TTRPG Review - Star Trek Captain's Log

Captain’s Log is a solo RPG supplement for the Star Trek Adventures roleplaying system that allows you to create a character within the universe and then generate “episodes” for your character to navigate through.

This is the second product I’ve had the opportunity to review from Modiphius Games. As with the previous product I reviewed, source books for their Dune Roleplaying system, the quality of the product is fantastic. For 30 pounds, roughly 37 dollars US, you get a 326 page hardbound book printed in full color. The paper is of high quality with a glossy finish and the book comes with finished endplates, stitched binding and a thread bookmark integrated into the spine. In terms of physical quality, Modiphius’ products are excellent and this book is no exception. The book is available for purchase with a variety of covers depending on which era/race you prefer.

It is important to document what kind of system this book presents as it is very different than what I was originally expecting. I was anticipating a system much like the old “choose your own adventure” books I read in my youth. A book that allowed me to follow a choose your own adventure of the mind as it were. Instead, this book is very much about storytelling – allowing you to craft the framework of a story while requiring you to flesh out that framework to create “scenes”, “episodes” and even “seasons” of “roleplay”. I put roleplay in quotes because, unlike other roleplaying systems I’m familiar with, this system is focused on crafting story arcs focused around your character so that you then use as a basis to tell that story. Speaking as an author, the tools provided in the book would be excellent if I wanted to create a novel based on my fictional Star Trek captain. (I wouldn’t want to know what the license fees from the owner of the Star Trek IP would be though).

Already, I can hear many of your out there saying “what”? Let me give you an idea of what I’m talking about. The remainder of the book contains a variety of setting information, tables to roll on for character/starship/planet/etc generation, decision tables and more. Following their guidelines, I started with character creation and – wanting to get the full experience – determined that I wanted to roll for every aspect of my character and story to get the full experience. First, I determined that my character stories were taking place in the “Original Series” timeframe and, after rolling for character generation, that my character was a Betazoid Starfleet officer. More rolls determined that I was a young lieutenant commander who had just taken command of a Nimitz class starship named the USS Raincross. I then finished character generation – assigning various attributes and abilities to my captain and my starship. That finished, I rolled on the encounter generator to determine what my first mission was – a medical emergency mission to the planet Dembala V where a terrorist organization is holding a doctor hostage. I needed to resolve this standoff, secure the doctor and then help this doctor fabricate a cure for a disease outbreak on the planet. This is where Captain’s Log differentiates from the normal roleplaying game. Having laid down this framework of a story it was now my task to creates scenes and episodes for this story arc, generate NPC’s for my ship and for my opponents (the book provides tables and information on how best to do this), play through these scenes I created for myself and – ultimately – end the episode in preparation for the next episode. The book is very clear that they are there to facilitate your ability to craft a narrative so that you can present it in some form. In my case, I intend to create a web series about this first mission and, perhaps, I’ll continue it.

All in all this is an excellent product. However, I think that you should be very aware of what it is you are purchasing before you do so. If you want the standard table top roleplaying experience I would recommend the Star Trek Adventures System. This product is a companion to that system and it is possible to move your characters into adventures from captain’s log and vice versa. If you are interested in doing a web series, writing your own stories, crafting a one person theater of the mind, etc then this product is definitely for you. The amount of background material on offer and the excellent tools provided make this a must have product if you are interested in that type of thing.

Product Quality – 5 of 5 Stars
Construction – 5 of 5 Stars
Playability – 4 of 5 Stars
Value – 5 of 5 Stars

Overall Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Publisher – Modiphius Games
Game System – Captain’s Log
Parent System – Star Trek Adventures

Author Profile

Nemesis

Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.