A Story Game by Martin Ralya

Created for Game Chef 2013 | Feedback welcome! (martin@martinralya.com)

Theme		Ingredients

Copyright ©2013 by Martin Ralya, all rights reserved | Cover image is a modified NASA photo
Signal Lost is a science fiction story game for 3-5 players about facing an unknown horror. It’s inspired by movies like Event Horizon, Alien, Leviathan, Pitch Black, and Sphere, as well as the story games Fiasco and Durance by Jason Morningstar, Microscope by Ben Robbins, and Primetime Adventures by Matt Wilson. You don’t need to have watched those movies or played those games to enjoy Signal Lost, but being a fan of this type of sci-fi/horror will help you get in the right mindset.

Overview
In Signal Lost, you’ll create a spaceship, the Distant Star, that has suddenly and inexplicably “gone dark,” as well as the team of specialists who are sent there to find out what happened—and the hostile alien entity that they’ll encounter. Your characters will descend into darkness, literally and figuratively, and fight an alien terror. They’ll be forced to choose between survival and the success of their mission. 

Signal Lost is about experts in their field donning space suits, exploring a dark and increasingly hostile environment, illuminating the fate of the Distant Star and its inhabitants, and facing an unexpected—and deadly—alien life form. The focus is on the team vs. the alien entity and the environment, and no one is ever fully in control of any situation. Some characters will almost certainly die, but a few may survive to return to safety.

Signal Lost is played over the course of a single session that should last about two hours. There is no game master; instead, all players share narration duties.

To play Signal Lost you’ll need a few index cards, copies of the setting dossier and expedition sheet, a writing implement, and a mix of white and black 6-sided dice.

Narrative Arc
Here’s a quick primer on what generally happens in the movies that inspired Signal Lost:
•	An isolated outpost abruptly goes dark after making first contact with a hostile alien entity.
•	A team of specialists is sent there to find out what happened.
•	The team investigates the site. Tension mounts.
•	They find signs that an alien entity is involved, and then encounter the entity.
•	Things go badly. If they’re lucky, they rescue a few survivors and contain the alien threat. Many of them die.

Setup
Setup requires no advance preparation. One player should read these rules and be comfortable walking the group through the basics.

The Setting Dossier
The setting dossier offers up options that are designed to be evocative but incomplete. For example, consider the “Bridge” location. Choosing that location during setup means that the bridge is important, but what does it look like? Is it cramped or spacious, high-tech or grungy, homey or impersonal? Those details will emerge during play as players narrate scenes, ask questions, and contribute to scenes.

Signal Lost can be set in all sorts of isolated locations, but due to the word limit only one setting is provided here: the I.S.S. Distant Star.
Choose Locations
Select the locations that will feature prominently in the game. Other locations exist, of course, but these are your movie sets: Most of the action will happen in these places.

Choose someone to go first. On your turn, circle one location and cross out another, and then pass the list to your left. After everyone has had a turn, cross off any remaining locations.

Write the locations you’ve selected on the expedition sheet.

Choose Characters
There are two types of character: main characters and background characters.

The main characters are the ones you’ll play during the game; think of them as the main cast in a film.

Background characters don’t belong to any one player; anyone can play them during a scene. They exist primarily to get killed, abducted, or otherwise suffer horrible fates.

Main Characters
Whoever went last when selecting locations goes first. On your turn, circle the role you want to play and write it on your index card, and pass the list to your right.

Someone has to play the expedition leader. If the leader hasn’t been selected and you’re the last player to choose a character, you must play the leader.

Background Characters
Every role on the list that wasn’t circled is filled by a background character. Don’t worry about them for now.

Choose Complications
In a 3-player game, the player who hasn’t been first yet goes first. In a 4- or 5-player game, the players who haven’t gone first yet roll off.

On your turn, circle a complication for your character, write it below your role on your index card, and pass the list to your left.

Choose Alien Entity Traits
In a 3-player game, roll off for who goes first; in a 4-player game, it’s the player who hasn’t gone first yet; in a 5-player game, the two players who haven’t gone first yet roll off.

On your turn, circle a trait you want the alien entity in the game to possess, cross out another trait, and pass the list to your right. After everyone has had a turn, cross out any remaining traits.

Note the traits you’ve selected on the expedition sheet.

Universal Traits
No matter what traits you select, the alien entity is always:
•	Hostile
•	A deadly threat more powerful than several characters combined
•	Truly alien and unknowable—the team will never completely understand the entity

Finish Setup
Name your character. Think about who he or she is (and what sorts of characters appear in sci-fi/horror “creature features,” if you’re a fan), and then jot down a key word or phrase or two. For example: “A tough, caring woman who never gives up.” Detail your complication. Write the main characters on the expedition sheet.

Write the background characters on the expedition sheet and take turns naming them. 

Dice
Give each player a pool of black and white dice. These dice represent your ability to influence the fate of your character, other characters, and the expedition as a whole.

How many dice each player gets depends on the number of players:
•	3 players: 3 white, 5 black
•	4 players: 4 white, 6 black
•	5 players: 5 white, 7 black

Scenes
There will be a number of scenes in each Act equal to the number of players, each with a primary narrator.

Whoever is playing the leader goes first in Act 1. In Act 2, whoever went last in Act 1 goes first. In Act 3, the players who haven’t gone first yet roll off and the winner goes first. The Climax is a shared scene: All players narrate the action.

Anything narrated by any player is an absolute fact that influences the fiction later on in the game.

The Starring Player
Each scene has one main narrator, called the starring player. The starring player:
•	Frames the scene, chooses the location where it will take place, and optionally establishes a goal (such as “We need to get aboard the I.S.S. Distant Star”)
•	Decides which characters are present in addition to her own (if any—though it’s more fun if most scenes feature multiple characters); everyone plays their own character, and anyone can play background characters
•	Narrates what happens in the scene, except for: dialogue or actions of other characters present, and dialogue or actions of main characters who are not present
•	Contributes at least one die to influence the outcome of the scene

Before the Scene
Before each scene is framed, the player to the starring player’s left tells the starring player one thing that he must include in her scene:
•	An unresolved Threat
•	The alien entity
•	The complication noted for the starring player’s character
•	An element from a previous scene

During Other Players’ Scenes
During the starring player’s scene, every other player can:
•	Narrate a significant detail by contributing one die
•	Ask questions to help deepen the scene (“What does that console look like?”)

What Are Scenes About?
When you’re the starring player, it’s up to you what the scene focuses on—at first. It often won’t go where you expect it to go.

If it’s your turn and you’re not sure what to do, don’t panic. Just flip to this list and use one of these starting points:
•	Did the ending of the previous scene present an intriguing possibility? Make your scene about that.
•	Are there unresolved Threats? Make resolving a Threat the goal of the scene.
•	Has the mood for the Act been firmly established? If not, establish it with your scene.
•	Is the narrative “trajectory” of the game aimed towards the mood of the next Act (or the Climax, if it’s Act 3)? If not, aim it there with your scene.
•	Have any locations gone unused? Set your scene in one of them.
•	Is something creeping you out? Make a scene about that.

Narrative Freedom
If something isn’t defined during setup, restricted by the Act you’re in, or already established in the fiction, it’s fair game. For example, no mention is made in the setting dossier of survivors. Did the crew of the Distant Star survive? That’s up to you. What does the alien entity look like? Its traits should guide your description, but the specifics are up to you.

Contributing Dice
Contributing dice during scenes is the beating heart of Signal Lost, representing the fact that, like the protagonists in sci-fi/horror films, no one is ever in full control when it matters.

To contribute a die, you:
•	Pick a die from your pool of either color (white is good, black is bad).
•	Set it on the table with the “3” facing up, or roll it and use that value.
•	Pass it to the starring player, being careful to preserve its value.
•	And add a detail to the scene through narration. (You can’t narrate another main character’s actions.) The significance of this detail is depends on the die’s value: 1, 2: minor; 3: moderate;  4, 5: considerable; 6: major.

If you’re the starring player, once all other players have had the opportunity to contribute dice to the scene you can decide to contribute additional dice. Contribute each die individually, making the choice to set it to a 3 or roll it, but save your narration until you’re done contributing dice.

As the starring player, you must contribute at least one die. You can contribute additional dice of the same color as long as your chosen color’s total is not already high by seven or more.

Dice contributions can be made at any time during the scene. Once it’s clear that the scene has reached the tipping point where success or failure must be determined, give all players one final chance to contribute a die. After that the starring player must contribute a die to the scene.

There will be times you want your character, or someone else’s character, to fail. Embrace those opportunities; they’re wholly consistent with the genre and tone of Signal Lost.

The Dice Reserve
You must have at least one die in reserve to contribute to each of your three starring scenes. If contributing a die to another player’s scene would leave you with too few dice to meet this requirement, you can’t contribute a die.

Scene Outcomes
The outcome of every scene will be determined by the color and value of at least one die, and probably more than one.

The total value of all white dice is compared to the total value of all black dice. The difference between these totals determines how well or badly things go and whether the goal of the scene (if any) is accomplished:
•	White high by 7+: As well as possible
•	White high by 4-6: Very well
•	White high by 1-3: Pretty well
•	White and black equal: Slightly badly
•	Black high by 1-3: Pretty badly
•	Black high by 4-6: Very badly
•	Black high by 7+: As badly as possible

Team Dice
All dice contributed during a scene become team dice, and are pushed into the center of the table without altering their values. These dice will determine the overall fate of the expedition in the Climax.

Death
Main characters cannot die in Acts 1 and 2. They can be grievously injured or have terrible things happen to them, but death is off the table.

In Act 3, the starring player can choose to put her character’s life on the line. If the outcome of the scene is negative, her character dies.

In the Climax, every character’s life is on the line. The ratio of black dice to white dice determines whether you survive the Climax.
Background characters can be killed off at any time, by any player. The starring player can kill off background characters with impunity during her scene. Other players can kill off a background character by contributing a black die of any value.

Fleeing
In Acts 1-3, main characters cannot flee. During the Climax, characters can flee if their dice support a positive outcome.

Background characters can flee any time. Their flight should never make it impossible for the main characters to flee during the Climax. For example, a background character can’t steal the ship the expedition used to reach the Distant Star.

Example of Play
Devon (playing Captain Springfield) is the starring player. The other players are Jess (playing Jonesy) and Francis (playing Lt. Ellis). This is the final scene in Act 1.

Jess:  Devon, you’re up. You have to include Springfield’s complication in this scene.

Devon: Thanks a lot! Okay, let’s see . . . This scene is in the mess hall. Jonesy comes in and finds the captain sitting alone in the semi-darkness with a half-empty bottle of whiskey in front of him. No one else is there.

Jess: Is there a goal for the scene?

Devon: Sort of. Let’s say that if it ends badly for the captain then he’s officially off the wagon and his drunkenness will cause problems. [Jess and Francis nod in agreement.]

Francis: I want to add a detail. [She sets a black die to 3 and slides it over to Jess.] There’s a view screen on the wall behind the captain. She hasn’t noticed it, but a member of the Distant Star’s crew—covered in blood—is just standing there, looking up at the camera. The sound is off.

Jess: Jonesy stops in the doorway. “Captain, what the fuck?”

Devon: “I found the bottle in a cabinet. Want some?” I smile sardonically.

Jess: “You’re an alcoholic, what are you”—and then Jonesy stops and stares at the view screen behind the captain. “Captain, turn around.”

Devon: I turn around and look at the screen. I’m having trouble focusing—thanks, whiskey!

Jess: My turn to add something. I want her to stay off the bottle! [She rolls a white die and gets a 5. She slides it to Devon.] “Considerable,” huh? Okay, the intercom squawks—it’s Lt. Ellis. “Captain, I’ve got life signs on the scanner. There are multiple survivors!” I’m hoping this will snap the captain back to reality.

Devon: [She thinks about whether she wants the captain sober or not, then grabs a white die.] I agree, Jess, the captain decides to put duty first. Let’s see, a difference of two white right now—I’ll roll. [She gets a 3.] White high by five—things go well for the captain. She stands up, grabs the whiskey bottle, and throws it as hard as she can against the wall. That feels like the end of the scene.

Francis: Awesome! I agree.

Devon: Yep, me too.

Acts 1-3
In every scene, use what has come before and what you know about the alien entity to good effect. Let what has been established in the fiction color your narration, your in-character choices, and the details you contribute to other players’ scenes.

Act 1: Discovery
The first Act is about discovering the current state of the Distant Star. It will be immediately clear that something went terribly wrong, but learning what it was should be left for later Acts.

Goals:
•	Deal with the immediate Threat (see Threat, below).
•	Uncover clues to what happened to the Distant Star and its inhabitants.

Mood: The mood in Act 1 is one of mounting tension. From the very first scene everyone should have a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach, and that feeling should intensify scene by scene.

Threat: Before the first scene, roll on the Act 1 Threats table and write the result on the expedition sheet. The characters must discover this Threat within the first couple of scenes. It can be resolved with appropriate narration backed up by a sufficiently positive outcome (a high white value for a scene). If left unresolved, it will cause problems.

Restrictions:
•	Main characters cannot die.
•	The alien entity cannot be encountered directly.
•	Main characters cannot flee the Distant Star.

Tips: If you’re ever unsure what to do during this act, try to creep yourself and your fellow players out. Contribute dice to narrate the presence of bloody footprints, faint life signs that appear on and then vanish from monitors, and other grim portents of what’s to come.

Act 2: Encounter
Act 2 is about encountering the alien entity for the first time and beginning to understand the true nature of the situation that the characters are in—and how bad things are about to get.

Goals: 
•	Stabilize the situation.
•	Learn as much about the alien entity as possible.
Mood: Act 2’s mood can best be described as “on thin ice.” A sense of dread hasn’t yet given way to outright terror, but the expedition is right on the knife edge between rationality and panic.

Threat: Before the first scene, roll on the Act 2 Threats table; the result is a new Threat which must appear in the first scene. Add this Threat to the expedition sheet. It can be resolved like the Threat from Act 1. If the Threat from Act 1 was never resolved, it’s still around to cause problems.

Restrictions:
•	Main characters cannot die.
•	The alien entity should be encountered directly, but remember that it’s not the Threat for this Act. Save the blood and big scares for Act 3.
•	Main characters cannot flee the Distant Star.

Tips: During other players’ scenes, try to sow doubts in the minds of their characters about the true nature of the alien entity. Contribute dice to turn background characters against the main characters, or to make survivors go mad and work against the expedition.

Act 3: Terror
Act 3 is about making the best of an increasingly bad situation. The team still has a mission to complete, and depending on what’s happened so far they might even have survivors to rescue, but the alien entity casts a shadow over all of that. If it isn’t contained, more innocent people will suffer.

Goals:
•	Survive.
•	Contain the alien entity.
•	Succeed in the team’s mission.

Mood: The mood in this Act is right in its name: terror. You’ve seen what the alien entity can do, and panic is beginning to set in.

Threat: The new Threat in this Act is the alien entity itself; write “Alien Entity” on the expedition sheet. Unlike previous Threats, it cannot be completely resolved until the Climax (and even then only if the dice support a positive outcome). If Threats from the first two Acts remain unresolved, they’re still a problem.

Restrictions:
•	Main characters cannot flee the Distant Star.

Tips: Try to induce a state of panic in the characters. Contribute dice to make their efforts against the alien fail, ignore ongoing Threats, and push them to make rash decisions.

Climax
The Climax is about chaos, panic, and a violent rush toward an inescapable conclusion. Things were bad before; now they get much worse.

No dice can be contributed during the Climax.
As you begin the Climax, pause and look at two things:
•	The team dice in the center of the table
•	Each player’s individual dice

Player Dice
The ratio of white to black dice you possess at the start of the Climax (not their value) determines your character’s fate:
•	3 white : 1 black or better: You live, and escape without suffering further harm
•	2 white : 1 black or better: You survive, but not without consequences
•	1 white : 1 black: You’re still alive, but barely—and your future looks bleak
•	2 black : 1 white or worse: You die, but accomplish something worthwhile through your death 
•	3 black : 1 white or worse: You die horribly
•	Zero dice remaining: You suffer the worst fate imaginable

Team Dice
Compare the combined value of all white dice in the center of the table to the combined value of all black dice in the center of the table. The difference between those two totals determines the overall fate of the expedition:
•	White high by 20+: Succeeds as well as possible
•	White high by 10-19: Succeeds well
•	White high by 1-9: Succeeds, but not completely
•	White and black equal: Fails, though only barely
•	Black high by 1-9: Fails, but a small success or two is achieved
•	Black high by 10-19: Fails badly
•	Black high by 20+: Fails as badly as possible

Once everyone understands how well or badly the expedition as a whole will end and how their individual characters will fare, it’s time to narrate the Climax. There is no primary narrator in the Climax, and it’s played out as a single scene featuring all of the main characters. 

If no one steps up, it’s the job of whoever is playing the leader to kick off the scene with some initial narration. If the leader is dead, the player who played the leader decides who starts the scene.

What Must Transpire
You’ll probably know the Climax is over just by feel, but it’s worth noting that these things must happen before the game ends:
•	The fate of each individual main character must be narrated by that player. Background characters can meet whatever fate any player chooses.
•	The fate of the expedition as a whole, including how well or badly it succeeds or fails, must be clearly established.

Once that’s happened, it’s time to wrap up the game with a fade to black—or a jump-cut to the last survivor, screaming in a padded cell—and roll the credits.

Setting Dossier: I.S.S. Distant Star

The I.S.S. Distant Star is a deep-space survey vessel that returned to inhabited space unexpectedly, well ahead of schedule. The ship is currently adrift 10,000 km from the Watson-Mirren jump point. A long-range scan indicates that life support systems are functional.

Locations

Armory
Bridge
Cargo bay
Crew quarters
Engine room
Main airlock
Maintenance shafts
Medical bay
Mess hall
Specimen storage

Characters 

Astrogator
Biologist
Computer specialist
Doctor 
Engineer
Government observer 
I.S.S. captain (leader)
I.S.S. marine
I.S.S. pilot
Physicist 

Complications 

Ailment
Addiction
Criminal past
Dark secret
Hidden agenda
Loved one aboard the Distant Star
Past trauma
Phobia
Rivalry with an expedition member
Weakness

Alien Entity Traits 

Enhanced senses
Fast learner
Implants eggs in host
Incredibly tough
Mutates
Possesses high-tech weaponry
Reproduces asexually
Shapechanger
Stealthy
Takes over humans

Act 1 Threats
1. Air recirculation system failure
2. Computer core offline
3. Hull breach
4. Interior doors nonfunctional
5. Medical bay damaged
6. Radiation shields offline

Act 2 Threats
1. Catastrophic hull breach
2. Computer core meltdown
3. Engine malfunction
4. Gravity generator failure
5. Hostile Distant Star crew members
6. Life support system failure

Expedition to the I.S.S. Distant Star

Locations

Main Characters

Background Characters

Alien Entity

Threats