Tying Up Loose Ends

With the end of the year rolling at us at full speed, it's time for me to follow up, wrap up, or otherwise update some of the incomplete aspects of the ol' blog.

The Last Call crew. It was fun while it lasted.

The Last Call

The end of my Five Parsecs From Home campaign was ugly.

The battle of turn #2 didn't go well. Painting up a set of figures to use as Psychos was taking too long, so I resorted to using proxies to move on with the campaign. The battle turned against The Last Call crew due to a combination of poor die rolls, the opposition performing better than expected, and admittedly suboptimal tactical decision making. The result was a bitter grind as The Last Call crew put up a spirited, but futile struggle.

If I were gamemastering it as a RPG campaign, I might have fudged a few die rolls and had the Psychos fumble around a little to give The Last Call crew a chance to pull things together. Even using the options in "The Stars of the Story" section only mitigated things to a point. The outcome wasn't a true TPK, but was still a demoralizing setback. A hole that big would take a long time for The Last Call crew to dig their way free. I would have to bring in a bunch of newly painted miniatures to represent new crew in order to continue. Why not end it, call the whole thing a learning experience, and start fresh later?

I started a draft of the final stand of The Last Call crew, but left it undone. Few of the photos came out well. This would make the resulting battle report an almost unbroken wall of text. The writing alone would have to keep a reader engaged. I know the last stand has a long tradition, but I couldn't come up with a narrative that made the fight anything other than a depressing grind. I ended up abandoning the draft. Everybody only has so much time. I felt that mine would be better spent doing other things.

Beginning a new Five Parsecs From Home campaign is in the cards for next year. The ubrupt end of The Last Call campaign was rough, but it was fun while it lasted! And it fulfilled the goal of motivating me to paint more miniatures. Next time, I'd like to have a model to represent the ship and more terrain, but neither is a requirement that's cast in stone. Any decisions about the ship model or terrain will ultimately come down to time and cost. Having some more miniatures painted up and ready to go would also be prudent. Or I could just wing it. Let's see what the new year brings!

The Last Call - A Very Short Five Parsecs From Home Campaign:

Turn 0 - Crew generation

Turn 1 - Pre-battle steps, also includes campaign start steps

Turn 1 - Battle report

Turn 1 - Wrap up

Turn 1 - Error correction

Turn 2 - Pre-battle steps

I'm still not sure what I'm doing with this thing.

The YouTube Experiment

I'm still messing around with the YouTube Channel I started this year. Learning how to record audio and video, editing it, and finding ways to present it has been an engaging challenge. I think I'm closing in what to do with it, but I also want to experiment with the subjects I cover a little more.

For now, some links and short descriptions of what I've posted over there as of this post are below:

Coffee Bag Freebie Greeblies & Bits?

Short video on the scratch building parts that can be pulled off a bag of coffee.

Fixing a Squishy Based D&D Beholder Miniature

The base on this unfortunate miniature from Wizards of the Coast was far too soft to hold the figure up. Even a mighty Beholder isn't that scary if it's falling over! Fixing it by replacing the base was a quick and fun little project.

Plastic Soda Cap Greeblies & Bits?

Short video on trash bashing with these parts that come with a tasty drink!

Weathering Terrain with a Silver Marker

A quick guide on producing the appearance of bare metal exposed by wear and tear.

Soy & Teriyaki Sauce Bottle Bits

Short video on the junk build parts that come with a bottle of salty, umami flavor.

Some glass I got on my birthday. Both are helpful in the making of this blog.

More Miniature Photography Posts

Writing follow ups to The Post Where I Go On About Photography Gear and Kenko Extension Tube Set - First Impressions has been an exercise in hitting a moving target. There were several times when I thought that I had a handle on a process and started drafting a post, only from something new to upset the whole apple cart.

The simple truth of the matter is that I'm still learning and refining. How I approach miniatures photography has changed radically multiple times since I wrote those posts back in April 2021. A specific piece of gear might come and go and come back again. The camera settings have gone from one extreme to the other as I play with what works. This isn't a good place from which to teach others. I have tried to document my learning experience, but every draft has been tossed aside as no longer reflecting what I do by the time it's nearing completion.

It's going to be awhile before I dial into a preferred method and turn it into a time-tested formula. When I do, I'll be happy to share it so that others can benefit from my experience and improve their own methods.



These three were the glaring examples of unfinished business that I feel I should address. If there's anything else I've left undone that folks are curious about, feel free to fire off a question in the comments. Note that some projects are on hold due to the holidays. They will be resumed when time and weather permits - spray painting in the cold and wet is questionable at best.

Why Are Adventure Modules So Bad?

I've never had a great experience running published adventure modules. From "The Keep on the Borderlands" back when I was a wee lad of a Dungeon Master to "The Pit of Kutallu" one shot I ran over a month ago, I've always run into problems with the things. What's the source of these problems? Is there a better way? Is this just a middle aged man yelling at a cloud? How does this influence my own adventure writing?

Yeah, I'm criticizing a classic. I could run in this thing in my sleep. And I probably have. It's a solid D&D adventure, but it's questionable as an introductory module. Gygax didn't name anybody, forcing people running their first game to make names for NPCs up on the spot. Gygax described the details of politics within the Caves of Chaos without also providing ways for the player characters to find out or act on that information. Both of these things could have been teachable moments for those new to the hobby.

The Problems of Prose and Narrative

Modules are generally written as if they are telling a story rather than documenting a process. Someone reading prose fiction like a novel doesn't usually have to go back and look up key details. (There are exceptions like "fair play" mysteries and certain experimental works, but these meet different expectations.) Editors prefer to avoid walls of text in prose fiction because they can turn off readers. On the other hand, a gamemaster has to quickly understand how a module is intended to work and reference information from that module while running it. Skimming blocks of narration looking for a needed detail buried in the middle of a long paragraph takes up valuable time at the table. Having the information available at a glance would be more efficient, but involves a presentation and layout that borrows from technical writing.


Why Buy Adventure Modules?

I'm aware of two basic markets for adventure modules. The first are gamemasters who outsource creating the scenario, mechanics, and other aspects of an evening's adventure to a publisher. The reasons for this decision often comes down to a lack of time or familiarity with a given game or system. In order to be used to meet this need, using an adventure module should be less work than making one from scratch. Ideally, it should be as modular as the name "module" suggests - an adventure that can be slotted into an ongoing campaign with minimal preparation or adjustment. The second market are those who purchase modules as reading material. Presenting a module's contents as a narrative isn't a problem for them - it's actually a positive feature. They want to be told a story. The technical aspects of gamemastering don't concern them. Unfortunately, this runs counter to the needs of those using modules as adventures.


Background - How Much Is Too Much?

One sticking point for me is extensive background information with little or no application to the adventure. It may develop the setting and be a pleasant read, but is it needed to run the module? The motivations of an NPC and their relationships to the other NPCs in an adventure don't really matter if that NPC only serves as an XP piñata during a combat encounter. The depths of that NPC will never come up in play and become known to the players. The gamemaster doesn't need that information to run the NPC in a fight. It's space that could be better used for things more directly related to running the adventure.

Our group had a great time with this one, as I mention here. One question, though: What happens if nobody starts drowning when the player characters go overboard? The module mentions keeping things "action-packed and quick-moving" while calling for multiple tests while swimming for shore, but doesn't actually tell the gamemaster how many tests are needed or how often to call for them. One? Five? Every round? How many rounds until they get to the shore? The module doesn't say, but the process of how to handle a player character that starts drowning after failing a test while swimming for shore is described in detail.

Old School Solutions

When I ran adventure modules more often, I would thoroughly research each one before showing up with it on game night. This involved going through the contents, making notes as needed, and often running the adventure from my notes rather than the module itself. A simple read through just wouldn't provide enough familiarity with the module for a smooth experience at the table.

A notable change I would make while adapting a module is boiling down long descriptions. This seems to be where some module writers feel free to indulge in maximum verbosity. The eyes of many of my players would glaze over during a long reading of boxed text. I typically cut such descriptions down to the most important elements or used a highlighter on key phrases to use while paraphrasing at the table.

That process didn't cover the time needed to customize the module to fit into our campaign. Many modules recommend that gamemasters do this. Some provide specific advice on where and when the adventure might take place in officially supported settings. This fine tuning takes relatively little time and is an understandable limitation of adventure modules. A publisher can't take the specifics of everybody's campaign setting into account.

I soon gave up on the process as a waste of time. It was essentially rewriting the module into a form that would be easier for me to use. Why bother? Writing an adventure from scratch took roughly the same amount of time and effort. I acquired modules as part of bundles and picked up Free RPG Day adventures since then, but rarely ran them. Most of the modules I own are sources of spare parts. Encounters, NPCs, plot elements, and anything else that caught my eye would be used to inspire things in my own adventures.


The Arcane Library

The adventure modules written by Kelsey Dionne and published by The Arcane Library show a possible way forward. Many of the improvements used in these modules appear in products by others. However, The Arcane Library modules incorporates more of them in one place than I've seen elsewhere. The Arcane Library modules are dungeon adventures for a certain prominent fantasy RPG and use a streamlined presentation well suited for a location based adventure.

• Each module begins with a synopsis of the adventure and the minimum background necessary to understand its context. This information gives gamemasters a roadmap they can use to navigate the contents of the module. It shows how the adventure is intended to go, which elements connect, where they connect, and what interactions might take place. Of course, things may go off the rails, but knowing where the tracks were headed is helpful.
• The opening encounter is designed to quickly involve the players and their characters. A selection of motivations for the player characters is provided. This avoids the issues of slow starts and may short circuit "why does my character care" conversations.
• Each encounter takes up exactly one page and starts by asking a dramatic question. The outcome of the encounter answers that question. Not all encounters pose a question, but it provides a direction for things to go when it appears. The encounter wraps up with a transition describing how things move towards the next encounter. The flow from question to answer to transition helps to maintain the pace of the adventure.
• The aftermath section provides ways to tie off any remaining plot threads and offers the player characters their rewards. Hooks for future adventures building on the just concluded one are also presented.
• Descriptions are short. Lengthy boxed text is avoided in favor of lists of key details that gamemasters can work into their own narration.
• The layout is used to make the important stuff easier to find.
• There's a table of contents.
• Bold text is used for key details, making them stand out from the rest of the text.
• Bullet points are used for descriptive details and other information best presented in list format.
• Things like maps and new monsters are placed in the appendices instead of cluttering up the encounter entries.

Kelsey Dionne's approach requires modification for use with other games. It is optimized for an adventure in a confined environment that limits player choice. The outline of an investigative adventure might need a flowchart rather than a synopsis to show the gamemaster where things are going. A political intrigue adventure may not be able to be divided neatly into distinct encounters. The factions involved will each advance their own plans and modify them based on events. Instead, each faction could get their own section describing their resources, motivations, and how they intend to use any opportunities to achieve their goals.

The Problem of Scale

The Arcane Library modules are an example of how things can be improved, but their short length means that they don't run into the organizational problems found in longer works. A module from The Arcane Library already has a table of contents. This is plenty for an adventure intended to be run in a single session. But as the page count of a book goes up, locating specific information becomes more difficult.

Both a table of contents and a comprehensive index would make navigating a longer module easier. I'm not sure where the cut off between "just a table of contents is fine" and "needs an index too" exists. However, I'm sure that an adventure hardcover with a page count in the triple digits would certainly need both.

This is one of my favorite AD&D modules - to read. There's so much drama and detail presented about the people and inner workings of the slavers' organization.  Unfortunately, the player characters will never experience any of it as they steamroller through the place. I've thought of making the player characters go in and have to put up with the backbiting and office politics while undercover, but I don't think that's the intended way of running this adventure.

Art in Adventure Modules

Artwork may seem to be a waste of space in an adventure module, but it can have useful functions.

• An illustration of an area or encounter can be a handy tool, especially if it can be shown to the players without also revealing the text detailing the encounter. Some classic D&D and AD&D modules have separate booklets for this purpose.
• A piece of art that is connected to the text can serve as a mental bookmark. The most common example is a description of an NPC or monster with an illustration of that NPC or monster on the same page. If gamemasters can find the picture, they can find the related description.
• Memorable art can serve as landmarks while navigating a book. Page numbers might be difficult to recall, but knowing that a particular section is near that eye-catching picture may not be.
• If nothing else, small pieces of artwork can break up walls of text and larger ones can signal the beginning or end of a section.

Writing My Own Adventures

I tended to over-prepare for adventures. The process of rewriting modules had left a mark. There was way too much unnecessary detail and not enough focus on what I needed while sitting at the table. Everything was in one cumbersome outline and I worried too much about the ending.

There's a new process that I'm still refining. I don't worry about planning every detail or beyond the current session. What I'm mainly interested in is having ready access to the information I have prepared.

What I include in my session notes is still a work in progress.

• A sequence of events that will get derailed due to player character intervention. Key details are in bold.
• Scene descriptions (details below). Descriptive details are lists of phrases that I work in extemporaneously.
• Key NPCs. Only the ones that the player characters are likely to fight, interact with socially, or otherwise engage with mechanically have full stats. These include any special rules or notes. Again, key details are in bold. Other entries are just so that I can remember the name of the shopkeeper or other minor NPC.
• Reference sheets for any rules that I might have trouble remembering the exact mechanics of at the table.

As the workhorse of many an adventure, scenes need their share of focus. I haven't gone as far as put each on its own page, but I'm seeing the appeal. I break scenes down into three basic parts.

• How things are at the start of the scene. Example: The guy they are looking for is here.
• What might happen during the scene. Example: Do they confront the guy? Follow him around while keeping out of sight? What are the complications involved with either approach? Let's assume that they fumble their approach and they end up chasing the guy. Where does he go? Does local law enforcement get involved?
• Handling the outcome, including what the next scene might be and how to get there from here. Example: Do they catch the guy? Does he get away? Let's assume that they get their man. What information do they get out of him? How could they make use of what they've learned?

Each category (sequence of events, NPCs, scenes, etc.) gets its own document file. Right now, the docs are .pdfs on my tablet, but I'm considering uploading them to Google Docs or transferring them to Google Keep so I can access everything on my phone. That allows me to work on them while away from my tablet or PC.

I also have a pad and pen in front of me when running the game. I've yet to find a more practical way of taking notes at the table. Most of the notes are on how the players are changing the narrative during play or about things the players have taken an interest in. These notes get transcribed a day or week later. In theory.

One of the adventures in this book involves catching up with an out of control spaceship. The process of intercepting it is a dice rolling contest. When I ran it a few years ago, I couldn't find the number I needed on a page full of text. Maybe it was the lateness of the hour combined with the mental load of running the game and fatigue from a rough week at work, but I kept scanning the page and not seeing what I was looking for. Simply printing the target number in bold or having the information in a more easily digestible format - a chart summarizing the skill checks needed to get through the scene, for example - would have helped my poor, tired brain find it.

Wrapping Up

There are great adventure modules in my collection and there are some duds I hang on to for various reasons. Even the best of them have certain flaws that make them harder to run at the table. Possible solutions involve different lay outs and ways to present key information without radically altering what an adventure module is supposed to do. As an added benefit, gamemasters can borrow these methods to improve their own adventure writing.

My Favorite Stuff 2022

Here's a few things I found handy for hobby stuff throughout this year. I made similar posts to this one in 2018 and 2020. Like 2019, I skipped 2021. Unlike 2019, skipping 2021 was deliberate. I was mainly focused on catching up on existing projects as our group wasn't meeting for face to face gaming. 2022 saw a return to experimentation, new purchases, and the resulting half-finished projects.

This is what happens when I play with Canva.

Green Stuff World Silver Series Kolinsky Brush Size 2

I ordered this way back in the summer of 2021 as I was getting frustrated with the limitations of the synthetic brushes I was using at the time. I was doing more painting than usual throughout 2020 and 2021. Eventually, I felt that I was fighting with the brushes to get the paint where I wanted it to go. A little research suggested that it was time to upgrade my brushes, so I took advantage of a sale at Green Stuff World and ordered a set of three brushes sizes 0, 1, and 2.

This was not the only way I was addressing the issue. I found a local source for smaller Kolinsky brushes. These seemed to work fine, so the set of brushes from Green Stuff World went into storage as replacements for down the line.

This year, there were projects where a bigger brush was useful to cover larger areas. Up until then, I used size 0 and size 1 brushes (or their equivalents) for miniatures painting. The set from Green Stuff World included a size 2, so I gave it a try.

My old size 2 and the replacement (in package) for when I need it.

I wish I had given it a shot before. The larger belly holds more paint, allowing me to work longer before going back to my palette. The tip is good enough for most work, but I do have to break out smaller brushes with finer tips to paint some details.

The size 2 has become my utility brush. The only things I never do with it is drybrushing or other techniques that are rough on a brush. With basic care, it's lasted well enough so far, but I did order another to have a replacement on hand.

Green Stuff World does offer a Gold Series premium brush line, but I'm happy with the Silver Series so far. I also tend to place orders during their sales to offset shipping costs. Orders also take awhile to get from England to the United States.


Star Trek Adventures Rules Digest

Our group got back to face to face gaming this year. The roleplaying game we picked was Star Trek Adventures. We decided to start a new campaign given the long interruption.

The Rule Digest had come out during our group's interregnum. It contains all the rules refinements and errata that had come out since the game's launch. A rule book already incorporating every update was too good to pass up.

One of these is not like the others.

The real value of the Rules Digest turns out to be its compact size. As the name implies, it is a digest sized softcover. Not having to deal with a full sized hardback while running a game relieves me of a hassle. It can be set aside, tucked under my dice tray, or other gotten out of the way until I need it. The core book has been liberated to wander the table as a reference for the players.

The layout of the Rules Digest is done in the style of TOS as it is intended to support a campaign in that era. However, the rules apply to all eras of Star Trek. I many use it as a handy reference at the table. What I'd really like is a digest sized book that is nothing but a Star Trek Adventures rule reference, but I suspect that the market for such a product is too limited to be profitable for Modiphius. In the absence of such a thing, this book will do nicely.


Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens

My wife generously gifted me this for my birthday. The idea was to get a relatively inexpensive lens for general photography. Instead, this has become my main lens for miniatures photography.

Before this, I used a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens with extension tubes for miniatures photography. The Nifty Fifty is a great lens for the price, but the focal length is a problem for shooting small objects. The camera has to be pulled back quite a bit for the lens to focus on the subject. This may push the camera back far enough for a tripod to be necessary. Extension tubes allow the lens to get closer, but selecting the right one adds to set up time. I still use this combination when I need high quality shots, but I wanted an option for taking quick photos.

Nothing I read before getting this indicated that it's a macro lens.

The EF-S 24mm is clearly marked as a macro lens. I can push it in close enough to not worry about setting up a tripod or extension tubes. This makes setting up a shot much easier. The quality isn't as sharp as the Nifty Fifty, but the trade off is sometimes worth it. The EF-S 24mm is currently my workhorse lens for miniature photography.

What Conan Taught Me About Star Trek Adventures

With the news from Modiphius, this post seems timely.

Our group ran "The Pit of Kutallu" just before the holiday season. "The Pit of Kutallu" is an adventure module for Robert C. Howard's Conan published by Modiphius in 2017 for Free RPG Day. The version of 2d20 it uses feels like the same model car as Star Trek Adventures, but after somebody dropped in a turbocharger. Our group burned through Momentum, Fortune, and Doom with abandon compared to our use of the corresponding meta currencies in Star Trek Adventures. The players were also bolder and less deliberate, even after they started paying the price in Stress and Harms to their characters.

Granted, the quick start rules in "The Pit of Kutallu" are stripped down compared to those in the Conan core book. And I ran this explicitly as a one shot. And swords and sorcery is another whole genre away from space opera. And a Free RPG Day adventure is going to be mostly fights. But I felt that there was something about the contrast between the two experiences to be examined. I put my observations and questions online and got some handy advice on running 2d20 in the future. Thanks in particular to @muttley@dice.camp and betatester at the Modiphius forums for their observations.

Momentum

Momentum in Conan models a swords and sorcery world where player characters are capable of cutting their way through waves of enemies. Buying extra dice with Momentum is cheaper in Conan than in other 2d20 games. This makes it easier land hits and succeed at tests. Rolling more dice generates more Momentum, leading to a loop where players have more Momentum at their disposal at any given time. This loop quickened the pace, making the fights feel more exciting without losing their tactical aspects.

The Momentum pool depletes faster in Conan than in Star Trek Adventures. Our group told me this pressured them into a "use it or lose it" mentality. Fights in "The Pit of Kutallu" usually ended with an empty Momentum pool due to use rather than depletion.

Getting some of that faster pace in Star Trek Adventures involves priming the pump on the Momentum pool.

• "Close-Knit Crew" is a Talent from the Player's Guide that allows a player character to generate Momentum if the pool is too low at the start of a new scene.
• There are ways for a Human player character to finagle "Spirit of Discovery" to trade a point of Determination in to bump up the Momentum pool by three. The player just has to find a way to use a Value or Directive for the Determination spend. A pilot character will likely have a Value related to vehicle operation that can used during a travel scene. Likewise, a science officer may have a Value that can trigger when seeking out new information.
• Supporting Characters can help generate Momentum by providing an assist during a task. Assistance effectively gives players three dice instead of two for rolling against a task and for generating Momentum. Even uncontrolled Supporting Characters can provide assistance.
• A player character in the Commanding Officer role on the bridge can use "Rally" to generate Momentum. The core book is explicit about this being the purpose of the "Rally" action. Groups where the Captain is a Supporting Character can still use "Rally" even if the Captain is uncontrolled as it is a Difficulty 0 task, but a player character must still use an action to suggest that the Captain speak to the crew. Alternately, a player character Executive Officer can use "Rally" themselves.

Doom & Threat

Doom (Conan) and Threat (Star Trek Adventures) are thematically named equivalents to Momentum for the gamemaster. Doom generates faster than Threat due to how Reactions work in Conan. Reactions to parry or dodge attacks beyond the first in a round are paid for by adding to the Doom pool. This gives the players a choice between building up the Doom pool or suffering damage to their characters.

The steady trickle of Doom getting added to the pool slowly raised the stakes throughout the game. I was able to use the resulting pile of Doom to dial up the danger at the climax. Adding to the Doom pool may have an immediate benefit for the players, but there are longer term costs involved. The process gives the players a say in the amount of danger their characters will be confronting.

Players in Star Trek Adventures are often reluctant to add to the Threat pool and there are fewer ways to generate it. I find myself hoarding the initial Threat pool until the ending scene. However, there seem to be more ways to produce Threat and that heightened sense of risk than I was aware of.

• A NPC leader can issue orders to the other NPCs at the start of a scene or during a fight. This is a Difficulty 0 task for the NPC leader that should generate one or two points of Threat. This is balanced by the need for the NPC leader to use an action to perform this task.
• Some NPCs automatically generate Threat simply be showing up. The final boss of "The Pit of Kutallu" has its own Doom pool that it can use up before helping itself to the regular one.

Fortune & Determination

Fortune (Conan) is both more plentiful and easier to use than Determination (Star Trek Adventures). Linking the use of Determination with a Value or Directive makes it challenging to put into play. The single point a player character starts an adventure with encourages players to hoard it to the point of leaving it untouched. On the other hand, Conan player characters get three points of Fortune and can earn more points fairly easily. Fortune points flowed freely throughout "The Pit of Kutallu" with the only concern being saving one for the climax.

• As mentioned above, "Spirit of Discovery" is a Talent that a Human player character can use to pump up the Momentum pool by three in exchange for a point of Determination.
• I'll have to talk with our group about making sure the Values of the player characters are flexible enough to cover a variety of situations.
• I also have to continue to find ways of using Values, Directives, and Determination in our Star Trek Adventures game.

I'd welcome any other suggestions or observations about how to use elements of this system. I hope that this point is handy for other 2d20 gamemasters.

A Game I'll Never Run - Working for a Dragon

A deep dive into my own notes is a key step as I prepare a new RPG campaign. I frequently rediscover little gems that I jotted down months or years ago and promptly forgot. Something else I find are fantastic concepts for campaigns that I have absolutely no time to run. After all, I'll hopefully be busy with my current campaign for awhile.

Rather than let them lie unused, I'll be presenting them here as they turn up. Feel free to borrow anything that looks handy. Just let me know how it turned out.


The Quest Giver is a Dragon

Our adventuring party works for a great wyrm of considerable age and wide experience. The beast isn't interested in acquiring more wealth. This particular dragon's hoard is already big enough to be comfortable to lounge upon. This dragon has moved on to other things. But what are the dragon's motivations and how can the adventurers help to achieve them?

Meet the new boss?

Collecting Scholarly Knowledge

Knowledge was a means to an end in the dragon's youth. Genuine curiosity eventually overcame ambition as the dragon grew old and strong. However, a dragon showing up to ask questions is usually counterproductive. Many interactions between dragons and others involve raided livestock, looted gold, and things on fire. Employing adventurers as agents tends to work better. At least, until those adventurers start getting ideas.

Before that, our adventurers can find employment by:

• Tracking down and acquiring the last copy of an ancient tome before anybody else gets it.
• Convincing an elderly sage to part with their particular brand of wisdom. The sage is done with life and can't be bribed or threatened, even by a dragon or band of cutthroats. What would convince such a sage?
• Trading books with various libraries. The dragon has extra copies to spare, but wants to avoid the complications of letting others know who they are dealing with. It's best to send the adventurers as representatives.
• Swapping knowledge over networks of scholars who may not be keen on giving their secrets to a dragon.
• Establishing relations with key scholars. The dragon foresees the need to consult with them repeatedly.
• Prying a scroll of lost lore out of the cold, undead hands holding it.

Collecting Arcane Knowledge

Knowledge can be power, but magical knowledge gets to the point quicker. There is some overlap between this and acquiring scholarly knowledge. Some of the ideas presented above can be used with this motivation. In both cases, the dragon is using the adventuring party as agents to gain access to sources that would be denied otherwise.

• Meeting with a jinn or devil on their own plane and figuring out what it would take to persuade them to part with what they know. The first challenge is the logistics of arranging and traveling to the meeting.
• The dragon has learned of a tome called the Necronomicon. The knowledge it contain is both valuable and dangerous. One doesn't survive to become a great wyrm by taking unnecessary risks - best to have someone else read the book and transcribe its contents in a form safer to peruse. There is a troublesome mage who has beat the dragon's prior agents to various prizes over the decades. Perhaps the adventuring party can convince the mage to take on this task? Of course, a copy of the Necronomicon must be obtained in the first place.
• Raiding the library of a demi-lich. It is located a trapped-infested crypt, but the demi-lich should be distracted with whatever such undead do down there.
• Rumors suggest that another adventuring party has looted a rare magical item from some dungeon. How to get it without showing the dragon's hand?
• Trading magical secrets with an organization of wizards with a dodgy reputation. Both sides know that betrayal is coming, just not exactly when. The assassination attempts against the dragon's prior agents don't really count. That's just common practice.

Supporting the Imperial Dynasty

Centuries ago, the dragon took another form and founded a ruling family. Affairs of state grew boring, so the dragon left the polity in the hands of later generations. But the dragon takes family obligations seriously enough to intervene from time to time.

The dragon doesn't want to operate openly and uses agents when possible. The dynasty has to appear to be strong enough to stand on its own. Besides, the dragon isn't a pet that comes when called just because there's a handsome representation on the imperial crest. This is a situation where each side gets things it wants because both parties compliment each other nicely. The player characters could be adventurers acting as the dragon's agents, part of the imperial court, or members of the imperial government with a mysterious boss.

• The dragon and the dynasty are family, but that doesn't rule out backstabbing. There's always upstarts who think that they have what it takes to further their ambitions by getting rid their mysterious "great uncle" from out of town. Keeping an eye out for trouble is one option. Finding a place to hide the charred corpse and cooking up a cover story is another.
• The dragon is the center of a spy network. The dragon makes for a pretty good spy with superior senses, the ability to fly, and maybe even shape changing. The dynasty has used its connections and wealth to build a wider net for gathering information. Of course, such networks have vulnerable nodes that enemies can attack or co-opt. That's what the internal security and assassination branches are for. The adventurers are handy as deniable assets with no obvious connections to either the dragon or the royal family.
• A lack of money isn't a problem for either the dragon or the dynasty, but there are some problems wealth can't solve. Some folks just can't be bribed. The player characters need to find a way to persuade the source of the issue or otherwise make it go away.
• The dragon can solve some issues indirectly. Sometimes that ambitious lord making moves in the imperial court can't just be killed off. On the other hand, that lord might get called back home to deal with a crisis at precisely the right time. A dragon attack on the lord's holding might be the source of that boon. But somebody has to make sure that word get through to the lord at precisely the right time.
• The dragon and dynasty view their relationship from an interpersonal perspective rather than a political one. The dragon's long life and unusual viewpoint make it a valuable source of advice. The dragon prefers to quietly guide the dynasty along and providing indirect support while juggling more draconic interests at the same time. Besides, the player characters are around to handle any dirty work.
• There was those times when everything was going smoothly until the current ruler and most of the heirs were assassinated. The dragon was busy guiding someone never expected to take on the role of ruler while investigating the assassinations. One such incident is the source of the imperial decree forbidding multiple members of the dynasty from riding in the same airship.

Wizkids Star Trek Deep Cuts Klingon Bird of Prey

Thanksgiving is around the corner here in the United States, so I wanted to do a bird themed project. A green bird wasn't the first thing to come to mind, but it would be handy for our Star Trek Adventures game. The hardest part of painting this Klingon battle turkey was dialing in a satisfactory green for the hull.

A Klingon Bird of Prey flying over the black felt of space.

The Klingon Bird of Prey first showed up in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The model was built by Industrial Light and Magic, who did the effects for the film. The Star Wars influence appears in the exposed guns (most weapons on Star Trek are understated and recessed into the hull), lack of prominent warp nacelles (just where the warp drive on this thing isn't obvious), and greeblies protruding from it (Star Trek ships outside of TOS aren't completely smooth, but lack the chunky details seen in close ups). The outline of the ship - a command pod connected by a long boom to a broader main body - evokes prior Klingon ships. The feather details on the wings and cloaking device imply a Romulan connection.


Overall Appearance

This model is close enough in terms of detail. The overall shape is right, but it is not screen accurate. That would be overkill at this scale. Many of the details of the studio models (physical or CGI) wouldn't be visible on a model this size. On the other hand, some of the shapes just don't match any of the reference materials I was using. I feel that one more detail pass on the sculpt would have pushed this from "good enough for tabletop" to a display piece.

Side by side comparison with Eaglemoss USS Phoenix.

Scale

Wizkids made no effort to scale its Star Trek miniatures with each other. This model is enormous compared to the Cardassian Galor I painted awhile back. (See that post for a comparison of the two still in their boxes.) However, it looks pretty good alongside my Eaglemoss USS Phoenix. It's still too large for something commonly depicted as a scout, raider, or small cruiser. However, Star Trek scaling isn't consistent. This is especially true of the Klingon Bird of Prey.


Preparation

Deep Cuts miniatures come pre-primed, so I was able to skip that step. I had to remove some flash with a hobby knife. There's also some mold lines on the edges of the wings that I wish I spotted before painting. This was a disappointment since the Cardassian Galor I painted last year was ready to go straight out of the box. It might be the more complicated shape of the Bird of Prey or just that I got one from a bad batch.


Paint Scheme

The colors of the studio models seemed to be different on almost every image I saw during my research for this project. The best single source I could find was a page on Ex Astris Scientia. On screen, the Klingon Bird of Prey ranges from green to yellow-green. I decided that an olive color could be close enough and convey a military feel.

Side view.

Hull

This took some experimentation.

My first attempt - a mix of Reaper 09011 Leaf Green and Reaper 09009 Lemon Yellow - produced a bright green. The color seemed too cheery for a Klingon warship. However, I will keep it in mind for any forest, elvish, or Christmas themed projects in my future.

Further trial and error produced the following mix:
Reaper 09177 Camouflage Green (2 parts)
Reaper 09074 Palomino Gold (1 part)
Reaper 09291 IMEF Olive (1 part)

The Camouflage Green and Palomino Gold produced a bright yellow-green. The IMEF Olive darkened it down, but the yellow hue was still strong. More green or less Palomino Gold would've produced a color closer to what's on screen. However, I was planning on hitting the model with a coat of wash later. That's when the decision to stick with the brighter, more yellow mix paid off - a more screen accurate color would have ended up too dark with a wash over it.

Three quarters view.

Underside Feather Pattern

Reaper 09070 Mahogany Brown (first coat)
Reaper 09072 Rust Brown (second coat)

Used for the feather pattern on the bottom of the wings and the circular band around the command pod. The Mahogany Brown provides a good base coat for the following layer of Rust Brown.


Technical Details

Reaper 09088 Stormy Grey

I picked out the hinge-like cowling at the top of the model and a few other details in Stormy Grey. Some renditions of the Bird of Prey use gray to break up the feather pattern on top of the wings. I might have put in that effort if this was intended to be the main ship of our Star Trek Adventures game. A "hero" version of this miniature might be an interesting project for another time.


Wash Coat

Army Painter Warpaints Quickshade Dark Tone

No subtlety here - I slapped a coat of slightly diluted Dark Tone over the whole model. It darkened down the bright yellow-green hull color into an olive. It also brought out details like the feather patterns on the wings.

Aft view.

Impulse Engine

Reaper 09070 Mahogany Brown (first coat)
Reaper 09279 Fresh Blood (second coat)
Reaper 09009 Lemon Yellow (final coat)

Used for the impulse drive. These were layered on top of each other, leaving some of the previous coat showing towards the "cooler" areas. A better job blending the colors together or a coat of red wash might have helped with the gradations, but what is on the miniature is good enough for tabletop.


Conclusion

This was an inexpensive option for getting a Klingon Bird of Prey on the tabletop, but seems to be harder to find these days. I'm not sure if Wizkids has discontinued the line or if stocks are just low. I like how mine turned out and will likely pick up another if I can source one.

Sometimes the interests of allies don't align.

This particular one will represent a sometimes helpful, sometimes not complicating factor in our Star Trek Adventures campaign in the starting campaign year. Things will get a little more confrontational after 2372 rolls in.

Finishing the Pack - Alternative Armies EH03 Space Brains

October is a good time for horror themed projects. I painted up one of these figures last year for that very reason. Then I forgot about the rest of the pack until I was looking for a horror-themed painting project as this Halloween loomed closer. B-movie horror is still horror, so I finished the other four.

A brainy bunch. Last year's test model is in the middle.

Alternative Armies sells these floating, gun-toting brains in packs of five. They work as gray matter extracted from enormous, mutated, alien conquerors in a variety of scales. Their ability to fly could come from their cybernetic augmentations or be some psionic power from their vast, cold, and uncaring intellects. Their cybernetic enhancements otherwise seem to be limited to weapons and the sensors needed to navigate and find targets. Each figure in the pack is a distinct sculpt with its own configuration of cybernetics and arms.

Close up of the different robotic appendages.

I used the test model from last year as a guide. The improvised flight stands are the same. The paint job is almost the same – there were two exceptions because I couldn't resist tinkering. The squishy thinking bits got a layer of highlighting using a mix of white and the Reaper 09281 Brains Pink that I used as a base color in those areas. The cerebral areas also got additional coats of wash. It gives those areas a raw and bloody look. I kept the dark look of the cybernetics - they remind me of Borg implants and add to the menacing appearance.

Last image from some remote outpost or a bunch of cybernetically enhanced brains dropping an album?

Now I need to consider when these will hit the table. Five Parsecs From Home? Or do I send them after the crew of USS Phoenix in our Star Trek Adventures campaign first?

Reaper Bones 77037 Medusa or How a "Warm Up" Project Comes in Handy

I suspect that this miniature - packing a bow and quiver while featuring the lower body of a snake from the torso down - was inspired by the Medusa in Clash of the Titans (1981). This is the white plastic version. I received mine as a backer reward from the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter.

A quick miniature painting project is the best way for me to get back into crafting tabletop gaming stuff after a break. Using a Bones fantasy monster miniature is ideal. Bones miniatures tend to be inexpensive and getting paint on one knocks down the pile I still have from the Kickstarter. Since I'm coming back after a break, I'm more likely to make mistakes. I'd rather do that on a model that will only be on the table long enough for the player characters to remove it violently. Unfortunately, I ran into more problems than I could have anticipated and a "quick" project turned into a "longer than I thought it would take" project.

Planning and Preparation

Most of the Medusa miniatures I've seen online are a shade of green. I decided to be different and go for a brown color scheme.

I posted my usual approach to preparing a white plastic Bones miniature elsewhere on this blog. Short version: I clean the miniature thoroughly with warm soap and water. Then I glue it on a one inch steel fender washer. Finally, I hit it with a mix of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and either brown or black paint. This acts as a primer coat. For this project, I went with brown.


First Paint Pass

This was supposed to be the only paint pass, but things didn't go as planned.

Tail and Hair
FolkArt 231 Real Brown
FolkArt 479 Pure Black

The first coat was a mix of Real Brown with some Pure Black to darken it a shade or three. Real Brown was used over that as a highlight. This really brought out the scales on the tail and torso.

Skin
Reaper 09221 Olive Skin
Reaper 09041 Tanned Skin

Base coated with Olive Skin with Tanned Skin used over it as a highlight.

Bow and Quiver
Reaper 09041 Tanned Skin

The Tanned Skin color works as wood and worn leather as long as a wash is used over it.

Bracelets and Other Metallics
Citadel Colour Tin Bitz
Citadel Colour Shining Gold

I used this over the bracelets and pretended that the bare breasts were really sculpted bronze plates worn over the breasts. The dark brown metallic base color is a little too dark, but the brighter metallic brushed on as a highlight makes it look like its catching more light in some areas.

Wash Coat
FolkArt 231 Real Brown diluted with water

There were a few spots that needed some help after I was done painting. A wash sometimes works as a quick fix, but wasn't enough in this case.


The Problem

The issue I kept running into was the paint running off the raised areas and exposing the bare plastic underneath. Early production Bones miniatures used a white material that sometimes repels water and water-based paints when painted right out of the package. (More recent Bones miniatures use a grey plastic and may not have this issue.) A good cleaning and a coat of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium usually solves the problem, but didn't seem to be as effective on this project. Looking back, using craft paints instead of higher density artist or miniature paints may have contributed to the difficulties I was having.


Second Paint Pass

My new plan was to hide all the mistakes and patchy spots of the first pass with another coat of wash. Then I could brush on highlights over the wash coat and nobody would know unless they read this blog post.

Wash Coat
FolkArt 231 Real Brown
FolkArt 479 Pure Black
Liquitex Matte Medium
Water

This is a much darker wash than the one I used at the end of the first pass. It also holds together better due to the Matte Medium keeping the pigments in suspension.

Tail & Hair Highlights
FolkArt 231 Real Brown

Skin Highlights
Reaper 09221 Olive Skin

Metallic Highlights
Citadel Colour Shining Gold

The wash caused the previously applied colors to blend together. Here I tried to make the raised areas stand out again.

Basing
Mix of sand, FolkArt 231 Real Brown, PVA glue, and water
FolkArt 420 Linen

My usual approach to texturing and coloring the base of miniature is covered in more detail elsewhere on this blog. Once the mix was dry, I brushed on the Linen to bring out the rough texture.


Final Paint Pass

The second pass fixed most of the areas where the paint ran off during the first pass. There were still a couple of raised areas were much of the paint flowed off, leaving them significantly brighter. Worse, the details on the miniature were getting lost. Using Real Brown as a highlight over a mix of Real Brown and Pure Black works under a bright lamp, but is too subtle a difference to notice in other lighting conditions. I needed one more pass to highlight the details further and cover up the last remaining spots.

Highlighting Layer
FolkArt 420 Linen
FolkArt 231 Real Brown

Straight Linen would be too bright on its own, so I added a touch of Real Brown to darken it slightly. I used this mix over all the non-metallic areas to bring out the raised details and highlight certain areas. It also served to cover up the remaining spots.

Wash Coat
FolkArt 231 Real Brown
Liquitex Matte Medium
Water

Even darkened down with a little Real Brown, the highlight mix was still a little too bright when I was finished with it. I brushed on Real Brown diluted with water and Matte Medium to blend the layers together.

Wrapping Up

I tend to be more prone to making mistakes after a break. This makes "warming up" with something like a Bones miniature worthwhile for me. The process of engaging with a project can come back to me while working on something that only has to be good enough.

As for the Medusa, this miniature will do fine when it goes on the tabletop. All it has to do is menace the player characters until it runs out of hit points.

Turning Star Trek Headcanons Into RPG Adventure Seeds

Our Star Trek Adventures campaign is lurching along. The biggest challenge to an in person RPG campaign is the same as it's always been - scheduling. However, there are positives to such delays for the gamemaster. There's time to give the next adventure another editing pass, review the rules, and actually read the supplemental materials. In addition to all that, I've been going over old notes for ideas.

Gamemaster life involves books and keeping notes.

These are some Star Trek headcanons I've come up with over the years. These may or may not appear in our campaign. Each entry contains a description and notes on how to use the idea in play. I hope that y'all find them to be handy and entertaining.


The Changing Face of the Borg

Many aspects of the Borg that came out of nowhere were in-setting retcons. After acquiring reliable time travel technology, the Borg Collective edited their own history to create an optimal outcome for themselves. Unfortunately, it was not a straightforward process. Unintended outcomes kept appearing and they eventually canceled further efforts. Examples of changes brought on by the Borg's interference in their own history include, but are not limited to:

• The Borg's original modus operandi was to conquer other cultures and force them to serve the Borg while assimilating their technology. This changed to assimilating individuals and converting them into drones.
• Going from a true collective consciousness to a hierarchical structure with Borg Queens acting as command nodes.
• Invading Fluidic Space suddenly seeming like a good idea.

The Borg Collective shelved the project after realizing that every attempt to improve their own history or correct prior attempts only made things worse. (This one predates season two of PIC.) The attempt to prevent the formation of the United Federation of Planets by disrupting First Contact and assimilating 21st century Earth was the last gasp of this plan.

The player characters come across a remnant of the Borg from before they changed their own history. This takes the form of a Borg sphere protected by technology that protects it from being overwritten by prior timeline edits. Unfortunately for them, the unobtainium that powers the technology is running out and the current version of the Borg is hunting them down to prevent further alterations to their own history. The Borg sphere is targeting Federation and Klingon time travel research projects to keep itself going while seeking out the one thing it can change to revert Borg history to its previous state.


How Not to Deal With Q

Starfleet Command's recommended approach for dealing with representatives of the Q Continium is based on the reports of Picard and Janeway. Keep Q talking, figure out what Q wants, satisfy those conditions if possible, and - most importantly - get Q off the ship. Sisko's gambit of physically assaulting Q after being provoked is discouraged as too risky, although it was well received by Picard and Janeway when they learned of it. Sisko's actions seemed to convince Q to leave Deep Space Nine alone, there's no way of knowing how Sisko's heritage as a Bajoran Prophet influenced matters.

The player characters receive a distress call from a nearby Starfleet ship or installation. Their commanding officer brashly decided to punch a visiting Q to be rid of them. Luckily, Q was more amused than offended, but the other crew still needs a third party to de-escalate and mediate the situation.


Allies, Enemies, and Allies Again

The brief conflict between the Federation and Klingon Empire just prior to the Dominion War was partly due to a new generation of Klingon warriors wanting to test themselves against a worthy opponent. Other factors include the influence of Founder agents, Gowron's ambitions, and a sense of betrayal on the part of the Klingons when their allies didn't join them in the campaign against the Cardassians. The Cardassian military fell too quickly, but Starfleet could always be counted on to recover from early setbacks and uncork a surprise or three. The resulting conflict was highly satisfying for the Klingon warrior caste, allowing them to seek glory on the same battlefields as their forefathers against an honorable foe. This allowed the Klingons to pivot from ally to enemy and back again quickly - it was never really personal for them.

The Starfleet player characters run into the same Klingon warship and crew before, during, and after the Federation-Klingon conflict. How they deal with whiplash of those specific Klingons being allies, enemies, and allies again depends on them, but the Klingons themselves seem to take it all in stride. A Klingon campaign can explore the situation from their point of view.

Familiar Ship Names

The naming conventions of Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Force differ in the practice of naming ships after prominent personnel.

The 23rd-24th century Starfleet tended to avoid naming starships in honor of their own personnel. Many of the 23rd century officers who would merit such an honor were still alive well into the 24th century (Spock, McCoy). Even some of the ones who were presumed or declared dead had established a reputation for defying death and could turn up after a starship was named after them (Pike, Kirk). Starfleet Command decided that it would be best to avoid potentially embarrassing situations for all concerned. This decision was validated when USS Enterprise found Scott alive and well decades after he disappeared. This policy did not apply to non-Starfleet personnel, such the Excelsior-class starship USS Gorkon. This practice changed sometime prior to the 32nd century. The better part of a millennium seemed like enough time for the fate of even legendary figures to be firmly established.

Hopefully.

The Klingon Defense Force, on the other hand, had no reservations about honoring their own and other deemed worthy. IKS Koloth and IKS Kang were commissioned just prior to the Dominion War. IKS Kor entered service soon after the Dahar Master died in combat. And a lineage of warships was established to insure that the name IKS Rachel Garrett would inspire valor in the hearts of Klingon warriors.

IKS Rachel Garrett is traditionally assigned to the Romulan border. The warship bearing the name during the Cardassian invasion and Federation-Klingon conflict continued to patrol the Romulan border. All proposals to redeploy the warship to fight Starfleet were firmly quashed by the KDF's old guard. IKS Rachel Garrett was immediately reassigned to the Alliance Second Fleet at the beginning of the Dominion War, participating in Operation Return and the liberation of the Beta Zeta system.

Players may find it curious when they run into Klingon warships with non-Klingon names.


Why the Warp Five Speed Limit Went Away

By the late 24th century, higher speed warp travel had become commonplace enough for the "Warp Five Speed Limit" to have an adverse, but manageable, effect on Federation commerce. The real issue was finding a long term solution. Fortunately, someone else had found one.

Analysis of recovered Borg technology revealed many quirks that puzzled the Federation. Many Borg systems included features clearly intended to solve issues that the Federation wasn't aware of. In the aftermath of the Hekaras Corridor Incident, Starfleet engineers combed their records for anything that could lead to a solution. A team reviewing the data they had on Borg warp propulsion found subsystems that completely negated the damage that warp drives of that power would otherwise do to subspace. Without knowledge of the long term effects of warp drive on subspace, no one in the Federation had previously recognized what those subsystems were for. Reverse engineering the processes and developing modifications to existing warp drives took less than a year. Technical specifications on the modifications were provided to all Alpha and Beta Quadrant polities at the same time they were being pushed out to Starfleet.

Years later, analysis of captured Dominion warp drives revealed similar design details. The Dominion had discovered the issue at least a century prior. As the Founders had no interest in seeing their empire fall apart due to environmental issues, Vorta scientists were directed to find countermeasures. These became standard on all Jem'Hadar warships and other vessels operated by the Dominion and their vassals.

While there are similarities between the Borg subsystems and the Dominion countermeasures, they are not identical in design or operation. Starfleet Intelligence believes that the Borg didn't assimilate the technology in question from the Dominion, but from some undiscovered third party somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. Analysis of USS Voyager logs and interviews with the xB community within the Federation have yet to reveal any likely candidates.

This one simply explains why the "Warp Five Speed Limit" disappears after awhile on TNG, is never even mentioned on DS9 or VOY, and is a non-factor in Star Trek Adventures.


Klingons Also Go Boldly

The Klingon Defense Force and various Great Houses sponsor a surprising number of deep space exploration and scientific research missions. Outsiders assume that these mainly seek out new resources to exploit and worlds to conquer. While these are factors, the Klingons are primarily motivated by a combination of genuine curiosity and simple boredom.

This reinforces the notion that Klingons of all eras carry out exploration, although not to the same extent as Starfleet. Thus, Klingon warships in the TOS era could appear anywhere, not just in space contested between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Likewise, a Klingon warship could show up far from the Empire in other eras.


Well Played

The Tal Shiar figured out Sisko and Garak's conspiracy ("In The Pale Moonlight" DS9 6x19) fairly quickly, but said nothing to the rest of the Romulan government. Far from being outraged or offended, they were coldly impressed by Garak's craftsmanship - especially given how little he had to work with - and decided to coopt the plan. The evidence Garak planted was good enough to convince most of the Romulan government and the Tal Shiar quietly tied up any loose ends. Their motivation was simple - the Dominion was a clear and present danger to the Romulan Star Empire. Founders had infiltrated the Romulan government before and the result was a major blow to the Tal Shiar at the Omarion Nebula. The loss of a Senator and shuttle crew was regrettable, but a small price to pay for the security of the Romulan state.

Starfleet or Klingon Defense Force player characters find out about the conspiracy to mislead the Romulans. Do they make their findings known or suppress the information? Much to their surprise, the Tal Shiar appears to maintain their own cover up.


The Curious Lack of Klingon Time Travelers

Outside observers have long commented on the Klingon Empire's curious failure to weaponize time travel technology. Klingon involvement in the Temporal Cold War, their access to the time crystals of Boreth, and the development of related technology such as the chrono deflector all indicate that the Klingon Empire could have worked out a practical and reliable means of time travel at any point from the 23rd to the 25th centuries. Federation understanding of time travel was greatly enhanced after the Federation-Klingon alliance led to an exchange of data. Many believed that Klingon scientists just never quite made the final leap from theory to application.

The reality is more complicated. The Klingon Empire weaponized time travel repeatedly throughout its history. However, many of the results were so disastrous that those edits to the timeline were undone at the source by the Klingons themselves. Examples include:

• Shortly after the discovery of time crystals on Boreth, an out-of-favor house launched a systematic effort to edit the timeline and elevate their family to the eternal dynastic leadership of the Empire from the time of Kahless to the far future. The struggle to reverse the changes to the timeline was severe enough to erase the house from the historical record entirely. The transfer of political leadership of the Empire to the office of chancellor after the death of the last emperor in the mid-21st century is believed to be a side effect of this conflict. The Boreth Monastery was quickly established to prevent the time crystals from being misused in this manner again.
• Another series of edits resulted in the Klingon Empire conquering Earth during the post-atomic horror to prevent the formation of the Federation. Supporting their occupation force at the end of long lines of communication was costly for the Empire. Their poorly defended supply lines became too tempting a target for the likes of the Orion Syndicate and the Andorian Imperial Guard. Meanwhile, a resistance movement on Earth led by Lily Sloane received support from an unexpected source. Zefram Cochrane used data from reverse engineered Klingon systems to complete his own work on a prototype warp drive. His brief flight attracted the attention of Vulcan High Command, who were concerned about the Klingon Empire being on their doorstep. The Vulcans began giving Earth's resistance forces covert aid, adding to the costs of the Klingon occupation. Romulan attacks on the overextended Klingon Empire during the mid-22nd century was the final straw. This alternate Klingon Empire was in the process of collapsing when the changes were reversed.
• A botched attempt to alter the outcome of the First Federation-Klingon War also ended in disaster. Qo'noS was destroyed by a Starfleet special operation. The loss of their capital, their main source of dilithium on Praxis, and their primary ship production center stalled Klingon advances into the Federation. Starfleet used the pause to install Spore Drives on a limited number of starships, allowing them to strike any Klingon target at will. The result was a greatly extended conflict that devastated both sides. Probing attacks by the Romulan Star Empire beginning in 2266 revealed that both the Federation and Klingon Empire were too weakened to resist conquest. The Timekeepers of Boreth undid the changes with the blades of their bat'leths.

Records of these and dozens of other attempts by Klingons to edit the timeline were preserved on Boreth. The timeline edits that weren't utter catastrophes resulted in such minor changes that they were ineffective at achieving their goals. Given these results, the development of time travel technology in general was quietly discouraged by those Klingons in the know throughout the Empire's history. Any suggestion of weaponizing time travel was firmly suppressed. The destruction of time travel technology after the Temporal Wars was greeted with quiet relief by the Klingons.

The player characters could become involved with any of these or other efforts by rogue Klingons to edit history. The first hurdle is to convince the Timekeepers of Boreth not to resort to just taking bat'leths to everyone involved and calling it a day.


Ambassador Ralph Offenshouse ("The Neutral Zone" TNG 1x26)

Unsurprisingly, Ralph Offenhouse's career as a Federation diplomat tended towards dealing with civilizations still using market economies and engaging in capitalism.

His early negotiations with the Ferengi did require a period of adjustment. While the financial world that he made his fortune in was certainly ruthless, it wasn't as quite as openly exploitative and blatantly predatory as many Ferengi business practices. This tripped him up for awhile, but he still tended to outperform other Federation diplomats.

He also tended to be placed in the lead during negotiations with the Orion Free Traders.

A proposal to send Offenhouse into the Gamma Quadrant to supplement Ferengi efforts to establish trade through the Bajoran wormhole was shelved after the destruction of USS Odyssey. He had a small, but significant role during the Dominion War. He secured sources of badly needed materials for the Federation war effort on favorable terms. He also led efforts to buy up certain materials on the open market, denying them to the Dominion. Efforts to synthesize Ketacel White, in particular, suffered significantly as sources of the necessary supplies dried up over and over again.

Offenhouse benefited from the ability to scan a proposed agreement (what the Federation called a "treaty" and the Ferengi Alliance labeled a "contract") for the kinds of loopholes that other Federation diplomats and Starfleet officers tended to miss even after careful examination. He was only able to teach this skill to colleagues from worlds that joined the Federation recently enough to have lived experience outside of a near-post-scarcity civilization. However, Offenhouse did pass on his other skills and knowledge, finding that he enjoyed teaching, writing, and lecturing. His books and recorded talks on interstellar diplomacy and economics - many produced during his semi-retirement - were considered foundational long after his death.

Offenhouse is a financial expert - a rarity in the Federation. He can appear as an NPC during Federation negotiations with profit driven cultures such as the Ferengi or Orions. His expertise can also be critical in dealing with new Federation members with economies still based on capitalism and analyzing the financial records of suspicious individuals and organizations for evidence of criminal activity.