Again, Troublesome Tribbles is a role-playing module/adventure for FASA's Star Trek: The Role-Playing Game. It was the second of three introductory adventures (along with "Ghosts of Conscience" and "In the Presence of My Enemies") published in Adventure Book, a 48-page manual included with the first edition of the game box set in 1983. It was the second of four FASA adventures involving the crew of the USS Enterprise, and was a sequel to TOS episode & Star Trek 3 novelization: The Trouble with Tribbles and TAS episode & Log Four novelization: More Tribbles, More Troubles.
Description[]
- Introduction
- In this adventure, the crew of the USS Enterprise will meet some old "friends" while performing an otherwise routine mission… This scenario is strictly for fun (though it is quite possible for player characters to be injured or even killed, if they aren't careful)!
Summary[]
Starfleet ordered their research facility on Aleph III to be shut down, and assigned the USS Enterprise both to inform the staff and help them pack up. It was located atop a mountainous area full of magnetic ore that disrupted transporters and long-range communications, meaning that landing parties would have to land shuttlecraft at a nearby airfield and climb up the terrain. The base was manned by zoologists, biologists and geneticists who studied a variety of unusual, hazardous indigenous lifeforms.
En route, a second, newer airfield was detected closer to the facility, with a small cargo ship present. After landing, the team met administrator Robert Kelly, his staff, and trader Cyrano Jones, who often brought supplies to the base. Station personnel were disappointed by the decision to close the facility, particularly the two Andorian zoologists, but staff would show the landing party around the facility the next day when remote experiments and animal traps could be closed down.
That night, a D-7-class Klingon battlecruiser entered orbit on the other side of the planet, unaware of the presence of the Enterprise. Imperial Intelligence operatives had overheard Jones talking about the base's research at the bar on Deep Space Station K-7, and had become particularly interested in a stimulant found in species of dervish that could benefit combat troops. The battlecruiser was tasked with raiding the station and stealing samples of the stimulant. But because the system was within the Organian Treaty Zone, the cruiser had been officially listed as a missing in action privateer. A Klingon shuttlecraft landed with four security officers, a doctor, a geneticist, and Commander Koloth himself. He had personally volunteered to command the mission as a means of regaining his honor after previous fiascos with tribbles.
In the morning, zoologist Daniel Lane and maintenance specialist Randolph Leon headed out with Jones aboard a gravsled to see how much equipment might fit in his cargo ship, and asked if one or two landing party members wanted to come with them. When they arrived at the airfield, they were ambushed by Koloth and two guards. Lane and Leon were killed, but Jones made it back to the station to warn the others.
- Success at defending a siege of the facility and bringing station personnel back to the Enterprise was up to the ingenuity of the players. The adventure included plans for the airfields, the main facility, as well as zoological and genetics laboratories. It also provided details on the local wildlife, including dervishes and tribbles, and numbers of various lab specimens.
References[]
Characters[]
- Carver Destry • Doris Evanofski • James T. Kirk • Cyrano Jones • Robert Kelly • Koloth • Daniel Lane • Randolph Leon • D'vin Loctrill • Corie Navarti • Kal Ostrander • R'val Trastan • unnamed Klingons (doctor, geneticist, security officers)
- Referenced only
- Montgomery Scott • Stilak
Starships and vehicles[]
Starships[]
- Chameleon (cargo ship) • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • class F shuttlecraft • D-7-class Klingon battlecruiser (unnamed D7 class starships) • Klingon shuttlecraft
- Referenced only
- supply vessel • transports
Ground vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Organian Treaty Zone (Aleph system • Aleph III • Genetics Research Station 17)
- Referenced only
- Deep Station K-7
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Federation • Federation Science Council • Imperial Klingon intelligence services • Imperial Council • Starfleet Command • Starfleet Command, sciences division
Science and classification[]
- airlock • chemistry • class M • communications • communicator • coordinates • deflector shield • disruptor • ecology • engineering • environmental suit • anti-radiation suit • food processor • genetic restructuring • genetics • hyronaline • intercom • laboratory • library computer • life support mask • medicine • nacelle • psychology • radiation shield • sensor • subspace radio • technology • tractor beam • transporter • tricorder • type-1 phaser • type-2 phaser • zoology
Ranks and titles[]
- administrator • admiral • captain • director • doctor • ensign • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • medical officer • pilot • rank • security officer • staff • Starfleet ranks • transporter operator
Lifeforms[]
- blade barnacle • blue dervish • false tribble • Hindenburg roller • hugger grass • hummer • mollusk • mouse • octopus • pop lizard • red dervish • rhesus monkey • road runner • starship • tribble
Other references[]
- animal • atmosphere • avian • bar • bird • cargo bay • continent • day • diagnostic bed • diplomacy • gas • grass • hangar • hormone • humanoid • hydrogen • kilometer • Klingonese • landing party • language • life support • lifeform • magnetism • mammal • meter • minute • mountain • orbit • standard orbit • ore • oxygen • privateer • quarters • radiation • ready room • reptile • rock • sedative • sickbay • soil • Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry • stimulant • stun • technical journal • vegetation • war • warp factor • warp three • water
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TOS episode & Star Trek 3 novelization: The Trouble with Tribbles – Introduction of Koloth, Cyrano Jones, Deep Space Station K-7, and tribbles in 2267.
- Stardate Magazine vol. 1, Issue 7: "Quartermaster Corps" – Stats on the grav sled and grav carrier.
- TOS - Strange New Worlds 9 short story: "A Bad Day for Koloth" – Koloth's struggles to get rid of the tribbles on his ship.
- TAS episode & Log Four novelization: More Tribbles, More Troubles – Return of Koloth, Jones and tribbles in 2269.
- TOS episode & Star Trek 8 novelization: The Enemy Within – In 2266, magnetic ore damaged the transporter, dividing James T. Kirk into two people.
- TOS comic: "Planet of the Dead" - The Enterprise crew helped set up, then later dismantle, a scientific research outpost on the class M planet Selkye.
Background[]
- FASA author Guy W. McLimore, Jr. said that he did not write this adventure, but that Greg K. Poehlein wrote most of it while McLimore was writing "Ghosts of Conscience". (Interview with Guy W. McLimore, Jr. (44:20-44:40) at Jules Sherred's Geeky Pleasures podcast.)
- The 1986 FASA resource Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update set these events on reference stardate 2/1109.
- Original episode writer and tribbles creator David Gerrold was given thanks on the first page of the adventure.
