It looks like the Dominion War from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is taking front and center for the latest eBook deal from Pocket books. There are also a couple of Voyager novels in this mix as well. Various Star Trek digital novels are only 99 cents for the month. Amazon is also doing a special where you earn points for each book you buy. This can lead to free books.
I noticed something putting this blog post together. The 3rd novel in the Dominion War series is listed by Pocket Books (and on Amazon) as being written by Esther Friesner. Yet the cover has John Vornholt listed. Does anyone know why there is a discrepancy?
Star Trek Adventures Core Rulebook (left) and the Star Trek: Lower Decks Campaign Guide (right)
My Father’s Day gift finally arrived. Around the time of the holiday my wife ordered the Star Trek: Lower Decks Campaign Guide for use with the Star Trek: Adventures system by Modiphius. This was a pre-order so it took a few months to arrive in my eagerly awaiting hands. I’ve talked about some of the other Star Trek: Lower Decks products for STA previously. In that blog post I had noted that one of the strengths of Lower Decks, the Star Trek Easter Eggs, had been played upon. I’m happy to report that I’ve seen several strands of the Star Trek minutia listed in the campaign guide. A good example of this is the chart of random items that a member of the Collector’s Guild could be looking for on page 26. For myself, half the fun of watching Lower Decks episodes was the various Easter Eggs that were hidden (or not so hidden) in the episode.
This hardbound book was put together by Project Manager Jim Johnson and a host of writers, editors, artists and more. The ISBN number for the book is 978-1-80281-042-4 and it contains nine chapters on 237 pages. In the image above I placed the Lower Decks campaign guide next to the core rulebook. According to a video interview with Jim Johnson, the similarities between the two were on purpose. I had wondered about this before I had seen the video (and seen an image of the cover). There is an introduction by Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan where he talks about his RPG experiences.
The book was very well protected for shipping.
The first chapter covers the “State of the Galaxy” in 2380 giving updates on the Federation, Klingon Empire, Romulan Empire, Pakleds (of course) and other Polities (such as the Collector’s Guild and the Drookmani). There is also a listing of notable worlds. I particularly enjoyed reading the log entries from the various USS Cerritos crew members which tell a story.
Chapter two covers Starfleet Support Operations. This covers what would happen in the duties that the Lower Deckers would find themselves in. It also covers what type of second contact missions that a smaller starship would be assigned to by the Admiralty. It also covers some topics such as dead crew members returning to life or dealing with family members.
The title of chapter three is “The Lower Decks”. This covers careers in Starfleet, Lower Deck style adventures for other fleets (from Klingon to Vulcan to Borg), various jobs that junior officers may be assigned and the mysterious “buffer time”.
Science and Technology is the topic for chapter four. Here you can find information on various phenomena and creating new life forms.
Chapter five gives us several new character lifepath options (including Cetacean, Exocomps, Gorn, Pakled and Tamarians). We also get new tools and weapons (anyone want a Starfleet Excursion Helmet?).
The gamemaster gets an entire section in chapter six. There are sections about engaging the characters, story components and knowing the tropes. There are also several Lower Deck style mission briefs present to help inspire gamemasters.
Woot, one of my favorite sections of the book is in chapter seven. Starships, starsbases and vehicles. We get the California, Luna, Osler, Obena, Parliament classes for Starfleet. We also see the Vulan T’Kalat and the Andorian/Teleraite Ganashia classes. There is a good section on the Pakled vessels including Clumpship construction. There are also several other notable starships listed as well. A section is also listed for ground vehicles (including construction notes).
The Allies and Adversaries are found in chapter eight. This contains the stats for various characters seen on the show that haven’t already been covered by the Season One and Season Two crew packs. There is a minor section on Kzinti characters that I wish had been written up as a full lifepath, but I’m glad to have some information on one of my favorite races. And for those of you wanting to bring the Renaissance Fair feeling to your Lower Decks games, there are some notes about the Hysperians.
Chapter nine is a Star Trek: Lower Decks inspired Mini-Campaign with four adventures. Let me just say this. There are stats for holographic Orcs. It looks like meat is back on the menu boys. After this chapter is an index which could be very helpful when quickly trying to look up a stat or rule.
As with other Star Trek Adventures books, there are various quotes from Star Trek episodes and movies used to help bring in some flavor. I’ve found that this helps when referencing for those fully immersed (or not so immersed) in the fandom. Badgey has several tidbits of information here and there (because he’s always monitoring comms). There is enough side-bar information present to make things interesting without too many of them (creating a pop-up problem). The book flowed pretty smoothly when I was looking for various things. The built in book-ribbon impressed my daughter when she looked through the book the first time. I was glad to see this addition that started with the STA Klingon core book continuing on here. You can tell that the production has come along way since the STA core rulebook.
I’m really glad that my wife pre-ordered this book when it came out. Hopefully when Star Trek: Lower Decks gets several more future seasons, a second Lower Decks Campaign Guide will be generated by Modiphius. I enjoyed playing a Lower Decks inspired Star Trek Adventures game at SaltCON and I’m looking forward to more.
This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of July 17th through July 23rd.
July 17 “So, what do you do for fun down in Cargo Bay two?” Kim “Fun?” Seven “You know. Relaxation, entertainment, during your off hours.” Kim “I regenerate in my alcove. I study the Starfleet database, and I contemplate my existence.” Seven- Revulsion, Stardate: 51186.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 18 “If you drop a hammer on your foot, it’s hardly useful to get mad at the hammer.” Riker- Shades of Gray, Stardate: 42976.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Oh, Captain, are you going to punch me again over and over till your arm weakens? Clearly you want to.” Khan- Star Trek Into Darkness, Stardate: 2259.55 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 20 (After getting an injection) “I hope that’s an anaesthetic.” Reed “Phlox’s own recipe.” Archer “Please, sir, may I have some more?” Reed- Minefield, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 21 “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. Symbolizing the elements that create truth and beauty.” Spock- The Infinite Vulcan, Stardate: 5554.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTAS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“I’m a patient woman, but I have run out of patience. I will no longer serve gods who give me nothing in return. I am ready to walk the path the Pah-wraiths have laid out for me.” Winn- Strange Bedfellows, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“This was once a piece of an ancient weapon, and now they offer it as a symbol of… of peace. In the Fibonan culture, to surrender a weapon is an offer of truce.” Kirk- Star Trek Beyond, Stardate: 2263.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 23 “You were lucky, Kurn, but luck always runs out.” Larg- Redemption II, Stardate: 45020.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
Needing to get to the restroom after a long drive.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of July 10th through July 16th.
July 10 “I accept there are things in the universe than can’t be scanned with a tricorder.” Chakotay- Barge of the Dead, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 11 “History cannot be changed.” Spock- Spectre of the Gun, Stardate: 4385.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 12 “I hope you’re not holding back because I’m a woman. If it makes things any easier, think of me as a man. I’ve been one several times.” Dax- The Way of the Warrior, Stardate: 49011.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“THERE…ARE…FOUR…LIGHTS!!!” Picard- Chain of Command Part II, Stardate: 46360.8 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 14 “Before we left, Admiral Forrest said we’d be making history with every light year, but we’re not going to do that sitting on our hands.” Archer- Fight or Flight, Date: May 6, 2151 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 15 “One day our minds became so powerful, we dared think of ourselves as gods.” Sargon- Return to Tomorrow, Stardate: 4768.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 16 “Is the love of a woman worth the destruction of an entire species?” Kevin Uxbridge- The Survivors, Stardate: 43152.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of July 3rd through July 9th.
“Time is patient, so we must be patient with it.” Annorax- Year of Hell, Stardate: 51268.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 4 (music plays) “It is ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’. sir, by John Phillip Sousa, a popular American composer of band music in the early twentieth century.” Data- Evolution, Stardate: 43125.8 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 5 “And Uhura, whose name means freedom. She walks in beauty, like the night.” Spock “That’s not Spock.” Dr. McCoy “Are you surprised to find that I’ve read Byron, Doctor?” Spock “That’s Spock!” Dr. McCoy- Is There In Truth No Beauty?, Stardate: 5630.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
July 6 “But it’s all based on a lie.” Li Nalas “No. It’s based on a legend. And legends are as powerful as any truth. Bajor still needs that legend. It needs you.” Sisko- The Homecoming, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“You are a sham! My words were dust upon the ground…your blood has no fire, you are weak, like them! I don’t care what you look like, YOU ARE NO KLINGON!” Korris- Heart of Glory, Stardate: 41503.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Are you sure you want your boy to become a monk?” Georgiou “It’s what L’Rell wants.” Tyler “And you?” Georgiou “To know where I belong, and to whom, and who belongs to me.” Tyler- Point of Light, Stardate: 1029.46 #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“I’m a comm officer. If there is one thing I know how to do, it’s disseminate information.” Sato- Affliction, Date: November 27, 2154 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of June 26th through July 2nd.
June 26 “I am programmed in multiple techniques– a broad variety of pleasuring…” Data- The Naked Now, Stardate: 41209.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 27 “In android form, a Human being can have practical immortality. Can you see what I’m offering mankind?” Korby “Programming – different word, but the same old promises made by Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Hitler…” Kirk- What Are Little Girls Made Of?, Stardate: 2712.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Not feeling talkative? (injects assimilation nanobots) You and I don’t need words to understand each other.” Borg Queen- Endgame, Stardate: 54973.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 29 “Our concern is the present, the possible threat.” K’ehleyr “And to contend with that threat we need information.” Worf- The Emissary, Stardate: 42901.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 30 “I could let him beat me at tongo.” Quark “Not good enough. Unless he has to carve his way through a hundred Jem’Hadar to get to the table.” O’Brien “Why does everything with Klingons have to involve bloodshed?” Quark- Image in the Sand, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“If there’s one chance in a thousand… that they saw our impulse drive explode, that they increased their speed, I’ll take that chance… … I’m not about to accept that it was all for nothing.” Reed- Shuttlepod One, Date: November 9, 2151 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“To offer the Klingons a safe haven within Federation space is suicide. Klingons would become the alien trash of the galaxy.” Cartwright- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Stardate: 9521.6 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of June 19th through June 25th.
“Why should I care about a Human killing Humans?” Klingon “Because you care about honor. And this man has none.” Uhura- Star Trek Into Darkness, Stardate: 2259.55 #StarTrek #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 20 “For a ship and crew to function well it always starts with the captain. You set the tone.” Minuet- 11001001, Stardate: 41365.9 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 21 “We don’t always agree. We have some damn good fights, in fact but we always come away from them with a little better understanding and appreciation of each other.” Sisko- In the Hands of the Prophets, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“We do not stand alone.” Tuvok- Mortal Coil, Stardate: 51449.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 23 “After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.” Spock- Amok Time, Stardate: 3372.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 24 “A Betazoid woman when she goes through this phase… quadruples her sex drive.” Riker “Or more.” Troi “Or more? You never told me that.” Riker “I didn’t want to frighten you.” Troi- Manhunt, Stardate: 42859.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 25 “You’re once again ignoring the consequences of your actions.” T’Pol- A Night in Sickbay, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
The complete Star Trek Deep Space Nine worlds set and the Star Trek Destiny set highlight the June 2023 eBooks that are available for 99 cents. There is also one TOS novel, one Stargazer novel, an additional DS9 novel and one for both Enterprise and Discovery.
All of these eBooks are 99 cents and available to read on your Amazon Kindle. Amazon is also doing a special where you earn points for each book you buy. This can lead to free books.
When you hear that there will be new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds this week.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of June 12th through June 18th.
June 12 “There’s nothing like facing the wilderness to bring people closer.” Quark- The Jem’Hadar, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“It’s like a predator; it’s stalking you. Oh, you can try and outrun it with doctors, medicines, new technologies but in the end, time is going to hunt you down… and make the kill.” Dr. Soran- Star Trek Generations, Stardate: 48650.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC
“You think I had time for anything other than resisting?! Fighting fascism is a full-time job!” Shaxs- wej Duj, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekLowerDecks #WeAreStarfleet #IDIC
June 14 “One of the nice things about being captain is that you can keep some things to yourself.” Janeway- Parallax, Stardate: 48439.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Mr. Sulu. You can… you know… fly this thing, right?” Kirk “You kidding me, sir?” Sulu- Star Trek Beyond, Stardate: 2263.2 #StarTrek #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 17 (treating Riker’s injury) “I wasn’t playing parrises squares.” Riker “Worf’s calisthenic program?” Dr. Crusher “No.” Riker “I give up, what was it?” Dr. Crusher “I was trying to feed Spot!” Riker- Timescape, Stardate: 46944.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 18 “I didn’t realize how late it was until my stomach reminded me it was time to eat.” Dr. Phlox- Future Tense, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of June 5th through June 11th.
June 5 “You probably don’t know this, but… regret is one of the strongest emotions. And… one of the saddest.” Tucker- Fusion, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Universal law is for lackeys. Context is for kings.” Lorca- Context is for Kings, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“You gave your girlfriend radioactive jewellery?” Dr. McCoy “The emission is harmless, Doctor, but its unique signature makes it very easy to identify.” Spock “You gave your girlfriend a tracking device?” Dr. McCoy- Star Trek Beyond #StarTrek #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Look, pally, you want to win the girl, we’ve got to thaw you out a little… It’s time to have some fun!” Fontaine- His Way, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“I know this ship like I know the back of my hand.” Scotty- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Stardate: 8454.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 10 “Human bonding rituals often involve a great deal of talking and dancing and crying.” Worf- Data’s Day, Stardate: 44390.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
June 11 “Don’t push yourself. That goes for everyone. Perspiring wastes water.” Chakotay- Basics Part II, Stardate: 50032.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
