Working Title
(or How To Get Decent People To Commit Horrible Acts in the Name of Comfort)
 
Welcome [company name here] employees!  You’re about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, as one of the key decision makers in our latest venture into the stars!
 
This is a GMless game in white the players portray the board of directors for an interstellar corporation.  The purpose of this game is to place the PCs in positions where their motivations to do good are placed in a framework where they must still cause harm to innocent people.  The minimum number of players for this game is three, and it would likely fail beyond five players.
 
Setup
 
Create the colony.  It needs a name, a brief description, and a purpose.  Colonies are always reasonably remote, and must be largely self-sufficient.
 
Examples:
Riloos VII, facility orbiting a gas giant, asteroid mining
Portentia, sprawling settlement on a barren world, colony/housing

Establish player roles.  Choices include:
·         Finance
·         Marketing
·         Human Resources
·         Production
·         Resource Management
 
One character is in charge.  They have final arbitration in disagreements, and bear the brunt of the responsibility for results.  Other roles can be created if they are fitting and vital to the challenges the colony takes.
 
This is also a good time to name them.

Each PC has two personal concerns.  These are the causes that mean the most to the character.  These causes are also issues that the player personally believes in.  Players, when selecting a cause for their character, should offer once sentence of explanation that connects their character to it.  Two PCs can have a concern in common, but not both.
 
Possible Concerns:
·         Environment
·         Vulnerable Fellow Employee
·         Honesty/Integrity
·         Family Values
·         Humanitarianism
·         Free Market
·         Worker Conditions/Salaries
·         Public Health

Now, each player adds a detail to the description of the colony.

Going around the table, the two players to your right will be creating antagonism for your character.  This will not necessarily be caused by their characters.  Their task will be to collaboratively decide in what way your character will be challenged regarding their personal concerns, and creating a scene in which that challenge is introduced.
 
At this point, players are encouraged to switch seats as desired.  It is important that players realize that they have to not only be interested in their own character, but the ones that they will be creating challenges for.  Be sure to bring your cup what you move.  Don’t be gross.

Play
 
There are five phases of play, an in each the colony is addressing a critical problem.  The players decide very briefly what this could mean, then have spotlight scenes.
 
The Five Critical Problems
1.      Expansion
2.      Mortality
3.      Shortage
4.      Breakdown
5.      Dissent
 
These five problems are each aimed at the roles taken by players.  If another role is introduced, one of the critical problem may need to be changed to match.
 
Any persistent problems from earlier phases are updated – decide on some detail of what is now happening with this issue.

Whoever is playing the character that is in charge decides in which order the characters are the spotlight for their scenes.
 
Each character gets a spotlight scene in which a problem is introduced which relates to one of their personal concerns.  This should be a brief scene, but can give a slice of life for that character and establish some motivation for them.

Once all the characters have a personal concern, it’s time for a meeting.
 
The character in charge leads the meeting.  The major problem is discussed, and the characters are given the chance to present their own concerns to the group.
 
How the meeting is run is up to the players, but there is always a budget constraint.
 
Every player is given a Budget Token (please come up with a better name for this).  This represents their departmental budget, resources, and personal clout.  There are also two Budget Tokens placed in the centre which represent company resources.
 
Every problem the colony faces, including the critical problem, requires two Budget Tokens address.
 
If the Critical Problem isn’t resolved, community resources are not provided in the following phase.
 
If a problem is left unresolved, every player who has a personal concern that connects to it takes a Neglect Token.  That problem will also persist until the next phase.  Write it down and place it in the centre of the table.  Critical Problems do not persist if unresolved, but they will do their damage to the colony, and the next round’s problems will likely be related.
 
A problem can be solved for one BT if it is outsourced.  An outsourced problem does not persist into the next phase, but every player with a personal concern connecting to it still takes a Neglect Token.  If a problem is resolved, any player with a concern related to it can return a Neglect Token to the pile.

When the fifth phase begins, any player with three neglect tokens will be siding with or leading the dissent within the colony.  This could be the current leader, as the dissent is with the company.

 
Designer’s Notes
 
The meeting mechanics are likely to fail spectacularly until first playtest.  What I want from it is players being put in the position where they have to let people suffer because those people are simply less important, while playing characters who are actually trying to make their world better.
 
There should also be some details to bring the meetings to life.  Someone who knows more about corporate meetings than I do would be a great resource.  A good start would be some simple PowerPoint slides to put up.  This would probably require the corporation to be the same name for every game, which shouldn’t be a problem.
 
Why is it science fiction?  Because science fiction gives us a good frame to explore these ideas from.  Also, I like science fiction.
 
Why are there so many errors is this?  Well, it’s past three in the morning.

 
Good Luck.