Spaceships
are dungeons,
hanging
in the void…
Stillfleet is a grimdark, taxpunk, politically charged tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) set in space, far into the ruinous future. Using a unique, highly flexible rules system, players explore ruined spacecraft—hulks—as well as earth-like planets that have been cut off from Terra for centuries.
You are a "voidminer"—a salvager working for the Worshipful Company of Stillfleeters (the Co.). Your home, the alien space station nicknamed Spindle—a sea slug made of undulating black stone, kilometers tall—is a mystery to its own inhabitants. It brims with timespace gates called stiffworks, many of which are already tacked to habitable worlds…
Aliens, intrigue, and enigmas
Threespace—the observable universe—is far from empty… In Stillfleet, you can play any sapient species, from a (post)human to a giant bug, a mobile xeno-cactus, or an AI that projects an invulnerable (but also physically harmless) hologram.
And as a professional voidminer, your class is your job with the Co. Character classes blend classic sci-fi tropes (the stillrijder’s exosuit) with world-defining abilities (the banshee’s ability to “tack” or open the gates called stiffworks). One class, the witness (or Co. translator/social scientist), even specializes in ending combat by fiat!
No matter what type of voidminer you create, you will have to contend with a venal Co. that will send you out on a dangerous venture at short notice for a confounding reason—perhaps due to a clerical error, or a roll of the die…
Powerful, simple game mechanics
The Stillfleet system blends narrative impact—some powers just happen, no dice required—with dramatic rolling. This mix of “it just happens” and “roll for it!” makes for dynamic gameplay without the need to consult endless charts or stretch your math skills.
When you do roll, grit is everything. You can gamble on the outcomes of your actions by burning grit to boost your rolls. This lets you set up absolutely epic moments—but remember, you still fail whenever you roll a natural 1.
And gameplay is not tied to one die. Your base scores—combat, movement, reason, will, and charm—are represented by different types of dice, from the humble d4 to the mighty d12. Some cosmic horrors even possess d20s and d30s… Download the Quickstart to check out nine fully playable pre-generated characters and their powers—including a few examples of the physics-scrambling hell science…
The hell science and other Weirdness
The Stillfleet system is focused on science fiction, but it works for any genre. The core rules include an entire optional set of powers featuring rules that break the rules. This system for “unlocking” physics with a mere thought—the hell science—can bend your game in the direction of science fantasy (or pure, anime-inspired zaniness).
In addition, rules for powers enabled by advanced nanotechnologies—the Blood—can pull your game in the direction of science horror. You can learn much about the Blood—including what foods nanite-addicts crave, and what random items cryosleepers tend to carry with them across the æons—in our Zine Quest 3 module, Subtle Fluid.
All of these mind-bending powers are available to player characters at 1st level. (They are also possessed by many ultrasapient aliens…) Download the Quickstart, generate a random voidminer, find us on Discord, and start playing today!