I have been posting like crazy this week. Last night we finally dived in to the Dinoplex Cataclysm trifold module for Mothership RPG. Like the Ypsilon-14 module, if you get it in PDF format it includes extras, including a non-disclosure handout for visiting PCs to sign that is hillarious, a guided map tour to find all the dinosaur stickers that is a lovely framing device for the Warden to walk PCs through the park while he sees the real map, and three audio pieces that add to the ambiance. Unlike The Haunting of Ypsilon-14, the audio are not specifically linked to any location and can be used when the Warden senses the time is right.
A lot of posts on sites like ENWorld about the Paizo Adventure Path Abomination Vaults got me to thinking about the fact that I really do not run those sorts of things, but I will run this tiny little two page adventure any time. The five columns of data (plus one column cover illustration) of the module provide at least 2-3 nights of gaming, so packed and delicious is this thing that if it were a food it would be a dense, rich pastry. My group meets for 3-4 hour sessions once every week or two, schedules permitting, but the brevity of design in Mothership mechanics plus its lightning rod focus on imitating schlock B-Movie horror in space is excellent at keeping everyone focused on the point of the game....seeking to avoid the horrifying stuff in Mothership is never the goal.
Now, I am sure this format of module is not for everyone. It's brief and to the point, but it provides enedless branches upon which to hang as much riffing and improvisation that you as the Warden (GM) wish to do. I've embellished my own version of the park with several additional features and threats, for example (of which I shall name none --yet-- as the module is still ongoing). We meet on Roll20 so the handouts are easy to deliver, and the audio clips easy to play. The processual elements of the module include periodically rolling to see what is happening pre or post disaster, who the group meets, and so forth.
If you don't embellish and play it very close to the module as written I imagine it is possible the scenario could last one, maybe two nights. With embellishment we have turned it in to a fine adventure...the first session was all about the group enjoying the park while the slow build on sense of dread at the imminent and as yet unclear point of failure that will turn the park into a nightmare slowly looms. Could the PCs figure out what might happen that could go wrong and stop it? Possible! But unlikely.....the real point of Mothership is to buy that ticket and get on the roller coaster, even though you just heard a news story that they have a record high mortality rate at the park, so to speak.
Anyway, just some praise for this insanely brief yet packed module format. I would love to figure out how to construct a module like this, particularly for other genres like fantasy where the tradition has been to dominate with weighty, burdensome tomes laden with extraneous content that one might labor to find a way to introduce. The no-nonsense, to-the-point nature of the trifold adventure is simply amazing.
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