By Jim Johnson, Star Trek™ Adventures Project Manager
Art by Martin Sobr
As you play your Star Trek™ Adventures character, you may discover during your adventures that you want more: more story, more insights into your character, more ways to deepen their personality and history. Perhaps you want to do this so you can more effectively role-play them as a fully realized character, the equal to any seen in countless printed or aired Star Trek stories. The Captain’s Log Solo Roleplaying Game can support these goals in a myriad of ways, four of which are discussed below.
Adding Backstory
If you’re new to Star Trek, casually involved with the franchise, or could just use a refresher on the setting the first 70 pages of Captain’s Log comprise a short primer on the series, including suggested episodes and movies to watch, insights on the setting’s society, technology, eras of play, styles of play, and more. In addition, Chapter 3 contains dozens of species descriptions and Chapter 4 provides dozens of starship descriptions and statistics. This wealth of information can be used to add additional details to your character’s backstory.
In addition, you could use any of the random tables in the appendices to add color and context to virtually any element of your character’s history as desired. For example, perhaps one of your character’s career events came up as Required to Take Command, and you want to flesh out the details of that experience. You could jump to page 257 and roll on the Mission Type probability matrix to determine what specific type of mission it was. You could even choose to delve further and develop a full solo story around that event, using the tools in the book.
Exploring the Multiverse
Captain’s Log gives you the tools to create a story focused on literally any character, location, or situation you encounter during your time playing Star Trek Adventures. If you complete a story with your fellow players and find yourself asking “What if…?” about any of the events that transpired, you could grab the game book and create an alternate universe storyline centered around what you experienced. Then add a twist that sparked your ‘what if’ question, and see what happens next. The Star Trek multiverse is infinite; add your own stories to the mix!
For example, let’s say a main player character, Captain Robert Delacourt, is on an undercover mission on Romulus with his partner, Elizabeth, a noted botanist. The timing of the mission just happens to be during their wedding anniversary. During a brief meal at a Romulan food kiosk, the two are accosted by Romulan security but manage to bluff their way past them and then complete the mission. Later, the player wonders what might have happened if the pair had been caught. Grabbing a copy of Captain’s Log, they set the stage for the story and delve into the possibilities.
Treks Not Taken
Similarly, you can use the game to tell stories about characters, starships, cultures, or situations you chose not to pursue during the course of your Star Trek Adventures game. What if you had been assigned to a Steamrunner class versus a Luna class? What if your campaign was set in 2256 rather than 2382? What if your captain was Romulan rather than a Pakled? All these questions and more can be explored in a standalone mission or miniseries using Captain’s Log.
Similarly, you could use Captain’s Log as a testing ground for new player character concepts while you play your main character in a game. Maybe you chose to play a chief engineer in your main game but want to get a feel for what it would be like to play a chief medical officer or perhaps a civilian diplomatic officer. Maybe you’re a veteran gamer who’s played nothing but captains and executive officers and want to try out playing a lower decker for a little while. Even if your main Star Trek Adventures game doesn’t have room for you to change up characters and try something new, you can explore anything you want with Captain’s Log. If you like the results, you can easily convert your character to either first or second edition.
Using Decision-Making Tools
Sometime during a game session of Star Trek Adventures, you might end up in a situation where you genuinely aren’t sure what your character would choose to do. Rather than spend time dithering or being locked in analysis paralysis, you could check the Yes/No Probability Matrix and let it help your character make a choice for you. Trust your character and let the dice generate a result that may surprise you and make the mission more exciting!
For example, during a tense mission, Ensign Laniyar Tennan has an opportunity to hack into a computer system while an alien allied bridge crew is otherwise distracted. He needs the information locked in the ship’s computer, but he worries attempting to do so would violate Starfleet ethics and damage the ongoing discussion with the alien species. The player is truly not sure what Tennan would be most likely to do, so consults the Yes/No Probability Matrix and figures the impulsive Tennan probably would try to hack into the computer. The d20 result is a 3. Sure enough, the rash young ensign rushes over to a computer console and attempts to hack into the computer.
These are just a few ways to use the tools in Captain’s Log to enhance your Star Trek Adventures experiences. Do you have additional ideas about how to use Captain’s Log in conjunction with your first or second edition core rulebooks to add depth to your main character and supporting characters? Join the official Modiphius Discord and share them with your fellow gamers!
Order a copy of Captain’s Log now in print or digital format and combine it with your second edition materials to expand the scope of your missions and campaigns!
Also, order your print copy of the second edition Star Trek Adventures core rulebook now in standard format or one of three limited edition covers! And order a print copy of the second edition Game Toolkit as well, to expand your options for exploring the final frontier.
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Command):
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Sciences):
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Operations):
All print orders will also receive the digital versions right away.
Alternatively, you can order the digital editions by themselves of the standard core rulebook and the Game Toolkit.
2nd Edition Core Rulebook PDF:
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about other upcoming Star Trek Adventures product releases. Live long and prosper!
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