Gradient Descent: Into The Deep (Sci-Fi Horror)

# GRADIENT DESCENT

A Mothership RPG Campaign
🕳️ Dive into The Deep — a derelict megacorporate labyrinth where explorers whisper of strange inhabitants, haunted machinery, and things that should not exist. Every expedition is dangerous. Most don’t return.

EXPECT

• In-person pen & paper play (Mothership 1E)
• Sci-fi horror (disturbing content & themes)
• Expedition-based open table (1+ sessions per dive)
• Consistent players preferred — finish the expedition you join
• Player-driven exploration & survival
• Beginner-friendly, no prep — turn up and play

📅 When: Fridays (weekly / bi-weekly), sometimes Saturdays
📍 Where: In-person (see invite details)
🎲 System: Mothership 1E

TURN UP & PLAY
Everything needed to play is provided. No prep or experience required.

EXPEDITIONS
Crews dive into The Deep and return when they choose. Each expedition runs 1+ sessions. The open table format means anyone can join and rotate in — you don’t have to play every week, but once you start a dive, you’re expected to see it through with the crew.

COMMUNICATION
We coordinate via a WhatsApp group. First spots go to players already in the group, but new players are welcome to join the waitlist and group to get a chance at upcoming dives.

PLAY STYLE
Fiction-first sci-fi horror with modern OSR principles:

• Player creativity and problem-solving drive the game
• Exploration, investigation, and risk–reward choices come first
• Combat is fast, lethal, and narrative-driven — survival depends on planning, imagination, and use of the environment
• The Deep is vast and open: multiple paths, no fixed story, high lethality
• Character growth emerges from scars, allies, items, and reputation

NOT INCLUDED

• Complex character builds or leveling systems
• Grid maps or miniatures
• Long, rules-heavy combat sequences

⚠️ Content Warning: Horror for mature players. Includes violence, trauma, body horror, psychological distress, and harm to android children.