OOC:
I'll post up a run through the game here. Since the game is dirt cheap, and short, I won't elaborate too much on the rules, However, I will write things out as I do them. The whole concept is very open-ended, but for the sake of brevity, I'll do a short run-through of the game. Also, since it's a virtual game, I used actual cards and dice, rather than the virtual equivalents in GP. I have nothing against them, but for this kind of simple game, it feels odd, at least to me to make use of digital aids.
To find a new planet, roll a six-sided die, and place cards face down equal to the number rolled.
First roll - 5 = "You spot it as you are resting"
For the cards, suit and rank determine the discovery.
- 2 of Hearts
- 3 of Diamonds
- 9 of Diamonds
- 8 of Clubs
- 4 of Clubs
Hearts = Ruins (Mysterious obelisks, vine-covered temples, whatever...)
Diamonds = Living beings (not plants)
Clubs = Plants and other immobile forms of life
OOC:
Without really writing out the prompts, I've already got something to consider and explore. I'm going to write out the prompts in the order I drew the cards. No more than three sentences per card.
My scanners alerted me to discovery on a nearby planet during what would have been night. I'd thought it devoid of anything but rock formations and low-level volcanic phenomena, but I was wrong. The images I was able to piece together from the data the shuttle picked up revealed ancient structures that couldn't be explained away by rudimentary geology. For all intents and purposes, they appeared to be some sort of settlement perhaps?
3 of Diamonds = By a gentle river / Living beings
Immediately, I locked in an orbit and began collecting further data. After scanning through images, video, and all kinds of readings, it become abundantly clear to me that there were, or at least had been living beings on this planet at some point in the not too distant past. The planet likely could support life, and that was a completely unexpected surprise.
9 of Diamonds = Deep Underground / Living Beings
"Life!" I thought looking at the data before me but was put off by the realization that the atmosphere was likely to harsh for anything to really survive. It was then that I began to notice the patterns of the architecture that led into massive caverns. "Could there still be life here, deep underground?" I thought, and couldn't help but meditate on the idea for a while.
8 of Clubs = On a Glacier / immobile forms of life
The realization that there was more to this planet than met the eye kept on coming. Scans of the polar regions revealed dark masses spread out across massive glaciers. There was no question about whether or not there was an atmosphere. By now I had sent down probes to begin examining things in more detail, and those dark masses were apparently some kind of boreal spore, a discovery that was as stunning as the ruins.
4 of Clubs = In a steep canyon / Immobile forms of life
The glaciers were massive by any metric, and the fungus continued down into massive canyons across the icy surface. It made me wonder where this lifeform began. In the depths of the planet, or was it something that took root on the ice itself, and then spread out.
I needed more time to study this and probably help. After taking time to prepare my notes into a report, I made sure to note the location of the planet in the intergalactic database, along with my report suggestion for immediate further study. My job here was done, and it was time to move on...
OOC:
And that was an example of how the game works. The next step would be to roll my six-sided die, and then draw more cards. As is on display, the game is very short, but if someone wanted a starting point for a homebrewed adventure, this would probably fit the bill.
