By Jim Johnson, Project Manager
Art by Nicola Silvani

One of the most endearing elements of Star Trek™ over the last 60 years is that the various series and motion pictures show the characters having fun in and amongst the danger and drama they face every time we see them. All the series have had their share of funny situations and scenes, and series such as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy even dedicated entire episodes to having some fun. Star Trek: Lower Decks, especially, made extensive use of humor throughout the run of the series.

And you can do this too, in your Star Trek Adventures campaigns and adventures, if humor is something your group wants to have present in the game. Whether it’s members of different duty shifts engaging in friendly competitions, or science teams pulling harmless pranks on each other, or key non-player characters dropping in on the crew for more shenanigans, there are ways to inject humor into even the most dramatic campaigns.

Keep in mind, however, that humor is subjective and what is side-splittingly hilarious to one person might be unpleasant or uncomfortable for someone else. It’s a good idea at Session 0, or during your campaign check-ins, to gauge what kind of humor your group is and is not comfortable with including at the game table, be it virtual or in-person. If running a game for folks you don’t know, such as at a game demo or a convention, it’s important to set the table rules for humor and subject matter up front, to ensure everyone has a good game experience together.

Here are a few ideas for injecting humor in Star Trek Adventures missions and campaigns:

• ALIEN RELATIONS: Few of the alien species encountered share the crew’s same values and perspectives. Many episodes and scenes include moments where a simple misunderstanding between two cultures results in something humorous for the crew to manage and resolve.
• CHARACTER MECHANICS: Having a fun value, focus, or pastime offers the opportunity for that player character to feature that mechanical element in a game session. A player with the value “Never trust a Ferengi” might have to get into a situation where they’re teamed up with a Ferengi to solve an A- or B-plot.
• CREATURE FEATURE: If nothing else, any adventure or scene can have the humor dial turned up by dropping in a hungry tribble or two, or a cooing Moopsy.
• EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS: Advanced technology in Star Trek tends to react poorly to spatial phenomena and the whims of omnipotent beings such as Q. Consoles regularly explode or go off-line, non-lethal transporter accident abound, and why is this replicator shooting out flaming bananas? Find ways to use technology to add humor to scenes.
• TREKNOBABBLE: Another way to drop in some humor is to present the crew with an apparently impossible problem to solve, and give them the opportunity to solve it anyway with the application of Treknobabble, no matter how far-fetched it may sound. Few problems cannot be solved by a self-sealing stem bolt. It’s just a matter of how creative the players can get with their Momentum spends and trait modifications.

As an example of how to have some fun within the expansive Star Trek universe, check out Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, arguably the most humorous and whale-full of all the motion pictures. We’re celebrating the movie along with Star Trek’s 60th anniversary by releasing a free mission briefs pack today, focused on the events in and around the classic movie. The mission briefs pack is available on the Star Trek Adventures download page as well as on DTRPG.

What are other ways you can share humor in your Star Trek Adventures missions? How have you used humor in your games? What are some of the most memorable funny moments your character or crew has experienced? Share your ideas and experiences with your fellow Star Trek fans at the official Modiphius Discord.

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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