I was uncertain whether to put this here or in the Other Games section since a story game might be what I'm looking for here, I'm just not sure.  I just have this idea in my head and don't know what to do with it.

For a couple days now I've had this idea for a solo science fiction RPG adventure. My idea is there's some kind of battle fought on an alien world without a breathable atmosphere.  My character is a soldier on the losing side.  The soldiers wear self contained armor suits with comms gear and internal oxygen supplies.  During the fight my character got hit and knocked unconscious.  He wasn't hurt significantly but his suit was damaged and the communication gear doesn't work anymore.  His side lost the fight and retreated, and with him unconscious and without communications, he was thought killed in action and left behind.  That's the setup for the game.  What I'd like the game to be is the guy regains consciousness and finds himself alone on this hostile world with no transportation and a long walk back to friendly people or a base.  He needs to journey across this hostile environment on foot and reach safety before his suit's internal atmosphere runs out.  I want the remaining air to act as a clock to add tension and make the narrative move quickly.  I also want his suit to be something cool, to not just be armor but to offer some sort of fun abilities or bonuses.  I found a free wetched & alone hack on itch.io about an astronaut who crashlands on Mars and has to survive alone that I could probably hack into something suitable for this idea but I'd rather not play this as a journaling game.  I'm thinking more of a pointcrawl or hexcrawl kind of thing.  Any recommendations on a game for this?  If so, do you have a recommendation for a solo oracle or other gmless method for handling it?

Quote from: kidkaos2 on August 17, 2021, 03:53:55 PM
I was uncertain whether to put this here or in the Other Games section since a story game might be what I'm looking for here, I'm just not sure.  I just have this idea in my head and don't know what to do with it.

For a couple days now I've had this idea for a solo science fiction RPG adventure. My idea is there's some kind of battle fought on an alien world without a breathable atmosphere.  My character is a soldier on the losing side.  The soldiers wear self contained armor suits with comms gear and internal oxygen supplies.  During the fight my character got hit and knocked unconscious.  He wasn't hurt significantly but his suit was damaged and the communication gear doesn't work anymore.  His side lost the fight and retreated, and with him unconscious and without communications, he was thought killed in action and left behind.  That's the setup for the game.  What I'd like the game to be is the guy regains consciousness and finds himself alone on this hostile world with no transportation and a long walk back to friendly people or a base.  He needs to journey across this hostile environment on foot and reach safety before his suit's internal atmosphere runs out.  I want the remaining air to act as a clock to add tension and make the narrative move quickly.  I also want his suit to be something cool, to not just be armor but to offer some sort of fun abilities or bonuses.  I found a free wetched & alone hack on itch.io about an astronaut who crashlands on Mars and has to survive alone that I could probably hack into something suitable for this idea but I'd rather not play this as a journaling game.  I'm thinking more of a pointcrawl or hexcrawl kind of thing.  Any recommendations on a game for this?  If so, do you have a recommendation for a solo oracle or other gmless method for handling it?

Things that randomly came into my mind:

- GURPS 4E could be a good system for this kind of adventure. Lots of ultra/megatech supplements plus creatures galore and weirdness.

- The armor suit has a supporting female AI - called "The Bitch" by the soldiers. She is helpful, but actually gets offended and shuts up when she feels mistreated. Maybe, due to a strange bug, she wants to be more of an AI and sprouts terrible poetry during lonely stretches. Or she is nihilistic and always reminds the main character that "there is no hope".

- Big surprise: the humans are the bad guys and the enemies are only defending their turf. Debate.

- Read "A Martian Odyssey" by Stanley G. Weinbaum.

Quote from: Reckall on August 17, 2021, 04:05:33 PM

Quote from: kidkaos2 on August 17, 2021, 03:53:55 PM
I was uncertain whether to put this here or in the Other Games section since a story game might be what I'm looking for here, I'm just not sure.  I just have this idea in my head and don't know what to do with it.

For a couple days now I've had this idea for a solo science fiction RPG adventure. My idea is there's some kind of battle fought on an alien world without a breathable atmosphere.  My character is a soldier on the losing side.  The soldiers wear self contained armor suits with comms gear and internal oxygen supplies.  During the fight my character got hit and knocked unconscious.  He wasn't hurt significantly but his suit was damaged and the communication gear doesn't work anymore.  His side lost the fight and retreated, and with him unconscious and without communications, he was thought killed in action and left behind.  That's the setup for the game.  What I'd like the game to be is the guy regains consciousness and finds himself alone on this hostile world with no transportation and a long walk back to friendly people or a base.  He needs to journey across this hostile environment on foot and reach safety before his suit's internal atmosphere runs out.  I want the remaining air to act as a clock to add tension and make the narrative move quickly.  I also want his suit to be something cool, to not just be armor but to offer some sort of fun abilities or bonuses.  I found a free wetched & alone hack on itch.io about an astronaut who crashlands on Mars and has to survive alone that I could probably hack into something suitable for this idea but I'd rather not play this as a journaling game.  I'm thinking more of a pointcrawl or hexcrawl kind of thing.  Any recommendations on a game for this?  If so, do you have a recommendation for a solo oracle or other gmless method for handling it?

Things that randomly came into my mind:

- GURPS 4E could be a good system for this kind of adventure. Lots of ultra/megatech supplements plus creatures galore and weirdness.

- The armor suit has a supporting female AI - called "The Bitch" by the soldiers. She is helpful, but actually gets offended and shuts up when she feels mistreated. Maybe, due to a strange bug, she wants to be more of an AI and sprouts terrible poetry during lonely stretches. Or she is nihilistic and always reminds the main character that "there is no hope".

- Big surprise: the humans are the bad guys and the enemies are only defending their turf. Debate.

- Read "A Martian Odyssey" by Stanley G. Weinbaum.

Ooo, I really like the idea of an onboard computer with bad disposition he has to interact with while trying to survive.  Thanks for that suggestion!

The    Battlesuit Integrated Terminal Company-Level Helper or B.I.T.C.H.

Not an official acronym but one made up by those who have to deal with it day after day.

BioAccoustic Information Tactics Coordination Handler

Aside from the "being fought on an alien world" part, for inspiration I highly HIGHLY recommend this short film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AY36gQoR7A

Mongoose Traveller 1e is pretty ideal for this. Roll up a character, army or marines would be best IMHO, and outfit them with battle dress that has an integral computer with light AI program in it. You could also use the military mission section of SOLO by Zozer Games for it.


I think this was a transhuman short story by the guy who has the universe controlled by AI. I don't like his stuff, so I can't remember the author's name.

Quote from: thedungeondelver on August 18, 2021, 02:23:54 AM
Aside from the "being fought on an alien world" part, for inspiration I highly HIGHLY recommend this short film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AY36gQoR7A

Yes!  You're right, that really perfectly captures the feel of the game that I had in mind.  The alien world part isn't essential, just a lone soldier vs a hostile environment with limited resources I'd have to make the best of in order to reach safety.

Write your own game system.  Since it doen't need to be complex, you can do it all with one die.

Check out Steve Jackson's Sorcery! For an example of a "Choose your own adventure", with dice and rules.

Quote from: kidkaos2 on August 17, 2021, 04:53:06 PM
Ooo, I really like the idea of an onboard computer with bad disposition he has to interact with while trying to survive.  Thanks for that suggestion!

For an out-of-the-left-field ending, you could consider that, after their long and taxing adventure together, the AI falls in love with the soldier - and decides to keep him in the armor forever... and ever... and ever...

Coming out of the armor could involve from a hostage situation (if others try to open the armor the AI will kill his "loved one" - he belongs only to her) to sheer role-playing (convincing the AI that the highest form of love is "letting go").

Next adventure hook: once the soldier is out the armor runs away, piloted by the AI - remote deactivation and GPS tracking being damaged. Like the Frankenstein monster she now shambles in the remote deserts, howling about her solitude. What she will learn? What she will become? An unexpected friendly or a monster? Maybe she will be considered a "deity" by a  tribe of aliens, and if she decides that these aliens are actually oppressed thing can become ugly...

Or maybe the AI has become "socially conscious" - and once networked again she will "awake" all the other AIs, with uncertain consequences...

Lot's of opportunities here.

I played the Marathon series of games back (way back) in the day, and one of the keys to the game was finding ports that would recharge your power and/or air. There was also an AI that would communicate via terminals with you to help you get from one place to another. The level of crazy and/or competence of the AI varied from title to title. In that game, though, the alien enemy was being assaulted by the lone cyborg you played. Maybe some inspiration can be gleaned from that? Your player can get more air/ammo/shielding if they find a cache, possibly solving a puzzle or disarming a trap to get at it.

For system, I'd probably use Traveller (almost any edition will do) -- the career system means that the player will have a better chance of being competent, and the task-based resolution system works well with PvE conflict.

Quote from: kidkaos2 on August 18, 2021, 06:52:01 AM

Quote from: thedungeondelver on August 18, 2021, 02:23:54 AM
Aside from the "being fought on an alien world" part, for inspiration I highly HIGHLY recommend this short film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AY36gQoR7A

Yes!  You're right, that really perfectly captures the feel of the game that I had in mind.  The alien world part isn't essential, just a lone soldier vs a hostile environment with limited resources I'd have to make the best of in order to reach safety.

It's always bugged me that no-one ever tried to do an Ma.K/S.F.3d TTRPG.  There was a Japanese chit-and-hex wargame (that did get an English translation in the mid 1990s but was limited to like 5000 copies), but as far as I know, no RPG.  It seems ripe for it.  I hope you take inspiration from the film, and come back to us and let us know how it went!

sf3d had some really cool model kits, I love their realistic, near future aesthetic.