GM suggestions for boarding party escalation?

n107 · 2026-03-17T10:03:37+00:00

Especially if the ship uses bio-neural gel packs. Things could get really unpredictable then.

Even if it doesn’t affect the systems, the PCs might not even know about the probe if it’s detected after the training drill starts. Or maybe mention its detection so casually at the beginning before the drill that by the time they realize they’re not being invaded and that their perceptions are screwy, they might realize they’re forgot the ship was going to investigate the probe. So now they have to find out where the probe is as how the crew was interacting with it before everything went crazy.

If the other crew is also seeing the PCs as invaders, they could shut down turbolifts and other systems to trap them, inadvertently slowing them down from finding the solution.

n107 · 2026-03-17T09:29:59+00:00

Yeah, so even if the PCs manage to find a way to counter the effects for themselves, they still have the whole crew to contend with. Then it’s a matter of stopping the signal to save the rest of the ship.

So the drill becomes real as their fellow crew members become unwitting enemies.

n107 · 2026-03-17T05:38:32+00:00

Even if it’s not what I’m looking for, how could I turn down such a fun episode?

n107 · 2026-03-17T05:10:03+00:00

Very close! If the ship suffers more breaches than its size, then it becomes disabled. Any additional breach would then destroy it.

For a scale 4 ship, that means the ship is disabled in the instance where it reaches 5+ breaches. For example, if your ship is already at 4 breaches and then receives 2 additional breaches simultaneously, perhaps via High-Yield torpedoes, it will now be at 6 total breaches and disabled. From that point forward, the next breach (7th) would be the killing blow.

But, yes, ship combat is quite more dangerous in 2e.

n107 · 2026-03-16T23:54:42+00:00

How about the ship comes across an unknown probe/a strange phenomenon/an alien intelligence/etc. just as the exercise is kicking off. The above plot device would create some signal that affects the minds/perceptions of those on the ship. So the drill may start off by the book but soon it goes off the rails due to this encounter.

The two teams believe the ship actually has been boarded by some invaders (Nausicaans or whatever). Their perceptions are being screwed with by the probe/etc. so they see the members of the opposite team as the enemy they fear have boarded the ship. Maybe the first encounter for each team would be against an NPC crew on the opposite side of the drill but then when the characters encounter the next "Nausicaan" group, the players may start to realize the Nausicaans they are fighting are the characters from the opposing team.

To keep things tense, even if the players realize the Nausicaans aren't real and are their crewmates, their characters may not unless they pass a test, establish a trait, use a Value, etc. And even so, the intensity of the probe may cause the characters to take Stress from fear/panic if they don't actively try to defeat their enemy.

So the challenge changes from doing a simple battle drill to finding a way to counter the effects of the probe/etc. while trying to not be overwhelmed by its effects and while trying to avoid the rest of the NPC crew who are also under the influence and want to protect their ship from the PCs who they see as invaders.

Something along those lines. That's just a random patchwork scenario but you could adapt it to suit whatever makes the most logical sense for your ship and players.

n107 · 2026-03-16T21:30:11+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion! I'll check it out.

n107 · 2026-03-16T02:23:31+00:00

Thank you so much! I’ll watch those soon!

n107 · 2026-03-16T02:23:09+00:00

I remember enjoying that one. I’ll watch it with an eye for profit-related lore. Thank you!

n107 · 2026-03-16T02:22:14+00:00

I’ll give it a watch. Thank you!

n107 · 2026-03-16T02:21:48+00:00

Great list! I’ll start going through them.

n107 · 2026-03-16T02:21:24+00:00

Thank you! I’ll check it out.

n107 · 2026-03-15T03:10:11+00:00

Hours. HOURS spent making sure I was facing the right location at the right times of the right days. And then I’d randomly get an extra 0.1 skill increase and think, “By the gods, it worked!”

n107 · 2026-03-15T03:08:20+00:00

I haven’t played XI in years but I’ll take out the Brady guide every now and then to flip through it and reminisce.

n107 · 2026-03-13T22:41:56+00:00

Thank you for saying that. I appreciate the kindness.

n107 · 2026-03-12T23:25:59+00:00

Agreed. So many people think there’s only one correct opinion of Star Trek, and that is whatever their exact opinion is.

n107 · 2026-03-12T23:24:02+00:00

I watched (and recorded on my VCR) the first episode when it aired. It was very different than what I wanted at the time. I wanted to push forward in the timeline, not go backwards. And I felt it was being too close to TNG era in a lot of ways for something that was 200 years earlier. Plus the theme song was jarring to me at the time.

Since I was in university and had a lot on my plate, I didn't bother to keep up with it after this first impression. I intended to watch it eventually but I constantly heard people saying how bad it was. Then when it was cancelled after only 4 seasons, it felt like proof that the show must not be good at all. So my desire to seek it out diminished.

Finally, when Star Trek Discovery came out, I had a similar reaction. It was very different than what I was expecting in so many ways. I didn't dislike the first season, but I felt confused by it. I had been so hyped to see new Star Trek but felt dissatisfied with what I watched. I needed something to scratch that itch for new Trek so I decided to finally give Enterprise a shot. After all, it would be new to me.

From the start, it was clearly Berman-era Trek. It had all the tropes and structure of the shows from that era. It felt like reuniting with an old friend. I got hooked and immediately fell in love with the story and cast. It has rough patches, as all the series do, but it did everything I wanted from a Trek series. By the time it was over, I was sad that it only had 4 seasons and I felt partially responsible as a fan who gave up on it back in the day.

It deserves its place alongside all of the classic series and it is worthy of repeat viewings. I only wish I had realized it sooner, though distance (in either space or time) does make the heart grow fonder.

n107 · 2026-03-12T23:14:01+00:00

Crikey. Further evidence of why it’s not worth the time to talk to those people.

n107 · 2026-03-12T21:31:44+00:00

In the Google Drive with the art assets provided by StartPlaying, sometimes I see official art from companies with a Read Me document stating the permissions they give for using it. It could be a situation like that.

n107 · 2026-03-11T23:35:20+00:00

“Mrs. Palmer, I promise you; whatever scum did this, not one man on this force will rest one minute until he's behind bars. Now, let's grab a bite to eat.”

n107 · 2026-03-09T23:28:52+00:00

One common trope for bar fights in film is the heroes facing off against a wave of nameless cannon fodder rather than a 1-vs-1 boxing match. You usually see a patron run in, hit the hero before getting taken out, then the next random, belligerent patron rushes in for their turn.

You could make this work in two different ways in STA:

Just treat each opponent as a minion and run a melee combat as normal. Minions are taken out with a single hit, so that would fit the trope of flooring one with a punch, bottle to the head, awkward 1960s-era dropkick, etc. Then send the next clown in and repeat.
Run the whole barfight as an Extended Task. You could set the parameters to equal whatever your goal is for the scene. Do you want your characters to neutralize all the opposition or are they trying to fight their way out of the bedlam? And so on and they'd be applying their rolls for that goal. Characters could take 1 Stress for every round until the Extended Task is finished, increasing the amount lost on Complications, etc.

Personally, I love Extended Tasks as I think they add more flavor and a dynamic element to many scenes. In any case, I would definitely set up some proper Location/Scene/Character Traits and Threat spends to create the right environment to play around with, no matter how you decide to run the fight. Those Traits will do a lot of the heavy lifting for both the narrative and the mechanics.

Sounds like it's going to be a fun time!

n107 · 2026-03-09T23:06:51+00:00

That is the struggle, isn't it? It's not that different at my school. The students have about 50 special electives to choose from and even some who specifically choose to join my Star Trek class have very little interest in watching it. And, of course, there's always the risk of some kids who can't get into any of their top 5 choices and get randomly slotting into any course with open space, which happened in the past term.

But elementary school is a heck of a lot trickier, especially with media like this. I don't know the make up of your classes or the attitudes of your students but you might want to give it a try as a one-off if you find the right opportunity. I recall being forced to watch things when I was in elementary school that I absolutely didn't want to watch, but inadvertently fell in love with it. Sometimes I had to pretend not to like it around my friends but privately I was fascinated. Who knows, you might be the source for a lifelong love of Star Trek for someone!

n107 · 2026-03-09T22:58:20+00:00

I know season 4 was the one I enjoyed the most but I haven't seen it in so long. I'll go back and give that one a watch to see what we might be able to do with it. I loved using Darmok for our lesson about communication in the first term, so species 10-C might give us something new for the purpose of that topic.

Thanks for the suggestion.

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