MISSION BRIEFS

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
TALES FROM THE 23RD CENTURY

CHRISTOPHER L. BENNETT
TERMINAL MUH0142225-PDF

CREDITS
FAM 1670 5670 8132 386

2D20 SYSTEM DESIGNER CREATIVE COORDINATOR 3D DESIGNERS CUSTOMER SERVICE AND

NATHAN DOWDELL KIERAN STREET JOANA ABBOTT, SEAN BULLOUGH, ACCOUNTS MANAGER
& BEN DE BOSDARI LLOYD GYAN
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
STAR TREK ADVENTURES LUC WOOLFENDEN SENIOR 3D PLASTICS DESIGNER EVENTS MANAGER
PROJECT MANAGER COLIN GRAYSON GREGOIRE BOISBELAUD
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
JIM JOHNSON JASON ENOS LOGISTICS AND PRODUCTION COMMUNITY MANAGER
WRITER MANAGER APRIL HILL
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM
CHRISTOPHER L. BENNETT PETER GROCHULSKI
JONO GREEN & ETHAN HEYWOOD TRANSLATIONS AND PUBLISHING
EDITOR AUDIO AND VIDEO PRODUCER MANAGER
QA TESTERS
JIM JOHNSON STEVE DALDRY MATT TIMM
DOMINIC WESTERLAND, NATHAN
GRAPHIC DESIGN PERRY, EDITOR DISTRIBUTION AND KEY
MICHAL E. CROSS & & SAMANTHA LAYDON BRYCE JOHNSTON ACCOUNTS MANAGER
ROXANNE THOMPSON GARY MOORE
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER STUDIO COORDINATOR
ART DIRECTOR GAVIN DADY ROCIO MARTIN PEREZ MARKETING COORDINATOR
JIM JOHNSON SHAUN HOCKING
PROJECT MANAGERS PHOTOGRAPHER
COVER ARTIST BEN MAUNDER, CHRIS FÁTIMA MARTÍN PÉREZ CUSTOMER SUPPORT
ROXANNE THOMPSON SHEPPERSON, REPRESENTATIVE
OPERATIONS MANAGER
DANIEL LADE, & JAMES BARRY CHRIS DANN
PROOFREADER JOHN WILSON
BRYCE JOHNSTON ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER BOOKKEEPER
WEBSTORE MANAGER
HARALAMPOS TSAKIRIS VALYA MKRTCHYAN
APINYA RAMAKOMUD
MODIPHIUS ENTERTAINMENT LTD. ART DIRECTION
FACTORY MANAGER FOR PARAMOUNT GLOBAL
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER KRIS AUBIN &
MARTIN JONES MARIAN CORDRY &
CHRIS BIRCH ROCIO MARTIN PEREZ
SENIOR PRODUCTION OPERATIVES STEPHEN ZELIN
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER
DREW COX & WARWICK VOYZEY
RITA BIRCH MICHAL E. CROSS WITH THANKS TO
TOOL MAKERS GENE RODDENBERRY, JOHN
MANAGING DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
ALEX TAYLOR-MORRELL, LUKE GILL, VAN CITTERS, MARIAN CORDRY,
CAMERON DICKS STEPHANIE TORO GURUMENDI,
& DAVID HEXTALL DAYTON WARD, & THE MANY FANS
MARK WHITTINGTON,
HEAD OF PRODUCT & CHRIS WEBB LEAD PRODUCTION OPERATIVE WHO SUPPORT THIS GAME
SAM WEBB ANTHONY MORRIS
LEAD 3D DESIGNER
HEAD OF CREATIVE SERVICES JONNY LA TROBE-LEWIS PRODUCTION OPERATIVES
JON WEBB LOUIS PAUL HARTLE, JAKE PINK,
SENIOR 3D DESIGNERS
HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT MILES TURNER, & THOMAS BULL
CHRIS PEACEY &
SOPHIE WILLIAMS DOMINGO DÍAZ FERMÍN

22 1370 101 ND

The 2d20 system and Modiphius Logos are copyright Modiphius Entertainment
® Ltd 2022. All 2d20 system text is copyright Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. Any
unauthorised use of copyrighted material is illegal. Any trademarked names
are used in a fictional manner; no infringement is intended. This is a work of
fiction. Any similarity with actual people and events, past or present, is purely
Published by Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. coincidental and unintentional except for those people and events described
39 Harwood Road, London, SW6 4QP, U.K. in an historical context. TM & © 2022 CBS Studios inc. © 2022 Paramount
Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of
[email protected] CBS Studios inc. All Rights Reserved.
WWW.MODIPHIUS.NET
Artwork and graphics © and ™ CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.,
Modiphius Entertainment Product Number: MUH142225-PDF except the Modiphius Logo which is Modiphius Entertainment Ltd.

SW 845 21 3290

CHAPTER
STAR TREK03ADVENTURES
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
CHRISTOPHER L. BENNETT

22

25

43

01.00 INTRODUCTION 002

01.10 CLOSED BORDERS 003

01.20 FIRE FROM THE TITANS 004

01.30 RUNAWAY BRAIN 005

01.40 HORNET’S NEST 006

01.50 MAGIC IN THE AIR 007

01.60 NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS 008

01.70 THE EXPERIMENTERS 009

01.80 ENEMY MINED 010

01.90 DARWIN’S DERELICT 011

01.100 QUEST FOR ZYNDAM 012

147

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
06.20
01.00
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

INTRODUCTION
The Galaxy is ancient beyond easy comprehension – on This packet presents ten detailed mission briefs you can
the order of a million times older than Human civilization. modify for use as adventures in your Star Trek Adventures
Uncounted civilizations have risen and fallen before the campaigns. Each mission brief is designed to stand alone,
dawn of recorded history of any Federation world. While though several are presented with a loose connecting story
most of their remains have long since vanished, many arc that may be used or disregarded at the gamemaster’s
have left ruins or artifacts that endure to the present. Other discretion. They may be added to an existing campaign
ancient societies live on, wielding technologies or mental with minor modifications.
abilities vastly beyond our own, though not always in a
form recognizable to us. The discovery of these ancient
civilizations, or their remains, offers immense potential for
advancing Federation knowledge, but comes with great
peril as well.

ELEMENTS OF A MISSION BRIEF

A mission brief contains several elements that collectively create a high-level outline for a Star Trek Adventures mission.
Each element may be modified as needed to suit the needs of your particular game and group of players. The elements of a
mission brief include:

X Title: An evocative title for the mission.

X Suggested Era of Play: The Star Trek time period in which the mission is recommended to be set (Enterprise era, original
series era, The Next Generation era, etc.).

X Suggested Spotlight Role: The suggested focus player character role. This can be used to help you and your players plan
milestones and character arcs.

X Synopsis: High-level summary, detailing key points such as location, antagonists, the plot, etc. The synopsis generally
explains how the story might relate to the player characters and provides the essential details needed to start developing
the story.

X Major Beats: Key scenes or encounters to include, leaving room for you to bridge them as needed with material unique to
your cast of player characters and campaign events.

X Minor Beats: Secondary plot elements or suggested subplots that you could weave into the mission as a side scene
or subplot.

X Key Non-Player Characters: Brief descriptions of key NPCs, including the main antagonist(s). This element may also
suggest specific NPCs from the core rulebook to use or adapt. Note that any page references listed in this document refer
to the Starfleet-oriented Star Trek Adventures core rulebook.

X Conclusion: The intended ending of the mission, with suggestions on how to adjust the conclusion when the players move
the story in unanticipated directions.

X Adding This Mission to Your Campaign: Advice on how you might fit the mission into your ongoing campaign.

002 CHAPTER
STAR TREK03ADVENTURES
 01.10
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“CLOSED BORDERS”
X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era PLEADING THE CASE
X Spotlight Role: Captain If the crew remains, they may cite the Federation’s history
of diversity to convince the A.I. to accept the Dorecali.
Characters of interspecies ancestry could serve as examples
SYNOPSIS of genetic change and cultural coexistence. Alternatively,
An abandoned star system’s ancient defenses trap they may accept release and attempt to neutralize the
the players’ ship in a dimensional prison, along with defense grid from outside, but this is far riskier.
returned descendants of the original civilization who are
unrecognized by its overzealous defense computer. The
crew must convince the AI to release them and accept the MINOR BEATS
descendants’ claim to the system. Some of the derelict ships belong to more ancient Loregni
descendants, millennia older than the Dorecali with
physical and cultural differences. These ships can be

OPENING LOG ENTRY explored to gather evidence of cultural change.

“We have begun our survey of the aging subgiant

star FGC 6619. Sensors have detected
KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
technologically advanced remains on planets and The Dorecali leader, Gared, is a Major NPC and uses the
moons throughout the system, but no signs of stats of Gul Tremak from page 329. Other Dorecali may
intelligent life. It seems the population must have be adapted from Cardassian stats on the same page. The
abandoned the system when their sun began to Loregni artificial intelligence is a Major NPC with Reason 12
grow hotter over a hundred thousand years ago.” and Control 12.

CONCLUSION
MAJOR BEATS Ideally, the A.I. releases the ship and accepts the Dorecali as
the Loregni’s descendants, letting them resettle the system
GHOST SYSTEM and recover their cultural heritage. If the characters fail to
When the ship moves in close to survey the red giant free the Dorecali, this may create conflict with other Dorecali
system, it triggers a network of defense satellites that ships or settlements they come across later.
trap it in powerful tractor beams. A computerized voice
declares that they have violated the territorial sovereignty
of the Loregni and will be detained. The ship is teleported
to an extradimensional pocket space where they discover
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
derelict ships of various ages, stretching back millennia. YOUR CAMPAIGN
The most recent one is still inhabited, and its natives, the
The mission can be easily adapted to any era, though an
Dorecali, make contact and explain that this is a prison
Enterprise-era crew is more likely to be pure Human and have a
dimension from which few have ever escaped.
harder time demonstrating species diversity to the Loregni A.I.

FACING JUDGMENT
The Dorecali explain that they are descendants of the
Loregni, who abandoned their system when an attempt to
delay their star’s red giant phase backfired and triggered
massive flares. The defense grid was created to protect the
system until they returned, but it no longer recognizes them
after millennia of evolution. The A.I. contacts the Starfleet
crew and agrees to free them if they renounce any territorial
claim. The crew must decide whether to stay instead and
plead on behalf of the Dorecali, whom the A.I. assumes are
lying about their identity. If they stay, the A.I. warns that they
will remain imprisoned forever if they fail to prove their case.

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS 003

01.20
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“FIRE FROM THE TITANS”

X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era disrupts and endangers both sides’ development. Yet the
X Spotlight Role: Security Officer technology is their ancestral birthright, so does Starfleet
have the right to take it from them?

SYNOPSIS
Two medieval cultures have discovered advanced MINOR BEATS
technology left by an extinct ancestral civilization, and The Ashari and Bachinu representatives both have points
are warring with weapons beyond their understanding. of view the characters sympathize with, prompting debate.
The crew must decide whether to intervene to save them Do the Bachinu have rightful grievances about the Ashari’s
from themselves. imperialism? Are the Ashari right that the Bachinu are too
backward to be trusted with the ancient technology?

OPENING LOG ENTRY The unsolved mystery of the city-builders’ disappearance

and their species origins will set up the later story arc.

“We found the planet identified as the source of energy readings

detected two days ago. Strangely, scans show its population to be
at a pre-industrial level. We’re investigating the ruins identified as KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
the source of the energy readings, with orders to avoid contact For the Ashari and Bachinu, adapt Klingon stats from
with the indigenous population.” pages 317-319, modified with Bajoran attributes from
page 104.

MAJOR BEATS CONCLUSION

The crew could find a way to neutralize or destroy the
LOST CITY ancient technology. They could also negotiate a peaceful
The landing party finds that the energy readings come from agreement, perhaps with Federation stewards to supervise
the ruins of an ancient city whose builders appear to have the technology and educate the two cultures. At worst,
colonized this planet and interbred with its natives some they could depart and leave the Ashari and Bachinu to
76,000 years ago. The party gets caught in the crossfire determine their own fate.
between two indigenous factions riding the local equivalent
of horses and chariots, but using energy weapons,
deflectors, and sensors. The locals’ sensors identify the
party as aliens, and both sides try to capture them. Ideally,
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
some players should be taken by each side, or some taken YOUR CAMPAIGN
by one side with the other side offering to help free them.
This campaign is intended for the original
series era, in which the Prime Directive permits
CIVILIZING MISSION intervention to eliminate threats to a culture’s
The two factions both try to convince the players to help natural development. The crew’s choices might be
them capture the ruins. The Renaissance-level Ashari say more difficult in The Next Generation era, when the
they are bringing civilization and religious enlightenment to Prime Directive is stricter and discourages any
this continent, but the superstitious natives found the ancient intervention, even beneficial. In the Enterprise era,
city and used its miracles to attack their missionaries. The
the lack of an official non-interference policy could
give the characters a freer hand.
Bronze-Age Bachinu say they’ve been forced to use the
forebears’ holy gifts to defend their way of life against Ashari
cultural imperialism. Both are convinced they’re right, but are
using weapons that could devastate their world.

SEEKING SOLUTIONS
Once the characters escape (or convince their captors to
free them), they must determine what to do. The Prime
Directive precludes interfering, but the city’s technology

004 CHAPTER
STAR TREK03ADVENTURES
 01.30
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“RUNAWAY BRAIN”
X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era GRAY GOO SCENARIO
X Spotlight Role: Communications Officer As the Matrioshkan probes continue to multiply and
dismantle Kertenis’s planets, the crew must evacuate or
rescue endangered ships and planetary outposts while
SYNOPSIS seeking a way to defeat the brain. But its technology
A Tellarite colony salvages a vast, powerful ancient artifact is so advanced that the only hope may be for the
that begins to replicate itself and threatens to dismantle communications officer to negotiate.
the colony system’s planets. The crew must attempt to halt
the artifact’s expansion by reasoning with its controlling
intelligence. MINOR BEATS
Doctor Jul believes that learning the secrets of Matrioshkan
tech is worth sacrificing a few planets for. As a Tellarite,

OPENING LOG ENTRY Doctor Jul values argument and debate as a necessary part
of the reasoning process. He will respect strong challenges
to his point of view and will see politeness or tact as
“The Tellarite colony on Kertenis V has requested
dishonest manipulation.
our assistance in the study of an ancient, recently
discovered artifact. The artifact is an enormous
slab of computronium – every atom is part of a
complex nanotech computer. I will be assisting in KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
efforts to translate its code. If any of it is still viable Tellarites can be found on page 108. Doctor Jul is a
after a hundred million years, it could revolutionize Major NPC with a focus on computer science. The chief
Federation computer science.” Matrioshkan A.I. representative is a Major NPC with high
Daring and Control values.

MAJOR BEATS CONCLUSION

Ideally, the Matrioshkan A.I.s can be convinced to withdraw.
THE SLAB If they can be convinced that the modern Galaxy is too full of
The Tellarites have placed the asteroid-sized, solar- organic life, they will use their advanced technology to scan
powered slab of computronium in close orbit of Kertenis, the universe for a more lifeless region and vanish.
a red dwarf with eight planets in very tight orbits. The
lead Tellarite scientist, Doctor Pegnar chim Jul, believes
it to be part of a Matrioshka brain -- a series of nested
Dyson spheres (like Russian Matrioshka dolls) configured
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
to absorb a star’s entire energy output for power. The YOUR CAMPAIGN
slab begins sending out self-replicating computronium
This adventure can be adapted to any era. In the Enterprise era,
probes that start disassembling the system’s planets and the fact that the Tellarites are not yet Federation members could
converting their matter into computronium sphere pieces. make for more challenging interactions. Also, the limited use of
The probes multiply as they go, so the rate of conversion transporters in that era would make evacuations slower and
accelerates exponentially. more difficult.

MAKING CONTACT
The communications officer should attempt to contact the
brain before its probes reach Kertenis V. They learn that the
slab is a colony of A.I. minds that were content to simulate
their own reality within the Matrioshka brain until biological
intelligences found them, saw their self-replicating tech
as a threat, and destroyed the brain. The few surviving
Matrioshkans are determined to rebuild and won’t tolerate
coexisting with organics, who they fear. They’ll destroy all
life in the system and anyone who tries to stop them.

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS 005

01.40
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“HORNET’S NEST”
X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era A BURNING HOUSE
X Spotlight Role: First Officer The Forerunners influence the characters’ minds to make
them fight among themselves, even as they drive Nemcora
and Thayril toward greater mutual hostility. The crew must
SYNOPSIS fight off this influence and work to find a solution, whether
In an ancient system with multiple inhabited planets, by attempting to contact and reason with the Forerunners
inexplicable bursts of warfare and strife keep breaking or by finding a medical or technological means to block
out, preventing long term peace. The characters their influence.
determine it’s the result of manipulation by the
inhabitants’ hyper-advanced forebears.
MINOR BEATS
The Forerunners’ mental influence could inflame tensions

OPENING LOG ENTRY and resentments between player characters, providing

an opportunity to bring simmering conflicts to a head or
disrupt relationships.
“The inhabitants of the Zumachi system have requested Starfleet
mediators in hopes of staving off a war. Several of Zumachi’s
planets were terraformed and settled by an ancient civilization,
most of whose members evolved to an incorporeal plane millennia KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
ago. The descendants of those who remained behind have Nemcora and Thayril are Notable NPCs, while the Zumachi
struggled without success to maintain a lasting peace among the ship commanders are Minor NPCs. Adapt Starfleet
system’s worlds.” NPCs from pages 314-316 using Andorian attributes. If a
Forerunner is successfully contacted, they are a Major NPC
with high Control and Presence.

MAJOR BEATS
CONCLUSION
BLASTED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS Ideally, the crew should find a way to protect the Zumachi
The characters’ ship arrives in the Zumachi system and is from future Forerunner manipulation or convince the
promptly attacked by ships from two different rival factions, Forerunners to leave them alone (though a negotiated
the powerful, centralized “Inworlds” and the proudly settlement might not last indefinitely). Even so, however,
independent “Outworlds,” even though both factions the crew will still need to negotiate between the Zumachi
requested their aid negotiating peace. Their captains seem factions, to resolve the genuine tensions and disputes that
irrationally aggressive and resistant to reason. Scans show the Forerunners merely amplified.
they’re under some kind of mental influence, and when
informed of this, they grow embarrassed and visibly restrain
themselves from attacking further.
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
LET’S YOU AND THEM FIGHT YOUR CAMPAIGN
The Inworld leader Nemcora and the Outworld leader Thayril
This adventure can fit any era with minimal
meet with the captain and explain that their incorporeal adjustments. Enterprise-era crews should be less
Forerunners still reside within the system and look down familiar with the concept of humanoids evolving to
on those who chose to remain corporeal. Periodically, the incorporeal forms, since fewer such species have
Forerunners amuse themselves by mentally influencing been encountered at that point.
the Zumachi and inflaming political and social tensions to
provoke wars – in this case, stirring up the Outworlders’
mistrust of Inworld economic aid programs and Inworlders’
contempt for Outworlders’ traditionalism. Zumachi scientists
have always known this, but the public and leaders have
been too fired up to believe it. They hope confirmation from
outsiders will help.

006 CHAPTER
STAR TREK03ADVENTURES
 01.50
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“MAGIC IN THE AIR”

X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era crew’s equipment is starting to fail. Bringing them back by
X Spotlight Role: First Officer shuttle could infect the entire starship.

IS THERE A WAY?
SYNOPSIS The Geminorans can’t imagine why the players would want
Exploring a planet that appears to have regressed from high to leave, so convincing them to help will be difficult. The
technology to a preindustrial state, a landing party discovers players may seek a way to neutralize the Will long enough
that the indigenous population has apparently magical to retrieve their landing party. But this risks permanently
powers. The crew must seek out the true source of the disrupting or destroying the Will, which could provoke the
phenomenon when it traps the landing party on the planet. Geminorans to use the Will’s “magical” powers to attack
the ship.

OPENING LOG ENTRY MINOR BEATS

The power the landing party gains from the Will, including
“We are beaming down to survey 37 Geminorum IV, the ability to create whatever they imagine or communicate
evidently the origin of the abandoned outposts on
between minds, provides ample opportunities for
the system’s outer moons. Sensors show remnants
roleplaying. What temptations might they succumb to? What
of cities and transportation networks, evidence of a
highly advanced civilization that collapsed. There are conflicts might arise? Might some be tempted to stay?
no signs of a war or catastrophe that could have
caused the collapse. Our landing party will attempt
to discover the reason for this civilization’s fall.” KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
For Geminorans, adapt Starfleet Engineer and Science
Officer stats from page 315, using Betazoid attributes
from page 105 to represent their mental connection.
MAJOR BEATS Upgrade as necessary for Notable or Major NPCs.

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

The landing party beam down in disguise as the planet’s CONCLUSION
humanoid natives, who appear to live comfortably at a Presumably, the players find some way to rescue the
pre-industrial level, though low-level interference prevents landing party, ideally without destroying the Will or angering
detailed tricorder readings. They are greeted by locals the Geminorans. If the Will is destroyed, intentionally or
who recognize them as visitors from space, saying other accidentally, the captain may face consequences with
offworlders have come in the past. Any desire is provided Starfleet Command.
by the Will, a seemingly magical force that can shape
matter, allow communication between minds, and protect
against danger. The Will is in everything. After sharing
a meal with the locals, the players discover they can
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
summon the Will — but find that the interference prevents YOUR CAMPAIGN
transporter locks. They are trapped. For the Enterprise era, the landing party may arrive by shuttlepod
instead of transporter, in which case they will be stranded by the
SUFFICIENTLY ADVANCED failure of the shuttle’s engines.
TECHNOLOGY
The landing party may investigate the origin of the Will.
The ship may explore the ancient lunar outposts. It turns
out the Will is an advanced nanotechnology pervading
the environment and inhabitants, including the landing
party through the food and drink they consumed. The
Geminorans didn’t regress, but became so advanced that
their technology became indistinguishable from magic. But
the nanotech interferes with simpler technology, and the

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS 007

01.60
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS”

X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era MINOR BEATS
X Spotlight Role: Science Officer The abductees could be from a range of different
civilizations, some more hostile than others. It might be
difficult to get them to cooperate. The risks of sharing
SYNOPSIS future knowledge should be considered, particularly since
A landing party investigating an ancient artifact in space some of the captives are from the characters’ own future.
is abducted into the distant past along with others from
different times. It turns out to be the work of an ancient
scientist who wished to probe her civilization’s distant KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
future… and doesn’t like what she’s found. For Vedria, adapt Captain T’Mek from page 316 with a focus
on temporal physics and values reflecting her determination
and loyalty to her people.

OPENING LOG ENTRY

“Our survey of the Memnon system has turned up nothing but CONCLUSION
ancient ruins on its second planet, abandoned over 75,000 years The mission ends with the characters successfully
ago. However, we have just discovered a large satellite on a long returning to their own time, stopping Vedria, and hopefully
cometary orbit, bringing it back into the system once every 1600 returning the other abductees. They might persuade Vedria
years. It’s the only facility we’ve found that shows active power by convincing her to let them take back records of her
readings, so we are investigating.” civilization’s cultural, artistic, and scientific achievements,
so that they will be remembered. They may consider
destroying the satellite to prevent future abductions, but
that would alter things for the people from the future they
MAJOR BEATS already encountered.

THE TRAP The records brought back from Vedria’s time reveal that
The landing party beams over to the orbiting satellite, the Zyndam were the builders of the abandoned city in
determining it to be 78,000 years old, and consistent “Fire from the Titans,” deepening the mystery of their
with the ruins on Memnon II. At its heart is a mysterious civilization’s disappearance.
instrument generating strong gravimetric, tachyon, and
chroniton readings. As the party approaches the device, it
powers up and teleports them away.
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
TIME’S CAPTIVES YOUR CAMPAIGN
The players find themselves 78,000 years in the past on
This scenario is adaptable to any time frame. The
Memnon II, held captive along with assorted aliens from satellite only makes a close approach to Memnon
the past and future. They were brought here by Vedria, a every 1,600 or so years, but the characters’ ship
scientist from the proud, advanced Memnonian civilization can detect and intercept it anywhere in its orbit.
of Zyndam (ZIN-dahm). She built the satellite to probe
the future, hoping to see Zyndam’s great legacy, but was
dismayed to see that her civilization was forgotten. She’s
interrogating her captives in hopes of discovering the cause
of Zyndam’s fall, so that she can change history (her future)
to prevent it.

ESCAPING THE PAST

The players must attempt to free themselves and the other
captives, return them to their times, and prevent Vedria from
altering history. They may try to convince Vedria to allow
time to play out naturally, but this will be difficult, given her
devotion to what she sees as her great and noble civilization.

008 CHAPTER
STAR TREK03ADVENTURES
 01.70
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“THE EXPERIMENTERS”
X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era without interference and believe the current leaders’
X Spotlight Role: Security Chief interventionism is unsound. They work together to try to
extricate the characters. But this is just a symptom of the
deeper conflict between the two Nashari factions, so the
SYNOPSIS involvement of the ousted faction could make the current
A distress call turns out to be a lure sent out by a powerful rulers even more aggressive.
civilization that observes and studies younger cultures. They
force the crew to re-enact past dangerous missions, with
life-and-death stakes. MINOR BEATS
Reliving past adventures could give characters a chance to
try different solutions, though they would ultimately be mere

OPENING LOG ENTRY illusions. It might allow revisiting past character conflicts or
mistakes and help the characters work through them.

“We are responding to a distress signal from a

previously uncontacted planet, called Nashar by
its natives. Sensor readings of the surface are KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
ambiguous due to some form of interference, but Each Nashari faction should have a Notable or Major NPC
there are indications of Klingon weapons signatures at its head; adapt the Vorta Overseer from page 331, but
and mass panic.” increase the Control and Fitness scores.

CONCLUSION
MAJOR BEATS Ideally, the characters will find their way out of the
interventionist faction’s control and escape the planet. They
BLIND EXPERIMENT may be dependent on the isolationist faction to set them
The landing party fights off what seems to be a Klingon free. Optimally, the interventionist faction will be unseated.
attack on the helpless Nashari, but the attack seems Failing that, the crew should warn Starfleet to be alert to
purposeless and the Klingons are off. Once the characters potential interference – and to keep in mind that there could
fight off the attack, or realize it isn’t real, the Klingons be someone watching them at any time.
disappear. The Nashari explain that they’re a highly
advanced civilization who abandoned space travel millennia
ago. Instead, they use their powerful sensors to remotely
study younger civilizations around the Galaxy. Now they’ve
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
decided to move on to direct experimentation and have YOUR CAMPAIGN
chosen the crew as their subjects. They question the crew This scenario works best in the original series or The Next
about their choices in the Klingon attack and how to make Generation era, when there are a century or two of Starfleet
the simulations more accurate. If the crew refuses to play missions for the Nashari to re-enact for their experiments. It could
along, the Nashari make it clear that they have no choice. still work in the Enterprise era, but there would be fewer past
missions to re-enact.
REPEATED TRIALS
To make their simulations more accurate, the Nashari
access the ship’s logs and force the players to participate
in illusory recreations of past Starfleet missions (based
on their own former campaigns or Star Trek episodes, at
463 204 200 534 817
gamemaster’s discretion), with real life-and-death stakes.
If they attempt to solve past problems the same way, the
Nashari throw out surprises to test them further.
389 205 203 832

COMPETING METHODOLOGIES
The players are aided by the former leading Nashari 522 402 941
faction, who believe in observing younger cultures

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS 009

01.80
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“ENEMY MINED”
X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era MINOR BEATS
X Spotlight Role: Medical Officer Study of the Eltanin ruins should reveal evidence that the
Zyndam from “Nothing Beside Remains” were combatants in
the war. The ruins, and possibly some telepathic impressions
SYNOPSIS retained by the infected characters, should suggest that this
A telepathic minefield left over from an ancient war turns war was what brought about the fall of the Zyndam.
the crew of another Starfleet vessel against their own
people. Can the crew understand and reverse the effect
before it takes over their ship as well? KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
Captain Kamiyama and her crew can be based on the
Starfleet NPCs on pages 314-316. U.S.S. Excalibur

OPENING LOG ENTRY (NCC-1664) is a Constitution-class ship, as described on

page 240.

“We are en route to the Eltanin system to assist U.S.S. Excalibur.

Captain Kamiyama reports her crew began behaving strangely
while exploring the system’s asteroid belts, the remnants of CONCLUSION
planets destroyed in a great war over 70,000 years ago. It The crew should succeed in curing the telepathic infection.
seems unlikely anything that ancient could still have any effect Ideally they should find a way to neutralize or destroy the
today, but with a technology advanced enough to destroy entire ancient booby trap. Failing that, they should leave warning
planets, who knows?” buoys around the system. Meanwhile, though the crew has
gained more insight into the fate of the Zyndam, it should
only deepen the mystery of how their civilization effectively
vanished and became forgotten.
MAJOR BEATS
FRIENDLY FIRE ADDING THIS MISSION TO
When the characters’ ship arrives in the Eltanin system,
Excalibur’s captain, Mei Kamiyama, seems cooperative YOUR CAMPAIGN
as she moves in for a rendezvous, but then raises shields
This adventure is adaptable to any era. In the
and attacks. It seems the whole crew has fallen prey to the Enterprise or The Next Generation era, a different
strange behavior. The character must survive Excalibur’s ship class should be substituted for the Constitution-
attack and subdue the ship without harming its crew. class Excalibur. Starships in the Enterprise era do
not have deflector shields or tractor beams, so
MINES OVER MATTER combat mechanics would be different.
Investigating Excalibur’s logs, examining the crew, and
studying the Eltanin ruins reveals that the ship ran afoul of a
telepathic minefield, a weapon left by one of the combatants
in a massive war some 76,000 years ago. The weapon was
designed to turn enemy personnel into sleeper agents and
saboteurs. But no sooner do the characters determine this,
than they realize some of them are becoming infected by the
minefield’s influence. There’s no telling who might turn on
their crewmates at any moment.

A BURNING HOUSE
The medical officer must find a cure for the telepathic
infection while the other characters seek to identify which of
them are secretly sleeper agents ready to turn on the rest or
sabotage the ship.

010 CHAPTER
STAR TREK03ADVENTURES
 01.90
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“DARWIN’S DERELICT”
X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era bird-primates who depend on it. Destroying it would be
X Spotlight Role: Chief Engineer undesirable for the same reason, but might be the only way
to keep it from the Romulans.

SYNOPSIS
The crew must stop the Romulans from obtaining a giant, MINOR BEATS
extremely advanced derelict starship on an unpopulated The situation could produce some interesting Prime Directive
planet. The mission is complicated by the discovery that debates. Some might see the derelict’s presence as outside
proto-sapient native life-forms have evolved in symbiosis interference, but since it’s been part of the bird-primates’
with the ancient ship. environment throughout their evolution, it’s arguably a
natural part of their development, and removing it would
violate the Prime Directive.

OPENING LOG ENTRY It could be fun to imagine other ways that the island’s
species have evolved in response to the derelict’s presence.
“On a routine survey of the FGC 4738 system,
we have detected what appears to be a gigantic
derelict starship on the second planet. Its geological
context suggests it’s at least eight million years old, KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
but it appears remarkably intact and still gives off For the Romulan captain, adapt Gul Tremak from page 329
low-level power readings. I can’t wait to get a look with Romulan attributes. For the Romulan landing party,
at its technology. I’m worried by our proximity to use the Romulan Uhlan and Centurion stats from page 320.
Romulan space, though.”

CONCLUSION
Ideally, the derelict should be preserved for the bird-
MAJOR BEATS primates’ use while also ensuring that the Romulans do not
take it. Perhaps the engineer could reactivate the derelict’s
SYMBIOTIC ORGANISMS defenses and shield its whole island from outsiders. At
The characters discover the derelict absorbs energy from worst, it might be necessary to destroy the ship to keep
its environment and is made of self-repairing programmable it from the Romulans, in which case the engineer might
matter, explaining how it’s still intact and functional. An attempt to devise an alternative means for the bird-primates
indigenous species, a sort of bird-primate, has evolved to survive.
behaviors adapted to the ship’s presence. The animals
damage the ship in such a way as to guide its self-repair
nanotech to form shapes such as nests and simple tools,
and can work its replicator controls to produce water and
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
food. It’s ambiguous whether this is evolved instinct, or the YOUR CAMPAIGN
beginnings of sapient thought.
This mission could work well for either the original series or The
Next Generation era. For the Enterprise era, there’s no direct
INVASIVE SPECIES Romulan contact, so the Klingons could be substituted instead, or
A Romulan ship enters the system, intending to claim the perhaps an antagonist from that era, such as the Arkonians.
derelict. The players may try to prevent them from reaching
the surface. If this fails, the landing party should try to
defend the derelict and the bird-primates. By this point,
it should be increasingly clear that the bird-primates are
evolving toward sapience and civilization.

SELECTIVE PRESSURES
The characters must decide how to keep the derelict out
of Romulan hands. If the Romulans take it, not only would
it give them a strategic advantage, but it would doom the

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS 011

01.100
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

“QUEST FOR ZYNDAM”

X Suggested Era of Play: Original series era devastated countless worlds. Shamed by their abuse of
X Spotlight Role: Scence Officer power, the Zyndam left for a pocket universe where they
could harm no one else, leaving clues for any survivors.

SYNOPSIS Kozu’s forces find the station and try to capture it. How the
The crew finds a lost Zyndam colony with evidence crew reacts will determine whether the A.I. judges them
pointing to where the vanished civilization may have worthy of learning the Zyndam’s secrets.
gone. However, the destination is in territory disputed by
the Klingons, who seek to beat Starfleet to discovering
whatever technology may remain. MINOR BEATS
Commander Kozu values archaeology as a way to honor
one’s ancestors and learn from the past, so he can be

OPENING LOG ENTRY reasoned with. Yet he still feels any powerful ancient
knowledge must be claimed by the Empire before
the Federation.
“Using the information gained in the Eltanin system, we have
located a second Zyndam colony planet. Sensors have detected
the ruins of multiple major cities devastated and abandoned
76,000 years ago. I am leading a landing party to search for any KEY NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
sign of the species’ survival.” Base Commander Kozu on Moq’var from page 319. He
commands a squadron of three D7 battle cruisers from page
259, spread out across the disputed sector.

MAJOR BEATS
CONCLUSION
BURIED TREASURE The Starfleet-Klingon conflict will probably convince the
Searching through ruins, the landing party finds an intact Zyndam A.I. that the Galaxy is not ready for renewed
data archive, but come under attack by a defense system. contact. The characters may try to convince it to keep
The players may use what they have learned about the communication open, at least, so the Zyndam’s legacy
Zyndam to convince it to grant them access, or may will not be forgotten again. The characters may be able to
overpower it. The archive contains one piece of a code that convince Kozu to join in this plea.
promises to reveal where the Zyndam survivors fled, and
clues to the worlds where the other two parts of the code
can be found – but they are in disputed territory claimed by
the Klingons.
ADDING THIS MISSION TO
YOUR CAMPAIGN
TREASURE HUNT This mission could be adapted as a standalone
The ship must search for the abandoned worlds containing
adventure by removing references to previous
the rest of the code. This may attract the attention of a events; simply portray the Zyndam as a lost
Klingon patrol led by Commander Kozu. If confronted, they civilization. For The Next Generation era, substitute
may explain their interest is purely scientific, but Kozu will Romulans or Cardassians for the Klingons.
sense they are seeking something important. They may
face opposition as they find the target worlds and locate the
code fragments. The code can be solved using the Zyndam
cultural knowledge gained in previous adventures.

X MARKS THE SPOT

The code leads to a spatial distortion deep in interstellar
space. There, the crew finds a more advanced version of the
time station from the Memnon system. Instead of a temporal
portal, they find a dimensional portal. An A.I. gatekeeper
reveals that the Zyndam’s downfall was a civil war that

012 CHAPTER
STAR TREK03ADVENTURES
 A FULL RANGE OF BOOKS & ACCESSORIES
Starfleet Edition core rulebook These Are The Voyages: Missions Vol.1
The Klingon Empire core rulebook Strange New Worlds: Missions Vol. 2
Starter Set Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide
Tricorder Collector's Edition Box Set Starfleet Edition Gamemaster Screen
Command Division Supplement The Klingon Empire Gamemaster Toolkit
Operations Division Supplement Command, Operations & Sciences Dice Sets
Sciences Division Supplement The Klingon Empire Dice Set
Alpha Quadrant Sourcebook Range of Miniatures Sets
Beta Quadrant Sourcebook Starfleet Geomorphic Deck Tiles
Gamma Quadrant Sourcebook Klingon Geomorphic Deck Tiles
Delta Quadrant Sourcebook ... and more to come!

AVAILABLE FROM MODIPHIUS.NET OR MODIPHIUS.US

OR VISIT YOUR FRIENDLY LOCAL GAME STORE

TM & © 2022 CBS Studios Inc. © 2022 Paramount Pictures Corp.

STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS
Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

INDEX 311
ADD YEAR FIVE TO YOUR
ONGOING CAMPAIGN

Expand your Star Trek Adventures gaming experience with key content
pulled from the pages of the IDW YEAR FIVE comic series!
,
Modiphius s YEAR FIVE TIE-IN SUPPLEMENT provides playable character
species, non-player characters,
, starships, and more, all pulled from the
pages of IDW s blockbuster YEAR FIVE series.
,
Celebrate the final year of Star Trek s original five-year
mission and enhance your game with all-new content.

Available now in digital format at www.MODIPHIUS.net.

® TM & © 2022 CBS Studios Inc. © 2022 Paramount

Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and
logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.
All Rights Reserved.