By Al Spader, Star Trek Adventures Contributing Writer
Art by Carlos Cabrera
When the concept of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign was first introduced to me, I was curious about how to make an intriguing story while not forcing players to play through events that had already been portrayed on screen in Star Trek: Discovery. We wanted this campaign to belong to the players and allow them to tell their own heroic stories during the canon events from the screen using their own ships and characters.
As we were discussing how to present this, I faintly remembered an old Lord of the Rings video game I played after I’d just gotten out of college called “The Third Age.” In this game, you controlled a group of characters who were telling their own stories while the events of the blockbuster Lord of the Rings films occurred in the background. It was our intention to give The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign the same type of feel.
The first thing we decided was that we needed to deliver information about canon events to the characters. This delivery is accomplished through news reports, admiral logs, and direct messages to the characters and are used to bookend the three campaign stages.
With the canon events included, we moved forward with making this campaign feel familiar but much different than the events the U.S.S. Discovery experienced. To help anchor the tactical campaign, we decided to have our six-part story reflect events in Discovery season 1 that were mentioned but never really followed up on. In some cases, we created missions based on single lines of dialogue that seemed to carry little meaning. All this so that you and your crew can take them on and give them meaning.
In the first campaign stage covering the early war period, characters use their ship to aid in the rescue efforts at Corvan II; one of the first targets of Klingon raids early in the war. The U.S.S. Discovery aided in defending Corvan II, but used hit and run tactics utilizing their spore drive and didn’t address anything happening on the planet surface. Additionally, the player characters visit the aftermath of the destruction of Sarcophagus at Pahvo in an attempt to locate and procure its cloaking device.
In the second campaign stage covering the mid-war period, the characters explore the debris field of the U.S.S. Discovery to try and salvage the spore drive. Unknown to the characters at the time, this wreckage is actually the Terran Universe’s I.S.S. Discovery. The crew also learns about the secretive and enigmatic Cancri; a species the Klingons turned their backs on after a presumed truce.
In the third campaign stage covering the late war period, the ship and its crew joins in the defense and rescue efforts at starbase Epsilon-12, one of the sites of devastating Klingon starbase sieges as the war moves towards its climax. Also, in final, epic fashion, the characters participate in the defense of the Sol system after the fall of Starbase 1. This event runs parallel to the events happening with the U.S.S. Discovery on Qo’noS in the season 1 finale.
Though some of the events of the Federation-Klingon War are etched in stone, many of them are available for you and your crew to tell. This story isn’t about the U.S.S. Discovery or its crew. This is your story. The events that unfold during this tactical campaign will introduce new heroes to the mythos of Star Trek. You and your group!
Pre-order your copy of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign now and receive the final PDF right away to start creating your own Star Trek wartime stories!
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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