Star Trek Adventures
- Board's Eye View
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
We featured the Starter Set for Star Trek Adventures earlier this year on Board's Eye View. It's an occupational hazard for reviewers that, with so many new games arriving, those that have already been played don't get as many outings as they deserve. Star Trek Adventures, however, is an exception to the rule. We got such a kick out of role-playing as Starfleet officers exploring the many various free-to-download scenarios available from Modiphius that we've been eager to delve much further into Modiphius' RPG take on the Star Trek universe.
The Starter Set delivered a condensed version of the Second Edition rules, and they work undeniably well, but it's a real treat to dip into the full Second Edition Rulebook: a 380-page hardback book that's packed with Trek lore and the world-building detail needed to create credible characters and compelling stories that genuinely feel part of the Star Trek universe - rather moreso indeed than some recent official Trek-themed productions (we're looking at you Discovery and the Section 31 'movie').
The Second Edition Rulebook is primarily designed as a thorough guide for Games Masters setting up Star Trek Adventures. It's very well written, not merely as an explanation of the streamlined easy-to-grasp core mechanics of the Star Trek Adventures role-playing game but also of how the Star Trek universe works. If you're a Star Trek fan, this is a book you're going to want to read - even if you've never previously even thought of playing an RPG.
And if and when you do decide to roll up characters and ships from the very many options available, you'll be impressed with the attention to detail and depth provided, while still preserving the clarity and accessibility of this game's streamlined 2d20 mechanics. The book incorporates sample sheets that you can copy for building your characters and ships, and it's rounded off with a really useful comprehensive index.
The Second Edition Rulebook may be all you need but there's always more if you want it... And that's where the Exploration Guide comes in. It's a hardback book that runs to 144 pages, and with a pull-out chart of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, and it's essentially the Genesis Project writ large. GMs can use the Exploration Guide and its numerous tables for randomised generation to create strange new worlds and interesting story hooks for players to explore - all the time keeping things credible within the Star Trek universe.
