GAMEPLAY
PREPARING A GAME
A game of Deadstar is narrated by a Star Guide [SG], who either prepares a story within the world of Deadstar informed by their spacers (player characters) and their adventure goals, or chooses an Adventure Module (coming soon) wherein prewritten settings and hooks may guide the SG and players through their story.
Each other player explores Deadstar through the eyes of their unique “spacer.” It is the responsibility of everyone at the table to tell the story of their crew. Chemistry, relationships, and spacer’s goals are important to discuss before and during play!
STATS, TESTS & RESISTS
In its essence the SPACER System is broken into Tests and Resists, with die values determined by an individual’s statistics. Each statistic on a spacer’s character sheet has a corresponding modifier die which they roll alongside a d20 to determine outcomes.
When a spacer takes actions which could result in failure, the Star Guide calls for a d20 roll in the form of a Test. When forces within the world act upon a spacer, the Star Guide calls for a d20 roll in the form of a Resist. Spacers then roll the modifier die which corresponds to the appropriate statistic and combines the result. The roll succeeds on a result greater than or equal to the current Threat Level Threshold [TL].
Threat Level is a tool for a Star Guide to set the tone for sequences that take place within the game world. Threat Level colors correlate to the intensity and possible danger a crew faces. The more intense a Threat Level, the higher the threshold a spacer must overcome to succeed on their Test and Resist rolls.
RHYTHM OF PLAY
Deadstar is designed to be a fast-paced roleplaying system with emphasis on quick action and dynamic play. A Star Guide’s responsibility is to maintain player energy while also furthering the narrative. When in doubt, keep things moving! A crew can only go wherever the Star Guide takes them so taking a cue from the players to wrap up and get to the next set piece. Alternatively, if the crew has been experiencing non-stop action for hours on end, it might be a good opportunity to let them breathe with a period of downtime.
The Star Guide Manual provides a host of tools to design unique action sequences, create interesting encounters, and design a narrative, but nothing will prepare a Star Guide for the table more than time spent playing and running games.
DISCOVER MORE
STAR GUIDE MANUAL
ACTION SEQUENCES
IMPLEMENTS & RIGS
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
ARMOR
WEAPONS
CHARACTER CREATION
INTRO