#sci-fi role-playing

[legionofmyth]

MUTANT: Year Zero - Ad Astra Campaign Setting

🚀 Launch into the unknown with our overview of the #AdAstra campaign setting for #MutantYearZero by Free League Publishing. 💫 Discover a universe of adventure and survival in the vastness of space. Are you ready to explore the final frontier? 👆 Click to watch now! #TabletopRPG

Mutant: Year Zero – Ad Astra Embark on a journey beyond the stars with our latest video, offering an in-depth overview of the Ad Astra campaign setting for Mutant: Year Zero by Free League Publishing. This captivating guide dives into the unique blend of post-apocalyptic exploration and space adventure that Ad Astra brings to the Mutant: Year Zero universe. From the remnants of Earth to the…

[oldschoolfrp]

I think we can fit one more gun on there (Kevin Long illustration from ad for Robotech the Role-Playing Game and supplements by Palladium Books, in Dragon magazine 135, July 1988)

[kingoflesserminormages]

*juli awakes… her head hurts…. She sits up to see what looks like a full miniature crane. It is lifting up a bed tray with soup on it slowly up.*

[your up. Soup will be there in a moment]

*juli waits patiently as the mice deliver her breakfast in bed.*

“Thank you”

[no worries, metal winged one told us to do this.]

“Who?”

[oh you don’t know? Metal one named AMU has grown wings.]

“What!”

“Yes… a few things has happen since you have been out. You guys can leave now”

[right away ma’am!]

*the mice leave taking there crane with them*

@the-mighty-dalob @goblin-wizard-in-the-making

[chrisairgames]

When in Rome

Right, so I write for Mothership RPG, yeah?

It was basically a professional obligation for me to go see Alien: Romulus on its opening weekend.

Short review: Cool. Though I wish directors would make a new alien horror movie instead of new Alien movies.

Lemme tell ya, I might have designer brain disease, but this movie really is a series of problems for a sci-fi adventure, haha. My favorite thing about this movie was the smart, player-skill level problem solving the characters came up with. I was actually impressed. The film made me want to put my friends through the same ringer, and write up a similar scenario.

So I did.

When in Rome is a 20pg Mothership RPG adventure module with two player handouts, obviously heavily inspired by Alien: Romulus. I started last weekend, and released it yesterday. (What’s wrong with me, right?). That is: writing, playtesting, Mothership 3pp approval, peer review (thanks Josh Domanski, Christian Sorrell, Iko and Allen Hall!), hiring Brandon Yu “Chaoclypse” for the sick art, revising and putting into layout.

So yeah, this module is basically an adaptation of the film, but it does have some very notable (read: legally distinct) differences.

It's free for the next five hours, and I would love to hear what you think, and how your PCs fare on Caesar/Augustus.

Click here to download the module on itch.io. Note that I’m still working on the plaintext file and VTT asset updates. I would love to hear what you think, and how your players’ crews fare on Caesar/Augustus.

Good luck.

[shadefish]

Fire Team Wyrm or "The Worms"

my players team from the Solstice Rain game I am running!

check out these cool links for me <3

[markerslinger]

Hello everybody!

I'm Markerslinger! I'm a Filipino American Illustrator and I illustrate monsters, tabletop rpg stuff, weird diagrams, and things to do about ufos and high strangeness!

Dm me for commissions and if you are interested in adding a little flair of commercial strangeness to your next project!

You can see more here on my site too of my work!

-M

[franciscolemos]

Another android

[gammaknights]

Are you into Gamma World and post-apocalyptic fantasy? Join our Tumblr Community!

[the-martion]

Hello… can some one point us in the direction of a store?

%-they look around nervously, almost as if they are unsure of themselves-%

[fictionadventurer]

*

[games-franco]

Abducted is a solo or co-op story-telling tabletop role-playing game that places players in the shoes of a human character who has been abruptly abducted by an alien race.

Players create both their human character and their alien character, determining their characteristics and motivations, and then utilize a deck of playing cards, with corresponding in-game tables, as prompts to progress the story forward.

As the game unfolds, players journal their experiences in first-person, chronicling their struggles to understand and communicate with their alien captors, their attempts to escape, and the emotional toll of being forcibly removed from their home planet.

With each draw of the deck, players are presented with new challenges and opportunities, and must use their wit, cunning, empathy, or aggression to navigate the alien environment they find themselves in. Abducted is a game that tests players' ability to think creatively, empathize deeply, and write compelling narratives as they craft their own unique stories of survival in a world that is completely foreign to them.

(Co-op rules for 1 human and 1 alien player are included!)

The game is available now for FREE on itch.io:

[judgeitbyitscover]

Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb

Cover art by Jeff Easley

Windwalker / TSR, February 1987

Even before the unscheduled murder of the world's most detestable cult author, Rubicon was destined to go down in fen history as the most outrageous fantasy convention ever. The great chronicler of the fantasy adventures of the noble Viking warrior, Tratyn Runewind, was suddenly no more. Appin dungannon was dead - a bullet through his hear and a spilled bottle of scotch at his side. Who hated him enough to kill him? The answer: Practically everyone.

James Owens Mega, creator of that deathless tome, Bimbos of the Death Sun, dons the roll of Dungeon Master, and solves this uproarious whodunit in the ultimate role-playing game climax.

[oldschoolfrp]

Albedo is the roleplaying game of furries in a crunchy '80s military sci-fi future setting, based on Steve Gallacci's story "Erma Felna: EDF" from his comic Albedo Anthropomorphics (Thoughts & Images, 1988). Gallacci was a technical illustrator for the US Air Force, so you get both "funny animal" comic art and detailed equipment diagrams:

[soulkillerfm]

//. 𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈: 𝐀 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐘.

[ 𝘈 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 9.28.2144 𝘢𝘵 7𝘈𝘔 𝘕𝘚𝘛 ( 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 ). ]

❝ 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝙽𝚎𝚘 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚗𝚜. 𝚆𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝙻𝚊𝚣𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞, 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚗𝚜, 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚞𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚎'𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝟷𝟶𝟶 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚍. ❞

[ INT. NEON DISTRICT, INFERNO CASINO – NIGHT ]

Signs from businesses all over begin to pop up. Flash deals, hot parties, the streets are filled with an air of madness and freedom. For five long weeks residents have been tied to a 7pm curfew. That is five long weeks if you couldn’t afford the special clearance to have the privilege of experiencing what the night has to offer. And what does the night offer on this day of emancipation? For one night only the Inferno Casino invites you to have a seat at the table. All Limbo floor tables will start at the low price of $100 credits a hand, offering drink specials & live performance by pop sensation Synthia Dread.

【 ʀᴇʟᴇᴠᴀɴᴛ ʜᴇᴀᴅʟɪɴᴇs ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴇᴇᴋ 】

Reporter who doubted Lazarus' ties to lock down was found dead in his apartment.

Experts say the price of water is stabilizing.

New York Mayor caught in sex scandal with Host.

Financial Analysts doubt JAXA can deliver on ship promises, stocks for all aerospace industries drop 10 percentage points.

【 ᴘʟᴏᴛ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛs 】

Many businesses will be short on payments owed to gangs due to forced shuttering for the last five weeks.

The God Hand searches for a new body for The Fourth Disciple ( only top government officials would be privy ).

【 ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴀsᴋ 】

We invite you to showcase your outfit for the event! Share a brief description of your look, and let us know if you’ll be arriving with a date. Feel free to add a fun backstory to your ensemble for a bit of extra flair!

We encourage you to explore how your character was impacted by the recent world events, particularly the curfew, within your threads. As you delve into the unfolding plot points, consider how these developments have influenced your character’s actions and decisions, adding depth to their story.

This event will last for the next three weeks, ending on October 18th as we want to give you all ample time to finish your threads. Please explore any avenue with your characters intermingling with others. Leave a like to show you've read the post in its entirety. Don't forget to tag under #soulkiller.event as well as #soulkiller.task and most of all, enjoy yourselves! Happy grand opening!

[chrisairgames]

Outer Rim Marches, #0.1

In January, I started a westmarches campaign for Mothership RPG. This is the first post in a series of play reports and mini-reviews I intend to share of the campaign-in-progress.

Let's call this post "Zero Session #1," in a series of Zero Session posts, where I'll get into the how/why of organizing and running this campaign.

Why? Well, I own a ton of Mothership modules. I've been playing and writing for Mothership RPG for over two years, yet most of my sessions became playtests and that "work-only" connection to the game was burning me out.

So, I decided to build a sandbox campaign around the physical MoSh games I have in hand, and to find folk to play at an open table.

For now, ok, sure, it's more of an open table sandbox for interconnected one-shots than a "true" westmarches game, especially since the game has only one GM (me, but I'm hoping to open that up soon). But Outer Rim Marches sounds cool, eh?

Initial Forward Operating Base (F.O.B.)

The PCs arrived at Sater's Redemption. They work for The Company, who hired them to represent their new presence amid a mess of other factions, and leases a ship, The Orpheus, to the Crew.

(We decided the official corporation name of The Company that owns their ship will be revealed in play. That hasn't happened yet, eight sessions later. I love hanging this important piece of worldbuilding in the balance for when it can have a bigger narrative impact. Not knowing wtf is going to happen is one of my favorite parts of running ttrpgs.)

The Crew's job: explore the Outer Rim to establish footholds in new trading hubs (F.O.B.s), discover novel exploitable resources (artifacts), capture profitable exobiological lifeforms, and spread the influence of The Company.

The above graphic might be familiar to folk who follow my substack, the 5 Million Worlds Rokaner Report. Each month, I release a free sci-fi adventure setting, and this station was the featured world in the April edition. A taste of things to come.

Game Organization

When I set out to recruit players, the first important bit was setting a firm, regular playtime. When people reached out, I sent them the Consent in Gaming fillable PDF to get an idea of collective Lines/Veils. Once I got that back, I sent a google survey to gauge interest in modules and game commitment to split folks into ping-able groups.

The playtime is working out well. We had one three week break, I was out sick one time, and only once did we have not have enough folk to play. Ten sessions out of a possible fifteen since January!

I kinda fucked up the module-interest part of the survey though. I listed module names, and without content tags this was pretty useless for the players (outside the BIG names, like Hull Breach). I intend to redo this survey soon, and I'll share a copy here when I do!

The player commitment bit was super helpful, at least. Since I run games on Discord, I split players into three groups: the Command crew who vote on which job to take, the mainline players are the Crew I ping each week to advertise the game (I make an "Event" in Discord), and and a final Cryo group to call on when games don't fill up right away.

This has worked super well for me, even when I drop the ball on giving the players the Event ping in advance.

The Sector Map

I built this hexmap using Sectors Without Number, which is a sector generator for Stars Without Number. I opted for this against the recommendations of Mothership's Warden's Operation Manual because in a westmarches campaign, from what I've understood, the world is meant to be established once the game begins. I think this is especially important should other GMs and player groups begin playing in this world.

To be blunt, I found using this is kind of annoying. There's a lot of irrelevant SWN info to delete, TONS of systems to hide individually, and it's pretty intensive to integrate module info into the systems.

In short, listen to Sean McCoy's advice in the Warden's Operation Manual if you're starting your own Mothership game and don't fucking do this, haha.

And to be honest, I'm not sold on this even being useful as a sandbox tool intended to be shared with other GMs, even. The verdict is still out. To be continued in another Zero Session post down the line.

ANYWAY! This map looks empty, but that's because it's the player-facing starcharts the Company gave them. PCs need to buy hyperspace route maps at various hubs to explore beyond these bounds. So the star and hyperlane layers hold loads of hidden info.

Feel free to poke around the current state of the sector.

And I do like the shift from a web to hexmap. Little swirls of points get me all crossed up. The Jump-drive distances in Mothership are amenable to using hexes, and tracking distance (i.e. time passed) is straightforward.

ORM Campaign Sneak Peek

Mothership space travel takes a long-ass time, in case you didn't know. To date, we've played nine adventures over ten sessions, and over two years have passed in the campaign world.

The players skipped over a lot of systems to go to Hardlight, which they've recently learned is on the edge of the Public Sector (from Hull Breach). Gonna be some interesting sessions coming up.

The next Outer Rim Marches post will be the official ORM#1, in which the players board the lauded Year of the Rat.

[shadefish]

The SSC Grayling! a homebrew lancer frame for a client from twitter!

links that you can click to support me and my work