Boosting the Gain: Level Up Your Comms Officer, Part One – Resources and References

Arwyn Blair

4 months ago

A widescreen promotional graphic with a black, starfield background. Across the top are five portrait images of Star Trek communications officers, left to right: Ensign Hoshi Sato, a focused Asian woman in a blue Enterprise-era uniform at a console; Lieutenant Ronald Bryce, a Black man in a modern Starfleet uniform looking alert on a starship bridge; Ensign Uhura (Strange New Worlds), a young Black woman in a red uniform seated at communications, listening intently; Lieutenant Uhura (The Original Series), a Black woman in a gold uniform with a hand raised to her earpiece; and Lieutenant M’Ress, an animated feline humanoid in a red uniform at a console. Centered between the rows, large bold orange text reads: “BOOSTING THE GAIN: LEVEL UP YOUR COMMS OFFICER.” Along the bottom are five more portraits, left to right: Ensign Aquiel Uhnari, a woman in a teal Next Generation uniform; Gwyndala, a pale, white-haired alien girl with large eyes; Ensign Kova Esmar, a bald alien Starfleet officer in a gold uniform on a bridge; Lieutenant Christopher, a Black man in a gold uniform; and Lieutenant Astrid Atlee, a red-skinned alien with long hair and ridged features wearing a gold uniform. All figures are shown from the shoulders up, each framed in their own rectangular panel.

Have you played through all of the common bridge officer roles, and are looking for something new? Have you been inspired to follow in the footsteps of such luminaries like Hoshi Sato, Nyota Uhura, Gwyndala, or Kova Esmar? Or maybe you are playing a comms specialist already, but are looking for ways to break out of the “answering the phone” stereotype? If so, then you’re in the right place.

My goal with the Boosting the Gain series is to provide suggestions, information, and advice on ways to diversify and improve role-play of communications specialists. In future articles, I will touch on the history of the position, share some thoughts on how to choose a division, and highlight different duties appropriate for those divisions to help your character stand out.

For today’s article, I want to focus on providing a list of resources and relevant materials that can be used as both a reference and inspiration for character ideas.

Starting things off, Michael Dismuke and Jim Johnson had a great brainstorming session on how to creatively play comms specialists with guest Al Spader on their “Continuing Conversations” podcast. You can find that episode here:

Al Spader also wrote the section on the communication officer’s role in the Star Trek Adventures Player’s Guide (pp. 167-168). While the description of the communications officer’s role benefit provided in the Player’s Guide was updated subsequently in the Second Edition Core Rulebook, the remainder of his contribution is applicable to either edition.

Speaking of Second Edition, here is a reference index I assembled to help me play comms officers with more confidence. Each entry includes descriptions or tidbits of information useful for the role. I have the entries divided into three categories: Briefings, Rules, and Sidebars. Briefings and Sidebars provide general information or playful anecdotes. Rules are for entries that cover specific game mechanics.

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST RESOURCE INDEX

CHARACTER ACTIONS

Combat and Comms Specialists

Sidebar – “Talking is a Free Action” (Core 2e p. 298)
Briefing – Positions and Starship Combat Actions: Communications Position (Core 2e p. 299)
Rule – Communications Station Major Actions Chart (Core 2e p. 301)

Distance and Its Effect on Communications

Sidebar – “Communication and Perception” (Core 2e p. 286)

Distress Calls

Sidebar – “Personal Log” (Technical Manual p. 53)

CHARACTER OPTIONS

Character Creation

Rule – Career Event: Learned Unique Language (Core 2e p. 130)
Rule – Role and Role Benefit: Communications Officer (Core 2e p. 138)
Briefing – Roles in the 23rd Century – Communications Officer (23rd Century Campaign Guide p. 105)
Rule – Role and Role Benefit: Translator (Core 2e, p. 139)

LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS

Briefing – United Federation of Planets Society and Languages (Core 2e p. 15)
Sidebar – “Composing the Music of My Life” (Core 2e p. 46)
Sidebar – “Personal Log” (Technical Manual p. 91)
Sidebar – “A Trial Run for Nyota Uhura” (23rd Century Campaign Guide p. 90)

SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES

Communication Signals

Briefing – Electromagnetic Spectrum (Core 2e p. 74)
Briefing – The Whale Probe (23rd Century Campaign Guide p. 75)

Subspace Communications

Briefing – Subspace (Core 2e p. 78)
Briefing – Communication Technology (Core 2e pp. 16-17)
Briefing – Technology – Subspace Communications (23rd Century Campaign Guide p. 47)

SHIP OPTIONS

Ship Talents

Rule – Ship Talent: Command Ship (Core 2e p. 220)
Rule – Ship Talent: Dedicated Subspace Transceiver Array (Core 2e p. 220)
Rule – Ship Talent: Electronic Warfare Systems (Core 2e p. 222)

Starship Weaponry Quality Relevant to Comms Specialists

Rule – Starship Weaponry Quality: Jamming (Core 2e p. 227)

TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT

Personal Equipment: Audio Receiver

Briefing – Personal Equipment: Audio Receiver (Core 2e p. 247)

Personal Equipment: Beacons and Transponders

Briefing – Personal Equipment: Beacons (Core 2e p. 246)
Briefing – Personal Equipment – Emergency Transponder (Technical Manual p. 56)

Personal Equipment: The Communicator

Rule – Personal Communicator (Core 2e, p. 141)
Briefing – Personal Communicator (Core 2e p. 246)
Briefing – The Right Tools for the Job: Communication Devices (Technical Manual p. 2)
Briefing – Personal Communications (Technical Manual pp. 36-37)
Sidebar – “Technology of the 32nd Century – Tricom Badges” (Technical Manual p. 43)

Personal Equipment: Personal Access Display Devices (PADDS)

Briefing – Personal Equipment: PADD (Core 2e p. 247)
Briefing – Personal Equipment: PADDS (Technical Manual pp. 34-35)

Personal Equipment: Tricorder

Sidebar – “Technology of the 32nd Century – Tricom Badges” (Technical Manual p. 43)
Briefing – Personal Equipment – The Tricorder – Communication and Data Storage (Technical Manual p. 58)
Sidebar – Personal Equipment – “The Tricorder – What Can a Tricorder Do, Exactly?” (Technical Manual p. 60)

Personal Equipment: Universal Translator

Briefing – Personal Equipment: Universal Translator (Core 2e p. 247)
Briefing – Personal Equipment: Universal Translators (Technical Manual pp. 48-51)

Ship Stations Relevant to Comms Officers

Briefing – Communications Systems and Their Suggested Uses (Core 2e, p. 180)
Briefing – Communications Systems and Their Interactions with Different Departments (Core 2e, pp. 183-184)
Briefing – Communications Systems – Communications Station Functions (Core 2e, p. 187)
Briefing – Other Ship Systems – Communications (Technical Manual p. 123)
Briefing – Communications (Circa 2255) (Technical Manual pp. 30-31)
Briefing – An Engineer’s Domain – Sensors and Communication (Technical Manual p. 109)
Briefing – Other Ship Systems – Sensors (Technical Manual pp. 126-127)
Briefing – Operations Systems – Operations Station functions (Core 2e, p. 188)
Briefing – Tactical Systems – Tactical Station Functions (Core 2e, p. 188)

Subspace Beacons, Buoys and Relays

Sidebar – “Echo 2 Anomaly” (Core 2e. p. 67)
Sidebar – “Bajoran Wormhole Communications” (Core 2e p. 76)
Sidebar – “Subspace Buoy Installation” (Core 2e p. 82)
Briefing – “Deep Space Exploration” (23rd Century Campaign Guide p. 122)

STARFLEET GENERAL ORDERS, REGULATIONS, AND CODES

Finally, I’ll leave you with a selection of Starfleet General Orders, Regulations, and Codes that are helpful for communications officers to know:

GENERAL ORDERS

General Order 12: “Requires a captain and/or crew to take appropriate precautions when approached by a starship with which communications have not been, or cannot be, established.”

REGULATIONS

Regulation 46A: “If transmissions are being monitored during battle, no uncoded messages are to be transmitted on an open channel.”

Regulation (number not cited): “When medical personnel are responding to a medical emergency on alien terrain, it is recommended to keep an open comm-channel at all times.”

CODES

Code One-Alpha-Zero: Indicates a heightened state of ship readiness in response to a crisis scenario, such as a distress call.

Code Factor One: Signals the coded alert that the United Federation of Planets is about to be invaded. Also see Code 001.

Code 001: Also known as “Defense Alert” or “Priority One Alert.” It signals the threat of a disaster, invasion, or the initiation of warfare by the Federation against a hostile power. When the code is issued, all Starfleet personnel in the zoned area are to assume tactical alert.

Emergency Code One: Signals an intruder alert on a Starfleet ship or station.

Transporter Code 014: Indicates a coded order to destroy an object using a transporter beam.

Code 047: This code is sent using the highest of Starfleet’s encryption protocols. It is meant for Captain’s rank and above only. All recordings and traces are removed automatically from records after transmission.

Code 710: This code indicated a quarantine is in effect. No Federation vessel is to approach a ship, station, or system that is broadcasting this code.

=/\= END RECORD =/\=

Is there anything I have missed? Do you have a rule or regulation in your home games that might be helpful for others to know? If you’re willing, please share it in the comments below.

Until next time!