Week 04 2023

I love Star Trek. There, I said it. I’m embracing my inner Trekkie at the highest level by creating a Star Trek Adventures group. This week, several of us got together one night to watch Star Trek (we watched Episode 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It’s so good!), and tonight we had our first game-planning session. Ten other Star Trek fans… all in my basement… willing to play a Star Trek role-playing game. And I get to be the Gamemaster. Awesome!

As I explained the game to everyone, I was reminded why I love Trek. The Star Trek universe creates a place where the world I desire is real. In the United Federation of Planets, poverty and hunger have been eradicated. The Federation consists of many species—all unique and working together. Starfleet exists to explore and seek out new civilizations. Not to conquer them but to learn from them as partners. The Prime Directive states that respect for other cultures and the development of societies should be protected (kinda like what we hope for National Parks!). It’s a future I want to happen.

Now, yes, it’s not all hope and flowers and smooth sailing. There’s plenty of adventure that happens when species collide. But Star Trek (and most good sci-fi) is a place to explore the “what-ifs” in many different ways. I’m excited to take those what-if’s to the next level as my friends play out different scenarios. As Gamemaster, I will learn a lot about designing experiences through gameplay. As a person, I look forward to learning about my friends who play the game.

Engage!