Contributed by Mark Compton
So, recently GOG released several Star Trek games in honor of Star Trek Day. I took advantage and downloaded Star Trek: Away Team. the game is a real-time tactical game in which you take command of a 4-6 person Away Team in various covert missions.
The game is set in 2377 (based on the first Log entry, somewhere in October). The player controls the crew of the U.S.S. Incursion, a modified Defiant-class equipped with a holographic cloak that allows it to appear as other ships. The opening cinematic shows the Incursion mimicking a D’deridex Warbird.
Going forward, I plan on doing character profiles on the crew of the Incursion, but first I thought I’d share with you the ship itself.
Ways to use in-game: Gamemasters could use the U.S.S. Incursion in one of two ways.
First: The Incursion and her crew could show up as guest stars in the player’s game. Perhaps they have wandered into some Starfleet Intelligence operation already in progress. The players get swept up in the mission and come to the aid of the Incursion so that they can complete the mission. this could make for a recurring set of guest stars for the player’s game,
Second: The GM could choose to replace the crew of the Incursion with their own players. There is something to be said for running a covert operations style game, and for GMs who have players seeking that sort of game the Incursion would make for a great opportunity.
Of course, GMs could find other ways to include the ship (and her crew if they choose) into their games. In the end, it’s all up to you.
With that being said, allow me to introduce you to the U.S.S. Incursion.
U.S.S. Incursion NX-74808

ENTERED SERVICE: 2377
OVERVIEW: Much as Starfleet lacked experience in designing ships of war, they also had similar issues designing ships designed specifically for espionage. The USS Incursion is a unique refit of the Defiant-class designed exclusively for covert operations with Starfleet Intelligence. The primary purpose of the Incursion is information gathering, surveillance, infiltration, and observation. Secondary purposes have seen her take on the role of search and rescue operations behind hostile lines.
CAPABILITIES: The U.S.S. Incursion differs significantly from production models of the Defiant-class in several areas. As the ship is designed for clandestine missions, she retains the four forward-mounted pulsed phaser cannons and the integrated photon/quantum torpedo launchers, while having her phaser arrays emitters replaced with the omnidirectional holographic diodes required to run the Holographic Masking System. This system allows Incursion to operate in hostile territory by disguising the vessel in a holographic shell while other systems match the energy and warp signatures as closely as possible. The Incursion’s maximum warp speed with the Holographic Masking System engaged is Warp 7, with a top-rated speed of warp 9. The ship typically operates with a crew of thirty-five officers with no enlisted. Like the Defiant-class she is a variant of, the Incursion lacks general crew comforts. Its shuttle bays service one Type-9 shuttle. As of 2377, only a single Incursion variant of the Defiant-class is in service, assigned to Starfleet Intelligence under the command of Captain Marcus Refelian.
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