Diaspora vs Mothership
Compare Diaspora and Mothership side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Diaspora | Mothership | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi, Horror |
| Play Style | Worldbuilding, Collaborative, Tactical, Realistic, Toolkit, Sandbox, Narrative, Fiction-First, Hackable, Tag-Based, Skill-Based, Classless | Rules-Light, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Survival, Atmospheric, Low-Prep, Cinematic, Fast-Paced |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 4dF (four Fudge dice, range -4 to +4) plus a Skill from the character's 15-skill pyramid, compared against a fixed difficulty or an opposed roll. Spend a fate point to invoke one of your Aspects for +2 or a reroll; the referee compels Aspects to push the story and pay fate points back. | Roll d100 under stat/skill. Stress and panic mechanics escalate tension. |
| Dice | 4dF (Fudge dice) | d100 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | High |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | OGL v1.0a | 3rd Party License |
| Cost | $ | $ |
| Publisher | VSCA Publishing | Tuesday Knight Games |
| Year | 2010 | 2022 |
| Best For | Groups who want to collaboratively build a six-to-ten-system star cluster at session zero, then play hard-SF interstellar campaigns where personal firefights, vector-based ship duels, social confrontations, and platoon-scale battles each run as their own dedicated mini-game. | Terrifying sci-fi horror one-shots and short campaigns. Panic table creates unforgettable moments. |
| Highlights | Cluster generation rolls Technology, Environment, and Resources for each star system on a -4 to +4 scale, then the table maps slipstream links between systems before play — the setting is built collaboratively rather than handed to the players. Space combat collapses range and velocity onto a single -4 to +4 vector track, so a torpedo-heavy frigate trying to hold standoff range and a beam-armed cruiser trying to close create real positional tension without grids or hex maps. Personal, social, and platoon combat each run as separate mini-games sharing one fate-point economy, so debating a planetary council, leading marines into a city block, and a knife fight resolve in the same language while feeling mechanically distinct. | Rules-light, well-regarded module library, panic system creates mechanical tension |
| Considerations | Built on the pre-Fate-Core 2009 version of the Fate engine — terminology, the aspect-invocation flow, and the older stunt design predate later refinements, so players coming from Fate Core or Fate Accelerated will need to relearn the conventions. Cluster creation, system linking, and the five-phase collaborative character generation are designed to fill a full first session before play begins, so the game does not support spontaneous one-shots or solo character prep. Vector-based space combat enforces momentum, fuel, and reaction-drive constraints, so ship scenes resolve as deliberate tactical exchanges rather than narrative-first cinematic dogfights. | Panic table can cascade and end sessions abruptly, limited long-campaign support in core rules, stress mechanics can feel repetitive over extended play |