Game Reviews

By Hunter Goetzman | January 14, 2025

Why We Love It

• Good emphasis on role play over "roll play"

• Dice rolls can be negotiated between players and GMs for a collaborative mood.

• Rules are streamlined and easy to pick up, even if players are not familiar with Star Trek shows/movies.

• The very active online community at STA Continuing Mission and the STA Facebook group provide so many resources and encouragement.

• Gameplay is well-paced, and leaves us with satisfying stories even in shorter sessions.

• The core rule book is even more beautiful than 1e materials, which were already amazingly illustrated.

Our Brief Review

Star Trek Adventures is a 2d20 game by Modiphius. I am quite a Star Trek fan, so when playing this I am most impressed at how closely a session of STA feels to an episode of the actual shows. And with episodes within each series ranging from body horror to character-driven stories to space combat (among others), there are as many tones to strike in the game as there are ways to play any given RPG. STA works because the rich lore and established world-building is paired with a system designed to be versatile.

The versatility is built into the system in several elements of the core mechanics, but I will focus on three of those: Attributes & Departments, Momentum & Threat, and Talents.

Attributes & Departments 

Character stats in STA are divided into six attributes and six departments. Characters attempt tasks by using one attribute and one department and adding their stats together to make a target number. Players roll anywhere from 2 to 5 d20s, with the hope of getting getting a number less than (or equal to) the target number. Sometimes the GM will just name the attribute/department combo, but the rules actually encourage players to find their own combos and a justification for using them. For players ready to think about scenarios creatively, that means the mechanic begins to reflect real-world problem-solving strategies, in that we all tend to find solutions that apply to our strengths. 

Momentum & Threat

These two related elements in STA provide both narrative and mechanical tools for the game. When characters succeed on a task, they might oversucceed and gain Momentum. Momentum can be used to do various things, such as purchase extra d20s for higher likelihood of success. Because players can choose how to use this resource, they can choose ways to propel the story or increase chances of success. Other options include gaining more information, changing traits of a scene or character, or even jumping order in combat initiative to keep the opponents from having their turn right away.

Threat is the way NPCs and the overall story gain a version of momentum. The players can add to the Threat pool if they don't have the Momentum to do things listed above, and Threat is added to the pool for other things that might happen in the game. But while the NPCs can use Threat in similar ways, the GM can also use Threat to change the story, scene, or danger level to an encounter. Proficient GMs and players will use narrative elements to provide context and continuity to Momentum and Threat spends, and using them ensures that each session is unique and responsive to the players at the table.

Talents

One last element I will highlight are Talents. Where some systems will have classes with class-specific features, Talents in STA transcend these by being open to more types of characters. There are Talents that have prerequisites, and others restricted to specific species, but ultimately, the Talents are similar to a feat in 5e, in that they give a specific benefit which is balanced with limitations. Two characters with identical stats could have completely different Talents, which would make the character mechanically different, hopefully emphasizing different role play choices along the way.

2e or not 2e--That is a Question

Finally, given that the second edition is new, and compatible with 1e materials, it might be fair to mention that we recommend any materials. While we haven't played the solo version (Captain's Log), we have a collection of the 1e materials, too. My personal favorite is the Lower Decks supplement, and Utopia Planetia. 

The changes between the first and second editions of Star Trek Adventures are mostly subtle. They did away with one mechanic: Challenge Dice. As someone who only played a few sessions of 1e, I was not all too fond of Challenge Dice. I found them to be a little clunky as a mechanic, and as appropriate as they were for the setting and system, I am happy to run combat without them. The gained emphasis on Traits are well-worth the trade off. 

Have you played Star Trek Adventures? What did you think? Let us know!