Boots on the Ground - Mini Cepheus Engine Hostile Setting & Campaign Starter With HOSTILE Situation Report 003 - Repellant By Paul Elliott

 "It's been a long trip through hyperspace, but now the stasis pods pop open and you get dressed. To your horror, you see on the bridge, that you are still in sanity-shredding hyperspace!

What's gone wrong? Why has the ship's mainframe awoken you? 

More importantly ... can you fix whatever needs fixing before you and the crew become insane?"

HOSTILE Situation Report 003 - Repellant is another bit sized adventure nugget from Zozer Games that puts the PC's in the middle of the space board action of the Hostile universe right away. With a new second colour edition of Hostile on the way. The HOSTILE Situation Report series has been flying fast & quickly. We've been getting lots of this series for the Cepheus Engine rpg or the 1970s 2D6 RETRO RULES to hit the ground with player's  PC's. 
HOSTILE Situation Report 003 - Repellant is a particularly dangerous encounter for the Hostile rpg setting putting players right into the middle of awakening in hyperspace. A sanity shattering version of the science fiction adventure campaign element. The PC's have their backs against the wall & have to ge their ship's systems back on line ASAP. Our recommendation?! Grab an  Introduction to HOSTILE  to get the campaign ball rolling right out of the gate! 

There's a desparatation to this particular adventure seed?! This is more like a fully fleshed out encounter with the PC's put into harm's way. The free Hostile Tool-Kits supplement is an essential tool for both the DM & players. And this adventure takes the PC's to the edge of their resources as PC's. Sanity & limb are at full on risk here. 

HOSTILE Situation Report 003 - Repellant is short, sweet, & self conrained. But its that tighness that makes the adventure work. It reminds me of those 'true to life danger' thrill movies based on a true story. All of the classic elements are here. The ship in danger, the high tension, high drama situation, and the eventual resolving of the dangers. But this isn't going to be an easy mission situation even for a Hostile rpg adventure. 

All in all we think that HOSTILE Situation Report 003 - Repellant  is a solid way of introducing a group of players to the Hostile uniiverse setting. 

Boots on the Ground - Mini Cepheus Engine Hostile Setting & Campaign Starter

"Introduction to HOSTILE is a short summary and taster of the popular gritty science-fiction roleplaying game called HOSTILE. Over 31 pages, find out what horrors and challenges your players will face, get a flavour of the types of harsh Off-World colonies that litter the setting and read about the task system and the kinds of characters it can create. 

The booklet features fiction from the setting, a complete shuttlecraft (including deckplan), a typical starship crew and over a dozen example plot hooks. Included is a complete list of all the HOSTILE supplements and companion roleplaying games produced so-far by Zozer Games. 

Open the hatch and step outside. Yes, its dangerous and you may die in one of a dozen horrific ways - but ... that's exciting isn't it...? "

In space no one can  hear you scream, & in Hostile sometimes its all about getting to know Paul Elliott's universe settting. For our little group its been a bit a pick up & go affair with Hostile. Because of the familiarity of the orginal Traveller & the  Stars Without Number rpg campaigns. These were inspired by Seventies & Eighties cultclassic Sci fi & Space Opera films. Hostile was no brainer intergalactic campaign setting. The fact that the DM's & players folded,spindle, & mutilated the high holy Hell out of it is another on going story. To deal with the intro you'll need 1970s 2D6 RETRO RULES to hit the ground with player's  PC's. 
For many Hostile is gonna make them scratch their heads?! Because its sorta like the Alien universe but not really?! The Introduction to Hostile pick up the ball off the pitch & begins running with it. In thirty one pages we get intro, deck plans, & lead in! What you get is the start of a mini campaign run! But what you'll really need is a quick intro adventure & encounter! Meet Hostile Situation Report 001 - Ghost Ship which gives you all of the basic encounter necessities to get you & your players off & running! 
A mayday signal draws the PCs to a lonely gas giant, and a starship in an extremely low, atmosphere-grazing orbit. There's no response ... can the crew be saved? Are they even still alive?

But ultimately you as the DM need an NPC villain?! Got you covered with Baosheng,who could be a villain or a valuable contact for the PC's depending upon the needs of the party. He plays a significant role in an upcoming campaign arch. But the secrets are as follows; "Meet Baosheng, a veteran Snakehead operating in the Off-World colonies. His syndicate specialises in techno-crime and the theft of shuttle craft. He has a job you might like ... it's just a pity you're a deniable asset and he is posing as a legit businessman. What could go wrong?" Well everything is going to! 

And that's sort of everything that you'll need to court a min campaign from the ground up & a very solid introduction to the Hostile universe. Except if you want to expand upon it. Which I strongly suggest two resources one is Zaibatsu which is one of the strongest 2d6  cyberpunk rpg  rule set's out there. And a solid copy of Moon Toad Games Cepheus Engine for reference & back up. 

Fast & Loose Review Of Stouthearted Games Cepheus Modern By Mark Stout for Cepheus Engine Light or Old School Original Traveller rpg

 "Cepheus Modern is a 2d6-based OGL game based on Cepheus Light, for playing campaigns set in the modern era. Whatever your game is: modern paramilitary, retro espionage, World War II battles, mysterious explorers, or renegade hacktivists; Cepheus Modern has you covered. This rules-light game offers character creation with a variety of modern careers, skills and equipment, rules for resolving actions in and out of combat, and a complete animal/creature creation system.

Do you like your modern games with a dose of strangeness? Cepheus Modern has that as well, with chapters covering Psychic Powers, Cybernetics, Urban Fantasy, and Aliens! Run your game as straight reality or with as little or much weirdness as you like. To add more sci-fi to your game, consider using this game with Cepheus Light."

Whist digging ourselves out here at Casa De Fabiaschi the players have been trying to figure their way out of the, 'Oh my God the space station is going to explode & we're all going to die' routine. Let's take a step back & look at an optional 'pay what you want' Cepheus Engine title by Stouthearted  Games called Cepheus Modern. This is another one of those Cepheus Engine light  titles that's been on the back burner for a month or so. 
Now apparently as a member of the Cepheus Engine rpg club we're not supposed to talk about Mongoose Traveller or original Traveller, etc.  Whatever 'cus I'm not a publisher of Cepheus Engine nor do I want to get authors in trouble. But as a subsystem that can be tacked onto Cepheus Engine rpg?!  Cepheus Modern is a winner in my book. It presents a whole host of alternative retro & modern campaign options along with the careers to go with them. 

So this makes Cepheus Modern very valuable on a number of fronts as a DM or Cepheus Engine player. The fact that Cepheus Modern  catters to the campaign & adapts the rules to it rather then the other way around. Cyberpunk campaign? Check that's there. Magic & psionics? Check & check again. Uban Fantasy as an actual viable option?! Check again. But its the fact that the rules actually work without any fiddling on the part of the DM. And its the fact that Cepheus Modern will also work with 1970s 2D6 RETRO RULES From Zozer Games which is how psionics & magic have been quietly appearing the background of our current campaigns. 

 Cepheus Modern covers all of the basics & does the job that its supposed to in spades & it does so without any issues what so ever. Do I think you should get it?! Yes & its worth the download if your a Cepheus Engine DM or player.