Mothership, by Sean McCoy, is a sci-fi horror RPG. Taking a curious page from videogame development, the game is in “alpha,” meaning that current print editions are still undergoing tweaks for an eventual definitive edition. Strong thematic cues here from Alien, Event Horizon, Dead Space and the like. If you like those things, you’re going to like Mothership. In fact, if you like those things and want to run something like them, Mothership is the best option available.

The game is class based and uses D10s. Lots of them. The system is a little tricky, tbh, but I think they give the mechanics the range necessary to ratchet up tension appropriate to this sort of horror game. I actually like the fact that I have to stop and really concentrate on the little bit of math – it kind of simulates dealing with complex systems you might find on a ship. The mechanics are essentially familiar, just applied in a way that feels different. You’ll get used to it by the time you’re done reading the 40-page book. And there are flow charts to help. I love a good flow chart.

The real novelty of the system is stress and panic, both of which interrupt the flow of the actions you want to take. Failed rolls get you stress. Too much stress risks panic. Panic results in negative effects. It is pretty elegant and terribly punishing.

There are plenty of other things to love about Mothership. It is printed on very nice paper. The design and art are excellent (I love the character sheet). Skills are organized into novel skill trees. There are rules for making your own ships.  There are also two extremely useful random tables, one for trinkets and one for uniform patches. They’re amazing.

But it all adds up to some question marks. Ever hear someone say “this house has good bones”? That’s what Mothership is like. Good bones. With just the zine, I am not sure how the rest of Mothership fills out. (The answer is coming tomorrow!)