The Lore

Welcome to the the space among stars, planets, moons, event horizons. The orbital stations are overcrowded. Fuel is dear. Merchant guilds dominate trade. Galactic nobility command the taxes. Tech prophets transmit word of new discoveries over the lattice to feed our false hopes.

Much of a once-great civilization is now cracked and broken, its worlds adrift in blight and silence. Home and hearth are a distant memory — the void is untamed, cold, and we struggle to endure within it. Travel between the derelict reaches is a greatly feared and dangerous undertaking. Only the daring ride through the old gates, chasing myths of lost riches and forsaken power.

Our predecessors had discovered a way to harness the RIP — gravitational waves extruded from the collision of galaxies. They rode it like surf and sowed their seeds, managing to establish secure outposts, stations, colonies, worlds, sectors — many sparks out there in the vastness of space.

Their arrogance made them believe they had triumphed, that dominance was within reach. But they were wrong.

In Spacefarer, you become a fortune-seeking Spacer. To earn your fortune, you must search lost wreckage, hidden planets, and unknown corners of the galaxies in order to reclaim that which has been forgotten. To do so, you must face those threats that roam the asteroid belts, lurk beneath the surfaces of moons, or reside in the husks of abandoned outposts.

Spacefarer's foundation is a game of exploration and survival. It is a cold and unforgiving place out there. You'll spend a lot of your time off-world, isolated, in some ruins of a long lost empire or in the derelict reaches of space — wrestling treasures from the immortal expanse.

However, you'll soon realize there is more to life than blood and treasure, spent and earned. As the game progresses, Spacers will engage with Leagues, taking up projects on their behalf and even founding their own. Leagues give the Spacers the opportunity to rise above and leave their mark on the world — and to pursue those ambitions reserved for the brave and the foolhardy alike.

Spacefarer is a roleplaying game. That means it thrives on your imagination and collaboration. You don't just roll dice and collect loot — you become someone else in the reach: a Spacer with scars, skills, and secrets.

You act, speak, and make decisions as if you were that character. You see the dying planets, the crumbling gates, the struggling stations, the forever-wars, and the derelict ships through their eyes. That's the game.

Players take on the role of a Spacer. One player takes on the duties of Game Master (GM) who portrays everything else — contacts, hazards, rivals, the environment, and threats. The GM challenges the crew of Spacers with pressure, dilemmas, and opportunity.

In turn, you respond as your Spacer would — improvising in character, rolling dice when the outcome is uncertain, and shaping your story together.

When the outcome is in doubt, you roll dice. This is called a Test.

If you succeed, your intent becomes reality. If you fail, the GM complicates things — with a Twist or a Condition. Dice rolls make the story dynamic and unpredictable. They're the heartbeat of survival in Spacefarer.

Support your table. Share the spotlight. When someone else is speaking or rolling, listen and react. If your character is cruel, be kind as a player. Play with each other, not against.

The GM keeps things moving, but players can help by bringing others in: "What do you think, Myra?" / "Let's let Sol handle this one."

Table chatter — discussing the game as players, not Spacers — is fine and expected. Do it respectfully: don't talk over others, don't force advice, and know when to take a step back. Sometimes, the best choice isn't the most optimal — it's the most in-character.