A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Lighthouse

Lighthouse by Jospeh 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 in the Sonora sector – though not stated, the adventure is set in the Frontiers of Space – a freighter recently collided with an asteroid that should not have been there and an asteroid belt that should not have been there (in truth, this does not make a lot of sense). The characters are hired by a scientist to visit the asteroid to prove or disprove her theory that the asteroid was destroyed during a war.

Patron has details on the scientist.

Complications are things that could go wrong or which might not be known, such as the fact that there is a lighthouse on the asteroid that used to warn away traffic.

Planetoid FXJ-34K gives details on the asteroid.

Random Occurrences on the Planetoid is a 2d6 table of what could happen with far too many chances of the asteroid being destroyed for it to have survived so long.

Key to the Lighthouse covers the lighthouse.

Repairing the Reactor is how the lighthouse could be made to work again.

Artifacts of the Haivan are alien artefacts that can be found.

Confirmation of Alien Intelligence is how the scientist’s theory can be proved.

Pirate Crew is a group of pirates also interested in the lighthouse.

Mission Completion Objectives are what’s needed to be successful.

The final page of content is a map of the lighthouse.

Lighthouse 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 map and covers, there are no illustrations. Presentation is adequate.

Though some of the logic of the asteroid and lighthouse seems lacking – unexpected asteroid belts do not just appear next to well-trafficked trade lanes and there’s no way the planetoid could have survived as long as it has, given the random occurrences – the adventure itself is reasonably sound. Go to an asteroid, find proof of aliens and, perhaps, reactivate the lighthouse. Lighthouse can be found by clicking here.