Bad Things Happen In Space Inspired by Farscape and based on a combination of the rules for Unknown Armies and Apocalypse World, this game is about desperate escaped criminals in space constantly causing problems for themselves and others while on the run from a ruthless galactic empire. Setting – A wild galaxy full of warring empires, tribal primitives, and strange science. Tribal alien warriors meet star mystics and scientists struggling to make sense of a universe on the brink of war. Protagonists – Escaped prisoners on the run who must work together to survive but whose drives often conflict. They fail often, make messes, and just barely survive as the universe burns around them. The Peace Force – A military force trying to bring uniformity and stability to the galaxy by eradicating other cultures The Ship – The protagonists share their stolen ship and use it to travel from system to system, trying to survive, avoid the authorities, and resolve their hooks. Most sessions start with the entire party on the ship encountering something. Brawn, Intellect, and Spiritualism- The setting is based on the conflict between these three forces. All characters, planets, and cultures have one as their dominant theme. For example, the Peace Force are a Brawn based culture with a secondary strain of Intellect. Character Creation 3 stats: Brawn, Intellect, and Spiritualism. All start at 30, Add +20 to one stat. Add +10 to one stat. Gain a skill at 15. You have the hook “Escaped Prisoner of the Police Force” tied to the character of the insane military commander who is pursuing you and your allies. Add add up to 2 more skills rated 15. Describe an unresolved hook from your past related to the skill. Describe a character connected to your hook who might show up to make life difficult. If you are an alien, describe what makes you alien. What can you do that humans can't. What can't you do that humans can? Moves: A character tries to do something that they may not succeed at. Moves can be physical (like escaping or capturing someone), mental (solving a problem or designing a formula) or spiritual (mind melding with an alien or meditating). The GM can also request the player to make a move to resist temptation, anger, greed, or the urge to pursue their hooks.. Roll a d100. If below both a relevant skill and stat, you succeed. If below either a skill or a stat, you partially succeed. If the roll is above your skill and stat, you fail. Successful Moves: Successes resolve situations. They dispose of a bad guy, escape a threat, solve a problem, etc. Partial Success: Partial successes resolve situations at a price. The character might have to make a tough choice: give up something else they care for in order to succeed. The character might need to suffer a consequence: spending health, losing items, gaining enemies, etc. The character might encounter a complication that isn't entirely bad, but makes the situation harder to manage. Failure: A player may chose to fail on any move. They do not succeed at resolving the issue they were trying to fix. The character gains 5 points in the skill they used. If they didn't have the skill, they gain it at 5. The GM makes a hard move against the player by hurting them, having them get caught, taking something from them, making their situation worse, all of the above, and whatever else makes sense to the GM. Sample Hard Moves: Separate the protagonists. Kidnap a protagonist or someone they value. Make the heroes lose something important. Seriously injure a character. Make them spend health. Cause something they rely on to fail. Make a hook character appear. Tie an item, event, or character to their hooks. Gaining skills: Any time you make a move when you have no skill and roll below 15, you add a skill to your character at 15. You also add an additional hook and character explaining the problems you've encountered with this skill.. Health: Health is equal to the 10s digit of your Brawn. Spend to survive painful and deadly circumstances. Clarity is equal to the 10s digit of your Intellect. Spend to endure torture, to think clearly, and to retain a logical mind. Sanity is equal to the 10s digit of your Spiritualism. Spend to keep your sanity and your soul intact. Each type of health is a resource. You may spend health to avoid negative effects like dying, insanity, or permanent incarceration. Health does not heal over time but can be regained through successful moves such as medicine, study, or prayer. Hooks: Hooks and hook characters allow you to make hard moves against players. When the protagonists arrive at a new place, use these to generate plots that might directly relate to the characters back-story or might remind characters of their past. Play: Characters respond to troubling situations by making moves. Eventually (likely sooner rather than later) they will encounter a consequence or  a hard move they can not easily resolve, resulting in "plot." As the characters attempt to resolve it, they spend health, accumulate consequences, improve their skills, and gradually end up surrounded by enemies and on the run. Sessions usually should end with the PCs running away into space to avoid the authorities, having resolved or advanced their individual issues during the session. Threats: Threats are specific groups or characters that are unresolved at the end of a session. They may now be used to initiate a conflict at the start of another session. First Session: The First Session begins with the characters under threat from their hook concerning the Peace force. They are on the ship already having escaped confinement but are under attack by the Peace Force. They probably have no weapons, may not have total control of the ship, and are outclassed by the enemy. Their first mission is to survive. Later Sessions: Most sessions begin with an initial problem for the characters. It might be encountering something from their hooks, running out of food, encountering a powerful alien, or simply finding something interesting. Money: All possessions are measured in their value in Trade. A diamond necklace might be worth 1 trade, a special weapon worth 2, and a spaceship worth 10 or more. Food for a month should cost 1. The protagonists start with no trade but they might find something on the ship they can sell.