By Michael Dismuke, STA Contributing Writer
Art by CBS Studios, Inc.
In the future that Star Trek presents, interstellar travel is a common thing for warp-capable civilizations. Playing a part in writing part of the Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook, which is the most comprehensive collection of playable ships for Star Trek Adventures, allowed me to meditate on what life on a ship might be like. This book is a treasure trove of ships and rich information that will make your ship come to life.
My approach focused on familiarizing gamemasters and players with life on a spaceship—the systems and situations with which they will interact while they travel the stars. In the sections I contributed to, I wanted people to be able to:
- Become familiar with various locations on the ship, their purpose, and uses in the game
- Review the evolution of advanced computer systems and how to use those systems in the game
- Grasp the concept of maps in Star Trek
- Enrich their characters by having them engage in off-duty activities
- Use encounter seeds related to ship-building and mining
- Have helpful tips for when an away team should choose shuttles over transporters and vice versa
- Explore a ship’s shuttlebay
- Delve into conducting surveys for vital elements, resource extraction, resource allocation, and negotiating for supplies
- Study salvage and retrieval operations
- Review details on various vessel and space station profiles
- Employ more gaming options related to jury-rigging, shuttle building, and diagnostics and maintenance
Endless encounter seeds, plot ideas, suggested extended tasks, and exciting details are sure to enrich your gaming experience. As I wrote in the book, “External problems like erratic space weather, galactic dust, random collisions, exposure to radiation, sudden shifts in gravity (or lack thereof), temporal fluctuations, and other hostile environments might disrupt sensitive essential starship systems like computers, helm control, field emitters, structural integrity, propulsion, sensor arrays, transporters—you name it.” Prepare to get an intimate appreciation of your starship.
In addition, I had the chance to write ten mission briefs that focus on the ships, which are characters unto themselves. By the time gamemasters and players work their way through this amazing guide, the ship will be considered friend, family, and protector. I am sure this book will become a must-have for decades to come, whether or not one plays Star Trek Adventures.
Preorder the Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook now and receive the final PDF immediately as part of your order. The print edition is expected to ship in late Q4 2022.
Original Series Collector’s Edition:
The Next Generation Collector’s Edition:
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about additional STA products in the coming months. Live long and prosper!
