...Its Dangerous Mission

For several months after we started our campaign, the guys would come over to my place or Joe's every Sunday and we'd take the Alliance into one perilous adventure after another. Most of the time I would GM but once in a while Joe would step in and take a few sessions.

The campaign was set in what would have been year five of the original series Enterprise's famous five year mission. Our game was much more military oriented then the Star Trek series, a reflection of the time and the style of gaming popular among 13 year olds. Where as Kirk, Spock and the rest of the 1701 crew were primarily interested in going where no man had gone before, we were a black ops unit carrying out a black ops project to make sure an alien enemy stayed far away from where men travelled fairly regularly.

The Romulan dynamic added a little extra spice. Here we had a sworn enemy of the Federation pushed to the point where they needed to ask for our assistance in stopping a much worse enemy. I focused many of my adventures on missions against the Borogrove, experimental weapons or ship systems that went awry and interactions with various political allies and enemies. Joe actually focused more on the Romulans themselves and our relationship with them. This was fantastic for me, as I would play my character when Joe GMed and I added a dislike of the Romulans into my background.

Alas, the campaign was not long lasting. After a while school, family and other things you have no control over at the age of 13 caused us to put the game on hold. Periodically we got back together to play a session or two but it wasn't until about a year or so later that I would start playing Trek again regularly. The release of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, a new edition of the FASA game and additional sourcebooks and supplements inspired me to start up a new campaign. This next one lasted just over a year and featured about six players.

By 1985, Star Trek had become my main game of choice. It ranged from full length campaigns to pick up games we would throw together on the spot. You know, break out some dice, roll up some characters, crew a ship and you're good to go.

My friends and I played many, many other games over the next few years (especially West End Games D6 Star Wars and Hero Games' Champions) but Star Trek remained a favorite. The rest, as they say, is history but I defer the history lessons on Star Trek gaming to someone much more adept at it then I.

Next up - What makes a good Star Trek game and how to pull it off.

Live Long and Prosper,

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