voidnauts

space opera role-playing

core rulebook
1
 voidnauts
space opera role-playing

A game by Chad Walker

Cover art by Stefan Celic

Illustrations by Wadim Kashin, Stefan Celic,

Breno Glrafa, Gala Berezhanya, and Marat
Zakirov

Stock art licensed for print usage:

ID 284578173 ©Alexanderb3 |Dreamstime.com
ID 143490823 ©Grandeduc| Dreamstime.com
ID 275177719 ©Imaginariumphoto | Dreamstime.com
ID 276399296 ©Tolianu | Dreamstime.com
ID 269511162 ©Jarmo Piironen | Dreamstime.com
ID 280040683 ©Imaginariumphoto | Dreamstime.com
ID 252454635 ©Grandfailure | Dreamstime.com
ID 284287729 ©Ifitkhar Alam | Dreamstime.com

Special thanks to the following test pilots

whose creative contributions over the
years led to the development of Zodiac
Space and the evolution of this game:
Chad Sansing, G. Michael Truran, Donald
Gori, Brendan Sutch, Wes Keller, and
Victoria Townsend

Version 1.0 ©2024, Land of NOP LLC.

land of
0x90
PLAY DANGEROUS GAMES

2
 table of
contents
Welcome Aboard 5 Backstory 44 Leveling Up 81
RPG 101 6 Prompts 44 Gaining XP 81
Safety Tools 7 Prompts List 45 XP Spent 81
Playsheets 8 XP Earned 82
Voidnaut Dossier 10 Structured Scenes 47 New Toys 82
Rolling Dice 12 Danger 47 Ship Upgrades 83
Roll Outcomes 12 Adding Danger 48
Roll First 13 Danger Readout 48 Running a Frigate 85
Applying Hits 13 Phoenix Protocol 49 Astrogation 86
Sessions 14 Scope 50 Mobile HQ 86
Campaigns 15 Contact 51 Gravity 87
Jumpgates 88
Assembling the Crew 17 Combat Scenes 53 Comms 89
Procedure 17 Setting the Scene 54 Zodiac Space 90
Concept and Role 18 Combat Danger 55 History 93
Moves Matrix 19 Combat Moves 56 Xenos 94
Potentials 21 Special Rules 56 Beyond the Pale 95
Stress 22 Combat Progress 56
Potential List 22 Defeat 57 Building a Galaxy 97
Talents 25 Sector Map 97
Combat Talents 26 Crew Scenes 59 Grand Strategy 99
Crew Talents 26 Setting the Scene 60 System Map 101
Evasion Talents 27 Crew Danger 62 Big Bang 102
Intrigue Talents 27 Crew Moves 63 To Infinity 107
Titles 28 Special Rules 63
Titles List 28 Crew Progress 64 Readout Forge 109
No Confidence 29 Defeat 65 Zodiac Space 110
Tools 30 Aries System 111
Using Tools 31 Evasion Scenes 67 Gemini System 112
Combat Tools 32 Setting the Scene 68 Scorpio System 113
Crew Tools 32 Evasion Danger 69 Opposing Forces 114
Evasion Tools 32 Evasion Moves 70 Irregulars 115
Intrigue Tools 33 Special Rules 70 Xenohorrors 116
Ordnance 34 Evasion Progress 70 Necrohorrors 117
Sharing tools 35 Defeat 71 Consortium Fleet 118
Guild Fleet 119
Crew Relationships 37 Intrigue Scenes 73 House Fleet 120
Crew Tracker 38 Setting the Scene 74 Triumvirate Fleet 121
Sentiments 38 Intrigue Danger 75 Composite Fleet 122
Triggers 40 Intrigue Moves 76
Invoking 41 Special Rules 76 Index 124
Stoking 41 Intrigue Progress 77
Narrating It 42 Defeat 78
Strategic Montage 79

3
4
 welcome
aBOARD
In this chapter, we introduce our reader to Voidnauts to transform, where rivalries become friendships,
and provide a quick survey of its key themes, game infatuations become grudges, and personal heroes
mechanics, and assumptions. become wards that need to be to taken care of (or
vice versa).
Voidnauts is a space opera game about the crew of
starship getting into and out of trouble in a galaxy Voidnauts is inspired by a number of science fiction
full of danger. The heroes in this game, called void- touchpoints, but mostly by the The Expanse series.
nauts, are some of the most resilient, cunning, and It adopts a similar focus on a ragtag crew of a space
capable people in the galaxy. Their ship, an advanced frigate as its primary means of telling a story, as well
frigate armed to the teeth, is just as formidable. as a quasi-hard-science take on space travel, space
Whether the voidnauts are mercenaries, explorers, physics, and space combat. At the same time, it also
convicts, traders, scientists, diplomats, refugees, adopts the politics and intergalactic cosmopolitan-
or something else entirely, they will inevitably get ism of Star Trek, the space wizards and laser swords
caught up in intergalactic struggles, chart unexplored of Star Wars, the body horror and isolation of Alien,
space, and most definitely regret responding to that and the cosmic horror and gorey carnage of Event
distress signal. Horizon. There are simply too many ways to tell a
great science fiction story in space and we do our
Voidnauts is designed for one game master and five best to make room for all of them.
players, though it can flex up to accommodate up to
six players or flex down to accommodate as little as Lastly, and perhaps most importantly to a certain
one player if they are willing to play multiple mem- category of gamers, Voidnauts was designed to be
bers of the crew. If played analog, it requires pencils, peerless in its representation of space battles. In these
paper, a printer, tokens (coins work fine), and piles scenes, every member of the crew takes on the cru-
of 6-sided and 10-sided dice. However, this game cial role of pilot, gunner, signaleer, aegis, or engineer.
is optimized to play using online gaming platforms As their starship is battered by enemy aggression and
like Roll20, because it relies heavily on shared sheets collapsing under mechanical stress, each and every
used by the game master and players alike. Sessions crewmate will rely heavily on each other to keep their
typically last between 2 and 4 hours. vessel operational and in the fight.

Voidnauts is a hybrid of board game and role-playing Forward, we'll be discussing some general role-play-
game mechanics designed to cut out the filler and ing game definitions and approaches, and then
only focus on two types of play: scenes of extraordi- taking a peek at the features and mechanicisms that
nary danger and consequence, and scenes of inter- make Voidnauts tick.
personal relationships either blossoming or reaching
their boiling point. Most importantly, it reinforces
how what happens in one type of scene impacts the
other. Players will channel the relationships they have
with their crewmates to survive and prevail in their
most dangerous of trials. At the same time, what the
voidnauts endure together and how they conduct
themselves in the field will transform their relation-
ships, either strengthening their ties or forcing them

5
 a space battle, the stealthy infiltration of a dangerous
RPG 101 area, or the interrogation of a prisoner.

Setting is used to describe the campaign’s imaginary

Though it has board game elements, Voidnauts is a universe, a collaborative creative work influenced
role-playing game (RPG). What is an RPG? There by the contents of this book but ultimately up to the
are a million definitions out there, but here’s the one players. Characters and actors are used interchange-
we’ve settled on: it’s like when children play pretend, ably to describe imaginary beings living in the setting
but for grown-ups, and disputes are settled by rules or game world. We usually use character to describe
and dice rolls. Basically, people playing a role-playing human beings in the setting specifically, and use
game are contributing to a shared narrative about a actor as a more generic term that encompasses not
fictional universe, only it’s slightly more structured only human-beings in the setting also but things like
than what happens on the playground. automatons, AIs, and animals.
Players are the humans playing this game, reading Each player dictates and narrates the actions, dialog,
this game’s rules right now. Players make decisions, feelings, and efforts of an individual character, which
roll dice, and help narrate the outcome of events as we sometimes refer to as a player character (PC) and
they happen in the game. We’ll sometimes refer to all sometime refer to as a voidnaut. All the player char-
the humans playing the game as the table. acters in the setting are referred to as the crew.
A session is where players sit down and start playing The game master (GM) is the person who runs the
the game and tell a collaborative story. A campaign is campaign, planning episodes full of dread, drama,
a series of sequential sessions that tell a longer, epi- and excitement, and manages all the characters and
sodic collaborative story. A scene is a contained series events in the setting that aren’t controlled by players.
of events that might happen during a session, such as

6
Actors controlled by the GM, including all the allies,
patrons, rivals, major villains, and other bit-parts safety tools
that round out the story’s cast, are referred to as
non-player characters (NPCs). The GM is the referee
and arbiter of the rules, determining what is possible Depending on who is GM’ing the game and what
and what is not. The GM and players should always type of science fiction stories they aim to facilitate,
come to some level of consensus regarding story Voidnauts has the potential to delve into the some
events, but at the end of the day, the GM has the final pretty gnarly content and uncomfortable themes. It is
say. Why? Because they spent all that time planning up to the table to calibrate on their comfort level with
the campaign and sessions. This sacrifice must be re- certain types of content (e.g., body horror) before a
warded with “chief editor” rights regarding the con- campaign starts, and periodically check-in during
sistency and direction of a campaign. A campaign the campaign, as feelings towards certain content
that a GM no longer wants to run is a campaign that is always subject to change. The table may decide
no one will be playing anymore. At the same time, a certain content is off-limits, or that anyone can ask to
campaign that does not react to and reward player fast forward past a scene or narrative description that
choice defeats the purpose of role-playing, and all are is bothering them.
better off playing video games.
Since Voidnauts has a heavy focus on the relation-
ships between crewmates, there is also the possibility
that certain relationships between the fictional char-
Good gaming is a journey of trial and acters of this game may make for awkward, conten-
tious, or intense role-playing. It is never a bad idea to
error that will only trend towards improve- periodically break character and signal your intent so
ment through continuous dialogue and cal- that the other folks at the table can mentally prepare
ibration between everyone at the table. for what’s coming, or opt-out entirely (e.g., “Do you
mind if we narrate a scene where my character an-
grily confronts yours about what they did during the
last mission?”).
Voidnauts provides rules, content, and frameworks
for GMs to challenge PCs with dangerous situations, If you do seek more formal means of calibrating on
threatening foes, interesting dilemmas, and hard content or managing contentious scenes, there are
decisions that will need to be made and lived with. gaming frameworks called “safety tools,” which are
That being said, the three pillars of good gaming in a extremely good to be familiar with even if you have
general sense are: 1) having fun, 2) feeling engaged, no intention of leveraging them. We recommend
and 3) telling a good story. If one of these pillars is doing a web search for “X Card” or “Lines and Veils,”
beginning to falter, that’s OK! In fact, it’s to be ex- two of the more popular safety tools available for
pected once in a while. public consumption.

Not every session is going to be a 10. Good gaming The intention of such frameworks is not to limit
is a journey of trial and error that will only trend our speech and language choices, or prevent ass-
towards improvement through continuous dialogue holes from being assholes, or to coddle people who
and calibration between everyone at the table. The conflate every instance of disagreement or discom-
players are just as responsible for the outcomes of a fort with “feeling unsafe.” What safety tools give us
gaming session as the GM, full stop. Between ses- are techniques to anticipate, prevent, and effectively
sions, the table should always be discussing what is react to genuine misunderstandings that happen in
working and what is not, and adjust accordingly. Ad- gaming, even when people are fundamentally aligned
vocate for yourself but be willing to compromise in and have mutual respect for one another.
order to accommodate others at the table. Acknowl-
edge, too, that sometimes a session will be more of a
chance to hang out with friends and decompress, and
that the actual gaming itself will be secondary. That’s
perfectly alright, too.

7
 manages the obstacles or opposition that the crew is
PLAY SHEETS currently facing. Voidnauts includes numerous read-
out types to cover just about any type of situation
the crew might face, ranging from epic space battles,
Voidnauts is quite possibly unlike any RPG you’ve to stealthy infiltrations, to brutal firefights, to high-
ever played. It makes extensive use of play sheets stakes negotiations, and everything in between.
which are meant to be either printed out for the table
or displayed prominently within an online role-play- Since we have examples of both sheets presented on
ing game platform for all players to see and interact this page and the next, this is a great time to explain
with. Play sheets do a lot of the work in setting the the general flow of structured scenes. A scene begins
stage for combat, evasion, intrigue, and crew scenes. with the GM determining how much danger to
They track how much danger each voidnaut is in and apply to every voidnaut on the danger readout. They
track how close the crew is to achieving their goals or reference the danger per round on the scene readout
facing an escalating crisis. and apply it equally to every voidnaut. They then
reference the danger audible and apply that to the
Much of the action in Voidnauts takes place during voidnauts however they see fit.
what are called structured scenes, which are man-
aged with two types of play sheets: the danger read- The game master then describes the events that are
out, which manages every voidnaut’s current level causing all of this danger for the voidnauts. In this
of danger and stress, and a scene readout, which example, we see that the crew is in a space battle with

Figure 1: Example of the danger readout mid-scene

8
Consortium vessels, including fighters, corvettes, and space battle, that vulnerability likely translates into
a frigate. The GM narrates what the opposition is passing out from g-LOC (g-Force induced loss of
doing: the fighters might be tailing the crew’s frigate consciousness), having their battle station explode
trying to acquire a missile lock while the corvettes right in their face, or being struck by an errant PDC
and frigate hammer away at their ship’s shields with round that breaches the hull.
their PDCs (point defenses cannons).
Make progress, manage danger. It’s a deceptively
After danger is applied and narrated, it is then time simple framework that quickly becomes tension-fu-
for each player to respond. They’ll each take turns se- eled and tactical and made all the more dynamic by
lecting from a series of moves that either progress the things like voidnaut potentials (i.e., special powers),
scene (which in this case is destroying or disabling invoked relationships, special equipment, and special
the enemy vessels), or reduce their own danger. rules that are written down on every readout.
They'll then narrate the outcome of their moves. This
back and forth continues until the crew has either The best part about structured scenes is that they
progressed through the entire scene and achieved allow a GM to build a dynamic scene for the players
victory, or they’ve been defeated. in a matter of seconds. Simply define which trackers
will be used and how much danger will be applied to
Defeat looks very different depending on the scene. the voidnauts each round, then narratively frame the
When a voidnaut ends a round with more than 10 scene so the players know what their voidnauts are
danger, they become vulnerable, and in a pitched up against and you’re off to the space races.

Figure 2: Example of a crew scene readout mid-scene

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 Crew Tracker
voidnaut dossier The next key feature that warrants immediate atten-
tion is the crew tracker at the bottom of the sheet.
This section lists the voidnaut’s crewmates, how
This is a role-playing game, after all, so every individ-
she feels about them (also known as sentiment),
ual player will have a voidnaut dossier (or “character
how strongly she holds that sentiment, and what
sheet” in RPG parlance) to keep track of their void-
conditions trigger that relationship so that it may
naut’s abilities, special equipment, and their relation-
be invoked during structured scenes. Voidnauts is
ships with their crewmates.
many things, but it is certainly a role-playing game
that focuses on the relationships that exist between
On the opposing page is an example of a filled-in
the members of the crew. Players must keep a close
voidnaut dossier. We’re not going to meticulously
eye on this section of the dossier during structured
go through every element on this sheet just now. We
scenes to see what relationships are being triggered
will, however, give a very brief survey of the most
by the scene’s events. A triggered relationship can be
important features on this sheet to help our readers
invoked to achieve dramatic outcomes, making crew
orient themselves to how the voidnaut dossier works
relationships one of the most powerful weapons in a
and how it informs decisions and rolls that are made
voidnaut’s arsenal.
during play.

Moves Matrix Potentials, Talents, and Tools

The remainder of the dossier covers a voidnaut’s po-
The key feature to note right away is that 4x4 grid
tentials (i.e., their trademark abilities or superpow-
right in the middle of the dossier. This grid is re-
ers), talents (i.e., special training and experience that
ferred to as the moves matrix and is the singular
makes them really good at certain moves), and their
most important element of the sheet. The moves
tools (i.e., weapons, armor, and gizmos that also aug-
matrix is comprised of columns representing the dif-
ment certain moves). We won’t dive into any of these
ferent types of structured scenes (e.g., combat, crew,
sections right now, nor the remainder of the dossier,
evasion, and intrigue), and rows representing the
as there will be plenty of that in the next chapter.
types of moves a voidnaut may make during those
scenes (e.g., aggressive progress, cautious progress,
If you're a seasoned role-player, you might quickly
reduce your own danger, and reduce a crewmate’s
notice that there is nothing on the voidnaut dossier
danger).
akin to "health" or "hit points," nor is there a section
to write down weapons, armor, available credits, and
The values in that grid determine how good your
so forth. Voidnauts is a cinematic game, not a simu-
voidnaut is at making those moves. More specifical-
lationist one. It was built to empower players to really
ly, these move ranks determine what dice and how
own the narrative and tell the stories they want to tell
many dice a player rolls when they select a move. If
about their characters, but not get too bogged down
we look broadly at the example character’s moves
in numbers, logistics, or fiddly bits. In that vein, not
matrix, we notice that her combat scores run high
only is health abstracted, but so is equipment, per-
overall, her intrigue moves run low overall, and her
sonal wealth, weapon damage, and other factors that
crew and evasion moves are somewhere in the mid-
some players might be accustomed to "tracking" on a
dle. She is very gifted in violent confrontation, espe-
character sheet.
cially protecting her crewmates, but she’s somewhat
of a burden on her crew during scenes of intrigue
Though these things are abstracted, they are still
if she tries to do anything other than be a passive
accounted for. When your voidnaut has very high
wallflower. Every voidnaut exceeds in one type of
danger during a combat scene, for example, it means
scene, lags behind in one type of scene, and is fairly
they are either injured or about to be injured. If they
standard in two types of scenes. Players will need to
end a round vulnerable, they might be incapacitated
keep this in mind as they build out their crew, ensur-
or even killed. You're not tracking this ephemerel
ing that crewmates are able to compensate for each
status on the voidnaut dossier, but rather, leaning on
other's weaknesses.
structured scene mechanics to tell you how to narrate
your voidnaut's health.

10
Figure 3: Example of a completed voidnaut dossier

11
 rolling dice Roll outcomes
It is time to talk about rolling dice... when to do it, The sum of hits scored on a roll determines who at
how to do it, and how to interpret the results. the table narrates the outcome of that roll and how.
The more hits that are scored, the better the outcome
Voidnauts runs on the Roll5 system, first introduced is and the more control a player has to influence the
in the game Cryptomancer and then later refined in narrative. Inversely, bad rolls have bad outcomes and
SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fascists. If you’ve played cede narrative control to the GM.
those games, this material will come second nature to
you, and if not, don’t worry, you’ll become an expert -2 or less hits | Dramatic Failure
in minutes. Roll5 gets its name from the fact that any The voidnaut failed dramatically. The GM narrates
time you roll dice in this system, you always roll five the outcome of the roll, emphasizing how the void-
dice, though the makeup of the dice changes based naut is seriously inept, outclassed, or out of luck.
on the situation.
-1 hit | Solid Failure
Rolls in Voidnauts are made with d6 and d10 dice. The voidnaut clearly failed. The GM narrates the
Players select which move they are making, and then outcome of the roll.
roll a number of d10 dice equal to that move's rank,
plus a number of d6 dice it takes to fill their hand 0 hits | Marginal Failure
with 5 dice total. The voidnaut just barely failed. The GM narrates the
outcome of the roll, but the player adds some type of
Move Rank 1 = Roll 1d10 plus 4d6. silver lining to that narrative.
Move Rank 2 = Roll 2d10 plus 3d6.
Move Rank 3 = Roll 3d10 plus 2d6. 1 hit | Marginal Success
Move Rank 4 = Roll 4d10 plus 1d6. The voidnaut just barely succeeded. The player nar-
Move Rank 5 = Roll 5d10. rates the outcome of the roll, but the GM adds some
type of complication to that narrative.
For each die result of 6 or greater, you score a hit.
For each die result of 1, you score a botch, which is a 2 hits | Solid Success
negative hit. A die result that is neither a botch nor a The voidnaut clearly succeeded. The player narrates
hit is a miss. Once you’ve made your roll, count how the outcome of the roll.
many hits you rolled, minus any botches, and that
modified sum of hits is how many hits you scored 3 or more hits | Dramatic Success
The voidnaut succeeded dramatically. The player
During a scene of evasion, where the crew is attempt- narrates the outcome of the roll, emphasizing their
ing to infiltrate a high security installation, Alice de- voidnaut’s skill, luck, or heroism.
cides to have her voidnaut Blaze use the Sneak move,
which is ranked 3. She picks up 3d10 and 2d6 and rolls Since Alice scored a sum of 1 hit, which is a margin-
them all at the same time. On the d10s, she rolls a 1, 6, al success, she gets to narrate the outcome of Blaze's
and 7. On the d6s, she rolls a 2 and 3. Brought togeth- move, but then the GM gets to add some type of com-
er, that’s 2 hits and 1 botch, resulting in a sum of 1 hit plication to that narrative. Alice explains how Blaze
total. Not the best roll by any means, but it could have is able to scale the installation’s scaffolding and make
been worse. Now that she’s rolled her dice, it’s time to it to a balcony that has an entrance. She hoists herself
interpret the narrative outcome of the roll. over the railing, then lowers synth-rope down so that
her crewmates can quickly follow her up. When she’s
done narrating, the GM adds a complication, explain-
ing that immediately after dropping the synth-rope,
Blaze hears the pneumatic hiss of the balcony door
opening. Someone is coming outside!

12
 roll first applying hits
A very important concept to grok about Voidnauts is The sum of hits scored on a roll doesn't merely im-
that when players make their moves during a scene, pact the narrative. Just as importantly, it influences
they always roll the dice first and then narrate based the trajectory of a structured scene. Depending on
on what the dice say. This is not the type of game the move a voidnaut made, the outcome of their roll
where a player declares their intent and then makes will either move the scene forward or lower a void-
a roll to determine if they succeed. Instead, players naut’s danger.
should simply announce what move they are select-
ing (e.g., "I’m rolling the Confront move"), and then In the example discussed earlier, Alice chose a move
roll the dice. Once they’ve done so, they are situated intended to progress the scene forward. Blaze found
to not only narrate what their voidnaut was trying to a way into the installation and took efforts to make
do, but also how things went for them. If the roll goes it possible for her crewmates to follow her up and
poorly enough, they need only tell the GM what they inside. However, Alice could have instead opted to
were hoping to do, so that the GM can narrate how select a different move, such as Pace, which lowers
things went awry. her danger instead of progressing the scene. In an
evasion scene, particularly of the infiltration variety,
Seasoned gamers will often fall into the trap of de- a voidnaut’s danger represents the likelihood of being
claring their intent before they start chucking dice. detected. Of course, if the voidnauts do nothing but
Don’t do that, and if anyone at the table is doing it, hide in the shadows, they’ll never make it to their
politely assure them there’s no need to do so. destination, and eventually the site’s perimeter secu-
rity will stumble upon them.

13
 The exact ways that danger and progress work during
scenes will be covered extensively in the Structured sessions
Scenes chapter as well as the subsequent chap-
ters that explore the various scene types. For now,
though, it’s enough to understand that selecting a Now that you’ve had a survey of the game’s central
move and applying hits is always a tactical decision concepts, it’s time to discuss how they all come to-
and a trade-off between progress and danger reduc- gether to create compelling sessions of Voidnauts.
tion. Fortunately, no voidnaut goes it alone, and the
crew can balance these factors as a team. In fact, Prior to a session starting, the GM will have a general
they'll have to figure out the right balance in order to idea of what the voidnauts have been tasked with, or
prevail in most cases. tasked themselves with, doing. It’s usually a variation
on the following tasks:
The big idea behind structured scenes is that the
voidnauts succeed or fail as a crew, not as individuals. A) Make important allies
This means carrying the team when you're the expert B) Defeat the bad guys
and being carried by the team when you're out of C) Acquire the McGuffin
your element. Sometimes you'll be applying your hits D] Solve the mystery
to knock the scene out of the park, and other times E) Stay alive
you'll be applying hits to keep your crewmates in the
fight, be it literal or figurative. There are many ways to achieve something and
tabletop role-playing is all about player choices and
the dramatic consequences of those choices. The GM
will lay out the various challenges that face them in
their endeavor (e.g., “There’s an armada enforcing an
embargo at the jumpgate of the system you need to

14
visit”), and then let the players determine how they Scenes of danger and consequence interspersed with
intend to deal with this challenge. scenes of intimacy and the interior lives of voidnauts
- where what happens in one type of scene impacts
Players may choose violence, as gamers are wont to what happens in the other type of scene - this is the
do, but more often than not, this is the least optimal Voidnauts way.
way of doing things. In the embargo example, a frig-
ate stands no chance taking on an entire fleet, so the
players may consider having themselves smuggled in
by a trader with clearance to that system (which may
campaigns
involve an evasion scene sneaking onto the trader’s
ship), or securing a writ of entry from a local embas- Voidnauts campaigns are designed to tell stories as
sy representing the embargoed system (which may tight, complete, and satisfying as a single season of
involve an intrigue scene convincing a diplomat why your favorite science fiction television shows. The
it’s worth putting their reputation on the line to draft sweet spot for a Voidnauts campaign is between 8
this document for the crew). Alternatively, perhaps and 12 sessions, with each session approximately 2 to
they have enough confidence in their ship and their 3 hours long. By the time those 8 to 12 sessions are
skills as a crew that they’ll opt not for a space battle over, every member of the crew will be dramatically
but a crew scene where their frigate runs the block- more powerful than where they started out.
ade, punching through and then fleeing to their final
destination with enemy craft in hot pursuit. Voidnauts is not the type of game where you play
the same characters for many years over the course
Once the players have selected their path, the GM of multiple campaigns. It’s a game where you play a
will then convert this into a structured scene. De- voidnaut for the duration of one campaign, bringing
pending on how that scene goes, the players may their personal story arc and the story arc of the crew
have an easy glide to their goal, or face escalating to a conclusive and satisfying ending. When you
consequences and danger. start a new campaign, you play different voidnauts
on a different frigate, working for a different faction,
Of course, not every moment of a Voidnauts session dealing with a different set of circumstances, and
is about white-knuckling through some harrowing potentially during a different point in history.
obstacle course. In between structured scenes is
something else entirely: scenes of downtime where The voidnauts of previous campaigns may in fact
the players role-play the interactions of the crew become legends that people throughout the gal-
when things are quiet, boring, and safe. Whether it’s axy talk about, and potentially even make cameos
time killed on the ship while en route to a destina- in future campaigns as NPCs, depending on how
tion, or brain cells killed on a very overdue stretch much fan service the GM is interested in delivering.
of shore leave debauchery, there is a lot for a crew to There’s technically nothing stopping your table from
talk about and process. How do they feel about their reprising the same crew for an encore campaign, but
upcoming mission? How do they feel about how they will be so powerful, they’ll be able to steamroll
their crewmates conducted themselves during the through virtually anything the GM throws at them.
last mission? How do they feel about being stuck on They'll also have little room to grow anymore, at least
this boat with this cast of degenerates? in terms of capabilities. We really think it is best to
get a crew of voidnauts to their finest hour, but then
Players aren’t just role-playing these downtime let them retire or live on as legends in the game’s
moments for posterity. When doing so, they actually fiction.
get to “reload” one of their most powerful weapons
in the game: their relationships with their crew. As
corny as that sounds, it’s quite literal, and there are
game mechanics to support this. Crew relationships
may be invoked during structured scenes to truly
turn the tide.

15
16
 assembling
the crew
In this chapter, we walk our reader through the pro-
cedure to create their own voidnaut, pausing during procedure
every step along the way so we can explain how
Voidnauts' rules work.
Below is the procedure for creating a voidnaut and
In this game, players assume the role of voidnauts: the things you’ll need to do as you fill out your
gifted, experienced, and highly-skilled members of a voidnaut dossier. The remainder of this chapter will
space frigate crew chartered to perform daring and elaborate considerably on each of these steps, except
dangerous deeds that few others are willing or capa- for the last step which is covered in the Crew Rela-
ble of doing. There are spacers, which is the colloqui- tionships chapter.
alism for anyone who is part of a starship crew, and
then there are voidnauts: intergalactic bad-asses. Of 1 | Concept, Callsign, Crew Role
course, not all voidnauts see themselves as such. Develop a concept, figure out your callsign, and de-
cide on your crew role, negotiating with other players
Voidnauts come from all walks of life, ranging from as necessary.
pirates turned privateers, to bored dilettantes and
diplomats trading court intrigue for death-defying 2 | Moves Matrix
adventure, to indebted space truckers just looking to Populate the moves matrix, putting all 4s in the bub-
make rent, to stowaways too useful to be jettisoned bles of the scene type you’re best at, all 2s in the scene
out of the airlock. Every voidnaut has a compelling type you’re worst at, and 3s in the rest of the bubbles.
story. Despite whatever fears, doubts, or shortcom- Then, in each column, shift one value up by 1 point
ings they have, they still ended up rolling with one of and another value down by 1 point.
the most serious crews in known space, and on board
a ship that potentially has a reputation of its own, 3 | Potentials
thanks to the exploits of its previous owners. Select your primary potential and rank it 3. Select
your secondary potential and rank it 1. If you do not
How and why you ended up with this crew, on this like the options available, create your own potentials.
ship, would take too long to explain, and there's no
need to have this figured out before a campaign be- 4 | Talents and Tools
gins. There will be plenty of time to recall and relive Select 4 talents and make adjustments to your moves
that sordid tale and chances are good that it will matrix as appropriate. Select 4 tools and make adjust-
make for excellent storytelling and world-building ments to your moves matrix as appropriate.
while you play the game.
5 | Crew Relationships
With that said, let's move on to the procedure to
Write down the callsign of each of your crewmates
build your very own voidnaut. It is not a bad idea to
in the tracker on the bottom of the sheet and rank
print out a blank voidnaut dossier and go through
them all at 3. Follow the “Backstory” procedure in
the motions of building a voidnaut as you proceed
the Crew Relationships chapters (page 44-45) to
through this chapter.
determine your voidnaut’s sentiments towards their
crewmates. Fill in the appropriate trigger signifier for
All playsheets for Voidnauts can be found at our
each (0-, 3+, or P).
website: LandOfNop.com.

17
 concept & role
Before you start populating your voidnaut dossier,
you should develop a mental image of your void-
naut’s concept and what role they play on board the
ship.

Think of concept like a shortcut to explain your void-

naut to the table. Short phrases like “grizzled space
trucker,” “jaded cult missionary,” “black sheep noble,”
or “reformed underworld enforcer” can instantly
evoke a ton of ideas, imagery, and biases right out of
the gate. Your voidnaut’s concept is not a concrete
choice, but more of a roadmap to guide your choic-
es as you create your character. If, in the process of
building your voidnaut, you stray from that concept,
simply update your concept to better match the kind
of character you wish to play.

In addition to concept, you should consider what

you’d like your voidnaut’s role to be on the frigate,
which determines which battle station they will
manage during crew scews. The core crew roles of a
space frigate are:

Pilot

Gunner

Aegis

Signaleer

Engineer

Coordinator

Whatever you do, though, try not to get tunnel vision

on your voidnaut’s role. While they’ll be spending
a lot of time on the ship, they’ll also be spending
a lot of time outside of it, and whatever skills and
experience they bring to the fold will be crucial for
the crew’s overall success. It is perfectly fine, even
preferable, to consider your voidnaut’s crew role as
their second job, not their first. For example, maybe
you’re playing a deadly mercenary hired aboard to be
the crew’s muscle, first and foremost, but they’re also
assigned to be the frigate’s gunner because of their

18
proclivity for blowing things up. As another example,
perhaps you’re playing an accomplished scientist moves matrix
that was added to the crew because the upcoming
mission involves collecting and preserving samples
of xenobiology, but they also happen to be assigned It’s time to take on the moves matrix, which you’ll
as the ship’s aegis (shields operator), because no one quickly discover is not nearly as intimidating as it
else on the crew seems to have the requisite grasp on looks. Your first task is to review the scene types and
physics to be as effective at it. figure out which one your voidnaut is best at and
which one they are worst at.
In terms of gameplay and the narrative, it really
doesn’t matter what crew role each voidnaut has. All As a reminder, the scene types are:
voidnauts have to be at least somewhat versed in all
systems of a starship, or be able to fake it in a pinch, Combat
to even be considered for the crew of a jump-worthy Crew
frigate that costs about as much as a small nation’s Evasion
gross domestic product. Pilots needs to understand Intrigue
the constraints of reactor cores, gunners need to un-
derstand the fundamentals of shields, engineers need For the scene type your voidnaut is best at, populate
to understand the minimum viable energy consump- every move in that column with the rank of 4. For
tion of each battle station, and so forth. the scene they are worst at, populate every move in
that column with the rank of 2. Populate all oth-
That being said, if your concept really focuses in er moves with the rank of 3. When you’re done, it
on a specific crew role (e.g. “hot shot pilot”), you should look something like this:
should broadcast your intent early and often so that
other players don’t tread on your niche. This is why
the process of voidnaut creation should be a collab-
orative effort between players and the GM. Players
should start with their concepts, building them in
a vacuum if they want, but then enter a negotiation
stage to figure out who is running what battle station,
and who is good at what scene types.

If two players are building voidnauts who seem the-

matically identical and have a lot of overlap on what
things they’re good at, it’s probably worth discuss-
ing and seeing where some tweaks can potentially
be made to add a little more dynamism and niche
protection to the crew. As a quick and easy exam-
ple, consider two voidnauts who are really good at
combat. To potentially avoid redundancy, one could
maybe focus on doing damage (leaning into the
moves that make progress during scenes), while the
other could focus on keeping the crew alive (leaning
Figure 4: Example of a moves matrix before the shift
into the moves that reduce the crew’s danger during
scenes). The same split could be examined across all
scene types. None of this is to say there there can't be Next, it’s time to tweak these values a tiny bit to add a
a little redundancy here or there. All we're suggesting little bit more dynamism to your voidnaut. In each of
is that the players don't make a crew of clones who the columns, you’re going to decrease a single move
all excel in the same exact things and struggle at the rank by 1 while increasing the rank of a different
same exact things. move by 1. However, to fully understand the conse-
quences of what you’re doing as you take this step,
you’re going to have to consider what each of the

19
 rows (not columns) mean in a gameplay terms. For- Now that you have a general understanding of what
tunately for you, there is a key listed to the right of each row of moves does, you’re situated to take that
the moves matrix, but we’ll spend some time spelling next step of bumping some move ranks up at the cost
it out for you just in case. of bumping other move ranks down. When you’re
done, it should look something like this:
Aggressive Progress
The top row of moves facilitates aggressive prog-
ress. You make these moves to really drive the scene
forward quickly, but you also take on extra danger
when doing so. These moves (Storm, Push, Rush, and
Confront) are named to sound bold, decisive, and
sometimes bordering on reckless.

Cautious Progress
The second row of moves from the top facilitates
cautious progress. You make these moves to drive
the scene forward, but do so with care and precision
so as not to overextend yourself. These moves (Flank,
Focus, Sneak, and Meddle) are named to sound clev-
er, methodical, or even devious.

Protect Yourself
The second row of moves from the bottom facili-
tates protecting yourself. You make these moves
to reduce your own danger. These moves (Regroup, Figure 5: Example of a moves matrix after the shift
Maintain, Pace, and Gel) are named to sound like
someone taking it easy on themselves and taking a
much needed breather.
While it may be tempting to over-index on a single
Protecting Others row (“All Aggro, All The Time”), that ends up being
The bottom row of moves facilitates protecting pretty boring in practice. If you’re always the crew’s
others, and more specifically, protecting your sheepdog, or always the reckless envelope-pusher
crewmates. You make these moves to reduce your who needs to be bailed out, you start becoming a
crewmates’ danger. These moves (Suppress, Balance, one-trick pony. It is better to pause and think about,
Deny, and Support) are named to sound like things based on your voidnaut’s concept and bio, how you
you do to ensure your friends are able to stay out of think they’d conduct themselves in these different
trouble. types of scenes.

Someone who is a mouse in social situations may be

a reckless berserker in violent situations, or vice ver-
sa. Not only do these types of contradictions make
for more compelling characters, but in ensuring your
move ranks have interesting distributions, you’ll
create space for other players to have their voidnauts
lead the charge, carry the crew, or be the liability
during some scene types, resulting in not only better
outcomes for the crew, but also better storytelling
and player engagement.

20
 potentials
It takes a special kind of someone to explore deep
space, absorb organ-rupturing g-Forces on the regu-
lar, wade into and out of space battles, brave the un-
known horrors of the Void, and still maintain their
game face while interacting with normies planetside.

Potentials are what truly separates the voidnauts

from the spacers. They are incredible powers, expe-
riences, or circumstances that can be leveraged at
will to overcome nearly any obstacle. These abili-
ties, possessed by a very small percentage of people
Figure 6: Example of potentials
throughout the galaxy, are the product of a number
of advanced (and often closely guarded) technologies of a failed state if necessary. A player doing so simply
and procedures, including cybernetic augmentation, needs to declare they are using a potential, add to
psionic awakening, genetic adaptation, and mne- their roll an amount of hits equal to their potential’s
monic alteration, to name a few. rank, and then include how the potential influenced
the situation when it comes to narrating the outcome
Players may activate their voidnaut’s potentials to of their roll.
add a fixed amount of hits to any roll they make, after
the roll is made. This permits them to not only score The crew is in a firefight with a squad of colonial ma-
massive amounts of hits but also buy themselves out rine deserters who have turned to banditry. The void-

21
 naut Archon led the charge, but Bob, Archon’s player, is
upset about the result of 1 hit he just scored on his roll potential list
with the Storm move. Bob decides he’s going to activate
Archon’s Hiveminder potential, which has a rank of 3.
He adds 3 hits to his roll’s outcome, resulting in 4 hits Ascetic
total, a dramatic success. Bob narrates how a trio of You practice a rigorous somatic discipline focused
sphere-shaped drones emerge from his backpack “han- on breathing, energy, oneness, self-awareness,
gar” and then focus their attention towards a threat self-control, and, when needed, self-eradication and
that Archon points at. The spherical drones then race surrender to the universe. You channel this spiritual
towards one of the bandits, circling them and taking center of yours to remain unflappable, focused, and
turns zapping them with arcs of destructive light until fearsome in times of duress.
they are forced to abandon their defensive position.
Augmented
Voidnauts begin play with one primary potential at A portion of your body has been replaced with
rank 3, and one secondary potential at rank 1. Both cybernetic actuators, synthetic organelles, and fiber
of these potentials work the same way when activat- optic cabling. Whatever the reason for these re-
ed, with the exception that the secondary potential, placement parts was, what you have now is far more
while much weaker than the primary, incurs less resilient, powerful, and extensible than all the meat it
stress when used, and does not incur extra stress has replaced.
when used to buy one’s way out of a failed roll.
Command Presence
Note: a voidnaut may only use one of their potentials When you talk, people listen. You carry yourself
during their turn, and only do so once per turn. with effortless confidence, speak with gravitas, and
can read the room like it was a book that you wrote.
It also probably doesn’t hurt that you’re well put to-
stress gether and have striking features and expressive body
language, all of which garner attention.

Voidnauts incur stress when they activate their po- Evolver

tentials (3 stress for primary, 2 stress for secondary). You’re a member or descendant of an exclusive sub-
This stress accumulates. There is a tracker on the culture or cult of personality that sought evolution-
danger readout to assist with keeping track of your ary perfection through extreme genetic modification.
voidnaut's current level of stress. You bear the (fairly obvious) mark of this lineage,
enjoying the gifts it bestows on you but also living
with the stigma it confers.

Gemini
Figure 7: Example of a stress tracker
You just sort of “split up” with yourself when you
need to be in two places at once, spacetime be
When a voidnaut incurs over 10 stress, they become damned. You do one thing while your clone does
exhausted. An exhausted voidnaut may no longer another. Division is painless; you’d miss it if you
benefit from their potentials or their talents (which blinked. It’s the coming back together that’s jarring,
will be introduced as soon as we're done with poten- where one of these two identities subsumes the other,
tials), until their stress is reduced back down to 10 or becoming the whole again.
less.
Hiveminder
Every voidnaut has their stress reduced by 5 when You possess one or more drones that follow you
they complete a structured scene and has their stress around like loyal familiars and seem to intuit your
reduced entirely when they take R&R in the form needs without so much as a gestural command. It’s
of ship time or shore leave, discussed in the Crew hard to tell whether they’re just an expertly-coded
Relationships chapter. extension of your senses and reach, or if they’ve de-
veloped some kind of sentience.

22
Invisible Hand
Someone or something out there is looking out for
you. Doors open for you (literally and figuratively).
Surveillance footage of you is corrupted. Resources
you need are showing up out of nowhere. Inconve-
nient people are getting dead. You’ve no idea whom
or what is behind this, nor do you know if they have
your best interests in mind.

Mentalist
You’re one of those “assets” that the factions bind
with life-long contracts or keep under lock and key
because they’re scared of the competition getting
their hands on them: a multi-lingual polymath and
history scholar who dabbles in biochemistry, cryp-
tography, and quantum physics because they're fun.

Mirage
Your eyes can project extremely realistic digital hal-
lucinations far more convincingly than conventional
holographic technology. Even when your audience
knows it’s just a figment of your imagination they are
witnessing, their lizard brain cannot tell the differ-
ence. You can thrust someone into paradise and
pandemonium at will, and the only defense is to look
away.

Mistake
You are the one-of-a-kind product of a science ex-
periment, corporate venture, or military skunkworks
project gone bad. If you’re especially lucky, the proce-
dure had oversight, not to mention your consent. The
transformation has given you incredible powers, but
there’s a reason they only made one of you.

Narcomancer
They say you have a chem problem, but it’s more of
a chem solution as far as you're concerned. Your au-
to-inject implant gives you a hit of adrenaline when
everything is on the line, tranquilizers to cool down
when things are getting hot, and amphetamines to
help parse the signal from the noise.

Oracle
You live concurrently in the past, present, and future,
at least in your head. While others are just experienc-
ing life as it passes them by, you’re mentally model-
ing the confluence of events that led to this moment
and using that information to calculate the most
probable eventualities in the near term or recon-
structing the past.

23
 Passenger Symbiote
This body has a few miles on it, but it will serve you You have merged with a bio-metallic organism that
well. Hopefully better than its previous owner. The lives on you and inside of you. It seems to have a
catch with brain transplantation is that you peri- vested interest in your survival, because when you
odically manifest the skills, habits, and even latent feel threatened, it forms into vicious-looking melee
memories of that former someone whose body you weapons and coats your flesh to be as bullet-proof as
now inhabit and control as your own. Here's hoping hull metal.
the two of you get along.
Synth
Psychokinetic You were born in a vat, created to fulfill someone’s
You can levitate, express invisible force fields, and emotional need or economic scheme. The details of
dole out tactical aneurysms. But for every action, your childhood are implanted, assuming your creator
there is an equal or opposite reaction. If your mind even bothered. Beyond stoic, you don’t wince or
projects more force than your body can distribute scream at pain, get sick, break down under stress, or
equally across every one of its cells, that’s when the express any type of emotional vulnerability.
organ failure and sweating blood starts.
Technomancer
Quartermaster You can intuitively connect to compute devices like
You carry more gadgets than a superhero in those drones, bulkhead panels, and personal equipment
trashy holos. You have a tool for every occasion, using your brain, thanks to your augmented wetware
including some occasions that haven’t been invented or electromagnetic psionic affinity. You can sling
yet. Somehow you instinctively know exactly what code as fast as you can think, binding devices to your
to bring to a job so you’re able to travel light and not will while others are stuck reading the manual.
clamber around like a walking tool shed.
Terminator
Retainer You’re a killer. Your violence is relentless, brutal, and
You are shadowed by someone whose only concerns improvisational (sometimes comically so). Your glare
are keeping you out of trouble and seeing your will is like an apex predator looking at a pile of meat.
become reality. They do so by obeying your com- This is not to say that you’re psychotic, sadistic, or
mands, whispering advice into your ear, watching inclined towards violence as a solution to problems.
your six, dismantling anyone who threatens to lay It just means that you’re really, really good at killing
a hand on you, or giving you that look when you when you have to.
should know better.
Third Eye
Sleeper You possess an extra-dimensional consciousness that
Things sure look a lot different than they did centu- lets you read peoples’ minds, predict their future, and
ries ago, when you entered cryogenic sleep. However, sense what they’re up to even when they’re halfway
you aren’t a living fossil so much as an anachronistic across the galaxy. However, it only seems to work on
stranger in a strange land. Your diction, mannerisms, people you’ve met and whose fate is either tightly or
and perspectives fascinate people, and you tackle fleetingly intertwined with yours.
problems with wisdom and techniques that have
been forgotten by time. Xenokeeper
You’re accompanied by a loyal critter of extraordi-
Sock Puppet nary intelligence and character for its species. It can
You have an implant that can run personality soft. perform useful tasks for you, almost like it knows ex-
One minute, you’re as congenial as a talk show host, actly what you’re thinking. Depending on its mood,
and the next, you’re dropping groan-worthy one-lin- its circumstances, and its appetite, it can alternate
ers like an action hero. There's more to this than between adorable and terrifying.
demeanor, however. You’re running the hard stuff:
the kind that changes your entire worldview and
knowledge base depending on what’s plugged in.

24
 talents
Whereas potentials are essentially a voidnaut’s signa-
ture superpowers, their talents are somewhat more
mundane areas of expertise they have developed
through training or just naturally possess on account
of their physical, mental, or psychological disposi- Figure 8: Example of a move orbit
tion. Unlike potentials, talents do not incur stress
when they are activated, but also unlike potentials,
their use is bound to specific types of moves made Some talents allow players to interpret the results of
during specific types of scenes. their rolls in a more favorable fashion, while some
allow players to essentially “break the rules” when
Voidnauts begin play with 4 talents, which may be using certain moves. We’ll discuss these effects in
selected from the talents on the following pages, detail on the following pages, along with how players
organized by what scene types they work in. should document them on their voidnaut dossiers in
a way that they’ll never forget their talents.
It is possible that a player may benefit from mul-
tiple talents that augment the same move. Players There’s no obligation to incorporate talents into the
do not have to choose; they get to leverage literally narrative outcome of rolls, but players should at least
everything that is within a move’s “orbit,” the visual let the table know when they are benefiting from
representation of moves found in the move matrix. them so the table understands why they are resolving
Depending on the talents one has selected, it ends up their roll in such a positive manner.
looking a little something like this:

25
 combat talents crew talents
Assassin Boatswain
You’re skilled at identifying and exploiting your op- You’re skilled at understanding the ebb and flow of
position’s weaknesses. frigate systems engineering.

When you Flank, if the scope finally lands exactly on You can split your Balance hits between 2 crewmates.
5, 10, 15, or 20, you score an additional contact.
Joyrider
Overwatch You’re skilled at cycling your battle station during
You’re skilled at tactical movement, providing cover brief windows of low utilization.
fire, and pulling your crewmates out of danger.
When you Maintain, reduce your stress by 1.
You can split your Suppress hits between 2 crewmates.
Maverick
Shock Trooper You’re skilled at pushing your battle station to its
You’re skilled at leading the charge, smashing absolute limits and easing off milliseconds before
through defensive lines, and demoralizing your meltdown.
enemies.
When you Push, you only gain 2 danger instead of 3.
When you Storm, you only gain 2 danger instead of 3.
Operator
Soldier You’re an expert in systems operation, utilizing every
You’re an expert in violence, thanks to years of drill- option available to you to prevail in the Void.
ing, multiple tours of duty, or a cruel upbringing.
Add a bomb to the Push and Focus moves.
Add a bomb to the Storm and Flank moves.
Space Folder
Survivor You’re skilled in astrogation, starship logistics, and
You’re skilled at seeking cover and reassessing your space armada tactics.
options as the chaos of battle unfolds.
When you Focus, if the scope finally lands exactly on
When you Regroup, reduce your stress by 1. 5, 10, 15, or 20, you score an additional contact.

Tactician Technician
You’re an expert in small unit tactics and keeping the You’re skilled at systems maintenance, ensuring the
crew alive long enough to see the next battle. ship can crawl back to a repair bay after it survives
this encounter.
Add a bomb to the Regroup and Suppress moves.
Add a bomb to the Maintain and Balance moves.

bombs
Some talents add what is called a bomb to certain moves. Bombs get their names from
that fact that they are essentially “exploding dice.” When a move has a bomb, that means
that all dice results of 10 may be counted as 2 hits instead of 1. To remind yourself that a
move has a bomb talent, fill in the little bubble next to the “10” in the move orbit.

26
 evasion talents intrigue talents
Ghost Advocate
You’re skilled in surprise and improvisation, leverag- You’re skilled at preventing your crewmates from
ing cunning and creativity to lead the way. overreaching or putting their foot in their mouths.

When you Sneak, if the scope finally lands exactly on You can split your Support hits between 2 crewmates.
5, 10, 15, or 20, you score an additional contact.
Handler
Infiltrator You are an expert in deep cover and asset handling,
You’re skilled at stealth operations and reconnais- able to maintain an impregnable cover story and sew
sance, assuring mission success without a hitch. yourself into circles of trust.

Add a bomb to the Pace and Deny moves. Add a bomb to the Gel and Support moves.

Scout Influencer
You’re an expert at navigation, able to quickly assess You’re an expert at politics and psychological opera-
your surroundings and intuit the best path forward. tions, knowing how to pull levers and push buttons.

Add a bomb to the Rush and Sneak moves. Add a bomb to the Confront and Meddle moves.

Sentinel Inquisitor
You're skilled in assessing the situation, noting where You’re skilled at applying authority, anger, and un-
your crewmates might be detected or fall behind so comfortable facts to get to the heart of the matter.
you can take action to avoid these outcomes.
When you Confront, you only gain 2 danger instead
You can split your Deny hits between 2 crewmates. of 3.

Shadow Opportunist
You’re skilled at tactical patience, knowing when to You’re skilled at exploiting resentments, desires, and
hunker down instead of making a break for it, or stay political fissures that make themselves known.
within the safety of the pack.
When you Meddle, if the scope finally lands exactly on
When you Pace, reduce your stress by 1. 5, 10, 15, or 20, you score an additional contact.

Trailblazer Wallflower
You’re skilled at moving fast and fearlessly past, or You’re skilled it at playing it cool, keeping it simple,
more often through, any obstacles in your way. and keeping your mouth shut when it need not flap.

When you Rush, you only gain 2 danger instead of 3. When you Gel, reduce your stress by 1.

mnemonic words
There is special word in each move orbit that can be circled to signify you have access
to certain talents. For example, you’ll notice the word “Split” in the Suppress move’s
orbit. If you acquire the Overwatch talent, circle the word “Split,” reminding you that
you can split your hits between two crewmates when you use this move.

27
 titles titles list
Titles are a category of powerful talents that come Envoy
along with both an official title and a modicum of You’re a dignitary, diplomat, or ambassador who
respect for the people who carry it, at least when it speaks not only on behalf of the crew, but also on
matters. behalf of the organization that has granted you your
station, be it a federation of traders, a planetary gov-
Titles count as 2 talents and each one may only be ernment, or an intergalactic social movement. This
held by an individual member of the crew in order to adds considerable gravitas to your voice, assuming
prevent mixed messages and the chain of command you’ve announced yourself as such or are carrying a
breaking down entirely. badge of office proving your title.

The mechanical benefits of titles will make more During intrigue scenes, when you invoke a relation-
sense when you finally make it to the Crew Relation- ship, you can both score hits automatically and reduce
ships chapter. All you need to grok for now is that your stress by a value equal to your relationship's senti-
when a voidnaut with a title invokes a relationship ment rank.
they have with a crewmate during certain scene
types, it's twice as powerful as normal. Pathfinder
You’re an explorer, scientist, scout, or investigator
While not a hard rule, there should be an expectation of some renown. You’ve been to places not a single
at the table that any voidnaut who has a title con- other soul has stepped foot, have seen natural won-
ducts themselves with a sense of command presence, ders that have yet to be documented in an academic
professionalism, and seriousness in situations that work, and have tracked the most elusive of quarry,
call for it. That’s not to say that the ship’s skipper can’t be it an exotic example of xenobiology or a fugitive
be a carousing, philandering deadbeat that reeks of that's been on the lam for decades. Where others
cheap synthetic whiskey. However, the second the struggle to get their bearings, you’re the one charting
frigate runs into some chop, the skipper shows up the course.
with their laces tied tight, their game face on, and are
ready to demonstrate mastery of astrogation, armada During evasion scenes, when you invoke a relationship,
tactics, and the nuances of frigate dogfights. you can both score hits automatically and reduce your
stress by a value equal to your relationship's sentiment
While both the player characters and non-player rank.
characters in the game’s fiction will acknowledge
titles, whatever you do, don’t let titles go to your Skipper
head. The best voidnaut crews are egalitarian in all You’re an old salt who has run crews big and small as
things, especially power and authority. They recog- a freelancer or as an officer in a space armada. You’ve
nize that there are some situations where everyone traveled throughout much of known space and seen
should follow a domain expert’s lead, and other situa- pretty much everything the Void can do to a frigate,
tions where that person should take a step back and none of it very pleasant. When the ship is hailed and
transfer authority, be it real or assumed, to someone someone wishes to speak to its captain, the honorific
better versed in the task at hand. Just because the is “[ship name] Actual” (e.g., “This is Barghest Actual.
skipper calls the shots when the ship’s fate is on the Go ahead, Verdant.”).
line doesn’t mean they get to issue orders when the
crew is in a firefight planetside, or at the negotiating During crew scenes, when you invoke a relationship,
table with a political faction, or wading through the you can both score hits automatically and reduce your
muck on some backwater moon looking for a lost stress by a value equal to your relationship's sentiment
expedition. rank.

Squad Leader
You’re a battle-hardened door-kicker who cut their

28
teeth as a bounty hunter, underworld enforcer, or en-
listed member of a military or frontier constabulary.
You’ve gone toe-to-toe with some seriously danger-
ous forces, potentially even xenos higher up on the
food chain than humanity. When the pulse rifles start
to rip, the crew looks to you to coordinate the tactical
situation.

During combat scenes, when you invoke a relationship,

you can both score hits automatically and reduce your
stress by a value equal to your relationship's sentiment
rank.

no confidence
Titles are unique in that voidnauts can lose them.
This happens when they decide they are no longer
fit to serve in that capacity, or are ready to transfer
the title to a protege who is ready to step up into that
role. A player may decide that there are narrative rea-
sons they’ve lost their title (e.g., “I just received word
that my diplomatic powers have been revoked and I
am no longer welcome at court”).

More dramatically, a title can also be lost when the

rest of the crew holds a vote of no confidence and
finds the title-holder wanting. If this is the trajectory
of things, the table should discuss this possibility
together - as humans playing a game, not as char-
acters in the fiction - and then figure out what this
event should look like in the narrative, or if it should
go through at all. The player of the voidnaut losing
their title should not only be able to vote on it, but
have 2 votes. Even if the crew themselves are schem-
ing and backstabbing, the players must not. Even if
the skipper in the fiction has no idea what’s coming,
the skipper’s player absolutely should, and even be in
on the scheme to make the final decision as dramatic
and interesting as possible.

When a voidnaut loses their title, by choice or oth-

erwise, they immediately replace this title with two
other talents of their choice. New titles or relin-
quished titles, however, must be acquired per the
rules laid out in the Leveling Up chapter.

29
 not a simulationist game where players amass loot
tools and supplies, or go around killing things in order to
take their stuff. It is assumed, in the narrative, that
the voidnauts have access to all kinds of gear, in-
The space opera genre asks big questions about cluding a void-sleeve (a cool word for spacesuit), an
heady topics like space travel, space colonization, assortment of weapons and firearms from the ship’s
speculative physics, technoshock, and humanity’s armory, medical supplies from the ship’s med bay,
place in a brutally harsh universe that cares nothing and all kinds of useful equipment found collecting
about our species. However, it also tends to introduce dust in lockers throughout the ship. All that is to say
really cool stuff: powerful starships, stylish space- that a voidnaut may be carrying around a pulse rifle,
suits, advanced firearms, autonomous robot helpers, or something similar, even if it isn’t written down on
machines that can fabricate anything in seconds, their voidnaut dossier as an “official” tool.
laser swords, cloaking technology... the list goes on.
Voidnauts embraces and celebrates this attention to Where tools are different from all the random gear
stuff, and does so specifically with tools. that may populate the game’s fiction is that tools
are trademark objects that a voidnaut would not be
Voidnauts begin play with 4 tools. caught dead without: the jump-pack that the crew’s
pathfinder uses to zip around through vacuum, the
Tools are gadgets, gizmos, weapons, artifacts, cy- gyro-balanced gatling auto-cannon that the crew’s
bernetic implants, and defensive technologies that heavy uses to dominate the battlefield, and the
make voidnauts better at what they do. Before we impeccably tailored outfits of the crew’s envoy, who
dive in to how they work, we need to take a couple knows that the key to any successful negotiation is
of minutes discussing tools in a meta sort of way. making a good first impression. Tools help define a
Voidnauts is primarily a cinematic game that focus- voidnaut just as much as their moves, potentials, and
es on telling big, dramatic space opera stories. It is talents.

30
 from life just so they can benefit from a break? We
using tools hope not. Consider another example where a void-
naut has tailored pheromones, but is involved in an
intrigue scene over ship comms, where their audi-
In game mechanical terms, tools do something very ence could not possibly be influenced by something
special: they assign a break to one or more moves. that requires physical proximity and a nose.
Breaks allow a player to convert a single botch into
a single hit per roll, making them one of the most Situations like this are why we defer to the tool
statistically advantageous bonuses in the game. handwave: the GM must allow players to benefit
from a tool that augments their roll, even if the play-
As is the case with bombs, discussed earlier in this er is at a loss for how to incorporate it into the nar-
chapter, breaks have a signifier in each move orbit. rative. If the narrative makes no sense, don't bother
Fill in the bubble next to the “1” when your voidnaut trying... just take the break.
possesses a tool that grants a break to that move.
On the following pages, we provide a list of broad
categories of tools, instead of individual tools,
because the options are simply too staggering. We
suggest players write down the category of tool they
possess on their voidnaut dossier, as well as what the
tool actually is in the fiction, written in parentheses,
so that it looks something like this:

Figure 9: Example of a move with a break

Like potentials, players are encouraged to incorpo-

rate their tools into the narrative outcomes of their
rolls, whether they actually influenced the outcome
or not. A truism of role-playing games is that unless
someone mentions a thing during play, it might as
well not exist. There’s never a bad time to reference a
tool in your arsenal, if only to remind the table that it
is a vital part of your voidnaut’s kit.

That being said, sometimes it is a little challenging

to incorporate a tool into the narrative. For example,
if the crew is in a combat scene that is essentially a
cantina brawl against some drunken loading dock Figure 10: Example of tool entries
workers, is a player really going to bring their sniper
rifle into the fold and start unsubscribing people

breaks
Tools provide breaks to moves. Breaks get their name from the fact that they tend
to “cut players a break” on what would otherwise be a bad roll. When a move has a
break, that means that a single botch may be counted as a single hit, once per roll.
This is statistically one of the most advantageous bonuses in the game.

31
 pression implants, heat-resistant void-sleeves, and
combat tools auxiliary pacemakers.

Grants a break to the Push move.

Brutal Weaponry
Big, bad weapons that deliver staggering levels Performance Voidnetics
of punishment. Example include things like la- Equipment and augmentations that permit a void-
ser-whips, shotguns, vibro-axes, and boarding naut to shut out all distractions and maintain a
truncheons. seamless connection to their battle station. Exam-
ples include conductive finger pads, neural interface
Grants a break to the Storm move. jacks, and retractable station webbing to keep them
from flying out of their seats.
Personal Defense Tech
Life-saving defensive implements that you keep you Grants a break to the Focus move.
safe from injury and death. Examples include heavy
armor, wired-reflex implants, and medical auto-in-
Resiliency Voidnetics
jectors.
Technical and chemical implements that help void-
nauts hold it together; whether that “it” is the ship
Grants a break to the Regroup move.
or their gray matter. Examples include auto-repair
drones, stimulant auto-injectors, and trusty sets of
Precision Weaponry
technician’s tools.
Subtle but deadly weapons that rely on finesse and
operator skill. Examples include handguns, sniper
Grants a break to the Maintain move.
rifles, vibro-stilettos, and boarding swords.

Grants a break to the Flank move. evasion tools

Squad Defense Tech
Offensive and defensive implements that assist in Mobility Tech
protecting the squad. Examples include extra firearm Wearable devices which augment a voidnaut's ability
magazines, medical drones, and tactical HUDs that to traverse obstacles of all types. Examples include
visualize the battlefield. exo-harnesses, jump-packs, and retractable grappling
hook launchers.
Grants a break to the Suppress move.
Grants a break to the Rush move.
crew tools Navigation Tech
Technology that helps a voidnaut make sense of their
Multitasking Voidnetics surroundings and chart the right course. Examples
Virtual and actual assistant technologies that al- include environmental scanners, scout drones, and
low voidnauts to focus their attention in multiple holographic map displays.
places at the same time. Examples include assistant
AIs researching topics for you, monocular optical Grants a break to the Sneak move.
implants permitting each of your eyes to function
independently, and extra cybernetic limbs. Recon Tech
Sensors and visualization gear that expands a void-
Grants a break to the Balance move. naut's situational awareness to help them keep tabs
on the rest of the crew. Examples include field scopes,
Overdrive Voidnetics personal radar systems, and holographic map.
Gear and implants that allow voidnauts to let
their ego write checks that their body theoretically Grants a break to the Deny move.
shouldn't be able to cash. Examples include fear sup-

32
Stealth Tech
Modules and outfit enhancements that reduce a
voidnaut's sensorial footprint and make them diffi-
cult to detect. Examples include adaptive camouflage
clothing, thermoptic camouflage ponchos, and short-
range signal distorters.

Grants a break to the Pace move.

intrigue tools
Frightening Presence
Augmentation and artifacts that make a voidnaut's
presence larger than life, when subtlety is not an
option. Examples include augmented vocal chords,
scary looking artifacts, and ominous wardrobe choic-
es.

Grants a break to the Confront move.

Persuasive Presence
Articles of clothing and accoutrements that signify
a voidnaut is worthy of someone’s time and atten-
tion. Examples include badges of office, high-fashion
attire, or risqué/revealing attire.

Grants a break to the Meddle move.

Calming Token
Disguises are disarming features that make a void-
naut seem significantly less of a threat than they are
in actuality. Examples include shabby spacer cloth-
ing, pacifying pheromone scents, and disguise kits.

Grants a break to the Gel move.

Distracting Token
Devices and possessions that draw the attention of
others and serve as means to derail or reset unpro-
ductive conversations. Examples include squawking
data assistants, medals of valor (stolen or otherwise),
and flasks of coveted spirits.

Grants a break to the Support move.

33
 turn, you score 1 bonus click when selecting the Storm
ordnance or Flank moves.

Extermination Instrument
Ordnance is a special category of combat-specific Custom-purpose weaponry designed to neutralize
tools which can give a distinct tactical advantage to some of the more tenacious and horrifying speci-
any fire team fortunate to have one in their posses- mens of xenobiology, including necrohorrors and
sion. It is suggested that the crew have at least one of xenohorrors. Examples include flame throwers,
these tools in their possession, on the off chance they incendiary grenades, or thermal rounds. Burn it with
face some truly challenging opposition on the field of fire!
battle.
During combat scenes against xenobiology (e.g.
Ordnance is so handy, it counts as 2 tools. necrohorrors and xenohorrors), any time you score 1
or more contacts, you score 1 bonus contact which may
Big Game Hunter be applied to any fodder of your choice.
Devastating weapons designed to neutralize tar-
gets too large or heavily-armored to be fazed by Exoframe
conventional weaponry. Examples include anti-ma- A worn apparatus that profoundly augments its
terial rifles, plasma claymores (also known as “arc- wearer’s physical strength at the cost of any possible
handers,”), and shoulder-fired missile systems that subtlety or discretion. Examples include re-purposed
fire armor-piercing payloads. civilian exoframes like those used by dock workers,
or milspec exoframes designed to permit a soldier
During combat scenes, you can score contacts on heav- to wield weapons platforms so large that they are
ies and bosses without the need for using your poten- normally fixed to a hover-tank or gunship.
tials, and if your danger is zero when you take your

34
During combat scenes, any time you select the Storm During combat scenes, when you use the Suppress
move, you may choose to score an additional 2 clicks at move, you negate 1 additional danger to each crew-
the cost of taking on an additional 1 danger. You may mate you’re reducing danger for.
decide to do so after you make your roll.

Personal Defense Matrix sharing tools

Defensive technologies so powerful and rare that
they are usually reserved for leaders, dignitaries,
dreadnought admirals, and others who are constant- Voidnauts can certainly loan their tools to others
ly targeted by assassins. Examples include personal before or after structured scenes, unless, of course a
shield systems or auras of nanobots that condense tool is something like a cybernetic implant. Howev-
into an adaptive suit of armor. er, tools may not be shared during structured scenes.
The only exception to this is ordnance, which may
Once per combat scene, if you end a round vulnerable, be picked up and used by a different voidnaut if and
you are neither incapacitated nor required to leverage only if its owner dies during the scene or becomes
the phoenix protocol to continue fighting. However, incapacitated and unable to continue the fight.
after it is used once in a scene, it is no longer able to
protect you during subsequent rounds.

Squad Support Weapon

High-capacity area-denial weapons capable of throw-
ing a lot of lead, a lot of shrapnel, and a lot of noise.
Examples include light machine guns, gyro-assisted
smartguns, and grenade launchers.

35
36
 crew
relationships
In this chapter, we introduce crew relationships, manifest in ways that make your voidnaut feel left
which are one of Voidnauts' key differentiators as a out or threatened.
game. We’ll provide a general overview of the crew
relationship system before diving into the specifics of A relationship that has been triggered by game events
how it all works. can be invoked. Invoking a relationship gives your
voidnaut the ability to achieve dramatic outcomes. In
You don’t spend weeks, months, or even years on a game mechanical terms, when you invoke a relation-
starship with someone, getting into and out of near- ship, you may automatically score a number of hits
death situations with troubling frequency, only to equal to the sentiment rank of the relationship you
have a neutral opinion of them. Voidnauts features are invoking, instead of making a roll. This ensures
a crew relationship system designed to explore the dramatic successes, making an invoked relationship a
social dynamics between crewmates and reinforce powerful resource at your voidnaut’s disposal.
how these social dynamics play out during the crew’s
most difficult trials. As has been implied earlier in However, relationships are not some infinite source
this book, sessions of Voidnauts vacillate between of energy that can be utilized without some type of
the high-stakes and dangerous moments played out regular care and feeding. Relationships, like hearths
in structured scenes, and the quiet, plodding, some- or campfires, must be regularly stoked to stay alight.
times playful, sometimes intense moments that occur Voidnauts stoke their relationships during down
when the crew is not in immediate danger. This time, whether it is between long and boring jumps
chapter focuses on the latter. between planets, or during shore leave, where every
voidnaut is kicking back, relaxing, blowing off steam,
Every voidnaut has some type of relationship with or taking care of their personal business. Once a re-
each of their crewmates, defined by a sentiment. lationship has been stoked, it is primed for use again,
A voidnaut’s sentiments for a crewmate is a gen- ready to be triggered and invoked once again.
eralization of how they feel about that crewmate.
Sometimes the feeling is mutual, somethings it isn’t. Scenes of stoking relationships are designed to be
Sentiments can vary in intensity and are subject to short free-form role-playing moments where play-
change depending on what happens over the course ers engage in dramatic dialogue as their voidnauts.
of a campaign. Rivalries can become friendships, and Without exaggeration, it can make for some of the
friendships can become rivalries (or worse). It all best, most heartfelt, and most memorable moments
depends on the circumstances of the story and how in a Voidnauts campaign, and the table is encouraged
voidnauts react to the decisions and conduct of their to really embrace it instead of treat it like some kind
crewmates. of obligatory system maintenance.

Relations can be triggered during structured scenes Now that we’ve walked through the big picture on
when specific events happen. In some cases, if a relationships, it’s time to discuss the specifics that
crewmate is struggling or in serious trouble, that can make it work, starting with the tracker that’s on the
trigger a relationship. In other cases, if a crewmate is voidnaut dossier.
either outshining your voidnaut or perhaps flying too
close to the sun, that can also trigger a relationship.
Some relationships are even triggered by witnessing
a crewmate’s relationship with a different crewmate

37
 Figure 11: Example of the crew tracker on the voidnaut dossier

tionship is invoked, turn that slash into an X, as if

crew tracker you roll a strike while bowling. When an invoked
relationship is finally stoked, ready to be used once
again, erase the X. All relationships begin a campaign
Unlike danger or stress, relationships are tracked
stoked and ready to be triggered.
exclusively on the voidnaut dossier. On the bottom of
the dossier is what’s called the crew tracker. This is a
space to write down the callsign of each of your void-
naut’s crewmates and their sentiments towards those
sentiments
crewmates. There are other elements here, including
each relationship’s rank, trigger, and status. There are 9 types of sentiments: Comrade, Crush,
Curiosity, Family, Grudge, Lodestar, Pawn, Rival,
Rank is rated on a scale of 3, 4, or 5. In narrative and Ward. The 9 sentiments are bucketed into 1 of 3
terms, this can be seen as the “intensity” of a senti- trigger types (3+, 0-, and P) which we explain in the
ment (“I really, really hate that guy”). In game me- following section. Forward, we’ll introduce each of
chanical terms, rank tells you how many automatic the sentiments and how they might manifest during
successes you score when you choose to invoke that role-play, be it a scene of dramatic dialogue between
relationship. All sentiments begin at rank 3 when a voidnauts or an internal monologue that is hap-
campaign begins. pening in someone’s head as they interact with and
observe their crewmates.
There are 3 types of triggers, signified by the short-
hand signifiers of 3+, 0-, and P. We will definitely Note: not all of these sentiments are what might be
explain exactly what these signifiers mean, but all considered "healthy," and that is by design.
you need to understand right now is that they tell
you when each relationship is triggered. Comrade (0-)
You consider this crewmate to be your friend, your
Lastly, status indicates if a relationship has been battle buddy, your spiritual sibling, or just a hell of
triggered (/), invoked (X), or stoked (blank). When a a team player. Even if you butt heads, you feel like
relationship is triggered, you mark it with a slash, as they’ll have your back when it matters most, no
if you rolled a spare while bowling. When a rela- matter how bad of a jam you’re in, and you’re more

38
than willing to return the favor. What forms this said, you have no bones about letting them know
sentiment is usually some type of shared struggle how you feel about their presence.
or experience, whether it happened in the past or
during the course of the campaign. Lodestar (P)
This crewmate is someone you look up to, someone
Crush (P) you wish you were like, someone you have served
You have romantic and/or sexual desire for this under before, or someone whose career you have fol-
crewmate, which may or may not be a passing phase. lowed from a distance. Your admiration of them can
You likely harbor your true feelings for them until range anywhere from simply ensuring you heed their
you have an opening, or until you get some kind of advice to something a little more along the lines of
sign that the feeling might be reciprocated. While sycophantic adoration and emulation. However, you
it is not exactly pleasant for an adult to harbor a know what they say: never meet your heroes.
secret infatuation like a teenager, there’s a general
consensus among spacers that “catching feelings” for Pawn (3+)
a crewmate can spell disaster for everyone involved. You’re convinced you have this crewmate under your
Keeping love in an unrequited state is often a profes- thumb, either willingly or unwittingly doing your
sional courtesy. bidding, even if it is not in their own interest. You
might see them as a “useful idiot” that should consid-
Curiosity (P) er themselves lucky to have fallen in with you, or just
You are intrigued by this crewmate and want to know another expendable asset that you’ll happily exploit
more about what makes them tick. Perhaps this or sacrifice in order to achieve your goals. Then
crewmate’s unusual behaviors, backstory, or beliefs again, maybe the only one you're fooling is yourself,
are giving you pause and making you question your and that the loyalty and subservience you think you
own way of seeing the world. Perhaps they are defy- command are part of a quixotic delusion.
ing deep-seated stereotypes and biases you expected
of someone of their type. Alternatively, maybe this Rival (3+)
crewmate warrants closer scrutiny because their You have a fierce rivalry with this crewmate because
story doesn’t add up and it is clear they are hiding they stir your competitive spirit, are a worthy adver-
something. sary, adhere to a belief system in conflict with yours,
or just need to be put in their place. The impulse to
Family (0-) outdo them or show them up is intense, but your
This crewmate is an inseparable part of your life, contests with this crewmate are considerably more
even if you’re at odds, thanks to familial bonds, playful and "sporting" than the kind of clashes that
marriage, adoption, or a long-standing romantic occur between people who genuinely despise each
partnership. This is truly someone you would die for other. At least for now.
and potentially even kill for. This is likely the rarest
of the sentiments in Voidnauts campaigns, reserved Ward (0-)
for siblings, parents and their children, and life part- You feel compelled to protect this crewmate, a com-
ners... categories of people who don't ordinarily find pulsion fueled by duty, guilt, pity, or simply a desire
themselves as crewmates on the same freelance space to see the next generation succeed where you fell
frigate. short. You take extra care to shield them from harm,
protect their ego, or at least make sure they can make
Grudge (3+) sense of their hardships and come out better for it.
You have seething antipathy for this crewmate Depending on the dynamic, this may come off as
because of who they are, what they’ve done, or what patronizing and unwanted, or it may be a formal
they represent. Your contempt could be the result of mentorship that both parties value.
something they did, or it could be a case of guilt by
association with some group who transgressed you
or your kind. You still have to find a way to work
with them, though, because a petty squabble during
the moment of truth could seal the crew's fate. That

39
 triggers
Your voidnaut’s relationships get triggered by cer-
tain events that happen during structured scenes.
Forward, we discuss the 3 types of triggers, which
sentiments they influence, and what game events
specifically cause relationships to be triggered.

0- | “O Negative”
This trigger applies to the Comrade, Family, and
Ward sentiments. It happens when you see someone
you care about struggling, losing the respect of their
peers, or in serious trouble. The impulse to intervene
on their behalf becomes overwhelming.

A relationship with the 0- signifier is triggered

when that crewmate scores 0 or less natural hits on
their roll. By “natural hits,” we mean the result of a
dice roll before any modifications are made to it via
breaks, bombs, potentials, and so forth.

3+ | “Hat Trick”
This trigger applies to the Grudge, Pawn, and Rival
sentiments. It happens when you see someone you
resent succeed at something, garner the adoration of
others, and generally outshine you. The desire to out-
do them or reassert your authority burns within you.

A relationship with the 3+ signifier is triggered when

that crewmate scores 3 or more natural hits on their
roll.

P | “Parasocial”
This trigger applies to the Crush, Curiosity, or Lode-
star sentiments. It happens when someone you have
an intense or unhealthy fixation on has a revealing
interaction with someone other than yourself. Some-
times these moments may be validating and enger-
gizing (e.g., "I finally understand him"), but other
times they may be so frustrating or disappointing
that you do something dramatic to stir things up.

A relationship with the P signifier is triggered when

that crewmate invokes a relationship with any crew-
mate other than yourself.

40
 invoking stoking
Once a relationship is triggered, it is ready to be A voidnaut must stoke a relationship after it has
invoked, which you can do whenever it is your turn been invoked in order to be able to invoke it again
during a structured scene. You may invoke it imme- at a later time. The action of stoking a relationship
diately, or you can save it for a more opportune mo- happens during downtime when things are quiet or
ment until later in the scene or even a future scene care free and the voidnauts have had time to process
altogether. However, when you finally invoke it, you the events that led to those triggering moments.
must do so at the very beginning of your turn.
This downtime occurs during one of two moments
When you invoke a relationship, you may choose one that occur with some frequency during a campaign:
of the following options: ship time and shore leave.

Reduce your stress Ship time

You may immediately reduce your voidnaut’s stress Ship time occurs any time the voidnauts are in for a
by a value equal to the sentiment rank of the rela- long, steady haul in their frigate. Traveling through
tionship you are invoking. a jumpgate or burning across a system to reach a
distant planet, activities that can take weeks, are the
Score automatic hits most common opportunities for ship time. Any time
You may forfeit rolling for your move and instead one of these events happen, the GM should declare
simply score a number of hits equal to the sentiment ship time.
rank of the relationship you are invoking. This “non-
roll” may still benefit from some of your talents that During ship time, each voidnaut may stoke a single
are move-specific, and may even be augmented with relationship that has been invoked.
your potential, but any advantage reliant on actually
rolling dice (e.g., bombs, breaks, scoring natural hits Shore leave
to trigger a Hat Trick, etc.) is forfeited. Shore leave occurs any time the voidnauts are enjoy-
ing an extended stay at a location other than their
As a reminder, if you have a title (e.g., Envoy, Skip- frigate. Sometimes it is a legitimate vacation planet-
per, etc.) you get to both reduce your stress and score side where there is pleasant trouble to get into, like
automatic hits during specific scene types instead of carousing at bars, swimming on the beach, or hiking
having to choose between the two. through beautiful wilderness. Other times, it is not a
vacation so much as a meaningful change of scenery
When invoking a relationship, a player is under that gives the voidnauts time to decompress and re-
no obligation to explain why or how the triggered flect on their situation. This might include staying at
relationship in question influenced the outcome of an orbital space station or hitching a ride on a dread-
their move, though they are certainly welcome to nought. The accommodations may be spartan, but at
do so if they have a solid narrative lined up. While it least the crew isn’t cooped up in a claustrophobic tin
can make for some great role-playing, sometimes the box anymore. Any time the crew has days or weeks
period between trigger and invoking is so long, it’s to kill at a relatively safe location outside of their frig-
hard to readily draw the connection between cause ate, the GM should declare shore leave.
and effect.
During shore leave, each voidnaut may stoke every sin-
Note: any relationship that has been triggered but gle one of their relationships that have been invoked.
not invoked gets de facto invoked, marked with an X,
as soon as the next ship time or shore leave begins. We suggest the GM try to accommodate at least one
You’ll have to stoke it to get it ready again. instance of ship time every session, and one instance
of shore leave every two or so sessions.

41
 stuff, and so forth. When the conversation or story-
narrating it telling beings to slow down, meander, or otherwise
becomes “unproductive,” the GM (or really anyone
at the table) should say “And Scene!” which abrupt-
Whether it's ship time or shore leave, players will be ly ends the conversation. Whoever prompted the
asked to take turns deciding which relationship or re- stoking interaction then passes the baton to the next
lationships they wish to stoke, and then prompted to player who would like to stoke a relationship.
frame a scene where their voidnaut is able to have a
1-on-1 interaction with that crewmate (though other This continues until everyone has had a chance to
crewmates can be pulled into the scene as dramati- stoke a relationship (or all of their relationships, if
cally appropriate). it's during shore leave). If you run into a situation
where nearly an entire session was just spent stoking
The player that prompts the scene is the one that relationships... good! High-fives all around, you role-
gets to stoke the relationship in question, though played your butts off and we’re sure it was sick.
the player whose voidnaut is the “target” of this
prompted scene can choose to use the opportunity to Less is more
stoke their own relationship with the voidnaut who Perhaps counterintuitively, the best time to call “And
instigated the conversation if they wish (though this Scene!” is right when we’re getting to the good part.
still counts as their one stoking opportunity during Relationships should play out and evolve over many
ship time). iterative sessions and interactions, and really only
culminate fully towards the end of a campaign. What
Stoking a relationship is 100% role-play. No rules, no that means is that a lot of feelings, whether they are
script. Just voidnauts being themselves, kicking back, ones of love or resentment, should simmer under the
talking about their feelings (or banal things like the surface until the situation forces the crew to be very
weather or the frigate), asking their crewmates about

42
real with one another. This may create some unease, Don’t be horrible
but if you think about good storytelling in film, tele- Do your best to make others players feel welcome
vision, or fiction, the things that are left unsaid are and comfortable. Always give warning, or even
more telling and provocative than the things actually better, ask permission before prompting a scene that
said. Will the two voidnauts finally have it out? Tune could make other players uncomfortable (e.g., “Are
in next week to find out! you OK if we role-play a scene where my voidnaut
makes awkward romantic advances at yours?”). If
Changing sentiments a player says no, it means no. Contentious relation-
Things change. People change. Feelings change. A ships in the game's fiction are absolutely not grounds
voidnaut’s relationship with one of their crewmates for bullying or intimidation of real-life players. When
can change. When stoking a relationship with a voidnauts argue, always pause to reaffirm that this is
crewmate (or being on the receiving end of that stok- a game, we’re just playing characters, and this resent-
ing), players may change the sentiment their void- ment is imaginary. The GM should feel empowered
nauts feel for one another, so long as events during to immediately stop and course correct if they see
the campaign can explain why. Perhaps seeing your players mixing reality with fiction. If there’s an actual
Lodestar humbled or fall from grace causes you to bully and instigator in the group, they get spaced
now consider them a Ward whom you want to help out of the airlock. Find a replacement player. Lastly,
return to their former glory. Perhaps seeing your always assume positive intent. People make mistakes.
Crush fall head over heels for someone else caus- No one gets to lecture anyone. When mistakes and
es you to become bitter and resentful, to the point misunderstandings happen - and they will - acknowl-
where you now consider them your Grudge. What- edge, apologize, accommodate, and move on. You
ever the case, when a sentiment is changed, its rank have a galaxy to save, voidnauts.
remains the same, though its trigger may change.

43
 backstory prompts
Before the table actually starts playing a campaign of Forward, we provide a number of prompts that may
Voidnauts, each player will have defined the senti- assist in the creation of backstories. Each prompt
ments their voidnaut has for rest of the crew. How- starts with an assertion that gives you a little bit of
ever, players aren’t just guessing how their voidnauts wiggle room to modify it.
feel about their crewmates. Instead, they’ll perform a
procedure where each player takes a turn telling their “I joined a cause|faction|organization
voidnaut’s backstory, so that the other players can because...”
determine how their own voidnaut would react to it
and then select the sentiment that best matches this That is your opportunity to state explicitly which
reaction. cause, faction, or organization you joined. Maybe
you married into a powerful faction. Maybe you fell
A backstory isn’t a novel of a voidnaut’s entire sordid in with a cult. Take the little bit of information in the
history. Rather, it is a very specific story about a assertion and make it your own.
situation a voidnaut faced, what behaviors they took
in response, why they did so, and the outcome of Next, there will be some multiple choice options to
their actions, positive or negative. The intent behind select, to follow that lingering “because...” at the end
a backstory is to provide just enough information of each assertion.
about your voidnaut so that other voidnauts can
make an assessment about how they feel about them, “...I wasn’t given a choice.”
at least initially. Remember, sentiments can change “...I truly believed in the mission.”
throughout a campaign.
“...I did it to be with someone else.”
This backstory is not a secret kept from crewmates,
Select one or more of these options and run with
but rather, a story that's already been shared with
it. In the example of joining a cult, maybe you were
them early on in their time working together. That’s
down on your luck, without a credit to your name or
why they’ve decided how they feel about you before
a support network of people who cared about you.
the campaign even begins.
Alternatively, maybe you did it because someone you
cared about fell in with the cult and you joined to
The reactions to backstories will vary. For example,
follow them, be with them, or maybe even keep them
consider a crewmate’s tragic story about leaving their
safe.
family behind to escape a catastrophe. One crewmate
might feel sorry for them and consider them a Ward.
Lastly, there is an outcome to each prompt that
Another crewmate might feel that their actions were
typically points to a bad news story that may at least
cowardly and consider them a Grudge.
partially explain why your character signed on with a
group of strangers running a frigate.
Remember, it is not the players judging other players,
but voidnauts judging other voidnauts. As a player,
you may empathize with someone's backstory, but
“It didn’t work out how I had hoped...”
also recognize that your voidnaut may in fact judge
Maybe that group of mercenaries you worked with
that backstory harshly. Alternatively, you as a player
were a little too bloodthirsty for your tastes. Maybe
may grimace at a backstory, but recognize than your
the cult’s rituals were starting to become disturbing
voidnaut may love everything about it. This is one of
to you. Maybe you did or said the wrong thing to the
those cases where players should "listen" in character.
wrong person and were fired or excommunicated.
Whatever the case, with this prompt complete, you’ve
given the rest of the table a taste of what your char-
acter is about... enough so that they can determine
their voidnaut’s sentiment towards yours.

44
 The Longing
prompts list I long to return to a person|place|situation because...

...Life was simple and beautiful.

The Cause
...I have unfinished business to take care of.
I joined a cause|faction|organization because...
...Things are different now; so am I.
...I wasn’t given a choice.
But I can’t go back, not until...
...I truly believed in the mission.
...I did it to be with someone else.
The Object
I hid|sabotaged|stole an object of immense value
It didn’t work out how I had hoped...
because...
The Conflict ...I wanted to make a point.
I took sides during the coup|schism|war because... ...It was extraordinarily dangerous.
...It belonged somewhere else.
...I was well-paid.
...I hated the opposition. In response to my actions, the owner...
...I saw the big picture.
The Outcast
However, I may have chosen the wrong side...
I am hated|hunted|shunned by a powerful group
because...
The Escape
I fled my home planet|station|system and have never ...I did them grave harm.
looked back because... ...They think I’m something I’m not.
...I am loved by their enemies.
...I was fleeing imminent danger.
...I was exiled for a grave offense. During my last run-in with them...
...I saw what was coming and no one believed me.
The Tenure
During my very last day there...
I spent far too long in a location|situation|vocation
because...
The Family
I defied the wishes of my culture|faith|family be- ...I had power and prestige.
cause... ...I had debts and dependents.
...I loved it.
...They were insular and backwards.
...They were corrupted by outside influences. What finally pulled me away was...
...I found more important meaning elsewhere.
The Transformation
They didn’t take it well...
I am altered|augmented|awakened because...
The Haunting ...I volunteered; I needed an edge.
I am haunted by things I saw when I spent time at ...I was a test subject against my will.
planet|station|system, because... ...I was born this way.
...I saw what humanity is capable of. However, there are costs to being this way that no
...We aren’t alone and we aren’t safe. one ever talks about...
...I saw what the future looks like.

You better sit down before I tell you this...

45
46
 structured
SCENES
In this chapter, we introduce structured scenes, best
described as self-contained scenes of combat, eva- danger
sion, intrigue, or starship drama that have discrete
victory conditions and fail states. We'll be giving an
overview of how these scenes flow and then spend The conversation about structured scenes needs to
the next several chapters drilling down into the indi- begin with the concept of danger. In Voidnauts, dan-
vidual types of structured scenes. ger is the quantifiable likelihood that something bad
is about to happen to one or more members of the
When a structured scene begins, the table is locked crew. What that “something bad” is, however, really
into dramatic conflict of some kind for the next 15 to depends on the scene type and the circumstanc-
45 minutes, depending on the contours of the scene. es in the fiction. If the crew is in an intrigue scene
During these scenes, the GM introduces elements of standing before a judge and pleading their case, then
progressive danger and tension, while players choose danger represents the likelihood that the judge will
their moves and make rolls, doing their best to both decide against them. Alternatively, if they are in their
make progress towards a victory state while also starship and locked in a dogfight with an enemy
managing the rising danger. frigate, danger represents the likelihood that a crew-
mate becomes incapacitated, leaving a critical battle
Structured scenes are organized into rounds. At the station non-operational. If too many of the crew
beginning of each round, the GM adds danger to the suffer the same fate, it’s possible their ship might be
crew and narrates what this means for them in the disabled or destroyed.
game’s fiction. After that, the players each take their
turn, selecting a move, making a roll, and narrating Regardless of the type of scene, danger is ephemeral.
the outcome of their roll. Once all players have taken It goes up and down each round, depending on how
their turn, the round ends. If any voidnaut ends the the GM distributes the scene’s danger, and how the
round with too much danger, there’s a possibility that players react to it. A low level of danger indicates that
the entire crew is imperiled (e.g., “You’ve been spotted our heroes are threatened, but not in any immediate
by a sentry who sounds the alarm”) or an individual danger. A high level of danger, meanwhile, indicates
voidnaut is imperiled (e.g., “You’ve been struck by that one or more of our heroes is about to accidental-
small arms fire and are bleeding out”). ly expose the secret infiltration, say something awful
that forecloses any chance of negotiation, get tagged
The procedure for managing structured scenes is by an errant laser blast, or make a maneuver that
fairly simple once all the playing pieces involved are puts the frigate into a vulnerable position.
understood by everyone at the table. This chapter
will endeavor to explain how these scenes work, Every structured scene is a balancing act, where the
generally, so that subsequent chapters on the specific players must manage their danger while also making
scene types (combat, crew, evasion, and intrigue) can progress towards their goal. There are a number of
focus exclusively on the narration of those scenes options available to players to keep their danger as
and any specific rules, sheets, or parameters that the low as possible, but as is the case with any type of
table needs to consider when playing them. gaming, no risk, no reward. Sometimes you'll need to
accept high levels of danger to achieve your objec-
tives.

47
 pay attention to, however, is any voidnaut who ends
adding danger a round vulnerable (more than 10 danger), which
ends a scene in failure, or at the very least, that void-
naut is incapacitated (or killed) and removed from
the scene.

danger readout
Figure 12: Example of a scene's danger You learned a bit about the danger readout in the
Welcome Aboard chapter, but we’re going to go a lit-
Every scene has two types of danger: danger per tle slower this time and identify exactly how to use it.
round, which is a value added to every single void-
naut equally every round, and danger audible, which On the opposing page, you again see the danger
is a value the GM may distribute in any way they see readout in full. On the bottom of this page, you see
fit (e.g., applied to one voidnaut, split between mul- an example of an individual voidnaut danger track-
tiple voidnauts, etc.). At the beginning of any scene, er, specifically Falcon, who is the frigate's pilot (as
the GM populates these two values, making it clear denoted by the icon next to his name).
to the table exactly how difficult this scene might be.
Every individual voidnaut has a danger tracker rated
Danger per round is rated on a scale of 2, 3, and 4, from 0 to 20, signifying their current level of danger.
where 2 represents an easy scene, 4 represents a very When the GM adds danger to a scene, they add the
difficult scene, and 3 represents something in the danger per round to all of the individual trackers on
middle of those extremes. If the danger per round the danger readout, and then add the danger audible
is 2, then the GM adds 2 danger to every voidnaut as they see fit. Below, we see that Falcon's danger
at the beginning of every round. If the danger per tracker is currently set at 3 danger. If Falcon or an-
round is 3, then the GM adds 3 danger to every void- other member of the crew does something to reduce
naut at the beginning of every round, and so forth. Falcon's danger, the GM immediately changes this
danger tracker to reflect the new value.
Danger audible ranges from 0 to 10, though it is sug-
gested to keep it somewhere in the same vicinity as We also see that the individual trackers each have a
danger per round. In fact, we suggest new GMs keep stress tracker, as was discussed in the Assembling
the danger audible at 0 until they become very com- the Crew chapter. Falcon's stress is currently at 10.
fortable with running the game. Danger audible is an To the right of that, we see two other dialog boxes,
extra balance of danger that the GM can distribute as one to track station damage (which will be elabo-
they see fit every round. It’s a little extra something rated on in the crew scenes chapter), and another for
that adds an element of unpredictability to a scene. the phoenix protocol.
Players can plan for danger per round, but they have
no idea where the GM might apply a scene’s danger
audible, so it keeps people on their toes.

Once danger is applied, the GM narrates what all

this danger means and we’ll elaborate on how in the
Figure 13: Station Damage (L), Phoenix Protocol (R)
subsequent chapters. What the table really needs to

Figure 14: Example of an individual voidnaut's danger tracker on the danger readout

48
 Figure 15: Blank danger readout

themselves and potentially the crew. There’s only

phoenix protocol one catch: a voidnaut who has initiated the phoenix
protocol is now doomed.

The phoenix protocol is a deus ex machina story- A doomed voidnaut who ends a round vulnerable
telling device. It can be activated by a player at the has run out of luck and is completely and utterly
very end of a round, when their voidnaut ends a hosed, even in an ostensibly “safe” scene like an
round vulnerable. This permits them to avoid the intrigue scene. The GM is given full license to neu-
consequences of scene-ending or potentially charac- tralize said voidnaut with the same deus ex machina
ter-ending circumstances, at least temporarily. energy that previously saved them, from a freak
accident to the bounty hunter on their tail finally
When a player activates the phoenix protocol for catching up with their mark. Whatever horrible fate
their voidnaut, they fill in the bubble next to the the GM cooks up for them (e.g. killed, captured, or
phoenix icon and the GM immediately reduces turned into a xenohorror host) is final and absolute.
that voidnaut’s danger down to 0. The player then Time to roll a new voidnaut.
narrates something incredible that happens which
allowed them to avoid peril and get back in the game. The only way to get out of doomed status and erase
Perhaps it was an outrageous maneuver or a sudden that cursed bubble is by taking shore leave, so the
second wind. Perhaps it was dumb luck. Either way, voidnaut can recover fully from the physical, mental,
their voidnaut just dodged a terrible outcome for

49
 and emotional duress that led to their phoenix proto- roll that advances the scene’s progress (e.g., Confront
col moment, not to mention commune with whatev- or Meddle during an intrigue scene, Storm or Flank
er space gods or spirits saw them through their most during a combat scene, etc.), the marker on the scope
narrow of escapes. starts moving clockwise a number of positions, or
clicks, based on what move was selected and what
The phoenix protocol is a voidnaut’s most powerful, the roll’s outcome was.
precious, and risky resource. By using it, you avoid
the fate you deserve, but you're also inviting the The cautious progress and reckless progress moves
GM to kill off your voidnaut the next time they end add clicks to the scope. The cautious progress moves
a round vulnerable. Be extremely careful with how (e.g., Flank, Focus, Sneak, Meddle) add 1 click to the
you use this resource, and make sure everyone at scope per hit scored. The reckless progress moves
the table is frequently reminded when a crewmate is (e.g., Storm, Push, Rush, Confront) do the exact
doomed so that they aren't overly cavelier about the same thing, except that they add an additional 3
accumulation of danger. clicks at the cost of also adding 3 danger to whomev-
er uses these moves.

scope Any time the scope’s marker lands on or bypasses 5,

10, 15, or 20 during a player’s turn, they have scored
what’s called a contact. A contact is a dramatic
On the opposing page, we see another example of
moment of progress in a scene. In a combat scene, a
a scene readout, which we also introduced in the
contact might be scoring a direct hit against a target.
Welcome Aboard chapter. The centerpiece of this
In an evasion scene, a contact might be arriving at a
scene readout, and all scene readouts in fact, is what
specific rendezvous point. Whatever the case, when
is called the scope.
a player scores a contact, they get to fill in one of the
boxes on the scene readout that look suspiciously like
danger trackers.

Figure 17: A contact scored on a threat

Figure 16: The scope

The scope is read like a clock. A single marker is used

to track the scope’s current position, which rotates
clockwise. At the beginning of a scene, the scope
starts on the 20 position. Each time a player makes a

50
 Figure 18: A blank combat readout

destination has been arrived at, and so forth. Time

contacts for the player who did it to narrate the outcome
accordingly.
Scoring a contact can be thought of as a small mile-
Note, it’s possible to score more than one contact
stone during a structured scene. It’s a moment when
with a single roll. In fact, to succeed in some scenes,
your efforts really land. When you’re just scoring
the crew is going to have to. Fortunately for players,
clicks, you’re nudging a scene towards victory, but
there are a lot of ways to do this. When you consider
when you score a contact, something meaningful
the options available to a voidnaut (e.g. potentials,
happened. Instead of just throwing lead, you’re
invoked relationships, aggressive progress moves, tal-
nailing your target. Instead of just throwing barbs,
ents, tools, etc.), it is quite possible to score enough
you’re leaving your opposition speechless. Instead of
hits to give the scope a good spin.
making progress at a snail’s crawl, you’re overcoming
obstacles and closing in on your destination.
With the fundamentals of structured scenes out of
the way, it’s time for us to explore each of the scene
When you finally contact a threat or objective
types more deeply.
enough to fill in all its contact boxes, you’ve neutral-
ized that threat or you have achieved that objective.
Now we’re talking about true milestones: the threat
has been killed, the agenda has been fulfilled, the

51
52
 combat
SCENES
In this chapter, we focus on combat scenes specifi- you need to be physically and mentally prepared to
cally, providing guidance on how to set them up and bludgeon someone to death unless you want to face
run them, how to narrate their events, and how to the same fate yourself or be thrown out of an airlock.
achieve victory and avoid defeat.
As dangerous as the space lanes are, there’s plenty
The universe is full of people and things that want to of bloodshed that happens planetside and at orbital
kill you. If you’re a voidnaut of any renown, chances stations, too. Life is cheap in deep space, despite how
are good that many people think you have it coming. much energy and technology it takes to sustain life
You’ve foiled someone’s plans, angered a powerful outside of terrestrial planets. Voidnauts, by virtue of
faction, squared up against the wrong people, or an- their mobility, independence, and ability to handle
swered the distress call you really, really should have themselves in a fight, are likely to be contracted or
ignored... and now you have no choice but to take up conscripted as the clandestine “difference makers”
arms. in factional disputes, whether they are working for
planetary governments or the less savory side of
Combat scenes are structured scenes of violent con- space society. This puts them on a collision course
flict where the voidnauts, as a squad of (mostly) flesh with equally capable crews running a frigate for the
and blood combatants, are either on the offensive or other side.
forced to defend themselves. It is important to note
that starship battles are not combat scenes, but crew However, the worst type of entanglement a voidnaut
scenes (discussed in the next chapter). That said, can find themselves in is when they’re up against
combat scenes sometimes take place in the space, hostile xenos: horrifying extraterrestrial entities that
where combatants in their void-sleeves zip around in everyone suspects to exist out there in the Void, but
zero-G environments trying to kill one another. few have witnessed, and fewer have lived to tell the
tale. Thanks to a willingness to brave the unknown,
There’s any number of reasons why the crew of a voidnauts are the most likely candidates to brush
space frigate will face (or choose) violence on a up against the boundaries of known biology and
personal level, the first and foremost being that they tolerable psychology. Yet, reach too far out into the
are in possession of a space frigate, a vessel that itself Void and it starts to reach back. Terrible things await
is worth a small fortune, and that’s before accounting those who don’t observe the spacer’s maxim on xeno
for its cargo or the value of its crew as ransom. Piracy sightings: look away, bug out, burn hard, and never
is a major problem in space, where the nearest rescue mention what you saw to anyone.
vessel is weeks away. Pirates preying on frigates and
freighters for profit will do just enough damage to a
vessel to immobilize it so that they can then board
it, neutralize its crew, and salvage what’s left. Such
conflicts are particularly barbaric, as spacers typically
settle boarding actions with medieval (and tech-
no-medieval) weaponry in order to avoid ricochets,
catastrophic depressurization events, or doing unre-
coverable (and unprofitable) damage to starship sys-
tems. It doesn’t matter if you’re a scientist, diplomat,
or missionary; if you’re a voidnaut running a frigate,

53
 Lastly, the GM will add contacts to any threats that
setting the scene need to be “nerfed” in order to make the scene better
calibrated to the level of challenge they have in mind.
For example, assume the GM wanted the crew to
When setting up a combat scene, the GM selects one fight a boss in this scene, but felt that having to score
of the combat readouts that most closely matches the 16 contacts to neutralize it is way too many. The GM
opposition they intent to have the crew fight. They could instead of fill several of the boss’s contacts in
then do the following: advance, perhaps reducing that threat’s contacts to 8
instead of 16.
Remove threats that aren’t in play by drawing an X
through them. In the example below, the GM has In terms of how many contacts total should be
crossed out everything except for 4 fodder and 2 required to win a scene, the best guidance is to have
heavies. somewhere between 2 and 3 contacts per player in
the scene. If there are 5 voidnauts, that means be-
Next, the GM decides what the danger per round and tween 10 and 15 contacts total. If we count the con-
danger audible for the scene will be. In the example tacts required to neutralize the threats in the example
below, the GM has opted for 3/2, which is a challeng- below, we see 14 total are required to win this scene.
ing but not overly difficult scene.

Figure 19: A combat readout with 4 fodder, 2 heavies, 3 danger per round, and 2 danger audible

54
 small unit tactics to pin, outmaneuver, and ulti-
combat danger mately neutralize the crew. If the crew is up against
non-conventional threats, such as xenohorrors or
necrohorrors, the GM should describe the opposi-
During combat scenes, danger is representative of tion's relentless swarming attacks, horrific impervi-
how likely the voidnauts are to be injured, incapac- ousness to pain and injury, and the overwhelming
itated, or killed. As the GM adds danger to each sense of dread and fear the crew experiences as they
voidnaut, they narrate what the scene’s opposition is do battle against the universe’s most terrifying crea-
doing to try to them harm. Depending on the scene’s tures.
threats, this may include charging them, brawling
with them, sniping at them, overwhelming them A combat scene’s danger per round never goes down,
with suppressive fire, or targeting them with poten- even when multiple threats are neutralized. Even as
tials. the tide of battle turns in the crew's favor, the oppo-
sition remains exceedingly dangerous. Lone and des-
There is no need for the GM to meticulously go perate combatants switch to reckless use of ordnance
through every single threat in the scene and narrate or suicide attacks, and threats thought dead stir once
what each of them are doing. Rather, the GM should more just long enough to take revenge on those who
cinematically describe the violence that is unfolding. neutralized them. As the adrenaline slows down,
If the crew is up against conventional threats such voidnauts wince and clutch wounds they didn’t even
as a group of space pirates or security forces, they realize they suffered. Just because victory is immi-
should describe the sights and sounds of modern nent doesn’t mean that any member of the crew is
warfare, including gunfire, tracers flying through the safe. No one is out of the woods until the very last
air, explosions, cover being eaten away by automatic threat has been killed, captured, or forced to surren-
fire, and the enemy using tactical movement and der.

55
 combat moves special rules
During combat scenes, players may select the Storm, Combat scenes are comprised of threats, which are
Flank, Regroup, or Suppress move during their turn. organized into 3 categories: fodder, heavies, and
Below, we explain these moves in terms of how to bosses.
narrate them, and how they influence the scene’s
progress or the crews’ danger. Fodder, short for cannon fodder, are rank-and-file
soldiers, expendable mooks, or light combatants
Storm (Reckless Progress) that overwhelm with swarming attacks. Heavies are
When you Storm, you execute a reckless attack, heavily-armed and armored soldiers, specialists with
charging and overwhelming the enemy, inflicting as powerful potentials, or hard-to-kill hulks. Bosses are
much damage as you can with zero regard for your massive war machines, individuals of legendary skill,
own personal safety. or certifiable cosmic horrors.

When you select this move, you score 1 click per hit Each category of threat has a unique property listed
rolled, but you also score a bonus 3 clicks at the cost of on the combat readout. In some cases, these effects
adding 3 danger to yourself. are limited by how many fodder or heavies are still
active during the scene.
Flank (Cautious Progress)
When you Flank, you execute measured and me- Heavies and bosses may only be contacted by a void-
thodical attacks against your enemy, picking away at naut that uses a potential or possesses ordnance that
their defenses until you can land a decisive blow. lets them ignore this restriction.

When you select this move, you score 1 click per hit
rolled. combat progress
Regroup (Protect Yourself) Narrating progress in a combat scene is elementary
When you Regroup, you’re staying out of harm's way, for anyone who has ever played a role-playing game
hunkering down behind cover, or embarking on a before. When you score a contact, you simply narrate
fighting retreat away from the opposition. Discretion the carnage you inflict on one of the scene’s threats.
is the better part of valor. If you score the last contact it takes to neutralize a
threat completely, you get to decide if that threat is
When you select this move, you reduce your own dan- killed or incapacitated, and then narrate accordingly,
ger by 1 per hit. up to and including unimaginable gore and violence.
Just make sure you’re calibrating your narrative to
Suppress (Protect Others) suit the table’s sensibilities, and not going overboard
When you Suppress, you’re laying down covering with depictions of violence, unless everyone is game
fire to protect your crewmates' tactical movement, or and the situation calls for it (e.g., if you’re fighting
antagonizing the threats that are swarming them. infected necrohorror zombies, the gore ratio is going
to be profound).
When you select this move, you reduce the danger of 1
of your crewmates by 1 point per hit. Keep in mind, you don’t have to actually be the one
who scored that killing blow, even if you’re the one
who scored the final contact. Voidnauts is all about
teamwork and the assist: setting up an adversary so
that someone more capable can finish the job. This
is an especially useful narrative technique for players
who are playing pacifists, cowards, or spacers who
don’t know where to find the safety on a pulse rifle.

56
Just by presenting an easy target, voidnauts can set If the crew ends up winning the battle, incapacitated
up threats to be dismantled by their crewmates. It’s voidnauts are immediately resuscitated. If the entire
an opportunity to narrate just how hardcore some of crew becomes incapacitated during a combat scene,
your crewmates are, and their players will appreciate their fate is left up to the GM. As a reminder, end-
the hat tip. ing a round with more than 10 danger when you’re
doomed is a recipe for death or a similar unrecover-
In the same vein, there’s also the bungling comedic able state that takes a voidnaut out of the campaign
death. Never forget, Han Solo totally murked Boba for good.
Fett by accident. As is the case with depictions of
gore, however, make sure dalliances with slapstick At the beginning of a round, after the GM has added
are tone-appropriate, or at the very least, are expertly danger to all voidnauts, but before any player selects
timed. After all, sometimes the table needs to get their move and rolls any dice, the crew may decide
an abrupt shot of goofiness to counteract a grating to retreat from a space battle. However, when doing
surplus of grimdark. so, any voidnaut that is vulnerable must activate the
phoenix protocol, and any voidnaut who was already
doomed for doing so earlier expires permanently
defeat during the retreat.

During combat scenes, when a voidnaut ends a Retreating typically results in an escalated scene
round vulnerable, they are incapacitated, meaning (i.e., a scene with a higher danger per round than
they are removed from the fight, no longer incurring the combat scene the voidnauts just fled from), such
danger or able to take their turn. The scene itself as a dramatic escape (an evasion scene) or a parley
does not end, but continues on until victory or when during a brief ceasefire (an intrigue scene).
all voidnauts are incapacitated or killed.

57
58
 crew
scenes
In this chapter, we focus on crew scenes specifical- space pirates that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
ly, providing guidance on how to set them up and Whatever the case, the frigate is bound to take a
run them, how to narrate their events, and how to beating.
achieve victory and avoid defeat.
Whether they're flying through Hell or caught in a
A frigate is only as good as its crew, no matter how dogfight with Satan himself, every single member of
advanced its engines, armaments, and reactor are. the crew needs to be at their battle station and con-
There’s no room for schlubs on a frigate’s crew. Every- tributing to the survival of the frigate. The pilot’s role
one on board needs to be the best at what they do, or is obvious: keeping the vessel moving and pulling off
do the best they can, lest a multi-million credit vessel evasive maneuvers that are strong enough to evade
find itself outdone by a lesser craft or be reduced enemy fire but measured enough to avoid putting the
to space scrap by an errant asteroid. No pressure or entire crew in g-LOC. The PDCs under the gunner’s
anything, but a single mistake could get everyone on control not only apply punishment to enemy vessels,
board this boat killed instantly. but also need to intercept incoming missiles or chew
a path through debris. The aegis needs to ensure that
Crew scenes are structured scenes of starship drama the frigate’s shields are focused on the vectors of in-
where the crew’s frigate is facing off against other coming damage, like a goalkeeper who must protect
starships, or navigating its way through obstacles and the ship from 360 degree assaults along the X, Y, and
spacetime anomalies. Z axes. The signaleer works overtime to ensure that
the ship’s subsystems don’t turn against themselves
As the smallest vessel capable of traversing jump- due to electronic warfare or spacetime anomalies. As
gates, frigates are also the most likely craft to be the frigate is battered and its reactor core is strained,
accosted by space pirates, harassed by port authori- it's up to the engineer to keep the vessel spaceworthy.
ties, rendered into molten slag by a wrong turn, and If the frigate is fortunate enough to have a skipper or
commissioned for assignments in which the prob- analyst in the coordinator role, they’ll have someone
ability of success is less than guaranteed. The crew who can help orchestrate all these activities, instead
of a frigate really needs to be ready for anything and of winging it through organized chaos.
know how to improvise because almost nothing is
going to go according to plan.

There are two broad categories of crew scenes that

a frigate crew will need to deal with during their
adventures in the Void. The first is turbulence:
navigating the ship through perilous terrain (e.g.,
asteroid fields, spacetime anomalies, and inclement
atmospheric weather), as well as running blockades,
evading pursuing fleets, or chasing down vessels that
cannot be allowed to escape. The second type of crew
scene is a knock-down drag-out space brawl against
a vessel or a fleet: the dogfight against a rival frigate
crew, the combined assault on a space station, or
the baring of fangs just long enough to convince the

59
 Next, the GM populates the obstacles and challenges
setting the scene the crew will be up against in the tracker, marking
unused spaces (for extra long scenes) with an X, and
filling in any extra unused contacts on the tracker so
When setting up a crew scene, the GM first decides that the players have no questions about how many
if the scene will be one of turbulence or a battle contacts they must score to achieve victory.
against a fleet. If it’s the former, the GM will prepare
a turbulence readout, and if it’s the latter, the GM will Finally, the GM decides what the danger per round
prepare a fleet readout. We’ll work through turbu- and danger audible for the scene will be. In the ex-
lence first, then pivot to fleet. ample below, the GM has opted for 2/4, which is an
easy scene complicated by a bit of unpredictability.
Turbulence
The GM determines if the scene is an obstacle This scene of turbulence is now set up and ready to
course, emergency evac, or hot pursuit, and fills in play. As contacts are scored, the details of the scene
the bubble so that the players can reference the fail change. We see below that the frigate has made
state of the scene. Below, we see the GM has selected it past the first series of obstacles and must now
emergency evac, which means that if even a single contend with escaping their pursuers through heavy
voidnaut ends a round vulnerable, the scene ends space traffic and unwanted intervention by authori-
with the frigate cornered or disabled. ties who don’t know the score.

Figure 20: An emergency evac with three challenges, 2 danger per round, and 4 danger auible

60
 Figure 21: A fleet battle against 4 fodder, 2 heavies, and a boss

Fleet Lastly, the GM will add contacts to any threats that

The very first thing you should notice when you look need to be “nerfed” in order to make the scene better
at the example readout above is that starship battles calibrated to the level of challenge they have in mind.
are mechanically identical to combat scenes. By Since there’s a lot of opposition in this scene, the GM
virtue of reading the previous chapter, you already has reduced the total number of contacts required
know how to set up these scenes, but let's walk to beat the boss to 6 instead of 16. Maybe this frigate
through it just in case. took a prior beating and is still licking its wounds, or
maybe it’s run by one of the galaxy’s worst crews.
Remove threats that aren’t in play by drawing an X
through them. In the example above, the GM has In terms of how many contacts total should be
crossed out everything except for 4 fodder, 2 heavies, required to win a scene, the best guidance is to have
and a boss. somewhere between 2 and 3 contacts per player in
the scene. The example scene above is a 20 contact
Next, the GM decides what the danger per round and scene, making it a fairly grueling endurance match,
danger audible for the scene will be. In the example but at least its danger levels are not over the top.
above, the GM has opted for 3/2, which is a challeng-
ing but not overly difficult scene.

61
 claustrophobic tin box - the only thing separating
crew danger the crew from sucking Void - and that this tin box is
falling apart before their eyes.

During crew scenes, danger is representative of the A good crew scene is a pressure cooker. The crew
frigate's detiorating stability, but also representative should hear the frigate’s fuselage groan and warp
of how likely the voidnauts are to be incapacitated under the strain of evasive maneuvers. They should
or killed, as well as the likelihood that their battle be rattled in their seats or stations, showered with
station may incur lasting damage. As the GM adds glass and arcing electricity of system displays ex-
danger to each voidnaut, they narrate the type of ploding around them. They should feel the effects of
punishment the frigate is enduring, be it from enemy catastrophic depressurization events when the hull is
fire, a hazardous flight path, or flying a finicky bird breached and sense their void-sleeves pressurize and
being pushed beyond its mechanical limits. They also constrict in response. Their masks will fog up from
narrate the immense pressure, physical or otherwise, a combination of perspiration, uncontrolled fires,
that the voidnauts are dealing with. and temperatures reaching a boiling point. The crew
will be screaming at each other, in part because they
In their narration of danger, the GM should alter- are panicking, and in part because it is impossible to
nate their narratives between external factors (e.g. hear one another over the shrieking alarms, the roar-
the enemy starfighter has acquired a missile lock) ing reactor core, and the steady thumping of PDC
and interior experiences (e.g., the warning klaxons rounds eating away at the ship’s armor.
are screaming). The best way to ensure that a crew
scene’s tension is really turned up to 11 is to contin-
ually reinforce the sensation of being trapped in a

62
 crew moves special rules
During crew scenes, players may select the Push, Threats
Focus, Maintain, or Balance move during their turn. Crew scenes of the fleet variety are comprised of
Below, we explain these moves in terms of how to threats, which are organized into 3 categories: fod-
narrate them, and how they influence the scene’s der, heavies, and bosses.
progress or the crews’ danger.
Fodder are light starfighters or voidborne drones
Push (Reckless Progress) that scramble from hangars, swarm their opposi-
When you Push, you’re doing exactly that, pushing tion, and leverage maneuverability and speed to stay
yourself and your battle station to the absolute limits alive. Heavies are more robust vessels like corvettes
with the hope of pulling off some kind of gambit that and transports, large enough to have shields, field
saves the day. a single PDC, or contain a boarding party. Boss-
es are any vessel that is frigate-sized or larger and
When you select this move, you score 1 click per hit kitted with enough offensive and defensive power to
rolled, but you also score a bonus 3 clicks at the cost of single-handedly pose a serious threat to any frigate
adding 3 danger to yourself. crew.

Focus (Cautious Progress) Each category of threat has a unique property listed
When you Focus, you’re operating your battle station on the fleet readout. In some cases, these effects are
with precision and patience, following standard limited by how many fodder or heavies are still active
operating procedure like you wrote the thing, even as during the scene.
the situation around you deteriorates.
Heavies and bosses may only be contacted by a void-
When you select this move, you score 1 click per hit naut uses who uses a potential or has access to ship
rolled. upgrades that bypass this restriction.

Maintain (Protect Yourself) Station Damage

When you Maintain, you’re taking actions that When a voidnaut ends a round of a crew scene vul-
release some of the pressure that’s mounting on your- nerable, be it of the turbulence or fleet variety, they
self and your battle station, whether that’s allowing suffer station damage, which is technical damage
the shields to take a beating while you repair and that degrades their station, be it flight controls,
reboot your battle station, or popping a stim to get targeting systems, the reactor core, or something
your head back in the game. similar. Station damage means that the maximum
rank of any move a voidnaut selects when manning
When you select this move, you reduce your own dan- that station is limited to 3. Really want to use that
ger by 1 per hit. Push move that’s ranked at 5? You still can, but you
make your roll as if the move was ranked at 3.
Balance (Protect Others)
When you Balance, you’re doing something that
temporarily takes some of the slack off of a crewmate
whose battle station and tactical situation may be
coming undone faster than than expected.
Figure 22: Station damage
When you select this move, you reduce the danger of 1
of your crewmates by 1 point per hit. Station damage is automatically repaired during
shore leave, though the GM may allow it to be
repaired during ship time if the crew has access to
spare parts they either find or borrow from an un-
willing donor during the campaign.

63
 has bypassed this set of obstacles or circumstances
crew progress and is now working on traversing its way through the
next one. Let’s look at an example:

In crew scenes, we need to talk about narrating play-

er progress separately for both the fleet and turbu-
lence varieties.

Fleet
Narrating progress in a space battle is very straight
forward: your voidnaut did something that allowed
the crew’s frigate to deal significant damage to an
enemy vessel. Narrating this outcome as the frigate’s
gunner is especially simple, because you’re at the
controls of the frigate’s weapons systems. As for the
other roles on the frigate, players are encouraged to
be creative but not feel too constrained by what their
specific battle station does when it comes to narrat-
ing progress.

Perhaps the pilot’s maneuvers forced the bogey Figure 23: Two challenges to be overcome
on their tail to collide with another enemy vessel,
or perhaps their close flyby allowed the gunner to In the example above, we see that the frigate was able
deliver a hellacious broadside on the enemy vessel’s to successfully take off and rocket out of the atmo-
least defended side. Perhaps the aegis configured the sphere. The crew is now dealing with the prospect
frigate’s shields full forward so that it could win a of flying through congested space traffic while also
game of chicken, or even attuned the shields so that avoiding the wrath of orbital defense systems. The
they reflected incoming PDC fire right back at the narrative should now focus on the group’s efforts to
vessel broadsiding them. Signaleers who get root work through this obstacle. When they finally score
access on other ships cause things to spontaneously that 8th contact, the frigate will be onto the next leg
malfunction. Engineers prevail by getting the right of the journey, having left the space congestion and
amount a juice flowing to the frigate’s subsystems for orbital defensives in its space dust.
maximum performance at the right moment. Even
the coordinator role scores indirect hits by antici- As is the case with space battles, players should focus
pating and announcing enemy movements so that on how their voidnaut’s individual actions contrib-
the gunner can line up almost preternatural firing uted to the current position of the frigate, but not
solutions. overthink it. Frigates are often shields up and weap-
ons-free even when there’s no adversary to speak of,
Remember, you’re all part of the same frigate. If because the best way around an obstacle is shredding
you’re at a loss for narrating how your actions led to it to pieces with PDCs or ramming through it with
a contact, just narratively take over the frigate and shields full forward. If there’s no direct nexus to how
have it do awesome things. a battle station influences the outcome, voidnauts
can always get out of their seats and do things like
Turbulence jettison cargo to make the frigate go faster, put out
Narrating progress in the turbulence variety of a interior fires and seal hull punctures, or help the en-
crew scene is more about focusing on the frigate’s gineer hoist and install that critical piece of machin-
proximity to its goal: the distance to the jumpgate, ery. There’s no end to the work that needs to be done
the distance to the starship it is chasing, etc. When to keep a frigate voidworthy, so unstrap from your
the crew has no contacts scored, they are far away seat and go look for it!
from their goal, and when they have scored many
contacts, their goal is in sight. If the contacts for a leg
of their journey are all filled in, that means the frigate

64
 If the crew is facing an emergency evac or a hot
defeat pursuit, the scene ends abruptly if any voidnaut ends
a round with greater than 10 danger. There is always
the possibility that this may result in an escalated
Fleet scene as a consequence (e.g., you couldn’t escape
During crew scenes against any enemy fleet, when a the squadron on your tail so now you need to fight
voidnaut ends a round vulnerable, they are incapac- them).
itated, meaning they are removed from the fight, no
longer incurring danger or able to take their turn. Note, there is no retreating from the turbulence vari-
They also suffer station damage. The scene itself does ety of crew scenes.
not end, but continues on until victory or when all
voidnauts are incapacitated or killed.

If the crew ends up winning the battle, incapacitated

voidnauts are immediately resuscitated, but station
damage lingers. If the entire crew becomes incapac-
itated during a crew scene against an enemy fleet,
their fate is left up to the GM. As a reminder, end-
ing a round with more than 10 danger when you’re
doomed is a recipe for death or a similar unrecover-
able state that takes a voidnaut out of the campaign
for good.

At the beginning of a round, after the GM has added

danger to all voidnauts, but before any player selects
their move and rolls any dice, the crew may decide
to retreat from a space battle. However, when doing
so, any voidnaut whose danger is greater than 10
must activate the phoenix protocol, and any voidnaut
who was already doomed for doing so earlier expires
permanently during the retreat.

Retreating results in an escalated scene (i.e., a scene

with a higher danger per round than the space battle
which the voidnauts just fled from), such as a dra-
matic escape (a crew scene of the turbulence variety
fleeing from the vessels they just disengaged from).

Turbulence
During crew scenes of the turbulence variety, defeat
varies depending on what type scene the GM has se-
lected. There is a reference on the turbulence readout
explaining the possible fail states.

If the crew is facing an obstacle course, it works

much like a combat scene or a crew scene battling
against any enemy fleet. A voidnaut ending a round
vulnerable is removed from play (and suffers station Figure 24: Turbulence fail states
damage) while the rest continue with the scene until
they are victorious or the entire crew is incapacitated.

65
66
 evasion
scenes
In this chapter, we focus on evasion scenes specifi- you have to get creative to achieve your goals. Stealth
cally, providing guidance on how to set them up and and subterfuge are they ways to wage asymmetric
run them, how to narrate their events, and how to war on foes you could never confront in a con-
achieve victory and avoid defeat. ventional sense. From stealing plans to sabotaging
technology to setting up rivals to take the fall for
Evasion scenes are structured scenes where the crimes they did not commit, voidnauts who leverage
crew is either trying to carefully infiltrate a location cunning are able to have an enormous impact on
without being detected, trying to reach a destination otherwise superior opposition who fail to run a tight
quickly before they are captured by their pursuers, ship, both figuratively and literally.
or trying to prevent their quarry from escaping. This
scene type is not used to manage scenes of where the That said, not every evasion scene is the result of
crew is operating the frigate. That is the purview of meticulous planning. There are innumerable circum-
crew scenes. stances in the vastness of the Void where running
like hell is the only viable option. In fact, depend-
When a faction or private interest commissions a ing on the situation, voidnauts might consider
frigate, what they are really paying for is the frigate's themselves lucky to be just running, as opposed to
crew: a group of interstellar troubleshooters who clambering outside of a space station in their void-
can not only get to any location in known space, sleeves, making zero-G jumps between moving ships,
but can also leverage their expertise to see a mission rappelling down from a collapsing spire, trekking
through once they arrive. Sometimes this involves through blizzards cold enough to freeze mercury, or
kicking down doors and laying down automatic fire. crawling through muck and gore to escape a sniper
Sometimes this involves making introductions and separating people from their heads.
conducting oneself with the utmost of discretion
and dignity. More often than not, however, void-
nauts must rely on their skills in sneaking, stalking,
and sabotage to get the job done... at least, done in a
manner that avoids preventable complications and
inconvenient body counts.

Whether they are planetside or situated in low gravi-

ty environments like an asteroid, orbital installation,
or space hulk, voidnauts need to be able to physically
traverse the most difficult of terrain, bypass the most
impregnable of security protocols, keep pace with the
most elusive of targets, and be prepared to bug out
the second things get too hot. Members of the crew
who can’t keep up, or worse, slow the crew down, are
potentially a liability.

When you’re only a crew of a half dozen spacers far

away from home, out of your element, and hopelessly
outnumbered, yet still expected to move mountains,

67
 example, we see that the crew's journey will involve
setting the scene getting inside a facility, finding a valuable prototype
once inside, and then leaving the facility with that
prototype in their possession, all without getting
When setting up an evasion scene, the GM first caught.
determines if the scene is an infiltration, escape, or
chase, and fills in the bubble so that the players can Finally, the GM decides what the danger per round
reference the fail state of the scene. Below, we see and danger audible for the scene will be. In the
the GM has selected infiltration, which means that if example below, the GM has opted for 4/0, which is a
even a single voidnaut ends a round vulnerable, the difficult scene, but at least the crew can plan around
scene ends with the crew being detected and likely in the predictability of there being no danger audible.
serious trouble.
The setup is the same for the escape and chase vari-
Next, the GM populates the obstacles and challeng- ants of evasion scenes. The only thing that is different
es the crew will need to navigate through, marking is the fail state as well as the narration of danger and
unused spaces (for extra long scenes) with an X, and move outcomes.
filling in any extra unused contacts on the tracker so
that the players have no questions about how many
contacts they must score to achieve victory. In our

Figure 25: An infilltration with three challenges and 4 danger per round.

68
 ferocious xeno-predators that don’t take kindly to
evasion danger anyone trespassing on their hunting grounds. You
see their massive tracks, but they are nowhere to
be found. Alternatively, consider quietly skulking
During evasion scenes, danger is representative of through the ruins of an abandoned space hulk, where
how likely the voidnauts are to be detected, interdict- the derelict's crew is missing but clearly something
ed, or even evaded by someone fleeing them. In an absolutely terrible happened, judging by the blood
evasion scene, the crew is trying to get to a specific patterns, claw marks, and structural damage. In ei-
location without having things degenerate into a ther case, these stealthy infiltrations can transition to
fire fight (at least before the crew is ready) or a very escalated scenes of fleeing or fighting when the crew
uncomfortable scene of having to explain themselves accidentally stirs what is hiding in the shadows.
to security forces. Infiltration scenes are about avoid-
ing and bypassing security protocols, whether there As the danger piles up, the GM should focus on what
are physical barriers, patrolling guards, surveillance obstacles stand before the crew and their objective,
technology, alarm systems, or more often than not, a and how the environment is shifting against their
collection of all of the above. Escape scenes are about favor. Patrolling guards, unwitting to the situation,
the crew running for their lives. Chase scenes are are walking in their direction. The vicious hoard of
about the crew preventing a mark from getting away xenos or the mob of crazed zealots they are fleeing
from them. from is getting closer and closer. The voidnauts with
the highest danger are the ones getting closest to
Sometimes the danger of an evasion scene will be setting off an alarm system or falling behind in the
very obvious (e.g., being chased by a mob), but foot race.
sometimes it will be mysterious. Take, for instance,
navigating an unsettled biome rife with massive and

69
 evasion moves special rules
During evasion scenes, players may select the Rush, There is no option for retreating an evasion scene.
Sneak, Pace, or Deny move during their turn. Below,
we explain these moves in terms of how to narrate
them, and how they influence the scene’s progress evasion progress
and the crews’ danger.

Rush (Reckless Progress) In evasion scenes, the contact tracker signifies the
When you Rush, you’re moving full-tilt towards your crew’s proximity to their goal. When they have no
destination, powering over or through anything that contacts scored, they are far away from their goal,
stands in your way, discretion be damned. and when they have scored many contacts, their goal
is in sight. If the contacts for a leg of their journey
When you select this move, you score 1 click per hit are all filled in, that means they have bypassed this
rolled, but you also score a bonus 3 clicks at the cost of location, or set of obstacles, or milestone, and are
adding 3 danger to yourself. now working on traversing their way through the
next one. Let’s look at an example:
Sneak (Cautious Progress)
When you Sneak, you’re making slow and steady
progress toward your goal, being very careful not to
hit a snag, trip an alarm, hit a dead end, or face plant
onto the concourse.

When you select this move, you score 1 click per hit
rolled.

Pace (Protect Yourself)

When you Pace, you’re doing just that, pacing your-
self, holding your position until the danger passes, or
keeping pace with the crew to ensure you’re not the
slowest voidnaut running from the xeno-bear.

When you select this move, you reduce your own dan-
ger by 1 per hit.
Figure 26: Challenge examples
Deny (Protect Others) In the example above, we see that the crew is still
When you Deny, you’re doing something to keep making their way through the perimeter security
a crewmate out of harm’s way, either by distracting of the facility they are trying to infiltrate. The nar-
someone or something closing in on them, or notify- rative should focus on the group’s efforts to work
ing them when they are about to step in it. through this obstacle. When they finally score that
4th contact, they’ll close off this leg of their journey
When you select this move, you reduce the danger of 1 and move on to the next. They’ll finally be inside
of your crewmates by 1 point per hit. the facility and sneaking throughout its corridors in
search of the prototype. The narrative pivots to the
navigating the obstacles, hazards, and patrols that are
inside the facility instead of outside of it.

When it comes to narrating how the voidnauts’ ac-

tions are generating progress during evasion scenes,

70
players should focus on telling stories about not only than improving their quarry's chances of getting
evading and bypassing security protocols, but mak- away. A chase ends with either victory or all void-
ing it so others in the crew can follow their lead. For nauts being removed from the scene (after which the
example, a voidnaut who cracks and compromises quarry does in fact get away).
the control panel of a security door doesn’t just make
a path forward for themselves. They also wave the
rest of the crew through, maintaining their lookout
until everyone has gone inside.

In a very similar example, instead of a security

door, the obstacle that’s overcome could be a sentry.
Sometimes evasion scenes feature moments of acute
violence. Perhaps a player who opted for the Rush
move had their voidnaut sneak up on and silently
neutralize a sentry and then wave the rest of the crew
forward. In fact, an escape scene could very well be a
tactical retreat interrupted by sporadic moments of
small arms fire and melee violence to hold back the
oncoming hoard.

While the GM will generally narrate the layout of

the environment the voidnauts are in, players are
empowered to invent details about the environment.
Don't ask the GM what's around the corner; tell the
table what's around the corner.

defeat
Defeat during evasion scenes depends on what vari-
ety of scene the GM has selected. There is a reference
on the evasion readout explaining the possible fail
states.

If the crew is executing an infiltration, the scene will

end abruptly in them being detected the moment any
voidnaut ends a round vulnerable.

If the crew is trying to escape, then any voidnaut that

ends a round vulnerable is cornered or captured, and
removed from the scene much in the same way they’d Figure 27: Evasion fail states
be removed from a combat scene when incapacitat-
ed. The rest of the crew then faces a choice: they can
forge ahead, leaving the laggard to their own fate, or
go back for them, which ends the scene immediately,
potentially resulting in an escalated scene (e.g. “We
can’t let these xenos eat our pilot. Lock and load!”).

If the crew is involved in a chase, any voidnaut that

ends a round vulnerable is removed from the scene.
There’s no immediate consequences for this, other

71
72
 intrigue
scenes
In this chapter, we focus on intriuge scenes specifi- because voidnauts are consummate rabble-rousers so
cally, providing guidance on how to set them up and much as everyone sees them as a means to solve their
run them, how to narrate their events, and how to own problems. They’ll get pulled into the middle
achieve victory and avoid defeat. of slow-burn disputes that suddenly reach a boiling
point because a group of “difference makers” have
Intrigue scenes are structured scenes where the arrived to tip the scales. However, sometimes, that is
voidnauts are trying to achieve some type of sociopo- exactly what they signed up for.
litical objective (e.g., make the deal, forge the truce,
negotiate the surrender, etc.) before some type of As a seemingly independent crew with a frigate and
crisis happens. a cover story that can put them anywhere, voidnauts
are exactly the right tool for stirring up or putting
When you’re running a frigate, half of your job is down insurrections, worker strikes, or political rev-
talking: settling disputes between crewmates, debat- olutions. Sometimes the goal is ultimate victory, but
ing byzantine regulations with port authorities, en- sometimes the job is to just create enough mayhem
couraging space pirates that they’re about tangle with to improve a negotiating position or provoke esca-
the wrong ship, threatening business partners who’ve lated intervention from the nearest dreadnought (if
reneged on their part of the deal, assuring inspectors only to pull it away from a jumpgate). To succeed
that there’s no reason to board the frigate in search of in these endeavors, they’ll have to earn the trust of
contraband, and convincing the locals that you aren’t their co-conspirators, whip the people into a frenzy
actually plants of an evil conspiracy. against whatever faction needs to go down, and po-
tentially be their spokesperson when the opposition
While voidnauts often operate at the behest of pow- is finally forced to the negotiating table.
erful entities, it is fair to say that they might as well
be the independent sovereigns of a country no bigger
that the contours of their frigate. They play by their
own rules, chart their own course, and improvise as
they see fit. Though this autonomy serves them well,
they’ll be wise to make friends, manage their egos,
and tread lightly in order to avoid getting crushed
like ants. After all, it only takes one irritated bureau-
crat to deny your jumpgate clearance, impound your
ship, or register your frigate’s transponder code as
belonging to a wanted terrorist.

Voidnauts are de facto diplomats and ambassadors

whether they like it or not (and they generally don’t).
When a truly serious crew comes to town, many take
notice, especially the powers that be and their oppo-
sition. Voidnauts don’t exactly make social calls, so it
is always assumed that unless they’re managed, they
pose a risk to whatever balance of power exists in
the current ecosystem. This phenomenon is real, not

73
 (for extra long scenes) with an X, and filling in any
setting the scene extra unused contacts on the tracker so that the play-
ers have no questions about how many contacts they
must score to achieve victory.
When setting up an intrigue scene, the GM first
determines if the scene is best played as a captive Finally, the GM decides what the danger per round
audience or a montage, and then fills in the bubble and danger audible for the scene will be. In the ex-
so that the players can reference the fail state of the ample below, the GM has opted for 2/3, an easy scene
scene. Below, we see the GM has selected montage, with some slight unpredictability.
which means that the voidnauts can actually pick and
choose which agendas they'll be working on during The setup is the same for the captive audience vari-
the scene. It also means that when even a single void- ety of intrigue scenes. It would simply use the top
naut ends a round vulnerable, the scene ends, but portion of the tracker instead of the bottom portion,
the consequences are not severe... it is more like the representing all voidnauts working towards a singu-
voidnauts have simply run out of time and are unable lar agenda (and likely in the same room talking to
to achieve everything they wanted to. the same people). Also, the fail state is more severe,
usually leading to an escalated scene where the crew
Next, the GM populates the agendas the crew will be needs to deal with the mess they’ve made.
working on in the tracker, marking unused spaces

Figure 28: A montage scene with 4 discrete agendas, 2 danger per round, and 3 danger audible

74
 When it comes to a montage-type intrigue scene, the
intrigue danger danger is unique based on how the opposition is re-
acting to the voidnauts' meddling. Perhaps the dan-
ger is being caused by spies and enemy sympathizers
During intrigue scenes, danger is representative of observing the voidnauts' actions and reporting back
how likely the voidnauts are to be thwarted in what- to the opposition, or by authorities restricting the
ever agenda they are pursuing, and just as impor- voidnauts' movements (or maybe even executing
tantly, the likelihood that their actions will sour the a warrant for their arrest). Alternatively, maybe
situation so badly that it actually spins out of control, danger is simply a reflection of time: the hourglass is
leading to a crisis. One moment you’re having a draining quickly, and the voidnauts need to choose
cordial chat with the orbital station director, and the their actions wisely and focus on the most important
next, you’re rotting in the brig because your crew- outcomes, knowing they won’t be able to achieve
mate’s veiled threat was insufficiently veiled. everything they want to.

When piling on the danger during a captive audience Unlike other scene types where the consequences of
scene (e.g., a hostage crisis, a court case before the failure are very straightforward or immediate (e.g.,
High Council, an interrogation, etc.), the GM should your ship is disabled), voidnauts caught in these
focus the narrative on how the crew’s audience is scenes must understand that the consequences of
reacting to what is being offered, and how their body failure may have less immediate but longer lasting
language, temperament, and choice of words are sociopolitical consequences that they'll need to live
changing as the frustration begins to mount. They with for the remainder of the campaign. They'll want
aren’t just reacting to the voidnauts, they are reacting to play these scenes just as hard as the more "kinetic"
to what their own side is offering up as counterpoints scene types, because the stakes are often enormous.
and grievances.

75
 intrigue moves special rules
During intrigue scenes, players may select the Con- There is no option for retreating an intrigue scene.
front, Meddle, Gel, or Support move during their
turn. Below, we explain these moves in terms of how During a montage, each agenda requires 4 contacts
to narrate them, and how they influence the scene’s to fulfill. When taking their turns, the players do not
progress and the crews’ danger. have to stick together and pursue the same agenda.
In fact, these scenes work much better when the
Confront (Reckless Progress) players “split the party” and pursue different agen-
When you Confront, you’re dropping all pretenses das, sometimes alone, and other times as small task
and striking at the core of the matter, often by raising forces.
your voice, weaponizing uncomfortable truths (or
straight up lies), and getting into people’s faces. While montages have a softer fail state, it’s important
to keep in mind that these types of scenes usually
When you select this move, you score 1 click per hit lead up to a more conclusive moment in the cam-
rolled, but you also score a bonus 3 clicks at the cost of paign: the final assault, the public accusation of
adding 3 danger to yourself. malfeasance, the mutiny, the declaration of inde-
pendence, and so forth. To wit, the efforts made by
Meddle (Cautious Progress) voidnauts on fulfilling as many agendas as possible
When you Meddle, you’re making gains in your will determine the contours of that more conclusive
agenda subtly, calmly, and without breaking the moment, and in turn, the danger per turn and dan-
fragile surface tension of the political or emotional ger audible of that moment.
situation.
We’re not codifying this into a hard rule, but gen-
When you select this move, you score 1 click per hit erally speaking, when the crew achieves none of
rolled. their many agendas, the conclusive scene should be
difficult. If they achieve all of their many agendas, the
Gel (Protect Yourself) conclusive scene should be easy. If they achieve only
When you Gel, you’re conducting yourself in a way some of their many agendas, the conclusive scene
that minimizes the amount of attention you’re get- should be middle-of-the-road challenging.
ting, or taking actions to mitigate any wrath that is
being directed at you.

When you select this move, you reduce your own dan-
ger by 1 per hit.

Support (Protect Others)

When you Support, you’re ensuring that one of your
crewmates is not being overcome with emotion,
overplaying their hand, being played by the opposi-
tion, or accidentally poking holes in their own alibi.

When you select this move, you reduce the danger of 1

of your crewmates by 1 point per hit.

76
 outright what outcome or reaction they are hoping
intrigue progress to achieve, and then help them role-play it out to get
there, if that’s what feels best. For example, if you
take the same situation of a player making prog-
In intrigue scenes, the contact tracker signifies the ress with the Confront move, the GM could ask the
crew’s progress towards fulfilling their agenda. When player directly, “How do you want this interaction
they have no contacts scored, they have a long ways to look?” To which, the player might say, “I want
to go, figuratively speaking. If the contacts for an this merchant to wet himself and do exactly what I
agenda are all filled in, that means the crew has ful- tell him to.” The GM and the player could then work
filled their agenda and the gears are now in motion. together to role-play a quick interaction between
Let’s take a look at an example: voidnaut and NPC, driving towards that outcome in
a dramatic fashion.

Fundamentally, progress in intrigue scenes can be

summarized as changing minds, which may manifest
as gaining alignment, garnering obedience, assuaging
scrutiny or contempt, getting new allies, or settling
disputes. When a player scores a contact during an
intrigue scene, they should focus their narrative on
how their actions either changed minds, or at least
planted the seed, making someone more likely to
Figure 29: Agenda examples change their mind with continued effort.

As is the case with all other scene types, intrigue

In the example above, we see that the crew has run scenes can certainly incorporate dramatic moments
a successful defense of the picket line. They turned of violence, stealthy espionage, and tactical ma-
away the scabs, drilled the picketers on how to pro- neuvering, especially in the case of a montage. For
tect themselves from tear gas and non-lethal sonic example, it’s certainly possible for one of the crew’s
weaponry, and by virtue of being armed to the teeth many agendas to be something like “rough up the
and ready to rock, dissuaded security forces from local gang,” or “set fire to the ammunition depot,”
escalating to higher-force options. At the same time, or “discreetly hack the rival frigate’s systems while
they’ve made no progress on finding key allies at the skipper parleys.” These agendas can all serve to
this mining settlement, specifically the dock workers improve the crew’s negotiating position, neutralize
who could create all kinds of chaos conducive to the distractions, and create leverage. Even in a captive
strikers' ultimate goals. audience scene, it’s perfectly reasonable for a scuffle
to break out or for someone to use sleight of hand to
It may not be immediately intuitive for players how plant some damning evidence.
to narrate their moves during an intrigue scene that
is essentially dialogue-based. When their rolls are
successful, the players own the narrative, but may not
know how the GM would want the opposition to act
in response. There are two ways to navigate this. The
first is to simply just empower the players to narrate
the reactions of NPCs, the same way they would nar-
rate how threats in a combat scene or space battle re-
act when they’re being owned. For instance, a player
who opts for the Confront move and does well could
talk about how the person their voidnaut is yelling at
absolutely buckles and acquiesces to their demands.

The second way to navigate the outcomes of di-

alogue-based scenes is for the GM to ask players

77
 defeat
During intrigue scenes, if any voidnaut ends a round
vulnerable, the scene immediately ends. The nature
of this moment depends on if the scene is of the
montage or captive audience variety. There is a refer-
ence on the intrigue readout explaining the possible
fail states.

In the case of a captive audience, this usually results

in bad news in the form of an escalated scene (e.g.
the terrorist has begun executing hostages, the crew
is about to be arrested by the authorities, war has
been declared, etc.). The crew will have to deal with
the fallout of that failure, potentially immediately, or
potentially very soon.

In the case of a montage, defeat should be more

interpreted as “times up, pack it in.” Either the crew
has literally run out of time before the next phase of
the campaign begins, or they’ve hit some kind of wall
where forward progress is potentially counterpro-
ductive or simply too dangerous to press.

As a reminder, any voidnaut ending a round at

11+ danger when they are already doomed will be
removed from the campaign, typically due to death,
dismemberment, or imprisonment. This also applies
to intrigue scenes, including montage scenes.

Figure 30: Intrigue fail states

78
 strategic montage
The best part of montages is that they are a vessel
to run “mini-campaigns.” Instead of dealing with a
larger problem set by putting the voidnauts through
a gauntlet of separate combat, evasion, and captive
audience intrigue scenes, a single montage could
potentially fit the bill. In fact, the GM could even
decide that the many agendas of such a scene are
actually sequentially ordered from left to right, where
one agenda has to be fulfilled completely before the
next may be started in earnest. Going further, maybe
instead of “times up,” this modified montage scene
blows up into a crisis upon defeat.

While this can be a powerful storytelling mechanism,

this approach should be used very sparingly, no more
than once or twice per campaign. Otherwise, things
will start breaking down. Let’s discuss why.

Voidnauts great at intrigue will really shine during

montages, not just as people skilled in communica-
tion, but also as strategic planners, political leaders,
cunning spies, and psychological warfare experts.
However, the rest of the crew won’t get as many
chances to have the spotlight shine on them. The
tools and talents they invested in to be great at other
scene types won’t come into play here, except per-
haps in the narrative. That could lead to some player
frustration or resentment.

Another equally important fact to consider is that

fearsome firefights, epic space battles, and moments
of dramatic adventure absolutely deserve their own
scenes. Combat, crew, and evasion scenes should all
be high-impact scenes with a laser focus, immers-
ing the players in the game’s fiction and forcing the
voidnauts to navigate life-or-death situations... not
be reduced to a “side-quest” on an intrigue scene
tracker.

So long as the GM understands and considers these

constraints, they are encouraged to experiment with
the possibilities.

79
80
 Leveling
UP
In this chapter, we discuss how voidnauts get better spot for a Voidnauts campaign is between 8 and 12
at what they do and become more powerful over sessions, voidnauts who survive the journey stand to
time. Successful voidnauts accrue more resources, accrue anywhere from 16 to 48 XP total per cam-
build up their reputation, and gain allies who sup- paign.
port their work or cause. As they survive more har-
rowing experiences together, they start to work more
cohesively as a team. In short, voidnauts level up.

During the course of a campaign, voidnauts level up

in the following ways:

Increased move ranks

Increased potential ranks
New talents
New tools
Increased sentiment ranks
Ship upgrades
Figure 31: XP Earned and Spent
Some of these elements improve simply by playing
and completing scenes. Some of them are rewarded On the voidnaut dossier, there is a tracker to capture
to the crew when they complete important mile- how much XP your voidnaut has earned in total, and
stones in the fiction. This chapter discusses when and how much they have spent.
how all of these advances work.

xp spent
gaining xp
Players may increase the rank of one of their void-
During the course of a campaign, voidnauts earn naut’s moves by spending a number of XP equal to
XP, which is shorthand for experience points. XP is the value of the new rank their move is acquiring. If
earned and accrued (e.g., if you have 3 XP and earn 2 you are increasing a move’s rank from 2 to 3, it costs
XP, you have now accrued a total of 5 XP). 3 XP. You cannot skip ranks; you must work through
them sequentially. If a rank is at 2, you need to
Voidnauts accrue XP at a rate of 1 per structured increase it to 3 before you increase it to 4. When you
scene played, and 1 per ship time or shore leave spend XP to do so, make sure you are marking down
scene played (whether they have a chance to stoke a how much of the XP you have earned has been spent
relationship or not). The GM is also encouraged to on improving your move ranks. Obviously, you can’t
hand out 1 extra XP to everyone if they just had an spend more than what you’ve earned.
outrageously fun and rewarding session, or hit some
kind of major story milestone. This generally results As a reminder, move ranks are capped at 5.
in voidnauts earning between 2-4 XP per session,
though your mileage may vary. Given that the sweet

81
 ary potential to 3 ranks, and have likely maxed out
xp earned a number of their favorite moves. They’ve become a
living legends, and as was suggested in the Welcome
Aboard chapter, it’s probably time to retire these
In addition to spending XP to improve the ranks of characters upon the completion of a campaign.
their voidnaut's moves, players gain additional bene-
fits for their voidnauts based on the total number of Note: since titles count as 2 talents, players wishing
XP they have earned. Players don’t spent XP to gain to acquire a title for their voidnaut will have to "save"
these benefits, they simply earn them when their XP one of their new talents and instead wait for the next
earned reaches certain hallmarks. new talent bump to acquire the title.

Forward, we list all of these passive benefits and how

many XP must be earned to get them. new toys
5 XP | Gain 1 new talent. Increase 1 of
Voidnauts periodically get rewarded for a job well
your sentiment ranks by 1 point.
done. While Voidnauts is a cinematic game that
handles things like equipment and currency in a very
10 XP | Increase 1 of your sentiment “handwavey” sort of way, we recognize that scoring
ranks by 1 point. some phat loot is a hallmark of fun genre gaming. In
that regard, we recommend that the GM try to find a
15 XP | Gain 1 new talent. Increase 1 of narrative excuse to reward every individual voidnaut
your sentiment ranks by 1 point. In- one new tool every 2 to 3 sessions, and reward the
crease your primary potential rank by 1. crew one ship upgrade every 3 to 4 sessions.

20 XP | Increase 1 of your sentiment Note: since ordnance counts as 2 tools, players wish-
ranks by 1 point. Increase your second- ing to acquire ordnance for their voidnaut will have
to "save" one of their new tools and instead wait for
ary potential rank by 1.
the next new tool reward to acquire ordnance.
25 XP | Gain 1 new talent. Increase 1 of
On Looting
your sentiment ranks by 1 point. Gamers will be gamers. They are going to encounter
an adversary who has a piece of gear they absolutely
30 XP | Increase 1 of your sentiment must get their hands on, and will do so once they are
ranks by 1 point. Increase your primary able to pry it from that adversary’s cold dead hands.
potential rank by 1.
The GM should allow this, in the fiction. That means
35 XP | Gain 1 new talent. Increase 1 of firing up that gyro-assisted smartgun or donning
your sentiment ranks by 1 point. that cool thermoptic camouflage poncho immedi-
ately, but not gaining the game-mechanical benefits
of these objects (i.e., you don't get to benefit from a
40 XP | Increase 1 of your sentiment
break or a piece of ordnance's special rules). Players
ranks by 1 point. Increase your second-
may only start benefiting from that tool in game-me-
ary potential rank by 1. chanical terms once they’ve acquired a new tool (or
new tools, in the case of ordnance).
Beyond 40 XP, a voidnaut stops earning passive ben-
efits but may continue to spend their XP on improv- This can often be narratively explained by situations
ing their move ranks. However, if we look at how a where a looted tool needs special parts to be re-
voidnaut has evolved by the time they reach 40 XP, paired, or its ammunition must be found/manufac-
it’s a pretty profound change overall. By that time, tured, or its security protocols must be bypassed to
they’ve gained 4 new talents, increased their senti- unlock its full potential.
ment ranks by a total of 8 points, maxed out their
primary potential to 5 ranks, increased their second-

82
 enhanced shield systems capable of absorbing harder
ship upgrades hits. During crew scenes of any type, when the aegis
selects the Maintain move, all members of the crew
(including the aegis) have their danger reduced by 1,
Ship upgrades are permanent improvements to whether or not the aegis' roll is successful.
the crew’s frigate. They cover the gamut of things
that make a frigate more capable, ranging from Experimental Engineering
devastating payloads, to more resilient defenses, to Dramatic architectural and engineering changes to a
engineering changes that make the vessel faster and frigate’s reactor core, power distribution network, or
more flexible. Forward, we describe categories of environmental systems permit the frigate’s internals
ship improvements, because as far as the narrative is to adapt more quickly to evolving situations. Exam-
concerned, there are simply too many options avail- ples include a bio-mechanical fuselage, an experi-
able. For each entry, we describe what each category mental reactor core, or a swarm of interior helper
of ship upgrades does, as well as a handful of exam- drones dramatically expanding the engineer’s reach.
ples, much like we did during the tool section of the
Assembling the Crew chapter. During crew scenes of any type, the engineer can suffer
stress at the end of each round to reduce a crewmate’s
Astrogational Supremacy danger by 1 for each point of stress suffered. May be
Modifications to a frigate to truly turn it into a used on multiple crewmates, only limited by how much
performance machine, more akin to a space hot- stress the engineer wants to take on, though they can-
rod than a plodding space truck. Examples include not push themselves into exhaustion with this, nor can
aftermarket afterburners, banks of auxiliary retros, they do so once exhausted.
or changes to the fuselage to make the frigate’s profile
sleeker and harder to track or hit. Nerve Center
Enhancements to the coordinator's station that helps
During crew scenes against a fleet, any time the pilot them execute optimal strategems. Examples include a
selects the Focus or Push move and scores at least ship AI or a psionic neural-net linking every crew-
1 contact, they score 1 bonus contact which can be mate together for fast-as-thought coordination.
applied to any threat of the fodder category. During
crew scenes navigating turbulence, if the pilot’s danger During crew scenes, at the beginning of each round,
is at zero when they take their turn, they score 2 bonus the coordinator may declare which voidnaut goes first
clicks when selecting the Focus or Push movies. and last during the round. If the crew abides by this
declaration, those going first and last may add 1 click
Asymmetric Warfare Module to their progress or reduce their danger by 1.
Offensive and defensive technologies that are so rare
or niche, few vessels have effective countermeasures Strategic Payload
or tactics to overcome them. Examples include Weapons platforms that are typically only found on
cloaking technology, weaponized cybercontagions, vessels designed exclusively for military use, put-
or gravitational distortion fields. ting a frigate at the punching weight of a destroyer
(though capable of delivering considerably fewer
During the first round of a crew scenes of any type, volleys on account of storage capacity). Examples in-
the signaleer ignores the scene’s danger per round and clude a rail gun, tactical nukes, or an electromagnetic
robs the GM of the scene’s danger audible, converting pulse cannon.
it instead into either clicks or danger reduction as they
see fit. During crew scenes against a fleet, the gunner can
score contacts on heavies and bosses without the need
Defensive Hardening for using their potential, and score 1 bonus click any
Enhancements to the frigate’s defensive systems or time they select the Push or Focus moves. During crew
hull that make it more resilient to incoming PDC scenes navigating turbulence, if the gunner’s danger is
rounds and payload explosions. Examples include at zero when they take their turn, they score 2 bonus
self-healing ablative hull armor, drone swarms that clicks when selecting the Focus or Push moves.
eat incoming aggression on the ship’s behalf, and

83
84
 running
a frigate
This chapter talks what it takes to run a space frigate, smaller vessels. While all the systems, subsystems,
and by extension, what it takes to run and play in and battle stations of a frigate can be set to operate
a campaign in Voidnauts. Suit up, strap in, and get autonomously, it’s best to have seasoned spacers at
ready to fold some spacetime. the helm when things get hairy. A frigate runs at
optimal efficiency when there is a designated pilot,
First and foremost, congratulations of becoming the gunner, aegis, signaleer, and engineer. This is con-
new owner (or indentured and indebted operator) sidered a “skeleton crew” for a peak-performance
of one of the most advanced voidborne vessels in frigate, made even more effective if there is a skipper
the galaxy: a space frigate. This marvel of engineer- or analyst in the coordinator role.
ing features a nervous system of a million sensors, a
destroyer-class shields system, several dozen retro- The pilot maneuvers the frigate, not only doing
rockets for precision maneuvering, enough comput- mundane tasks like docking and setting coordinates,
ing power to run a global economy, and a burn drive but also keeping the ship out of enemy firing solu-
fed by a fusion reactor core that harnesses almost tions and performing evasive maneuvers to avoid
as much power as a small star. And let’s not forget collisions or exploding payloads. The gunner directs
those four swiveling point defense cannons (PDCs) the ships PDCs, using them to strip away hull armor,
capable of raining hull-piercing carnage on anyone destroy asteroids, or intercept incoming missiles.
or anything that dares to impede your progress, The aegis focuses the frigate’s shield system to absorb
threaten your allies, or collect on that bounty that's PDC volleys or inflict ramming damage on fighters
been placed on your head. and drones doing aggressive flybys. The signalneer
maintains the crew’s situational awareness of what is
As the smallest vessel capable of traversing jump- happening out in the Void, but also hacks enemy sys-
gates, the frigate is the workhorse of intergalactic tems while defending the frigate’s own systems from
commerce, combat, and exploration. Unlike small- similar attacks. The engineer keeps the ship run-
er vessels like starfighters and corvettes, which are ning under duress, even as cascading failures ripple
limited to intrasystem travel at best, the frigate has through the ship and errant PDC rounds pierce the
the drive power and life support systems required hull. Finally, the coordinator uses the frigate’s sensors
to make the weeks-long haul through a jumpgate and their own expertise to strategize an optimal
to reach destinations thousands of light-years away. course of action, anticipate enemy gambits, and lead
Yet, unlike massive freighters or the kilometers-long the crew to victory.
dreadnoughts of space armadas, the frigate is a fast,
maneuverable, and scrappy vessel that can dip into These various battle stations are configurable, but in
and out of atmospheres, blow through blockades, or most frigate builds, all battle stations are found on
perform stunt maneuvers with ease. From a defensive the bridge, clustered around the pilot, save for the
perspective, the frigate has the armor and armament engineer’s battle station, which is situated next to the
to hold its own against a swarm of smaller vessels, ship’s reactor core. Rest assured, the engineer will be
while also being able to produce an offensive output making their way throughout the ship when things
that makes them a serious threat to vessels orders of get dicey, putting out electrical fires, sealing hull
magnitude bigger. The frigate is truly the Swiss Army breaches, and repairing damaged systems.
Knife of starcraft, simultaneously punching above
its weight class while also opening up practical and
strategic possibilities that are simply impossible for

85
 There are times where the pilot of a frigate must
astrogation engage the ship’s burn drive to facilitate evasive ma-
neuvers or speed away from an imminent threat. The
only thing keeping the pilot and everyone else on
There are two primary systems dictating a frigate’s board from suffering g-LOC when this happens is a
flight path: its network of retrorockets, controlling substance called “burn juice.” This powerful pharma-
maneuverability, and its burn drive, controlling ve- ceutical agent allows the human host’s blood, oxygen,
locity. Both are controlled by the pilot. A frigate's ret- and gray matter to be able to withstand profound
rorockets allow the pilot to move the vessel with the g-forces for a short period of time, remaining con-
precision of a scalpel when landing, docking, creep- scious when they should be succumbing to g-LOC.
ing through tight corridors, or turning on a dime When a crewmate straps into their battle station,
when evasive maneuvers are called for. The frigate’s they also connect themselves to an IV of burn juice,
burn drive, meanwhile, allows a frigate to go very, which is injected into their bloodstream any time the
very fast, even outpacing smaller vessels like star- pilot activates the burn drive. It’s an extremely pain-
fighters in a straight race. In fact, a frigate can steadi- ful and disorienting experience, but that’s preferable
ly accelerate to reach speeds so fast that it can travel to being completely unconscious when the ship is
across a solar system in a few weeks. The burn drive being torn to pieces by PDC fire or about to be oblit-
is also what permits the frigate to traverse jumpgates: erated by a nuclear payload.
spacetime-bending shortcuts between points thou-
sands of light-years away from one another.
mobile hq
Traveling super fast through the Void is no problem
for a frigate’s crew; it’s the speeding up and slow-
ing down that’s the problem. The g-forces of a hard The frigate is not just a vehicle. Unlike smaller vessels
turn, sudden stop, or sustained acceleration can like starfighters and corvettes, which are designed
lead to what’s called g-LOC (g-force induced loss for short and task-specific flights, the frigate is a
of consciousness) for everyone on board. However, veritable mobile headquarters and a home away from
when the frigate is moving at speeds of thousands of home. It is full of modular workspace and resources
kilometers per second, as is done when a frigate is to support enduring operations and is full of ameni-
burning across a solar system or traversing a jump- ties to foster a sense of comfort and normalcy, at least
gate, those sudden shifts in trajectory can literally as much as possible, for a crew that may be stuck
crush the crew in their seats or splatter them all over aboard for this vessel for weeks, if not months. Most
the interior of the ship. frigates contain a bridge, a mess hall, a living quar-
ters, an armory, a cargo bay, a brig, a med lab, and an
To survive the acceleration and deceleration of sus- engineering bay. All of these modules are extremely
tained burn across a system or through a jumpgates, cramped and claustrophobic compared to what one
a frigate’s crew needs to spend the first and last thirds might find planetside, but a breath of fresh air for
of these trips hibernating in jump couches - sub- crewmates otherwise joined at the hip in smaller
merged in translucent jelly, unconscious in suspend- vessels.
ed animation, and sustained by life support. There
is a period between the first and last thirds of a hard The bridge is the frigate’s nerve center: a cluster of
burn where the ship is maintaining a steady velocity bucket-seated battle stations brimming with flashing
and the crew can emerge from their jump couches consoles, holographic displays, emergency levers,
and perform their regular ship maintenance duties. and burn juice IVs. This is where the action takes
Even the tiniest of adjustments in trajectory while place, but fortunately, there are scant few situations
traveling at these speeds will instantly kill everyone where the entire crew needs to scramble to their
not in a jump couch, but the fortunate thing about battle stations. Space travel is generally much more
the vastness of space is that it’s almost mathematical- boring than that.
ly impossible to collide with something unless you’re
doing it on purpose. Emphasis: almost. The mess hall is a commons area complete with
kitchenette, a dining table, and a bar. This is where
the crew has meetings, eats meals together, or kicks

86
back with a game of cards and maybe a few drinks of
a choice vintage they picked up at the last planet or gravity
orbital station they visited.

The living quarters is a tight corridor of shuttered Gravity isn’t something you can control, but it is
bunks built into the hull with a shared privy and something you can manage and potentially fake.
shower. Each crewmate is assigned a bunk and a When a frigate is voidborne, there is no gravity, at
personal storage locker underneath it. least not in the sense that a human can detect. Any-
thing or anyone on board not strapped down is float-
The armory, generally located exactly where the ing around aimlessly. Nearly every inch of a frigate is
frigate’s airlock can be found, is where all the danger- covered with storage shelves, velcro straps, and grips
ous tactical hardware is stored: firearms, vibroblades, to prevent random debris and random crewmates
battle armor, etc. All gear is prominently displayed from being a floating hazard or a nuisance.
and easily grabbed in case of an emergency.
If the crew of a voidborne vessel wants to feel “nor-
The cargo bay is a large three-tiered space full of mal,” they can click together the heels of their void-
cargo containers, rolling treads, robotic cranes, and a sleeve's boots to activate their magnetism, making
large ramp that lowers downward. When the frig- their feet stick firmly to the surface of the frigate’s
ate is planetside or docked in the hangar of a space floors. This allows them to walk or run, in a sense,
station or dreadnought, the cargo bay’s ramp is the emulating the sensation of being planetside. Spacers
primary point of ingress and egress. use this same technology to stick to and clamber
upon the exterior surfaces of space hulks and derelict
The brig is a closet-sized isolation cell with a privy vessels they wish to breach and scrap.
and a sink. It sometimes doubles as a storage closet.
Only vessels and installations that are significantly
The med lab is a sterile room that contains a slab larger than frigates by orders of magnitude can truly
bed surrounded by consoles and robotic actuators emulate the effects of gravity, and only do so via
than can assist in medical diagnosis and surgery. The rapidly spinning structural toruses. Frigates simply
med bay is also where the frigate’s jump couches are aren’t large enough to have these structures, and even
located. massive ships like dreadnoughts can rarely afford to
divert the requisite amounts of real estate and energy
The engineering bay is where the frigate’s fusion to bother with such amenities.
reactor is located. It doubles as a workshop featuring
fabrication units, spare parts storage, and work- The only space on a frigate where gravity truly acts
benches fit with robotic limbs that can assist the like it does planetside is within small centrifuges in
ship’s engineer in certain tasks. the med bay, and this is primarily to negate gravity as
a complicating factor when running experiments.
There are other spaces in a frigate that don’t have the
same prominence as those areas previously men- People who spend significant time in the Void are
tioned but are indispensable, including the tight dramatically weaker than their counterparts who
corridors that connect its various modules, as well as are planetside. This has nothing to do with inherent
crawl spaces, shafts, and closets that provide access to qualities and everything to do with physics. Spacers
the ship’s cabling and industrial control systems (not who spend weeks or months in the Void often have
to mention provide spaces to hide contraband). to spend hours or even days regaining their “land
legs” when they return to the atmosphere of a planet.
Depending on a frigate’s maker and design, any of For this reason, most frigates are fit with numerous
these modular spaces may have different purposes. A resistance training machines in nearly every module,
frigate that’s designed to facilitate scientific research from the bridge to the cargo bay, so that the crew can
and discovery will be very different from a frigate do curls, squats, and similar exercises to avoid letting
that is designed exclusively for space combat suprem- their strength atrophy.
acy.

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 to any spacer who gazes into it for longer than a few
jumpgates minutes. For this reason, most vessels traversing a
jumpgate enforce strict technical controls that shutter
all view ports and sensor displays to prevent the crew
Jumpgates are the technology that allows travel from succumbing to madness and turning on itself.
between solar systems to take several weeks instead A vessel must still leverage its burn drive to acceler-
of several millenniums. They fold space in a way that ate to extreme speeds while traversing a jumpgate,
allows moving objects to bypass the limitations of otherwise a trip that should only take weeks will take
light speed and essentially take “short cuts” between months, years, or even decades. It must also begin
points throughout the universe. Jumpgates exist in deceleration during the last third of its journey to
fixed pairs, where you enter one and come out the prevent a catastrophic collision upon reaching their
other. The first pair of jumpgates was a fortuitous final destination.
discovery of abandoned xenotechnology. Every
jumpgate after that was a replication of the original When a vessel finally comes out the other end of a
discovery and an industrial project centruies in the jumpgate, it will typically be greeted by a welcom-
making, though the time frame to construct, test, ing committee in the form of a blockade: a fleet of
and stabilize new jumpgates has shortened to de- starships and supporting voidborne installations
cades as technology continues to advance. controlled by a port authority ready to interdict
and inspect any interlopers, and obliterate any vessel
When a vessel of any size enters a jumpgate, it begins unwilling to play to by the rules of interstellar com-
a one way trip to a destination hundreds if not thou- merce and control. Indeed, nearly every jumpgate in
sands of light-years away. Instead of being surround- every system has a similar fleet standing fast, though
ed by the bleak darkness of the Void, the interior they vary widely in terms of size, disposition, and
passage of a jumpgate is characterized by an ethereal ownership. Blockades are sometimes accompanied
and mind-bending glow that causes hallucinations by an expertly-placed minefield set up to catch any

88
vessel intending to run the blockade by refusing to Within the confines of an individual star system, it
decelerate on its way out of a jumpgate. generally takes minutes for a message sent on one
planet to arrive on another, making real-time com-
The procedure for entering a jumpgate is fairly munication impossible. As such, these types of com-
straightforward - hail the local port authority and ms manifest as an exchange of short video, audio, or
request permission to jump - but can become terribly data transmissions, where the recipient understands
complicated if the port authority wishes to make it what they are receiving was sent minutes or even
so. Depending on the port authority maintaining a hours ago.
blockade, they may insist on tolls, bribes, compre-
hensive ship scans, or even an in-person inspection Comms between separate star systems are much
of the ship’s interior by bureaucrats accompanied by slower. Even traveling at the speed of light, it would
a squad of space marines. Upon arrival at their des- take a comms transmission hundreds or even thou-
tination, a crew may have to endure a second round sands of years to reach its recipient in another star
of bureaucratic harassment as they exit, particularly system. To get around this constraint, jumpgates are
if the local port authority is controlled by a faction surrounded space buoys called comms relays, or re-
different than the one that permitted entry. If a crew lays for short. When Alice in the Sol system wishes to
is especially unlucky, they'll have to parley with yet send a message to Bob in the Alpha Centauri system,
another port authority when finally approaching the her message gets routed to the nearest relay. The relay
planet or space station that is their final destination. then transforms this message into a beam of light
that it shoots into the jumpgate. When that beam of
Jumpgates are structures with mass, adherent to at light finally comes out the other side of the jumpgate,
least some laws of gravity. They typically have their it is caught by a local relay and then routed to its final
own slow orbit around a system’s star, though some destination. Sometimes a transmission may have to
orbit planets like small moons. Attempting to dam- hit multiple relays and traverse multiple jumpgates to
age or destroy a jumpgate is universally considered a get to its recipient.
crime against humanity and nature, as doing so has
the potential to sever a system from the rest of settled Fortunately, light moves much faster through jump-
space for decades, if not eternity. For this reason, gates than mass does, making the trek in a single
some star systems, especially those that are central day instead of weeks. However, this is still a massive
hubs of space commerce and governance, have mul- delay, akin to mailing a letter to someone. Events
tiple jumpgates, each of them traversing to a different of major galactic importance, such as an invasion,
system. If a jumpgate is destroyed, or simply inac- uprising, or catastrophe, won’t be known about by
cessible to a crew because of their relationship with neighboring systems for potentially days after the
the port authority, chances are good there is another first warning notifications are sent out. Even worse,
way to get to their destination, though it may require ships already en route to the disaster won’t know
multiple jumps through multiple gates to get there. what they’ll be greeted by upon arrival. Since there
are no relays inside of a jumpgate, there’s no way
for transmissions to reach a vessel mid-jump, nor is
comms there a way for a vessel mid-jump to send a transmis-
sion to a recipient on either end of the jumpgate it is
currently traversing. In fact, that’s why the spacer’s
Communication systems, or comms for short, are send-off to any crew making a jump is “enjoy the
ubiquitous, inexpensive, and almost perfectly secure. quiet.”
They transmit their signal at the speed of light, which
is a very important constraint to consider. Comms
used by participants within relative proximity to one
another (e.g., on the same planet, less than a mil-
lion kilometers from each other, etc.) are effectively
instantaneous and real-time. However, if the partic-
ipants are further apart, things start slowing down
considerably.

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 The Consortium
zodiac space The Consortium is a federation of massive inter-
stellar corporations that have pooled their wealth,
influence, and space power in order to protect the
Humanity has transformed the very fabric of the uni-
interests of their member corporations and preserve
verse, not to mention itself, but one thing has always
interstellar commerce at all costs. The Consortium
remained constant in the history of our species: we’re
not only puts profit above all things, but considers
territorial xenophobes who hoard wealth and power,
the desire for profit to be the singular unassailable
and we establish byzantine and often cruel bureau-
moral maxim of the natural order. They see the dys-
cratic structures to avoid the impulse to solve things
function and failings of the other factions as a result
like our primitive ancestors would.
of them refusing to embrace true meritocracy. Their
version of history is not about changes in technology,
In Zodiac Space, the network of a dozen jump-
social movements tapping into the zeitgeist, or the
gate-connected star systems where Voidnauts takes
convergence of billions of individual efforts leading
place, settled space is controlled by four powerful
to the same stream, but rather, is the story of few
factions jockeying for supremacy: the Consortium,
exemplary individuals - visionaries, luminaries, and
the Guilds, the Houses, and the Triumvirate. There
above all, entrepreneurs - charting the course for
are also smaller upstart factions, like the Iridian
humanity to follow. This faction organizes its social
Diaspora, the Joyous Congregation and the Free
structures like a corporation. There are no mayors,
Zodiac Fleet, which threaten the delicate balance
governors, or similar functions in civil society, only
of power. Forward, we summarize each of these
managers and division leads beholden to boards of
factions’ disposition and capabilities in alphabetical
investors. While the Consortium pays lip service to
order.
the billions of workers who toil to generate profit, the
lion’s share of its community building is spent mak-

90
ing sure that the members of its management tier are ate vocational guild, and if there is a union between
well taken care of and fully committed to their con- people of separate vocations, the couple must choose
tractual agreements. The Consortium is dominant which of these extended families they become
in galactic trade because it controls more jumpgates absorbed into fully, and which they will become irre-
than any other faction. It uses this advantage to vocably exiled from.
manipulate the flow of resources, commodities, and
credits to patiently choke rivals into submission. The Houses
The Houses are monarchists who have embraced
The Free Zodiac Fleet techno-feudalism. The patriarchs and matriarchs of
The Free Zodiac Fleet is a small but fearsome space noble families that comprise the Houses are all vas-
armada that has sworn loyalty to the people, not the sals to the Regent, this faction’s ultimate authority,
factions, of Zodiac Space. What that actually means though the individual houses themselves are con-
depends on who you’re talking to. The Consortium stantly maneuvering to increase their own standing
and the Houses have declared it a terrorist organiza- or position one of their own to take the throne.
tion hellbent on bringing instability to the galactic The most powerful families among the Houses are
order. The Guilds and the Triumvirate see it as a tool those that commission and field a dreadnought in
to leverage and exploit in order to achieve their own service to the House fleet. Below the nobility are
goals. The fleet’s flagship is the storied House dread- the clergy, the knighthood, and serfs. To maintain a
nought Revenant, whose admiral refused to stand cohesive society, all commit fully to their place in the
down when a lasting compromise was made to end Great Chain of Being, adopting the anachronisms,
a war between the Houses and the Consortium. The duties, attire, and social mores expected of them.
Revenant and its small escort of corvettes, frigates, Siring heirs is how wealth and power are retained by
and freighters hide in deep space, only coming back families over the generations and political marriage
onto the scopes to run sorties against Consortium remains the key currency of all House politics, often
vessels or flee from other House dreadnoughts doing the work that contracts, treaties, and refer-
looking to neutralize them and recover their stolen endums would do in more modern socioeconomic
dreadnought. The latest and most brazen action of structures. The Houses have the largest space armada
this rogue fleet was coordinating and then participat- by far, and the entire discipline of armada tactics was
ing in a revolution on Antimony Station, a Consor- invented by them. What has prevented them from
tium stronghold, causing this critical trading hub to achieving complete galactic domination is the fact
be handed over entirely to the Guilds. that each dreadnought in the House fleet is ulti-
mately beholden to the individual noble house that
The Guilds commissions it moreso than the regent that ostensi-
The Guilds are a syndicate of interstellar unions that bly commands it.
have come together to protect the interests of work-
ers and tradespeople. It has grown over the centuries The Iridian Diaspora
by inserting itself into trade disputes, advocating In the Gemini system, there once existed the Iridi-
powerfully (and often kinetically) for workers, and um Flotilla, a massive labyrinth of interconnected
then absorbing the sites of these conflicts - ranging starships that was collectively bigger than any space
from mining settlements to shipyards - into their armada that has ever been fielded. It was populat-
protectorate. It is fair to say that the Guilds are in ed mostly by Iridians, a fiercely independent and
stark contrast to the Consortium, and potentially insular people who centuries ago recused themselves
the only major faction that prioritizes the interests from the chaos, scheming, and perpetual violence
of ordinary people, but there is a dark aspect to of Zodiac Space and pilgrimaged to the barren and
their approach. Over the centuries, the Guilds have dangerous Gemini System. Others were welcome to
so internalized their identity as tradespersons and come to Gemini as they saw fit, but any excesses or
guild-members that they have organized themselves overreaching by the great factions would be pun-
into something akin to caste system. If you were ished swiftly and severely (the Iridians perfected
born to a miner, you’ll die a miner. If you were born suicide starship collisions and lightning boarding
to a shipbuilder, you’ll die a shipbuilder. There are actions as a way of deterring vastly superior forces).
enormous social pressures within the Guilds to only However, one year ago a catastrophic event, the cause
partner with or marry people within your immedi- of which is still debated across the galaxy, led to the

91
 near complete obliteration of the flotilla. According trajectory of Zodiac Space at large, from wickedness
to witnesses, nearly every ship in the flotilla simulta- to righteousness. Many powerful people including
neously acquired a firing solution on their tethered luminaries and leaders within the other factions
neighbors and opened fire. Hundreds of thousands of have embraced this faith secretly and it is making the
Iridians died instantly, and survivors fled the result- powers that be very nervous.
ing melee which continued until the Iridium Flotilla
became the largest scrapyard in all of Zodiac Space. The Triumvirate
Iridians now identify as refugees without a home, a The Triumvirate is a self-declared utopia of perfect
culture, or a place in the galaxy. governance, technological superiority, and magnan-
imous stewardship of the galaxy. Anyone who visits
The Joyous Congregation their oceanic capital in the Pisces system might be
The Joyous Congregation is a cult that came out of inclined to agree. While smaller, more insular, and
nowhere and has amassed a large and truly zealous less expansionist than the other factions, the Trium-
following over the two last decades. It recruits via virate punches well above its weight. In addition to
widescale humanitarian efforts that support and care fielding the most advanced starships in Zodiac Space,
for people who have fallen through the numerous all key decision-making for this faction is made by
cracks in galactic society. While their public face is a powerful institution that leverages psychic pre-
extremely polished and tolerant, privately, they are cognition to predict the future, relive the past, and
deeply focused on various forms of mysticism, from far-see across the universe. Indeed, the Triumvirate
“opening one’s Third Eye" to constructing massively is almost preternatural in its maneuvers, seeming to
comprehensive genealogy trees that not only connect know the perfect time to strike or retreat, to stoke the
all of humanity but also trace its origin as a species flames of rebellion or put down rabble-rousers, or
to benevolent alien progenitors waiting for the right to offload galactic stock in anticipation of economic
time to finally show themselves and change the collapse. Since other factions pay close attention to

92
the Triumvirate as a means of anticipating the future, chose or suffered a catastrophic collision and became
the Triumvirate is also heavily invested and skillful space dust. There’s also the possibility that there
in the art of denial and deception, spending obscene might be human civilizations thriving in sectors of
amounts of credits and personnel hours creating the universe unknown to the people of Zodiac Space.
strategic feints designed to throw the other factions The universe is so mindbogglingly massive, the likeli-
off balance. To commit to the ruse fully, no one hood of galactic civilizations bumping into each oth-
except for the Triumvirate's top three leaders actually er is infinitesimally small. For what it’s worth, that is
knows for certain which of the faction’s moves are your invitation to have your campaign take place in a
real or a feint. However, all must commit dutifully to galaxy of your own making, without being in conflict
the directions they are given, lest they be visited by with the Voidnauts official canon.
precognitive commandos charged with neutralizing
dissenters and troublemakers, sometimes before said
dissenters and troublemakers even know they’re
going to be a problem. [T]he universe is so mindbogglingly mas-
sive, the likelihood of galactic civilizations
history bumping into each other is infinitesimally
small. For what it’s worth, that is your in-
vitation to have your campaign take place
Zodiac Space is comprised of a dozen star systems,
each named after a different zodiac sign. Within in a galaxy of your own making, without
those star systems are anywhere from a handful being in conflict with the Voidnauts official
to dozens of celestial bodies, each named after an canon.
element in the Periodic Table. The history of Zodiac
Space begins roughly 10,000 years ago, in the fabled
Sol system, the location of which has been lost to the
ages. On a planet called Earth, the only life-sustain- If historical records are to be believed, the first jump-
ing planet in Sol, humanity was facing an irrevers- gate was discovered in the Aries system, hiding in
ible extinction-level ecological event. While many plain sight at the edge of that system, in a way-point
political factions united in a Herculean effort to turn now known as Rhenium. This jumpgate led to the
the tide, there were a number of independent groups, Libra system, and the discovery and settlement of the
referred to as the Embarkers, who instead chose remainder of Zodiac Space’s star systems followed
to leave Earth in search of a new habitable planet. suit after humanity spent centuries learning how to
Their means of doing so were Arks, massive dread- replicate jumpgate technology for their own purpos-
nought-sized generation ships capable of sustaining es. When a new jumpgate was constructed, it would
the life functions of thousands of passengers in cryo- be attuned to point at a specific star. A generation
genic storage, only unthawing them when the ship’s ship similar to the original ark would be the first to
caretaker AI needed assistance with repairs or other jump and spend the next century constructing the
mission-critical tasks. jumpgate required to make the trip back. In some
cases, the work was complete and new star systems
Since jumpgates were not yet a reality, these ships were connected to the established ones. In other
had to burn across the entire galaxy toward star cases, however, no one has ever made the jump back
systems so distant, there was no way of determin- (though perhaps by choice). There are a handful of
ing if they even contained a terrestrial planet that jumpgates in Zodiac Space, some centuries old at this
could support human life. It is said that the ark that point, that lead to an unknown fate in a star system
finally arrived in the Aries system of Zodiac Space that once showed promise on the deep scopes. Until
had traveled for nearly 6,000 years before arriving at someone comes back through, it must be assumed
its destination. There were other arks, but they had that anyone braving these jumpgates is signing up for
all scattered in different directions and at different a death sentence.
times, and there’s no notion of whether any of them
arrived at their destinations or not. It is possible that There is one part of this history that is somewhat
some are still drifting towards the lucky star they contentious and up for debate. Some contend that

93
 it’s possible the first jumpgate was not an abandoned naming standards, but simply called Crossroads by
piece of xenotechnology discovered by humanity, spacers.
but was actually built by humanity in the first place.
6,000 years floating through space is a very long While it’s easy to deny the story that the first jump-
time, and it’s possible that the first Ark’s caretaker gate was abandoned xenotech, Crossroads is much
AI could have spent much of that time developing more difficult to explain. It is also a place that still
jumpgate technology as a countermeasure to its exists - exactly how it did when it was first discovered
passengers' worst possible nightmare: finally arriving milleniums ago - and which anyone with a star-far-
at their destination only to discover that there was no ing vessel can go examine for themselves. Crossroads
habitable planet to be found. is a barren, irradiated planetoid that shows irrefut-
able evidence of complete and total orbital bombard-
The reason this point of history is contentious is ment. 40% of the Radium’s original mass and atmo-
because it is central to the question of non-human sphere now exist as a floating disc of debris spinning
intelligent life in the galaxy. around a planetoid that was reduced to an oblong
and distorted caricature of its former self.

xenos
We’re not saying definitively that the Void
The word xeno, short for xenobiological life form,
once referred to any newly discovered life form that
is completely bereft of intelligent alien life.
was found beyond the planet that humanity orig- We’re saying that if your crew encounters a
inally came from. The contemporary use of xeno, xeno, they are witnessing something truly
however, is a specific reference to intelligent alien life, extraordinary, the likes of which no one
which, to date, humanity has still yet to encounter.
Millions of new species of flora and fauna have been else in the galaxy has seen. This experience
discovered and cataloged as humanity has colonized could be a turning point in humanity’s his-
the stars, but not a single one of them has demon- tory or portend unimaginable horror.
strated anything akin to human intelligence. A
handful are as clever as early primates, and some are
extremely dangerous, but so far, there has been no
evidence of anything being capable of language, so- There are no structures indicating evidence of any
phisticated tool use, agriculture, or any type cultural type of civilization ever being on Radium, nor are
production, let alone space travel. It may be the case there any traces of anything that could be construed
that humankind really is the most advanced, intelli- as the fossils or remnants of biological life. However,
gent, and dangerous species in the universe. neither asteroid impacts nor surface-side nucle-
ar exchange can explain the grievous wounds all
We’re not saying definitively that the Void is com- over Crossroads, which are not craters, but precise
pletely bereft of intelligent alien life. We’re saying that geometric slashes hundreds of kilometers long and
if your crew encounters a xeno, they are witnessing dozens of kilometers deep. There is no technology
something truly extraordinary, the likes of which known to humankind, even theoretically, that could
no one else in the galaxy has seen. This experience inflict this distinct type of carnage on a planet, nor
could be the a point in humanity’s history or portend any naturally occurring celestial catastrophe that
unimaginable horror. could achieve the unnerving precision of Crossroad’s
scars. The easiest but most discomforting theory,
There are only two key moments in the history of then, is that before humanity arrived in Zodiac
humankind’s expansion through the stars that de- Space, something extremely powerful “harvested”
finitively point to the possibility that, at a minimum, Crossroads on a planetary scale, or determined that
there may have once existed intelligent alien life: the planet was home to something that very much
the first jumpgate, which was just discussed in the needed to be eradicated with the most extreme of
previous section, and a dead planet in the Libra star prejudice, and with belligerence the likes of which
system, designated planet Radium by Zodiac Space current physics cannot explain.

94
 There are very powerful entities in Zodiac Space
beyond the pale literally playing God in secret, sometimes driven
by a twisted megalomania, but more often than not
driven by more mundane impulses like greed or be-
Spacers preoccupied by theoretical xenobiologi- coming famous in their field. From newly discovered
cal threats are better off being wary of their fellow life forms that have been weaponized into the perfect
humans. Between space pirates, criminal syndicates, biological weapon, to horrific medical experiments
and clandestine operators doing the great factions’ turning workers and soldiers into bio-mechanical
dirty work, voidnauts are definitely bound to run monstrosities capable of operating in even the most
afoul of some very bad people. However, few are hostile of environments, to kidnapping, cloning, and
ready for the worst they will encounter in the Void, covertly replacing inconvenient people with more
a vacuum bereft of light, where in the darkness, our pliable replicas without their friends or family know-
inner demons come out to play. ing the wiser, there’s no end to the horror that some
people are willing to inflict on others to achieve their
In the deepest parts of settled space and in the dark- goals.
est bowels of giant facilities towering to the clouds or
orbiting planets, there are things happening that are When the crew encounters horrors beyond the pale,
both inhuman and inhumane. The continual evolu- chances are very good that they are simply coming
tion of humanity, thanks to cybernetic augmentation, face to face with boundless greed, hubris, and cruelty
genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and even made into fruition by very powerful people with a
psionic awakening, was necessary for the species to distorted moral compass.
be able to colonize an absolutely unforgiving uni-
verse. Yet, the pushing of our physical and techno-
logical boundaries created space for some to push
our moral and ethical boundaries just the same.

95
96
 building
a galaxy
In this chapter, we’re going to accomplish two very
important things. First, we’re going to introduce sector map
the sector map of Zodiac Space, and an example of
one of its system maps that zoom in on a particular
star system. Once we've done that, we'll then talk The sector map is a conceptual map that shows a
about how the GM, in partnership with the players, sector's star systems, the jumpgates that connect
may use sector map and system map templates to them, who has the most power in each star system,
start building out a galaxy of their own if they wish and who controls the blockades at each jumpgate
to have their campaign take place somewhere other within each system.
than Zodiac Space.

Figure 32: Sector map of Zodiac Space, including jumpgates, blockades, and power

97
 Figure 34: A contested star system

Each numbered node is represented by a key entry

on either the left or right hand side of the sector map,
organized in clockwise order, similar to the num-
bered nodes in the network. Each of these key entries
tells you who has the real power in this star system,
where the system's jumpgates lead to, and who main-
tains a blockade at those jumpgates.

Figure 33: Jumpgate vectors Let's take a look at one of these entries. In the case of
the star system Scorpio, signified by node 9, we see
In the middle of the sector map is a network com- that power in this system is contested, and looking
prised of 12 nodes, many of which are connected to below that, we have a clue as to why. We see that
each other with vectors. As you probably suspect, control over the system's jumpgates are split between
each numbered node represents a star system, and two factions: the Consortium and the Guilds. The
each vector represents a pair of jumpgates connect- Consortium controls the jumpgates to node 7 (Pi-
ing 2 star systems together. sces, the Triumvirate's capitol system) and node 11
(Virgo, a House system), while the Guilds control the
Without even knowing anything about this sector of jumpgate to node 2 (Cancer, a Consortium system).
space, you can examine the network and see some in-
teresting traffic patterns. You'll notice that some star
systems are connected by 1, 2, or even 3 jumpgates.
Star systems like node 3 have only one way in or out.
You'll also notice that sometimes you'll have to make
a few jumps to get from point A to point B. Take for
instance, a crew wanting to get from node 9 to node
5. The fastest route appears to be jumping to node 7
and then on to node 5. An alternative route of jump-
ing to node 11 and then onto node 5 only requires 2
jumps as well, but the vectors are much longer.
Figure 35: An uncontested star system
While it's not an exact science, it generally takes
1 week to jump through a short vector, 3 weeks to If you examine the Zodiac Space sector map a bit
jump through a long vector, and 2 weeks to jump more, you'll notice a few interesting situations.
through anything in between. Time aside, what route Gemini, for instance, not only has no central pow-
a starship takes often depends on who controls which er, but none of its 3 jumpgates are controlled by a
system, and just as importantly, what blockades they blockade. Anyone can enter or leave this system
would have to deal with as they both enter and exit without being harassed by a blockade, but given what
jumpgates. recently transpired with the Iridium Flotilla, no one
is really in a rush to visit Gemini. At the same time,

98
every jumpgate out of Gemini arrives at a jumpgate
that is very much controlled by a blockade. This is grand strategy
to ensure that whatever mysterious entity destroyed
the Iridium Flotilla does not enter the rest of Zodiac
Space, but also to ensure than no rival faction may Control of Zodiac Space, or any galaxy in Voidnauts,
use Gemini as a back door to invade. is centered on two things: jumpgates and the fleets
that control them. In multiple places throughout Zo-
There are also systems like node 3 (Capricorn, a diac Space, there are two opposing fleets comprised
of dreadnoughts and escort vessels like destroyers,
corvettes, and frigates, and the only thing that stands
between them is a jumpgate. Both fleet holds fast,
daring the other to make the jump. They rarely do.
The clash between space armadas is catastrophic
and exorbinantly expensive even for the winning
side. Few factions, even ones incensed by their
rivals, are eager to possibly sacrifice a dreadnought,
a multi-trillion-credit vessel that took decades to
construct, contains between 500 and 1,000 lives, and
likely has a history longer and more storied than
Figure 36: A free entry system most individuals' entire familial lineages.

House backwater), that does have a factional pow- This explains why the great factions are constant-
er controlling the system, but its jumpgate seems ly engaging in clandestine subterfuge against one
to be uncontrolled. The reason for this is relatively another, behind enemy lines, all in attempts to pull
straightforward if you've done a lot of internation- a fleet away from a holding pattern near a jumpgate.
al travel on trains or planes. The only way to enter If a critical settlement, orbital station, or deep space
Capricorn is via the Libra System, which is also facility within a star system is under attack or in
controlled by the Houses. If the Houses really want duress, armada command must make the difficult
to prevent someone coming or going to Capricorn, choice of diverting some of their fleet to assist or
they'll be interdicted in Libra. After all, despite it counting on someone else to address the problem. In
having the largest armada in Zodiac Space, it can- fact, creating these types of difficult choices is exactly
not afford to have one of its precious dreadnoughts what some voidnaut crews are commissioned to do.
loitering in a backwater system when there are Sometimes a blockade fleet will have no choice but
jumpgate borders with rival factions that need to be to divert vessels, but this puts them in a precarious
bolstered. situation. If an opposing faction comes through that
jumpgate, they may not have the combined forces to
As a matter of fact, all this talk about dreadnought effectively deter the attack.
positioning is an excellent time to pivot to the topic
of the galactic chess match between powerful arma- Though it may seem counterintuitive, a clash be-
das jockeying for control of the sector. tween armadas generally leans in favor of the fleet
making the jump as opposed to the fleet preparing
for them on the other side. It's primarily about prepa-
ration and crew readiness. A fleet making the jump
has set its own schedule. They know exactly when
they are going to arrive on the other side of the jump
and can spend their time relaxing, updating their
wills, saying their farewells, running virtual battle
simulations to get ready, or even taking a nap before
go time to ensure everyone is fresh. The defending
fleet meanwhile, even if they know an opposing fleet
is inbound, doesn't know the exact moment that the
clash will happen. While they may have approximate

99
 timing if their spies gave them advance warning, the scopes. The problem with this approach is that
the jumping fleet is able to either speed up or slow the invading fleet might choose to divert its forces
down their traversal through the jumpgate, forcing to multiple targets across the system, which can be
the defending fleet into a state of constant vigilance. extremely hard to defend against, or it might make
While the attackers will be all hands on deck, shields a hard burn for another jumpgate within the same
up, and weapons free the second they emerge, the system, one with a blockade that is potentially less
defenders will likely be exhausted from 24/7 readi- ready to defend itself in a stand up fight.
ness drilling, shift-changes, and continually working
themselves into a battle frenzy, only for another day Sometimes factions declare a temporary truce, per-
to pass with no sign of the enemy. mitting the fleet of an ostensible rival to enter their
space so that it can turn around through another
At least one major space battle in galactic history jumpgate to strike at a different rival. Without ex-
was over in seconds when a fleet emerged from a tensive spy networks, you'll never really know who is
jumpgate only to careen right into a mine field and inbound until they emerge from the jumpgate.
an obstacle course of abandoned ships placed there
by the defenders. However, this defensive tactic is Despite this galactic standoff, galactic commerce still
now anticipated and easily mitigated by an advance chugs along. Freighters, passenger ships, and com-
party of tactical nukes and unmanned suicide drones mercial vessels, be they independent or working at
that emerge seconds before the attacker fleet does. the behest of a great faction, all enjoy relative free-
Often times, the best strategy for a defending fleet dom of movement throughout Zodiac Space so long
preparing for invasion is to retreat from the jump- as they keep a low profile, pay their tolls or bribes,
gate they are defending, at least a few days of burn aren't caught moving contraband, and don't try to
away, so that they have some time to get ready for the run any blockades.
clash in earnest when the enemy finally appears on

100
 know what is going on in the system and how each
system map location fits into the bigger picture of the system's
politics, economy, and power sharing.

The system map is a conceptual map of the major According to physics, most systems will be com-
celestial bodies within a single star system, along prised of terrestrial planets close to the sun, followed
with where its jumpgates are located. The top portion by a wide asteroid belt, followed by gas giants and
of the system map shows a visual of the star system's other space anomalies. This is generally how things
celestial bodies in relative proximity to the star at its are distributed over the billions of years after a star
center. An X marks where the system's jumpgates are. is born. That being said, the universe is a very big
While the actual distances between any two points place and there are astronomical events that still
on this conceptual map may vary greatly as they ro- cannot be fully explained by science. A notewor-
tate around the star at different velocities, it generally thy example is the Pisces system's trio of colliding
takes a frigate one week of steady burn to move from planets Copper, Lead, and Sodium. Every few years,
A to B, B to C, C to D, etc. one of these small, barren, but mineral resource-rich
planets, all seemingly inseparable from each other,
Below the visualization section, there are entries that smashes into one of their siblings, swapping atmo-
summarize what can be found at each location. These spheric gases and scouring each other's surfaces with
summaries are not meant to be a comprehensive sur- absolute ruin. What would otherwise be exceedingly
vey, but more of a quick indicator to help voidnauts profitable mining operations seize on the planets

Figure 37: A system map of the Scorpio System

101
 when they are distant from each other, extract as
much wealth as they can during the safe seasons, and big bang
then leave months before people can start feeling the
gravitational pressure of the planets closing in on
each other. Now that you understand generally how both sector
maps and system maps work, you're situated to create
We offer the example of the colliding triad specifical- your own sector of space altogether. We even provide
ly because we feel there can be interesting compro- blank sector maps and system maps for you to do so.
mises between "hard" science fiction's constraints of While system maps are very straightforward, making
realistic physics and the space opera genre's gonzo sector maps that are actually conducive to galactic
and often nonsensical interpretation of how phys- strategy and political tension does require following
ics actually work. Even professional physicists and a specific procedure. Forward, we discuss this proce-
astronomers can tolerate the mathematically absurd dure in steps.
in science fiction gaming, so long as there is at least
the veneer of in-setting logic behind what the GM is Pick a number
exposing them to. When rolling your own galaxy, the first thing you
should do after printing the blank sector map tem-
When making decisions about where they will go plate is determine how many star systems you want
and how they will get there, the table will alternate this slice of the galaxy to have. By default, the sector
between the sector map and its component system map supports 12 star systems. We don't recommend
maps. At the end of this book, you'll find a handful going higher than this (nor does the sector map sup-
of Zodiac Space's system maps included, but not all port doing so), but you can certainly dip a little lower
of them. We've endeavored to focus on the systems if you'd like to keep things more straightforward. To
of Zodiac Space that are either flashpoints of galactic do so, simply fill in or cross out a handful of nodes
conflict, or places where the more mysterious and and declare them dead space (or unexplored space).
disturbing elements of the Void are lingering in the
shadows. The rest of the Zodiac Space is yours to Connect the dots
populate until an official sourcebook or a fan-made Pick one of the nodes at random and then draw a
creation fills in the gaps for you. line connecting it to another node. Then, from the
node you just landed on, draw a line to another node.
Continue this process until every single node has
been connected once, making sure that you never hit
the same node twice. You now have a pretty dynam-
ic looking jumpgate network, and by hitting every
single node, you've ensured that there's at least one
jumpgate in every system. The only problem is that
your sector is now essentially a straight line. There's
only one way to get to any system. Let's fix that.

Make it messy
It's time to make more jumpgates. You should add,
at an absolute minimum, 3 more lines to your
network, but feel free to add a few more. Just don't
go overboard, or you'll end up with a sector where
every system is connected to every other system.
Trust us, you don't want. It's boring. What you want
is clusters, shortcuts, and a couple relatively isolated
systems to keep things interesting. Another hard
limit is to ensure that no single node has more than
3 lines connecting to it. This limit is in place for
two reasons. First, the sector map template doesn't
support more than 3 jumpgates. Yeah, it's not the

102
 Figure 38: A new sector after the "connect the dots" phase

greatest excuse, but it's what we got. Secondly, a star Determine naming conventions
system with more than three jumpgates effectively For Zodiac Space, we chose signs of the Zodiac con-
becomes Grand Central Station. While it may sound vention for star systems because it was easy for us,
cool to have an "All Roads Lead to Rome" Galactic but also because Battlestar Galactica did something
Imperium at the center of a sector, in practice, it's not like that and we thought it was cool. You can do the
that fun and it breaks the internal logic of this game's same, or choose an entirely different naming conven-
space travel. It is impossible to defend, making grand tion that better vibes with the galaxy you are trying
strategy silly, and would be the singular shortcut to to create. We find that the Latin names or scientific
everywhere. genus names of things are sufficiently sci-fi-sound-
ing. Consider the genera of viruses: Alpha, Noro,
Populate the key Corona, Influenza, Suipox, Rota, Thogoto, Sapo, etc.
Now that you have your galactic jumpgate network Unless you're an epidemiologist, all of those sound
in order, it's time write down each jumpgate con- like planets in a space opera series.
nection in every key. This takes a few minutes and
it's not exactly fun, but just keep in mind that you're As you settle on what to name your galaxy's star sys-
doing yeoman's work for your gamer friends. tems, you also need to keep in the back of your mind
a naming convention for all the planets and celestial
bodies within those systems. For Zodiac Space, we
chose the Periodic Table of the Elements because

103
 Figure 39: A new sector after the "make it messy" and "determine naming conventions" phases

we are outrageously lazy, but we also found that our However, don't feel like you are confined to any
players and playtesters instantly grokked the vibe we naming convention you land on. In the Running a
were laying down and never asked any questions. Frigate chapter, we introduced the planet Radium,
You'll very likely encounter the same buy-in regard- which is better known across the Zodiac Space as
less of what you go with. Crossroads, a name that is ominous in and of itself,
but also a reference to Operation Crossroads, which
If you want to be even lazier than we were, you can was a nuclear weapons testing program.
just give the planets and celestial bodies in each sys-
tem a number (e.g., Corona 1, Corona 2, Corona 3, Define the factions
etc.), but that's not very fun. Alternatively, you could The factions of Zodiac Space were the byproduct of
think of another layer of naming convention that has a productive "Session 0" of Voidnauts, where all the
nothing to do with the one you used for naming star players introduced their characters and told their
systems. Some examples might include every dog backstories. One player described their voidnaut as a
breed you can think of, or the name of every char- corporate spy and troubleshooter for an interstellar
acter in Les Miserables. If you're grimacing at those conglomerate of mega-corporations called the Con-
ideas, that means you might be overthinking it. Not sortium, and voilà, Zodiac Space suddenly had a hy-
only will your players be very forgiving, but they per-capitalist faction controlling a massive swath of
will likely appreciate the internal consistency of the the interstellar tradelanes. Another player described
naming convention you settle on and think you are a their voidnaut as being a member of a syndicalist
genius. Let's burn hard for planet Chihuahua! guild of miners, and bam, the Guilds were born. The

104
process continued until all players introduced their The system as a starting point
characters and Zodiac Space, an empty vessel, was By this point, you've built out an entire sector of
suddenly jam-packed with interesting factions. None space, including star systems, jumpgates, factions
of the factions were particularly new for the space that control systems, and which jumpgates said fac-
opera genre or mold-breaking by any means. That tions control with blockades. That being said, every
wasn't the point. In fact, their level of familiarity is campaign needs to start somewhere - specifically
exactly what made them successful for the table over within a specific star system where you think there
several sequential campaigns. is some immediate drama that demands voidnaut
intervention. Reviewing our example sector which
While GMs are certainly empowered to create their we are now officially calling Endemic Space, we're
own interstellar viper pit of feuding factions, we ex- looking for a system that has some interesting con-
perienced firsthand how players encouraged to build flict built in. The Noro System is a dead ringer. It ap-
their voidnaut backstories without canonical con- pears to be contested by the Strangers and the Terran
straints was a veritable fountain of good setting ideas. Confederacy, but Local 451 could always complicate
Regardless of how the important factions of your things from the Amalga system. It is time to build a
new galaxy are generated, once they are established, system map of node 7, with the goal of creating a star
the GM determines what systems they control and system that is both interesting and unique in its own
which jumpgates they blockade. Fill those these de- right, but also represents the reality that at least three
tails on the sector map. factions have a vested interest in what transpires
here.

Figure 40: A completed and named sector map

105
 Below, you'll see our results. We populated the visual who initially commissions our heroes, but once
portion of the system map with the appropriate they get the lay of the land and learn about what the
icons. We then named each of the primary celestial various factions meddling in the Noro system are
bodies and gave them a brief summary. trying to achieve, they may very well decide to throw
their lot in with a faction other than the one who first
The first thing we want to draw our reader's attention pulled them into this quagmire. This is the Voidnauts
to is that we named every planet or celestial body way.
after a character from Les Miserables and it looks and
sounds totally awesome and science-fictiony. We told Congratulations! You've learned how to create your
you so. The next item we wish to draw to your atten- own sector of space from the ground up, complete
tion to is that the asteroid belt between the jumpgate with a handful of defined systems where the action
at Cosette and the scrap yard at Javert is a flashpoint is, and you know how to use the tools we provide
between Local 451 and the Terran Confederacy, and to make it a quick and fun process. You're ready to
that the gas giants are flashpoints between Local 451 rock Zodiac Space with your fellow gamers, or work
and the Strangers. with them to build an entirely new sector a space that
better suits the table's hopes and dreams for space
We officially have a complicated and potentially opera gaming.
violent interstellar mess, the likes of which can only
be solved by a crew of voidnauts ready and willing
to mess things up even further. The GM will decide

Figure 41: A completed and named system map

106
 to infinity
You just concluded a chapter that teaches you how to
make a Voidnauts campaign truly something of your
own design. To both inspire you and excite you about
this game's potential, we're going to ask you a few
questions.

What is stopping you from abandoning Voidnauts'

central theme of being the crew of a space frigate,
and instead playing as a squadron of starfighter pilots
stationed on a dreadnought? When the squadron
isn't flying sorties, they're the dreadnought's pre-
miere away team capable of solving problems no one
else has the skills or the stones to solve. Small chang-
es to the crew scene mechanics are all you'd need to
make this happen.

In the same vein, what is stopping you from having

the frigate crew instead be the members of a mecha
lance, each operating their own 10 meter tall bipedal
war machine dropped into the hotzone from orbit?
When the lance isn't wrecking things on a citywide
scale, they're outside of their mecha as squishy,
vulnerable humans solving problems via negotia-
tion, skulduggery, or the kind of violence that needs
more precision than a mecha could possibly serve
up. Again, the only obstacle is small changes to the
game's crew scene mechanics.

More dramatically, what is stopping you from com-

pletely re-skinning Voidnauts, and instead playing a
fantasy campaign where the crew is running a magi-
tech airship in a Victorian-era riff on Middle Earth?
Aeronauts, if you will. The changes needed to do so
are almost exclusively cosmetic. You could create
new lists of potentials that sound like schools of mag-
ic and martial disciplines, and then do a similar exer-
cise with tools, talents, etc. Instead of jumpgates, you
have reliable trade winds that can get your airship
from one place to another quickly. The pilot becomes
the helm, the gunner becomes the cannoneer, the en-
gineer becomes the boatswain, and so forth. Perhaps
the airships in this setting have much larger crews
(dozens of aeronauts) that are given commands by
each of the player character members of crew.

Make Voidnauts your own.

107
108
 readout
FoRge
This final chapter provides an overview of the sheets If you're interested in re-skinning the sheets to better
used to run Voidnauts and elaborates a bit on each suit a custom setting you're working on, you'll likely
of them, hopefully grounding our reader in many want to use different fonts. A simple web search for
elements of Zodiac Space. "fantasy fonts" for example will provide you with an
overwhelming number of options. Just remember,
The sheets in this chapter are not presented here for most fonts are free for personal use, but if you're
the purposes of printing, nor are these sheets the making a commercial product you intend to sell,
comprehensive collection of what is available to you. you'll need to license them.
For that purpose, everything you need is freely avail-
able for download at our website: LandOfNop.com. Here are a couple of quick tips when using pre-
There you will find print-friendly copies of each sentation software to make sheets. Copy and paste
sheet, online-RPG-platform-friendly images of each (CTRL-C and CTRL-V) are your friends, as is the
sheet, and blank versions of every sheet so that you DEL key to get rid of artifacts you no longer need.
can truly make them your own. You'll also find some Undo (CTRL-X) is also clutch when you make mis-
of the raw files we used to create these resources in takes. One of the easiest ways to ensure that things
the first place. line up properly is to insert a table with columns
and rows. Since the software automatically spaces
We made a peculiar engineering choice when cre- columns and rows out evenly, you'll be able to stretch
ating the Voidnauts sheets: our tool of choice was the table any way you need to and use it as a "ruler"
Microsoft PowerPoint. We chose this tool because of sorts. Want three even columns on your sheet?
we wanted to make the creation of custom Void- Create a table with three columns and stretch it out
nauts sheets as easy and accessible as possible for the to fit the length of the sheet. Want to make sure two
broadest possible audience. That application has a objects are lined up correctly? Use the table as a rul-
considerably larger user base than applications such er. Delete the table when you're done with it.
as Adobe InDesign (which was used to construct this
book) and has a much lower barrier to entry. You'll When your sheets are complete, you'll want to export
be able to use PowerPoint to create artifacts that them as PDFs so you can share them with others
mirror official Voidnauts sheets and potentially make (PDFs preserve your font choices even if someone
versions that are both aesthetically and functionally opening them has not installed said fonts). To make
superior, especially if your intention is to roll your images you can easily upload to online RPG software
own re-skinned version of this game. programs like Roll20, export the individual slides as
.PNGs or .JPGs.
If you wish for your custom sheets to look like official
Voidnauts collateral, leverage these fonts: If you access the raw PowerPoint files used to make
this game's official sheets, you'll probably observe a
Cerulean Nights number of design hacks that are clever but absolutely
Chakra Petch cringey to anyone formally trained in graphic design.
We regret nothing. Have fun with it! We're excited
coalition to see your own clever and cringey hacks, includ-
Dodger ing custom sector maps, system maps, scene sheets,
voidnaut dossiers, and other artifacts.

109
 the Iridians (voidborne nomads), Pisceans (mystics
zodiac space and iconoclasts from the Pisces system), Taureans
(beligerent industrialists from the Taurus system),
and the ever present Houses. The Iridians would
Zodiac Space is the result of one of the many gener- eventually flee to Gemini system while the Taureans
ation ships that fled the ruin of the fabled Sol system coalesced into the Consortium and the Pisceans
several millenniums ago. It is possible that ths sector evolved into the Triumvirate. The Houses, mean-
is the only bastion of humanity left in the entire while, look much like they did since the earliest days
universe, or one of many similar sectors that thrived of Zodiac Space, though the scope and reach of their
following the great exodus from Earth. empire has both grown and contracted considerably
over the millenniums.
It is nearly the end of the fourth millennium since
the Ark arrived in the Aries system. Countless great A balance of power that has been stagnant for several
powers have risen and fallen in the galactic struggle decades now is slowly becoming unstable, thanks not
for what would eventually become the 12 systems only to a handful of upstart factions, but also because
comprising all of settled space. The powers that be in of mysterious circumstances that are playing out in
the current era are the Consortium, the Guilds, the the Gemini system. Something horrifying has arrived
Houses, and the Triumvirate. All of these factions are in this backwater of Zodiac Space, but the great fac-
only a few centuries old, save for the Houses which tions are too busy scheming each others' downfall to
are as old as Zodiac Space, if not older. Prior to the effectively steel themselves for what is coming.
current era, the balance of power was split between

110
 ers to the throne spar with one another in court and
aries system on the battlefield, jockeying for power while their
massive empire collapses under their noses. Not even
Aries is immune from meddling by the Houses' fac-
Aries is the oldest settled system in the Zodiac Space tional rivals. On the planetoid Cobalt, for example,
and the seat of House power. Not far from the star an asteroid base where all of Neon's mineral wealth is
of this system is the planet of Selenium, home of staged and processed for Gallium's construction and
the Palace of the Throne. This ancient and hallowed Selenium's consumption, worker discontent is being
place is situated in the middle of ancient cities and fanned into anger and uprising.
structures of stunning opulence, themselves sur-
rounded by medieval landscapes of infinite squalor. Many opine that the Houses are in a state of freefall,
Not far from Selenium is Gallium, also referred to yet the same has been said for literally thousands of
as "The Moat," the single largest shipyard in all of years and this faction still remains a significant play-
Zodiac Space and where the Houses' peerless fleet of er on the galactic stage. All it would take to turn their
dreadnoughts are manufactured and maintained. fortunes around would be for a single charismatic
tyrant to take the throne, but for everything wrong
House Space is vast, but all eyes are on Aries, where with House Space - and there is much wrong - this
the nobility of the great houses connive and squabble faction has somehow managed to avoid putting bel-
for influence and power. It is often remarked that ligerent strongmen in Zodiac Space's most powerful
the only thing preventing the Houses from complete political position.
domination of Zodiac Space is themselves. Pretend-

111
 were welcome to visit and try to eke out new lives for
gemini system themselves. In fact, conflict in this system was so rare
that the cross-factional Technetium Station was built
to serve as a diplomatic neutral grounds to settle
The Gemini system was the very last star system in galactic disputes peacefully, replacing the role once
Zodiac Space to be settled. Despite it being rich in served by Selenium in the Houses-controlled Aries
valuable gas, mineral deposits, and water, the system system. If any of the great factions ever had designs
is largely uninhabitable save for a thin strip of Bis- to make war within Gemini, the Iridian Flotilla was
muth's equator, which is still as frigid as some of the more than eager to decimate threats to their quiet
coldest poles of other terrestrial planets throughout slice of the galaxy.
the sector.
Everything changed abruptly when the Iridium
Gemini's history in Zodiac Space is unique in that Flotilla mysteriously destroyed itself and Technetium
it has never really been a flashpoint between war- Station imploded before becoming a giant malignant
ring factions. The powers that be were content mass of twisted metal. As Iridian survivors flee from
constructing their own jumpgates to this system for Gemini in terror, the factions that are jumpgate-adja-
the purposes of plundering resources and generally cent to Gemini have had their armadas on high alert.
ignored each other on account of there being plenty
to go around. Even following the Iridian people's
mass exodus to this system, Gemini remained a
desolate frontier system where the hardiest of people

112
 interests that brought them prosperity. Seizing on a
scorpio system moment when an unpopular noble ascended to the
Throne, the sleeping giant awoke, flexed its military
might, and took Scorpio in a matter of weeks. The
The Scorpio System is Zodiac Space's most recent disenfranchised defenders of Scorpio put up little
tinderbox. For centuries, this system was a strong- resistance. House Space flooded the sector with
hold of the Houses and one of the most coveted sys- dreadnoughts in an attempt to take the system back,
tems in the sector. Argon was a cultural gem, Gold but failed to establish a lasting foothold. After a few
was an eternal breadbasket, Titanium was rich in years of devastating and ultimately fruitless conflict,
rare metals, and Strontium was a source of profound the Consortium and the Houses agreed to a truce
wealth on account of manufacturing and distributing where the lesser houses of Argon maintained ostensi-
a lion's share of the sector's burn fuel. All of that is ble control, but are forced to accommodate Consor-
why the Consortium made a successful gambit to tium interests in the system.
take the system by force a decade ago.
Things were slowly returning to normalcy until a
Prior to the successful invasion of Scorpio, the mutinous House admiral and his fleet of sympathiz-
Consortium was seen as a paper tiger. It had grown ers turned the storied dreadnought Revenant against
slowly and steadily over the centuries, peacefully Antimony Station and supported an uprising that
taking over planets and orbital stations by gaining so handed control of the station to the Guilds, plunging
much influence and power that the people of these the system into chaos.
places ceded their autonomy to the mega-corporate

113
 who have breached the hull to board the ship and
opposing forces neutralize its crew.

Infantry drill frequently in small unit tactics, leverag-

Though galactic power is often measured by how ing tactical movement and fire superiority to defeat
many jumpgates a faction controls or how many their opposition and keep their squads alive for the
dreadnoughts they are fielding, this is somewhat next skirmish. Their squads are often supported
conceptual to the billions of people throughout Zo- by at least one heavy in an exo-frame who mans a
diac Space who do not have interest in or the luxury support weapon and is capable of delivering emer-
of leaving whatever planet, orbital installation, or gency combat engineering (e.g., punching through
asteroid base they are situated on. The expression a bulkhead, tipping over a ground vehicle, etc.) that
of power these billions of people do see every day, can solve problems quickly. While strider mechs
however, is the mechanized militaries of occupation like the Goliath are typically reserved for large-scale
forces, outpost constabularies, and the standing terrestrial warfare, it is not unheard of for them to
armies protecting factional interests. secure hangars against boarding parties, or be tasked
with breaching the hulls of dreadnoughts or orbital
This combat sheet is representative of heavily-armed installations.
and armored "uniformed" beligerents, whether they
are guards suppressing worker uprisings, space ma-
rines that escort port authority bureaucrats onto your
frigate for a mandatory inspection, or shock troopers

114
 types of threats, they are up against combatants who
irregular forces fight like irregulars.

Unlike uniformed soldiers who drill and adhere to

Zodiac Space can be a very dangerous place, es- combat doctrine no matter how badly the situation is
pecially in the social cracks that the great factions deteriorating, irregulars are rash and unpredictable.
either ignore or purposefully let fester. For every They often execute maneuvers that are so risky and
member of a uniformed military outfit, there are foolhardy, they are sometimes mistaken by more dis-
dozens of guns for hire, insurrectionists, underworld ciplined forces as acts of sacrifice. Sometimes irreg-
enforcers, ship-jackers, militia members, cult zealots, ular forces get their hands on some serious military
and dangerous spacers with a grudge, all of which are hardware, such as Valkyrie gunships, which are used
more than willing to do harm to anyone threatening extensively by planetside militia who need to be able
to take what's theirs (or unwilling to give up what to drop in and out of conflicts no matter where they
they believe ought to be theirs). break out.

This combat sheet is representative of violent and

capable beligerents who rely more heavily on unre-
lenting aggression (and sometimes exotic potentials)
than any squad tactics or battle discipline. Chances
are good that if the crew is facing off against rival
spacers, assassins, underworld goons, or similar

115
 hard to study a threat that you were forced to render
xenohorrors into ash with extreme prejudice.

There are rumors among the rank-and-file of mili-

While humanity has yet to encounter intelligent tary forces that some space marine units are periodi-
xenobiological life forms, at least officially, it has cally subjected to virtual training simulations against
certainly encountered other forms of xenobiology a xenobiological adversary that is predatory, primi-
that are extraordinarily dangerous, cunning, and tive, and vicious, while also simultaneously capable
malevolent. The details of these encounters, most of of both guerilla and swarming tactics, depending on
which have been "contained" via tactical or orbital the situation. No one has ever fought such creatures
nuclear bombardment, are highly classified under (or at least, has been willing to chance being disap-
the auspices of factional authorities. peared upon going public about it). Yet, the training
simulations continue, readying special forces to face
It is not just the masses that are in the dark. Even an adversary that theoretically doesn't exist.
those who have witnessed, survived, or read the
reports about xenohorrors have scant details to work
with. The circumstances in which humanity has
interacted with these beings has been so violent,
frantic, and prone to irreversible and reactive com-
mand decisions, that there has yet to be a fullsome
or methodical study of these lifeforms. After all, it is

116
 non-existent nightmare do not speak in unison like
necrohorrors the discordant choir of hivemind intelligence, assur-
ing their victims that their brutal death will only be
the beginning of their torment.
Necrohorrors do not exist. They are a delusion of
raving lunatics who have gone insane from being No dreadnoughts, passenger ships, or frontier set-
exposed to too much jump juice or by gazing too tlements have ever been lost to necrohorrors. There
long into the mind-altering spectacle of folding space are no direlect vessels housing the dormant undead,
inside of jumpgates. Seasoned spacers know better nor are there any bitten survivors desperately making
than to heed the words of those manifesting symp- their way to space ports before succumbing to the
toms of jump delerium, especially when those words infection. They are not being foolishly contained and
are screamed into a distress transmission. studied in laboratories as the ultimately biological
weapon.
The dead do not become reanimated and hungry,
and do not spread their affliction to those they bite or You have been watching too many holos. There is
maul. The collective gore and viscera of their victims absolutely nothing to fear.
does not congeal into grotesque amalgams, nor does
it separate in a putrid mitosis. This threat does not
permeate levels of fear and dread so profound that
even hardened soldiers turn their weapons on them-
selves in a panic. The rotting husks that comprise this

117
 superior to ships of similar size, allowing them to
consortrium fleet arrive or flee quickly and seize the initiative. Howev-
er, what truly makes the Constorium fleet so nimble
is all of the logistical mechanicisms that make it
The Consortium prides itself on constructing the possible for fighters to scramble or return to hangar
fastest, sleekest, most maneuverable, and altogether with lightning speed, never easing off the burn. This
most complete vessels in the galaxy. In many regards, means the Consortium is able to both deploy for a
this reputation is well-earned. The megacorpora- brawl or pack up for tactical retreat on a dime while
tions producing these craft incorporate elements of their opposition is still figuring out how to react.
all the signature design principles which make the
other factional fleets unique, but without leaning When facing this fleet, the opposition can expect to
too far along any axis. When private entities seek to tangle with a lightning fast fighter wing that's dif-
purchase starships, most seek out Consortium craft, ficult to shake and eager to exploit mistakes. Swift
whether they are in the market for deep space haul- corvettes circle the periphery of the melee, prevent-
ers, pleasure yachts, or stunt craft. ing vessels seeking to flee the fighters by boxing them
in and preventing their egress. If the quarry does
A truism of space armada strategy is that "starcraft happen to escape this tactical killzone, the Consor-
win battles, logistics win wars." The Consortium's tium's Zephyr class frigate, one of the fastest vessels
armada is remarkable in both its burn speed and its in Zodiac Space, is more than capable of running
capacity to deploy and regroup with stunning veloc- down any other vessel of the same size.
ity. Its frigates and dreadnoughts feature burn drives

118
 be a hard target, whether it is pristine and mustered
guild fleet for conquest, or absolutely battered and limping its
way back to the nearest repair bay. In fact, many
spacers swear that the more damaged a Guild fleet is,
The Ship-Builder's Guild does not make vessels the more dangerous it is.
for individuals; it makes vessels for generations of
owners who consider their starship as integral to To tangle with a Guild fleet is to face unrelenting
their history as their blood ancestry. Indeed, Guild brawlers capable of taking on far more punish-
vessels are built to last, not only enduring centuries ment than they have any right surviving. Both their
of use, but enduring the worst hardships the Void fighters and corvettes, heavily armed and densely
is capable of throwing at them. Where others see a designed, eschew guile and instead force head-on
beaten-down vessel older than Sin, the Guild sees a battles of attrition. This often leans in their favor,
battle-scarred ancient that has earned its longevity especially if the Outrider class frigate, a boxy brute of
and respect. the tradelanes, is present and ready to trade in broad-
sides that only it can walk away from.
On paper, there is nothing special about the fleets
that the Guilds field into battle. They are a hodge-
podge of vessels that could easily be mistaken for
freight barges and passenger ships. Yet, Guild fleets
have a reputation for being extrordinarily rugged and
difficult to kill. A Guild fleet is always presumed to

119
 sion over all else, harkening back to those early days
house fleet where the House vessels did not need to worry about
engaging in sustained battles against adversaries that
could actually fight back. House fleets have histori-
With their baroque stylings and atmo-liminal archi- cally won conflicts in the very first volley, but have
tecture better suited for atmospheric flight than nav- faired poorly against an opposition capable of surviv-
igating the Void, House vessels are peculiar anach- ing the initial onslaught.
ronisms. To board one of these starships is to step
back in time to eras long forgotten to history, before House vessels are remarkably unremarkable in all
humanity explored the stars and when all war was performance measures other than offensive output,
confined to a single terrestrial planet's atmosphere. a category in which they more than compensate. The
That is not to say that these vessels are either spartan anachronistic wings of every fighter and corvette in
or technologically retrograde. Quite the opposite, this fleet, functionally useless in the Void, are bris-
House vessels are typically as ornate and opulent as tling with short range, long range, and special-pur-
the manors occupied by the faction's nobility. pose missile payloads. The Archangel class frigate, an
absurd vessel resembling an ancient flying fortress of
The Houses invented space armada tactics, primarily millenias past, fields a staggering 6 PDCs, ensuring
because no other faction was audacious or organized that anything caught in the firing solution of this
enough to field a ship as massive as a dreadnought lumbering behemoth will be eviscerated.
during the nascent centuries of Zodiac Space. The
trademark of House starcraft engineering is aggres-

120
 scopes altogether. Sometimes they are never seen
triumvirate fleet again, but other times, they've been observed emerg-
ing from waters on the opposite side of the planet
weeks later.
The Triumvirate is the most technologically sophis-
ticated faction in Zodiac Space and nowhere is this During fleet battles, this faction's technological su-
more obvious than in their starcraft engineering. The periority manifests primarily in the realms of digital
vessels coming out of Pisces, an oceanic planet, fea- systems. Not only do enemy systems experience
ture engineering that pushes the boundaries of what's continual feedback and degradation when squaring
possible with metallurgy and bio-mechanical systems up against the Triumvirate, but this fleet's fighters
design. Not only do these ships feel like they live and and corvettes also seem to know exactly what battle
breathe, but they are aqua-liminal, capable of navi- stations are faltering and pivot their tactics to exploit.
gating the depths of oceans found on some terrestrial Voidnauts need to not only worry about what's trans-
planets. In fact, this capability is why no one knows piring in circuitry, but also transpiring in their gray
for certain how large the Triumvirate's fleet truly is. matter. The Nautilus class frigate is many things, but
more than anything else, it is a technological medi-
It is speculated that the reserves of the Triumvirate um to extend the Triumvirate's psionic disciplines
armada are lying dormant deep undersea on Pisces. into the realm of voidborne combat.
When Triumvirate vessels do trespass into planets
where they are not welcome, they have a tendancy
to splash down into the ocean, disappearing from

121
 these unconventional and risky gambits are what
composite fleet it takes for an unorganized, undisciplined group of
spacers to take down conventionally superior forces.

This crew readout is useful in representing an inde- No composite fleet is the same. The tactics they em-
pendent fleet comprised of many types of vessels, the ploy will ultimately be determined by the disposition
likes of which is fielded by space pirates, privateers, of the people at the helm.
mercenaries, insurrectionists, private militaries, and
collectives such as the Iridian Diaspora, the Joyous
Congregation, or the Free Zodiac fleet.

A composite fleet composed of vessels of many

different designs cannot fully leverage the inherent
advantages of its constituent parts. However, what
it does have going for it is flexibility and unpredict-
ability. Tactically, composite fleets often employ
novel and asymmetric tactics that traditional armada
tactics do not have an answer for, including suicide
collisions, using abandoned vessels as mobile cover,
and attempting to establish boarding seals on moving
targets. It all makes for a chaotic space melee, but

122
 We're in for
Some chop
Voidnauts has quite the story behind it. It is actually truly embarrassing and disappointing turning point.
the byproduct of several spectacular failures of mine Though both the model and the photographer were
as a game designer. I wish to share this story not only extremely gracious and assured me we could prob-
because it is deeply personal for me as a creative, but ably work something out, I decided to pull the plug
to commiserate with and encourage fellow creatives on Reclaimer immediately. I had been advertising the
who have faced setbacks and traveled a bumpy road campaign using what were essentially stolen images
in doing what they love. and I was mortified.

The original skeleton of Voidnauts, a short game Over the following two years, every time I would try
called Airlock, was made in a panic after the success- to resurrect Reclaimer, I would be flooded by the bad
ful Kickstarter for SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fas- vibes of a doomed campaign that was also perfectly
cists. Months following that campaign's completion, timed to sync with an extremely difficult part of my
it became clear that the production timelines for personal life and potentially one of the most toxic
promised stretch goal content were not only running and unhinged eras of the role-playing social media
behind, but were doomed. In an effort to deliver scene. I began to hate the project (and game design
something for backers, I quickly drafted Airlock us- at large) and abandoned it, along with the massive
ing SIGMATA's framework and bolting on mechan- treasure trove of art produced for it.
ics for starship battles and crew relationships. While
I loved Airlock, it still had the stigma of being a All this while, however, I had been playing Airlock
sub-par consolation prize for backers, many of whom with my closest gamer chums since 2019. We reg-
were rightfully frustrated and disappointed they were ularly rotated GMs and played several campaigns
not getting the materials they were promised. exploring different aspects and perspectives of the
same galaxy we cobbled together during our original
A couple years later, I began production on a big new Session 0. I was perfectly content with Airlock being
game called Reclaimer, which was a science fiction an obscure artifact and comfort food gaming for me
game about eco-insurrection against mega-corpo- and the crew. Then, in late August of 2023, a new
rations speeding up a planetary extinction event member of the Land Of Nop discord showed up and
in their rush to build massive spaceships to escape started asking questions about how to run Airlock.
Earth's fate. After consulting with numerous eco-ac- I'm fairly certain my enthusiasm for this question
tivists and climate scientists, I was truly excited about was over the top, as I was suddenly flooded by years
the game, so much that I invested heavily in commis- of extremely good vibes playing this game specifi-
sioning and licensing awesome science fiction illus- cally. The Reclaimer directory on my computer was
trations for it. Unfortunately, just as the Kickstarter renamed Voidnauts, and the rest is history.
campaign for that game was gaining momentum,
disaster struck. It turned out that one of the images I fucking love this game. It's my best work, born of
I commissioned for the game was built on a photo- my worst and most public failures. There are times
graph of a model who did not give permission for where you reflect on awful experiences, but then re-
her likeness to be used (nor was the photographer's alize how those experiences led you to where you're
permission sought). Neither I nor the artist who at today. This is one of those moments for me and I
modified the original image did the proper due dili- honestly wouldn't change a single thing.
gence in determining when and how a photo-bashed
image can be used for commercial purposes. It was a -Chad Walker, Winter 2023/2024

123
 index
0-9 Command Presence 22
0- 40 Comms 89
3+ 40 Comms Relays 89
Composite Fleet 122
A Comrade 38
Actors 6 Concept 17, 18
Advocate 27 Confront 76
Aegis 59, 85 Consortium 90
Aggressive Progress 20 Consortium Fleet 118
Aries System 111 Contacts 51
Arks 93 Coordinator 59, 85
Armory 87 Crew Relationships 17, 37
Ascetic 22 Crew Role 17, 18
Assassin 26 Crew Scenes 59
Astrogation 86 Crew Tracker 10, 38
Astrogational Supremacy 83 Crew Tools 32
Asymmetric Warfare Module 83 Crush 39
Augmented 22 Curiosity 39

B D
Backstory 44 Danger 47
Balance 63 Danger Audible 48
Big Game Hunter 34 Danger Per Round 48
Blockade 88 Danger Readout 8, 48
Boatswain 26 Deny 70
Bombs 26 Distracting Token 33
Boss 56, 63 Doomed 49
Botches 12 Dramatic Failure 12
Breaks 31 Dramatic Success 12
Bridge 86
Brig 87 E
Brutal Weaponry 32 Embarkers 93
Emergency Evac 65
C Engineer 59, 85
Callsign 17 Engineering Bay 87
Calming Token 33 Envoy 28
Campaign 6, 15 Escape 71
Captive Audience 78 Evasion Scenes 67
Cargo Bay 87 Evasion Tools 32
Cautious Progress 20 Evolver 22
Characters 6 Exhaustion 22
Chase 71 Experimental Engineering 83
Clicks 50 Extermination Instrument 34
Combat Scenes 53 Exoframe 34
Combat Tools 32

124
F L
Family 39 Living Quarters 87
Flank 56 Lodestar 39
Fleet Scenes 61, 64
Focus 63 M
Fodder 56, 63 Marginal Failure 12
Free Zodiac Fleet 91 Marginal Success 12
Frightening Presence 33 Maintain 63
Maverick 26
G Meddle 76
Game Master 6 Mentalist 23
Gel 76 Mess Hall 86
Gemini 22 Mirage 23
Gemini System 112 Misses 12
g-LOC 9 Mistake 23
Ghost 27 Mnenomic Words 27
GM 6 Mobility Tech 21
Gravity 87 Montage 78, 79
Grudge 39 Moves Matrix 10, 17, 18
Guilds 91 Multitaksing Voidnetics 32
Guild Fleet 119
Gunner 59, 85 N
Narcomancer 23
H Navigation Tech 32
Handler 27 Necorhorrors 117
Hat Trick 40 Nerve Center 83
Heavy 56, 63 Non-Player Characters 6
Hits 12, 13
Hiveminder 22 O
Hot Pursuit 65 O-Negative 40
Houses 91 Obstacle Course 65
House Fleet 120 Oracle 23
Operator 26
I Opportunist 27
Infiltrator 27 Opposing Forces 114
Infiltration 71 Ordnance 34
Influencer 27 Overdrive Voidnetics 32
Invisible Hand 23 Overwatch 26
Intrigue Scenes 73
Intrigue Tools 33 P
Invoking 37, 41 P 40
Iridian Disapora 91 Pace 70
Iridium Flotilla 91 Parasocial 40
Irregulars 115 Passenger 24
Pathfinder 28
J Pawn 39
Joyous Congregation 92 PDC 9
Joyrider 26 Performance Voidnetics 32
Jumpgates 88 Personal Defense Matrix 35
Personal Defense Tech 32
Persuasive Presence 33

125
 Phoenix Protocol 49 Squad Defense Tech 32
Pilot 59, 85 Squad Leader 28
Players 6 Squad Support Weapon 35
Player Characters 6 Station Damage 48, 63
Player Sheets 8 Stealth Tech 32
Point Defense Cannon 8 Storm 56
Port Authority 89 Stress 22
Potentials 10, 21 Strategic Payload 83
Precision Weaponry 32 Structured Scences 8, 47
Prompts 44 Stoking 37, 42
Prompts List 45 Support 76
Protect Others 20 Suppress 56
Protect Yourself 20 Survivor 26
Psychokinetic 24 Symbiote 24
Push 63 Synth 24
System Map 101
R
Recon Tech 33 T
Regroup 56 Tactician 26
Resiliency Voidnetics 32 Talents 10, 17, 25
Retainer 24 Technician 26
Retreat 57, 65 Technomancer 24
Rival 39 Terminator 24
Rush 70 Threats 56, 63
Titles 28
S Titles List 28
Safety Tools 7 Third Eye 24
Scene Readout 8 Tools 10, 17, 30
Scope 50 Trailblazer 27
Scorpio System 113 Triggers 37, 40
Scout 27 Triumvirate 92
Sector Map 97 Triumvirate Fleet 121
Sentiment 10, 37, 38 Turbulence Scenes 60, 64, 65
Sentinel 27
Sessions 6, 14 V
Setting 6 Voidnaut dossier 10
Shadow 27 Vulnerable 9
Sharing Tools 35
Ship Time 41 W
Ship Upgrades 83 Wallflower 27
Shock Trooper 26 Ward 39
Shore Leave 41
Signaleer 59, 85 X
Skipper 28 Xenohorrors 116
Sleeper 24 Xenos 94
Sneak 70 XP 81
Sock Puppet 24
Soldier 26 Z
Solid Failure 12 Zodiac Space 90, 110
Solid Success 12
Space Folder 26
Spacers 16

126
 land of
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PLAY DANGEROUS GAMES

Cryptomancer is a fantasy role-playing game about SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fascists is a game about
cryptography, made for hackers, by hackers. This FM radio-powered cyborgs in 1986 fighting against
game of fantasy espionage features a magical abstrac- a fascist American regime. Informed by the tactics
tion of the internet called the Shardscape, which is and politics of successful and unsuccessful insurrec-
modeled after real life networks. Cryptomancer is un- tions throughout history, SIGMATA gamifies COIN
apologetically a nerd's game, translating concepts like (counter insurgency) theory and the risks of work-
public/private key cryptography, distributed denial ing with allies of convenience. It takes guns, money,
of service attacks, access control, analytic tradecraft, fighters, and popular support to win a revolution,
and data center security in a way that would make and you're not going to like where some of it comes
sense to a denizen of a Tolkien-esque medieval fanta- from. If this game doesn't trouble you in some re-
sy world. Rest assured, this is still an RPG, so there's gard, chances are good that you're playing it wrong,
plenty of killing things and taking their stuff. and that's exactly the point.

Kill all the orcs, hack all the things. This signal kills fascists. Repeat the signal.

127
 Voidnauts is a tabletop role-playing game about the scrap- Lastly, Voidnauts is a lightweight, low preparation, and
py crew of a space frigate getting into and out of trouble in modular game, permitting gamemasters to mix, match,
a galaxy full of danger. Each player’s character takes on a and modify the playsheets they want to use to run their
critical ship role (e.g., pilot, gunner, engineer, etc.), mak- sessions and build out compelling and tension-fueled
ing each of them absolutely essential to the crew’s overall scenes in a matter of seconds (yes, seconds). If your table
success. This game is engineered to be a hybrid of board wants to dive deeper or alter the setting to suit their inter-
game and role-playing game mechanics, where scenes of ests, there are templates and tools to collaboratively build
combat, evasion, intrigue, and starship drama are played in out entire galaxies and star systems in minutes.
a structured format which thrusts players into a narrative
pressure cooker that will require considerable teamwork to With “roll first, then narrate” rules that puts the majority
survive. of storytelling duties in the hands of the players instead of
the gamemaster, Voidnauts is a breeze to run and may just
Voidnauts is also a game about relationships. Between mo- change how you play role-playing games.
ments of acute stress and danger are long stretches of quiet,
nagging boredom as the crew’s frigate makes the weeks- • Designed for 1 gamemaster and 1-6 players
long haul between star systems. These scenes of “ship time” • Uses d6 and d10 dice
gamify crew relationships in a way that not only leads to • Sessions typically last 2-3 hours
organic interpersonal drama between characters, but also • Can be played analog with pencils and paper, but is
provides players with a powerful resource they can tap into optimized for play using online RPG platforms
during the crew’s most harrowing of trials. What happens • Intended for a mature audience
inside the ship’s airlock influences what happens outside of
it, and vice versa.

land of
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128
All playsheets and templates for this
game can be found at LandOfNop.com