Astronomica

Welcome to Astronomica, a Stars Without Number actual play podcast. Join Star Master Stan and regular players Colin, Cullen, Geoff, and Kristen as they crew the definitely-not-piloted-by-a-rogue-AI ship The Admiral Grace. From encounters with magnificent space whales to swashbuckling adventures across the galaxy, there is nothing this crew can't make way more complicated than it needs to be. Tag along every Wednesday and liste...

Welcome to Astronomicast, a Stars Without Number podcast. This week kicks off the pod with introductions to Star Master Stan, our players Cullen, Colin, Geoff, and Kristen and their first round of characters. We'll also learn a little more about the setting and pretend we know how to play without looking up the rules every few minutes.

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We join our show in progress for Part 2 of our launch episodes. Dr. Hildegarde Hypatia Cade has joined the rag-tag crew of the Admiral Grace Hopper and is eagerly counting down the moments until she can examine the mysterious alien artifact in the ship's hold. Meanwhile crew members Mackie and Anton wonder how exactly they let this crazy lady join the crew and Admiral Gracie encounters a worthy foe.

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Admiral Grace and crew have survived their first jump through inter-dimensional space as a team, although it seems Mackie may have accidentally hit the self destruct button in transit. Thankfully he only activated the landing gear which will be useful when the crew figures out how to get to their rendezvous on Aegea. Hilde discovers a new favorite drink and tries to convince the team to abandon the plot while Mackie and Hopper help...

Floating high on the Whale Actually's signature cocktails, the crew of the Admiral Grace stumbles happily to the famous Aegea skydive on a mission to meet up with Anton's ex. While Hilde tries to save the artifact from non-academic hands, Anton continues to question her presence on the ship. Something fishy - well, something suspicious, as they say on Aegea - is revealed when the crew finally stops screwing around and me...

Now that Mackie has his best bow tie all clipped on and everything the crew is ready to call back Anton's ex and attend a swanky underwater affair at La Casa Del Hombre Elegante. Anton repeatedly tries to explain the difference between an invite to party and an invite to A party while Hilde tries to figure out how to fit in. Meanwhile, Mackie is on the hunt for the buffet table as Hopper tries frantically to keep him from acci...

With Mackie on the run from Hilde, Anton finally gets a moment to himself. Unfortunately, that moment very quickly descends into either a futuristic hockey game or an all out brawl, possibly both! A call from upstairs yanks the crew back on track as they continue to work out just why exactly the mysterious Mr. Cho got them to Aegea. Finally, Starmaster Stan and the cast get a little silly with a special message for the holiday.

Finally on-task, the crew heads to the swanky part of the ship for some good old fashioned looting. Oh, and they'll probably keep an eye open for Sergei guy just in case he has a clue about what is actually going on here. Mackie strikes a pose in his brand new rich dude robe before finding an extremely valuable - and potentially dangerous - black box. Meanwhile Hilde finally finds a way to tap into the ship's main systems...

 We join our crew just as they realize they aren't quite clear of Bridget's revenge. Sure, detaching the submersible modules seemed like a great way to escape but unfortunately physics still work even on an implausible planet made entirely of water and the two units surface at exactly the same time. Hilde nearly dies from a stubbed toe while Anton does his best to eliminate the threat. Meanwhile, the Admiral Gracie rushes...

Fresh off their first serious combat, the intrepid crew of the Admiral Grace gets down to what really matters: figuring out how to pay their bills. Gracie officially welcomes Hilde to the team while Mackie decorates the cockpit with some snazzy loot. Meanwhile, everyone levels up but completely forget to talk about what that means. The general end-of-arc milling about is interrupted when the crew finally remembers to check their ma...

Battle stations! Last week we left our motley crew with an unknown vessel in hot pursuit and the Admiral Grace ordering her human counterparts to take their stations. Of course, that would be a lot easier if everyone in the crew knew what that meant. Good thing it doesn't take too long to get everyone in place and ready for combat. Well, ready to wait for the pursuing vessel to get within range of combat any way. At least we h...

This week we're taking a little break from our narrative to bring you A Very Special Episode. No, it's not about peer pressure but we do talk about why everyone should be playing Stars Without Number (come on, all the cool kids are doing it) plus dish on answers to all the behind the scenes questions we assume you want to know! Why is Hilde such a fantastic and assertive team member? How come Mackie has the strength and d...

After narrowly escaping a swarm of murder drones, the Admiral Grace once again succumbs to the sweet, sweet oblivion of hyperdrive. Meanwhile, her very good boy Mackie shows a surprising level of deceit when he recruits the rest of team meatbag to hide a rogue AI in hopes of selling it for a truly righteous payday. Nothing particularly interesting happens until the team hits the Glazier system - that hive of corporate slime and fra...

Surprise! The murder droids are still on the trail and totally fine with collateral destruction. The Admiral takes aim while Mackie, Hilde, and Anton mill about in predictable confusion for a round or two. Eventually, the crew comes up with a plan: rendezvous in the food court, flag down the Gracie, and get the hell outa Apogee Station. This foolproof retreat is shockingly complicated when Mackie locks eyes with the most gorgeous m...

Anton lives! The crew continues to battle those pesky drones while realizing that some of their actions might just have consequences. Mackie continues to romance his lady love but complications arise when she remembers she has a dog and is desperate to save it from all those explosions. Speaking of consequences, Anton battles through his combat haze to insist on saving as many civilians as possible. Hopefully the Grace has enough f...

Leaving the once bustling Apogee Station somewhat the worse for their visit, the crew of the Admiral Grace struggles to process their various pangs of conscience. Hilde experiences considerably more emotions than she is used to while Anton remembers how he came to be on the Grace. Mackie exhibits an unusual level of leadership, at least while the refugees are paying attention. Before too long, though, the crew is forced to deal wit...

Hoping to offload a few of those hungry Apogee Station refugees, the crew of the Admiral Grace answers a call from an incoming corporate vessel. It seems their moral pangs have more or less sorted themselves out as everyone decides pretty quickly that negotiating with shady business dudes is just about the best way to move things along. To that end, Anton and Mackie pull a mini-heist on a potential spy for the Loc Xi De corporation...

Welcome to Astronomica! If you gave us a try any time in the previous 16 episodes and found that the audio quality just wasn't doing it for ya, we have good news. Now that we've found a new permanent recording home we are bringing you 99.999% clear audio for your listening pleasure. In thanks for giving us another chance, we've thrown together this short recap of the story so far. It may not have every detail but you...

It turns out that guy trying to board the ship is actually pretty chill. After a bit of haggling with this Loc Xi De representative, the crew agrees to send Anton over to the Albatross in the hopes of securing passage for the remaining refugees. Hilde and Mackie work on finding a landing site on Glazier IV, not an easy task with competing corporate ships breathing down their necks. Meanwhile, Anton employs his legendary charm with ...