The classic Star Trek trope involves a lone ship setting out into the darkness of space, discovering civilizations not yet in touch with the galactic community. With all the exploration done over the years helmed by Captain James T Kirk and Captain Jean Luc Picard, there’s more galaxy left to explore.
Welcome to the Shackleton Expanse.
This is a wide swath of space in the Beta Quadrant sharing a common border with the Federation, Romulan and the Klingon Empires. As far from the Alpha Quadrant as can be had, the Shackleton Expanse has yet to be heavily explored by any major politic.
The area is filled with spatial phenomena that makes exploration dangerous… at least it was very dangerous until developments in warp drives surpassed the risks of traveling the area. On the far side of the Expanse two large stars orbit each other close enough that their photospheres nearly merge as the gasses are ripped away by the gravitational forces of the other, resulting in red and orange swirls that can be seen from a dozen light years away. This space experiences the same hazards as traveling through a nebula. Then there’s the Endurance Divide, a massive collection of interstellar dust, cold gases and brown dwarf stars that wrap around the spinward edge of the Expanse, preventing accurate scans and making it difficult for warp drives to maintain stable bubbles. Finally, there’s the Washboard. Space-time distorts around ships traveling at warp throughout the Expanse, making it feel like the crew was on board an oceanic boat, rocking to the sides. The forces causing these distortions, up through the 23rd century, severely damaged warp engines of vessels that passed through areas of this effect.
All these reasons made the galactic community intrigued with the Shackleton Expanse. But because of the risks and because no one flew out of the Expanse claiming to be from there, development of the major powers focused on growing in other directions.
All that has changed as a joint venture between the Klingon Empire and Federation created Starbase 364, otherwise known as Narendra Station. Helmed by a cooperation between Admiral April Hebert and General Kargan, Narendra Station went from outpost to bustling haven when the station provided the Admirality with a hypothesis that the phenomena in the Shackleton Expanse could be a symptom of a Borg incursion. Then, the 20th Fleet was assigned to the station. Plus, three ships were assigned with the express mission of exploring the Shackleton Expanse, to find new civilizations and resources.
Like Deep Space Nine, Narendra Station is home to a vast number of species, serving the Federation, the Klingons or setting out on their own as entrepreneurs or traders trying their luck in the Shackleton Expanse. The station is big enough for any Game Master to add their own personal touches to Narendra Station, from the arboretum to the massive Galleria.
The Shackleton Expanse began in 2019 when Modiphius Entertainment chose to release a Living Campaign based in this setting. After it became too difficult to maintain the schedule of continuing the Living Campaign, Modiphius chose to release their unreleased adventures along with extensive information about the Shackleton Expanse in a new collection called the Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide.
With unique alien species waiting to be discovered, as well as scientific explorations into the phenomena of the region, there’s more than enough adventure to be had for any crew. In fact, the book provides adventures and hooks for campaigns set in both the 23rd and 24th centuries.
