Dark Star Adventurecast

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

This week's SWN Rules Explained covers drones, cyberware, and equipment mods. Brian uses the security drone spotted at the Helium Dock in Life Is Unfair as the case study, then walks through drone stats and combat rules straight from the Stars Without Number revised rulebook. He also gets into system strain and cyberware installation, plus how the Fix skill covers modding and maintaining gear.

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

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 leaves the Omnitech ship with a name, a lead, and no answers. And now: a midnight heist at the Helium Docks, a hacked security gate, one fake employee named Gregory Overton, and 3am waiting in the dark.

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.

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 sits down with Doja, the player behind Robert Ross, to talk through Episode 26: You're a Good Person, Robert. Doja gets into his first steps in the hobby, the moment Robert stops waiting and starts planning at the spaceport, his take on why Robert hates other clones, and what it actually costs Robert to hear Haley call him a good person.

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

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 walks through Stars Without Number character creation from scratch, covering attributes, backgrounds, skills, classes, and foci. Inspired by the events of "You're a Good Person, Robert," he builds a Robert Ross clone as the worked example, rolling randomly for background and attributes, and ends up with a telepathic courtesan built for assassination.

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

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 tracks the assassin back to a docked Omnitech ship at the spaceport. What they find inside is a face they know. Dr. Iso gets her revenge. And Robert and Haleyy have the conversation they've been circling for years.

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.

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

Starting with Episode 25, the Star Master Log gets a new format: Jeff sits down with a rotating cast member for a spoiler conversation about the episode that just dropped. First up is Stephanie, who plays Haleyy with two Y's, breaking down Rock Tumor: the Spigot arc premiere and the episode that introduces Iso.

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

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 the Adventurer class, skill checks, grenades, and saving throws in Stars Without Number, using scenes from Episode 25 "Rock Tumor" as a case study. The Adventurer is SWN's hybrid class — a way to mix any two of the three core classes and build something new, at the cost of each class's signature ability. Brian covers how partial classes work, how the Star Master picks attributes and skills for any given roll, how grenades function as an area-of-effect attack, and how saving throws are calculated and used.

He covers:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:37) - The Adventurer Class
• (03:37) - Skill Checks
• (07:04) - Grenades
• (08:20) - Saving Throws
• (10:17) - Outro

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

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 is nursing Haleyy's mystery condition and racing a ticking clock: they need a black market ship module or they're grounded forever. A visit to an old military contact brings medical answers no one wanted and an enemy neither of them saw coming.

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.

If you want to hear every main episode two weeks early, head over to https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast

The Dark Star Adventurecast teams up with Astronomica and 7th Star to the Right for a fully improvised Lasers & Feelings crossover one-shot. Six players, one ship, and a Hive Armada blockade standing between them and a set of ancient space ruins!

Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/darkstaradventurecast

Meet the Crew:

• Jeff as Star Master
• Brian as Blaze Starcutter
• Scott as Bits
• Stephanie as Neon Serenity
• Doja as Isith of Scythstor

Special guests:

• Geoff (7th Star to the Right) as Dash McCready Jr.
• Stan (Astronomica) as Flix Anchovy

Find our guests:

• Astronomica: https://www.astronomicapodcast.com/
• 7th Star to the Right: https://the7thstar.podbean.com/

Special thanks to Brad and Holly, our Scapegoat Syndicate members!

They're keeping the lights on, and the airlocks sealed.

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 the design decision behind the Biosionics reveal in episode 24 — why he pulled psychics from the campaign before session one, and the discipline of withholding explanations until the world is ready for them. The Auction arc closes. Two years of slow-rolled strangeness finally lands.

He covers:

• (00:05) Introduction: "Boom! Biosionics!"
• (01:10) Why Psionics Got Pulled
• (03:00) Does the World Need This Yet?
• (11:14) The Force Problem
• (13:15) 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