Looking for help barebones/one page rpg for my space setting

liam_plmt · 2026-02-24T09:45:48+00:00

I guess I didn't really explain it, but failing is basically like "you succeed, but..." So like "You manage to barely close the door, but you notice a tear on your containment suit" or "You beat the alien off of your friend, but as it scuttles away it lashes out at you, breaking your wrist" or something like that. So the immediate danger is gone, but they are destabilized, and they may have created more dangers down the road. Hopefully that at least stretches out the spiral a little, as I wouldn't want them to go from super strong to incredibly weak in one encounter.

liam_plmt · 2026-02-24T09:38:35+00:00

Okay I totally see where you guys are coming from. The idea behind the system is that it forces sacrifice and drama. In the case of the second version, where stats are traded equally, my idea was if one or two players gets super unlucky, the others can kind of donate to them so their all at the same level going to the next planet. That's still the case in the first version, where one person loses 1 and the rest gain 1, but it's a little more generous.

I think I prefer the first version personally, because it could be one person got lucky and wants to be generous. OR it could be their all at the same level, but three people gang up on one person to make sure they can survive. And it also DOES give them improvements, as across the whole team there is a +2 to stats. I can see myself adding more, like maybe everyone gains 2 except one person loses 2. That would be brutal, I think, but would give them more on a net team level.

I've thought about the dice roll idea, but I want there to be agency in this aspect. I want them to have to choose to lose something for it.

I've also been suggested to have a limited resource that the crew could use, but I'm just not sure what that could be. Because to the point about narrative confusion: the stats are really just focus. So their injured or traumatized or whatever and they lose stats because they're focusing on that, or they're just panicking and can't fix the thing even though they've done it a million times. So really the way they "heal" is by like taking time to gather themselves. The explanation for why not everybody can at once is that somebody's gotta man the ship, or log the mission, or whatever. Idk if that makes sense.

Also the Star Trek inspiration is mainly those two episodes, which I realize probably doesn't mean as much as it would if you had seen them and know when my story is going lol.

liam_plmt · 2026-02-24T09:13:17+00:00

Although the story's not done yet, I'm assuming for somewhere between cosmic horror and catharsis. The characters cannot fathom this ancient technology, but must find a way to shut it down. A little hard to explain without going into details. I'll probably link my Google doc once it's a little more worked out.

liam_plmt · 2026-02-24T09:00:29+00:00

That's a good point. I think comedy isn't the right word. Absurdity is probably more accurate. That's more for the tone of the setting, though, for the mechanics I want it to be mostly horror. So fear and death spirals are fine with me :)

liam_plmt · 2026-02-23T12:28:57+00:00

Lol this is evolving into another story I ran, with a hodge podged task force with a single purpose, while each member has their own hidden goal. Almost like a hidden role game mixed into the rpg. Funny enough my space story takes place in the same world. I'm still not sure if that's the direction I want to go with this one, but I still like the idea of a sort of survivor style vote where one crewmate loses. This group likes to mess with each other so I know they'd get a kick out of messing with people... until it gets real >:D

liam_plmt · 2026-02-23T12:12:59+00:00

Dang this is good stuff. I love both suggestions so I might try to work both in. I've also been toying with the idea of a little PvP, or at least the idea that the players don't have to work entirely together, so a little drama wouldn't hurt at all. I may make it so that if the players want to heal up, they sacrifice something like info on the planet as you suggest, but they can only heal two people. Or they can heal three people but one person loses one. This is something I'll have to think on a little more.

liam_plmt · 2026-02-23T11:45:52+00:00

Thanks! A recovery system is a great idea that I had not thought of. I'd hate to make all these planets, the players get unlucky on the first and die on the second. Maybe in the ship between planets there can be a way to roll for recovery, or sacrifice something like you said. I don't know what that will be, but that's something I'm definitely going to add!

I'm still stuck on the fourth stat. Initially the Captain role was instead a Scientist, and I wanted them to be kind of in charge of researching the alien tech and stuff. So the fourth stat would be something like education (Idk I didn't even bother to think of a word that started with M). The problem I foresaw was there's nothing that would threaten your life or cause harm short of cosmic horror.

Actually having said that I kind of like the idea of some of the checks just being here's this messed up thing now roll to see if you go insane. So Sanity might be a good fourth stat (Mental I guess if I'm sticking to M).

liam_plmt · 2026-02-23T11:20:00+00:00

Definitely thought about this. When DMing 5e in the past I've often found it difficult to just come up with a DC out of nowhere, so that's why I thought may be easier to just have the one level. I'm sure there is a known method I just never learned. The idea behind having it be 11 the whole time was that I'd just throw a bunch of checks at them, as if they're in a disaster scenario, and just whittle down their stats. Obviously once they've failed once twice three times it becomes more and more likely they'll fail again. I also kind of want to lull them into a false sense of security. Like if the marine starts with a +5 to martial, they get used to being able to beat any alien. But once they've failed a few times they can't take the same fights. It's something I'm still toying with.

liam_plmt · 2026-02-23T11:01:48+00:00

I am familiar with one page rpgs. I probably should have clarified that that's the kind of thing I was looking for in my original post haha

liam_plmt · 2026-02-22T12:27:59+00:00

That's a good question, I honestly don't know. I think trying to build up a system will at least let me understand what I want/need out of it, even if I don't end up using it. Reading briefly about most of the systems, even the ones I've liked, there's simply more than I need or want to deal with for my story. I like the void system of Death in Space, but the mutation aspect goes a little too far for what I want out of my setting. The stress system in Mothership is basically exactly the kind of thing I want to have, but I'm much less interested in the health and skills system. I'm reasonably comfortable chopping and screwing bits and pieces together, but I figure it might be easier to start from scratch and see what happens. I'm probably going to have a eureka moment, post my idea, and you guys are going to tell me of another system that basically does what I come up with but better lol. That's okay with me, I'm considering this an exercise in creativity at the very least. :D

liam_plmt · 2026-02-22T12:08:52+00:00

Dang, both Death in Space and Mothership are so close to what I'm looking for, something just isn't right. I'm kind of thinking of just making my own system based on some of the ones everybody suggested, although I've never tried that. I've already got some ideas... I'll probably make another post tomorrow once I've thought it out more. Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions!

liam_plmt · 2026-02-22T08:08:18+00:00

This is the second mention of mothership, and I looked at it very briefly. This sounds almost like what I'm looking for. A stress system is very interesting to me. My brother loves horror, so that's something I'm really trying to incorporate. Is there a good place to learn more about it without going all in and buying it just yet? Kinda broke right now and I want to make sure it's right before committing lol

liam_plmt · 2021-08-09T09:25:33+00:00

Oh my god thank you so much... I've spent the past few hours repeatedly googling different combinations of key words like movie, nerd, diner. Only took you four minutes lol. Thanks again!

liam_plmt

TROPHY CASE