Mothership’s box set gives new game masters something to hold on to

All too often, pen and paper role-playing games get lost in the fine print. As the author of a core rulebook, you want to keep it short and sweet, but it can be easy to confuse a careful explanation of a game with unnecessary expansion. The designers of Tuesday Knight Games’ award-winning TTRPG Mothership have successfully resisted this urge.

The definitive form of the science fiction horror game, a starter set of the first editionknows exactly what it is – a dark and gruesome experience for the players and a challenging trial by fire for those directing the story. Regardless of the setting and themes, MothershipThis is probably one of the most helpful game master guides published in years.

Mothership is a mature game that draws inspiration from science fiction classics such as extraterrestrial And Event horizon. In it, players take on the roles of scientists, team members, androids, and marines searching for unexplained phenomena in abandoned space stations and deserted colony worlds. Unlike other game systems, however, provoking violence is rarely the best course of action. That’s because the combat is both brutal and deadly.

How deadly? Well, on each player’s character sheet there is a space that lists the number of game sessions they have survived. The average “high score,” as the developers call it, is four. Since only three to four players are recommended for each session, it’s pretty much guaranteed that every time you sit down at the table, someone will die. That’s incredibly intimidating information for newbie game masters, but fortunately the materials provided are full of good advice.

The Mothership The boxed set is packed with valuable material, including a modest GM screen, some cardboard cutouts, custom dice, a scenario booklet, and a dense starting adventure. But the essence of the experience is the three core rulebooks, namely the Survival Guide for Players, The Shipbreaker’s toolboxand that Director’s Operating Manual. It’s the latter of these books that GMs will cling to during their first few sessions, and not a single one of its 60 pages is wasted in any way. Even the font spacing seems adjusted to fit as much information as possible onto each page.

Inside the Director’s Operating Manualyou’ll find plenty of high-quality graphics, including some clever diagrams that make the game’s systems instantly clear. There are also plenty of tables and diagrams, so you can start and play a random adventure with just a few dice rolls. But it’s all the detailed advice on how to run a game – any pen-and-paper RPG, really – that will keep you coming back for more.

Image: Tuesday Knight Games

Take, for example, the first page of the book, which shows a graphic of what the Game Master’s Notebook should look like before the very first game session. Page by page Operating manual

Do not overprepare, the Operations Manual emphasizes this over and over again, because players will keep surprising you. State the stakes clearly and repeatedly, because actions are meaningless without consequences. And do more than say “Yes, and…” every time players want to try something interesting. Even the written-out examples of actual gameplay contain many great models for what to do at the table. There are even cases where the book shows the GM simply being quiet and letting the players talk – something that’s hard to remember when you’re running a table for the first time.

By far my favorite part of the Operating manual is the long section entitled “Planning for Failure.” Rather than listing all the ways a single session or a long campaign can end in disaster, here are more resources for creating interesting gameplay when things get out of hand, or avoiding disruptions in the first place. GMs will learn to create clearer maps, find better keys, and come up with ideas to meet the different needs and desires of players. It’s the same section of the book that contains clear and well-written advice on table safety. “Resolve disputes as people, not characters” and “Never shield players from the consequences of their actions” are just a few examples of the many pieces of wisdom found within.

Image: Tuesday Knight Games

The price is $59. Mothership Boxset is more than just a collection of practical aphorisms. The included Shipbreaker’s toolbox is the first major expansion and contains everything you need to know to control and fly your own spaceship – including rules for combat and bankruptcy. Unconfirmed contact reportsis an unexpectedly deep bestiary with dozens of hideous creatures that you could easily build an entire campaign around. Taken together, these add-ons read like a victory lap for the developers, who have been working on this game for nearly a decade. While that’s more than first-time players are probably ready for, they’re the cherry on top of an already overflowing package.

Mothership was reviewed using a retail copy purchased by the author from Tuesday Knight Games. Crowdfunding campaignwhich ran on Kickstarter in 2021. Copies are now available online and at local game stores.