Hello and welcome to the FINAL DAY OF MOTHERSHIP MONTH!
No doubt you're going to get approximately one billion emails over the coming hours, so I appreciate you taking a look at this one. Every single campaign is worth a look - some may even have a few cheeky references to our little corner of Prospero's Dream!
With that said, and before we get to the update today, a few quick announcements.
Certain Fathoms: Reddit Deep Dive at r/MothershipRPG
Yesterday, I posted a "Certain Fathoms Deep Dive" on Reddit over at r/mothershiprpg. If you want a closer look at some of the mechanics, the vibes of the module, and other finer details, you'll want to check that out.
Once the campaign is complete, I'll be putting out [UPDATE 6] on the distribution calendar of digital files. The big ones that will be coming out before the end of the year are:
Certain Fathoms PDF
Employee of the Month PDF (read more below!)
Otto's Buy Bin PDF
Bookmark Reference PDF + JPG
Certain Fathoms Soundtrack MP3 (FLAC coming in early 2026)
Welkin Orbital Employee Dossier PDF (reservation exclusive bonus)
More to come on that front later this week.
If you've backed at the Starter Bundle pledge tier or higher, you've noticed that there are two printed zines that accompany the bigger core module: Hostile Takeover and Viewer Discretion.
Let's start with what makes these zines similar and then break down what makes them different:
First, both zines are not intended to be played on their own—they are expanding on the rules presented in Certain Fathoms.
Both zines are roughly 16 pages, making them lightweight and easy to reference quickly at the table.
Both zines will be printed.
Finally, both zines have the same production quality and form factor as Certain Fathoms—meaning you won't have one zine shorter or taller than the others on your shelf (all are half-letter sized, the standard size for Mothership products).
Each zine was designed much in the same way boardgame expansions are made. They're intended to be plugged in and out as per the needs of the table without any fiddling around or extended prep. If you're bored of the standard operating procedure of Certain Fathoms, you can add these rules to make a different play experience.
Where they differ is in the details.
Hostile Takeover introduces running rival crews in the depth crawl. Players will find themselves face to face with their most dangerous enemies yet—people just like them.
This expansion adds:
Rules for creating and running rivals
Tables for generating rival identities, including callsigns, loadouts, nicknames, and patches (of course)
Mechanics built to track and compare movement between the two (or more!) crews
Four premade rival crews, from the violently dangerous Scylla Squad to the highly dramatic Choke Runners LARP Brigade (Prospero's Dream Chapter).
Viewer Discretion adds an entire new dimension to the depth crawl: televised performance. Players will take on viewer and sponsor demands alike as they try to come out on top.
This expansion adds:
The "Entertainment Mode" ruleset for Certain Fathoms, introducing viewer requests, sponsorships, challenges, jackpots, and more.
Tables for creating your own viewer requests and sponsors.
New cybermods and slickware, like the B1G.M0N3Y augment that assigns credit values to all hostile combatants.
40+ premade sponsors, ranging from CEO of Rencorp Xorvus Tiren to Floyd Merkin, Equal Opportunities Hater.
The following are digital-only expansions and will be received by all digital and physical backers!
Once the campaign ends, these will be paid add-ons. Only a few hours left to get them completely free!
Secret Levels is the collection of new Destinations written by RPG luminaries such as Alfred Valley, Sam Sorensen, Snow, and watt.
Eagle-eyed viewers may recognize that four Destinations does not make a new zine. And you'd be right! That's why we're adding even more guests to the roster.
More to reveal in the coming weeks.
Employee of the Month adds dedicated solo rules to Certain Fathoms. Utilizing WES, the Warden Educational Support introduced in Another Bug Hunt, players will find everything they need to facilitate solo play.
Consulting with a number of known solo gamers in the space, this zine won't just be a few oracle tables and a funky dice mechanic. It will be a short and sweet trove of advice, time-tested procedures, and tips on how to do sci-fi corporate horror on your own.
Echo Chamber adds a sub-wing to Welkin Campus—one entirely untouched by time. In this reality-bending expansion, players will interact with the company before its fall.
Included are ten new destinations, locked behind an elusive keycode. There, new NPCs, rewards, and a new faction—The Shareholders—await.
More information on all these will trickle in over the next month.
But for now, if you haven't already, share Certain Fathoms! We're in the last few hours of the campaign and every bit helps make this project more manageable, easier to produce, and allowed more fun surprises.
To all of you who've backed already, you're a real one. My sincere gratitude to each and every one of you for making this a smashing success.
