credits

ADRIFT v0.1.2

Developed and written by:

Cezar Capacle
Design and editing:
Cezar Capacle

This game draws inspiration from Apocalypse World,

written by D. Vincent Baker and Meguey Baker.

Cover art:
Photo by NASA on Unsplash
Photo by Raphael Nogueira on Unsplash
Font ‘Disolve’ by Freddie Line

Interior:
Photo by v2osk on Unsplash
Infographic vector created by pikisuperstar
Technology vector created by freepik
Fonts ‘Abel’ by MADType and ‘Share Tech Mono’ by Carrois Apostrophe

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons

Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
That’s when you felt the explosion.

You never saw it coming. You were out there, busy with minor repairs.
In a split second, your body was sent spinning into space.

You try to hold on to the aluminum structure, but the push is too strong
and it slips through your fingers.

You gasp and move your limbs, hopelessly fighting inertia. By a stroke of
luck, you manage to grab a chunk of metal and transfer your momentum
to it, stopping your rotation as you drift further away.

You see yourself floating into the vastness. An endless ocean of debris
and stars. Onto your helmet, only the reflection of a bright flash of light
rapidly consuming the reserves of liquid hydrogen and oxygen of the
space station, sparks shooting outwards into the dark.

You check your wrist monitor. It shows Oxygen: 10. It could be worse.
Your prefrontal cortex activity looks stable, which means your Fear is
currently at 0. Your oxytocin levels seem OK for the time being – your
Hope is at 5.
You feel in control, given the circumstances. If only you could… wait,
what’s that? Is it– is it an escape pod?

You activate your nitrogen propellant, chasing the capsule with blind
determination. You could swear you almost felt it in your hands, before
your nitrogen tank runs dry and you realize you are too far away.

That was a mistake. You lose 1 Oxygen. And now you are...

7
 ALONE IN SPACE
When you lose Oxygen, roll 2d6+Oxygen.

On a 16+, choose one below. Check the box next to it. You can no
longer choose that option on future rolls. If you run out of options to
choose from, pick one from the 10-15 list on the next page.
You try to contact mission control. Answer:
What mission did you seek out here?
What were you hiding from them?

You get a glimpse of the Earth. Answer:

What sweet memory does it bring you?
Why do you keep fighting for your life?

You may have found some evidence of what happened. Answer:

What is it? What about it makes you believe in human error?
What difference does it make to you?

Blinking lights dance in front of you. Answer:

What did you give up on to be here?
What was your utmost desire?

You lose 1 Oxygen. You gain 1 Hope.

If your Oxygen is now 0, go to On a 6- on page 11.

WORD BANK
love explore
vow defy
honor transform
wonder hide
duty change
knowledge follow
peace impress
comfort defeat

8
On a 10-15, choose one below. Check the box next to it. You can no
longer choose that option on future rolls. If you run out of options to
choose from, pick one from the 7-9 list on the next page.
You believe you heard a cry for help through the radio. Answer:
How do you respond?
Who did you let down?

You find a piece of equipment from the space station. Answer:

How did you think it could help you?
How were you wrong?

You see a drifting body. Answer:

Who was that? How have you wronged them?
What were they hiding from you?

You get hit by floating debris. Answer:

What do you wish you had with you right now?
Why does the thought of surviving make you sad?

You lose 1 Oxygen. You either lose 1 Hope or you gain 1 Fear.
If your Oxygen is now 0, go to On a 6- on page 11.

WORD BANK
risk threaten
corruption manipulate
burden oppose
disease weaken
greed destroy
supply deceive
direction investigate
land bargain

9
 On a 7-9, choose one below. Check the box next to it. You can no longer
choose that option on future rolls. If you run out of options to choose
from, go to On a 6- on the next page.
You cry for help. Answer:
Why do you think it was all your fault?
What could you have done differently? Why didn’t you?

Your vital signs are unstable. Answer:

What do you regret the most?
What are you afraid to lose?

You are feeling cold. Answer:

Where would you like to be right now?
Why do you fear yourself most of all?

You are losing consciousness. Answer:

Who comes to visit you in your dreams?
What do you say to them?

You lose 1 Oxygen. You gain 1 Fear.

If your Oxygen is now 0, go to On a 6- on the next page.

WORD BANK
shelter break
ruin surrender
truth abandon
bond reveal
loss falter
path protect
price refuse
wound accept

10
On a 6-, you lose all your remaining Oxygen. Choose what happened:

You tried a risky maneuver. Answer:

What were you trying to do?
What went wrong? Who do you blame?

Something compromised your oxygen tank. Answer:

What was it? How could you have avoided it?
What thought crossed your mind and stopped you?

You gave up. Answer:

Why can’t you fight anymore?
Why do you think you deserve it?

If your Hope is higher than your Fear, you reconcile with your fate.
What brings a smile to your face in the very end?
(If your Fear is higher than 3, there’s a touch of sorrow in your departure)

If your Fear is higher than your Hope, your mind is filled with terror.
What are your delirious eyes staring at?
(If your Hope is higher than 3, there’s a small relief amidst your delusion)

11
DESIGNER’S NOTES
This game was originally created for the "Your Move" game jam, hosted by
transistence, Meguey & Vincent Baker from September 1st to September 9th,
2019 on itch.io.

From the very beginning, I wanted to find a way to make the move be the game.
The whole game. Not a game with a single move, but a single move as a game.

I needed to find a way to embed a trigger for the move inside that very move, so
as to create a sort of gameplay loop. After I read this excellent thread on move
structure, it came to my mind the possibility of playing with resources and
currency. So Adrift was born.

Adrift is a solo game about inevitability, about grief and belief. There's not much
you can do but reflect on your actions as you see your oxygen levels deplete.

One might notice it's not really a fiction-mechanics-fiction kind of flow. It's not
what you do that triggers the move. The oxygen decrease does it regardless.
You pretty much know what's going to happen, it's just a matter of time. The
only hope you have is coming to terms with your inevitable death and finding
some sort of silver lining amidst hopelessness.

This game draws inspiration from movies like Gravity and the series Final
Space, namely the first scene of each episode.

There's also a videogame of the same name I didn't know about up until I came
up with the name for my game. Watching its gameplay sure helped me get in
the mood.

If you want to talk about the game or give me some feedback, please drop me a
line at [email protected] or you can find me on facebook at
http://fb.com/notagiraffestudio
• 2019 •