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DROPSHIP
DROPSHIP
DROPSHIP
DROPSHIP
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DERELICT CRAWL PROCEDURE

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� Panic The crew makes a Panic Check.

Warden rolls on the encounter table. If there is only one

�-� Encounter monster in this location, encounter it instead. Note that
not all encounters start as violent.

The crew discovers something frightening and each

�-� Horror
character gains 1 Stress.

Equipment breaks, supplies diminish. Choose what is

most relevant for the moment. If using oxygen tanks or
�-�� Setback
batteries, they are depleted by 1 hour. Software starts
glitching etc. Positive temporary effects end.

Environment changes around the crew. Airlock s close

��-�� Locality
behind, alarms go off, machinery activates or stops.

Hint, warning or omen of an encounter. Ooze coming out

��-�� Clue of a locker, bullet holes in the wall. Think of the aftermath
of your monster’s abilities.

No additional effect this turn. Negative temporary effects

��-�� Free
(such as conditions or extreme weather) end.

The crew reaches safety and can relax. Each character

�� Regroup
reduces Stress by d5-2, 1 being the lowest result.

����� ����������� �����������

Made to contain humans. Offices, control rooms,

Human 1 turn
crew quarters.

Large storage areas and bays, still accessible to

Cargo 2 turns
humans.

Factory floors, sewers, starship cores. Aren’t

Industrial 3 turns
designed for traversal.
DROPSHIP

Words and layout by Emmy Verte.

Thank you to Ava, Marcia, Ty and others for ideas and continued support of
my blogging adventures.

Original posts are available at www.hypertextcorner.com. Text presented

here has been edited for 1E and print format. I was particularly inspired by
the blog at www.traaa.sh by quadra and the rules for Errant RPG written by
Ava Islam at errantrpg.carrd.co.

Weapon illustration on page 04 is by Thomas Novosel.

Squad illustration on page 20 is by HodagRPG.
INDEX
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Chapters are arranged in chronological order of original publication.

Don’t Roll to Hit: September 29, 2021.

Derelictcrawl Procedure: February 6, 2022.
Squads and Space Battles: March 4, 2022.
Advanced Shore Leave: March 10, 2022.
 DON’T ROLL TO HIT
DON’T
ROLL
TO HIT

After a couple of very slow combat scenes in Mothership, I've decided to try
out the quite popular OSR solution: auto hit. Unlike the proposed alternative
combat rules by quadra, my aim with this is to completely get rid of rolling
to hit in my sessions.
 ��������

WHY?

1. Combats were taking too long in Mothership. Even without opposing

rolls, it's 2 rolls per attack (combat roll and damage roll), and another 2
every NPC turn. Not rolling to hit slashes that in half.

2. I have played Mausritter recently (which uses Into the Odd's auto hit
system) and I really enjoyed how that went. Attacking and being
attacked was a big deal, since someone would always lose HP.

3. Auto hit is extremely helpful when running funnels. When you have 3-4
characters, one less roll to worry about saves a lot of time. And of
course this resulted in a lot of one hit character deaths.

HOW IT WORKS

When attacking, roll only the damage dealt.

So how does this tweak affect combat?

Death comes much quicker. Compared to standard rules, PCs will deal
damage 3 times faster (Instead of hitting 30% of the time, they hit 100% of
the time). Same thing for NPCs.

Everyone is an equal fighter (not counting weapons). When previously a

marine would hit much more consistently than any other class, now
everyone has a fair shot. The only advantage you may have is a better gun.
Same goes for NPCs since they are not bound by the combat stat anymore.

No more critical hits (in a way). Since you don't roll for combat, you can't
crit fail or crit succeed. I enjoy critical hits, so I propose a solution.

��
 ���'� ���� �� ���

ALTERNATIVE CRITICAL HITS

For this section we will introduce the crit die. An additional d10 you roll
alongside your damage roll. You may use a different color to easily
differentiate it from your damage dice.

If the crit die is the highest rolled die, it is a critical success. If the
crit die is the lowest rolled, it is a critical failure.

Example: player Jess attacks with their revolver and rolls [3] on their
damage and [7] on the crit die. Jess deals 3 damage and gain a critical
success. The Warden then decides how to adjucate it (double the damage,
give an environmental advantage etc.)

Rolling high is good for damage, but then you risk rolling over your crit die.
Weapons that use many damage dice are less likely to crit.

USING THE COMBAT STAT

Now what do you do with the Combat stat when you've eliminated a major
situation it's useful in? You may still roll it when you are performing combat
manoeuvres, trying to change the tide of a confrontation. For example you
could perform a Combat check to take actions like grappling, aiming or
realoading a weapon.

Consequences for failure should be grave. The weapon exploding in the

character’s hands, misfire into a glass window. Come up with things that
completely change the battlefield.

The Combat stat can be used to decide damage for improvised or unarmed
attacks. Take the tens digit of your stat and treat that as the damage score.

��
 ��������

I also like the idea of using the Combat stat as a tactical tool. If you roll a
success you could:

■ Find an escape route, location to hide / attack from.

■ Gain cover quickly.

■ Make or find an improvised weapon.

■ Get a better idea about the enemy. On a success the Warden may
reveal info about the NPCs weapons, health status or movement.

■ Look for weak spots, which would give extra damage dice if targeted.

■ Decide initiative (instead of using the Speed stat).

All of the above would also make sense with the Intellect stat, but I wanted
the marines to have some sort of edge when fighting.

��
 �������� ����� ���������

DERELICT CRAWL PROCEDURE

DERELICT
CRAWL
PROCEDURE
A turn based system for your sessions that increases risk and elevates the
Warden's tasks. I've been using a version of this for a while to help me keep
track of when to give out Stress, roll for Panic, encounters etc. I wanted to
share how the derelict die tells me what happens and lets me focus on
narration and reaction to the players.

��
 ��������

I strongly recommend using the encumbrance house rule by quadra (PCs

can carry STR/10 items) to make the risk/reward of losing supplies and
pushing further into the derelict meaningful.

THE EXPLORATION TURN

When exploring a derelict (or any location containing rooms) time is divided
into turns. During an exploration turn, the crew may perform one significant
action: moving between rooms, searching or exploring a room, attempting
to force an airlock open, and so on. The derelict die is a special kind of die
that is rolled every exploration turn.

After the crew declares their action for the turn, roll a d20:

���� ������ �����������

� Panic The crew makes a Panic Check.

Warden rolls on the encounter table. If there is only one

�-� Encounter monster in this location, encounter it instead. Note that
not all encounters start as violent.

The crew discovers something frightening and each

�-� Horror
character gains Stress.

Equipment breaks, supplies diminish. Choose what is

most relevant for the moment. If using oxygen tanks or
�-�� Setback
batteries, they are depleted by 1 hour. Software starts
glitching etc. Positive temporary effects end.

Environment changes around the crew. Airlocks close

��-�� Locality
behind, alarms go off, machinery activates or stops.

Hint, warning or omen of an encounter. Ooze coming out

��-�� Clue of a locker, bullet holes in the wall. Think of the aftermath
of your monster’s abilities.

No additional effect this turn. Negative temporary effects

��-�� Free
(such as conditions or extreme weather) end.

The crew reaches safety and can relax. Each character

�� Regroup
reduces Stress by d5-2, 1 being the lowest result.

��
 �������� ����� ���������

You don't have to follow the roll precisely if it doesn't make sense (like a
Regroup on turn 1 for example). When that happens, use adjacent entries
as the new result. Go down one entry (↓) for a more positive event, go up
(↑) for a more negative one.

A NOTE ON DOORS AND SCALE

The crew's progression through a derelict will often be blocked by various

barriers. Here are some examples of how you can adjudicate getting
through them.

■ Airlocks take an exploration turn and a successful Strength check to

force open.

■ Laser cutting a passage through metal takes 2 exploration turns.

■ Locked doors can be bypassed via hacking. Successfully bypassing a

lock does not take an exploration turn, but a failed attempt does.

Usually it takes only one turn to fully explore a room. Still, the crew might
encounter cargo or even industrial scale rooms which take longer to cover.

����� ����������� �����������

Made to contain humans. Offices, control rooms,

Human 1 turn
crew quarters.

Large storage areas and bays, still accessible to

Cargo 2 turns
humans.

Factory floors, sewers, starship cores. Aren’t

Industrial 3 turns
designed for traversal.

The crew can pick up their pace and reduce the number of turns needed to
explore the area fully. However, they might attract unwanted attention. +1
human scale room per turn, or -1 turns to explore larger rooms. Roll next
derelict die at disadvantage.

��
 ��������

TIMEKEEPING

Turns represent an abstract amount of time it takes to perform an action.

On average, they are equal to around 10 minutes of game time. And thus, 1
hour passes in 6 turns.

Some time-reliant items converted into turns:

■ Rebreather: 2 turns without resurfacing.

■ Oxygen: standard supply is 6 turns. For more unpredictable play:

instead of tracking turns, deplete your O2 supply when you roll Setback
on the derelict die. I imagine a character will get a warning light on
their suit, leaving them one turn to replace their O2. Each resupply will
last 6 turns on average.

■ Jetpack: enough fuel for 6 turns. Same method of tracking with

Setback can be used as with the O2 supply.

■ Drones: can run for 12 turns.

■ Vaccsuit: can be fitted with an O2 tank with up to 72 turns of operation

time, 24 turns if under stress. You can approach this narratively, or
count >10 Stress as entering a stressed state.

And as always, feel free to to change things around. If you swap encounter
and panic on the derelict die table, you will get a more physiological horror
vibe from the session. Changing the amount of turns it takes to explore a
room can make the location feel smaller or larger.

��
 ������ ��� ����� �������

SQUADS AND SPACE BATTLES

SQUADS
AND SPACE
BATTLES
In this double feature chapter I wanted to explore higher level play in
Mothership. Not in the sense of more XP, but of larger scale. Factions, as
key driving forces of a campaign, have dangerous resources at their
disposal. What happens when a crew interacts with them?

��
 ��������

SQUADS

Squad is a group of contractors united by mission and proficiencies. They

are usually too expensive to be hired by individual characters, so most of
the time they will be attached to a faction. Such faction squads will count
as resources (Advanced Shore Leave, page 17).

Once a goal is set for a squad, they will complete it autonomously. If a

character has a Command skill, they can also control a squad directly.

Squads can be dispatched on a mission during Shore Leave. Missions have

a clear goal, which is always aligned with their faction’s interests: extract
the VIP, disconnect the reactor module, excavate the relic etc. Give a
mission a difficulty score: 1 - easy, 2 - challenging, 3 - hard. Roll Xd10s
(X=difficulty score) vs a d20. If the d20 is higher than the sum of the d10s,
the squad completes the mission. If the result is lower, they fail, and the
lowest d10 result is the amount of casualties sustained.

Squads are divided into small (3-6 members), medium (7-12) and large
(13+). Attacks by individual characters against squads are reduced by
[1d10] or [1 Wound] per size of the squad, unless the character has means
of dealing area damage against the squad. Attacks by squads against
individual characters is increased by 1d10 per squad size. Attacks between
squads of different sizes receive ±1 Wound damage per size difference.

��
 ������ ��� ����� �������

There are several squad types that specialise in different fields (akin to the
four character classes). Each squad is proficient in skills which they can
complete expertly.

■ Ground: Military Training, Wilderness Survival, Field Medicine,

Firearms.

■ Void: Zero-g, Piloting, Athletics, Rimwise, Asteroid Mining.

■ Breach: Industrial Equipment, Explosives, Hacking.

■ Salvage: Jury-rigging, Mechanical repair, Engineering, Exobiology,

Archaeology.

When tasked with something outside of their expertise and under pressure,
or when the environment works against the squad, they make an Instinct
save. If they fail their save or encounter the horrors of space, they increase
their Stress by 1.

Vitals of a squad: Instinct (starts at 2d10+10), Stress (starts at 2) and Hits

(start at 2x# of members). Notice that squads don’t have health, any
damage reduces a Hit (as contractors).

When a squad loses a Hit, they make a Panic Check. If they roll under their
current Stress, they mark a condition. As damage is dealt to the squad, it
may reduce in size.

��������� �����������

Concerned The squad is more cautious and slower to complete tasks.

Terrified All saves are made at disadvantage.

Broken Members seek the fastest way to escape this location.

When a squad survives a mission, they gain a Veterancy point, which can
be spent to ignore Panic checks. Veterancy points are replenished during
Shore Leave.

��
 ��������

CAPITAL SPACESHIP BATTLES

When capital spaceships clash, a simplified combat system can be used.

Each side rolls a d10 with the following modifiers:

■ +1 for every weapon category that out-numbers the opponent’s

(lasers, fighter craft, torpedoes, railguns).

■ +1 for each significant tactical advantage, such as: surprise, asteroid

field cover, stealth technology etc.

■ + the tens digit of the Combat stat of the highest ranked character on
that side.

The side that rolls the highest wins the engagement, ties are a draw. The
difference between the result of each side’s roll is the amount of decks
damaged and breached.

Optionally, the crew can engage in a flashpoint, an operation that can turn
the tide of battle. The crew is tasked with completing a mission, such as
disabling hull defences or fighting the enemy captain. If the crew wins the
flashpoint, add a d10 to their side’s roll. If the crew loses, add a d10 to the
opposing side’s roll.

At the end of a battle, any characters involved make a Combat check. If

their side won or drawn, success means they are unharmed, failure — they
take 1 Wound of damage. If their side lost, success is 1 Wound of damage,
failure is death.

Find the squad tracker sheet at www.hypertextcorner.com/squads.

��
 �������� ����� �����

ADVANCED SHORE LEAVE

ADVANCED
SHORE
LEAVE
What do I do as the Warden during Shore Leave? This post will aim to
answer the question, providing more depth to Shore Leave phases based
on Mothership 1e mechanics. Using a downtime die and faction turns can
create opportunities for new missions, and are generally helpful for
worldbuilding. As always, these rules are super modular. You can adjust
them to your taste and the specifics of your campaign.

��
 ��������

DOWNTIME DIE

While your characters rest in port, the world around them changes. The
downtime die is a special kind of die that is rolled every Shore Leave phase.
It is introduced to simulate the growth of various dangers and factions.
Similar to the derelict die, it is meant as a guiding tool to help the warden
flesh out the world. Feel free to customise the table below to your needs.

Before the crew declares their actions for the Shore Leave, roll a d20:

���� ������ �����������

Increase Ruin in this sector by 1. Create a new Abyss if

� Abyss
none existed before.

Crew’s current location is visited by an NPC or a faction.

�-� Encounter Corporation spaceship docking for the month, or a
caravan on a desert planet selling wares.

�-� Threat New threat becomes active, or an old one makes a move.

A faction, NPC or location undergoes change. On a 10

�-�� Shift there is also an Expiration (temporary complications and
situations end).

A new faction, NPC or location emerges. On 11-12 there

��-�� Rise is also an Expiration (temporary complications and
situations end).

Rumour of the crew’s next mission, or what the next

��-�� Clue
Encounter, Threat, Shift or Rise may be.

��-�� Free No additional events this phase.

The crew receives an unexpected opportunity or gift.

�� Benefit Meeting with a faction they are trying to infiltrate, or free
accommodations at the new hotel.

��
 �������� ����� �����

ABYSS

Abyss represents long-term danger to a sector. They can be entities like

Corporations, Pirates or Alien Gods—as well as more abstract concepts like
a looming economic crisis or the eternal darkness of the void. Think of it as
stress, but for the environment instead of a single character.

If you roll a downtime die lower then or equal to the Ruin in the current
sector, an Incursion is triggered of the corresponding value. An Incursion
table ranges from 1 to 10. 1 always being an increase in Ruin, and 2-10
being some kind of Abyss related event (hyperspace spectral incursion,
working conditions worsening, colony outpost flooding etc.) arranged in
ascending order of intensity.

Example: The Trigo Station’s Abyss is the asteroid mining boom. Its
current Ruin sits at 6. Warden rolls a 5 on the downtime die. She
knows that she will have to create a new threat and resolve the
Breach, so she decides to combine the two (even though it’s not
necessary). She tells the crew that SQR mining corp’s (an
established threat) recent activity has left an asteroid drifting
towards Trigo Station!

For each 2 Ruin the Abyss has, create a relevant Rift in the sector that
represents the power of the Abyss spreading. If a Rift is dealt with, reduce
the Ruin in the sector by 2.

If an Abyss accumulates 10 Ruin it becomes a Cataclysm. The status quo

of the sector is completely altered. Abyss events are no longer triggered.

��
 ��������

��� ����� ������� ����������� �����

���� �����
Upload mania as a new perfect reality is created and people begin
to jack in for days. It only gets better, and droves of people flock to
1
it. Eventually the tipping point occurs and more people are in VR
than out, and infrastructure collapses.¹

Technocult dreams of achieving the Perfect AI. Their robotic tech

is getting out of control. Various stations try to ban high
2
complexity tech, but it is too late. All tech becomes one with the
Perfect AI.

Corporations conspire to make intentionally obsolete products. All

new tech becomes extremely unreliable. Ancient technology
3
becomes priceless. Entire fleets crumble from the inability to keep
up with repairs.

Deep space expedition returns to port. Crew is acting strange.

Interior of their ship is riddled with unreadable symbols. They
4
speak of exposing the out there to the world. They start organising
hellish rites on the station.

Gang of crystal infused raiders roam the outposts. Alien crystals

give the raiders their signature blue-green glow. After the raids,
5
they were seen planting crystals into the ground. The landscape
mutates into an alien world.

Rogue battleship wants to establish control over the sector. Their

6 defences are impenetrable. They are building a powerful laser
powered by stars.

Asteroid hopping pirates have mastered mech technology. They

are swift in attacking cargo ships and are completely
7 undetectable. Trade and transportation are paralyzed. Bounty
hunting becomes rampant. Pirates establish themselves as sole
rulers of the void.

Thousands of 10 foot high obelisks appear in orbit. They have

names on them. Those who find their name (not many) say they
8
can see the future. People begin spending their entire lives
searching for their name.¹

Alien derelict discovered near a far each colony. Visitors (those

who survive the immense dangers of delving) gain various
9 magical abilities. Some are healed, some gain a wish. What starts
as a rumour and a few cases escalates into a race for the derelict.
Society disintegrates as powers become ubiquitous.

Hyperspace deterioration threatens reality. At first it is only a

����� ���

couple of misjumps. Then objects become disappearing, and

10 appearing in other places, warped. Objects that manage to return
from hyperspace are infested with creatures from out there. Soon
entire stations get lost.

��
 �������� ����� �����

¹Entries kindly provided by Ty of the Mindstorm blog (mindstorm.blot.im).

SHIFT AND RISE

Shift and Rise entries provide a changing environment for the players to
explore. Usually they are connected to the crew’s previous actions, but you
can also use this table for inspiration:

����� ������ �����������

�-� Nemesis Actively creates dangers, traps and terrors for the crew.

Prevents the crew from achieving their goal when given

�-� Foe
the opportunity.

�-� Stranger Most contacts start here.

�-� Friend Will aid the crew when possible.

Will perform major favours for the crew at cost. If they

�-�� Ally are a prominent figure in a faction, the crew gains +1
Reputation with them.

FACTIONS

Factions are the major forces of your campaign. Corporations, alien cults,
rogue warships. Their conflicts and interactions help create a living world.
Factions are defined by resources and goals.

■ Resources are the faction’s influence and power over the sector. Fleet
of jumpships, black market connections, experimental tech.

■ Goals can range from short-term to ambitious. For example: you might
set a corporation’s goals as dealing with a strike and setting up a new
outpost on the periphery. They require 2-5 progress marks to be
completed based on difficulty.

Every Shore Leave factions work towards their current goal. Roll a d10 and

��
 ��������

add +1 for each relevant resource. On a 6-9 mark one progress, on a 10+
mark two progress. If a goal is completed, a new resource is added to the
faction. If a faction grows to 3 resources, squads (Squads and Space
Battles, page 10) become available to them. At 5 resources, they gain
control of capital spaceships if possible.

The crew has a Reputation score with each faction. Reputation ranges
from -3 (Hated) to +3 (Admired). The crew will usually start at 0 (neutral)
Reputation with a faction. At 1, 2 and 3 Reputation, the crew gains access
to the faction’s items, contractors and facilities respectively. The
Reputation score is used as a modifier for Contact rolls with NPCs from
that faction.

A sector can have d5+1 factions. Stations have varying faction presence
depending on their class. S-Class ports have a single faction as the only
authority, while X-Class ports will be places of interest for multiple factions.
Roll on this little table to get a basic idea for your factions’ dynamics.

���� ��-�� ��-��

A major faction enforces its will on A major faction is in conflict with

0-4
smaller ones.² smaller rebellious forces.

Factions of equal size in a delicate Factions of equal strength are

5-9
balance.² locked in conflict.

²Factions that appear peaceful could always be performing covert

operations against their enemies.

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Some things you can do in addition to the classic options.

LEGAL HELL

Lawyers are just pirates of a different sort.

��
 �������� ����� �����

To simulate factions and threats going after your crew in court, a Legal
Save is introduced. The Legal Save depends on the amount of law and
order present in port. The higher the class of a port, the harder it is to
defend yourself in court.
���� �-����� �-����� �-����� �-����� �-�����

Legal Save 75 60 45 30 15

■ Success: you get away from prosecution, for now at least. On a crit
you are compensated for your time and effort.

■ Failure: you are stuck in legal hell. You next Legal Save roll will be at
-10. The case is inconclusive, so you have to find more evidence or
lawyers to survive. On a crit fail, the case against your crew succeeds.

You can also modify your save by +1 for every 10kcr spent on lawyers.

In X-Class ports, reduce your save by -20 for every foe in the sector. A
powerful nemesis may be impossible to defeat in court. Corrupt justice of
X-Class ports will be swayed in favour of those with money and influence.
In X-Class and C-Class ports, a “court” could also mean the presence of any
high standing figure (mafia leader, a sheriff or a bounty hunter).

TINKERING

Tinkering allows you to modify equipment to make it more specialised or

useful. To tinker with equipment, make an Intellect check, if possible
adding Jury-rigging, Mechanical repair or Engineering. You will always
install a mod, but your roll will determine any drawbacks.

������ �����������

Crit success No drawbacks.

Success A drawback chosen by player.

Failure A drawback chosen by the Warden.

Crit fail 2 drawbacks, each chooses one.

��
 ��������

Mods:

■ Light: can be carried and hidden easily.

■ Durable: resistant to breaking and errors.

■ Economical: reduced energy/ammo consumption.

■ Any special effect from firearms and industrial equipment.

Drawbacks:

■ Bulky: uses more item slots, becomes harder to hide.

■ Fragile: susceptible to breaking or glitching.

■ Demanding: consumes more energy/ammo.

This is an incomplete list of course. You and your players are encouraged
to come up with more specific ways to modify your equipment.

CONTACTS

Contacts are everyone with whom your crew has a relationship with. If you
make an effort to improve your relationship, roll a d10 and compare it to
your current score. If you roll below, increase the score by 1. If you roll
above, you must complete a task before you can change the relationship.

����� ������ �����������

�-� Nemesis Actively creates dangers, traps and terrors for the crew.

Prevents the crew from achieving their goal when given

�-� Foe
the opportunity.

�-� Stranger Most contacts start here.

�-� Friend Will aid the crew when possible.

Will perform major favours for the crew at cost. If they

�-�� Ally are a prominent figure in a faction, the crew gains +1
Reputation with them.

��
 �������� ����� �����

HABITS

Choose how to spend your free time during Shore Leave. Different habits
have different minor effects. Habits are not considered Shore Leave
actions. They are chosen once per Shore Leave. Think of them more like
taking stances in combat.

■ Study: reduce time to train in a new skill by 2.

■ Exercise: +5 to your chosen stat until the next shore leave.

■ Socialise: gain advantage on Contact rolls.

DECORATIONS

During downtime, you may spend credits in order to buy furniture and
increase how much stress is cleared. No, I’m not turning Mothership into a
Sims game, I promise.

■ Small furniture (lamps, pillows) increases cleared stress by 1.

■ Large furniture (beds, shelves, tables) increases cleared stress by 2.

■ Plants will clear your stress by d10, but require special attention. You
must spend each Shore Leave with the habit tending to the plants, or
else they become neglected. If they are not cared for after being
neglected, they die. After they perish, your next comfort save is done at
a disadvantage.

��
��� ��������

������ ��������� �������� �����

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ADVANCED SHORE LEAVE

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Increase Ruin in this sector by 1. Create a new Abyss if

� Abyss
none existed before.

Crew’s current location is visited by an NPC or a faction.

�-� Encounter Corporation spaceship docking for the month, or a
caravan on a desert planet selling wares.

�-� Threat New threat becomes active, or an old one makes a move.

A faction, NPC or location undergoes change. On a 10

�-�� Shift there is also an Expiration (temporary complications and
situations end).

A new faction, NPC or location emerges. On 11-12 there

��-�� Rise is also an Expiration (temporary complications and
situations end).

Rumour of the crew’s next mission, or what the next

��-�� Clue
Encounter, Threat, Shift or Rise may be.

��-�� Free No additional events this phase.

The crew receives an unexpected opportunity or gift.

�� Benefit Meeting with a faction they are trying to infiltrate, or free
accommodations at the new hotel.

����� ������ �����������

�-� Nemesis Actively creates dangers, traps and terrors for the crew.

Prevents the crew from achieving their goal when given

�-� Foe
the opportunity.

�-� Stranger Most contacts start here.

�-� Friend Will aid the crew when possible.

Will perform major favours for the crew at cost. If they

�-�� Ally are a prominent figure in a faction, the crew gains +1
Reputation with them.
��� ����� ������� ����������� �����

Upload mania as a new perfect reality is created and people begin

to jack in for days. It only gets better, and droves of people flock to
1
it. Eventually the tipping point occurs and more people are in VR
than out, and infrastructure collapses.¹

Technocult dreams of achieving the Perfect AI. Their robotic tech

is getting out of control. Various stations try to ban high
2
complexity tech, but it is too late. All tech becomes one with the
Perfect AI.

Corporations conspire to make intentionally obsolete products. All

new tech becomes extremely unreliable. Ancient technology
3
becomes priceless. Entire fleets crumble from the inability to keep
up with repairs.

Deep space expedition returns to port. Crew is acting strange.

Interior of their ship is riddled with unreadable symbols. They
4
speak of exposing the out there to the world. They start organising
hellish rites on the station.

Gang of crystal infused raiders roam the outposts. Alien crystals

give the raiders their signature blue-green glow. After the raids,
5
they were seen planting crystals into the ground. The landscape
mutates into an alien world.

Rogue battleship wants to establish control over the sector. Their

6 defences are impenetrable. They are building a powerful laser
powered by stars.

Asteroid hopping pirates have mastered mech technology. They

are swift in attacking cargo ships and are completely
7 undetectable. Trade and transportation are paralyzed. Bounty
hunting becomes rampant. Pirates establish themselves as sole
rulers of the void.

Thousands of 10 foot high obelisks appear in orbit. They have

names on them. Those who find their name (not many) say they
8
can see the future. People begin spending their entire lives
searching for their name.¹

Alien derelict discovered near a far each colony. Visitors (those

who survive the immense dangers of delving) gain various
9 magical abilities. Some are healed, some gain a wish. What starts
as a rumour and a few cases escalates into a race for the derelict.
Society disintegrates as powers become ubiquitous.

Hyperspace deterioration threatens reality. At first it is only a

couple of misjumps. Then objects become disappearing, and
10 appearing in other places, warped. Objects that manage to return
from hyperspace are infested with creatures from out there. Soon
entire stations get lost.