Collision Course by Joseph Mohr is a role playing game supplement published by Old School Role Playing for use with Cepheus Engine. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available as a 17 page Pay What You Want PDF from DriveThruRPG. Two pages are the front and rear covers, three the front matter and three the Open Game License.
The opening paragraphs explain that a rogue asteroid has been detected on a direct course to strike Zacesaia in the Sonora Sector – though not stated, the adventure is set in the Frontiers of Space – and would normally be destroyed or deflected immediately but an apparently abandoned alien base has been detected, which needs searching first to determine that it isn’t abandoned. This is what the characters re hired to do.
The Patron is the NPC hiring the characters.
Complications are potential problems; fortunately, no-one is lying to the characters this time.
The Rogue Asteroid describes the asteroid, saying it has no air and little gravity, and that characters are at risk of flying off. Given that the gravity is said to be 0.4 normal, that is not going to happen. Given that the Moon’s gravity is about 0.16 normal, this isn’t an asteroid; it’s either unusually dense (as in, getting into degenerate matter) or a planet. So, ignore the stated gravity for the exterior. Gravity in the base is closer to normal.
Key to the Alien Base describes the base itself. In this case, the hazards are mostly dangers of an old, abandoned base rather than hostile lifeforms. Though the characters can wake one of those up if they try.
Alien Artifacts are things that haven’t been listed in the key that players might still be able to sell, and which the GM can come up with values for.
Mission Completion Objectives are simple; search the base, make sure no-one is alive on it then plant an explosive device to destroy the asteroid.
The final page of content is a map of the base.
Collision Course in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and, though comparatively short, has enough different sections that these would have been useful. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a single column format and some minor errors were noticed. Bar the black and white map and covers, there are no illustrations. Presentation is adequate.
This is a simple enough adventure, as it just requires the characters to explore an empty base, not kill themselves on the hazards or create new ones, plant the explosive and leave. There are various things that they can pick up in loot as well. Collison Course can be found by clicking here.
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