Operation Shadowfall was a TOS roleplay module for FASA's Star Trek: The Role-Playing Game. It was the fifth of eleven licensed adventures published in FASA magazines, this one in Stardate Magazine vol.2 #8, and was co-written by Blaine Pardoe and Dale L. Kemper. This sequel to TOS episode & Star Trek 4 novelization: The Enterprise Incident involves intrigue and sabotage after Starfleet reverse engineers a stolen Romulan cloaking device and begins testing prototypes aboard Federation starships.
Description[]
- This short scenario is designed for use with the USS Merlin (NX-607), a Wizard-class vessel. The players are the members of the ship's security section during the second attempt to test a Federation cloaking device. Considering the outcome of the first such test and the destruction of Merlin's sister-ship Sparrowhawk, security is intended to be very tight.
Summary[]
Starfleet physicists reconstruct a cloaking device based on the one stolen from the Romulan Empire by the USS Enterprise in 2268, which had become inoperable during its acquisition. An antidote is developed to counteract headaches caused by exposure to the device. The USS Sparrowhawk successfully tests the device while unmanned, but Sparrowhawk's antimatter integrity is sabotaged during a manned test. 15 officers are able to beam off to an escort ship, but 12 are killed when the vessel explodes.
USS Merlin is subsequently prepped for follow-up tests. Merlin engages its cloak while at warp five, accompanied by the Nhat-Le. During a planned voyage to the Delta Zeta system, the ship's security chief is severely injured after being knocked unconscious and falling down a Jefferies tube. Since the cloak blocks communications, the ship's CO sends the escort an update about Tarrow's condition via a navigation beacon, then orders his security officers to track down the attacker and capture any saboteurs.
- Subsequent events depended on game play, including whether the players can expose Klingon and Romulan spies, locate a bomb, and keep Merlin from being captured.
References[]
Characters[]
- Martin Callin • Harvey Dobson • Joyce Dvishom • Larc Milvin • Ontanac Resputin • Sormil • Strover • Jack Tarrow • Ivan Trimski
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Merlin (Wizard-class) • Nhat-Le (escort) • USS Sparrowhawk (Wizard-class) • unnamed Federation starships (escort)
- Referenced only
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • ChR Memenda (Stormbird-class Romulan warship) • unnamed Klingon starships (fleet, escort) • unnamed Romulan starships (fleet)
Locations[]
- Delta Omega • Delta Zeta • DO-2 (R1 Investigator-class space station laboratory) • Romulan Neutral Zone • Starbase 6
- Referenced only
- Dellaton VI • Luna (Selene City) • Sol system • the Triangle
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Federation • Imperial Klingon Command • Klingon Empire • Klingon-Romulan Alliance • Romulan Empire • Starfleet • Starfleet Medical
Science and classification[]
- antimatter container • automatic pilot • bomb • circuitry • cloaking device • computer • drug • Jefferies tube • laboratory • medication • navigation buoy • Operation Shadowfall • sleep gas • subspace communication • transporter • tricorder • truth drug • turbolift • type-1 phaser • warp engine • warp field
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • commander • crewmember • doctor • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • operative • physicist • scientist • security chief • spy
Other references[]
- alert status • antidote • antimatter • Board of Inquiry • bridge • bridge crew • engineering • engineering section • government • headache • helm • hour • hour • medical • meter • minute • reference stardate • security • security monitor room • sickbay • space • time • warp factor (warp three • warp five)
Chronology[]
- Starfleet reverse engineers a Romulan cloaking device. (reference stardate 2/1202)
- USS Sparrowhawk is destroyed by sabotage. (reference stardate 2/1208.31)
- USS Merlin begins a manned flight test while cloaked.
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TOS episode & Star Trek 4 novelization: The Enterprise Incident – Origins of the Romulan cloaking device and introduction of the Klingon-Romulan Alliance.
- Federation cloaking devices were also tested in:
Background[]
- The scenario was accompanied in Stardate Magazine by deck plans, schematics and specifications for Wizard-class starships.
- Starfleet cloaking device experimentation would eventually be outlawed by the Treaty of Algeron in 2311.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: Continuing the Line |
FASA RPG modules Stardate Magazine |
Next story: The Barrier of Essai |
| Previous story: first story |
Stories by: Blaine Pardoe |
Next story: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update |
| Previous story: Continuing the Line |
Stories by: Dale L. Kemper |
Next story: latest story |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Margin of Profit |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Demon Strange New Worlds 8 |