NSR:
Hey Sean!
I have seen MoSH in different circles variously described as a OSR, NSR, OSR-adjacent and Not OSR. What are your own feelings as to the game and its relationship to these various communities/cultures?
Quick bonus question: what’s your personal favorite piece of gear or weapon in MoSH?
Sean:
I think there’s a lot of different ways to use these terms. I think a lot of time it’s mostly just used as like a curation / marketing term. Like “if you like X type of game you’ll like Mothership.” And I think that’s true. I learned my rpg design chops in the OSR space, so Mothership is informed by those design principles at that community. If OSR specifically means like old school d&d play (which is a fair definition imo), then obviously Mothership isn’t that! We counter a lot of d&d brain type stuff, so there’s an adjustment.
My biggest gripe in design right now though is the prevalence of design dogma. This isn’t the worst thing in the world, but at the end of the day for me, this design discourse needs to lead to something. Better games, better play. I’m all about theory, I talk about it all the time with the people I collaborate with. But it’s always to solve some problem with the work we’re doing. It’s not just into the void. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being a design theorist, it’s just not what I’m good at. I’m a publisher! A lot of the issues I’m facing are now business related. You’ll see that reflected in my writing on my newsletter.
My favorite loadout is teamster loadout no. 9. Favorite weapon is the laser cutter.