THE VERIDIAN EXPANSE IS A PLACE WHERE DEBTS ARE PAID IN BLOOD.
In a galaxy of corporate cold wars and fading fringe worlds, the crew of the Scapegoat is just trying to stay flying. From high-stakes planetary heists to the silent terrors of deep-space shipwrecks, one bad jump is all that separates a payday from a cold grave.
Dark Star Adventurecast is a narrative sci-fi actual play. We play Stars Without Number live, and edit what happens into a story worth following. If The Expanse and Firefly are your kind of sci-fi, give it a listen.
MEET THE CREW:
Thorne (Brian): spent a decade in a corporate prison for something he didn't do. He runs the crew now. The man who framed him is still out there.
Felix (Scott): hacker who changed his name, his face, and his voice to infiltrate the company that murdered his brother. The plan is still ongoing.
Haleyy (Stephanie): fighter, biopsionic. Something changed in her head a while back and her powers haven't stopped growing since.
Robert (Doja): the pilot. Somewhere out there, copies of him are trying to kill the crew.
...and Star Master Jeff, who built this sector one bad decision at a time.
JOIN THE INNER CIRCLE: Star Master Logs two weeks early, ad-free episodes, and exclusive world-building archives at patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast (http://patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast)
SHOP THE SECTOR: Official merchandise and tabletop adventures written by Jeff at darkstaradventures.com (http://darkstaradventures.com)
New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Star Master Log debriefs on the off-weeks.
Twenty-One Loops | Star Master Log: The Glue (w/ Brian)
This Star Master Log was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast (https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast)
Brian joins Jeff to talk about episode 32, Twenty-One Loops, the one where the rest of the crew starts treating death as a formality and Thorne is the only one still keeping score. They get into why he's sitting on two separate secrets from Felix right now, and Brian makes his case for Thorne as the reluctant Malcolm Reynolds of the Scapegoat. Then Brian tries to sell Jeff on competitive Pokemon, and it does not go well.
New Star Master's Logs drop every other Tuesday, bridging the gap between our main adventure episodes.
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1 Oct 2026
SWN Rules Explained: How NPCs Work in Stars Without Number
This rules breakdown was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast (https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast)
This episode of SWN Rules Explained looks at how NPCs work in Stars Without Number, from the Xeno Bestiary chapter of the revised rulebook. Brian walks through the general NPC table on page 195 and how to read hit dice, armor class, attack bonuses, and morale scores, plus when the Star Master should actually call for a morale check. From there he covers robots and virtual intelligences, including the rules for playing a VI as a character, and wraps up with beasts and how to run a swarm of them as a single NPC. He frames it against the crew getting looped back in time right as they arrive at Prometheon Station in Episode 32, "Twenty-One Loops," racing to get inside and save the Doctor before the loop resets again.
New SWN Rules Explained episodes drop every other Thursday, breaking down the mechanics behind the adventure.
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29 Sept 2026
Twenty-One Loops
This episode was released two weeks early for patrons. To skip the wait on every episode, Star Master Log, and rules breakdown, join us at https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast (https://www.patreon.com/DarkStarAdventurecast)
The crew wakes back up on the bridge with no idea how they got there, except that they remember dying. Prometheon Station resolves out of the dark exactly like it did the first time, gyroscope still sparking. Behind one locked office door: a dead man's switch, and a data chip stuffed with files, and a photograph shows a face Thorne wasn't expecting to see.
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Meet the Crew:
Jeff as Star Master
Brian as Captain Thorne
Stephanie as the warrior Haleyy
Doja as the wildcard pilot Robert
Scott as the transhuman hacker Felix
Special thanks to Brad and Holly, our Scapegoat Syndicate members!
They're keeping the lights on, and the airlocks sealed.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
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4 ratings
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