Cloud Empress Ecological Science Fantasy RPG
A downloadable game
Download the Free Rulebook
Cloud Empress is a stand-alone Nausicaa-inspired campaign setting compatible with the Mothership RPG.
In Summer, the Imago (giant cicadas) rise in great numbers to feed on the bones of the dead. Monks and villagers dry corpses in huge burial mounds to satisfy their hunger. A few hundred Imago are spotted each summer, but once in a hundred years, the Century Brood appears. Tens of thousands of Imago climb from deep soil and reduce the land to rubble. Now the Century Brood has been unearthed and the Cloud Empress has gone missing.
“Cloud empress is a startling vision of imagination & wonder." - Sean McCoy, Creator of Mothership
“Filled with fresh ideas and rooted in play, Cloud Empress is deeply human work.“ - Luke Gearing, Author of Gradient Descent & Pound of Flesh
“The writing, the art direction, and the rules are in equal parts exceptional, bringing the perfect fusion of science and fantasy to the Mothership RPG.” - Andrew, Host of Nobody Wake the Bugbear Podcast
Find out more at Cloudempress.com
Development log
- 1 week to back Cloud EmpressApr 18, 2024
- Cloud Empress is on Kickstarter until Thurs. 2/9Jan 31, 2023
Comments
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Can you upload the free rulebook pdfs for this game to download here?
I got to run Cloud Empress with "The Last Voyage of the Bean Barge" the other day and had such a blast. Best adventure module I've ever run!
I had a question, though: do NPCs take Stress and Panic just like PCs? I tried to dig around for an answer but couldn't find clarification on this.
That's really high praise, thanks so much!
I generally don't manage non-friendly NPC stress, but do roll Panic Checks for NPCs. At that point I approximate how much stress they might have for the roll, but it depends on how much bookkeeping you're comfortable with.
Thank you for the quick response! That's good to know; I'll keep it in mind for next time. :)
Hello. Is there any character progression in Cloud Empress?
Pretty minimal. Characters can learn new spells and acquire new gear. They can learn new skills over the course of months or years. Being cursed permanently changes a character.
Hiya! Any way to purchase the physical book straight through you? or is IPR the best route?
Thanks for asking! IPR and a few other retailers will be the primary way to grab the books until the next Kickstarter in April. I may open a promos etsy shop for some of the extra crowdfunding exclusives thought.
Hi, are there any plans to make the setting book from the Kickstarter purchasable? Thanks!
Final PDFs are being delivered to backers this week, so the setting book and adventures will be released for purchase on DriveThruRPG by the end of October!
Thank you!
Hey there! Would you be able to add the 10 new relics from today's newsletter as a PDF here? It seems only image versions are linked in the newsletter, with the artifacts' art and details in separate images.
The plan is to have all the monthly newsletter expansions uploaded as pdfs in the downloads section of cloudempress.com in the next two weeks.
Awesome, thank you! Looking forward to everything coming together. :)
Now posted at cloud empress.com under downloads!
A thing of beauty, amazing game watt team!
Thanks so much, should have all the final PDFs out by the end of September!
I will support the full rulebook and modules for sure! Congrats on the successful kickstarter and fulfilments.
This is easily your best work to date! Amazing job, looking forward to the final draft!
Very kind words, thanks for the encouragement!
Hey Watt,
I wardened a LVOTBB game tonight and a player bodyhopper-transferred to a new body. I made a tentative ruling but am wondering if they should retain or roll any stats? Either way it was awesome. Thanks! - Paul
Not Watt but you and I likely ran into the same situation. They're in a noble's body for now and will likely get their Crest, otherwise I'm keeping my group's bodyhopper's original stats. Would love to hear how your next session goes!
Hey CrayLives - I def think we're in the same sich. Bodyhopper is in noble body. I chatted with my player and we decided that their PC would retain Mind, Heart, Reality and Fear stats/saves, but would roll new Strength, Speed and Body stats/saves. Basically thinking that there's elements of the mind and soul that remain, but the skills related to the body are new.
I'm super excited for my next session - we got about 2/3 of the way through LVOTBB and ended with an adult imago landing on the rear engine. It was great.
Great question and something I should have addressed in the rulebook! I've initially been thinking of rolling up an entire new character (and using the bodyhopper modifiers), but I think keeping Heart is interesting. Ideally I want the hop to be fun and easy to explain. I could probably be talked into keeping a mind stat, but I think that's likely determined by the body's brain so I would think re-roll that too.
Love the idea of mind being determined by the host's brain! Thanks so much for your reply.
Hi Watt,
We played the Last Voyage of the Bean Barge yesterday. Was a lot of fun. Definitely look forward to the full game.
Glad to hear it! Can't wait to share it with everyone!
Hi Watt,
Quick question: Am I right that players don't roll HP like the base Mothership rules, but instead just take a wound every 10 damage received? So one could consider the "Hit Points" on the char sheet to be synonymous with "Damage"?
No rolling for hit points, you are correct. I hadn't thought about dropping the name hit points, but that might save a term and make it easier to explain!
I had this exact same question! Thanks for the clarification.
oops, let time slip by and didn't make backer.
Will the print materials be available for order after release?
A backerkit preorder will go up in a couple of weeks and it will also be available at retail.
How does armor work?
Armor points reduce points of damage 1:1, but needs to be repaired (or is outright destroyed) when damage is prevented this way.
thanks! And is it 10 damage/wound, or 15? (The rules doc contradicts the character sheet)
Should be 10 DMG per wound, I'll get that updated in the document this week. Thanks for catching that!
Day one backer, this is such a beautifully designed and presented game
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Yes! About 10 am tomorrow CST. Can't wait to show you all the campaign page.
Just watched the live play with PlusOneExp and this looks great!
Thanks for watching, it means a lot!
can this be played solo? im not familiar with mothership rpg
No currently, but I am planning on releasing a solo rules prototype in November or December! Always looking for playtesters for solo content too.
cool, i would playtest solo
Great, shoot me an email at worldsbywatt@gmail.com and I will get you an early copy!
Hi Watt, this project is super cool! Quick Q on the character sheets before I run my group through a game. Under 'Fear Save', it says "Fear Saves made by friendly players near a Noble are at Disadvantage." Is a "Noble" supposed to be the same as a "Lordling"?
Thanks! Keep up the great work!
Thanks, and good luck running it for your group! Noble should be Lordling, thanks for catching this. I'm not sure when you are running your game, but happy to share my work-in-progress loadouts, spells, and weapons if any of these might be helpful. Also, I'd love to hear your feedback after the session!
Thanks! I'd love to see that if you're willing to share! :) Players are big Ghibli fans, stoked to drop this at game night!
Sure, shoot me an email at worldsbywatt@gmail.com
Saw your ad in Thomas Manual's newsletter, and yeah, you've got my attention
Glad to hear it! I've got lots to share over the next couple of months and please share anything you like or something that could be improved.
Looks amazing! Can't wait for the crowdfund. Will this be compatible with Mothership 1e rules?
Thanks for your support! The idea is that it will be fully compatible with Mothership 1e characters. My plan is to create an optional rules hack for fantasy characters meant to reduce some of Mothership 1e's complexity (mostly using NullHacks weapon rules). Very open to suggestions and input at this stage though!
I've said this on Discord but this looks really fantastic already, I'm really interested to see the finished product.
Thanks for your support, and would love your feedback along the way!
This looks incredible! Best of luck on the development, watt! I will support the crowdfund too.
Thanks for your support!
Is the base Mothership game required for this setting?
All necessary rules will be included in Cloud Empress and it will be a stand-alone product.