When Brian suggested we play Star Trek Adventures online together, we all thought it sounded like fun. Brian lives in L.A., Travis is in Chicago proper, Ryan and I live in the Chicago Suburbs, Matt is in Boston, and TJ is in Texas. We can’t gather in person more than maybe once or twice a year, and the pandemic made even those visits much harder. So, obviously, we turned to playing online, across time zones, navigating work schedules and newborns.
When it began, it was silly and we were green. Brian and Travis scoured the rule books and taught us how to play as they learned. Some of us had never played an RPG before, so the learning curve was mighty. However, we’ve known one another for the better part of 20 years, so if anyone was going to figure this out and have fun doing it, it would be us.
And so we did. Brian said we should record our sessions and make it into a podcast. He was certain people would want to listen to our Actual Play Podcast. Ryan, my husband, and an award-winning Sound Designer of podcasts like Our Fair City and Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery, decided to lean into to this project because, to quote him, “It involves all my favourite people, including my wife, and Star Trek! What more could I want?”
Everyone was on board, so to speak, except for me. While I was having a blast, I was afraid to commit to something with a newborn and two other small children. “How do we record when I have to feed a baby?” But the team decided that we wouldn’t be going for perfection and silent backgrounds here, we’d be representing our real lives while we came together to play this Star Trek game. If you’ve heard our podcast, you’ll know that’s true. Cat’s meow, babies make sounds, a dog barks, and in the meantime, we are solving space mysteries and laughing. We’re creating characters that bring us joy, and finding that they’re bringing joy to others as well. I offered to run our Social Media accounts, and instead of only posting what we’re doing, I share Star Trek art and cosplays, putting a spotlight on wonderful artists (whom I always get permission from to share their work). It’s a way for me to boost our podcast while also giving back to the ever-supportive Star Trek community, and that brings me joy as well.
We released our first episode in 2020 and people needed a happy distraction. It caught on, we’re happy to report, and we just celebrated more than 13,000 downloads and five nominations in the New Jersey Web Fest. It feels wild for this crew, this band of friends who needed a way to be together, to be finding internet success. We’re constantly humbled by feedback from people who enjoy our show and laugh at our antics. The highest compliment is always, “I feel like I’m at the table playing with you guys!”
At a time when the world is messy, we’re glad to be a small constant source of fun and laughter, of escapism and space mysteries. We hope we can keep the USS Tempest flying for years to come. We’ll see you… out there.
Starship Tempest can be found on most streaming services, or head to StarshipTempest.com… Find them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and Discord under @StarshipTempest
By Tara Schile – Tara Schile plays Dr. Teal and Lt. Eele on Starship Tempest and played Elizabeth Rourke (and other voices) on Our Fair City, her voice is also that of the audiobook Hope to the Last Breath by Jwan Al Brwe on Audible… She is a mother of three sons, wife to Ryan Schile, and Social Media Manager for Starship Tempest.
Listen To Their First Episode
You can reach out to the Tempest crew through the following links :
Twitter: https://twitter.com/starshiptempest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starshiptempest
Discord: https://discord.gg/NbHruYUQ
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/starshiptempest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starshiptempest/
