TEXT: Sign in Stranger
  making contact
  August 2009
  blackgreengames.com
  a game by Emily Care Boss
  
  Sign in Stranger
  making contact
  Emily Care Boss
  
  2  •  Sign in Stranger
  Illustrations
  Cover art by Jenn Manley Lee. <www.jennworks.com>
  Proofreading
  Phoebe Mathews
  Design, Writing and Layout
  Emily Care Boss 
  Playtesters
  Vincent Baker, Meguey Baker, Joshua A.C. Newman, Julia Ellingboe, Danielle Lewon, Calder 
  Johnson, Tom Russell, Clinton R. Nixon, Philip Howe,  Katherine Alexis Siemon, Kat Jones, 
  Jake Richmond, Charles Seaton, Christian Griff en, Travis Brown, Jason Morningstar, Remi 
  Treur, Joe Stanton, Scott Vandervalk, Epidiah Ravachol, Jim Sullivan, John Stavropolis, 
  Jason Keely, Terry Hope Romero, David Berg, Eric Minton, Jason Lorenzetti, Sam Zeitlen, 
  Dave Cleaver, Robert Bohl, Matt Weber, Daniel Ravipinto, Minnetta O’Neil, Nicholas 
  Marshal, Kevin Allen Jr. Dev Purkayastha, Jesse Washburn, Charlton Wilbur, Edward 
  Mahoney, and Ezekial Russell.
  Credits and Thanks
  Printed at Collective Copies, Amherst, MA <www.collectivecopies.com>.
  ©2009 Emily Care Boss, Black and Green Games. 
  (Shield and Crescent Press, Plainfi eld, MA. USA) 
  All rights reserved. 
  <www.blackgreengames.com>
  Influences:
  Xenogenesis Triology, Octavia Butler 
  Mars Trilogy, Kim Stanley Robinson
  Otherkind, by D. Vincent Baker 
  Entry in Iron Game Chef Contest, 2003   <indie-rpgs.com>
  
  Sign in Stranger  •  3 
  Contents
  Chapter 1:    Farewell to Earth....................................................5
  Chapter2:     Overview of the Game.........................................7
  Chapter 3:    Three Ways to Play...............................................14
  Chapter 4:    Setting up for Play...............................................20 
  Chapter 5:    Creating Colonists...............................................25
  Chapter 6:    Planetfal..................................................................43
  Chapter 7:    Exploring the World............................................46
  Chapter 8:    Structure of Play..................................................50
  Chapter 9:    Investigations.......................................................52
  Chapter 10:  Taking Action........................................................66
  Chapter 11:  Flashbacks.............................................................70
  Chapter 12:  Group and Mission Scenes..............................73
  Chapter 13:  Troubles and Goals.............................................75
  Chapter 14:  Assimilation and Changes...............................78
  Chapter 15:  Other Characters.................................................80
  Chapter 16:  Resources, Connections, Belongings...........90
  Chapter 17:  About Playing.......................................................92
  Appendix A:  Uniform Survey for Study.............................101
  Appendix B:  Standard Colony Supplies............................103
  Appendix C:  Story Seeds........................................................104
  Record and Reference Sheets:......................................105-112
       Colony Map
       World Creation 
       Categories
       Colony Record
       Plot and Supporting Characters
       Colonist
       Personal Log
       World Elements
  
  4  •  Sign in Stranger
  
  Farewell to Earth  •  5
  Chapter 1: 
  Farewell to Earth
  BACKGROUND 
   
  On January 27th, some years from now, a large meteorite strikes 
  southeastern Canada.  A plague spreads outward from the crash site, killing all 
  life--plant, animal, human--that comes into contact.  Quarantine is imposed, 
  but as neighboring people scramble to escape and the world governments 
  struggle to make sense of the scale of the impending disaster, a new threat 
  looms. 
  Fire rains from the sky, scorching the earth beneath it.  For three days light 
  blazes down on what was once Montreal, destroying all in its path.  Vast 
  shapes appear in the sky, beaming messages in strange ululating tongues, 
  uttered by nightmarish tentacled creatures.  All over the world, military forces 
  are rallied, and employed against these alien forces.  
  The human forces are utterly defeated. The human nations await their fate 
  at the mercy of their new alien overlords.  A calm settles over the Earth as its 
  citizens await a message from their masters.
  After three months, the message comes, from the same strange hissing 
  tongues, now wrapping themselves around human words. 
  “We came to save you…”
  Over time, the whole story is told.  The Galaxy is seething with life.  Interstellar 
  travel has been happening for untold millennia and sapient species have 
  come into contact with other sapient species time and time again.  
  With contact has come trade: economic, cultural--and biological.  Diseases 
  have ravaged through world after world, the microbial inhabitants of one 
  
  6  •  Farewell to Earth
  world fi nding weaknesses in the genetic defenses of those from another. 
  Worlds have been emptied, opening the way for continuing devastation from 
  domination through warfare.  
  Until the Cure was found.
  The Cure changes life.  It creates a common bond between new life that it fi nds, 
  and those it has come from.  A universal inoculation that introduces isolated 
  life to the viral cultures of the intermingled worlds. 
  Without the Cure, all life is threatened. But with the Cure… change happens. 
  Slowly, sometimes imperceptibly, but over time the life one has known becomes 
  something else.  Something other than what was and has been known.
  Since interstellar space travel is needed to contact others, the interstellar 
  community leaves newly developing worlds in ignorance of their existence 
  until the fl edgling world acquires the ability on its own.   
  Humanity was in quarantine, violated by the alien ship that crash landed on 
  Earth.  The crash endangered all life on Earth.  The Xsian <zis-see’-un> crew 
  signaled their people, allowing the Xsian fl eet to quickly come forward to 
  destroy the exposed population of Earth.  Given this untimely catapulting of 
  humanity into the galactic community, the Xsians took it upon themselves to 
  sponsor humanity. To off er them the Cure and help them connect with the 
  interstellar species.  
  However, Earth turned them down. 
  The many nations of the Earth warred and squabbled over the best course of 
  action.  Consensus could not be formed.  Some people of the world rejected 
  the Cure, desiring to continue the quarantine to preserve the Earth as it was 
  and had been.  Others sought to embrace this new change, wanting to join 
  the universal community, to learn about new worlds, new technologies and 
  societies.  Or to leave Earth behind for their own reasons. 
  So a compromise was developed.  Earth would not take the Cure. Those who 
  wished to remain on the planet would do so.  No traffi  c from off  world would 
  be allowed.  Humanity could stay in its cocoon a while longer.  
  But those who wished to leave, could do so. Never to return.
  A Xsian base was built on the moon. Co-operated by the Xsians and the newly 
  formed international Terran Authority, the Lunar site is a joint human/Xsian 
  community. It is a gateway for those humans who wish to travel into the 
  universe.  Their goal is to establish human colonies on diff erent worlds.  They 
  will learn about what the galaxy holds for humanity.  These Colonists will step 
  into the unknown.
  
  Overview  •  7
  Chapter 2: 
  Overview of the Game
  THE COLONISTS IN THE NEW WORLD
   
  In Sign in Stranger, a group of humans leaves Earth to form a 
  Colony on another planet. This will be their new home, for the Cure that 
  allows them to leave, means they cannot return to Earth. 
  The new world is inhabited by aliens and other creatures, among which 
  the humans must fi nd their place. The Colonists received special training 
  on the Lunar base before leaving Earth, to prepare them for their life in the 
  Colony.  Their mission is to research and gather information about the new 
  world and the beings that inhabit it, to send back to the Earth they have 
  left behind. The Colonists begin with some facts known about the world 
  and their Alien hosts, and an assigned job they will learn to perform. They 
  use their Training and knowledge brought from their life on Earth to help 
  them settle in and begin the long task of Assimilating into the new world. 
  However, all they encounter on the new world is alien and unfathomable 
  to the humans: how things operate is unclear, the forms of life they contact 
  are diff erent than anything they have seen before, and the Cure can cause 
  them to be Changed by this world. 
  The Colonists help each other to Investigate the world. This helps them 
  answer Investigation Questions assigned to them by their Earth Contact, 
  the Terran Authority Liason, who is empowered to send messages and 
  supplies with the completion of three Investigation Questions.  Their fi rst 
  contact on  the new planet is the Xsian Ambassador, who is charged to 
  keep track of the Humans’ progress, both for Earth and for Xsia, who have 
  taken the role of sponsor and patron, bringing humanity into the Galaxy-
  wide community.  They soon meet other aliens, begin to learn about their 
  job, and being to take Actions in the world: trying to accomplish their own 
  goals, and also to participate in the world they have joined. 
  
  8  •  Overview
  THE PLAYERS CRAFT THE WORLD TOGETHER
   
  As the Colonists explore,  the players create a world that slowly 
  unveils itself. At fi rst full of strange, sometimes dangerous beings and 
  environments, the meaning of the world becomes revealed to the players 
  and characters alike. 
  During the fi rst session of play, the players make up diff erent worlds that 
  the Colonists may choose to live on.  Not all will be used, but species from 
  diff erent worlds will be found on other planets. 
  Throughout play, the players use Random Words to inspire Descriptions of 
  what is seen, heard, felt, smelled and tasted by the Colonists on the world. 
  This creates a crazy quilt of a truly alien world that will then have meaning 
  ascribed to it through successful Investigations that the characters 
  attempt. 
  The characters interact with diff erent aspects of the world—plants, animals, 
  objects, aliens—and have successes and failures associated with these 
  interactions.  Failures give the players the opportunity to learn more about 
  the characters’ pasts and to forge deeper bonds of friendship.  At times, 
  the consequences of failure are the creation of rich sources of adversity.  
  The players create complication for the characters to deal with and untangle 
  and choose questions for the characters to investigate.  Over time, the 
  players develop an elaborate set of physical, biological and social systems 
  through the vehicle of their characters exploring the world around them. 
  In addition to playing a human Colonist, each person also plays aliens and 
  other beings encountered on the planet. They will also play people from 
  the Colonists’ pasts in Flashbacks that occur during play.  
  The game varies depending on how long it will be played for. In longer 
  games, more of the players will do these things and more will be learned 
  about the world. 
  WHO ARE THE COLONISTS AND WHAT DO THEY DO?
   
  The players of Sign in Stranger take the role of the group of human 
  Colonists. They are from all parts of the globe. And each has chosen to 
  leave Earth for their own reason, inspired by a Story Seed chosen by the 
  player during character creation.
  Each Colonist is trained in a science or disipline useful to the Colony. 
  Given this Training on the Moon, it is called their Lunar Training. Some 
  are trained in the Natural Sciences, some have learned about Technology, 
  others about Social and Cultural aspects of the world.  There is always a 
  Doctor in the crew. The Colonists also benefi t from the skills they gained 
  
  Overview  •  9 
  through training or work they did on Earth, which sometimes can apply to 
  tasks they need to accomplish in their new home. When a player chooses 
  a Lunar Training, they are deciding what area of the world they want to 
  spend the most time learning about as they play. 
  The Colonists also have Goals. These are tasks they want to accomplish 
  or dreams they have for their now life on the planet. The Colonists learn 
  about the world through Investigating, which helps them and the others 
  take Action to accomplish their Goals. Goals may be as simple as wanting 
  to grow tomatoes on the new world, to as broad-reaching as wanting 
  to become the Human ambassdor to the new world. Players can choose 
  several Goals for their character; they are used as a tool for the players to 
  help communicate with themselves and others about what the character 
  wants to accomplish, and where the player would like the story to head.
  HOW ALIEN IS THE WORLD?
   
  The game uses random and hidden elements throughout play to 
  create surprising descriptions that are more than simple recastings of our 
  human, social world where we live. When traveling in a foreign country, 
  simple things like recognizing what the bathroom looks like can baffl  e a 
  traveller. Multiply that by the huge chasm of understanding caused by 
  development in a diff erent environment, and part of a wholly separated 
  chain of adaptation.  Imagine traveling to a foreign country with a radically 
  diff erent culture, one where you do not speak the language, and no one 
  speaks yours. Then imagine that the foreign country is at the bottom of 
  the ocean, and your hosts are relatives of tube worms, that have built a 
  civilization out of accretions. Or dolphins, whose accomplishments of 
  culture and technology are based on music, dance and sonic shaping of 
  organic matter.  This is  a long way from Kansas, Dorothy.
  HOW DO YOU CREATE THE WORLD?
   
  Throughout the game, the players use Random Words: Nouns, 
  Verbs and Adjectives, as creative springboards for describing the Elements 
  of the world. An Element is some aspect of the world: a creature, or type 
  of creature, features of the landscape or technology, aspects of the aliens’ 
  physiology, forms of art or communication and so on. At any time a player 
  may ask someone else to Describe something in the environment. 
  Descriptions are limited to what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled and 
  tasted. They cannot explain how something works, tell you whether 
  something is dangerous or edible, or any other functions or aspects of 
  an Element that are more complex than what can be experienced by the 
  senses. To determine that you must accomplish Investigations. However, 
  although you are saying what can be seen etc. you are not dictating what 
  
  10  •  Overview
  they Colonists experience, and cannot say what someone else’s Colonist 
  does or feels in reaction to what you describe. Descriptions should be 
  brief and concrete.  They are from the player’s perspective, rather than the 
  characters’. There is more about Descriptions is in Chapter 7, (p.46).
  WHAT ARE INVESTIGATIONS? 
   
  Colonists choose Investigation Questions based on their Lunar 
  Training. Those with a Training in an area that relates to an Investigation 
  will be more likely to succeed in it.  On character is the Lead Investigator 
  for a given Question. They write it down on their character sheet, and 
  keep track of Progress on the Question.  Other players may also choose 
  to Investigate a Question, and contribute to the Progress if they Succeed. 
  The Lead Investigator may also get help from another Colonist or an 
  Alien, though just as the Lead may be hurt, so too there can be negative 
  consequences for the helpers.  
  There is a list of Investigation Questions given by Earth to the Colonists, 
  in Appendix A. Some good early ones are: “What can humans eat here?” 
  and “How do our Alien hosts communicate?”  During each attempt at 
  uncovering clues toward answering these Questions, other players 
  Describe Elements of the world which the Colonists hopes may be related 
  to that Investigation. The players use the Random Words to inspire their 
  Descriptions of a rich, fascinating yet enigmatic world. 
  Through successful Investigations players fi nd Explanations for how and 
  why the elements of the world function the way have been seen to. Each 
  success builds toward a full answer to the Questions, and with several 
  successes the players can create Resources related to the Investigation for 
  the Colony.  
  For example, a Colonist trained in Botany trying to fi nd food for the Colony 
  could discover that the sticky, stringy blue moss growing on top of the 
  Colony’s shelter is in fact the staple crop of the area aliens. After three 
  Successful Investigations, he is able to gather a small supply to bring 
  do tests on, after fi ve Successes learns how to make the moss produce 
  edible spores.  If that player continues, they may have the Colonist create a 
  Connection between the Colony and an alien or group on the planet. 
  Investigations can also turn ideas of what is true on their head. The fi rst time 
  anything is Investigated a Wild Card category is added to the Investigation. 
  The Wild Card can make the Explanations found mean that the Element is 
  something completely other than what the Colonists originally thought.  
  Some Investigations prove dangerous and disturbing. A Colonists may be 
  injured while Investigating, or Panic from the sheer otherness of the world 
  when they. Investigations are described in detail in Chapter 9, p. 52. 
  
  Overview  •  11 
  HOW BAD ARE PANIC AND INJURY?
   
  Injuries heal over time, and recovery can be healed by the Doctor. 
  After Panic, a Flashback scene helps everyone understand what past 
  trauma may have been triggered by the alien world. And in some versions 
  of the game, a moment of encouragement from another Colonist can 
  do the trick as well. A Colonist’s ability to Investigate or take Actions are 
  hampered by Injuries and being Panicked.
  WHAT ARE ACTIONS?
   
  Colonists take Actions in the world when they try to accomplish 
  things and act in or upon the world. From something as simple as trying to 
  cross a travel  path, to fulfi lling the tasks of their job as a Stellar Accountant, 
  when the Colonist uses the Elements around them, or tries to participate 
  in society, they approach it as an Action.  They may do so to attempt to 
  move toward Goals they’ve developed, or to be able to follow up better on 
  Investigations. 
  Actions are limited by the Colonist’s understanding of the world.  The more 
  Explanations they fi nd for Elements of the world they interact with, the 
  easier it is to accomplish what they desire. Further discussion of Actions is 
  in Chapter 10, p. 66
  WHAT ARE FLASHBACKS?
   
  At certain times, scenes from the Colonists’ past are played out. 
  When a Colonist Panics, before they can regain their composure, the 
  player must frame a scene, similar in some way to what happened when 
  the character Panicked, but showing a painful or traumatic moment from 
  the Colonist’s past.  
  Flashbacks can also be used before an Action or Investigation to help gain 
  an additional die to help in the roll.  These scenes are ones in which the 
  character showed strength in an activity like what they are doing on the 
  planet, or was helped to do well by someone else in their life.  
  Flashbacks may be framed in order to shed more light on a character’s 
  present actions, or to set up for a Trouble.  Each player can ask for one 
  Flashback per session above and beyond any Flashbacks they may be 
  required to play out due to Panic.  The player of a Plot Character who 
  appears in a session may also call for an additional Flashback for someone 
  else’s character. Supporting Cast do not get any Flashbacks, though people 
  from fl ashbacks may be created as Supporting Cast.
  
  12  •  Overview
  PLOT CHARACTERS AND SUPPORTING CAST
   
  As the Colonists encounter aliens and other beings on the new 
  world, the players take on some of these characters to play as well.  Some 
  are new friends and allies met along the way who aid the Colonists and 
  help them forge connections with the new world. These Supporting Cast 
  cannot speak any human tongue to begin with, but the humans can 
  teach them, or attempt to learn their languages.  Supporting Cast help 
  the Colonist, and create relationships with them. People can play multiple 
  Supporting Cast. They will likely recur occasionally.
  Other important characters are the Plot Characters. These are characters 
  with power over the Colonists and the Colony.  Each player has just one 
  Plot Character at any given time.  The Plot Characters can help the Colonists 
  by allowing them to accomplish an Action in the world, free and clear. The 
  Colonists can call on one Plot Character a session for help in this way. Or 
  they may assist in an Investigation.  
  It is through the Plot Characters that Troubles are explored and aff ect the 
  Colony. This occurs in two ways: each time a Plot Character appears, either 
  because they are called by the Colonists, or because the players decide that 
  this would be a good session for that Plot Character to enter, the person 
  playing that Character is responsible for adding an Explanation to some 
  Element of the World that makes things more complicated or diffi  cult for 
  the Colony.  Also, for each Trouble that gets created out of unsuccessful 
  rolls, a player with a Plot Character earns that Trouble as part of their 
  resources.  The Player then gets to describe how that Trouble manifests 
  when it comes up during Investigations or Actions, and can incorporate it 
  into their Plot Character’s Agenda.  
  The Plot Character it should go to is one that can take advantage of that 
  Trouble, or whose group affi  liation or role relates to the Trouble. If none 
  seems right, a player without a Plot Character can create one, and gain 
  that Trouble right away.
  WHAT IS IT LIKE TO PLAY?
   
  Sign in Stranger is intended for long term, in-depth, collaborative 
  play. The pace of the game is set for thorough and leisurely investigation 
  and elaboration of character and world over many sessions of play.  
  Players are encouraged to engage in sustained in-character interactions, 
  as well as to give full and detailed descriptions of the game world. 
  Players actively collaborate to create in-world events and elements and 
  to create meaningful opposition and adversity—as well as support and 
  allegiances—for the characters in play.  
  
  Overview  •  13 
  Players are asked to invest special attention to the issues facing their own 
  and certain other characters, as well as contribute in a supporting fashion 
  to the stories of other players for whom they have lesser responsibility. 
  The game empowers all the players, and asks for commitment to working 
  with—and against--one another to craft the world and the story that 
  the characters weave within it.  It’s a story of discovery, and overcoming 
  tremendous odds.
  WHAT IS THE STORY OF THE COLONISTS?
   
  Initially, the humans experience intense culture shock. They 
  are unknown here, newcomers to the vast interstellar community, and 
  must fi nd ways to adapt.  As though members of a tribe from a remote 
  Amazonian valley who had never interacted with the developed world, 
  were suddenly dropped into New York City or Beijing and told to make 
  their way. 
  The Colonists must rely on one another for help in dealing with the stresses 
  of their new home, though these pressures may push them apart.  They 
  Assimilate over time, through some physical, some cultural changes that 
  bring them closer to the world they inhabit and farther from the home 
  they left behind.  This can draw them into deeper connection with the 
  beings around them, and sometimes put them at odds with their fellow 
  Colonists, or people back on Earth.  The Colony gets to make their own 
  choices about what path their lives will take. 
  Over time, the humans gain insight into their new world and may become 
  key players in struggles playing out on the planet and, perhaps, throughout 
  the galaxy.  This group of strangers, wayward and homeless, change the 
  world even as they themselves are changed by it. 
  
  14  •  Three Ways   
  Chapter 3: 
  Three Ways to Play
  GAME LENGTH AND SCOPE
  When you play Sign in Stranger, you can choose from three ways to play:
  ONE SESSION—at a convention, a party, one time session at a 
  game store or someone’s home
  SHORT CAMPAIGN—Two to six sessions, a month or two of 
  weekly gaming, multiple sessions over a weekend.
  LONG TERM CAMPAIGN— Open-ended exploration. Ongoing 
  commitment with a group of players. Group may shift from 
  week to week.
  Choose based on the level of time and commitment your group can put 
  into the game. 
  Playing a one-shot game at a convention will have a diff erent feel than 
  settling in to play a long-running campaign with friends. The tone and 
  the pace of the game would likely change.  There are rules for each type 
  of play, and the players may make diff erent choices about how they play 
  depending on what the length of the game will be. We’ll discuss these three 
  diff erent options and outline diff erent ways to play, and give suggestions 
  for how the players may have a united approach to the game.
  
  Three Ways   •  15 
  1) ONE SESSION 
   
  Playing a One Shot is suited to Convention play, or for times when 
  you’d like to have some silly fun creating an alien world.  This style of play is 
  quick and streamlined. You create and choose from just three worlds. Then 
  play out the arrival of Colonists on an alien planet and the strange things 
  they encounter there.
  TONE
  The odd juxtapositions that happen in Sign in Stranger, during world 
  creation, or in the normal course of exploring the alien world can be funny.  
  In a short term game, you may want to encourage this, and fl ow with the 
  craziness of the world. The characters played may be over the top and 
  larger than life. You may go for a Through the Looking Glass, fantastic feel 
  for the alien world.  
  Remember though, that in this game especially, the unexpected is to be 
  expected, so creepiness may break out at odd moments. 
  RULES AND PRACTICE
  FACILITATOR
  One person takes the role of Facilitator. Their responsiblity is to help the 
  other learn how to play, spread spotlight out amongst the characters, and 
  help the group go from task to task.  They play the fi rst Plot Character, 
  the Terran Authority Liason, and assign the Colonists three Investigation 
  Questions to look into and express their Agenda in their directions. 
  WORLD CREATION
  When you are making up the world, create just three worlds to choose 
  among. If the group is looking for a light game, choose silly things for the 
  Alluring and Repellent traits, and the employment off ered. The aliens may 
  dress like clowns or juggle children. They may fl y like bumblebees or pee 
  champagne.  The jobs chosen for the humans may also have a light tone: 
  chauff eur to the Stars, or kitten herder. Or perhaps go for the ridiculous: 
  Presidential bubblegum chewer or alligator chiropractor.
  But, no matter what you do, it will be ridiculous. So don’t worry too much 
  on that account.
  COLONISTS
  For this game, pick some broad characteristic that defi nes your Colonist. 
  The Story Seeds may inform this for you: the greedy corporate hack can 
  latch onto every opportunity for gain, the altruistic explorer may off er 
  their hand to anyone they meet.  Your character will just have one session 
  
  16  •  Three Ways 
  to shine. Pick a strong characteristic and run with it.
  OMIT FLASHBACKS
  To increase the pace of the game, you may skip playing out Flashbacks. If 
  your character Panics, have them cause chaos or confusion for the others. 
  Destroy a personal or group Belonging.  Follow all the usual rules for being 
  Panicked, but can be refreshed by taking a break and spending time talking 
  with another colonist. 
  INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS AND GOALS
  Choose three Questions for the whole group, and omit Goals. Choose 
  Colonists that will be lead Investigators for the Questions, and team them 
  up with others who can help. None of the Questions will be resolved.  But 
  be sure to have an equal number of scenes devoted to each. Goals are 
  needed for longer-term stories.
  PLOT  AND SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
  Have one to three Plot Characters. The Terran Authority is required as part of 
  the start of the game. Other likely ones to appear are the Xsian Ambassador 
  and the Colonists’ Alien Employer.  Players may take the role of one or two 
  Supporting Characters, but skip their ability to add Explanations to the 
  world. They may help in an Investigation or Action, however.  
  PERSONAL LOG
  If there is time, end the session by having everyone write an entry in their 
  personal log. Then, read them out when all are completed as an epilogue 
  to play. 
  2) SHORT CAMPAIGN 
   
  In a short campaign more of the world will be explored, and the 
  characters will have more chance to develop.  The scope of Investigation 
  is still limited, however, with three Questions being followed up by the 
  whole group. The goal is to bring to a close these three Investigations, 
  which should take from three to six sessions. 
  TONE
  The tone of a short campaign may fl uctuate between whimsy and sobriety. 
  The strangeness of the random words and what is described will likely 
  inject humor, but also the diffi  culties arising from the Colonist’s position 
  on the new planet can bring the tone a more serious fl avor. 
  
  Three Ways   •  17 
  RULES AND PRACTICE
  FACILITATOR
  As in a One Session game, one person takes the role of Facilitator. Their 
  responsibilities are the same, but this will likely be a recurring character. 
  INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS AND GOALS
  Choose three Questions for the whole group, and one Goal for each Colonist. 
  Direction for play follows the course of bringing each of the Questions to 
  resolution, and attempting to attain their Goal.  While Investigating the 
  Questions, the Colonists create Resources for the individuals and the 
  Colony as a whole along the way. The Goals are things that are important 
  to the Colonists. Working on them gives a personal dimension to play, and 
  depth to the characters. 
  When each Question is answered, do not choose another to Investigate. 
  Three fulfi lled Questions allows for a report to Earth and re-supply. End the 
  campaign with this report.   
  FLASHBACKS
  Include Flashbacks. Play out Flashbacks to relieve Panic, but others may be 
  narrated in summary. 
  PLAY GROUP CHANGES
  Continuity of players enhances short-term play, so that all players have 
  experienced the same events, and can build off  what the others have done. 
  Splitting into smaller groups is suited to the kind of intra-party confl ict 
  that may be encouraged to arise over a long-term campaign, but may be 
  disruptive in a shorter campaign. 
  PLANNING SESSION
  Planning sessions may be helpful to see what direction the group would 
  like the session to go in. These may be brief, since likely all the Investigation 
  Questions will be dealt with each session, and the characters will only 
  progress a small amount in their integration into the new world. 
  
  18  •  Three Ways 
  3) LONG-TERM CAMPAIGN
   
  When you play for the long haul, take out all of the stops. The           
  main rules of this game text are intended for this style of play. The game 
  has the potential to range far and long: taking place over many months 
  or years in the establishment of the Colony, and in the players’ lives.  The 
  scale of the Exploration can increase from local and personal, to global and 
  society-wide.  More records are kept, to help keep track of the planet and 
  its denizens, and alien civilizations and environments can be mapped out 
  in full.  
  The players also actively share the task of putting pressure on the Colony, as 
  well as playing out the interactions between the Colonists and the beings 
  they meet, and grow to love and hate.  New developments can happen on 
  Earth, and relations between the Colony’s new home and the Colonist’s 
  home planet may change in ways that aff ect their lives. New Colonists 
  may join them. They may travel to diff erent worlds.  They may interweave 
  themselves into this new society.  They also may cause fi ssures and cracks 
  in the foundations of the social world around them. Or get washed away 
  in the surrounding hustle and bustle, or become pariah, marginalized or 
  enslaved.  
  TONE
  In a longer term game, the more real issues of the Colonists’ situation have 
  time to arise and be dealt with meaningfully.  The feelings of isolation 
  and lack of understanding are then tempered by the humor sometimes, 
  allowing the players to address diffi  cult situations by bringing lightness 
  back from time to time.  Flashbacks can become crucial, to break up the 
  alien-ness of the new world, and to show connections among the charaters 
  and their past.
  RULES
  INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS AND GOALS
  Have every player choose an Investigation Question for their Character, 
  along with a Goal. When one is resolved, choose another to be Investigated 
  or sought after. These form overlapping story threads followed by the 
  players. The Goals can increase in time, moving from small personal goals 
  to wide-reaching ambitions for the Colony or the place of the humans on 
  the planet. The Colony may grow. The humans may become embroiled in 
  the politics of the place. In the long term game, changes can be sought 
  for the status of Terra, or the Colony can transplant itself to another home. 
  The nature of the game is fl exible and can be determined by the desires of 
  the play group itself.
  
  Three Ways   •  19 
  FLASHBACKS
  Flashbacks are central to the long-term game. They allow the players to 
  re-contextualize things that have happened, shed light on relationships, 
  and plant seeds for larger changes they will attempt to bring about in 
  the world. They can also simply be areas for greater exploration of the 
  characters.  Characters played in the Flashbacks can become Supporting 
  Cast. Additional Plot Characters may be created there as well. The past 
  forms a parallel storyline to the founding of the Colony that can be used 
  to enrich the tale. 
  RESOURCES
  Creating and threatening Resources allows the players to continue to 
  bring variety and change to the plot during a long-term game. Resources 
  are used to overcome problems, but then may bring their own new forms 
  of complications and complexity to the lives of the Colonists. Resources 
  created can expand in scope such as connections with worldwide 
  organizations, ability for the Colonists to travel long distances or aff ect the 
  larger culture.  They may also continue to be more restrained, depending 
  on the aesthetics of the group.  Diff erent styles of play will be supported 
  by diff erent scales of development. 
  PLAY GROUP CHANGES
  The long-term game is suited to having changes in the play group occur. 
  The larger group may split up into smaller groups as Away Teams, and then 
  come back together to share about their experiences. Or diff erent players 
  may play on the nights a game is in session. Personal Logs, Colony and 
  World Descriptions, Explanations and Question or Goal Progress will all 
  allow the other players to get caught up on what has occurred while they 
  were not present. The character may be understood to have been on a side 
  exploration of their own, or not involved directly in the action taking place 
  if the player misses a session. Players who were not present at an earlier 
  session should be given priority for choosing to play out scenes, and have 
  Focus moments at the start of an evening’s game, to allow some catch up 
  and to incorporate their ideas into the coming events. 
  CHARACTER DEATH
  A player may choose for a character to die due to injuries. This may have 
  a deep impact on the other Colonists. That player may then choose to 
  phase out of the game, or bring in a new Colonist. If a new character is 
  introduced, choose one with a new Lunar Training. The new character 
  enters at the next session. They begin fresh, shaved and clad in jumpsuit, 
  with an Assimilation of 1.
  Any time a character dies, have the characters begin the next session with 
  a funeral or memorial to the lost character. The new character may be 
  present. 
  
  20  •  Setting Up  
  Chapter 4: 
  Setting up for Play
  SETTING UP FOR THE GAME
   
  In Sign in Stranger, all of the players all work together to create 
  the world and play the characters.  In many other games, there is a GM or 
  Game Master, who is responsible for creating and presenting descriptions 
  of the world in which the game takes place, for playing minor characters 
  and villains, for keeping everyone on task with respect to the rules and to 
  maintain dynamic pacing of the plot and character development.  In Sign 
  in Stranger, the responsibility for all these jobs is shared equally among all 
  the players. However, especially during the fi rst session, it can be helpful 
  to have one person Facilitate. This person would read the rules thoroughly 
  beforehand and guide the others in what is needed during this session. 
  However, the main role of the Faciliator is to help everyone learn how to 
  work together to run the game so that that role can pass away. 
  During the very fi rst session of the game, the players make up a group of 
  planets and the aliens that inhabit them.  Each player has a character that 
  they play throughout the game: their Colonist, newly expatriated from 
  Earth, and given a unique training to help the colony establish itself on 
  the new planet.  But they will also play aliens and other humans at various 
  other times. Those additional characters: Plot Characters and Supporting 
  Cast, are discussed in the Other Characters section, Chapter 15, p. 80. 
  At the start of each session, the players add to a pool of words that are 
  used to randomly generate descriptions for aspects of the world that the 
  Colonists choose to colonize. The words take three forms: Nouns, Verbs 
  and Adjectives, and they can be whatever comes to mind—they help 
  create the disconcertingly alien environment that the Colonists will come 
  to call their new home.
  Once these the characters and their choice of a new world have been 
  
  Setting Up  •  21 
  created, the players then choose aplanet by playing, in character, the 
  Colonists looking over their choices and deciding on a new world.  End 
  the fi rst session with a glimpse of the new world by having each player 
  describe one thing the Colonists see near their new colony. 
  RANDOM WORDS
   
  Random words will be used as creative springboards for the 
  players to describe the world.  These are chosen at the start of play, 
  written down and replenished between sessions when they run out. 
  Each player writes down 15 words on small pieces of paper (say one or 
  two inch square sheets torn or cut from notebook paper, or whatever 
  is at hand). The words fall into three categories: write 5 nouns,  5 verbs, 
  and 5 adjectives.  
  Put all of the words of each type together. For example, put all the 
  nouns together with one another in a pile separate from the verbs. 
  Shuffl  e each set so that the words by diff erent people are mixed up 
  amongst one another.  Place each group of words into a separate bag 
  or cup.  Then, set them aside to be used later in the game.  
  The words will be used to inspire descriptions of things that the Colonists 
  encounter on the alien planet. These things are known collectively as 
  elements of the world.  
  Before each play session, add more new words to the ones left over. 
  Add 2-5 per player depending on how many are used in each session. 
  If all words ever get used up in the middle of a session, have everyone 
  create a new set of 5 each at that time.
  For a single session game, have each player write just three words of 
  each type, making a set of nine words per player. 
  NOUNS  
   
    VERBS  
   
        ADJECTIVES
  Nouns can be objects, 
  things, places, types of 
  things. Concrete nouns 
  work better than ab-
  stract.
   
  Nouns are used the 
  ﬁ rst time an Element is 
  encountered.
  Do not use Names. 
  Verbs can be actions, 
  motions, 
  emotions, 
  and manners of doing 
  things.   
  Verbs are used to in-
  spire Descriptions of 
  what beings are doing. 
  Do not use state-of-be-
  ing verbs (e.g. was, is). 
  Adjectives 
  are 
  new 
  details about what a 
  World Element looks, 
  sounds, smells, tastes 
  or feels like.
  Adjectives give more 
  information about an  
  existing Element. 
  Do not use Colors.
  
  22  •  Setting Up
  WORLD/SPECIES CREATION
   
  Each player creates a world and an alien species by fi lling out a 
  World & Species sheet.  Players fi ll their sheets out separately from one 
  another, initially without discussion.  When the item “Other Species” is 
  reached, the players then share the names of the aliens that they have 
  created.  Players then choose from among the species created by other 
  players to fi ll out this item.
  Descriptions of each item on the sheet follow.
  WORLD NAME:  Create the name of a world inhabited by an alien 
  species, on a distant solar system, light-years from Earth.
  PRIMARY SPECIES:  There may be several sentient species that live 
  on this planet. One is the primary species. This may be because it 
  is the most populous, or because it is the species indigenous to 
  the planet. Or it may be because it is the species that dominates 
  the planet for reasons cultural, military or economic.  Circle “yes” 
  by Home Planet if the species originated here. Do not choose 
  the Xsians. They hold a special place in the human universe and 
  information relating to them is included in the game. After all 
  players have created a new species, write all the names on a 
  separate piece of paper and set aside.
  SIZE:  Choose the size and type of the planet. This will infl uence 
  how many other species may be present in sizeable numbers.  
  The range of choices is: satellite, small planet, large planet, giant.  
  Giant refers to a gas giant, such as Jupiter or Saturn.  Fill in the 
  number of Other Species in the box below. 
  Refer to the chart below for the number of Other Species:
  PLANET SIZE 
   
         # OTHER SPECIES
  satellite  
   
   
     one
  small planet 
   
   
     two
  large planet 
   
   
    three
  gas giant 
   
   
  random*
  *For gas giants, roll a four sided-die. Add that number of species 
  to the list.
  
  Setting Up  •  23 
  ONCE THESE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, SET THESE SHEETS ASIDE. 
  DO NOT READ OVER OR SHARE THE INFORMATION AT THIS TIME. IT WILL BE 
  NEEDED LATER IN THE SESSION.
  ENVIRONMENT TYPE:  This describes the area that is inhabited by the 
  primary species where the Colonists will settle.  This choice will 
  infl uence much about the descriptions of the world, the species 
  present and what the humans will have to do to adapt to living 
  on the world.   The choices are land surface, subterranean, 
  aquaeous, gaseous, and space. Space may mean it is an artifi cial 
  colony, or that the species are vacuumorphs, etc. 
  OTHER SPECIES:  The names of some number of other sentient alien 
  species found in sizeable numbers on the planet. Choose from 
  the species created by the other players. Go around the table 
  and have each player share just the name of their species. Take 
  a piece of paper and have each player write down the name of 
  their species as they announce it to the group. The players then 
  use this list to choose an applicable number of species for their 
  planet. The number of other species depends on the size of the 
  planet. 
  ALLURING TRAIT: An aspect of the primary species. Something that 
  humans fi nd attractive or pleasant. 
  REPELLENT: Another aspect of the primary species.  One that 
  humans fi nd disgusting or disquieting. 
  JOB LISTING:  Interstellar classifi eds. This is the occupation available 
  to the human colonists.  Give its name in the language of the 
  Primary Species.  Example: “Prelling” the “friginhain”.  Nearest 
  Earth Equivalent is an approximation of what the job entails. 
  Example: “Herding deer.” 
  
  24  •  Setting Up
  PLANNING SESSIONS
  After the fi rst session, the group will never do quite so much preparation, 
  but taking some time at the start of each game to coordinate with each 
  other helps the game stay on course. Since there is not one person in 
  main charge of how the game fl ows, it is necessary for the players to work 
  together to communicate about what is needed and what will happen 
  next.  A Planning Session can help with this. 
  In the Planning Session, several thing can happen: 
  1) Replenish the supply of Random Words, have the players create new 
  sets of Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives
  2) Read the Personal Log Entries from last time, and recap the events so 
  that all remember what occurred.
  3) Talk about what Investigation Questions and character Goals need some 
  spotlight time this week. 
  
  Creating Colonists  •  25
  Chapter 5: 
  Creating Colonists
  THE MAIN CAST: COLONISTS
   
  Each player creates one human Colonist character. This character 
  helps  found a colony on one of the worlds already created.  The Colonist 
  is each player’s main character. These characters will be played the most, 
  and will be the avenue through which the players will uncover the truth 
  about the world around them.  More is learned about the Colonists over 
  time, they are developed through Flashbacks, through their actions and 
  through the goals they strive to achieve in the present. 
  Create a character by fi lling out a character pages as follows:
  1) HOME: Choose a geographical location on Earth where your character 
  comes from.
  2) NAME:  Choose a name for your character.
  3) STORY SEED:  Each character has some reason why they decided to leave 
  the known comforts of Earth to join an unknown group of people to leave 
  Earth forever for a strange world they’ve never seen.  The Story Seed is 
  a broad reason or motivation for making this change.  Nine Story Seeds 
  are Included in the Setup Materials. Cut them into small pieces of paper, 
  fold and shuffl  e them, then choose randomly among them. Or  have each 
  player write one down and choose among those generated by the group.
  EXAMPLE STORY SEEDS:  Revenge, Heartbreak, Ambition, Escape, Adventure,  Spy, 
  Greed, Mission. Others might be Curiosity, Patriotism, Sacrifi ce,  Quest, Love.
  Story Seeds are general categories, not specifi c situations.  The specifi cs 
  are left up to the individual player to determine.
  4) DESCRIPTION:  Write a brief description of the character.  A word or 
  
  26  •  Creating Colonists
  two about their age, their physical appearance, or personality will do.  
  Examples would be: “retiring young Latina mother”, “tall, engaging black 
  man”, “willowy white teen”.
  5) AGE: Write the character’s age. 
  6) EARTH PROFESSION:  what this character did for work, or an activity such 
  as music or sports which was their calling, on their home planet.  This was 
  a major activity which they were involved in immediately before leaving 
  Earth. The Colonists can call up on their experiences in their Profession to 
  better accompish tasks on the new planet.  
  EXAMPLES:
  Teacher, fi sher, shaman, nun, accountant, runner, violinist, Marine, activist, 
  shepherd, biologist, student, full-time parent, grocery clerk, astronaut.
  7) BELONGINGS: Trans-system travel is diffi  cult and expensive. All is 
  accounted for, Colonists travel shaved bald. Each is provided with clothes 
  and supplies to provide for their minimal needs (Standard Supplies listed 
  in Appendix B, p. 103), and is only allowed to bring personal eff ects of the 
  amount that would fi t in a standard shoe box. List here three objects of 
  personal or sentimental value that your character brought from Earth. 
  Return to this fi eld later to list up to three pieces of equipment that are 
  used for the colonists’ Lunar training speciality. 
  8) STRESS RESPONSE:  Activity or type of response this character has under 
  extreme stress.  The stresses of living on an alien planet can be great, and 
  these characters will be tested as they never have been before. Examples 
  are:  sleeps too much, gets angry, goes on a bender, works harder, wants 
  to be alone. 
  9) ASSIMILATION LEVEL:  The degree to which this character has adapted to 
  their new environment.  Assimilation may represent cultural changes such 
  as dress, language and comfort with new things. It may also represent 
  physical or physiological changes.  The Cure can make the characters 
  undergo genetic changes that help them better survive in their new home. 
  But these changes may cause stress and alienation from other humans 
  who have not undergone them.  
  Each level of Assimilation has a description which goes along with it. All 
  characters begin with an Assimilation level of 1, taking the Cure, which 
  means they cannot return to Earth.   
  Assimilation level can increase in one of two ways: through physical 
  changes brought on as a side eff ect of injuries, and through cultural 
  adaptations chosen and eff ectively attained by the Colonists. How these 
  occur is discussed in chapter 14, page 78. 
  
  Creating Colonists  •  27 
  10) LUNAR TRAINING:  While transitioning from their old life to their new, 
  the characters spent between six-months and a year on Luna, undergoing 
  intensive waking and hypnogogic training for a new set of skills that will 
  be needed on the new colony.  These Lunar Trainings provide them with 
  knowledge to be able to divine information about the new world.  
  Each Colonist has a diff erent Training than the others. There must be one 
  Doctor in each Colony.  The Trainings chosen may overlap or be diff erent 
  from the Colonist’s Profession. If they overlap, that character will be 
  stronger in the given area. If they are diff erent, the character will have 
  more fl exibility. 
  The Trainings are divided into three Spheres: Natural World, Technological 
  and Social. Players should discuss which trainings are chosen. The team of 
  colonists chooses a balance of complimentary skills. Choose at least one 
  from each Sphere to get a good cross-section of the disciplines. The skills 
  given by the Trainings may place the Colonist into a role as part of the 
  Colony Crew.  Choose from the  suggested Roles along with the Training. 
  Choose a Training from the following list. 
  TRAININGS: 
   
  *NOTE: THERE MUST ALWAYS BE ONE COLONIST WITH MEDICAL TRAINING. 
  Full descriptions of the Trainings are found on pages 31-42. 
  11) RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER CHARACTERS: On each character sheet, 
  there is space to write in the names of all the other Colonists.  There is 
  room for a short description of the character, as well as the player’s name. 
  After this, there is a plus sign (+) and a minus sign (-). Over time, based on 
  character interactions, choose whether your Colonist has a Supportive (+) 
  or Stressful (-) relationship with the other. Circle the appropriate symbol 
  to create the relationship. This represents a meaningful way the Colonist 
  experiences the other character in their life. If neither is chosen, they do 
  not have a relationship.
  Natural Sphere
  *Medical Ofﬁ cer/
                     Psychologist
  Planetologist
  Xenozoologist
  Xenobotanist
  Technological Sphere
  Mechanical Engineer
  Structural Engineer
  Biotech Engineer
  MIliatary/Security 
       Technology Specialist
  Social Sphere
  Economics/Trade Specialist
  Politics/Legal Specialist
  Cultural Ofﬁ cer 
   
  (art, religion, society)
  Communication/Linguistics 
       Specialist
  
  28  •  Creating Colonists
  If the plus sign is circled, the Colonist enjoys the other’s company or has 
  reason to feel that they could rely on the other.  If the minus sign is circled, 
  that means they have a Stressful relationship. Perhaps they are irritated by 
  the other character, or they have not always seen eye to eye.  Refl ect the 
  nature of the relationship in the description of the other character.
  EXAMPLE RELATIONSHIPS:
  Supportive relationship (+)  
  Johann -- devoted lover   
  Stressful relationship (-)
  Wulin -- hates him for his cowardice          
  Relationships may also be created with aliens as the outcome of Colonist 
  Actions.  If the outcome of an action is to create an Allly, a supportive 
  friend is found. If “gain an enemy” is the ouctome, one of the aliens creates 
  a stressful relationship with one of the Colonists.  Circle the appropriate 
  symbol (“+” or “-“) and write a description. This character becomes a 
  Supporting character. Alternatively, a Plot Character can be created when 
  either outcome appears.  For more information about Plot and Supporting 
  Characters, see Chapter 15, page 80.
  Relationships allow players to give increased help to another player’s 
  character for an Investigation or an Action.  When helping a character 
  that has a relationship to you, say how your character interacts to help, 
  and take into account the nature of the relationship. Characters with a 
  Stressful relationship still help, but do so in a way that puts pressure on 
  the Colonist. 
  When a character in relationship with yours helps in an Investigation or 
  Action, a higher die (d8) is rolled by the helping character’s player, and 
  may be assigned to any category by the acting player. (See chapter 9 about 
  Investigations and Chapter 10 about Actions).
  Relationships are not necessarily reciprocal. The other player may choose 
  either or neither type of relationship in return.  However, two players 
  with characters in Stressful relationships with one another, may choose 
  to make the relationship Antagonistic. This gives each player more power 
  over the other’s character.  When the die is rolled, the player of the helping 
  character instead chooses which category it applies to, though it must 
  be used to improve the outcome in a category.   The player being helped 
  may decline the help prior to the roll, but then they may not be helped 
  by anyone else.  Antagonistic relationships may be terminated through 
  actions in the plot that make this plausible. And once terminated, the two 
  characters no longer have any relationship. 
  
  Creating Colonists  •  29 
  12) COLONIST GOALS: In addition to the formal investigations that the 
  Colonists will pursue, each of them also has personal Goals that they want 
  to accomplish. These are completely free form, and should be inspired by 
  what is important to the character, and what happens as they explor the 
  planet.  Sometimes Goals can be inspired by Belongings brought from 
  earth: a former gardener brings a box of seeds and the goal becomes to 
  grow  vegetables on a patch of land. Or they can be inspired by the Story 
  Seeds: a Colonist has the Story Seed “greedy”, and one of the things they 
  learn early about the planet is that the subterranean world is carved into 
  stone with a huge vein of precious metals that the aliens take for granted: 
  gold, platinum, silver.  The player creates a Goal: “to make a killing off  this 
  planet”.  The players pursue the Goal for the Character by taking Actions, 
  which are made easier by the Investigations that everyone completes. 
  Players can build off  of the eff orts made by one another as they learn 
  about the world.
  13) PERSONAL LOG:  Journal entries for the character.  Colonists keep 
  records of their personal experiences. Players add to the log at the end 
  of or during each session.  All players read the latest entry out loud at the 
  start of each session. 
  Use these entries to comment on the adventures of the Colonists, to 
  express secret agendas and wishes of the characters, and also to refl ect 
  and support the play of the other players.  Mention each other character at 
  least once in each entry. They can incorporate them into their description 
  of their characters. 
  Throughout the game, Flashbacks of the colonists’ time on Earth will also 
  be played out and recorded. These memories help the colonists deal with 
  issues that arise with settling on the new planet.
  Personal Logs can be labeled by Session Number. Another important role 
  of these entries is to help the players keep track of what has occurred 
  through out the game. 
  
  30  •  Creating Colonists
  LUNAR TRAININGS
  While stationed on Luna, the Colonists are gain skills that suit them to roles 
  in the Colony, and that promise great things that they may send back to 
  Earth.
  CREW POSITIONS
  DOCTOR, THERAPIST
  NAVIGATOR, CARTOGRAPHER
  SHEPHERD, ANIMAL TRAINER
  FOOD PRODUCTION, COOK
  OFFER EARTH
  Medical Technology, drugs, 
  alien strengths/weaknesses
  Star and planet charts, 
  gems, material chemistry
  Animal threats and 
  resources, cloning
  Plant resources, compounds, 
  chemicals, drugs, agricultural 
  techniques
  Architecture and design 
  principles, new alloys
  Energy sources, trans-
  portation technologies
  BUILDER, SEXTON
  MECHANIC, PILOT
  GENETICIST,CYBERNETICS  
                 
  DEFENSES TRAINER, SECURITY
  Biotech devices, genetic 
  modiﬁ cations, nanotech
  Weapons design, martial 
  disciplines, security 
  information
  TREASURER, TRADER
  MORALE OFFICER, HISTORIAN
  LEGAL ADVISOR, ADVOCATE
  TRANSLATOR, ALIEN LIASON
  Funds, industries, forms 
  of trade, value of re-
  sources found on Earth
  Religious beliefs, artistic 
  forms and media, history
  Legal codes and practices, 
  identity of major leaders
  Languages, narrative/
  symbolic canons
  NATURAL SPHERE:
  MEDICAL OFFICER/
   
  PSYCHOLOGIST
  PLANETOLOGIST
  XENOZOOLOGIST
  XENOBOTANIST
  TECHNOLOGICAL SPHERE:
  STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
  MECHANICAL ENGINEER
  BIOTECHNOLOGY ENGINEER
  MILITARY AND SECURITY                                   
         TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST
  CULTURAL SPHERE:
  ECONOMICS/TRADE SPECIALIST
  CULTURAL OFFICER
      (ART, RELIGION, SOCIETY)
  POLITICAL/LEGAL SPECIALIST
  COMMUNICATION/LANGUAGE                                                                        
   
  SPECIALIST
  
  Creating Colonists  •  31 
  Medical Ofﬁ cer/Psychologist (Doctor)
  Each Colony is required have one 
  personnel member train as the Medical 
  Offi  cer, to safeguard the health of the 
  crew. 
  Special Attribute:  Roll Free d8 
  when Acting to Heal a Colonist. 
  The Medical Offi  cer is 
  an important part of the 
  team.  Highly trained in 
  all arts of healing known 
  on Earth, the Doctor 
  has tools and supplies 
  that will be able to cure 
  anticipated 
  illnesses 
  and injuries of the body and mind.  In charge of making sure that the 
  Colony practices proper preventative safety (watching out for poisoning, 
  allergies, and incipient diseases), the Doctor is the Colony’s fi rst line of 
  defense against the many potential threats which may take the Colonists 
  unawares.  
  The Medical Offi  cer is also trained in anatomy and observational pathology. 
  Their training is oriented toward preparing them for making detailed 
  observations about the sentient species found on the planet, how their 
  bodies function, and the applications of their medical technologies for the 
  alien hosts as well as humans.  Xenophysiology is a likely further course 
  of study for the Doctor. The Doctor is in the diffi  cult situation of being 
  responsible for the wellbeing of the Colonists, but also are to be envied 
  by all their colleagues at home for the incredible discoveries waiting to 
  be made. Who knows what human diseases may be overcome through 
  diff erent applications of the Cure, alien medicines or health technologies?
  The Medical Offi  cer will also be on the watch for mental issues that the 
  human Colonists experience. Stress and fatigue caused by transplanting 
  to the new world can put great pressure on them.
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What sentient species are present on this planet and what are their characteristics?
  What foods are edible for humans on the planet, where can they be acquired? 
  What are life cycle and stages of development of species here? 
  What medical technologies are applied?
  Collaborations:  The Medical Offi  cer may need to work with the Botanist 
  or Zoologist to determine what inanimate and animate matter on the 
  planet holds chemicals and substances needed to produce medicines 
  for new diseases and maladies that attack the Colonists.  The Biotech 
  and Mechanical Engineer can assist in identifying proper machines or 
  technologies that can be used to treat the humans, and the Cultural Offi  cer 
  can help the Doctor navigate social stigmas or taboos associated with 
  acquiring materials or information needed to keep the Colonists healthy 
  and safe. 
  
  32  •  Creating Colonists
  Xenozoologist
  This Colonist studies animate, non-
  sapient life on the planet. Studies their 
  anatomy and characteristics.  Also 
  domestication, husbandry and relations 
  with sapient species. 
  Special Attribute:  Choose one: Bonus 
  Free  2d6 to Investigate tame or wild life.
  Trained in the functioning 
  and 
  characteristics 
  of 
  countless 
  species 
  on 
  Earth, as well as the care 
  and feeding of livestock 
  and domestic animals, 
  the Zoologist will soon 
  become 
  a 
  leading 
  Xenozoologist, with new insights and information about the non-sapient 
  species on the Colony’s planet. 
  What kinds of creatures have evolved in this strange environment? How 
  do they survive? What are their life-cycles and mating rituals? What talents 
  and incredible abilities do they have? What is their relationship with the 
  sentient species on the planet? Are they harvested, tolerated, feared? 
  What are the impacts they have on the world that are unknown and 
  unsuspected by the alien hosts?  
  The Colony may live or die on the relationships they create with creatures 
  on the planet. From appreciating the simple charm of a pet, to utilizing 
  trained hunting animals to catch food, to taking part in symbiotic 
  connections in order to live, breathe or eat on the new planet, the animate 
  life on this planet play a major role in the Colony’s success.   
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What foods are edible for humans on the planet, where can theybe acquired? 
  What notable inanimate and sentient species of life are present in the local 
  environment and larger world? What are their characteristics and uses?
  What are life cycle and stages of development of species here? 
  What forms of reproduction are present in non-sapient species?
  Collaborations:  The Xenozoologist will likely work closely with the 
  Xenobotanist to learn about the many interwoven relationships between 
  animate and inanimate life on the new planet.  The Planetologist will be a 
  great resource for learning about the conditions in which these animals 
  have evolved, survive and thrive.  The Cultural Offi  cer can help the Xeno-
  zoologist make sense of the relationships and uses which the animals are 
  involved on the planet, and the Linguist can help establish communication 
  between the guardians of the animate life, as well as with the beings 
  themselves where possible. 
  
  Creating Colonists  •  33 
  Planetologist
  In charge of charting the surrounding 
  area and land-, liqui- or aeroscape.  
  Studies 
  geologic 
  materials, 
  seismic 
  activity, weather and astronomy.
  Special Attribute:  Place World Elements 
  on maps as they are Described.  All add 
  d6 to Navigate back to a place on map.
  The 
  Planetologist 
  training on Luna covered 
  the 
  many 
  types 
  of 
  knowledge 
  one 
  can 
  have about land and the 
  seas.  The formation of 
  continents, 
  mountains, 
  rivers, lakes and oceans. 
  The 
  development 
  of 
  environments and ecosystems. The cycles of the weather, and the fl ows of 
  water from the air, across the land into the sea.  The Planetologist has  been 
  trained in knowledge of the most extreme areas of the Earth: from hissing 
  volcano fl ows to the  sifting dunes of deserts, to the frigid blue expanses 
  of the Antarctic regions.  And trained to observe the movements of the 
  Earth, mantle and crust shifting, causing tremors along fault lines. Also, 
  they have been trained in the sciences of astronomy and astrophysics, 
  learning as much as Earth could teach about the secrets of the universe. 
  They will now have an opportunity to learn about unknown environments. 
  Do the alien hosts live in subterranean caverns? What unknown metals 
  and crystals line the walls of their civilization? Do they tap the heat of their 
  planet for its energy? If the Colony is on a gas giant, what are the striations 
  of the atmosphere like? What are the fl ow and weather patterns? How do 
  they aff ect the aliens? How have they adapted to them? The Planetologist 
  records and maps the surroundings.  What is the topography of the area 
  they inhabit? What are the eco-regions around? What other types of 
  environments are inhabited on this world?  
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What is the weather on this world? The length of the day?
  What is the environment surrounding the Colony like?
   What other environments are on the planet, and what are they inhabited by?
  What are the monuments and major landmarks of the world?
  Collaborations:  The Planetologist will benefi t greatly from working with 
  the Xenobotanist and Xenozoologist to learn about the animate and 
  inanimate life on the planet that populate the landscapes of the world.  
  The Mechanical Engineer can help transport the Planetologist to diff erent 
  regions of the planet for study of diff ering zones, and the Political Offi  cer 
  may be needed to acquire permits to move freely.  The Linguist may be 
  needed to help translate with the inhabitants of diff erent areas, to be able 
  to travel their lands as well as to gain more information about the patterns 
  of change in the weather, the seasons, and the geologic passages of time. 
  
  34  •  Creating Colonists
  Xenobotanist
  This Colonist studies non-animate, non-
  sapient life on the planet. Studies their 
  anatomy and characteristics.  Also their 
  propagation, chemical properties, and 
  potential uses for fabrication.
  Special Attribute:  Take Free d8 to 
  analyze plant compounds.
  The Botanist is in charge 
  of investigating plantlike 
  life on this planet. The 
  line 
  between 
  plant 
  and 
  animal 
  may 
  be 
  hard to defi ne at fi rst, 
  but they have been 
  trained in observing the 
  functioning and determining the nature of still growing things like plants, 
  algae, fungus and other non-animate forms of life.  The Xenobotanist has 
  studied the life cycles of trees, the blossoming of fl owers, the unfolding 
  of the genetic structure of edible grains as they developed over millennia 
  by selection and cross-breeding by humanity on Earth.  The slow, silent 
  expanding network of fungi mycelia, the calm, fl oating presence of sea-
  weeds, swept hundreds of miles by a tropical storm. Knowing these 
  patterns helps make sense of new mosaics of life found on the strange 
  planet that can then be shared with others on Earth. 
  A fi rst major area of responsibility is determining what types of plant 
  life their alien neighbors and hosts gather and cultivate to support their 
  nutritional needs. How do they partake of the energy harvested by plants? 
  And, what can humans eat? 
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What foods are edible for humans on the planet, where can they   
   
  be acquired? 
  What notable inanimate and sentient species of life are present   
   
   
  in the local environment and larger world? What are their  
   
   
  characteristics and uses?
  What forms of reproduction are present in non-sapient species?
  How is food produced and stored?
  Collaborations:  The Xenobotanist will benefi t from working with the 
  Doctor to help learn about the qualities of the inanimate life, as well as 
  the ways that it forms itself and functions.  The Xenozoologist will be 
  invaluable to help determine the interdependencies between animals 
  and plant-like life on the planet.  In study of agriculture the Xenozoologist 
  will be a ready partner as well, looking at possible similar circular relations 
  between domesticated life-forms.  The Political Offi  cer can assist the 
  Xenobotanist in determining reasons for taboos on various plants, and the 
  Cultural Offi  cer can help determine if use is related to cultural, religious 
  or other institutions.  The Economic Specialist can help determine relative 
  value of the life-forms and their component materials. 
  
  Creating Colonists  •  35 
  Mechanical Engineer
  Expert on the functioning and creation 
  of 
  mechanical 
  devices, 
  vehicles, 
  robotics, engines and sources of energy 
  production.
  Special 
  Attribute: 
  Transportation 
  resources created through Investigation 
  give free movement Action. 
  The Mechanical Engineer 
  is in charge of learning 
  about the engines and 
  moving 
  elements 
  to 
  machines on this world. 
  Having learned about the 
  history or locomotion, 
  combustion 
  engines 
  and newer types of work related robotics, this specialist brings to bear 
  the knowledge of human history to learn about what diff erent types of 
  helping machines the aliens on this world have crafted.  
  Transportation is a major area of study for the Mechanical Engineer.  What 
  devices do the aliens use to travel great distances? What environmental 
  factors are they adapted to: is their primary avenue of travel the slipstreams 
  formed by the layers of a gas giant’s atmosphere, or are there diff erent 
  vehicles and pods used to traverse the outer and inner layers of an 
  aquaeous terrain with increased shielding from the pressures found closer 
  to the planet’s core?  Are wheels important or part of their design? What 
  form of propulsion is used? What materials compose the machines? Who 
  can wield and direct them? 
  Energy sources that power these machines are also part of the Mechanical 
  Engineer’s investigations. Do the aliens harness the motion of wind and 
  water to power their transports? Perhaps powered with living batteries or 
  controlled by a physiological joining with pilots and passengers?  
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What sources of energy are used?
  What forms of technologies are present?  
  What are the modes of transportation?
  What machines or other technologies are used in industry?
  Collaborations: The Mechanical Engineer may need to collaborate with 
  other Colonists trained in the technological sciences.  The Structural 
  Engineer may help with construction of vehicles or work machines. Biotech 
  Engineers can assist investigations of biological elements to machines, 
  such as wetware ports, animate guidance symbiotes or biological energy 
  sources.  In the Social sphere, the Economic offi  cer can give insight about 
  the function of these machines in trade and industry, and the Legal 
  personnel can look into social agreements about who has the right to 
  pilot transports and help avoid violations of civil or other codes while 
  attempting to learn about these machines. 
  
  36  •  Creating Colonists
  Structural Engineer
  Knowledgable 
  about 
  construction 
  of buildings and infrastructure, such 
  as roads. Design and production of 
  furnishings, tools and fabrics.
  Special Attribute:  Use Resources and 
  Belongings to make diff erent things. May 
  duplicate building or device Resources.
  Trained in the arts of 
  building and design, the 
  Structural Engineer will 
  help the group discern 
  the underlying logic of 
  the structures around 
  them. Bringing to bear 
  knowledge of human 
  craftsmanship spanning the millennia, they are versed in the construction 
  of the Pyramids as well as the tension and load limitations of the Empire 
  State Building’s massive frame.  These insights may allow the Colony to 
  expand their dwellings in ways that protect and comfort the human body 
  more aptly than your alien host can provide given vast diff erences in 
  anatomy, psychology and environmental needs.  
  Along with buildings and shelter, the Structureal Engineer is trained in the 
  construction of all manner of objects and tools.  A regular MacGuyver, your 
  training has included being able to craft needed items out of whatever 
  is at hand: lights, ladders, electronic equipment. Simple things taken for 
  granted on Earth: paper to write on, a pen with which to write. The essential 
  tools of living and working will have to be found, made or adapted on the 
  Colonists’ new world.
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What kinds of shelter do the local beings utilize?
  What forms of clothing do beings wear on this world, what is  
   
   
  appropriate for humans?
  What forms of technologies are present?  
  What metals and natural materials are used in construction and  
   
   
  production? How are they produced?
  Collaborations: The Structural Engineer will work closely with the other 
  Technology Specialist: with the Mechanical and Biotech Engineers will 
  have knowledge of energy sources and organic technologies that will 
  allow you to unlock the secrets of this new world.  The Natural Science 
  Offi  cers will also be needed allie.  The Planetologist can search for needed 
  metals and materials to craft alloys and  compounds for construction. The 
  Xeno-zoologist and Xenobotanist will uncover new organic (or other forms 
  of life) based materials, and help the Structural Engineer take advantage of 
  ways that the alien hosts may have harnessed living energies and bodies 
  in ways unknown to the human imagination.  The Social Scientists will 
  off er their own insights into the legal, economic and cultural ramifi cations 
  of the works of the Structural Engineer.   
  
  Creating Colonists  •  37 
  Biotech Engineer
  Experienced with biologically based 
  technologies 
  including 
  genetics, 
  cybernetics, and organic technologies. 
  Special Attribute:  Natural bond with 
  biotech machines. Omit Panic.
  The Biotech Engineer has 
  been trained in all of the 
  newly forming sciences 
  of biotechnology that 
  had been discovered. A 
  relatively new discipline, 
  Biotechnology 
  takes 
  from 
  many 
  diff erent 
  branches of science: biology, genetics, robotics, informational systems 
  and logic.  Branching out into new areas, the Biotech has been given 
  exploratory background into fi elds still developing: artifi cial intelligence, 
  cloning and nano-technologies.  
  The Biotechnical engineer will observe how engineered technologies 
  have been used by their alien hosts to create and enhance biological 
  processes of plants, animals, sapient beings and other forms of life. They 
  will also look for organic processes that are used to produce inorganic 
  materials or technologies, such as bacteria that can extract precious 
  metals from industrial waste, or organic molecules that can be trained to 
  create crystalline microchip colonies.  Biotechnology may include organic 
  interfaces, or wetware, connecting living tissue and consciousnesses and 
  machines or organic systems. Cybernetics, a fl edlging fi eld on Earth, may 
  be a commonplace part of the alien cultures around the Colony. 
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What energy sources are used? 
  What forms of technologies are present?  
  What forms of industry and manufacture are there? 
  What medical technologies are applied?
  Collaborations: The Biotechnology specialist in the Colony will work 
  together with the other Engineers to learn about crossovers between  
  biologically based technologies and their structural uses on the planet, 
  such as living buildings and sentient transports.  The Mechanical Engineer 
  and the Biotech uncover the mysteries of nanotechnology and, with 
  help from the Doctor, could learn how they can be adapted to human 
  physiology. The Zoologist and Botanist will look to the Biotech Engineer 
  for help on discerning how plants and animals or other life on this planet 
  may be controlled or shaped by technology.  The Cultural Offi  cer can help 
  piece together how these technologies are used for recreational  purposes, 
  or how they have shaped the development of society.  And Biotech may 
  allow greater information exchange with aliens, which can help the 
  Communications Offi  cer’s eff orts.
  
  38  •  Creating Colonists
  Military and Security Technology Specialist
  An expert on weapon construction 
  and use, military science and security 
  procedures.  
  Special Attribute:  Weapons created give 
  d6 to combat  or defense Actions.
  The Weapons and Military 
  Specialist will study ways 
  that the aliens use force 
  to control or constrain 
  that actions of others. 
  Both on an internal basis, 
  looking at the analog for police or security control, and on an external or 
  inter-group basis, for military groups, raiding parties or defensive forces. 
  The society may be at war, or in revolution. These things may involve the 
  humans in their confl icts.  This Colonist can identify possible threats, and 
  help the Colonists learn to defend themselves in what may be a hostile 
  world. The Military Specialist can investigate the forms of technology used 
  for weaponry and defensive security devices. 
  The Military Specialist will endeavor to learn about Security issues and the 
  ways that the aliens also contain outlaws or criminals, and help the humans 
  avoid that fate.  If containment facilities, such as prisons or work camps, 
  exist on this world, reporting on these may be very helpful for the Colony 
  and future Colonists, though care should be taken not to pry too deeply 
  into issues which may be sensitive to the alien hosts.  Learning about the 
  various institutions devoted to forces of arms and peacekeeping would be 
  another list of tasks.  Are there orders of beings devoted to working with 
  the regular populace to mediate their disputes? Are there disciplines of 
  movement or force that are practiced by the world’s inhabitants that are 
  martial in nature? 
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What forms of technologies are present?  
  What forms of weapons are used by these species?
  What forms of laws are operating where the colony exists? What are crimes?
  Where is there warfare going on? Who is involved? What are the issues at stake?
  Collaborations: The Structural Engineer can help shed light on defensive 
  bulwarks, as well as containment buildings or areas. The Mechanical 
  Engineer will help discover how weapons and other such devices function, 
  are operated and may be manufactured. The Political Specialist can form 
  an Investigative detail with the Military Engineer to delve into criminal 
  activities or functioning of security forces. The Cultural Specialist will help 
  shed light on potential spiritual dimensions to personal or social defensive 
  or off ensive practices.  If investigating areas where military action has taken 
  place, or seeking to take part in training, the Planetologist  and Botanist 
  may be essential in learning enough about surviving in natural areas to be 
  eff ective for military endeavors.  
  
  Creating Colonists  •  39 
  Economics/Trade Specialist
  Knowledgeable about currency, trade, 
  barter and negotiation. Studies industry, 
  employment and fi nances. 
  Special Attribute:  Establish income and 
  exchange rates through Investigation--
  purchase  more resources once currencies 
  are known.
  The Economics Specialist 
  in the Colony will help 
  the humans understand 
  how the aliens around 
  them trade, exchange 
  and produce goods and 
  services.  As the humans 
  learn about their employment, the Economics Specialist will help them 
  learn about the various forms of Industry the civilization they are now a 
  part of uses. The Economic Specialist will learn about forms of currency 
  and rates of exchange between them. They will help the Colony learn 
  how values are set and help negotiate reasonable costs for the humans. 
  The Economic Specialist may begin by identifying what the aliens use 
  for currency, barter or exchange, and help the humans simple things like 
  how to make change, or what is used to gain resources: be it coins, shared 
  activities, other living beings and so on. 
  Finances can aff ect the livelihood of the colony by subjecting them to 
  diffi  culties that their neighboring aliens suff er. Scarcity of resources caused 
  by food production failure or warfare, or economic disruptions like strikes 
  or depressions can hit the human colony harder than the aliens. During 
  better times, humans may still be seen as a threat. The Economic Specialist 
  may have to work hard to ferret out information about how the Colony can 
  continue to sustain itself in the face of these pressures.  
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What forms of employment are open to humans, what are these   
   
   activities like? 
  What forms of currency or trade are used or practiced?
  What forms of industry and manufacture are there? 
  What are the social stratifi cations present (eg race, class, etc.)?
  Collaborations: The Economic Specialist can rely on the Communications 
  Offi  cer to help translate the meaning of characters and text associated 
  with currency, as well as to be able to talk with aliens in order to learn 
  about how trade is eff ected.  The Legal Specialist can help determine what 
  forms of trade are outlawed, to help the Colonists avoid breaking laws, or 
  know when and how they safely can if needed. The Technology Engineers 
  will look to the Economics Offi  cer to help them acquire needed parts for 
  fabrication of buildings and vehicles, and likely help in Investigations of 
  large scale manufacturing. And the Xenozoologist and Botanist will be 
  helpful collaborators when learning how to barter for food or supplying 
  the needs of the Colony. 
  
  40  •  Creating Colonists
  Cultural Ofﬁ cer
  Studies art, religion, social norms, society 
  structure and history. Entertainment, 
  music and popular culture.
  Special Attribute:  Choose: create art, 
  religion or social Resources that aliens 
  respond to (thru Investigations). 
  The Cultural Specialist of 
  the Colony has a wide-
  ranging responsibility to 
  make sense of the many 
  ways that the aliens 
  around them represent 
  and construct their experiences as a group. Do they have music? Dance? 
  Other arts? And how do you tell an art museum from a billboard? 
  The Cultural Offi  cer will puzzle out transcendant beliefs held by their host 
  communities. Do they worship aspects of the natural world? Personify 
  abstract concepts whether ones we share like Love and Honor, or other 
  ideas unfathomable to humans?   What are the many ways that both 
  artistic movements and spiritual expressions manifest in the society? Are 
  there gatherings devoted to them? Structures or spaces? In the home and 
  in the public sphere? How do the Aliens participate in them.  
  The Cultural Offi  cer will also study the history of the various aliens and 
  how they represent the events their societies have experienced. How 
  have the diff erent aliens interacted? What are the major events in the past 
  that are celebrated, or resonate for the aliens? What signifi cance do they 
  hold? How are the remembrances honored? With peaceful ceremonies, or 
  bloodthirsty rages? How do the humans fi t in? What are the expectations 
  on the humans to participate or stay apart? 
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What forms of clothing do beings wear on this world, what is  
   
   
   appropriate for humans?
   What cultural norms and practices are present?
  What forms of religion, philosophy or spirituality are practiced?  
  . What are the major institutions such as marriage, family, church,   
   
  government, education? 
  Collaborations: The Cultural Specialist will work closely with the Legal 
  and Economic Specialist to determine how the aliens’ art and religion 
  are intertwined with trade and employment agreements, as well as the 
  laws protecting and defi ning them. The Botanist, Xenozoologist and 
  Planetologist will help the Cultural Offi  cer learn what aspects of the real 
  world have held meaning for the aliens.  The Medical Offi  cer can help 
  determine how their practices aff ect the aliens, and help  fi nd safe ways 
  for the humans to participate in rites that may involve ingesting strange 
  substances or withstanding the elements. The Technology Engineers can 
  help the Cultural Offi  cer travel through the world to study, and learn the 
  various virtues and purposes of devices and structures used.  
  
  Creating Colonists  •  41 
  Politics/Legal Specialist
  Legal and Political expert. Studies civil 
  and criminal law. Legal precedent, 
  rules and judicial proceedings. Polital 
  structures. 
  Special Attribute: Choose: get Free 2d6 
  either with criminals or legal offi  cials
  The Politics and Legal 
  Specialist for the Colony 
  will help the humans 
  learn to navigate invisible 
  social lines that they will 
  be subject to in their new 
  home. Beginning with the status of the humans as immigrants and a new 
  species unknown to the rest of the intergalactic communities, the Political 
  Specialist will help the Colony identify rules and laws, and investigate how 
  they aff ect the humans.  They will distinguish criminal activity against the 
  Colony, and the resource the humans can call up on in the aliens’ society, 
  from sanctioned discrimination. 
  This Colonist will also research the ways the alien societies are organized. 
  Trained in historical confi gurations of human cultures, from ordering of 
  resource allocation and activity by members of the society by elected 
  representatives in Republics, to individual responsibility for making large 
  scale decisions as found in Democracies, to the centralized enforcement of 
  tax taking and individual responsibilities for supporting the society through 
  food production and military service in Monarchies and Autocracies. The 
  interactions between diff erent strata of the aliens and between diff erent 
  species, both sentient and sapient, will have diff erent ramifi cations based 
  on their needs and how their access to power and decision making has 
  been structured.  
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What forms of governance do the beings on this planet utilize?
  What political entity is the colony located within?
  What forms of laws are operating where the colony exists? What   
   
  are crimes?
  What are the social ills on this planet? How are they addressed?
  Collaborations: The Political Specialist will rely on the other Cultural 
  Offi  cers for necessary information that will help them understand how the 
  laws and society organization function. Learning to communicate with the 
  aliens will be key, made possibly by the Communications Specialist. Trade 
  patterns will dictate and aff ect all of the levels of the aliens’ societies, and 
  will confront the Political Specialist with puzzles and obstacles until they 
  are understood. And spiritual and cultural meaning may be infused into 
  the practices used by the aliens. Use of transportation and construction 
  of buildings could be governed by law, as well as religious or cultural 
  understandings of what is appropriate for the humans.  
  
  42  •  Creating Colonists
  Communication/Linguistics Specialist
  Studies 
  language, 
  communication 
  among the aliens, and literary works. 
  Knowledgeable about communication 
  media and communication theory.
  Special Attribute: Free d8 to learn alien 
  languages.  Create as Resources for group.
  The 
  Investigations 
  of 
  the 
  Communications 
  Specialist will be critical 
  to the humans being 
  able to integrate fully 
  into their new world. 
  Trained in the various means of communications open to humans, the 
  Communications Specialist can use this assortment of knowledge as a 
  basis to decode the communication going on around the humans.  Their 
  training includes an understanding of a broad set of human languages 
  including gestural languages like sign and semaphore, as well as written 
  scripts, ciphers, body language memes and language dysfunctions.
  Additionally, the Communications Specialist is trained to observe 
  and utilize forms of technology used to communicate for example to 
  communicate over long distance.  The aliens might employ biological-
  based telecommunication such as broadcast thoughts, or luminous 
  algae to indicate high status. The Linguist will be on the look out for 
  forms of symbolic communication that may represent bodies of fi ctional 
  or educational social involvement. What forms may their literature take? 
  From the drama of the ancient Greeks to chatting meta-fi ction, human 
  societies have had diverse forms.  Alien cultural repositories of past events, 
  metaphorical myths and meaningful tropes could come in any form. 
  Sample Investigation Questions: (from Uniform Survey)
  What forms of communication and media are used? 
  What forms of entertainment and art are practiced by the  
   
   
   
   inhabitants of this world? What are the great works?
  What major ideologies and theories have been formulated?
  What is the relationship of these species with others on this  
   
   
   
   planet? On others?
  Collaborations: The Colony will rely on the Communications Specialist to 
  help them engage with their alien hosts eff ectively.  The search for shared 
  language may be a high priority for the group.  The Medical Offi  cer will 
  be a resource in turn, to help with understanding the internal mental or 
  emotional underpinnings of communicating with alien beings.  They may 
  work closely with the Cultural Specialist to decode the levels of meaning in 
  representations and narrative forms based on the society’s history, artistic 
  traditions and religious beliefs.  The other Social Experts, Economic and 
  Political will help the Linguist decode meanings having to do with these 
  disciplines. And the Engineers will be able to off er insight and assistance 
  on the use and function of media technologies for various applications.
  
  Planetfall  •  43
  Emerging from the lander, she stepped for the fi rst time onto alien soil.  
  The ground was a rich red beneath her feet. Wavering motes churned up by her passage 
  clung to her pressure suit boots.  The deep lavender clouds they had seen from orbit 
  surrounded her and moved silently past.  She felt as though she moved through a 
  silent violet ocean.  
  Reaching up to her helmet, she closed her eyes for a moment, praying, then released the 
  seal. No matter how many times they’d been assured Quiglon Prime was habitable by 
  humans, she wouldn’t be able to believe it until she saw and felt it for herself. 
   The air stung her lungs as she opened her helmet and took her fi rst breath of this new 
  air.  In the distance she saw lights approach them fl ickering through layers of the 
  shifting fog. 
  THE FIRST SESSION
  MEETING ON LUNA: FLASHBACKS TO THE TIMELINE
  Once the worlds and Colonists have been created, the players begin to 
  play their characters. The characters have been chosen to be a group 
  that will work together.  The group plays out their fi rst time meeting one 
  another on the Earth’s moon, as a proto-colony.  
  Chapter 6: 
  Planetfall
  1) Introductions to the Characters
  2) Flashback to Earth on the Timeline
  3) Read about the Worlds 
  4) Choose a world for the Colony
  
  44  •  Planetfall
  First, taking turns, go around the circle and have the characters introduce 
  themselves to the each other. Some may know each other already from 
  their time on Luna or on Earth. Describe the physical appearance of the 
  colonist and have each character tell the others their name, where they 
  were from on Earth, and then describe something that happened to them 
  during one of the points on the timeline. 
  The story about their experience during the dramatic events is a fi rst, brief 
  Flashback. This places the characters in the events on Earth and makes 
  concrete how they aff ected the characters.  
  Do not play out a scene from that time. Simply have  each player narrate 
  the character describing where they were and what they experienced 
  at that time.  The player may reveal that the world events aff ected them 
  with tragedy, or changed their life, or was ignored. The main point is to 
  get a small taste of the character’s life. Bringing into play some aspect of 
  the Story Seed can help introduce that element of the character from the 
  start. 
  CHOOSING A WORLD
  Once the Colonists have been introduced, the players play out the rest 
  of the meeting.  The Colonists have completed their respective trainings 
  on Luna and have chosen (or been placed with) this group of future 
  émigrés.  The meet in a room in the Lunar base and are given descriptions 
  of prospective worlds.  These are, of course, the World/Alien Species sheets 
  created earlier by the players.  One player may take the whole stack and 
  read them to the others.  
  The  players debate, in character, the relative charms and draw-backs of 
  the planets.  The Alien Species traits, as well as the description of work, 
  are all key points to discuss.  The environment the humans will be asked 
  to live in may be a sticking point as well.  There is no further information 
  available about this world. The Colonists’ Xsian hosts have done their best 
  to provide the pertinent data that will help the humans choose their new 
  home—but there is still a lot that the Xsians have to learn about humans. 
  There is no right way to choose a world, and no set procedure to use.  Will 
  the group vote democratically? Choose a leader? Require full concensus? 
  If your group falls into a deadlock, remember that there is no returning 
  home. Earth is a closed chapter, at least until the whole planet chooses to 
  partake of the Cure.  Make compromises. Find a solution. 
  After all, if your group can’t even choose a planet together, how can they 
  hope to survive on one?
  However, confl icts between characters are a fi ne, even, a good thing. 
  
  Planetfall  •  45 
  Alliances and connections may also be made.  See who is on your side 
  in this discussion, and who is against you.  Relationships between the 
  Colonists will be valuable on the new world. 
  ASSIGNING QUESTIONS: MISSION FROM TERRA
  Before the humans leave the Moon, the fi rst Plot Character makes an 
  appearance. Their Terran Authority Liason has a fi nal meeting with the 
  group and assigns them their three fi rst Questions to Investigate.  One player 
  takes the Terran Authority Liason, creates the Character and playes them 
  in the scene.  The choice of Questions to Investigate should be informed 
  by the Agenda chosen for the Character.  It is that player’s responsibility to 
  put some confl ict or tension into the Colonists’ lives. Perhaps the Colony 
  is being asked to bring back military information, perhaps one of the 
  Colonists is asked to spy on the others and bring back informationa bout 
  any one who looks likely to betray Earth’s secrets, perhaps they are asked 
  to research whether the world would be suitable for an extremely large 
  scale colony to be planned there.  Look for issues that will intersect with 
  the Colonist’s backgrounds, and push their buttons.  Whatever is chosen 
  will be backdrop in many ways, Earth has no immediate power over the 
  Colonists once they are on the new Planet, but this is a the way Earth can 
  try to retain control, and while we are at it, some direction is given to the 
  players, to react to as they will. 
  If there is a Facilitator in this game, they should play the Terran Authority.
  LANDING ON THE PLANET
  Your characters have their fi rst sight of the new world they will inhabit 
  together.  Have each player create a World Element (see chapter 7) by 
  asking another player a question about the world that relates to their 
  Lunar Training.  For example, the Geologist might ask “What formations 
  of land do I see?” The person asked the question chooses one Noun 
  from among the Random Words and  describes what can be seen, heard, 
  smelled, touched or tasted. Any explanations that may come up are purely 
  hypothetical at this time.  As part of this description, say a color present. 
  Add this to the color table list. Write down these observations on the World 
  Element Sheets.  
  Complete the session by having each player make an entry in their 
  character’s Personal Log recording their impressions of the new world and 
  of the other Colonists.  
  
  46  •  Exploring  
  Chapter 7: 
  Exploring the World
  WORLD ELEMENT DESCRIPTION
   
  When exploring the world around the characters, use the Nouns, 
  Verbs and Adjectives for inspiration about what they see. To do so, a player 
  asks another player for a Description of some Element of the world.  The 
  descriptions are about what the Colonists can possibly see, feel, hear, touch 
  or smell. The other player then pulls a random Noun, Verb or Adjective and 
  bases their Description of the world on the word drawn. 
  Record the Description on scrap paper. When it has been Explained after a 
  successful Investigation, then it can be recorded in the World Log book.
  A Description may have to do with a the topic of a particular Investigation 
  Question. For example, if the Colonists are Investigating what they can 
  GUIDANCE FOR YOUR DESCRIPTIONS:
  1) What the Colonists experience is alien and diff erent from 
  anything they have observed on Earth. Any explanations about 
  what the things observed mean or how they function are purely 
  theoretical.  No defi nite meaning can be ascribed until a successful 
  Investigation roll is made. 
  2) When describing what is observed, DO NOT use the word itself. 
  Instead describe around the word, using it as an inspiration and 
  creative springboard for what the Colonists see.  
  3) Be brief. 
  4) Roll on the Color Table (see below) the fi rst time an element is 
  encountered. Feel free to roll for a color or colors at any other time 
  to use in the descriptions of the world. 
  
  Exploring  •  47 
  eat on the new planet, a player may ask someone to Describe something 
  that seems like a plant near the Colony.  They may also ask for a general 
  description about some aspect of the landscape or world, such as “what 
  does the landscape look like?” or “what are the aliens doing near the 
  Colony?”.  
  SAMPLE DESCRIPTION QUESTIONS:
  What does the landscape look like? Describe our shelter… What are the aliens 
  doing near us? What do they look like? What looks plant-like near us? How do 
  beings seem to be traveling around? 
  In response, the other player chooses a Random Word and uses it as a 
  basis for their description of what the Colonist can see, hear, touch, taste 
  or smell.  Choose a noun, verb or adjective based on the following: 
  SAMPLE DESCRIPTION:
  In response to the Planetologist’s question: What does the landscape look like? 
  The Noun “spaghetti” is drawn and kept hidden.  
  The Description: “You see in front of you many sloping lines across the land. 
  Sloping up and down, they sometimes curve around one another, sometimes 
  disappear beneath others.”  
  DESCRIPTIONS VS. EXPLANATIONS
  The Description questions asked are to help the players get a sense of what 
  can be observed in the world around them. These are diff erent from the 
  Investigation Questions, which are long-term inquiries that the Colonist 
  makes in order to answer and come to understand the functioning of the 
  world. 
  Description questions CANNOT be about how things are done, what causes 
  something, what the mechanism or social meaning of something is, or 
  how it fi ts into the larger world and connects with other Elements. All of 
  these issues will be Explained through Investigations.  
  After a world Element has been Described, then the Colonist can Investigate 
  it to gain an Explanation of what it is and how it fi ts into the world.  See 
  Chapter 9 (p.52) for more information on how this is done.
  NOUN: Pick a noun if this is the fi rst time you have seen this 
  element.
  VERB: Pick a verb to see how a being or something in the environment 
  is behaving or moving
  ADJECTIVE: Pick an adjective to better describe an element that has 
  already been Investigated.
  
  48  •  Exploring
  COLOR TABLES
   
  The alien world will have a pallete of colors unique to itself, and 
  to the environment that the humans inhabit. Colors are chosen randomly 
  when World Elements are fi rst Described. They become themes linking 
  disparate items and beings. They also provide a surprising visual detail 
  that helps make the world come alive to the inner eye.  
  Create a Color Table after the players have chosen which world the Colonists 
  will settle on. This will determine what their new home environment is, 
  which infl uences greatly the choice of colors made. 
  Choose 10 colors for each Color Table. Each color has a number associated 
  with it, from 1 to 10. Have each player choose one, and then have some 
  or all choose a second to round out the complement. Pick specifi c colors 
  (eg “sky blue” as opposed to “blue”) for many of the colors to give a more 
  detailed and subtle range  of hues.  
  When fi rst describing an Element, roll a d10 and incorporate the color 
  rolled into the description based on a Noun. The juxtaposition of word and 
  color helps bring the imagination further away from the Random Word’s 
  original meaning.
   Example Color table for an Aquaeous Environment: (on a d10)
  1: teal     2: aquamarine   3:  midnight blue  4: mud brown 5: coral red
  6: phosphorescent yellow  7: neon pink 
  8: black  9: white    10: silver
   Populate the color table by having the players choose 10 colors that match 
  what they think the environment would be like.  Be sure to have all players 
  contribute at least one color. 
  Use this in addition to Adjectives or with Nouns.  Over time, you may 
  create custom color pallets for the various types of environments found on 
  the planet as they are experienced (e.g. ice, desert, temperate forest, etc.). 
  Begin with just one Color Table, for the environment that the Colonists 
  initially inhabit. 
  Three Color Tables are found on the following page. Each was 
  created for a world as part of the game. In the fi rst list, for a 
  Subterranean world, Infrared was chosen--a color humans 
  cannot see!  It became a quest for the players to fi nd something 
  that was Infrared, but red-black came up often instead. 
  Eventually, a player suggested that when the humans saw a 
  blank black area--it might well be Infrared, but the Colonists 
  could not see the hue like the aliens there did.  We began hoping 
  for a Change that would let us see...
  
  Exploring  •  49 
  Environment:
  Subterranean
  1: Orange
  2: Pale yellow
  3: White
  4: Red-orange
  5: Frosty white
  6: Red/black 
  magma colored
  7: Glowing 
                 orange
  8: Purple 
           plum-red
  9: Slime green
  10: Infrared
  Environment:
  Land Surface
  1: Gun metal grey
  2: Brown
  3: Dark green
  4: Silver
  5: Bluish grey
  6: Reddish 
               brown
  7: Ivory
  8: Cerulean blue
  9: Moss green
  10: Burgundy
  Environment:
  Artifi cial 
             Satellite
  1: Mother of Pearl
  2: Silver
  3: Gold
  4: Bronze
  5: Copper
  6: Oxidized 
       copper-green
  7: Fuscia 
  8: Poison dart 
                frog green
  9: Hazard orange
  10: Neon yellow
  Sample Color Tables
  
  50  •  Structure of Play  
  PLANNING SESSION AND PERSONAL LOGS
  PLANNING SESSIONS (p. 24) are time for the play group to think about 
  what they want to play out during this session of play.  May use Scene 
  Types (below) to plan. 
  PERSONAL LOGS Begin each session by reading out loud the entry from 
  the Colonists‘ Personal Logs from last time.  This will help to refresh in 
  everyone’s mind what happened last time, as well as to give greater 
  insight into the disparate views that the Colonists hold of the world and 
  eachother.  Information from the entries can be used for additional cards in 
  Investigations and Confl icts, if desired.  Further discussion of the Personal 
  Log’s uses can be found on page 98, in Chapter 17: About Playing.
  See Scene Types below for wha occurs during play. 
  End each session by having the players write in their Colonist’s Personal 
  Log, refl ecting on the session’s events. 
  SCENE TYPES
  It is a strange, new world the humans come to. What it will be is yours to 
  create.  As the Colonists explore the world, the players play out diff erent 
  types of scenes and sequences.  
  There are fi ve types of scenes that happen during play:
   
        GROUP 
             INVESTIGATION 
              ACTION
   
   
     FLASHBACK 
                            MISSION
  Use these types of scenes as a general guide for play. They may arise 
  organically, or someone may call for a specifi c thing. You may decide when 
  Chapter 8: 
  Structure of Play
  
  Structure of Play  •  51 
  a roll arises whether it is and Action or Investigation Roll. Flashbacks have 
  many times when they may be called for. These terms are tools to help you 
  navigate through the story, and as ideas for balancing spotlight.
  GROUP scenes focus on the personal interactions between the Colonists, 
  their discussions about the planet and their normal daily actions in the 
  Colony. 
  MISSION scenes involve the Colonists heading out in small groups to 
  Investigate the world in diff erent areas. The Players break up into small 
  groups as well, play out Investigations, describe the world and then report 
  back to one another. 
  INVESTIGATION scenes involve the Colonist exploring the world and the 
  culture of its inhabitants. 
  In ACTION scenes, the Colonists must try to accomplish things in the world, 
  or deal with adversity faced in their environment or with the aliens.  
  FLASHBACKS show past events of the Colonists’ lives on Earth or during 
  their Training on Luna. 
  Group and Mission scenes are times to check in with the characters and 
  to allow the characters to interact with one another.  The are discussed in 
  chapter 12 (p. 73). 
  Investigation and Action scenes give the players the opportunity to create 
  aspects and fi nd interconnection among elements the world around 
  the Colonists, allowing what was once hideously strange and enigmatic 
  to gain context and meaning for the human settlers. They may result in 
  injuries or emotionally overwhelm the characters, especially when they 
  are new to the planet.  Or, they might create problems and complications 
  in the Colonists’ lives in the colony.  Over time they also provide needed 
  resources as well as increased understanding of the world around them. 
  Dice are rolled for Investigations and Actions to determine how things 
  turn out.  Investigations are discuessed in Chapter 9 (p. 52), and Actions 
  are described in Chapter 10 (p. 66). 
  Flashback scenes allow the players to learn more about the characters. It 
  is also an opportunity for the characters to bond more deeply with one 
  another, exploring their diff erences or fi nding companionship. These 
  scenes also allow the characters to recover from psychological damage 
  their experiences in the alien world have caused.  Flashbacks are described 
  in Chapter 11 (p. 70).
  Throughout and in between these scenes, the players use the Random 
  Words to describe what the Colonists encounter.  Creation of Descriptions 
  using Random Words is outlined on page 7 (p. 46).
  
  52  •  Investigations  
  Chapter 9: 
  Investigations
  INVESTIGATIONS OVER THE COURSE OF PLAY
   
  As the enigmatic forms of the alien world take shape, the Colonists 
  pursue Investigations to learn and understand what they see around them. 
  These Investigations lead them to fi nd Resources that fi rst they, and then 
  the whole Colony can make use of.  As the limited Resources the Colony 
  begins with dwindle, ability to fi nd new food, clothing and other survival 
  needs must be met on the new world.  Knowledge of the world also allows 
  the Humans to be re-supplied in some essentials and other less tangible 
  but priceless commodities: messages from home, connection with their 
  loved ones left behind.  Investigations can also allow the Colony to gain a 
  steadier foothold on their new home, through establishing stable sources 
  of support and connection that the Humans can rely on.
  These Resources arise through the Colonists’ attempts to understand the 
  world as the players make Investigations Rolls. The characters can also 
  choose to try to Assimilate to the new world. In the immediate present, 
  the Investigations allow them to make sense of the Elements of the World 
  that have been Described.   With enough successes over time they lead to 
  tangibly positive gains for the Colonists.  
  The Investigations though, are not always smooth and easy. The Colonists 
  INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS:
  After 3 Successful Scenes: Create Colonist Resource
  After 5 Successful Scenes: Create Colony Resource
   
  Investigation is complete, answers can be reported to Earth
  
  Investigations  •  53 
  must take the Questions step by step. Learning in pieces about the overall 
  questions confronting the Colony.  There will be mis-steps along the way 
  as well. Injury is possible. And Troubles, or complications, can arise from 
  inquiring into matters of the world.  
  The Investigation Rolls have Outcomes which can be challenging as well 
  as benefi cial. Injuries, social gaff es and befuddlement will sometimes trip 
  the Colonists up. Successful insights into the world, sometimes lead to 
  90 degree turns in what one expected to be the case. And other times, 
  enemies can be created.
  But these diffi  culties sometimes have benefi ts. Injuries can begin a 
  process of Change that alters the Colonist and brings them closer to the 
  world around them. This is another path to Assimilation. Troubles must 
  be struggled with on a personal level and for the Colony as a whole, but 
  they off er larger scale creation of solid support for the humans among 
  organizations or groups in the alien world. Successsfully resolving a 
  Trouble can result in gaining a particular status for humanity on this world, 
  acceptance and understanding through working with others. 
  Playing this game begins a long process of seeing the world unfold. If 
  played for a one session or for a short campaign, the players get a taste 
  of the discoveries that could be made. Long term Investigations open the 
  door to both understanding and joining with of the world.
  INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS AND TROUBLES
   
  Throughout the game, the players use Random Words to help 
  them describe the world.  Their characters then Investigate Questions that 
  will give them more insight into these aspects of the alien planet and its 
  cultures.  As they do so, Troubles may arise that involve the Colonists in 
  complicated situations in their new home. 
  QUESTIONS address things that are unknown to the Colonists, or to the 
  players. They are drawn from a list supplied to the Colonists by the Terran 
  authority, and their answers are reported back to Earth. The Questions may 
  be answered by Investigation or escalate and have Issues added to them. 
  They may deal with aspects of the alien planet around them, such as what 
  to eat, what kinds of religious customs are followed by the aliens, whether 
  they have currency, or how they wage war. 
  TROUBLES  are complications that occur when Investigating a Question 
  or taking an Action in the world.  They progress and escalate, and resolve 
  over time. Troubles may relate to such things as confl icts with neighboring 
  aliens, threats from plants or animals, with unfathomable or disturbing 
  aspects of their own dwellings, with questionable directives from Terran 
  Authority, or with regrets what was lost on Earth. See page 75 for more.  
  
  54  •  Investigations
  INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS
   
  The Colony begins with three questions, which are assigned by 
  the Terran Authority before they leave Luna. What they are depends on 
  the mission given to them by Earth, and the Agenda of the Terran Liason 
  in charge of the Colony. A standard set could include:
  • 
  What can the humans eat? 
  • 
  How does their shelter function? 
  • 
  How can they be employed? 
  Each Question being Investigated has a Lead Investigator. The Lead 
  Investigator writes the Question down on their Character sheet, and 
  records progress for it when they or others fi nd answers to the Question. 
  Players choose Questions on which their character will be Lead. Choose 
  based on Lunar Training and the interest of the player. Other Colonists 
  may help them, or Investigate the Question themselves, but the Lead 
  Investigator keeps track of the question, marks off  the progress and likely 
  does the lion’s share of the Investigating for it.  
  The full list of questions is found on the Uniform Survey Questions sheet 
  (Appendix A, page 101).  When three of these questions have been 
  successfully answered, the Colony may download this information to Earth 
  and request a re-supply.  The fi rst three questions must be those assigned 
  by the Terran Authority. What is sent in the re-supply is up to the Terran 
  Authority player’s discretion, based on the character’s agenda and what 
  will help them put pressure on, help or perhaps manipulate the Colonists. 
  How Troubles are resolved is discussed in chapter13 (p. 75).
  HOW TO INVESTIGATE
   
  Begin by fi nding a World Element to Investigate. It may be 
  something already Described, or may be something new to the Colonists. 
  If it is new, ask a question of someone, have them choose a Noun and 
  Describe as outlined in Chapter 7, page 46. If it has already been Described, 
  or Investigated in the past, have someone choose a Verb or Adjective and 
  give additional information.
  Once a world element has been described play out in character what 
  the Colonist does to learn more about this being or thing. How do they 
  approach it? What do they do? This is their Investigation per se. 
  The Colonist may utilize Resources in the form of equipment brought from 
  Earth or adopted from alien technology. These can help them learn more 
  about the plants, animals and objects found on the planet.  Colonists may 
  
  Investigations  •  55 
  simply look at or touch something, or travel to a public place with a guide to 
  learn more about how the sapient aliens interact or conduct transactions. 
  The Investigation can be begun at the initiative of the human or the aliens. 
  For example, the Colonists may be invited to take part in an alien custom. 
  What the Colonist does may expose them to more or less risk; the group of 
  players decides if risk of Injury seems likely in the Investigation.   
  Other Colonists can take part in the scene, but one is the Focus Character. 
  for the Investigation. This Colonist makes the closest contact with the alien 
  world and is taking the most direct action in the current Investigation. This 
  character risks injury or complication. 
  One other character can assist with the Investigation. A Colonist may help, 
  or an alien Plot or Support Character. Those with relationships with the 
  Focus Character, or related skills can provide better assistance. Aliens also 
  have an advantage in being at home in this place. But these characters risk 
  harm, and the relationship between alien and human can be damaged if 
  things go wrong.  
  ROLLING FOR AN INVESTIGATION
  When the Investigation has been described, roll dice to determine if 
  something is learned, or if there were any unintended unfortunate 
  consequences. 
  The dice are fi rst assigned to various categories: INVESTIGATION, HARM, 
  WILDCARD, PANIC, ASSIMILATION.  Some categories apply to every Investigation, 
  some may or may not apply. There is also another Category, ACTION, which 
  is used when Colonists take Actions in the world. 
  Each category has various outcomes. Which one occurs depends on what 
  numbers are rolled. The highest die value in each category is used to 
  determine what the outcome for that category is. 
  Dice are assigned to a category and then rolled within it. Additional dice 
  can be gained for a given category based on help, abilities used and 
  Assimilation level. Occasionally, Free Dice are rolled independently of a 
  category and may be applied to any of them.  Helping Dice and Assimilation 
  dice are Free Dice. 
  Some Outcomes mean that the Colonist learns more about the world (New 
  Fact Explained), that the Colony or Colonist get involved in complications 
  (Group or Individual Troubles), that the Colonist gets confusing 
  information (Baffl  ing Surprise), or that the Colonist or other is hurt during 
  the Investigation (Injury).  Objects and Resources may be lost or destroyed. 
  Relationships may be changed. Friends and enemies are gained. 
  
  56  •  Investigations
  INVESTIGATION ROLL CATEGORIES AND OUTCOMES
  Required Categories:
  INVESTIGATION   
  Die Value 
  1 
       2-3           4-5 
  6-7                     8+
  Outcome       Individual   Colony      Baffl  ing     New  Fact            Two                     
   
            Trouble       Trouble     Surprise    Explained       New Facts
  PANIC
  Help and Assimilation Level aff ect likelihood of Panicking.
  Helped by:                      No one        
       Human       
    Alien
  Value needed      6 minus (-) Assimilation   5 - Assim.         4 - Assim.                   
    to NOT Panic                          
  Possible Categories: 
  HARM   -  IF PLAY GROUP DETERMINES ACTIONS MAY RISK INJURY
  Die Value 
  1 
        2-3                    4                               5+ 
  Outcome       Change         Injury       Expend Resource        Unharmed                                              
   
              Injury                               to avoid Injury
  WILD CARD   -  IF NO FACTS ARE KNOWN ABOUT THIS WORLD ELEMENT
  Die Value 
   1-3 
                        4-5       
     6+  
  Outcome     Colony Trouble            Baffl  ing            New Fact                                                     
   
            is Created                   Surprise          in Random                              
                        or is Escalated                     
                   Area
  ASSIMILATION - COLONIST WORKS TOWARD INTEGRATING WITH NEW WORLD
  Outcomes vary depending on current level of Assimilation
  Assimilation:   1             2-4               5-6                    Outcomes
  Die Value          8+            6+               8+         Progress toward Assim.
                              5-7            5                   7           Friend Helps
                              2-4          3-4               5-6         Gaff e
                                1            1-2               1-4         Colony Fallout
  
  Investigations  •  57 
  How Possible Categories are chosen:
  Harm – if the group believes that the actions being taken by the character 
  may lead to injury, include this category. 
  Assimilation – if the Colonist is trying to become part of the world around 
  them and working toward another level of Assimilation, include this 
  category. 
  Wild Card – if this is the fi rst time a world element is being investigated 
  or interacted with, include this category. If the Colonist has an unstable 
  Change Injury, include this category. 
  If player is having the Colonist explore the world with no Investigation 
  Question in mind, use Wild Card instead of Investigation category. No 
  Lunar Training Die may be used.  
  DICE FOR INVESTIGATIONS
  The BASE DIE rolled is a standard six-sided die (d6), if a Colonist is in a normal 
  condition. If Panicked, the based die is a four-sided die (d4).
  So in the normal course of events, one d6 is assigned to each category 
  which applies to the Investigation. However, if the character is panicked, 
  their base die is instead a four-sided die (d4). This will have grave eff ects on 
  the possible outcomes of the situation. 
  If the Focus Character is injured, the highest die roll must be set aside. If they 
  have two injuries, the two highest. If this leaves a category empty, take a 1 
  in that category. If they have three injuries, the character is incapacitated 
  and is unable to take part in any Investigations or Actions, though they 
  may be involved in general play, may assist others—if that is believable in 
  the fi ction—and have fl ashbacks.  
  If a character gains a fourth injury, the player may choose to let the 
  character die. If not, their character is unconscious until the Medical offi  cer 
  can heal their character from one Wound level, then heals as is usual. 
  1) Assign a BASE DIE to each category
  2) Determine what FREE DICE will be 
  rolled
  3) Roll Dice in each category
  4) Roll Free Dice, if any, independently. 
  5) Assign Free Dice to Categories chosen
  6) Determine Outcomes
  
  58  •  Investigations
  BONUS DICE
  Additional dice to roll may be gained for Investigations.
  LUNAR TRAINING BONUS
  If the Focus Character’s Lunar Training relates to the Investigation Question, 
  add a d10 to the Investigation category.
  PROFESSION BONUS
  Once an Explanation has been added to a World Element, if the Focus 
  Character’s Profession is similar in some way, or has elements of overlap 
  with the Element of the World, then add a d8 to a category of your 
  choice.
  HELPING BONUS
  Characters can assist one another. Helping means taking part in a 
  meaningful way in the investigation.  As the Focus Character’s actions are 
  described, the Helping character’s player says what their character does 
  to help. 
  The helping player rolls an additional die for the Investigation.  However, 
  if the value of the Helping die turns out to be a 1, the Helping character is 
  injured as part of the outcome. Aliens helpers’ relationship turns Stressful.
  Depending on who the help is given by, diff erent die sizes are rolled:
  Just one die can be rolled, of the highest die type available. 
  If a character is Panicked, the highest die they can off er is a d4. 
  If Injured, their die is set aside if it is the highest value of those rolled for 
  the Investigation.
  The die rolled is a Free Die. Unless the characters have an Antagonistic 
  Relationship (page 28), the player of the Focus Character assigns the rolled 
  Die to a category.   If they have an Antagonistic relationship, the player of 
  the helping character chooses the category. 
  Panicked human  (none other possible) d4
  Normal human with no relationship 
  d6
  Human with a relationship (+ or -) 
  d8
  Human whose Profession relates  
  d8
  Human whose Lunar Training relates 
  d10  
  Alien 
   
   
   
   
  d10
  
  Investigations  •  59 
  If the Helping character has a relationship with the Focus character, their 
  player can roll a higher die size even if their Lunar Training or Profession 
  do not apply.  Involve the charaters’ relationship in the narration of what 
  they do.  Both positive and negative relationships can be used to help, 
  but if a character has a negative relationship, they should needle and bust 
  the other characters chops, or whatever is appropriate to those characters’ 
  relationship.  In a Supportive relationship, helping out and being friendly 
  is fi ne.  
  If two players have chosen to have their characters be in an Antagonistic 
  relationship, they have committed to putting pressure on eachother’s 
  character. Putting the choice of where the die goes into the hands of the 
  Helping character’s player allows them to make decisions the other might 
  not have. 
  The group should agree whether the die needs to be put in a category 
  where the Helping die is higher than the others there already, if possible, 
  when Antagonism is present.  If not, that is not the case, the Focus 
  character’s player has the option to turn down help from that character at 
  the start of the Investigation. 
  SPECIAL NOTE:  WILD CARD EXPLORATION
  If a character is exploring the world, not trying to achieve an 
  action, but not following up on a specifi c Investigation Question, 
  the player may roll for a WILD CARD EXPLORATION.  
  Follow the steps as for an Investigation, but use the Wild Card 
  category instead of Investigation.  If an Explanation or Fact is the 
  Outcome and randomly, the area relating to an open Investigation 
  Question is rolled and the Random Word drawn seems to suggest it, 
  the players may create an Explanation that allows the Investigation 
  Question to progress.  But what is more likely is that something 
  unrelated will be created.
  OUTCOMES
  Investigations are long-term quests to understand aspects of the world. 
  With each successful Investigation, you come that much closer to being 
  able to resolve the questions that the Colonists have about the world. 
  Some of which are pursued out of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, 
  some for sheer survival.  Knowing what is edible for humans will be of 
  desparate importance once the rations run out.  
  In each category there are a range of possible outcomes. These are 
  described below, organized by category.
  
  60  •  Investigations
  INVESTIGATION
  NEW FACT EXPLAINED
  One aspect of a mysterious part of the new world becomes understood 
  and is Explained. An entry is made for the World Element. An entry is made 
  in the Investigation Question Record, and the Investigation moves one 
  step closer to being complete. 
  The Investigation bears fruit!  The Colonist that was inquiring into the 
  nature of this part of the world is able to learn something about what they 
  are observing.  
  The Focus Character’s Player gets to create an entry in the World Record 
  book.  Find a space in the area set aside for the appropriate discipline: 
  medicine, xenozoology, biotechnology, and etc. Make note of the 
  Descriptions for that World Element and then add one Explanation or New 
  Fact to it. 
  Then, add a line to the Investigation Record.  Create Resources when third 
  and fi fth boxes are checked, as described in Chapter 9 (p. 52). 
  TWO NEW FACTS
  Complete the same steps as when New Fact is Explained, but give two 
  Explanations, and add two Facts to the World Element entry.  
  However, add check on Box of on the Investigation Record. If Resources are 
  created, just one is created.  
  BAFFLING SURPRISE
  Something happens that unexpected and nonsensical. Have another player 
  draw a Random Word, likely a Verb, and describe what is experienced.  
  More Description notes can be written down, but no New  Explanation or 
  Fact is created.  The Colonists have more experience, but they are still in 
  the dark.
  1) Focus character’s player Explains one aspect of the World Element 
  2) Create World Element entry in World Record (omit if exists already)
  3) Record Descriptions, and Add New Fact
  4) Add information to Investigation Record
  
  Investigations  •  61 
  TROUBLES
  Troubles (discussed in Chapter 13, p. 75) are problems facing the humans. 
  These arise from the Investigations, or Actions, they undertake. For example, 
  if the Xenobotanist was trying to fi nd a good source  to make a fl our analog 
  out of for the colony to make bread, he or she might gather some plants to 
  grow near the Colony.  If the Investigation ends up creating a Trouble, this 
  eff ort would go awry. The life might grow too well, climbing up over the 
  colony walls and invading the sleeping chambers.  Or a neighbor might 
  notice what has been planted and report the humans to local authorities 
  for transgressing religious, legal or social rules.
  To create a Trouble, have someone pull another Random Word, and 
  describe what goes wrong.  Add a New Fact to the World Element, but it 
  is something that makes things diffi  cult for the Colonists.  This should be 
  something that can be a continuing source of distress: social confl ict with 
  aliens, possible harm to the Colonists, isolation, threatening or unreliable 
  environmental conditions like a sandstorm or tidal currents.  
  If there is a player with a Plot Character that may be involved or connected 
  with the eff ects of the Trouble, that player writes the Trouble down on 
  their Plot Character sheet, and can introduce it’s eff ects in play on sessions 
  when the Plot Character appears.  Players of Plot Characters make a 
  Complicating Fact each time the character appears. This can be used to 
  extend and solidify the Trouble.  
  The Trouble is recorded on the appropriate Record Sheet, depending upon 
  who it aff ects. There are two types of Troubles possible in Investigations:
  •   Colonist Trouble
  If the outcome is a Colonist Trouble, this issue aff ects the Focus Character  
  personnally. An alien might take a dislike to that Colonist, the local environs 
  might begin to resist or fl ee when that Colonist is around. Other Colonists 
  are not similarly aff ected. 
  Write the Trouble down on the Colonist’s character sheet.  It can be resolved 
  in time, as is described in the Troubles and Goals chapter, page 75. 
  •   Colony Trouble
  A Colony Trouble aff ects the whole group. All humans may now be  subject 
  to the problems arising from it.   A Plot Character may be created to 
  personify or bring the pressures of the Trouble to bear. 
  Write the Trouble down on the Colony sheet.  It can be resolved in time, as 
  is described in the Troubles and Goals chapter, page 75. 
    
  
  62  •  Investigations
  PANIC
  PANICKED
  Whatever the player has chosen for their Stress Response is what the 
  character does now. If the Response is something that consumes resources 
  (food, cigarettes etc.) make a note of how much they consume and how 
  much the resources are reduced by.  If their Response is an action, have 
  them make it, and see what kinds of eff ects this has on their relationships 
  with those around them. Do they swing punches at the fi rst thing they 
  see? If so, perhaps they hit an alien or another crew member? Do they 
  get quiet, perhaps they simply fade into the background for a while until 
  someone chats them up.  
  Until the Panic is cleared away, roll d4s as the base die in all categories 
  for things the Colonist tries to do. Both Investigations and Actions. To 
  relieve one’s character of Panic, have a Traumatic Flashback as described 
  in Chapter 11 (p. 70). If playing a One Session game, have a scene with 
  another Colonist where they can be reassured and talked down instead.
  NOT PANICKED
  The Colonist is unfazed by what they have experienced, and can continue 
  on with peace of mind. 
  HARM
  INJURY
  Injuries are physical damage to the Colonist. The Focus Character and any 
  Helping characters may be injured. Make a note of the type of damage on 
  the character’s sheet.  
  When a character is Injuried, the highest die result is set aside or thrown 
  out of the results for all rolls (Action, Investigation, Wild Card Exploration). 
  If this leaves no dice in a category, replace the die result with an automatic 
  result of 1.         
  Additional injuries can be sustained from further Investigations, Actions or 
  Helping another character. One level of injury is healed by the beginning 
  of the next session. A successful healing Action by the Doctor may also 
  heal a single level of injury more immediately. 
  EXPEND RESOURCE TO AVOID INJURY
  The Colonist avoids lasting harm, but something else is used or sacrifi ced 
  
  Investigations  •  63 
  to make this so. It may be supplies from the medical kit being used to stop 
  up a scrape or counteract infection. Or a scorching fl ame erupting from 
  some lifeform could burn a jumpsuit beyond repair, but miss damaging 
  the human inside it. 
  Cross the Resource off  of the World or Character sheet where it has been 
  recorded.  If a Resource with subdivisions (like food or sets of clothes), 
  mark off  one unit as being gone forever. 
  CHANGE INJURIES
  Sometimes when a Colonist is injured, the Cure allows their body to adapt 
  and come to fi t better the world it fi nds itself in. The Colonist takes on a 
  physical change that may resemble something from the world around it, 
  or be simply be strange an unknown to the Colonists. 
  These Changes develop over time, being at fi rst very unstable and off -
  putting. In time they stablize, and become a Resource for the Colonists, 
  and become a tangible mark of their Assimilation into the new world. This 
  is discussed  in Chapter 14 (p. 78).
  When a Change Injury is rolled, write down the Change the Colonist 
  undergoes on the Character Sheet. The Change is unstable initially. For 
  each roll until it is stabilized, the player must include Wild Card category, 
  which for these purposes now applies to the Colonist’s Change. For each 1 
  in Injury or 1-3 in Wild Card, mark one box and progress Change.  On third, 
  gain Individual Resource (physical or social) based on Change.  On fi fth, 
  Change stabilizes and player no longer needs to include Wild Card in all 
  rolls. Increase Assimilation by one level.   
  ADDITIONAL INJURIES
  If a character is involved in an Investigation or Action Roll while injured, 
  they may sustain another injury if a low result is rolled.  Describe the injury 
  and record it on the character’s sheet. If the current injury is a Change 
  Injury, advance the Change Injury one box along towards resolution.  If 
  the other Injuries are normal, add an additional one. 
  If Character has one Injury, thow out highest die roll in their Investigations 
  and Actions. If they assist someone, the same holds true: throw out their 
  die if it is the highest result. The Character is hurt, but able to continue 
  participating with a slight reduction in eff ectiveness.   
  If a Character has two normal Injuries, throw out the two highest results 
  from dice rolled.  They may still participate in Investigations and Actions, 
  and Assist other characters. But they are vulnerable to increased injury. 
  If a Character has three injuries, they are Incapacitated. They  may not be 
  the Focus Character, though they may assist other Colonists with their 
  
  64  •  Investigations
  Investigations and Actions.  
  If a Character takes a fourth injury, they are now unconcious and will not 
  heal Injuries levels normally until the Doctor can successfully heal the 
  character through an Action roll.  The character’s play may choose to retire 
  the Colonist and let them die. 
  CHARACTER DEATH
  If desired, a player may let their Colonist die. That player may then choose 
  to phase out of the game, or bring in a new Colonist. If a new character 
  is introduced, choose one with a new Lunar Training. The new character 
  enters at the next session. They begin fresh, shaved and clad in jumpsuit, 
  with an Assimilation of 1.
  Any time a character dies, have the characters begin the next session with 
  a funeral or memorial to the lost character. The new character may be 
  present. 
  UNHARMED
  The character is not injuired or harmed during the course of the 
  Investigation.
  WILD CARD
  COLONY TROUBLE
  A new Trouble is created for the Colony, or a current one grows more 
  intense, or gains new complexity.  Handle as with Investigation Outcome.
  BAFFLING SURPRISE 
  Something unexpected happens. More observations are gained, but no 
  new insights are gleaned.  Handle as with Investigation Outcome.
  NEW FACT EXPLAINED
  A new understanding of this Element of the World grows. As with 
  Investigation Outcome.
  ASSIMILATION
  COLONY FALLOUT
  The attempts that the Colonist is making to fi t in better on the new world 
  backfi re.  They may have off ended someone, or put the Colony in some 
  kind of physical danger, but this action has repurcussions for the whole 
  
  Investigations  •  65 
  group of humans.  
  The issue may be related to a Trouble. If there are any Colony Troubles in 
  play, they may be brought to bear by a player of a related Plot Character.  If 
  not, someone else pulls a Random Word and says what happens. 
  The Fallout happens in the immediate present. No new Troubles can be 
  created, though if appropriate, Resources may be used or destroyed. 
  GAFFE
  The Focus Character goofs up in a social way. They break social norms, or 
  damage someone’s property or person.  The Colonist may not know what 
  rules they broke, but they know for sure that the did something wrong.  An 
  embarrassing moment.  
  FRIENDLY HELP
  Someone steps in to smooth the way for the Colonist to do what they 
  need or want to do. Perhaps an alien provides necessary currency when 
  the humans have lost theirs. Or the Xsian Ambassador fi nds Colonists who 
  are lost. The helper need not be a known person. It can be a stranger.  If an 
  ally is gained later, this character can be re-incorporated and created as a 
  named, regularly played persona.
  PROGRESS TOWARD ASSIMILATION
  When attempting to gain a level of Assimilation, the player must make fi ve 
  successful attempts to do so.  This outcome allows them to gain another 
  step  toward their present goal in the longer course of Assimilation. More 
  discussion of gaining Assimilation is in Chapter 14 (p. 78). 
  PLAYING OUT THE FALLOUT
  Once the outcome has been determined, play out how this is handled. 
  What is the injury? How does it manifest? Is it physical or social in nature? 
  Has the Colonist been bitten by a “tree” or have they eaten the off spring 
  of their host?  
  Flashbacks may be needed. This can be played out immediately, or the 
  action can go to focus on another Colonist and the players can return to 
  the Flashback later.  The  character remains Panicked until the Flashback 
  is played out. 
  Once the Outcomes have been decided, and then played out, the Focus 
  can move on to another Colonist. Or the player of a Plot Character can 
  introduce something for the other players to deal with.  But be sure to 
  know how the Outcomes aff ect the Colonists within the story of the game 
  before moving on.
  
  66  •  Taking Action  
  ACTIONS IN THE WORLD
  When a character wishes to try to do something, rather than to simply 
  learn about the world, roll for an Action. Actions can be things like trying to 
  reach another part of the alien settlement, or trying to buy some supplies, 
  or trying to make clothing out of alien fi bres.  
  When taking an Action, the Colonist is interacting with Elements of the 
  world in a directed fashion, with a desired outcome in mind. The more that 
  is known about the areas of the world they are interacting with, the better 
  their chances of being successful. 
  Chapter 10: 
  Taking Action
  ACTION ROLLS
  1) The player of the Focus Character says what their character is 
  trying to do, and describes their actions
  2) If needed, another player or other players give descriptions of the 
  World Elements involved
  3) Determine if anyone is helping:
         One time per session, one Plot Character may assist the humans to 
  be able to accomplish an action successfully, for withou rolling.
  3) Assign Dice into categories
  4) Roll Dice within categories, Roll any Free Dice independently
  5) Assess high values and assign Free Dice, Determine and play out  
   
  Outcomes
  
  Taking Action  •  67 
  INVESTIGATION ROLL CATEGORIES AND OUTCOMES
  Required Categories:
  ACTION - FOR EACH FULLY EXPLAINED WORLD ELEMENT INOLVED, ADD 1 TO ROLL
  Die Value 
    1 
       2-5         6+                      8+
  Outcome        
  Fail              Fail         Succeed     Gain Ally/Friend           
                           Off ensively         
   
             (Create Friend) 
   
                        (Create Enemy) 
  PANIC
  Help and Assimilation Level aff ect likelihood of Panicking.
  Helped by:                      No one        
       Human       
    Alien
  Value needed      6 minus (-) Assimilation   5 - Assim.         4 - Assim.                   
    to NOT Panic                          
  Possible Categories: 
  HARM   -  IF PLAY GROUP DETERMINES ACTIONS MAY RISK INJURY
  Die Value 
  1 
        2-3                    4                               5+ 
  Outcome       Change         Injury       Expend Resource        Unharmed                                              
   
              Injury                               to avoid Injury
  WILD CARD   -  IF NO FACTS ARE KNOWN ABOUT THIS WORLD ELEMENT
  Die Value 
   1-3 
                        4-5       
     6+  
  Outcome     Colony Trouble            Baffl  ing            New Fact                                                     
   
            is Created                   Surprise          in Random                              
                        or is Escalated                     
                   Area
  ASSIMILATION - COLONIST WORKS TOWARD INTEGRATING WITH NEW WORLD
  Outcomes vary depending on current level of Assimilation
  Assimilation:   1             2-4               5-6                    Outcomes
  Die Value          8+            6+               8+         Progress toward Assim.
                              5-7            5                   7           Friend Helps
                              2-4          3-4               5-6         Gaff e
                                1            1-2               1-4         Colony Fallout
  
  68  •  Taking Action
  OUTCOMES
  The Outcomes for categories Panic, Harm, Wild Card and Assimilation are 
  all as for Investigation Rolls (Chapter 9, page 52).  The outcomes for Actions 
  diff er from Investigations and are described below. 
  ACTIONS
  FAIL OFFENSIVELY (CREATE ENEMY)
  The Colonist has over-reached their ability to be part of the world around 
  him or her.  Not only do they fail at their task, but they actively off end some 
  alien they interact with, and that being takes it personally.  
  This can play out in one of two ways: the  Focus Character can now have 
  a Relationship with the alien, a Stressful one. Someone else takes on 
  that character as a Supporting Cast and fi lls out a sheet for them in their 
  Supporting Character Sheet. 
  Or someone can create a Plot Character that will now take an active interest 
  in the Colony as a whole.  The character can off er help as all Plot Characters 
  can, but their real purpose is in putting pressure on the Colony, and their 
  negative interaction with the Colonist at this time is the seed for all future 
  diffi  culties. 
  FAIL
  The Focus character has been unsuccessful in what they hoped to achieve.  
  Have someone draw a Random Word to describe what obstacles or 
  strangeness the humans encounter instead of what was desired. 
  SUCCEED
  The Focus Character is able to accomplish what they aimed to do.  They 
  may be working towards an overall goal, or just trying to get somewhere 
  to do more Investigation.  Either way, they are able to do so, and can allow 
  the other Colonists to do so as well.
  GAIN ALLY (CREATE FRIEND)
  Someone on the planet is impressed with the human’s eff orts, or feels 
  empathy for what they are going through, and decides to befriend them. 
  The alien may assist them in making the Action successful, or join them in 
  what they are doing.  
  Again, this may be handled in two diff erent ways. Either one of the 
  Colonists can form a relationship with this Alien and so someone can play 
  them as a supportive friend. Or it can become a Plot Character, with the 
  more complex agendas and implications for the Colony that that entails. 
  See the list of sample Plot Characters on page 85 for suggestions. 
  
  Taking Action  •  69 
  HELPFUL FLASHBACKS 
  Flashbacks have a special role for Actions sequences.  Just as for 
  Investigations, they are used to refresh the characters if they Panic. And 
  at any time a player may call for a Refl ection Flashback  to simply show 
  something about the character’s past.  Discussion of how to do these 
  things is found on page 70, 72 , in chapter 11. But for Actions they can be 
  done for diff erent reasons: to gain an additional advantage die for a roll, 
  this is called a Prelude Flashback. 
  A Flashback may be declared as an prelude to a potentially diff cult Action 
  scene in order for the player to gain an additional die to roll. For this 
  Flashback the player of the Focus character declares that they would like 
  to have a Flashback before their Action Roll. They then frame a moment 
  from the character’s past where they did something similar to what they 
  will do in the present on the alien planet.  
  In this moment from their past, they were strong and able, or were helped 
  by someone to do what they did. The Focus character’s player may cast 
  other players into roles in the Flashback, or have it be a solo scene, or even 
  simply describe what happened.  You can use the list of roles from the 
  Traumatic Flashback scenes to help think of what types of characters might 
  be present and what their relationship would be to the Focus Character. 
  However, there is no minimum number that needs to be represented.  
  Play or describe the event briefl y.  Once it is complete, the player gets a 
  Free d6 to roll.   
  TRAUMATIC FLASHBACKS
  If a Colonist fails in the Panic category, the character does its stress response 
  and their base die for all Investigations and Confl icts is a d4 instead of a d6. 
  They are refreshed from this state after they play a Traumatic Flashback.
  There is no need to roll dice in a Flashback, but the other players take 
  rolls that helps create tension and resolution within the scene.  Injured 
  characters may take part in Flashback sequences. 
  More information about running Flashback Scenes is found in chapter 11, 
  (p. 70).  
  ACCOMPLISHING GOALS
  The Colonists have Goals they are working towards.  They can take actions 
  to reach their objectives.  The player may decide at any time that a Goal has 
  been accomplished, or that it is no longer of importance to the character.  
  Goals are meant to be steered toward, but that is more important than 
  whether they are reached.  See Chapter 13 (p. 75).
  
  70  •  Flashbacks  
  FLASHBACK SCENES
   
  Flashback sequences shed light on events in a Colonist’s past. They 
  can be done for diff erent reasons: to end Panic and to gain an additional 
  advantage die for a roll, or to simply show something about the character’s 
  past. There are three diff erent types:
  1) Traumatic Flashback -- relive a stressful moment in the past that was 
  triggered by an encounter with the strange gone awry
  2) Prelude Flashback -- remember a moment of strength from the 
  character’s past that can help them take Action
  3) Refl ection Flashback -- a scene allowing the players to learn more about 
  the Colonist. May be used to set up for Goals, express the Story Seed or to 
  set up for later Actions or Investigations.
  If a Colonist fails in the Panic category, the character does its stress response 
  and their base die for all Investigations and Confl icts is a d4 instead of a d6. 
  They are refreshed from this state after they have a Traumatic Flashback..  
  A Flashback may be declared as a prelude to a potentially harmful or 
  diffi  cult Action scene in order for the player to gain an additional die to 
  roll. It may also be used following a failed Panic Roll to refresh a character 
  from their impairment. Injured characters may take part in Flashback 
  sequences. 
  There is no need to roll dice in a Flashback, but the other players may take 
  roles that help create satisfying tension within the scene.
    
  Chapter 11: 
  Flashbacks
  
  Flashbacks  •  71 
  FRAMING A TRAUMATIC FLASHBACK SCENE
  In a fl ashback sequence, the Focus Character’s player chooses when the 
  scene takes place in the Colonists’ life. Pick some element of the Scene 
  from the presnt to incorporate into the scene.  If a Noun was chosen for a 
  Description, use that in an event in the character’s past.  
  Describe when it is, where it is, and what the stressful situation facing the 
  character is. Then cast the other players as characters in the fl ashback. The 
  characters present have power in relation to the Focus Character.  
  Choose characters that fulfi ll at least three of the following roles: 
  ALLY – a friend or compatriot of the Colonist
  AUTHORITY – someone who holds power over the Colonist
  DEPENDENT – someone who relies on the Colonist for protection or help
  DESIRED – a person who is or who has something that the Colonist needs
  RIVAL – someone vying for the same thing that the Colonist wants
  SEEKER – a person who wants something from the Colonist
  If the shoe fi ts, cast players in roles that are similar to the role their character 
  played in scenes in the present. The other players are responsible for 
  putting pressure on the Focus Character, to push that character into stress. 
  Superiors ask them to fulfi ll obligations, dependents rely on the Colonist-
  to-be, enemies try to intimidate the character. Even friends can dare the 
  Focus Character into dangerous acts, though they also off er friendship 
  and support. 
  Always follow this procedure for Traumatic Flashbacks. The player may 
  summarize events for a fl ashback setting them up for an Investigation or 
  Action. 
  PRELUDE FLASHBACKS
  In order to gain additional advantage for an Action, a Flashback may be 
  played out or narrated as a Prelude to the roll. What happens in the Prelude 
  Flashback will have obvious parallels with current action. For example, if 
  the Colonist is attempting to travel through the alien population center by 
  crossing streaming currents that criss-cross the settlement, the player may 
  narrate a memory of the character falling out of a canoe on a white water 
  PLAYING OUT THE FLASHBACK:
  Bring the scene to a boil, then when it reaches a climax, end it, 
  coming back to the present day at the Colony. 
  
  72  •  Flashbacks
  rafting trip, fl oating over the rocks and then striking out to reach the shore 
  when it the moment was right.  
  Preludes will most often be a brief narration. The Focus Character’s Player 
  will relate a memory or experience the Colonist is calling upon in this 
  moment.   If acted out, you may use the list of types of character roles 
  from the Traumatic Flashback description as suggestions of the types of 
  characters to include.  Roll an additional Free six-sided die (d6) in an Action 
  after a Prelude Flashback. 
  REFLECTION FLASHBACKS
  Over the course of the game, players may suggest playing out a scene from 
  their character’s past as a simple exploration of the character.  These will be 
  more likely to be played out, with multiple characters in the scene.  
  Players can and should ask another players to play Refl ection Flashbacks 
  for their own Colonist.  Players of Plot Characters can use this as a tool to 
  introduce ways to put pressure on the Colonists. Information about a 
  character’s past may be revealed allowing the players to look at the character 
  in a new light.  
  Be brief with these scenes. Use them to puncutate and shed light on the 
  events in the present. Although characters from Earth can be recurring 
  characters, their presence is there to help give more depth to the Colonists 
  as they move forward and struggle with their new home.  
  OMITTING FLASHBACKS IN A ONE SESSION GAME
  To increase the pace for a game of short duration, you may skip playing out 
  Flashbacks all together. If your character Panics, have them cause chaos or 
  confusion for the others, and destroy one of the belongings of someone 
  else or that belongs to the Colony.  They must roll all 4-sided dice for 
  Actions and Investigations as usual when Panicked, but can be refreshed 
  by taking a break and spending time talking with another colonist. 
  MECHANICAL EFFECTS OF FLASHBACKS
  Flashbacks responding to a failed Panic roll allow the character to 
  move out of Panic. The player may now roll normal d6s for Actions and 
  Investigations. 
  Flashbacks to set up for an Investigation or Action give the player an 
  additional d6 to assign to one Category. 
  Flashbacks for Refl ection have no mechanical eff ect. However, they can 
  establish things about to help the others understand them, or to help set 
  up for Plot Characters to put pressure on the Colony through Troubles. 
  
  Flashbacks  •  73
  GROUP SCENES
   
  At the start of each session, and whenever the players want to take 
  a break from Investigations and Actions, a Group Scene may be called for. 
  These scenes may involve all or some of the Colonists. An example is the 
  initial scene when the Colonists choose a world to form the Colony on. 
  The group session starting an evening’s play should include all Colonists 
  present.  This is opportunity for the Colonists to check in with one another, 
  and for the players to spend time in character being on this world. 
  Perhaps setting plans for what will come next, or reacting to what has just 
  happened. Or just enjoying their time in the new world. 
  Instead of an out of character planning session, the players may use this 
  time as an in-character check in time, and as a moment to indicate in-
  character what the priorities are for this session of play. 
  Subsequently, or later in the game, the players may call for other group 
  scenes. These may involve one or a few of the Colonists. They may be 
  supporting one another after diffi  cult times, or plotting against someone 
  else or scheming about doing something in the world.  No roll need happen, 
  no Investigation enters in. Flashbacks can be done at will, to give more 
  information on where the Colonist is coming from, or to re-contextualize 
  something that just happened. 
  MISSION SCENES
   
  If there are six or more players in the group, they may break up 
  into smaller groups to go explore the world. In contrast to Group Scenes, 
  these are specifi cally about Investigating. 
  Chapter 12: 
   Group and Mission 
  Scenes
  
  74  •  Flashbacks
  Alternatively, if there is a large group but only some can make it to the 
  game each session, then each session counts as a Mission Scene with 
  some of the Colonists.  Though in this case, Flashback scenes should be 
  played out as normal.   
  In Mission Scenes, a small group chooses their set of Investigation 
  Questions to pursue and heads out into the planet to do so. The players 
  ask each other questions and describe the world as normal, and make 
  Investigation or Action Rolls, as normal.  However, Flashback scenes must 
  wait until all players are present again, so characters that Panic during a 
  Mission will operate at a lower level of capability until they get back to the 
  Colony and decompress. 
  When the players have completed their Mission—or need help, they may 
  return to the Colony and await the return of the others, or they may call 
  for help, for example if an injury occurs or if a heavy situation breaks out. 
  When all groups have returned home, have a Group Scene in which the 
  Colonists debrief each other on the events of the Mission and what was 
  discovered.
  Have the groups choose Questions that address diff erent parts of 
  the world in order to minimize the chance of making contradictory 
  discoveries. However, if there are contradictory discoveries, allow them to 
  be part of the strangeness of the world, and resolve them through further 
  Investigations. 
  RECORD KEEPING
  When using Mission Scenes as a structure for the overall session, be sure 
  to take good, legible notes on World Element Sheets and record the 
  incidents in Personal Logs for the players next week to be able to read 
  and understand and incorporate into their understanding of the world. 
  Professional Logs may be necessary or useful for this style of play. 
  
  Troubles, Goals  •  75
  Chapter 13: 
  Troubles and Goals
  GIVING DIRECTION TO PLAY
  Both Troubles and Goals exist to help the story of the game fl ow along. 
  Troubles do so by creating lines of pressure that the Colonists must 
  struggle against and try to overcome. Goals do so by  providing positive 
  destinations and objectives for the Colonists to move towards.  Troubles 
  enter randomly, created during the course of Investigations.  Goals are 
  chosen by the player, and can be released or abandoned when they no 
  longer serve a meaningful purpose. Troubles must be struggled with to 
  be overcome, but once they are completed they open up broader areas of 
  Connection and belonging than is available elsewhere. 
  TROUBLES 
  Troubles are a possible outcome during an Investigation. When they occur, 
  what they are is determined by someone other than the Focus character’s 
  player, who either draws a random word to inspire it, or calls up on an issue 
  close to a Plot Character’s heart to rain adversity down on the Colonists’ 
  heads.  
  Troubles may either aff ect an individual Colonist, or the whole Colony. 
  Troubles that are specifi c to an individual Colonist are written down on 
  their character sheet. Ones that are in eff ect Colony-wide are recorded on 
  the Colony Sheet.  
  Beside each Trouble entry there are a number of boxes.  Five boxes for 
  group Troubles or Questions, three boxes for individual ones.  Each of 
  
  76  •  Troubles, Goals
  these boxes represents a scene in which something was revealed about 
  this issue, or in which something was established via an Investigation or 
  Action.  When this occurs, check off  one of the boxes.  
  When all boxes have been checked off , the Trouble reaches a Crisis Point.  
  During a Crisis Point, the players of the Colonists must face the issue in 
  by taking Actions to resolve it.  A successful outcome to the Action is all 
  that is needed. However, if there is a failure, then the Trouble escalates and 
  intensfi es.  When this happens, erase all checks made, and re-write Trouble 
  in greater magnitude to be dealt with still.
  IN CHARGE OF TROUBLES
  Once a Trouble is written down, one player gets to take responsibility 
  for bringing it into play.  Similar to the role that Game Masters play, each 
  player will eventually be asked to hold a piece of the adversity for the rest 
  of the players.  And of course, others can help and make suggestions.
  The Trouble may be associated with a Plot Character. That is precisely what 
  the Plot Characters are there to do. They can help the Colony, but they are 
  also personifi cations of the forces putting pressure on the Colony from 
  various diff erent directions. 
  Players who are in charge of a given Trouble  can introduce it into a 
  session when their Plot Character appears. Or, if there is not Plot Character 
  associated with it (if, for example, it is associated with the natural world, 
  the land or the weather), they get to introduce a complication for the 
  Colony to deal with.  Actions and Investigations can be made in order to 
  get through this leg of the eff ects of the Trouble. Success or Failure are 
  determined by the Investigation or Action roll.
  Example Troubles: 
  Humans declared untouchable
  Humans don’t fi t into work castes
  Allergic to the food
  Aliens want Colony to join religion
  Meteor showers pelt the dwelling
  Overzealous alien friends
  Invasive communication
  Crazy neighbors
  Can’t tell where the roads are, and aren’t
  Unpredictably variable gravity
  Living in a warzone
  Never dark
  Invading animals
  Shared nightmares
  No more salt
  
  Troubles, Goals  •  77 
  TOO MANY TROUBLES.
  It is possible that the Colony could have many, many Troubles open and 
  unresolved.  If so, pace their appearance.  At the start of each game session 
  decide which Investigations, Goals and Troubles will make an appearance 
  in this night’s session. Not everything has to be touched on. Allow the 
  group to tie up some threads before moving on to address the others.  Ues 
  the lines available on Record sheets as a top capacity for them. If Troubles 
  get rolled again, let the current ones intensify instead.
  GOALS
  The character’s Goals are personal and idiosyncratic. They can have to do 
  with whatever is of importance to the Character and to the player. Large or 
  small, the Colonist can have several in play at once. Goals are tools to help 
  the players have ideas about what to do in a given session, and to help one 
  another see what is going on for the other Colonists, so they can build on 
  it by helping or countering what the others want to do.  
  Intrigue among the Colonists is a fi ne thing. Confl icts between them 
  are resolved by taking parallel Actions against one another. Both could 
  succeed or fail.  The main emphasis is not on this area in the beginning of 
  the game however, the Colonists will likely be pulling together to survive. 
  Later stages of the game could be all about the diff erent plots and parts 
  of the new world that the Colonists have gotten themselves entangled in. 
  Goals at that stage might be warring visions for what the humans or others 
  will do.  
  Goals can be completed at any time that the player feels they were 
  adequately resolved. They may also be abandoned unfi nished if they are 
  no longer pertinent.  New Goals can be added at any time. 
  Example Goals:
  Growing a tomatoes
  Growing marijuana
  Getting to work on time
  Starting a business
  Joining an alien group
  Meeting the neighbors
  Escaping from the compound the placed the Colony in
  Making a friend
  Making a musical instrument
  Making new clothes
  Getting to vote
  Throwing a party for the aliens you know
  
  78  •  Assimilation/Change  
  Chapter 14: 
  Assimilation and Changes
  INTEGRATION INTO THE WORLD
  The humans leave earth and cannot return.  They must fi nd a way to 
  become comfortable on their new world, and perhaps even make it their 
  home.  The characters may strive for integration or shy away from it. It will 
  progress at their initiative, as well as through random acts of fate.  
  A Colonist’s Assimilation level represents how deeply the characters are 
  intertwined with the new world. All Colonists begin with an Assimilation 
  of 1, which is due to the fact that they left home to go here, and took the 
  Cure which cuts them off  forever from home. 
  The two ways progress in Assimilation are represented in the game are 
  Assimilation and the Change.  One can choose to increase your Assimilation.  
  The players do this by acting in ways in their Actions and Investigations so 
  as to court the approval of aliens, or to learn more deeply their ways and 
  their world.  The outcomes for Assimilation are described below: 
  ASSIMILATION - COLONIST WORKS TOWARD INTEGRATING WITH NEW WORLD
  Outcomes vary depending on current level of Assimilation
  Assimilation:   1             2-4               5-6                    Outcomes
  Die Value         8+            6+                8+      Progress toward Assim.
                              5-7            5                   7           Alien Helps
                              2-4          3-4               5-6         Gaff e
                                1            1-2               1-4         Colony Fallout
  
  Assimilation/Change  •  79 
  On the Character sheet In the Assimilation section, there are spaces for 
  describing what each level of Assimilation represents. It may be making 
  an alien friend, it may be learning some of their language, it may be taking 
  an alien lover.  Write in what you are aiming for, and a you get successful 
  Investigations or Actions, check in the boxes as you move towards this goal.  
  When you’ve had 5 successes, that level is gained and you get diff erent 
  bonuses.  Working toward Assimilation itself changes a lot as you go up in 
  level.  
  CHANGES 
  The other way to gain Assimilation is to have a Change Injury.  This occurs 
  randomly, though you may choose to use a Free Die in another category, 
  if you’d like to gain an injury that would cause you to start Changing. The 
  Change is much like super-speedy adaptation to the world. It is a side 
  eff ect of the Cure tha was given to you and all the rest of the Colonists to 
  allow them to leave earth.  
  When you get a Change Injury, write down the form of the injury on your 
  character sheet. The Doctor may take notes and observer your chages as 
  well.  Whenever you Invstigate or take an Action, always roll the Wild Card 
  catgory when you have a Change i njury.  Initiallly the Change is not stable, 
  and may over-react to things in the environment or what the Colonist 
  does. With each successful roll, check off  one of the boxed. At the third 
  box, the Change becomes a resource of some sort to the Colonist, but it is 
  still a wild sort of ability.  After 5 successes, the Change calms down, and 
  the Colonist can go on, aided and not confused by their own body any 
  longer. 
  ONE WAY AT A TIME
  You cannot be trying to gain an Assimilation level and deaiing with a 
  Change ingury at the same time. If you roll a “Change Injury” result while 
  you are trying to integrate through Actions, the Injury is purely a normal 
  one instead.    
  
  80  •  Other Characters  
  PLAYING AN ALIEN
   
  When you play an alien, choose a word to help you describe 
  what it does or how it responds.  You are not responsible for making its 
  responses understandable, instead your job is to simply be inspired by 
  what comes to mind, and to build on what has been established in the 
  past.  Until more understanding and communication has been established 
  with aliens and the alien world, your job is to play the aliens in such a 
  way as to befuddle and bemuse the others.  Though, when your character 
  supports the Colonists, you are not required to battle them instead. Just 
  allow the character to be truly alien, and somewhat mysterious. 
  If you are playing an alien as a Plot Character, your job will be to sometimes 
  help the Colonists, but to also push them or put pressure on them.  The 
  character will have something they want to accomplish, or an ulterior 
  agenda for or about the Colonists.  Each session when you play this character 
  it will be your responsibility to introduce in to the world something that 
  makes things complicated for the colony.  These characters help shape 
  play by providing Adversity.
  If you are playing an alien as a Supporting Character, your job will be to help 
  the Colonists, and to create links for the humans to the new world. These 
  characters cannot speak any human language unless you’ve successfully 
  completed an Investigation or Goal to be able to communicate with them 
  using some language, the Colonists will have to make shift as they can, 
  using gestures and actions to represent what they want.  While playing 
  these characters, you can provide a help roll once per session, and can 
  give three Explanations for three World Elements that help the Colonists or 
  make things easier for them. These characters help shape play by providing 
  Grounding and Assistance. 
  Chapter 15: 
  Other Characters
  
  Other Characters  •  81 
  LANGUAGE
  None of the aliens on the new planet can speak any human language. 
  Humanity is a complete nonentity to this world. Earth is an unknown world, 
  from a backwater sector of the galaxy, with a people that noone knows 
  about or may ever have heard of.  It is as if  members of an isolated tribe 
  from the Amazon were suddenly re-located to New York City or Chartre.  
  No one would know their language.  The only aliens that know a human 
  tongue are the Xsians. There is a Xsian Ambassador who will bring your 
  Colonists to their new home. They communicate through a device that 
  transposes their lilting language into a human language understood by 
  most of the group. Xsians are likely to know a small amount of Mandarin, 
  Hindi, Arabic, Spanish or English. They communicate in stilted English, 
  and are only able to communicate to the humans about concepts they 
  understand.  Xsians may help in an investigation roll by giving more some 
  information for the helping roll, but they cannot act as a tour guide to 
  explain all that the Colonists see around them. 
  NOTES ON XSIANS
  The Xsian <zis-see’-un> species has made a group commitment to 
  shepherding and helping humanity to make up for the grave loss of life 
  and liberty that their ship caused.  Xsians specialize in learning human 
  languages and all new human colonies are located within easy proximity 
  of a Xsian embassy on alien planets.  Colonies in the game will not be 
  located on Xsian planets to begin, though they may be created later in the 
  game.  
  Xsians are tall, greenish-translucent skinned beings with many amoeboid 
  tentacles and glossy white-silver hairlike fronds coming from their head-
  type area. They have eyes and a mouth, but no nose.  Many humans are 
  disgusted by their smell, but their language is often thought to be musical 
  and enchanting. They communicate with humans through mechanical 
  translation devices that transmute the sounds they make into a replica of 
  human language. The information they can convey is simple and stilted, 
  and is often enigmatic to the humans. 
  
  82  •  Other Characters
  SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
   
  A supporting character is a friend or acquaintance of one of the 
  Colonists. They may be an alien who may help or aggravate the Colonists. 
  Or it may be someone on Earth who had a relationship with a Colonist, 
  at some point far distant in their past, or in the present, though now at a 
  distance of course. The supporting character is played by another of the 
  players as a secondary character. They give the Colonists other people in 
  the world to interact with. And also, to give the players other characters 
  to play in the world. More discussion of them may befound in the About 
  Playing Chapter on page 94.  
  Supporting characters can be created whenever a character has been 
  introduced and a player of a Colonist forms a relationship with it, or when 
  the outcome of an Action is Gain an Ally. Someone else must agree to play 
  that character. They may be aliens, or humans from the Colonists’ past as 
  seen in fl ashbacks. Fill out the Name, Species and Description, as well as the 
  name of the Colonist with whom the character has a relationship and that 
  Colonist’s Assimilation. Also write the character on the Colonist’s sheet, 
  circle positive or negative and describe the nature of the relationship.
  The player of each Supporting Character gets to add three things to the 
  world through this character. They may add an Explanation to a World 
  Element, or give a new Belonging to the Colonist they have a relationship 
  with.  These are indicated by the boxes at the bottom of the Supporting 
  Character sheets.  Check each one off  as one has been created.  
  EXAMPLE SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:
  Playing aliens at fi rst, will be a bit diff erent from what is usually involved in 
  playing a character. They are baffl  ing and confusing to the humans at fi rst. 
  Their ways are unknown. They may be the avenue for the humans to gain 
  Friend
  Pet
  Lover
  Neighbor
  Coworker
  Correspondent
  Guide
  Host
  Business owner
  Friendly child
  Fellow organization/religious member
  Service provider (bus driver, laundry, etc.)
  Each Supporting Character has a relationship with one of the 
  Colonists
  Each Colonist may be helped in an Investigation or Action once 
  per session by a present Supporting Character
  The player of each Supporting Character may create three free 
  World Elements or Belongings
  
  Other Characters  •  83 
  real understanding in the world.  Playing a human from a Colonist’s past 
  is also a way to be able to have a character now and then that is simply 
  human and understandable. Over time, the aliens will become more 
  known, but at fi rst the players may experience some of the culture shock 
  and bewilderment of the characters. 
  Just as when playing a Plot Character, give yourself time to settle in to 
  them. The purpose of a Supporting Character, really is primarily to support 
  (and push) the Colonists, now and in the past.  Some who truly do push 
  may develop into a full blown Plot Character over time.  They don’t need to 
  though, and mostly they will simply be someone they Colonists know. They 
  can, however, become someone that the Colonists come to know more 
  deeply: a lover, a friend, a comrade at work, a religious fellow.  Anywhere 
  you and the other player take the relationship is fi ne.  And follow the tone 
  of the group to help you pick the ways it may manifest or be represented. 
  Don’t start doing graphic sex scenes around the others if you get stares 
  and rolled eyes.  Be serious.  But over time, too, the Supporting Character 
  will develop needs and desires. This can only happen, of course, once the 
  players have some kind of handle on what is happening in the world the 
  Colonists are on.  
  So don’t rush it.  Let the cycle fl ow through, and for the fi rst little while, 
  just let yourself be baffl  ing and odd. But consistent.  When you choose a 
  random word, let that inspire what you do with the character, and then next 
  time you come back to the character, remember to incorporate something 
  from last time. Make a note on the character sheet to help you remember: 
  “hugs a lot”, or “seems to be a little violent”.  Base these things, as always, 
  on what the Colonists can see and hear. You don’t know why the aliens 
  do what they do yet. Playing one means you are helping everyone have a 
  moving canvas to paint their collective ideas onto. Making the world and 
  its inhabitants a living, breathing thing, rather than a fl at backdrop that 
  the characters parade in front of. 
   The point of this game is to give you all a long, sweet chance to see what’s 
  really in the inside of a person, peoples and a place. To explore the small 
  things that make it diffi  cult and awesome and rewarding to become part 
  of a new place and culture.  To learn to respect some of the obstacles 
  people deal with, though in a fantastic setting with characters that truly 
  are empowered to do what they will—over time, with application and 
  determination.  
  The creation of this world is a work of the group.  It’s a constantly unfolding 
  picture that comes clearer and clearer over time, and that becomes more 
  faceted and more deeply aspected.  Everyone is the architect of some 
  parts, and the parts are built together until the entirety of the discoveries 
  and creations make a complete whole. Or an ongoingly evolving whole. 
  
  84  •  Other Characters
  The supporting cast are an important way that the Colonists will put a face 
  on the world too. They make the alien personal. 
  PLOT CHARACTERS
   
  When creating a Plot character fi ll out the Name, Species, Affi  liation 
  and Description of the character.  Plot characters have additional aspects 
  that get created over time: an Agenda for the humans, something that 
  they Off er the Colonists, something they Desire and something that they 
  Fear.  When creating the Plot Character, choose only the Agenda.  As time 
  goes on, fi ll in the other aspects of the character as things about the world 
  get revealed.  
  So each plot character will start out with at least a description of how that 
  character has power over the Colonists. You will also determine how that 
  character can help the humans and what they off er, and in time what they 
  fear or need. In each session, the humans may ask for help from one Plot 
  character. The person playing may describe how the alien helps them in an 
  investigation or confl ict, and adds a d10 to their roll.
  When you choose a Plot Character to play, you are taking responsibility for 
  a portion of the world and how it aff ects the Colonists.  The Plot Characters 
  all have power over the Colony in some way. The Alien Employer helps 
  them become productive citizens on the planet, the Terran Authority 
  Liason is their connection with Earth, the Xsian Ambassador is their host 
  on the planet.  
  These characters can and will help the Colonies, but they also are 
  representative of larger forces that are tugging and pulling on the Colonists. 
  By taking this step and coming to the new world, the Colonists are putting 
  themselves in the midst of struggles and needs of nations, worlds and 
  species.  By coming to this place, they change the future of humanity, even 
  if only by sending home information about new ways to make ice cream, 
  much less genetic modifi cation or faster than light travel. 
  Just as choosing a Lunar Training means you are interested in learning and 
  establishing things in the world that fall under that discipline, so too are 
  Each Plot Character has an Agenda for the humans
  One  Plot Character per session can Help a Colonist in an 
  Investigation or give them a free success for an Action
  Each Plot Character off ers the Colony something it needs
  Each Plot Character has a Fear and a Desire which are discovered 
  over time
  
  Other Characters  •  85 
  you taking on watching out for and developing how a certain aspect of the 
  world aff ects the Colonists.  With the Terran Authority, you are going to be 
  looking for ways Earth, humanity and the people in the Colonist’s lives will 
  make things complicated for them.  
  With the Xsians, you are examining how the presence of the humans in the 
  Interstellar community is unformed and new, and get to establish what 
  the true motives of the Xsians are or may be. They too are alien, was the 
  crash really an accident? Examples follow, of Plot Characters and what 
  complications they could bring into play.
  EXAMPLE PLOT CHARACTERS: 
  TERRAN AUTHORITY LIASON 
  Possible Agendas: Colony should bring back military technology to favor 
  one country over the others, Convert the aliens, Bring back technology 
  for corporation for bonus, Smuggle drug formulas to Earth, Send genetic 
  information for adaptation of human animals/people, Send plans of planet 
  for military purposes, Biotech/cybernetic technology for adaptations 
  for humans, Learn psychological adaptations for conditioning of human 
  population, Propaganda, Heroic stories, Newsworthy tales/scandal etc., 
  Entertainment for humanity: reality tv (invasively so), Art for education of 
  humanity, Technology for trade edge, Scandal for toppling Earth political 
  fi gure, Militaristic society—learn values and send back impressive data, 
  Skew data to support political agenda.  
  Off ers the Colony: connection with loved ones back on Earth resupply of 
  resources, send special belongings, send bribes, send things they humans 
  can use to trade or make their lives easier on the planet (a la cigarettes 
  to a prisoner), knowledge of what is going on back on Earth, knowledge 
  about the Xsians, new technologies/devices, equipment for investigations, 
  awards from Earth, promotions, communications from lofty offi  cials. 
  Fears: discovery, enemies on Earth, aliens. 
  Desires: money, status, human conquest.
  XSIAN AMBASSADOR 
  Possible Agendas: gain status from human performance on the planet, 
  personal gain, thirst for understanding of humanity, want the humans to 
  integrate as soon as possible, contemptuous of humans, stupid, envious 
  of humans, stepping stone to another world, want humans to die, want 
  humans to bribe them. 
  
  86  •  Other Characters
  OFFERS THE COLONY: looking out for humans, their responsibility to see them 
  settled and well, off er knowledge of world and communication, offi  cial 
  protection of Xsian society and worlds.
  FEARS: other aliens, superiors, human knowledge of their motives, being 
  stuck on this planet. 
  DESIRES: advancement, knowledge, power, resources. 
  ALIEN EMPLOYER  
  POSIBLE AGENDAS: Exploit the humans for diffi  cult/dangerous/humiliating 
  labor, adopt the humans into their family, attracted to a Colonist, physically 
  violent or emotionally abusive, uncaring or unaware of physical diff erences 
  for the humans, want them to go home, want them to help with confl ict 
  with some other group, curious about their physiology. 
  OFFER THE COLONY: work, payment and connection to the aliens, a place 
  in society, money or exchange currency, friendship, understanding, 
  compassion. 
  FEARS: being seen as an alien lover, enemies/rivals, losing status, injury from 
  humans, replacement. 
  DESIRES: advancement, status, wealth, lovers, family. 
  RELIGIOUS/CULTURAL LEADER 
  POSSIBLE AGENDAS: See humans as threat to current order, want to convert 
  humans, turn members of religion against humans, want to know about 
  human spirituality, see human(s) as avatar or fi gure in their religion, 
  opposed to integration with humans, ideas about how humans should 
  dress/act, see them as second class.
  OFFER THE COLONY:  belonging in a group, understanding of religious world, 
  protection of community, blessings from supernatural beings. 
  FEARS: overthrow of their religion or authority, invasion of foreign 
  infl uences. 
  DESIRE: to gain more converts, to share their religion, to be seen as 
  benefi cent. 
  POLITICAL/ORGANIZATIONAL OFFICIAL
  
  Other Characters  •  87 
  POSSIBLE AGENDAS: see humans a bargaining chip in ongoing struggle or 
  campaign, want to use humans to campaign or control other through 
  their presence, use humans as mascots,  want to redistrict humans out of 
  their area, want humans to fi t into order, want humans outside of order, 
  see humans as opportunity for gain. 
  Off er the Colony: protection and immunity from laws or social reprobation, 
  can connect with proper authorities, give place in the society, introduce 
  to others, create order or organizational principles to take humans into 
  account.  
  FEAR: losing status, humans being used against them, incident or fi asco, 
  political scandal, unveil illicit practices. 
  DESIRE: gain power, be seen to help others, salve conscience. 
  SECURITY/ORDER ENFORCER
  POSSIBLE AGENDAS: Wants to keep the humans in check, is suspicious of their 
  motivations, wants to keep them from being involved in criminal activity, 
  is looking for ways to get them in trouble, doesn’t like how they smell, is 
  corrupt, is on the take from criminal forces, takes a liking to them which 
  pisses off  the neighbors. 
  OFFERS THE COLONY:  protection from harm, information about laws and civic 
  duties, can help them navigate.  
  FEAR: unrest, disruption, corruption, other security personnel, outlaws. 
  DESIRE: easy work, power, knowledge of other worlds, safety for their 
  family.
  CRIMINAL 
  POSSIBLE AGENDAS: may off er protection to humans, may threaten if do not 
  comply, can involve humans in illegal activity without their knowledge, 
  can exploit the humans for their own gain, can honestly like them but 
  bring down offi  cial approprobrium through their patronage. 
  OFFER THE COLONY: wealth and resources, sexual connections, safe zones, 
  passage through dangerous areas, information about unoffi  cial aspects of 
  society. 
  FEAR: security forces, discovery, being caught. 
  DESIRE: resource, power, appearance of benevolence.
  
  88  •  Other Characters
  TEACHER
  POSSIBLE AGENDAS: may want to teach the humans how to integrate, treat 
  humans as objects for study not as people, bring kids to gawk, study for 
  teaching purposes, doesn’t want to teach them what they have to, sees 
  them as stupid, little patience, working with humans as shit detail, bad at 
  their job. 
  OFFERS THE COLONY: one-on-one teaching, connection with other students, 
  insight into how the aliens learn about their world, area knowledge.
  FEAR: being caught out ignorant, losing control of students, being caught 
  in scandal. 
  DESIRE: to teach, to learn, to inspire students, to connect with humans, to 
  invigorate community, to have easy job, to get out early. 
  NEWS REPORTER
  POSSIBLE AGENDAS: seek out humans for news of their activities all the time, 
  want to learn all about Earth even embarrassing information, lots of them, 
  constantly observing, loss of privacy to their scrutiny, invasive technologies 
  for sharing information, wants scandal, wants to use to get dirt on some 
  alien, black mail someone, stickler for detail.  
  Off er the Colony:  attention of community, fame, information about other 
  parts of society 
  FEAR: error, being scooped, being lied to, being found out to have lied, not 
  bringing back information, boss, public, humans. 
  DESIRE: fame, notoriety, reputation for skill/hard hitting style, big break.
  RESEARCHER 
  POSSIBLE AGENDAS: wants to learn everything about humans: anatomy, sex, 
  habits all the time, etc., uses invasive means to observe, doing experiments 
  on humans, bringing information back to commercial interests, learning 
  to better enslave/use humans, doing experiments on them to help learn 
  about things for host aliens,  learning about culture: what form of research? 
  Biological, social, technology, etc. 
  OFFERS THE COLONY:  knowledge of their world and ways of studying, entrance 
  to libraries and centers/collections of knowledge and other researchers, 
  ability to study on this planet and learn more. 
  FEAR: being discredited/mislead, becoming emotionally attached, 
  
  Other Characters  •  89 
  learning things that change their already approved/chosen views, losing 
  opportunity to study, humans learning too much about them. 
  DESIRE: learn about humanity, status in their community, resources to study 
  more, fame, achievement. 
  Other potential Plot or Supporting Characters:
  Xenoscientists
  Agricultural specialists
  Zookeepers
  Alien Doctors
  Merchants
  Neighbors
  Media 
  Criminals
  Revolutionaries
  Dissidents
  Psychologists
  Military
  Artists
  The sky is the limit. Also, all of these categories are human terms, overlaid 
  upon what the aliens see themselves as.  Look at these as suggestions, and 
  allow the people of this alien world to arise as they do. It may be that you 
  play a Plot Character that is something wholly other than what you might 
  have considered a relationship with the Colonists could be. 
  Be open to what happens, that is the key to the game. 
  
  90  •  Resources  
  Chapter 16: 
  Resources, Connections, 
  Belongings
  MAKING A HOME
  Along with discovering a world, the Colonists are creating a home for 
  themselves.  They begin with enough supplies to last them a little while, 
  and they can get shipments from Earth. But the shipments are infrequent, 
  and objects lose their power to comfort with thoughts of home on Earth 
  as they become worn and lose their integrity with extended use.  Nerves 
  and clothing will fray in time.  
  So, one of the Colonist’s tasks is to fi nd things in the world to make their 
  own.  And to fi nd people and groups to grow close to and live among. 
  Resources, Belonging and Connections off er these things to the Colonists. 
  These things are represented in specifi c mechanics in the game, and are 
  discussed below.
  RESOURCES
  Resources come in many sized and shapes. They may be a container full of 
  edible squidlike fl owers, or clothing made from silk spun by giant sapient 
  insects.  A Resource might be knowing where to stand to be early in the 
  line for daily water rations, or fi nding a window on a well-shielded space 
  station to be able to recharge the solar battery for the computer.  
  Resources are created as Investigations progress. After three successful 
  Investigation attempts, a player can create a Resource that is limited to 
  the use by one character, or that is of brief, though valued, use.  This is 
  recorded on the character sheet and marked off  as used, if appropriate. 
  After fi ve successful Investigation attempts, a related Resource that can 
  
  Resources  •  91 
  supply the whole Colony is found or created.  This Resource is recorded on 
  the Colony Sheet.  If it is limited in use, record is made of its use, and it is 
  crossed off  once all has been used up.  
  Resources can be expended to avoid Injury if that outcome occurs up in a 
  roll. If they are not infi nite, mark off  another unit of them as they are used. 
  BELONGINGS
  Each Colonist brings with them a group of items from Earth.  What they are 
  may vary: photos, musical instruments, gold, chocolate.  They cannot be 
  replaced when they are lost or destoryed,  but new items can become the 
  Colonists’ belongings. Alien friends can give them a gift as one of the three 
  things they can add to the world. Or they can get a new belonging as part 
  of the re-supply from Earth. Colonists also have equipment that relates to 
  their Lunar Training and those supplies issued to the Colony as a whole. 
  If a Colonist is given a gift by an alien, in order to understand it fully, 
  begin an Investigation Question about it to learn what it is and how it 
  functions. Or if it can be eaten, or ridden, etc.  Treat as you would any other 
  Investigation, but at the end, the object or being becomes the Resource 
  for all. Or perhaps more are found for the whol e colony. 
  CONNECTIONS
  When a Trouble has been resolved, the players can create a Connection for 
  the Colony. This represents some major gain for the colony a whole.  It may 
  be access to resources, or it may be  shift in their identity or belonging to a 
  group.  It may be a powerful ally who has come to trust and believe in the 
  humans. Or it may be a pact made with another disenfranchised group. 
  Whatever it is, it arises from the Troubles the Colony has been experiencing. 
  As the Trouble is resolved, it is tranformed into another solid rooting that 
  the Colony now has on the alien world.  
  EXAMPLE CONNECTIONS:
  In a society with strong caste divisions, a new caste is created for humans so 
  they can work and participate and fi t into the hierarchy of the world.
  The humans gain an ally who is a central speaker in the warrens of Higit.  
  Having this alien know and trust them means that many others will learn of 
  them, and have a positive introduction to them. 
  
  92  •  About Playing  
  PLAYING COLLABORATIVELY
   
  The goal in Sign in Stranger is to create a world collectively. Each 
  person gives input in various ways. First at the point of describing the alien 
  landscape and beings. Then, at the point of ascribing meaning to them. 
  Then, by playing selected aliens and people from Earth, they get to weave 
  a story and fabric of the Colonists’ lives, each player taking a lead at varying 
  points, and playing a supporting role at other times. Or acting as a goad 
  to others, to force them to make diffi  cult choices or to present challenge. 
  There are various procedures and roles that allow everyone to have the 
  chance to do these various tasks, and which keep the game rolling along 
  and enjoyable. 
  The Colonists are the primary characters that the players will operate. They 
  are the person they know the most about, and who they will do them 
  most in depth exploration of, both their actions and their experiences 
  both on Earth and on the Alien planet. The Colonists have a Profession, 
  and a Lunar Training. These abilities allow the characters to draw upon 
  their past knowledge to learn about the new world, and when useful the 
  players then get to use more resources toward deciphering what is going 
  on around the Colonists.  
  The Training chosen is also a lens through which the player may experience 
  the world. They will be called up on to interact with and create order out 
  of the parts of the world that correlate with the Training. So, although 
  everyone describes all aspects of the world equally, by being asked to take 
  part in Describing a World Element (p. XX), the Investigations of a given 
  part of the world or society will likely fall to the person trained in them. 
  Chapter 17: 
  About Playing
  
  About Playing  •  93 
  So, the player whose character is a specialist in economics and money will 
  have the most opportunities to say how those functions are represented 
  on this planet, what form currency takes if any, how it aff ects diff erent 
  aliens, and the humans themselves. The player will also create resources 
  for the Colony over time as the Investigation progresses. 
  So, following up that example, the player of the Economics/Trade Offi  cer 
  could be the one to create a demand for human hair on the planet. 
  Allowing the humans to trade extra hair as it grows back, for specialty 
  goods or alien currency. However, sometimes the other players may 
  take on an investigation of something in your area, and Wild Cards and 
  Unexpected connections can make it so that someone with another 
  Training determines something. Each player becomes a likely source for 
  this information about the world, but is not the only. And anyone who 
  discovers something about a given aspect of the world records it in the 
  World book under the appropriate section, so that others can learn and 
  build on what has gone before.  
  Colonists are centers of Protagonism and Explanation of the world for the 
  players who control them. 
  PLAYING PLOT CHARACTERS – CENTERS OF ADVER-
  SITY AND CONTROL
  Over time everyone will take on a Plot Character. These are characters that 
  hold power over the Colonists. They can assist them—making it possible 
  for the Colonists to travel across a busy population center to get to their 
  place of employment, or helping calm a confl ict with nearby beings—
  but the role of the players in playing these characters is to introduce 
  complications into the Colonists’ lives. 
  Each of the Plot Characters wants to help the Colonists, but…at a price. 
  Some innocently, some maliciously, they all have their own ambitions 
  and desires that the human Colonists will help fulfi ll. The Colonists are in 
  a position wedged between many confl icting interests: the humans back 
  home with their fears and needs, the aliens near the Colony: employers 
  looking to gain, those for whom the humans take on symbolic meaning, 
  religions, cultural or otherwise, political fi gures who see the appearance 
  of a new intelligent species as an opportunity to push against opponents 
  or manipulate the opinion of the larger group of beings on the planet. 
  Others, with agendas beyond the human’s ken.  
  All of these can help the humans, but also will be pushing for things to 
  go their way. And also, the players introduce elements into the world 
  associated with their Plot Character that challenge and push the humans 
  in directions they might not otherwise have pursued.  Over time they 
  
  94  •  About Playing
  may off er resources and support to the Colony, but as they are played the 
  players have the responsibility for keeping the pressure on the Colony. 
  Which also allows for greater connection with the aliens around them, 
  and increased understanding of what the needs and fears of their new 
  neighbors and old home may be. 
  PLAYING SUPPORTING CHARACTERS -- CENTERS OF 
  ALLIANCE AND CONNECTION
  Each player can also play an alien that forms a friendly relationship with 
  the Colony.  These are called Supporting Characters. They may be a 
  benign presence in the lives of the Colony as a whole, or may have a close 
  relationship with one of the Colonists, even to having sex or bonding with 
  a Colonist, or members of the Colony.  They may attach themselves to the 
  Colony as a worker, or create connections with the Colony and others in 
  the region for reasons at fi rst inexplicable to the humans. Perhaps the 
  community of aliens requires regular visits from house to house to maintain 
  circulation of waste products to be re-cycled for creation into shared food 
  resources? The strange wiggling fi gure that enters the Colonist’s dwelling 
  every rotation at the same time might strike up a rubbing acquaintanceship 
  with one of the Colonist who can scratch an itch they can’t reach, and in 
  consequence, help the Colonists learn more about how to fi nd the food 
  dispenser centers. 
  When playing a Supporting Character, a player can make three Explanations 
  about the world that contribute to Investigations. One can be added per 
  session. Mark off  a box each time one has been made. Once three have 
  been added, the character can still appear, but the player cannot use them 
  to Explain the world any more. They may still assist in one roll (Action or 
  Investigation) per session. 
  Continuing characters can become a Resource for a Colony. For example, if 
  a Colonist has a relationship with an Alien, and they learn to communicate 
  well with one another, when the Investigation “How can we communicate 
  with the aliens?” provides a Colony Resource, that alien may commit to 
  staying at the Colony as a translater. 
  INVESTIGATIONS AS PLOT ARCS
  When you play Sign in Stranger, the players are collaborating to create 
  an overall story of discovery and complication for eachother.  From 
  moment to moment, the Colonists will continually discover new beautiful, 
  fascinating and sometimes disturbing aspects of the world around them. 
  It is like taking a fresh look at the world around you. A spider eating a fl y 
  is a normal thing, but if the spider was 10 feet high, and the fl y looked like 
  a kitten, it would have a diff erent impact on how you interpret the same, 
  
  About Playing  •  95 
  day to day facts.  
  So, the Colonists will be encountering new things, and trying to make sense 
  of them. Their quests to solve specifi c riddles are called Investigations. 
  These are assigned by Earth, and also chosen by the Colonists because 
  they apply to their area of special study.  Those with trainings in a given 
  area are better equipped to be able to learn about those aspects of the 
  world. Though there is no guarantee that what is found will actually be 
  what the Colonists thing at fi rst. These Investigations form ongoing lines 
  of plot for the characters. They also may result in complications for the 
  Colonists or the Colony as a whole.  These ongoing events of discovery 
  and mishap create an arc of plot, often centered around one Colonist, 
  but perhaps involving many others as they assist in the Investigation or 
  get tangled up in errors that the Colonists make as they interact with the 
  world.  
  The Players should look at each Investigation and the Troubles that crop 
  up around them, as the framework of the game. In a more traditionally 
  structured game, there would be one player introducing most of the 
  Adversity, describing the world, and setting goals or benchmarks for the 
  group to accomplish, such as killing a dragon or making a political coup. 
  All of those things happen, but how they are decided up on is divide up 
  among the players. At a given time, one player may have their character 
  investigate the trade in the region where the Colony is.  They may have 
  found out what they think to be the currency, trade for some, and try to 
  bring it somewhere to get food for the others.  But if a mishap is rolled, the 
  Colonist may instead have acquired contraband that is not legal currency, 
  but is contraband. Or may be using a form of trade goods that are deemed 
  unclean if touched by a person of the wrong clan, religious group or work 
  class. This may turn into an Incident where the whole colony is shunned by 
  their neighbors, until a way can be found to correct the mistake and come 
  to a better understanding with the neighborhood. Perhaps a new form of 
  currency needs to be found for the humans. Or the humans need to be 
  adopted into a clan. 
  The lines of culture are all around the Colonists, invisible until crossed. 
  Nature also hides its dangers and virtues until investigated. The players 
  get to use all these possibilities, and what their imagination leads them 
  to create and then explain, in order to weave together, slowly bit by bit, 
  a rich, complex tapestry of a world that is new and unexpected even to 
  those who create it.
  
  96  •  About Playing
  STORY ARC TOOLS
  There are four parts of the game intended to help the players create long 
  arcs of story:
  Investigations – learning about particular aspects of the world and creating 
  resources for the Colony
  Goals – The Colonists take Actions to accomplish their personal goals for 
  themselves to accomplish with help from other Colonists, aliens or loved 
  ones back home
  Troubles – Created as side eff ects of Investigations and Actions. Are dangers 
  faced by the Colonists, or confl icts with neighboring beings. 
  Plot Characters – These characters are a source of external adversity that 
  confronts the Colony. These confl icts may percolate in the background, 
  surfacing now and then, until over time the moment comes for the goal 
  of the Alien or human with something for the Colony to accomplish for 
  them comes to fruition.  Each session, these should arise in some small 
  way, like thorns in the side of the Colonists, goading them to accomplish 
  their Investigations and Goals in order to move beyond these issues. 
  COLONIST GOALS AS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
  The players of the Colonists set goals for their character to accomplish. 
  These arise out of the character’s personality and experiences both on 
  Earth and on the new planet. They are an avenue for the Character to 
  create what they want for themselves, to help the Colony and also to allow 
  the character’s personality to be highlighted. Taking a moment to pursue a 
  Colonist’s goal allows the players to see what is important to them. And to 
  see in a small, moment-to-moment way what it takes for them to become 
  settle and comfortable, or to see what challenges them most. 
  Their goals may have to do with Changes they are undergoing. Or they may 
  have to do with their desire to Assimilate into the world. They may also be 
  about simple things. Creating a musical instrument. Growing plants from 
  seeds. Learning to dance with the aliens. The Goals help the player keep 
  track of what their character is doing. The character can have multiple goals. 
  It is a good idea to take stock of what people are interested in exploring 
  in a given session. During the pre-game Check-in, if you’d like to fi nish up 
  a Goal your character is close to, let others know, so that everyone knows 
  what they can look forward to, and set up for in the game.  Goals can go 
  awry.  Complications can set in, and Troubles crop up, delaying arrival at 
  the objective. But with persistence, any goal can be reached, though help 
  from others is often needed.
  
  About Playing  •  97 
  The Goals off er many opportunities for the players to develop their 
  characters. Not necessarily in the manner often associated with the term 
  “character development”, you do not add equipment, traits or rise in 
  level due to them. But can forward you character’s position in the world, 
  help others and learn more about who the character is. Goals are about 
  developing your sense of the character, and deepening its connection 
  with other characters, itself and the world. 
  FLASHBACKS
  Flashbacks are opportunities to learn more about who this character was 
  before they came to the new planet. If played out in response to a character 
  that is Panicking, they will be traumatic moments from the character’s life.  
  Moments of tension or confl icts that are not necessarily resolved. If they are 
  Flashbacks to use a Profession for an Investigation or Action, they can be a 
  simple narration or short play of a moment from the characters life when 
  they did something analogous to what is happening in the present. They 
  may also be asked for to help us learn more about the character’s actions 
  in the past. This can be done to help accomplish a goal. For example, if a 
  Colonist has a goal of making a violin, that player could play out a scene in 
  their past when they spent time in their father’s workshop, helping lathe 
  wood to make pegs for a beloved instrument. 
  When playing out a traumatic fl ashback, the player whose character has 
  focus chooses other characters to be in the scene with their character and 
  casts other players to play them. These characters will fulfi ll roles in the 
  scene in relationship to the focus character. There is a list of the roles with 
  explanations on page XX. Authority, ally, rival, dependent, desired.  For 
  traumatic scenes at least three of these roles should be represented, each 
  by a separate character. For other scenes, one or two may be represented. 
  Or the character may have a solo Refl ection scene that is simply expressing 
  something about their life for the other players to appreciate. Refl ections 
  scenes can also be requested by another player. For example, for a Colonist 
  who chose the “spy” Story Seed, the player of the Terran Authority can ask 
  for a Refl ection Flashback where the character was indoctrinated into 
  believing in their task.
  There is always some crossover—some shared element between the past 
  and the present. One of the Random Words chosen in descriptions if the 
  Flashback is setting up for, or in response to an Investigation. Use the 
  Action desire if it is an Action roll. If it is a Refl ection scene it should parallel 
  in some way the experiences the character is having in the present. 
  
  98  •  About Playing
  PERSONAL LOG
  The Personal Log is a place for the player to record a little bit about what 
  their character has experienced during the game. This creates a record for 
  the players to help them keep track of what has happened, and what to do 
  next in the game. This is also an opportunity for players to share information 
  about what their character is planning, and what they would like others 
  to follow up on. Writing down refl ections about the other Colonists also 
  helps everyone know how their character is being perceived by the others. 
  In the personal description section on the character sheet, each player can 
  add what others have said about their character, and perhaps change it 
  over time as the perceptions of others change. There is a box for: how 
  others see me in the area for recording Relationships.  
  Read the last entry of the personal log out loud before each session of 
  the game. This is out of character knowledge. It is there exactly so that 
  everyone can have access to more of the internal aspects of the characters, 
  so they can help eachother build on what they are envisioning for their 
  character. Don’t worry about crafting a Story per se out of what is said 
  here. Instead, look at them as clues and nuggets of gold that you can follow 
  up on in play. Allow your character to brush up against what has been 
  communicated. Don’t act as if they know secret knowledge, but know that 
  those things are part of the fi ctional space that your characters all inhabit. 
  If someone is falling in love with your character, create opportunities for 
  that to be explored. 
  Allow the character to learn over time as they will. Put yourself in their 
  shoes for their reactions, but when you decide what scenes you will 
  have, keep that knowledge in the back of your mind, and perhaps put 
  the characters in stressful situations together. For example, if you had an 
  Investigation with two such characters that resulted in a Wild Card success 
  and a Gaff e,let them learn what the strange movable object is, it turns 
  out to be a children’s transport unit taking the immature aliens near the 
  Colony somewhere, but let the two get locked in the transport together, 
  heading off  alone with 20 cheeping alien young.  
  TIME BETWEEN SESSIONS
  Enough time has passed between each session for one set of the Food 
  Rations and any other Limited Resources to be consumed or used during 
  that time. The group should decide how much time that is, and may say 
  what their character has been doing during that time.  This is also enough 
  time for one level of injury to heal between sessions. No new resources or 
  discoveries can be made between sessions, but the characters can have 
  catalogued, or followed up on Investigations from prior sessions.  
  
  About Playing  •  99 
  TONE
  There are a variety of tones that are likely to occur in playing Sign in 
  Stranger. The fi rst and easiest is often wacky humor. The incongruous 
  juxtapositions that occur from creating a planet are often hilarious, and 
  there is no reason to try to pretend otherwise. The real situation of being 
  adrift in an alien world, with limited power to control the environment 
  and the vastness of the diff erences that the characters encounter counter-
  balance the wackiness with a creeping unsettled feeling that may verge 
  on horror.  
  At the same time, the game also brings into play a wide variety of real world, 
  social and political issues. The humans landing planetside are analogs for 
  countless immigrants that have left their home due to choice, chance 
  or coercion to seek a new home, refuge or prosperity. The humans have 
  left their families behind. Lost all connection to Earth. Are venturing into 
  completely unknown territory, having to prove themselves and provide 
  for all their own needs.  This is unusual territory for role playing games, 
  as well. There is the possibility for the group to create a heroic arc. To give 
  the Colonists superhuman abilities through the Changes they undergo. 
  But just as likely, depending up on the inspiration and the zeitgeist of the 
  group, the changes could be quotidian, alienating or disabling.  
  It’s your choice where you take it. My advice is not to try to decide ahead 
  of time, but to be aware of how the choices you make as you go aff ect 
  the players.Allow the needs and the mood of the group to dictate which 
  directions the tone goes. If you are getting together to play for one night, 
  especially if there are a large number of players, there’s no need to try to 
  shoot for a tense, realistic examination of immigration and assimilation into 
  a strange culture.  Be realistic about your goals, and allow the collaborative 
  and additive nature of the game to create buy-in at each stage as you go. 
  The game is forgiving. If some players wish to drop out, or change their 
  charcter, that can be arranged. Also, allow yourselves to open up to new 
  experiences and see where it may take you that you might not have gone 
  before.
  SYNERGY
  When you play for the Long Haul, there are many, many threads of narrative 
  and world created all the time. Flashbacks, Investigations, Descriptions of 
  the world, aliens you meet, greet and eat, and the thoughts and refl ections 
  of the players as recorded in their Personal Logs. Each of these things 
  interacts with the others. Each piece introduced can build on any of the 
  others, and these connections create strands of meaning, stories within 
  stories that can be unrolled slowly over time. 
  
  100  •  About Playing
  In the long game, there is no need to rush to the complications. They 
  are all around you all the time. It’s fi ne, and even needed to linger on 
  the experience of what occurs. To chat in character about what you’re 
  experiencing. To make elaborate theories and hypotheses—knowing all 
  the while that any or all of them may be untrue. The game, in essence, asks 
  you to smell the roses, and the daisies, and the garbage, and the laundry, 
  and—so on. The world around needs to be grasped and interacted with 
  in order for the plot to unfold. The stories come from the connections 
  they have with one another, and the meaning they hold for the aliens for 
  whom they are home.  And the new meaning that gets ascribed to them 
  by the humans, and how the humans are integrated—or not—into the 
  pre-existing order around them. 
  So, don’t worry about tying up all the loose ends in one roll, or in a given 
  session, or in an arc of a campaign. Leaving some openings allows amazing 
  moments of just-so-ness to arise. Coincidences that explain what has 
  come about in a way more satisfyingly, more rightly than could have been 
  arrived at by direct though and planning. Allow the wealth of detail to spill 
  out organically, keeping track of what you need and connecting pieces as 
  you go along, in order to savor those moments when some small piece 
  snaps into place, illuminating the whole in a way wholly unexpected and 
  wonderful. 
  
  Uniform Survey  •  101 
  Appendix A:
  UNIFORM SURVEY, QUESTIONS FOR STUDY:
  1. 
  What sapient species are present on this planet and what are  
   
   
  their characteristics?
  2. 
  What foods are edible for humans on the planet, where can they   
   
  be acquired? 
  3. 
  What kinds of shelter do the local beings utilize?
  4. 
  What forms of clothing do beings wear on this world, what is  
   
   
  appropriate for humans?
  5. 
  What forms of employment are open to humans, what are these   
   
  activities like? 
  6. 
  What forms of currency or trade are used or practiced?
  7. 
  What cultural norms and practices are present?
  8. 
  What is the weather on this world? The length of the day?
  9. 
  What is in the environment surround the Colony?
  10. 
  What energy sources are used? 
  11. 
  What forms of technologies are present?  
  12. 
  What are the modes of transportation?
  13. 
  What notable inanimate and sentient species of life are present    
   
  in the local environment and larger world? What are their  
   
   
  characteristics and uses?
  14. 
  What are life cycle and stages of development of species here? 
  15. 
  What forms of reproduction do the sapient species utilize?
  16. 
  What forms of reproduction are present in non-sapient species?
  17. 
  What forms of governance do the beings on this planet utilize?
  
  102  •  Uniform Survey
  18. 
  What forms of religion, philosophy or spirituality are practiced?  
  19. 
  What are the major institutions such as marriage, family, church,   
   
  government, education? 
  20. 
  What forms of industry and manufacture are there? 
  21. 
  What machines or other technologies are used in industry?
  22. 
  How is food produced and stored? How is it distributed?
  23. 
  What forms of communication and media are used? 
  24. 
  What forms of weapons are used by these species?
  25. 
  What medical technologies are applied?
  26. 
  What metals and natural materials are used in construction and   
   
  production? How are they produced?
  27. 
  What political entity is the colony located within?
  28. 
  What forms of laws are operating where the colony exists? What   
   
  are crimes?
  29. 
  What forms of entertainment and art are practiced by the  
   
   
  inhabitants of this world? What are the great works?
  30. 
  What other environments types are present on the planet? What  
   
  are they inhabited by?
  31. 
  What are the monuments and major landmarks of the world?
  32. 
  How are the young of the species present educated?
  33. 
  What are the social stratifi cations present (eg race, class, etc.)?
  34. 
  What are the relationships between political or cultural   
   
   
  groups?  
  35. 
  Where is there warfare going on? Who is involved? What are the   
   
  issues at stake?
  36. 
  What are the social ills on this planet? How are they addressed?
  37. 
  Who are the major historical and mythological entities here? 
  38. 
  What major ideologies and theories have been formulated?
  39. 
  What is the relationship of these species with others on this  
   
   
  planet?  On others?
  40. 
  What form of relations can be formed between this planet and  
   
   
  Earth?
  
  Supplies  •  103 
  Appendix B: 
  STANDARD COLONY SUPPLIES:
  3 dozen packages of standard coveralls: blue and green (s,m,l)
  3 dozen packages of standard underclothing (underwear, socks—s, m, l)
  Hygenic supplies: toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, sanitary pads
  Field towels (wring and dry)
  Single ply blankets
  1 extreme weather overcoat per colonist
  1 pair of boots per colonist
  1 all purpose camp knife per colonist
  6 crates of full spectrum E-Z rations (6 months rations)
  Local currency adequate to pay for 1 year’s worth of shelter
  Desalinator/Water decontaminator unit
  One hand-held computer with solar power unit complete with solitaire 
  and the King James Bible, Bhagavad Gita, Q’ran and the Tibetan Book of 
  the Dead.
  Each person is allotted their shoe-box worth of personal belongings. 
  They are also given two items of specialized equipment that the colonist 
  needs to support inquiry into their area of speciality.  Aside from that, 
  they have their trainings and each other. 
  Supplemental supplies are sent when reports on three Investigation 
  Questions are sent back to Earth.
  
  104  •  Story Seeds
  Appendix C: 
  STORY SEEDS
  Revenge
  Heartbreak
  Ambition
  Escape
  Adventure
  Spying
  Greed
  Despair
  Love
  Mission
  Patriotism
  Quest
  
  Colony Map
  SECTOR
  
  WORLD NAME
  PLANET SIZE:  (copy number below)
  Satellite (1)         Small (2)  
  Large(3)                Giant (roll 1d4)
  ENVIRONMENT TYPE: 
  Land Surface    Subterranean       Space
  Gaseous             Aquaeus               Arboreal
  Other:____________________________
  ALLURING TRAIT:
  REPELLENT TRAIT: 
  OTHER SAPIENT SPECIES:        #
  JOB LISTING:
  NEAREST EARTH EQUIVALENT: 
  PRIMARY SPECIES: 
  (Make list of all species)
  HOMEWORLD?   YES  NO
  WORLD NAME
  PLANET SIZE:  (copy number below)
  Satellite (1)         Small (2)  
  Large(3)                Giant (roll 1d4)
  ENVIRONMENT TYPE: 
  Land Surface    Subterranean       Space
  Gaseous             Aquaeus               Arboreal
  Other:____________________________
  ALLURING TRAIT:
  REPELLENT TRAIT: 
  OTHER SAPIENT SPECIES:        #
  JOB LISTING:
  NEAREST EARTH EQUIVALENT: 
  PRIMARY SPECIES: 
  (Make list of all species)
  HOMEWORLD?  YES  NO
  
  INVESTIGATION
  ACTION
  HARM
  PANIC
  ASSIMILATION
  WILD CARD
  8+
  6-7
  4-5
  2-3
  1
  Two new Facts
  New Fact Explained
  Baffl  ing Surprise
  Colony Trouble
  Individual Trouble
  8+
  6+
  2-5
  1
  Gain Ally
  Succeed
  Fail
  Fail Off ensively —       
           Create Enemy
  5+         Unharmed
  4            Expend Resource 
   
  to avoid Injury
  2-3        Injury
  1             Change  Injury
  Helper        Roll Above               
   Alien        4 - Assimilation
  Human     5- Assim.
  No one     6 - Assim.
  Assim.   1    2-4    5-6  
    Roll      8+   6+     8+     Assim. 
   
   
   
   
   
               Progresses   
                 5-7   5        7        Alien Helps
                 2-4  3-4   5-6      Gaff e
                   1    1-2   1-4      Colony   
   
   
   
   
                Fallout
   6+   New Fact in Random Area
  4-5   Baffl  ement
  1-3   Colony Trouble
  Categories
  
  Colony:
  HUMAN EMPLOYMENT:     
  COLONISTS: 
  Name                                           Training                      Player
  RESOURCES:       
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  • 6 crates of full spectrum E-Z rations  ������
  • Desalinator/water decontaminator with storage sacks
  PRIMARY SPECIES OF ALIENS: 
  OTHER SPECIES OF ALIENS: 
  1  ___________
  2  ___________
  3  ___________
  4  ___________
  5  ___________
  6  ___________
  7  ___________
  8  ___________
  9  ___________
   
  10 __________
  TERRAN AUTHORITY LIASON:  
   
   
   
  PLANET:  
   
   
   
   
  COLORS: 
  ���
  ENVIRONMENT TYPE(S): 
  TROUBLES:       
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  �����
  �����
  
  Sign in Stranger
  DESIRE:   
   
   
           FEAR:
  AFFILIATION: 
  DESCRIPTION:  
  PLOT CHARACTER:  
  SPECIES:  
  OFFER COLONIST(S):  
  AGENDA:  
  PLAYER NAME:  
  DESCRIPTION:  
  SUPPORTING CHARACTER:  
  SPECIES:  
  COLONIST:  
  RELATIONSHIP:  
  + / -
  FACTS:  
  ��� 
  DESCRIPTION:  
  SUPPORTING CHARACTER:  
  SPECIES:  
  COLONIST:  
  RELATIONSHIP:  
  + / -
  FACTS:  
  ��� 
  DESCRIPTION:  
  SUPPORTING CHARACTER:  
  SPECIES:  
  COLONIST:  
  RELATIONSHIP:  
  + / -
  FACTS:  
  ��� 
  TROUBLE:                                                  COLONIST:  
   
   
  
  COLONIST:
  Sign in Stranger
  DESCRIPTION:
  HOME:
  PROFESSION:
  STRESS RESPONSE:
  ASSIMILATION
  1 
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  WOUND  ����  
  PANICKED     Y  /  N
  LUNAR TRAINING: 
  BELONGINGS:
  STORY SEED: 
  + / -  
  Name  (player)          Species                    Notes                                     Relationship 
   
  + / -
  + / -
  + / -
  + / -
  + / -
  + / -
  natural
  technological
  social
  TROUBLE:
  ���  
  GOALS:
  PLAYER NAME:
  RESOURCES:
  ���  
  ���  
  Taking the Cure
  CHANGE INJURY:
  �����  
  INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS:
  �����  
  �����  
  �����  
  �����  
  
  Personal Log
  Colonist:
  SESSION:
  
  World Elements
  Medicine 
  Planetology 
  Zenozoology 
  Xenobotany
  Mechanical 
  Structural 
  Biotechnology 
  Military/Security
  Economics/Trade 
  Politics/Law 
  Culture 
  Communication
  Areas of Study
  Natural                  Technological              Social
  DESCRIPTIONS:
  ELEMENT:   
   
   
  AREAS: 
  HARMFUL: �
  FACTS:
  DESCRIPTIONS:
  ELEMENT:   
   
   
  AREAS: 
  HARMFUL: �
  FACTS:
  DESCRIPTIONS:
  ELEMENT:   
   
   
  AREAS: 
  HARMFUL: �
  FACTS:
  DESCRIPTIONS:
  ELEMENT:   
   
   
  AREAS: 
  HARMFUL: �
  FACTS:
  
  •
  •
  •
  •
  •
  •
  •
  •
  •
  January 27  
  Asteroid strikes 
  metropolitan Montreal.
  January 28  
  Plague killing all life 
  spreads from the crash 
  site.
  January 30 
  Quarantine is imposed 
  worldwide.
  February 1 
  Montreal is obliterated 
  by lights from the sky.
  February 3 
  International crisis breaks 
  out. Nations blame one 
  another and pre-emptive 
  strikes occur. 
  February 7 
  Alien craft are sighted in 
  the sky. Images of hideous 
  tentacled creatures are 
  beamed down crooning in a 
  strange ululating tongue. 
  February 10 
  Earth forces are rallied against the 
  aliens. A brief, destructive confl ict 
  ensues. All earth forces are defeated.
  February 27 
  The United Nations issues a 
  statement of surrender on behalf of 
  Earth.
  March 15 
  The fi rst translated transmissions are received. The Chinese 
  nation reports to the rest of the world the fi rst words of from an 
  alien world:  “We’ve come to save you…”
  Two Years Later
  Two Years Later
  The first humans leave 
  The first humans leave 
  Earth to form a Colony 
  Earth to form a Colony 
  on an alien planet
  on an alien planet
  You are one of them.
  You are one of them.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Collaborative & Peer & Gm-less & Shifting GM/Sign in Stranger.pdf