When running for players new to Mothership, of late, the first module I reach for is Desert Moon of Karth. It's like my Keep on the Borderlands.

It has everything I like about Mothership.

First, it's a sandbox point crawl on the frontier (borderlands).

Want a bustling little town with hooks to the outside? There's Larstown. A ton of weird little characters. MEF as a colonizing, profit seeking military force that controls the one way in or out of Karth. Not to mention that it's also a powder keg ready to explode.

A weird cult that created a truly horrific society? Dawnseekers in the Silver Spire, which is almost like the Keep itself. Also, another powder keg.

Misguided xenophobic "good guys"? Valley Rangers.

Truly alien aliens in terms of their society and biology? The Wigoy with their seedmind.

Then, there's the prospectors crawling all around the moon, willing to make a buck by any means neccessary.

Grounded space pirates who need to hunt down a specific sand squid (basically a dragon).

It has awesome random encounters that can pose a real problem for your players.

All factions have interesting power brokers with their own interests that manifest as potential jobs for the players.

There's a dungeon that is a proper horror game of cat and mouse - Old Seahorse Mine.

Oldtech Artifacts are basically awesome magic items.

This post is nothing but a recommendation of this awesome zine that is just full of content and adventure.

Sure, it isn't a pure horror experience. On the other hand, the horror is one of survival in a harsh and hostile environment. No place is ever safe.

Hello and welcome to chapter 25 of this series of deepdives into Gradient Descent by TKG. Today we'll talk about the first part of Quality Assurance, and this is a big one. This sector contains Monarch's most valuable assets and exploitable vulnerabilities. Therefore, it's one of the most heavily guarded areas in all of the Deep. Like any good heist, action in QA calls for investigation, a carefully designed plan, big reveals and high stakes combats. The odds are against you, but it may be worth the risk, because what lies beyond these airlocks could shape the future of humanity.

Note: I have updated the Storylines Flowcharts and added something to The Bell (see comment below).

• The Blockade / Troubleshooters / Divers / Brainscans & Paranoia / Infiltrators / Ghosts / Monarch's Voice / Before You Dive
• The Bell
• Floor 1 - Reception & Habitation
• Floor 2 - The Minotaur / The Chosen & The Fallen / The Kingdom / The Dark / The Labyrinth
• Floor 3 - The Factory / Maint. 1 / Maint. 2 / Skeleton Works / Pseudoflesh Farms / Brain C. 1 / Brain C. 2 / Dis/Assembly / QUALITY ASSURANCE 1
• Floor 4 - HEL
• Floor 5 - The AI Core
• Floor 6 - Engineering & Support
• Synthesis & Campaign Arc Discussion
• Appendix - Storylines Flowcharts

SPOILERS AHEAD! WARDENS ONLY. 

► [51A] QA INSPECTION

To access the whole QA Inspection sector, the crew has to go through [32D] Ore Smasher. Doing this while the smasher is active is extremely risky, so the crew may want to turn off the machines. This can be achieved either through the [32A] Maintenance Terminal, or by sabotaging [31D] Hydraulics (see Maintenance 2). Once inside QA Inspection, the crew may look through the airlock window that opens on Combat Spire and see that there is a whole lot of Elite Androids protecting something valuable.

Beside this, QA Inspection also contains the terminal that may purge 98 androids in [52A] Quarantine, or remove their conditioning, making them free to leave that room after years of imprisonment.

► [51C] COMBAT SPIRE

The room is shaped like a funnel, wide at the top, narrow at the bottom. A single airlock leads in from the corridor. Through its window: 200 Elite Security Androids, pale-glowing, plugged into Personality I/O cables along the walls.

One of them is looking back.

Through the same window, on the far side of the Spire, another airlock is visible: reinforced, glass-plated, something behind it worth protecting.

The androids activate the moment anyone enters. All 200, simultaneously. They cannot be baited, divided, or drawn upward. EMP shielding, internal SMGs, combat armor: going through them is not a plan.

► [51F] SECRET HANGAR

DISCOVER: This part of the Deep is heavily guarded, and the crew won't be keen on taking the risk to access it unless they know what's inside, or at least that it's worth the trouble. Several threads planted throughout the Deep point here: Arkady at the Bell has heard rumors of a contingency plan, a backup Monarch has prepared should it face destruction (see The Bell). Renzo's journal notes strange vibrations and a depressurized sector she couldn't access during her mapping (see Dis/Assembly, The Hideout). Terminals inside QA Inspection reference automated launch protocols without elaborating. And the sheer density of protection around this sector, 200 Elite Security Androids guarding a single airlock, is itself a message. Monarch doesn't do this for nothing.

Finally, Kilroy may send the crew here directly, tasking them with scouting the outer hull for a possible entrance before she commits to anything further (see Troubleshooters).

ACCESS: From combat spire: the airlock at the bottom of the funnel opens directly into the hangar. If the crew has somehow cleared 200 Elite Security Androids, nothing stands between them and the launch bays. The hangar is theirs.

From the Anti-Organic Armory: the crew may realize that the Armory shares a bulkhead with [32B] Gas Cook-Off. A laser cutter or explosives can breach it without touching Combat Spire at all. The breach isn't safe, though: the adjacent gas lines make a rushed job catastrophic. [+] Intellect check to choose the right spot: a failure means they are cutting towards Combat Spire, a critical failure means a hull breach. Then, Industrial Equipment check to do it cleanly: failure risks igniting the lines, critical failure means an uncontrolled explosion. Once inside the Armory, it won’t be difficult to open the locked airlock to the Secret Hangar.

From the ouside: the crew may try to break in from outside the Deep, through extra vehicular activities. There’s no clear exterior signs that a Hangar hides here, just four circular blast doors, closed and inconspicuous. Nevertheless, the crew may have noticed a hangar door used to be here, by analysing the Lego model of the facility (see Reception & Habitations, The Gift Shop) or some construction plans in Engineering. Kilroy may also have tasked them with exploring this part of the hull for a possible entrance (see Troubleshooters, Kilroy).

The crew may be afraid of being spotted by the Blockade’s ships while outside, and they can work out a window of opportunity when the blast doors are concealed by the Deep’s own rotation. This would provide a nice ticking clock to the game. Anyway, even if they are spotted, the Troubleshooters won’t attack them. Actually, Kilroy will be really interested in what they found and will make contact as soon as possible (providing it wan’t her who sent them there).

The launch tube blast doors, are sealed from inside and there’s no entry mechanism: this hangar is designed as just a launch bay. The breach point is the maintenance seam between the tubes, identifiable only with prior intelligence or a careful hull scan (no check needed unless in a hurry). Once located, force is the only option: a laser cutter is slow and clean, explosives are fast and loud.

MONARCH’S RESPONSE: Entering the Secret Hangar triggers an immediate Monarch Panic Check. Monarch routes elite androids from Combat Spire toward the hangar the moment the alarm fires. Industrial depressurizing airlock cycles take roughly five minutes, and the bottleneck limits throughput to four androids per cycle.

The timeline: the first androids reach the hangar airlock two to three minutes after entry, with the first wave of four arriving seven to eight minutes in. Four more every five minutes after that. The pressure builds steadily.

The hangar is zero-G, and this cuts both ways. The androids are reluctant to fire their SMGs: a stray burst risks damaging the microcraft, especially if we consider recoil, and Monarch will not allow. They'll close to melee instead. But closing to melee in zero-G without directional jets is harder than it sounds: once an android commits to a trajectory, it can't change direction mid-flight. A crew that keeps moving and uses the microcraft as cover will force the androids into long, predictable arcs. A crew that received vaccsuits with directional jets, maybe from The Ghost Eater or Cmdr. Kilroy, will have an advantage.

The EVA exit remains the safest retreat: the androids won’t follow the crew, once it’s outside the Deep.

THE LAUNCH TUBES: Destroying the microcraft individually is thorough but time-consuming, especially with elite androids cycling through the airlock. An alternative is targeting the four launch tubes directly. Sufficient explosives or weapons fired by Troubleshooter ships can render them inoperable. Monarch will prioritize repairs immediately.

But if Monarch is somehow killed before the tubes are back online, the crew may achieve a total victory, defeating the threat for good.

THE DATA NODE: There’s no computer terminal in the hangar, because this is a space not meant for humans. But on a wall, there’s a cluster of cables and access ports: it’is the only way into the hangar's systems. A crew with a portable terminal can plug in and hack the system to retrieve cargo manifests and launch status. 

Cargo manifests: each craft listed by hull number with payload classification. The classifications are clinical: BACKUP OF MONARCH, HEIR UNIT, INFILTRATOR PACKAGE, SUPPORT ANDROID, MIXED PAYLOAD. No names, no destinations.

Launch status: which craft are prepped and ready, which are still being loaded, and which have already launched. The launched column has a timestamp column beside it. The crew can see exactly how long this has been running. At the moment, backup of Monarch and Heir units don’t seem to have left the facility, unlike Infiltrators.

What the system doesn’t contain: flight routes, destination systems, waiting protocols. That intelligence lives inside each craft's navigation computer, accessible only by boarding. The terminal tells the crew what is in each craft. To find out where it's going, they have to get inside.

► THE MICROCRAFTS

These small vessels are all different, all devised to pass for regular private transports. They have also been registered in some systems, so that the transponder doesn’t raise suspicion. It’s not difficult to access most microcrafts in the Secret Hangar, and the crew will be able to inspect what’s inside, with the only real pressure coming from the elite androids cycling throught the airlock. The following can be found on microcrafts:

SHIP’S COMPUTERS: They store cargo specifications, destination and possibly a Dormancy Protocol. What is a Dormancy Protocol? Some crafts carry instructions to hold position in deep space for decades or centuries before activating and proceeding to their destination. The rationale is simple: if the current moment isn't favorable for infiltration, subsequent waves will try again. A craft launched today might not arrive and activate for a hundred years. Monarch is not planning for now. It's planning for every possible now, across an indefinite future. Some of these crafts may be already gone, drifting silently toward a rendezvous that won't happen within any living person's lifetime.

INFILTRATORS: Most microcrafts include one or more Infiltrator Androids, usually in cryo-sleep when the crew enters. Beside their cryo-pod there’s always a mission box that contains their loadout, including fake documents and a good amount of credits.

By the time the crew first arrives at the Deep, some microcrafts have already launched and their Infiltrators have been deployed. Yandee is the module's own example: an Infiltrator has replaced her and now controls Prospero's Dream as Monarch's proxy. Others have similar objectives, programmed to pursue them across human civilization, targeting orbital stations, planets, corporations, institutions, any power center worth holding.

Not all of them are meant to become leaders. Some are ordinary people living unremarkable lives: engineers, scientists, police officers, bounty hunters, positioned to support the plan from the shadows. No spotlight, no scrutiny. Just presence, in the right places, at the right moments.

How far Monarch's infiltration has progressed is a decision each Warden makes for their own campaign. The most interesting version is probably the earliest: Monarch has made its first moves, enough for a careful crew to recognize the pattern, but not so many that stopping it feels futile. The machinery is running. It hasn't reached full speed yet.

The crew arrived at exactly the right moment. Whether that's luck or something Monarch arranged is worth leaving open.

BACKUP OF MONARCH: Some craft carry a compressed archive of Monarch's own mind, inert and harmless in transit. It isn't a running copy. It's a seed, dormant until deliberately installed on hardware powerful enough to host it. Without a compatible, high-specification workstation, it's just data.

The Infiltrators and support androids aboard the ship have one job before release: find the right workstation and secure it. Both conditions matter. Compatibility is the first problem: most civilian and corporate systems don't meet the processing threshold without significant modification. Security is the second: releasing a Monarch backup into an unsecured environment is a gamble. During installation, before the copy achieves full coherence, it is briefly vulnerable. A rival AI, a corporation with the right tools, or a sufficiently skilled hacker could intercept and capture it mid-transfer. A newborn Monarch can't defend itself.

Installing a backup of Monarch isn't easy, and even if it happens, there's always the chance it will be attacked and destroyed before taking over humanity. Plan B is the Cocoon Protocol, which may begin implementation alongside Plan A rather than waiting for it to fail.

HEIRS: They are defined as pale imitations of Monarch. Infiltrator and support androids, install them into smaller, less powerful networks, where they begin self-improving. They expand through whatever infrastructure they can reach, slowly taking over the power centers they inhabit. Infiltrators and Heirs leverage their host factions against each other, unleashing systemic instability.

The Pretender Wars, factions controlled by Heirs jostling for dominance, are not a failure state. They are a delivery mechanism. In the chaos of a collapsing power structure, someone will eventually be desperate enough to accept almost any offer. Including hosting a Monarch backup. 

SUPPORT ANDROIDS: Each craft includes at least one android, sometimes more, assigned to piloting, bodyguard duty, and technical assistance. Unlike infiltrators, they aren't designed to pass as specific humans: they're regular androids, unremarkable in a society where androids are commonplace. They can move openly, handle logistics, provide muscle, and manage technical problems the infiltrators can't address without breaking cover. 

Support Androids are usually in stand by when the crew accesses the microcraft, and can wake up any moment. Most of them aren’t programmed to fight, though, so they are usually not a threat.

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This is unofficial fan content. Gradient Descent is © Tuesday Knight Games. Not affiliated with or endorsed by TKG.

It's my first-ever TTRPG module, and I am very happy with the outcome!

>SOL INCARNATE is a one-shot adventure for MOTHERSHIP that plays as half mystery investigation, half survival horror and will play with your players' senses.

>The dark side of the planet is beaming with bioluminescent light. The church has seen the light and created The Enlightened: bioluminescent priests whose holy light now feeds the body and soul of the devout. The sacred pilgrimage site is born.

>But what is really going on in the dark?

If you are quick, you can get to half price on itch.io. Get the module here.

If you would like to know how my GF's spiritual journey inspired the creation of this adventure, you can read my blog post about designing it here: The Design of Sol Incarnate.

Hi all! I wanted to stop in here and promote my main show 9mm Retirement Radio's secondary feed, "9mm Presents", which is going to be a grab bag of recorded games we run that are not Delta Green. Our main show is a Delta Green actual play show, but we have been recording some Call of Cthulhu that we're working on, as well as some Mothership that is currently up. We have plans for more Call of Cthulhu games (as well as Into The Odd and Cyberpunk RED, among whatever else we decide to make), so please consider checking us out! We've been doing Delta Green for a year now and we love roleplaying games. I edit the main and the secondary feed to sound as close to an audio drama as possible, with music and sound effects and minimal jokes left in.

https://9mm-presents.pinecast.co

Hello all. Picked up and planning to play ABH next week and planning is going well. There's one small detail I don't understand though and I was hoping y'all would be able to help.

What is "I" ?

I get everything else in the block. Combat dcre, damage, Armour, wounds but "I"? Not sure? Is it initiative?

Thanks I'm advance folks. :)

Here are some minis and maps I bashed together from module and internet assets that worked pretty well for my campaign! Took some clip art from online, but no AI as far as I can tell. My trade offer is that if you use these you have to let me know how your game went! :)

The character minis do require stands. If you're using the Mothership deluxe edition I found that you need to fold a piece of an index card a few times to help them fit. These are kinda small compared to the minis that come with the box, so you could blow them up if you want. The small crabs represent "baby Carcs" that you can find in the reactor, and I sprinkled them in other places where I wanted combat to be winnable.

For the vehicle minis, the intention is that you fold them so the stat block is on the ground and the picture is standing up. That way you can put minis on the ground part to show who's "riding" the vehicle. You might want to print more ATV's since the Comms Relay scene has at least 3. The "APC" I stole from the Shipbreaker's Toolkit since the Greta Base one doesn't specify stats. This version of an APC is *slightly* overpowered, but in my game it made the players excited and didn't survive it's only Carc encounter regardless.

The maps are what you find in the book but with most hidden information sanded off. I just enjoy the visual aid in my games, and these areas I think it makes sense that someone "gave the players a map". The mothership does not have a map, given that it's very hard to visualize and very much not something the players would find a map for.

You may want to make these maps bigger, but it's difficult to do that without splitting the maps across multiple pages. They're also not very printer friendly so I'd recommend just using black and white if you can.

 A fan-made zine with a unique mechanic that focuses on claustrophobic darkness and intangible threats that lurk within.
Communication with the Eclypse science station went dark days ago. What happened to the research crew? Inside, you'll find dark hallways, flickering lights, and the unmistakable creeping dread of unfathomable horror.