Before the Incident
What is the incident? It is a megadungeon I’ve been working on intermittently for the past year, and planning to write rooms for in 2023 (using my alternative schedule). It is space horror themed, so the mothership system will fit perfectly to stat the weapons and monsters. In this post I wanted to go over some key aspects of the location and the horrors it might entail.
So If You Want to Be Surprised by the Incident in the Future Consider Skipping This Post
The incident is set in a world where the Soviet Union (later referred to as simply, the Union) had a successful space program and managed to launch several space stations throughout the local cluster. Although some Union settlements remain in the Outer Rim, the Company dominates space. Union stations and ships have been left to be plundered by derelict robbers and star leeches.
The incident follows the events on a single station, constructed for the sole purpose of preserving the essence of Union leaders through various methods. Contact with the station has been lost. The science team no longer controls the facility. What horrors have been allowed to run free?
Hydroponics and habitation module are completely overgrown by a mycelial network imbued with the consciousness of Lenin (found to be highly compatible). Zombie clones of Chernenko wander the derelict halls. The cybernetic mind of Comrade Glushkov has sectioned off the reactor, trying to perhaps salvage the situation.
The key opposing factions:
- COSMIN (Cosmonautics Ministry, of what’s left of the Union). Wants to salvage the consciousnesses if possible. If not, throw it into a star so that the Company can’t get to it.
- ABSOLUTION SUBSIDIARY CORPORATION (The Church of Capital). Extracts minds from the station and turns them into capitalists to serve the Company’s industries.
I want to include areas with artificial gravity and without, pressurised areas and vacuum. Mothership doesn’t have rules for that so I will be writing my own. Right now thinking to apply slower movement when wearing vacsuits or when travelling in 0g without magboots or skill. In vacuum players will also have to deplete their air supply (I will use my derelict die to track that).
What’s Inside?
- Jan 1. Rumour. The station is powered by an experimental black hole drive. Priceless and dangerous.
- Jan 2. Airlock. Floating orange spacesuit. Exploded corpse inside. Scalpel, radiation pills. Scratch marks all over the walls.
Dungeons to Watch Out For
- Hopeful Weird Wonder : Weeks 1 and 2
- I Cast Light! : Flashes of inspiration
- Playful Void : Themes, characters and factions
- All Dead Generations : Dungeon Design Process and Keys
- To Distant Lands : System
- Zedeck Siew’s Writing Hours : Prison of the Moon Maiden
- Mazirian’s Garden : dungeon23 roundup
Published on January 2, 2023.
Tagged: dungeon osr space setting mothership incident
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Spooky action at a distance is a blog run by emmy verte, to muse on sci-fi, fantasy location exploration and short fiction. You can donate to support Ukraine here.