Cepheus Deluxe vs Mothership
Compare Cepheus Deluxe and Mothership side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Cepheus Deluxe | Mothership | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi, Horror |
| Play Style | Space Opera, Career-Based, Skill-Based, Sandbox, Ship-Based, Exploration, Random Tables, Toolkit | Rules-Light, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Survival, Atmospheric, Low-Prep, Cinematic, Fast-Paced |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6, add a relevant skill and characteristic modifier, and meet or beat the target number. The margin is Effect, and Advantage means rolling 3d6 and keeping the best two. | Roll d100 under stat/skill. Stress and panic mechanics escalate tension. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d100 |
| Complexity | High | Low |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | High | Medium |
| License | OGL 1.0a; Cepheus Deluxe Compatibility-Statement License | 3rd Party License |
| Cost | Free | $ |
| Publisher | Stellagama Publishing | Tuesday Knight Games |
| Year | 2022 | 2022 |
| Best For | Groups who want a self-contained interstellar sandbox where career histories feed a shared shipboard trade loop. | Terrifying sci-fi horror one-shots and short campaigns. Panic table creates unforgettable moments. |
| Highlights | Career terms turn character history into usable relationships and obligations that already point toward adventures. World profiles feed local law and trade into the crew's travel decisions, giving generated destinations mechanical consequences. Space combat assigns distinct actions across bridge and engineering roles, keeping the whole crew involved. | Rules-light, well-regarded module library, panic system creates mechanical tension |
| Considerations | Career creation can span several career terms before play, making a fresh crew slower to build than the basic 2d6 mechanic suggests. A ship-based campaign tracks recurring operating costs and cargo prices, making accounting part of the travel loop. The book supplies generators and adventure seeds rather than a ready-made sector or campaign, so the Referee must turn those pieces into an inhabited frontier. | Panic table can cascade and end sessions abruptly, limited long-campaign support in core rules, stress mechanics can feel repetitive over extended play |