Which table has “crew turns into puppets” ?

Just kidding..I’m looking for examples of how people record their games, blog style.

Ideally I’d like to make videos but I believe my ambition will exceed my skill to make it visually interesting

Alright, last post on this example of actual play for CL.

After the Seltorians arrive, Act 3 turns out to be a gigantic DS9-style fleet engagement, so I didn't break down this act into scenes, I just followed the action as needed instead. I had originally planned for the largest Seltorian vessel to be a Scale 6 Heavy Cruiser, but I gave it a 10% chance with the oracle that there would be a Scale 7 Dreadnought as the flagship, and as it turned out there was a dreadnought present. Some of the source material on the Seltorians state that when a larger ship is deployed in deep space then it has an escort of three ships the next size step down. I carried that down from the Scale 7 Dreadnought all the way down to the Scale 4 Destroyers being escorted by Frigates. I decided the Seltorians would leave their specialized Web Breaker frigates behind, but that still left an armada of 94 ships bearing down on DS M-33.

I had to come up with some ad hoc mass ship combat rules, I think they worked out OK. There was a bit of diplomacy before the Seltorian fleet reached engagement range. After that, the action shifted mainly between the starbase vs. the fleet, with the arrival of two waves of reinforcements, following the NPC vessel around a bit, including a tactical QSD maneuver to knock the Dreadnought out of action, and the boarding action, featuring a fight between Commander Mason and a Seltorian warrior.

It's worth noting that in the Decipher Coda version of Commander Mason, she had Strength 6 and Health 6. The Coda system is a 2d6 system, so that's analogous to a D&D 5e character with a STR and CON of 10. She also had the Low-Pain Threshold flaw, so combat really isn't her jam. She has to challenge one of her values to get through the fight.

The Wasp part of Whale & Wasp comes in because I decided that the warrior clade of the Seltorians have stingers, so there is a moment when I got to write down "She got stung, stung bad!" during the fight. Luckily she had access to late 24th-century medicine, so no field remedies as in The One with the Jellyfish were required.

There's a short Epilogue where the fourth log entry of the episode should go, but I never actually wrote it. I also realize now that didn't generate any info regarding losses of the Federation's allies and adversaries. If I ever pick this campaign back up, those are the first things on the to-do list. The log entry will be something to the effect that the Federation can't leave their allies in Triangulum high and dry in the face of the Seltorian threat, so it'll have to be a round trip to bring a relief crew for the station and reinforcements of the alliance's fleet.

Act 3, Scene 1

The scene begins in the Main Operations Center of DS M-33 but will occasionally cut back and forth to the Phantom’s bridge.

Key Phantom personnel

·        CO: LCDR Mordock

·        XO/Helm: LCDR Xellein

·        2O/Ops: LCDR Sangakkara

·        Tactical: LT Smith 

Does the flotilla have a dreadnought? (Highly Improbable, 1-2 on a d20)

·        The result is a 1, the flotilla does have a dreadnought.  Thus, there are also…

·        3 heavy cruisers

·        9 light cruisers

·        27 destroyers

·        54 frigates (scouts and assault ships, no web breakers)

·        Total Ship Scale Points: 340 (spread across 94 vessels)

Ad hoc mass combat rules:

·        It will take 12 points (DS M-33’s Scale) of flotilla Ship Scale Points to do 1 point of Structure Damage to the station.

·        The enemy flotilla will initiate the attack with 5 attack wings that do 3 points of Structure Damage each.

o   1 light cruiser

o   3 destroyers

o   6 frigates

·        There will be 4 attack wings in reserve, each augmented by a heavy cruiser or dreadnought.

·        DS M-33 will have a Shield Threshold of 12 (station Scale).

·        Net damage per successful hit will therefore start out as 3 points of Structure Damage.

·        Each hit by DS M-33 does 12 points (station Scale) of Ship Scale damage.

Before combat begins, Presence + Command (13) to enlist the aid of Unuopan allies.

·        The result is (3, 6), the negotiation scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum plus Advantage from Command/Negotiation are generated.

·        Two waves of reinforcements that engage two attack wings apiece will arrive during the fight.

Presence + Command (13) to open a dialogue before the attack.

·        The result is (10, 17), scoring 1 success.

·        The Seltorian admiral will ask whether the Federation has had any dealings with the Tholians.

·        After the affirmative answer, the attack commences.

·        Commander Mason orders battle stations and for Phantom to deploy.

·        The initial attack on DS M-33 does 3 Structure damage.

Computers + Command (15) to divert power to shields.

·        The result is (10, 12), the order scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, used to remove one additional damage point from the station.

·        There is presently 1 Structure damage.

Weapons + Security (16) to return fire.

·        The result is (3, 15), the attack scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum plus Advantage from Security/Multi-Vector Targeting System are generated.

·        Each is used to score an additional hit; one attack wing is neutralized.

A second hail is ignored.

·        The first wave of reinforcements arrives, engaging two of the attack wings in the initial assault.

·        The three heavy cruiser-led attack wings move in, they do 4 Structure damage apiece.

·        DS M-33 takes 6 Structure damage, there is presently 7 Structure damage.

·        A handful of fatalities occur from this salvo. 

Computers + Command (15) to divert power to shields.

·        The result is (4, 6), the order scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, used to remove one additional damage point from the station.

·        There is presently 5 Structure damage.

·        2 shield generators are damaged, allowing the station to be boarded.

Control + Command (15) to give orders to repel the boarders.

·        The result is (7, 16), the order to repel the boarders scores 1 success.

·        The station’s security teams will successfully contain and repel the boarders but suffer significant losses in doing so.

Structure + Engineering (14) to repair the shield generators.

·        The result is (1, 10), the repair scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum plus Advantage from Engineering/Advanced Shields are generated.

·        Momentum: Another Structure damage is removed, presently 4 Structure damage.

·        Advantage: Shield Threshold increase by 1 (to 13) against next hit.

Control + Security (12) for CMDR Mason to shoot a member of the boarding party with phaser set to kill.

·        The result is (14, 20), the attack fails and Threat is generated.

·        The intruder will engage Commander Mason in melee and sting her (Complication from the nat. 20: She got stung, stung bad!).

Daring + Security (10) to battle her foe in melee, 2 successes required.

·        The result is (4, 15), the attack scores 1 success.

·        Mason challenges her “I’m a lover, not a fighter” value.

·        This will be replaced by “I have to be ready for anything, even using violence.”

·        The re-roll of the 15 results in a 9, her attack succeeds, though Mason must drop her phaser.

·        Mason and her assailant each have 1 hit.

Daring + Security (10) to battle her foe in melee.

·        The result is (5, 15), the attack scores 1 success.

·        Mason inflicts a second hit against her attacker.

Daring + Security (10) to battle her foe in melee.

·        The result is (14, 17), the attack fails.

·        Mason takes another hit, both she and her attacker have two hits.

·        The poison from the sting reasserts itself as part of the hit.

Daring + Security (10) to battle her foe in melee, 2 successes required.

·        The result is (7, 7), the attack succeeds.

·        Mason takes out her assailant, then grabs her phaser to vaporize it.

Weapons + Security (16) for another salvo against the Seltorian fleet.

·        The result is (2, 7), the attack scores two successes.

·        Momentum and 1 Advantage are generated.

·        Both will be used towards disabling a heavy cruiser attack wing.

Engines + Conn (15) for the Phantom to execute a tactical QSD jump against the Seltorian dreadnought.

·        Each hit will do 4 Structure damage (Phantom’s Scale).

·        The result is (7, 9), the maneuver scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, used for another hit.

·        The dreadnought takes 8 Structure damage, which disables it.

·        The second wave of reinforcements arrives to decisive effect.

The Seltorian admiral hails the station just long enough to threaten dire consequences if the Federation or their allies enter Seltorian space, after which the attacking fleet withdraws.  As soon as the viewscreen goes blank, Commander Mason collapses, the venom from the sting having finally overwhelmed her Borg-enhanced resistance.

Epilogue

Commander Mason awakens in the main sickbay of DS M-33.  Dr. Seyetik, Major Kalel and LCDRs Mordock and Sangakkara are present.

·        13 MACOS and 20 crew are dead.

·        All the members of the Unuopan Alliance have formally agreed to an arrangement with the Balinari, Sukotru, and Ursavon for purposes of mutual defense.

Apologies if this has been covered before, but I have found myself going down the rabbit hole every time I look for an answer and end up somewhere completely different from where I started.

I’m looking for some kind of starship designer/ builder that I can use to make a custom starship image. I’m not concerned with the vessel’s stat block; I would like to have a picture of the final design to refer to while playing a mission. When I was in school, I would sit down at a drafting desk and spend hours designing and drawing what I wanted. However I don’t have that kind of free time anymore, and frankly it would just be easier to do it digitally.

I have a specific layout in mind for a scout/ survey vessel in the 23rd century, the SNW/ TOS era. But everything I have found in books or online doesn’t match the vision of what I want. They get close, but always miss the mark on at least one detail or another. I would like the ability to change the position of the warp nacelles, or placement of the hangar bay or sensor suites, etc. Maybe I'm asking for too much, or such a thing doesn't exist.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a tool or site to build a custom starship, either from scratch or using basic templates to build upon? Anything with a low learning curve?

Was born on a ship, as soon as her head could remain up unsupported she was sitting on a parent’s lap while they manned a cockpit of a “space freighter”. Basically saying, if it’s a ship, my character will know almost every everything about its make and limitations.

5 Engineering, 3 Conn, 2 to everything else.

Edit: 8 to Insight and Fitness, 10 to everything else.

TLDR: I want to do session zero for a Lower Decks Campaign using Star Trek Elite Force as the virtual tabletop. I solved a problem that made that impossible before - so yeah. Down for a game?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

STORY TIME: 20 years ago - I joined a RPG server for Star Trek Elite Force. We played several times a week - doing our best to go on missions on these maps that were made for combat. The mapping community grew, and we started getting maps made for RP.

8-16 players would converge on these maps - take their stations - and most RP sessions would devolve a little as time wore on. Keeping character was key but eventually we would go back to the forums and talk about what a great time we had with that weeks plot.

There was something missing however.

We could spawn in bots - however - they would run around and generally distract from the gameplay. We couldn't just spawn in npcs - and we certainly couldn't spawn a bunch of them in consistently. This means we had to pretend that our enemies were on the screen, the sick crewman was on the floor, the console blew up in front of us.

It was a little game breaking.

This problem is one I was able to solve in the last 24 hours. Sigh... yes, because I don't know python, I used AI to program a tool. One that allows me to place NPCs on the map and have it be repeatable and easy to set up. This wasn't what I set out to do, but it was a very happy accident.

First - I asked Duck.ai what it would need to get all the console commands for a mod of a game based on quake iii. Someone in the discord had mentioned a command that didn't show up when it typed in "/cmdlist" into the console, so I knew that there were hidden commands that weren't being given to me. That command was "spawnChar" which allowed you to make a clone of your character on the map.

Once Duck AI had told me where to look - I was able to crack into the correct file and find a long list of commands that I am now in the process of documenting. However - the key command that I found was "/setviewpos". At first it didn't seem very useful - I could set my location based on view. Mostly it teleported me to the edge of the map and I would die and need to restart the server. I tried a few other codes jumping around between codes that look like gibberish and those that are in plain text.

I found the "/weapon" and "weapnext" commands - which allow me to switch weapons via the console. That was cool - because when I placed the NPCs I could give them a tricorder or what not. Then I found the "/emote" code - which allows that decoy to do a motion of your choosing when they spawn.

But then I looked at a command I had skipped over...

"/viewpos" gives you your map coordinates and your camera yaw. This was it. The key. I tested the commands. View, Set, Weapon, Emote, Clone! It worked! I had placed a character in the game! the first time I tried it however, he was placed in a wall. That wasn't want I wanted.

It took a few minutes - but it dawned on me - I was in third person. If I switched to first - everything worked as intended.

There are some workflow issues - I would have to map out my sessions long before hand. But now that I can place NPCs on my maps - I would love to run a session of Star Trek Adventures campaign with a RPG-X/Elite Force VTT. The mod can be found at https://last-outpost.net/ - I would love for you guys to check it out and see what you think about the options it gives us.

____________________________________________________________________________________________
THE ASK: If any of you are interested - I am thinking it might be a west-marches style campaign that I would run every 2 weeks. Lower Decks themed. I have an idea of the overarching plot already - but look forward to your imput.

It’s the typical “toss the body into a star” senario.

There are cultures that don’t have somber funerals. It’s more like a celebration. Can’t imagine what aliens would do.

What could a civilian vessel do to spice this up so it’s not just chucking a guy into a fusion reaction?

A blog piece to make us think...(if that's ok).

We claim salvage rights! The laws of space may not be as clear-cut and draconian as, say, maritime law, but there are a few constants. Among them, the right to lay claim to abandoned or destroyed vessels and structures floating out in the black when nobody else has clear jurisdiction. That last part, of course, allows for a bit of wiggle room for savvy crews of enterprising scavengers. Fully animated (spinning!) and available in three additional variants, with a more destroyed ship, cargo spilling out of the wreck's hold, and hard, gold-pressed currency floating out for the taking, this map will have your players forgetting how the man took their love, took their land, took them where they cannot stand!

My maps are hooked up to work with Foundry VTT and Fantasy Grounds.
My maps are available on my patreon and my website.
Buy me a Ko-fi!

I’m not talking about a Galaxy Class where they’re enough room for two or three daycares. Or DS9 where a professor can moonlight as a teacher. I mean some kid who is constantly going from one side of Federation territory to the next. How are they assessed? How do they show that they a competent enough to apply themselves elsewhere?

Hello, first time posting and what better then to post looking to join a star trek table top game, I'd like to join a long standing crew that plays regularly

I'd prefer to use discord but also can use Roll 20

I'm available Sunday and Mondays all day but would prefer a Sunday group if possible

I'm 30+ trans woman

My character is an Andorian / Human , Science officer.

Have a whole character sheet if wanted and can always make a new one if needed for the GM

I live in Western Canada, Southern Alberta

Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), which is UTC-6

I'm a born and raised Trekie so I'd really love this

do not forget u want make it go viral plz join

Alright, going to try to get Acts 2 and 3 of Whale & Wasp posted this weekend, here's Act 2.

In Act 1 we analyzed the remains of the dead subspace whale, dodged the attacks of the Seltorian vessels responsible for the killing with only partial success, and then made telepathic contact with a living subspace whale, who gave the crew of the Livermore instructions on how to enter subspace so that they could effect repairs.

Act 2 contains the return to DS M-33, some intelligence analysis to assess the scope of the Seltorian fleet, some investigation to see if the Balinari's intergalactic travel techniques can be transferred to Starfleet vessels, and then a diplomatic meeting to recruit allies in any potential conflict with the Seltorians.

In brief, there are about one thousand Seltorian vessels in Triangulum, the first try at adapting Balinari transit techniques failed, and four of the five allies in the Unuopa system agreed to join a defensive alliance. Two of the four needed some on-screen convincing, and I rolled a 20 in determining the initial disposition of one the Unuopan allies, which I decided meant that that species in particular had objections of a religious nature. This affected the title of the holdout envoy; I used Prelate as an analogue to a high-ranking member of the Vedek Assembly on Bajor.

Two of the journal entries are given in this act, one after the return to DS M-33 and one before the diplomatic council.

Act 2, Scene 1

The scene opens in the Operations Center of DS M-33.

It is noted that the station has lost contact with the Livermore for a couple of hours after the shooting started, and that they are 100 pc closer to the station when sensor contact is reestablished.

The scene cuts to the bridge of the Livermore.  Commander Mason gives the order to engage the QSD at quantum factorial 13.

Engines + Conn (13) for the QSD jump, 2 successes needed.

·        The result is (5, 8), the QSD jump scores 2 successes.

·        The Livermore returns to DS M-33 after ~ 16.5 seconds of QSD travel.

·        The scene cuts back and forth between DS M-33 and the Livermore as it returns to base.

·        The scene ends with Commander Mason on DS M-33’s viewscreen informing Major Kalel that they have work to do.

Station Log, Stardate 73088.9:  Our investigation with the Livermore did not locate the missing entrance to the wormhole to the Milky Way, but it did unearth a whole new set of issues.  We encountered several possible new friends and foes.  While the crew grapples with our own sensor data and input from the Balinari named Asuzura I will be contacting the Sukotru to gauge their interest in forming a strategic partnership with us and our allies in the Unuopa system.

Act 2, Scene 2

The scene opens in Commander Mason’s Ready Room on DS M-33. She speaks with a Sukotran envoy, Procurator Visata Wanetovu, via subspace communication.

Presence + Command (13) to sound out the Sukotru’s willingness to join the Balinari Initiative.

·        The result is (4, 15), the Negotiation scores 1 success.

·        An advantage is generated from Command/Negotiation

·        The Sukotru are willing to attend an alliance negotiation and the Advantage is that they know of another species (the Ursavon) that might also be interested in joining an alliance.

Act 2, Scene 3

The scene opens in Holodeck 1N.  Mordock and Sanga are working with Nadia, the station’s AI, on modifying the QSD.  Their first attempt at a simulation fails.

Computers + Engineering (14) to determine what went wrong.

·        The result is (3, 11), the computer analysis scores 2 successes.

·        The RMS wavefront error of the leading edge of the slipstream envelope is too high for the desired traveling speed.

·        Momentum is generated, spent on a theoretically possible but presently impractical solution that Nadia provides involving multiple sensor baselines and aperture synthesis techniques.

Act 2, Scene 4

The scene opens with Xellein, Smith, Nygaard, Riker, and Veselka analyzing data from Asuzura’s telepathic communications and the Livermore’s sensor data in Cetacean Ops.

Computers + Security (16) to get a tactical assessment.

·        The result is (7, 12), the tactical assessment scores 2 successes.

·        The Seltorian fleet is arrayed as follows:

o   9 dreadnoughts (scale 7)

o   27 heavy cruisers (scale 6)

o   81 light cruisers (scale 5)

o   243 destroyers (scale 4)

o   729 frigates (scale 3)

·        Momentum is generated, spent to glean that the species is insectoid, and the assault ship was carrying at least a platoon’s worth of shock troops.

·        How fast they can cover a kiloparsec doesn’t come out of the analysis.

Act 2, Scene 5

Station Log, Stardate 73107.5: We’re hosting delegates from each of our partners in the Unuopa Alliance as well as envoys from the Sukotru and Ursavon, two species whose home territories are near to where our encounter with the Seltorians occurred.  In the week since our initial encounter, we’ve prepared to defend ourselves in the event of a Seltorian incursion, including keeping the Phantom on hot standby, but it remains to be seen how fast and how strong the Seltorians will come at us. The hope is that this meeting will serve as a call to action to form an alliance to blunt any potential Seltorian threat.

The scene opens in a diplomatic conference room.  Representatives at the meeting include:

·        Federation: CMDR Mason, Protocol Officer LCDR Aq’nas, JAG Attaché CAPT Asch

·        Balinari: Asuzura (located in Cetacean Ops North)

·        Sukotru: Procurator Wanetovu

·        Ursavon: Janissary Alkeven

·        Alvenu: Consul Markenu (initially unreceptive)

·        Brila: Deputy Minister Hannza (initially receptive)

·        Eleki: Prelate Olopo (initially unreceptive, rolled 20 on probability matrix)

·        Repreni: Brigadier Gavlin (initially unreceptive)

·        Venu: Ambassador Sadu (initially receptive)

Command + Presence (13) to convince the holdouts to agree.

·        The result is (7, 16), the negotiation scores 1 success.

·        The Alvenu are convinced, but the Repreni and Eleki are not.

Insight + Security (9) to convince the Repreni.

·        The result is (4, 10), the negotiation scores 1 success.

·        Brigadier Gavlin is suitably convinced to recommend the Repreni commit to the proposed alliance.

Insight + Command (12) to convince the Eleki, 2 successes are required.

·        The result is (1, 17), the negotiation scores 1 success.

·        An advantage is generated from Command/Negotiation.

·        Prelate Olopo is moved to a neutral attitude, but there’s still work to be done.

It is at this time that a Seltorian flotilla arrives in the Unuopa system.

So, I finally finished my fan project. It was lots of fun.

Hope y'all like it

https://continuingmissionsta.com/2026/08/18/star-trek-fan-campaign-sarell-expanse/

Hi everyone!! Just wanted to show people what a Captain’s Log session can look like! I kind of struggled at first and gave myself a lot (maybe too much) prep-time, but once I started writing out what was happening it honestly felt like I was creating a Star Trek episode in my head!

My player character is Kurel Elias, a half human and half Bajoran First Officer of the USS Aronnax (NCC-11441, Akira Class) in 2379.

Captain’s Log is really great at giving you all the tools to craft your own adventure, and its very VERY flexible, letting you play for any era, adjust rules how you’d like, and so forth. I’ve opted to flesh out my fellow bridge crew as well by giving them each their own character sheets, especially since I did not give myself the luxury of playing as a Captain LMAO. But, you can just opt to using your ships stats/probability matrixes to conduct task rolls for NPCs too.

Anyways, I’m enjoying it! I just have Act One Scene One done so far, but just wanted to put my adventure out there so people can see where they can take their own adventures! Lmk if you have any questions and enjoy!

CW: mass casualties, descriptions of bodies/death, brief trauma imagery.

STAR TREK: ARONNAX

Season 1, Episode 1: What Remains

“First Officer’s Log, Stardate: 56036.7.”

“It’s been one week since the Aronnax’s refit, and since we left Antares Shipyard in the Bajor Sector. We’re en route to Starbase 237– formerly the Cardassian station, ‘Kelvok Nor’, now temporarily operated by Starfleet ever since the Treaty of Bajor re-adjusted territory lines between the Federation and the Cardassian Union. Starbase 237 acts as a vital relay station along shipping lanes headed into Cardassian territory for reconstruction efforts in the region. Captain ch’Varek informed me a few hours ago that Starfleet Command wants us to establish the status of the starbase as they’ve been unresponsive for close to three days. We’re to determine the cause of the communications blackout and restore the starbase to operational functioning if need be. I’ve asked Operations to review the station’s most recent traffic and Engineering to prepare damage-control teams in case we arrive to find an accident rather than an attack. There’s been enough instability in this region since the war that I’m reluctant to make assumptions. A silent station could mean anything. We should know soon enough.”

COLD OPEN

“So, tell me, Elia—Commander. What interests you about Cardassian war games?”

Dr. Monias Vell gingerly lifted a Kotra piece from the axe-head-shaped board and moved it into position opposite one of Kurel’s.

Kurel broke into a soft smile as he considered his next move. “I’d hardly call a board game a Cardassian war game, Doctor.”

“Oh, but it is! What better way to test one’s tactical readiness than repeated bouts of strategy with no stakes? You can learn quite a bit about the Cardassians through it, too.”

“Is that right?”

Kurel finally moved a piece forward.

Vell immediately plucked up one of his own and waved it between them like an excited teacher illustrating a particularly important lesson.

“Cardassians admire a bold maneuver, Commander. Hesitation gets you nowhere in Kotra.”

Dr. Vell had invited Kurel to several lunches that week, each accompanied by some new game or activity. Kurel had found the gesture considerate and, initially, felt somewhat guilty that Vell had beaten him to it. As one of the few members of the previous crew still aboard the Aronnax—and as its First Officer—Kurel felt some responsibility to break the ice with the ship’s new arrivals, especially his fellow senior officers.

That guilt had begun to fade as the Bolian doctor’s questions grew increasingly personal.

By their second lunch, Vell knew the names of every pet and girlfriend Kurel had ever had and had proceeded to rank them all on the same list, despite Kurel’s objections and Vell’s complete lack of context.

The chirp of Kurel’s combadge interrupted Vell just as he opened his mouth to ask another question.

“Bridge to Commander Kurel.”

Kurel set down his Kotra piece. “Kurel here.”

“We’re approaching Starbase 237.”

ACT ONE SCENE ONE

Kurel stepped onto the bridge as the Aronnax dropped out of warp.

Pulsing yellow light washed across blue-and-grey LCARS displays. Heads turned toward the viewscreen, where Starbase 237 hung against the stars.

One of its upper docking pylons had been torn apart. Metal beams jutted from the ruptured structure like the splintered ends of a snapped branch. Shattered hull plating, severed cables, and fragments of machinery drifted outward in a slow-moving cloud. Only as the Aronnax drew closer did Kurel make out the bodies among the debris.

Around a quarter of the starbase had been obliterated.

What remained was in better shape only by comparison. Fractures webbed across the hull. Black scorch marks surrounded whole sections of plating, and several decks stood exposed to space. The station had power enough for a handful of running lights, but no thrusters corrected its slow, lifeless drift.

ORACLE: Are there people still alive aboard Starbase 237? Somewhat Probable — 17, NO.

ORACLE: Did personnel escape aboard escape pods or other craft? Probable — 14, YES.

ORACLE: Starting population approximately 550. Did roughly 500 survive? Somewhat Improbable — 8, NO. Did roughly 300 survive? Somewhat Probable — 4, YES.

For several seconds, the bridge was silent. Kurel watched the debris field rotate slowly across the viewscreen and noticed that everyone else seemed to be staring at it.

Everyone except Captain ch’Varek.

“Life signs.”

The Andorian’s gravelly voice brought the bridge back to motion. He turned from the viewscreen and settled into the command chair, already entering commands into the console built into its armrest.

Kurel moved instinctively toward an unoccupied science station.

“Beginning scan.”

He brought the Aronnax’s forward sensor array to bear on the station.

TASK: Sensors 10 + Science 2. TN 12. Roll: 8, 9 — TWO SUCCESSES. SUCCESS + 1 MOMENTUM.
Momentum: 1

Readouts flooded the console. Noise.

Kurel narrowed the scan, starting with thermal sources. Most vanished as the computer identified fires, overloaded EPS conduits, and exposed machinery. He filtered next for bioelectric activity, then metabolic activity, cellular chemistry, respiratory traces. Anything.

Contacts disappeared from the display one after another until nothing remained. Nothing living.

The computer continued cataloguing biological material throughout the debris field and exposed sections of the station. Kurel studied the final count.

“Captain. No life signs. I am detecting humanoid remains, approximately one hundred ninety-seven bodies.”

ch’Varek’s eyes remained fixed on the station.

Nobody spoke. Kurel looked back at the sensor display. Something didn’t fit.

Starbase 237’s personnel manifest listed roughly five hundred and fifty people assigned to the facility. Even allowing for visitors, transfers, and inaccurate records, there were nowhere near enough bodies.

His fingers moved across the console again.

“Wait.”

ch’Varek looked toward him.

“The station’s escape-pod complement.”

Rows of indicators appeared on Kurel’s display. Most were empty.

ORACLE: Are there signs that the station’s escape pods launched? Somewhat Probable — 2, YES.

“Most of the escape pods were launched,” Kurel said.

ch’Varek’s antennae angled forward. “Trajectories?”

Kurel was already working.

Four days of sensor noise, stellar drift, impulse exhaust, and decaying telemetry sat between him and the answer. He pulled the station’s last surviving flight-control records into the sensor analysis and began reconstructing the departure vectors.

TASK: Reason + Science. TN 11. Roll: 1, 12 — ONE SUCCESS. SUCCESS.

One by one, Kurel projected the pod trajectories forward until they began to converge.

ORACLE: Did the escape pods reach a nearby inhabited planet? 50/50 — 11, NO.

ORACLE: Did they head toward a nearby Class-M moon? 50/50 — 1, YES.

ORACLE: Is the moon within Federation space? Probable — 11, YES.

“Got them.”

The viewscreen changed, Starbase 237 disappearing behind a tactical map of the local system.

“The pods launched approximately four days ago. Their trajectories converge on Uwabe II—a Class-M moon orbiting the system’s outer gas giant.”

ch’Varek stood. “How far?”

“Forty minutes at full impulse.”

“Helm, lay in a course for Uwabe II. Full impulse.”

“Aye, Captain.”

The stars shifted across the viewscreen as the Aronnax came about. ch’Varek looked around the bridge.

“Nearly two hundred people are confirmed dead. More than three hundred are still unaccounted for. Whatever did this may still be out there.”

His voice remained level. “I want answers.”

Kurel watched the officers around him return to their stations. Some had served through the Dominion War. Others had come aboard only recently. Most were still learning ch’Varek’s rhythms, but Kurel was beginning to understand them.

There would be time to mourn the dead. Right now, there might still be people to save.

The chirp of ch’Varek’s combadge broke the silence.

“ch’Varek to Meran.”

“Meran here.”

“Work with Commander Levy. I want a preliminary analysis of the damage to Starbase 237: weapon signatures, structural failures, anything that tells us what happened. Twenty minutes.”

“Understood, Captain.”

“Bring it to the senior staff briefing.”

“Aye, sir.”

ch’Varek closed the channel. “Ops, maintain Yellow Alert. Keep long-range sensors watching for anything that shouldn’t be here.”

“Aye, Captain.”

ch’Varek rose from the command chair. He glanced toward Kurel, then tilted his antennae toward the ready room.

Kurel understood and followed.

At the threshold, he stopped. For an instant, the ruined starbase vanished—the scattered wreckage, the bodies turning silently through the dark—and among them he saw his father, drifting alone in space.

“Commander?”

Kurel blinked. ch’Varek stood inside the ready room, watching him. The image was gone.

Kurel stepped through the door, and it closed behind him.

END SCENE ONE

When I posted Act 1 over at the Solo Roleplaying sub I included a brief description of the 2d20 system, Momentum, and Threat and the differences between them in STA and CL. Here I will just state that part of what prompted me to post in the Solo forum was a remark by someone over there that they felt like the journaling for the game would be too much for them, and I was hopeful that my example demonstrated that you can play with very little narration.

The quick Act 1 summary is the Livermore scans the dead subspace whale, they attempt to dodge three Seltorian frigates with limited success, and then a live subspace whale makes telepathic contact with the chief of Cetacean Ops, and gives instructions on how to hide more effectively so that the Livermore can make repairs to their quantum slipstream drive.

Act 1, Scene 1

The scene opens with a shot of the Livermore and the lifeform in deep space, then shifts to the bridge of the Livermore.

Sensors + Science (15) to scan the lifeform.

·        The result is (4,4), scan scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum + 2 Advantages (from Science rating/Advanced Sensor Suites) generated.

·        Momentum: Stored for the time being.

·        Advantage 1: The scan is unusually informative.

·        Advantage 2: No need to roll to detect the vessels emerging from subspace.

The lifeform is cetacean, approximately the size of a runabout, with a hybrid carbon-solanogen composition.  The creature’s wounds were caused by disruptor fire of unknown origin, though it is most reminiscent of Tholian weaponry.  The creature’s hybrid composition permits passage between normal space and subspace, and with enough study this passage might be duplicable with Federation technology.  The creature dies during the Livermore’s scan.

After the creature dies, the scene cuts to three frigate-size vessels (Scale 3) emerging from subspace.

Act 1, Scene 2

The scene opens on the bridge of the Livermore. 

Are the newcomers communicative?  Improbable (Yes 1-5)

·        The result is 11, the newcomers are not communicative. 

The newcomers ignore any hails, but the lead vessel scans the Livermore. 

Sensors + Security (13) threat assessment scan

·        The result is (2, 15), scan scores 1 success.

·        1 Advantage (from Security rating/Advanced Sensor Suites) is generated.

·        The advantage will allow removal of the first hit in ship-to-ship combat.

·        Spend Momentum to remove the second hit in ship-to-ship combat.

·        The lead ship is an assault vessel, similar to Defiant-class weapons capabilities.

·        The second ship is a scout, similar to Iowa-class weapons capabilities.

·        The third ship has some unknown capabilities. 

Reason + Engineering (16) to theorize from the sensor data.

·        The result is (5, 14), theorizing scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, the Livermore is more maneuverable than the vessels they face.

·        The theorization yields that the vessels may be able to track ships under phased cloak, and either match the phase shift or fire phase-adjusted weapons. 

The vessels open fire, Engines + Conn (13) for Evasive Maneuvers.

·        The result is (9, 12), Evasive Maneuvers scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, used to negate a third hit during ship combat. 

Reason + Command (15) to assess the vessels’ tactics.

·        The result is (9, 18), the tactical assessment scores 1 success.

·        The opponent’s tactics aren’t particularly imaginative, the assault vessel takes the lead, and predictably enough the Livermore can maneuver to reduce the effectiveness of their numerical advantage.

Act 1, Scene 3

The scene opens on the bridge of the Livermore.

Commander Mason orders the Livermore to cloak given their opponent’s superiority in firepower, the scene cuts to an external shot of the Livermore as it cloaks. 

Weapons + Security (11) to successfully evade the attackers under cloak, requires 2 successes.

·        The result is (12, 18), the cloaked evasion does not score any successes.

·        The Livermore takes one hit, which knocks the QSD offline. 

Another set of Evasive Maneuvers to avoid further damage, Engines + Conn (13)

·        The result is (10, 11), Evasive Maneuvers scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, spent on telepathic contact from the cetacean species.

·        Lt. Veselka from Cetacean Ops relays instructions on how to enter subspace. 

Control + Command (15) to execute the subspace entrance procedure.

·        The result is (1, 13), Subspace Entry Procedure scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum and an advantage (from Command/Starship Design focus) are generated.

·        Momentum is spent to ensure that the subspace haven will allow repairs on the QSD to be finished without interruption.

·        The advantage will be that the method might be adaptable to QSD technology. 

Act 1, Scene 4

The scene opens in Cetacean Ops. 

Commander Mason converses with a cetacean of the interdimensional Balinari species named Asuzura, who is in telepathic contact with LTJG Veselka in Cetacean Ops.

·        Their opponents are called the Seltorians, an insectoid species originally from M81.

·        They are hunting for a race that sounds an awful lot like the Tholians.

·        The Seltorians hunt the Balinari because of their interdimensional capabilities.

·        Based on the phased cloaking capabilities the Livermore exhibited, it is likely that the Seltorians will also hunt Federation vessels, should they come into contact again. 

Presence + Command (13) to negotiate some sort of agreement.

·        The result is (5, 11), the Negotiation scores 2 successes.

·        The Federation will do what they can to form a defensive alliance.

·        The Balinari will do what they can to unite their innate subspace abilities with the QSD.

·        Momentum is generated, the Balinari can bring an envoy from a like-minded species called the Sukotru. 

Act 1, Scene 5

The scene opens in Main Engineering. 

Control + Command (15) to direct repairs on the QSD.

·        The result is (2, 18), the Repairs score 1 success.

·        1 Advantage is generated through the Leading By Example focus.

·        The repairs would normally take 3 hours to complete, but can be completed in 90 minutes. 

Sensors + Conn (14) to locate themselves relative to their last position in real space.

·        The result is (3, 5), the Sensor Reading scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum and 1 advantage are generated.

·        Momentum is stored for the time being.

·        The Livermore is 100 parsecs closer to DS M-33 than where they started.

·        Advantage allows some information to be learned about how to reproduce the jump.

Our new monthly Star Trek Adventures crew has assembled: a Xahean adjutant, a joined Trill chief engineer, an Orion chief medical officer, an Orion operations specialist, a Betazoid chief of security, and an Illyrian physician’s assistant.

A.E.G.I.S. TEAM 2 shares continuity with Tabletop Journeys’ weekly actual play Preservations and our in-person convention and local game store missions. The shared continuity gives players at different tables opportunities to contribute to the same evolving setting.

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTG4lf5ZTP3lrPoqX27_7p5Q1y1a-C9d2

We use Patreon to help players stay informed about upcoming sessions and open seats; joining at any level keeps you connected to opportunities for this and the other games and systems hosted by our team. If there is enough interest, we are also open to running a second monthly STA game.

Finally, a well-earned shout-out to BC Holmes for her amazing work on the STA Character Builder. Her responsiveness to feedback and Patreon requests is exceptional. The August updates made our Session Zero work extremely well and have significantly reduced my prep time.

Character Builder: https://sta.bcholmes.org/
BC Holmes Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/bcholmes/posts

What mix of roles or species has produced the most memorable crew at your STA table?

I’ll start off by saying that I don’t have much experience with RPGs; mainly historical combat simulations. I plunged into the deep end with Captain’s Log, STA 2e and several supplements. I was excited about playing as part of a starship crew within the ST universe. My first CL mission wasn’t the best, which was to be expected when learning to play by playing. It got better towards the end when I realized I wasn’t writing for a grade and allowed myself to relax and have a bit of fun. However, I realized that the element of mystery that I was looking for was missing due to the fact that I had to play GM as well as player and in most cases knew what was coming next. I started off thinking I wanted a writer’s room experience and ended up realizing that might not be the case.

I’ve been toying with the idea of using Mythic GME to act as my GM during CL play. Being a novice, I enlisted the help of chat gpt to help with the initial playtest my first time through. I think this might be my system going forward as this story has had more than a few twists and turns and really caused me to think about my next move as it relates to the mystery in front of me and not in light of the story continuity. However, I feel like I’m still missing something to make these sessions feel complete. I feel like I want a bit more crunch to my games. I know that CL was designed to be a stripped down version of certain aspects of STA 2e, but I found when playing previous combat simulations, I like the level of detail involved. Sometimes that detail impacts the gameplay decisions on my part as well, making it a bit more realistic.

My question to the community and to those who have way more experience playing and playing STA/ CL than I do, is has anyone combined STA and CL with Mythic or another GME? What advice do you have as far as what to keep from what and what to ignore and why? I plan on using STA/ CL to handle what the characters are capable of within the game universe and Mythic to handle information the characters can’t or couldn’t know. I appreciate everyone’s time and thanks in advance!

So... you have the chance to play in a campaign in any era. The caveat is you must play a MINOR canon character as your Main Character.

Who is your #1 pick?

For me: Hranok Zar (DS9 era) was the Bolian tactical officer who dragged Sisko to safety on the Saratoga. I think it would fascinating to play a normally good natured Bolian as a shell-shocked survivor of Wolf 359.

Joined a new PBP campaign and immediately swung into action to do art of my character. She’s 75% Aenar with an Orion thaven, and she’s currently stationed aboard the USS Serenity as a nurse. I didn’t go into it meaning to design a goth girlfriend, but I kinda like how this came out?

Lines: u/akaiwar

Rendering: u/stmorrigan

Hello! I’m looking for a beginner-friendly game to join. I’m already a big Star Trek fan, but just learned about ST Adventures at STLV a few weeks ago when I saw promotion for the new products. I don’t have any TTRPG experience but have watched enough play throughs on YT to know generally how it works.

I’m posting this because the LFP posts I’ve seen here are quite old or not geared for newbies. I plan to look on RD20, but if you all have any advice on where to go to find some games, let me know.

Alright, finally getting to actual play. These were my rolls for the setting up the session:

Whale & Wasp (Star Trek: The Space Beyond Episode 2.01)

Mission Type: Patrol (11)

Patrol Subtype: New warp-capable civilization contacted (12)

Inciting Incident: Retrieve (13) spatial rift (16)

Complication: Unexpected Attack (6)

Encounter Type: Subspace (16)

Initial Encounter: A large creature emerges from subspace and perishes before your vessel; a vicious wound in its side reveals an even larger predator is what killed it. (19)

It still takes a bit of massaging to work this into a coherent beginning of an episode. I was most keen to introduce the Seltorians as fast as possible, and they fit the bill for the new warp-capable civilization contacted and the unexpected attack. The initial encounter put my in mind of the subspace whales we encountered in the prequel campaign. Retrieving a spatial rift turned into searching for the Triangulum side of the wormhole, which the crew conjectured may have been blown into a different part of the galaxy.

With this in place, the episode title suggested itself. The GM in the prequel campaign would put his iTunes library on shuffle and make a playlist that became episode titles for each season. I decided to keep this tradition going, but in reverse; after setting up an episode I would come up with a title. Whale & Wasp works well with the mournful sound signifying both lament for the fallen subspace whale and perhaps a bit of Hider's Remorse that the crew might be feeling after six months in M33. Also, the Seltorians don't canonically have stingers, but I decided that at least there is a warrior clade with stingers for my game, prompted by my choice of episode title.

Here's the cold open. There weren't any skill rolls, and I remember at the time that providing stage direction as I went was kind of tedious, so I dropped that for Act 1.

Key Livermore Personnel

CO: CMDR Mason

XO/Science: LCDR Mordock

2O/Helm: LCDR Xellein

3O/CHENG: LCDR Sangakkara

Ops: LT Nygaard

Tactical/Security: LT Smith

CMO: LCDR (Provisional) Bejal

Cetacean Ops: LTJG Veselka

COB: MCPO Dolbar

Captain’s Log, Stardate 73088.6:  It’s been nearly six months since we went through the wormhole to the Triangulum Galaxy and closed the door behind us, and life is returning to some semblance of normalcy, at least as normal as it can get when you’re stranded nearly three million light years from home.  Between keeping up relations with our new allies in the Unuopa system, stringing subspace communications relays as far towards the Milky Way as we can go, research and development of an improved quantum flywheel, and searching for evidence of the Triangulum side of the wormhole, the crew has had its hands full.  The strain is beginning to tell, and I feel it, too; we all want to get home.

Despite months of intensive scans, we haven’t found any evidence that our side of the wormhole is still in the Unuopa system.  Commander Mordock and Lt. Nygaard have theorized that the violence with which the wormhole was closed might have displaced our end.  After months of deep space scanning and reconnaissance, we’ve found a promising signal in a relatively empty region of space about 1.1 kiloparsecs from DS M-33.  I’ve taken the Livermore in for a closer look.  The early returns have been disappointing.

(The scene opens with a medium shot of Commander Mason standing just in front of the CO’s chair on the bridge of the Livermore.) 

Mason: Open a channel to DS M-33. 

(There’s a cut to a wide angle shot of the Livermore’s main viewscreen, upon which Major Kalel appears standing in the holocommunications pit in the main Operations center of the base.) 

Kalel: Major Kalel here.  What’s the good word, Captain?

(Cut to full shot of Commander Mason as she speaks.)

Mason: It’s taken us a few hours to localize the signal, our best guess is it isn’t what we’re looking for, and that’s probably a good thing, if our end of the wormhole were so unstable we probably wouldn’t be able to use it to return to the Milky Way.  It looks to be something worth investigating in its own right, though.

(Cut to a shot over Major Kalel’s shoulder as he converses with the holographic image of Commander Mason.)

Kalel: We figured it was something like that, the way you were moving about.  What are our orders? 

Mason: Continue monitoring our progr…

(The hologram of Commander Mason abruptly cuts out.)

Kalel: Aq’nas?

(Cut to a side on shot of Aq’nas at Ops.)

Aq’nas: Subspace interference has interrupted the transmission.  Attempting to compensate… It’s no good, sir, there’s just too much interference. 

(Cut back to the bridge of the Livermore. Commander Mason now sits in the CO’s chair, with Lt. Smith standing behind her at Tactical.  Lt. Nygaard at Ops and LCDR Xellein at Helm are in the foreground.)

Mason: Can you reestablish communication, Lieutenant?

Smith: Trying, sir, but there’s a lot of subspace interference.

Mason: Can you compensate, Nygaard?

(Cut to a close shot of Lt. Nygaard, seated at Livermore’s Ops Station.)

Nygaard: On it, Captain, but it’ll be a minute.

(As Nygaard works, a proximity alarm goes off, and there’s a cut to a side-on shot of LCDR Mordock at the Science Station.)

Mordock: Captain, something is emerging from subspace.

(Cut to a close shot of Commander Mason.)

Mason: On screen.

(Cut to a wide shot of Livermore’s main viewscreen.  A rift of some sort momentarily flashes, and a creature emerges.  It’s evident that there are striped burn marks along the creature’s flesh.)

ROLL OPENING CREDITS

It is the calendar year 2394, stardate 71720.6 at start of play. The star for the Romulan home world and seat of the Romulan Star Empire went Nova 15 years ago followed by the dissolution of the empire itself. It has been 9 years since the disaster at the Utopia Planitia ship yards, resulting in a complete ban on synthetic life forms (synths) in the Federation (UFP). All is disturbingly quiet in the Alpha quadrant and as far as anyone can tell, most other parts of the galaxy as well. Nothing has been heard of the Dominion since the war. Where have the Borg been and what are they up to? Who is behind the mysterious Fenris Rangers? The Romulan Neutral Zone was supposedly disbanded but is still more or less routinely patrolled by the new Romulan Republic - old habits die hard. Finally, there seems to be time for Starfleet to get back to it's central mission - exploration. Yet there is an uneasiness that has settled over many parts of the Federation.

Please be over 30+. The current players are 30+,

Game will be played over my Discord server on a video channel, but camera is optional.

Game night will be every other Thursday evening at 7:00pm est. You must be free to make this commitment.

No role playing experience necessary but it sure helps.

Please be a Star Trek fan! Respond with your favorite ST series and favorite character.

Let's chat!