Dark Star Adventurecast

By Dark Star Adventures

THE VERIDIAN EXPANSE IS A PLACE WHERE DEBTS ARE PAID IN BLOOD.

In a galaxy of corporate cold wars and fading fringe worlds, the crew of the Scapegoat is just trying to stay flying. From high-

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FAQs about Dark Star Adventurecast:

How many episodes does Dark Star Adventurecast have?

The podcast currently has 51 episodes available.

Dark Star Adventurecast episodes:

May 19, 2026Good Job, You Monster | Star Master Log: There's a Crater
This Star Master Log was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast
Jeff breaks down Haleyy's two moments from the session, the same character from opposite ends, then gets into what a failed roll actually owes the players. He also opens up the Void Cult lore on Unhallowed vs. Untethered, and answers the ship scale question that's been quietly wrong for 22 episodes.
He covers:
(00:00) Introduction: "Good Job, You Monster - Auction, Part 2"
(01:30) Fog of War: Haleyy's 1Y/2Y split surfaces twice in one session, from opposite ends
(05:45) Engine Room: When a failed roll just stops the story vs. when it moves things forward
(10:59) Deep Dive: The difference between Unhallowed and Untethered, and what it means for Haleyy
(16:18) One Question: How big is the Scapegoat, really?
(25:30) Star Master Spec: Firefly, "Out of Gas"; a ship episode about what a ship means to the crew that built their lives around it

New Star Master's Logs drop every other Tuesday, bridging the gap between our main adventure episodes.

Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast
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29min
May 14, 2026SWN Rules Explained: How Starship Combat Works in Stars Without Number
This rules breakdown was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast

Brian breaks down starship combat in Stars Without Number, using a scene from Episode 22 as a case study.

In this episode:
How starship combat rounds work in Stars Without Number -- and why they last 15 minutes instead of seconds
The five crew departments (bridge, gunnery, comms, engineering, captain) and what each one does
Command points: the core resource that drives the action economy and what happens when they run out
Ship crises: how any player can declare one, what the GM rolls, and how to scale difficulty based on the plan
A cargo hold breach from Episode 1 that became lasting ship canon -- still referenced 20+ episodes later

New SWN Rules Explained episodes drop every other Thursday, breaking down the mechanics behind the Stars Without Number adventure.

Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast
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10min
May 12, 2026Good Job, You Monster - Auction II
This episode was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast
Locked inside their own ship by an Omnitek admin override, the crew has one option left: cut their way out. The ship-to-ship combat that follows happens on the ground, fifty meters apart, with no room to maneuver and nowhere to run.
Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast
Meet the Crew:
Jeff as Star Master
Brian as Captain Thorne
Stephanie as the warrior Haleyy
Doja as the wildcard pilot Robert
Scott as the transhuman hacker Felix
Special thanks to Brad and Holly, our Scapegoat Syndicate members!
They're keeping the lights on, and the airlocks sealed.
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41min
May 05, 2026Welcome to Your Prison | Star Master Log: Policy 872.3
This Star Master Log was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast

Jeff breaks down "Welcome to Your Prison," the first episode of the auction arc, covering the table moment seven sessions in the making when Thorne cited corporate policy to get out of handcuffs, and why Strake's most effective weapon was never his soldiers.
He covers:
(00:00) - Introduction: "Welcome to Your Prison - Auction, Part 1"
(01:02) - The Crew Logs: Encrypted reports from the players
(04:34) - Fog of War: How Brian set up Policy 872.3 Section C seven sessions ago and waited for exactly the right moment
(08:50) - Engine Room: Why Strake's most dangerous tool is a Virodyne admin key, not a gun
(13:50) - Deep Dive: The Auctioneers Guild, the sector-wide neutral body no corporation can destroy because they all need it too much
(20:14) - Subspace Signals: How do you keep players invested in a long-running mystery over dozens of sessions?
(25:14) - Star Master Spec: Leverage (2008-2012), a heist show built around a misfit crew where every plan falls apart
(28:50) - Next Episode Preview

New Star Master's Logs drop every other Tuesday, bridging the gap between our main adventure episodes.
Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast
...more
32min
April 30, 2026SWN Rules Explained: How the Expert Class Works in Stars Without Number
This rules breakdown was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast

Brian (Thorne's player and assistant star master) breaks down the Expert class from Stars Without Number, using scenes from "Welcome to Your Prison" as a case study.
Expert class vs. Warrior: how they're built differently and what the Specialist focus actually does
Hacking / Program skill: how difficulty and time requirements work, and what line shunts are for
NPC reaction rolls: when to roll them and how they can change a scene

New SWN Rules Explained episodes drop every other Thursday, breaking down the mechanics behind the adventure.
Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast
...more
11min
April 28, 2026Welcome to Your Prison - Auction I
This episode was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast
The crew wakes up in handcuffs on Sibylen with Viktor Strake holding all the cards. Before they can find out what he plans to do with them, Thorne cites a corporate policy clause from memory and walks everyone free. They have 24 hours before Strake can take them back into custody, and there's a $1.06 billion alien artifact auction to work.
Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast
Meet the Crew:
Jeff as Star Master
Brian as Captain Thorne
Stephanie as the warrior Haleyy
Doja as the wildcard pilot Robert
Scott as the transhuman hacker Felix
Special thanks to Brad and Holly, our Scapegoat Syndicate members!
They're keeping the lights on, and the airlocks sealed.
...more
44min
April 21, 2026Haleyy's Story | Star Master Log: And Hug
This Star Master Log was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast

Jeff breaks down Haleyy's Focus episode, where the entire session takes place inside her unconscious mind. He digs into how he designed a dream climax with no dice rolls, the hero's journey structure he used to walk Steph from denial to acceptance, and the full reveal of the mechanism behind Haleyy's identity split.
He covers:
(00:00) Introduction: "She Never Existed"
(00:48) Crew Log: Haleyy
(03:33) Fog of War: Dream combat misses, Robert trying to shoot a child, and Froggy in a bike basket
(10:15) Engine Room: Designing a climax with no dice, the hero's journey in one session
(18:50) Deep Dive: The truth behind Haleyy's identity split and what the fork actually did
(24:20) Subspace Signals: Planning for multiple endings when the player has to choose
(26:00) Star Master Spec: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

New Star Master's Logs drop every other Tuesday, bridging the gap between our main adventure episodes.
Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast
...more
29min
April 16, 2026 SWN Rules Explained: How "Club Up a Weapon" Works
This rules breakdown was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast

New series! Brian (Thorne's player and assistant [to the] star master) breaks down the rules behind the scenes of the Dark Star Adventurecast, a Stars Without Number actual-play podcast.
In this episode, Brian covers the "Club Up a Weapon" move action from the Stars Without Number revised rulebook (page 50), using the dreamscape combat from Episode 20 as a case study. What happens when a warrior gets stuck in melee with a rifle? The weapon-breaking rule on max damage created an unscripted chain reaction, and custom expert gadgets (a flashlight and an adhesive gun) gave the non-combat characters meaningful options in a fight.

New SWN Rules Explained episodes drop every other Thursday, breaking down the mechanics behind the adventure.

Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast
...more
8min
April 14, 2026She Never Existed - Haleyy's Story
Haleyy lies unconscious on the floor of an alien facility, trapped in a dream she can't wake from. Inside her mind, she's 12 years old again, riding bikes with childhood versions of her crewmates, following a mysterious signal into the woods. But the dream turns dark, and Haleyy is forced to confront the truth about who she really is.

Want episodes 2 weeks earlier? Check out our Patreon, where episodes are always early and ad-free! https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast
Or buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast

Meet the Crew:
Jeff as Star Master
Brian as Captain Thorne
Stephanie as the warrior Haleyy
Doja as the wildcard pilot Robert
Scott as the transhuman hacker Felix

Special thanks to Brad and Holly, our Scapegoat Syndicate members!
They're keeping the lights on, and the airlocks sealed.
...more
57min
April 07, 2026Robert's Story | Star Master Log: Send in the Clones
Get the next Star Master Log right now! This episode was released two weeks early for our patrons. To skip the wait and get bonus world-building posts and behind-the-scenes secrets, join the inner circle at: patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast
Or buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast

Jeff breaks down Robert's focus episode, where the crew learns that Robert Ross is clone designation RR7 and that Haley died on Ventos during an extraction gone wrong. He covers how the players turned a dramatic backstory flashback into Tropic Thunder in space, the war movie structure he used to make the emotional gut punch land, and what the clone program reveals about the campaign's corporate factions.
He covers:
(00:00) - Introduction: "The Truth About Haley: Robert's Story"
(00:45) - The Crew Logs: Encrypted reports from the players
(05:28) - Fog of War: Scott and Brian commit fully to being Robert clones, turning a military extraction into a pirate adventure
(09:41) - Engine Room: How Jeff structured the Ventos flashback like a war movie extraction film
(15:25) - Deep Dive: Clone designation RR7, randomized memories, and why the program was scrapped
(19:55) - Subspace Signals: How much NPC prep is too much, and why Froggy was barely a sentence in the notes
(24:29) - Star Master Spec: Tropic Thunder (2008) and the comedy-to-drama pivot

New Star Master's Logs drop every other Tuesday, bridging the gap between our main adventure episodes.
...more
29min

FAQs about Dark Star Adventurecast:

How many episodes does Dark Star Adventurecast have?

The podcast currently has 51 episodes available.