Mothership! An RPG Where Humanity Is Just Another Resource

Deep within the inky blackness of space, something stirs. It isn’t a gentle awakening or a hopeful dawn; it’s a primal, unsettling rumble that echoes through the void. Welcome to Mothership, a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) where you won’t be saving princesses or slaying dragons. You’ll be scavenging derelict spaceships for scrap metal, desperately fighting off mutated horrors, and praying you don’t end up as space-squid chow.

Mothership, published by Renegade Game Studios, throws out the rulebook of conventional RPGs. This isn’t a game about heroic quests or epic battles. It’s about gritty survival, desperate improvisation, and the constant threat of a gruesome, untimely demise. Imagine Alien meeting B-movie horror, all mashed up with a healthy dose of old-school sci-fi.

The Setting: A Universe Gone Bad

Mothership throws you into a dystopian future where humanity is on its last legs. Galactic corporations have ravaged the planet, leaving it a scarred wasteland. Desperate to escape their dying home, humans now cling to life in cramped, rusting spaceships, scouring the cosmos for valuable resources and barely clinging to sanity.

But humanity isn’t alone out there. The void harbors unspeakable horrors – mutated creatures warped by radiation and alien parasites. Think Lovecraftian nightmares meets Cronenbergian body horror. These aren’t your typical goblins or orcs; they’re grotesque, writhing abominations that will leave you questioning reality itself.

The Rules: Streamlined Horror

Mothership employs a simple but effective system based on percentile dice (d100).

That’s it. No complex charts, no convoluted formulas. The focus is on narrative tension and unpredictable outcomes. Your decisions matter, but so do the dice. One unlucky roll can send you spiraling into a horrifying abyss.

Character Creation: You’re Expendable

Forget rolling stats for Strength or Charisma. In Mothership, your character’s “career path” dictates their skills and starting gear. Want to be a grizzled space trucker? Go for it! Feeling more like a ruthless corporate mercenary? Step right up! Remember, though: in this unforgiving universe, you’re replaceable.

Each crew member has limited inventory slots, forcing them to prioritize their loadout. Will you bring extra ammo or a medkit? The choice could be the difference between life and becoming a snack for some tentacled abomination.

Themes of Desperation and Survival

Mothership is more than just a horror game; it’s a meditation on humanity’s darkest impulses in the face of extinction. It explores themes of:

• Desperation: Faced with dwindling resources and constant danger, characters are pushed to their limits. Will they band together or succumb to paranoia and greed?
• Survival: Every encounter is a test of wits and willpower. Do you fight or flee? Do you trust your crewmates or betray them for a chance at escape?

The Game Itself: More Than Dice and Paper

Mothership encourages improvisation and creative problem-solving. There are no predetermined “right” answers, and the game master (GM) has plenty of room to inject their own brand of horror.

• Atmosphere: Mothership thrives on atmosphere. The GM can use descriptive language, sound effects, and even lighting to create a genuinely unsettling experience. Imagine flickering emergency lights illuminating grotesque alien carcasses or the muffled groan of bulkhead doors slowly creaking open…

• Roleplaying: Encouraging players to inhabit their characters fully is crucial. How do they react to seeing their crewmate mutate into something inhuman? How do they cope with the psychological strain of constant terror and near-death experiences?

Mothership isn’t for everyone. It’s a game that will challenge you, terrify you, and leave you questioning your sanity. But for those who crave a truly unique and visceral RPG experience, Mothership is an unforgettable journey into the heart of darkness.