Goliath 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 22 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 minor shipping and transport company in the Sonora sector – the adventure is set in the Frontiers of Space – is on the verge of bankruptcy thanks to losses from pirates and bandits and recently lost another freighter, which seems to be derelict. The characters are hired to retrieve it.
Patron gives details on the employer.
Complications are things that can go wrong or are not known; the patron is keeping some important information secret, and doing so endangers the mission.
The Trade Lanes has random encounters for these.
Transponder has brief details on the missing freighter’s transponder.
Location of the Goliath explains that the ship is essentially in dead space.
The Goliath describes the freighter’s interior, which has been trashed and everyone aboard is dead, as well as random encounters.
Computer has some recent entries by the former crew.
Ships Log has extracts from this.
The Other Company looks at when a ruthless rival company is likely to show up.
The Other Company’s Team has stats for these.
The Alien Creature has details on the alien aboard that killed everyone else.
The Creature vs the Hurricane Team explains what happens when the rivals encounter the alien.
Collaboration explains that both sides cooperating is the best way of defeating the alien.
The Alien Relics in the Cargo Hold has details on these.
Mission Completion Objectives explains that survival and bringing the ship home are the objectives, though the characters might help themselves to other valuables from the ship.
The final two pages of content have maps of the Goliath.
Goliath in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough with 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 maps and covers, there are no illustrations. Presentation is okay.
This is one of those adventures notable for the stupidity of the employer. She is keeping important information back from the characters that diminishes the chance of the mission being successful, which benefits nobody. The characters would be best served helping themselves to valuables from the freighter, given the betrayal of the employer. The alien itself is also incredibly dangerous, and its feeding needs are such that it is improbable something like it could actually exist. Goliath can be found by clicking here.
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