When you realize you are out of the Whamageddon challenge.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of December 12th through December 18th.
December 12 “Your brother can quote Rules of Acquisition, too. I believe his favorite is 211: Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success. Don’t hesitate to step on them.” Grimp- Bar Association, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Do you deny you were demoted for these charges, Captain? Don’t wait for the translation. Answer me now!” Chang- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Stardate: 9521.6 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Although you share the same genetic structure, the events of your life have created a unique individual.” Data- Star Trek Nemesis, Stardate: 56844.9 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
December 14 “You’re fortunate to be alive. A Klingon who betrays his captain would be immediately executed.” Marab- Affliction, Date: November 27, 2154 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“The Ferengi call it the five stages of acquisition: infatuation, justification, appropriation, obsession, and resale.” Kim- Alice, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
December 16 “To be honest I’m glad to see this kind of change in you, Will. State your opinion and stand by it.” Erik Pressman- The Pegasus, Stardate: 47457.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
December 17 “We’re all sorry for the other guy when he loses his job to a machine. When it comes to your job, that’s different. And it always will be different.” Dr. McCoy- The Ultimate Computer, Stardate: 4729.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
December 18 “Ugly giant bags of mostly water.” Crystal lifeform- Home Soil, Stardate: 41463.9 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
Two days ago (hey it’s been a busy week for me) my late birthday gift of the Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook for the Star Trek Adventures role-playing game finally arrived. While I quickly snapped a picture of the book and shot it out for my social media followers, I knew that I was going to have to write a blog post detailing my first look at this book.
As a Treknologist and a big fan of the FASA entry into the Star Trek RPG market (especially using the Starship Construction Manual to homebrew several starships for the game) I was really looking forward to this book. I’ve seen several starship adaptations and homebrews on the Continuing Mission fan website for the Modiphus game and I was interested in trying my hand as well.
Now confession time, when the book was ordered a few months ago, Modiphius sent me a PDF copy of the book. Knowing that I wanted to blog about the book combined with the fact that I love the feel of a physical dead-tree version in my hands, I waited to read this book. Even when a fellow player was asking me questions from items he read on the PDF. Oh the temptation was seriously there for me to start reading previously.
So the book from Modiphius came shrink wrapped. Let’s rip this protective plastic off and dive into the book. There are 253 pages in this hardbound book. The ISBN number (for those of you looking for the dead-tree version) is 978-1-80281-032-5. The project manager was Jim Johnson, writing by Michael Dismuke, Jim Johnson, John Kennedy, Thomas Marrone, Aaron M. Pollyea and Al Spader. The book was edited by Jim Johnson (boy he must have been busy) and Keith Garrett.
Oohhhh
OK, so the first opening shows this wonderful two page spread showing the top views of several classes of Starfleet vessels. Some of these are from Star Trek Online and they are all very beautiful in color. I was very pleased to see this.
There are five chapters, an introduction and an index. The chapters cover Starfleet’s Legacy (chapter 1), Starfleet Operations (chapter 2), Design Bureau (chapter 3), Federation Spaceframes (chapter 4) and Gamemastering (chapter 5). I’m glad that the text is black on white paper (with blue highlights). I was one of many people who found the odd colored text on black in the Core Rulebook very disjointing. Also as a fan of Star Trek quotes, I love how they utilized several quotes throughout the book. The motif used in the book gives it a LCARS feel from the original series movies. That was an excellent choice.
The first chapter covers the history of Starfleet from the pre-Federation days to the 25th century. The little ‘pop-up’ stories were also scaled back and not as numerous that I’ve seen in other Modiphius books. While these are good for adding some background and history, I have found that too many are very distracting. Especially when I’m trying to do a quick search for a rule.
The second chapter is an interesting concept in a role-playing resource book. It covers life on a starship while serving in Starfleet. What are your day-to-day events? Key locations of a starship are detailed. How would the characters interact with the computer? What do characters do during downtime? What happens during an evacuation? There are even sections on replication and salvages.
The Design Bureau in Chapter three is probably where I’m going to spend a lot of time in the future. There are sections for starships, small craft, space stations and more. This includes various starships talents that are used in the game. I liked seeing a guide to the different types of beam weapons (what is a Free Electron Laser vs an Antiproton Beam?) and torpedoes (example: photon vs photonic). There is even information on the Mark I Emergency Medical Hologram.
Chapter four brings us 70 Federation Spaceframes for starships, stations and small craft. This covers designs from the 22nd to 25th century. Just as I poured through the Federation, Klingon and Romulan Ship Recognition Manuals from FASA and the Starships book by Decipher, I could see myself returning to this chapter many times in the future. I knew that I couldn’t spend too much time in this chapter (I was on a time deadline to complete this blog post) but I loved the graphical and data setup (especially with the logo used for the various eras). I’ll try to model my homebrews similar to this setup (without exactly copying it). I was a little shocked to see the Hermes-class scout as seen in the Star Fleet Technical Manual. Possibly because it was mentioned in the background radio traffic in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and seen as “Okudagrams” in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Wait, they also gave us the stats for the NASA Space Shuttle that was used from 1981 to 2011? OK that deserves a chef’s kiss. (fingers to lips) *smack*
I couldn’t get my flash to work on this image, but the pages are very beautiful.
And finally chapter seven brings us to some additional game master rules which are optional. This includes a jury rig role and building specialty shuttles while out on missions (it’s got to have the fins and dials). There are also several starship centric mission briefs that GMs can use.
More ships on the back inside cover.
So am I happy with this book? Oh yea. I think it will go a long way in helping me homebrew various starships for the game. As a Treknologist, I am very impressed with the graphics and level of detail so far. There are not rows and rows of equipment charts as there were in the FASA construction manual, but it’s also a different game. There are plenty of samples of starships from a wide variety of eras so if I needed some inspiration for something, I’m sure that I could find it. I think that both players and GMs will find a lot of valuable information between these covers.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of December 5th through December 11th.
December 5 “Two people aren’t even enough for a Denobulan marriage… a proper one, anyway.” Dr. Phlox- Doctor’s Orders, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Why am I here? What was I meant to be? V’ger hopes to touch its creator to find its answers.” Spock “Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?” Kirk- Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Stardate: 7410.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
December 8 “Irony is often a source of humour.” Tuvok- Workforce, Stardate: 54584.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Our Gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them a millennia ago. They were more trouble than they were worth.” Worf- Homefront, Stardate: 49170.65 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Many of the young people want to know more about the offland. They’re attracted to stories of a faster pace of life.” Anij “Most of my people who live that faster life would sell their souls to slow it down.” Picard- Star Trek: Insurrection #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC
“It sounds like you two need each other. I mean, think about it. Flotter, your water helps his trees grow, and Trevis, your branches shade his pond from the sun. It’s a well-known fact that the sun makes water evaporate.” Naomi- Once Upon A Time #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC
November 29 “On Earth, miners used to take canaries into the tunnels with them. If the canary didn’t die, the miners knew the air would be safe to breathe, and they could proceed.” Archer- Harbinger, Date: December 27, 2153 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 30 “I’m sure there is an answer. It simply has not yet been discovered.” Spock- The Devil in the Dark, Stardate: 3196.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
December 1 “Coward! Like all Starfleet! You talk and you talk, but you have no guramba.” Nausicaan “What did you say?” Picard “I said, you are a coward!” Nausicaan “That’s what I thought you said.” (hits him) Picard- Tapestry, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
December 2 “I monitor my gross income hourly. My hourly figures become my indicators. My indicators become my projections.” Quark- Sanctuary, Stardate: 47391.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
December 3 “Because without us to hate, there’d be nothing to hold them together. So the Party has built us into a threat.” Isak- Patterns of Force, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“This is Captain Kurn of the Hegh’ta. We come to defend the Empire and to follow the banner of Gowron.” Kurn- Redemption, Stardate: 44995.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“If push comes to shove, if something disastrous happens to the Federation, if we are frightened enough or desperate enough how would we react?” Dr. Bashir- Past Tense, Part I, Stardate: 48481.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Someone once said…’Don’t try to be a great man…just be a man. And let history make its own judgments.’” Riker- Star Trek: First Contact, Stardate: 50893.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 23 “Sometimes it’s a good idea to get away from being a Captain for awhile.” Janeway- Cathexis, Stardate: 48734.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Young children are sometimes frightened of the world. That doesn’t mean that their parents should let them stay in their cribs.” Barclay- The Nth Degree, Stardate: 44704.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“I think you should know that there is no physical training anywhere that matches Starfleet, especially its security people.” Yar- Code of Honor, Stardate: 41235.25 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him. I’ll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition’s flames before I give him up.” Khan- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Stardate: 8130.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“You either live life – bruises, skinned knees and all – or you turn your back on it and start dying.” Pike- The Cage, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Do you trust me?” Gillian “Implicitly.” Kirk “Good. Large mushroom, pepperoni with extra onions and a Michelob, please.” Gillian- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Stardate: 8390.0 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
One of my most favorite books is available in the November sale of Star Trek eBooks. I’ve always enjoyed re-reading How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford. Now that I have it in eBook format, I’m going to have to re-read it again. Why is it a favorite? Just how odd the book is. I really can’t describe it, I can only recommend reading it and finding out for yourself.
Also, the two books on The Eugenics Wars by Greg Cox should really be turned into a series on Paramount+. It would be a Star Trek show without having to pay for large amounts of SFX since they are set in the 1960s to the 1990s.
All of these eBooks are available for 99 cents each. Amazon is also doing a special where you earn points for each book you buy. This can lead to free books.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of November 14th through November 20th.
November 14 “It’s called gagh. It’s a Klingon delicacy, but only when they’re alive.” T’Pol “They look like worms.” Sato “They are worms.” T’Pol- Sleeping Dogs, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 15 “I’m immortal again! Omnipotent again!” Q “Swell.” Riker- Deja Q, Stardate: 43539.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 16 “Doctor, you are a sensualist.” Spock “You bet your pointed ears I am.” Dr. McCoy- Arena, Stardate: 3045.6 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 17 “I’ve been working with sample specimens from a species native to Iota Geminorium IV, tribleustes ventricosus. People call them “Tribbles” for short.” Edward Larkin- The Trouble with Edward, Stardate: 1421.9 #StarTrek #StarTrekShortTreks #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“I am happy to see Spot, and yet I am crying. Perhaps the chip is malfunctioning.” Data “I think it’s working perfectly.” Troi- Star Trek Generations, Stardate: 48650.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“It doesn’t matter what you’re made of. What matters is who you are.” Chakotay- Projections, Stardate: 48892.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“It is not a crime to believe in yourself.” Jadzia Dax- The Quickening, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 20 “I think we’re somewhat alike, captain. Each of us cares less about our own safety than for the lives of our command. We feel pain when others suffer for our mistakes.” Rojan- By Any Other Name, Stardate: 4657.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“But in this fight, we have lost our way. A new leader is needed to fulfill my lord’s vision. I am that leader.” L’Rell- Will You Take My Hand?, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 8 “Living is making choices.” Picard- A Matter of Time, Stardate: 45349.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Courage doesn’t mean that you don’t have fear. It means that you’ve learned to overcome it.” Paris- Faces, Stardate: 48784.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 10 “There is no such thing as the unknown. Only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.” Kirk- The Corbomite Maneuver, Stardate: 1512.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 11 “I’ve been told that people are calling us heroes. When it comes to my crew, you won’t get any argument from me.” Archer- Home, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“What about Rule of Acquisition 203? New customers are like razor-toothed gree worms. They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back.” Rom- Little Green Men, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of October 31st through November 6th.
October 31 “Captain, I’m reading bio-signs on the planet. To quote Dr. Frankenstein, ‘It’s alive.'” T’Pol- Horizon, Date: January 10, 2153 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 1 “I made an error in my computations.” Spock “Oh? This could be an historic occasion.” Dr. McCoy- Tomorrow is Yesterday, Stardate: 3113.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 2 “Perhaps if you indulged in a brief rest period you would be able to approach this problem with a fresh point of view.” Data- Identity Crisis, Stardate: 44664.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 3 “I will never cease to be amazed by the human capacity for hyperbole.” Tuvok- Parallax, Stardate: 48439.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 4 “We cannot allow any race as greedy and corruptible as yours to have free run of the galaxy.” Norman- I Mudd, Stardate: 4513.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“The riskier the road, the greater the profit.” (62nd Rule of Acquisition) Quark- Little Green Men, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
November 6 “Life is like loading twice your cargo weight on to your spacecraft. If it’s canaries and you can keep half of them flying all the time, you’re all right.” Okona- The Outrageous Okona, Stardate: 42402.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Ru’afo, we’re getting too old for this.” Picard “After today, that won’t be a problem… for either of us.” Ru’afo- Star Trek: Insurrection, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
October 25 “Diplomats! The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank!” Scotty- A Taste of Armageddon, Stardate: 3192.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“That feeling you get from healing someone – infectious, isn’t it?” The Doctor- Critical Care, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“Have you ever flown a ship before?!” Jankom “No! Does it show?” Zero- Lost and Found, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekProdigy #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
October 29 “Something about us compels us to learn, explore.” Riker- Hide and Q, Stardate: 41590.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
“How did you get in here?” Odo “I am Koloth.” Koloth “That doesn’t answer my question.” Odo “Yes, it does.” Koloth- Blood Oath, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet
