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| Alien (1979) |
How I Run an Open Table for Mothership
The following post is the first in a series on my experiences running an open table campaign using the Mothership RPG for a little over a year. I hope this will help more people have fun running games. I will outline some of the tools/techniques I used, some of the challenges I encountered and how I resolved them (or failed to).
How do I run an open table for Mothership?
My open table campaign structure is as follows: I (the GM) schedule sessions at regular intervals and times. I invite a pool of players and run the session with whoever can make it. Each session is a self contained one shot, with little connection to the previous sessions. Only one session is planned at a time. A variety of modules and homebrewed 'adventures' are used, though, often chopped into one-shot friendly bites; Another Bug Hunt has some good examples on how you might do this. I allow players to re-use surviving characters and progress/upgrade them off-table. To help me decide what to run for the next sessions, I create a form and have the players vote on one of the available jobs. For a more detailed explanation on open tables, please refer to this excellent post by The Alexandrian Blog. Now, we begin the dissection...
The bones of a one-shot
- A clear objective
- The players need to know their objective(s) within a few minutes of the session starting. Most of the objectives should be straight forward and 'mundane'. Retrieve this item, rescue this individual etc. I like to add 'side objectives' as the session progresses. Additional credits, rescuing innocents or a cute pet, to temp the players into making risky decisions. There's a reason Mothership emphasizes "Save, Solve, Survive" as exclusive choices. Force the players to make a real choice about what to prioritize because they likely won't get to everything.
- A strong start
- I prepare and rehearse a short 'cinematic' intro, no more than two or three paragraphs. This would signal the start of the session and begin building the mood.
- The intro should give the players something to chew on. I rarely use combat, as is more common in other TTRPGs. I prefer to start with a shocking or strange visual that gets the players asking questions. The intro should present the first set of clues that gets the players asking questions. 'What is going on here?' is the most basic but it's popular for a reason.
- A discrete location
- The game needs a space to take place within. Almost all off the shelf modules have this but it's something you'll have to prep if you're running your own 'adventure'. I typically don't need a highly detailed map, often times just a flowchart or even a list of locations with notes will suffice. You can even re-use existing maps and just re-key them.
- A timer
- I have a hard stop at the end of the session (the FLGS closes) so this is essential. Switch up when the timer is introduced, sometimes introduce the timer halfway through the session. Sometimes the timer is to signal the arrival of Something Worse which arrives with about 30 mins left in the game.
- Beyond practical necessity, timers add tension and prevents analysis paralysis. Mothership is incredibly deadly and requires players to think carefully. The timer lets them plan as long as their dare
- Secrets and Clues
- I assume most GMs have heard of this (and if not go and read the 8 steps of the lazy DM right now!) but this is particularly important for Mothership. Combat is deadly and the monster is rarely encountered directly. Thus, it is vitally important to telegraph threats and vulnerabilities. Ideally, introduce these clues as part of your strong start. This item, typically, needs to be prepped in advance to avoid confusion/contradiction and retcons mid-play.
- Escalating tension
- The Mothership gameplay loop is a death spiral, players accumulate stress from failure which makes makes future failures more punishing, leading to more stress. The environment should act in the same way. The underwater base should begin to flood, then break apart. The derelict ship should have life support fail and then drift into an asteroid field. Don't allow the players to get comfortable. The environment itself should get more inhospitable over time. This can tie in excellently with timers.
- Toys
- Something cool for the players to discover and use. Think Exosuit in 'Aliens' or the acid bullets in Another Bug Hunt. It should level the playing field, if only temporarily. It should be costly to access, again, tempting the players away from the primary objective. It will reduce tension somewhat but the catharsis and payoff is worth it.
- Of course, there are some monsters you just can't beat. The toys should let them hold it off and go out in a blaze of glory ala Captain Mifune. Bonus points if you are able to tie this into the secrets and clues you have already created.
- A grand finale
- The session should end with a bang, often literally! Players can accomplish their objectives in an infinite number of ways so it's rare to run the finale as planned but it's good to put some thought into this as part of your session prep, if only to get some ideas flowing. If the monster has already been encountered the finale should introduce a new twist or complication to keep things novel. If there are any long term repercussions of the players actions, be sure to inform the players as a kind of epilog.
