I've set myself the challenge of trying to play every Star Trek game - some simply won't be possible, but I will be playing as many as I can. I've hopefully got my list sorted and will be doing so in release order. I'm covering both video games and board games. Due to the early beginnings of Star Trek games, I will be covering some unofficial and fan-made games. I will be sharing my thoughts in this thread and hopefully people will share their own thoughts on these games. Star Trek Game (1967) Original Release: 1967 Developer: Julie Cooper Publisher: Ideal Toys Platform: Board Game The first Star Trek boardgame, which I have recreated in Tabletop Simulator. If it wasn’t from the box design and the name on the board, you probably wouldn’t even guess that it’s Star Trek related, as the ships are just regular pawns and the design of the fuel ship art is a very strange design. There’s a Starfleet delta on the mission cards, but that’s about it. The game is set in a solar system that consists of Earth and six planets names after Greek letters. Your mission is to visit three planets (a card will tell you which ones and the order) then return to Earth, first one to do so wins. Each turn you will play a fuel card and move that amount of spaces either horizontally and vertically. You start off with cards numbered 1-10 but as you refuel you can pick our of what everyone has discarded, so you need to carefully plan your route. Your target is the “Orbit entrance point”, which you need to and on exactly to start landing – once you land on a planet, you can refuel by picking three cards. After you’ve made a movement, you roll the dice and move one of the two fuel ships that many spaces. If you manage to get it to land next to you, you can draw a fuel card. This is rare, though, as players are constantly fighting to move it closer to them. If you run our of fuel, you move one space per turn, making it very slow progress. It’s existence of the game is interesting, but it’s ultimately quite boring to play. Star Trek (1971, Mike Mayfield) Original Release: 1971 Developer: Mike Mayfield Publisher: Self-Published Platform: HP Basic Version Played: Direct C# Port by Michael Birken (No enhancements) The first Star Trek video game, made for the Sigma 7 and then ported to the HP 2000C minicomputer. These were devices that had no screens, but were instead connected to a printer and printed the new game game as you played. This game was ported to many different systems, under a lot of different names such as Apple Trek, Tari Trek and Dragon Trek. I have chosen a couple that I will go through with significant changes, as the vast majority run the same, just ported to different systems, with the latest major version being released in 2023. In this game, you need to destroy a set amount of Klingons in a few days. You need to explore the area, as well as dock at stations to repair yourself. Here is one of my complete failure attempts: Code: ENTER SEED NUMBER 12 INITIALIZING... YOU MUST DESTROY 19 KINGONS IN 30 STARDATES WITH 6 STARBASES COMBAT AREA CONDITION RED SHIELDS DANGEROUSLY LOW -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- <*> +++ STARDATE 2900 CONDITION RED QUADRANT 4,2 SECTOR 5,1 * ENERGY 3000 SHIELDS 0 PHOTON TORPEDOES 10 -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- COMMAND 2 LONG RANGE SENSOR SCAN FOR QUADRANT 4,2 ------------------- | 008 | 001 | 003 | ------------------- | 007 | 101 | 008 | ------------------- | 114 | 003 | 008 | ------------------- COMMAND 0 COURSE (1-9) 8 WARP FACTOR (0-8) 5 118 UNIT HIT ON ENTERPRISE FROM SECTOR 2,2 (0 LEFT) THE ENTERPRISE HAS BEEN DESTROYED. THE FEDERATION WILL BE CONQUERED THERE ARE STILL 19 KLINGON BATTLE CRUISERS YOU MUST DESTROY 13 KINGONS IN 30 STARDATES WITH 5 STARBASES COMBAT AREA CONDITION RED SHIELDS DANGEROUSLY LOW -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- * STARDATE 3200 * +++ CONDITION RED <*> QUADRANT 4,4 * SECTOR 6,4 * ENERGY 3000 SHIELDS 0 * * PHOTON TORPEDOES 10 -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- COMMAND 2 LONG RANGE SENSOR SCAN FOR QUADRANT 4,4 ------------------- | 006 | 001 | 007 | ------------------- | 008 | 106 | 002 | ------------------- | 002 | 016 | 007 | ------------------- COMMAND 0 COURSE (1-9) 5 WARP FACTOR (0-8) 3 273 UNIT HIT ON ENTERPRISE FROM SECTOR 5,3 (0 LEFT) THE ENTERPRISE HAS BEEN DESTROYED. THE FEDERATION WILL BE CONQUERED THERE ARE STILL 13 KLINGON BATTLE CRUISERS This game is very difficult, as you need to hunt for Klingons, navigate around and so lots of actual calculations to work out how to navigate as well as aim torpedoes. For such an old game, there is a surprising amount of detail in it, with enemies that attack you, systems that break, scanning and even a built-in calculator for torpedoes. Your systems breaking are completely random, though, and something like your warp drive breaking can render a playthrough unwinnable as you won’t be able to find a starbase in time. Even without any damage, navigating around is very difficult as you need to set a direction and speed, and take into account both sector and quadrant locations. Despite all this, there’s just something that’s a lot of fun about trying to do all this with such basic input, having to figure it all out yourself. It’s a fascinating game and it’s definitely impressive for what it was originally made for. Star Trek (1971, Bill Peterson) Original Release: 1971 Developer: Bill Peterson Publisher: Self-Published Version Played: Version 32-9, modified by Don Daglow & James Underwood A much lesser known Star Trek mainframe game, written in a form of BASIC used by the CDC 6000. Wikipedia credits Don Daglow with this. While he did revise it in 1972, the credits in the code say that it was originally made by Bill Peterson from Cal Tech. This Star Trek game describes what it happening through dialogue with Spock, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, with you entering commands to defeat enemies. Each time you play, you get a slightly different story, all of them will lead to a battle against single enemy. You have to give commands (by typing numbers from a list of options) to position yourself, fire phasers/torpedoes and try to defeat the enemy. By moving and using sensors, you’ll be given the position and bearings for both you and the enemy. It’s extremely difficult to use the coordinates to figure out where you are in relation to the enemy, as well as which direction you’re pointing and which weapons you can use. If you sustain enough damage, Spock will mutiny and flee the area. I’ve seen this section of text a lot. The only time I won was by not fighting, but instead boarding the enemy ship. There are a lot of ship names that are generated by the speed, I like that the seed number 47 gives you the Enterprise – a complete coincidence as the use of the number came about much later. Star Trek (1972, For-Play) Original Release: 1972 Developer: For-Play Publisher: For-Play Platform: Arcade Version Played: PC port of Computer Space The first commercially released Star Trek game. Not only was this not officially licensed, but it’s also a clone of another arcade game called Computer Space. The only difference is that the controls are slightly reworked to use a joystick instead of buttons. As there’s no way for me to play the Star Trek version, I played a PC port of Computer Space as it’s the same game. The game works exactly the same as the later and much more popular game Asteroids. Spin the ship around, use thrust to move and shoot. The aim is to destroy the two enemy ships more times than they destroy you. The game only lasts a couple of minutes. Super Star Trek Original Release: 1973-1975 Developer: Mary Cole, David Ahl, Bob Leedom Publisher: Self-Published Platform: Basic-Plus Version Played: Direct LUA port by Emanuele Bolognesi Super Star Trek is the first major enhancement of the 1971 Star Trek game. This makes the game much easier to decipher, with some information given via dialogue from the crew, and generally making everything much easier to visualise and making actions easier to perform. Permission was even supposedly given by Paramount to use the name Star Trek. The regions are given names, and the icons for the Enterprise and Klingons use letters to help distinguish them better. That said, the game is still difficult, losing access to some functions is still a major hazard – I even lost access to damage control in one playthrough. Super Star Trek is a really nice version of the original Star Trek game.
^^^^ This was the first computer game that I ever played, and it's what made me decide to go into a career of computer programming; and I got my bachelor's degree in computer science (programming)from Cal State Northridge. I played it on a teletype connected via a 110 Baud acoustic modem (where you had to take the phone headset and place it onto a modem cradle), which connected it to an HP 2000C at Cal State Northridge. This was back in 1975. I was 12 years old and in Junior High School. The three Math teachers who had access to the room would take turns staying until 5:00 p.m. after school on most days to allow us to use the teletype setup. I remember it took forever just to do a short range sensor scan on yellow roll paper. There was also one teacher who, once a month, allowed us all to come into the school on a Saturday, and use the teletype setup to play the game for 8 hours. There were usually four or five of us who showed up, and we all took turns playing. Those were the days.
My first Star Trek game was either the 25th Anniversary or A Final Unity, I cannot remember which. I have probably played every game since then besides the most recent Prodigy game as I do not have a Switch. Following this thread.
I remember having to type one of those early Star Trek games from a book into BASIC (the days before hard drives!). It was huge compared to other games.
Thanks for the comments, I like hearing what other people think of these games. Star Trek Game (1974) Original Release: 1974 Developer: Unknown Publisher: Hasbro Platform: Board Game Luckily for me, this one had already been created on Tabletop Simulator, complete with working spinners. Unfortunately, there is very little “game” here. You spin the spinner and move. Sometimes a space will make you do something, but most times now. Each player is on their own section of the board and the first to get around wins. The game has two spinners: warp and impulse. For the path leading to/from the circle you need to use the warp one, for the circle you need to use the impulse one. Functionally, they’re no different (they both go form 1 to 8), but if you spin the wrong one, you miss a turn. The design and artwork is nice, but that’s all the game has going for it. Star Trek Game (1975) Original Release: 1974 Developer: Bob Brechin Publisher: Palitoy Bradgate Platform: Board Game Another roll and move Star Trek board game – this time from Palitoy Bradgate. In this, your quest is to capture two crystals from the surface of two planets and then blow up the Klingon ships. While this game has standees of Kirk and Spock, you play as nameless crew – Kirk and Spock simply protect you from harm. The game starts off similar to Ludo where you have to roll a specific number to stat moving, then transport down to a planet: an ice planet with a strange monster called a Bluug, or a fiery planet with a giant spider: if either catch you, you’ll have to go back to the start of the planet. Klingons are also chasing you, although they only take you back slightly. Other spaces will move you forwards, backwards or even send you back to the Enterprise to miss a turn and have to start again. Constantly restarting really feels like a drag. You can forfeit your turn to move Klingons instead if you want to slow down your opponents. The board itself is really nice, with lovely design and a fun layout, but the gameplay is very poor. Star Trek Phaser Battle Original Release: 1976 Developer: Mego Publisher: Mego Platform: Electronic Handheld Not played: Too expensive to get second hand. A basic game from Mego. This one keeps track of your score, and is very large and bulky. Stars will scroll past (the effect looks like the doctor Who opening) and sometimes enemies will appear. You need to line up your targeting and blast them. Star Trek: Phaser Strike Original Release: 1979 Developer: Milton Bradley Publisher: Milton Bradley Platform: Microvision The Microvision was the first handheld console that came with interchangeable cartridges – the whole front of the unit peeled off and could be replaced with a new game. With it being so early, the display was limited, boasting a whole 16×16 pixels. Although there is something satisfying about these big chunky pixels. In Star Trek: Phaser Strike, you destroy incoming ships by shooting from one of three different directions. Your shots are slow, so you have to time your shot based on where your enemy will be. It’s a very simple game, but for it’s format, it’s fun for a quick blast. Star Trek Game (1979) Original Release: 1979 Developer: Michael Gray Publisher: Milton Bradley Platform: Board Game This board game definitely has some interesting ideas. It’s another one I had to recreate in Tabletop Simulator, although it doesn’t have the nice Enterprise shaped player pieces or the artwork on the cards (I found the text for the cards, but not the artwork). The board itself is lovely, looking like a display console showing a galaxy map. There’s some lovely artwork of the Enterprise, too, but that gets covered up by tiles. The tiles feature warp paths in two colours. While in a sector, you can only swap between the two routes at your starbase or following the route to another sector. It creates a lot of thought when planning your route, especially later in the game as you need to land on explored systems exactly. The only downside is how movement is determined: rolling two dice and moving that amount. Movement is the major part of the game, too. You get dealt four mission cards and need to complete three of them. The cards will have flavour text like “defeat Klingons” or “deliver serum” along with other instructions, but these don’t actually mean anything in terms of the game. You just need to discover these on the map and head to them. As you move, you will reach unexplored stars. You can reach these without using your full movement. You draw a card to discover what is there. Three cards will send you back to your home base (something another player can do if they land directly on your space), but the rest are different kinds of stars, outposts or advanced civilisations. Once a system has explored, however, you can only land on it with an exact role – which makes it harder to complete a mission if you weren’t the one to discover it. If you roll a double, you can move an opponent instead of you, however this just hurts both of you and isn’t very useful, even as a player has finished three of their missions and is heading back to their base. Despite so much depending on the roll to move mechanic, this is a pretty decent board game. It would be interesting to build upon this with some different movement mechanics. Star Trek Make-A-Game Book Original Release: 1979 Developer: Bruce Nash, Greg Nash Publisher: Wanderer Books Platform: Board Game A board game that you make yourself from a book. This is more about the construction, as you’re following a pre-set design instead of developing your own board game. Someone has already done the hard work developing this for Tabletop Simulator. The game itself is a very basic roll and move. Spaces will earn you deflector shield components, others will make you lose them. Once you have all six, you can reach the bridge and need to get an exact roll – overshoot and you have to go all the way around the board again. It’s a pretty poor game. One curious thing is that the board itself is missing part of it. There is supposed to be a corridor to the bridge that is completely missing – so you just have to imagine a couple of spaces there. Star Trek Starfleet Game Original Release: 1979 Developer: McDonald’s Publisher: McDonald’s Platform: Board Game A tiny little roll and move game. This was part of the first ever themed McDonald’s Happy Meal, promoting the launch of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The game is obviously quite basic, but it’s short and sweet. There are multiple paths to choose from, so it’s slightly more involved than some games. Star Trek 3.5 Original Release: 1982 Developer: Lance Micklus, David H Summons Publisher: Adventure International Platform: Atari 8-Bit This is another version of the 1971 Star Trek game. This adds a lot more visualisation, a larger galaxy and more types of areas to encounter. The Enterprise and Klingons now look like ships, and the game displays a list of actions each time so you don’t have to jot them down separately. The galaxy is now much bigger, with quadrants in three dimensions. Navigation has been altered a lot. You can choose between impulse (moving within a sector) and warp (moving to different sectors). Within a sector, the speed determines how many squares you move. For warping, you enter the coordinates of the system you want to go to and the speed (which determines how many stardates pass). You also get a really nice animation. You also see torpedo paths animated out, making it clearer what is happening in battles. Another significant change is how damage works, as you can repair systems without navigating to a starbase, which is useful when sensors are completely down and you’re flying blind. Overall, this is a really nice version of Star Trek. Star Trek: The Motion Picture Original Release: 1982 Developer: GCE Publisher: GCE Platform: Vectrex Made for the very unique vector-based console called the Vectrex. This console is made up of white lines on a black background. In order to add colour and a HUD, you have to put plastic sheets on top of the screen. In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, you turn in a 360 degree angle, blasting enemy ships. Torpedoes will get fired towards you and you can either dodge by turning away so the torpedo is no longer on screen or by holding down the shield button to block them. Your shields have limited capabilities, so you’ll need to connect to a space station to recharge. The game is simple but a lot of fun. It’s not the most “Star Trek” game, something the developers also thought as it was sold in some regions under the names “Space Ship” or “Harmageddon”
my first was 25th anniversay on 5 1/4" disks. pretty sure I needed a boot disk to be able to play it at all.
Most of the older games are completely new to me - Elite Force was my first one. Star Trek: The Invasion of Klingon Empire Original Release: 1982 Developer: Tsukuda Hobby Publisher: Tsukuda Hobby Platform: Board Game Not Played: Complex rules are only available in Japanese. The first heavy wargame set in the Star Trek universe. This game was only released in Japan and has extremely complex rules. There is a list of missions that seem to take inspiration from TV show, visiting planets mentioned in episodes. Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator Original Release: 1983 Developer: Sam Palahnuk Publisher: Sega Original Platform: Arcade The first official Star Trek arcade game, developed by Sega with a release in two forms: a stand up cabinet and a sit down machine. The graphics are similar to the Vectrex game, using neat lines. The game gives you both a top down view and a first person view. The objective is to destroy all enemy ships in sa h area. You can recharge shield and restock on torpedoes at stsrbases, although some of these will be targeted by the Kllingons. It’s a fun little game. Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator (C64) Original Release: 1984 Developer: Sam Palahnuk Publisher: Sega Original Platform: Commodore 64 Sega made multiple home ports of the arcade game Strategic Operations Simulator, so I decided to check one out. The Commodore 64 version looked the best graphically, so I went with that. It’s pretty much the same game, although now the first person view has a visible viewscreen border and the ships have a texture to them, with views from all angles. It’s a really nice version of the original arcade game. Star Trek Adventure Original Release: 1983 Developer: D. Birdi,J. Birdi Publisher: Superior Software Original Platform: BBC Micro The first Star Trek text-based adventure game. There’s not much story to this one: the Enterprise is disabled and Kirk is the only one left on the Ship. Spock is in the hands of Klingons and you need to find components to repair the ship. There’s very little dialogue throughout the course of the game, instead the focus is on items. Kirk can only carry a few things at a time, so most of the game is working out when you need the items and where you need to move them to in order to prepare. For one section, Kirk gets poisoned. However, to reach that point you need other items so can’t carry the medicine form sickbay with you. However, if you leave the item in sickbay, you will die before you can get there. You need to know what is going to happen ahead of time, so you can take the medicine a bit closer to where you need to be. It’s all entirely trial and error. Star Trek II Video Game Watch Original Release: 1983 (Possibly) Developer: Collins Publisher: Collins Original Platform: Electronic Handheld Not played: Too expensive to get second hand. I’ve found conflicting information on when this was released, with some places stating 1992. I think it was released in the early 80s in Hong Kong. Enemies orbit the Enterprise in a circle and you have to aim missiles to shoot them. The game also functions as a digital watch. Star Trek: Starship Tactical Combat Simulator Original Release: 1983 Developer: Forest Brown, David F. Tepool, Wm. John Wheeler Publisher: FASA Original Platform: Board Game This is a very heavy and detailed tactical board game. I barely managed to scrape by with the tutorial scenario, and there are a lot more rules that get introduced afterwards. While it’s not something I look for in board games, the amount of detail is impeccable and great for people who want to manage every tiny aspect of their ship. Power distribution is important, as well as weapon arcs and your position. There are multiple types of phasers, torpedoes and all sorts. There’s an immense amount of depth, which is great for people who like it, and I suspect that this goes far beyond what any of the Star Trek video games will do. This game had multiple versions up until 1986. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Atari) Original Release: Cancelled (announced 1983) Developer: Milton Bradley Publisher: Milton Bradley Platform: Atari 2600 Not played: No prototypes known to exist. Milton Bradley announced a game based on Star Trek: The Motion Picture for Atari 2600, VCS and other home consoles. The goal was to destroy the Klingon mothership. It also features flying through black holes to face unknown dangers. Star Trek II: In Search of Spock Original Release: Cancelled (announced 1983) Developer: Sega Publisher: Sega Platform: Atari 2600 Not played: No prototypes known to exist. In 1983, Sega announced two Star Trek games for the Atari 2600: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Due to the video game crash, these games were never released. The only official information we have are the original announcement and a poster which has the wrong name. I did track down a thread on the Atari Age forums and found some information from someone who tested the Search for Spock game, and described a top down game similar to Asteroids, but this could have been Strategic Operations Simulator. It seems likely that instead of making new games, they instead ported their arcade game to different platforms. Struggle For The Throne: Star Trek III Original Release: 1984 Developer: David F. Tepool, Jordan Weisman Publisher: FASA Original Platform: Board Game Struggle for the Throne is a Klingon-themed board game. It’s a game about scheming and subterfuge to begin with, then turns into full on war. You start off with a small fleet and can request more from the Emperor (determined by playing influence cards and a dice roll). The other Klingon houses can also badmouth your name and cost you fleets. Your only goal is to get rid of all enemy fleets. While Klingons would claim that this has no honour and is what Romulans would do, it really does fit in well with how we see Klingons act in the show. At the start of the game, there are no ways to directly attack other Klingons – the Emperor keep things in line. At some point, a player can play the “Emperor is dead” card. Players then twist their action cards to the other side and an all out civil war breaks out, with the new actions being direct confrontations. It’s a really neat and unique concept, and fits well with the Klingons.
The first Star Trek game I ever played was a text-based wargame running on the mainframe at George Mason University, around 1977. A friend of mine was a comp sci major and he brought me into the room with all the terminals late at night to play the game. Options were Feds, Klingons and Romulans, Weapons were aimed by typing in the type of weapon and a relative bearing. Movement was conducted by typing in relative bearing and a warp factor. My strongest memory of the game was that whoever was running things that night figured out what we were doing and brought in some unbeatable supership to destroy us. Anybody know what this was?
I had no idea there was such a variety in the early decades of gaming. My first Trek game was the Gameboy Title, Star Trek The Next Generation, and my first PC Game was Hidden Evil. Fortunately HE didn't turn me off Trek gaming, since Elite Force and Armada remain favorites to this day.
The closest I've come across is the Bill Peterson Star Trek game in my first post, it could be an adaption of that, or even something made at George Mason University and not widely shared and lost to time. One thing that is a shame about the older board games is how hard to find an expensive they all are, especially as some were only released in one or two countries (so shipping and import tax adds even more).I've done what I can to try and find enough images and the rules, but sometimes the information just isn't there. Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Original Release: 1984 Developer: William Cardwell, David F. Tepool Publisher: FASA Original Platform: Board Game Not played: Couldn’t find enough information online to recreate. Most of the information I can find on how this plays is from a review on BoardGameGeek. The object of the game is to find Spock and escape, but the planet is falling apart. Each player has their own secret beam up coordinates and they need to find Spock and take him there to win. From the sounds of it from the review, the rubble is a bit too aggressive and people don’t have enough movement points to complete their objective, which leads no no players winning. Star Trek III: Starship Duel Original Release: 1984 Developer: Jordan Weisman Publisher: FASA Original Platform: Board Game Not played: Couldn’t find enough information online to recreate. A quick tactical board game. This is all about both ships moving around each other, trying to target while avoiding the weapons of the other. It came in two versions: USS Enterprise Vs Klingon Bird of Prey and USS Reliant Vs Klingon L-9. The main component of the game is a three layer navigation wheel, one shows the enemy’s move, another is where you’re targeting and the top shows your position. You also have a control board where you chose the power level of each section of shield and what weapons you are using. Star Trek: The Kobayashi Alternative Original Release: 1985 Developer: Micromosaics Publisher: Simon & Schuster Original Platform: Apple II Version Played: DOS The manual is a very important requirement for playing this: There’s a big backstory, plus it lists the systems and planets you can visit. Even with the manual, it took a while to get used to playing the game. Unlike most text adventure games, the text you write isn’t your actions, instead you’re playing as Kirk and the text is what Kirk is saying to other people, giving them commands. Kirk’s actions are done via the Function buttons. The game starts with the Enterprise out of power and a quick jaunt on a planet to learn how the game works to reach a species called the Orna that can fix the Enterprise. From there on, you’re free to explore the systems mentioned in the manual (or put in your own coordinates) with the mission to find the USS Heinlein (a ship that Sulu is in command of). Some of the planets are side quests, while others will present you with clues and new information. The planets are varied, from a medieval planet where you have to kill a dragon to a Dyson sphere with communities in areas (I found out the hard way that travelling between locations requires a spacesuit. The way the game works reminded me a bit of The Outer Wilds, a time loop game where you have to learn how its universe functions. You can use knowledge from previous games to skip sections, although you do get a higher score if you do everything in one run. I had a lot of fun with this, there’s a lot to like about it. Star Trek: The Adventure Game Original Release: 1985 Developer: Greg Costikyan, Doug Kaufman Publisher: West End Games Original Platform: Board Games Not played: Couldn’t find enough information online to recreate. With a quick glance at the board, this looks like it could be another war game, but it’s the complete opposite: there is no direct confrontation happening. Instead, the Federation and Klingons are trying to recruit planets to their side. This is done via the story book, where you encounter a mini choose-your-own adventure story to determine what happens. The game is also asymmetrical, with the Klingon player playing as sleeper agents and write their position in secret. It sounds like it would be a very fun game. Star Trek III: Kobayashi Maru Original Release: 1985 Developer: Doug Kaufman Publisher: West End Games Original Platform: Board Game This is part of a pack of three solitaire games in one. I was expecting three very simplistic games, but was very wrong – these games are quite hefty indeed, to the point that I decided they were worth their own article each. Kobayashi Maru is – as the rules state it – a modified version of the Kobayashi Maru test that can be won (without cheating). You have to search through an area filled with gas clouds, trying to check between Klingons and trying to find buoys that lead to the Kobayashi Maru. Each turn you need to plan how your power is distributed, as well as assign your crew, and damage will slowly take its toll on what you can do. It’s a tough game, and really in depth, but also really well made. It’s available on both Vassal and Tabletop Simulator. Star Trek III: The Sherwood Syndrome Original Release: 1985 Developer: Greg Costikyan Publisher: West End Games Original Platform: Board Game The second game in the Star Trek III collection of solitaire games. A member of the Federation is messing about with a planet that oddly resembles the Sherwood forest during the tales of Robin Hood. He’s posing as their king, taking advantage of the people. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise need to rescue the population by having them overthrow their king, but without arousing suspicion. You control the crew of the Enterprise, trying to recruit units to your cause, by either freeing them from prison or convincing them to join you. You need to be careful how you act, as actions such as beaming to and form the Enterprise will cause the “witchcraft” levels to increase, and you’ll lose the game if you interfere with the people too much in ways they don’t understand. I found this game a bit fiddly, but I thought it was nice that a board game felt like an episode of the show. Star Trek III: Free Enterprise Original Release: 1985 Developer: Greg Costikyan Publisher: West End Games Original Platform: Board Game The final game that comes in the Star Trek III collection of solitaire games. This is a profit-driven game. The Klingons and Federation are trying to convince a new species to join their ranks, and they want to see who is best at making a profit. Certain planets want goods (in a certain colour) that are produced by other planets. To do this, you need to use your six shuttles to land on planets and manage cargo space to sell on other planets. Your shuttles can be damaged by the Klingons, potentially killing your crew. Named crew have one life, while you have an unlimited amount of unnamed redshirts. This one starts out fun, but the simplicity of it makes it drag on a bit due to the length of the game. Star Trek: The Enterprise⁴ Encounter Original Release: 1985 Developer: Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, Peter Olotka Publisher: West End Games Original Platform: Board Games Not played: Couldn’t find enough information online to recreate. A story-based board game. Trelane, the Squire of Gothos splits the Enterprise into four duplicates, with the crew split between them. Each team needs to find a member from each division in order to win, doing so by completing “Adventure Cards”. Star Trek: The Promethean Prophecy Original Release: 1986 Developer: Trans Fiction Systems Publisher: Simon & Schuster Original Platform: DOS Compared to The Kobayashi Alternative, this is a much more standard text-based adventure game. After a brief battle with a Romulan Bird of Prey, which you can’t target unless you ask Spock for help (the only clue to needing Spock is that your new science officer is terrified), the Enterprise needs to make slow repairs, but is out of food. The nearest Federation ship is a few years away, so your only hope is the nearby planet. When you land, you find out about a prophecy that the Enterprise crew are supposed to be part of, so you have to solve this new mystery as well as food on this desert planet. While it’s nice to have a big of focus on one planet, the lack of exploring different places makes this feel more generic. You also need to often perform actions that the manual and help don’t specify, such as overloading a phaser. A large part of the game also involves trading, but the items you receive are random, so you need to repeat the action until you have what you need. This has an interesting story, but the game itself isn’t that good.
Don't forget Starfleet Battles.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Fleet_Battles I played this exclusively with friends in the USAF... games would average out an entire 8 hours..
Also, in the Federation Trading Post in Berkley, there was a one off "Star Trek" video game that I played whenever I visited.. There's a video of the gameplay on YouTube, https://fb.watch/jQpfb7GPG4/ Per Wikipedia..