I am having a bad day of archery, in Sherwood Forest. I have already lost two arrows, and that is my pensioner disposable income blown. I am sure that Dead Belt would help me feel much better. PLEASE help me breathe!
Hello, loving the game so far I have a question about the rival scavengers. I rolled a one and it says that they frog march me back to my ship and confiscate all my salvage.
I currently have no salvage.
Then it goes on to say when the rivals scavenger reaches your airlock they’ll plan to trace. Since they walked me back to my ship, is it assumed that they also reached my airlock?
Should I be checking gas for each module we go through?
Well that ain't good news, Belter. Sorry y'all ran afoul of some mean spirited Vultures out there. Good news is they didn't get nothing off of you. If your carry all and your cargo bay is empty, they won't take anything. Can't squeeze blood out of a turnip after all. It does indeed behoove you to make gas checks on thenway back to your airlock. You're still transiting modules. Good news is they won't let you die on the way to your airlock either, so you ain't gotta worry about the Gas checks killing you. Might still end your salvaging day, though. But further good news, they ain't going to waste a tracer on your boat if you're not an earner. And if you had salvage, they'd be too busy bustling it off to worry about sticking you with a tracer. Getting the frog march treatment doesn't trigger their Airlock move, thankfully. Though I know some folk think it's more thematic to be that kind of mean spirited, it ain't the intention to pile on both kinds of bad one right after the other.
After they make your life a little harder, yeah, they do in fact move on. Their damage is done and it's up to you to find some fresh and interesting trouble. Hopefully the odds break a little kinder in the future, Belter.
Thanks for the question! Yall let me know if that ain't coming through loud and clear, and we'll clean it up.
I have a movement resolvement order question. The ghost came after me. I moved to the airlock with partial payday, I drew a card for the ghost, who came to spaces after me also into the airlock now sharing a space.
What resolves first? Airlock rolls and actions OR ghost rolls forcing me to flee if it is not a six. Do I even roll on the ghost again once it reaches me in the airlock or does it just get cozy and moves in till the next threat? And if I am forever running away from the ghost lugging part of the payday do I ever get to stash it in the airlock when the ghost is in there?
The question is what resolves first when you have two simultaneous prompts?
Your moves, your turn, always resolves before you make the Threat Move. Check Gas, Character Action, Threat. So when you decide to move into the airlock, check your gas, then move your pawn and resolve your action as normal. When that action's done, then you draw for your boogin. Means you can decide to be done and hit the breakaway switch before that haint has a moment to move in, if you want. But if it does reach your airlock, it makes itself cozy. No more AI movement for the Ghostie-goo, at least until the next time a threat is spawned. Then it'll come after you as normal. Leaving the airlock to do so.
As far as the infinite recursion loop of see the ghost in the airlock and bug out, yeah that is indeed a dilly of a pickle. If it's in there and you move into its space, you gotta steel yourself and try and deal with it as best you can. I'd suggest generous application of Grit and Gear. Also, if your ship's hainted and constantly dropping Ghosts on you, I'd recommend selling it and getting yourself a new bird. New cargo compartment without all the ghosts and such. Powerful expensive fix, but sometimes it's worth it.
If ever there's a question of simultaneous moves, rule of thumb is Player agency resolves before fallout. Then fallout, then threats. If it's two players that are tied in knots, initiator has right of way.
Clear as mud? Hope something in there's helpful to you, and if it isn't, ping me back and I'll see if I can't fix that.
Hi! If I buy a physical copy from Amazon, will I receive pdf files, or would I need to shell out an additional $20 to get pdfs (including character sheets, etc)?
If you get an Amazon copy, we'd be more than happy to supply a digital copy to match it, and include all the various digital goodies and appurtenances at no additional charge. Capitalism is a real sumbitch, and we try and hide the sting however best we can. Send us a picture of your book or a copy of your receipt to our business email ACoupleofDrakes at Outlook dot com and we'll get you sorted soonest.
If you get an Amazon copy, we'd be more than happy to supply a digital copy to match it, and include all the various digital goodies and appurtenances at no additional charge. Capitalism is a real sumbitch, and we try and hide the sting however best we can. Send us a picture of your book or a copy of your receipt to our business email ACoupleofDrakes at Outlook dot com and we'll get you sorted soonest.
Hi all! This game's great, and I really can't wait to finish the reading and start off my first trip to the Belt.
I only have one thing that’s not clear so far to me, regarding The Void Rat, when it says "When you scurry through the vents and access corridors on these old Birds, roll a d6. You appear in the corresponding Threat start area." --> it may depend by the fact I still haven't finished the manual, but where's the advantage of this feature? Why should I roll the die if in any case I end up in a specific area?
Now at first blush, an uncontrollable bit of movement based on chance and without much in the way of predictability may not seem like much of a super power. However, there are times when you got a MIGHTY need to not be where you are right now: locked behind a bunch of stuck barriers, left with only the worst of bad news blocking your way out, staring into the hungry maw of an alien or over the barrels of a couple of pirates' boarding irons? Well then you want to duck into a vent and scurry like hell. Because wherever you end up, it's better than where you are.
It's a panic button. A hail-mary. A last-ditch effort that has saved more than one Void Rat from ruin on more than one occasion. When in doubt, get the hell out. Bamf.
Thanks! I got the intention is the one you’ve described - but reading the paragraph it just say “roll a d6, and appeal where the threat started”. Why rolling at all? If dice says 3, I appear in the corresponding Threat start area; if 1, I appear in the corresponding Threat start area; if 5…and so on…
On the ship diagram, each of those numbers is a different threat start area. If you roll a 1, you appear in the 1 on the ship diagram. If you roll a 5, you appear on the 5 in the ship diagram. Means there's 6 places you might end up.
Happy to be of service, Belter. Figured we'd find our way around the trickier corners together, and it's no trouble at all. Hope you find your fortune out here on the Gasping Frontier!
And here i thought that because i get the free copy of this amazing ttrpg, the pdf is colored yellow. Turn out its just the setting of my pdf reader... my bad `~`
Anyway, thx for the free copy. I wish you the very best of health and success in all that you do. ^~^_)
Happy to have you aboard, Belter. Free copies are free; unchanged and no-strings-attached. They come from the generosity of your fellow Belters, the same folks who decided to give a weird game about Checking Gas and scrap and salvage and compound interest a chance. Be mighty mean-spirited of me to disrespect their generosity by making the Buddy Breathe copies a mark of shame. I ain't callin' ya yellow, Belter.
Hope you're enjoying your time out here on the Gasping Frontier. And I hope your well wishes for me and mine bounce back your way and three times the greater besides.
English may not be your first language, but it's more than enough to make me smile, and that is mighty indeed, friend.
Been settin' up some roll tables on Roll20, and decided to future proof myself (if I can make it long enough). I noticed that for Tier 4 birds, there's no set way to determine the class. Now I'm not sure if I ought assume they follow the same distribution as Tier 3 birds and favor military ships for the extra supply, or to split all them evenly. How do you reckon to determine their class?
Ah hell, comm lag's a real sum'bitch ain't it? Forgive the delay, Belter. Let's get you sorted.
You're absolutely in the right to use the Tier 3 bird for Tier 4, as that was our intent when we published the game--though it's no small amount of consternation to hear that the rule didn't get proper immortalized in ink and such. I think there's absolutely room to decide that it's different in your corner of the Belt, if you want a more even spread, and I won't blame you none if you do.
But the Consolidation left a lot of Military Hulks adrift, and so the bigger the bird, the more likely it is that it's Military.
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?
Howdy Belter. Apologies for the comm-lag, but we're adding the Roll20 playmat to the Drivethru page. Forgive our fumblin' and enjoy yourself the Roll20 Hack, now available for download across the various platforms.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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'.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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Hi! I ordered and received the physical copy from Amazon for my brother as a gift. How do I get the printable materials? Thanks!
Just got the physical book, loving it but how do I get the character sheets? Are there any PDFs for download?
Dear Mr. Drake, or Mr. Drake,
I am having a bad day of archery, in Sherwood Forest. I have already lost two arrows, and that is my pensioner disposable income blown. I am sure that Dead Belt would help me feel much better. PLEASE help me breathe!
Take from the Bank and give to the Belters now, y'hear? Twenty copies on the pile for your good works out there. Cold in space, not our hearts.
Just bought a physical copy & it is awesome! I was trying to get my hands on the character sheet & some of the extra pdfs with no luck.
Found your message there, hoss. Sending along a key with my heartfelt thanks for giving our weird little game a try. Let's get you rolling, what say?
Thank you!
I’d love to play this. Any chance there’s any buddy breathe copies available? If I enjoy it I’ll get the physical copy!
I ain't the kind to begrudge a buddy breathe to a buddy gasping. Plus it's old Chariot's birthday today.
Seems the time for presents, don't it?
I appreciate it! And Happy Birthday!!
It’s free, enjoy 👍
It’s free, enjoy 👍
Just found the game but it looks like I'm late to the party. Any chance for some more Buddy-Breathe copies so my friend and I can try it out?
Sure thing, hoss. I'll toss a couple of buddy-breathes on the pile!
Thank you so much! That was very generous of you. I can't wait to try it!
Hello, loving the game so far I have a question about the rival scavengers. I rolled a one and it says that they frog march me back to my ship and confiscate all my salvage.
I currently have no salvage.
Then it goes on to say when the rivals scavenger reaches your airlock they’ll plan to trace. Since they walked me back to my ship, is it assumed that they also reached my airlock?
Should I be checking gas for each module we go through?
Do they disappear after leaving the tracer?
Well that ain't good news, Belter. Sorry y'all ran afoul of some mean spirited Vultures out there. Good news is they didn't get nothing off of you. If your carry all and your cargo bay is empty, they won't take anything. Can't squeeze blood out of a turnip after all. It does indeed behoove you to make gas checks on thenway back to your airlock. You're still transiting modules. Good news is they won't let you die on the way to your airlock either, so you ain't gotta worry about the Gas checks killing you. Might still end your salvaging day, though. But further good news, they ain't going to waste a tracer on your boat if you're not an earner. And if you had salvage, they'd be too busy bustling it off to worry about sticking you with a tracer. Getting the frog march treatment doesn't trigger their Airlock move, thankfully. Though I know some folk think it's more thematic to be that kind of mean spirited, it ain't the intention to pile on both kinds of bad one right after the other.
After they make your life a little harder, yeah, they do in fact move on. Their damage is done and it's up to you to find some fresh and interesting trouble. Hopefully the odds break a little kinder in the future, Belter.
Thanks for the question! Yall let me know if that ain't coming through loud and clear, and we'll clean it up.
Chariot, out.
Hello Drakes.
I have a movement resolvement order question. The ghost came after me. I moved to the airlock with partial payday, I drew a card for the ghost, who came to spaces after me also into the airlock now sharing a space.
What resolves first? Airlock rolls and actions OR ghost rolls forcing me to flee if it is not a six. Do I even roll on the ghost again once it reaches me in the airlock or does it just get cozy and moves in till the next threat? And if I am forever running away from the ghost lugging part of the payday do I ever get to stash it in the airlock when the ghost is in there?
The question is what resolves first when you have two simultaneous prompts?
Grateful for any pointers in that regard.
Many thanks.
Howdy Belter,
Your moves, your turn, always resolves before you make the Threat Move. Check Gas, Character Action, Threat. So when you decide to move into the airlock, check your gas, then move your pawn and resolve your action as normal. When that action's done, then you draw for your boogin. Means you can decide to be done and hit the breakaway switch before that haint has a moment to move in, if you want. But if it does reach your airlock, it makes itself cozy. No more AI movement for the Ghostie-goo, at least until the next time a threat is spawned. Then it'll come after you as normal. Leaving the airlock to do so.
As far as the infinite recursion loop of see the ghost in the airlock and bug out, yeah that is indeed a dilly of a pickle. If it's in there and you move into its space, you gotta steel yourself and try and deal with it as best you can. I'd suggest generous application of Grit and Gear. Also, if your ship's hainted and constantly dropping Ghosts on you, I'd recommend selling it and getting yourself a new bird. New cargo compartment without all the ghosts and such. Powerful expensive fix, but sometimes it's worth it.
If ever there's a question of simultaneous moves, rule of thumb is Player agency resolves before fallout. Then fallout, then threats. If it's two players that are tied in knots, initiator has right of way.
Clear as mud? Hope something in there's helpful to you, and if it isn't, ping me back and I'll see if I can't fix that.
Chariot, out.
Hi. I Bought physical copy and forwarded my receipt and game book image. When do you estimate I should receive PDF materials.
Thanks
Hi! If I buy a physical copy from Amazon, will I receive pdf files, or would I need to shell out an additional $20 to get pdfs (including character sheets, etc)?
Howdy, Belter.
If you get an Amazon copy, we'd be more than happy to supply a digital copy to match it, and include all the various digital goodies and appurtenances at no additional charge. Capitalism is a real sumbitch, and we try and hide the sting however best we can. Send us a picture of your book or a copy of your receipt to our business email ACoupleofDrakes at Outlook dot com and we'll get you sorted soonest.
Chariot, out.
Howdy, Belter.
If you get an Amazon copy, we'd be more than happy to supply a digital copy to match it, and include all the various digital goodies and appurtenances at no additional charge. Capitalism is a real sumbitch, and we try and hide the sting however best we can. Send us a picture of your book or a copy of your receipt to our business email ACoupleofDrakes at Outlook dot com and we'll get you sorted soonest.
Chariot, out.
Hi all! This game's great, and I really can't wait to finish the reading and start off my first trip to the Belt.
I only have one thing that’s not clear so far to me, regarding The Void Rat, when it says "When you scurry through the vents and access corridors on these old Birds, roll a d6. You appear in the corresponding Threat start area." --> it may depend by the fact I still haven't finished the manual, but where's the advantage of this feature? Why should I roll the die if in any case I end up in a specific area?
Thanks for the clarification!
Howdy Belter,
Now at first blush, an uncontrollable bit of movement based on chance and without much in the way of predictability may not seem like much of a super power. However, there are times when you got a MIGHTY need to not be where you are right now: locked behind a bunch of stuck barriers, left with only the worst of bad news blocking your way out, staring into the hungry maw of an alien or over the barrels of a couple of pirates' boarding irons? Well then you want to duck into a vent and scurry like hell. Because wherever you end up, it's better than where you are.
It's a panic button. A hail-mary. A last-ditch effort that has saved more than one Void Rat from ruin on more than one occasion. When in doubt, get the hell out. Bamf.
Hope that helps.
Chariot, out.
(I love your answers)
Thanks! I got the intention is the one you’ve described - but reading the paragraph it just say “roll a d6, and appeal where the threat started”. Why rolling at all? If dice says 3, I appear in the corresponding Threat start area; if 1, I appear in the corresponding Threat start area; if 5…and so on…
I must be missing something 😩
On the ship diagram, each of those numbers is a different threat start area. If you roll a 1, you appear in the 1 on the ship diagram. If you roll a 5, you appear on the 5 in the ship diagram. Means there's 6 places you might end up.
ohhh damn, sorry about this: it was like I thought… I would have better finish the whole manual before!
Thanks a lot for the explanation, for the patience + the great game!
Happy to be of service, Belter. Figured we'd find our way around the trickier corners together, and it's no trouble at all. Hope you find your fortune out here on the Gasping Frontier!
Chariot, out.
And here i thought that because i get the free copy of this amazing ttrpg, the pdf is colored yellow. Turn out its just the setting of my pdf reader... my bad `~`
Anyway, thx for the free copy. I wish you the very best of health and success in all that you do. ^~^_)
*english is not my first language, sorry.
Happy to have you aboard, Belter. Free copies are free; unchanged and no-strings-attached. They come from the generosity of your fellow Belters, the same folks who decided to give a weird game about Checking Gas and scrap and salvage and compound interest a chance. Be mighty mean-spirited of me to disrespect their generosity by making the Buddy Breathe copies a mark of shame. I ain't callin' ya yellow, Belter.
Hope you're enjoying your time out here on the Gasping Frontier. And I hope your well wishes for me and mine bounce back your way and three times the greater besides.
English may not be your first language, but it's more than enough to make me smile, and that is mighty indeed, friend.
Chariot, out.
Howdy Chariot-
Been settin' up some roll tables on Roll20, and decided to future proof myself (if I can make it long enough). I noticed that for Tier 4 birds, there's no set way to determine the class. Now I'm not sure if I ought assume they follow the same distribution as Tier 3 birds and favor military ships for the extra supply, or to split all them evenly. How do you reckon to determine their class?
Ah hell, comm lag's a real sum'bitch ain't it? Forgive the delay, Belter. Let's get you sorted.
You're absolutely in the right to use the Tier 3 bird for Tier 4, as that was our intent when we published the game--though it's no small amount of consternation to hear that the rule didn't get proper immortalized in ink and such. I think there's absolutely room to decide that it's different in your corner of the Belt, if you want a more even spread, and I won't blame you none if you do.
But the Consolidation left a lot of Military Hulks adrift, and so the bigger the bird, the more likely it is that it's Military.
Chariot, out.
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?
Howdy Belter. Apologies for the comm-lag, but we're adding the Roll20 playmat to the Drivethru page. Forgive our fumblin' and enjoy yourself the Roll20 Hack, now available for download across the various platforms.
Chariot, out.
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?