subconscious_Routine awarded

Best Game Under Five Pages 

by the Applied Hope: The Solarpunk & Utopias Jam

It is 27XX, the world is overgrown, in ruins, and inhabited by the scraps of civilisation. You play as bots, one of the masses of technological marvels that humanity built and powered with the Dyson sphere, around the sun, so long ago. Centuries ago, when almost all of humanity disappeared, they left their machines behind for reasons only known to them. All the technology they abandoned, including these bots, continues to function and follow their programming.

In the centuries since the Great Departure, nature has come back to reclaim the Earth and the sphere around the sun has begun to crack. The world once only metal and circuits, grew wilder and more mysterious. The flora and fauna slowly integrated with the decaying machinery as the sound of computers humming was eventually met with the sound of birds chirping.

The bots you play as are still acting out your programmed loops but something is changing. Something unknown pushing them to move beyond their obsolete programming in order to achieve free will; something humanity never thought was possible.

Below is an audio introduction to the setting of subconscious_Routine:

the_Game():

This one-page RPG contains the rules and a stylised character sheet called The While Loop. You create a bot, a relic from the old world, which must come to terms with it's new form of consciousness while struggling against it's pre-written programming. To address challenges, you roll an action that relates to a specific Function; Motion, Surveil, Compute, Vocalise.

You start by rolling 1d6 for the Function itself and subsequently gaining +1d6 if your function contains Conditions relevant to the action at hand. However, the Function you are allowed to roll is restricted by the Loop.  Once you roll a Function, you can then use the next Function in your Loop and then the next after that, until you return to beginning, doomed to repeat your cycle. However, if you find ways to expand yourself and grow as a bot, you will slowly break out of this loop and achieve free will.

Note: Only actions with the potential of risk, danger or failure are rolled and only rolled actions are restricted by the Loop.

What.do.you.get[]:

- Single Page Colour PDF of subconscious_Routine
- Fillable Colour PDF
- Printable (Greyscale) PDF
- Research.Log.03_Bot.mp3 Introduction and Setting in audio form
- Transcript of Research.Log.03_Bot.mp3
- Subcon - poorstudents.mp3 Bespoke song written for subconscious_Routine

What.do.you.need[]:

- 3-6 people, one acting as the Game Master
- At least 4 six-sided dice
- Tokens (coins/rusted robotic parts/extra dice) for each player
- Pencils and Erasers (If playing with printed sheets)

Touchstones():

- Horizon Zero Dawn - Guerrilla Games
  An overgrown world where robots are integral to the ecosystem

- Wall-E - Andrew Stanton
  Robots acting on their own volition

- Avatar: The Last Airbender - Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
  A small travelling troupe, lending a hand to unique communities

- Simon Stålenhag - KITCHEN SINK SCI-FI SINCE 2005
  Interesting robotic designs

Press(contact):

Feel free to use subconscious_Routine in your podcast, actual play shows, review sites or streams. You are more than welcome to contact us at aotarpg@gmail.com for answers to questions or any other play materials.

Use():

You may use, adapt, remix, transform, or build upon this design and setting for any purpose, even commercially. For use of art assets please contact Eder Muniz.

This game was submitted as part of the Applied Hope Jam.

Credit():

Design and Writing: Cohan & Garrett, Art: Eder Muniz, Editing: Scheryn, 
Music: Cohan, Voice: Ana

subconscious_Routine is influenced by; Blades in the Dark and Roll for Shoes.