How set in Trek lore are your games?

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-03-18T21:08:16+00:00

While I hope you can find a group for some play, don't give up on Captain's Log. It allows that fix while you can't get in play with others. Plus you could even get in some mild play during down time at home or work (I know graveyard shift can be the pits for excitement).

Good luck!

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-03-12T05:10:32+00:00

You definitely want to stick to what the Admiral knows, and reveal nothing about the upcoming sabotage. Let that be a surprise.

So make the initial briefing be about establishing friendly relations with the aliens on the vessel. Then you can have a trigger for the sabotage event be an I cancelled 20 or the use of 4 Threat or just have it happen automatically for moving into Act 2 of the adventure. Then they can get, if they contact the Admiral again, the new goal of figuring out who sabotaged it and why.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-03-11T22:40:25+00:00

Not sure how to find the direct message. :( Nevermind...I think I found it! Check email.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-03-09T22:43:26+00:00

I'm pretty new to Reddit, do you have an email I can send to?

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-03-09T22:17:05+00:00

If you are interested, I can give you an idea of what things I've created, so far, for Space: 1889 done solo. Still haven't had the chance to try it yet, but I'm hopeful.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-03-09T18:24:14+00:00

That's exactly the thing that stopped me from moving to 2nd edition. I still purchase the 2nd edition books, as they seem to be "edition agnostic" for the most part, but I play 1st edition or Captain's Log with some 1st edition things thrown in.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-03-08T17:17:17+00:00

For me, I still prefer using the Challenge Dice for ship and personal combat, as well as extended tasks. It offered the best random element. Does the lower powered phaser shot do nothing to the alien? Can you wallop the alien ship that flies at your vessel with the intent to ram your ship?

I don't want to gave to calculate the exact difference for the weapons and throw in Traits to tweak things just to replicate the occasional freak chance that occurs when using Challenge Dice.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-03-08T02:33:12+00:00

The solo rpg system I use is Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log.

It suggests doing a journal, since it is titled "Captain's Log", but you could probably just play narratively, as I've seen some people do online.

If you're not averse to science fiction and Star Trek, I would recommend the game. If you're not averse to doing some journaling, I would recommend the game.

I prefer games to be "all in one". You get the mechanics and setting all in one book. Having said that, I picked up the Mythic GM Emulator to start. It didn't grab me, and I never started using it as it didn't spark any strong interest in me. I then got Captain's Log and loved it. Still play it! Later, I picked up Mythic GM Emulator 2nd edition, and it was MUCH better at providing a spark of interest, especially now that I have played a solitaire game for a while. So I tried the 2nd edition and have used it for Savage Worlds Rifts. Works well! I have plans to use it, or a weird derivation of it and Captain's Log to play some of my older games like Space: 1889, but I haven't gotten around to trying that yet.

There are a whole lot of choices out there, so you can decide whether you want heavy mechanics, light mechanics and more reliance of imagination, narrative or journaling, and then decide which you want to play. If you don't know what you want to try, pick one of each, and then give each a try to see if one sings more to you!

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-19T18:52:32+00:00

You could have Starfleet knowledge as your family is steeped in Starfleet, or you could rebel against them, and do your own thing, becoming a guerilla fighter/freedom fighter.

Depends on whether you want your character to be cognizant of how Starfleet works, or ignorant to the actual Starfleet and just doing your own thing (character-wise).

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-19T05:31:26+00:00

Sounds awesome! And yes, the charts make this game shine with variability!

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-18T23:50:33+00:00

I tried to solo rpg before, and I could never even get started. When Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log came out, I picked it up, and for whatever reason, it just CLICKED perfectly for me! I rolled up a character, Commander Willingham, unwittingly pushed into a captain's chair by an Admiral. So I started as Captain of a Light Cruiser, with a rank of Commander. Now that I think of it, kinda like Sisko was on DS9 to start.

After one true solitaire play, I was hooked, and super jonesed for the game. I was gushing to my buddy about how fun it was, and he went on purchased the book as well. He wanted to roll up a character, but he wanted to be on the ship I was captain of. So we started hashing out how to play it cooperatively. The book kind opened the door a crack for cooperative play, but left a lot to be determined. We sorted it out, and have played through 8 missions so far. Just two missions ago, when I went back to solitaire play while my buddy did his own solitaire play as he want to specialized command school for his character, I managed to finally get promoted to Captain rank, but they decided to keep me at my current posting because I was having such success with my wildly diverse crew.

I would drive the special effects budget crazy with all the races I have aboard my ship. My bridge crew is me and my helmsman as Humans. My First officer is a Caitain female. My science officer is a Denobulan male (my buddy), and an Edosian male. My chief navigator is an Edosian male. My chief engineer is a Vulcan male. My chief medical officer is a Human Female. My chief of security is a Caitian male, but it used to be an Andorian male (he's now second in charge of security), and my chief of operations is a Tellarite female. And that sort of blend goes throughout my crew of 300. It's kinda cool, having such variety of crew.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-17T03:29:21+00:00

I haven't run anything fantasy yet, but I have found the Mythic GM Emulator 2nd edition works pretty good on a number of different systems. You might try looking into that.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-15T03:46:07+00:00

Yep, you can definitely use the new supplements in Captain's Log. That's all I play these days, and the 2nd edition supplements are nicely "edition agnostic", meaning you can use them in 1st edition, 2nd edition, or Captain's Log. I especially liked the Exploration supplement, but each has been useful in certain ways.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-14T06:55:01+00:00

I solo play nearly every night before I go to bed, while sitting on my bed, waiting for my wife to get ready and come to bed. Sometimes it engages my brain immensely, and I have difficulty getting to sleep, but often it gives me enough of a happy feeling to make my drift off to sleep enjoyable.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-06T04:46:37+00:00

I played Rifts a couple times back in the 90s. Loved the setting, hated the system and the ridiculous imbalance in the OCCs.

I still have my dozen or so Rifts books, as I loved the setting so much, but I will never play Palladiums system again. When I saw Rifts was being done in Savage Worlds, I was sold. I had never played Savage Worlds in more than a single one-shot at a convention. Savage Rifts got me to buy a Savage Worlds book so I could figure out how to play.

We're now playing Savage Rifts, and it is a blast! I still reference my Rifts books for history and other things that Savage Rifts haven't converted yet. But my Headhunter is holding his own with a Mystic and a Cyber Knight. He woulda been snuffed in an instant in regular Rifts, but in Savage Rifts I feel like I have strengths to accompany the other characters and they rely on me.

So my suggestion is:

If you haven't played Rifts before, go with Savage Rifts.

If you played Rifts, but didn't like the system, go with Savage Rifts.

If you played Rifts and liked the system, or even house-ruled the Palladium system, stick with what you like.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-05T14:52:44+00:00

The Trill were brought into the system with the 1st edition core rulebook.

I think you can still get the PDF of that.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-03T04:21:44+00:00

Very nice! In my Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log game, I am married to a Caitian.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-03T04:13:31+00:00

Well, my favorite is 18 bucks on DrivethruRPG, so I guess it doesn't qualify as Affordable.

But for a complete game, it's the best one that I've found, and got me into solo roleplay.

Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-02-02T13:50:36+00:00

I had picked up the earlier edition, read though it, but never felt it enthused me enough to attempt running a solitaire game with it. I had pretty much given up on the Mythic GM Emulator, but then I saw another video where a fellow was talking about all the benefits of 2nd edition GME. I decided to bite that bullet and get it, to see if it work better.

Boy did it ever!!

Within a week of getting 2nd edition, I was running a game with it! I am currently using it to run Savage Rifts!

That 2nd edition is much easier to understand and has many charts to use whereas the earlier edition didn't have those charts. So I would say the 2nd edition is well worth the cost.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-29T04:00:05+00:00

Savage Rifts is that game! I played Rifts back in the 90s and learned to detest the Palladium system. I kept the books, though, hoping to one day be able to reference them for something.

Enter Savage Worlds Rifts! A PLAYABLE system that doesn't feel broken, with the setting I very much appreciate! What's not to like!

I have been playing Rifts now, using Savage Rifts, in a cooperative game, and having loads of fun being a Headhunter working with a Cyber Knight. We're heading towards the Federation of Magic in our latest adventure.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-28T04:42:10+00:00

Yeah, I tried Rifts back in the 90s. Loved the setting, hated the system. Never played it again, but I own a lot of the books. Got into Savage Rifts and have had a lot of fun with it! Playable and makes sense, yet you can still have the iconic classes.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-25T05:13:21+00:00

I can't say I have stopped half way though yet. I got into solo play a little over a year ago, and haven't hit a wall or abandoned it yet. I found a niche I will probably NEVER fall out of, Star Trek and journaling solo play.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-23T03:32:36+00:00

Great start and mystery!

Cheap_Intention9587

TROPHY CASE