AFTER THE END ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >PERSONAL JOURNAL ENTRY 0.0.1 Here's the thing--no one really knows what happened. I mean, everyone has some THEORY about it; they may even BELIEVE it. But no one KNOWS... The End came fast, that's for sure. And it seems to have hit everywhere at the same time. So here we are on this ship, alone in space, no one answering our distress call--honestly, probably no one even hearing it. That's my theory, anyway. Everyone's gone. Hell, for all I know, we're gone too--pointless ghosts in an absurd machine... Sorry. It's been one of those days. I'm pretty sure I'm actually here. Anyway, my crew mates are all I have out here in the dark; I don't always like them, but I need them. We need each other, and we know it. After the End, I guess, here we are. No choice but to find out what comes next... >END JOURNAL ENTRY // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE END So, the End. What was it? No one can say for sure, but you were all there in the same place when it happened. What do you remember? > Each person contributes two words, each written on separate scrap of paper. All words are then placed face down and mixed into a pile. Everyone picks one word and turns it over. The group votes on the top three. Those three words are what you collectively remember about the End. Not much to go on, but it's a start... THE CREW You had a life before the End. It may have been worse; odds are it was better. Whatever the case, who you were is the foundation of what you now can do, though not always in the way you expect. Everyone who's going to be a player in the game should make a crew member. One person will need to play everything else--she's the Master of the End; she shouldn't make a character, but can contribute suggestions. > ANSWERS: Answer all four questions below with no more than one sentence. + What did you do before the End? ++ This is any type of profession that you can imagine existing in a galaxy-wide, human-only civilization capable of FTL travel--the more specific, the better. Ask the other players to be sure it makes sense. FREX: V.P. of Acquisitions for Three Core; Professional Holo-tank Actor; Amateur Gravity Ball Coach; SNAP Drive Designer; Sex Worker; Small-time Thug; Etc. + Who did you lose? ++ Everyone lost someone; most lost more than that. Who's loss bothers you most? + What keeps you going? ++ Honestly, why haven't you killed yourself? What is it that makes you able to endure this new reality? + What's your theory? ++ Everyone has one. Maybe you share yours, maybe you don't, maybe it changes every week, but you have one. What do think caused the End? > Now rate your answers, 1/2/3/4, one number each. The higher the number, the greater effect that answer will have on the game. > CONFLICT: There are three types of conflict. Write them down and rate them, -1/0/1, one number each. You can raise the rating of any type by lowering the rating of either of the other two, up to a total of three points. Again, the higher the number, the better you are at dealing with that type of conflict, therefore the greater the effect. More will be said about these below. + MIND: Conflicts involving intellect, making connections, quick wits, etc. + BODY: Conflicts involving physicality, endurance, pain, etc. + SPIRIT: Conflicts involving willpower, temptation, perception, etc. > GEAR: Write down anything else you can think of from before the End, that you may have held onto thus far. THE SHIP You've got a crew, now you need to know your ship. All players create the ship together. Again, the EM has no authority here, but can offer suggestions. > TYPE: War/Pleasure/Commerce. Choose one. This will guide your number-assignment to ship Stations, and may have other consequences in any given context, as determined by the EM. Elaborate as desired. > SIZE: Small/Medium/Large. Choose one. This may also have contextual ramifications. > STATIONS: No matter the type or size of ship, it has eight basic stations necessary for proper operation. They are: + Navigation: Figuring out where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. + Helm: Steering the ship. + Engineering: Keeping the ship running. + Communications: Talking and listening, inside and outside. + Medical: Keeping people alive. + Science: Analyzing, scanning, and categorizing whatever's unclear. + Computer: Interfacing with the artificial brains that keep it all going. + Security: Weapons, access, and intel. > Assign a number to each station, 6/5/4/3/3/3/2/1. The higher the number, the greater the capability the ship has at those types of tasks. No station can have a rating of less than one. Then, assign a crew member to each station. If you're short on crew, assign multiple stations to individual crew members, keeping in mind one crew member needs to assume Command. > COMMAND: This is a vital station, but it's different than the rest in that it's not an innate capability of the ship, but instead a role a crew member must assume. The crew member in this position will make and bear responsibility for all final judgments on any given course of action. He can ask for input from the other crew members, and probably should, but in the end the decision is his alone. The other crew members are free to support, dispute, or remain neutral to his decisions. This will affect the outcome of any conflicts. A crew member can even refuse to follow orders; the consequences of such actions are up to the rest of the crew to decide... > RESOURCES: This category has a minimum rating of one, but can be increased by lowering other station numbers on a 1:1 basis, keeping in mind that no station can have a rating of less than one. The higher the rating, the better the chance that something the crew needs is on the ship. FREX: Disposable food; Renewable food; VACC suits; Small arms; Explosives; Reading material; Alcohol; Medicine; Etc. Anything found can be found only once. Also, the EM may decide to double the rating for particular needs, depending on the type of ship. > LAYOUT: Blueprints or marker-scrawl, use whatever works, but put down on paper at least a rough schematic. > NAME: Every ship needs a name. Give it one. OUT IN THE DARK After the End, with no clear idea what happened and no certainty about what comes next, conflict is inevitable. And it will come from everywhere, inside and outside. All conflict is resolved the same way, using the guidelines below. > DECLARING A CONFLICT: The EM is the only one who can declare a conflict, initiating a roll of the dice by the player in question to determine the outcome. > TYPE OF CONFLICT: As mentioned above, any given conflict is one of three types--MIND, BODY, or SPIRIT. The EM is also responsible for determining the type of conflict. > ENGAGING IN CONFLICT: Once a conflict has been declared and it's type determined, the actual conflict is ready to play out. Possible iterations are as follows: + Individual: Say how you want to resolve the conflict. Roll a D6. Add your conflict rating, and applicable answer ratings (if any). + Station: This excludes Command. Say how you want to resolve the conflict. Roll a D6. Add your conflict rating or station rating, whichever is higher. Add any applicable answer ratings. If you're manning multiple stations, subtract one for each station under your responsibility. + Ship: Used for ship-wide conflicts. If you're in Command, say how you want to resolve the conflict. Roll a D6. Add your conflict rating and any applicable answer ratings. Add one for each crew member who supports your decision. Subtract one for each crew member who disputes your decision. > ADJUSTMENTS: In any given iteration, the EM can determine and explain additional adjustments, from -3 to 3. > DETERMINING THE OUTCOME: After the final number has been determined, the EM compares it against this chart and narrates the results. > Less than 0 = NO, and... > 1-3 = NO > 4-6 = YES, but... > 7-10 = YES > 11 or greater = YES, and... > CONSEQUENCES: In MIND or SPIRIT conflicts, anything less than a YES result will simply roll into another conflict, possibly using a different approach. However, BODY conflicts can be traumatic, if not lethal, depending on the iteration: + Individual: A result of YES, but... or NO results in some sort of injury. Each time this happens, until you've had time to rest or heal, all conflict results will be adjusted by a cumulative -1; this includes station iterations. A result of NO, and... means you have died. + Station: YES, but... or NO indicates damage to the station in question. Each time this happens, until it's been repaired, all conflict results will be adjusted by a cumulative -1. A result of NO, and... indicates complete station failure. This may well have consequences outside of the immediate conflict. + Command: YES, but... or NO indicates damage to a station or crew member, including you, either contextually or randomly determined. This results in adjustments as listed above, all cumulative. A result of NO, and... indicates the death of a crew member or complete station failure, contextually or randomly determined. MASTER OF THE END While not playing a crew member, you get to play everything else including, eventually, the End itself. What the End was, at the beginning of the game, no one can say, not even you. In fact especially not you, since you don't even have a theory on which to hang your cosmic hat. You do, however, have the three End words generated the beginning of the game. You will use these, in conjunction with the four answers of all the other players, to guide your answers to their questions and set up situations based on their decisions. > Say the three End words are ALIEN, FIERY, and VOICES. Note down at least three synonyms for each: + ALIEN: Strange/Unknown/Foreign + FIERY: Hot/Bright/Aggressive + VOICES: Opinions/Demands/Sounds. > Now you have 12 immediate channels to prompt the players to act. The more you can combine at once, the greater the agony of their decisions. FREX: + They suddenly start receiving strange sounds through open communication channels... + They've located an unknown object at the edge of sensor resolution. Indications are it's extremely hot... + A character starts hearing an aggressive voice when he's alone, making strange demands... >Then hook characters jointly or deeply be making connections to different character answers. YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT; in fact, you should drop that burden entirely. Let their responses tell you where you should go next. > Over time, it may become clear to you all what the End was. Or not. Play until you feel things coming to a natural end, whether suddenly with the death of characters or destruction of the ship, or gradually through the uncovering of evidence, the communication of dreams, cosmic apotheosis, etc.