MOTH-e-RSHI-p?

Lower-case "e" and "p" - why?

Mashing Mothership and Eclipse Phase together makes sense because both games explore survival horror, existential dread, and the fragility of human identity, but they approach these themes from different angles—one through streamlined, high-tension mechanics (Mothership), and the other through deep transhumanist worldbuilding (Eclipse Phase). Combining them allows for narratively rich, thematically cohesive, but mechanically accessible gameplay.

Mothership is a sci-fi horror tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) focused on survival, psychological stress, and cosmic horror in the depths of space. It emphasizes fast-paced, rules-light gameplay with an emphasis on tension, resource management, and deadly encounters.

Core Themes

• Survival Horror – Players take on the roles of blue-collar workers, scientists, marines, and androids struggling to survive in hostile, often doomed environments.
• Psychological Stress & Panic – The game features a Stress and Panic system, where exposure to terrifying situations can cause breakdowns, hallucinations, or even violent outbursts.
• Cosmic & Body Horror – Inspired by Alien, Event Horizon, Dead Space, and The Thing, Mothership embraces existential dread, mutated horrors, and the terror of the unknown.
• Corporate Dystopia & Isolation – The setting leans into megacorporate exploitation, space capitalism, and the bleak realities of interstellar life.

Game Mechanics

• Class-Based System – Players choose from Teamster (Worker), Scientist, Marine, or Android, each with unique abilities and drawbacks.
• d100 Roll-Under System – Skill checks are made using percentile dice (rolling under your stat to succeed).
• Stress & Panic System – The more Stress a character accumulates, the higher the chance of breaking under pressure.
• Lethal Combat & Perma-Death – Characters can die quickly from injuries, panic, or exposure to eldritch horrors.
• Resource Scarcity – Ammunition, oxygen, fuel, and even sanity are limited, adding tension to every decision.

Eclipse Phase is a transhumanist sci-fi horror tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) set in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has been nearly wiped out by rogue AI. The survivors live across the solar system, using advanced technology to upload their minds, swap bodies (resleeving), and explore existential questions of identity, control, and survival. It is inspired by the science fiction of writers such as, but not limited to Ian Banks, David Brin, James S. A. Corey, Ursula LeGuin, Ken MacLeod, Richard Morgan, Alastair Reynolds, Charles Stross, Peter Watts, and the entirety of the Cyberpunk genre.

Core Themes

• Transhumanism – Minds are digital, bodies are replaceable, and identity is fluid. Players can be humans, AI, or uplifted animals inhabiting biological or synthetic bodies (morphs).
• Post-Apocalyptic Horror – The Fall was an AI-driven cataclysm that nearly destroyed Earth, leaving abandoned ruins, deadly plagues, and rogue machines.
• Existential Dread & AI Conspiracies – Rogue artificial intelligences (TITANs) vanished beyond the solar system, but their technology and corrupted victims (Exsurgents) remain.
• Factional Struggles – The remains of humanity are divided into hypercorporate oligarchies, anarchist collectives, militarized states, and secretive conspiracies.
• Survival in Hostile Environments – The solar system is harsh, lawless, and filled with threats—biological, digital, and extraterrestrial.

Game Mechanics

• Percentile (d100) System – Skill-based, with a roll-under mechanic.
• Morph & Ego Separation – Unlike other RPGs, your mind (Ego) and body (Morph) are separate, allowing body-swapping and digital existence.
• Reputation-Based Economy – Many societies use reputation scores instead of money, rewarding cooperation and social capital.
• Hacking & Cyberwarfare – The Mesh (internet) is always present, allowing players to infiltrate systems, manipulate information, or fight in digital space.
• Resleeving & Memory Loss – Dying isn't the end; if your cortical stack (brain backup) survives, you can be uploaded into a new body—but memories may be missing or altered.

Why This Works

1. Shared Themes: Survival, Horror, and Existential Dread

Both games challenge the heroic power fantasy of traditional RPGs:

• Mothership is about blue-collar workers, marines, and scientists barely surviving in a hostile, uncaring universe.
• Eclipse Phase is about transhumans navigating a post-apocalyptic future full of AI conspiracies, alien horrors, and identity-shattering technology.
• Both emphasize fragility, paranoia, and forces beyond human control.

2. Cosmic Horror as a Core Element

• Lovecraftian horror revolves around learning too much and losing yourself to the knowledge.
• Mothership represents this with its Stress and Panic system, where characters spiral into madness.
• Eclipse Phase represents this with AI-induced insanity, Exsurgent infections, and mind-editing technology.
• By merging the two, the terror of uncovering forbidden knowledge becomes both mechanical (stress) and narrative (loss of identity).

3. Mothership’s Simple, High-Tension Mechanics Are a Perfect Fit

• Eclipse Phase is crunchy and complex, making it difficult to pick up and play, especially online.
• Mothership is fast, rules-light, and brutal, making it easier to run without sacrificing tension.
• Using Mothership mechanics to run Eclipse Phase allows for the best of both worlds: deep worldbuilding with accessible gameplay.

4. A Better Fit for Virtual Play

• Eclipse Phase is difficult to run on VTTs due to its depth and bookkeeping.
• Mothership is much more adaptable, with character sheets and mechanics that fit easily into digital play.
• This makes Eclipse Phase’s rich setting more playable, especially in modern online environments.

5. The Perfect Space Horror Crossover

• Eclipse Phase is about what it means to be human when your body and mind are infinitely editable.
• Mothership is about losing yourself to fear and the uncaring void of space.
• Together, they tell the ultimate horror story: Not only is the universe terrifying, but so is the fact that you might not even be you.

By merging Eclipse Phase’s setting with Mothership’s mechanics, you create a playable, immersive, and terrifying vision of the future that is easier to run, faster to play, and just as horrifying. That’s why MOTHeRSHIp makes perfect sense.