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!
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