Dead Belt - Solo, Co-Op, or Rivalry
A downloadable game
This page is for our successfully Kickstarted 1-2 player version of Dead Belt.
- Physical copies are now available for purchase through Amazon: Dead Belt RPG
Not everyone’s got the temperament to be a Belter. Plenty of folks crack when the grav cuts out and the lights go off. Plenty more jump at shadows when their flash starts to flicker. Others are too busy watching their O2 to see opportunities.
But that isn’t you. If you can only rely on your gear, your smarts, and your grit, you’re going to make a stack of cred out here among these hulks. Or you’re going to die trying. Either way, you’re going to do it alone.
No one’s coming looking. No one knows you’re here. 
Dead Belt is played by building a Belter and taking them out into the Belt to scavenge randomly-generated starships, using things you already have laying around: a six-sided die, a deck of common playing cards, and a few tokens of whatever sort happen to be close at hand.
With a dozen unique ship deck plans, over 100 flavorful prompts, and plenty of character stats to help you avert certain death, no two ships will ever feel the same. You’ll board these derelict starships, navigate barriers, dodge threats, monitor your air-supply, and salvage as you go.
You’ll deal with all the dangers lurking onboard these starships, push your luck, and finally return to spend your hard-won booty to secure better equipment, improve your skills, pay down your crippling debt, and hopefully, maybe, eventually set yourself up to live out your dreams far from the Belt.
There are three ways to play Dead Belt: Solo, Co-Op, and Rivalry.
- Solo is the classic experience, you're truly all alone out there and no one is coming to help you.
- In Co-Op, you and a friend join forces, allowing you to push your luck a little further, knowing they'll be there to have your back when things go sideways. Don't make the mistake of thinking this makes the game easy. Start pulling wild stunts and you're just as like to take your partner down with you.
- In Rivalry, you and a friend dial the difficulty level up to 12, actively sabotaging each other as you race for the juicy payday hiding on every ship. This mode is not for the faint of heart.
(Above) See it Played: Don't miss the actual play video below to see how a few gamer-household staples and a big pile of interesting and evocative prompts make for the most fun you'll ever have dying in space.
"Dead Belt is the solo RPG for anyone who thought they would never play one. Instead of making you write a novel, it’s edge-of-your-seat tension with every flip of a card. You will believe you’re out there and space wants you dead." - Third Floor Wars Craig
”Dead Belt perfectly rides the line between sci-fi survival and folk horror in an easily understood, cleverly built solo game.” - Roleplaying Grenade Gregg
"Remember it's a mighty vast, mighty cold world out there. And if you ain't got the grit, you ain't got the determination. Well, you know, some of you folks ain't going to make it, but for those of us, Belters, I mean, there ain't nothing sweeter than cracking into a ship and finding that payday. See ya space cowboy." - Black Dragon Dungeon Company
"Late-stage capitalism is a shitshow." - A Couple of Drakes
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $20 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Exclusive content
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Buddy Breathe
We're all gasping right about now, and the tanks are running dry. It's understandable, Belter. If you're cagey about pledging your hard-earned dollars, the ones you might need to put up toward rent or food or the other necessities of life, grab a copy and have fun, on us. If you like it and want to donate later to say thanks when circumstances change, we'll put up another community copy for someone else to enjoy.
We'll also be adding community copies whenever someone purchases Dead Belt above the posted price.
It's cold in space, not in our hearts
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Hi!
So I didn't realize there was a difference between this version and the Drivethrurpg version. Is there a way to get the Roll20 Hack if I already have the Drivethrurpg version?
Damn, less than a week and the 15 copies are gone already =/ Will have to keep an eye out for the next one.
Could you share with me how I might get a community copy? I've come back here several times and haven't seen any yet. Thank you!
Sorry to hear you been havin' the Devil's own luck gettin your hands on a buddy-breathe copy. Just tossed 15 on the stack. If those are gone before you manage to snag one, let me know and we'll keep trying.
Thank you SO much for your generosity. I'm excited to read through the core rules. Without even reading anything yet, the artwork and layout are SUPER cool-looking.
Hi there! I've been watching several APs and am excited to try and play, but unfortunately money is quite tight. I was wondering if there might be any more community copies available, by chance?
Thank you for creating this game!
Thanks for reaching out, hoss. Couple of buddy-breathe copies just went up on the pile. Grab one and get salvaging.
Thank you so much, I was able to grab one! I shall see you out in the great unknown - stay safe out there!
Greetings, Chariot.
While reading through my ship's manual, a question struck me: Why do Spare Banks store Grit and not Glow?
I feel that "...calm, experience, luck, and ephemeral edge." is a bit too immaterial to be available for me in my ship's storage, different from OmniFlash batteries. I totally agree, though, with the necessity of refilling and upgrading Grit by spending Creds, which in my view represents engaging in training, relaxing activites and resting.
Thanks in advance.
Howdy, Belter.
Now I'm not one to tell a scraphound what sort of thing in the cargo-hold steadies their nerve and makes them feel lucky or competent again, but we've all got our particular tricks for when the day's labor becomes hinky. The answer is an unsatisfying one, I understand, but to go ahead and pull the curtain back a little and divorce from the fiction, I'm gonna tell you Game Balance and Testing.
Glow's an edge-stat that don't get checked often like Grit, and having a surfeit of it makes for a less interesting and engaging experience. Also them OmniFlash batteries is miserable power-drawers and when we plugged one into a Kildeer, it damn near ate the fusion drive just keepin' itself topped up. Honest and true, Grit's refilled by suit-patches, little lucky-dos, a quick smoke, or maybe a little nip to settle yourself before you button up your hat and step once more into the old groaning ghost of a Bird.
So yeah, Belter. I agree, when dealing with the fiction it makes plenty of sense to have some Flash batteries kicking in stowage more than a quick and heady "okay, I can do this" waiting back at the airlock. But also some things gotta get square on the meta-level. Indulge me, if'n it ain't too onerous. Or hell, scritch it out and change it. I ain't your pa.
Best of luck out there. Chariout, out.
Copy, Chariot.
Thanks for the straight answer. Now that I hear you saying, I feel not exactly smart for not carrying around some painkillers, stim packs and other stuff to keep my run going smoothly. However, I still feel inclined to bring some extra batteries, or even glowsticks, as I lean towards avoiding trouble rather then looking for a way out of one. Not being able to see ahead where I'm stepping in will eat through my brain faster than nanite swarm.
Anyway, if you allow me, as good a slicer I am, I'll push my luck with some ship modifications to see what fits best my working style. What could go wrong, right? That's why we are here after all.
Over and out.
Hi! I'm doing my first run through, really enjoying it. One little question.. how do I spend Gas from my spares bank? I've got 2 Gas. When I'm in the airlock, does 1 Gas reduce my current Gas number by one? Or is it like replacing my whole Gas tank and takes it all the way down to 1.
Eg I'm on 4, I spend a Gas, so now I'm on 3, or I'm on 1?
Thanks!
Each unit of Gas drops your Gas number by 1, Belter. So if you’re on 4, one Gas from the spares bank puts you down to 3. Same thing with any you scrounge on a Bird, each unit’s one box on your sheet. Be a lot cooler if they were tanks, I’ll grant. But it’s rough out here like that.
Hope your luck hangs tough out there, Belter. Y’all let us know if you have anymore questions. We’ll keep the channel open.
Chariot, out.
Hey at the risk of being a broken record, any idea what the ETA is on more physical copies? I have been checking back here every day or three for a couple months for any sign of them.
We hear ya, Belter. Trying to get a print order set up for more copies, and as soon as we got a firm timeline, we’ll point you in the right direction. Proofs should, Empty night be kind and the grav don’t cut out, be arriving today. Gotta ask y’all to hang with us a mite longer?
Thanks for the update, and for all the cool games! :) I'll be standing by!
Hey there Belters! If the Concordat's listenin' in on this channel, I'm askin' for a friend, but — what happens if reach 10 debt? I reckon the ship would be impounded by the bank and my friend would end up an indentured debtor in some bleak corner of civilization...
May 'haps the handbook ain't overly clear, or my friend ain't overburdened with an abundance of schoolin', but either way I expect the bank's none too keen on spelling out the particulars in the brochure.
Or maybe the Concordat's smiling benevolence is kind enough to cap a Belter's debt to 100 creds, so long as we can pull enough salvage to keep flyin'? My friend and I would be shocked but not sorry to hear it.
Concordat ain't listening, but I am, Belter. Now, per page Twenty under the Bank section, it says y'all got a single salvage operation after you hit debt 10 to pay down your principle or else your friend loses the ship and goes to work off the balance in their ledger on one of the core-ward Wealth Reclamation Facilities. Means their time out on the Gasping Frontier's at an end, I'm afraid. But hey, they got one more shot to bring home enough to get back to limping, right?
It's not all dark, no stars yet...but yall can see it from here. Get to scrappin' hoss.
Chariot out.
Copy that, Chariot!
Hi. Any chance of community copies soon? I've been watching APs of this game on YT and it's very interesting.
Thanks to a couple of kind hearted Belters, we got a few copies newly on the pile. Go quick now or send a follow up wave. We'll get you out here scraping the big empty right alongside us, no worries.
Chariot out.
Didn't manage to snag one but thank you regardless. I'll be hovering over the pile instead!
Send us a message at our business inbox, acoupleofdrakes(at)outlook(dot)com, and we'll get you situated, hook, crook, or plas-torch. No Belters get left behind.
What kind of asteroid do you guys want for a physical copy of this?
Solo games are great for us who have little time to play with friends :-)
Unfortunately I am tight on money. Are their by any chance community copies left?
For you, Belter? Anything.
❤️🪐🚀
Very nice game! I need to introduce it to more people... any suggestion to adapt it to 3 players? Thank you from France!
+1 to the queries over physical books?
We're working on getting them into production and into eager hands, for sure. As soon as I've got more copies in hand, I'll be circling back to point you in their direction, never you fear!
+1 on this for me as well! I was sleeping on this during the KS but I'd really like a physical copy of this when it is available!
10-4 on this effort. The Belt has taught me not to trust anything I can't grasp in my own two hands. Old-fashioned? Maybe. But I'm still out here with the stars.
G-Pa out.
This game is incredible! I did a quick 5 minute overview for anyone wanting to learn more, but you should absolutely pick this one up!
Appreciate the spotlight, Belter. One thing the Belt will teach you, every little bit of oxygen goes a long way. Hell of a vid.
Is there any way to get a physical copy?
We're working on getting hardcopies available through Indie Press Revolution currently. When we're completely through distribution, there may be a couple of copies left over, but that's an ongoing process. As soon as I've got a link to point you towards, we'll circle back and ensure you're situated to snag yourself a copy, Belter.
Huzzah! Thanks!
I am a backer and I’m a big fan of the game (and podcast!). Are there any guidelines around hacking the engine? It’s basically perfect to do a hack to play a ttrpg version of the game Dredge.
Howdy, Belter.
We've got the Born on the Belt SRD that'll get you on the path toward hacking together your own game of desperate exploration. But before we go exchanging data packets here, I need y'all to understand that I'm expecting you to tell me when it's all put together so that I can both play it and send other folks to check it out, too. If that sounds like a deal, then this here's my go-ahead and blessing, Belter. Done and dusted.
--Comms open --
Chariot, for the Shipbreaker rules, what happens if the airlock has docked with a module that's now drifting down the well? Do I now have to spacewalk to and from the bird every time I want to drop off load?
--adjust for time dilation--
A-Yup. Might consider that your luck broke bad and decide its time to pack it in. Otherwise, you might ensure your egress kit is in good working order. Either way, only way across the vasty intervenin' is to take a little walk outside. Yeehaw.
chariot, i may be gettin' too old for this. as if i have another option. already lost a few buddies to the belt. and sometimes the old grey matter feels more like a black box. speakin' of... i thought i knew this but now i'm not so sure, and i couldn't find it in the paperwork. what's considered "adjacent" on these here birds? are we talkin' orthogonal, diagonal, let me know what's up.
over...
Ain't no one on the Belt for longer than a minute can't say they're too old for this particular ration of nonsense. You're in good company, Belter.
Movement on these birds is orthogonal. Modules got four sides, we move in four directions...unless we're space-walking. But it turns out, maneuvering through the fathomless black is a whole rasher of additional trouble. If you stick to making your way through the hatches, it's either long-side or short-side on the map. Corners don't come equipped with doorways, I'm afraid. Structural concerns, y'understand.
Hope that gets the headware back on the right track, Belter. Y'all let me know if you run up against anything else makes for friction, and I'll see if I can't sort it for you.
Hang in there, pard. I'll be hanging with you.
Chariot, out.
i often spend a while wonderin' if i'd still recognize good sense when i see it. today, i'll wonder a little less. cheers to you, chariot.
out.
Where can I get a physical copy of the game?
Howdy Belter,
We're in the midst of fulfilling the Kickstarter currently, but just as soon as we can come up for air, we're planning on getting to work on getting Dead Belt up on Amazon and shortly thereafter we hope to have it available through Indie Press Revolution. Hang tight, and we'll be loud and proud just as soon as we can get a physical copy into your hands.
Chariot, out.
A great game, while it plays like a board game, its mechanics achieve immersion. Even playing this under the midday sun on holiday, I felt the uncaring cold of the void.
Bonus points for proving the SRD with the reasoning behind your choices, I am now looking frantically for time to write my own brew of this system.
What is the Player Kit that's referenced on page 3, and how do we download it?
The Player Kit is all that extra fiddly stuff you can download right here on this page. Looks like we did take down the extra 'cheat sheet' since it is now the last page of the book, all official-like.
Good call out, we'll get that patched up to clear up the confusion, Belter.
Chariot out.
Hey there, just checking something! Is the shipbreaker layout for the Light Cargo Freighter on page 32 accurate? It looks like it's reusing the one from the previous page, and it's unclear what would happen to the middle cards on a 5-6 roll in that instance.
Howdy Belter,
That line that's going through the central spine on the Tier 1 Merchant ship means that the spine's no longer stable. Those modules are toast. remove them from the layout.
Good news is that you're EVA-certified and can Spacewalk with the best of them, right? Bad news is that more'n a few Belters have bit it going for a swim when they didn't mean to.
Chariot out.
wideband with a few questions Chariot...
SO what say you and a partner decide to set out and bust up birds together, starting from scratch who takes on the debt for a new ship?
Hypothetically while you're out with a partner and say, hypothetically, a nanite swarm breaches containment and starts eating its way towards your airlock, does it activate after EACH of belter turn or just after whoever generated the threat?
had a blast last night with a buddy and few high tier birds, keep doin what youre doin Drakes, thank you.
Howdy Belter,
Now, that sounds like an arrangement between you, your partner, and the Bank, don't it? Fair and equitable would be to split it down the center, or near as possible. Course you might say, "I'll take the Debt, but upkeep's coming out of your share until we start paying down the principle."
Hypothetically, the nanites would move after both Belters have taken their move for the round. They're quick, but they ain't twice as fast as a Belter seeing the end is gettin' uncomfortably nigh.
Appreciate the wave, boss. Keep scrappin' and watch that buddy of yours with two eyes whenever you can spare 'em.
Chariot, out.
Thrilled to see the first Black Contract out, Chariot. Pardon if my eyes aren’t working the way they used to after staring at so much dust and void, but - where are the Threat rules for generating a Haint Threat?
Well, that ain't hardly no good is it? Apparently that module just fell off somewhere in the formatting process. Don't worry, we'll slap some BondAll on it and get it working by the weekend. Till we do, just pretend it's a run of the mill Murderous Ghost.
I mean, it ain't. And the regular Murderous Ghost ain't near frightening enough. But we'll get to that.
Chariot, out.
Lucky Star should be all updated for you now, see if that don't work a little nicer. Thanks for the heads up, Belter.
Chariot, out.
Much obliged, Chariot.
Having a lot of fun with this so far! Just wanted some clarification on a few things though:
For the Crackerjack black market upgrade, the upkeep in the rulebook says upkeep 2 but on the character sheet, it's 1. Which value do we use?
In the rulebook under Secondary Stats, the upkeep definition says everyone starts with 3-7 upkeep, but shouldn't it say 1-3 upkeep since that's the starting range of the three ships?
One of the shipbreaker lines (roll 5-6) for the tier 1 merchant ship go directly through the middle cards. What are we supposed to do with these cards? Do we pick and choose which cards to move to either side?
During the Airlock Move, can we choose the same option twice, such as checking air twice?
Based off the previous comments on here, the second spare bank upgrade (expansion 2) grants a total of 7 additional storage slots and not 8, correct? The character sheet has a total of 8 bubbles and the manual also references 8 in the Goods and Services section. Should I manually change these to 7? I also noticed in the same section that it says 'spaces' bank instead of 'spares'.
Howdy Belter,
Straight to the point since I just came on shift and ain't properly caffeinated, so don't take the terseness of the following replies hard-like, because they ain't meant that way, square?
1. Crackerjacks are black market items, and the intent is (and this is going forward with any additional items we may append going forward) all black market items are at least 2 upkeep to make you make hard choices as to what kind of kit to risk your neck for. Use 2.
2. It sure should. Somewhere the lines got crossed between Debt and Upkeep. Any additional prints will have the correction, but they're printed now, so there's for that.
3. That line's going through those modules, and those modules are toast. Remove them from play.
4. You absolutely may not. Don't get me wrong, checking Gas twice can occasionally kill you, but choosing the choice that hurts least twice ain't in keeping with the spirit of fair play, is it?
5. Hey look, there's indeed a typo in there ain't there? See this is why physical copies of anything is a sucker's game when you're entire operation is three sets of eyeballs. Heh. Good catch, Belter. Radio'd back toward Navi and got the word on the spares bank. "I hated the way the 7-slot bank looked on the sheet. It's 8 now." So apparently the Albatross is supposed to "mount an 8-slot spare's bank."
Good questions all, and I appreciate you singing out. I'll get to scratching down the list of line-edits and corrections for the FAQ so's other Belters got the answers at a glance.
Chariot out.
Thanks for the prompt reply and answers to my questions, Chariot!
That makes sense about the black market items. I'll change the upkeep cost on my character sheet to 2. I also appreciate the clarification on that shipbreaker question. If that happened, I would hope my payday isn't in that module!
No sweat, Belter. Here to help in whatever small ways I can. Space is cruel. Don't mean we gotta be, right
Can you take a loan before you go out and hit your first ship? After rolling out a belter and your own bird can you get a bit of cred from the bank for starting gear?
Bank move's rolled upon return to station. Doesn't trigger until you return from that first bird. They already loaned you the scratch to get that rustbucket you're piloting! Prove your worth and hope they look kindly on extending a line of Credit, Belter.
Can gear be used after a roll to roll the extra die? Or do you need to spend gear before any roll is made?
Second question - Can I use grit to succeed at "check your gas" rolls?
Does entering your air lock require a gas check or is that only the case if you choose that as a partial success condition?
Howdy, Belter.
Gear's spent before a roll, Grit's spend after. Them's the breaks. Now I'm not there to keep you honest, so if you want to give it another go with Gear, sayin' that you meant to do it the whole time I'm not going to come and smack the die out of your hand. But the intent is that you're spending Gear when you think to yourself, "Man, I really can't fail this one. Better dig in the toolbelt for an edge..."
As to the second, no amount of sheer grit and determination's going to overcome your need to keep breathing. Gas does its own thing and is unaffected by any other mechanics aside from certain kinds of Bad News.
Entering your Airlock does indeed prompt a Gas check, like transiting all modules. You can stay in there and hold the door for your buddy without checking it, but the decompression/pressurization cycle is long enough to make waiting on the Belter's Prybar hatch have you checking your wristcomp and maybe saying "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." Movement around a Bird can be counted on to have one constant. Token moves? Check gas.
Hope that gets you sorted, Belter.
Chariot, out.
Thank you. That clears up those issues. That information would be appropriate to state directly in the rule book or perhaps in an FAQ on issues that have been coming up here.
One other question, there were professions in the book that were blank - will those be finished and added eventually?
If your copy isn't showing the Resc'Tech and the Rookie as filled in, you're working from an old copy. Download the new file.
Ah ha. thank you. I was both sure and wrong that I had the latest version
New questions - can threats move through blocked modules? my guess is yes even if it's not nanites.
Payday option that adds 2 load and 2 creds - does that mean a tier 1 payday becomes 6 load and is therefore now worth 8 creds?
Threats, like, you cannot move through blocked modules. They will take the most direct path toward you that is open and available...which gets tricky when it comes to them being on the wrong side of a shipbreak from you. The card-based AI is rudimentary, but them's the breaks.
6 load and 6 cred for a Tier 1 Payday that's been boosted. Usually they're 4 Load and 4 Cred.
One more follow up - do threats spacewalk?
And thinking about that is there a maximum distance you can traverse with one successful spacewalk. I'd guess it would be about one modules worth of transit.
Threats never spacewalk. That's a solitary comfort when you watch the part of the ship that's holding the hungry alien or the murderous ghosts just go drifting off into the great unknown, ain't it?
There's no maximum distance for a spacewalk. It's sufficiently high risk and high reward that so long as you can draw a straight line between your module and your destination, you're golden. Just...y'know, don't die. Simple as, right?
Two questions on the Shuttle:
1. Does the Shuttle functionally add 5 Cargo Capacity to your ship? (I assume so, as 10 Creds + 1 Upkeep seems a bit steep for just another egress point but I wanted to check.) That's of course with you dropping 5 Load worth of cargo explicitly in the Shuttle and putting the rest in your main Airlock: I doubt you can magically drop 5 over your normal Capacity in your main Airlock and have it sort itself out later on.
2. Does the Shuttle count as an Airlock for positives, as well as negatives? I assume I have to roll Airlock to drop off cargo in it, but can I also, ah, borrow parts out of it with the Slicer's Cannibalize? How about hitting the Spares Bank? (I could see both working, only Cannibalize working, or neither working, honestly.)
Howdy Belter,
Good questions. Let's see if I can't make this clear as mud, how 'bout?
1. Shuttle's a convenience item, Belter. That 5-load cargo bay in the shuttle is in addition to you main scrapper's bay, but they are indeed separate. You'll sort the prizes when you get back to station, but on the job? 5 in the shuttle and however much your bird carries in two neat stacks.
2. I'd say that, as a canny and practiced Belter, you've probably got the same ability to pull parts and have Bits waiting for you in a Shuttle. Preparation is key, right? Anything you can do in your main Airlock's is meant to be accessible through the Shuttle. Shuttle is, essentially, another Airlock with all of the drawbacks and advantages that entails. It's how the two-person salvage operations manage to operate, and it'd proper suck to be the partner gasping while the other's camped out next to the recharge port. Chalk it up to being fair and equitable in a Belt that...well, ain't.
Hope that helps.
Chariot, out.
Two incoming for you Chariot.
One, if I'm ready to move up in the world with a shiny new bird am I taking on all the additional debt? Or is the debt only for putting into beltin' in the first place.
Second, you lookin' for any mission write ups? Cuz I can swap stories with the best of 'em if there's an audience.
Howdy Belter,
When you're ready to take the con of a new Bird, you're going to want to sell your previous ride and--now here, I'm speaking in generalities, because I'm sure you can find other uses for some ready cred--put that sum toward paying down the debt on the new one. Because yeah, short answer, you're taking on the shiny new bird's debt.
As to the second, I don't have a particular place where write-ups are supposed to go. I hear tell that some enterprising Belter put together a Reddit where they'd probably be at home. I've been retweeting after-action reports on Twitter, and showing love to the YouTube plays. Hell, I've heard some good ones on our Patreon Discord as well. But just like Belters, we're all scattered to the wind. Makes every one I stumble across a treasure, y'understand.
Y'all be good or good at it, out there.
Chariot out.
https://www.reddit.com/r/deadbelt/
Carved out a place for belters to palaver, see ya'll there.
Chariot I'm itchin for some more tales, podcatcher ran dry real fast. I been swappin my own stories with a few other belters but what became of Milo Griggs is keepin me awake at night.
I gotcha, Belter, and I'm dreadful sorry about the lag in comms. Turns out between writing out new goodies for the game and the various steps of production that have to happen before fulfillment, there's precious little time to drawl into a microphone for y'all. That and there for a solid three months I couldn't go a sentence without breaking into a fit of coughing. Got the chrome-lung something fierce. But I'm on the mend, and I swear by all the turning dark that I'm working on it.
Manuscript's so dern long that I think I owe you a double episode.
Then we'll try and settle back into the easy rhythm of one wave per cycle. Appreciate you carin', Belter. That there brings a smile to old Chariot's heart and no mistake.
Stay tuned, y'hear? Chariot out.
good copy chariot and thanks for the sitrep, keep em comin.
standing by
Two rules questions:
1. Regarding Payday options and taking the opposite of the ones you don't choose; I can follow that for most of the choices, but I'm unsure how to apply that to the last choice. Is it "It is/isn't" worth more then you first imagined (so it's +2 Load and Cred or +0 Load and Cred) or It's worth more/less then you first imagined (+2 Load/Cred or -2 Load/Cred)? The former seems "nicer", but I'm not sure how I would play the latter; -2 Load/Cred on a Tier 1 ship would literally not be worth hauling back, which seems off.
2. The rules say you can carry Grit/Gear/Gas over capacity in your Load slots on runs; can you carry over such resources between Birds in a similar way?
(Bonus clarification: I am assuming you cannot use the between Birds part of the Slicer's Cannibalize Special Feature to, say, dump all or most of your Gear into Spares Bay slots and then "refill" yourself to Gear capacity for 1 Cred? That seems a bit too friendly even for a class Special Feature.)
Howdy Belter,
Let's see if we can't clear the haze a bit and get you back to scrappin' with maximal efficiency, shall we?
1. The intended opposite of "It's worth more than I first imagined" is "It's not worth more than I first imagined." Plenty of things that can make that Payday worth less in the Oracles and Threats and even based on where you put your airlock, but the Payday move isn't out to hurt you like that. It's either +2 or +0.
2. So long as you've got somewhere to stick those goodies when you get back to your airlock, you can carry over resources. If you've got Grit/Gear/Gas in your Hold and you need some when you call it quits? Hell yeah, top up. If you got a Spares Bank, so much the better. But if you've got more than you can use or store in your Spares Bank, best just to sell them for the quick cred and buy Bits later.
Bonus Round: You assume correct. People start asking uncomfortable questions and the dockside techs stop wanting to work on your deathtrap if you start cutting on the poor bird in port. That's a tactic of desperation and improvisational genius, not a standard operating procedure. Usable only during the Bird phase like the most of the Special Features.
Hope that's a little clearer for you, Belter. Thanks for the wave. We'll see you out there on the float.
Chariot out.
Re: 1 - thank you! The italics formatting of “Add 2 Load/Cred” was making us second-guess, since the italics were reserved for the bad outcomes on the other options.
Solid copy on that. Style guide deviations are noted to be a bad thing.
You read me, Chariot?
It's rough out here. Regardless, I appreciate you.
re: the payday... if I roll a 1-3... Oracles say "the Payday you came for is junked. Reminder: The oppposite of every choice you don’t take happens". Core says I could "spend Grit to salvage the payday by using it as normal"... what's normal out here? sounds like on a 1-3 I can spend a Grit to salvage, or not, and the opposite of every pick list item happens either way.
Reality check me... Over...
ok, per Core, if i don't salvage then i ignore the pick list. so that stuff just doesn't happen. so my question really is, if i do salvage, does the opposite of every pick list item happen? (including spending another Grit)
Chariot copies all Lima-Charlie, Belter. Let's have a walk through the Payday move right quick and see if we can't get you back to scrappin' and salvagin' without any undue brain-frizz.
So when you roll for a Payday, like rolling for any other prompt or move in the game, you will roll a d6 (unless you decide to spend some Gear before you roll, in which case you'll be rolling 2d6). On a 1-3, as usual, the worst happens--you've come all this way for a stripped or busted payday. But you're a Belter with luck and grit. Just like any other bit of bad news, you can spend Grit after the fact to boost your failure into a mixed success, the 4-5 result on this prompt. IE, you choose two of the bulleted options on the Payday move picklist which are true, and the others are false. So if you don't spend one of your choices on "You don't need to spend Grit to remove it," you do indeed need to spend a Grit to remove it, in addition to the Grit you've already spent to boost your 1-3 to a 4-5.
Hopefully that scrubs the signal and makes it a little clearer for you, Belter. But if it's all still broken/unreadable for you, send another wave and we'll hook and jab our way through a payday together step by step and see if we can't make the weird make some sense, square?
Gonna loiter on this station a while, Belter. Pulse the crackle and hum button if'n you need. Chariot, out.
roger that, Chariot... those dots got connected and i'm all straightened out.
Thanks y'all. Loving the game. Been giving Roll20 a ride, too, works pretty nice.
out... for now...
Hey Drakes! I'm really enjoying the game but I'm unclear about Spacewalk move. It says what happens when I draw only red cards, or two black cards, or one black and one red. What if I got a mixed success, drew only one card and it's black? Does this mean "no success, but also no resources spent"? That's what made sense to me, but it's unclear in the rules. Help?
You've got it exact, Belter. If you get a Black card as your only draw, you're going to need to roll and draw again.
Also, unless I'm misreading things, there's a bit of a loophole with Spares Bank? Once I have it installed, I can buy Spare Bits for 1 cred and it makes no sense to buy any Grit or Gear for 2 cred. I can just enter the Airlock on a new Bird and take the stuff I bought for cheap from the Bank. Is this on purpose? Or am I misunderstanding how Gear and Grit work?
Having to walk back to the airlock for your spares is a hassle. Expanding your "On You" Grit, Gear, and Glow means cutting down on trips and minimizing the risk of a bad run of gas-checks cutting your trip (or career) short.
Sure, but I'm starting in the Airlock. So if I have no Gear left after previous run, I can just spend 3 cred, put 3 Gear in my Spares Bank, and as soon as I get to the new Bird, I load that 3 Gear into my pack and start exploring?
Or does Gear, Grit and Glow actually reset before each run, and paying full price permanently increases the reset value?
The 2 cred upgrades increase the max grit or gear you can carry. After each run, you'll need to refill both your personal inventory and your spares bank with "Spare Bits." Whichever track you fill--bay, carryall, both, or neither-- the price is the same. 1 cred for three bits. Mix and match.
Wow, I completely misunderstood the way this works then! Thank you so much for explaining. I guess I need to make a new Belter now and play it the right way, hopefully I'll have better luck.
that ain't workin', that's the way you do it...
follow up question - does the cost to increase your max Grit/Gear/Glow/Load also include any bits?
example:
as i write it out (and as i re-read page 10), i'm thinking i stay at 3. but it'd be nice if i didn't...
money for nothin', and your grit for free...
I completely missed the Kickstarter, but I’d love to pick up a physical copy. Is there a mailing list I should be on to get notified when they become available?
Absolutely! You can sign up for our mailing list here: https://acoupleofdrakes.com/join-the-mailing-list
It's also a great idea to follow the Knave of Cups game store; we send official retail copies of our games to them before anywhere else: https://knaveofcups.com
Hey Drakes, wonderful game! Question: In the Albatross description it says it can accommodate a 7 slot spare bank upgrade... should it say 8 slot? And just to be clear, spare bank upgrade is the same as spare bank expansion, right?
Howdy, Belter! Glad to hear you're getting on well enough to have questions about the biggest Beltin' Bird going. The Albatross can mount the largest Spares Bank available on the Belt, the 7-Slot Spares Bank (available at all reputable and less than reputable refit stations for 7 Cred).
Looking at the sheet, I'm seeing the confusion though. Each upgrade is indeed a mark on the Spare Bank Expansion category on the sheet. And we are looking at a weird number of bubbles on the bank itself. We'll get that sorted and polished once we're clear of space-plague. Play it as it lies for now, and we'll get it all ironed out.
Thanks for the extra eyes, Belter. This is why we're lucky to have y'all out there.
Thanks, good to know. Another point of confusion is that under goods and services the spares bank expansion 2 provides 8 slots for gear, grit and gas for 8 cred. I'll just go with 7 for now! Again, super cool game.
Hi Drakes.
A question about the void rat. Does the vent rat ability still work if the ship is breaking up? Should you re-roll if the destination threat area is on the other side of the break?
Yeah, Belter, turns out that Void Rat doesnt mean you get to walk in space for free. If the ships come apart and your rolled destination is drifting into the great beyond, you're not getting there without a spacewalk. Feel free to give the dice another shake and see where you end up otherwise.
Hello Chariot!
Will there also be a way for those of us who accidentally misread the closing date of KS to order a physical copy similar to the kick starter?
I'm interested in this as well.
I'm interested too.
Howdy Fox,
Sorry to hear we missed you for the campaign! As it stands we'll be taking care of printing and distribution for the Kickstarter. When that process is done and settled, we'll most likely be left with an overage of the physical zines to cover shipping mishaps and suchlike. Any of those leftover copies of the physical edition will be posted up here on Itch as available. Short answer is currently "no." But come fulfillment time, 'round May 2023? Resounding Yes.
Thanks Chariot!
Good to know! Just finally got to really get into the game and I absolutely adore it. Haven’t had solo rpg experiences this tense since Ironsworn was in early access! Will be keeping an eye out to snag one of the physical copies :D
We'll be loud and proud when they're available, Belter. Glad to hear you're enjoying your time on the Gasping Frontier!
How do those of us who backed the KS access this?
Our email with all of the Kickstarter keys is awaiting admin approval through Itch.io. Hang tight. It's on its way.
Any updates on the email issue? Hoping to play for the first time this weekend (fingers crossed) :)
So much so that I was looking around to buy the older version which I see is no longer available.
Still waiting on the email from Itch.io Admin, unfortunately. Glaring at our inbox like it owes us something is so far proving ineffective. I'm holding out hope that it's going to be rectified before too much longer, but on the off chance that there's no word, shoot us an email at ACoupleofDrakes (at) Outlook and we'll at least get you the ashcan version to tide you over.
Because this is frankly ridiculous, and y'all have been patient enough.