RPGaDay Challenge 2018 - Day 25

In case you didn't know, August 25th is a very special day for me. It commemorates the first time I ever played Dungeons and Dragons back in 1977, introducing me to the wonderful world of RPGs. I have now been gaming for 41 years. Wow. 

Looking ahead to 42 years and beyond...

The game that had the biggest impact on me in the last year is definitely Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius Entertainment. 

.As someone who has run a great many RPG sessions in the Star Trek universe over the past three decades plus, I pretty know what I want out of a Star Trek Role Playing Game.

When Modiphius' Star Trek RPG was announced I was initially very excited. A new Star Trek game! How awesome! It has been so long (or at least it felt like so long) since there had been an official RPG that the mere fact was was being published was enough to get the juices flowing once again, in spite of my feelings over the dismal J.J. Abrams films. 

This new game would ignore that continuity in favor of a Next Generation focus, while covering all the various main canon eras. Hurrah! 

I was invited into the playtest and also asked to submit a pitch for a adventure to be included in one of their future products. I was super-jazzed...and then I read the playtest rules. My heart sank as I found the Modiphius game not to my liking. In truth, I found it very difficult to comprehend. It lacked many of the details I would expect a Star Trek game to have, while adding over-complicated rules for some aspects of the game. 

Needless to say I lost interest and enthusiasm for the playtest and submitting material. I would stick with the Last Unicorn Game*, still my favorite version of tabletop Star Trek RPGing and one of my favorite games of all time. 

Then the oddest thing happened...

Some months after the game was released, my friend Keith, who GMs our Wednesday night Google Hangouts game, decided to give the game a trial run.

He ran several sessions over Hangouts with a handful of players including myself. One fellow had played the game before and when we (both the other players and Keith) ran into a question or a snag, this guy was able to help us out. 

Once I'd played the game I suddenly understood many of the mechanics that had confused me in the playtest. I also grasped that this game took a somewhat different approach to Star Trek than its predecessors had. I quickly started liking it, then loving it. 

I bought the PDF of the Core Rulebook and gave them game a thorough read. Once I felt I had a solid lock on the system, I converted the Star Trek campaign I was running with Dan's Group - Star Trek: Prosperity - over to Star Trek Adventures with the promise that I would switch back to LUG Star Trek if we didn't like this version better. 

As it turned out, Star Trek Adventures was perfect for the group and the campaign. It was amazing how much smoother things ran. Everyone in the group felt Star Trek Adventures' mechanics were a bit simpler and more intuitive. It also has some crunch in all the right places, adding more depth to the combat and action scenes than I expected.

We are still running Star Trek: Prosperity (not in its third year) and Star Trek Adventures is definitely working for us. For a game I initially did not like at all, I am very impressed by how the final product turned out. It really challenged my preconceptions regarding the balance between simplicity and crunch and even how I view my favorite setting in relation to gaming. 

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*Last Unicorn Games' ICON System Star Trek Role Playing Game is still my favorite Star Trek game. Why? Well, it's not so much for the rules but the feel that the rules convey. To put it more clearly, if I want a relaxed, fast paced Star Trek experience I will go with Star Trek Adventures every time. For a more in-depth, heavy role playing, simulation of people living in the Star Trek universe type of game, LUG Star Trek's greater range of options and more detailed mechanics are my preference.

RPG Campaign Tour Challenge 2026 - DAY 1

Welcome to the first day of the first annual RPG Campaign Tour Challenge! 

I've decided to give you the grand tour of Star Trek: Prosperity!

Day 1-Campaign Introduction and Overview

Star Trek: Prosperity is a Star Trek Adventures Roleplaying Game campaign that follows the voyages of four core player character serving the command crew of the Starfleet vessel USS Prosperity, NCC-1587, a Ventura Light Cruiser, set during The Original Series era of the Star Trek universe [and franchise].

Star Trek: Prosperity is the longest running and most consistent campaign I have ever Gamemastered, lasting approximately 12 years of real time as of this writing. I consider it a great success and I am incredibly proud of it and the player participants. 

Our player characters are Dan as Captain Anne Fletcher, Alex as First Officer/Chief Engineer Tha'ar Bhoth of Andor, Leo as the young Chief Helmsman Lt. Charlie Wilder, and Arthur as Chief Science Officer Lt. Commander Rhys Carr. 

When the campaign began [approximately 12 years ago], Leo was the First Officer and Chief Science Officer Commander Solok. Solok remained First Officer until late April or early May of 2024 when he takes a short leave of absense from Starfleet to marry Prosperity's NPC Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Margaret 'Maggie' Hanover. Alex's Lt. Commander Bhoth was Chief of Security in the very beginning. Arthur's Lt. Carr was our Communications Officer and later our Security Chief. As the campaign went on the PCs changed positions and raised in rank over the course of its [now] nine 'Seasons'. 

Other players and PCs have came in and out of the campaign periodically and some of their PCs remain NPC supporting characters up to the present. Others moved on to other Starfleet  assignments I suppose. 

Premise: The campaign is about a Starfleet vessel and its crew exploring the 'Final Frontier' of deep space during the Original Series era of Star Trek. While there is a lot of focus on the player characters and their personal reasons and long terms goals regarding being in Starfleet, there is a shared objective of going where no one else has gone before.

It's classic, straightforward original series Star Trek with a little more attention given to internal consistency and continuity. What makes Star Trek: Prosperity distinct are its 'conceits'. 

Conceits: The early Seasons of the campaign, speicfically the 1st through 3rd, had the theme of underdogs trying to prove themselves:

A young female Captain trying to overcome a dicey past and make a name for herself, not for the fame and glory but in order to earn the respect of her fellow Captians and the Admiralty so she could make real change in the Galaxy. A Vulcan Science Officer from an overachieving family trying to find a way to make a name for himself and find out what that name stands for. An Andorian traded to Starfleet from the Andorian Imperial Guard, possibly to not embarass his famous General father, only to seriously butt heads with his first Human Captain. A former Starfleet Intelligence Cryptoanalyst who wanted to apply his codebreaking and language decoding talents to bringing people together instead of taking down enemies.  

The ship itself shared this same atmosphere and feeling. As a Ventura Class Light Cruiser, the Prosperity is seen as dependable but out-of-date. Once top-of-the-line, the Prosperity was launched about 15 years prior to Constitution Class starships such as the USS Enterprise (no bloody A, B, C, D, E, or anything else). Being an older vessel viewed by much of the Starfleet top brass as 'past its prime', the ship was relegated to support operations, testing new equipment, and other vital but less glamorous activities. 

Overview:

Together, this motley but professional crew and has-been vessel proved themselves time and time again, earning not only respect but admiration from Starfleet, the people of the UFP, and even their enemies. 

Over the course of the game's decade plus run, the themes and conceits have changed so much it's impossible to sum it all up in a since post. The characters have evolved and the setting has greatly expanded. The Ventura Class itself went from being in danger of being completely mothballed to redesigned and modernized by the Prosperity's Chief Engineer and now the first new Venturas in 44 years have come out of the shipyards at Mars' Utopia Planitia. 

With all that's happened is it extremely difficult to sum it up in a single post but thankfully, I don't have to! This is just Day 1; merely the beginning of the Campaign Tour Challenge.

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Barking Alien

Why Star Trek: Prosperity Works

JB at B/X BLACKRAZOR wrote a post about 'Why D&D Works' in which he puts forth his own idea of what the secret ingredient is that makes the grandfather of all RPGs so popular to this day. His epiphany is...interesting. Check it out, it's well worth the read. 

It made me think about the fact that I am currently involved in two Star Trek Adventures campaigns, one as a player and one as a GM. As I mentioned not long ago, the one I am Gamemastering is my bi-weekly game Star Trek: Prosperity, now in its 11th year.

Eleven years* of the same campaign; the same players, same GM, [mostly] the same characters, same ship, same mission - explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and ancient civilizations, boldly go on one wild Sci-Fi adventure after another. 

What began as a convention one-shot of Last Unicorn Games' Star Trek RPG has become two hundred sessions covering nearly a hundred different missions using Modiphius Entertainment's excellent Star Trek Adventures. 

So I had to ask myself...Why does this campaign endure?

1st Session of Episode 5 run on 11/08/24

For starters, the players are all Star Trek fans. 

We each have our favorite incarnation of the franchise but we all like Star Trek. We decided on a particular era, largely informed by the one-shot I ran at a RECESS Game Event, and ran with it. Barring some minor details here and there, the entire group is on the same page when it comes to the setting and its tropes. This is a big part of why it works. 

The group shares a clear and unified vision of the setting

While I try very hard to create new and interesting scenarios to challenge the players and their PCs, the campaign as a whole is really about the Player Characters and not the Star Trek universe or the challenge of the week. They (the PCs) are the stars of this particular show. 

In each scenario I run them through, there is always an element that hits upon one or more of the Command Crew's interests, outlooks, or goals. The adventures are tied to the PCs and vice versa. As time goes on, this enables me (as the GM) to expand the setting while simultaneously allowing the players to further develop their characters.  

The campaign is character driven and the group loves their characters. 

In the Star Trek universe, characters are bit more 'enlightened' than your average PCs in other types of TRPGs. They aren't motivated by the acquisition of wealth or items (the Ferengi aside) and as such the motivations of the characters go beyond 'kill things and take their stuff'.

Somewhat linked to this is a reduced need to see the characters constantly improve; i.e. raise stats and skills, get new powers, etc. It just isn't a major component of the game. We do have character (and starship) improvement but it only occurs at the start of each new even numbered 'Season' (the ship improves at the beginning of odd numbered Seasons).

These two factors combine to allow the campaign to last longer. Player Characters aren't accumulating new weapons and equipment and are unlikely to suddenly or even eventually obtain anything that will 'unbalance encounters'. No one's going to randomly come across a +3 Phaser or a Tricorder of Perfect Scanning.

Likewise the PCs aren't going to grow resistant to Distruptor Fire or gain a Feat that lets them instantly win diplomatic negotiations. Power creep is extremely gradual and it could be argued it doesn't even exist in any practical sense. There certainly isn't anyone in the group looking to be more 'powerful'. 

PCs motivated by more than material gains are free to create their own 'victory conditions' and that works to keep the game going. 

A lack of Power Gaming, Item Hording, and Power Creep extends the life of the campaign. 

While the PCs face danger constently in their endeavors, no PC has died during the 11 year run* of the game. There are key reasons for this. 

First and foremost, in three seasons of the Original Series no member of the Bridge Crew of the Enterprise died. In staying true to the feel of a 1960s-70s Science Fiction TV show, the leads can't just randomly perish. Star Trek isn't about killing the main characters. It's about making their lives difficult while they try to protect the rest of their crew, the planet they're orbiting, or even the entire galaxy. 

New NPCs for Season 8

Instead I've found it quite impactful to kill a named NPC or say, 'Reporting a dozen casualties across Decks 7, 8, and 9 Captain. Another two dozen wounded". We often bring up the deaths of past NPCs we've lost in the line of duty. The PCs and their players feel responsible for every 'life' aboard the Prosperity. There are 271 NPCs counting on the Command Crew to get them home safely. The PCs can die but more often the campaign is about how they live with and handle loss. 

The players have asked that I up the stakes, feeling the campaign doesn't feel quite threatening enough sometimes. Understandable for those accustomed to more traditional RPGs. I have raised the body count in Season 8 and the guys seem to be loving it. Player input and GM/Player cooperation is another major factor in the game's longevity. 

Though the odds are in favor of PC survival, a sense of risk and loss keeps the players on their toes and coming back for more. 

Spacefaring Vessels of Season 8 (So far)

Let's summarize:

• Star Trek, specifically our version of Star Trek, is clear to all players.
• The campaign is character focused, with the PCs central to the adventures.
• PCs are driven by their motivations. which change and expand with the campaign.
• The game is challenging, the possibility of loss ever-present, but PC death is rare. 

This campaign has lasted so long* you'd think I must have discovered the RPG magic formula, some ultimate GM trick that guarantees me a successful, continuing game every time I set out to create that 'forever campaign'. Sadly, no. That's not how that works. 

This combination of approaches and elements works well with this group of players playing this setting with this particular GM (Me). This doesn't insure success in any other situation; if the players were different, if there were one more or one less, if the players were the same but the setting Post-TNG, or any number of other alterations to Star Trek: Prosperity's 'perfect storm' I don't know for certain that we'd still be playing it today. 

This works for this group. Star Trek: Prosperity is the right game for the right group that came about at the right time and (so far) continues to do so. 

What works for you?

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Barking Alien

Ventura Class based on the USS Ventura created by John Byrne and the Sentinel Class created by Bill Krause.

*Brace yourselves...

I have been operating off the belief that the Star Trek: Prosperity campaign is eight years old based on our 8 'Seasons' of play - 8 sets of 12 adventures (not sessions), referred to by the group as 'Episodes'. 

However...

According to campaign notes recently discovered by Dan, who plays the ship's Captain, the game may be even older. Specifically, Dan found some papers dating back to 2013. This would indicate that the campaign is at least 11 years old. The notes themselves are clearly early in the run but not the very beginning, so it's possible the game could be as much as 12 years old. 

Wow. I'm stunned. 

This post took nearly two weeks to finish.

Stardate 57

This was supposed to post yesterday (I know, 'Fake Fan!') but I was exhausted from a week of walking in New York's late summer heatwave. With that...

Happy Birthday Star Trek! 

First airing on September 8th, 1966, the venerable franchise is now 57 years young and still going strong. Sure, I don't love all the material they've made over the last...well...a long while, I absolutely adore Lower Decks and the Star Trek Adventures RPG. I am also happy to see Paramount paying attention to things long ignored or underappreciated like Star Trek: The Animated Series. 

Star Trek means a great deal to me. It remains one of my earliest obsessions; before I loved Red Dwarf, Ghostbusters, and even Star Wars, I was a fan of Star Trek. I watched the show in syndication on Saturday nights with my Father on one of the two evenings he didn't work. We would sit in front of the television with TV dinners, something we also only did Saturday nights. He had never watched it when it aired, being in the army, college classes, and getting ready to get married and have me (to be clear, my Mom did the hard part). 

In grade school we would play Star Trek the way other kids played Cops and Robbers or Cowboys. With plastic Phasers and Tricorders we explored the strange new world of a playground or set up our MEGO Action Figures to investigate the mysteries of a school yard. I drew pictures of the USS Enterprise and wrote stories about being in the Star Trek universe. 

Everything is better when you add Star Trek to it.

In 1982, at the age of 13, I discovered the gaming store one of my uncles had said was somewhere around the neighborhood of his office. Entering into this wonderland of tabletop and RPG awesomeness, I spotted the FASA Star Trek RPG boxed set and I knew I was home. I recount the experience in one of my oldest posts: Check it out.

I've mentioned before, recently even, that Star Trek is my favorite subject for running RPGs campaigns, with Star Trek Adventures being not only my preferred way of doing so but very likely my favorite game overall. I have run [easily] over a dozen long term games, several dozen short-to-medium length games, and so many one-shots I can't even venture to guess the number. I am currently in the 7th year of running an Original Series Era Star Trek campaign - Star Trek: Prosperity - and starting a separate one with a completely different group. 

Today (OK yesterday) I join all the world's fans in celebrating Star Trek in all its infinite diversity and infinite combinations!

Here's to you Star Trek! I am looking forward to the next 57 years (or at least as many as I get to enjoy). 

Live Long and Prosper,

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Barking Alien

Just noticed this is my 1701st post. Nice.

Command Crew to the Bridge

I thought it prudent to follow up my last post with the words of the players involved in our long standing Star Trek Adventures RPG campaign, Star Trek: Prosperity.

I posed to them the question, 'Why do you think Star Trek: Prosperity has lasted so long?"

Before I tell you what they said/wrote, I thought I'd give you all a brief, up-to-date rundown on our four Player Characters. 

Our Commanding Officer, Captain Ann Fletcher (played by Dan), went from young woman to watch to a well respected and regarded officer, a favorite of the Beta Quadrant's Starfleet Admiralty. Born and raised in the Sol System Asteroid Field, the Captain's teen and young adult years remain a bit of a mystery but definitely include some rough and tumbler years. She has a strong will, unflinching beliefs, and a goal of unifying every intelligent species in the galaxy in mutual friendship and respect.  

Commander Solok, our former First Officer and Chief Science Officer, published a number of papers on Precursor Science and Technology touted as ground-breaking by scientists across the UFP, particularly the Vulcan Science Academy. Mr. Solok has temporarily taken a leave of absense from Starfleet after marrying the Prosperity's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Margaret 'Maggie' Hanover. The player now plays the up-and-coming young Helmsman Charlie Wilder, a natural born pilot (Solok and Wilder played by Leo).

Commander Solok of Vulcan

Former First Officer and Chief Science Officer

The ship's Chief Engineer, Andorian officer Tha'ar Bhoth (played by Alex), was promoted to First Officer and now serves with both distinction and a constent feeling of having to live up to his predecessor. Bhoth is a man of two worlds, with his dedication to the UFP and Starfleet pulled and pushed by his relationship with the Andorian Imperial Guard, where his father serves as a well-respected General. 

Finally, last but not least, Lt. Commander Rhys Carr (played by Arthur) started out as our Chief Communications Officer, was transferred to Chief of Security, and finally promoted to Chief Science Officer. Earler in Carr's Starfleet career (prior to the start of the campaign) he served as a Crytanalyst and that played a big part in his role as Chief of Communications. He was able to decypher the iconographic language of the Precursors and developed an improved algorithm for Universal Translators that greatly enhanced First Contact operations for years to come. 

Now, on to the players' comments...

"A longstanding mutual commitment that come what may, by the end of the session, Star Trek wins." Dan - Captain Fletcher

 ​“ First, the opportunity to portray a character for years and having them evolve and change though game play. Star Trek is a unique RPG setting that encourages communication over conflict, compassion over cruelty, and exploration over exploitation. Even as the world seems to prefers the later over the former, it’s comforting to be able to listen to our better angels. ”  Leo - Commander Solok / Lt. Wilder

“A fanatical love of and desire to live in Star Trek. The satisfaction of contributing our own stories in said universe. Love of each other at the table...a damn good ship design!” Alex - Commander Bhoth

"First, I truly love Star Trek and heartily welcome the chance to live in that universe for even a few hours a month. Second, I don’t have the opportunity in any other medium to not be the 'main character' and flex a player character’s interpersonal skills muscles on an ongoing basis. (There is no “I” in team. Except in Klingon. And then it’s more of an “eye”.) Lastly, to quote Professor Higgins, I’ve grown accustomed to your faces." Arthur - Lt. Commander Carr

The crew has spoken! The Voyage Continues...

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Barking Alien

Hugging The Donkey

"Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity,

because if you're passionate about something,

then you're willing to take risks."

-Yo-Yo Ma

There are a lot of fandom subjects that I'm passionate about, but few as strongly as Star Trek.

Although the original Star Trek television series went off the air in the same year I was born, I fondly remember watching it with my father when it was re-run on our local TV channel on the one evening a week when he was off from work as a police officer.

Star Trek reminded me of my Dad back then, and vice versa. 

The characters were men, and women in uniforms, protecting their families, friends, and neighbors from hostile forces who might seek to steal from, or harm the good citizens of the United Federation of Planets. 

Additionally, they embraced the task of exploration, meeting new people from far away places, helping strangers in need, and discovering things about their universe, and about themselves. 

Star Trek, like DC Comics Green Lantern Corps (one of my other favorite things) combined my two dream jobs as a child - Policeman, and Astronaut. What could possibly be cooler than that?

Much changed as I got older, but one thing that didn't was my love for the optimistic, 'better tomorrow' of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe. Apparently, I wasn't alone, as the original series spawned a series of motion pictures, four spin-off series, hundreds of novels, and books, and of course Role Playing Games. 

Now, 48 years after the first series ended, yet another series has been produced that embraces the philosophy of Human, and extraterrestrial mutual prosperity through putting aside our differences, and embracing what makes each of us unique. A series that celebrates diversity, discovery, and flat out Space Adventure Fun!

I am of course talking about...

The Orville.

What? You thought I meant another show? A different show? Really? What...

Oh, Star Trek: Discovery. No.

I shall discuss the utter disappoint that is STD some other time. Suffice to say, no program has ever had more appropriate initials. 

If you are a fan of Star Trek, truly passionate about the kind of Action-Adventure Science Fiction that sometimes asks tough questions, and doesn't have easy answers, then the show you are looking for is The Orville.

A love letter to both The Original Series of Star Trek, as well as The Next Generation, The Orville is the brainchild of Seth MacFarlane, a multi-talented fellow best know for the long-running animated comedy series Family Guy. In addition to other spin-off series, he also created the wildly popular film Ted, and serves as executive producer for the Neil deGrasse Tyson hosted space science series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (based on the show Cosmos, hosted by the late Carl Sagan). 

Seth is, it turns out, a Sci-Fi geek, and a huge Star Trek fan. He had a reoccurring support role on Star Trek: Enterprise, and has always wanted to do a Science Fiction series in the vein of Star Trek.

As a matter of fact, it is now coming to light that Mr. MacFarlane approach CBS about producing a new Star Trek series sometime ago, but was turned down. Like any bold explorer he didn't let that stop him. Instead, he decided to make his own and as far as I am concerned, he succeeded!

The Orville is great! It is a fun romp through an all-new Space Opera galaxy that feels at once familiar and brand new. There is more than a touch of humor in the show, and while not always hilarious, the drier and more subtle jokes are very funny indeed. They lighten the mood, and at the same time make the characters seem more Human.

The characters are my favorite part of the show. I like these people. I would hang out with them. I'd love to catch an old Earth flick with Malloy, and Lamarr, talk futuristic weapons with Bortus, see if the awesomely capable and adorable Alara wanted to go for hike on some alien world, and find out if Isaac dreams, and if so what about.

That's not even addressing Captain Ed Mercer (played by Seth himself), who is a huge Muppets fan (just like Seth himself). We have so much in common! Then there's Commander Kelly Grayson, Mercer's ex-wife and a former Agent of SHIELD. Heheh. 

What's a good Sci-Fi show without cool tech though, am I right? We've got it all here on The Orville. The ship itself is awesome (designed by a friend of mine - No kidding! - A guy I went to high school with. I found out he was the lead designer), with Cutting Rays, Tractor Beams, Deflector Shields, and a Quantum Drive based on the Alcubierre Drive. 

The characters themselves are armed with energy weapon sidearms (yet to be named as of this writing), and 'Comm-Scanners', which are a combination of a Communicator and a Tricorder (Comm-Scanner is not the official name, as that too has not yet been confirmed). 

The uniforms, the aliens, including the villainous Krill, ALL SO COOL!

The stories are a mix of classic Science Fiction tropes, and in at least one instance, real, thought provoking moral questions. There's only been four episodes for far, so it remains to be seen which style of story will dominate the episodes. I'll point out that the series format is more episodic, with traits carry over from one episode to the next, but no big meta-plots. I am so relieved. Take me to a new planet each week! Let's meet god-like aliens, and evil space pirates! I am so tired of the, 'What? You missed one episode here and one there? Well now you'll never understand the opening of Season 3 and the intricate layers of intrigue we've so carefully developed'. Bugger off you! What's the matter? Not skilled enough to tell a story in an hour?

Anyway, you know me, when I get this excited about something, I just have to game it. So, as a bit of a side project (you realize that I have as many side things going on as a box of D20s right?), I'm working on this...

I'm starting to turn around on the new Star Trek Adventures RPG, and think it's a perfect fit for the type of stories being told on the Orville so far. Basically, interesting, exciting, quickly paced, but not as complex, or involved on the average as classic Star Trek. I am really looking forward to seeing where this goes, and whether or not I can get any of my friends to take the trip with me. 

I'll update you guys as I go, but I already have a custom character sheet, and ship record ship ready to go. More info as it becomes available (and as more episodes of the series come out).

Until next time, Engage Quantum Drive!

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Barking Alien

Live Long and Prosperity

Yesterday evening, my Friday night gaming group completed the second half of the first 'episode' of 'Season 8' of our Star Trek Adventures campaign, Star Trek: Prosperity.

Passed through the Universal Translator, this means we played the second session of the eighth year of our game, finishing a two-part adventure. Eight years marks the longest running campaign I've ever Gamemastered. It has gone on for nearly twice the length of any of my previous Star Trek campaigns across three different systems (FASA, Last Unicorn Games, and Star Trek Adventures itself).

 

The four Player Characters (first row) and cast of Major NPCs - Seasons 3 to 7

The game's sessions have been an average of four hours long and run roughly biweekly. We've missed or skipped a get together here and there due to personal or work related issues and holidays but I estimate we've had around 140 sessions. For the first few months of the campaign, we used the Last Unicorn Games ICON System version of the Star Trek RPG but, after a brief hiatus, we converted everything over to Star Trek Adventures. 

In the earliest sessions, which occurred 'in-person' prior to the Covid Global Pandemic, there were a few additional players who came in and out but the same four key players who have been there since the beginning are still here. 

It hasn't always been easy, as this group is made up of some strong and occasionally conflicting personalities. Add to that the fact that some of them have core viewpoints on adventure and campaign design that differ from my own. Still and all, we've all pursued the same goal of ensuring the game works to the best of each of our abilities. The entire group is committed to making the game fun for each of us and all of us. 

Character Progression occurs every even numbered 'Season', with the Players gaining bonuses ranging from increases to their Attributes and/or Disciplines, a new Focus, or a new Talent. Usually it's some combo of these as it happened only once a year.  

Every odd numbered year they get an upgrade to their starship, the USS Prosperity. In addition to the advantages of Rugged Design and a Rear Mounted Photon Torpedo Tube (a rarity in The Original Series era in which we play), the ship started with two flaws:

The Nacelle Warp Coils were stressed and/or damaged by maintaining high warp for an extended period - especially the Port Side Nacelle. 

each time the Prototype Rear Photon Torpedo was fired the launch tube was knocked out of alignment. This required additional Task Checks between each shot. Also, whereas firing Photon Torpedoes adds a point of Threat (an in-game Gamemaster currency), the Rear Mounted Photon Torpedo generated two. 

Over time the flaws were repaired and Advanced Sensors, an Improved Warp Drive, and the ability to Rapid Fire their forward Torpedo Tube were added. Thanks to the Prosperity and her crew, the aging Ventura Class vessels still in operation were being upgraded (usually a couple of steps behind the Prosperity itself). Unfortunately, the class as a whole was originally scheduled to be mothballed, with no new such ship having been commissioned in years. A 'B plot' had the PC Chief Engineer, Commander Bhoth, work with the NPC Asst. Chief in order to prove to Starfleet Command that the Ventura Class was still viable. In the end they saved the design, with the first brand new Ventura due to be completed soon (in Season 8). 

In the two-part 'opener', the Prosperity's First Officer and Chief Science Officer Commander Solok returns to Vulcan along with the other PCs in order to marry his long term romantic interest, the ship's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Margaret 'Maggie' Hanover. Following the wedding, Solok's player essentially retired the character. After eight years of playing the Vulcan Science Officer, my friend Leo wanted to try something else. 

The rest of the team left Solok and the NPC Doctor to the next stage of their lives while they traveled back to the USS Prosperity. En route, the established command crew meet a young Helmsman, Lt. Charles 'Charlie' Wilder, Leo's new character. When the transport bringing them 'home' was attacked by religious zealots and a creepy space kaiju, the level-headed and action oriented Captain Ann Fletcher took command. Tapping each PCs unique set of skills, Fletcher organized and facilitated the transport's escape from the massive monster. The episode ended with the wounded ship pulling up alongside the USS Prosperity and Deep Space 5. 

Alien Friends and Foes

The next episode and Season 8 as a whole will see a considerable paradigm shift in the game and it's one the group and I are definitely down for. Our perfectionist, poor-work-to-life-balance Chief Engineer is going to become the First Officer. New PC Charlie Wilder, a more action oriented character, gives me an excuse to switch up the type of adventures I run, with fewer science mysteries and more fights against alien gladiators (and such). We'll have a new NPC Doctor. I've got sooo many things planned. 

After 8 years, over 70 different adventure ideas, and 200 sessions I am still inspired to run this game. Amazing. 

'Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning'...

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Barking Alien

STAR TREK MEMORY BANKS

It all begins with Star Trek.

Happy Star Trek Day everybody! It's Star Trek's 59th birthday, with The Original Series first airing on September 8th, 1966. 

A major contributor to my life long love of Space Adventure Science Fiction, the original Star Trek television series has sparked my imagination since I was a very small boy. I would play Star Trek with friends the way other kids played Cops and Robbers, complete with toy Phasers and walkie-talkie Communicators. We collected Star Trek Action Figures, went as Mr. Spock for Halloween, and just ate up anything related to Space...The Final Frontier.

FASA's Star Trek, The Role-Playing Game was therefore a dream come true for me. It was the first tabletop RPG I purchased with my own money, completely by myself. Up to that point, I had received all of my game books, boxes, and dice through holiday or birthday gifts. I did buy Villains and Vigilantes with my own money before I got the Star Trek RPG but I split the cost of the former with a friend. This felt different and it remains a special moment for me within my time in the hobby.

From purchasing the FASA RPG in 1982 to my current Modiphius Star Trek Adventures game, now in its 11th year, it is safe to say I've run A LOT of Star Trek. From innumerable one-shots to several long term campaigns, I've run so many scenarios in the Star Trek universe I could start a new campaign tonight and have it last decades with only material from previous games. 

And that, in a manner of speaking, is what this MEMORY BANKS post is all about. To celebrate Star Trek's Anniversary I thought it might be fun to give you some examples of original creations that have appeared in my various Star Trek games over the years. Everything that happens in one of my games becomes part of that universe's canon, so all the elements entered into the 'Barking Alien Memory Banks' can be reused in a future session months, years, or even decades later. 

Now you can include some of it in your games.

Initiating Uplink...Memory Banks activated...Display onscreen...

The Bonhomme Richard

The first Bonhomme Richard to appear in a campaign and the one that started the tradition

was a Bonaventure Class Survey Vessel based on the USS Bonaventure 

from Star Trek: The Animated Series. CG rendition by Aaron T. Harvey. 

The USS Bonhomme Richard (Good Man Richard) is destroyed in every campaign I've ever run. It isn't the same Bonhomme Richard but rather any ship christened with that name ends up in a very bad way, often resulting in the loss of the vessel and all its crew. We've seen ships with this dedication lost to Spatial Anomalies, Klingon Battleships, Interphasic Aliens, a Sentient Computer Virus, and more. 

It has been suggested that the name may be cursed but we are beings of Intellect, Reason, and Science. We know for a fact that there is no such things as a 'curse'. For this reason, starships continue to be dubbed the Bonhomme Richard.

Cross my heart and knock on wood.

Starfleet Starfighters - The PT-009 'Attack Craft' and 'The Mars Defense'

PT-009 Attack Craft in mid-ground of image.

Concept Art by Andrew Probert.

Largely inspired by this concept art from the incredibly talented Andrew Probert, my longest running TNG Era campaign had the PCs' ship carry three PT-009 Attack Craft. Never referred to as Starfighters by any character in the campaign, neither PC nor NPC, it was clear that that's exactly what they were. 

In one Episode/Session two squadrons of these are launched from Mars, making up a protective group known as the Mars Defense Perimeter, a reference to a similar group in the Star Trek TNG episode, 'The Best of Both Worlds - Part II'. In the episode the Borg are coming to Earth and three tiny, roughly missile-shaped pods are launched to stop it. Seriously. It was so ridiculous and pathetic looking that my friends insisted that our campaign feature something far more substantial. Given that Mars is the site of the Utopia Planitia Shipyards, I agreed that it needed considerably better guardians than a few unmanned space darts.  

The PT-009 is a Sublight/Impulse, single being spacecraft, armed with Phaser Cannons, Micro-Photon Torpedoes, and light Shields. It is extremely quick and agile, being ten times more maneuverable than a standard Type-8 Shuttlecraft and considerably faster at Impulse than a Type-11. It is a difficult ship to pilot and if a character lacks a specific Attack Craft Piloting Skill or Focus, increase the level of Difficulty or number of Successes needed for any given action by at least 1 (or one Difficulty Level depending on system). 

The Morena / Meropean Chelons

Commander Merot, Chief Engineer and 3rd in Command,

Miranda Class, USS Odyssey

The highest ranking Morena in Starfleet as of 2290

A sentient, starfaring species from the planet Moren (also known as 'Merope II' or '23 Tauri Aa II'), the Morena (plural and singular are the same) are amphibious humanoids descended from a shell-less, turtle-like ancestor. Instead of a shell, the Morena have flexible armor plates on their heads and backs. They possess webbed hands and feet but are primarily land dwelling at this point, returning to the water for various courtship, reproduction, spiritual activities and rituals, and for fun of course. Morena just enjoy swimming. A Morena's eyes have evolved for operation in low-light and underwater conditions but can adapt to Federation/Starfleet standard illumination with time and exposure. Their vision extends into the ultra-violet range. 

Although there are some biological similarities between the Meropean Chelons and the Rigellian Chelons, the two species are not directly related in any way. 

A curious element of Morena sociology, philosophy, and culture is that they self-professed perfectionists. Although individuals can become obsessive in this regard, the Morena's cultural drive is to try to achieve 'perfection' in whatever it is they do. What constitutes 'perfect' can vary from individual to individual but a Morena never does anything half-heartedly. Their government includes a 'Council of Perfection' that advises the other legislative and executive bodies, identifying flaws in various laws or operations and constantly seeks ways to improve and perfect them. 

Sometime after First Contact with the United Federation of Planets in 2239, the rather impassive and even-keeled Morena became fascinated with the emotional displays of other intelligent species. Most notably, they were intrigued by Human emotion, the Vulcans' apparent lack of emotion, and the intense emotional reactions of Andorians. It became common practice for Morena to choose an emotion or mental state and attempt to 'perfect it'. This eventually developed into a major aspect of their civilization, organically growing from fad curiousity to common planetary pasttime. 

For example, a Morena might decide to be 'Enthusiastic' and react to any and all situations with positive enthusiasm. After at least 5-10 years of this practice (on average), when the individual feels they completely understand the emotion they've chosen, they have a small celebration with close friends and/or family in which they display their chosen mental or emotional state for the entire event. At the end of the party, the oldest, youngest, and closet peer are assembled and judge whether or not the Morena has 'mastered' or 'perfected' being Enthusiastic. If so, there is much joy, drinking, eating, singing, etc., and return to a more normal way of life. They might also choose a new emotion or mental state to perfect.

If not, if their mastery of the chosen concept is deemed 'imperfect', the hosting Morena thanks everyone and then leaves their own party, encouraging everyone else to enjoy themselves. The Morena then proceeds to take a contemplative 'walkabout', a few days to a week off to figure out where they went wrong. What was it they missed? Upon their return they are likely to try again for a shorter time, 3-5 years, before throughing another such celebration. 

Morena entering Starfleet Academy are given psychological screening to ensure their chosen mental state will not interfere with their potential duties and the safety of their future crewmates.

We've had at least 3 Morena Player Characters over the years attempting to perfect 'Calm', 'Gregarious', and 'Determined' to both exciting and hilarious effect. My current Star Trek: Prosperity campaign has a Morena NPC, Engineering Ensign Megop, who was only recently assigned to the ship after graduating from Starfleet Academy. He is 'Meticulous' and its sometimes very helpful, other times very annoying to his fellow crewmates. 

The perfectly Meticulous Ensign Megop.

I forget what exactly inspired the creation of the Morena but their homeworld was mentioned in one of the FASA sourcebooks as a major Starfleet/UFP Shipyard. When one of my campaign crews ventured there during a mission I introduced a number of Morena NPCs working and managing the facility. 

Well, that's all for now. My brain is experiencing 'creative turmoil' so you're either gonna get some oddball posts over the next few weeks or hardly any posts at all. Which will it be? Who knows? That's the fun of it!

Heh. *Sigh*

AD

Barking Alien