Once again, STA fans have created a wondrous module to add to your campaigns. Josh Allen contributes “Life Itself”
Through great care and advanced technology, a Federation science outpost on a young world is poised to witness a miracle: the emergence of new life from the primordial soup. When the research team comes under attack from a mysterious bio-weapon, the hero ship finds itself in the middle of a fraught First Contact with an endangered species on a desperate maiden spaceflight.
The ensuing conflict will demand medicine, science, diplomacy, social conflict, and starship combat. The players may be called upon to battle—and ultimately save—a living alien starship while grappling with questions about the unfolding of life in the cosmos.
“Life Itself” has a modular design, taking an approach somewhere between a Mission Brief and a Scene-by-Scene adventure module. It provides “schematics” for assembling Scenes on the fly from story beats and a framework for creating cinematic drama in multiple locations through the use of Supporting Characters. It establishes the Difficulty for certain goals but leaves many Tasks explicitly open-ended to suit each character’s intended approach. It’s designed to give the GM the mechanical and story prep they’ll need, while letting the outcome depend greatly upon player choices and chance.
If you take a look at the adventure or use it at your table, Josh would love your feedback on how it can be improved.
