TEXT: ORBITAL
  DECAY
  LO-FI SCI-FI RPG • JASON TOCCI
  Version 1.0. Cover art CC BY BEEPLE. Ship art modified from ship.shapewright.com. More 2400 at jasontocci.itch.io/2400
  ►Observed upon entering a new room
  1
  Abandoned makeshift barricade, loaded gun
  2
  Biological samples, notes on creature
  3
  Cat-sized shape skitters out an exit
  4
  Crew log about their own busted jump drive
  5
  Eerily detailed salt statues of crew
  6
  Gravity suddenly comes back online, hard
  7
  Grenades (chance of hull breach if used)
  8
  Medical supplies, some bloody gauze
  9
  Night vision goggles, limited charge left
  10
  Person frozen in a scream inside a cryo-pod
  11
  Red, sticky “webs” all over (human insides)
  12
  Pink mucus trailing to one exit
  13
  Room locks down, is jettisoned from ship
  14
  Scientist in a vac suit, terrified, shooting
  15
  Sculpture from an exoplanet dig, feels tingly
  16
  Skittish cat (hisses when creature is near)
  17
  Someone alive, silently begging for your O2
  18
  Tools for repair, welding, laser-cutting
  19
  Top half of an android, trying to find a pen
  20
  Window revealing something not on sensors
  ►Stress effects (based on stress die’s roll)
  1
  Focused — don’t increase stress die size
  2
  Amped – take two stress dice next time
  3
  Dread insight (may or may not be true)
  4
  Hear things others can’t (maybe real, or not)
  5
  See things others can’t (maybe real, or not)
  6
  Uncontrollable vomiting or dry heaves
  7
  Hyperventilate – test luck on O2 supply
  8
  Can’t form coherent sentences for a minute
  9
  Can’t hear over the screaming for a moment
  10
  Can’t look away for a moment
  11
  Too terrified to move for a moment
  12
  Shaky for a while, hindering fine motor skills
  13
  Jumpy, hindered if you stop to think/observe
  14
  Terror helps wild attacks, hinders all else
  15
  Fear hinders when facing source of stress
  16
  Dread hinders self-preservation for a while
  17
  In shock, need a few minutes before moving
  18
  Pass out until roused by someone
  19
  Catatonic, unresponsive until treatment
  20
  Cardiac arrest
  ►Kickers (revealed by a log, dread insight, etc.)
  1
  A log indicates your employer set this up
  2
  Anyone creature kills rises from the dead
  3
  Creature infected you; its brain is only cure
  4
  Creature is a “manifestation” of jump drives
  5
  Creature is only acting in self-defense
  6
  Creature is testing your worth for its “gift”
  7
  Creature is trying to communicate (badly)
  8
  Creature is trying to escape imprisonment
  9
  Creature is valuable if retrieved alive
  10
  Creature returns from the dead
  11
  Creature was human and can still be saved
  12
  Derelict self-destruct sequence already set
  13
  Derelict was headed somewhere even worse
  14
  Everyone in cryo is hosting creature eggs
  15
  How’d you miss hundreds more derelicts?
  16
  There's a ship observing all this nearby
  17
  The whole planet's inhabited by these things
  18
  This is all a hallucination … or simulation
  19
  This is all some kind of sick reality show
  20
  Wait, is there more than one of them?
  SOMETHING BROUGHT YOU HERE. Just a busted
  jump drive, you hoped. You can salvage parts
  from the derelict orbiting nearby, if you can finish
  before it crashes into the planet in a few hours.
  But it’s not that easy. Where’s the derelict’s crew?
  Why were gravity and life support disabled?
  Something brought you here. It wasn’t just bad
  luck. And it won’t let you leave.
  ►Choose the creature’s behavior (d4)
  1
  Analytical: Observes, experiments, vivisects
  2
  Brutal: Tears, roars, desecrates remains
  3
  Fertile: Implants eggs that hatch in a day
  4
  Hungry: Disables target, drags away to feed
  ►Choose 3 defenses — describe losing each to
  avoid consequences of a roll, then flee in ducts
  1
  Exoskeleton ignores most attacks; break as
  defense against fire
  2
  Mimics others, reading some memories;
  break as defense if scarred in shifted form
  3
  Caustic blood burns through vac suits, flesh;
  break as defense against dismemberment
  4
  Stinger strikes fast, paralyzes while stuck;
  break as defense if stinger would take
  damage while still stuck in a target
  5
  Psychic screen deflects conscious attention;
  break as defense if hit while visibly marked
  6
  Telekinesis deflects harm, opens suits, then
  flesh; break as defense if turned against self
  
  SHIP
  CHARACTERS
  PLAY: Players describe what their characters do.
  The GM advises when their action is impossible,
  requires extra steps, demands a cost, or presents
  a risk. Players only roll to avoid risks.
  ROLLING: Roll a d6 skill die — higher with a rele-
  vant skill, or d4 if hindered by an injury, carrying
  more than 1 bulky item, or disadvantageous cir-
  cumstances. If helped by circumstances, roll an
  extra d6; if helped by an ally, they roll their skill
  die and share the risk. Take the highest die.
  1–2 Disaster. Suffer the full risk. GM decides if
  you succeed at all. If risking death, you die.
  3–4 Setback. A lesser consequence or partial
  success. If risking death, you’re maimed.
  5+
  Success. The higher the roll, the better.
  If success can’t get you what you want (you make
  the shot, but it’s bulletproof!), you’ll at least get
  useful info or set up an advantage.
  STRESS: Stress can help with fight-or-flight
  responses; increase its help die with each use
  (d6➡d8➡d10➡d12➡d20). If the stress die
  rolls highest, the GM describes a stress effect.
  HARM: Clear injuries and stress with time and/or
  treatment. If killed, make a new character to be
  introduced ASAP. Favor inclusion over realism.
  ADVANCEMENT: When you suffer a stress effect
  and survive long enough to recover from it,
  increase a skill (none➡d8➡d10➡d12).
  DEFENSE: Break an item to turn a hit into a brief
  hindrance. Broken gear is useless until repaired.
  GM: Lead group in setting lines not to cross in
  play. Fast-forward, pause, or rewind/redo for
  pacing and safety; invite players to do likewise.
  Present dilemmas you don’t know how to solve.
  Move spotlight to give all time to shine. Test peri-
  odically for bad luck (e.g., running out of oxygen)
  — roll d6 for (1–2) trouble now or (3–4) signs of
  trouble. Offer rulings to cover gaps in rules; on a
  break, revise unsatisfying rulings as a group.
  RULES
  1 Aku
  2 Barnet
  3 Childs
  4 Dogo
  5 Evans
  6 Frost
  7 Grimes
  8 Hoang
  9 Ito
  10 Jeong
  11 Keita
  12 Lanz
  13 Morse
  14 Niles
  15 Olmo
  16 Parish
  17 Roth
  18 Santo
  19 Testa
  20 Voigt
  ►Choose what your character is skilled in.
  ❏ COMMAND: Increase Command skill to d8. Use
  for inspiration, persuasion, willpower, etc.
  ❏ MAINTENANCE: Increase Maintenance skill to
  d8. Use for labor, repair, spacewalking, etc.
  ❏ SCIENCE: Increase Science skill to d8. Use for
  chemistry, computers, medicine, research, etc.
  ❏ SECURITY: Increase Security skill to d8. Use
  for combat, running, climbing, stealth, etc.
  ►Choose your character’s origin.
  ❏ PROGRAMMED: Take synth skin (looks
  human) or a case (as armor for defense).
  When you would suffer a stress effect, you may
  ignore it, but increase allies’ stress die size.
  ❏ TRAINED: Increase skill in any area — a new
  one to d8, or the one you already have to d10.
  ►Take a commlink (smartphone), a vac suit, and
  ₡2 in currency or items. Individual items cost
  ₡1 each except as noted.
  ❏ ARMOR: Upgrades vac suit; break as defense.
  ❏ BODY CAM: Share visuals with teammates.
  ❏ CUTTING TOOLS: For mining or breaching.
  ❏ FLAMETHROWER: Bulky. Requires O2 to burn.
  ❏ PISTOL: ₡1 extra for flechette rounds.
  ❏ RIFLE: ₡1 extra for auto-fire, flechette rounds,
  or thermal scope. Bulky.
  ❏ GRAPPLER: Fire magnetic hook on wire. Bulky.
  ❏ LOW-G JETPACK: Use with or without vac suit.
  ❏ MED KIT: Supplies for treating an injury.
  ❏ MED SCANNER: Detect injuries and infection.
  ❏ NIGHT VISION GOGGLES: See in low light.
  ❏ PORTABLE SENSOR: Sense life signs, motion.
  ❏ REPAIR TOOLS: For electronics and machines.
  ❏ STUN BATON: Less-lethal weapon.
  ►Choose or roll for your name. Note pronouns.
  BRIDGE
  DEFENSES
  Anti-asteroid turrets,
  mining laser, hull armor
  GALLEY
  *
  *
  MEDICAL
  BAY
  CREW
  QUARTERS
  CAPTAIN’S
  QUARTERS
  DOCKING
  *ESCAPE PODS
  2 pods, fit 4 each;
  distress beacon, no FTL
  CORRIDORS
  MAINTENANCE DUCTS
  AIRLOCKS
  Located at Docking
  Area and Cargo Bay
  ENGINES
  Sub-light thrusters,
  antimatter jump drive
  CARGO BAY
  ENGINEERING
  LIFE SUPPORT
  CRYO BAY
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/2400 System/2400 Orbital Decay [v1.0]/2400 Orbital Decay v1.0 b&w.pdf