If official IP is important to you, Free League Publishing publishes a well-received Alien RPG.
posted by Lemkin at 5:19 PM on January 21 [1 favorite]

I know about this via the ever-delightful Quinn's Quest and it more than anything else he's covered makes me wish I had a local group who wanted to play TTRPGs with me

the vibes are just perfect.
posted by Kybard at 5:41 PM on January 21 [7 favorites]

the ever-delightful Quinn's Quest

(Just watched. He's hilarious.)
posted by Lemkin at 5:46 PM on January 21 [1 favorite]

Space horror is one of my favorite things. This looks great.
posted by doctornemo at 7:32 PM on January 21 [2 favorites]

I heard the first part of this fpp in Glenn Goins’ voice. Imagine my dismay to find there was neither cool ghoul nor bump transplant forthcoming.

Next time you talk about people who don’t know what the Mothership is, please be prepared to administer funk.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 7:45 PM on January 21 [6 favorites]

I tried really hard to make playing Mothership work for me, but it was singularly the most dire and boring ttrpg experience I’ve had in the past decade.

I think anyone interested should look into Space Hulk instead. The setting is far better suited to the board game medium than ttrpg.
posted by ursus_comiter at 9:08 PM on January 21 [2 favorites]

I've been hearing about this for a long time, and I wish I had someone to play it with. The idea is absolute genius, one of those things that are dead obvious once someone does it.

On the flip side, I'm a little disappointed that most of the scenarios outlined are just different variations on Aliens, even though they swap out the Xenomorphs for mutants or alien hybrids or whatever, there sure seems to be a lot of "isolated facility is overrun with dangerous monsters" scenarios, with or without the added "the evil company has sent a cleanup crew to kill both the monsters and the survivors". I'm curious about that Thousand Empty Light scenario, which seems like it's doing something different, but didn't get a lot of detail in the article.

Also, I think the quick, sketchy art style is really good for figures in suits and situations, but it loses me a little bit when there's a page of guns and they're all just some triangles and lines. That stuff needs the precise technical illustration style we're used to from the Colonial Marines Technical Manual book, etc., with exploded views, arrows pointing to details, component lists, tech specs, etc.

All in all, probably going to watch some videos about this.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 9:17 PM on January 21 [3 favorites]

> I think anyone interested should look into Space Hulk instead. The setting is far better suited to the board game medium than ttrpg.

Or maybe Escape The Dark Sector?
posted by technodelic at 12:55 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I ran a bunch of space horror during lock down using Cthulhu Dark, and I wanted a crunchier system to give the players a bit more to think about. So I’m glad to have it in my toolbox.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:47 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I love Mothership! After running D&D for a few years it was a great, refreshing change to run a more lightweight system (no criticism of D&D, I know a lot of people don't like but I still do). It took a bit of adjusting to go from "everything needs a dice roll and every enemy gets killed" to "make the characters stressed and then get them to run away in a panic". The slimmed-down module info is great as a GM because you have a lot of freedom to set things up how you like (detailed battle maps or basic blue-print style floorplans etc).
Since joining the Quinns Quest Discord I've been able to find some games to play in as well (as opposed to run) and it's been a lot of fun.

I tried really hard to make playing Mothership work for me, but it was singularly the most dire and boring ttrpg experience I’ve had in the past decade.

Really curious what went wrong here - what didn't work for you? MoSh is all about the sci-fi horror vibes so if it turned out boring it sounds like the tension/horror wasn't being ratcheted up fast enough?

On the flip side, I'm a little disappointed that most of the scenarios outlined are just different variations on Aliens,

I think that's partly because that's just the easiest thing to create (monster in empty spaceship) but there's definitely different stuff out there to play. I've run or played modules about a Thing-like doppelganger creature, one about a horrible alien plant, one about a hypnotic colour that turns people to zombies, one about a killer AI controlling a VR game, one with enemies with X-men-like powers... (and yes, one that was like Alien, and one is a direct and open reference to Aliens called Another Bug Hunt which does at least go in a different direction after the start).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:13 AM on January 22 [3 favorites]

I'm a little disappointed that most of the scenarios outlined are just different variations on Aliens

There are a lot of Mothership scenarios that have nothing to do with Aliens. One of the innovations I love about it is the pamphlet adventure -- a one-shot scenario printed on both sides of single sheet of trifold paper. There are scenarios from "Jurassic Park on a space station" to "you're stuck being a space barista" to prospecting for rare mushrooms.

Zine-sized adventures include Desert Moon of Karth, which is a sandbox on a backwater world with multiple factions and threats, and Dying Hard on Hardlight Station, which is based on Die Hard.

As for the game itself. I have been gravitating to rules-light systems in the past few years, and loved the first (0 edition) of the game, and the current first edition is even better. I like the stress mechanic, the "character sheet is a flowchart for creating the character" innovation, and the system's open-endedness.
posted by Gelatin at 5:58 AM on January 22 [3 favorites]

I haven't played Mothership yet, but have played Alien also mentioned above, which is standard good quality Free League conversion. What I absolutely have enjoyed however is a homebrewed game based on elements from both of those systems. It's one of the One Shots that the Critical Role players committed to DMing as part of their 11 million plus earning kickstarter for Legends of Vox Machina.

This is Ashley Johnson's (also voice of Ellie in The Last of Us video franchise) contribution. It's an absolute love story to all your favourite 70-80's scifi films, and in turn from her friends who are playing to her, probably the most reluctant and yet fantastic DM you've seen. It's wonderfully produced and they are all (possibly even her) having so much fun. In space.
posted by Iteki at 6:00 AM on January 22 [3 favorites]

Another well-regarded alternative for Weylan-Yutani inspired fun is HOSTILE, a Traveller-based total conversion (using the Traveller mechanics but completely new setting).

Mothership has certainly been getting the buzz in the past year. SF has always been a tough nut for the RPG hobby. Not a lot of games have really succeeded in sfnal settings, Traveller being the main exception. It would be nice to see another option get legs. I haven't had a chnace to play it yet, but it's on my list.
posted by bonehead at 6:11 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

Speaking of the Alien RPG, Mystery Quest recently did a oneshot using that system: Chariot of the Gods. It was really epic, and they did a great job presenting the secret player goals and PvP elements of the module. Tom's also done Mothership multiple times on the channel, but the Alien oneshot really stood out to me.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 6:57 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I'd also like to give some love to Mothership's initiative system: You make a Speed check (stats are percentile and a success is rolling under your stat). Failing this check, as with any check, causes your Stress to go up by one (and so the system encourages the GM to only call for rolls when it really matters).

Then the turn order is: Characters who made their check, in any order; the monster(s) and/or bad guy(s), characters who failed their speed check, in any order. Slick!
posted by Gelatin at 7:24 AM on January 22 [3 favorites]

Really curious what went wrong here - what didn't work for you? MoSh is all about the sci-fi horror vibes so if it turned out boring it sounds like the tension/horror wasn't being ratcheted up fast enough?

How can there be any tension with a bunch of @s with no expectation of survival or chance to actually develop inter-character relationships? Nethack at the tabletop is hardly a recipe for environmental horror.

It was pretty much like every single time I've tried to play an OSR system. Each time, I sincerely try to make an effort and it's all just half assed dungeon crawling and by the end of the first session I'm ready to rip my skin off and jump out the window and I thank folks for running and never come back. And no one ever seems to be cognizant of just how awful a time it was.

None of it ever has any stakes that matter to me.
posted by ursus_comiter at 8:52 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

no expectation of survival or chance to actually develop inter-character relationships

This is one of the few criticisms that Quinns had (in the Quinns Quest review linked above) - I think it's accurate but also I don't come to MoSh for a lot of character as I prefer (and only have the time) to run/play one-shots that don't have room/time for a lot of character development anyway. But that's a fair comment and it's not a game that features inter-character relationships much as designed.

As for survival, well, it's a game with a very quick "make a new character" flowchart for a reason.

And no one ever seems to be cognizant of just how awful a time it was.

Different people like different styles of game I guess.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:24 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

I think it would be inaccurate to say that the Alien franchise falls in the "Survival Horror" genre.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 10:34 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

Many games of the last few years are built on the idea that you would play no more than a few times in a single "adventure". Mork Borg, Agon, Mothership even the much heralded Vassen are all this way.

There doesn't seem to be much appetite for the longer-form campaigns that seem more common with more traditional RPG systems.
posted by bonehead at 11:07 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

I'd say that may be true in the OSR space, but I've played out an entire campaign of Public Access and loved it. Have also loved my (sadly too limited so far) experiences with Yazeeba's Bed and Breakfast, which is a campaign in a box even if you don't have the same players from session to session.
posted by ursus_comiter at 11:21 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

I also went from one 20-level D&D campaign to another that's shaping up to be "as long as it needs to be" but I think I have an idea of why oneshots are so popular in the small ttrpg space. There are just too many cool systems to play to be able to commit to a single one for an entire 1-2 year stint!

Also, it makes it easier to manage the constant churn of players and schedules.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 11:32 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

There doesn't seem to be much appetite for the longer-form campaigns that seem more common with more traditional RPG systems.

People are just old now, with responsibilities. It's hard to get four to six people in a room every week (or even once a month honestly). Plus, it's nice to have a game format that can work for newcomers who can't make a huge commitment up front.
posted by june_dodecahedron at 11:35 AM on January 22 [3 favorites]

Not to mention that at a con you only have one four-hour slot at a time. D&D can be good for a one-shot but Mothership and Mork Borg and its clones excel in that.

Also, there is a mechanic for character bonding -- shore leave, in which the characters get rid of their accumulated stress, and can help each other in doing so -- but it doesn't apply much in one-shot play.

That said, I have never run a game of either Mork Borg or Mothership that resulted in a TPK. I agree that if character death is inevitable, it dilutes the horror, but if it's possible but unlikely, the horror aspect kicks in.
posted by Gelatin at 12:44 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

Hmmm... I've actually played and run a ton of one shots. Mothership doesn't get a pass on that.

Ten Candles, Dread, Final Girl all played as one shots and inevitable death and all have been wonderful experiences.

I just can't see a set of stats and no motivation as something I can hang my hat on and care about. Without a hook to care about a character, there are no vibes. There is no fright.
posted by ursus_comiter at 1:21 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

OK. I think I know why these OSR things bounce off me. To me they are utterly non-diagetic.

Thanks y'all for your patience. I'm not mad at OSR. I just can't see it and not be utterly confused and then keep trying to peel the onion.
posted by ursus_comiter at 1:35 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

By non-diegetic do you mean that the world and characters presented through the game don't seem coherent or believable?
posted by june_dodecahedron at 1:44 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Yeah, they don't exist at all from my perspective. Not for lack of trying.
posted by ursus_comiter at 1:47 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

So, OSR games are ONLY mechanics to me.
posted by ursus_comiter at 1:47 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

@ursus_comiter, I think that's fair. I personally don't mind that so much but it's a fair read of the general situation.

A lot of OSR games, indie games, or whatever, seem to start from a seed of "here's a cool hook, setting, or mechanic" and then try to build out just enough game to:

1. Justify a $0-20 PDF download
2. Give an already experienced GM enough material to start ad-libbing
3. Get a couple of hours of play out of it all

It's reminiscent of (indie) video game design. You come up with a hook (portals, reversable gravity, "what if a nice frog could roller-skate") and then figure out how to stretch that out to cover 5-20 hours of play.

Whereas I feel there's another school of gaming that's more about envisioning a big self-consistent world and proceeding from there, inhabiting the world for extended periods of time. If I understand correctly, that's more your speed?
posted by june_dodecahedron at 2:42 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Interesting. What do other games do to make them feel like they're not just mechanics, which OSR lacks?
posted by I-Write-Essays at 2:42 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Yeah, june_dodechahedron, that's def more my speed. And also games that focus on character relationships, ala a lot of the PbtA varietals.
posted by ursus_comiter at 2:58 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I ran Mothership recently for three friends - they said they had a great time. I think it helps to have an attitude that having a great story to retell after the session is the most important thing.

Don’t get me wrong, rich characters and strong relationships are a great thing to have in a game. However, there is another kind of fun to be had from that wider view.

One of my favorite TTRPG memories is from a session where my Delta Green co-conspirators devised an absolutely terrible plan for dealing with a threat.

I argued against the plan, but was outvoted. We went in, things went as badly as I predicted, and my character was the first to die, in spectacular fashion. Terrible for my character, great story for me as a player.

Godlike would be another example of a system where the setting/story is arguably more important than any given PC. It suggests that some groups may want to have players roll up extra PCs to swap in due to mid-session fatalities.

It’s sort of the opposite of ‘plot armor’ - a truly hostile environment where mere survival is kind of exceptional brings a different kind of fun.
posted by FallibleHuman at 3:23 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

Dying Hard on Hardlight Station, which is based on Die Hard.

It is, but it also has half-alien hybrids escaping from a clandestine lab and rampaging through the station, so it's not not based on Aliens.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 3:25 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

I guess I'd just like to see some more creativity about the sheer hostility of space. Enormous distances, no food, water, or oxygen, inescapable gravity wells, no way to get rid of heat buildup, radiation from solar flares, decaying orbits, etc., you don't actually have to go with anything alien or supernatural to make space horrific, it's incredibly hostile to life as it is.

Or if you want something more outré, do Roadside Picnic stuff like the Kefahuchi Tract in M. John Harrison's Light, the Shimmer in Annihilation, or the Zone in Tarkovsky's Stalker (or just make a scenario based on Solyaris), or maybe some body horror from point of view of the alien organism or the transformed, like in Peter Watts' The Things or Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette's Boojum, or a supernatural haunted house in space like Event Horizon or what happens early on in the WH40k universe, or Doom for that matter, or some mind bending stuff like most of what Ted Chiang does (although most of it's not really horror, you could imagine horrific scenarios using some of the same concepts), or set the players down on a planet that's being consumed by Gray Goo and have fight a losing battle (or let them face some Saberhagen Berserkers, which is similar but in space), or put them on a ship trying to outrun a vacuum collapse event, that should be grim enough for anyone...

I love Aliens, but just "humans run into an organism that wants to bite their heads off" is a pretty limited idea of sci-fi horror. Sci-fi horror's strength is that it's close to cosmic horror, in that it can make you contemplate the infinitely horrifying possibilities of the universe and the tiny, insignificant role we play in it.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 3:40 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

https://www.radiojamesgames.com/post/mothership-1e-and-participation-mechanics-in-ttrpgs

there's a fairly pungent and carefully argued blog post i read banging on motherships core mechanics that i can't find, but this makes some interesting points in another direction.

Also this for the Alexandrian talking about problems and possible solutions for the fairly waffly combat rules.
posted by Sebmojo at 3:54 PM on January 22 [3 favorites]

Thank you for that essay link sebmojo. I feel seen.
posted by ursus_comiter at 4:26 PM on January 22

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