It’s the utopian take on humanity’s evolution that really captivates fans of Star Trek. Imagine if we collectively got our crap together, stopped destroying the planet and killing each other, and started working together to better things for everyone and everyone benefited. Sounds pretty good, right? That’s basically Star Trek…a utopian Earth where everyone’s needs are met, everyone gets to do what they’re best at, and you don’t even need any money anymore. If you’re an internet-obsessed hardcore right-winger, that’s the end result of effectively implemented theoretical communism. Suck it. It’s a good thing. Now, without replicators, it won’t work because resources are finite, but Star Trek literally posits the ‘what if we could’ concept and makes it relevant. What are our best selves?
And that’s what Star Trek Adventures: The Role Playing Game Core Rulebook from Modiphius does. With a Game Master (I STILL think DM every time I read another term for the role) and a core group of players, you get to explore the theoretical confines of the Star Trek universe and essentially play through episodes which are though experiments in the potential outcomes for humanity if we succeed, flourish, and literally reach for the stars. Now if you’re a nerd (science) as well as a geek (pop culture), you’re probably already aware that statistically, there’s no possible chance that we’re alone in the universe. Chances are high that the life out there is entirely unlike what developed on Earth, but because we can’t get sentient rock actors, Star Trek’s aliens are remarkably human for the most part.
You are probably already a fan or you wouldn’t be looking at Star Trek Adventures in the first place though, so let’s move on to the game itself. The Core Rulebook for Star Trek Adventures is loosely designed to take place in Star Trek lore after the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation, during Deep Space Nine, and just before Voyager. That should be enough for any fan to really have an idea of the area of the Trek timeline they’re in and if you don’t, well, watch more Trek. The writers of the game certainly did!
Your goal as players is to survive a variety of scenarios that your GM provides and act out the game with the help of a bit of randomization through the use of D6 and D20 dice. But the Star Trek system is noticeably different from other TTRPGs in the fact that the focus is first and foremost on the story rather than the mechanics of gameplay. This approach makes games feel more like role-playing episodes than sitting down for an invariably argumentative dice-fest like you might in games like D&D. In fact, depending on the GM, in Star Trek Adventures you might barely touch the dice for hours because the focus of the game is so thoroughly character driven and the purpose is heavily focused on narrative storytelling.
Star Trek Adventures looks at the source content through the lens of characters in the various shows in the franchise. To join Starfleet and get onto a ship means that you’re top of your class. You know how to fix warp nacelles or tweak the software in the transporter room. You can fix a replicator or use a bio-bed. In short, you are an elite, highly skilled character with a wealth of technical ability and knowledge and your job during gameplay is to apply that ability judiciously in an attempt to survive a seemingly impossible scenario (Kobayashi Maru , anyone?), all while attempting to stay in line with the core utopian values of Starfleet in the face of groups of aliens who very much do not align with your values and viewpoints.
The whole thing is very on point as a simulation of the world we live in as well as the potential for the human race, even when you’re not playing a human. In fact, the core set allows you to play as one of 8 major species from the Star Trek universe: Human, Trill, Andorian, Bajoran, Betazoid, Denobulan, Tellarite, and Vulcan. No Romulans, Klingons, Borg, or minor species here. Remember, you’re playing as a Federation member in a very specific time period so many races are not part of the Federation yet, are enemies, or simply haven’t been discovered. That’s not to say your GM couldn’t add them, but they aren’t in the Core Rulebook.
What is in the core rulebook is a complex mix of background, content, and mechanics that describe the unique TTRPG approach that Star Trek Adventures takes. While you’ll be creating a character and rolling dice, this is a different experience than you might expect. Characters aren’t simply rolled, they’re created using a ‘Lifepath’ system that details the background and upbringing of a character from childhood through maturation and into Starfleet, allowing you to fill in details, values, attributes, and knowledge disciplines. It’s kind of like writing a character biography and that’s not something the average TTRPG does. In Star Trek, it matters though because those values and that background are the core of your character and your choice directly affect gameplay. Remember that this is a narrative-style game that should play out like a Star Trek episode and that means that the moral and ethical dilemmas that are common to the show should also be common to your gameplay. There are a variety of optional approaches to how the Lifepath system should work, but in short, this is a deeper type of role-playing than other systems.
The other mechanics of the Star Trek Adventures system are similarly unique. Instead of using a combination of dice and statistics to complete actions, Star Trek uses some key ideas: Momentum, Threat, and Determination. Now, Star Trek is about working in a team as well as alone, so keep in mind that some aspects of the mechanics are team based. Momentum is basically a success pool. Think of it like this. Once you get going, you’re on a roll and your goal is to maintain that roll to increase your chances of making it through a scenario unscathed. When you roll D20 dice in Star Trek, you are attempting to do something and that action has a basic difficulty of 1 unless it is so ridiculously easy that you don’t need to roll for it.
For everything else, you’re rolling for Momentum. Your character has six attributes which range from 7-12. You also add disciplines which numerically describe your training from 1-5. Finally you have focuses which are special training and experience. For the given task, you combine one attribute, one discipline, and if desired or applicable, one focus as a modifier to generate a target number. That’s the number that you are trying to roll below. You start with 2 D20s and roll both. Each one that rolls equal or below your target number is a success. If you rolled 2 successes, only one is applied to the task. The second gives you a point of momentum which you can use immediately in a consecutive task or add to the momentum pool so that other team members can utilize it to complete communal goals. Roll a natural 20 and you get a complication (natural 20s aren’t great here). There are a lot of details to work with here but basically the real goal is to survive a scene by any means necessary and the more successes you get, the easier that gets. Modifying your roll with focus improves those chances. Momentum maxes out at 6 but doesn’t last forever so your pool drains by a point at the end of each scene. There are also opposed tasks where the GMs NPCs interfere with the results and bonus momentum that must be used immediately.
Threat is basically GM Momentum, applying in a similar fashion to NPCs as momentum does to players. The rules are fairly straightforward here but remember that either the players, the NPCs, or both can fail or succeed, making for a bit more unpredictability than you might expect. Finally, determination is based on your character’s values and the directives in the scenario. Every player starts with a single point that can be exchanged for a bonus D20 for your dice pool or other modifications including re-rolls, extra tasks, or even advantages.
Phew. That’s a lot, right? There’s no easy way to summarize the entirety of the core rulebook here of course. Combat mechanics are similar and you’ll use D6s for things like extended tasks and other small items throughout the game. There are standardized range mechanics for combat and rules for ship combat as well (because Star Trek) which uses a bunch of D6 dice. It’s all pretty thorough as you’d expect and all designed to be in service of the larger storyline, which means that to play an effective game of Star Trek Adventures, you’ll need a highly skilled GM that is both prepared and good at narrative storytelling, even more so than with the average TTRPG.
Now let’s talk about the book itself for a bit. Star Trek Adventures – The Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook is a solid book. Standard hardcover TTRPG size, 364 pages, and full of glossy Trek-inspired design work. For those of you used to dark themes on devices, the entire book is printed in black with white text, a unique approach that feels uniquely Trek. However, for the handful of us that are chemically sensitive, there’s also a significant chemical odor from that much ink and you might need to air the book out open for a while to avoid mild headaches from the fumes. This was an unexpected surprise that did not delight.
Within the book, the chapters appear to be laid out clearly with introduction, backstory, and so on. What you’ll quickly find however is that Star Trek Adventures is quite possibly the worst laid-out Core Rulebook ever. There’s no area with reference charts, explanations of momentum, combat, and character building are mixed up all over the text, and there are tons of additional ‘flavor’ Star Trek anecdotes strewn throughout the book that serve no purpose whatsoever and are often only tangentially related to the matter being covered. It’s a damned mess.
To really understand how to effectively play Star Trek, you’ll spend a lot of time flipping back and forth and taking notes, something that shouldn’t be necessary. There’s no linear pathway starting at character building, providing tables, and explaining how each area works by building upon the last. Instead things like momentum (arguably the most important part of the game) are described in the operations chapter starting on page 72 and require detailed reading of the text to find the key points. Then combat, another major component that utilizes the content you just learned isn’t addressed until page 163 and even then there’s a focus on non-combat conflicts first! The authors of the book simply didn’t approach the structure of the Core Rulebook in a linear fashion and for new players, it’s going to be a struggle to learn how things work. Once you get the hang of it all, it isn’t bad, but as a reference book, this is one tough sell.
Anyone serious about playing a Star Trek TTRPG is going to enjoy Star Trek Adventures however, and despite its flaws and atrocious visual design (not the Star Trek theme but the organizational design and lack of clear tables), the game is both fun and robust, allowing for an incredibly immersive experience with the right Gamemaster and group. The book even recognizes this, providing additional training chapters and a scenario for GMs to ensure that they know how to approach gameplay and can refine their style. It’s a wonderful package overall. Terribly organized, but wonderful. And if you’re not sure by this point? Well, rest assured that the Core Rulebook has been available since 2017 and the internet has more than made up for the shortcomings of the original release and if you’re not sure about something, you can always run a quick search and chances are it has been addressed or clarified.
Star Trek Adventures is a fantastic game and the Core Rulebook is worth every penny to create lasting adventures with your friends in the Star Trek universe. There are plenty of expansions out there too, making for a wealth of exploration in the galaxy! At about $60, it isn’t the cheapest sourcebook but the obvious love put into the book and the details of the game make it worth every penny. If you’re on the fence about Star Trek Adventures, don’t be. Star Trek Adventures – The Roleplaying Game – Core Rulebook is the resource that your gaming group will use for years and it’s a pretty fun read as well!
This review was based on a physical copy of Star Trek Adventures- The Roleplaying Game – Core Rulebook provided by the publisher. It is available at fine book and game retailers everywhere, both online and in-person.
Nate Van Lindt has been a gamer since the days of yore (aka Commodore 64), and has played a bit of virtually everything out there. He's also an avid comic book collector, both vintage and current, and reads a fair amount of sci-fi and fantasy. On top of that, he watches a fair number of movies and TV shows as well. Oh, and he has a family, a full-time job, and lives somewhere in the urban wilds of Southwestern Ontario, Canada, foraging for old video cables and forgotten game soundtracks.