Star Trek has a huge selection of games, including tabletop options.
Star Trek has a wide array of wonderful activities and games that you can enjoy with friends. From the obvious television and movies that the franchise produces, to video games, action figures, and other collectibles. Not as talked about are the tabletop games that the franchise has produced over the decades.
When the new Star Trek-inspired tabletop game Starship Captains was announced, it got me thinking about other games in the franchise’s history that involved more pen, paper, and die than with controllers and monitors.
So I went diving to look for some titles that may interest you if you and your friends like to get together and engage in the fine pastime of tabletop gaming. Hey, If it’s good enough for Wil Wheaton to do a YouTube series about it, then why not; ya know?
Five Star Trek tabletop games we think you should try
Star Trek: Fleet Captains
Pros: High replayability.
Cons: Very complicated.
The Game: You and one to three of your friends chose between the Klingons or Starfleet, and challenge one another for dominance. The game is played via decks of cards, that offer bonuses based on who you play. The game offers up an experience that changes each time you play, even if the game does require a bit of time to get used to things.
Star Trek: Five-Year Mission
Pros: Unique skillsets among characters, stays close to franchise lore, easy to hop in as a new player.
Cons: Requires at least three players.
The Game: A dice game that allows a group of three to seven players, who can take over the crews of the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-D respectively. The two crews have to work together to score points and avoid seeing your ship destroyed.
Star Trek Adventures
Pros: Unique boxing, explores multiple generations, in-depth experience.
Cons: In-depth experience.
The Game: Described as Star Trek’s Dungeons and Dragons, the game allows fans to explore scenes from actual episodes while playing across various generations of the franchise.
Star Trek: Expeditions
Pros: Quick game, rare Kelvin Universe game.
Cons: Needs four players, limited roster to pick from, limited replayability.
The Game: Set in the Kelvin Universe, the game requires four players to play and will see you work to defuse the threat of civil war, as well as deal with the Klingons and more. You can pick between James Kirk, Spock, Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, and Uhura. The game requires you to be diplomatic and strategic to win.
Federation Commander: Klingon Border
Pros: Quick game, easy to learn, hard to master
Cons: Minimal strategy
The Game: Unlike other games, this focuses on combat over everything. The game is based on Starfleet Battles, another tabletop game with a much longer run time. To win, you destroy the opposing forces’ ships.