Spirit & Tech: The Scars of Our Rule

"We saved the Earth. But she still bled and wept. And in our new and hopeful world, the scars of our past awoke like angry, festering sores to seek revenge."

Your mission is to heal those scars. You are a team of MENDERS (Metaphysical Experts, Nullifiers, Defenders, and Emergency Response Squads), a diverse and often conflicted group of hopefuls who leave the safety of the near utopic New Eden Cities to try to remove the cancerous Scars from the Earth so that she may heal fully. The Scars are not simple natural disasters or barren wastelands: they are nightmarish spaces, where all of the old world’s wrongs have become awful, twisted physical manifestations called SENS (Socio-Economic Nominal Scars).

Welcome to Spirit & Tech. Welcome to the MENDERS. Welcome to reversing Hell on Earth.

Spirit & Tech: Scars of our Rule (S&T) is hack of the lovely Lasers & Feelings system (johnharper.itch.io/lasers-feelings) and was designed for the #SolarpunkJam. There are a few differences and core mechanics that have been changed for S&T to highlight its key design ethos: Even in helping an ailing world, we still fail, and push forward and continue hoping in spite of these failures. The contrast of the hope and beauty of the New Eden Cities against the Scars is a key theme for both players and GMs to grapple with.

Changes from the usual L&F system:

• Numbers. Instead of the usual range of 2-5, S&T pairs this down to simply 3 (for Spirit) and 4 (for Tech). This upped the odds of failure and partial successes, which made the game messier – and ultimately more fun!
• GUILT. A key theme of S&T is the guilt we feel in the face of a dying, scarred planet. Processing this guilt in the face of ecological collapse through play is baked into the game design. 
• Two Page Layout and Character Sheet built into the rules. Players should only be given the PLAYER SHEET, which contains everything they’ll need to play. For the GMs, consult the GM Sheet, and ensure your players do not look either (it may contain spoilers, should you follow the prompts listed).

So, are you ready to take up the call of the MENDERS and right the SENS of our forebearers?