Mothership vs See You, Space Cowboy...
Compare Mothership and See You, Space Cowboy... side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Mothership | See You, Space Cowboy... | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Scifi |
| Play Style | Rules-Light, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Survival, Atmospheric, Low-Prep, Cinematic, Fast-Paced | Rules-Light, Player-Only Rolls, Anime, Noir, Cinematic, Theater of the Mind, One-Shot Friendly, Fast-Paced, Fiction-First, Narrative, Collaborative, Mission-Based, Random Tables, Character-Driven, Beginner-Friendly |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 under stat/skill. Stress and panic mechanics escalate tension. | When attempting a Break (a discrete action like a fistfight, hack, persuasion, or repair), the player rolls a single Trait die — a d6, d8, d10, or d12 assigned to that Trait at character creation — against fixed thresholds: 4 or below fails, 5–9 partially succeeds, 10 or above fully succeeds. If the player has a relevant Talent (an open-ended specialty written by the player, like 'Picking Pockets' or 'Plays Drums'), they add a d4 to the roll. Failing a Break grants Juice, a token that can be spent to reroll all dice on a future Break (partial successes become failures on rerolls); rolling the maximum on the unmodified Trait die also grants Juice. The Bandleader (GM) never rolls dice — they choose the stat and thresholds, then narrate outcomes. |
| Dice | d100 | d4–d12 |
| Complexity | Low | Very Low |
| Accessibility | High | High |
| Community | Medium | Low |
| License | 3rd Party License | Proprietary |
| Cost | $ | $ |
| Publisher | Tuesday Knight Games | Tidal Wave Games |
| Year | 2022 | 2022 |
| Best For | Terrifying sci-fi horror one-shots and short campaigns. Panic table creates unforgettable moments. | Groups who want a fast, cinematic bounty-hunter game in the vein of Cowboy Bebop or Outlaw Star, tuned for one-shots and short 'season-length' campaigns. Best for tables that enjoy improvising scenes and sharing director-style narrative authority with the GM. |
| Highlights | Rules-light, well-regarded module library, panic system creates mechanical tension | The Bandleader (GM) never rolls dice — players' Trait rolls resolve every contested moment while the GM chooses the stat, sets thresholds, and narrates outcomes. Talents are open-ended specialties players invent at character creation (e.g., 'Yeet', 'Picking Pockets', 'Plays Drums'), each adding a d4 to relevant Breaks for one of the four Traits. Required Bonds, Debts, and Regrets at character creation give every Outlaw a personal arc — clearing a Debt permanently upgrades the Talent die from d4 to d6, and resolving a Regret grants a once-per-session auto-success on a chosen Break. Procedural bounty generation pulls from tables for Threat Level, Charges, Demeanour, Modus Operandi, Specialized Gear, Appearance, Hideout, and Complications, supporting pickup play and improvised scenarios. |
| Considerations | Panic table can cascade and end sessions abruptly, limited long-campaign support in core rules, stress mechanics can feel repetitive over extended play | Mechanically minimal — no character classes, no skill list, no advancement track beyond clearing a Debt or resolving a Regret. Pacing assumes one-shots or short season-length campaigns; long-term progression is not structured by the rules. The Bandleader-rolls-nothing approach puts improvisational load on the GM to interpret narrative outcomes for every Break, since opposed-roll resolution does not apply. Setting is anchored to a specific 23rd-century solar system with 1990s-era consumer technology and no alien species; using a different backdrop requires reskinning the planet writeups, bounty charges table, and name tables. |