Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier was the first licensed Star Trek role-playing game. Released in 1978, its rule book pre-dates the more familiar FASA RPG and even the semi-licensed Star Fleet Battles, and was written with an eye toward those unfamiliar with RPGs.
Description[]
- The game before you, The Final Frontier, is a game inspired by the famed Star Trek television series. But it has an unusual attitude. This is not a parcheesi or monopoly variant... This game is a role-playing game. It is a game where the players become the characters from the show. Thus, one player could be the fearless Captain James T. Kirk and another the logical Mr. Spock. But more than just carrying around a card with Kirk's name on it, the player is expected to be Kirk as much as he is able. He must lead the crew of the ship. Lead it, make decisions, give orders, and do all the things expected of the Captain of the Starship Enterprise.
Contents[]
- Introduction
- Preparation
- The Basic Game
- Star Trek Personalities
- Basic Game Combat Rules
- Movement
- Hand-to-Hand Combat
- Range Combat
- Record Keeping
- Creatures in Combat
- Basic Game Equipment Rules
- Playing a Scenario
- The Shuttlecraft Crash
- The Advanced Game
- Playing a Scenario
- The Slaver Ruins
- Character Creating
- Advanced Game Psionics
- Familiar Star Trek Life Forms
- Creating Alien Characters
- A Selected List of Equipment and Weapons
- Advanced Game Combat Rules
- Creating Your Own Scenarios
- Playing a Scenario
- Notes to the Mission Master
Module/adventures[]
The Shuttlecraft Crash[]
While traveling in the Galileo shuttlecraft, engine failure forces the ship to crash on a class M planet. The crew detects replacement dilithium to the northeast and an expedition heads out, but unusual terrain and a foggy atmosphere slow their progress. Between them and their goal are rock falls, quicksand, unusual radiation, armed native humanoids, and strange animal lifeforms.
The Slaver Ruins[]
In 2270, an uncharted planet is explored by a landing party from the starship USS Enterprise. The party comes across an ancient Slaver outpost, and while looking through its ruins, they uncover four unopened stasis boxes. Their examination is threatened by a team from an unknown alien spacecraft, local inhabitants seeded there by the Providers, and a variety of familiar but threatening animals.
References[]
Characters[]
- Arex Na Eth • Pavel Chekov • Christine Chapel • James T. Kirk • Shiboline M'Ress • Leonard McCoy • Janice Rand • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
- Referenced only
- Beta XII-A entity • Chuft-Captain • Gary Mitchell • Gem • Che'srik Tal • Koloth • Korax
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Galileo (class F shuttlecraft)
- Referenced only
- IKS Devisor (Klingon battlecruiser) • Traitor's Claw (Kzinti police vessel)
Locations[]
- Slaver outpost
- Referenced only
- Antos IV • Phylos II
Races and cultures[]
- Andorian • Aquan • blastoneuron • Caitian • Dramian • Elasian • Gnalish • Gorn • Horta • Human • Klingon • Kzinti • Lactran • M-113 creature • Medusan • Melkotian • Metron • Nasat • Organian • Orion • Phylosian • Providers • Romulan • Skorr • Slaver • Talosian • Tellarite • Tholian • Triexian or Edoan • Troyian • Vedala • Vendorian • Vulcan
States and organizations[]
- Federation • Romulan Star Empire • Slaver Empire • Starfleet
Science and classification[]
- anti-containment suit • anti-contamination suit • archeology • armored pressure suit • backpack • biocomputer • Bloodhype • body armor • chainmail • chronometer • class M • communicator • cutter beam • deflector shield • energy shield • engine • environmental suit • filter mask • force field • forcefield box • hologram • Irvingoscope • laser beacon • life support belt • life support mask • magnetic probe • matter conversion beam • medical tricorder • medikit • medipouch • medscanner • mind sifter • narcotic • nerve gas • phaser bore • police web • portable antigrav • power pack • psionic amplifier • psychic probe • psychotricorder • shield • sonic grenade • spear • stasis box • stasis field • subcutaneous transponder • telefocals • theragen • transporter • tricorder • universal translator • vibro-blade • voder • warp drive
Lifeforms[]
- ameoboid • anthropoid • bovine • canine • Capellan power cat • cat • dinosaur • energy • felinoid • galaxy • Gamma Trianguli VI pod plant • giant dryworm • glommer • gossamer mouse • grass • halo fish • humanoid • insectoid • jungle • le-matya • mugato • plant • polymorph • psychokinesis • reptile • reptillian • Retlaw plant • Rigellian hypnoid • sandbat • sehlat • Slaver sunflower • snake • swooper • telekinesis • tribble • ursinoid • vampire cloud
Weapons[]
- agonizer • ahn woon • axe • bow • club • crossbow • dagger • disruptor • flintlock musket • grenade • kligat • Klingon disruptor • knife • laser • lirpa • machine gun • neuronic whip • nuclear blaster • phaser • phaser rifle • photon grenade • pistol • revolver • rifle • Romulan disruptor • Smith & Wesson .38 • type-1 phaser • type-2 phaser
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • commander • doctor • ensign • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • nurse • security guard • sub-commander • warrior
Other references[]
- 19th century • alien • atmosphere • crew • crystal • dilithium • ESP • fire • firearm • helmet • kilometer • landing party • lifeforce • lifeform • lithium • magnetism • mind meld • orbit • ore • planet • poison • Prime Directive • psionics • quicksand • radiation • rock • silk • skeleton • stun • technology • telepathy
Appendices[]
Background[]
- Published by Heritage Models, the rule book incorporated technology, characters and races from both TOS and TAS. It provided game mechanics, two adventure modules, and additional scenario suggestions involving the starship investigating a derelict or acting in a police role when a civilian liner was found carrying contraband. There were also adventure suggestions for a planetary landing party. The guidebook clarified that player characters could be Starfleet personnel, Klingons, Romulans or members of any other race.
- Heritage Models followed up the book with a line of 25mm metal figurines. Though many of the intended TAS figures advertised in the manual never materialized — Asmodeus, the Capellan power cat, Em/3/Green, Elysian Council, Lara, Lucien, Sord, Tchar, and Theela — notably they did release items #1618 Phylosian, #1620 Skorr, and #1622 Kzinti.
- While no supplements were released by the company, an expansion of the rules and an adventure module were published in RPG magazine articles.
Images[]
Cover image.
Connections[]
External links[]
- Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier gaming article at the RPG wiki.
- Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier miniatures article at the Lost Minis Wiki.