The Star Trek franchise has been a staple in RPG gaming for several decades. With its deep world-building and exploration of the final frontier, Star Trek has been adapted into various tabletop RPG games over the years. Among these adaptations, Star Trek Adventures stands out as one of the best. Developed by Modiphius, the game allows players to create their own Starfleet officers and embark on missions across the galaxy. The Star Trek Adventures Starter Set is an excellent introduction to the game for new players, offering a streamlined and easy-to-learn experience that captures the spirit of the Star Trek universe.
What is Star Trek Adventures?
In Star Trek Adventures players take on the roles of characters aboard a starship, embarking on thrilling adventures and encountering strange new worlds and civilizations. The game is designed to be accessible to both new and experienced RPG players and features a 2d20 system that allows for quick gameplay. Whether you aspire to role-play as a logical Vulcan or explore unknown planets in your very own starship, STA offers a robust and immersive gaming experience. With a range of rulebooks and campaigns available, there’s no shortage of content for players to explore.
Star Trek Adventures Starter Set
Modiphius has produced lots of material for Star Trek Adventures and the choices can be overwhelming to a beginner in this tabletop RPG. The Star Trek Adventures Starter Set includes everything players need to learn the game. The Starter Set by Modiphius is a comprehensive package that includes everything players need to get started with the game. In addition to the rulebook and dice, the set includes a variety of tokens and poster maps, six pre-generated characters, and even a starship for the players to crew. The set is designed to be a complete introduction to the game, offering a simplified version of the rules that allows players to learn the mechanics quickly and easily.
Starter Rules and Adventure
The two booklets in the Starter Set are the “Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game Starter Rules” and “Star Trek Adventures: The Rescue at Xerxes IV.” The Starter Rules booklet explains the game’s mechanics, including how to create characters, how to roll tasks and handle conflicts, and how to run starship combat. The Rescue at Xerxes IV booklet is a mini-campaign that serves as an introduction to the game’s storytelling and mission-based gameplay. The module is designed to be a complete experience, with everything from pre-generated characters to maps and tokens included in the box.
Star Trek Characters
The six pre-generated characters in the Starter Set consist of a male Bajoran First Officer, a female Human Conn Officer, a male Trill Chief Engineer, a female Andorian Chief of Security, a female Vulcan Medical Officer, and a Galaxy-class starship, the USS Magellan. The character sheets are double-sided, with the character on the front and a reference for what the character can do on the back.
Dice, Maps, and Tokens
The dice in the Starter Set consist of two twenty-sided dice and four six-sided Challenge dice, which are primarily used for damage in both personal and starship combat. The tokens consist of Threat and Momentum tokens, which are used by the Game Master and players, respectively, to grant advantages in the game. The two mini-poster maps are double-sided and depict areas aboard starships and on planets, and are designed to be used in conjunction with the tokens.
Dice Mechanics
The game’s mechanics are based on a 2d20 system, which uses two 20-sided dice to determine the outcome of actions. Players roll the dice and add modifiers based on their character’s skills and abilities, with higher rolls indicating better outcomes. The system emphasizes teamwork and collaboration, with players able to work together to gain bonuses on their rolls.
The twenty-sided dice are called “d20s” and are used for most tasks. When a player rolls a d20, they are trying to get a result that is equal to or lower than a target number, which is determined by adding together the relevant Discipline and Attribute for the task at hand. If the result on the d20 is equal to or lower than the target number, the player has succeeded in the task.
The Challenge dice, on the other hand, are used primarily in combat situations. These six-sided dice are marked with a star on one face, two stars on another, blank on two faces, and the Starfleet insignia on two faces. When a player rolls a Challenge die, they are looking for stars, which represent damage done to the enemy. However, if a player rolls a Starfleet insignia, this represents a special effect or critical hit that can be used to gain additional advantages in combat. Conversely, if a player rolls a blank face, they have failed in their attack or defense.
Character Mechanics
Characters have six Disciplines that represent their specialties in Starfleet and six Attributes 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.
Momentum and Threat introduce a push-your-luck element to Star Trek Adventures RPG. Momentum is a player resource gained via extra successes. Threat is primarily a GM resource to increase challenges of a given scenario. Whenever players roll more successes on a test than necessary, the excess can be used as Momentum (up to a maximum of six for the party). This Momentum can then be spent to add dice to future tests or overcome particularly challenging obstacles. On the other hand, if there is no Momentum available, the GM can be granted a Threat token to do the same thing, allowing them to store up tokens for use in later, potentially more difficult situations.
Advancement in Star Trek Adventures is achieved through Milestones, which are earned by suffering injury, challenging a Value (thus getting a point of Determination), or using a Value either positively or negatively (meaning you either spent or received a point of Determination while acting upon it). Players receive a “Normal” Milestone for just doing one of the above during a mission.
Overall Impressions of Star Trek Adventures Starter Set
If you love Star Trek and TTRPGs, the Star Trek Adventures Starter Set is a great introduction to the game system and a fantastic value. This set is nicely designed and printed with lots of character and adventure content to get you up and running quickly. The system is robust, thematic, and easy to learn, making it a great choice for both experienced RPG players and those who are new to the hobby. With the Star Trek Adventures Starter Set by Modiphius, players can jump right into the action and start exploring the final frontier.
