gritty industrial/sci-fi horror RPG recommendation?

[J.Quondam]

It's a RPG genre I'm not too familiar with, but I'm interested in picking up a game to learn. I kind of prefer lighter weight games, but strong genre mechanics are also important, imo, for such worlds with such atmospheric settings.

In poking around, I've seen a quite a lot about Alien and Mothership. Does anyone have any opinions about those or about others, such as Hostile (Cepheus engine), Those Dark Places, or Death in Space?

 

[overgeeked]

I’m more familiar with the first two, Alien and Mothership, than the others. You can’t go wrong with either. They’re fantastic games. Both on the lighter side rules wise.

Alien is definitely a well-designed game with lots of great graphic design and evocative art. They’re updating the game with a 2E in the near future. No idea what the changes to the system will be. There’s already a Kickstarter page up.

Mothership is a decidedly old-school game. Black and white art with clean and straightforward design. It’s a d100 roll under system with some of the best guidance and advice for both players and referees you’ll find. It’s very deadly in a wonderfully genre-appropriate way. I absolutely love Mothership.

If I had to pick, I’d pick Mothership hands down. You get more for less in every way imaginable. You can do stuff with the core you’d need various supplements for with Alien. Besides, the player’s guide is pay what you want. You can’t beat that.

Check out this short video for a feel of the vibe.

 

[J.Quondam]

If I had to pick, I’d pick Mothership hands down. You get more for less in every way imaginable. You can do stuff with the core you’d need various supplements for with Alien. Besides, the player’s guide is pay what you want. You can’t beat that.

Oh! I didn't realize Mothership was pwyw, thanks for the heads up. Do you know which books comprise the core rules? Is the game playable with just the players guide, or is the warden's ops manual also a core book? I admit I'm a little confused about just how the whole MOthership game is put together.

 

[Bedrockgames]

It's a RPG genre I'm not too familiar with, but I'm interested in picking up a game to learn. I kind of prefer lighter weight games, but strong genre mechanics are also important, imo, for such worlds with such atmospheric settings.

In poking around, I've seen a quite a lot about Alien and Mothership. Does anyone have any opinions about those or about others, such as Hostile (Cepheus engine), Those Dark Places, or Death in Space?

I really like Those Dark Places. I have only read it (I don't have as much time as I would like to run different systems these days). It is on my list of games to run. But I found it simple and elegant

 

[overgeeked]

Oh! I didn't realize Mothership was pwyw, thanks for the heads up. Do you know which books comprise the core rules? Is the game playable with just the players guide, or is the warden's ops manual also a core book? I admit I'm a little confused about just how the whole MOthership game is put together.

It’s kinda like D&D in that there are three “core” books but you don’t actually need all three to play.

The Player’s Survival Guide is the PHB. That’s the PWYW book I linked above. That’s all you need.

The Warden’s Operation Manual is the DMG. It’s one of the best, most densely-packed guides on running games I’ve seen. Not required, but absolutely worth every penny. Especially if you get the PSG for nothing. Throw them a few bucks for the WOM.

The Unconfirmed Contact Reports is the MM. Again, don’t need it but it does come in handy.

 

[J.Quondam]

It’s kinda like D&D in that there are three “core” books but you don’t actually need all three to play.

The Player’s Survival Guide is the PHB. That’s the PWYW book I linked above. That’s all you need.

The Warden’s Operation Manual is the DMG. It’s one of the best, most densely-packed guides on running games I’ve seen. Not required, but absolutely worth every penny. Especially if you get the PSG for nothing. Throw them a few bucks for the WOM.

The Unconfirmed Contact Reports is the MM. Again, don’t need it but it does come in handy.

Got it, thanks for the info.

 

[J.Quondam]

I really like Those Dark Places. I have only read it (I don't have as much time as I would like to run different systems these days). It is on my list of games to run. But I found it simple and elegant

Thanks for the input. Do you recall if the game is strongly tied to a particular setting, or is it pretty neutral in that respect?

 

[Bedrockgames]

Thanks for the input. Do you recall if the game is strongly tied to a particular setting, or is it pretty neutral in that respect?

I don’t have the book on hand and read it when it came out. I remember it being more neutral but very specific in its style and inspiration: it is suited to stuff like Outland (the Sean Connery film) and the first Alien movie

 

[gorice]

I own Mothership but haven't played it yet. Looks good. A lot of people seem to like it.

Someone gifted me a copy of Death in Space and it seems... Fine? Looks like it's trying to be Mörk Borg but with spaceships. Not sure how it plays.

Alien is one I expected to like but it didn't do much for me in play. I think the problem might have been the scenarios? Felt kind of railroady, like, canned jumpscares and just not much agency for our characters. Which I suppose is true to the material, but I'd rather watch a movie.

This might be a bit far from what you wanted, but the Blade Runner RPG (same dice system as Alien) is surprisingly good, and our game got extremely grimy and dark. If your group wants to play it as a cyberpunk police procedural, I think it can be really fun.

 

[J.Quondam]

I own Mothership but haven't played it yet. Looks good. A lot of people seem to like it.

Someone gifted me a copy of Death in Space and it seems... Fine? Looks like it's trying to be Mörk Borg but with spaceships. Not sure how it plays.

Alien is one I expected to like but it didn't do much for me in play. I think the problem might have been the scenarios? Felt kind of railroady, like, canned jumpscares and just not much agency for our characters. Which I suppose is true to the material, but I'd rather watch a movie.

This might be a bit far from what you wanted, but the Blade Runner RPG (same dice system as Alien) is surprisingly good, and our game got extremely grimy and dark. If your group wants to play it as a cyberpunk police procedural, I think it can be really fun.

Good call, I'd forgotten about Blade Runner. Definitely another one to consider.