Pale Dot, A Surrealist Cosmonaut TTRPG, Now Funding On Kickstarter.
Today we embark on a new cosmic journey. Will it bring us closer to the stars or closer to ourselves?
Cover art by Si Sweetman
Have you ever stared into a starry night sky and felt a mixture of wonder and existential dread? This is a game about that.
Pale Dot is a collaborative narrative tabletop roleplaying game by Devin Nelson (@devindecibel) for 2-5 players about a crew of non-human cosmonauts venturing beyond their world in search of answers. It is fantastical, surreal, and perhaps very unlike humanity’s own ventures in space exploration, though one thing is universal: leaving home is terrifying, humbling, dangerous, and a catalyst for changing one’s perspective.
Pale Dot is inspired by the musings of Carl Sagan and media like Outer Wilds, No Man’s Sky, and Annihilation. Mechanically it’s descended from improvisational story games like Ross Cowman’s Fall of Magic and Avery Alder’s Dream Askew.
This edition of Pale Dot is being produced as a full color perfect bound digest sized book and will be published by Plus One Exp. The crowdfunding campaign is running on Kickstarter as part of Zine Month and will be launching on February 18th and will continue through March 7th. The funds raised will be used to produce the books, commission new art from Si Sweetman & Gannon Reedy, and produce more songs for the associated soundtrack composed by the creator, Devin Nelson.
The crowdfunding page can be found at: https://ttrpg.link/paledot
What are people saying about Pale Dot?
“A game as epic and awe-inspiring as it is silly and playful, grandiose and gleefully specific in equal measure. Playing Pale Dot felt like embarking on my own expedition into the infinite shared space of loving imagination, setting our sights on vistas I would have never seen otherwise.”
- Jeff Stormer, host of the Party of One Podcast
“Through collaborative mechanics and evocative prompts, Pale Dot inspires its players to dream big and swing even bigger. A poignant and adventurous game that truly taps into the wonder, awe, and the infinite possibility of the cosmos.”
- Caro Asercion, game designer
“Pale Dot encapsulates so much of what it is to experience space: the entrancing cosmic wonder, the fathomless existential dread, and (of course) being freaky little guys.”
- Si Sweetman, artist
“With a focus on curiosity and exploration, Pale Dot evokes the awe and wonder I've been chasing ever since I read Contact as a kid.”
- Jenn Martin, game designer/editor
