Mission Solar System An Educational TTRPG About Space Stuff This game sponsored by Almost Bedtime Theater

Mission Solar System: An Educational TTRPG About Space Stuff

This game is made by TTRPGkids!

Learn about the solar system while going on an adventure with friends!

Usable for home games and classroom use, Mission Solar System: An Educational TTRPG About Space Stuff will send you on quests to explore planets and other celestial bodies in the solar system, face challenges that will teach you about each location, and conduct real research to help you improve your odds. 

Example Mission Log: Mars (3) Mission Description A scientific team’s habitation unit has been partially destroyed by a strong storm. Deliver supplies and help them repair. Research What kind of storms are on Mars? Dust Storms What is the largest volcano on Mars? Olympus Mons What color is the surface of Mars? Red Challenge(s) A nearby volcano that the researchers were studying has started to activate! Thick smoke covers the area - find a way to see through it! NOTES The planet’s surface is rocky and covered in reddish sandy dirt. There’s big hills of dust everywhere, and the habitation unit is almost totally buried.

See if you’re up to the task and get ready to blast off into adventure!

This game is written by TTRPGkids and includes educational guides to help with classroom use.

This game is also made free thanks to sponsorship from Almost Bedtime Theater.  You can find the Almost Bedtime Theater itchio page here.

3.3 Complete the Mission Once you have handled the challenge, you then need to resolve the mission! The check for this is conducted in the same way as the check for facing a Challenge, so there’s no extra rules to cover. In the example on the next page, it shows how our group of sample players tries to help the scientists in the ruined base…. But doesn’t quite make it with their check. Taking a token out of your pool helps you to narrow down what you can draw from, likely making your next draw easier, even if it is a “failed” draw. It’s like focusing your attention on certain powers or skills so you get stronger in those particular areas. Topography of Mars Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Example Play: The Mission Mara: Alright! Time to help the scientists! I draw… one star… one tech… and one empty space. Uh oh. I hope you two get a match. James: I got a tech one again! Kai: And I get… a star! Mara: Oh no! I lose a token! Kai: True, but you could use this to make it easier for next time. I think for the story, this would mean that our powers kind of fizzled. I bet that dust is interfering somehow! Mara: I guess, let me get rid of the empty space token since I only have one of those. I draw… one tech and two stars! James: Tech again for me! I have a lot of tech tokens, haha. Kai: And I draw a star! Mara: YES! So we use our star power to help! I think we can use heat to melt some twisted beams back into shape and then charge up the unit’s back up batteries too!

As part of the TTRPG’s TEACH game jam, check here for some more details!

AGE RANGE that this game targets

  • All-ages, aligns with 5th grade science class subjects

SUBJECT & SKILLS the game will help players learn

  • Vocabulary
  • Concepts about gravity, orbits, and rotation
  • Research skills
  • Problem solving
  • Facts about planetary and other celestial bodies
  • Teamwork and compromise

NUMBER of students/players 

  • 1-4 players

PLAYTIME required for a full game 

  • Approx. 15 minutes per Mission, # of Missions adjustable to class/setting

RULES are designed for easy, intuitive play 

  • GM-less  – the intention is for students or friends to be able to play independently in groups of up to 4 players, taking turns as the Mission Leader

TOOLS that are needed 

  • One to four players per team
  • One mission log for each location being visited
  • Pen or pencil for each player
  • 5 each of the Sun, Moon, and Tech tokens from Glyfi
  • A Glyfi character sheet for each player
  • A container for each player to hold their tokens
Mission Solar System An Educational TTRPG About Space Stuff Powered by Glyfi Written by Steph Campbell Published by TTRPGkids

This game features photos from NASA image archives, which are permitted for use and cited within the free game document.

Thank you for checking out my project, and I hope you enjoy the game!

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