Fate Hack - Star Trek Prime Accelerated

TNG is my jam, but this hack should work for any era/series.

I am sad I won't be at Gen Con this year. It seems like Star Trek is coming back in a big way thanks to a variety of board game releases and the recent announcement of the first licensed RPG in a decade. Much of these products focus on the so-called "Prime Universe", the long-standing one not affected by the time travel shenanigans of the reboot film series. I did a hack set in that universe a while ago, so it seemed like a good time to try something for the original.

More often than not, Fate Accelerated is my base of choice for any hacks involving media. It's much easier to interact with characters when you don't have to calculate XP based on the amount of books and films and shows those characters are in. TV shows are also relatively static, which matches the idea that Fate characters change faster than they grow. Finally, Accelerated shines when all the characters are the same thing (like officers on a Starfleet vessel, or wizards at a boarding school) and approaches can really show the differences between them.

Special thanks to +Morgan Ellis for suggesting approaches that split infinitives!

We boldly go to the hack after the jump.

Aspects

Characters in this hack have five aspects.

Role

What role do you play on the ship? Department heads like Chief Engineer are obvious, but so are things like Emergency Medical Hologram or Fresh Faced Cadet.

Important Relationship

For groups not wanting to deal with PCs worrying about pulling rank, make the Ship's Captain an NPC and devote this aspect to describing your relationship with the captain. For those of you with a captain at the table, tell the captain player to devote this aspect to their relationship with Starfleet. The rest of the crew should pick their most important relationship on the ship to use for this aspect. Remember, important doesn't mean good or bad. In Love With Lt. Shipley is just as important as Rivals With Commander Rovek.

Before Starfleet

This might reflect where you grew up or what you did before Starfleet. Were you a Starfleet Brat that bounced around from system to system? Did you sign up because All She Left You Were My Bones?

At The Academy

Something notable should have happened during your time at the Academy. Again, noteworthy is more important than a positive or negative. Did you have a Secret Romance With An Instructor? Were you Top Of Your Class In Shuttle Piloting?

Off-Duty

Every Starfleet officer has outside interests. Do you you have Family on Every Planet? Or A Collection of Earth Firearms?

Approaches

Characters have six approaches. Boldly, Cleverly, Logically, Passionately, Quickly, Subtly. 

Choose one at Good (+3), two at Fair (+2), two at Average (+1) and one at Mediocre (+0). 

Stunts

Put any advantages from species in stunts, along with specializations from the Academy or other things related to your character's background.

Examples:

• Because I'm Vulcan, I gain (+2) to Quickly Attacking someone using the Vulcan nerve pinch.
• Because I'm Klingon, I gain (+2) to Boldly Create Advantage with other Klingons by loudly proclaiming my heritage and deeds.
• Because I helped construct the deflector dish, I gain (+2) to Cleverly Overcome obstacles facing the ship by re configuring it.
• Because I'm a legacy, I gain (+2) to Subtly Defend attacks on my reputation by reminding people what my family did.

Ship Rules

Rather than busting out the Fate fractal to make a ship, we keep the focus on the characters. things like locking on photon torpedoes and modulating shield frequencies are all about Creating Advantage in the narrative so that when the dramatic "...fire!" command is given, all those invokes are cashed in to Take Out the enemy ship. Damage to the ship is reflected in consequences like Thrown From The Console, My Husband Was On Deck 10 and Last Survivor of the Leningrad.