Today I decided to make a space station for my Mothership game, using the random tables in the published module A Pound of Flesh. This post has my stream-of-consciousness hour-and-a-half-long design process and a fully detailed space station at the end- feel free to use it in your own game! First I rolled up some basic info about my station, which took about five minutes….
"Out on the rim, near an uninhabitable desert planet, the Marut’s Sword station (call-sign Control-82) spins. It’s outwardly controlled by The Apostles Gate Church, though is subtly undermined by Armadyne Weapons, Inc., led by a renegade android. There’s a 20% chance the station is dealing with a refugee crisis, otherwise everything is fine and you can buy fuel as per normal, but they are currently only offering warp cores for sale and there’s a rumor going around that the station is in dire need of out-of-work scientists.
It’s a tower- a station with an angular or blocky design, like a skyscraper flung into space. It’s got low security, so there’s plenty of thieving and skullduggery and so forth.
The Marut’s Sword has eight significant locations:
Defensive Weaponry
Cellarium
School/Training Facilities
Ore Trade/refinery
Food Court
Ablution fountains
Massive statue
Weapons Fabrication"
IMO, I could stop here and run the rest off basic sci-fi tropes and a few details of my own setting, and still have a unique, memorable space station. But I like to put my own spin on things, so I’ll spend a little bit of time fleshing out the Marut’s Sword as a fully-fledged adventure site.
Let’s take a look at some of the plot seeds this randomly-generated info gives me:
An uninhabitable desert planet makes me think Dune, even if Arrakis isn't quite that bad.
The ‘Apostles Gate Church’ sounds like the name of a jumpgate cult in my home setting, so the station is outwardly controlled by religious cultists- and coincidentally I rolled a lot of religious-themes locations for it, too, so it’s a cultist stronghold. Since jumpgate cults spring up around functioning gates, maybe the uninhabitable planet wasn’t always that way- something destroyed it and rendered the jumpgate worthless (who’d want to jump there?), but the space station remains.
A weapons corporation led by a rogue droid is trying to seize power. In my setting, the Imperial-Class Corporate Interests are always trying to seize power over the jumpgates away from the cults, so that works out well. But why would this droid want a jumpgate to a worthless planet? Maybe there’s something on the station itself.
A refugee crisis- well, obviously the refugees are from the destroyed planet, so the apocalypse must’ve been recent. Perhaps the warp cores for sale are scavenged from a factory planetside.
Why do they need scientists so badly? Perhaps they’re hoping to fix whatever it is that’s making the planet uninhabitable. I’ll need to think about this one a little more; I’ll come back to it. It’s also curious that they’re low on security- usually jumpgate cults are well-defended thanks to under-the-table deals with organized crime syndicates. Clearly, the shadowy Armadyne Corporation chased the mobsters out as part of their bid for power, but the takeover didn’t go as smoothly as they hoped, leaving the Church with a tenuous grip on the station and little-to-no security.
Now let’s look at the eight significant locations. The Defensive Weaponry is defunct, and Armadyne run the Weapons Fabrication. Perhaps it’s makeshift, the main fabrication process was planetside so they grabbed what they could and have a clandestine operation here. The Cellarium, Ablution Fountains and Massive Statue are all going to get rolled together into one giant cultist complex. This leaves a school, a food court, and an ore refinery. The ore refinery also seems like it could be related to mining on the planet below. As for the food court, I’ll write up a d10 specialties table. And I need to figure out why it’s notable enough to be a point of interest- maybe there are rare minerals and spices grown on this planet that lend themselves to a unique kind of cuisine. I don’t expect that spacefarers in a setting like this get to eat delicious spice-heavy food that often, so the food court would definitely be pretty exciting for them.
Now it’s time to bring it all together. Where does the school play into all this? Well you see, the jumpgate cult had long been forced to coexist with Armadyne, whose interest in the area was secretly because they considered it an ideal location to raise their company’s messiah. The CEO’s heir has been secretly raised by birth by loyal androids in a schooling complex aboard the station because rivals in the Corp would’ve tried to assassinate him. Said rivals have tracked the heir- now nearly old enough to inherit the company- to the station, exploiting the power vacuum caused by the lack of mobster protection to launch an all-out assault. The station barely survived but the planet was so irradiated that it is totally unlivable. They need scientists to figure out how to fix that.
So now that I’ve got that figured out, here’s the visitor’s guide to the Marut’s Sword.
Marut’s Sword is a midsize space station (optimal population is about 2 million) being pushed to its limits. Created to support the Apostles Gate Church, the cultist caretakers of a jumpgate to the desert planet Marut (known for its thriving and vibrant cities, hydroponic spice farms and rare-mineral mines), it is now the focus of a brutal conflict between the Church, a secretive branch of the Armadyne Corporation (referred to the Sect), tasked with hiding the corporation's heir there, and a rival branch of the Corporation looking to assassinate said heir.
It was once protected by organized-crime interests on behalf of the Church, but the Sect chased them out about six months ago, hoping to solidify their own power over the Church. However, the rival Armadyne branch took advantage of the power vacuum and sent a mercenary fleet to destroy the Sword. The Sect and Church, working together, managed to use the station’s defensive nuclear arsenal to blow the mercenaries out of the sky instead. However, using their small station’s weapons so recklessly not only destroyed their weapons system, it irradiated all of Marut… oops.
Both the Sect and the Church are covering up their responsibility for what happened to Marut, while also desperately seeking scientists who can figure out how to restore the planet to normal. About a million refugees have been living aboard the Sword, whose once-hallowed halls are rapidly becoming an hotbed of conspiracy and intrigue. And the rival Armadyne branch are already plotting their next strike….
Major Players
The Apostles Gate Church- Hyperspace-worshipping cult who maintains the jumpgate (not that it’s seeing much use now that Marut’s been irradiated) and ostensibly runs the station. Central beliefs are that God lives in hyperspace and you can meet Him there if you stay awake, the blank void of space is the closest we may come to God without being in hyperspace, and the promotion of safe hyperspace-based interstellar travel is God’s will. Detest the Sect for dragging them into Armadyne affairs and trying to seize power, but forced to work together to defend the station and cover up their involvement in the Marut incident. Spying on civilians to root out Armadyne spies.
The Church is led by Mother Irene (C:15, S:10, I: 20, H:1(10)), a wizened crone. Biologically only in middle age. Brutal, only thinks of the ‘big picture’, you can get in her good graces by beating her in a game of go. Decades ago she drove herself mad by experiencing hyperspace outside of cryosleep in order to ascend to priesthood. Physically weak but extremely intuitive and can sort of see the future. Speaks in riddles and rhymes, calls everyone “my child”. Attended by 1d10 silent, veiled handmaidens at all times, who are secret ultra-loyal assassins (C:70, S:75, I:65, H:3(20)). If killed, her consciousness will jump to a handmaiden. Wants to clean up radiation on Marut, hide the Church’s involvement, and crush the Sect and the Armadyne Corporation’s spies.
Her right-hand man is Brother Repentant (C:50, S:40, I:45, H:3(20)), a former corporate scumbag who got thrown in prison for tax evasion, saw the light, and joined the Church. Gentle and laid-back demeanor. Presides over daily services at the Void Monument. Wrestling with guilt over Marut. Wants to help refugees, expose the Church and Sect’s conspiracies, end conflicts between all the groups on the station.
The Sect-
The Sect exists to protect David (C:35, S:40, I:40, H:2(20)), the unbelievably sheltered but well-educated heir to the Armadyne Corporation empire. Teenaged, actually kind of an airhead but very booksmart. Trained in self-defense, wears a shieldsuit. Wants to sneak out of Sect custody to meet girls, smoke voidweed, and generally be teenage.
The Sect is headed by Armin (C:50, S:50, I:60, H:3(30), a dedicated protector tasked by David’s father to protect the boy at all costs. They are serious, a bit morbid, very dependable. Extremely annoyed by the Church and their constant meddling, and terrified of the rival Armadyne branch. Wants to eliminate all corporate rivals, gain leverage over the Church, and coverup the Sect’s involvement in the irradiation of Marut.
The Armadyne Corporation Special Affairs Department’s secret spy team aboard the Sword is headed by Caretaker Federov (C:55, S:60, I:60, H:3(40)), a low-ranking cultist on the voidpool maintenance team. A known and wanted assassin using a temporary sleeve to avoid recognition; his cover identity is a bumbling middle-aged schmuck. Very cautious, acts like he’s on your side right up until he sinks a knife into your back, totally detached from the violence of his job. Will abandon his own spies if they’re in danger of bringing the whole operation down. He wants to kill David, maintain cover, and yell at his underlings.
The best-placed spy to kill David is Annik (C:45, S:50, I:60, H:3(30)), an android posing as the boy’s business negotiations tutor. They have a fully-equipped emotions module (in order to pose as a Sect droid, since all of them have one) and have begun to grow affectionate towards the poor kid. Urbane, jet-setting mien and Transatlantic accent. Wants to protect David and escape the Corporation. Federov is beginning to catch on.
Key Locations
The Founder's Walk is a grand boulevard lined with hanging gardens and murals depicting the rise of the jumpgate cults, now turned into a sprawling food hall. Food tends to be hearty and heavy, served alongside a mug of coffee or tea in big portions- most people here eat twice a day. With no more farming happening planetside, stores of spices grow slim; chefs will pay top dollar for rare ingredients. Some chefs believe that they should modernize and cook less traditional cuisine that won’t offend travellers (they ally with Armadyne) whereas others want to preserve Marut’s unique cultural heritage (they prefer the Church).
Roll 3d10 for a description of a dish. If all the dice come up odd, get a stomachache and Body save or 1d5 Stress- most spacefarers aren’t used to such rich spices. If all the dice are even it’s incredible how delicious it is- removes 1d5 Stress.
The Holy Sanctum of the Void is an Apostles Gate Church religious site is the central feature of the station. In keeping with cult aesthetics, the place looks gothic, imposing, cathedral-esque. Stained-glass windows actually made out of bulletproof plastic. A massive statue called the Void Monument towers over it all- a four-story prism of glass and mirrors, based on a vision one of the Prophets had during the building of the station. Word is that you look at it very closely while on drugs, you can catch glimpses of the past and future.
The gardens and voidpools (reflecting pools surrounded by panes of black obsidian, so that the water in the pools looks like ink) have been repurposed as a refugee camp. Colorful fabric tents and scrap-metal lean-tos teem with survivors of the irradiation of Marut. Many were dosed with too much radiation while they were escaping and are beginning to mutate. Countless Church representatives distribute food and stipends, administer medicine, and sing prayers. There aren’t enough of them.
The Sanctum is also home to a cellarium, where the Church stores ores, spices, artifacts, weapons, and all kinds of other rare goods that they sell off whenever they need money. Because much of the goods have been laundered through organized crime syndicates, the goods would be difficult to trace if stolen, although some of the more esoteric artifacts have odd buyers. Its vaults are extremely well-guarded but every thief dreams of sneaking in and pulling off the greatest heist the Sword has ever seen.
The Control-82 Defensive Structural Unit is a warehouse full of burned-out nuclear weapons. No civilians allowed here, ever. The guards shoot trespassers on sight. Weapons logs from before they all got blown-out in battle against the Armadyne mercenaries contains damning evidence that the Church and Sect operated the weapons beyond appropriate risk parameters, resulting in the irradiation of Marut. Enough evidence to start a revolution.
The makeshift Armadyne Weapons Corporation Manufacturing Center is a salvaged fabrication center where guns are churned out by the thousands. Many refugees are temporarily employed here. The influx of guns aboard the station is causing far higher-than-usual rates of violence, and shady organized crime types hang around to grab some top-secret experimental weapons.
The Marut Ore Trading Group not only buys and sells ores, they also carry out experimental research in zero-G on strange minerals harvested from the depths of Marut’s caves. Scientists there desperately seek a way to clean up the radiation planetside and make it habitable again. One scientist there is getting dangerously close to realizing the irradiation was committed not by the Armadyne mercenaries but by the Sword’s own weaponry. She knows she could be disappeared and has barricaded herself into a subsection of the laboratory complex with some hired guards; nobody allowed in without her express approval. Her colleagues are annoyed because they need some equipment they left in there before she took over.
D10 strange ore properties:
When powdered and sprinkled over an object, makes it incredibly lightweight without compromising structural integrity
Changes color every time it’s taken through hyperspace, often turns into colors that humans were previously thought unable to see
Soaks up and stores radiation
Odorless, flavorless poison that kills within seconds of ingestion
On fire all the time, cannot be extinguished
Its density varies wildly every time it is measured
When a chunk is ingested by humans, it fulfills all their nutritional needs for the next month (they still get hungry though)
Can be used to forge some of the strongest metal alloys known to science
Smells pretty nice
Extremely efficient fuel source, emits radiation strong enough to kill a human within seconds
The St. Flambert Boarding School for Wayward Boys is a fake boarding school that’s actually a front for David’s palatial residence (though he considers it a prison). Breathtaking winter gardens, every luxury a soul could want, the best tutors in the galaxy. David is bored of it. Staffed entirely by androids, and even has fake ‘wayward boys’ to complete the sham (they’re also androids, and David’s only friends). The android teenagers are constantly wreaking havoc with their pranks across the station.
Roll an encounter every so often. No help is forthcoming if violence breaks out.
Refugees beg for charity. Their children pick pockets, inexpertly.
Massive shootout. Some kind of a drug deal gone bad. Fleeing combatant darts through civilian crowds.
Church agents drag a wailing woman away. She insists she’s not an Armadyne spy.
Wild-eyed conspiracy theorist proclaims that the Church irradiated Marut. If left alone, he will be silenced by the Church within hours.
Radiation-mutated refugee collapses in pain; attacks if provoked (C:45, S:50, I:60, H:2(20)). His body swells with tumors.
Protest demonstration outside a supposed Armadyne stronghold. Protestors feel that the Armadyne weapons flooding the station are contributing to the lack of stability.
Drunken bandits sing bawdy songs and irritate passerby. They’ve just fenced some stolen ore microsamples and they’re carrying more.
Delinquent teens deface an elaborate mural depicting Church mythology. A helpless Caretaker tries to shoo them away.
A sudden breakout of religious fervor. A charismatic Church preacher leads a sobbing crowd in song and prayer.
Overly-pushy vendors hawk rare tech scavenged from the planetside ruins. Special deals, today only.
If players don’t interfere, Federov will personally kill David, Armin and Annik within a year. The rest of the Sect will be crushed. The station will slowly be rebuilt by the Church, though refugees will be treated poorly.
If players save David he will run Armadyne into the ground within the decade due to poor business decisions.
If players prove the truth of what happened to Marut, the refugees will rise up to destroy the Church and Sect and the station will become an anarchist haven.
And that's TIME. The only editing I did after the fact was to fix typos. An hour and a half of writing, with just a copy of A Pound of Flesh and some simple prewritten worldbuilding from my own setting, and I've got a pretty cool adventure site. If I worked on this longer I'd have a better random encounter table, more info on the key locations, a random location generator, maybe even some maps, but overall I'm very pleased with how this turned out.
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