Star Trek VENUS Packages

back row from left to right: command tactical officer, medical officer, security officer
middle row from left to right: engineering officer, space gangster, first officer
bottom row from left to right: science officer, commanding officer, that one guy in every group (you know the one)

I thought about making this a broader, quasi-military sci-fi set of frameworks, but I never watched the new Battlestar Galactica and I don't remember much about Babylon 5. Besides, the world needs Star Trek specifically now more than ever.

Starfleet contains three divisions – Command, Operations, and Sciences – so any V.E.N.U.S. (Venturers, Experimenters, Navigators, and the Unusually Skilled) packages should build from there. Arguably, the most logical structure would be to create basic packages for those three divisions and then allow players to customize their characters’ specialties through character creation and Advances; characters might begin play as ensigns (or equivalent non-com rank) and rise in rank as they rise in Rank. As I suspect that most players would rather begin by jumping in and playing the bridge crew, I will instead create V.E.N.U.S. packages with internal function variations and suggest everyone begin at Seasoned.

Bonus Gear: all Starfleet personnel receive a commlink, language translator, personal data device, small sensor suite, and combination laser pistol/stun gun.

Command

The command division not only contains captains and first officers, but also helmsmen and tactical officers. The basic training for command division emphasizes the military combat aspects of Starfleet: ship maneuvers, tactics, and weapon systems

Basic command framework

• Bonus Skills: +1 die Knowledge (Astrogation), Knowledge (Battle), Knowledge (Electronics), Piloting, & Shooting
• Bonus Hindrances: Vow [Major; uphold the ideals of Starfleet]
• Bonus Edges: Command 

Commanding Officer: +1 die Intimidation & Knowledge (Battle), +2 dice Persuasion

First Officer: +1 die Intimidation, Knowledge (Battle), Persuasion, & a skill of the player’s choice

Flight Controller/Helmsman: +1 die Knowledge (Astrogation) & Piloting; Ace

Tactical Officer (command): +1 die Knowledge (Battle) & Shooting; Steady Hands

Operations

The operations division covers military support functions such as communications, engineering, and security; some tactical officers are operations instead of command. As the breadth of training involved in the operations division is wider than command, each major post gets its own framework.

Communications Officer 

• Bonus Skills: +1 die Intimidation, Persuasion, & Taunt, +3 dice Knowledge (Electronics) & Knowledge (Xenolinguistics) 
• Bonus Hindrances: Vow [Major; uphold the ideals of Starfleet] 
• Bonus Edges: Scholar (Electronics & Xenolinguistics)  

Engineer

• Bonus Skills: +3 dice Knowledge (Electronics), Knowledge (Mechanical Engineering), & Repair
• Bonus Hindrances: Vow [Major; uphold the ideals of Starfleet]
• Bonus Edges: Mr. Fix It
•  

Security Officer

• Bonus Skills: +1 die Fighting, Knowledge (Battle), & Shooting; +3 dice Investigation & Streetwise  
• Bonus Hindrances: Vow [Major; uphold the ideals of Starfleet]
• Bonus Edges: Investigator 

Tactical Officer (operations)

• Bonus Skills: +1 die Fighting, +2 dice Knowledge (Battle), Knowledge (Mechanical Engineering), Repair, & Shooting 
• Bonus Hindrances: Vow [Major; uphold the ideals of Starfleet]
• Bonus Edges: Steady Hands 

Science

The science division contains medical personnel (including psychotherapists) and those more conventionally considered scientists (botanists, physicists, etc.). Presumably scholars of the humanities (and their non-human equivalents) are included in the science division as well. Science officers who have passed the Bridge Officer’s Test (like Jadzia Dax and Spock) can serve as command officers when needed.

Medical Officer

• Bonus Skills: +1 die any one skill of the player’s choice, +3 dice Healing & Knowledge (Medicine)
• Bonus Hindrances: Vow [Major; uphold the ideals of Starfleet]
• Bonus Edges: Healer, Scholar (Medicine)
• Bonus Gear: medi-scanner  

Science Officer

• Bonus Attribute: +1 die Smarts
• Bonus Skills: +1 die any one skill of the player’s choice, +3 dice any two Knowledge skills not including Battle (options may include Astrometrics, Astrophysics,Botany, Geophysics, Planetary Geosciences, Quantum Mechanics, Stellar Cartography, etc.)
• Bonus Hindrances: Vow [Major; uphold the ideals of Starfleet]
• Bonus Edges: Scholar (both Knowledges)
• Bonus Gear: mineral detector (as appropriate)

back row left to right: helmsman, communications officer
front row left to right: communications officer, science officer, engineer, commanding officer, helmsman, medical officer, medical officer