Star Trek Adventures vs Stargate SG-1 RPG: Which TV Sci-Fi RPG Fits Your Group?

Quick answer

Choose Star Trek Adventures if your group wants optimistic, diplomacy-first Starfleet stories with a well-supported line of supplements and print-at-home miniatures. Choose Stargate SG-1 if your table prefers modern military teams, gate-hopping missions, and a more grounded chain-of-command feel. Both are 2d20 games, so the real split is tone and campaign structure, not the core dice mechanic.

Both Star Trek Adventures and the Stargate SG-1 RPG put your group in the boots of a TV sci-fi crew, and both run on Modiphius's 2d20 system. That shared engine means the decision rarely comes down to rules literacy. It comes down to the stories your table actually wants to tell week after week.

This comparison looks at tone, mission structure, support material, and the practical extras you will end up buying. It is written for groups who already know they want a licensed sci-fi RPG and need help picking one, not for readers who need the hobby explained from scratch.

Tone and source material: optimism vs military procedure

Star Trek Adventures leans into the franchise's core promise: exploration, diplomacy, and a crew that solves problems with science and ethics as often as with phasers. Missions tend to reward talking, scanning, and creative use of ship systems. If your group enjoys playing a bridge crew with distinct departments, this is the natural fit.

Stargate SG-1 RPG draws from a show where modern military teams step through an alien gate into unknown territory. The tone is more procedural and more dangerous, with a clear chain of command and mission briefings. Groups who like planning an insertion, managing resources, and dealing with hostile unknowns will feel at home here.

• Ask each player to name one scene they want to replay from either show; the overlap usually reveals the better fit.

Rules weight and the 2d20 shared engine

Because both games use 2d20, learning one gives you most of the vocabulary for the other. You roll two twenty-sided dice, compare against target numbers, and spend Momentum or similar meta-currency to push results. The difference is in how each game frames that engine around its fiction.

Star Trek Adventures ties the rules to ship and crew roles, so a session often moves between personal scenes and starship operations. Stargate SG-1 keeps the focus tighter on the team on the ground, with the gate as the recurring structure. Neither is rules-light, but neither requires a spreadsheet to run.

• If your group already plays another 2d20 game, budget one session for teaching the specific Momentum and Threat rules.

Campaign structure and long-term play

Star Trek Adventures supports long campaigns built around a single ship and crew, which makes character growth feel like a continuing series. Supplements expand factions, eras, and mission types, so a group can stay in the same campaign for a long time without running out of material.

Stargate SG-1 RPG supports episodic gate missions that can chain into a larger arc, which suits tables that meet irregularly or like self-contained adventures. The trade-off is that the line is smaller, so you may need to write more of your own mission content once you exhaust published scenarios.

• Pick Star Trek Adventures for a serialized campaign; pick Stargate SG-1 for mission-of-the-week play.

Miniatures, extras, and table presence

Star Trek Adventures has a deep bench of print-at-home miniatures covering crews, Klingons, and iconic villains. These are 3D print files rather than physical figures, so you need access to a resin printer and the patience to support and cure small parts. The payoff is a table that looks like the show for a low entry cost.

Stargate SG-1 RPG does not have the same breadth of miniature support in this catalog, so groups who want a fully modeled table will need to source generic modern or sci-fi figures. That is not a flaw in the game, but it is a real budget and hobby-time difference worth deciding before you buy.

• Check your printer access before committing to a miniature-heavy Star Trek Adventures campaign.

Trade-offs to weigh before you buy

• Optimism vs grit: Star Trek Adventures assumes a professional crew that usually tries diplomacy first. Stargate SG-1 assumes a military team entering hostile territory with weapons ready. Pick the tone your group actually roleplays, not the one they say they like.
• Line depth vs focus: Star Trek Adventures has more supplements, eras, and miniature support in this catalog. Stargate SG-1 RPG is a tighter line that expects more homebrew mission writing. Choose Star Trek Adventures if you want published material for years; choose Stargate SG-1 if you enjoy writing your own ops.
• Miniature readiness: Star Trek Adventures print-at-home files require a resin printer and post-processing. Stargate SG-1 has less dedicated miniature support here, so you will proxy or go theater-of-the-mind. No printer and no interest in proxies? Lean Stargate SG-1 and play with maps and tokens.

Product facts that affect your choice

• Star Trek Adventures - Print At Home - Iconic Villains Locutus of Borg: This 3D print product lets you print 1 highly detailed, 32mm scale multipart miniature of Locutus of Borg for use with the Star Trek Adventures tabletop roleplaying game. Files are pre-hollowed where possible and include supported versions. A named antagonist miniature gives your campaign a visible final-boss moment, and the pre-hollowed, supported files cut prep time if you already print resin.
• Star Trek Adventures - Print At Home - TNG Klingon Female Warrior 1: This 3D print product lets you print 1 highly detailed, 32mm scale multipart miniature of a Star Trek The Next Generation Klingon warrior for use with Star Trek Adventures. Other individual miniatures and a complete set of 8 Klingons in the TNG Klingon Warband Set are available. Buying singles lets you test scale and print quality before committing to a full warband, which is useful if your group only needs a few recurring Klingon rivals.
• Infinity: Infinity: Player's Guide: In the twisted jungles of Paradiso, humanity fights for its survival against the Combined Army pouring through the Acheron Gate. The Player's Guide is a lower-cost entry point into that setting. If your group wants gate-based sci-fi conflict but not the Stargate license, this is a cheaper way to test whether the 2d20 sci-fi rules space suits your table.

Which game fits your group?

Best for

• Groups who want a serialized bridge-crew campaign with diplomacy, science, and ship scenes
• Tables that already own a resin printer and want Starfleet and Klingon miniatures on the table
• Players who like a broad, well-supported line of supplements and era options

Not for

• Groups who prefer modern military procedure, gate missions, and a tighter chain of command
• Tables that meet irregularly and want self-contained, mission-of-the-week adventures
• Players who dislike meta-currency and want a lighter, less structured sci-fi rules set

If you want the bigger, more optimistic sandbox with miniatures and years of support, go Star Trek Adventures. If your table wants grounded military teams stepping through a gate, go Stargate SG-1 RPG. Both are 2d20, so you can always try one and borrow the other's tone later.