Wardens! Tired of the same old "they're coming out of the vents!" trope? Or cannot get enough of it? Fear not! Here is a far-from-comprehensive overview of Mothership modules that I've played (I do not have lifespan long enough to cover all >600? modules out there; and have not yet played many classics) in which monsters and vents are features that make for fun RPGing. I'll begin with modules that I see as the most popular, then move into the black sheep. Continuing on to how vents play roles in the TOMBS cycle. Then a finish with thoughts about novel(?) ways for a Warden to use vents.
Players! Don't read this! From here onwards, it's pure SPOILERS!
And Wardens, feel free to skip to the bottom where I brainstorm ideas for vents.
Another Bug Hunt: OK, to get this done off the bat, I've only played the Greta Base (first) part and impressively, that does not involve vents that the monsters would use. Interesting, since Aliens is a major touchstone here and vents are such a mainstay of xenomorph horror. But the vents are a good alternate route for PCs to use; they "Jacquay up" the "dungeon". I see there are some vents in later parts of ABH but I've not played it with them.
The Horror on Ypsilon-14: This is an interesting one. The monster is invisible, so really it doesn't need the vents to move around unseen. But it uses the vents anyway and the PCs are both rewarded (finding clues) and punished (ambushed from above, etc.) by the vents. So whether PCs go for a harrowing crawl through the vents or not, they are a feature that impacts gameplay and are part of what makes the module great. But here the use of vents is pretty typical. No twists, IMO. The vents can flexibly play many TOMBS roles. Not just the big climactic steps. Finding clues, hearing creepy noises, seeing blood from victims -- or best yet, seeing an invisible thing that eats another person in front of them!
Decagone: Vents do feature here in two ways: First, the Ventablack robot dogs (or whatever the Warden changes them to) use the vents. Once near the start of the time loop, as an Omen (in TOMBS cycle) that leads to Ned's potential death as another step in TOMBS. And again at the climax in the research lab. Second, there is the vent that is one helpful route for PCs across a near-final end of the map; a vent as a puzzle solution. Nice.
Year of the Rat: A perfect usage of vents. Sinister cat-sized-rats use the vents to add OMENS creepiness. And the Big Bad really needs the vents to avoid it just being cornered and blasted away. Have it drop down, grab a PC and leap back into the vent with the PC screaming as they are ripped apart. Classic moment and time for 1-2 Panic Checks.
The Screaming on the Alexis (Dead Planet): Vents are a moderate feature, with a classic utility in TOMBS for creepy sounds or glimpses, broken vents that give an "oh shit" clue, and a route for pretty much any of the cavalcade of monsters to use. Good enough.
Plant-Based Paranoia: The vents are a vital part of the adventure, ratcheting up the horror and paranoia as The Big Bad grabs PCs and "snatches" them in, then unleashes pod-people copies. Perfect vent usage. If PCs foolishly choose to go into vents, a Warden is excused if they "punish" those PCs brutally. You could call this a module where the vents are (part of) the monster.
Warped Beyond Recognition: The vents here are begging for Wardens to use them. Again here, The Big Bad (Miriam) scuttles in and out of them in a cat-and-mouse game, and the vents do their traditional role of ramping up the horror. Like Year of the Rat and so on.
Akigara: There are loads of vents here, and conveyor belts in vents, that PCs almost must use. They can be a shortcut around real dangers. This is not necessarily a monster-usage vent system; it's there for PCs to use or not. I like that. Some vents are hidden, too. The Warden needs to prep a bit so they understand the vents vs. conveyor belt system, though. Clever usage of vents. Breaks the tropes.
Brackish: I was a little surprised to realize that there are some vents here but they play a small role (some clues etc.) so that's why I didn't think of them at first. Maybe they could be used even more. Cramped vents and flooding sound terrifying!
Iron Coffin: Excellent vent potential here, for a Big Bad (or is it bad?) that enters into the ship's warren of vents and can wander throughout, wreaking havoc, across almost the entire map (just not the Cockpit or Engines). Classic.
The Dose Makes the Poison: This has a nice system of vents to move around mostly the perimeter of the facility, and is both good for PCs to move around and circumvent obstacles, and for monsters to confront them in or use them for ambushes and such. Lots of vents. Nice map. This module stands out as distinct vent-wise. We had a Fool class PC go into one and meet up with The Big Bad and scramble in terror back out, with a frag grenade lobbed in behind them. A cool moment.
Feast: I've professed my love for this module before elsewhere. It's delightfully simple and yet horrific. 9 main rooms, all connected by vents, each room has something usseful for PCs to do, a mystery quickly unfolds and then there is a brutal monster ("Space Wendigo" as one player rightly called it) that links perfectly to the mystery. Anyway (and I just played this, previously at a con but also just last night at my campaign table!) the vents almost inevitably get involved. I've had the monster first heard making noises in the vents, so the PCs know something is there and get scared. Then, my tradition has been to have it lurch out of the vent above a certain destroyed android in a corner, and claw/grab a PC there, next trying to drag them in to appease its hunger. But PCs can go in there too, and woe betide them if they do! Lean and mean scenario.
I know there are some vents in Gradient Descent but have not played it yet. Give me time..
That's 12 modules played and some variation in vent-craft. So, what have I learned from this about vents in Mothership modules?
--TOMBS and vents (and Mothership's vibe) go hand-in hand and that's why vents are popular in Mothership modules.
--IMO, vents are over-used for monster features. I still love them, but may lean toward avoiding them in the future. A vent-usage that avoids the trope for monster ambushes would be great. A monster that distracts people with vents but then snags them from elsewhere? Vents that literally ARE the monster somehow? (cybernetic?)
--I also learned through my players recently! In playing Year Eleven, in which vents do not feature, at the finale with the Big Bad a player asked if there was a vent above the airlock in a maintenance tunnel. The map was, as usual, vague. I thought about it and yes, it made sense, and they should be rewarded for creativity! So vents can be improvised in ways that a Warden/module didn't anticipate!
--How have vents not been used? In modules I've played, but also to a degree out of the far too many that I own and have read... Some thoughts on clever uses of vents:
- Vents tend to have these features that Wardens can manipulate to "vent-up" their "dungeons":
- Easily overlooked (except for paranoid PCs/players) parts of "dungeon" geometry, ripe for monstery surprises.
- An unknown network where entries and exits can be seen but not their routes (i.e., a puzzle).
- They hide stuff, and that's scary. Monsters first and foremost, but also clues, loot, and even PCs!
- A relationship to the machinery of the locale. Too seldom integrated into gameplay. What do the vents DO that is interesting? i.e., why are they there in the game-world? Very often they are just passive spaces.
- A whole module of vents. PCs crawling single-file through a maze of them. Not for the claustrophobic. Crossroads to enable PCs switching positions, traps, dead-ends, collapsing regions of vents, maybe make it a 3D maze with ladders or lifts or whatnot. Clouds of steam obscuring view down the crawlspace. It writes itself! Indeed it did -- in movies (all of which are good and must-sees for inspiration): try Meandre and Cube. Also, The Descent uses tunnels as if they're vents. You could copy a design here and have a great module.
- Vents that have associated "environmental hazards" that raise the tension. Arching over dangers-- maybe the floor below the vent literally is lava? The metal shaft system gets dangerously electrified periodically and PCs must crawl through to get to the off switch before being electrocuted?
- Or non-environmentally, monsters are visible below vents and PCs must traverse them or else? Maybe the monsters are attacking the vents trying to reach the yummy PCs inside? Reversing the role of vents for PCs vs. monsters! Or NPCs are shooting up at the vents and PCs can only temporarily benefit from cover but must get somewhere?
- Stuck between a vent and a hard place: Make a simple system of vents that has something crucial inside which PCs know they must reach. But monsters or other hazards make this a tough problem-solving or purely horrific experience. A race with a ticking clock? That could be spectacular. PCs know the vents will be flushed with toxic gas soon?
- Vent(s) for the grand finale. The PCs don't know exactly what's at the end, but they know they must go through a cramped vent to reach it. The tension will be taut. Escape, reward, or confronting the Big Bad, it could be great.
- An ever-changing system of vents. An industrial complex (or dynamic spaceship interior? A living AI god?) that keeps shuffling its configuration, for reasons. Maybe a randomizing structure for Wardens to use, in a depth-crawl/point-crawl/hex-crawl kind of thing. Good luck mapping. The vents might become a surprise horror, in that PCs did not expect a dynamic maze.
That's a good start. What else? I'd love to hear your thoughts on venting-up your Mothership game. How have vents been neglected? What other modules use vents well and how so? I'd love to see a trifold-jam with vents as a theme.
Thank you for letting me hyperventilate.
