Yo TTRPG folks! Since aliens are real there isn't a better time to promo my new game.
It's called Pale Dot and it's a game about non-human cosmonauts going on a surrealist and existential journey inspired by Outer Wilds, No Man's Sky, Annihilation/The Southern Reach Trilogy, and the works of Carl Sagan. It will be releasing on August 26th.
The cover was illustrated by the incredible Si Sweetman! Check out his other work
The Pitch:
Mechanically, Pale Dot is a GM-less (GM-full?) collaborative narrative game that combines the location based roleplay prompts of Fall of Magic with the player authority of setting elements found in games of the No Dice No Masters variety. It also incorporates a light resource management layer to add tension and direction to the dangerous cosmic journey. It can be played as either a one-shot or small campaign
It won't be ready by version 1.0 but I will be releasing a companion soundtrack composed by myself to add to the spacey vibes. You can here my other work here.
Pale Dot requires no prep and the initial world building is done collaboratively at the start of the game. First the group gives details about The Dustlings, the non-human protagonists.
Followed by detailing The Mote, the home-world they will soon be leaving.
The Dustling Cosmonauts have a Mission that will start vague and unravel itself as the game proceeds and the Cosmonauts explore their system, collecting clues called Keys. Each player will create a Cosmonaut with distinct traits that allow them to create and solve problems in the process of completing their mission.
In addition to their Cosmonauts, players will also embody and have authority over a specific part of the setting called a Setting Element. This allows everybody to constantly contribute world-building, new ideas, and tension to the story. Each player is a Co-GM.
There are 5 setting elements: The Cosmic Wilderness (strange creatures and worlds), The Wondrous Endeavor (the space program), The Forgotten Ones (the ancient visitors), The Tides of Uncertainty (the mysterious forces), or The Omnipresent Danger (exactly what it sounds like).
On their journey, the Cosmonauts will visit Cosmic Objects, the odd worlds, structures, and phenomena in their solar neighborhood. Each of these locations has a list of prompts for roleplay that are associated with specific Setting Elements and interact with their mechanics.
Eventually the Cosmonauts will reach the end of their Mission by acquiring a certain amount of Keys. Regardless of success or failure the cosmonauts (and possibly the cosmos itself) will be changed in the process, resulting in a variety of vibes, from tragic to cathartic.
I'm really excited to put this out as I think it is one of the coolest, most original things I've made in the TTRPG space. I really hope people have some wondrous adventures with it!
I may or may not post more updates about it but you can follow me on Itch to be notified when it releases.
