For nearly as long as science fiction has been set in space, there have been recurring tropes seen time and time again within these various stories. With a little ingenuity, any of these common threads of space-themed media can be ported into your Dungeons & Dragons game. In this article, we provide inspiration to take to your table with the arrival of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space on August 16th. To infinity, and … D&D Beyond!

1. White whale

Stories of obsessive pursuit might be larger than those set strictly in space, but spacefaring journeys provide a brand new dimension to the trope. Whether hunting an individual across planets, or seeking a fabled treasure rumored to lie deep within the preserved body of an enormous cosmic entity, travel between worlds provides near-infinite possibility for adventure along the way.

This idea, along with many others to follow, is not strictly limited to player characters! A crafty DM might try twisting this obsessive pursuit around; the object of an NPC’s unyielding attention is something carried by a player at your table, or a galactic bounty hunter is after the character itself. Is the entirety of Wildspace and the multiverse enough to keep them hidden?

2. Threading the needle

The aforementioned bounty hunter is hot on the tail of your ship (wait, are they riding a shark with four wings through space?); maybe you can lose them in that unrealistically dense asteroid field! Or the desirable substance your crew is after can only be found near a cavernous moon’s core, but somebody else is eager to get their hands on it first. Whatever the reason, your ship’s pilot has the skills to avoid being splattered like a space-bug across whatever perilous obstacles that rush to surround the vessel.

3. The great frontier

Sailing to the far side of the world? So passé; it’s been done before. For the truly intrepid adventurer seeking the thrill of a new horizon, space is the next great expanse for exploration. Who knows what wild new experiences and resources await the first to go where no person has gone before?

4. Rebel captain flying a hunk o’ junk

It’s a little-known fact that any given piece of fiction set in the vast reaches of space is contractually obligated to contain at least one roguish captain whose vessel is a good sneeze away from the scrap heap. There’s always a reason why a newer, better ship simply won’t do, but damned if it doesn’t perform admirably when it counts. (Usually.)

Listen, we don’t make the rules. Search your heart and you know it to be true; you can already picture exactly the captain we’re talking about. No — the other one. … No, the other other one.

5. Malfunction

Ship malfunction comes in myriad forms. Perhaps a recent space battle left your ship’s power source compromised, and what follows is a perilous journey into the depths of your vessel, trying to repair an unstable or incomprehensible component.

Or maybe that bucket o’ bolts your captain swears by has finally teetered past disrepair and into full-on disaster, leaving your adventuring group careening through space with dwindling resources. Maybe you can wrangle together some gadabout to get you to safety, or maybe you can use what remaining maneuverability you have to visit a nearby moon or planet, potentially leaving you…

6. Stranded!

Another ages-long exploration trope, all or part of a crew might find themselves stranded on an inhospitable terrestrial body. Whether due to malfunction, mutiny, ship-jacking, or any of a vast number of reasons, pivoting from space travel to desert island survival is a classic chapter of any galactic adventure. Survival situations can certainly get more interesting when the sun goes down and the nightmare beasts begin to hunt.

7. First contact

From out of the inky black void comes slowly into view a craft of wildly alien construction. Or from behind a rocky outcrop of that moon on which your crew has found themselves stranded peers a curious set of eyes. Are these creatures dangerous? Can they communicate meaningfully or be diplomatically engaged? One rogue abomination on the hunt, or the gateway to a vibrant civilization? Countless variations of this story have been told already, and it remains one of the ripest opportunities for repeated adaptation, with ample opportunity to harness all three pillars of play!

8. Malfunction 2: Ship versus crew

Some wires have been crossed, or a strange interaction during your recent first contact with an alien vessel has changed something… Suddenly the ship seems to have a mind of its own. This isn’t a broken-down vessel, this is the work of a clockwork horror!

In the cold depths of space, having no control over your vessel can alone be a petrifying concept. But the vessel piloting itself can turn any spacefarer’s blood cold. Want to amp up the tension? Those repair automatons sure seem to be acting strangely …

9. That’s no moon!

The occasional asteroid drifting lazily by. A beautiful but harmless cloud of space dust. The oddly shaped outcropping on the moon on which you’ve stopped to refuel. Wait— Wh-what was that shadow? Captain, did you hear something clattering on our hull?

Not everything is always what it seems! Just when the party thinks everything is safe, the asteroid spider catches them with its pincers. (Or the planet-sized eldritch horror swallows their ship whole!) This iconic trope is perfect for catching any spacefarer unawares.

10. Stowaway

No, those noises you heard from the cargo bay weren’t an animated asteroid. Just some punk who wanted to escape the law or to seek their own adventure (can you ever trust them?). Or just some harmless space gunk...that turns out to be a puppeteer parasite!

Maybe a shipment you’ve brought aboard does a poor job of containing something dangerous. Perhaps something attached itself like a barnacle to your hull, and has somehow made it inside! Whatever the case, the discovery of an unexpected visitor is a fantastic way to shake up an otherwise long or uneventful journey!

11. Wormholes

Portals. Yawn. Next!

Wait… Time travel? Oh no.

12. War

Does space-focused science fiction exist if there isn’t some instance of galactic war? Regardless of proximity or character involvement, it’s bound to be happening somewhere. All of the epic conflicts between nations played on an overwhelmingly grander scale! Now mix with that the dizzying diversity of the entire D&D multiverse, and your campaign will be jumping the shark in no time.

Prepare for blast-off!

On August 16th, 2022, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space arrives on D&D Beyond, where you can take any (or all!) of the above sci-fi tropes and mold them into the fantasy space adventure of a lifetime. Want space-themed monsters to go with your space-themed tropes? Monstrous Compendium Vol 1: Spelljammer Creatures is available for anyone with a D&D Beyond account and features 10 monsters native to the expanse of the cosmos! 

Ground control to Major Tom: Commencing your preorder during our Spring Sale (before May 2nd, 2022) will also net you 20% off the regular price!

Want more space tropes for your campaigns? Watch D&D Beyond's Amy Dallen and Joe Starr talk classic space tropes with The Streampunks RPG Group's Eric Campbell:

Cameron (@CameronRPowell) is a moderator for D&D Beyond. He is a real-life bard who accidentally dumped Charisma, and has played Purloque the loxodon cleric on Dice, Camera, Action!. When he’s not behind the DM’s screen, he enjoys hiking Icelandic volcanoes, knitting, and creating his hundredth unused character on D&D Beyond.