Having seen Guardians of the Galaxy, I am deeply interested in a game about Dissian Freebooters in a setting where not all of Dis’ boroughs are interconnected and sometimes you have to hop a space ship to get there.
My feelings on space ships are basically: they’re cool enough that I want them to be badass, I want them to gel with basic monster rules, and I want them to feed into the freebooter framework of scraping by. So…
When you get ahold of a spacecyst, a songship, fireflier, or other ship the GM will give you some of the info below.
If it’s big enough for two freebooters (or one and a whole mess of silver), it’s got 4 HP and the tag confined.
If it’s big enough for a whole party of freebooters (or one and plenty of living space), it’s got 8 HP and the tag cozy.
If it’s bigger still, big enough for the Sultana, or an uneasy alliance of freebooting scum, or just big enough that it takes a while to get around, it’s got 16 HP and the tag biggun.
If it’s a gunboat or warship, give it 1-armor and it’s got the tag serious weapons that can put a dent in other astral vessels and really put a damper on most creatures’ moods. At your discretion, give it 2-armor if you want everyone in the astral sea to know you’re an a-hole looking for a fight.
If it’s a freetrader, cargo hauler, or carrion ship, take the tag cargo hold, and bump it up one size if possible.
If it’s a spacecyst, the vessel is a naturally occurring growth on the planes of Dis as the boroughs become compressed or overgrown, and the buildings and alleys look for a way to escape. If you have to take any risks when guiding these sprawling collections of rooms, streets, and towers through space, you’ll roll +WIS to understand their own internal logic.
If it’s a songship, the vessel is an alien creature of iron wing, with a living star beating in its heart. These creatures soar in the void of the astral plane in pods, or hunt weaker songships in isolation, or prey upon other vessels dead and adrift — all the while singing with the joy of flight. If you have to take any risks when coaxing these birds through space, you’ll roll +CHA to lure its starheart into joining your chorus.
If it’s a fireflier, the vessel is artificial, a machine, put together for the purpose of crossing the space between boroughs in orbit of Dis proper. Metal and steam and fire and engines, looking like they’re gliding across black glass as their engine smoke pours out and pools in their wake. If you have to take any risks when driving this boat through space, you’ll roll +INT to sort out its cogs and levers and parts and set them right.
If the vessel’s purpose is to be a Fighter, take the following moves:
>Strike fear with a terrible silhouette
>Rain down hell, overwhelm defenses
>Shake off critical damage
If the vessel’s purpose is to be a Thief, take the following moves:
>Sneak something under the radar
>Destroy something critical
>Kick in the afterburner and run
If the vessel’s purpose is to be a Cleric, take the following moves:
>See to the health of all those aboard
>Appeal to someone’s good nature
>Find a way to where it really needs to be
If the vessel’s purpose is to be a Wizard, take the following moves:
>Serve as a place of magical power
>Reveal strange defenses perfect for the moment
>Divulge lore both arcane and immediately useful
If the vessel’s purpose is something else, take any three moves above or make up your own, and be specific.
When you settle your vessel down in the boroughs for a long stretch of downtime, roll+100s of Silver spent on maintenance and a tune-up. On a hit, the vessel will have full HP and be in good condition when you’re ready to go. On a 10+, hold 2-tune. On a 7-9, hold 1-tune. On a 6-, it won’t be ready to go when you are, and choose: 1-tune, full HP, or good condition. You may have a maximum of 2-tune at any time.
When you’re sailing between the orbiting boroughs of Dis, spend tune 1-for-1 to use any of your ship’s Moves. So long as your ship is already in good condition, you can gain 1-tune whenever there is downtime to fine-tune the ship’s performance. You may have a maximum of 2-tune at any time.
When your ship takes a hit in combat, you can spend 1-tune to ignore HP loss if the damage could conceivably miss anything vital, and knock systems out of sync instead.
When your ship is in good condition, you have day-to-day tools and supplies to keep her running, fuel to make it where you want to be if you don’t change direction, no big holes in the hull, a full compliment of ammunition, and the like. When your ship is not in good condition, it is a golden opportunity for the GM.
And for the heck of it…
The Milano
8HP 1-armor
cozy, serious weapons
>Sneak something under the radar
>Destroy something critical
>Kick in the afterburner and run
