Star Trek Adventures eyes the final frontier (again)
An interview with two members of the Modiphius team about emotional combat, arc-based storytelling, and how to write a fanfiction generator.
There have been a lot of changes in the Star Trek franchise since the first edition of Modiphius’ Star Trek Adventures was published in 2018. At least three new shows, more than a few books, and, of course, untold numbers of fanwork, such as fanfiction, fanedits, fanvids, and discussion podcasts.
And now, nearly seven years later, Star Trek Adventures is getting a second edition. The game has new factions, new planets, updated combat, and a more focused emphasis on social mechanics like traits. Considered a “refinement” of the rules, according to a press release from Modiphius, the new edition has streamlined the crunchier parts of combat while allowing for more customization throughout the game.
Rascal spoke with project manager, Jim Johnson and one of the game developers, Nathan Dowdell, over email to find out more about the second edition, which is currently in preorder.
Lin Codega: What’s it like to adapt such a massive franchise with such a huge fanbase?
Nathan Dowdell: As part of that fanbase myself—I've been watching Star Trek since I was a child—it's a huge responsibility, but also a really exciting one. I see it as giving back to a franchise, and a fanbase, that has given me so much entertainment and so much to think about over the years.
Jim Johnson: It's an awesome responsibility that I feel humbled and honored to be a part of. I've been a Star Trek fan all my life. To have an opportunity to help grow the Star Trek tapestry, and develop games that enable other fans to also contribute to that tapestry, is amazing.
Codega: Second edition sees us go beyond the Federation—what was behind that decision? Are PCs required to be a member of Starfleet?
Johnson: In the seven years since the first edition came out, five new Star Trek series have been released, adding a wealth of new species, characters and outlooks to the franchise. The game line has gotten more diverse over those years as well, and when the opportunity came to develop a second edition, we felt it was appropriate to expand the core rulebook options beyond the Federation, to give players more options right from the start.
Player characters are not required to be members of Starfleet. They can be literally anything the players and game masters can imagine fitting into the Star Trek universe.
