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Kaleidoscope: Deep-Space Survival RPG • 2019 rpg
Henry Castle • www.twitter.com/PennilessKnight
#### 3+ players, d6(*) and coins ####
---###---
You're a...
*Neurotic... *Scientist...
*Thickly-Accented... *Engineer...
*Belligerent... *Pilot...
*Superstitious... *Passenger...
*Cowardly ... *Linguist...
*Robot... *Medic...
...on a rocket-ship exploring uncharted-space.
Secretly you're...
*...terminally-ill.
*...engaged.
*...3-days from retirement.
*...expecting a baby.
*...the rocket-company owner.
*...a spy! (Improvise!)
---###---
Introduce your character; role-play radio-chatter. After a few minutes take-turns flipping a coin.
On the third 'tails', the rocket violently explodes because of a...
*...core-meltdown!
*...robot mutiny!
*...computer-malfunction!
*...cosmic-storm!
*...space-squid!
*...tear in space-time!
Suddenly you're all blasted into deep-space! You hear panicking-survivors on your radio. One life-pod pings on your suit-instruments...
---###---
Center the life-pod (biggest coin) between the players; everyone places a space-suit (coin) on their table-edge.
Take-turns flicking your space-suit across the table to reach the life-pod and avoid or kill other survivors. Role-play your radio-chatter.
Remember there's only one seat!
---###---
If your space-suit:
-falls off the table, you're lost-in-space but can still curse the others via radio!
-stops within coin-width of the life-pod you grab-on.
-stops within coin-width of another space-suit, push-away (flick again) or you...
*...burn alive from a fuel-leak!
*...both die from the impact!
*...struggle but escape!
*...just miss each-other!
*...smash their helmet!
*...fry them with your ray-gun!
---###---
To win, be the last-survivor.
---###---
Author Comments
I like to design fast-paced games with an emphasis on improvisation that spark the imagination but (most importantly) can be easily played at the pub and learned by new players in a matter of seconds!
Kaleidoscope is inspired by the Ray Bradbury short-story of the same name in which a dozen space-men are thrown out of their rocket ship after a mysterious disaster. They learn a lot about themselves and each-other in the short horrifying hours they have left before meeting their various fates.
Henry Castle @PennilessKnight
