By Nathan Dowdell, 2d20 System Developer
Art by Matheus Graef
The new edition of Star Trek Adventures builds upon the foundations established with the first edition, and while we took the opportunity to refine many game elements, most of those changes are straightforward when converting an existing game and characters to second edition. Following are some of the key changes from first edition to second edition, along with some conversion guidance.
CORE MECHANICS
As discussed in an earlier blog post, Challenge Dice are not used in second edition. As a result, any talent, ability, or game mechanic which used Challenge Dice in first edition needs to be revised. Many of these are addressed in the core rulebook, such as talent effects, extended tasks, and the rules for damage in combat.
EXTENDED TASKS
Due to the removal of Challenge Dice, extended tasks now function differently. The progress a character makes on an extended task is now a fixed amount rather than the total of a dice roll. Furthermore, breakthroughs occur at fixed points along the progress track, rather than whenever 5+ progress is scored.
If converting an extended task from first edition to second edition, revise the task’s progress track to have a number of spaces equal to 3-5 times the task’s Magnitude—for example, a first edition extended task with a Magnitude of 3 might have a progress track of 12 in second edition. Gamemasters should use their best judgement to tweak progress tracks to suit their needs.
This also applies to extended consequences, first detailed in the Player’s Guide, and now part of the core ruleset.
CHARACTERS
Characters in the new edition are largely the same as in first edition, though there are some key changes to implement:
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Every character has at least one additional trait, representing their profession. This is usually something straightforward, such as Starfleet Officer, Warrior, or Merchant.
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All species grant an automatic Species Ability in addition to the talents selected during character creation. All 14 species presented in the new core rulebook have been updated with species abilities. If your character is not of a species listed in the core rulebook, work with your gamemaster to adapt or create an appropriate talent to serve as your species ability. Future second edition products will offer updated species entries if your favorite playable character species isn’t in the new core rulebook.
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Replace any talent your character has with the equivalent second edition version. Most talents from first edition are provided in an updated form. Those which aren’t, either replace the talent with a similar one, or work with your gamemaster to convert the old talent.
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Add an additional focus to your character, representing a pastime or hobby. This is treated the same as a focus, though it will not likely not come up often in gameplay but should serve to provide more depth to your character.
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Personal weapon damage has been refreshed to account for the removal of Challenge Dice. Replace the stat lines for weapons with the information provided in the core rulebook.
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Finally, alter your character’s Stress. Each player character begins with maximum Stress equal to their Fitness rating, though this total may be altered by species or talents.
NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
Non-player characters change in a few ways not covered by the character changes noted above:
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NPCs no longer have Stress tracks.
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Notable NPCs and Major NPCs now have Personal Threat pools, which they can spend in addition to the gamemaster’s Threat pool.
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Many NPC special abilities have been adjusted, so replace any existing special rules with the updated version in the core rulebook where possible.
STARSHIPS
As with characters, starships remain familiar to their first edition incarnations. Each player character starship is composed of three elements: spaceframe, mission profile, and service record.
Spaceframes are essentially the same as they were in the previous edition, though many have additional traits and one or two special rules, some of which replaced talents from the previous edition (such as Saucer Separation). Each spaceframe still provides baseline system ratings and modifiers to department ratings. Most spaceframes have the same system ratings and department modifiers as in first edition, though a few were tweaked to better represent the spaceframe. Players and gamemasters are, of course, welcome to tweak the numbers to taste.
Second edition spaceframes were built using the same points system as presented in the first edition Utopia Planitia sourcebook, with a few tweaks to account for the non-Federation spaceframes presented in the new core rulebook.
Mission profiles still provide the base ratings for a starship’s departments and a list of talents to select, and now also offer a +1 modifier to one ship system to further tailor the spaceframe to a specific mission. To convert a first edition ship, check the chosen mission profile and apply the system modifier. Future second edition products will offer additional mission profile options if your favorite first edition mission profile is not included in the core rulebook.
Service record is a new, optional element. Each service record represents the way the ship has developed throughout its history. Each option grants a new trait and a unique special rule. You are not required to apply a service record to your starship.
Other starship changes include:
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Many starship talents and special rules have revised language, so replace any talents and special rules on your current ship with their new versions. Future second edition products will offer additional starship special rules.
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The way Resistance is calculated has changed: A ship’s Resistance is now equal to half its Scale (round up), plus a bonus based on its Structure rating. Talents may modify this further.
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The way Shields are calculated has changed: A ship’s Shields are now equal to Structure + Security + Scale.
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The ship’s complement of weapons remains unchanged, but the rules for weapon damage have been revised to account for the removal of Challenge Dice. Replace the stat lines for weapons with the information provided in the core rulebook.
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Ships no longer have a Power rating. Rather, Reserve Power is something a ship either has or does not have. Various actions require the use of Reserve Power, and engineers have a number of actions they may attempt to restore Reserve Power.
Grab a copy of the new second edition quickstart to see the new ruleset in action and then pre-order your copy of the second edition Star Trek Adventures core rulebook now in standard format or one of three limited edition covers!
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Command):
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Sciences):
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Operations):
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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