Category: Star Trek

Character Creation Challenge, Conventions, Role Playing Games, Star Trek, Star Wars

RPGaDAY2025 Day 29: Connect

Written by TardisCaptain August 29, 2025August 27, 2025

It’s time to link up for Day 29 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge and our topic is ‘connect’. Roleplaying games are social events. Sure, there are solo games, and video games. But when it comes down to it, sitting around a table and seeing the faces of the other players, hearing the inflection in their voices, making memories, it’s infectious. It is one of the main reasons we play our different games. We get to geek out with someone that has a common bond. We get to yell at little pieces of plastic when they don’t roll the right number. We get to wear robes and chant from ancient texts… wait, did I give away too much? (No, that doesn’t happen. Bad Carl for making a joke again.)

So, how do you connect with other gamers. Well in this day and age, it’s a lot easier than it was previously. Here are a few suggestions to connect with fellow dice throwers.

Go to your local game store. Most game stores worth their salt will have events where you can meet up. The more people play the game, the more games that they can sell. Sure, a lot of their gaming events are of the collectible card variety. But most will allow you to schedule an RPG session or two there. Meeting in a public place may get you some additional players for your campaigns as people may be more comfortable than going to someone’s home that they don’t know. I’ve also noticed a trend that more smaller game stores are setting up discord servers as a way to connect members of the gaming community together. Some may have Facebook pages, but there’s been a bit of a push back on using that social media platform with the weird algorithms that they keep pushing.

If there is a gaming convention near you, check it out. My time at SaltCON has lead to exchanging information with a lot of local gamers. It also included a one-shot invitation to a D6 Star Wars RPG by WEG and writers sending me their games to get my feedback. And, as I’ve recently said, I really needed the community at SaltCON during this troubling year.

I mentioned discord earlier. There are a lot of discord servers that are put out for the gaming community. I even have one for my blog that is gaining some traction (thanks guys). Several publishers have their own discord servers. I’ve received some feedback from publishers to my reviews and Character Creation Challenge entries via discord. I know that Basic Fantasy still uses a message board. Two good message boards with lots of activity is the one on RPG.net and RPGPub. And yes, even with the pitfalls that Facebook has, there are a lot of gaming sites on it. I’m on some of the MeWe gaming groups, but that hasn’t caught as much attention. And I’ve been very impressed with the gaming community on BlueSky. All of these have options to find players in your area. When I posted on the Modiphius discord server that I was running a Star Trek Adventures 2e one-shot, a gentleman from two counties distant drove up to play. If I had access to these resources in the 90’s (the closest we came were local BBSes) I would have loved it.

And probably the best way to get someone to game with you is talk with your friends. Pick an RPG system that you can explain the rules in under two minutes and show your excitement for the game. If the rules are too complex to explain, they might not jump on board as fast. But try to emphasize the fun that can be had around the table.

Are there other methods that you’d recommend for connecting with fellow RPG gamers? Tell me about it. 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.

Conventions, Role Playing Games, Science Fiction, Star Trek

Prepping for SaltCON End-of-Summer 2025

Written by TardisCaptain August 28, 2025August 28, 2025

I might need to use this book this weekend.

The end of August is almost upon us and that means that SaltCON End-of-Summer is just around the corner running during from August 29-31st at the Davis Conference Center in Layton. There are still tickets available if you want to stop check it out. Use the code SUMMEREND for a discount price (not valid after August 28th)

I volunteered to run three different games this year. I’m also signed up to play in three games that I’ve never played before and I’ll be re-visiting a game that I’d love to play in a campaign. I will also be packing my Convention Backpack that I have documented about in a previous blog post.

Games that I’ve volunteered for include Basic Fantasy 4th Edition (The Guildmaster’s Quest) and Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition (a new Klingon scenario, which was wildly popular last time I ran one of this style). The new game that I’m going to be running at this con is the new Space: 1999 roleplaying game by Modiphius. The amazing thing that shocked me is, the Space: 1999 session is already sold out and it’s my Sunday game. Usually that is the one that doesn’t sell out. At the time I was typing this blog post up, my other two games only had two seats left each.

For the games that I’ve signed up for, my only repeat system is Dungeon Crawl Classics that I will be playing on Friday. I like that this is a D20 clone (with some twists) and has a zero-level funnel. This DCC one-shot will be level three characters.

Of the three other games that I’ve signed up for, they are all new to me. I made sure to give myself breaks between games so that I can get a lunch (I did that wrong one year, wow won’t make that mistake again). The first of the new games is MechWarrior: Destiny. This is in the BattleTech universe. While I was aware of it in the 90’s because it was also published by FASA, I steered clear of it as I could have seen myself making a collection of different Mech stats in a three-ringed binder like I did with the FASA Star Trek starships.

If you’ve been watching a lot of the RPG video podcasts you’ve probably been hearing about a new game called Daggerheart from Critical Role Productions. Well I signed up for a demo to check this out and see what the hype is about.

And finally I backed the Kickstarter for the Monty Python Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme. Well now I’m going to have a chance to play it at the table. When I wrote my review linked above, I on-purpose did not read any of the scenarios within the book just in case one of them was used at the con. I can’t wait to see this game in action and to use the special coconut dice-rollers that came with my reward.

I’m looking forward to geeking out and forgetting about how bad this year has been so far. If you are going, feel free to come up and say Hi. Seeing friends is exactly what I need right now. And a way to help myself is to help others. So let me know if you need a hug as well.

What should I be on the look out for? Any recommendations for the games I’m going to be playing? 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.

Dungeons and Dragons, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

RPGaDAY2025 Day 28: Suspense

Written by TardisCaptain August 28, 2025August 27, 2025

So, what do we have here for Day 28 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge? A topic of ‘suspense’. According to Dictionary.com the definition of suspense is “a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety. It can also be a state of mental indecision or the state of being suspended.

I’d like to invite you to my future blog post about suspense that will be published later.

…

No, I guess that joke won’t fly as well will it. I seriously considered making that the blog post.

Trying to come up with the text for this post that doesn’t automatically reach for the “how do you have suspense in your game” was something I struggled with. I’m not big on the suspense expected in horror games. How can you experience the emotion of horror when you are comfortably sitting around the gaming table with your friends in a safe and relaxing location?

Perhaps I should run with the last part of the definition that is posted above. The state of being suspended. In my post about ‘tactics’ I mentioned how a poorly executed plot conclusion from a GM ended the FASA Star Trek game that I was in. That was a bad way to suspend a campaign. Occasionally, there is a human-interest story that talks about a D&D campaign that has lasted for 20 or 30 years. I think the reason these are interesting is due to our real-world experiences with RPG campaigns. The Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign that lasted a few years was highly enjoyable. I was able to get a character from the lower levels to a higher one through the experience point process. It was kewl to see the character getting increasingly powerful. But suddenly the DM stated that the campaign was ending soon (this was 2019) and that we would pick it up again later after we had taken a break. We were looking forward to getting back together again and added it to the curses we give the year 2020.

Should a GM plan for an end to the campaign? If yes, should the GM announce it at the beginning of the game that there would be an endpoint to reach? How is the best way to do this?

I think it depends upon the game that is being played. Dungeons and Dragons, or most fantasy systems, could go on for quite some time (as demonstrated in the articles mentioned above). But once the characters have made a certain level, perhaps it’s time to retire them. Make them NPCs that the new characters hear about, work for, use as patrons, fight against, etc. This could make the game world continue to grow and expand.

Sticking with D&D, there are some published modules that are a campaign unto itself. B# The Lost City is one that I’d love to run. Basic Fantasy released a campaign called “Morgansfort: The Western Lands Campaign”. At a past SaltCON I picked up two boxed sets by Goodman Games called “The Heroes Arise” and “Saga of the Dragon Cult” which contained several individual modules that took the characters from first level to tenth by the end of the campaign.

Another game that has a different thought process is Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition. This is an episode simulator, not a tactical simulator like D&D. The adventure is broken down into 3-4 scenes just like an episode is. Because it is episodic, the GM could plan a season of 10+ episodes with a possible season ending story arc. Then, just like in the TV series, there could be a ‘summer break’ with some changes made to the ‘show’ when it returns for another season. I recall in one fan-made Star Trek RPG called Where No One Has Gone Before, they had a ratings system for the ‘episodes’ and if they were not high enough, there were charts with changes from the studio owners to try to boost the ratings. It looked silly, but I don’t know if I’d ever try to implement it at the table. I wonder if the ratings were low enough, then the series could be canceled? And if so, perhaps there could be a game where a letter-writing campaign by fans could bring the ‘show’ back?

Have you experienced a good or bad suspension to a campaign? Have you planned for a campaign suspension? Tell me about it. 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.

Role Playing Games, Star Trek, Video Game

RPGaDAY2025 Day 27: Tactic

Written by TardisCaptain August 27, 2025August 27, 2025

We have maneuvered ourselves to Day 27 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge and closer to the end of the month. Today’s topic is ‘tactic’ and it’s one that connects with multiple forms of gaming.

In my blog post about the topic Recent, and in other RPG review posts as well, I talked about how my tactical mind engaged while playing. This is usually a sign for me that I’m enjoying the game. Checkers, chess, a collectable card game, other board games, the brightness of a video game and especially roleplaying systems. There’s a point in the game where my mind clicks and suddenly, I’m wondering how I’m going to use or get around the system. I also know that it must be a good system if I’m thinking about how to use/get around it while away from the game.

I recall playing the Warcraft: Orcs & Humans video game in the late 90’s. I quickly observed that the computerized opponent would quickly send available troops that were just generated to attack me. The better tactic would have been to build up the number of troops instead of sending them out one at a time. One of the units in this video game was called the Conjurer who could summon disposable troops like scorpions and water elementals that I could control. So, I’d find a choke point on the map, set a bunch of knights and archers there to kill the lone unit that was sent to attack me. Behind the knights and archers were several conjurers who would all summon the disposable units at the same time which would then be sent in a wave to scout out and attack the enemy encampment. It took a while, but the constant grind would allow me to safely keep the bulk of my troops and resources safe while the enemy was weakened to the point where they could not resist a complete all-out assault from my units.

I’ve previously blogged about a FASA Star Trek RPG session in the 90’s where the GM had painted himself into a corner (we didn’t know that at the time) and, unbeknownst to him, all of the players were calling each other on a daily basis on how we were going to get out of the dire situation. When we saw the lame way the GM ended the scenario, it wasn’t good for him. We (half-jokingly) threatened to hang him, and it was the final game with him. Which was too bad as I enjoyed the FASA Star Trek RPG.

Each game has its own system. Figuring out the system is part of the appeal to me. Sometimes I figure it out and I realize that I can enjoy it more, such as Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition. Sometimes I realize that the system is bunk or too easily manipulated (such as the Warcraft example I posted above). While I still enjoyed the Warcraft game, I realized that the re-playability factor wasn’t there. I think this is why I’m not keen on some board games. I’m wondering how limited they might be as compared to the wide-open options of a roleplaying game.

Oh, and we also used tactics in real life. Protecting ourselves online by not clicking on strange links that were suddenly sent to us in instant messages, not posting things on social media that might announce that we are out-of-town for a while until after we’ve returned. Not leaving valuables in the car where people can see them is another example of the tactics used in OpSec (operational security).

Have you noticed patterns in different game systems that has allowed you to generate tactics? Do you use OpSec online or in real life? Tell me about it. 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.

Role Playing Games, Star Trek

RPGaDAY2025 Day 26: Nemesis

Written by TardisCaptain August 26, 2025August 25, 2025

Day 26 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge and we have another repeat prompt with ‘nemesis’. This was used back in the 2021 challenge and I homebrewed a piece of equipment for Star Trek Adventures that appeared in the movie, Star Trek Nemesis.

I would have loved to come up with something again like this, unfortunately I’m getting ready for the upcoming SaltCON End-of-Summer. One game I’m running is already sold out (the game on Sunday), with the other two filling up fast.

So I remembered one of the past fan-made homebrewed supplements for the Star Trek Roleplaying Game by Decipher (aka CODA Star Trek RPG). Patrick Goodman had a very good site called Beyond the Final Frontier that collected some of the fan-made homebrews. This included some from my friend Roger Taylor. Since fans were looking for anything to fill in the gaps, they made their own. This included a supplement for the Enterprise TV series and the Insurrection and Nemesis movies.

The cover to the fan-made Nemesis supplement

This fourteen page PDF was written by Sonny Smith (aka TheAndorian or Cypher West). It included stats for Remans, the Norexan Class Battlecruiser (the Valdor seen in the movie), the Scorpion Class Fighter, and stats for Shinzon, Commander Donatra and The Viceroy.

I thought it was a good start to a homebrewed supplement and I was hoping that it would get expanded to show the Kolarans, the Argo, the Scimitar, B-5 type Androids and more. It was one of those projects that gave me hope that I could make my own Star Trek RPG fan-made supplements. Again, feeding off of the energy of other ideas and efforts.

I will get there. I will have my own homebrewed Star Trek supplement. I will get past this nemesis of not getting things done.

Was there a fan-made RPG supplement that inspired you? Tell me about it. 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.

Anime, Character Creation Challenge, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

RPGaDAY2025 Day 25: Challenge

Written by TardisCaptain August 25, 2025August 24, 2025 1 Comment

For Day 25 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge how can I not talk about the topic of ‘challenge’ to hype up the movement that I’m proud of. The Character Creation Challenge.

I’ve blogged about this before in a previous RPGaDAY post. And earlier this year I almost didn’t make it through the 31 days because of a lot of real-world issues that popped up. It almost broke me. But even in darkest times I felt the love and support from both gamers and Trekkies. The hugs that I got at SaltCON. Friends supporting me at the club meetings. Those on the message board communities that cheered me over the line. Friends that donated to the financial shortfall I suddenly found myself in. Anything that was small, still helped out in a big way.

I’m energized for the next challenge in 2026. I’ve got plans in place to make sure that it won’t be so rough next year. I’ve got new games that I’ve picked up (some have been donated by the authors). I will get though this because we will get through this. Things may suck right now, but they can’t suck forever. Cyndi Lauper at her farewell tour had everyone take out their phones and turn on the flashlights in the amphitheater. She then said, “Look around at all of the people here giving a little bit of themselves and how it has made this place brighter. This is a community of light.” Everyone of you, just shining the light that you have, have made things brighter. The comments, the feedback, the laughter around the gaming table. We can overcome any challenge, gaming or real-life.

And if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to do a partial lyric dump from a recent anime movie that I watched with my geek family.

We’re shattering the silence, we’re rising, defiant
Shouting in the quiet, “You’re not alone”
We listened to the demons, we let them get between us
But none of us are out here on our own
So we were cowards, so we were liars
So we’re not heroes, we’re still survivors
The dreamers, the fighters, no lying, I’m tired
But dive in the fire, and I’ll be right here by your side

Feedback from LexTenebris on Mastodon regarding my blog post on Recent. I think the better Western example of isekai in our literature is actually A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The protagonist is pulled out of his life and dropped into a fantastic one. His personal knowledge makes a difference to the situation and changes the world elementally. Ultimately, he is returned to our world. John Carter of Mars is another fantastic isekai series before there was isekai. If your GM wasn’t making who you were important to who you are, they really weren’t running an isekai story. They were running a fantasy story with the trappings of the setup of an isekai story. That’s certainly valid, but it’s not nearly as interesting. If you’re looking for a very modern example of isekai in Western literature, check out Forgotten Ruin from Nick Cole. Great novel series, very pulp, much fun. (My note, I did pick up this last book on Kindle to read after reading this response)

Have you recently overcome a challenge? Have you participated in an online RPG challenge? Tell me about it. 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.

Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: August 25-31

Written by TardisCaptain August 25, 2025August 24, 2025

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account and the @STrekQuotes Bluesky account for the week of August 25th through August 31st. Note: Because Twitter/X will use posts to train AI, we will no longer be posting on that platform. This is out of respect for the owners of Star Trek.

August 25
“I’m not a supreme being. I’m flesh and blood, like you.” Picard- Who Watches the Watchers, Stardate: 43173.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

August 26
Happy Birthday to Chris Pine. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Chris_Pine #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“Made your choice, lassie?” Scott “I have the beat and shouting.” Jaylah “Let’s make some noise.” (Sabotage by Beastie Boys starts) “That’s a good choice.” Kirk- Star Trek Beyond, Stardate: 2263.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

August 27
“You’ve always been curious about other societies, and that is why I allowed you to read about them. Because I believe that ignorance is our greatest enemy.” Kolopak- Tattoo, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

August 28
“The wind does not respect a fool.” Kahless- Rightful Heir, Stardate: 46852.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

August 29
“Your life’s going to be different now. Your future is full of possibilities. You know, you’re going to be doing things that you haven’t even dreamed of. There’s really no reason to be afraid.” Dr. Bashir- Chrysalis, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

August 30
“Laddie… don’t you think you should… rephrase that?” Scotty “You’re right. I should. I didn’t mean to say that the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that it should be hauled away as garbage.” Korax- The Trouble with Tribbles, Stardate: 4523.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #Quote

August 31
“This is the stone of J’Kah, which represents the foundation of all we believe. A life of order and control through logic.” Vulcan Elder- The Andorian Incident, Date: June 19, 2151 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #Quote

What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Role Playing Games, Star Trek

RPGaDAY2025 Day 20: Enter

Written by TardisCaptain August 20, 2025August 20, 2025 2 Comments

On Day 20 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge our topic is “enter”. What do you usually do when you are entering a location? Well, most of the time you are entering through a door. This is the angle I wanted to blog from because getting past a door has been one of the examples that I’ve used to explain a roleplaying game system to new players. Especially for a simple one-shot game like those played at SaltCON or at my local gaming store.

One of the games that I’ve GMed quite a few times for these one-shots is Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition. When explaining the rules, the first thing that I say is that this game is an episode simulator, not a tactical simulator. Then the second thing explain is how the 2d20 system works. After talking about the attributes and the departments developing your target number based on your action, I bring up the challenge. The characters trying to get past the door that is between them and their objective. Perhaps they are being pursued by an enemy, or someone on the other side of the door is critically injured, etc. In STA2e, your character sheet doesn’t define what steps you can or can’t take, the player does. You see the door in front of you, it has these traits (reinforced, computerized, looks frail, strong lock, etc.) what do you do? One character may try to break down the door. In that case as the GM, I’d tell them what attribute and department to use for your target number and how many successes that need to be rolled. If the door was reinforced, the target number would be higher, if it was already damaged, it could be lower. Another character may try to pick the lock, check out the computer controls for the door (if present), try to communicate through the door to guide someone through the process of unlocking the door, etc. Again, I like the ability for the player to decide instead of the character sheet. At the last SaltCON a father and son team heard this explanation, was quickly able to get into their first STA2e game and enjoyed themselves. Even the son was asking if they could pick up the core rulebook after the one-shot. I was quite proud when I heard that.

Are there other games that have similar concepts of allowing the players to get past the door in any method of their choosing? While I’m certain that most experienced players can come up with ideas of their own, I’m looking for systems that actively encourage this thinking. While I haven’t played it yet, I’m eager to try the Siege system used for Castles and Crusades. It’s a D20 system, but the character has two (or three) primary ability scores that when used in a skill test, has a lower base target number to reach. A character can try to use a skill that would fit a non-primary ability, but the base target number would be higher. Then that target number is adjusted based upon the traits of the scene (like a door being reinforced instead of barely holding on its hinges).

I know I’ve seen other games like this, but in the short amount of time that I have to write this blog post, I can’t do a deep dive into them all. But like that father and son team, I hope that it gives players a chance to enter into a system that they really like.

Feedback from LelxTenebris on Mastodon: @TardisCaptain Did you know that Gallant Knight Games is putting together a new edition of the D6 System? The Kickstarter definitely funded, and if you take a look at it, there is guaranteed to be a module which is essentially Star Wars with the serial numbers filed off. My suspicion is that this is going to probably be the best choice for classic WEG-style Star Wars play, if that’s the kind of mechanics that you want to go for. I was not down for the Fantasy Flight version, specifically for the custom dice, which I thought was way too fiddly and ignores the fact that pretty much everyone already has some dice. At this point, if I wanted to play a Star Wars game, I would probably either break out Scum and Villainy if I was interested in playing/GMing for a group, or just Starforged and go with the narrative framework.

Are there other RPG systems that you could explain using the door example? Do you like the idea of the players trying to enter past a door as a way to explain the system to them? Tell me about it. 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.

Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: August 18-24

Written by TardisCaptain August 18, 2025August 17, 2025

I keep saying this about certain people.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account and the @STrekQuotes Bluesky account for the week of August 18th through August 24th. Note: Because Twitter/X will use posts to train AI, we will no longer be posting on that platform. This is out of respect for the owners of Star Trek.

August 18
“I think children have an instinctive need for adults; they want to be told right and wrong.” Kirk- Miri, Stardate: 2713.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #Quote

August 19
Happy Birthday to Diana Muldaur. http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Diana_Muldaur #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

“A man is ill, captain. Treating him is my priority one, regardless of who he is.” Dr. Pulaski- The Schizoid Man, Stardate: 42437.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

Happy Birthday to Jonathan Frakes. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Jonathan_Frakes #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekFilm #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekVOY #StarTrekENT #StarTrekPicard #StarTrekLowerDecks #IDIC #Quote

“We’ve been here before, and I’m reluctant to ask you all to face this threat again.” Picard “We are the crew of the USS Enterprise. But more than that, we’re your family.” Riker-Vox, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekPicard #IDIC #Quote

August 20
Happy Birthday to John Noble. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/John_Noble #StarTrek #StarTrekProdigy #IDIC #Quote

“I have met the off-worlders. They’re not the enemy. Look around at what she’s done to our once peaceful planet the fear in our streets. Rise up. Let our voices be heard. There is no barrier we cannot overcome, for we are Vau N’Akat.” Ilthuran- Touch of Grey, Stardate: 62091.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekProdigy #IDIC #Quote

August 21
“I believe this analogy refers to the worst quality of capitalists. The Ferengi are believed to conduct their affairs of commerce on the ancient principle caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware.” Data- The Last Outpost, Stardate: 41386.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

August 22
“I know this isn’t what you had in mind, but Bajor and Cardassia must learn to work together and that means cooperating on missions like these.” Sisko- Indiscretion, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

August 23
“I can’t try to save Humanity without holding on to what makes me Human.” Archer- Impulse, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #Quote

August 24
Happy Birthday to Jennifer Lien. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Jennifer_Lien #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

“It wasn’t programmed to be a tenor, it was programmed to be a physician!” Zimmerman “What’s wrong with wanting to be more than that?” Kes- The Swarm, Stardate: 50252.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

Quotes, Role Playing Games, Star Trek, Uncategorized

RPGaDAY2025 Day 15: Deceive

Written by TardisCaptain August 15, 2025August 15, 2025

Day 15 and about half way through the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge. Today our topic is ‘Deceive’ and it’s another one that’s just a little too vague. I was even talking with the geek wife about this as we were driving home from a date hoping to get an inspiration for an idea. I’m going to twist this one on it’s Vulcan pointed ear for this post.

Sometimes the best play comes at our RPG table when the characters have to stay within certain boundaries of the character. One that was self-imposed or set within the game itself. The characters can and will find ways around the boundary while not crossing it directly. A common trope on this is the Star Trek race Vulcans and their reputation for not lying. For example, check out this page from the Star Trek novel, Collision Course.

There are numerous examples in the show where a Vulcan had to deceive another in order to accomplish a goal. Consider the following quotes.

“It is not a lie to keep the truth to oneself.” Spock- The Enterprise Incident, Stardate: 5027.3

“Names, Lieutenant.” Kirk “I do not remember.” Valeris “A lie?” Spock “A choice.” Valeris- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Stardate: 9521.6

As you can see, there were ways to work around this in different situations. Don’t be afraid to place these boundaries on your players. They will look at them as a challenge to get around.

Additional Feedback: I received the following from LexTenebris on Mastodon in response to my Darkness post.

@TardisCaptain There are two things that are important to know about ShadowDark. Firstly, it is a very old-school design with high lethality, but a surprisingly light mechanical touch. Secondly, the real-time torch mechanic is something they tout very aggressively. Now, as I remember, the default time span before the torch burns out is 30 minutes of real time. He may have been going easy on you as newbies. Personally, I don’t particularly care for the real-time connection because it feels not just gimmicky, but like it gets in the way of doing things in the game that would make sense but don’t really connect up with time as it passes. You absolutely have to be hardcore about demanding time be one-to-one between the dungeon and the players for this to hold together. It’s just too fiddly, in my opinion. A better implementation of pressure from oncoming darkness is found in the Ironsworn supplement, Darkest Delves (https://jaderavens.itch.io/darkest-delves). It uses the already extant weak hit and miss mechanics in Ironsworn to essentially be one of the things that causes the torch counter to tick down. You have a lot more connection with what’s going on in the game space that way.

What do you think? Have you experienced a challenge such as not being able to lie and deceive? Tell me about it. 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.