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About Star Trek: Syndicate

Background

In a nutshell, Star Trek: Syndicate was born from a simple desire:

  • GM wanted a Star Trek campaign.
  • Players wanted to play criminals in an underworld setting.

So we combined both and created a homebrew mod to allow for that.

Intro

Welcome to Star Trek: Syndicate — a fan-made mod for Modiphius Star Trek Adventures RPG, exploring the dark shades of the universe — where latinum speaks louder than ideals, and the Federation's light casts long shadows.

Star Trek Syndicate takes you beyond the pristine corridors of starships and into the gritty underbelly of the Star Trek universe. Play as smugglers, information brokers, reformed criminals, Section 31 operatives, or anyone else who operates in the grey areas where Federation ideals meet harsh reality.

This isn't about boldly going — it's about carefully going, watching your back, and deciding just how far you're willing to compromise your principles for survival, profit, or the greater good.

Inspiration

Star Trek Syndicate draws from the darker corners of Trek lore:

Source What It Brings
Orion Syndicate Episodes Criminal organizations, smuggling networks, and underworld politics
Quark's Dilemmas The tension between profit and conscience, arms dealing, and moral lines
Deep Space Nine's Underworld Gritty station life, diverse alien criminals, and noir atmosphere
Section 31 Black ops, deniable assets, and "the ends justify the means"
Mirror Universe What happens when morality is inverted
Complex Trek Politics Cardassian occupation, Maquis resistance, and grey-area conflicts

Want to get into the right mood? Check out these episodes for a taste of the Syndicate vibe:

Episode Description
The Last Outpost (TNG) Introduction to the Orion Syndicate
The Price (TNG) The complexities of the wormhole and the underworld's role in it
Rules of Acquisition (DS9) Quark's moral dilemmas and the Ferengi code
The Wire (DS9) The gritty underbelly of Deep Space Nine
Inquisition (DS9) Section 31's shadowy operations
Crossover (DS9) The Mirror Universe's moral inversion
Honor Among Thieves (DS9) Smuggling, betrayal, and the blurred lines of loyalty

Adventure Flairs

But Star Trek Syndicate did not just draw inspiration from Star Trek. It also was developed with the wish to incorporate a set of different flairs to allow for different styles of play. Whether you want to run a heist, a shadow op, a family drama, a descent into darkness, street-level survival, or political intrigue, Syndicate has you covered.

Choose your crew's specialty — or mix and match. Need some inspiration? Here are a few adventure flairs to consider:

  • The Heist (Ocean's Eleven)

    Assemble a crew with unique skills. Plan the impossible job. Execute with style. Whether you're stealing Romulan encryption codes or liberating a shipment of rare biomimetic gel, every heist needs a plan — and a backup plan when everything goes wrong.

  • The Shadow Op (Splinter Cell)

    Infiltration. Extraction. Deniability. Your crew operates where Starfleet can't be seen. Disable security grids, assume false identities, and complete objectives that officially never happened.

  • The Family (The Godfather)

    Blood is thicker than latinum — but not by much. Navigate the complex loyalties, betrayals, and power struggles within criminal dynasties. Rise through the ranks or tear the whole organization down from within.

  • The Descent (Breaking Bad)

    How far will you go? Start with good intentions and watch as each compromise leads to another. This flair explores the slow erosion of principles and the consequences of "just this once."

  • The Streets (The Wire)

    Every station has its underbelly. Explore the interconnected web of dealers, informants, security officers, and civilians trying to survive. No clear heroes, no simple villains — just people making difficult choices.

  • The Conspiracy (House of Cards)

    Politics is a game of shadows. Manipulate factions, broker secret deals, and pull strings from behind the scenes. In this flair, information is power, and trust is a rare commodity.