Mothership vs Public Access
Compare Mothership and Public Access side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Mothership | Public Access | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Horror, Modern |
| Play Style | Rules-Light, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Survival, Atmospheric, Low-Prep, Cinematic, Fast-Paced | Investigation, Mystery, Collaborative, Player-Only Rolls, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Atmospheric, Corruption |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 under stat/skill. Stress and panic mechanics escalate tension. | When a move is triggered, roll 2d6 plus one of five ability modifiers. A 6 or less is a miss, while many moves split hits into 7–9, 10–11, and 12+ tiers. After a result is narrated, a player can turn a Key to raise it one tier and replace that outcome with a different timeline. |
| Dice | d100 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Runnability | Medium | Low |
| License | 3rd Party License | Proprietary |
| Cost | $ | Free |
| Publisher | Tuesday Knight Games | The Gauntlet |
| Year | 2022 | 2023 |
| Best For | Terrifying sci-fi horror one-shots and short campaigns. Panic table creates unforgettable moments. | Groups seeking a finite collaborative analog-horror campaign where player-built theories, personal histories, and found-footage prompts shape the truth behind a small-town conspiracy |
| Highlights | Rules-light, well-regarded module library, panic system creates mechanical tension | Clues have no fixed locations or canonical answers, so players assemble them into a theory and roll to establish whether it is true. Turning a Key raises a resolved roll by one tier and replaces the narrated failure with an alternate timeline. Odyssey tape prompts let players author uncanny broadcasts that become a campaign timer and feed connections back into Deep Lake. |
| Considerations | Panic table can cascade and end sessions abruptly, limited long-campaign support in core rules, stress mechanics can feel repetitive over extended play | Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Night must occur in order, which constrains free-form scene pacing. The Keeper must synthesize campaign discoveries into a custom final TV Odyssey mystery. The intended campaign engages childhood trauma, body horror, ritual sacrifice, and other dark material. |