“Try Before You Buy” is an occasional segment of Astral Projections. It spotlights free (or nearly free) supplements, quick-start rules, and modules for various RPGs.
Mission Briefs 001 Growing Pains, one of the newest free supplements from Mōdiphiüs Entertainment, is a collection of one-shot episodes for your Star Trek Adventures (STA) starship crew. They are much more than adventure seeds but less than fully-fleshed scenarios. GMs will need to plan the details for the scenes (Major Beats) and subplots (Minor Beats) in each Brief, as well as line up NPCs and determine skill tests and difficulties.
Each one page Brief includes a plot synopsis, Log entry, 3 Major Beats, at least 1 Minor Beat, Conclusion, and tips for fitting it into your own campaign. The ten briefs are set by default in the ST: Enterprise TV series era, the Federation’s early days, hence Growing Pains. The “Adding This Mission to Your Campaign” sections include suggestions for updating to later Star Trek eras, which are usually as simple as swapping planets or species. NPC prep is equally easy for GMs. Almost every mission references, with page numbers, stats from the core rule book to use for NPCs. So about all that is left is setting up the other details of each beat.
Like the various TV series and movies, Growing Pains missions provide a variety of themes and tones. Included are personal and species rivalry, mystery, an immortal or two, a couple more or less lighthearted scenarios, and at least one serious moral dilemma. Something for all campaigns and groups. Species are equally varied, with an emphasis on pairing up those that “have issues” with each other in the ST: Enterprise era.
There’s only one caveat I have. Because Growing Pains requires the Star Trek Adventures core rule book, as it lacks rules and stats, it isn’t suitable for a group that just wants to try before buying. If that is you and your friends, I suggest the Quickstart, with basic rules, pregenerated PCs, and a scenario. (My STA Quickstart review.)
This is, however, a great supplement for a group that is already playing STA, or is about to, especially considering it is free. Heck, it’s rare to find this much official material for free. (Download from Drive Thru here.) If you’re running an STA game that is all, or mostly episodic, there’s enough material here for a modern TV series’ worth of “episodes,” which is a boon for any GM that has limited prep time. You can also use one or two Briefs for a break or change of pace between your regularly-scheduled campaign arcs.
Linda Whitson
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