One day, the stars changed.
Not the closest one, of course; Sol still keeps us warm. Our moon Luna is here too. But the planets are all gone. The Sol-Terra-Luna system sits alone.
And the constellations are all different. It's as if Earth is somewhere else entirely. Somewhere new.
These new stars in the sky - their spectra are unfamiliar. As if some medium between us is straining the light.
And that's exactly it. Scientists soon announce that Earth's new home is suffused with a luminiferous ether - some delicate 'fluid' mediating light and the rest of the EM spectrum.
It takes Earth some time to realize that this fluid has some sort of inertia, and that as it mediates light we too can manipulate it. Despite the great setbacks to modern technologies that depended on the former properties of electromagnetic waves, humanity builds great engines to traverse where our fellow planets once danced. The structure of our celestial neighborhood is defined no longer by orbits and Lagrange points, but by invisible currents and maelstroms - and a great eddy bounding the edge of our System.
No one has passed that violent current and seen where the new stars hold sway - but you and your companions are going to try to be the first.
What is this?This is an RTD game. Players post actions and I determine their results according to the RTD scale (roll a d6 and assign 1 = critical fail, 2 = fail, 3 = partial success, 4 = success, 5 = perfect, 6 = overshoot.)
It is an exploration game. You are all crewmembers aboard the same vessel. Your collective goal is to reach the edge of the eddy around the Solar System and what lies beyond it.
It is not minimalist; this just means no rolling to instantly win or stuff like that.
Please keep in mind that this is pretty much the first game I've run (that has hope of getting anywhere.) That's why there are only 4 players. I am open to advice.
Character creationFor your character I need:
Name: your character's name.
Crew role: one of Navigator, Engineer, Gunner, or Scientist. You get advantage (use higher of two rolls) on actions relevant to your role!
- Navigators maneuver the craft, directing its course.
- Engineers manage the etheric engine and conduct repairs.
- Gunners man the craft's weaponry.
- Scientists archive observations on the journey, and draw from humanity's current research into the ether.
Multiple players can have the same role. Any unfilled role will have 1 NPC crewmember.
Also, feel free to provide and vote on suggestions for the craft's name!
Players:
Engineer
Before the stars changed and everything went mad, Miles was a mechanic at a used car lot not far from Kennedy Space Center. As it turns out, being skilled at getting old clunkers up and running no matter what it takes is a useful skill in this day and age. Not afraid to get his hands dirty fixing what's broken. Percussive maintenance specialist. Friendly to a fault, and with a can-do attitude, this mechanic's never seen a problem he couldn't solve with a crescent wrench, two cans of WD-40, and whatever sciency doohickeys he's got in his toolbox.
Scientist
Mia isn't her last name, and she is only a 'doctor' in the loosest sense. She also happens to be the upper half of a human head grafted onto a six legged spider robot. Dr. Mia seeks to test the reaches of human discovery and possibility, and evidently is willing to go to some lengths in the pursuit.
Scientist
A tall and lanky man in his late forties, unremarkable in appearance but notable for his excessively energetic nature, friendliness, and boundless optimism. He's often described as being akin to a genius puppy. When reasobable, he's usually seen wearing a labcoat with an impractical number of pockets, most stuffed with various tools and items of interest.
