Take the Kobayashi Maru test in the latest free supplement for RPG Star Trek Adventures
Failure is the only option.
Face the seemingly unwinnable Kobayashi Maru test for yourself in a new free supplement for the Star Trek Adventures RPG.
First depicted in the opening scene of 1982 fim Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Kobayashi Maru test sees cadets from the Starfleet Academy placed in a simulation of an apparently impossible situation. A civilian vessel called the Kobayashi Maru has become disabled within the Klingon Neutral Zone on the edge of Federation Space and sent out a distress signal to be rescued. Should the Starfleet ship enter this Neutral Zone, it would be breaking a treaty between the Federation and the Klingon nation, therefore provoking Klingon forces into hostile action. However, should they decide to abandon the vessel, the civilians on-board are doomed to be destroyed.
In Star Trek lore, the simulation is designed to test cadets’ character during a situation that spells certain death, for either the stranded civilians or the crew of the Starfleet ship. The cadet taking the test in the opening scene of The Wrath of Khan, Saavik, attempts to rescue the Kobayashi Maru before the Enterprise is intercepted by Klingon ships and shot down.
Captain James T. Kirk is seemingly the only cadet to ever successfully ‘win’ the simulation, but only after he hacks into the system and reprograms it to allow him to rescue the civilian vessel.
As well as its debut appearance in The Wrath of Khan, the Kobayashi Maru makes a reappearance in the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek film franchise, where Kirk once again cheats the system to save the freighter.
The Kobayashi Maru test is the focus of the latest free supplement released for Star Trek Adventures, the tabletop RPG set in the sci-fi universe published by Modiphius. Presenting a scenario that puts players in the uniforms of Starfleet Academy cadets taking the Kobayashi Maru test, the one-shot adventure gives the group a chance to see how they might fare in the seemingly impossible situation.
Set during the original series era of Star Trek, the Kobayashi Maru supplement is a 15-page PDF scenario designed to be used alongside Star Trek Adventures’ core rulebook.
Jo Kreil is the designer behind the Kobayashi Maru supplement for Star Trek Adventures, having previously co-designed the Convicts and Cthulhu and Fear’s Sharp Little Needles modules for horror RPG Call of Cthulhu.
The Kobayashi Maru supplement follows the release of Star Trek Adventures: The Klingon Empire, a rulebook featuring the tools needed to create Klingon player characters and scenarios focused around the Klingon. According to publisher Modiphius, the 400-page rulebook is the first “dedicated Klingon roleplaying game” available in over 30 years.
Players can download the free Kobayashi Maru supplement for Star Trek Adventures from the Modiphius website right now.