Director’s Commentary: Designing the Nakatomi Sector

A Deep Dive into the 11 Adventures of the Anthology

First, the big news: Dying Hard on Hardlight Station: NS-1365 Anthology Edition launches on Kickstarter March 3rd.

Most of you have probably seen the countdowns elsewhere, but I wanted to make it official here. So, to celebrate the launch of my biggest, most ambitious project yet, I’m doing a behind-the-scenes overview of each of the 11 adventures you’ll find in the interconnected sandbox of the Nakatomi Corporate Sector.

The Adventures

Nightmare on Somerset by Dave Kenny

A depth crawl through a luxurious, untouched garden world paradise. A rescue scenario that contrasts beauty and serenity with vibrant daylight horror. My take on what would happen if The Gardens of Ynn were infested with the reality-bending alien incursion of Annihilation.

Repo by Joel Hines

Washed-up holostreamer Alice Fanon has not paid her debts in two decades. Your job is simple: repossess her asteroid mansion and bring it back to Hardlight to collect your credits. There’s just one problem: Alice has never stopped practicing. To bring her mansion back home, you’re going to have to beat her at her own deadly game.

Perihelion Crossfire by Chris Airiau

A drop pod extraction in the middle of a civil war. In the skies and streets of Downwind Aeropolis, NCID forces clash with the fire-worshipping Perihelion Ascendancy over possession of powerful archaeological artifacts. Your crew weaves through the chaotic cloud city to extract your target while Rigel Station rains down in fiery conflagration onto the toxic planet below.

Shear Zone by Daniel Hallinan

A corporate cover-up spirals out of control on a far-flung mining asteroid. Your crew gets caught in the crossfire as corporate kill teams battle desperate miners through claustrophobic corridors that hide a secret those in power would kill to protect.

Oneiros by Josh Domanski

An experimental psychological thriller where hyperdrive dreams twist memory and identity until it seems there can be no escape. Inspired by the narrative layers of Trophy Dark, Oneiros is a social sandbox built to push crews to the edge. When I ran this, my players were jumping at every shadow, turning on each other, and just narrowly avoided total disaster.

Lacuna by DG Chapman

Inspired by a “darkest timeline” take on Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama, Lacuna sends crews rushing to explore an utterly alien habitat cylinder that has suddenly appeared outside Hardlight Station. Explore the structure, salvage what you can, and escape before it vanishes back into hyperspace once more.

The Planets of Dr. Gennero by Haig Morrison

A catch-em-all, sector-spanning scavenger hunt with the highest stakes imaginable. Holland Gennero of HealthTek Inc. hires multiple crews to track down six alien lifeforms across three uncharted worlds in the Sorcerer’s Veil Nebula. Experience planet-hopping exploration while facing danger from hungry xenos and even hungrier rival crews in this lethal and lucrative mini-campaign.

The Horror on Tau Sigma 7 by DG Chapman

An exploratory mission uncovers an ancient mutagenic contamination deep beneath the surface of a terraforming candidate. Will you leave well enough alone, or will an unwanted passenger hitch a ride back to Hardlight? This is the prequel that begins the Red Goo arc of the Hardlight Station story, with added content and updates based on years of feedback and playtesting.

Corporate Reconstruction by Reece Carter

An assassination mission wrapped in corporate intrigue with the potential to permanently reshape Hardlight Station politics.

• Target: NCID Director Jiro Takagi.

• Location: Champion Downs Asteroid Sports Complex.

• Complication: You are not the only crew competing to take out Takagi.

The Hunger in Achernar by Dave Kenny

My Event Horizon inspired one-shot. A science vessel reappears one year after vanishing in orbit around an unstable star. Inside its halls, extended exposure to hyperspace has done terrible things to the crew and ship. Navigate its void-haunted corridors, uncover the mystery of its fate, and maybe, just maybe, save the universe in the process.

Dying Hard on Hardlight Station Redux by Dave Kenny

Die hard in space once more in an all new version with expanded maps, updated station locations, revised layout, and all-new art from Vil.

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Collaborating with this awesome group of Mothership 3rd party writers on this collection was a blast. Between our different styles, the variety we were able to bring to this book has taken a collection of my favorite sci-fi tropes and paired them with twists, turns, and new worlds I could never have imagined on my own.

I also love the new stuff I contributed to the collection and I think it is some of my best. Plus for fans of the original, I am excited for you to see how Vil, Golden Achiever, and I reworked some of the old favourites to better mesh with the new, more complete vision of the Hardlight Sector.

Now, I’d love to hear from you in the comments: based on the descriptions, which adventure are you most excited to dig into first?

Plus, if you want to drop any lore questions or design queries before we go live, I’ll be happy to expand on those too.

Launch day is next Tuesday, March 3rd. To be there on day one (and snag the free early backer bonus) follow the project here.

See you soon,

Dave