Callum: Plastic sets are fantastic; you can find lots of cool models and optional poses on a single sprue, and they’re very beginner friendly - but there are still tips and tricks to getting the most out of your miniatures if you’re looking to dive head first into Nuka World and Fallout: Factions.
Steve: I’ve put together just one plastic mini in my life. When I was a kid everything was lead (yes, I’m old), and since starting the Painting Hangouts with Callum, everything has been resin.
The plastic mini I made was a T-45 and I had no idea what I was doing. Clipping was done using nail scissors and fully 50% of the assembly time was spent unsticking components from my fingers or the table. I have a lot to learn here, clearly.
Steve: Knowing how badly I was improvising for my T-45, Callum wisely insisted I get a pair of clippers. I chose a pair from Army Painter, but they are pretty standard across the board. I’ll never go back to nail clippers again.
Callum: The first trick to clipping models from the sprue seems counterintuitive, but hear me out. Don’t clip up to the very edge of the model for your first cut. The harder you have to squeeze the clippers to cut through the plastic, the more likely it is that the stress applied won’t cut directly along the clippers edge, and might take a divot out of that beautifully sculpted plastic instead. Clipping further out, then making smaller adjustments closer to the model means less force is being exerted on the plastic, and therefore will provide cleaner, sharper cuts along the clipper edge.
Once you’ve gotten most of the point of contact removed, I’d recommend switching to a sharp hobby knife or miniature file. These tools allow for greater accuracy. Just be careful with any sharp edges!
Steve: Because I wasn’t following Callum’s advice I managed to bend a few bits of plastic when I clipped them from the sprue. Especially susceptible were long, thin parts, like the barrels of rifles. When I started approaching it more tactically, cutting the sprue loosely around the piece I needed, before removing these smaller pieces, things were definitely easier.
Callum: That bending is also a result of too much stress being applied across the sprue. Who knew plastic was so particular! As mentioned before, try to clip thinner parts out first, that way the stress is distributed to thicker points of contact on the sprue.
Callum: Once you’ve gotten all the components clipped out and cleaned up, test how well each part fits together. This is known as ‘dry-fitting’, and is really important. You don’t want to find out mid-gluing that two pieces don’t quite fit together!
As for the type of glue, you can use either Plastic Cement or Superglue. Both come with pros and cons. I tend to use Plastic Cement; it works by melting the pieces to each other rather than sticking them, and has a little more wriggle room in the drying time - meaning you can spend more time getting the pose just right. Recently I’ve been using Tamiya Ultra Thin Cement, which is great, but also incredibly runny. If you’re using it yourself, be careful that it doesn’t overspill and run into the recesses, as it did to me on stream!
That’s not to say Superglue is perfect. As Steve found out, Superglue tends to adhere pretty instantaneously…
Steve: I have a bad track record with sticking my mistakes in place (or to my finger). As a result, this is the part I was most nervous about.
Instead of applying the Super Glue directly to the components, I started transferring a small amount to a cocktail stick first. This definitely reduced how often I over-applied the glue, and was far more controllable too.
Seeing as this wasn’t as challenging as I worried it would be, I instantly started going off script and thought I could get away with not following the assembly guide. Hmm. . .
Mixing and matching combinations that weren’t quite designed to go together definitely let me create some fun poses. However, it also resulted in gaps around shoulders and waists. I forgot to file back and alter the connective surfaces to make my new combinations fit together perfectly. Lesson learned for next time.
Callum: One of my favourite parts about these new plastic sets are what we refer to as ‘base toppers’. They’re small bits of sculpted, narrative detail that you can add to any of the bases in the set, or indeed any plastic base! Conceptually, they help to bridge the gap between the fully sculpted resin bases and the new plastic bases included in the Nuka World gangs. However, before you decide to stick any base toppers down, you need to check where the feet of the model will sit on the base.
Once your model is fully assembled, place it (without glue) on the base, and test to see where you’d like them to be positioned. Usually, looking from above, the head wants to sit almost centrally. Obviously it’s up to you exactly where the model stands! Once I’m happy with the position, I mark out the ‘footprint’ with paint, then remove the model. This is because I like to paint my models and bases separately. Leaving the footprint means that we know where to leave blank, so that the model attaches firmly at the end!
Steve: While Callum got on with his basing, I got carried away assembling more and more members of The Pack instead.
However, after the stream, I went back and had a go at basing another model (one of The Disciples) using the footprint method he described. I was worried it’d require advanced, Tetris levels of object orientation to get the planning right, but fortunately it was nowhere near that hard. Not only that, but planning out the layout of the base elements - including base toppers from the sprue, the footprints, and other recycled bits and bobs - was really easy and fun.
Especially pleased with how I added a small pile of tiny sprue offcuts to the base before covering it in scatter material, creating a small mound.
Callum: I think that covers all the bases, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Steve: . . .
Callum: Plastic miniatures are a great entry point to your hobby journey, and equipped with the above tips, you’ll be building hordes of models in no time.
Steve: Given how much better this went overall than my first T-45, this was a success! I no longer fear the sprue. In fact, this spurred me to bite the bullet and assemble an entire force of Disciples for use in Fallout Factions.
I clearly benefit from a bit of planning before diving in and clipping things off the sprue. Plus, a little Green Stuff in my kit wouldn’t go amiss either.
Callum: The biggest key is planning and double checking before gluing; as Grandpa France often says, ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ Wise man.
- - - - - - -
Callum and Steve run the Painting Hangout on Modiphius’s official Twitch Channel (www.twitch.tv/modiphius) on the first Friday of every month. If you have any suggestions for things they should cover, come and join the discussion on the Modiphius Discord channel (www.discord.gg/modiphius)
]]>By Al Spader, Star Trek Adventures Contributing Writer
Art by Carlos Cabrera
For nearly a century after the Klingon Augment virus was introduced to the Klingon Empire, the Empire toiled over the virus’s impact on the culture’s honor. Driving feuds between Houses, the use of the Augment virus had the potential to start a full-blown civil war among the Empire. Fortunately for the Klingon Houses, a distraction arose that forced them to work together to defend their borders: the Romulan War.
During the Romulan War, the Klingons became somewhat xenophobic and viciously protective of their territory. Aside from a few skirmishes on their borders, the Klingons used the opportunity caused by the Romulan War to look inward, allowing the major Houses to grow by conquering more worlds within their region of space. The Klingon Great Houses were so focused on their competition to gain the most power that they largely ignored any species outside of their borders. This all changed when a Klingon named T’Kuvma tried to unite the Houses under a common cause.
T’Kuvma was considered by many to be a zealot who followed the teachings of Kahless the Unforgettable. T’Kuvma believed that during their time of posturing and one-upmanship, the Great Houses had forgotten the path Kahless forged for the Empire. Because of this, T’Kuvma thought the Klingon Empire was acting with dishonor by squabbling amongst itself instead of stopping the rapid expansion of the United Federation of Planets.
With a common enemy, T’Kuvma believed that he could bring the Great Houses together in the name of Kahless and restore honor to the Empire. T’Kuvma devised a plan to instigate a conflict with the Federation which began with disabling an interstellar relay at the edge of Federation space. With his great Sarcophagus cloaked, T’Kuvma and his crew of religious believers of Kahless waited for the first vessel the Federation sent to investigate.
The U.S.S. Shenzhou was the ship closest to the relay and was the first to respond to the situation. Commander Michael Burnham took a spacewalk to investigate what was happening and was greeted by one of T’Kuvma’s followers. This confrontation ended with the Klingon warrior dead and gave T’Kuvma an excuse to light the Beacon of Kahless, an ancient artifact that sent a unique subspace signal to each of the Klingon Great Houses. Ships and warriors from all 24 Great Houses soon arrived to support the cause. The resulting conflict became known as the Battle at the Binary Stars, the opening salvo of the Federation-Klingon War.
While The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign is told primarily from the perspective of Starfleet, how to adapt the story and the tactical overlay to a Klingon perspective is presented in the book as well. This way, players can use The Klingon Empire core rulebook to create a crew and House to tell the story of the Klingon side of the war and bring glory to the Empire by vanquishing those who claim, “We come in peace.”
Order your copy of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign now in either print or PDF and start creating your own Star Trek wartime stories!
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!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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It’s James again, back with more Fallout: Factions insights! By now, you should know the drill - but in case you don’t, you can check all of the previous Factions blogs at the hub page. This particular blog will definitely make more sense if you’ve read them first!
Okay, today I want to talk about a few things that you probably won’t use in your first game. The rulebook starts by introducing the basic rules for the game, and recommending that you play a game with them before you introduce the advanced rules. All the same, I wanted to talk about them here, so you know what you’ve got to look forward to.
Remember, kids: if you find a suspicious-looking pharmaceutical product in a moldering desk drawer, leave it well alone! Unless, that is, you’re a Raider… in which you’re not gonna listen to me anyway.
Before you set up for a game of Factions, both players have the opportunity to spend some of their hard-won caps on a supply of Chems for the battle ahead. The game features seven common chems, each with its own caps cost, and you can purchase up to three doses of each. (There are also a few rare chems, but they can be a surprise for later!)
Chems are recorded on your crew roster, and vitally, you don’t need to worry about who’s carrying them. During the game’s development, we decided that we wanted as little tracking as possible in this game, so we’ve gone with the Law of Quantum Narrative Convenience [1] which states: it doesn’t matter who’s carrying a Chem until it needs to be used by someone, at which point the Chem was clearly being carried by the person who now needs to use it.
When you want to give one of your models a little boost - a bit more Endurance when they get attacked, a couple more Bonus Dice on a test, a cheeky bit of Fatigue recovery - you can use one of the Chems you purchased, updating your roster to show that it’s been used up.
In addition, Chems act as a handicap system. When a crew comes up against a more powerful opponent, they get some bonus caps to spend on Chems before the game, to level the playing field and ensure a fun, more-or-less fair game.
At the start of each game, you get a single Ploy token. [2] This is a vital resource, capable of turning the tide of a game if it’s used well… and equally capable of being utterly squandered.
Just like Chems, a Ploy token can be spent once per game to trigger a Ploy. Unlike Chems, you don’t have to choose which Ploy you’ll use in advance. There are three Ploys that are available to all crews:
Also, each Faction has its own set of Ploys, which crews from that Faction can choose from. One of the Disciples ploys, for example, is Thrill Kill!, which you can trigger when an enemy model is Incapacitated to let all of your models within 3” recover one Fatigue. Some Scenarios also offer unique Ploys to one or both players, giving them characterful options that are narratively appropriate to the conflict that’s taking place.
As I mentioned in the previous blog, you can spend your Story Actions to gain Scouting Points in a given Location.
Later on, if your crew is playing a game in that Location, you can spend Scouting Points in a few different ways:
Chems, Ploys and Scouting Points all increase your options, and give you a wealth of interesting decisions to make both before and during a game. As with everything else in Factions, we deliberately kept the systems simple, but made sure they gave players a lot to think about.
There’s just one more gameplay overview blog to go - so make sure you come back and join me for a chat about how Scenarios work! If you haven’t already, head to the hub and sign up for the newsletter, so you can be among the first to read it…
By John Houlihan
Art by Christian Quinot
Achtung! Cthulhu is the game which launched Modiphius as a company and with a brand new (and if we say so ourselves) rather awesome Starter Set already available to pre-order, we thought it’s time to revisit TTRPG for new players who’ve yet to feast on its unholy delights.
Pre-oder this amazing starter set here!
If we had to sum it up Achtung! Cthulhu in a single sentence it would be: “A world of pulp adventure where you are actively encouraged to punch evil right in the tentacles!”
In this world of pulp two-fisted adventure you’ll discover the Secret War, a hidden globe-spanning battle between the forces of good and evil as conflict engulfs the globe between 1939-1945.
In this Secret War you’ll take on the roles Allied servicemen and women, secret agents, Resistance operatives or even civilians caught up in the wider conflict.
Sign up for Section M, Britain’s occult agency who marry indominable courage and bravery, with a talent for cunning and improvisation and a diverse set of operatives from across the entire Commonwealth.
Or perhaps you’ll join Majestic, America’s first line of eldritch defence? Well funded it fuses overwhelming firepower and ingenious technology with traditional American grit and determination to create a truly formidable fighting force.
Maybe you’ll enlist in one of the many brave resistance movements who work in secret to oppose tyranny and oppression wherever it may be found?
Opposing these brave heroes are two fearsome Axis villains: the Cult of the Black Sun who wield foul magic and summon captive horrors in their bid to free Yog-Sothoth from the Dreamlands and rain down madness on the face of the Earth. No less daunting are their sometime allies and often bitter rivals, Nachtwölfe, the Night Wolves, who place their trust in Atlantean technology, weird science, and strange wonder-weapons to further their own dark ends.
Experience a world where dread secrets and powerful artefacts lie forgotten in ancient ruins. Peer deep into dusty tomes seeking eldritch knowledge never meant to be seen by mortal eyes. Arm yourself with experimental technology and deadly weapons and learn to wield powerful magical spells to fight these uncanny threats!
Encounter exotic races such as the Deep Ones, undersea worshippers of the dreaming god Cthulhu, or the Mi-Go, strange fungoid-insectoid beings from the furthest corners of the solar system who have come to earth for an unfathomable purpose.
Towering over them all are the foul monsters, ineffable entities and eldritch gods of the Mythos themselves, who seek to take advantage of the chaos to extend their dominion over the minds of mankind.
Laugh in the face of reality-warping nightmares from beyond the stars! Grow in power, gain experience and develop new skills in a series of exciting globe-trotting adventures... until you’re ready to face down the mind-shattering Master of R’lyeh – dread Cthulhu himself!
Will your agents prevail against all odds, or will they fall to the malign might of the Mythos?
That is your story to tell…
You can discover this amazing world of pulp adventure with the Achtung! Cthulhu Starter Set which contains Basic Rules, an explosive three act campaign Among the Wolves, quick reference sheets, six pre-generated characters, six full colour maps, over 120 tokens, and an exclusive Elder Sign dice set!
Or check out the whole Achtung! Cthulhu collection in the UK and US for the full core books, dice, accessories, missions, campaigns and much more!
Head on over to the Achtung! Cthulhu site to learn more, or join a host of existing fans on our official Modiphius Discord Channel. There’s a friendly and welcoming fan group on Facebook and you can sign up for the newsletter to hear all the latest news and take advantage of some very special offers!
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Hey there! It’s been a while since I wrote one of these, but I’m glad that now I am - it’s about a really cool topic! For those who have been following along, you may have heard of this cool little game we’re working on, Fallout: Factions! Designed by the one and only James Hewitt!
Now, we’ve written extensively about what Factions is, and I don’t want to waste your time repeating the words of people far smarter than me - so I won’t! However, I do have something new to talk about, the ‘Get you by list!
Now, as asked by my imaginary reader in the title - “What’s that?” - well I’m glad you asked! But let's start with a little wander down memory lane… When initial conversations about Factions began, there was a lot of discussion about the big question “who?”. Now, of course we started with the big four Factions, the Brotherhood of Steel, Super Mutants, Raiders and of course those scrappy ol’ Survivors - but the more we looked at that, the more we questioned it.
What we wanted to focus on with Factions was making a great “Out of the box” experience, and make the entire opening salvo of releases really sell what we saw Factions as. So, we looked around a bit at the Fallout universe as a whole and rather than asking “who”, we asked “where?”. And then, like a Mini-nuke from off-screen, it hit us.
Where do we see a small group of Factions, in a secluded location, battling over resources and space? Well, Nuka-World of course! And from there, we continued work - and well, you’ve seen where we are now! However, where did that leave the group we began to refer to as ‘The Big Four?’. It left them with our wonderful development team of course, who tinkered and played until we had a selection of Factions lists that we knew would not only be fun to play, but would FEEL like the factions they represented.
However… how-ev-er. We built them with a specific thing in mind (hint, hint, snicker, snicker), which we’ve got planned for the future - which, you might see before the bombs drop - who knows? But, of course we know that everyone who will be playing Factions, will probably want to play with the Big Four? So in comes our fix, the ‘Get You By List!
The ‘Get You By List' is exactly what it sounds like, a temporary Faction list built with the resin miniatures we already have available so you can get them to the table immediately (unless you don’t have the resins yet, in which case…. ‘cough-https://www.modiphius.net/collections/fallout-wasteland-warfare cough’). To begin with, we’ve released the ‘Get You By’s’ for the Big Four, which contain everything needed to field them in Factions (barring the models, rulebook, dice, table and friends/enemies to play against).
Now the eagle eyed among you may notice the wee, V1.0 hiding at the top of the files - now that exists as until the Official Lists (i.e. Factions Lists printed in a Rulebook) are out, we may be altering, updating and playing with the lists until such a time that the Official Lists appear in the wild - so if you see any changes in the future, it’s because we’re still tweaking and improving the experience with them! In addition, if you have any particular questions, errors or queries - you can use our standard errata form to feed that back to us!
Now, go take a look at those lists - they’re over here, oh look, aren’t they pretty? https://www.modiphius.net/pages/fallout-factions-downloads
But that's me done for today, so until the next time our paths cross in this Rad-blasted Wasteland, stay hydrated!
Ben
]]>By Michael Dismuke, STA Contributing Writer
Art by Wayne Miller
The Star Trek movie era was marked by a renewed focus on interstellar diplomacy and the pursuit of peace among the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country explored the more nuanced and complex aspects of diplomacy and negotiation in the face of a violent crisis.
One of the key responsibilities of Starfleet crews during this era was to ensure peaceful relations with fellow members of the United Federation of Planets. This was no easy task, as there were often factions within member worlds who were vehemently opposed to Federation membership for a variety of reasons: social, political, religious, and more. These factions may have engaged in flagrant uprisings or made insidious attempts to shatter the peace of the Federation, and it was up to Starfleet crews to intercede and broker a peace.
The new Star Trek Adventures standalone adventure “Conflict of Values” explores one such polity, the Arbazan. Little has been seen of the Arbazan in the movies or television series, which gives gamemasters the opportunity to expand on their lore. I wanted a scenario that would reflect a scene all too familiar in today's world, where political and social tensions can lead to conflict and unrest. In Star Trek, however, the stakes are much higher, as the very survival of the Federation and its member worlds is at risk.
The crew of a starship in this scenario is faced with the daunting task of navigating the complex and often contradictory values of different factions within the polity. They must balance the needs and desires of the different groups, while also maintaining the integrity and principles of the Federation. This is no easy task, as the crew must constantly navigate the fine line between diplomacy and force, compromise and steadfastness.
The key theme of the module is the idea of conflict of values. Values can play a huge role in any Star Trek Adventures campaign, and I wanted to design a module that encouraged player characters to utilize them to push the story forward narratively. In a universe as vast and diverse as the Star Trek universe, there are bound to be clashes between different cultures, belief systems, and political ideologies. The crew must be able to navigate these conflicts with sensitivity and understanding, while also being able to assert the values and principles of the Federation. To broker a peace between different factions, the crew must be able to understand the motivations and desires of each group. They must be able to see things from multiple perspectives, and to find common ground between seemingly disparate beliefs and values.
Star Trek stories often focus on diplomacy and negotiation and showcase the complex and often challenging work of Starfleet crews in maintaining peaceful relations with member worlds. I hope “Conflict of Values” serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy, understanding, and communication in resolving conflicts, both within the Star Trek universe and in our own world.Grab a copy of this new mission now!
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about additional STA products in the coming months. Live long and prosper!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved
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By Christopher L. Bennett, STA Contributing Writer
Art by Nick Greenwood
When I was invited to pitch Star Trek Adventures standalone missions in the Star Trek: Picard setting, the two major story threads of season 1 both suggested ideas to me. My previous adventure, “Children of the Wolf,” addressed the Romulan evacuation effort prior to the supernova of Romulus’s sun. This new standalone, “Synthetic Diplomacy,” came from the other main thread, the outlawing of synthetic life-forms or “synths” (i.e., androids) in the wake of the 2385 attack on Utopia Planitia. What if a planet where androids were commonplace was negotiating for Federation membership when the ban came into effect? What if the players had to try to salvage the membership effort in spite of the new law? With tensions high in the aftermath of the attack, the player characters might be divided on the appropriateness of the ban, but would still have to represent Federation law and policy in their diplomatic dealings.
While the potential for character conflict and drama is clear, there was a muddier issue I had to tiptoe around. It was necessary to clarify that the androids of the planet Noaru were not sentient, since Picard season 1 established that the secret of synthetic sentience was still a mystery to the Federation 14 years after the timeframe of this mission. To make the premise work, though, I had to establish that the Noaru don’t much care about sentience when it comes to the devotion they feel for their androids, any more than we do with our pets.
The muddiness comes in when you look at how other Star Trek series depict synthetic intelligence. Several holograms have been shown to develop sentience: Professor Moriarty and Countess Regina in The Next Generation, the EMH in Voyager, and arguably Hologram Janeway in Prodigy. Lower Decks established the exocomps from TNG: “The Quality of Life” as Federation members, plus a prison full of sentient megalomaniacal computers at the Daystrom Institute. If sentience is so easy for holograms or non-humanoid artilects to achieve, why is it so hard for androids? Just plug one of those sentient computers into the head of a robot body, and bam.
It was while writing “Synthetic Diplomacy” that I finally figured out a way to reconcile it. While these various sentient A.I.s exist, all of them either gained sentience unintentionally or were created outside the Federation. Thus, their existence does not contradict the idea that Federation science is still unaware of how to create A.I. sentience on purpose.
I do wonder, though, how the synth ban in Picard affected artilects such as Voyager’s EMH or Lower Decks’ Peanut Hamper. Is it just a ban on research into creating new ones? Although the synth ban was not one of the Federation’s finest hours, I find it hard to believe it would have stripped existing Federation citizens of their rights. Canon hasn’t answered the question, which leaves players room to explore it in their games.
Grab a copy of this new mission now!
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about additional STA products in the coming months. Live long and prosper!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved
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By Michael Duxbury, STA Contributing Writer
Art by Paolo Puggioni
Sometimes delays to a story you intended to be topical only serve to make its subject more relevant.
I originally pitched the new Star Trek Adventures standalone mission “Alternative Truths” in July 2019, shortly after the premiere of the HBO miniseries Chernobyl. It’s an incredible show, searing in its intensity, with a powerful message about the terrible cost of ignoring scientific fact for the sake of political expediency. Many critics drew comparisons between the series’ narrative and our global climate catastrophe. The announcement that pro-Kremlin networks had begun work on their own Chernobyl series – which falsely credited the disaster to interference by CIA saboteurs – seemed like a bitterly ironic coda.
The film-makers of The Undiscovered Country conceived the destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis as Star Trek’s equivalent of the Chernobyl disaster. It is the inciting incident which ended the Empire’s cold war with the Federation, setting the stage for an uneven peace, which became the status quo of The Next Generation era. While The Undiscovered Country focussed on the road to that peace settlement, it felt like there were many stories left to tell in its aftermath. From that seed emerged a whole new adventure concept, in which Starfleet officers must reckon with the environmental fallout of Praxis, learn a dangerous truth, and reconcile their dual commitments to telling the truth and keeping the peace.
It’s now 2024. The pop-cultural zeitgeist has moved on. But the lessons of Chernobyl, and of “Alternative Truths,” feel more devastatingly relevant than ever. The last four years feel like a slow-motion slideshow of the lessons we failed to learn. Populist demagogues spouting pseudoscientific nonsense. Media mouthpieces sharing provable falsehoods. Autocratic tyrants despatching foot soldiers to their death. It’s enough to make any of us long for a do-gooding roleplaying party to beam down from the stars and make things right. But all we have is each other.
Roleplaying games should be fun, and there’s plenty of fun to be had in “Alternative Truths.” It’s a challenging adventure, which between the political and ethical sparring, still finds time for infiltration missions and spaceship engagements and other futuristic sci-fi excitement. But in the grand tradition of the very best Star Trek stories, I hope it will also hold up a mirror to our present. Sometimes the best way to understand something is not to read or watch something, but experience it. Roleplaying games don’t quite have the total immersion of a holodeck simulation, but they’re probably the closest we have for now.
So please enjoy “Alternative Truths,” and treat yourself to the wish-fulfilment of what can be achieved in utopia. I’d love to hear from your group about what they got up to, and the resolution they achieved.
Live long and prosper!
Grab a copy of this new mission now!
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about additional STA products in the coming months. Live long and prosper!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved
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By Al Spader, Star Trek Adventures Contributing Writer
Art by Ariel Orea
After Jonathan Archer and his crew of the original Enterprise helped the Klingons survive the Klingon augment virus in 2154, the Coalition of Planets, and eventually the United Federation of Planets, didn’t hear from the Klingons for nearly a century. Though it was rumored that Klingons were attacking any non-Klingon ships approaching their border during and after the Romulan War, no survivors or missing vessels were ever found.
With the Romulan War as a catalyst, the United Federation of Planets was formed, bringing together many species in peace and exploration. During the time after the war, the Federation focused on two main fronts; exploring the edges of its border and trying to bring new species into their ranks.
To reflect these efforts, The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign introduces six new playable species that likely began their journey to joining the Federation during the period of time before the war. The Aenar, Arcadians, Ariolo, Betelgeusians, Coridanites, and Megarites each brought a unique perspective and boon to the war efforts, allowing the Federation to survive and even win several battles they otherwise wouldn’t have. Let’s check out the Ariolo!
The four-legged Ariolo brought their athleticism and dense musculature to the front lines of many ground battles during the war. It is said that many Ariolo could best even the most savage Klingon in hand-to-hand combat however, this wasn’t their strongest attribute on the front lines. In fact, the patience of the Ariolo was as much a weapon as their might. Willing to wait until the Klingons made a mistake before they acted, the Ariolo changed the course of several battles.
The two species talents the Ariolo have access to represent both their powerful builds and their extreme patience, allowing them to become steadfast warriors. The Powerful Frame talent allows Ariolo to gain a free d20 when performing tasks related to physical labor. Their second talent, All In Due Time, allows an Ariolo’s patience to shine through during times of stress, reducing the Difficulty of their Presence or Control tasks by 1 while waiting for the right time to strike.
The Ariolo and the other five new playable species contained in the book expand the scope and diversity of Star Trek Adventures, and provide more tools for you and your group to play with. Enjoy!
Pre-order your copy of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign now and receive the final PDF right away to start creating your own Star Trek wartime stories!
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!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Howdy, Fallout: Factions fans! James here, back once more to give you some insights into our new Fallout tabletop miniatures game. If you haven’t seen the other posts in the series, head on over to the blogs page and get yourself caught up.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved games that link together to form an overarching narrative. I’ve spent countless hours following the adventures of a rag-tag group of misfits as they dive through dungeons, quest through ruins or seek their fortunes amid the stars. Tabletop roleplaying games are a great source of this kind of magic, but I love it when miniatures games do it. There’s something ever so special about assembling and painting [1] your models, then sticking with them through a series of games, maybe adding new ones as they’re hired, or removing them when they suffer a grisly fate, and maybe even engaging in a spot of kitbashing or resculpting to reflect the events that have happened on the tabletop.
When we started work on Fallout: Factions, we knew that this was the kind of experience we wanted to create. So… we did!
As we’ve discussed previously, you stick with the same crew from game to game, until they claw their way to the top of the pile or throw in the towel and leave Nuka-World for good. But… how does this actually play out?
Well, after each battle ends, you resolve the Story Phase.
First up, you’ll roll to determine the fate of any models that were Incapacitated - they might have serious injuries that affect them in future games, they might have to miss a game to recover, or they might be killed outright, and removed from your roster.
Then, your crew gets to make two Story Actions. There are six to choose from…
If you’ve got models with serious injuries, a Recuperate action lets you restore them to health.
If you want to expand your crew, a Recruit action gives you the chance to spend some caps and add some new faces.
If you’re feeling short on funds, a Barter action lets you throw your weight around Nuka-World and bring in some caps.
If you’d like to get the advantage in future games, a Scout action lets you earn Scouting Points in one of the park’s five Locations. We’ll talk about what these do in another post!
If you’ve earned enough Experience Points, [2] a Crew Training action lets you spend them to upgrade your models’ S.P.E.C.I.A.L. profiles, and potentially gain some new Perks (special rules).
Finally, if you’ve managed to find some Parts while scavenging the wasteland, a Modify Weapons action lets you upgrade the weapons your models are carrying, in true Fallout style.
The Story Phase only takes five or ten minutes to resolve, but it lets you make some decisions about the direction your crew will develop in. I find it one of the most exciting parts of the game - and it always leaves me wanting to play another scenario as quickly as possible!
Okay, that’s it for this blog. We’ve still got a few to go - check back in next time for a look at Chems, Ploys and Scouting Points, and how they bring even more strategy to the game! Don’t forget to sign up for updates and alerts over at the hub page. Until then - James out!
By Al Spader, Star Trek Adventures Contributing Writer
Art by Eli Maffei
The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign includes a revolutionary new type of campaign where players take on the role of characters on a ship that has been thrust into war, telling a parallel story to that told by the U.S.S. Discovery with scripted events setting the stage for the three stages of the deadly war.
In addition to the six missions and over twenty mission briefs offered to tell the story of the Federation-Klingon War, the tactical campaign also offers an optional overlay where the players take on the roles of admirals who assign assets to deal with different missions around the Galaxy. This procedurally generated campaign overlay provides a tactical backdrop to the events the characters experience on their ship during the war. In fact, the tactical overlay can even be used as a standalone game, separate from the roleplaying aspects if you prefer!
The tactical campaign overlay is divided into three phases, the first of which is generating random points of interest and missions the admirals need to address during the turn. There are four types of point of interest, each of which provides different challenges and outcomes depending on how successfully the assets deal with them: Tactical, Exploration, Routine, and Unknown.
To deal with the challenges posed at each point of interest, the players collect and assign assets from three different categories: ships, characters, and resources. Each category has up to five different assets that are used to determine the target numbers that must be rolled to get successes at each point of interest.
Many of the characters used as assets are familiar faces in the early years of their career and service. From Ensign J.T. Estaban to Carol Marcus and St. John Talbot, we’ve envisioned the characters’ careers decades before they’re seen on screen. While character assets can be lost during the war effort, there is a way to rescue them while roleplaying different missions, ensuring you can continue to count on them if needed.
The ship assets for the tactical overlay are all new, unique ships using the frames available from both the original series and Discovery. These ships also have statistics to be used by characters and gamemasters during missions included in the book, providing a deeper connection between the players on their ship and the decisions the admirals make during the tactical overlay.
In addition to assigning assets to points of interest, the players may choose to participate in a roleplay scenario at a point of interest instead. With multiple mission briefs for each point of interest type, the admirals can make sure their assets are utilized in the best places possible while the players attempt to address the situation at one of the points with their own characters and starship, bridging their actions to the tactical overlay and creating connections between both narratives.
While the assets presented in the book are specific to the Federation-Klingon War, the tactical overlay itself presents broad concepts that are adaptable to any war. We even provide the rules for creating your own assets so you can use the book for any wartime such as the Romulan and Dominion wars!
Pre-order your copy of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign now and receive the final PDF right away to start creating your own Star Trek wartime stories!
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!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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It’s RedEye here…
…hey, no, wait. It’s James again. Sorry, I’m easily confused.
If you’ve been following along with the series so far, you’ll have read all about the basics of playing Fallout: Factions, and learned about the various Actions that a model can make when it’s Activated. (If you haven’t… maybe go and check those links out first. Context is gonna help!) As promised, this post is going to talk about dice.
When we were designing Factions, we wanted to go back to basics. Wasteland Warfare uses a set of custom dice with bespoke icons, lending a real sense of narrative to the game. By contrast, Factions uses regular, plain old ten-sided dice, marked 1 to 10. This gives fewer options for narrative detail, but it makes things fast, streamlined and efficient, and that’s what we’re after here.
The main way you use dice in Factions is when you make a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Test. This is named for the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. profile (hopefully no stranger to Fallout fans!) which every model has, listing a value for their Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck.
Whenever the rules call for a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. test, they will tell you how many dice to roll, and which of the model’s characteristics to use. Each die that scores equal to or lower than the named characteristic is a Hit, while each die that scores higher is a Dud, and is removed. The rules will tell you how the Hits should be resolved.
Let’s say I’m playing as Joe & the Diamondbacks, an Operators crew. I want my Scavver, Eddie, to open fire with his Handmade Rifle. The rules tell me to make an Attack Test (4P), so that’s four dice, testing against Eddie’s Perception of 4.
So I roll four dice, scoring a 1, a 4, a 7 and an 8, for a total of two Hits. (Depending on the target’s Endurance, this will deal them Harm, or - if I’m lucky - an Injury.) [1]
Okay, so far, so simple. But there are two extra wrinkles that make things F-U-N fun! [2]
Although the dice in Factions are regular D10s, the game requires them in two different colours, representing standard dice… and Luck dice.
Before you roll, you’ll check your model’s Luck value, and swap out that many dice for Luck dice. In the example above, Eddie has Luck 2, so I’d end up rolling two standard dice and two Luck Dice.
For each Luck Die that scores a Hit, you grab another Standard Die and roll it, adding it to your result. When you’re making an attack and at least one Luck Die scores a Hit, you also trigger your weapon’s Critical Effect - you might give the target Fatigue or additional Harm, or do something even more dramatic!
Depending on the test you’re making, you might be able to add a number of Bonus Dice before you roll. These extra dice (standard dice, not Luck dice) can come from a variety of sources…
…and so on.
Luck Dice and Bonus Dice are force multipliers, rewarding clever combo plays and allowing models to punch above their weight.
In short, the dice system is like everything else in Factions - it’s deceptively simple, and easy to learn, but it offers a lot of strategic depth for experienced players. I personally can’t wait to hear about all the sneaky tricks and cunning synergies that players come up with to maximize their odds of success!
That’s another post done. In the next blog, I’m going to step back from the nuts and bolts of game mechanics, and look at how the game works to tell your crew’s story. Make sure you don’t miss it - head to the hub page and sign up to the newsletter!
By Al Spader, Star Trek Adventures Contributing Writer
Art by Carlos Cabrera
When the concept of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign was first introduced to me, I was curious about how to make an intriguing story while not forcing players to play through events that had already been portrayed on screen in Star Trek: Discovery. We wanted this campaign to belong to the players and allow them to tell their own heroic stories during the canon events from the screen using their own ships and characters.
As we were discussing how to present this, I faintly remembered an old Lord of the Rings video game I played after I’d just gotten out of college called “The Third Age.” In this game, you controlled a group of characters who were telling their own stories while the events of the blockbuster Lord of the Rings films occurred in the background. It was our intention to give The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign the same type of feel.
The first thing we decided was that we needed to deliver information about canon events to the characters. This delivery is accomplished through news reports, admiral logs, and direct messages to the characters and are used to bookend the three campaign stages.
With the canon events included, we moved forward with making this campaign feel familiar but much different than the events the U.S.S. Discovery experienced. To help anchor the tactical campaign, we decided to have our six-part story reflect events in Discovery season 1 that were mentioned but never really followed up on. In some cases, we created missions based on single lines of dialogue that seemed to carry little meaning. All this so that you and your crew can take them on and give them meaning.
In the first campaign stage covering the early war period, characters use their ship to aid in the rescue efforts at Corvan II; one of the first targets of Klingon raids early in the war. The U.S.S. Discovery aided in defending Corvan II, but used hit and run tactics utilizing their spore drive and didn’t address anything happening on the planet surface. Additionally, the player characters visit the aftermath of the destruction of Sarcophagus at Pahvo in an attempt to locate and procure its cloaking device.
In the second campaign stage covering the mid-war period, the characters explore the debris field of the U.S.S. Discovery to try and salvage the spore drive. Unknown to the characters at the time, this wreckage is actually the Terran Universe’s I.S.S. Discovery. The crew also learns about the secretive and enigmatic Cancri; a species the Klingons turned their backs on after a presumed truce.
In the third campaign stage covering the late war period, the ship and its crew joins in the defense and rescue efforts at starbase Epsilon-12, one of the sites of devastating Klingon starbase sieges as the war moves towards its climax. Also, in final, epic fashion, the characters participate in the defense of the Sol system after the fall of Starbase 1. This event runs parallel to the events happening with the U.S.S. Discovery on Qo’noS in the season 1 finale.
Though some of the events of the Federation-Klingon War are etched in stone, many of them are available for you and your crew to tell. This story isn’t about the U.S.S. Discovery or its crew. This is your story. The events that unfold during this tactical campaign will introduce new heroes to the mythos of Star Trek. You and your group!
Pre-order your copy of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign now and receive the final PDF right away to start creating your own Star Trek wartime stories!
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!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Hello, wastelanders! James here again, back once again to give you more information about the gameplay in Fallout: Factions. If you missed the first one, you can check it out here - or, hey, why not head straight to the hub page, where you can see the whole list of published blogs, and sign up for the newsletter so you get the rest as we publish them?
In my previous post, I talked about how models can make Actions when you Activate them. Today, I want to talk a bit more about how those Actions work!
The Actions a model can make depend on whether it is Engaged with a model from the opposing crew. [1]
Most of the time, a model will be Unengaged, and it can make a Get Moving, Open Fire, Patch Up or Rummage action. If a model is Engaged, it can only make Brawl and Back Off Actions. Let’s take a quick look at each of them!
This is unquestionably the action you’ll use more than any other. [2] It lets the active model move up to eight inches [3] across the battlefield. Factions is designed to be played across a fairly cluttered battlefield, and this action also lets you climb up and down suitable terrain. (Obligatory plug for our incredible range of 3D-printable Fallout terrain - there’s nothing quite like playing across actual Nuka-World ruins!)
If you need an extra boost, you can get your model to Hurry. This lets it move up to 12” instead, potentially crossing half the board’s width in a single Action, but the model takes two Fatigue rather than one. Really handy when you need to do a mad sprint across open ground!
Oh, and here’s an interesting twist - when a model makes a Get Moving Action, you can give Movement Orders to other nearby models. Each one takes Fatigue, and also gets an 8” move (or a 12” move, if they take another Fatigue.) This is a great way to move whole chunks of your crew at once… but don’t put all your eggs in one basket, or a cunning opponent will make you pay for wasting your Actions early.
Both of these actions are fairly similar, so let’s cover them together. In both cases, you pick one of the active model’s weapons and make an attack against a target enemy model. Depending on the outcome of a dice roll, you might Incapacitate your target (removing them from play), Injure them (check off one of their health boxes - if the last one’s checked, they’re Incapacitated) or deal them Harm. Harm is tracked with a token, like Fatigue; most models can take up to three, and if they take a fourth Harm, it is converted to an Injury.
Harm also has another, much more devastating effect: each point of Harm a model has grants a bonus die to any attack roll made against it. (We’ll talk about dice rolls in the next blog.) This mechanic allowed us to make Super Mutants and models in Power Armour [4] feel suitably impervious to small arms fire… while still allowing a crew to focus their fire and bring them down.
This action lets an unengaged model recover up to two Harm. This lets you keep an important model in the fight and stop the enemy from getting all those tasty bonus dice when they attack it, but it comes at a steep cost; as it’s an Action, the model is effectively trading two Harm for one Fatigue, and halving the number of useful things it can do in this round. Like a lot of things in Factions, this action is a gamble, and a shrewd player will think carefully about when to use it.
When you think of Fallout, it’s a safe bet that one of the first things that comes to mind is the idea of scavenging for useful items in the Wasteland.
At the start of each scenario, a number of Search tokens are placed on the battlefield. A model within 1” of one of these tokens can use a Rummage action to search it and see what they find. You might find some caps, which you can spend on your crew after the battle is over. You might find some parts, which you can use to modify your models’ weapons. Or you might get lucky and find some Chems, which give you special one-off bonuses!
Finally, there’s the Back Off Action, which lets a model move up to 2” out of Engagement, freeing them up to make some more useful actions. It’s not flashy, but it’s essential!
So there you have it - a rundown of the Actions that models can make in a game of Fallout: Factions. Hopefully you’re enjoying this series - make sure you don’t miss the next one, where I’ll be talking about how dice are used in the game. In the meantime, stop by the hub page if you want to sign up for the latest news, check out the game in action, and learn more about the awesome Nuka-World starter set!By John Houlihan
It is said it is the journey rather than the destination which is more important and Achtung! Cthulhu: Unexplored is a brand new 150 page book which aims to fill in the blank spaces on the map agents often simply “redline” through before their next epic encounter.
Everyone remembers the classic roving red line from the Indiana Jones movies, which signifies fast travel between major set pieces, but surely, we wondered, here was a prime opportunity to fill in some details about what actually happens to agents in between their main adventures?
Inspired by the epic desert traversals of the SAS during the North Africa campaign, a prototype was first deployed in The Serpent and the Sands book, where, in a classic desert survival sequence, the agents are left stranded in the middle of the Great Waste.
Rather than create a linear sequence of encounters, we thought it might be more fun to give GMs and agents a more procedurally generated experience so that no two journeys were ever the same. Jason Brick who did the writing on that chapter and eventually Unexplored itself, not only came up with some great ideas for different desert environments and encounters, but also added rules for traversal and using supplies like food, water and fuel to map the journey.
The finished chapter was impressive and that led onto thinking that maybe there could be a whole book based on journeys into unexplored territory and so Achtung! Cthulhu: Unexplored was conceived (although it was originally codenamed Achtung! Cthulhu: Here Be Dragons! after cartographers’ habit of filling in the blanks on early explorers’ maps).
So what awaits you inside Achtung! Cthulhu: Unexplored? Well, there’s a rules chapter which includes instructions and guides for wilderness traversal, supplies, weather and survival and six challenging biomes including Mountains, Plains, Jungles, Desert, Caves and Caverns environments. Each of the biomes also has unique events, challenges, and encounters and includes hazards, terrain, easter eggs, new creatures and even special effects unique to that location.
Each of the six different biomes also has up to four maps featuring themed locations which provide an epic conclusion to the journey or an intriguing encounter along the way. For example, the Caves and Caverns biome has four different scenarios: Active Listening which features a concealed Nachtwölfe listening post, Shoggoth Squeeze which stars an ancient cave-dwelling horror, The Endless Stair which invites you to meet the inhabitants of a Blauer Kristall cavern, and finally Caught For Eternity which features an encounter with a trapped Elder Thing. All come with further adventure seeds and ideas so you can re-use them for alternate adventures.
Achtung! Cthulhu: Unexplored is a slight detour for the series which seems appropriate given the subject matter but we hope it will prove useful for both players and GMs. You can use it to plan a journey in advance or improvise endless forms of wilderness adventure on the fly, or indeed just use it as a source of inspiration to create adventures of your own.
We’ll be happy to tell you more in an AMA with writer Jason Brick and Achtung! Cthulhu creative lead John Houlihan. So come join us on Tuesday 20th February at 4pm GMT (11am EST) on the Modiphius Discord channel, where we’ll field questions, provide answers and maybe even demonstrate a sample journey to show you how Unexplored works.
Hope to see you there! In the meantime, you can get a copy of Achtung! Cthulhu: Unexplored at the following:
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By April Hill
The first month and a half of 2024 has flown by faster than a Cazador in the Mojave! This year is jam packed full of Fallout goodness for you and we are already off to a feverish start with the release of Fallout: Factions- Nuka-World the starter set, miniatures for Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, and new content for Fallout: The Roleplaying Game. We also had an incredible turn out for our Fallout: Wasteland Warfare T-45 Heavy Armour Plastic mini painting competition that we judged live on stream! You might need a Nuka-Cola Quantum for this one so buckle up!
We released 2 new creatures for the NUKA WORLD wave for Fallout: Wasteland Warfare this past month, Nukalurks and Nukalurk Kings. These Nuka-Cola Quantum glowing like crustaceans are much more violent and territorial than their regular counterparts. Be wary when traversing near the Nuka-World River or you may find yourself up close and personal with one of these deadly creatures!
Nukalurk
Nukalurk King
We had so many astonishing entries for our Fallout: Wasteland Warfare T-45 Heavy Armour Plastic mini painting competition. This was also the first time that we had a live stream judging of your submissions. We were very impressed by your support of one another and turn out for the live judging. We have plans to hold more of these in the future for not only Fallout but our other miniatures lines as well!
If you missed the live judging stream you can rewatch it here.
3rd Place- MartianSam95
2nd Place- B1BFlyer
1st Place- AlfDog
Fans of the Enclave will be delighted to get their hands on the Enclave Remnants PDF which is a 25 page digital release that includes NPC stat blocks, plot seeds, and even an overview for piloting a vertibird!
Have you been dreaming of playing a Nightkin or Assaultron in Fallout: The RPG? Perhaps you’ve thought of having the nuclear breeze blowing through your hair as you ride a Chryslus Cherry Bomb or while you soar the skies in a Vertibird. All of this, and so much MORE, can be found in the new Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Wanderer’s Guide Book! You might even run across some cryptids, mutated experiments, and iconic factions in the book.
By now you have probably heard of our all new wargame, Fallout: Factions. The Starter Set, which is set in the dangerous and festive setting of Nuka-World, is out for preorder now as well as individual Faction themed dice and an add on raider set with the Disciples. Fans of Fallout: Wasteland Warfare should NOT be alarmed by the announcement of this new game and know that it will not be going anywhere or losing support any time soon. Fallout: Factions is designed for those looking for a simpler, tighter, more focused 2 player PvP experience. You can preorder and learn more about this thrilling new game at https://www.falloutfactions.com/ and watch the exclusive first look playthrough here.
Don’t forget to join us on Discord so you can keep up to date on all of the thrilling things we have planned for all of our Fallout games and chat and connect with other fans!
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One way or another, war takes its toll on everyone involved. Whether it’s pushing a character to the brink of what they think they’re capable of or leaving vicious scars on their psyche, The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign for Star Trek Adventures provides numerous options that can be used to embrace these effects. With safety expectations at the center, this book allows players to roleplay the effects participating in a war has on their characters, their crew, and their families.
Star Trek has used the effects of war as backstory for some of its most iconic characters such as Benjamin Sisko, Joseph M’Benga, Christine Chapel, and Liam Shaw. The tragedies these characters were a part of during war informed their values and outlooks and set the foundation for emotional character arcs throughout their appearances in their respective series.
The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign provides many optional rules to represent the toll war takes on a character. From suppressing values for the benefit of the cause to suffering brutal negative traits known as scars, these optional rules represent what happens when a ship meant for scientific research or peacekeeping missions is thrust to the front lines of a war. Additionally, because things can change so rapidly during wartime, characters can opt to take accelerated development which makes their milestones more significant in exchange for suffering scars.
The sourcebook also provides detailed explanations as to how the expectations of different character roles might change during wartime and provides lists of traits, values, and focuses that directly relate to war efforts. These lists help round out a character participating in not just the Federation-Klingon War, but any war a group is looking to experience. The book even provides some wartime Career Events that can be used to replace Career Events in a character’s lifepath.
In addition to redefining some of the more common Starfleet roles when it comes to war, the tactical campaign book also gives detailed descriptions and quick builds for civilian roles that might come into play during war time such as ambassador, political liaison, and intelligence agent. It also provides the same detailed description for combat roles such as heavy weapons specialist and ordnance expert.
To round things out, the book also includes fifteen new character talents focused on both combat benefits as well as diplomatic benefits, as, in war, words are often just as powerful as weapons. Perhaps your diplomatic character wants to use their enemy’s words against them, or maybe they’d like to rouse a group of refugees to fight for their freedom. Both of these options have talents that allow the character to be more successful in these attempts. On the other hand, if your character wishes to sabotage enemy strongpoints or fire weapons mounted on an Argo, there are talents that can help you as well.
The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign provides a wealth of new character options to embrace to make a character a part of the war story. These options open up innumerable new options for character arcs and plotlines both during and after wartime.
Pre-order your copy of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign now and receive the final PDF right away to start creating your own Star Trek wartime stories!
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!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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As we near the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part II, we’re taking a look at some of the characters, places and scenes in the book, how we might see them in the movie, and how you can portray them in your own games.
Now we come to look at my favourite character, Princess Irulan (see Dune Core Rulebook p.257) eldest daughter of Emperor Shaddam the IV, heir to the Imperium and Bene Gesserit agent. Yet despite this position, she is probably the most overlooked characters in the books. She is either manipulated or ignored by almost everyone. Her father seems to see her as just a vessel to marry off for alliances and curses the fact she (and her many sisters) was not born male. But Irulan herself is a woman of many talents. Unsurprisingly, the Bene Gesserit were very keen to get their claws into the eldest in the line of succession, especially after ensuring the Imperial line only produced daughters. They have focused a lot of time and attention on Irulan, giving her the secrets of many of their skills and the family bond her father denied her.
The Imperial court believes Irulan is being instructed in little more than the skills of a noblewoman, such as dance, conversation, and poise. But in fact, the Bene Gesserit are actually teaching her Prana Bindu control, secret codes, and how to observe. She is their most highly placed spy, and it is clear her loyalty is far more dedicated to her Sisters in the order than her actual family.
Meeting Irulan: Those who meet Irulan find her beautiful, with golden blonde hair and striking green eyes, but also a little cold and distant. Skilled at attending courtly functions, she will make all the right turns of etiquette and forms of address and hospitality, but mostly by instinct and rote. Many things are expected of her, so she can only take those she trusts into her confidence. This goes double for any romantic considerations, as she is only too aware that her matrimonial fate has never been in her own hands.
In general, Irulan does her best to avoid court functions. She would rather be alone to either practice her skills or write in her diaries. This is no real surprise as her life is so carefully managed, time for herself, and time alone, is at a premium.
But who is the real Irulan behind the courtly mask she wears? It may be that even she is unsure. With so many powerful forces, from the Emperor to the Bene Gesserit trying to shape her to their needs, what she actually wants may be a mystery even to her. But what might happen if she turns her skills and intellect towards a course the puppet masters around her have not considered?
Irulan the Prize: As the heir to the Imperium, whoever marries Irulan becomes the Emperor of the Known Universe. So, it is a surprise that she does not seem to have a very long list of suitors. It may be that the opportunity to court the Princess is something that must be earned by the favour of the Emperor. So, if no one proves worthy, they never even get to meet her. Does this make her a ‘princess in an ivory tower’ or is she able to invite suitors as she chooses? If so, she holds a powerful favour that many would do anything to earn. Perhaps, as a member of the Sisterhood and one of many daughters, she prefers the company of women anyway and is in no rush to be married at all.
Irulan the Academic: As the writer of the histories of Muad’Dib, Irulan understands the importance of the written word. It is she who realises that a chronicle of Muad’Dib is an opportunity to control the narrative. Given how many books she writes, this makes it unlikely she was inexperienced as a writer beforehand. As her skills are more academic than literary, she might have already authored a series of histories of the Imperium. If she is the one recording for posterity, the question then becomes how much is she changing and what agenda is she trying to advance?
Irulan the Bene Gesserit Pawn: While the Bene Gesserit have been kind to Irulan, she might still be nothing more than a pawn and an asset to them. Reverend Mother Mohaim often seems dismissive of her, treating her like a novice, although her Bene Gesserit rank may be the only thing of import to Mohaim. If it turns out the Sisterhood is just using Irulan, what might she do with that information? Would she consider it a betrayal, or just want to work harder to prove her worth as an agent?
Irulan the Politician: Born into the Imperial Court, Irulan has known politics since she was a child. She has learned many games of manipulation, games the Sisterhood refined for her. But how good is she in the most deadly game in the universe? She is a quiet member of the conspiracy and even weds Paul with little argument. She certainly sees the potential power and position in bearing the royal heir by secretly feeding Chani a contraceptive. Is this the quiet of a person outclassed by powerful forces, or that of someone who just got what she wants? After all, she is one of the few members of the conspiracy to survive. Perhaps her quiet moments are times of observation, and the resulting deaths are her way of carving out a more individual place for herself in the new Imperium?
So, who is Princess Irulan in your game of Dune: Adventures in the Imperium?
]]>By Bill Barbato, STA Contributing Writer
Art by Leonard A. Emery
I have been creating and telling stories as a gamemaster for over 25 years. In all that time, I don’t think I’ve had a more satisfying experience than I’ve had since I got my hands on Star Trek Adventures three years ago. Since then, I’ve been able to tell a number of the Star Trek stories that I have been dreaming up for the past 30 years. Thanks to this amazing opportunity provided to me by the fine folks at Modiphius, I now have the honor of sharing the new standalone mission, “Ghosts in the Machine,” with a wide audience.
When I create an adventure, I try to incorporate elements that I love about the various Star Trek series. For this particular adventure, I used two key concepts that excite me. The first is getting to see unique alien societies. I wanted the aliens in my story to have a trait that feels new but also understandable. The race that I created for this story, the Gen’Ei, have a peculiar feature that we have seen before in Star Trek, but I added a little twist to give them a slightly different presentation that I think feels logical for a reclusive society.
The second element I wanted to add was not just seeing a new world, but discovering a world in an unexpected state. I remember watching the Voyager episode “Time and Again” from season one and seeing the condition of the planet they came upon. In the blink of an eye, the entire world had been forever changed. It was even more striking that it was a world that was quite technologically advanced but even they could not prevent a disaster on a planetary scale. The episode left a deep impression on me and that idea has fascinated me ever since.
In addition, I enjoy providing some commentary about our modern world in my stories whenever possible. For this adventure, I was inspired by an article about smartphone addiction. It discussed the concepts of “smartphone zombies”, or people who are so focused on their smartphones that they’re oblivious to the world around them, and “nomophobia”, a term to describe the habit of constantly checking (and checking for) one’s smartphone. These are behaviors that are becoming more and more common in our society. It made me wonder what would happen if the simple act of checking your smartphone – something I’m sure most of us do countless times per day – would suddenly lead to your demise. Many people would be doomed immediately, as would all those who tried to call for help or to seek information on their own phones. It would be a chain reaction that could potentially destroy our whole civilization in less than a day. The idea was too thrilling for me to pass up.
I hope all who play this adventure enjoy these concepts and take the story in new directions that I could never even dream of. I am extremely grateful for this chance and I would be delighted to hear from anyone who gives it a try.
Grab a copy of this new mission now!
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about additional STA products in the coming months. Live long and prosper!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Hey folks - James here, lead designer on Fallout: Factions. I’ve been asked to put together a few blogs to explain how the game works, so strap yourselves in for a rules ramble. Before you read on, I’d recommend checking out our overview of Fallout: Factions, and maybe checking out how it’s different from Wasteland Warfare. Go ahead, I can wait. I’ve got some Operators that are crying out for another coat of paint.
All done? Okay, let’s go!
In Factions, each player controls a crew of around ten models. [1] Each model is a named individual, with their own entry on your roster sheet. If you’re familiar with tabletop roleplaying games, think of your roster as your crew’s character sheet; you’ll bring it to each game, updating it over time as models gain upgrades and perks, modify their weapons, and suffer debilitating injuries.
Because you keep your crew between games, setting up to play is super simple. You pick a scenario (more on them in a future blog), set up your crews, and start the first round.
In a round, players take turns Activating a model from their crew. This model can then make one or two Actions, which will allow it to do things like move, attack, search the wasteland, or patch up its wounds.
After a model completes an Action, it takes one Fatigue. Fatigue is tracked by placing a token next to the model, and once a model has two Fatigue, it’s Exhausted, and it can’t make any more Actions. This presents you with a choice - you can Activate your model once in the round, and make both of its Actions, or you can Activate it twice, and use one Action each time. [2]
Let’s take a moment to talk about tokens. From the start of the design process, we wanted to keep things simple. Wasteland Warfare is an incredibly detailed game, with a vast library of tokens for all sorts of conditions and game effects, and we wanted to do something different here. In Factions, a model will only ever have a maximum of two tokens next to it: a Fatigue token and a Harm token. The graphics team did great work with these, giving them both a slightly concave edge so that they sit flush with their model’s base. This does two things: first, it makes the token look more like it’s attached to the base, which keeps things looking neat and reduces clutter. Second, it means you’re never in doubt as to which tokens belong to which models, even during a crowded melee.
Now, here’s the interesting part. When it comes around to your turn, instead of Activating a model, you can Pass. This means you don’t get to Activate any more models this round. If all of your models are Exhausted, this is mandatory, but you might choose to do it early… because the first player to Pass gets the all-important Initiative Token, meaning they’ll take the first turn in the next round. This can be a crucial decision, and I’ve often found myself agonizing over whether I should risk a late-round Action that might be useful, or playing it safe and Passing so I can get the drop on my opponent in the next round.
Okay, that’s enough for this post! If you want to know more, I’m writing a whole series of blogs, covering all of the basics about Fallout: Factions. Now head to the hub page, where you can find links to all of the blogs we’ve already published, and sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss the new ones!
By Jim Johnson, Star Trek Adventures Project Manager
Art by Tobias Richter
Shields up! The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign has begun! You and your group have the opportunity to create a dramatic, gritty story set during the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-57, as depicted in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery and experience character consequences from the war as referenced in later seasons of Discovery as well as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
From the moment the U.S.S. Shenzhou discovered the Beacon of Kahless and the Klingon Ship of the Dead known as Sarcophagus, the Federation walked the razor’s edge, and through inaction incited a conflict unlike any they’d seen since the Romulan War. This book is the story of one of thousands of ships suddenly cast into a war they may not have been prepared for. It is the story of your crew’s ship.
This full-color, 232-page hardcover supplement includes a six-episode campaign and over 20 mission briefs for your crew to experience, and also includes an all-new, procedurally generated tactical campaign overlay. Using this overlay, players can manage resources and assign assets to points of interest across their region of space in order to outwit, outsmart, and outgun the Klingon threat and survive until the war comes to an end.
To illustrate the depth of material contained in the book, check out the table of contents:
Want to hear more about the book and talk about it with other players and the development team? Get on Modiphius’s Discord and other social media channels and check out the many gaming forums and podcasts the team posts to regularly.
Upcoming blog posts will delve into more detail on the six-part campaign, as well as explaining how the tactical campaign overlay works in this and other eras of play. We’ll also discuss the new playable character species, optional rules, and other game and lore elements contained within the book.
Now, ready your mind and steel your will. We’re at Red Alert and entering The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign!
Pre-order your copy of The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign now and receive the final PDF right away to start creating your own Star Trek wartime stories! General sale for the print and PDF editions begins on March 27 2024, and the print copy will ship April 2024.
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!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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First up: if you take away a single nugget of information from this blog, it should be this: Wasteland Warfare isn’t going anywhere! Okay. We had to make that clear right at the start. Now, on with the rest of the post!
In 2018, we released Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, which lets you explore the Wasteland on the tabletop with detailed 32mm miniatures. Since then we’ve been steadily releasing wave after wave of miniatures and extra rules, with the most recent wave focusing on Nuka-World, and featuring rules for the Operators, the Pack and the Disciples.
In 2024, we’re launching Fallout: Factions, which lets you fight exciting, fast-paced Wasteland battles on the tabletop using detailed 32mm miniatures. The first wave is centered around Nuka-World, and features rules and models for the Operators, the Pack and the Disciples.
Okay, we’ve made them sound pretty similar there, so we can understand the confusion. But if you think the two games play the same, or that Factions is replacing Wasteland Warfare, you’d be sorely mistaken!
Let’s talk about these two side-by-side: what makes them different, how they cross over, and who they’re aimed at.
Wasteland Warfare was always intended to be a detailed, granular tabletop experience that mirrors the in-depth narrative gameplay of the Fallout video games. You create a group of wanderers in the Wasteland, outfitting each one with a unique set of equipment and perks, and you use a variety of different play styles and scenarios to create immersive tabletop experiences.
You might play narratively, choosing a scenario, gathering terrain for a suitably evocative battlefield, then assembling a force and pitting yourself (and maybe one or more team-mates) against enemies controlled by the game’s in-built Artificial Intelligence. Or you might play competitively, going head-to-head with an opposing player and fighting across a series of balanced battle scenarios. Maybe an ongoing story is more your speed, and you want to focus on building a Settlement and playing a series of linked games.
Wasteland Warfare is a sandbox, where you can craft bespoke Fallout experiences on the tabletop. However, we’ve known for a while that it’s not for everyone.
With Factions, we wanted to create a game that’s still unquestionably Fallout, and still uses the same range of incredible miniatures, but which gives a tighter, more focused experience. It’s a whole new game engine which uses simple mechanics and minimal components, ensuring it’s quick to learn and quick to play, without sacrificing any strategic heft. (If you want to learn more about the gameplay, check out the Fallout: Factions hub page.)
So, in short, it all comes down to what you’re in the mood for. If you want to play an in-depth, granular, narrative-heavy game, with options for solo and cooperative play, Wasteland Warfare is where it’s at. If you want to play a fast-paced, action-packed head-to-head game, you want Factions. And because the models that are being released for Factions already have rules for Wasteland Warfare, we think a lot of players will do both!
So spread the word - Modiphius makes two Fallout miniatures games, and there’s room on your table for both of them.
Now, head over to the hub and sign up to the newsletter, so you don’t miss any future updates…
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Nuka-World, once America’s favorite holiday destination, is now inhabited by a shaky alliance of Raider factions who have made their home among the toppled rides and burned-out attractions. In Fallout: Factions - Nuka-World, our newest head-to-head miniatures game, you can pick a faction, build a crew, and battle your way to the top of the pile.
The game has been designed from the ground up to facilitate fast, accessible, and action-packed gameplay. Games take place across a compact 24"x36" battlefield and last around 40 minutes once both players know the rules. The core mechanics are simple and intuitive, focusing on cinematic action and allowing for cunning strategies. What’s more, all of the games you play are linked together, forming an ongoing narrative. As your crew expands, learns new tricks, and takes over an ever-increasing slice of the park, you’ll want to keep coming back for more.
Fallout: Factions is ideal for video game fans who have been wanting to take the plunge into tabletop wargaming with our incredible range of miniatures but weren’t sure where to start. The box contains two crews’ worth of multi-part hard plastic miniatures and all the rules, dice, and tokens you’ll need, along with enough slot-together card terrain to kickstart your new hobby.
It’s not just newcomers to wargaming who will love Fallout: Factions. The streamlined rules offer experienced tabletop gamers a multitude of decisions and tactical possibilities, and gameplay has been designed to be suitable for organized play and casual pick-up games alike. Whatever your level of experience, this game has something for you.
So, what are you waiting for? Head over to www.falloutfactions.com where you can check out a video of the game in action, and sign up to receive news and updates as we get closer to launch! Lots more to come in the coming days!]]>
As we near the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part II, we’re taking a look at some of the characters, places and scenes in the book, how we might see them in the movie, and how you can portray them in your own games.
While Arrakis might be the most important planet in the novels, Caladan, the home of House Atreides, is just as interesting. It is one of the most pleasant planets in the Imperium, naturally unspoiled, covered in forests and fields. Unlike Arrakis, water is abundant here and many villages live by fishing, while the nobles enjoy pleasure cruises and sailing. Caladan is a counterpoint to Arrakis, and both are a part of Paul Atreides’ upbringing. Almost opposite, they illustrate the changes in Paul as he comes into his power, moving from being a noble used to the tranquillity of Caladan to a hardened battle commander on the brutal world of Arrakis.
Visiting Caladan: The Atreides are a reasonably welcoming House, but they are still wary of outsiders and rivals. Like any merchant, they are open to trade, and they often welcome agents of other Houses to make deals and bargains and honoured guests. While Atreides hospitality is not legendary, it is renowned as respectful. Guests can expect to be fed well and given accommodation that might be considered luxurious on less developed planets. To visit the Atreides on Caladan is to be welcomed into the garden, and they are usually proud to show off the charm and natural beauty of this verdant world. Unfortunately, it does rain a lot. Great downpours are commonplace and left to do as they will without the use of weather control technology. Caladan is a farming world, and the plants need the rain, so the human inhabitants just need to learn to live with it.
Every planet might be many things, and few have only one aspect. What is the truth of Caladan in your game? What secrets do House Atreides keep here, and is the place as pleasant as it really appears?
Farming Planet: House Atreides is best known for its cheap and plentiful Pundi Rice. So Caladan must have many fields dedicated to growing the crops. But in the books, we don’t see these fields, so what might they be like? Are they simply a gentle rural landscape with many farmers working with the land to grow a crop they can be proud of, or is there a darker secret? Given the demand, and Caladan being only one planet, might the Atreides use vast factory farming methods? They are unlikely to use outright slaves, but even the Atreides might treat their indentured workers in a similar way, with long hours and forced labour.
Idyllic Prison: Following on from that, how satisfied with their lot are the people of Caladan? The Atreides are among the better rulers, that is for sure, but they are still nobles in a very unfair galaxy. Do the villagers of Caladan enjoy a peaceful and pastoral existence, or is there an enforced lack of technology? Do the Atreides keep them away from machines that might help them in their work? This might be to keep them working and too tired to rebel. But it might also be simply to preserve the natural landscape, regardless of how much harder it makes the lives of their subjects?
Military Barracks: As well as their crops, the Atreides are known for their soldiers and military training. Those soldiers will need to be trained somewhere, and ideally in a variety of different environments. Perhaps the natural landscape is only maintained as far as the military needs it for training. Are there vast areas, pitted with weapons fire, where countless wargames are played out?
So, what is Caladan like in your games of Dune: Adventures in the Imperium?]]>By Michael Dismuke, STA Contributing Writer
Art by Alain Rivard
Hands down, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is my favorite movie of all time. I’ve watched it at least 50 times. I’ve read Nicholas Meyer’s screenplay. My sister and I can recite entire scenes from memory.
But there was always something left out of the story that I always wondered about and was barely hinted to by the time we were reintroduced to Klingons in The Next Generation. What was that, you ask? Think about it.
The Khitomer Accords are signed. Chancellor Azetbur, the daughter of Gorkon, is now the top official in the Klingon High Council. The Klingon/Starfleet masterminds behind Gorkon’s assasination are either arrested or dead. Did you really think the action stopped there?
No. Friggin. Way.
Much like the fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the Cold War on Earth brought an end to nearly 50 years of outright hostility between the Eastern and Western superpowers, I can imagine how various factions in the proud Klingon Empire spasmed and convulsed under Azetbur’s bold decision. Hundreds of years of hostility between the Klingons and Federations could not simply be packed into the back of the cargo bay with the swish of an electro-pen.
Hence, my mission briefs pack entitled “The Khitomer Accords.”
What was it like inside the borders of the Klingon Empire as armies, warriors, crews, and captains were told about the cessation of hostilities? Did they all acquiesce and agree to the ceasefire? Were there factions of Klingon die-hards who may have been loyal to men like General Chang ready to use subterfuge and violence to restore the status quo? With new leadership, what old secrets waited to be unburied? How did power dynamics between different Houses shift, and what skirmishes were fought to solidify such power?
I imagine Azetbur’s rule was not one of peace. Sure, she knew that the Federation would not be an imminent threat. But the threats from within had to be so immense, that even Starfleet knew she would not survive long.
The Klingons are a proud people. And as many Klingons may have been proud of Azetbur’s bold move to sign the Accords, others felt dishonored and humiliated to have – in their minds – lost to the UFP. What would their pride motivate them to do to preserve a Klingon culture?
I could literally write a comic, novel, or television sci-fi drama series on the galactic-political climate of the Klingon Empire during Star Trek’s lost era. I guess I can settle for playing it out myself in Star Trek Adventures using the ruleset as provided in The Klingon Empire core rulebook. And I hope you are able to answer these questions and stumble across some intrigue, fun, and Klingon honor as you delve into the era after the signing of the Khitomer Accords.
Download a copy of “Khitomer Accords” now from modiphius.net, modiphius.us, or DTRPG!
Purchase the Star Trek Adventures RPG core rulebook or the starter set and get started right away!
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about additional STA products in the coming months. Live long and prosper!
TM & © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. © 2023 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Happy Holidays Fallout fans! We are sure that most of you have seen the trailer for the new Fallout show that is coming out in 2024. Did you know that not only do we have channels in our Discord for Fallout: Wasteland Warfare and Fallout: The RPG but we also have a channel to discuss the show! Drop in https://discord.gg/modiphius and discuss our games and your thoughts on the show over your holiday break!
We may not be releasing anything new this month but we do have some important news and updates for you. Let’s Take a look at who our panel of judges will be for our Fallout: Wasteland Warfare competition and newest submissions as well as an official statement on Nuka World Rules Changes.
We love seeing all the talented hobbyists we have in our community. There have been so many wonderful submissions the past few months and we can’t wait to see more roll in before the competition comes to a close on January 1st, 2024. If you were curious about who will be assessing your works of art, look no further!
Duncan hosts a fantastic online painting academy, The Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy, where he teaches new and experienced miniatures painters the techniques you need to get your collection table ready!
Julian is the talented artist behind some of your favourite bits of terrain and scenery here at Modiphius. Want to impress him? Show us your best bases!
Callum cohosts our monthly Painting Hangout stream on our Twitch channel with Steve and is the brush behind some of our most iconic painted miniatures!
Here is a quick look at some of our newest submissions for the competition!
Paladin Ignatius survives the wastes alone in hopes of one day reuniting with his missing squad. By https://www.instagram.com/taraka22/
Things are heating up for this NCR Ranger! Will his rifle give out before his leg does? By https://www.instagram.com/moon_miniatures/
O’ glowy night, the Mirelurks are shining brightly while Bob goes on an extermination run. By https://lennislinks.carrd.co/
Who needs friends when you’ve got a boom stick like this? By https://www.instagram.com/patpaintsminis/
We’ve heard from the community about the confusion surrounding the changes that the Nuka World wave of miniatures and rules brought to the game, and we understand we haven’t managed that properly. We’re sorry we haven’t been clear about those changes and made them accessible to you, and we aim to do better.
The points values for units and other cards in this rules expansion haven’t been timely with the release, they haven’t been easily accessible, and the cards still need to be updated from all waves with the impact from the rules changes we’ve made with this expansion. The Nuka World rules expansion made some big changes to the fundamentals of the game, as was our intention, but the project hit several roadblocks during its development. That meant some elements weren’t delivered by the time we came to release the rules alongside the miniatures. We’re sorry, and we know this leads to either an incomplete launch or a delay, but we plan to release waves completely and fully in future.
We’re sorry this happened, and we want to make it right, so we’re going to do the following:
The points values for all 9 waves of cards are already on our downloads page, as a PDF named FWW_Wave 9_General Mode_Unit and Item Costs_001LW.
As most of us are, we’re heading into the holiday season and the studio is beginning to wind down over late December. With various teams all having a hand in rectifying these issues, that means the downloads and the updates we’re releasing to you for free won’t be available until early February. We’ll continue to remain in contact, on Facebook and Discord. If you want to join the discussion or raise anything about the rules changes, our Discord is the best place to do that.
That's all for now folks. Happy Holidays and see you next year for more Fallout fun!
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“My planet, Arrakis, is so beautiful when the sun is low. Rolling over the sands… you can see spice in the air.” – Chani, Dune Part One
With the release of Desert Planet: Adventure Compendium Vol 1, our Dune RPG comes full circle. We started on the desert planet, and after stepping out into the wider universe to encounter the Great Houses, the Imperial Court, and factions like the Tleilaxu, we are back on Arrakis once more.
But why come back? Isn’t Arrakis just a barren desert rock with a single dusty export, albeit one central to the Known Universe? Well, yes and no. It is certainly how the Imperium at large sees the planet. But the Fremen know better, as do the Great Houses if they are honest (not that they ever would be). While it might not look like much on the surface, Arrakis is a great setting for adventure, challenge, exploration, and political shenanigans, and it offers danger and riches in equal measure.
We’ve wanted to give our PDF adventures a proper hardcover release for some time. It’s always helpful to have a book in your hand when you are running a game, and all these adventures deserve a place on the shelf with the other books. But we didn’t want to just offer a reprint, so we’ve taken the opportunity to add a little more detail. Given they are set on Arrakis, it was easy to string them together as part of a cohesive campaign. So, we’ve added a thread the gamemaster can use to link them all together into a long campaign. But if the gamemaster just wants to slot them into their own game as they are, they can still do that.
As we were returning to Arrakis, it also seemed a good idea to offer a little more detail on Arrakeen. While Sand and Dust: The Arrakis Sourcebook is pretty comprehensive, we could never have hoped to contain a whole planet in a single book. With most of the adventures set in and around the city, we took the opportunity to add a few more places, locations, and characters to expand on the city of Arrakeen. There are also three new short adventures designed to get a beginner started in a Dune campaign. With the new Villeneuve movie Dune Part Two coming out soon, we hope more people will be drawn to adventure on the desert planet. So, along with Wormsign and Agents of Dune, these new adventures offer a helping hand for a new gamemaster. But as we try to do with every Dune adventure, they will easily adapt to any campaign, be it one of our published ones or adventures of your own design. Of particular interest to Dune fans is our inclusion of a famously missing scene from the recent Dune movie, the Atreides dinner party. If you ever wondered who the guests were and what strange dishes they were eating, we have some answers for you here.
So, the compendium offers our answer for ‘what can you do on Arrakis’, and while we’ll continue to take the game across every aspect of the Imperium and its eras, Arrakis still offers plenty of adventure. You can dine with the Atreides before you raid a prison with the Fremen or strike out into the desert in search of water bandits. You might save a village and keep a Fremen secret, or hide from a storm where an even more deadly peril might be waiting. You might find a potential prophet and save priceless works of art that hide a deeper secret.
Arrakis is all this and more. It is a place of beauty, if you know how to see it, but a place of cruelty, greed, and danger to those who just see the spice. Which will your player characters be?
]]>By Aaron M. Pollyea, STA Contributing Writer
Art by Paolo Puggioni
I’ve found that writing adventures for Klingons to be an enjoyable challenge. On one hand, I need to keep the tone of honor, conflict, and that general smoky atmosphere we see on every Klingon starship bridge. On the other side, it’s easy because it’s still telling stories that are about people with hopes and dreams not too dissimilar to our own.
When I decided that I was going to write two Klingon standalone adventures for Star Trek Adventures, I knew I wanted to explore the idea of sentient species in the Empire. When we look at the map of the Orion Spur, we see the Klingon Empire is sizeable; it’s not just a small group of star systems. We also know the Federation has hundreds of intelligent species. Why doesn't the Klingon Empire?
The simple answer is that they do. Nothing says they shouldn’t have just as many intelligent species across that arbitrary border in space, but why don’t we ever see them? In “A House By Any Other Name,” we explore a couple of the reasons for this, but we are also introduced to an intelligent species the Klingons had conquered long ago, the Hageet, a non-humanoid species struggling against the social and martial ties that bind it.
The Hageet were fun to design as I wanted to make an alien species that would have been difficult to see on the small screen because of budget constraints. Tall, amphibious, four eyes equally spaced around their flat heads so they can see in all directions; these are all things that would fit more in animation than live action. That’s the beauty of roleplaying games: no budget except the limits of your imagination!
But why would the Klingons, a culture that prizes freedom and had thrown off the shackles of enslavement in their past, keep whole worlds as what amounts to be second-class citizens or slaves? I attempted to explore this idea through building up more of their experience with the Hur’q and explaining how vertical social movement occurs with the Houses in the Klingon government. How does all of this tie into an interesting adventure? High stakes politics in a literal cutthroat environment where even the Chancellor is involved. A Minor House willing to do anything to stay in its position, even dishonor others in the eyes of the Empire.
As with many of the adventures I write for Star Trek Adventures, I try to put in a lot of different ideas that could stem off into full campaigns for your group. One of the new ways I can do this is through mission briefs, and it’s here that I can not only continue the story of the Hageet, but I can also put forth new ideas about how the Empire wages its war against the Dominion and what place minor houses and subject species have in the war effort.
I hope you enjoy “A House By Any Other Name;” it was a lot of fun writing it and figuring out the details that went into it.
Get a copy of “A House By Any Other Name” now and get into the action!
Purchase the Star Trek Adventures The Klingon Empire core rulebook or the starter set and get started right away!
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about other Star Trek Adventures product releases. Live long and prosper!
TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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By Wade Dyer
The "core resolution mechanic" is a fundamental element of all TTRPGs, as they not only determine the outcome of in-game actions by both Players and Game Masters, but also influence the vibe of a game and will be its most frequently utilised game rule. They range from the well-known d20 of D&D to the removal of blocks from a not-Jenga tower in Dread.
Fragged Empire 2 makes use of a ‘3d6 vs Difficulty Target’ core resolution mechanic. This system was selected for its ease of use, reliability (embrace the glories of the bell curve!), spikes with each die roll of a “6” for special effects (known as a Strong Hit) and enough gradation to allow a wide range of interesting game options.
Not only are six-sided dice easy to find (raid your old board games if you need more), rolling 3d6 and adding a few modifiers is quick and simple. A Player making dozens of these rolls each game night will be no issue at all.
When rolling 3d6 your average roll is going to be 10.5 (25% chance), and there is a strong pull towards that central number (12% for 12, 10% for 13, 7% for 14, 5% for 15, 3% for 16, 1% for 17 and 0.5% for 18). This probability spread not only lends itself toward Fragged’s more tactical style (Player choice of randomness), but also greatly enhances role-playing as Players will have more reliable outcomes (i.e.: the mechanic can act with confidence when attempting to fix that hover car and know that the party doctor will not outshine them with a lucky roll... as often happens with a 1d20 system).
Single-die systems (like 1d20) have an advantage over multi-dice systems (like 3d6) for a peculiar reason that many are unaware of; everyone at the table will instantly know if you have rolled good or bad as no addition is required. This has the outcome of many subtle and overt communal “yay” or “darn” moments at the table, which help to amplify the gaming experience (especially if you are playing in person). How Fragged seeks to generate these moments is by having each die roll of a “6” do something special, such as triggering a unique power or allowing the re-roll of a low die roll. This all helps to generate those “yay” moments as everyone will react when you roll a “6” (and even more if you roll two 6s!!), and those “darn” moments when you roll no “6s”.
There exists a tension within the design of all game mechanics, we want them to be both ‘simple’ and ‘deep’. Game mechanics that are too basic are often easy to learn, but they quickly become dry as there is not enough room within them to build upon or connect to other game design elements. While game mechanics that are too complex are a pain to learn, they are easy to build upon and leave lots of room for additional game design elements. The goal is to hit that middle sweet spot that is right for the game that is being made... and to emphasize both simplicity and depth (the Holy Grail of game design is to maximize both!). Fragged’s core resolution mechanic is super simple, but there is enough going on to allow a HUGE number of optional plug-ins (such as Traits that allow for special effects on a roll of a “6”, weapons that trigger benefits or problems on a roll of a double, etc...).
Get your copy of Fragged Empire 2 at the following:
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By Brent Knowles
When I was invited to write a book for Arcanum Worlds, I was both delighted and wary. After all, their first major venture, Odyssey of the Dragonlords, was so popular and well-received that I worried about being able to build a worthy successor. Though I had written numerous personal campaigns throughout the years, this needed to be different. It took several weeks before I found an approach I thought suitable.
The idea of a destroyed world started to resonate. I wanted to build something fun from the concept of a glorious & majestic land from the long ago being overrun by evil, where the few that survived were forced to flee to other lands. I already had created a fantasy world where several of the stories I had sold over the years had been set (and which I had used in a personal roleplaying campaign). I decided that the setting for my new campaign book would be built from the most interesting elements of that original fantasy world, with new concepts layered in and with room for players to contribute through their own adventures. But I didn't have a solid hook yet, and explaining the world to others was difficult without going into far too much detail.
At this point, I was running a fun, multiyear campaign using Odyssey of the Dragonlords, and I spent more time thinking about what was working well in that. It had created something special and did so, in part, by building upon a solid foundation of tragic tales, heroic exploits, and the flawed gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. With guidance from others at Arcanum Worlds, I decided to use Norse mythology as the backdrop to my new world. I had read the sagas and several versions of the myths over the years and was a fan of the Vikings and The Last Kingdom television series.
But I didn't entirely want to let go of my original idea, and it didn't take long for me to realize that I didn't have to. Ragnarök is one of the more fascinating elements of Norse mythology, marking an end to those-that-were but not in a fully fatalistic and dystopian way. Instead, it is an ending that provides hope.
I realized that my world, Grimnir, was what comes after Ragnarök. And if the heroes fail to save it, Grimnir, too, shall fall. I began mapping out both the details for the world and the campaign's central story moments. I would pull pieces from three sources: Norse mythology, Vikings in popular culture, and the destroyed world (the "Lost Lands").
I started with the creation myth for the world itself. Grimnir spawns as the magician Mirgal dies; his body and soul are used to create the land and seas, much like Norse mythology's Ymir, whose flesh created the earth, his blood the sea, and so on. Other examples include similarities between the heroes (known as Vanir) from the Lost Lands and Norse gods. While not exact parallels, I did attempt to weave in similar patterns. The Vanir, for example, must deal with one of their own becoming evil, not unlike the difficulties spawned for the Norse gods by Loki's mischief. I also worked to develop strife among the Vanir, primarily between parents, their children, and the expectations that always create conflict between them. There are also a couple of places where I've turned a concept upside down--an event or character seems familiar, but I've taken the concept in a very different direction from the myth that inspired it.
Initially, the heroes are not overly powerful and, indeed, serve relatively minor roles within raider society. At this stage of the campaign, Raiders is more realistic and less fantastic. Raiding and gaining wealth and power over other clans is most important. The myths of the Lost Lands are just that… myths. Heroes begin play by building their capabilities, acquiring ships and crews, and earning glory. (Glory is similar to fame from Odyssey of the Dragonlords, except it is a currency that can be gambled at moments to enhance the heroes' likelihood of overcoming obstacles.) Much of the gameplay at these lower levels should be familiar to readers or viewers of series such as the Vikings and The Last Kingdom.
But even at these levels, the heroes are starting to make their mark and define what Grimnir looks like to them. They explore uncharted islands, make discoveries, and raid to acquire their own territory. Tools are provided in the Raiders of the Serpent Sea Campaign Guide to expand upon these elements. Likewise, the accessory book, the GM Reference (included in the physical map pack and as a free download), provides tools to help a game master keep the campaign more realistic and Viking-like. Other tools exist to support a game master in crafting a world with more myth-like qualities manifesting earlier.
The raiders believe that their current way of life was their ancestor's way. But this is not entirely true. There are subtle glimpses into the customs of the Lost Lands throughout Grimnir, yet it is not a world ever fully defined. As the heroes travel the world, they slowly realize something was lost when the Lost Lands fell.
However, I never fully define what the Lost Lands were, and this is intentional to allow game masters--and the players--to construct something uniquely their own. Their Lost Lands can be different from my Lost Lands. For me, that world refers to a specific place that is very much detailed, drawing as it does upon my campaign worlds and many fantasy stories I've written over the years. But it is more important that the game master and their players cocreate a setting that resonates for them (though obviously they are free to use mine!) They might want to use an old campaign world that resonates emotionally with their group, for example. The Lost Lands can be whatever a particular group needs.
But no matter how we define it, the Lost Lands are… lost.
Grimnir is, therefore, defined by that loss, that absence of what once was and can never be again. Ragnarök is a cycle of renewal, but not everything--and everyone--survives the process. Grimnir is a world that was created in haste and in desperation and by unleashing unfamiliar magic tainted by the very power of the enemy that was consuming the Lost Lands. So it is that Grimnir offered a new beginning to the lucky few able to escape into it, but it is a world where most of the accomplishments of a prior civilization were abandoned in that chaotic escape. All that survived were the people from that world, each of them suffering loss, each of them leaving something (or someone) important behind.
The descendants of those survivors became the Raiders of the Serpent Sea.
Check out the Raiders of the Serpent Sea collection at the following:
Other titles from Arcanum Worlds:
* Chains of Asmodeus https://www.dmsguild.com/product/457996/Chains-of-Asmodeus
* Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy https://www.dmsguild.com/product/365114/Minsc-and-Boos-Journal-of-Villainy-5e
* Odyssey of the Dragonlords https://www.modiphius.net/collections/odyssey-of-the-dragonlords
* Heroes of Baldur's Gate https://www.dmsguild.com/product/269398/Heroes-of-Baldurs-Gate-5e
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