The Arathusa Dispatch - Mothership RPG Campaign

Creating your character

I'll host a Session Zero on a Discord channel where we'll have a little introductory chat, we can all share what we enjoy best in a Mothership game, topics to be avoided and those we're comfortable with. We'll then move on character gen (using the standard rules in the Mothership 1E Player's Survival Guide. choose a career path for our new Crew (salvagers, marines, traders etc.) name the ship (very important!) and lastly, I'll ask you all to create a Rumour that we can put on the blank map of the Arathusa Cluster. Then, hopefully we'll have time to start the first adventure.

Preparing for the session

You'll need: * 2d10 * Your fabulous imagination * Nerves of steel (just kidding, the Panic mechanic takes care of that!) * Pen, Paper * A filled in Character Sheet for Mothership 1E RPG * Access to Discord (for our video session) and Owlbear Rodeo (for maps, character tokens)

What Simon of Spellbound Inc brings to the table

I do silly voices to convey different characters, but I certainly don't expect you as a player to do that; just being there and describing what your character is doing is all you need. However, if you like doing a voice, then please, join in! I'm a cinematic and fiction-first type of Warden; I'm much more interested in sparking something in your imaginations and you doing the same with me than wrangling over rules disputes. I'm firmly in the camp of creating a rule on the fly than flicking through pages for the right one. I want our attention to be focused on one thing; collaborating on a shared story that is better for your ideas added to the mix. I create my own home-brewed adventures, leaning on published ones only to fill in a gap or accommodate an unexpected player choice. I enjoy running a sandbox, based on the map(s) of a location. I detail what and who are at the location, so the Crew can approach the scenario from any direction and I'll usually have the answer ready. That being said, I enjoy a curve-ball being thrown at me. It keeps the old improvisational muscle working. Most importantly, the aim is for us all to have fun, contributing to this made-up series of adventures we're embarking on.

Homebrew rules

I have made access to increasing Saves between adventures easier to gain. In the rules as written you need to succeed at a Sanity check to convert an amount of Stress into points you can spend on Saves. I let each player roll against their best Save. There's nothing more disappointing than not being able to turn Stress into better Saves when your character is enjoying some R&R during much-deserved Shore Leave.

How Simon of Spellbound Inc creates a safe table

During Session Zero I'll be taking notes in my Warden's Journal of any hard limits (outside of the ones I already have), so anything too uncomfortable can be avoided. I pride myself on hosting an inclusive space where all are welcome. If any negative situations surface, I will endeavour to resolve the issues privately with whoever is involved in the activity and in a dignified and courteous way will resolve the matter with the best interests of the group as my top priority. For instance, I have a hard line against discussing child abuse, abuse of the dead or abuse or cruelty to animals. In short, we all game for fun, to relax, to step away from the sometimes difficult real-world and spend valuable time in a conversation that just so happens to involve a burgeoning invented world. I personally won't let anything threaten that precious time we choose to spend together in that pursuit.