Hello all, my name is Matthew Steele. I run a small review blog, BlazinBlue’s Review. It’s been something I’ve done since 2018. At first, it was focused on a lot of horror movies and such. But now, I cover books, movies, and now tabletop rpgs.
For a while, I’ve been working on finding something for my son and me to do together. After he turned 9 this year, it felt like trying to find something to bond with him over.
He loves getting to play tabletop RPGs. We’ve spent time working on finding a Star Wars RPG cause he loves Star Wars. It’s been a bit of a mess trying to find something to work for that Galaxy Far, Far, Away. We’ve also played some Dungeons & Dragons. But it’s been the two of us. So it’s a bit difficult to find a system that works for the two of us.
Lately, I’ve been on a bit of a Star Trek kick. When I first was introduced to Star Trek, it was thanks to my Dad. We spent weekend afternoons watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was just one of those things that clicked for me. So, I decided to check out Star Trek: Picard. It’s been a pretty awesome show so far. I know that there are those that may disagree on that and that’s okay. Seeing where the returning characters are at in their lives has been pretty cool, and the new characters were pretty solid. It just managed to work in such an interesting way.
Well, I had the pleasure of keeping that tradition going. My son sat down and watched an episode or two of Star Trek: Picard and then wanted to see more. At that point, I introduced him to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Strange New Worlds is just pure Trek. It’s everything that love bout the franchise. It manages to hit all the right notes. While Picard felt a bit Firefly-ish in its approach, Strange New Worlds was 100% that vibe of The Original Series. And so, I took the time to start looking into Star Trek Adventures.
Star Trek Adventures was really everything that could hope for in an RPG. It lets you play in the sandbox that Roddenberry created. I can definitely say that this places the franchise where it has never gone before. The floodgates were absolutely open because there was at least 5 years’ worth of awesomeness to look through. It felt a bit daunting. Overwhelming. But the thing was that it still required a group to play. And with us, it’s just the two of us currently.
So, I decided to look into if there was a solo option. Using the solo option, it’d allow us to create our own characters and be able to have our own sandbox that we could play in without a GM. There were Starlogs and Beyond the Stars. These seemed to be able to emulate slightly that feeling of going GM-less. But it just wasn’t right for us necessarily.
Then last week on the 11th, imagine my surprise when I discovered a YouTube interview that was discussing the breaking news for Star Trek Adventures – Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log. Immediately my son noticed that I was grinning from ear to ear and asked what was it.
The very next day, I put in my pre-order to Modiphius.
For those that are wondering, Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log is everything that I was looking for.
Captain’s Log is an absolutely amazing tool. It’s an all-in-one standalone book from the rest of the Star Trek Adventures line. It can be used in conjunction with other books. It can also be used just for the information within it.
Are you new to Trek? This book is for you. Are you new to RPGs? This book is for you. Are you looking for something that will help you craft stories? Again, this book is for you.
At first, I was a bit hesitant to what I could do with the Captain’s Log. I hadn’t really dived into solo RPGs before. This was all new territory for me. I had played a session or two of Dungeons and Dragons and GMed a session or two. But I wasn’t sure if I could do it.
After the time I’ve had with it, I can definitely say that anyone can play Captain’s Log. Really sky is the limit. Do you have to know your Trek? Absolutely not. The first two chapters of this book alone sets the groundwork for anyone coming into Trek for the first time. And it does it all magnificently.
The roll tables in this book are called Probability Matrixes. There is a table for absolutely everything. Locations, build NPCs, and Encounters are just a small tip of the iceberg. It helps with just about any aspect one could ask for.
Now you may find yourself wondering ‘What era can you play in?’. Absolutely any, all, or none of them. Literally, I say that the sky is the limit. If you want to play an Enterprise campaign of the Rise of the Federation, it’s in here. The Original Series or Discovery, it’s in here. Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, or anything else you can imagine is in here. This is a completely Era-agnostic book and that’s just so amazing to see. It provides you with plenty of information for those Eras though.
Could I have wished for just a little more information on the different eras? Possibly. But everything that is covered is absolutely awesome.
Heck, I always wondered if could run a campaign involving the ’09 Trek. With this tool, I probably could with a few adjustments here and there. There isn’t specifically any information of the Kelvin Timeline, but that’s probably down to licensing. And yes, I will say 100% that I enjoyed the hell out of those films. They reignited my love for Trek after I had stepped away from the franchise for a time.
There are so many stories that can be told with everything contained within. It honestly is going to allow for years and years of content. I mean I’m never going to find myself bored of playing in the Trek sandbox. And with this, helps one scratch that creative itch of creating something whether you spend 15 minutes or a few hours in a session. It really can be that easy.
I’d absolutely highly recommend getting this book. I recommended it to my friend, who isn’t a Trekkie. He literally told me that he hadn’t really watched anything Trek. And then the other day, he told me that he had stumbled across a Star Trek audio drama. That’s pretty cool. And he might even be up for playing in our campaign.
Rating: I’d give this an absolute 5 out of 5. Such a well-put-together tool that just has so much limitless potential. And that’s amazing.
*Stay Tuned as I’ll be sharing stories of the U.S.S. Horizon*
You can find the Captain’s Log at Modiphius for purchase. There are four different covers to it (The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Discovery). They are featured at the top of the article. I ended up with The Next Generation cover.
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