The specifics of each vessel’s mission profile, the legacy of the events they have been party to, the refits and repairs they’ve undergone, and the requirements of the crews that have served aboard them make each starship a distinct entity in more than just name. Even two ships of the same class differ in meaningful ways, as the lessons learned in the construction and service of previous ships of that class shape the way their sister ships are assembled, and the needs of the service shape the way each individual vessel is outfitted and configured.
The players’ starship is as unique as their characters, having gone through a process of creation and refinement. If the players choose to command a Constitution-class starship, theirs will not be a facsimile of the legendary U.S.S. Enterprise, but a distinct vessel with its own proud history, and just as many thrilling encounters yet to experience.
The rules in this chapter cover the ships of the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries, and the first few years of the 25th century. While Star Trek expands far beyond those periods, the distant future of the 29th–32nd centuries—seen briefly in time travel stories and in the later seasons of Star Trek: Discovery—is beyond the scope of this rulebook.
Starship creation follows a specific process, as follows.
Starship Creation Process
Step one: Timeframe
Select the year the game is set. The year helps determine which spaceframes are available in that era.
Step Two: Spaceframe
Select a spaceframe, or class, for your starship.
Step Three: Mission Profile
Select a single mission profile for your starship.
Step Four: Service record
You may choose a single service record reflecting the ship’s service record (or, if the ship is brand new, possibly a lack of history).
Step five: Refits
Select or determine refits, if needed.
Timeframe
Collectively decide with your group on when the game will take place. This should be decided when everyone agrees to play, as the era in which the game is played will have an impact on which spaceframes are available for use.
A broad timeline of the Star Trek universe can be found inside the back cover, and eras of play are discussed in ERAS OF PLAY, starting on page 30. It is most common for games to be set in years depicted in the shows and movies, as those years will be the most familiar to players. However, setting a game a less-developed era allows greater freedom to play without being overshadowed by canonical names and events.
This choice will have wider impact on the state of the universe and the development of technology: a game set during the Earth-Romulan War (2156–2160) will have very different expectations with regards to politics and technology than one set in 2402, after the events of Star Trek: Picard.
Spaceframe
A vessel’s spaceframe (or class) is its basic superstructure, core systems, operational infrastructure, and all the other elements common to every vessel of the same class.
Choose a single class for your starship. This will provide a collection of abilities that serve as the baseline for the starship—the ship’s base scores for its systems, its Scale, modifiers towards its departments, and what weaponry it is equipped with. These may be modified by choices of mission profile, service record, and refits.
Each class also lists the year the class entered service and provides basic traits common to all ships of that class.
Some classes may also provide talents, denoting functions or special technologies that are built into ships of that class. These talents cannot be changed or swapped out at the start of the game. The list of spaceframes provided in this rulebook begins on page 197. Other Star Trek Adventures supplements provide additional spaceframe options.
Mission Profile
A ship’s mission profile is a key part of what distinguishes one ship of a class from her sister ships. It determines how the ship will be equipped, what facilities and personnel are assigned to it, and what kind of operations it will be expected to perform.
Choose a mission profile for your starship. This will provide the baseline ratings for each department, representing specialized equipment, crew assignments, and prioritization of resources. It will also provide at least one talent chosen from a short list designed to support the specific mission. The list of mission profiles begins on page 212.
Service Record
Next, you may choose a single service record for the ship. This choice may be limited based on how long the ship has served for (the difference between the campaign’s timeframe and the year the ship’s spaceframe entered service).
Each service record provides an additional trait for the ship, reflecting alterations and modifications made during the ship’s service, as well as the effect of the ship’s reputation or status. These also provide an additional special rule that affects the ship in some small, thematic way. Service records are listed beginning on page 216.
Refits
Most ships receive one or more refits based on the length of the ship’s service: one refit for every full 10 years of the ship’s service. These represent periodic upgrades and improvements the ship receives during its lifespan. These refits each add 1 to a single ship’s system. The specifics of these improvements are left vague, to fit with any point in the timeline and the evolving nature of technology. Refits are detailed on page 217.
Putting it All Together
Once the game’s year, the starship’s class, mission profile, service record, and refit(s) have been chosen, it’s time to put all those things together:
TRAITS: A starship will have several traits determined during the creation process. One of these will indicate the culture that produced the ship (or denote the ship as being independent), as well as the broad classification of the ship—Federation starship, Klingon birdof-prey, Romulan warbird, Bolian freighter, etc.—while others may denote why the ship is notable or unusual. Another will come from the ship’s service record, if selected.
SYSTEMS: A starship’s systems are determined by its class, and then modified by mission profile, service record, and refits. No system rating may be increased beyond 12, though it may have a system with a base score above 12 if that score came from the spaceframe, before any modifications. If a ship has a system with a modified score above 12, reduce the score to 12 and assign those points to other systems.
DEPARTMENTS: A starship’s departments are determined by its class, mission profile, service record, and refits. No department rating may be above 5: if a ship has a department rating above 5, reduce it to 5, and assign those points to other departments.
TALENTS: A starship should have a number of talents equal to its Scale. Some of these may be determined by the ship’s spaceframe, and at least one should be determined by the ship’s mission profile. If, at this stage, the ship has fewer talents than its Scale, select additional talents until it has the required number. Talents can be found starting on page 218. This limit only applies when the ship is first created—a ship which has been improved during play may obtain additional talents.
SCALE: A starship’s Scale is determined by its class.
RESISTANCE: A ship’s Resistance is equal to half its Scale (round up), plus a bonus based on its Structure, as shown on the Structure and Resistance table on page 185. Talents may modify Resistance further.
SHIELDS: A starship has maximum shields equal to its Structure plus its Scale and Security. Talents may modify this further.
CREW SUPPORT: A starship’s Crew Support is equal to its Scale. This may be modified further by character talents and/or ship talents.
WEAPONS: A starship’s weapons are determined by its spaceframe. The damage weapons inflict is increased based on the ship’s Weapons score, plus additional factors from the type of weapon. These variations are described in Starship Weapons, starting on page 226.
THE BRIDGE: The arrangement of the ship’s bridge—which stations are present, and which are grouped together for convenience—should be decided upon by the group. See page 186 for information on bridge stations.
Finishing Touches
Once all the game mechanics are in place, the ship is ready, but for a couple of minor details.
First, every starship needs a name. The Federation has no universal convention for naming ships, often naming them after locations, important historical persons, ancient ships, mythical figures, or even more abstract ideals, virtues, or concepts.
Klingon naming is similar, but Klingons exclusively name their vessels in tlhIngan Hol, the primary language of the Klingon Empire. Romulans, as with all things, seldom share the meanings behind the names of their ships, but they are likely to have a similar cultural significance. Other species name their vessels as they see fit.
In all cases, a Federation starship’s name is prefixed with ‘U.S.S.’. Klingon ships tend to be prefixed ‘I.K.S.’, Romulan ships are prefixed ‘I.R.W.’, at least under the Romulan Star Empire. Other cultures have their own prefix conventions, if they have any at all.
If the players are unable to think of a name, perhaps consider looking at Starfleet vessels that have appeared briefly on the shows, or which are mentioned by name but never seen, and using those names—it can add to the feeling of playing in the Star Trek universe by playing with a ship that has even a small part in the franchise, without necessarily needing to be aboard a ship named Enterprise.
Each Federation starship also has a registry number (non-Federation ships do not generally use a registry). This is a number prefixed by either the letters NCC or NX. NCC is used for most ships, with NX reserved for prototype vessels and the first ship of a class, in honor of the first Human starships able to reach Warp 5.