The pair stared at the newest test subject, watching in anticipation of the effects of their designer drug.

Countless years of pharmaceutical research and Christmas’s effects on the neurotransmitters in the brain had led to the development of Cheer: a seasonal-enhancement narcotic designed to radically stimulate the Christmas spirit.

The early effects were incredible. Test Subject 1305A-2 sprang into song, prancing around the test chamber whilst singing every festive jingle imaginable. As the concentration increased, the singing changed to decorating. The props planted in the test chamber were frantically shaped into a crude Christmas village, complete with makeshift tree.

Then the tipping point. 

Objects thrown, the speakers pumping Christmas music torn from the walls, a chair exploded against the chamber walls. In the frenzy Test Subject 1305A-2 began hammering his fists against the reinforced glass, creating long web-like cracks. The subject was screaming something unintelligible. Blood flowed freely from cuts in the subject’s arms as the assault on the window continued.

Figure 1 slammed a large red button to end the test, and several 1000 volts of electricity tore through the chamber. Test Subject 1305A-2 sparked and glowed.

Almost like a Christmas tree, Figure 2 thought.

“Damn, same as the others…,” Figure 1. “Should we postpone distribution to refine it further?”

“Just add a warning about overexposure,” Figure 2 replied. “Only a freak accident would cause effects like this.” 

***

The Cheer system in Do You Fear What I Fear? creates an escalating series of effects on the players as their exposure to the Cheer toxin builds. These effects all come Christmas-themed to help capture how they are affected. Here's a few examples from the module:

As players struggle against the effects of the neurotoxin, the rest of the station’s NPCs suffer from the toxin as well. This module outlines how the Cheer impacts each area and gives advice on how the other patrons' behavior changes.

Stay tuned as we dive into more aspects of the module and thank you for your support!

Check out more Mothership now live on Backerkit!

Jurassic Park meets Reality TV in Cretaceous Moon for the Mothership RPG. Your crew crashes on a moon-sized zoo of genetic engineers—can you escape? 

Featuring raptors, murderous robots, a quetzalcoatlus, and—of course—the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex, Cretaceous Moon will teach your players that Jurassic Park is no fun, family romp, but a sci-fi horror. You can slot this module into any campaign, so long as you're willing to destroy whatever ship your players are on. But don't worry—get the Kryoten shareholder offworld and he promises enough credits to buy a new and better ship to ply the stars.