Mothership - Another Bug Hunt v1.1

SAMSA VI MISSION ORGANIZATION CHART
2ndLt Kaplan (KIA) SSgt Underhill (MIA) Dr. Edem Hinton (MIA)
Platoon Commander Platoon Sergeant Mission Specialist Science Officer
Synthetic
2ndLt Lange (KIA) Sgt Valdez Dr. Ziegler (MIA) Sobol

Pilot Platoon Tech Exobiologist Engineering
(Acting Commander)
Sgt Yang LCpl Xavier (KIA) LCpl Resnick (KIA) Cpl Novikov
Squad Leader APC Driver Fireteam 1 Fireteam 2
Zigzag Squad Zigzag Squad Zigzag Squad Zigzag Squad
PFC Tanaka PFC Pedro PFC Olsson (KIA)

APC Tech Fireteam 1 Fireteam 2
Zigzag Squad Zigzag Squad Zizag Squad
Sgt Abara (KIA) Cpl Ivanovic LCpl Franco (MIA) Cpl Qadir (MIA)
Squad Leader APC Driver Fireteam 1 Fireteam 2
Siege Squad Siege Squad Siege Squad Siege Squad
HM3 Brookman PFC Glöckner (MIA) PFC Weaver (MIA)

Platoon Medic Fireteam 1 Fireteam 2
Siege Squad Siege Squad Siege Squad
Demar (KIA) Dr. Jensen (KIA) Dr. Kawaguchi

Mechanic Geologist Planetologist
2 W Give your players a copy of the org chart to help them keep track of who is who.
How to use this Module
Another Bug Hunt features four

interconnected scenarios for the Mothership
Sci-Fi Horror RPG. Each scenario can be
played in roughly 3-6 hours, with any
number of players and a Warden. Take as
much or as little time as you need.
Written by Introducing WES

DG CHAPMAN, LUKE GEARING,
ALAN GERDING, AND TYLER KIMBALL, Hello, Warden. I am your Warden
Educational Support, or WES. I’m
Edited by here to guide you through this module
JARRETT CRADER and provide helpful tips and tricks for
running your first game of Mothership.
Layout & Graphic Design by Any time you see W, you’ll find extra
LONE ARCHIVIST, SEAN McCOY insight and context to help you run the
game. You do not need to read these
Art by sections while playing.
DON AUSTIN, FRANCK BESANÇON,
PAUL ENAMI, JACOB HAYNES, What do I need?
DAVID HOSKINS, ZACH HAZARD
VAUPEN, AND SAM WILDMAN • Schedule a game with some friends.
• Read the “What’s going on?” section
Playtested by on pg. 5 and the first scenario,
REECE CARTER Distress Signals, on pg. 8.
• If you haven’t already, familiarize
Proofread by yourself with the rules in the Player’s
DANIEL HALLINAN Survival Guide or the cheat sheet on
the back cover.
Special Thanks to • If you have time, read Running
DUSTY DAVIS, CHRISTIAN KESSLER, Your First Session on pg. 22 in the
THRIFTOMANCER, DONALD SHULTS, Warden’s Operations Manual.
DAVID N. WILKIE, AND LINDSAY,
LANGSTON & JUNIPER From there, you’re good to go. Good
luck! You’re going to do great.
Copyright © 2023 Tuesday Knight Games
First Edition, First printing, v1.1
MOTHERSHIPRPG.COM
Content Warnings
Go over these with your players before you start your session.
• Arachnophobia. The carcinids have elements of giant insects, spiders, and crabs.
• Body horror. Amputations, rot, organ-removal, and others nightmarish events.
• Mind control. Mental enslavement and agency removal are key plot elements, along
with psychic intrusion that resemble elements of real-life psychiatric disorders.
• Violence. Combat, suicide by firearm, emotional trauma, and corpses feature heavily.
• Claustrophobia and other environmental hazards (such as drowning) are common.
OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 3

A TIMELINE OF EVENTS UP UNTIL NOW
What the players know. What they don’t know.
Ten years ago
The Company detected signs of The signs are emissions from an ancient
biochemistry on Samsa VI and decided to starfaring race that landed on Samsa VI a
send a team to investigate. century ago. Since then they have slept
aboard their ship, slowly terraforming the
planet to suit their needs.
One year ago
A skeleton crew of researchers, engineers, The arrival of the humans triggered an

and marines arrived on Samsa VI to establish immune response from the slumbering
Greta Base and Heron Terraforming Station. “nobles,” which began birthing large
They discovered a species of arthropods, consortiums of arthropods to protect their
labeled them carcinids or “carcs,” and interests.
proceeded to terminate them on sight.
Nine months ago
The colonists captured a carc larva for The colony’s android, Hinton, discovered
experimentation and study. the carcs can assimilate other lifeforms
using a memetic virus they transmit
through a piercing “Shriek.”
Six months ago
Greta Base ceased all communications. Hinton, now MIA, interfaced with the
carcs’ telepathic hive mind and converted
it to a Signal that could be broadcast over
radiowaves.
Three months ago
The Company hired the crew to address the Using this new Signal, Hinton transformed
situation. several colonists into carcs during a
birthday celebration. Slaughter ensued.
Six weeks ago
The crew entered the Samsa system and Hinton laid siege to the remaining colonists,
found Greta Base unresponsive to hailing. who are currently barricaded in the Heron
Terraforming Station.
One hour ago
The crew’s dropship touched down on Hinton has begun a process to awaken the
Samsa VI. Torrential rain pours down like slumbering nobles in the hopes that he may
judgment day while the colony sits silent as ascend and become one of them.
a prayer.
4 W Summarize the left column for your players. The right column is just for you.
// Module Overview
Freedom to Choose w
WHAT’S This book is not meant to be played like a
GOING ON? video game, with pre-planned cutscenes

or a scripted beginning, middle, and end.
Instead, it provides various locations,
obstacles, and challenges for players to
The Signal
encounter and struggle against. What
happens next is up to them. If they
Hinton, the synthetic science officer of skip over content in the book, or ignore
the Samsa VI mission, has a plan. First, entire scenarios, that’s okay! What’s
he worked out the secret of the carcinid most important is that they choose their
Shriek (pg. 7) and converted it into a Signal own path forward and deal with the
that can be reliably broadcast over the consequences. Don’t try to force them to
airwaves, exponentially expanding the carcs’ experience the “story” of this book; the
reproductive capabilities. story is only what happens when you
play, nothing more.
After commandeering the Orbital Relay
(pg. 23) and surgically grafting an unwilling
carc to the controls, Hinton continuously
transmitted the Signal across Samsa VI. As
a result: No radio communications work on SAMSA VI
Samsa VI. Anyone who tries risks infection
(pg. 7). The colonists assume Hinton is
missing, along with many others, and none MOTHERSHIP
suspect his betrayal. (pg. 30)
Unbeknownst to them, he built a lab on the
carc mothership, where he continues his
experiments, hoping to find a way to uplift
his own consciousness into the carc hive D E
mind. If he can, Hinton will metamorphose
into a carc noble and command legions. HERON STATION
He has already begun the process.
C (pg. 16)
Samsa VI
B
There are three key locations on Samsa VI:
Greta Base (pg. 10), Heron Terraforming
GRETA BASE
Station (pg. 16) and the Mothership (pg. 30). (pg. 10)
Below are the most common routes:
• Path [A] (pg. 10): Short, muddy walk.

• Rough Trail [B]: Takes 20 minutes in an APC A
or 1 hour on foot.
• Faint Carc Trail [C] (pg. 15): Takes 45 LANDING ZONE
minutes in an APC or 6 hours on foot.
• Jungle Hike [D]: No trail, but can be hiked
in 4 hours.
• The Tunnels [E] (pg. 29): 1 hour hike
underground. MINIMAP

//
THE
CARCINIDS
!!! CARCINID !!!
C:75 Claw 4d10 DMG I:75 W:2(20) AP:30
Aramid Fiber Weave: bullet/flameproof

carapace. Weakness: hydrofluoric acid.
The Shriek: Sanity Save: on failure gain 1 Stress

and become infected (see pg. 7).
6 W Use the table on the back cover to show each carc as unique and sapient.
The Shriek
Carcinids can assimilate other lifeforms by emitting a

high pitched Shriek which transmits a memetic virus
to the human or android listener. This memetic virus,
or “cancer pattern,” imprints on the victim’s brain,
slowly transforming them into the host for a carcinid
larva. While the larva gestates, the host becomes
lethargic, deeply empathetic towards carcs (and all
arthropods), and hears whispered suggestions from
the carcinid hive mind. After a few days of incubation,
a mature carcinid erupts from the host’s corpse. The
newborn carc’s walking legs sprout from the host’s
neck (or ribs, or groin) and drag the rest of the carc’s
carapace out of the host’s body like a hermit crab
abandoning a shell.
Hinton has done the painstaking work of converting

the Shriek into something that can be reliably
transmitted over the airwaves, exponentially
expanding the carcs’ reproductive capabilities.
When someone hears the Shriek for the first time,

they make a Sanity Save. If they fail, Stage 1 sets in.
Each stage lasts for 3d10 hours, after which time the
listener makes another Sanity Save. If they succeed,
they stay at their current stage for another 3d10
hours. If they fail, they move to the next stage.
STAGE INFECTION
1. Revelation Victim hears intermittent incoherent chittering whispers. Their body

breaks out all over in small incisions remiscent of paper cuts.
2. Induction Victim suffers catatonic state (2d10 minutes) filled with dream-like
visions of the hive, working underground in ant-like tunnels. Victim
has [-] on any action which would harm a (fellow) carcinid.
3. Possession Victim must make a Body Save hourly or else engage in mindless
drone-work (digging, hoarding food, walking towards the nearest
group of carcs). Only physical harm (2+ DMG) breaks the trance.
4. Assimilation Victim succumbs to complete control by the hive mind. The player
must roll up another character. Currently, there is no known vaccine.
Hinton uses assimilated characters as infiltrators, though he is not

very adept at controlling them. They won’t be able to speak clearly,
instead growling in creepy monosyllabic responses. They can’t
engage in complicated violent maneuvers, though they can open
doors, press buttons, pull the pin on frag grenades, etc.
5. Transformation A fully grown carc erupts from the victim’s neck, chest, or abdomen.

// Scenario 1
What do I need?
DISTRESS For your first scenario, you don’t need to
SIGNALS prepare much—it’s all written down here

for you. Instead, bring these items:
• A copy of the Player’s Survival Guide.

The Job
• One character sheet per player, and a
handful of extras in case a character
The Greta Base Terraforming Colony has not dies during the session.
made contact in six months. The Company • Print out a few copies of the Cheat
has hired the crew to: Sheet on the back cover of the Player’s
Survival Guide. This helps new players
• Rendezvous with 2ndLt Kaplan, the marine keep all the important rules in front of
commander of the colony, and assist them them.
in repairing the situation. • If you can, bring an extra set or two of
• Re-establish satellite communications and dice for players who don’t have any yet.
get the terraformer back online. • Pens, pencils, and paper.
• If all else fails, evacuate Dr. Edem, the
mission specialist, as well as the colony’s If you’re running this
synthetic science officer, Hinton (or at scenario as a one-shot...
least retrieve his logic core).
The Company strongly implies the lives • Skip the prologue and start the
of the other colonists are not a concern. players right outside Greta Base, in
the pouring rain, as their dropship
The Company provides: two months disappears into the sky.
of Salary, one month of Hazard Pay, • Change the job to “Rendezvous
transportation to and from Samsa VI, as with 2ndLt Kaplan, clear the area of
well as one hazard suit, an SMG (with 3 hostiles, and retrieve the samples
magazines), a first aid kit, and a stimpak per from Dr. Edem.”
crew member. • If you really want to take the Stress/
Panic system out for a spin, give out
1d5 Stress per failed roll, instead of
the usual 1.
What’s going on?
Replacement Characters
Before taking over the Tower (pg. 20),
Hinton experimented with the Shriek on It’s a good idea to have some extra
the colonists at Greta Base. Several of them characters that the players can take
were infected. The first one to transform was over if their character dies. Have the
LCpl Xavier, during PFC Ollson’s birthday Company assign one marine for every
celebration. two players, as an escort. Use the Stats
below. Don’t go overboard with this,
A slaughter ensued, and the surviving though: failure is definitely an option,
colonists evacuated to the Heron and if the players don’t think carefully,
Terraforming Station (pg. 16). The few the carcs might wipe them out. Let them
infected remain at Greta Base, lurking the know ahead of time that you’ll be fair
halls in a sad interpretation of their carcinid but you won’t pull any punches.
hive mind “orders.”
All but emergency power is out, and a !!! MARINE (GRUNT) !!!
powerful tropical storm is rolling in...
C:30 Pulse Rifle 3d10 DMG I:25 W:1
8 W Remind players of “the Job” if they don’t know where to go.

Prologue
The crew has been transported to Samsa

VI’s orbit aboard The Metamorphosis, a
J2C-II Executive Transport. Once they wake
up from cryosleep, introduce them to their
corporate liaison, Maas, who is nominally
in charge of this entire operation, and gives
them the details of The Job.
Introducing Characters w
After the characters get out of cryosleep,

go around the table and ask the players
to introduce themselves and their
characters. Remind them their bodies
ache from cryosickness, and have Maas
hand out stimpaks to cure them.
Maas
Once the players understand the mission, The worst manager you ever had.
get down to the action: describe the Completely unconcerned with the lives
characters getting in the dropship and of the crew, and only cares about the
breaking the atmosphere of Samsa VI. retrieval of the logic core. The more
annoying you make him, the better.
• It’s gotta smell pretty cruddy inside a
dropship, right? All that human sweat!
• They feel the ship creak and shake. After the Fear Saves are settled, the dropship
• They hear loud alarms blare from the lands at the Greta Base Landing Zone (pg.
cockpit, and see the pilot (Anders, stocky, 10). Describe the lush jungle, the torrential
experienced) and copilot (Renfield, chatty, rainfall, the thick mud, and the lack of
chewing gum) trying to control the craft visibility.
due to a severe tropical storm.
Then, ask them what they want to do. You’re
Then, call for your first Fear Save. off to a great start.
Fear Saves
Call for Fear Saves anytime there’s a chance that something a character experiences
might cause them to be afraid or feel any other strong negative emotion (like loneliness
or rage). The first time you call for a Fear Save, teach the following:
• What Saves are, how to roll the dice, and what the penalty for failure is. In this case,
the characters gain 1 Stress.
• How adding relevant skills can help. This might be Piloting, or Military Training, but it
could even be Theology. What’s important is how your players justify their actions, and
how you both work that into the encounter.
Listen to your players. Maybe one holds onto a trinket for good luck, or another might
want to get up and help the crew. Use your best judgment, and award [+] to the Fear Save
if it sounds like they’ve earned it, or waive it entirely if you don’t think it’s called for.

Greta Base 10. GARAGE
7. ARMORY
Reading the Key
Each important location in 6. CREW HABITAT

an area is numbered and
detailed in the corresponding
key. This key gives the
name of the location, a brief
description, and a bulleted list of
3. COMMISSARY
its contents.
Describing the Location
As you scan the key, imagine you are

there. Describe the area as best you
can, trying to hit some of the bolded
words. Something like this: 2. AIRLOCK
“Okay your dropship touches down in the
landing zone, and you all get out into some
TO LANDING ZONE [1]
thick mud as you see Greta Base up ahead. 1. Landing Zone. A modular, prefab base,
It’s pouring rain. What do you want to do?” choked by tumorous vines, scarred by rain,
appearing completely deserted.
Answer the players’ questions to the • Heavy rains garble transmissions and
best of your ability, using the key as a obscure scanning.
guide. Then, use your common sense • Thick mud makes it hard to run.
and the players’ imaginations to fill in Deep tread tracks lead directly to
the blanks. The key is listed in order the Airlock [2].
of how obvious/notable things are. If A fork in the trail leads around the back
players show interest in something, of the base to the Garage [10].
give them more information, such as • In the distance ahead is Greta Base: lights
what’s after the colon or in the nested out, unresponsive to hailing.
bullets below. For example, if players
ask “How thick is the mud?” or “Are 2. Airlock (Locked). Rust creeps over the
there any tracks in the mud?” you can large metal door which bars entry to the
say “Looks like there’s some deep main building.
tread tracks that go up to the base, and • Exterior door (locked/keycard): reinforced
there’s also a fork in the trail up ahead. steel.
You’re not sure where it goes.” If opened: leads into airlock chamber.
Locked Doors Inside the Airlock: muddy floors, storage

lockers lining the walls.
How can the players open the airlock? • Interior door (locked/keycard): heavy steel.
Can they jury-rig the control panel? Does not open while the exterior airlock
Hack it? What about a good old- is opened.
fashioned crowbar? If they search • Storage lockers: one hazard suit, two pulse
nearby do they find a keycard? Not rifle magazines, and a rosary.
every solution is listed in the key. A few lockers have deep indentations in
Listen to your players, and judge for their doors.
yourself. One has giant claw marks across it.
10 W The players might not visit most of these locations. That’s fine!
E/UTILITES
Pacing and Tension
This scenario is a classic: an abandoned

9. COMMAND CENTER facility where something has gone
wrong, and the players must figure
out what happened. The lights are off,
the power is down, the storm rages,
and water drips through the cracks.
8. LAB The more time you spend building this
atmosphere, the better the scares will
pay off later.
Noticing Things
5. FREEZER
You might be tempted to call for a roll
to see if characters notice the quiet thud
in the Commissary, but try waiting and
4. PANTRY
seeing what the players do. If they go
slowly, don’t make a lot of noise, tell
them they hear it. If they’re talking a
lot, or moving things around, moving
3. Commissary. Ransacked mess hall and rec quickly, they miss it. Let their actions,
room. Flickering lights. The place is a mess. not the game, guide you.
• “Happy Birthday Ollson” banner droops
from the ceiling.
• Rain drips from the ceiling.
Leak is from bullet holes. 4. Pantry. The shelves are completely bare,
• Empty cups, dishware, broken glass. their contents removed and divided into
• Bullet casings, blood spatter, bullet holes, large piles of MREs on the floor.
large claw-like gouges in furniture. • In the far corner lies the slumped over
• A woman’s head, ripped at the neck. body of a marine (dead).
W Should this be a Fear Save? Dog tags: 2ndLt Lange.
• Makeshift barricade (couch, table, chairs) Scientist/Medical Skills: the marine starved
shoved up against the door to the Crew to death.
Quarters [6]. “Paper cuts”criss-cross the emaciated
• Upturned table: cake splattered across the corpse (The Shriek pg. 7).
floor.
A human arm protrudes from beneath.
Under the table is a headless corpse in When do we roll dice?
fatigues, a gigantic hole in the neck. The
body is covered in “paper cuts” (The You don’t need to call for a roll for
Shriek pg. 7). every little thing. If players ask the
` If inspected: the chest cavity is right questions or have the right
completely hollowed out, like tools or relevant Skills, give them the
something erupted from inside. information. The game is best played
Dog tags: LCpl Xavier. when you test the players’ abilities
• A small kitchenette in the back leads to rather than the numbers on their
the Pantry [4]. character sheets.
• All cabinets and storage bins are empty.
• Quiet thud: if the players are quiet or The more often they roll, the more
listen for noise they’ll hear a faint thud likely they’ll fail, so save rolls for when
every few seconds coming from the stakes are high or you really don’t
the Garage [10]. know the outcome of an action.

5. Walk-in Medical Grade Freezer (Locked). 7. Armory. Rugged interior metal cage lined
Empty inside except for the corpse of a with lockers.
frozen marine and a discarded medical case. • Industrial blast door: ripped off, discarded.
• Around -40º C. • Giant pile of melted metal: the remnants
• Frozen marine wearing a tinfoil hat. of the once well-stocked armory.
Dog tags: LCpl Resnick. Scientist/Android: if studied in a lab, the
Clutches a plastic vacuum tumbler. weapons are bonded together at a
` Contains frozen hydrofluoric acid. molecular level by a strong adhesive, a
` If tumbler is taken: marine’s fingers result of the carcs’ webbing.
snap off (Fear Save). • Lockers: all doors are open, lockers empty.
• Medical case: cold interior, when cracked
open lets out a small hiss of frosty vapor.
Frozen chemotherapeutic agents (25 L). Searching Locations
` Scientist/Medical Skills: used to treat
extreme radiation damage. When searching a location, gloss over
the area casually. If players show an
6. Crew Habitat. The main habitation unit of interest, go room by room. Don’t call
the base, made up of areas A-F. Rhythmic for a roll, just ask them where they’re
thud coming from the Garage [10]. searching and what they’re looking for.
• Graffiti on the entrance “COMMS OFF.” If they look in the right place, they find
A. Group Showers/Toilets. what’s there. Easy.
Inside toilet tank: stimpak.
B. Marine Enlisted Barracks. Let Questions Linger
12 bunks, everything in disarray, lewd
posters, smells like body odor. What really happened here was that
` If searched: two frag grenades, a Hinton commanded the carcs to destroy
butterfly knife, Jump Humpers porno all the armaments with their webbing.
mags, Richter Blue cigarettes (eight
packs), small journal detailing a However, there’s no way for the players
relationship between HM3 Brookman to know that right now. Later they
and Cpl. Ivanovic. may put it together, or they might not.
C. Marine Officer Barracks. But, if they always solve every riddle,
Five bunks, desks, duty roster. the game will never feel bigger than
List of essential personnel: Dr. Edem, them. Instead, it will feel like a series
Hinton (Logic Core only). of directed cutscenes laid out for their
D. 2ndLt Kaplan’s Quarters: tidy. passive enjoyment.
• Inside desk: photograph of Kaplan with
their partner and two small children, and a Roleplaying games are unique in the
Samsa VI planetary survey. immersive experience they provide,
Inside cam-locked drawer: revolver largely because some mysteries go
(12 bullets), Hinton’s personal locator unsolved. Use that.
tracker show’s Hinton’s current location:
the foothills of a nearby mountain (see Sanity vs. Fear Saves
The Mothership pg. 30).
E. Research Team Barracks: Sometimes the line between a Fear
• Five bunks, Bao-Neumann “BZT” gaming Save and Sanity Save is a little blurry.
console, marijuana plant, a copy of The A good rule of thumb is to treat Sanity
Auctioneer by Joan Samson, anime body Saves like an attack on reason, and Fear
pillow (from Meido Taisen No Densetsu). Saves like an attack on emotion. If the
F. Dr. Edem’s Quarters: character’s primary reaction is “this
• Weather charts: storm system incoming. doesn’t make sense,” then go with a
• Birthday card to Ollson, unopened. Sanity Save. If their reaction is more
“Thanks for always listening. Hopefully, visceral, more guttural and human, use
they’ll let me leave after this one.” a Fear Save.
12 W Slow, methodical searching helps build tension. They let their guard down.
8. The Medbay: a small medical area with an 9. The Command Center. The central
operating room inside and an observation nervous system of the base and primary
and analysis lab outside, separated by a communication station for the Company.
glass wall. • Marine corpse slumped over the controls.
Single gunshot wound to the head.
Inside the Observation and Analysis Lab: One hand holds a revolver, five shots
the observation side of the glass wall holds remaining.
a small bank of computer terminals, all The other hand holds the Samsa VI Org
powered down, along with piles of loose Chart (inside front cover).
paperwork and a log book. If body is examined: “paper cuts” all
• The latest entries in the log: notes from over (The Shriek pg. 7.).
Dr. Edem, excited at their discovery of Dog tags: 2ndLt Kaplan.
something they call the “krebslieder” or • Central computer and communication
“crabsong,” a shrill Shriek the “carcinids” instruments are smashed.
use in order to replicate. W If you’re running this scenario as a
W While you know the word carcinid one-shot: this can be repaired in 1d10
from reading this book, remember rounds. Grant [+] with a successful
this may be the players’ first Speed Check. Once repaired it can be
interaction with the term. used to call the dropship for evac.
Edem begrudgingly admits the base’s W If you’re running this scenario as a
android, Hinton, did much of the campaign: this can be repaired in
legwork of this discovery, but it is Edem 2d10 hours. Grant [+] for teamwork
who truly “put two and two together.” or clever ideas. Once repaired it only
plays the Signal (pg. 5) unless the
Inside the Medbay (locked, only Dr. Edem Tower (pg. 20) has been retaken.
has the keycard): the entire operating
area has been destroyed. Remnants of
the equipment are smashed or are fused Handling repairs
together by carc webbing, including:
• Litkovich MedPod 1080a (broken): restores Repairs take time, knowledge, or tools.
1 Wound per week spent in the pod. Roll a check if the players lack 2 out of 3.
Repairs take 1d10 hours.
• Sato T3 Bio-Printer (broken): prints
synthetic biological material.
Empty stem cell cartridges (matter used GRETA BASE
for Bio-Printer).
Repairs take 1d10 hours.
• Lead container: hydrofluoric acid.
• 4 large specimen containment tubes
containing carcinid larva. Untouched.
[9]
• Upturned surgical bed. [10]
Near it is a meter-long black crab-like
[8]
carcinid limb.
! If touched, it thrashes violently: Body
[7]
[3] 05 [5]
Save or 1d10 DMG.
Behind bed: air vent to the Garage [10]. [6] [4]
W If you’re running this scenario as a
one-shot: the specimen containment [2]
tubes hold the samples the Company
is looking for from Dr. Edem.
[1]
MINIMAP

10. Garage/Utilities. The back entrance to the
base has several muddy tracks leading to
industrial overhead roll-up doors.
Outside the garage:

• Piles of mud: are actually a bisected
corpse in fatigues.
Dog tags: PFC Olsson.
• Overhead roll-up doors: barricaded
from inside with heavy gym equipment
(Strength Check to open).
Failing Forward
Failures should result in dramatic

complications, delays, or increased
tension and danger; they should not
grind the game to a halt. A failed
Strength Check might not mean the roll-
up doors don’t open, but instead that
opening them alerts Sgt Abara inside
the garage.
Inside the garage: on one side is an Armored

Personnel Carrier (APC), on the other a
gigantic dirt hole.
• Giant hole: standing in a puddle of water,
a marine digs relentlessly, completely
ignoring their surroundings.
Dog tags: Sgt Abara.
! If touched: 2.5m long crab legs erupt
from their neck as a carcinid emerges Violent Encounters
and attacks.
Fallen power line (offline) from the The carc is very deadly. Its high armor
ceiling, runs near the hole. and damage means it could easily kill
• Tool bench: assorted tools, crowbar, the entire crew. Players need to think
flashlight, patch kit, nail gun (box of x1000 carefully in order to survive. Attack any
shots), hand welder. non-player characters first to telegraph the
• Six barrels of fuel for backup generator. danger. Otherwise, viscerally describe how
Behind: air vent to the Medbay [8]. dangerous it looks. Be open to the players’
• Backup generator (offline): if restarted, solutions, keeping in mind:
brings electricity back to the base.
! If online: loud party music plays from • A belt of frag grenades hang from
the Commissary [3] (Fear Save [+]). Abara’s vest. Setting them all off at once
could kill him.
!!! SGT ABARA (CARCINID) !!! • Hydrofluoric acid destroys carc armor.
• Turning the power on and electrocuting
C:75 Claw 4d10 DMG I:75 W:2(20) AP:30 the puddle could knock it unconscious.
W Maybe this knocks the carc out
Weakness: hydrofluoric acid. long enough to take it to the
Wearing: bandolier with 5 frag grenades. Terraforming Station (pg. 17)
for study!
14 W The carcs are VERY hard to kill. Always remind players they can run away.
Inside the APC
• Demar. The base mechanic. Wearing a
tinfoil hat. Gripping a frag grenade. Pin
already pulled.
Thin, malnourished, body covered in
“paper cuts” (The Shriek pg. 7).
Hugs his legs. When talking, is mostly
concerned with his place in “the hive.”
` “I want to go back. I want to go back
to the hive.”
` “I can hear them, they are calling me.
I want to contribute.”
` “They will wake, they are awakening.”
Ignores any noise outside the APC,
completely enthralled to the hive mind.
If gently pressed, can show the way
to the Mothership (pg. 30). Otherwise
continues in a trance for three more
hours, then becomes fully assimilated.
• Controls are in working order. Nav shows
the Heron Terraforming Station (pg. 17).
! If the comms are operated: a piercing
Shriek emits (Sanity Save, see The
Shriek pg. 7).
` Demar wakes from his brainwashed
slumber, drops the grenade, and
screams “leave me!”
` Body Save to get out of the APC
before the blast.
!!! DEMAR !!!
C:25 Frag Grenade 3d10 DMG I:10 W:1

Wounding the Carc
Very rarely should a fight last to the bitter

end. As soon as the players deal one What happens next?
Wound to the carc, have it immediately
change tactics. Congratulations on running your first
game of Mothership! If this was a one-
• If you’re running this scenario as a shot, you’re all done! If your players
one-shot: the carc withdraws when want more, you can expand it with
wounded, and looks for an opportunity the scenarios in this book, or you can
to ambush the players again. write your own using the tools in the
• If you’re running this scenario as a Warden’s Operations Manual. If they feel
campaign: the carc runs away when stuck, remind them of their options. You
wounded. The rain and mud make it don’t need to hint at the “right answer,”
difficult, but the trail leads to because there is none.
the Mothership (pg. 30).
Whatever they choose, the game is
Mothership is very deadly. This cycle of in their hands. Don’t push them in a
attack and retreat gives players room to direction or hint which way you think
explore new approaches as situations they should go. Remind them of their
change, creating much more tense games. options, but leave the choice to them.

//Scenario 2
HIVE MIND
What’s going on?
The thirteen remaining survivors of the

onslaught at Greta Base have barricaded
themselves inside Heron Terraforming
Station. To make matters worse, the entire
station is under siege by roaming carcs. What do I need?
Tensions are high among the remaining
colonists, and the group has splintered This scenario involves a lot of characters
into factions with three competing goals: who are entrenched in their positions.
immediate evacuation, researching the After reading through it you’ll want to
carcs for a weakness, or rescuing a squad of take some time and really think about
missing marines. who these people are and what they
want. Don’t be tied to what you read in
the book; let the characters change and
react to your players during play.
Heron Terraforming Station
If you’re running this
A river bank clearing in the middle of dense scenario as a one shot...
jungle. The terraforming station sits against
a fast-flowing river, which threatens to flood. Pick one of the three faction’s missions
and run that.
• Several Carcinids patrol the jungle nearby.
• If the players are attacked / make a Going off the Map
commotion: Sgt Valdez (pg. 19) and some
marines ride out on ATVs, blasting “Ride There are many more rooms in the
of the Valkyries” from a boombox. station than are listed on the map.
They distract the carcs from a distance, We’ve only listed the ones that are
pick up the players as quickly as important for this scenario. If the
possible, and bring them to the Hangar players need to find a specific room,
(pg. 20) where the rest of the colonists like a bathroom or utility closet, they
are waiting. probably can! Just remember that most
W You could easily make this encounter of the station is under construction,
an intense set piece, or just breeze without full power, under the threat of
through it as a simple introduction to flood, and infested with carcs.
the station. Trust your instincts.
16 W Play up Sgt. Valdez’s rescue. The marines fire in the air and bring the ruckus.
THE HANGAR
pg. 20
THE DAM
pg. 21
THE LIFT
pg. 22
THE CONTROL ROOM

pg. 23
THE ORBITAL RELAY

pg. 23
THE LABS
pg. 24
THE CLEAN ROOM

pg. 25
THE CRYOVAULT
pg. 25
THE TUMBLERS
pg. 25
THE WALKWAY
pg. 25
THE CHIMNEY
pg. 26
THE SPILLWAY
pg. 26
THE STAIRS
pg. 28
THE HYDROREACTOR
pg. 29
THE TUNNELS
pg. 29

What’s going on?
TEAM LEAVE
Once the players arrive at the Hangar [1]

(pg. 20), Sgt. Valdez, Dr. Edem, and HM3
Brookman, the leaders of their respective
groups, approach and ask for help:
• Team Leave: Brookman and the rest

want to take back the Tower (pg. 20) and
immediately call in an evacuation.
• Study Group: Dr. Edem’s group wants
to retrieve valuable research from the
Lab (pg. 24) in hopes of finding the carcs’
weakness.
• Hog Squad: Valdez’s loyal marines want
to rescue a missing marine squad and
prepare the Reactor (pg. 26) for the storm.
Go over the information on the following

spread with the players as they talk to each
group. As they deliberate, make it clear that
every minute they spend talking the storm
rages, the water rises, and more and more HM3 Brookman
carcs show up outside. They need to make a The platoon medic, Brookman was
decision. Once they do, turn to that mission’s the first marine to break ranks with
page and give them a detailed brief. Sgt Valdez. He feels the mission is
compromised and that Valdez, as a
The players may choose to split up or tackle tech officer, isn’t qualified to handle her
the missions one at a time. That’s great! Let leadership role.
them follow their instincts. Each mission has
its own risks and rewards. However, after What he wants...
each one, the situation changes: • Drive the remaining ATVs across the
dam, retake the Tower (pg. 20), and call
After the first mission... The Reactor (pg. 26) in the dropship for an evacuation.
shuts down, plunging the station into total • Brookman has the only keycard to the
darkness. The Tower, luckily, has its own Control Room [4] (pg. 23).
power source. Also, one of the groups (your • Brookman has scouted the area and
choice) decided to attempt their mission knows there are a few carcs on the
without the players’ help ...and failed. dam already.
Whichever mission the group attempted • Believes the longer the colonists wait,
now has more carc attention and few (if any) the harder it will be to take the Tower.
of the group remain alive.
See HM3 Brookman’s Plan on pg. 20.
After the second mission... The flood
waters rise as the carcs invade. Read
Scenario 4: Metamorphosis (pg. 40) for
more information on what comes next. This Name What are they like?
doesn’t mean the players can’t attempt a
third mission, or that they can’t backtrack, or Cpl Ivanovic Injured, loyal to Brookman.
even explore another location—maybe they
even found the carc Mothership (pg. 30)—it PFC Tanaka Injured, scared.
just means that regardless of what they
choose, the situation is about to get much, Dr. Kawaguchi Jealous of Dr. Edem.
much worse.
18 W Don’t be afraid to let them split up. It helps raise the tension.
STUDY GROUP HOG SQUAD
Dr. Edem Sgt Valdez

A noted xenobiologist, Dr. Edem refuses A tech-officer field-promoted to
to evacuate without their research. One command when her superior officers
of the few personalities who can stand were slain. A stoic facade barely contains
up to Sgt Valdez. Was in love with Olsson, her manic rage and self-doubt.
and barely masks their grief.
What she wants...
What they want... • Recently sent the remnants of Siege
• Wants to recover their research from Squad (Brookman’s former squad),
the Lab (pg. 24) to see if the carcs have along with Hinton and Dr. Jensen,
an exploitable weakness. to the Reactor (pg. 26). to manually
If the crew is reluctant: Edem can’t prepare it for the oncoming storm.
return without the research or they’ll • The squad has been missing for hours
be blacklisted. Their family is being and their locators have gone dark.
held in a corporate debtor’s prison • Wants to assault the Reactor, rescue
until Edem’s contract is up. the marines, and finish preparing the
• The Lab can be accessed through the Reactor before the power shuts off.
elevator in the Hangar [1] (pg. 20) or • Believes the storm will cause a flood
the Stairs [13] (pg. 28). strong enough to shut down the
• Believes if this is done first, other Reactor, leaving the colonists without
missions will be much, much easier. power in the event of a carc assault.
See Dr. Edem’s Plan on pg. 24. See Sgt Valdez’s Plan on pg. 26.
Name What are they like? Name What are they like?
Sgt Yang Tactical thinker. If a weakness is PFC Pedro Follows chain of command.
found, joins Hog Squad. Infatuated with Sgt. Valdez.
Sobol Quiet, loner. Suspects that all of this is Cpl Novikov Trigger happy. Just wants to cause
Hinton’s fault somehow. the most destruction possible.

//Scenario 2a
THE
TOWER
VALKYRIE ATV
Vehicular Combat
AP: 6 Wounds: 1(20)
Vehicles operate like really well armored
Top Speed: 90 mph Crew Capacity: 3 characters. Once they reach their
Maximum Wounds they crash, wreck,
Description: front-facing GPMG. or explode. Usually you’ll give players a
Body Save to avoid the worst.
1. The Hangar. Everyone listed on pg. 18-19 is

barricaded in here. The colonists are anxious,
HM3 Brookman’s Plan
tired, combative, and looking for hope.
• Sandbag barricades and a small stockpile
If the players decide to take Brookman’s of weapons (see pg. 41).
mission, he proposes the following: It won’t stop the carcs, but it does give
• Brookman and Ivanovic take one ATV the colonists clear firing angles on all
and go with the crew, Tanaka and the entrances and exits.
Kawaguchi stay behind. • x3 Valkyrie All-Terrain-Vehicles (ATVs).
• Kawaguchi teaches a player how to One is broken.
manually reboot the Orbital Relay [5] ` Teamster/Mechanical Repair: Repair takes
and reset the Control Room [4] both 1d5 hours. Speed Check to do it in
of which are necessary for the Tower 1 hour, but if failed it requires 1d10
to communicate. additional hours of work.
• Brookman has the only keycard to get W Let players know they can go slow
into the locked Control Room [4] but and get it right, or go fast and risk
gives it to any player who asks. making it worse.
W Make it clear who holds the • An elevator down to level -01, the Lab [6]
keycard. (pg. 24).
W Remember: The players are free • A few barrels of gasoline and a small
to do whatever they want and gasoline powered generator.
can ignore Brookman entirely. Enough to power some lab equipment,
computer terminals, etc. for 24 hours.
20 W Sgt. Valdez treats the Hangar like a fortress. It’s the only place they have left.
2. The Dam. ~10m wide wall, 60m drop on one side, and a nearly overflowing lake on the
other. The rain pours in sheets. The only light comes from the ATVs’ headlights.
• ATVs can cross in 2 minutes, humans in 7 minutes (on foot).
! A single carcinid is visible on the wall.
! As the ATVs drive out, more carcs emerge from the nearby lake.
W Take a minute to describe this. It should be a terrifying revelation that the carcs can
swim. Build it up a bit.
! One or two carcs emerge from the water every couple of minutes.
W Tell the players directly, or have Brookman tell them, that if this keeps up, they
could wind up trapped at the Tower with no way back.
! The carcs attack any ATV that gets near. They are strong enough to knock one over.
` If they do: driver makes a Body Save to avoid crashing.
` If the vehicle crashes: all passengers must Body Save [-] or take a Blunt Force Wound.
• Brookman and Ivanovic ride point and are taken down by the first carc they encounter.
Both are thrown from the crash. The carcs focus on killing Brookman.
If the players stop and check: Ivanovic is alive, but unconscious.
• Above the wall via ladder: a catwalk runs the length of the dam. ~15 minute hike.
Wide enough for two people or one carc.
The railings provide enough cover to sneak across unseen, if careful.
! Light or noise attracts a carc in a of couple minutes.
W Don’t tell the players “you can sneak across the catwalks,” let them decide to try
it and risk it. It takes more time and they’re more vulnerable without the ATVs, but
sometimes that’s the safest way.

3. The Lift. The lift sits right inside the
Tower’s giant metal girders. At the top is the THE TOWER
Orbital Relay [5].
• The lift is broken.
To repair: Speed Check [-] (Mechanical
Repair/Teamster) to repair in 1d5 rounds.
• Two cage ladders go up the side. [5]
! Any disruptive movement (like fighting
or getting attacked): Body Save or fall.
` Failure: slip and fall, grabbing a rung
[4]
at the last second.
` Critical Failure: fall to the ground and
take a Blunt Force Wound [-].
` Anyone hit on the way down must
also make a Body Save or fall.
The carcs climb the sides easily. TO [1]
• A small maintenance closet (locked).
No one has the key, but the lock itself is [3]
very weak and can be broken easily.
[2]
Inside: Cables and assorted tools.
Additionally, a small backup generator MINIMAP (SIDE VIEW)
is stored here with enough fuel to
power the entire Tower for 6 hours.
22 W Try to work the storm into all ofyour descriptions. An ever-present threat.
4. The Control Room (locked). The elevator 5. The Orbital Relay. A gigantic satellite dish
and ladders lead to a squat, industrial on the roof of the Tower.
control room, locked from the inside. ! Heavy rains, the roof is slippery.
Brookman has the keycard. • Guardrails run along the side.
• Catwalk surrounds the exterior. • Perched up top: Sgt Underhill, firing a
• Small ladder: to the Orbital Relay [5]. Wilbur Mk-II Anti-Material Rifle (AMR),
sniping carcs as they crest the guardrails.
Inside the Control Room: the source of the ` Range: Extreme DMG: 2d10x5 DMG
Signal (pg. 5). (AA) Shots: 5. Wound: Fire/Explosion
! A little jump scare: as soon as the players [+] Two-handed. Heavy. Must be fired
enter they see a carc sprawled across the prone/braced. [-] on Combat Check at
room. Fear Save [-]. Close Range.
On second look: the carc is strapped Adjacent is his synthetic bloodhound,
down, jacked into the controls. Marlow, who can smell those infected
` Its breathing is labored. by the Shriek (pg. 7).
` It looks pathetic, eyes begging for Underhill has only 12 shots left, but can
death. kill 1 carc per round.
• Locker with emergency first aid kit. ` Underhill is infected: Stage 3.
Bandages, x5 stimpaks, a flashlight, and ` Marlow bites him whenever he
an inflatable raft. becomes “possessed.”
! The carcs can only be held off for a few ` Underhill’s orders: get off this rock.
minutes at most. • To manually reset the array takes a round.
W Really make the most of this. Have Once reset, comms return if the Control
the carcs banging on the door, prying Room [4] has been disconnected from
it open, threatening to swarm inside. the carc inside it.
If the carc is removed from the controls !!! MARLOW !!!

(takes one round):
• The Signal (pg. 5) stops broadcasting. C:65 Bite 2d10 DMG I:75 W:2(10) AP:5
Carcs become disoriented and confused.
` They attack only in self defense, and Can smell any who are infected.
their assault on the tower ceases.
` Over the next several minutes they
retreat to the dam wall, cross it,
and disappear down the Chimney What happens next?
[11] (pg. 26) into the bowels of the
terraformer, heading to the Tunnels If players have chosen the “Team Leave”
[15] (pg. 29) which lead directly to option, this may be the penultimate
their Mothership (pg. 30). scenario. Read Scenario 4 (pg. 40) for the
• Control of the comms only returns when obstacles now facing their evacuation.
both the Orbital Relay [5] and the control
room are manually reset. Once both are Sgt Valdez listens to SSgt Underhill’s
functioning, the dropship can be called in. final orders, but wants to rescue the lost
marines before evacuating. She does
!!! CARCINID !!! this on her own if necessary, though
she will fail without assistance from the
C:75 Claw 4d10 DMG I:75 W:2(20) AP:30 players.
Aramid Fiber Weave: Bullet/flameproof If there’s no power...

carapace. Weakness: hydrofluoric acid.
The players must find a way to restore
The Shriek: Sanity Save: on failure gain 1 Stress power to the Tower (perhaps with the
and become infected (see pg. 7). generator in the Lift [3]). Otherwise they
have to wait for the Dropship (pg. 40).

//Scenario 2b
THE
LAB
6. The Lab. Geoanalysis, chemical labs, and

environmental systems.
Dr. Edem’s Plan
• Quiet, abandoned. Work left unfinished.
If searched: Research on “doxorubicin,”
If the player’s decide to take Dr. Edem’s ` Scientist/Pharmacology: A historical
mission, Edem reveals the following: chemotherapy medication.
• Hydroreactor status terminal (beeping).
• Dr. Edem and Dr. Ziegler were trying “WARNING: Hydroreactor cooling
to analyze the carcs DNA sequence, system overloaded. Manually engage
with assistance from Hinton. flood controls to prevent shut down.”
• Dr. Ziegler has already made an (pg. 29)
attempt to retrieve the data, but is • Heavy industrial decontamination airlock
now presumed dead. to the Clean Room [7] (locked).
Sgt. Valdez forbade the colonists ! Dr. Edem’s keycard no longer works.
from leaving the Hangar after this W Hinton has changed the codes.
incident. ! If the players attempt to break-in/fail to
• The plan is take the elevator down pick the lock: Loud alarms attract a carc
to the lab level, use Dr. Edem’s from the Tumblers [9] in 5 minutes.
credentials to get into the Clean
Room [7], grab their portable
computer terminal, and get out. If there’s no power...
! What Dr. Edem doesn’t mention:
The Company only cares about The lab is pitch black. All the doors are
retrieving the carc DNA, the automatically locked and shut (Strength
colonists lives do not matter. Check to open, tools required). Dr. Edem
Dr. Edem’s family is being held stresses that they only have 2 hours to
hostage by the Company. Edem get important DNA samples from the
needs the DNA to free them. Cryovault [8]. This is a lie.
24 W Play up the social aspects of this mission. Dr. Edem is acting suspcious.
7. The Clean Room. Split by a glass partition
into an observation area and a small lab. THE LAB
• Ziegler is in the lab, behind the glass,
performing some unseen experiment.
W He is infected [Stage 5].
• It takes a minute to get his attention:
he turns and speaks in a creepy voice [8] [7] [6]
“LEAVE...ME...HERE...”
! Transforms into a carc in 1d5 minutes.
TO [1]
• Lab table: vials of hydroflouric acid and
chemical synthesis equipment (heavy).
• At the back of the lab: locked door to the
Cryovault [8].
Only Dr. Edem has the keycard.
[9]
Dr. Edem uses any excuse to get into
the Cryovault (even risking harm). They [10]
claim they “just need to grab some
samples” and no one should follow TO [13]
because it could “contaminate the vault.”
!!! ZIEGLER (CARCINID) !!! MINIMAP (TOP-DOWN VIEW)
C:55 Swipe 4d10 DMG I:55 W:2(20) AP:30

9.The Tumblers. Mechanical room, roaring
Weakness: hydrofluoric acid, a vial of which he so loud its impossible to hear a scream.
is holding. • Stack of terraformer algae cannisters.
Behind the stack is a ventilation system.
` Leads to: the Cryovault [8].
8. The Cryovault. Six large glass cylinders. • Utility ladder to the Walkway [10] above
Each holds a developing carc larva. One the tumblers where the controls are.
looks like a carc/human hybrid.
• One of the cylinders is broken. 10. The Walkway. Catwalk with a control
Trail of fluid: leads to a vent which has platform for this floor (requires Dr. Edem’s
been forced open. keycard).
` Leads to the Tumbers [9]. • Override: forces all doors open/closed.
W The hybrid has already escaped, but • Decontamination sequence: Overhead
pretend like it could appear at any sprinklers in [6], [7], and, [8] spray harsh
moment. Mention scuttling sounds antibacterial spray. Body Save or blinded
in the vents to keep the tension high. for 1 round.
• A datastick: Dr. Edem pockets immediately. • Security system: Live camera feed of [7],
• If the players confront Dr. Edem: can turn on/off the alarms.
“The Company wants the carc DNA. • Hatch leads to the Stairs [13] (pg. 28).
That’s all they care about. They’re like
a sentient cancer. We call them carcs
because of this concept: carcinization-- What happens next?
the idea that everything is slowly
evolving into crab-like forms. You see it It takes Dr. Edem 1d5 hours to analyze
everywhere. Nature never stops trying. their research. Once finished, they
Even here, millions of light years from invent a special ammunition coat
home, nature is still trying. The carcs ingwhich can pierce the carcs’ armor.
are what we should have been. The Anyone with access to the chemical
inheritors of the universe.” synthesis equipment in [7] can coat
W Play Dr. Edem as defensive; they 2d10 weapon shots per hour. To do this,
don’t want to admit their part in all however, requires power.
of this.

//Scenario 2c
THE
REACTOR
Sgt Valdez’s Plan
If the player’s decide to take Sgt Valdez’s

mission, she reveals the following:
• Objective 1: Engage the station’s

upriver pumping system to avoid
shutdown. An automated safety
shutdown is imminent due to the
excessive flooding and only manual
intervention can stop it.
This can only be done at the
Hydroreactor [14]. This was Siege
Squad’s initial mission before they
went MIA.
• Objective 2: Rescue Hinton, Dr.
Jensen, and the MIA members of
Siege Squad (Lcpl. Franco, PFC
Glockner, Cpl. Qadir, and PFC Weaver).
Infiltrate the lower levels of the
station by fast-roping down the the
Chimney [11].
Valdez, PFC Pedro, and Cpl.
Novikov accompany.
If the Signal is down...
Valdez provides: pulse rifles (3 mags
each), hazard suits (the Reactor emits The carcs only attack if fired upon
Level 2 & 3 radiation), and head lamps. and attempt to escape via the Tunnels
[15] back to the Mothership (pg. 30)
(especially any which hatch in the
Chimney [11]).
11. The Chimney. 60m drop into sheer
darkness. four people can rappel down at a
time on two ropes. !!! MARINE (GRUNT) !!!
W Fear Saves?
• On the way down: occasional large forms C:30 Pulse Rifle 3d10 DMG I:25 W:1
attached to the walls: carc cocoons.
! Loud noise or Panic: A newborn carc
hatches from a cocoon. !!! NEWBORN CARC !!!
! Radiation ticks up to Level 2 (Acute).
• Halfway down: hatch to the Spillways [12]. C:35 Claw 2d10 DMG I:35 W:2(20)
Past this point are dozens of cocoons.
• At the bottom: an industrial airlock door Hardened shell hasn’t formed yet.
to the Hydroreactor [14]. [-] on all actions for 1 round.
! Radiation ticks up to Level 3 (Lethal).
26 W Use the Chimney as a warning of what could happen. Nothing needs to happen.
If the power’s out
If the players decide to do Sgt. Valdez’s

mission after the Reactor has already
shut down, the mission becomes much
more dangerous. Add a carc swimming
in the waters of the Spillway [12]. The
Stairs [13] are now halfway flooded (40
second swim to the bottom), and PFC
Weaver in the Hydroreactor [14] now
transforms into a carc whenever it is
least convenient.

12. The Spillways. Large flood tunnel filled 13. The Stairs. Dark, claustrophobic industrial
with roaring water, flanked by narrow maintenance stairwell.
walkways leading to maintenance tunnels ! Radiation Level 2 (Acute).
and drains. Anyone falling in the water is • Heading up: to the Tumblers [9] (pg. 25).
sucked under and drowns. ! A carc climbs down. Fear Save [-].
! Radiation Level 2 (Acute). • Heading down: after half a story, the stairs
• In a drainage tunnel on the other side of descend into black, rising water.
the rushing water: a body stuck in a grate. At the bottom, after a 20 second swim,
The body is mangled and disfigured there is a jammed hatch which leads to
Dog tags: PFC Glockner. the Hydroreactor [14].
Carrying a LAT-90 Rocket Launcher with
a single missile. “SOME PIG” scrawled
on the side. Dealing with Radiation
` Range: Extreme DMG: 2d10x10 DMG
Shots: 1. Wound: Fire/Explosion [+] Radiation threatens to make a bad
Two-handed. Heavy. Reloading takes situation worse. Remind the players that
a round. if their hazard suits break they’ll suffer
• At the end: a rusted red door. constant Radiation damage.
Leads to the Stairs [13].
28 W The real reward here is the revelation that Hinton has betrayed everyone.
14. The Hydroreactor. A gigantic industrial
complex, now nearly flooded to the top. THE REACTOR
! Radiation Level 3 (Lethal).
! Each round: 10% chance a carc arrives.
[11]
If entering from the Stairs [13]:
• The complex is flooded. It’s a 30 second
TO [10]
swim to the surface.
W Strength (Athletics) Check or Body [12]
Save? Is the player active or reactive?
Underwater: a large organic gash. If opened, [13]

it leads to the Tunnels [15].
If entering from the Chimney [11]: [14]

• The hatch opens on to a catwalk; the
flooded water laps at the metal grating [15]
which leads to the turbine.
TO A3
At the center of the complex: A gigantic
turbine, peaking from the water’s surface. MINIMAP (SIDE VIEW)
Huddled at the top: LCpl Franco and
PFC Weaver. Weaver, clings to Franco,
who stands watch with a GPMG. 15. The Tunnels. Underwater: a large organic
` They are terrified and panicky. gash in the side of the complex leads to a
The Hydroreactor’s controls are tunnel with smooth bored walls.
destroyed beyond repair. • Upon entering: water floods into the
tunnel, but the organic tissue quickly seals
itself shut again.
Radiation slowly recedes to zero..
What happened to Siege Squad?
• The tunnel continues for several miles
until it reaches the Drainage Tunnel [A3]
As soon as he can, Franco reveals: (pg. 33) inside the carc mothership.
• The waters are infested with carcs. He
only has six shots left. !!! CARCINID !!!
• “It was Hinton.” Hinton killed Glockner
immediately before sabotaging the C:75 Claw 4d10 DMG I:75 W:2(20) AP:30
Hydroreactor’s controls.
• The Reactor shuts down within the Aramid Fiber Weave: Bullet/flameproof
hour. There’s no way to stop it. carapace. Weakness: hydrofluoric acid.
• Hinton escaped. Before the flood
waters rose, Franco saw Hinton take The Shriek: Sanity Save: on failure gain 1 Stress
Dr. Jensen into the Tunnels [15]. and become infected (see pg. 7).
• Qadir’s MIA still.
• Weaver needs help. He has these
“papercuts” all over his body. He’s
infected [Stage 1] (pg. 7). What happens next?
W Don’t deliver this information Rescuing the marines opens up a

as a monologue. Instead, start new lead: the Mothership (pg. 30)
with the bolded text and let the which players might want to explore.
players ask for the rest. They’ll However, the power is now out across
get there, just trust them. And if the station, carcs creep in from every
they don’t, that’s fine too. corner, and the thunder rolls.

// Scenario 3
MOTHERSHIP
What’s going on?
The carc mothership is nestled in the nearby

mountains. A bulbous, burnt cigar, discarded
by an itinerant god. It has been abandoned
here for nearly a century, upended in the
crags. Inside sleep three ancient, cyclopean
carcinids, nobles of their species.
Inside the ship, Hinton works feverishly

to wake these slumbering demigods and
merge with the carc consciousness. While
he has not yet succeeded in his task, he
has succeeded in something far more
dangerous: he has sent a distress signal to
the greater carcinid race, one that will reach
them in a decade’s time.
And when they hear his call, they will

answer. All of them.
What do I need? A New Discovery
At this point, you know what you’re doing, While alien ships in media are incredibly
so we’ll be taking off the training wheels as common, they may be a brand new
much as possible. thing to the characters. Take a moment
and describe this massive ship and its
There are several puzzles in this scenario implications for humanity. Treat this like a
that you should familiarize yourself with, big deal and it’ll set the tone for the rest of
so be sure to give it a good read before the session.
diving in.
Exploration
If you’re running this
scenario as a one-shot… Encourage players to experiment and
explore. If they aren’t making progress
The crew have heard Hinton’s garbled along one of the routes, remind them
distress Signal to the carcinid race, but are there may be other entrances.
unable to decode it. They can tell, however,
that the distress call has come from the Treat this like a real scientific expedition,
Company’s distress beacon, so they are and pay special attention to the minutiae
obliged to investigate. of exploration: light, movement, figuring
out what things are and what they do.
Start them at the base of the mothership Unless otherwise noted, every chamber is
with the goal of investigating the source of pitch black. And remember: comms most
the Signal. likely don’t work!
30 W Remember: discovering this ship at all could be a historic moment.

[B]
[C]
[A]
B. The Airlock. Budding from a long pod on

Approaching the Ship
the mountain side of the ship. 9m diameter,
ringed with antenna-like whiskers.
It takes a half-day’s hard scrabble through • If presented with carc DNA allows entry.
the foothills to get to the ship. There are Otherwise: 100 DMG to destroy it.
three entrances, and while the crew arrives • Once inside: the floors and walls are pock
at the Main Thrusters [A], if they explore marked and rusty, like something acidic
they may find the other two. has been sprayed on them
! The airlock closes after one minute
A. The Main Thrusters. Due to the angle of and runs a decontaminating program,
the landing, the thrusters sit 18m above the spraying down everyone inside with a
ground. chemical mist.
• Below the thruster: a carcinid corpse. ` Anyone not wearing armor that fully
Bullet holes (Scientist/Medscanner) traces covers their entire body must make
of doxorubicin coating the bullets, as a Body Save [-] or take 1 Wound as
well as other powerful chemical agents. their flesh boils.
` (Medical Skills): doxorubicin is a ` Once the program is complete, the
historical chemotherapy treatment airlock opens to [B1].
for cancer patients.
• Once inside: The main thrusters yawn C. The Dorsal Crack. From the ground,
cavernously, a hearth left cold. observant players notice a shimmer, like
A gigantic empty space that terminates from a hot fire, emanating from the roof.
in a tunnel, just shy of a human’s height, • The ship is difficult to climb.
leading to A1. • (Teamster): The shimmer is the ship’s
A marine’s corpse: face bashed in. interior atmosphere, leaking out.
` Dog tags: Cpl. Qadir. • The crack reveals an unlit 12m drop to C1.

Route A
A1. Spherical Chamber. Unlit chamber, 30m

diameter. All the surfaces inside the ship are
of a rough dark texture, something akin to
lava rock.
• Large black sphere: 4m diameter, hovers
between two large cylinders protruding
from the ceiling and floor.
At the base of each cylinder: a ring
perforated with holes.
` The ring can be rotated similar to a
rotary phone (requires two people).
` The ring on the ceiling rotates the
sphere on its x-axis, the one on the
floor rotates it on its y-axis.
` As the sphere rotates it shines a
bright pin-hole sized “opening”
around the room’s interior.
• A ring of eight large buttons in the ground.
If all of them are pressed at once:
! The pin-hole opening created by the
sphere activates and sucks anything
standing near it through, trapping the
object inside a pocket dimension.
` This can be done once, after which
the machinery stops working and the
sphere crashes to the ground.
` All nearby must make a Body Save or
be crushed by the falling sphere.
• Veins cover the chamber’s interior,
interspersed with small climbing holds.
Climbing holds lead to a small locked
hatch to [A2].
` Opens for carc pheromones or if a
carcinid body part is brought near.
` Otherwise, Strength Check [-] to pry
open.
Search: a small screen embedded in the
wall, interfacing with the veins.
` Displays live feed of The Court [D]:
a huge circular chamber containing
colossal, upright beings draped in
gossamer shrouds.
Alien technology
This is a strange vessel with logic that

doesn’t conform to our own. Don’t
feel the need to explain how or why
something works, just that it does.
32 W Where did the human body parts in A3 come from? Are they hybrids? Real?
REAR VIEW 3/4 VIEW
[D] [A5] [A4] [A3] [A2] [A1] [A]
A2. Foggy Canyon. Giant canyon with no A4. Cylindrical Chamber. Large ribbed tower.
way to get to the other side. • Warty polyp pulsating with yellow light.
• Large tumor with a mouth-like hole 3m long carc-like limb protrudes from it.
bulges near the edge. Rusty, but can be articulated.
If fed organic matter: a bridge 10m high • Metallic beach-ball sized nodule in the
of hardened cartilage extends all the floor in front of the polyp.
way to a cylindrical chamber [A4]. ! If the limb touches the nodule, an
` A human body keeps the bridge up electric current runs through and peels
for 15 minutes, a carc’s for 30. back a section of the wall, revealing a
W Use common sense to judge. passage to The Court [D].
! Corrosive gasses congeal at the bottom. • Fleshy, calcified tendrils, thick as a
Devours flesh in minutes, and breaches forearm criss-cross the room.
armor in (AP) rounds. Carcs immune. ! If cut (10+ DMG), they spray pressurized
A grate at the bottom just big enough fluid (Body Save or 1d5 DMG).
for a human in a vaccsuit to slip Search: a second metallic nodule which
through into a large Drainage Tunnel if connected to the polyp peels back
[A3]. The gas inexplicably does not flow a section of the wall to reveal a Small
through the grate. Cavity [A5].
• Along the far wall is a metallic web which
A3. Drainage Tunnel. Wide throat-like tunnel leads down to a Drainage Tunnel [A3].
200m long, bisected by a river of black liquid.
• Walls pock-marked with small chambers. A5. Small Cavity. Pool of glowing saline.
Chambers are filled with human body • The solution is harmless.
parts grafted to the walls. W Don’t mention this. Let them worry.
` Each still lives. The faces and mouths • Floating within the fluid: a lengthy black
express alternating agony and bliss. tube, connected to a large, swollen sac by
` Examine: the muscles are spliced an umbilical cord.
with carc fibers and do not belong to You can wear the sac like a vest and
any colonists. hold the tube like a rifle.
! Hands grasp those passing by. They On the top of the tube, in an awkward
do not let go. location for a human, is a trigger.
W What allows players to escape? ! The trigger releases a pressurized
• Tunnel terminates in a large metallic stream of hydroflouric acid.
web to a Cylindrical Chamber [A4] then ` 1d100 DMG. 12 shots. Ignores carc
continues for several miles underground armor.
to the Tunnels (pg. 29).

B2. The Armory. Needle-thin arms
Route B
terminating in curved scalpels hang from
the ceiling.
B1. Dim Corridor. 10m wide, 2m tall. ! The arms impulsively embrace anyone
• Dim bioluminscent glow from the roof INJURED entering. Body Save to avoid. If
of cillia-like tendrils which brush against caught by the blades:
anything taller than 1.5m. All Health/Wounds restored.
If attached to powered device (or power ` Carc limbs grafted onto the patient
storage device): tendrils provide power. (where needed). Bodies patched via
• Corridor lined with sculptures of carcinids. aramid weave dispenser nozzles.
Beautiful, crackling with life like they Gain AP equal to Health healed.
could burst forth at any moment. ` Flesh becomes chitinous and rigid.
Art: These statues don’t just depict the If limbs replaced: gain 1d10 Strength
carc’s form, they worship it. (arms) or 1d10 Speed (legs).
Xenoesotericism/Sophontology: This is a ! Reduce Sanity Save by 2d10, gain 1d10
culture that thinks very highly of itself. Stress, and make a Panic Check.
What must they think of us? ! Those witnessing this process gain 1d5
! 4 carcs mingle with the statues, waiting Stress and also make a Panic Check.
to ambush. • If the Company allows such hybrids to
W This could wipe out the entire crew. live, their physiology collapses within
That’s okay. Telegraph the danger. If 2d10 months, resulting in a painful death
they want to run now, let them. as they transform into mindless carcinid
• The tunnel forks at the end: killing machines.
Large, circular door (locked: carc DNA): • The uninjured are caressed and ignored
leads to the Armory [B2]. (Fear Save).
Open corridor leads deeper, towards
the Narrow Walkway [B3].
! Dim cacophony of scuttling shells. Problems are Prep
!!! CARCINID !!! Does the Company hunt down any

hybrid crew members? Can they be
C:75 Claw 4d10 DMG I:75 W:2(20) AP:30 saved by illegally resleeving themselves
on Prospero’s Dream (A Pound of
Aramid Fiber Weave: Bullet/flameproof Flesh)? Or does the Company offer
carapace. Weakness: hydrofluoric acid. an experimental cure in exchange for
dangerous work? Big consequences lead
The Shriek: Sanity Save: on failure gain 1 Stress to big play. Don’t be afraid of them.
B3. Narrow Walkway less than a meter wide,

leading to the Pit [B4].
Poor Player Planning ! The walkway is suspended 60m above
hundreds of carcs. A crawling wave of
[B3] presents a quick/suicidal shortcut chitinous shells.
to the Courts. Sometimes players The carcs haul phlegm-yellow jelly
want to go in guns blazing, and damn encased in aramid weave bowls to a
the consequences. If they drop down large webbed tunnel leading to the
into the throng of carcs they will be Court [D].
swarmed. And you should let them. Set ` The jelly is food for the Nobles (pg.
the stakes, but always let them do what 38).
they want. And who knows? Maybe ! Balancing on the walkway takes
they have a solution you haven’t concentration for bipeds: Body Save [-] or
thought of. fall into the chasm of carcinids below if
distracted (running, combat, etc.).
34 W Let your players experiment in each room. There’s no time pressure here.
REAR
VIEW
3/4 VIEW
[D] [B5] [B4] [B3] [B2] [B1] [B]
B4. The Pit. Large circular room with a giant

pit in the center. Loud reveberating hiss. TO THE ARMORY [B2]
! Overbearing smell of rot and decay (Body OR THE PIT [B4]
Save or wretch loudly for one round).
! 3 spindly carcs creep down from the
ENTRANCE
ceiling on fiber weave strands.
• From the other side of the room: 2 dying
carcs enter, crawl along the edge of the pit.
The spindly carcs leap on the injured
ones, devour them, and excrete their
raw matter back into the pit. A C
` This districts the spindly carcs for a
few rounds.
Exits to the Triple Airlock [B5]. A
!!! CARCINID !!! B C
C:75 Claw 4d10 DMG I:75 W:2(20) AP:30

B
Aramid Fiber Weave: Bullet/flameproof
carapace. Weakness: hydrofluoric acid. A B
The Shriek: Sanity Save: on failure gain 1 Stress C

B C
B5. Triple Airlock. A dark chamber divided

into three sections by thick, aramid weave
armored sphincters. Here’s how it works:
EXIT
• Pushing one of the buttons on the floor

opens or closes the associated sphincter.
• Only one sphincter can be open at a time.
• An open sphincter must be closed before
another can be opened.
• The exit leads to the Court [D]. TO THE COURT [D]

C4. Raw Cavity. In the flesh-like
Route C
superstructure of the ship, seemingly
gnawed from the ship’s hull.
C1. Coral Passages. The wound in the ship • Low rolling fog covers the ground.
descends into a small rough-walled chamber. • Several pools of clear plasma scattered
• There are no discernable exits. across the cavity.
• The spongy, wrinkled walls are coated in a • Squat tube of bone-ceramic composite in
thin layer of milk-white fluid. It feels alive. the center of the chamber.
The walls can easily be cut to reveal a Eight small, fleshy nodules protrude
fluid-filled chute in the floor. 20m swim from the top.
down to a Cavernous Membrane [C2]. ! If these are squeezed, a flurry of
microfibers are released, tearing into
C2. Cavernous Membrane. Humid air blows. soft targets (3d10 DMG). Ignores
• Rings of muscle suck/blow air from both carcinid armor completely.
ends of the chamber. ` Each nodule is depleted after a single
• From the ceiling billow dozens of squeeze, but regenerates the fibers
immense sheets of sticky membrane. over 10 minutes.
If destroyed (fire, explosion, laser cutter, ` The tube can be dug out from the
etc.), the carcs become increasingly ground with an hour’s work (Strength
sluggish and take [-] on all rolls. Check to halve the time).
• Leads to Round Tunnel [C3]. ` Weighs about 50lbs.
` The colonists can reverse engineer
C3. Round Tunnel. Leads straight down the these microfibers into ammunition in
into darkness. four hours.
• 30m down: foot-long, delicate whisker-
hairs carpet the walls. C5. The Ramp. The ribbed corridor takes a
! If multiple whiskers are touched (like if hard turn upwards, at a steep angle.
a hand runs through them), a sphincter- • Ridges of tough, rubbery material are
door snaps shut (Body save or 1d10 present in regular, repeating organic
DMG), halting further downwards patterns—like the roof of a dog’s mouth.
travel. It is coated in a saliva-like substance.
` After five minutes of stillness, the Once stuck to something, it begins to
sphincter eases open. harden and dehydrate.
If only a single whisker is stimulated, a ! Every minute exposed: +1 AP, -1 Speed.
section of the wall peels open, allowing Scraping it off takes hours.
access to a Raw Cavity [C4]. • Climbing the ramp takes 10 minutes.
• Tunnel terminates at the Ramp [C5]. Leads to the Court [D].
36 W If they get stuck, remind them they can leave and look for other entrances.
REAR
VIEW
3/4 VIEW
[D] [C5] [C4] [C3] [C2] [C1] [C]

D. The Court
An unbelievably massive chamber at the

heart of the carc mothership, made up of
three large staircases, each roughly four
stories tall and several hundred meters
long. At the top of each staircase slumbers
a gargantuan carcinid noble, wrapped in
gossamer sheets of aramid weave. The
ground is covered in fog, and carcs crawl
over everything (including the nobles).
At the top of the central staircase, working

furiously, is Hinton, the synthetic science
officer of the Samsa VI mission. A few dozen
carcs stand at strict attention by his side
along with Dr. Jensen, who assists him.
! If the players are noticed entering: several
carcs surround, but do not harm them
(unless attacked). They escort the crew to
an audience with Hinton. Hinton
A thoughtful, ambitious android with
Hinton has an elaborate surgical setup plans to transcend his termporary material
designed to merge him with a carc noble. body and become one with the carcinid
This takes him a few hours uninterrupted. hive mind. If spoken to respectfully, and
• If he is successful: he becomes a asked politely, Hinton has no problem
carc noble, and begins the process of letting the players leave. He does not
enslaving the other nobles to him. believe the players are a serious threat to
• If he is unsuccessful: the nobles wake. He him. His work cannot be undone.
has already brought one near the point
of wakefulness, to perform the surgery,
and stopping it now would ensure this !!! HINTON !!!
happens.
C:75 Pulse Rifle 3d10 DMG I:85 AP:5 W:3(20)
How do you beat this?

!!! HINTON’S CARCINID RETINUE !!!
This is a dangerous situation with lots
of potential for things to go sideways C:85 Claw 5d10 DMG I:75 W:3(30) AP:30
for the players. Remember: this is not
a video game, and it’s not important Aramid Fiber Weave: Bullet/flameproof
that the players “beat” this encounter. carapace. Weakness: hydrofluoric acid.
We describe it in this book because it
is something notable that exists within The Shriek: Sanity Save: on failure gain 1 Stress
the setting, but choosing not to engage and become infected (see pg. 7).
with it is just as valid a decision as
attempting to negotiate or defeat it.
Simply present the material, and allow !!! CARCINID NOBLE !!!
the players to decide for themselves
how and if they’d like to approach it. Claw: Body Save [-] or die I:95 AP:100 W:10(100)
Running away is fine—and probably a
good idea! Assimilation: Sanity Save or Stage 4 Infection.
38 W Don’t play Hinton as a supervillain. He’s pragmatic and ambitious.

What happens next?
If the nobles awaken after Hinton has

merged: civil war ensues between the
Hinton-controlled carcs and the nobles.
If the nobles awaken and Hinton is

dead: they repair their ship (which
takes years) and return home, after
first sending a messenger to their
homeworld and calling for assistance.
If the nobles remain asleep and Hinton

is killed: your players have beaten the
odds. They can rest peacefully for now.
Either way, the storm crests, and the

players need to find a way to get off the
planet (see The Evacuation pg. 40.).

//Scenario 4
What do I need?
METAMORPHOSIS This scenario is an event: a wide-

spread crisis that affects the players no
matter where they are or what they’re
What’s going on?
doing. This requires you to tailor the
encounters to fit with your players’
The storm on Samsa VI breaks just as the previous actions as well as their current
carcs unleash their final assault. For the location. Additionally, you should
colonists and crew, this may be the last prepare a J2C-II Executive Transport for
chance they have to evacuate before the the players in case they escape.
carcs take total control of the planet.
This scenario is organized into five
obstacles/encounters that players may
or may not have to deal with depending
The Flood
on their choices. Follow their lead, and
use your knowledge of Samsa VI and
Every hour, the floods makes it more difficult its inhabitants to judge the scenario as
to safely navigate the terrain. Scientists with best you can. You’ll do great.
access to a powered computer terminal can
learn the storm should pass in 10 hours. Use What if they fail?
the Timeline Table (pg. 41). to determine
when each area floods. This is a difficult scenario, and your
players’ chances of success are slim.
Travel time between Greta Base, Heron Be open to any solutions they have,
Station, or the Mothership (see Samsa VI pg. and don’t try to force any particular
5) is doubled after Hour 3 and tripled after outcome, just judge events as they
Hour 5. Vehicles cannot travel after Hour 3. come as even-handedly as you can.
Those who fall in flooded water must make a
Body Save each round or drown. If it looks like they are going to fail,
pay particular attention to how you
frame events. If carcs are streaming in
from all sides and all hope is lost, tell
The Evacuation
them the outlook is grim, and let them
narrate their demise. By giving your
In order to call for an evacuation, the crew players agency and control in their final
must contact the dropship which requires moments, they can imbue them with
retaking the Tower (pg. 20). If they cannot weight and meaning, and the story
contact the dropship, it seeks them out becomes a painful tragedy rather than
starting at Hour 10. a session that fell flat. It’s a horror game
after all, make failure fun!
During the storm, the dropship can’t make
a landed evacuation, and must instead If you’re running this
perform a hovering rescue. In a hovering scenario as a one-shot...
rescue, the co-pilot descends on a cable with
a harness to haul up one evacuee at a time. It takes some reworking, but this
This takes a few minutes per person. After scenario can work great as a carc
three people are rescued, the pilot informs invasion and evacuation scenario. Give
the crew that he’s afraid they’ll crash if they the players four colonists, start them
don’t take off now. For every additional at the Heron Terraforming Station, and
person rescued after the warning, there is a see how many they can get off planet.
cumulative 10% chance that the pilot loses
control and the dropship crashes.
40 W Keep things moving. Don’t let them rest. Everything is always getting worse.
The colonists have the following remaining
The Carcinids
in their stockpile: x3 ATVs (with GPMGs), x4
GPMGs (x30 mags), x2 explosive devices,
To make matters worse, the carcinids begin x12 pulse rifles (x48 mags), x32 frag
a full fledged assault on the colony. They can grenades, x1 flamethrower (x2 tanks), as
swim, climb, and run without much difficulty well as sandbags, razor-wire, and various
in the storm, and they are very difficult to other tools for warfare and fortication.
see in the low light. The crew may have to
defend against them in waves, run from
them to escape, or sneak past them. Be Simplifying Big Actions
flexible and give your players options.
If players are in a fortified position,
Roll on the table below once per hour to fending off waves of carcinids, don’t
determine whether the crew encounters a play out every round of combat.
wave of carcinids. If Hinton is alive and the Instead, set the stakes more broadly,
nobles have awoken, there’s a 50% chance and zoom out a bit. For example: a
any carcs encountered are fighting amongst single Combat Check success might kill
themselves. Otherwise, they are on a several carcs, whereas a failure might
mission to wipe out the colonists. let one slip through. Zoom back in when
it feels right.
TIMELINE FLOODING CARCINIDS EVACUATION
Heron Level -3, 10% chance of Landed evacuation.

HOUR 1 Mothership Route A. 1 carcinid.
Heron Level -2. 10% chance of Hovering evacuation.

HOUR 2 1d5 carcs.
Dam uncrossable 20% chance of Hovering evacuation.

HOUR 3 due to flooding. 1d5 carcs.
Heron Level -1, 20% chance of Hovering evacuation.

HOUR 4 Mothership Route B. 1d10 carcs.
Greta Base floods. 30% chance of Not possible.

HOUR 5 1d10 carcs.
Heron Level 0. 30% chance of Not possible.

HOUR 6 2d10 carcs.
Heavy storms and 40% chance of Not possible.

HOUR 7 flooding continue. 2d10 carcs.


Storm breaks. 50% chance of Landed evacuation.

HOUR 10 4d10 carcs.

42 W The players will probably suspect Maas is infected. Let them go wild on him.
Back on the Ship
Teaching Ship Combat
If the players return to the orbiting ship, Part of this final scenario is teaching
they’ll find Maas has been kicking back and your players how ship-to-ship combat
taking it easy this whole time. The pilots works. In this case, the ships start out in
say he’s mostly just been hanging out in his Contact Range, and the carc ship won’t
quarters, watching tv. They say Maas tried respond to hails, so they don’t have to
to communicate with the players, but once worry about negotiation.
they heard all that gibberish, he just checked
in once a day and then clocked out. They do, however, have to worry about
the carc (Maas) onboard their own
Maas is, of course, infected. Don’t try too ship. Between each ship round, spend
hard to hide it. But, if the players check on two rounds dealing with the fallout
Maas, he’s sitting in the chair in his room, and actions on board the ship. This
obsessively filling out reports. should keep things pretty tense, without
slowing things down too much.
!!! MAAS (CARCINID) !!!
Remember, the carc ship is a Class-VI
C:55 4d10 DMG I:55 W:2(20) AP:30 vesel, meaning it is too difficult for the
players to fight. It should have [+] on
Weakness: hydrofluoric acid. all actions against the players’ ship.
Describe to the players very clearly that
the ship moves at a speed like they’ve
never seen, that the targeting is dead
As soon as Maas transforms into a carcinid, on, and then really emphasize any
the sensors onboard the ship start blaring: damage the players take. It’s okay to
another vessel has launched from the say “This thing is beyond your ship’s
surface of Samsa VI. capabilities, you may want to run.”
Especially after the first Ship Round.
What happens next?

The Messenger
Congratulations! However things
Either the carcs or Hinton have launched shake out, whether your players make
a messenger vessel from the carcinid it off Samsa VI, die in its jungles, or
mothership, and it immediately attacks the find some other resolution, you’ve
players ship upon breaching the atmosphere. successfully played a short campaign
of Mothership. Where do you go from
The ship is not interested in a long here? Your players still haven’t learned
engagement with the players’ ship, but about Shore Leave, and now is a good
fires on them once and then continue to time to introduce it. They could be
return fire as long as the players engage in debriefed by corporate, or if they’re still
combat. After the first round of Ship Combat, on Samsa VI, maybe just a few nights
however, it attempts to evade and escape. If of heavy drinking while they come up
it reaches its destination, the carcinids will with a plan. Also, the message to the
return, this time in large numbers. carcs has repercussions. Maybe not
now, but in a few years? Maybe you
!!! CARCINID MESSENGER VESSEL !!! skip forward in time a bit. You can start
a new campaign with new characters,
Jump-5 Class-VI Carcinid Ship or you can continue with these and see
where they take you. Whatever you and
THR:55 BTL:25 1d5 MDMG SYS:55 your players choose, we know you’ll do
CREW:?? HULL:1 great. Thank you for playing!

D100 CARCINID TRAIT
00 Holds a conical tin cup, and prefers to drink rather than fight or work.
01-04 Carapace decorated with delicate scrimshaw.
05-08 Carapace decorated with perforations resembling a cheese grater
09-12 Enlarged pedipalps drip with venom. Treat as stun baton.
13-16 Pedipalps are thin and whiplike. Treat as a tranq pistol.
17-20 Mouth foams with pus-yellow bubbles as if rabid. Treat as a foam gun.
21-24 Carapace and legs constructed partially out of rebar, with steel rods exposed.
25-28 Enhanced sensory system: grafted on human eyes, ears, noses, and tongues.
29-32 Claws covered in a thick, fuzzy mass that absorbs blood.
33-36 One claw is enlarged, while its opposite is small and oddly human.
37-40 Carapace is painted black and spotted with diamonds, decorated like star charts.
41-44 Completely molted, soft and dripping with rapidly thickening resin. AP: 0.
45-48 Partially molted, with the raw tissue beneath the carapace exposed. AP: 10.
49-52 Claws are thin and belted with chainsaw-like edges linked to an engine.
53-56 Carapace is decorated with nails and hooks.
57-60 Claws long, thin, and held in a praying-mantis configuration.
61-64 Wearing a quilt of human skin, hairs still twitching.
65-68 Body covered in eyes, many of which are not standard on carcinids.
69-72 Body is housed, hermit-crab-like, in a trio of merged vaccsuits.
73-76 Wears a headdress made from an open human book, pages frozen with resin.
77-80 Carapace has integrated plastics, including exposed, lung-like food bags.
81-84 An angle grinder saw replaces one claw.
85-88 Confused looking and feral carcinid with poor hygiene.
89-92 Body is decorated with marine rank insignia.
93-96 Long legs loaded with spring-like muscles; Long Range leap for a 3d10 DMG attack.
97-98 Has a prosthetic leg made of wood.
99 Entirely robotic apart from its nerves, and covered in metal plating.
44 W This is advice for a Warden. XXX

Mothership - Another Bug Hunt v1.1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mothership - Another Bug Hunt v1.1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mothership - Another Bug Hunt v1.1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SAMSA VI MISSION ORGANIZATION CHART

2ndLt Lange (KIA) Sgt Valdez Dr. Ziegler (MIA) Sobol

PFC Tanaka PFC Pedro PFC Olsson (KIA)

HM3 Brookman PFC Glöckner (MIA) PFC Weaver (MIA)

Demar (KIA) Dr. Jensen (KIA) Dr. Kawaguchi

Another Bug Hunt features four

Written by Introducing WES

OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 3

What the players know. What they don’t know.

Ten years ago

One year ago

A skeleton crew of researchers, engineers, The arrival of the humans triggered an

Nine months ago

Six months ago

Three months ago

Six weeks ago

One hour ago

WHAT’S This book is not meant to be played like a

GOING ON? video game, with pre-planned cutscenes

• Path [A] (pg. 10): Short, muddy walk.

OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 5

C:75 Claw 4d10 DMG I:75 W:2(20) AP:30

Aramid Fiber Weave: bullet/flameproof

The Shriek: Sanity Save: on failure gain 1 Stress

Carcinids can assimilate other lifeforms by emitting a

Hinton has done the painstaking work of converting

When someone hears the Shriek for the first time,

1. Revelation Victim hears intermittent incoherent chittering whispers. Their body

Hinton uses assimilated characters as infiltrators, though he is not

OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 7

DISTRESS For your first scenario, you don’t need to

SIGNALS prepare much—it’s all written down here

• A copy of the Player’s Survival Guide.

8 W Remind players of “the Job” if they don’t know where to go.

The crew has been transported to Samsa

After the characters get out of cryosleep,

OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 9

Each important location in 6. CREW HABITAT

Describing the Location

As you scan the key, imagine you are

Locked Doors Inside the Airlock: muddy floors, storage

This scenario is a classic: an abandoned

OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 11

OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 13

Outside the garage:

Failures should result in dramatic

Inside the garage: on one side is an Armored

!!! DEMAR !!!

C:25 Frag Grenade 3d10 DMG I:10 W:1

Very rarely should a fight last to the bitter

OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 15

What’s going on?

The thirteen remaining survivors of the

THE CONTROL ROOM

THE ORBITAL RELAY

THE CLEAN ROOM

OVERVIEW SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 17

Once the players arrive at the Hangar [1]

• Team Leave: Brookman and the rest