Exploring “strange new worlds” Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition, Latest version Star Trek A TTRPG. Revealed at GenCon, the game has made great strides in tweaking the system and simplifying the mechanics and combat to give players more control over the story and encourage engagement. The game has big promise, but offers a flexible and easy to learn rules system to work with.
How does Star Trek Adventures work?
Star Trek Adventures It works on a 2d20 system. This system was created by Modiphius and is used in many of the company’s properties. Players combine two stats to create a metric on which they roll. For example, say a Starfleet captain wants to assemble a squad of cadets. He combines the control attribute (in this case 9) with the command discipline (let’s say 4) to create a set number of 13. That means the player rolls and aims to get a number below that number. The player then rolls two d20s to get below that number. If he wants to do the same with a ship, he uses the ship’s stats and his disciplines.
There are a number of ways players can obtain additional dice on top of their d20s, which depend on Momentum (a currency shared between players), Talents (special skills players may have), and Focus (area of expertise).
There is also Threat Risk. Threat is the currency the Storyteller can spend, which can be used to influence the progression of the story. If the Storyteller wants to create a complicated situation (such as a phaser failure), he must spend Threat. This currency is limited, but the actions and behavior of the players can give the GM more currency than Story can give him, especially if he does not want to risk his characters taking damage or in a significantly more precarious scenario.
Added in 2nd edition are traits or keyword powers. The game has a GURPS-like feature that allows players and storytellers to add special traits that create complex situations. For example, if a player finds an abandoned spaceship, the ship might have the trait “Key System Missing”. The player can then take an action, make a check, or strike to do something about this trait and potentially change the trait.
Players, items, and locations all have traits that can make interactions between the player and the other party easier or more complicated. For example, it will be harder for a human Starfleet officer to convince a Cardassian not to fight than it will be for another Cardassian. This is the essence of traits. Some of these traits are fixed, while others are flexible and can be changed depending on the player’s creativity, but at the cost of the player’s resources or momentum.
Changes in the 2nd edition
Star Trek Adventures has made some significant changes to the system. One of the most noticeable changes within the system is the removal of the challenge die, a device that affects whether or not you can complete a certain task using multiple dice. Now there is only a D20 that affects how ship combat, extended tasks, and personal combat work.
There was also an improvement to how starships work: Star Trek’s ships are sometimes as important characters as the players, and the new rules add a lot more, including better guidance for using ships outside of combat, a simplified combat process, and minimal tracking of resources that a ship might have.
A number of non-playable races are now available from the start, including Romulans, Klingons, and Cardassians.
My reaction to the new changes:
I am a beginner Star Trek Adventures, This meant that the rules system took some time and effort to understand, but I’ve been a Star Trek fan since I was a kid, and I’ve come to appreciate this new approach to game mechanics more and more, in that the focus on momentum, threat, and player stress allows for flexibility while also emphasizing tension and possibility.
The concepts of momentum and threat were initially foreign to me as a 5e Dungeon Master. I’m used to the ability to say, “This is true because I say so.” But having an external currency to track where you are in the story provided considerable benefit in the one-shots I was able to try. It gave players a visible indicator of how far they were in trouble, and a currency to either avoid personal harm or advance the story. Momentum, in contrast, gave players a language to react to, and to have television-like moments of brilliance or success. Would they take a risk and push through the problem at the last moment, or would they fail and flounder? It’s a fascinating concept that could mimic Star Trek’s episodic storytelling of the past.
It certainly took some time to get used to the two currencies and players needed a lot of help to understand how this all worked, but I’m confident that given time, most player groups will understand the interactions behind Momentum and Threat.
The game also places a premium on collaboration and cooperation. While many fans (and Starfleet officers) love to sit in the captain’s chair, the mechanics of STA are built around teamwork and creative cooperation. Just as a ship needs a crew to operate effectively, the same is true for the STA. But just because you’re the Chief of Security or Science Officer doesn’t mean you can’t be a star in the story. Star Trek offers plenty of scenarios for players to step up and succeed, whether that’s fighting off invaders, solving complex space anomalies, or saving the lives of vital crew members in peril. First, players must learn how to share.
Conclusion:
Star Trek Adventures is an exciting tool and opportunity for sci-fi and TTRPG fans alike. The game offers a flexible, adaptable, episodic and fast-paced gameplay approach. While it takes some time to get used to the 2d20 system and Momentum, players will quickly pick it up and find it a fun opportunity to jump into the Galactic Federation and make a name for themselves.
The game is backwards compatible and can be used alongside Modiphius’ previously published Star Trek content.
Images courtesy of Modiphius and Paramount
Source: The Fandomentals – www.thefandomentals.com
