(Mis)Adventures in Outer Space

A fantastic RPG of space pulp, pushed luck, and (carefully ordered) galactic mayhem!

We started with one planet, one moon, one sun, and one species.

Then came fabrication (build anything), cloning (build anyone), and terraforming (build anywhere, even when we shouldn’t).

So we did…

The solar system was colonised, industrialised -  and then vaporised when we activated the Hyperthetical Drive - a machine stitched from theory, fiction, and optimism.

We tore space-time, destroyed Earth, and flung ourselves into the wrap.

We emerged somewhere new, found a planet, retired its peaceful inhabitants, renamed it Earth, and agreed never to speak of this again.

What Is This Game

This is a game of characters, choices, and consequences - plus a bit of luck, a handful of dice, and the occasional questionable decision. 

You’ll need:

• One GM and one or more players
• A bunch of six-sided dice
• A character sheet (a piece of paper will do) and a pen
• These rules

Playing the Game

Playing the game means stepping into the boots of a character shaped by their exploits- someone with a past, a purpose, and a few questionable habits.

You’ll make choices, take risks, and roll dice when it matters. Success moves the story forward. Failure makes it more interesting.

You might get in a gunfight over stolen snack packs, sweet-talk a starship into landing safely, or impersonate yourself to bypass a biometric scan you set up whilst you were drunk.

The rules are short, flexible, and designed to stay out of your way. They cover how to take a test, apply modifiers, and handle criticals. The rest is common sense, context, and the golden rule: it works as you would expect it to.

Character Creation

Characters are built from exploits - traits, beliefs, equipment, and anything else you consider noteworthy. There are no stats - only story. You’ll discover your character as you play, adding revelations as they arise.

Exploits give bonuses or penalties depending on context. Discovery is part of the journey.

Our (New) Place in Space

The Known Third is the mapped slice of the galaxy where things mostly work, mostly make sense, and mostly follow rules. It’s a patchwork of regions - some governed, some chaotic, some pretending to be civilised. It’s where we live, trade, and occasionally explode.

Galactic Geography

The Spire is the bureaucratic centre - dense, humming, and slow. Law here is ambient, culture curated, and innovation reviewed. Change is digested, reshaped, and filed under ‘approved variation.’ Most dissent is processed. Eventually.

The Riftline is a fault in the Wrap used for fast transit. Couriers and smugglers rely on it. Relay 9 offers recovery - at steep prices. Misjumps are rare, and not always fatal.

Power and Influence

The Galactic Union (of Unions) - to give it it’s full, ridiculous title - doesn’t run the galaxy. It regulates it. Slowly, thoroughly, and with a level of documentation that borders on metaphysical.

The Spanpoint Consortium: are fuel barons of the Tides. They own the refineries, the routes, and the repair crews. Pay on time. Don’t clog the intake. They also control docking rights, emergency services, and most of the local news. 

Notable Systems

Spindle Drift is a spiraling debris field with one stable station - Spindle Point. Gravity fluctuates, laws rotate, and docking fees are negotiable. Salvagers love it. Smugglers tolerate it. Philosophers write essays about it. Most visitors leave with parts, stories, or regrets.

Velk’s Folly was once a failed colony, now a thriving trade hub built on charm, scams, and second chances. Velk’s Folly is loud, fast, and full of deals that sound better than they are. Every transaction comes with a story.

Denizens

Humans are bipedal, expressive, and late to the party. Known for improvisation, emotional damage, and naming things that don’t need names. Tend to gesture too much and survive too often.

Daves are human clones. All named Dave. All legally distinct. Genetically stable, emotionally variable. Some are brilliant. Some are terrifying. Most are just Dave. The GUU likes them. No one knows why. They blink in sync and hum when bored.

Tessari are photosynthetic, bioluminescent, and slow to trust. Tessari glow with mood shifts and prefer peace - but carry knives just in case. They speak in layered tones and pause to absorb light mid-conversation.

Current Events

A vending unit on Spindle Point has declared itself mayor. It’s enforcing snack taxes and issuing philosophical citations.

A courier from Relay Nine vanished mid-jump. Their ship reappeared two weeks later, full of encrypted poetry and one confused Dave.

Survey Guild 7 has gone silent. Their last transmission was a single word: “Echo.”

About These Products

Firstly, you do not have to pay for these products. They're completely free. Whilst there is an option to donate, do not feel in anyway that you are expected to do so. You are most certainly not.

Having said that, anything that is donated goes towards the further production of the game.

This game is listed as early access. The system, rules and setting are not in early access - the core rules and overall setting are complete. What is in early access is the format, and the full range of content to be provided.

The plan with this game, is to add a number of other free documents to this page.

This will include primers for specific systems of the Known Third, with new setting content, character traits, adventure ideas, and species to choose from, and a few adventures.

Exactly what gets added is partly determined by feedback.

If interest grows there may be scope for better quality documents, assets and, eventually, printing. But this is, at this stage, a distant dream. For now, the priority is firmly to provide a playable game.

Hopefully, you enjoy it!

Join the Supermersive Discord Server to share your pact stories, ask questions, and get updates.

If you've enjoyed this game, please leave a review. If you'd like to see more content, or have some feedback to give, please let us know. We want to make (Mis)Adventures in Outer Space as good as possible.

You can check out our other game(s) on our profile page.