For a Fistful of Latnium - Bounty Hunters in Star Trek Adventures

Need a fresh antagonist for Star Trek Adventures? One that operates independently? One that can show up anywhere and anytime to annoy the crew? One that doesn't bring in the complications of being part of something bigger like the Cardassian Union or Romulan Star Empire? A bounty hunter might just be a good fit.

A fistful of space bucks. I didn't have any latnium around. Times are tough.

Bounty hunters? Isn't that from a certain other sci-fi franchise? Sure. This complicated profession is more closely associated with Star Wars, but Star Trek has plenty of Space Western in its genes.

Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. Star Wars doesn't have a monopoly on borrowing from Westerns.

Making the Case for Bounty Hunters in Star Trek Canon

Many bounty hunters - and folks posing as bounty hunters - have appeared in the long history of the Star Trek franchise. In real life, most bounties are posted for individuals who skipped bail or other mundane offenses. Star Trek uses the more cinematic interpretation of the job. Memory Alpha, as usual, is a good source on the topic.

In the mid-22nd century, the Klingons posted bounties for troublesome individuals - Captain Archer, for example - they couldn't be bothered to hunt down themselves. The bounties were large enough and widely known enough to encourage competition. Some Klingon representatives had the nasty habit of shorting hunters when they met to turn over their prisoners. Failing to honor the promised rewards sometimes didn't work out for anybody other than the bounty target. ("Bounty" ENT 2x25)

The United Federation of Planets posted bounties on the likes of Harcourt Fenton Mudd in the 23rd century. Starfleet routinely stored latnium on their starships for paying bounty hunters during this period. Note that the hunters had to bring in the correct individual to get paid. ("The Escape Artist" Short Treks 1x04)

A Cardassian officer feathering his nest with a little bounty hunting on the side was a plausible cover story in 2370. Joret Dal, who provided Starfleet with intelligence on Cardassian military movements, used it while returning to Cardassian space after a meeting on Enterprise-D. ("Lower Decks" TNG 7x15)

USS Voyager ran afoul of bounty hunters on two occasions in the Delta Quadrant - the Ramuran tracers and the Hazari. The starship's isolation in the Delta Quadrant had much to do with it. Few in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants would be bold enough to offer or accept a bounty on a Starfleet vessel. ("Unforgettable" VOY 4x22 and "Think Tank" VOY 5x20)

Lieutenant Commander Andy Billups of USS Cerritos disguised himself as a bounty hunter in 2381 in order to obtain the location of Nick Locarno's hangar ("The Inner Fight" LD 4x09). Later, Vadic claimed to be pursuing a bounty on Jack Crusher in 2401. That incident also revealed that Starfleet's policy was not to negotiate with bounty hunters  ("Disengage" PIC 3x02). This may reflect a change from the 23rd century, an unwillingness to haggle, or simply that the Federation didn't recognize bounties posted by others.

From The Book of Boba Fett. Sometimes disparities in combat power work in a bounty hunter's favor.

Bounty Hunters as Antagonists

The quick and dirty way of introducing a bounty hunter as an antagonist is to have a bounty placed on a player character. A bounty hunter would have to be bold to pursue a bounty on a serving Starfleet officer in the 23rd, 24th, or 25th centuries or a Klingon officer in pretty much any time period. Taking on most Federation starships and Klingon warships is completely out of the question. The disparity in combat power is just too great unless the bounty is on a support or specialist vessel such as a medical or survey ship.

Showing up when a player character is on duty, surrounded by colleagues, and aboard something as well defended as many starships will not advance a bounty hunter's career in a positive way. However, the stupidity of an idea won't stop folks from trying it. Having somebody appear in this manner may serve to alert the players that a bounty exists and that a more serious threat is on the way. Even a polity as easy going as the United Federation of Planets has a dim view of people assaulting their personnel and damaging government property, so getting authorization to deal with the situation shouldn't an issue.

The more intelligent approach is to isolate the bounty and take them by surprise. Baiting a trap, ambushing them during an Away mission, or waiting until they are vacationing on Risa are all workable plans. Then the real problems begin for the bounty hunter. Starfleet officers are notoriously resourceful and persuasive while Klingons are a handful in their own way. There's also the fact that a successful capture would draw more heat than most bounty hunters are willing to deal with. On the other hand, if the money is really good, somebody might be tempted to take such a job.

A bounty hunter could also be a complication during a more standard mission. A bounty on a NPC critical for a mission's success might be an interesting twist. Maybe the only expert available to help solve a crisis owes somebody a big pile of latnium? The scientist running the project the player characters are ordered to assist with might've taken funds for research that they never actually performed. The diplomat that the crew is negotiating with might have massive gambling debts that have been outstanding for a little too long. Chasing after a bounty hunter who has taken a VIP captive might spice up an otherwise dull mission.

From The Mandalorian. I miss Carl Weathers.

Working with Bounty Hunters

A bounty hunter could be pursuing the same individual that the player characters are tracking down. The situation might devolve into a race or a deal could be struck. The bounty hunter has certain advantages to offset a starship crew's resources - criminal contacts, a more ruthless approach, access to illicit means, and easier movement through the criminal underworld. Any or all of this could make the a race to the target interesting in an unwelcome way. It also makes a bounty hunter a useful ally. The bounty hunter is likely to insist on collecting the bounty in exchange for their cooperation. This could be problematic for Starfleet officers if a death sentience is involved.

The Federation and Klingon Empire aren't above posting bounties on particularly troublesome individuals. As a practical matter, it is less expensive than sending one of their own ships. It also tends to get results as long as the bounty isn't too tough or cunning for the hunter.

A bounty hunter may end up turning to the government that posted the bounty for assistance. They might be able to find their quarry, but be unable to bring them in. They turn to the government posting the bounty with a proposal. The bounty hunter is willing to provide the location and do their part in bringing in the target, but only after being provided with extra muscle. How do the player characters react when ordered to cooperate with this bounty hunter? Things might be more interesting if the crew has some bad blood with this particular bounty hunter.

An unglamourous, but necessary, role in the world of bounty hunting is that of paymaster. Not every bounty hunter has the time or means to drag their captives all the way from the frontier to a Federation or Klingon world. This puts the player characters on a starship or station in the position of verifying the bounty, securing the prisoner, and handing the bounty hunter their cash payment. Of course, mistakes happen. Maybe the captive the bounty hunter is turning over isn't the right individual? Or maybe the whole thing is a swindle? Is the bounty hunter deliberately handing over an innocent person to get the payment?

From The Book of Boba Fett. There's no dress code for bounty hunters, but a cool hat gets points for style.

Bounty Hunting as a Cover

Bounty hunters are common enough that any seedy looking, well-armed (but not too well-armed) type operating along a frontier can claim to be one. There doesn't seem to be a central authority to regulate the profession. This makes verification problematic. It also makes it a great cover story.

Starfleet and the Klingon Empire are well aware of the value of cover stories in covert operations. Although "mercenary" or "rogue officer" seems to be preferred, there's no reason to exclude posing as a bounty hunter. A player who wants to lean all the way into this doesn't need something to cover their character's face, but it helps. That said, it is unlikely that a Federation official would go so far as to actually capture a bounty and turn them in for a reward. Unless, that was the best way to get the "bounty" (another disguised Federation or Klingon operative) into position.

An NPC might find posing as a hunter claiming a bounty to be an easy way to get aboard a Federation or Klingon ship. The bounty hunter and their captive beam aboard, go through the motions mentioned in the previous section, and spring the fell ambush! The pair produces hidden weapons, take control of the transporter room, access the ship's systems, and the adventure gets off to a bracing start.

An antagonist may state that they are a bounty hunter to avoid revealing their true motivations. Note that bounty hunters in Star Trek are generally limited in their means. They typically operate alone out of ships that can be operated by a single person. Showing up in a battlewagon is a tip off. A lone operative in a small ship could find bounty hunting a useful disguise, even turning in bounties to gain trust with the local authorities. Is that solitary figure really just a humble bounty hunter, making their way through the galaxy, or something more?

From The Book of Boba Fett. Din Djarin rolls into somebody else's show. If this is a Star Trek Adventures post, why are most of the pictures from Star Wars? I dunno.

A Note About the Title

Yeah, I know that A Fistful of Dollars (1964) doesn't actually involve bounty hunting. The plot - essentially Yojimbo (1961) remade as a Western - revolves around a stranger walking into town and playing off two powerful factions against each other. Bounties and the hunting of them aren't a factor. But playing off the title resulted in something that sounded too cool to pass up. Besides, it's not like Star Trek hasn't already beat me to the idea of titles inspired by Westerns.

Comparing 4 TTRPGs on the Ides of March

This is not a serious post. Yes, I am making light of the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar, Dictator for life of the late Roman Republic. Anybody trying to convince me that over two millennia is too soon is going to be in for a rough time.

Anybody in the mood for salad?

Let's observe the Ides of March by examining four TTRPGs from my collection on the basis of:

• Does the game support stabbing as an in-game activity? What quality of stabbing can player characters achieve?
• Is assassination supported as an in-game activity?
• How savage are the politics in the setting? Are they brutal enough that assassination is seen as a viable and even legitimate political tool? What role does stabbing play in such assassinations?

The four TTRPGs I've selected have been previously featured on this blog. In no particular order:

• Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy
• Mothership 1e
• Robert E Howard's Conan Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of
• Star Trek Adventures 1e

Stabbiness

OSE Advanced Fantasy
This should be a fabulous opportunity for player characters to indulge in real quality stabbing. However, stabbing is but one option available among many here. And those other options are often more efficient.

Mothership
Although guns are favored, player characters have options for knives and other stabbing weapons. The vibechete has great potential here, but does seem to be more of a slicing weapon. On the other hand, the player characters may not be the ones getting in the majority of the stabbing. Many of the things that lurk in the long dark have claws and pointy tails that put them ahead in the business of stabbing.

Robert E Howard's Conan
The genre is called swords and sorcery, but could just as easily be swords versus sorcery. With swords in the name, there's plenty of opportunity for stabbing. And the game offers a variety of options with all kinds of bladed weapons. It even supports viable archer builds for stabbing at range. Which is ideal for player characters who don't want to walk all the way over there to stab somebody.

Star Trek Adventures
Stabbing isn't really a strong focus of Starfleet. Although Andorians preserve it as part of their cultural heritage. Klingons, on the other hand, make sure to get in some stabbing on a daily basis. They stab their enemies, their still-living food, and each other. It gets even better during the Dominion War, when the Jem'Hadar show up with their bayonets and knives. A close quarters fight between Klingons and Jem'Hadar could quickly devolve into nothing but a stabbing match.


Assassinations

OSE Advanced Fantasy
The game literally has the Assassin class available. And the Thief can also work as a perfectly competent stealth killer. Even more so in some cases, since the OSE version of the Assassin lacks the ability to deal with locks, traps, and other security measures.

Mothership
Corporations and the greed they inspire are the real baddies in space horror. Quietly eliminating a corporate executive at the direction of a rival or to send a message are possible scenarios. Most higher ranking corporate officers with an ounce of sense will likely have security measures in place. There may also be complicating factors like something going wrong with their latest corporate-backed pet projects at the same time as the attempt. Nothing like cloned alien critters breaking out of containment to spice up an otherwise straightforward scenario.

Robert E Howard's Conan
It could be argued that a warrior like Conan would prefer to prove himself on the field of battle. Of course, Conan was never particularly scrupulous about how he made his money. And Conan was the target of assassination attempts when he became too much of a pain for somebody in power. There should be plenty of opportunity in the setting for those seeking employment as assassins or avoiding those employed as assassins.

Star Trek Adventures
Starfleet doesn't condone assassinations. Except for those dodgy Section 31 types. And Sisko that one time. And those times when Worf takes an interest in Klingon politics. On the other hand, polities other than the Federation have even less restraint. Klingons are perfectly content to send warriors with blades to strike their foes from the shadows, although using poison is a no-no. Romulans and Cardassians are happy to rid themselves of troublesome folks using a variety of means, including hired assassins. Solving the mystery of just who killed somebody with a long list of enemies could be a fun exercise in the Star Trek setting.

How about ordering pizza?

Ruthless Politics

OSE Advanced Fantasy
There doesn't seem to be an official setting for OSE, but adopting settings from other F20 games seems simple enough. Most published F20 settings are politically stable. Upheavals typically come around the time of edition changes rather than arising organically within the setting. However, internal conflicts that don't threaten the established order are another matter. A noble title could be made available with the removal of the current holder. In fact, this is routine business in the more chaotic and/or evil parts of F20 settings, such as the Underdark.

Mothership
Although the corporations themselves are too big to fail, individual corporate officers and their pet projects come and go. Sometimes right out the airlock. Corporate politics can get literally cutthroat when little things like laws, ethics, and morals stop getting in the way.

Robert E Howard's Conan
Politics is a lively affair in this setting. Backstabbing and betrayal seem to be the norm rather than the exception in the original stories. Conan himself involved himself in local politics on occasion - commanding armies, involving himself with royalty (sometimes intimately), participating in (usually doomed) rebellions, and often enriching himself at some potentate's expense. And there was the whole business of him leading a mercenary army to claim the throne of Aquilonia. Of course, keeping that throne took significant effort from those who sought it for themselves. Politics in this setting is a good way for a player character to end up with a fat purse and a knife in the back.

Star Trek Adventures
Politics within the Federation seems to be a sedate affair outside of the occasional coup or conspiracy. And, in theory, the Prime Directive should keep Starfleet personnel out of political business outside of the Federation. In practice, Starfleet crews get dragged into some local skullduggery on the regular. The usual scenario is some dark secret concealed down on the planet of the week. Intervening in local politics is more defensible when the locals run their civilization on human sacrifice or something. Of course, they may not welcome the proposed changes.


That concludes my tongue-in-cheek observance of this year's Ides of March. Maybe I'll make this a regular thing. Let's see if I remember next year.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 25: Biju Dominguez, Chief Medical Officer

It's day twenty-five of the challenge. Back to Star Trek Adventures (1e) one more time! USS Phoenix almost has a full roster of senior officers. As I made an Operations Manager way back on this blog in the form of Felicity Cooke, I've decided not to replicate that work for this challenge. That also applies to making a Science Officer, which overlaps significantly with Ops. That leaves the ship's doctor.

How I looked when I started this character

I didn't have a firm idea for this character. This is in stark contrast to many of the others I've made for this challenge. Looking for inspiration, I came across a stock photo of a confused looking man in a lab coat. I took it and ran with it.

Biju Dominguez, Chief Medical Officer

Biji Dominguez was born and raised on a settlement on the frontier of the Federation. His early interest in caregiving was encouraged by the local medical staff, including a Denobulan physician participating in the Interspecies Medical Exchange. Dominguez learned what to do in the absence of advanced medical technology, but the necessity holds no fascination for him. Entering Starfleet Academy and his exposure to the latest in medicine was a refreshing experience for him. Still, some cures are better served on a plate or in a bowl than out of a hypospray.

Doctor Dominguez's participation in the Dominion War was indirect. He supervised long term care for those Starfleet officers pulled from the front due to the severity of their injuries. Dominguez lost people dear to him during the Breen attack on Starfleet Headquarters. That was also his closest brush with the enemy. He volunteered for frontline service after rendering aid throughout San Francisco, but was turned down due to his minimal self-defense training.

After the Dominion War, Dominguez applied for starship duty. He participated in post-war medical relief efforts, routine medical visits to outlying Federation outposts, and first contact missions. His latest assignment is to USS Phoenix.

Doctor Biju Dominguez is an unassuming man with an affable demeanor. He is careful and serious about his medical responsibilities and will not hesitate to use the authority that Starfleet Medical has given him to insure the proper treatment of his patients. Dominguez gets along with his fellow officers aboard USS Phoenix. This includes Counselor Benoit, who he views as a partner in caring for the crew.

Resources:

The (unofficial) Star Trek Adventures Character Creator app.

The Big List of Focuses on Reddit.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 22: Jedediah "Jeb" Smith, Chief of Engineering

Back to Star Trek Adventures (1e) for day 22 of the challenge! There's still a couple of slots to fill before USS Phoenix has a well-rounded crew. This time, let's tackle the guy who keeps everything from propulsion to IT to plumbing working on the ship - the Chief Engineer.

Jedediah "Jeb" Smith, Chief of Engineering

If it weren't for sonic handwashers, "Jeb" Smith would always have grease-stained hands and grey gunk under his fingernails.

Smith was born and raised on a United Earth colony so hard to get to that most of the Federation has never even heard of it. Being tucked away in a nebule does that for a planetary settlement. There was little in the way of trade, so the place had to make do. Whatever was running had to keep running and whatever broke down had to be fixed - no replacements were coming in. Still, the views at night were amazing.

Starfleet sends a starship out once a year to check on things. Smith applied and was off to the Academy. Engineering came naturally to him. Most of his Starfleet career has been in the bowels of a ship or station. He did his part during the Dominion War. Smith even took command when the bridge of the ship he was serving on took a hit and he was the most senior officer left standing.

Smith enjoys figuring out how technology works. He likes tuning things until they work better even more. Fixing things is alright, but why go to the trouble when the best solution is preventative maintenance. Now, getting something humming after it gets so broken down that nobody believes that it will ever run again? That's the kind of challenge that brings a smile to his face.

Smith gets along with his fellow officers just fine. He gets the sense that something's going on under the surface. Maybe he's just out of the loop from all the time he spends down in Main Engineering? It's something to discuss with Mitchel next time they go bar hopping on leave.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 19: Peter "Petey" Mitchel, CONN Officer

It is day nineteen of the challenge! Presenting another Starfleet officer serving on USS Phoenix.

Peter Mitchel, Flight Control Officer

It's not literally true that Mitchel mastered flight before he could walk, but it was a close call. His roots as a bush pilot in the surviving backwoods of Earth show in his cavalier attitude to the whole "landing" process. Fortunately, as Mitchel's Starfleet recruiter pointed out, that doesn't come up often for starships.

Peter "Petey" Mitchel is more than a gifted pilot. He always reports in early to his shifts on the bridge. He is attentive during meetings and carefully coordinates with his fellow officers. His management of flight operations and navigation is impeccable. He is genuinely concerned about the welfare of his pilots, personally performing safety checks and offering additional training to bring their flying up to Starfleet standards. The courses he plots are meticulously researched as long as he has reliable charts to work with. Mitchel's professionalism is beyond reproach.

Off duty, Mitchel is a chaotic mess. He drinks, smokes, gambles, and his few redeeming qualities are his respect for boundaries and the ability to accept a "no" (or less than enthusiastic "yes") gracefully on first hearing it. Mitchel thinks with his nerve ends and wears his heart on his shelve. His record is full of black marks due to his personal conduct and the list of starship captains willing to offer him a post grows shorter by the season.

Captain Sulok is willing to tolerate his personal behavior due to Mitchel's talents, but only to a point. Mitchel knows exactly where the lines are drawn and gives them a wide berth. The First Officer owes Mitchel a favor and giving him one last shot at flying a starship is her way of settling the score. That's why she keeps quiet about exactly how often she has to spring him from the local constabulary while on shore leave. The Security Chief looks upon all this with wry resignation.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 18: Alexandra Minerva, Chief of Security

Welcome to day eighteen of the challenge! I'll be warping back to Star Trek Adventures (1e) for a couple of entries. I might not be able to get full bridge crew done for USS Phoenix, but I'll give it a shot.

Alexandra Minerva, Chief of Security

There's no point to lying on Betazed. Not every Betazoid is a strong enough telepath to casually read the thoughts of others. But that's not necessary to make it obvious when someone is telling a falsehood. Even an empath can do that. And once it becomes known that someone is a liar, word among Betazoids spreads quickly and silently. Honesty is therefore the norm on Betazed.

Minerva misses the place.

Being fully telepathic quickly made Minerva deeply cynical after she left her homeworld. The differences between what people think and feel versus how they speak and act sets her teeth on edge. However jaded her outlook, she knows that what she senses won't hold up in court without evidence. That doesn't stop her from acting on what she picks up from others. Being "proactive" at her job has both benefited and limited her career in Starfleet Security.

Minerva finds her assignment to USS Phoenix to be refreshing. Captain Sulok is as honest as he is able to be, given his rank and position. Minerva also appreciates his wry humor and understanding of how life is as a telepath. Even so, there is the stark contrast between his outward stoicism and the firmly suppressed roil of emotions beneath it. Minerva's only real issue is the sense that something's off with the ship's counselor. She knows that she's not alone in her suspicions, but getting hard facts will take time to investigate.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 12: Tamlyn Sakai, First Officer

Welcome to day twelve of the challenge! Back to Star Trek Adventures (1e) and introducing another Starfleet officer. Every starship needs a Number One and USS Phoenix is no exception.

Tamlyn Sakai, First Officer

Lieutenant Commander Tamlyn Sakai was born on a Federation colony along the Cardassian border. Finding life as a farmer unfulfilling, she left her home for Starfleet Academy. Completing Command training, her career was unremarkable until she was recruited by Starfleet Intelligence. Sakai found covert operations to her liking. She heard rumors of some secret group interested in her, but news from home was taking all of her attention. The trading of colonies and the creation of the Demilitarized Zone between the Federation and Cardassian Union didn't sit well with Sakai. It came to a head when she learned of the Maquis. At first, she leaked a few intelligence reports to former Starfleet officers she knew in the Maquis. It quickly escalated to her grabbing what she could and making for the Badlands with Starfleet Security hot on her heels.

It all went well, at first. With the Obsidian Order destroyed, the Cardassians didn't have the means to effectively counter an interstellar insurgency. The Maquis were running rings around them. With the Klingon invasion of the Cardassian Union came a fresh source of support. Some spoke of a Maquis nation forming in the DMZ.

Then the Dominion came. Sakai was returning from a raid when she found out the hard way that Jem'Hadar attack ships had sensors that could peer through the murk of the Badlands. Worse, those ships were also small enough to navigate plasma storms. It took everything in Sakai's bag of tricks to get her ship and crew back to base. There they found that the bombardments had caught anyone out in the open. The Jem'Hadar went into the tunnel and had killed everyone else. There was nothing but bodies around her, panic on the Maquis communications network, and Dominion ships on the sensors. Sakai had no options. The Dominion was giving no quarter. She loaded her ship with every survivor who would go with her, escaped the Badlands, and found someone wearing a Starfleet uniform she could surrender to.

Sakai spent some time being rehabilitated before Starfleet came to her with an offer. Return to Starfleet and fight the Dominion in exchange for a pardon. Starfleet's causalities in the Dominion War left it short of experienced officers. It was willing to overlook "past misunderstandings" in redeemable former officers. Sakai thought the pardon was nice, but she would've accepted any deal for a shot at the Dominion.

To her own surprise, Sakai not only survived the Dominion War, but stayed in Starfleet. It was more than not having a home to return to. She liked being back. Still, her more "practical" approach to problems marks her as different. Some believe that it is a result of being a Maquis. They're wrong - it was the reason she joined.

Captain Sulok doesn't seem to mind. Although he is encouraging Sakai to embrace the idealism of Starfleet again. A nice, quiet exploration cruise sounds like a pretty good chance for that. Still, Sakai has a feeling that something's off with the ship's counselor. She's spoken to the security chief about it, but neither of them have anything solid to bring to the captain. In the meantime, Sakai is avoiding Counselor Benoit's attempts to speak with her in private until she can put her finger on what's bothering her.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 8: Kara Benoit, Ship's Counselor

It's day eight of the challenge and a return to Star Trek Adventures, 1e. This one proved to be more difficult than I initially thought. Stats-wise, there's only one canonical Main Character sheet that I can use as a guide - Deanna Troi. Migleemo is presented as a Supporting Character and Ezri Dax doesn't seem to have an officially published character sheet.

Even so, certain things stand out. Both Troi and Migleemo have excellent scores in Insight and Presence for their Attributes. In terms of Disciplines, both have a high Medicine. Troi also has a high Command to reflect her better interpersonal skills.

This character, though, has a twist of something sour.

Kara Benoit, Ship's Counselor

Kara Benoit is human and was born and raised on Earth. Her parents operated a small, but prosperous import/export business. It shipped in genuine, non-replicated products from outside the Federation for distribution in the Federation core systems. Allegations that this company was a front for other activities have never been conclusively proven.

Counselor Benoit was temporally displaced from 2354 when her ship - USS Sphinx - encountered an unstable wormhole. The starship emerged, crippled and with the bridge destroyed, in 2377. As the senior surviving officer available, Benoit took command and broadcast a distress call. She was able to keep the situation from destabilizing further until help arrived.

Benoit and the other survivors of USS Sphinx were shocked by the future they found. The golden age of exploration that was once ahead of them - heralded by the end of the border wars and coming launch of the Galaxy-class - had been cut short by the threat of the Borg and the devastation of the Dominion War. After a period of Starfleet counseling, she took a sabbatical for further adjustment. On her return, she accepted a quiet assignment at a Starbase. She now feels ready for starship duty once more and has joined the crew of USS Phoenix.

All of this conceals dark secrets. USS Sphinx was conducting a mission for Section 31. Their cover was an assignment from Starfleet Security. The wormhole was due to modifications made to the warp drive. Benoit was never told the details.

She was contacted by Section 31 during her sabbatical for debriefing. Her Starbase assignment was cover for her real role of surveying the staff for potential recruits. These are the kinds of tasks she had been carrying out for Section 31 since joining early in her Starfleet career.

Counselor Kara Benoit is perfectly placed as a Section 31 recruiter. Her access to psychological profiles allows her to select officers who are suited for covert operations as part of a rogue organization. Therapy sessions allow her to converse with fellow operatives and recruits in privacy.

Section 31 is placing increasing pressure on Benoit to take a more active role. Section 31 did not emerge from the Dominion War unscathed and needs more from its surviving operatives. Benoit has resisted so far. Captain Sulok's experiences during the Dominion War soured him on Section 31. He is likely to treat her as an immediate danger if he ever learns of her true allegiance. And USS Phoenix's First Officer has sensed that something is definitely off with their Ship's Counselor.

Benoit firmly believes in the ideals of the Federation and Starfleet. However, she also believes that extra measures are sometimes needed to survive in an increasingly dangerous galaxy. Joining Section 31 was supposed to square that circle, but has only put herself at greater risk.


Resources used:

The unofficial Star Trek Adventures character creator app

Star Trek Adventures: The Next Generation Player Characters

Star Trek Adventures Lower Decks Season 1 Crew Pack

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 4: USS Phoenix, NCC-65420

It's day four of the 2025 Character Creation Challenge and I'm already bending the rules. It's back to Star Trek Adventures (1e) with our crew's starship.

In Star Trek, ships are as much characters as those played by the cast. Season three of Picard shows how this works and how it doesn't. Titan-A got a proper introduction in Spacedock, as befitting the hero ship of the season. Shrike was designed to be a menacing vessel for the bad guys who would become irrelevant by the last couple of episodes. It's also a weird name for a villain ship - shrikes are handsome little birds. There are the various starships that appear at the Starfleet Museum. And, of course, there was the huge hit of nostalgia that came with the reappearance of Enterprise-D as the end of the show approached. Unfortunately, Enterprise-E only got a passing mention after being the hero ship of the TNG movies. We barely got a glimpse of Enterprise-F, a disappointment for Star Trek Online fans. And the hero ship of previous seasons of Picard - SS La Sirena - ignominiously disappears around the middle of the season. This all shows how "ship as a character" is built into Star Trek and how it feels wrong when that concept is ignored.

Rant complete.

USS Phoenix, NCC-65420

This is the same USS Phoenix that appeared in "The Wounded" (TNG 4x12). This was also the first appearance of the Nebula-class. It's one of the rare canonical starships that doesn't have much of a history beyond a single onscreen appearance. Notably, USS Phoenix seems to have survived the Dominion War. This makes it a canon starship that is available to Star Trek Adventures crews. Of course, USS Phoenix does have a checkered past thanks to its association with Benjamin Maxwell.

The dedication plaque seen in "The Wounded" indicates a commissioning date of 2363. I didn't have a firm campaign date in mind when I started, but using "sometime between Lower Decks and Prodigy" suggests 2383. This makes USS Phoenix fresh from it's second refit.

Most of the build was straightforward. USS Phoenix is known to be a Nebula-class with a sensor pod. The pod could've been changed at some point - it is modular by design - but that particular configuration tends to be associated with this particular starship. I considered "Scientific and Survey Operations" for the Mission Profile, but the sensor pod already comes with Advanced Sensor Suites and High-Resolution Sensors. Also, "Multirole Explorer" offers "Improved Hull Integrity" as an option. As USS Phoenix canonically shrugs off a direct hit without shields, toughing up the hull seems appropriate. I added Diplomatic Suites to give the ship more flexibility. Finally, I put the refit points into Structure and Weapons.

The following is headcanon and shouldn't be confused with official information from any Star Trek series:

USS Phoenix was escorted to Starbase 211 by Enterprise-D after Captain Maxwell stood down. The ship's crew was extensively debriefed. USS Phoenix sat docked at Starbase 211 undergoing maintenance while Captain Maxwell was court martialed. In the aftermath, Starfleet Command put a new crew aboard and redeployed the ship as far from the Cardassian border as possible. USS Phoenix served in the Beta Quadrant carrying out survey work and Neutral Zone patrols until the Dominion War. With the front badly in need of every capable starship, USS Phoenix was sent back to the Alpha Quadrant. The starship served honorably and survived the Dominion War. USS Phoenix is newly refitted and configured for scientific survey and diplomatic duties.


Resources used:

Memory Alpha's entry on USS Phoenix, NCC-65420.

The Star Trek Adventures Character Creator app.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 1: Captain Sulok, USS Phoenix

Welcome to the 2025 Character Creation Challenge! I introduced the concept in this post here. 31 days of January, 31 characters. What have I gotten myself into?

Starting off with Star Trek Adventures 1e. Why not 2e? I haven't had the chance to make the change while focusing my TTRPG efforts in other directions. I'll get to it.

I'm slowly assembling a Starfleet crew during this challenge. Among other things. Let's start with the captain.

Captain Sulok was born on Vulcan. He learned Vulcan philosophy from an early age and it guides his actions to this day. Whisked away along his parents' diplomatic travels, he learned to apply what he saw of other cultures to himself. Starfleet Academy instructors saw potential in Sulok's diplomatic background and guided him down the Command track. Those plans were derailed by the outbreak of the Dominion War. Sulok quickly picked up the skills he needed to survive against a ruthless foe. He won a commendation for bravery during the conflict, saving the lives of fellow officers. In the years since the war, he has risen to command USS Phoenix and looks forward to a quiet cruise of science and diplomacy. He won't get his wish.

Sulok is considerably more open minded than many Vulcans and doesn't see logic as the only possible path to a solution. Sulok speaks Federation Standard fluently, but with a slight southern drawl that he picked up from the people who taught it to him. That, his relatively relaxed demeanor, and dry wit often confuse those unfamiliar with him.

Curiously, Sulok doesn't know the Vulcan Nerve Pinch. He just never got the chance to pick it up.

A couple of tools I used here:

The Star Trek Adventures Character Creator app (unofficial).

This "Big List of Focuses" on Reddit.

One down, thirty to go!

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.

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.

Back In the Saddle - Star Trek Adventures

Let me tell you about the RPG campaign I'm running!

It's been awhile since I've run any kind of tabletop game for a group. The last one was canceled in 2020 and starting a new one didn't happen for a variety of reasons. Remote gaming didn't appeal to my group, but we did keep in touch over Discord. A number of folks in our group were holding down medical or public-facing service jobs, so in person gaming kept getting pushed back.

That all changed recently when we decided to get the band back together.

Last minute cramming before Session Zero!

Early Discussion

The idea of returning to in person gaming came up over Discord and shifted over to picking out a game. The field got narrowed down to Star Trek Adventures, 13th Age, and Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of. The majority of the players are involved with an ongoing Dungeons & Dragons 5e campaign, so any form of F20 seemed redundant to them. Conan was ruled out since I didn't have a firm idea for a campaign other that a series of "throw stuff at the players and see what they like" adventures. With everybody being a Star Trek fan, the emergence of a variety of new content for that franchise coming out over the past few years, and my ability to come up with adventure ideas, Star Trek Adventures seemed like the best bet.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: "Star Trek Adventures? That's Undiscovered Country for the Over the Hill Gaming Blog!" That's a fair point. After all, I've only written about a couple of dozen posts concerning the game. I'm clearly not primed to run the game, but I'll just have to do my best and muddle through it somehow.


Session Zero (And Change)

The next step was getting together - in person - for Session Zero. The actual Session Zero got cut short due to scheduling issues. So we actually had Session Zero and Session Zero and Change. I usually run Session Zeroes with two major topics in mind - campaign discussion and character generation. Star Trek Adventures adds a third - starship generation.


Campaign Discussion

The first Star Trek Adventures campaign I ran for this group was strongly influenced by DS9. It was placed along the Cardassian border. The Bajorans, Cardassians, Maquis, and Dominion all featured regularly. The themes revolved around the kinds of conflicts and dilemmas depicted on DS9. It all worked well overall, but the darker tone and untangling complex issues fatigued the players. A change was in order.

The next one was a soft reboot of the first. Certain plotlines and characters carried over, but the campaign was set on another starship with a mostly newly introduced crew. The location was moved away from the Cardassian border. The themes and tone was shifted over to exploration and frontier diplomacy. Unfortunately, that campaign was canceled shortly after it started due to the situation in 2020.

We briefly talked about alternatives to the standard Star Trek Adventures set up of the player characters being a Starfleet bridge crew. Star Trek Adventures does support other campaign concepts such as running a stationary installation. The Klingon Empire Core Book presents the nuts and bolts of running a Klingon campaign. However, this would be our first time back out in awhile, so we decided on the well-worn path of flying Federation colors.

This campaign is a fresh start - a hard reboot with no connections to our earlier Star Trek Adventures campaigns. We're starting over in the default year of 2371, a period with plenty of opportunities. Things are kicking off in the Beta Quadrant - the familiar realms of Klingons, Romulans, and Orions. The initial themes are exploration and diplomacy, but things are expected to change as the timeline moves forward.


Character Generation

Most of both Session Zeroes were spent on discussing character ideas, making choices along the lifepath system, and filling out the details of each player character's background. I prefer to have all of players handling character generation as a group activity. It's handy to have a group to bounce ideas off of and brainstorm with when a player gets stuck when coming up with a character concept or element of their back story. It also helps to insure that everybody - gamemaster included - is on the same page.

In Star Trek Adventures, I start things off by listing the senior officer positions on a whiteboard. The players divide them off however they want. I also reminded them that Supporting Characters exist as an option to cover any gaps or for a player to use when their character isn't in a scene. Once things got rolling, I took a backseat - answering questions and helping when requested, but otherwise letting the players work at their own pace.


The NPC Captain

None of the players really wanted the role of the captain. I'd rather not force a role on somebody - myself included - and diminish their enjoyment of the game. I had a couple of issues with the idea of a NPC captain, but agreed after ways around the issues were found.

Making the authority figure a NPC potentially takes decision making away from the players. With a NPC calling the shots, they may end up dragging the player characters through the story as spectators. The most direct way of avoiding this is a passive captain, but that doesn't make much sense for an experienced professional in a leadership position. Our solution involves stopping the game during key decision points to allow the players to discuss what direction to take things. When play resumes, the NPC captain then proceeds as if they made a decision that matches what the players decided on.

Most iterations of Star Trek have the commanding officer as the series lead. Authority figures tend to pull focus. It's one thing to have various NPCs pop up and depart as we move through an adventure. Even NPCs who show up regularly don't present a problem. It's another matter entirely to have a NPC with authority over the player characters show up in almost every scene. It's just too easy for such a NPC to overshadow the player characters in the context of Star Trek. If aliens call the ship, they're going to want to talk to the captain. That can easily cut the players out of participating in the conversation, making them passive observers. Most players show up to play the game, not watch it unfold. Fortunately, Star Trek canon provides a partial solution - the captain doesn't go on Away Missions. I'll be designing the adventures to take place off the ship as much as possible.


The Cool Starship

We turned to one of the few canon starships that's a blank slate outside of its only on screen appearance - USS Phoenix (NCC-65420). The ship disappears from canon after showing up in "The Wounded" (TNG 4x12). Not even the comics, novels, video games, and other beta canon revisits the ship. This is unusual since Star Trek writers regularly reuse ship names to tie the story they are telling to earlier episodes. For example, USS Cairo is introduced in "Chain of Command, Part I" (TNG 6x10). It is stated to still be in the area and responding to the current crisis in the following episode "Chain of Command, Part II" (TNG 6x11). Much later, USS Cairo is believed to be destroyed in "The Pale Moonlight" (DS9 6x19).

USS Phoenix played a part in both of the previous campaigns. One of the player characters in the former campaign was an officer aboard USS Phoenix during the events of "The Wounded" and had a black mark of their record as a result. The ship was to be featured in the latter one, but didn't get far due to that campaign's cancellation.

For the purposes of this campaign, USS Phoenix was moved away from the Cardassian border after the arrest of Captain Benjamin Maxwell. The ship was repaired while the senior officers were investigated for their roles in the incident. USS Phoenix was eventually reassigned to the Beta Quadrant and served under a different captain for a couple of years and was pulled in for a refit. The newly refitted starship is now ready for duty under a new captain and crew.


With Session Zero (and a half) done, we're ready to get started. I'm in the process of putting together my ideas into something halfway coherent. The first adventure will likely start in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I hope that this post has been entertaining and offered some handy ideas and insights.