Spooky Action at a Distance - Prototype

Hey folks,

There's a tabletop game jam happening over at itch.io called the Me, Myself, and My RPG Game Jam.

I've been inspired to make single player roleplaying games after playing plot ARMOR by DC, and Alone Among the Stars by Takuma Okada. These are both fantastic games and I highly recommend them. I don't have a lot of time to play RPGs these days and I love these as not only games but great opportunities for creative writing.

I've been making notes and fiddling around with ideas for my entry to this jam for a little while, but now that's it's officially underway I thought I would share what I have so far. I'll start testing this and making changes over the next week or so. 

The game is called Spooky Action at a Distance. It's a game about humanity's first contact with alien life. The player plays the envoy, someone selected to be humanity's contact and who will attempt to communicate with the alien. You play to figure out what the alien is, how humanity reacts, what the envoy learns, and how they change after First Contact.

This version will be available to all patrons. Once it's finished I'll be putting Spooky Action at a Distance on itch.io for $5, and posting it here for all patrons pledging $5 or more.

The plain text prototype of Spooky Action at a Distance is available below. There's also a pdf version you can download attached to this post.

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Spooky Action at a Distance

A Single Player Roleplaying Game About First Contact

The United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs

First Contact Envoy Guide

OPEN ONLY IF PROPER UN POST-DETECTION PROTOCOLS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED

Spooky Action at a Distance is a single player tabletop roleplaying game about humanity’s First Contact with alien life. You will create a character, called the envoy, who will attempt to communicate with the alien. You will describe what happened during First Contact, how the alien communicates and where, and define the alien as you play. 

To play the game you will need these rules, 2 six-sided dice (referred to as 1d6 or 2d6), and journal to record your sessions.

Session 0 - First Contact

Describe what happens during the moment of First Contact. Define and name your character, the envoy for humanity. They will represent humanity, communicate with the alien, and interpret the alien’s messages. Use these prompts when writing session 0:

• What happened during First Contact?
• How did the envoy become involved?
• What is the envoy’s opinion of First Contact?
• What are the envoy’s qualifications?

Define the site of First Contact where humanity sends their envoy to communicate with the alien. You can choose from the list below, make up your own, or roll 1d6 to select one at random:

1. Military base camp
2. Remote place
3. Populous place
4. Scientific laboratory
5. A hidden place
6. One of several sites all over the world

Define the method of contact between the envoy and the alien. You can choose from the list below, make up your own, or roll 1d6 to select one or more at random:

1. Remote - the alien is distant
2. Close Encounter - the alien is close at hand
3. Medium - the alien communicates through alien technology
4. Proxy - the alien communicates through another representative
5. Indirect - the alien communicates through strange or nontraditional means
6. Non Communication - the alien does not communicate, or is incapable of doing so in any way the envoy can detect

The envoy will have 9 sessions to communicate with the alien. After the 9th session communication will stop. The alien or envoy leaves, stops communication, dies, etc. 

First Contact will change humanity forever. It may be subtle at first. It may be calamitous. It may be transcendental. Play to find out what happens.

At the start of each session roll 2d6 and add the numbers together. The result determines what happens during that session:

• 2-5: The alien is silent. Choose one or more from the list below.
  • Humanity becomes restless
  • There is trouble with the medium of communication
  • The alien acts, but does not communicate
  • The envoy is unable to attend the session
  • There is a complication at the site of First Contact
• 6-8: The envoy learns something new about the alien. Choose one or more from the list below:
  • The envoy and the alien exchange information
  • The alien shares information about something other than the alien
  • The alien challenges the envoy
• 9+: The envoy learns something significant about the alien. Choose an option from the list below:
  • The new information changes the envoy
  • The new information changes humanity
  • The new information changes the medium of communication (choose a new method of communication or roll 1d6 and choose one at random)
  • The new information changes the site of First Contact (choose a new site of First Contact or roll 1d6 and choose one at random)

At the end of each session, mark the session number, and give a summary of what happened during the session. If the envoy learned something new about the alien, answer one of the questions provided.

• What is the alien’s form, physiology, or chemistry?
• What is the alien’s intent, purpose, or philosophy?
• Where did the alien come from?
• Can the alien survive on earth?
• What is the alien’s technology?
• What is their method of communication?
• What is their method of travel?

As the sessions progress the envoy will discover one or more of the answers to the questions posed. The answer to these questions may change or deviate over time. Let them. This is First Contact, things will change, things could get weird. Nothing is going to be the same.

Session 9 is the last session the envoy will have to communicate with the alien. At session 10 communication stops. Look back at the last 9 sessions. Think about what has changed and what the envoy has learned since First Contact. 

Session 10 is an epilogue. Describe what happens next to the envoy, what happens to the alien, and what happens to humanity.