Creating and Using Worthy Adversaries
Apinya RamakomudBy Jim Johnson, Project Manager
Art by Jens Lindfors
Khan Noonien Singh. Gul Dukat. The Borg Queen. Harcourt Fenton Mudd. Nus Braka. Brunt, FCA. The Star Trek franchise is filled with meaningful and powerful characters who serve as worthy adversaries for the main crews of the various series and motion pictures. They’re often characters the audience grows to love to hate, and add levels of anticipation and excitement every time they show up on screen.
Following are some ideas on creating and using worthy adversaries in your Star Trek Adventures campaigns, by pairing up the contents of the core rulebook, the Allies and Adversaries Sourcebook, and other game supplements.
First, think about the adversary’s purpose in your mission or campaign. What are their goals? What brings them into opposition with the player characters? Most major adversaries aren’t ‘bad guys’ for the sake of being bad—the best villains and foils are fully-realized characters in their own right with their own goals, desires, and intentions. They’re the star of their own story even if the campaign or mission is all about the player characters.
Next, think of an evocative way to introduce the adversary in your game. Usually when the big-time adversaries show up, they’re doing something dramatic or intentional to give the players or the audience a clear signal that this entity is worth paying attention to. They’re often doing something that sparks the mission, or something in direct opposition to the player characters’ goals. That ship the crew has to salvage? It just got blown up by the adversary. The distress call from that Class-M planet? The adversary just surrounded their planet with self-replicating comm-blocking satellites.
Then, introduce the adversary and give them a memorable hook, such as a particular speech pattern, visual look and feel, a noteworthy starship, or perhaps a unique weapon or device. Sometimes just hearing the voice of a memorable recurring foe can get players excited at the table. Maybe the crew’s away team investigates a ruined outpost and discovers their adversary’s specially-designed disruptor carbine.
If your new adversary proves to be a hit with the players and you intend to use them again, put some thought into how often you want that character to return. The most popular adversaries in the franchise are memorable for their actions and performances, not for how often they appear on screen. It’s surprising to see how few episodes Q, Gul Dukat, Kai Winn, and the Borg Queen are actually in when compared to the impact they have on the main characters and their respective series storylines. Try for fewer, more meaningful appearances.
Finally, try not to get too invested in a potential new adversary. Star Trek has had its share of adversaries the franchise introduced and then either quietly revised (in the case of The Next Generation Ferengi) or didn’t revisit (such as The Next Generation “Conspiracy” parasites). It can be hard to predict what NPCs will excite the players or leave them uninspired. Create something, throw it at the player characters, and see what happens. Adapt as needed, or simply have that adversary disappear into the cosmos and try again with something new. It’s a big universe, after all.
What kind of major adversary are you using in your missions and campaign? How do you like to create and use recurring characters? What types of adversaries get your players excited to encounter? Share your ideas and insights with your fellow Star Trek Adventures fans at the official Modiphius Discord!
Preorder the print edition of the Allies and Adversaries Sourcebook now and receive the final digital edition right away.
Speaking of Khan, as a special bonus this week, we continue to celebrate Star Trek’s 60th anniversary with the release of the second movie-themed mission briefs pack, this one inspired by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Grab a copy of this free mission briefs pack and enhance your late 23rd century missions and campaigns!
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about other upcoming Star Trek Adventures product releases. Live long and prosper!
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