire: as James Kirk once remarked, “Risk is our business.”

Get the latest info on product releases, new sales, and development updates.

100% free, Unsubscribe any time!

Opens in a new window.

Net Orders Checkout

Shipping address, shipping methods.

Star Trek: Discovery’s Final Adventure Tackles an Iconic Narrative From The Next Generation

U pgrading the level of excitement and intrigue from the time-hopping adventures encountered in “Discovery” season 2, to the unraveling mystery of the dilithium “Burn” in season 3, and the galactic jeopardy introduced by a highly advanced alien species in season 4, the show’s creators sought to elevate the narrative even further in the final season. Their direction: delving into the very dawn of existence, laying the groundwork for an epic conclusion.

It wasn’t until the final moments of season 5’s opening episode that the scope of the storyline began to solidify, providing viewers with a gripping hook. The mysterious scavengers who seized an artifact of paramount importance to Starfleet, in fact, stole something deeply ingrained in “Trek” mythology: the ancient Progenitor technology responsible for seeding humanoid life across the cosmos. Why revisit this particularly undervalued chapter from “The Next Generation”? During the SXSW “Discovery” premiere, producer Michelle Paradise offered insights:

“The episode ‘The Chase’ resonated deeply with many of us due to its exploration of profound themes such as our origins and the genesis of life. Following its airing, it left us riddled with questions… it was a single episode that introduced this monumental concept to the ‘Star Trek’ lore and then moved on.”

The challenge of addressing such fundamental questions, even within the sci-fi realm of “Star Trek,” is daunting. The decision for a standalone 1990s episode to suddenly introduce a drastic alteration to the franchise’s canon was bold; “Discovery” choosing to embrace and expand upon this narrative is even bolder. Paradise notes that this decision was led by a desire to further develop characters and underlying themes.

FAQ Section

What is the classic next gen storyline that discovery is exploring.

“Discovery” is revisiting the storyline of “The Chase,” an episode from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” that reveals the origins of humanoid life in the universe.

Why did the producers choose this specific narrative for the final season?

Producer Michelle Paradise explained that the episode addressed “huge ideas and huge themes,” such as the creation of life, which left the team with many questions that they wanted to explore further.

Is this storyline a significant change to the “Star Trek” canon?

Yes, the storyline introduced in “The Chase” was a major addition to the “Star Trek” universe and exploring it in “Discovery” deepens the impact of that change.

As “Star Trek: Discovery” embarks on its final season, the show continues to push the boundaries of storytelling within the Star Trek universe by revisiting and expanding upon one of “The Next Generation’s” most profound and underexplored narratives. The decision to explore the origins of humanoid life not only poses existential questions but also allows for a depth of character development and thematic richness that has been a hallmark of the series. This ambitious narrative choice promises to provide a fitting and thought-provoking conclusion to “Discovery’s” voyage.

William Shatner’s Next ‘Bold’ Adventure: Facing Death

YOU CAN CALL ME BILL

The 93-year-old ‘Star Trek’ icon talks with Obsessed about his new documentary, his legacy, and his mortality: “I haven’t got that long.”

Kevin Fallon

Senior Editor, Obsessed

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty

William Shatner has spent a lifetime “boldly going” where maybe not no man, but few have gone before.

The phrase—“to boldly go where no man has gone before”—was, of course, popularized in the original Star Trek series, which debuted in 1966 and starred Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, the principled shepherd of the starship Enterprise. Shatner narrated the famous line during each episode’s opening credits, indelibly tying his voice not just to pop-culture iconography, but to an ethos that has inspired generations of fans.

A new documentary, William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill , which is now in theaters, charts Shatner’s career and the philosophies he’s developed about life and the world over the course of his 93 years on Earth—and a short spell in a spaceship above it . In the film, we learn that the phrase has also given him marching orders as he navigated a lifetime’s triumphs and tragedies. It served him well in a career spanning seven decades, including studio-system films of the ’50s and ’60s, rebounding from joblessness after starring on Star Trek , and rebranding as one of Hollywood’s most self-aware—and self-effacing—celebrities, always in on the joke of what it means to be William Shatner. (There’s a reason so many of us have booked trips through Priceline.com.)

You Can Call Me Bill features Shatner recalling that experience going where, truly, few men have gone: his 2021 spaceflight where, at age 90, he became the oldest human to fly into space. Shatner’s sense of wonder mixes with melancholy as he looks back at that feat in the film, in which he is startlingly, profoundly candid about his mixed feelings about a life well-led and his inevitable next bold adventure: death, and what that might mean.

William Shatner, circa 1988

John Downing/Getty

“I’m 93, so there’s an end of the road there,” Shatner told The Daily Beast’s Obsessed in a Zoom interview about You Can Call Me Bill . He recounted a scene from a movie he had watched recently. He couldn’t remember the title, but he remembered the sequence: A car is speeding down a Florida causeway that connects its southern islands. A plane had blown up a part of the road miles ahead of the car. “The car is racing towards the hole in the causeway. We know they’re going to go over, unless they see it. And they’re not going to see it.”

“That’s what I’m thinking of in my life,” he added, looking wistful. “There’s a hole in my causeway, and I don’t know when it’s going to hit, but I haven’t got that long.”

A nonagenarian with a prodigious career and pop-culture legacy, this is obviously not the first time Shatner has been approached to participate in a documentary about his life. He’s always turned the offers down. “It seems so final,” he said. “It seems like you make it, and then you die.”

William Shatner in Star Trek

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

The difference this time was how the film was made. Production company Legion M financed much of the documentary through crowdfunding, allowing fans to receive a percentage of any profits the film makes. “I’ve never crowdfunded anything,” Shatner said. “It seemed like begging.” But he found something innovative and intimate about this being a shared project with the fans, those who have invested in his career and to whom he can now return that investment by giving them access to his story and beliefs through his interviews in the film.

There was another convincing factor: “This documentary is my love letter to my family,” he said. If he ever was going to do a project like this, he didn’t want it to be one of those superficial pop documentaries where the subject gate-keeps any deep or dark anecdotes or thoughts. “I wanted to be honest with them about how I felt about what I did, and answer the questions from my soul. I’m not sure that other people who do this have that attitude. This came from deep within me. It’s kind of like I’m naked in a way, but I thought that was the best way to go.”

William Shatner and Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality

Warner Brothers/Getty

So You Can Call Me Bill doesn’t just have Shatner waxing poetic on a rundown of his IMDb page . The opening moments find him marveling at the “preciousness” of a world that has evolved over billions of years, then decrying its “extinction” that is happening “by mankind’s own hands.” He talks almost immediately about death: “The occasion of your death is meaningless. You’re one of billions upon billions who lived and died on earth.” And, perhaps of most interest to Star Trek enthusiasts, we quickly learn his thoughts about whether we’re alone in this universe: “Our ignorance is so profound. And the more we know the more we realize how stupid and how egotistical human beings are thinking we’re the only ones.”

It’s not that the documentary eschews biography, the stories of how he was cast in Star Trek , or how he feels about people imitating his speaking voice: “People’s supposed imitation of me… I don’t hear it.” (He still, though, has a sense of humor about it.) But these are plot details, bullet points onto which he colors his most intense thoughts about mortality—musings that are almost brutal in their bluntness, yet also refreshingly sage in their honesty about what it means to have lived a life.

William Shatner, circa 1975

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

“If we consider that we’re born all alone, we all die alone.” Shatner told Obsessed. “Do we ever find a partner in life that is so close and meaningful that you’re not alone? Or is our condition to be alone and to endure it, because that’s part of the pain of life? There are enjoyments, which abound: good food, good company, good work. I mean, there’s so much joy waiting for us. Can we mix the two together and participate in all of it? Can we participate in the sadness and loneliness that we all feel and still vibrate to the magic of life?”

We stare at each other quietly for a beat—stunned silence on my end, and him understanding that questions like these need time for rumination. After a few seconds, he looks out the bright window over his left shoulder and looks back into the camera, smiling.

“I’m looking out a window right now as I talk to you,” he said. “I see green trees. I see a city. I see mountains. I see the sky with the birds, that the Earth is throbbing with life, and it’s waiting to be discovered. What makes me so sad, which was brought to mind when I came off of the spaceship that I went on, was the absolute realization. I’ve known this, but it was dramatically shown to me when I looked down at the planet [from space]: how intricately connected everything is.”

Blue Origin vice president of mission and flight operations Audrey Powers, William Shatner, Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen and Medidata Solutions co-founder Glen de Vries wave on the landing pad of Blue Origin’s New Shepard after they flew into space on October 13, 202.

Mario Tama/Getty

So what does “to boldly go” mean now, then? What does it mean for someone who has been saying it for over half his life—someone who has legitimately been where none of us will ever dream to go? Now, as Shatner faces down the last stretch of the causeway, does it mean something new?

“I always meant to go boldly into life as best you can,” he said.

There are so many people “that you and I know,” he said, that face disappointment, tragedy, or heartbreak, and wallow in the negativity, stalling their lives. “It’s so easy to hide in your bed and not participate in life.”

What a waste.

“I don’t think you come back,” he said. “I don’t think there’s life after death. I think this is it. This is the journey you take. This is the sadness, the joy, the ecstasy, the love that you feel in this one participation in life. So you have to take the bad with the good. Let the bad wash over you. And I’m saying this theoretically, because so many times in the bad parts, it’s awful. It’s hard to do. But if you keep that in mind—I will do this; I will participate in life and not hide; I will boldly go into that hurt locker again—that’s the only way to do it. The only way to live.”

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here .

READ THIS LIST

Screen Rant

Star trek is ditching discovery's spore drive - and that's good.

Stamets reveals that there will be no more spore drives after Star Trek: Discovery season 5, which is good news for Starfleet in the 32nd century.

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episodes 1 & 2!

Starfleet's decision to abandon the spore drive in Discovery season 5 is a smart move for the future of the franchise.
The spore drive's ability to instantly transport the USS Discovery can hinder dramatic tension and urgency in storytelling.
The new pathway drive technology will likely power the adventures in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, replacing the spore drive.

Star Trek: Discovery has revealed that Starfleet is ditching the groundbreaking spore drive, which is a good thing for the future of the franchise's 32nd century timeline. The USS Discovery's spore drive was an experimental technology from the 2200s that became invaluable in Star Trek 's dilithium-starved 32nd century. Pioneered by Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and his research partner, Straal (Saad Siddiqui), the spore drive was a way to navigate a subspace mycelium network of fungal roots that spanned the entire universe . The Federation-Klingon War necessitated a rapid scaling up of Stamets and Staal's research to create a brand-new propulsion system.

The USS Discovery is the only starship in the entire Star Trek timeline to both possess and successfully operate Stamets and Staal's spore drive. The ship owned by Cleveland "Book" Booker (David Ajala) had a stolen spore drive prototype fitted in Star Trek: Discovery season 4, but it was destroyed when Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) crashed into Species 10-C's hyperfield. The Discovery's predecessor, the USS Glenn, suffered a catastrophic accident when testing one of the original spore drives, resulting in the death of all hands . Now that Starfleet has shuttered the spore drive project in season 5, the USS Discovery will always be a one of a kind starship.

Every New Version Of Warp Drive In Star Trek

Why star trek is right to drop discovery’s spore drive after season 5.

Star Trek: Discovery 's spore drive may be a huge leap forward for Starfleet, but it can create a lot of story issues for the viewers at home. Ultimately, the USS Discovery's ability to appear wherever it needs to can seriously hamper the dramatic tension . Discovery season 5's treasure hunt is a good example of how the spore drive can negatively impact storytelling. The audience is repeatedly told that the Progenitors' treasure must not fall into the hands of L'ak (Elias Toufexis) and Moll (Eve Harlow), setting up a thrilling race against time.

The only problem is that, because Discovery can just instantaneously jump to the next location on their treasure map, there's time for the crew to drop off Captain Saru (Doug Jones) before they head to Trill. This undermines any sense of urgency with Star Trek: Discovery season 5's treasure hunt. In other Star Trek shows, a warp drive means that the hero ship and its crew are constantly moving forward, heading to their next destination . There's an urgency to these onward journeys that Star Trek: Discovery just doesn't have.

For example, it's hard to imagine Star Trek: The Next Generation 's classic "The Best of Both Worlds" having the same impact with a spore drive. The emotional gut punch of the USS Enterprise-D arriving too late to save the thousands of lives lost at the Battle of Wolf 359. By dropping the spore drive in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, it could restore some dramatic urgency and forward motion to the storytelling in the upcoming Starfleet Academy show , which will also be set in the 32nd century.

Discovery’s Warp Drive Replacement Made It A Different Star Trek Show

Ironically, given its name, the USS Discovery hasn't done much discovering over the course of Star Trek: Discovery 's five seasons . While it's true that they've sought out strange new worlds and made contact with new life and civilizations, their discoveries have been a lot less spontaneous than those of their predecessors. Possessing a spore drive, the USS Discovery is regularly dropped into the heat of the action, be that a battle with the Emerald Chain or a short hop to the Galactic Barrier to meet Species 10-C.

Star Trek: Discovery "Ushered In A New Era" & "Made A Difference", Say Executive Producers

This has given Star Trek: Discovery a unique feel from other Star Trek TV shows , helping the show to stand out from its franchise stablemates. Discovery being dropped into various hot spots by Starfleet is often very exciting, and marks out Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) as the most important captain in Star Trek 's 32nd century. The only drawback of this approach is that it can often feel like the Discovery crew are sitting around waiting for orders, rather than exploring the wider Star Trek universe .

Starfleet Is Right To Abandon The Spore Drive In Discovery Season 5

After the events of Star Trek: Discovery season 4, it might be prudent for Starfleet to abandon the spore drive going forward. The actions of Ruon Tarka and Book showed just how dangerous the spore drive technology was if it fell into the hands of people with bad intentions . Tarka and Book almost caused the destruction of Earth by launching hostile action against Species 10-C, and this worst case scenario was averted when Booker finally saw sense.

Indeed, the very fact that Stamets' spore drive research was co-opted by Starfleet during wartime is proof of its more dangerous implications. Villainous figures like Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and Osyraa (Janet Kidder) have coveted the USS Discovery's unique technology, hoping to use it to assert power and destroy their enemies rather than learn more about the mycelial network. By closing down the spore drive research program in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Starfleet can further prevent this valuable technology from falling into the wrong hands .

Star Trek: Discovery Science YouTube Show BioTrekkie With The Admiral Returns In April

Will star trek: starfleet academy have its own warp drive replacement.

Star Trek: Discovery 's spore drive is just one of many attempts made to replace Starfleet's traditional warp drive . First, there was the USS Excelsior, " The Great Experiment " which tried and failed to perfect transwarp technology in the late 23rd century. A hundred years later, and Star Trek: Prodigy 's USS Protostar was equipped with a proto-drive, allowing it to cross lightyears like never before. Similarly, the USS Dauntless, commanded by Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in Prodigy season 1, was fitted with a quantum slipstream drive that was also incredibly powerful. Starfleet's latest innovation in the 32nd century is the pathway drive, first mentioned in Star Trek: Discovery 's season 4 premiere.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 will unveil the USS Voyager-A, which will be "bigger" than the USS Protostar, suggesting improvements on either the proto or quantum slipstream drives.

Not much is known about this new technology, but now that the spore drive has been dropped, the pathway drive will be the new standard in Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century. Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) notes that his ship, the USS Antares, doesn't have a pathway drive, meaning that it's still in the early stages. The pathway drive was tested by the 32nd century's USS Voyager , and has presumably been proven as a more viable alternative to dilithium-powered warp than the spore drive. This means that the new pathway drive will likely be powering the adventures of the crew in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy .

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

IMAGES

Star Trek Adventures RPG Launches Developer Blog For New Players
Star Trek Adventures Review
'Star Trek Adventures' Is the Franchise's Best RPG Yet
'Star Trek Adventures' Is the Franchise's Best RPG Yet
Star Trek Adventures
Star Trek Adventures Humble Bundle includes the RPG’s starter set

VIDEO

Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log Actual Play Part 3: Building the start of the first mission
Star Trek Adventures S5E10 "New Crew, New Problems"
Star Trek Adventures S5E8 "Early Warning"

COMMENTS

Continuing Mission
Continuing Conversations 122—Watch Us Play the Federation Klingon War Tactical Campaign, Part 1. April 5, 2024 Michael Dismuke. You've heard about it! You probably have the PDF! Now it's time to see the Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign in action! Come watch (yep, YouTube. Continue reading.
Star Trek Adventures: Developers' Blog 001
The Star Trek universe is one ripe for exploration, and Star Trek Adventures is designed to allow you to do exactly that, whether you do it via the Starfleet-themed core rulebook or The Klingon Empire core rulebook. But, if you've never played a roleplaying game, or if you've only encountered one or two other RPGs before, getting to grips ...
STA Dev Blog 005: A Guide to Star Trek Adventures
By Sam Webb, Head of Product for Modiphius Entertainment. Extended Tasks in Star Trek Adventures. While they may seem daunting, extended tasks in Star Trek Adventures can be a fantastic tool to structure a bigger problem your player characters might face compared to an obstacle they can overcome with a single task. Extended tasks need more effort and time, like when Geordi tells Picard repairs ...
Adventures Index
Adventures Index. This is a living index of all playable adventures in official Modiphius Star Trek Adventures releases, as well as homebrew adventures here on Continuing Mission, as well as other online sources (where known). This list will be updated when new materials are released or found, so check back from time to time for new materials.
STA Dev Blog 004: A Guide to Star Trek Adventures
By Nathan Dowdell, 2d20 System Developer Basic Rules: Values In Star Trek Adventures, your character's Values are an important part of what defines them as a person: they are your character's most deeply held beliefs, their ideals, and their self-identity. A character's Values won't directly impact every task, but when.
STA Dev Blog 004: A Guide to Star Trek Adventures
By Nathan Dowdell, 2d20 System Developer Basic Rules: Values In Star Trek Adventures, your character's Values are an important part of what defines them as a person: they are your character's most deeply held beliefs, their ideals, and their self-identity. A character's Values won't directly impact every task, but when.
Discovery Campaign Guide Review
Discovery Campaign Guide Review. The latest sourcebook for Star Trek Adventures brings the elements of Star Trek: Discovery into the official game. Specifically it covers the first two seasons (if you've seen the show you know why) and brings in materials that can easily translate into your original series era game or really any time.
What You Need To Get Started On Your Star Trek Adventures
Role-playing games are an excellent way to spend time with friends and family telling stories. The role of Game Master (also known as GM) is a challenging and exciting way to explore the Star Trek universe. The first thing needed is the Star Trek Adventures core rulebook, which is currently available in physical and digital forms.
Star Trek Adventures In-Depth Review
Star Trek Adventures, like Star Trek at large, certainly could manage a blockbuster event, or a Dominion or Burn-style long arc, but it sings as an episodic game, and I think that's because the game trusts its players to bring what they know and love of Trek to the table and fly "second star to the right — and straight on 'til morning."
Exploring STRANGE NEW WORLDS in the Newest STAR TREK ADVENTURES Mission
It's time to pack up your tricorders, head to the nearest transporter room, and get ready to explore Modiphius Entertainment's latest expansion for Star Trek Adventures, the new "Strange New Worlds" Mission Compendium Volume 2 — their second book full of complete crew missions, taking your team from a civilization buried by an antediluvian ice age to an active research facility in ...
Star Trek Adventures RPG
Solve the mystery to answer " (Blank) killed Q with the (Blank) in the (Blank". The line up: Adira Sul: Bajoran Starfleet, Junior Engineer. Was convinced that Q was a Pah Wraith. Caro Sama: Bajoran Militia, Security Chief. Blamed Q for the death of his militia unit. (NPC) Q'oSeth, House Grilka: KDF, Engineer Chief.
STAR TREK
Fans of Star Trek Adventures, should keep hailing frequencies open as in July, The Alpha Quadrant sourcebook sets its sights on starbase Deep Space 9, Bajor, the Cardassian Union, the Ferengi Alliance, and the Maquis. The book's cover features original artwork of the first battle of Deep Space 9, with the station defending itself from the Klingon fleet.
Captain's Log Solo Play + ChatGPT : r/startrekadventures
You are the ultimate Star Trek Adventures game master. I am playing a solo adventure so I will be generating random results on a table and you will combine them to create an adventure for me to play in. The format for an adventure will be mission type: Example: Sylvan grabs their dice and rolls up the mission type.
Sample Tasks (or Commonly Used Tasks) : r/startrekadventures
Continuing Mission has a chart for combining Attributes, Disciplines, and Starship Systems that you might find helpful: Star Trek Adventures Attribute/Discipline Combos. Some Tasks are fixed combinations according to the game (especially in Combat). The first two reference sheets/cards here might help you with that: Ensign Redshirt's Printable PDFs
Star Trek Adventures Second Edition To Launch With Strange New Worlds
The Star Trek Adventures Second Edition Core Rulebook will debut at Gen Con 2024, which kicks off on August 1st. The Star Trek Adventures Second Edition Starter Set is scheduled to launch in the fall.
Star Trek Adventures: Developers' Blog 002
Star Trek Adventures is built to present these kinds of situations for your player characters to solve. In game terms, these situations normally involve tasks. A task is an activity where the outcome is uncertain. Player characters are expected to be competent, capable people who can solve most problems given time, concentration, and the right ...
Star Trek Adventures Second Edition Sets Course For ...
The Star Trek Adventures Second Edition announcement. According to an official press release, Star Trek Adventures Second Edition will be launching later this year. with a new core rulebook and a series of expansions to follow. The book will build on and refine the rules of the first edition. In addition, this new edition will be compatible ...
Star Trek Adventures Is Clunky and Uninspired
Star Trek is a difficult setting to roleplay in. The canon is labyrinthine and confusing, with material drawn from hundreds of episodes, many of which contradict each other. The aesthetics vary widely depending on the time period and the series, making it hard to imagine they exist in the same universe. Powerful technology can easily break your ...
STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Cancelled; STRANGE NEW ...
We're on vacation this weekend (so this won't be a long article) but Paramount+ dropped two major news announcements on Friday — Star Trek: Lower Decks has been cancelled, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fourth season. The Strange New Worlds renewal isn't very surprising; the show is now the headlining Trek series on Paramount+ following the conclusion of both ...
It Builds Character—Ideas for Bringing Your Characters to Life in Star
Even positive events like First Contacts or being Mentored can have a lasting impact on the development and attitudes of a character. Always be thinking of how things you are doing as you build the character might affect them as people and officers. "I used Random World Cities to help generate a hometown for my latest homebrew character.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fourth season
Season 3 of Paramount Plus' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is still in production, but the streamer has already decided to renew the series. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of Star Trek ...
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Review
This week's Star Trek: Discovery follows Burnham, Book, and Culber as they chase down another piece of the Romulan puzzle on Trill; Rayner as he tries to spend as little time with the Discovery crew as possible; and Saru back at Federation headquarters navigating a diplomatic minefield in both his personal and professional life. There's a lot going on in "Jinaal" — and it's all great!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Ordered, Lower Decks ...
Ahead of the third installment's premiere in 2025, Paramount+'s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has officially received an early Season 4 renewal. This announcement comes after the sci-fi ...
Star Trek: Discovery's Five-Season Mission
Following the finale of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005, it would take the franchise 12 years to return to television screens with the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017.. Speaking directly to StarTrek.com during the press junket at SXSW, executive producer and showrunner Alex Kurtzman detailed how they selected Sonequa Martin-Green to usher in the modern era of Star Trek.
Thoughts on Star Trek Adventures? : r/rpg
Star Trek Adventures has a number of subsystems that make it really feel like you're in an episode of Star Trek. Other versions have made you feel like you're in a role playing game set in the Star Trek universe, but STA naturally creates a structure that emulates the source material. And it emulates it very well.
STA Dev Blog 003: A Guide to Star Trek Adventures
By Nathan Dowdell, 2d20 System Developer Basic Rules: Momentum and Threat At the heart of the gameplay of Star Trek Adventures are two resources which will be generated and spent during play. These are Momentum and Threat. Momentum represents the opportunities and advantages that come from success and cooperation. Thre.
How Star Trek: Discovery's Trill Story Connects to Dax on DS9
When Star Trek: Discovery first started its mission to bring Gene Roddenberry's universe back to television, producers made sure the series stood apart from the previous series.However, by Season ...
Star Trek: Discovery's Final Adventure Tackles an Iconic ...
Upgrading the level of excitement and intrigue from the time-hopping adventures encountered in "Discovery" season 2, to the unraveling mystery of the dilithium "Burn" in season 3, and the ...
William Shatner's Next 'Bold' Adventure: Facing Death
The 93-year-old 'Star Trek' icon talks with Obsessed about his new documentary, his legacy, and his mortality: "I haven't got that long."
Star Trek Is Ditching Discovery's Spore Drive
The USS Discovery is the only starship in the entire Star Trek timeline to both possess and successfully operate Stamets and Staal's spore drive. The ship owned by Cleveland "Book" Booker (David Ajala) had a stolen spore drive prototype fitted in Star Trek: Discovery season 4, but it was destroyed when Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) crashed into Species 10-C's hyperfield.

Login to my account

Recover password

Create my account

STA Dev Blog 004: A Guide to Star Trek Adventures

Basic Rules: Values

Choosing Values

Using Values

Example Values

Cannibal Halfling Gaming

Star Trek Adventures In-Depth Review

Characters and Core Mechanics

Meta Latinum

Advancement

Support Characters

Material to Work With

Everything Else, And Final Thoughts

Share this:

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Bringing Games and Gamers Together!

Star Trek Adventures Is Clunky and Uninspired

Character Creation Is Fun and Flexible

Supporting Characters Are a Great Idea

The Meta Currency Is Empowering but Abusable

How you set up the Perpetual Momentum Machine

The Core Dice Mechanic Is Fine

The Rules Are Confusing and Overwritten

Combat Is Boring

Ship Rules Are Ancillary

Skills and Stats Are Vague

The Problems of Star Trek Are Not Addressed

More in Roleplaying Systems

Why You Should Try Roll for Shoes

Seven Changes to Improve D&D’s Next Edition

D&D 5E Barbarian Subclasses From Worst to Best, Part 1

Rising Tide: Our Dark Seas Expansion for Torchbearer

Recent Articles

Six Tips for Constructing a Heroic Sacrifice

Why Michael Moorcock Despises Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

How the Bobiverse Turned Excitement Into Boredom

Finding Your Story’s Throughline

Why Nothing Good Ever Happens in an Interlude

SunlessNick

Oren Ashkenazi

Love Mythcreants?

Comments on Star Trek Adventures Is Clunky and Uninspired

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

It Builds Character—Ideas for Bringing Your Characters to Life in Star Trek Adventures

Share this:

Discover more from Continuing Mission

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fourth season

Share this story

Spotify’s lossless audio could finally arrive as part of ‘Music Pro’ add-on

More from Entertainment

Game publisher blames media for studio closure

Inside the quest to finish Super Mario Maker’s disappearing levels

OBSERVATION LOUNGE

Related Stories

Star Trek: Discovery's Five-Season Mission

Get ready for Discovery 's final adventure when Season 5 premieres with the first two episodes later this week!

Login to my account

Recover password

Create my account

STA Dev Blog 003: A Guide to Star Trek Adventures

Basic Rules: Momentum and Threat

Using Momentum

Adding to Threat

Spending Threat

Players and Threat

Net Orders Checkout

Star Trek: Discovery’s Final Adventure Tackles an Iconic Narrative From The Next Generation

FAQ Section

Why did the producers choose this specific narrative for the final season?

Is this storyline a significant change to the “Star Trek” canon?

William Shatner’s Next ‘Bold’ Adventure: Facing Death

Kevin Fallon

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty

John Downing/Getty

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Warner Brothers/Getty

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty