Hi all
I am tempted to have a go at Orbital as a PBF roleplay/journalling experiment.
Its my first go at doing anything like this and I am fully aware that a lot of these just stop as people run out of steam. Orbital has a distinctly limited scope and structured approach to play - there are three threats which need to be countered and when they all are, the game has ended.
Ideally it would be three or four of us who would play, and obviously I will have to adapt a few rules to make it work. There is an online whiteboard for the game on Miro but frankly it frightens me. Players would need a bit of patience and, as the game is player led, the desire to roll with what happens.
So if you are interested let me know.
Premise below:
WELCOME TO THE STATION
A beautiful mess.
A NEUTRAL COMMUNITY ON THE BRINK
Imagine an all-consuming interstellar war, spread across a vast galaxy and involving
trillions of willing and conscripted participants. Then imagine a lone space station,
ancient and strange, somehow set apart from this conflict. Through significant effort
and fortuitous circumstance it has remained unaffiliated and relatively peaceful,
providing a sanctuary for the lovers and thinkers refusing to side with the warring
powers.
But this hard-won neutrality is not even slightly secure. There’s always someone
offering vital resources for a little influence, plotting to displace our leaders or
smuggling military equipment into the station’s forgotten corners.
MISFITS, REBELS AND TROUBLEMAKERS
Holding back these myriad threats is an informal network of dependable sorts, each
with a stake in the station’s continuing vitality. These characters—politicos, artisans,
brokers and so on—aren’t (necessarily) officially recognised leaders, but their
influence is felt strongly across the community.
They might not get along—they might even dislike each other.
But they are united by their belief that the station is a cherished place that must be
protected. The question is: when the pressure rises, can they put aside their
differences & personal motivations for our community’s greater good?