..talk about NASA's role playing game: Lost Universe

[KorvinStarmast]

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hub...lost-universe/

Have any of you tried this out?

A dark mystery has settled over the city of Aldastron on the rogue planet of Exlaris. Researchers dedicated to studying the cosmos have disappeared, and the Hubble Space Telescope has vanished from Earth’s timeline. Only an ambitious crew of adventurers can uncover what was lost. Are you up to the challenge?

This adventure is designed for a party of 4-7 level 7-10 characters and is easily adaptable for your preferred tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) system.

NASA’s first TTRPG adventure invites you to take on a classic villain (while also using and learning science skills!) as you overcome challenges and embark on an exciting quest to unlock more knowledge about our universe. Download your game documents below and get ready to explore Exlaris!

Want to share how your adventure unfolds? Share it with #NASATTRPG on social media.

[Mordar]

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hub...lost-universe/

Have any of you tried this out?

Love the idea and landing page...looks like some quality Campaign Cartographer II work there!

- M

[Grod_The_Giant]

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hub...lost-universe/

Have any of you tried this out?

I've never heard of it before, but considering I've just started an article on why we should all play more RPGs this is great timing.

[Red Bear]

I wanted to start a thread about this. Asking if anyone read it. I would like to know if it’s clearly made for 5e or if it’s very systemless. Also if anyine had made pre-made characters and other additional resources

[Tarmor]

I wanted to start a thread about this. Asking if anyone read it. I would like to know if it’s clearly made for 5e or if it’s very systemless. Also if anyine had made pre-made characters and other additional resources

It's 44 pages (and a 1/4 of that is images and maps) - worth downloading and reading yourself to think about. It IS system-less, and the setting is a mix of typical fantasy with modern day science. The writers are obviously aware of 5e, since it references things like making a "medium DC investigation check", but there are NO stats for anything. It's primarily exploration and investigation, with lots of information about what the players will see/locate/learn, etc.

[lightningcat]

It is just an adventure. Although being systemless is not an awful choice. But you shouldn't call it a roleplaying game if there is no game. But that is getting somewhat padantic.
Funny enough, I know a gamer that works for NASA, and he knew nothing about this before I posted the link.

[Anonymouswizard]

Funny enough, I know a gamer that works for NASA, and he knew nothing about this before I posted the link.

I had a brief discussion of this with a friend, and we decided that was clearly something made by whoever NASA has doing the advertising. Mostly because there's no way NASA's boffins aren't using GURPS.

[Eldan]

I wouldn't call it systemless, it looks filled with D&D-isms to me.

[KorvinStarmast]

Mostly because there's no way NASA's boffins aren't using GURPS.

Heh, I find myself in agreement with you.

[Unoriginal]

Not sure how can it be both "systemless" and "for 4-7 lvl 7-10 characters" at the same time.

[ACExtravaganza]

Not sure how can it be both "systemless" and "for 4-7 lvl 7-10 characters" at the same time.

It's using D&D 5e as an assumed system, but its "adaptable" to other systems. But I agree, they shouldn't be calling it systemless and then saying things like "look up the stats for a green dragon."

[NeptunianOM]

I have not tried it out but I have it downloaded. It looks like it would be fun to play. I am glad they made it.

[Trask]

I appreciate the blend of magic and science fiction, especially one as brazen as this with real Earth and the Hubble space telescope and everything. I like the background! The adventure itself, eh. Kind of bad.

[lightningcat]

I had a brief discussion of this with a friend, and we decided that was clearly something made by whoever NASA has doing the advertising. Mostly because there's no way NASA's boffins aren't using GURPS.

GURPS, Traveller, or Starfinder (which is what me and the NASA guy I know plays). But using D&D, but not actually just saying that makes me think you are right about who did this.

[Red Bear]

I like the background! The adventure itself, eh. Kind of bad.

Unfortunately I have to agree:

Spoiler

Show

the premise is great, super thoughtful and intriguing. The adventure is itself is just a social encounter that is possibly decent, a total of two puzzle that aren’t even that special not nasa related and a very plain boss/combat encounter with absolutely nothing special. Very disappointed

[stevecharb]

I made a few changes which led to the one-shot being very well-received by my players.

First, I added a detail to the lore that Exlaris has been tapping into data from not just Hubble, but all Earth's satellites, and Exlarians have been watching Earth TV and movies. As a result, I was free to use pop culture references in an exotic fantasy setting and added the running joke of NPCs referencing James Cameron's Avatar in regard to the PCs' situation.

I added an encounter in the middle with three kobolds, the dragon's minions and acolytes of the Void, during the otherwise uneventful walk through the woods. They were going to the Dragon's Lair to warn of the heroes' arrival, so if the players had let them they could have affected the final battle by adding 2d4 kobolds to the room before the dragon's lair. My PCs attacked them with a sneak attack of fireworks which alerted 1d4 winged kobolds to come assist. The party leveled up while I paused to cook and eat.

I also made the fight with the dragon take place so that the Hubble was visibly atop the Dragon's hoard (challenging my players to be cautious with area of effect and making the fight more memorable). I also made the researchers rescuable during the fight, and upgraded the big bad to an adult green dragon. It was a spectacular fight, very close, with each player getting a good play in for massive damage in a satisfying, cinematic fashion.

It was my first time DMing but it went very well.

[Anonymouswizard]

Actually that's a good point, where would a dragon stash a space telescope. I've been planning a rewrite of the adventure (probably in Modern AGE) and assuming the dragon wants to use it, so I plonked it in the Rogue planet–moon system's L4 point.

Then again I also established that the dragon stole it via magically created wormhole, so that the PCs are actively sent after it instead of being pulled in at random.

And yes, a lot more encounters. My loose plan is:
-Crash land
-Find or create a solution to their light sources having limited power
-Find civilisation
-Actually work out how to communicate with the locals, this should eventually lead them to the existence of magitech translators, possibly via the prison system.
-Find a way to actually locate the damn telescope.
-Work out/discover who exactly stole the telescope.
-Deal with the dragon, get his wormhole spell.
-How on earth are we getting to the L4 point?
-Reach it, get home.
-Point out that if any PCs picked up magic you can use that to jump to an urban fantasy campaign.

[stevecharb]

Actually that's a good point, where would a dragon stash a space telescope. I've been planning a rewrite of the adventure (probably in Modern AGE) and assuming the dragon wants to use it, so I plonked it in the Rogue planet–moon system's L4 point.
.

I like the idea of working in Lagrange points and more spaceflight concepts. My friends and I were talking about whether NASA could expand the campaign to be an educational resource for classrooms. I bet with some creativity, you could create a puzzle where the solution involves the rocket equation.

[Anonymouswizard]

I like the idea of working in Lagrange points and more spaceflight concepts. My friends and I were talking about whether NASA could expand the campaign to be an educational resource for classrooms. I bet with some creativity, you could create a puzzle where the solution involves the rocket equation.

Yeah, that was my thinking. My plan is very much to go for education via puzzles rather than via lecture as in the current adventure.