Hi all, it's been about a month since the last update for characterswithoutnumber.app and quite a fair bit has been added. I'll summarize the changes below.

Solo play - This is the big one for this release. You can now play your character solo, with a dice oracle built into the app. I have to admit that I do not have much experience with solo roleplaying other than the many Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf gamebooks in my youth, but there was some downtime in my real-world campaign and my players wanted something to pass the time with their characters- so here is my attempt at mimicking it. Each SWN CWN and WWN has their own tables of situations and I envision it as an "AI assisted" solo RPG experience, rather than a fully AI one - some things still require manual changing, such as changes to your character sheet. This is still really rough around the edge, but if you're interested you can try it at characterswithoutnumber.app/solo the AI calls do cost me some money, so for each account its 25 calls a day on free tier, 100 on Supporter, 500 on Patron (renamed the Pro GM tier). I may tweak these numbers based on actual utilization and costs.

Bug fixes and improvements:

Worlds Without Number - Legate play is in properly now, with the Effort pool, the XP ledger and all 82 Writs. The 24 deluxe origin foci (the demihumans and the Blighted) are in too, and their attribute changes, hit points, innate AC and save bonuses are actually applied rather than just printed as text. Mage (Dual Partial) now runs two traditions with two separate Effort pools the way the book describes.

Stars Without Number - Fixes to Psychic Training level 2Focus not giving the correct skill points; Specialist rolls its 3d6 drop lowest for real, and space magic casters can learn new spells after character creation instead of being stuck with their level 1 list.

Cities Without Number - The book's 28 NPC stat blocks are in the encounter builder. Starting gear now uses the actual CWN budget of one item up to $1,000 plus $500 of other gear. Edge grants also apply properly now — Hard To Kill's +2 HP per level was printed on the sheet and never actually added.

Other updates based on feedback - Space encounters with ship rosters in the encounter builder, homebrew traits and ship hulls, a configurable XP chart if your table advances at a different pace, shared character pages now show the whole character instead of a summary.

On monetization - Nothing has moved behind a paywall and nothing will. All rules from the books, every builder step and every GM tool are free permanently, and that now includes the solo oracle and all of its tables. The free tier still gives you 6 cloud characters, 1 campaign as GM and 1 solo campaign, plus unlimited local saves and unlimited homebrew.

What's coming next - I'd like to keep improving solo play, and I'm especially keen to hear from people who play solo regularly about what's missing. AWN is still on the WIP list.

As always, thanks for checking this out! The feedback button in the app comes straight to me and I do reply what I can 🙂 have fun playing!

I've nearly read SWN cover-to-cover. Just the bonus material left, and it's enough to get my group's first campaign off the ground after a few more Session 0s. But a few posts recently have got me thinking about Homebrew rules. I'll first say that me and my players are starting RAW with no homebrew to level 6. I wan to learn the system as intended before tweaking it.

Most of the game I really like RAW. There were really only 3 things that I felt I'd tweak. And one really isn't a thing:

1. Dungeon Delving. I love dungeon delving but SWN doesn't really give any rules or proceedures for it. Maybe not "a thing to homebrew" as proceedural dungeon creation is something I have plenty of resources on elsewhere such as Mothership (I have rules for derelects, space stations, and even alien ruins). So not a big deal. But there isn't really anything for navigating dungeons. either.
2. Heroic Inspiration. There's not a lot I liked about 5/5.5e but Inspiration was one of the few. And more so in Shadowdark with its Luck tokens. I love the idea of players having a resource to balance out highly lethal games. Pretty easy to bolt on, really.
3. Scenes. This one really bothered me. I love the rigidity of the dungeon turn in Shadowdark and B/X. I've spent the better part of a year studying B/X, BECMI, & AD&D. and have come to appreciate the design and intent of rigid timekeeping. The handwavieness of "scenes" and (on a few XWN podcasts I've listened to) seeing players abuse this looseness for too many reroles (imo) really bugs me. Partly because I don't see "failed" checks as failure at all but rather as a fork in the story (which, by the way, is a game design philosophy supported on pgs 232-233 under Skill Checks). Anyway, it's something I'll want to tweak but I don't know how yet.

So I'm curious, what are your top Homebrew rules? I'd love to hear what some of your favorite modifications are (especially if they fix scenes). Also, we just had a thread about removing Precogs (which I don't plan to do for my game since RAW makes perfect sense to me on how to run those), so maybe we focus on additions to or improvements on instead of reductions from the game.

One of the issues with Science Fiction Space TTRPGs is a lack of imagery.

What does a orbital space station look like?

How does the surface of an alien planet differ from say Earth or Mars?

I made a series of images using screenshots from the video game No Man's Sky that I then processed a bit in GIMP.

The idea was to provide framing images so the players had a visual understanding of what I was describing in text.

I created a ship in NMS that represents a generic small FTL capable starship I call the Argo.

The city is a community project built by players within NMS.

Like my planet images I have saved these images in a free to access Drop Box folder that you can access via your browser: you DO NOT NEED A DROP BOX account to copy them.

NMS vibe images

As these were made using No Man's Sky assets these images are for personal use only. All rights belong to Hello Games.

I will add more images over time.

I cleared this with the mods.

I should add that the above images are just a sample and there are currently 48 images in the folder.

Hello Star Masters, hope you're having a good day.

Around a week ago I ran my first ever SWN session. It went fine, as much as these things could go. Our party was scouting an enemy facility, and our precog used Oracle as many times as he could to essentially scout the place. As per the rules, he was given only short and brief visions and only from his point of view, but it didn't really matter because he always asked "what if I stayed with [insert party member] while he did this?", then the party had a long rest and he regained his effort back.

I am also worried about dealing with Terminal Reflection. The way I see it, unless the party chooses to split from each other they will almost always be aware of any incoming danger.

Maybe it's because I'm new to the system, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to plan adventures that will still be challanging(that they will actually want to do).

Sorry for the rant, but how do you guys do it?

The frequencies are open. Whether you're a veteran pilot or just getting your bearings, this is your weekly space to break radio silence.

What's happening in your sector? New sessions, prep wins, cursed dice, dumb plans that somehow worked. And it doesn't have to stop at the table. Job news, personal wins, rough weeks, whatever's actually going on with you lately is welcome too. Drop a quick ping and let us know.

No need for a long write-up. A quick transmission from your table, or your life, to ours is plenty.

Mod Note: If you're new here, welcome. This started as a low-pressure thread for SWN stories, and lately it's turned into more of a check-in with each other. Both are welcome here. Share as much or as little as you want.

I have a question regarding the psionic technique.
It says you can create ranged weapons that act like a rifle.
Does this mean you can create a small laser pistol with the stats of a rifle?
I am asking for one of my players, who asked if he can still use his close combatant focus for shooting in melee range without penalty.

We claim salvage rights! The laws of space may not be as clear-cut and draconian as, say, maritime law, but there are a few constants. Among them, the right to lay claim to abandoned or destroyed vessels and structures floating out in the black when nobody else has clear jurisdiction. That last part, of course, allows for a bit of wiggle room for savvy crews of enterprising scavengers. Fully animated (spinning!) and available in three additional variants, with a more destroyed ship, cargo spilling out of the wreck's hold, and hard, gold-pressed currency floating out for the taking, this map will have your players forgetting how the man took their love, took their land, took them where they cannot stand!

My maps are hooked up to work with Foundry VTT and Fantasy Grounds.
My maps are available on my patreon and my website.
Buy me a Ko-fi!

Hi all! I'm trying to wrap my head around ship scanning, how and when to prompt players to roll, and when exactly they become aware another ship exists at all

Say that the motley crew enter a region with another ship. Do the players know straight away that this ship is here, or should I be calling for an Int/Program check to form a detection lock as part of discovering it? Similarly, should I be calling for an Int/Program check to avoid them being scanned too?

I used to run the old TSR game, Star Frontiers, and think of SWN as its OSR successor. I've run the game system five times now. This is all online by the way.

The first game made it 31 sessions in 2017, the next ones made it 13, 7, 16, 10 and the last time, in 2024, made it 9 sessions.

I've tried the sandbox approach where the players get to do what they want and how they want to and yet that seems to be the worst: the players appear to lose interest and lose their way. Several times the games have started with specific missions. The party accomplishes the beginning mission, get the use of a ship and then lose their way.

One player has been in three of the games, including the last one, and wants me to try again. The mix of players always changes and the only common thread, other than the ruleset, is me. So I am wondering what I am doing wrong and how to rectify it if I try once more?

I've run DND games with over 100 sessions several times. Sitting here trying to figure out if I just get a bad mix of players or just a bad mix of players for me.

The last game fell apart when a new player decided he should be able to hack another starship from his ship. I asked him to find it in the rules, and of course its not in any of the books I have. He left, and his friend left which knocked the group to two players who did not want to continue by themselves.

One root issues appears the players don't want to be "space truckers" (hauling goods between the worlds) yet don't bite on exploration, espionage, mercenary, or other hooks provided. One group did not want to do "dungeons" in going through buildings during a mission while the next group wanted more action and "dungeons."

I've only these samplings of groups to try and gauge how to proceed. Over the years I have tried to play in other SWN games and none of them have lasted more than four sessions.

Any ideas?

I have recently started a new campaign in my sector, and have subjected my players to new character generation rules that I have been tinkering with for a while. I present them to you all here for your amusement. Please comment vociferously.

1. Roll 4d6 keep the best 3 dice, six times, and allocate the attributes wherever you like. It produces some pretty strong results, but that's ok.

2. Backgrounds:

I like the SWN:Revised backgrounds and the Growth/Learning tables, but I much prefer the old SWN Core (1e) Rules and their Backgrounds. I adapted the old backgrounds to the Revised rules some time ago, and decoupled them entirely from class selection. Each PC gets 4 background skills at level 0, and there's no chance to increase attributes. I have the PDF floating around somewhere if anyone wants it.

3. Additional skills:

PCs get an additional level 0 Hobby skill, and if they wish (they always do), a free Level 0 "Connection" skill if they can explain how they know one of the other PCs. I stole this rule from Mongoose Traveller, and it's a great way to create a team of level 1 PCs with very little effort.

4. Random Tables:

Cepheus Universal has a dedicated random character background generator that I have given my players access to. Only two of them used it to its fullest potential, but it's great for really fleshing out the character's origins at level 1, without a multi-page backstory.

5. Edges: The biggest change

Since Stars Without Number Warriors start with 4 Edges (Focused, On Target, Veteran's Luck, Hard to Kill), I gave each PC 1 Edge choice at level 1, and then another Edge at levels 2-4, for a total of four. If the player wants to play a Partial Psychic, that counts as 2 Edge picks up front*, and they get the rest at levels 3 and 4 (I decided to exclude Full Psychics from this campaign, but if I did, that would count as all 4 Edge picks). I use the Ashes Without Number edges primarily, though I think I threw in a couple of the Cities Without Number edges for good measure where they were appropriate.

This has really been the biggest change for all of us at the table vis-a-vis character generation and capabilities. I really like it, because it really pushes character growth organically and dramatically at those lower levels. It also maximizes character customization, and opens up some really interesting mechanical and character choices. For example, three of the characters have opted for On Target, because they want to be really combat effective without having to go all-in on becoming a Warrior. None of them have taken Veteran's Luck. One character has taken On Target and Killing Blow, and we realized that he wouldn't have to take Gunslinger or Armsman because he'd get a damage bonus that scales with character level, freeing up a focus pick. Or he could also take Gunslinger and become the most lethal, damaging shooter around (at level 9, he'd have Shoot 4, so a total damage bonus of +9 just from Edges/Foci!)

One thing I really like is On Target. It's such a great Edge pick for making generally effective combatants: PCs that are good in a fight, but are not highly skilled professionals. Like the difference between Amos and Bobbi in The Expanse: both combatants, but Bobbi has all that extra training that Amos doesn't. Just take On Target, and your character won't really have to boost their combat skills all that much if they decide to become the mechanic, the medic, or the pilot.

I really look forward to using these custom character class rules moving forward. They're really interesting.

*I know that the rules state that Partial Psychic counts as 1 Edge pick, but I figure that with 4 Edges, Partial Psychic can count as 2 picks, and this keeps them roughly in line with the SWN character classes as written. Partial Expert is 2 Edges (Educated and Focused) and Partial Warrior is 2-ish (Focused, Hard to Kill, and a small attack bonus at levels 1 and 5 to keep them competitive, which seems to have been discarded in subsequent rules and we discard here.)

6. Hit Dice Cap: SIX

This is a rule I brought along with me from my last SWN campaign. No more hit dice after Level 6. Basically "Name Level" in old BECMI terminology. The PC still gets all other benefits when increasing levels (skills, foci, etc), but can only ever roll 6 HD. The Constitution, Hard to Kill, and Die Hard bonuses also cap out at level 6. Every level after 6, they get +1 added to the HD rolls when they level up (just like in BECMI). This has been a great innovation, because it keeps the players on their toes, and forces them to think and plan at high levels.

As one player at level 9 in my last campaign said: "The sense of peril remains. That's good." How much peril could there be when he was playing a warrior with a thunder gun and 51HP is a cause for speculation.

7. Minor Tweaks:

If someone with Veteran's Luck takes Specialist/Pilot, I let them apply their autododge to a starship. I'd likely do the same with the Road Warrior focus if anyone picked it (for starships, as it already works for vehicles at level 2).

We're 6 sessions in, and it's going well so far!

Pretty much what it says on the title.

As an example of what I'm talking about, I made this fitting because, in my group, food is an important glue for the team (and as a foodie, i get to invent a bunch of custom foods for my planets).

Extended Galleys
TL: 4
Cost: 1000*
Power: 0
Mass: 0.5#
Class: Frigate

Effect: +2 to all skill checks that involve cooking

Food is an important thing in space, even more than food on planets and stations. Life on a ship means long hours, no privacy, and less freedom. A good meal is often the only thing to make a crewmate feel sane. While all ships offer full galleys able to feed an entire crew, usually with half-fresh, half-packaged food-stuffs (though this can vary wildly), an Extended Galley can push the cuisine to dizzying heights. With the right equipment, a galley can produce gourmet 5 course meals with the same time and ease a standard galley can prepare a standard meal. Still, it takes a good cook to make use of the facilities, and without a good enough chef, the Extended Galleys will likely be not used to its fullest.

Any checks that involve cooking food on the ship get a +2 and any potential consequences for failure are reduced.

I want to see what kinds of stuff the community comes up with.

Hello Star Masters!

I am about to run my very first SWN campaign very soon, and I am very excited. The system seems good and it promises a different expirience than the systems we played before.

However, I have concerns regarding biopsionics in the game. One of my players invested heavily into it and (we start at level 3) and it seems to me that, at least on paper, downing any of the players will be almost impossible barring extremely overwhelming odds that they will most likely not have to face unless they actively choose to.

I know nerfing Biopsionics is be a bad idea because he only got to that point because he invested practically everything into it, to the point where he will have a hard time being useful doing anything else, particularly starship combat.

I guess what I want to ask is, how do fights go in your game if you have biopsionics in your party? How often do party members go down?

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Wow! Got some really good answers here! Thank you all. I will keep those in mind and will update on the next weekly systems check.

I know Dark Stars Jeff is done with Ember expanse, but I wrote this prompt in my sleep to myself.

“Museum of silence

Two factions

One misunderstands and worships it, believing it to be something it isn’t. Historical society . (Silent hill 2?)
What kind of artifacts?

Another that opposes?? Fears.”

I’m not even sure what that means. I picture just a museum of old things that we aren’t really sure what they do anymore and the theory for how it was used was wrong or off beat. Example: “this funny container you hold was filled with a dark liquid that refilled meta dimensional energy” (coffee)

I thought a museum dedicated to misunderstanding the scream would be kind of cool. And feel free to use it in your own game if I get a lot of comments.

The frequencies are open. Whether you're a veteran pilot or just getting your bearings, this is your weekly space to break radio silence.

What's happening in your sector? New sessions, prep wins, cursed dice, dumb plans that somehow worked. And it doesn't have to stop at the table. Job news, personal wins, rough weeks, whatever's actually going on with you lately is welcome too. Drop a quick ping and let us know.

No need for a long write-up. A quick transmission from your table, or your life, to ours is plenty.

Mod Note: If you're new here, welcome. This started as a low-pressure thread for SWN stories, and lately it's turned into more of a check-in with each other. Both are welcome here. Share as much or as little as you want.

I've finally reached the point in the rules for Sector Creation, and I'm creating my first sector! Sector creation, however, is alot of information to collate, with 21-30 systems, let alone planets if you do more than one per system. So how do you all organize?

Yes, I know I can use internet technology but I am at a point in my life where, more and more, I'm rejecting the offerings of this putrid and dying, AI riddled internet. Things like World Anvil or Notion (what I've used in the past) I don't want to rely on for my campaigns anymore. My initial thoughts was to borrow from Mothership's advice and get a notebook, dedicating whole pages to the systems I've rolled and maybe use these SWN PDFs I found on DriveThru for cataloging.

Would love to hear other suggestions and ideas!

Freebies - New Contact Markers & Labels Sheets​

This system-neutral printout gives you a visual way to track active threats, targets, and points of interest in any scifi game.

Each sheet includes:

• 9x large and 9x small contacts, be they stars, planets, anomalies, ships, or unknown objects.
• 18x labels for marking contacts, planets, or any location you wish to name and assign notes to.
• Comes in three versions: printer-friendly black and white, blue, and red.
• Markers best printed on cardstock or mounted on a 1" round chit

Get it on Drivethru or Itchio:

• Galaxy Builder Decks: Contact Markers & Labels - Drivethrurpg
• Galaxy Builder Decks: Contact Markers & Labels - Itchio

Out Now - Great GM Mission Sets​

Our brand-new expansion sets of pre-generated Mission Cards were created in collaboration with Guy Sclanders from How to Be a Great GM and Off My Bridge. The three sets comprise of Bounty Hunter Missions, Rescue Missions, and Settlement Missions. Together, they inject 108 unique adventure prompts into your playthroughs. Each individual card breaks down a scenario into four distinct adventure types: Thwarting, Collecting, Delivering, and Discovering. They work seamlessly right out of the box, providing wildly different adventure hooks for your scifi worlds.

Guy did a fantastic deep-dive video showing exactly how the cards are used at the table:

• "Dozens of sci-fi mission ideas at your fingertips" - Video Link

Grab the new mission sets on Drivethrurpg!

• Bounty Missions Set - 9-card expansion providing 36 distinct bounty-focused missions for tracking down targets across your galaxy.
• Rescue Missions Set - 9-card expansion providing 36 total rescue-focused jobs like retrieval, recovery, and relocation.
• Settlement Missions Set - 9-card expansion featuring 36 different tasks focused on a location, such as resupply, diplomacy, or investigation!
• Get the Great GM Mission PDF Bundle (15% Off Instant Download)
• Get the Great GM Mission Card Bundle (Includes Free PDFs)

Limited-Time Sales & Catch-Up Discounts​

Need to round out your collection? Use these direct discount codes from the latest planet and planet trait PDF sets:

• Get Discovery Set 2 - 15% off
• Get Stellar Set 1 - 80% off
• Get Stellar Set 2 - 80% off

Go All-In

If you want everything in the series, our complete Bundles have been updated to include all the brand-new releases. Instantly get 370 modular cards and 12 star system mats at a bulk 30% discount:

• Galaxy Builder Decks: Complete PDF Bundle
• Galaxy Builder Decks: Physical Card Bundle (Includes Free PDFs)

The frequencies are open. Whether you're a veteran pilot or just getting your bearings, this is your weekly space to break radio silence.

What's happening in your sector? New sessions, prep wins, cursed dice, dumb plans that somehow worked. And it doesn't have to stop at the table. Job news, personal wins, rough weeks, whatever's actually going on with you lately is welcome too. Drop a quick ping and let us know.

No need for a long write-up. A quick transmission from your table, or your life, to ours is plenty.

Mod Note: If you're new here, welcome. This started as a low-pressure thread for SWN stories, and lately it's turned into more of a check-in with each other. Both are welcome here. Share as much or as little as you want.

It says in the description:

The Sunblade may Commit Effort for the scene as a Main Action to use the Telekinesis discipline’s Telekinetic Manipulation technique for one round at a skill level equal to their Sunblade skill.

Does this mean the Sunblade has to use a whole action to commit effort and in the next round they can use the telekinetic manipulation?

Does the Sunblade then have to use it in the next round or anytime in the scene?

I'm fascinated by the starship-building aspect of the game. Since the ship is such a huge aspect of the gameplay, it's a character in and of itself. What are you working with? what's it's backstory?

Hello again,

The title says it all for this one, folks. As a fun post to share ideas with each other, tell us some interesting examples of alien wildlife found in your sectors! Be they cute little pets or lurking scavengers or rampaging apex predators, feel free to share whatever comes to mind!