Load the Simulation runs on the Chroma Cube System, a straightforward yet dynamic way to decide the flow of action. Here’s how the game plays out:

The Training Simulation

• Every day, the ship’s AI, DAX, loads a new training program. You’ll generate a bizarre alien world using tables that determine the environment, strange anomalies, and the local wildlife (which is usually trying to kill you).
  
  
• Each simulation has a main objective, but you’ve also got a personal goal—sometimes finishing the training unscathed, pushing yourself to the limit, and other highly unlikely and risky pursuits.

Rolling the Dice: Who’s in Control?

The Chroma Cube System uses three six-sided dice of different colors:

• YOU (your character) – Are you pushing through? Holding strong? Screwing it up spectacularly?
  
  
• FOE (the opposition) – That alien predator that is trying to ruin your day.
  
  
• ECO (the environment) – The rogue weather anomaly or the crumbling terrain you're running across.

You roll them together and arrange the results in a vertical line on the table, from highest to lowest— the Stack. The position on the Stack will dictate how the sequence plays out. Whichever die rolls highest determines the dominant force in the scene. Success moves you closer to your goal, but failure means consequences.

Bad rolls stack up conditions that affect:

• Your body (Harm) – Bruises, burns, or worse.
• Your mind (Stress) – The slow wear of fear and pressure.
• Your relationships (Friction) – Because putting crewmates in danger, failing to have their back, or blaming them for your mistakes doesn’t exactly build trust.

Downtime: Repair, Recover, and Regret

• Earn Stars by completing your main and personal missions to move up the hierarchy, gaining status and influence—but also adding more interpersonal tension. Not everyone loves a rising star.
  
  
• Treat injuries, cool your nerves, and try to fix whatever modules you inevitably broke during the simulation.
  
  
• Tensions don’t go away on their own. You’ll have chances to repair strained relationships and try to work out the grudges forming between crewmates.
  
  
• Fix your broken modules or craft a brand new one on the lab.

The Long Night

• Insomnia hits hard. After a day of pushing your limits, sleep doesn’t always come easy. If you can’t rest, the ship has a way of showing you things—strange, impossible things.
  
  
• The more you stay awake, the more you witness unsettling events and uncover cryptic clues about the true nature of your mission.
  
  
• Reality or Simulation? – Good question. Hope you figure it out before the next training session.

And then? You wake up and do it all over again.

I envisioned this crowdfunding campaign as a very low-profile one. The game is 80% done, and the layout is already figured out.

I want to raise some money while I finish editing the game, playtest it a bit more, and offer it at a discounted price as I do so. As such, here's a quick rundown of what you can expect from it:

• The game text is fully written, apart from the examples of play. After that is done, I'll enter the editing phase.
  
  
• The layout is defined, as you can see from the mockups. Once the text is revised, it won't take long to put everything in place.
  
  
• The game will be released regardless of the campaign reaching its funding goal. You will get the game no matter what.
  
  
• There is only one reward tier: for $12, you get the PDF for the game and a coupon for an optional purchase of the print-on-demand version on Lulu at cost, by yourself. The PoD version will be made available when the revised edition of the game is finished. 
  
  
• You can also top off your pledge to generate community copies of the zine for folks who can't afford it.
  
  
• There are no stretch goals. I don't want to over-promise and under-deliver. The more I get from this campaign, the better I'll be able to cover my monthly expenses.

Your reward includes:

Cezar Capacle is a Brazilian tabletop game designer, currently based in Madeira Island. Creating since 2016, he has dedicated his full time to game design for the past four years, and has released more than 30 games since. His games are known for their light rules and quirky mechanics, offering singular gaming experiences. He has spoken in favor of creators of the Global South, and his claims ended up on an article on Dicebreaker.

Career highlights

Credits
This game was made possible by the support of my amazing patrons. Join today and get all my future games for free!