Entertainment
The Versatile Star Trek Franchise: From Serious to Silly and Beyond
2024-11-18
The Star Trek franchise has long been renowned for its adaptability. It allows the best Trek series to effortlessly balance seriousness and humor, while also hosting a wide range of episodes including trial ones, action-adventures, submarine thrillers, and even occasional mysteries. Whether Data dons the guise of Sherlock Holmes or not, this flexibility is what makes the franchise truly special.
Beadle & Grimm's Star Trek Murder Mystery Projects
Beadle & Grimm's latest Kickstarter-funded project is a no-brainer. A murder mystery on a Starfleet vessel not only makes sense but is an integral part of what makes Star Trek great. Known for its high-end TTRPG accessories, B&G has now ventured into the realm of licensed murder mystery game boxes. Their first such box, "Murders at Karlov Manor: The Case of the Three Blade Knife," set in the Magic: The Gathering world, was a success.For their Star Trek boxes, they drew on talent and enthusiasm. "We had the good fortune of working with murder mystery writer and Star Trek super fan Anne Tibbets to brainstorm the murder backstory," said Jon Ciccolini, head of production at Beadle & Grimm. "The fun lies in finding that perfect balance between satisfying lore, mystery twists, and boxed game mechanics."Tibbets' plotting serves "Star Trek: Picard: Murder on the Titan-A." Players will board the Federation starship Titan-A (from season 3 of Star Trek: Picard) to exonerate its Captain Shaw of murder. "Murder on the Titan-A centers on a group of people gathered for Peace Talks," explained Ciccolini. "The clash of representatives from different factions created the ideal murder scenario!"When asked about new mechanics or twists in Titan-A, Ciccolini was understandably cautious about giving details. However, he did mention that "Murders at Karlov Manor" was a key touchstone. "That game informed the decisions we're making on this one. From timing to structure to interacting with the augmented reality elements."Murder on the Titan-A will utilize the Pinfinity augmented reality phone app, providing players with an included Starfleet badge and enabling electronic game elements, auditory clues, and messages. Actor Todd Stashwick, who played Captain Shaw in Star Trek: Picard, will also participate.But Titan-A is just one of two box games supported by Beadle & Grimm's Kickstarter. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Mary Celeste" is their first escape room box. Players will take on the role of a Starfleet cadet investigating a strangely abandoned alien ship and incorporate similar AR elements as in Titan-A.When asked about the inspirations behind Mary Celeste, Ciccolini said, "Even though an escape room box was new for us, we definitely learned a lot from our TTRPG adventure writing and 'Murders at Karlov Manor.' We were also fortunate to have great collaborators like Spencer Beebe, our puzzle designer."Beadle & Grimm's crowdfunding campaign for "Star Trek: Picard: Murder on the Titan-A" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Mary Celeste" has exceeded its goal fourfold. Pledges are accepted until midnight PST on Friday, Nov. 22. The games are available for individual purchase or together with optional add-ons and are expected to ship in August 2025. You can find more information on the Kickstarter page.