Rules // Introduction

Æther Corp congratulates you, [insert Harvester name], on making it through our most rigorous training programme & joining our ranks!

We're so glad you have managed to retain most of your bodily organs/higher brain functions [* delete as applicable]* with minimal anomalies entwined with your valuable genetic code.

We are proud to offer you a new/used/decrepit* space-faring vessel of small/medium/behemoth* proportions in a wonderful/adequate/functioning* state. Equipped with the latest in Jump® technology & energy storage solutions, you are to join our irreplaceable team of Harvesters, journey to distant star systems, & gather the last remnants of energy from our sadly doomed galactic neighbours.

Return with a full complement of energy coils to prolong our time in this corner of the æther & be highly rewarded. Should you spaghettify (or otherwise) due to the utterly uncontrollable universe-spanning anomalies fear not! We will send out your successor immediately to continue your diligent operation to ensure no drop in service.

It is undoubtedly incredibly fortunate that we discovered Jump® technology barely a moment before the fabric of the cosmos decided to tear itself apart.

—Æther Corp Training Manual, Rev. 6.62607004X10^(-34)

Harvesters collect energy for their employer, Æther Corp, the first galaxy spanning mega-corporation to discover near-instantaneous interstellar travel.

Æther Jump® Drives are powered by a single energy coil—an ingeniously complex innovation that converts & stores energy from any given source. These drives rip apart the fabric of spacetime & re-wrap it around any vessel retrofitted with the device, transporting its occupants to distant star systems.

However, the nascent technology is not entirely without its imperfections.

Not all sub-atomic particles return to their original positions after the gently pulsating & invitingly large green button labelled ‘Æther Jump®’ has been pressed. This has resulted in a major restructuring of a number of galaxies, stars, planets, species, & much of Æther Corp's managerial staff & finances.

To offset the devastating impact to its public image (& the universe's sub-atomic stability), Æther Corp employs Harvesters to explore new star systems, uncover energy emitting bodies (EEB) from which to collect energy to fill an array of 24 energy coils before returning to Æther Corp HQ where it may be redistributed amongst the corporation's interplanetary subsidiaries to power the increasing number of Æther Inertia® Drives.

Rewards for successful Harvesters are almost infinite, an almost inverse reflection of their chances of returning at all...

You Will Need

Game Loop

You play as a Harvester, logging your voyage & exploits while collecting energy for your enterprising employer.

The game is played in a seven stage loop with an action at each stage: a scan roll, a Jump® roll, a harvest roll, or a move.

Use your log book to keep track of your vessel, crew, star systems, & energy coil levels. Fill it with words, pictures & imagination. Print more pages & glue them in if you run out of space.

Fill 24 energy coils to return home & claim your reward or, should you atomically destabilise, the Replacement Harvester Scheme will allow you to continue Æther Corp’s vital mission (see Benefits).

Good luck. Your galaxy, life, & yearly pay review are at stake!

Numbers 1 to 7 in a spiral connected by a solid line. Dotted lines connect 3 back to 1 & 2 and solid lines connect 6 back to 3 & 4

I Vessel

Generate a vessel with a scan roll

II Enroll

Generate your Harvester with a scan roll

III Jump®

Generate a star system with a Jump® roll

IV Navigate

Move between orbits with a step, skip, hop, or drift

V Scan

Identify the attributes of an energy emitting body (EEB) with a scan roll

VI Harvest

Describe the energy source of the EEB & how you try to harvest it with a harvest roll

VII Reward

Return home with 24 energy coils to claim your reward

Scan Roll

Every Harvester is issued with a top of the range scanner (link opens in new tab), the absolute pinnacle in object identification technology.

You will use it to generate your vessel, your Harvester, & to scan energy emitting bodies (EEB) to understand what you’re up against before you can harvest.

Although you use the same scanner each time, results are interpreted slightly differently depending on what you’re scanning (see each stage for details).

Make a scan roll by rolling the 7-piece dice set

  1. Check each die against the readouts on your scanner.
  2. Check the variable die (d20) against the readout for that stage.
  3. Note the results in your log book.

Vessel

Make a scan roll & note down the attributes of your new vessel in your vessel log

Our best engineers & salvage experts will provide you the most adequate space-faring vehicle the universe has to offer!

An abundance of shiny spacecraft, well-worn warships, articulated asteroid harnesses, & mobile moon bases await you in our well-stocked reclamation yards, ready to become your new cosmic cocoon.

—Æther Corp Recruitment Poster #137

All vessels can manoeuvre within a star system—even small moons are fitted with powerful thrusters or vast solar sails.

An Æther Jump® Drive plus an array of 24 empty energy coils have been retrofitted to your vessel.

Ten sided dice shapeCircuit board diagramVessel (d10)

Size & type of your vessel.

Four sided dice shapeFour circles of varying sizes representing stars, three of which are joined together by linesControls (d4)

Primary means of interacting with your vessel.

Six sided dice shapeCircular grid with a four dots representing starsEnergy Source (d6)

Power source for all ancillary equipment on your vessel beyond the Æther Jump® Drive.

Eight sided dice shapeCircular grid with a four dots representing starsSpecies (d8)

The original creators of your vessel.

Twelve sided dice shapeShield shape encircled by two elliptical lines, each with a small dot orbiting the shieldStability (d12)

How far your vessel is from atomic collapse.

Percentile dice shapeCircuit board diagramEnergy Level, %

Amount of energy currently in the Æther Jump® Drive.

Twenty sided dice shapeShield shape encircled by two elliptical lines, each with a small dot orbiting the shieldVariable: Descriptor (d20)

Your initial impression is that it is overwhelmingly...

  1. Battle-scarred
  2. Bureaucratic
  3. Bright
  4. Cold
  5. Cramped
  6. Damp
  7. Decrepit
  8. Echoey
  9. Humdrum
  10. Neon-lit
  11. Noisy
  12. Pulsating
  13. Prismatic
  14. Sticky
  15. Shiny
  16. Spiky
  17. Smooth
  18. Shadowy
  19. Spacious
  20. Translucent

Expending Energy

Each Jump® depletes the energy level of your Æther Jump® Drive.

You must have a minimum of 10% vessel energy level to Jump®.

You can transfer energy from one partially or wholly filled energy coil by increasing your vessel energy level by entire amount from that coil.

You might also consider the benefits of the Replacement Harvester Scheme (see Benefits).

Atomic Collapse

Should your vessel stability drop to zero, describe how your Harvester uses their attributes to reach an Æther Pod® to escape the vessel & then make a harvest roll.

Repairs

You can repair your Vessel after a successful Harvest.

Do not add collected energy to your Energy Coils, roll a Stability die (d12), & add that value to your Vessel Stability instead.

Crew

Make a scan roll, note down the attributes of your Harvester in your crew log & give them a name

Personal anomalies arising from of our award-winning training programme ‘Be The Best You Can Be, But Better!’ are to be expected but like we always say, what makes you semi-translucent/amorphous/briny* makes you stronger.

—Æther Corp Induction manual: Welcome to Æther Corp! The Last Place You Will ever Work

During a Harvest you have the opportunity to imagine & develop your Harvester’s past experiences (see Harvest Roll).

Harvesting can be dangerous & some don't even make it through their first Jump®.Should your Harvester stability ever reach zero the Replacement Harvester Scheme will instantly trigger (see Benefits).

Ten sided dice shapeVessel (d10)

The size & type of vessel about which you have the greatest knowledge.

Four sided dice shapeControls (d4)

The vessel interface you are most comfortable using.

Six sided dice shapeEnergy Source (d6)

The type of energy you specialised in collecting during training.

Eight sided dice shapeSpecies (d8)

An evolutionary trait that is a feature of your species.

Twelve sided dice shapeStability (d12)

How far you are from atomic collapse (maximum of 12).

Add +2 to your stability when you create your Harvester

Percentile dice shapeEnergy Level, % (d00)

Energy collected during your training. Add this % to your vessel’s energy coils.

Twenty sided dice shapeVariable: Anomaly (d20)

Training is almost as dangerous as being out in the starfield & you have already discovered that...

  1. Your body has a dough-like consistency that can form and reform at will. Reduce stability by -2.
  2. Every tenth word you speak is accompanied by a large soap bubble; its colour relates to your mood. Reduce stability by -1.
  3. You lack depth, your atoms are spread into a thin layer, yet face-on you appear as a normal being. Reduce stability by -2.
  4. You cycle through a life phase every Jump®—baby, teen, adult, aged, baby, etc—yet retain all your faculties. Reduce stability by -3.
  5. You have inappropriate emotional outbursts at the merest hint of quantum mechanics.
  6. You float 3mm off all surfaces. Increase stability by +2.
  7. Light bends around you increasing your peripheral vision & giving you a slimmer profile. Increase stability by +1.
  8. You have delightful rose petals for ear lobes. They grow back a different hue if you pick them. Reduce stability by -1.
  9. Your skin is utterly translucent but tough as nails. Increase stability by +4.
  10. You can reach through solid objects. Reduce stability by -2.
  11. You talk in rhyme all of the time. Your log book should match this horrible catch.
  12. Everything tastes faintly of salmon. Reduce stability by -1.
  13. You’re primarily composed of marbles. Reduce stability by -4.
  14. Every step you take you leave goose feathers in your wake. Reduce stability by -1.
  15. A large red tomato-like creature follows you wherever you go.
  16. You have X-ray vision. Increase stability by +1.
  17. Your thoughts appear as glowing symbols in the air around your head. Reduce stability by -1.
  18. Worms appear to follow your command. Increase stability by +2.
  19. The laws of gravity no longer apply to you. Reduce stability by -3.
  20. You pulsate a pleasant glow of duck egg blue. Increase stability by +3.

Jump® Roll

Make a Jump® roll by rolling the 10-piece dice set on the console & note down the results in your star system log

Each Jump® is accompanied by an anomaly which you can discover on the coiled.space website (see V opposite).

Each anomaly has a description & an instruction that might reduce or increase the stability of your Harvester, vessel, or the star system.

If any dice roll off the console, move them into their closest orbit otherwise leave them where they land.

  1. Four sided dice shapeEight sided dice shape Note down the d4 & d8. They have no effect until you move into their orbit (see overleaf)
  2. Ten sided dice shapePlace the vessel token in the orbit that matches the number you rolled on the d10.
  3. Percentile dice shape Reduce your vessel energy level by the number rolled on the d00. If that amount is more than you have available, just reduce it to zero.
  4. Twelve sided dice shape The number rolled on the d12 is the star system stability.
  5. Twenty sided dice shape Check the number rolled on the d20 against the star type readout at the bottom of the console. Adjust star system stability & number rolled on any affected energy emitting bodies (EEB/d6) as directed.
  6. Press the Æther Jump® button on the coiled.space website to check for anomalies & follow any instructions.

NB: Pressing this button will open a new tab/window (as well as fold spacetime)

You are now free to move across the star system by a method of your choosing (see Navigate).

Once you reach an EEB (d6) you can scan it before attempting to harvest its energy.

Six sided dice shape Six sided dice shape Six sided dice shape Six sided dice shape

Jump®

Each die on the console is an interplanetary object in an orbit within the star system.

Four sided dice shapeFour circles of varying sizes representing stars, three of which are joined together by linesParticle Cloud

When moving into the orbit containing the d4...

  1. Asteroid Belt: You carefully pick your way through the floating rocks. Reduce vessel energy level by -10%
  2. Interstellar Cloud: Gas, plasma, and dust buffet your vessel. Reduce vessel stability by -1
  3. Space Debris: Evasive manoeuvres! Make a harvest roll to successfully avoid the drifting industrial junk & salvage it for energy
    • Success! Increase vessel energy level by +20%
    • Failure! Reduce vessel stability by -2
  4. Sentient Being: A pulsating neon mist wraps around your vessel & a voice crackles over the comms with a request... What does it ask & how do you assist? Make a harvest roll to resolve your action
    • Success! Increase energy coils by +50% as a gift from The Being
    • Failure! Reduce vessel stability by -3 as it displays its displeasure

Six sided dice shapeSix sided dice shapeSix sided dice shapeSix sided dice shapeCircular grid with a four dots representing starsEnergy Emitting Body (EEB)

The four d6 are energy emitting bodies (EEB), your target destinations when you move.

When you reach an EEB & scan it, multiply its energy level (d00) by the number you rolled on its d6.

Eight sided dice shapeCircular grid with a four dots representing starsRogue Object

Answer the question below when moving into the orbit containing the d8....

  1. Meteoroid: A small piece of raw metal, barely an inch across, punctures the hull and embeds itself into the floor. How do you repair?
  2. Asteroid: A small outpost glints enticingly on its surface. Mining or research? What did they find?
  3. Comet: In Orbits VI – X, it's nothing but a dark ball of frozen dust & gas the size of a small town. When in Orbits I – V, it burns hot & it’s tail stretches out to Orbit VI. Tastes like ice cream... What flavour?
  4. Rogue Moon: Covered in light grey fungi... What is that moving among the gills?
  5. Rogue Planet: Occupied and on its own purposeful trajectory. Counts as a rocky planet when you skip (see Navigate). How is it propelled?
  6. Rogue Star: An immense incendiary interstellar voyager! Roll a d20 to find its star type & adjust system accordingly. Counts as a gas giant when you skip (see Navigate)
  7. Monolith: —It's full of stars! Do you enter? If so, make a Jump® roll without reducing vessel energy level
  8. *Teapot: Another one bumps into the hull of your vessel**. Signs of a higher being? Is it still warm? What flavour is the tea?

Ten sided dice shapeCircuit board diagramRocky Planet I

Orbital position

Use your vessel token to track your orbital position when you move.

Percentile dice shapeCircuit board diagramRocky Planet II

Energy Level

If your vessel energy level is low you can replenish it from your energy coils (see Vessel), drift (see Navigate), or consider the Replacement Harvester Scheme (see Benefits).

Twelve sided dice shapeShield shape encircled by two elliptical lines, each with a small dot orbiting the shield Gas Giant I

System Stability

If system stability ever drops to zero, your Harvester & their vessel instantly spaghettify.

Twenty sided dice shapeShield shape encircled by two elliptical lines, each with a small dot orbiting the shieldGas Giant II

Star Type

If when reducing EEB values to account for black holes, the value drops below 1, remove the EEB

Navigate

Decide on your target energy emitting body (EEB) & then choose how to move your vessel token into its orbit

Choose any combination of the four methods below to move around a star system.

When moving into an orbit with multiple interplanetary objects, choose which object you interact with first except when those objects are a particle cloud or rogue object—resolve their actions/prompts before doing anything else.

You can move freely between objects within an orbit without reducing vessel energy level

Step

Move one orbit using your vessel energy level.

Your ancillary engines propel your vessel toward your chosen destination.

  1. When you move into an orbit reduce the energy level of your vessel by -10%

Skip

Move multiple orbits using the gravitational pull of planets.

Slingshot around rocky planets or gas giants without reducing vessel energy level to cover a greater distances.

  1. When you leave an orbit containing a:

    • Rocky planet (d10 or d00), move your vessel token 2 orbits

    • Gas giant (d12 or d20), move your vessel token 4 orbits

  2. Reduce your energy level by -10% to stop in an intervening orbit

Hop

Move multiple orbits using the Æther Jump® Drive.

Make a small Jump® within a star system, direct to your target EEB. Risky, energy consuming, yet extremely expedient.

  1. Move your vessel token next to your target EEB (d6)
  2. Roll an energy level die (d00) & reduce vessel energy level by that amount
  3. Press the Æther Jump® button on the coiled.space website & follow any instructions

Drift

Move one orbit, reduce Harvester stability.

When your vessel energy level is low drifting between orbits may be your only option. It takes longer, you lose stability, but no energy is expended.

  1. When you leave an orbit reduce your Harvester stability by -1

  2. Do not reduce vessel energy level

Scan

Make a scan roll & note the attributes of the energy emitting body (EEB) in the EEB section of your star system log

++ bleep bloop... bzzzzzzzzt ack-ack vhrrrrrr whoomp -- -- ++ // tssst tssst tk.tk.tk —ghhhhht..........................blip..........................blip....... .................blip...................beep bip beep..........||

—Do Scanner’s Dream of Electric Bleeps: Field recordings from deep space by Dolores PEW-PEW PtCHYOW

This scan roll determines the kind of vessel this EEB is, what its inhabitants are doing, & whether they are aware of you.

Somewhere on, in, or around the energy emitting body (EEB) is the energy source. You will describe it when you harvest (see overleaf).

Ten sided dice shapeCircuit board diagramVessel (d10)

Size & type of EEB.

Four sided dice shapeFour circles of varying sizes representing stars, three of which are joined together by linesControls (d4)

Primary means the crew interact with the EEB.

Six sided dice shapeCircular grid with a four dots representing starsEnergy Source (d6)

Type of energy that is being radiated from the energy source.

Eight sided dice shapeCircular grid with a four dots representing starsSpecies (d8)

The predominant trait of the species that currently inhabit the EEB.

Twelve sided dice shapeShield shape encircled by two elliptical lines, each with a small dot orbiting the shieldStability (d12)

How far the EEB is from atomic collapse.

Percentile dice shapeCircuit board diagramEnergy Level, % (d00)

Multiply this die’s value (d00) by the EEB (d6) die for the total energy available to harvest.

Twenty sided dice shapeShield shape encircled by two elliptical lines, each with a small dot orbiting the shieldVariable: Activity (d20)

Not everyone will be expecting someone to dinner, some may be otherwise engaged. The inhabitants of this particular EEB are currently...

  1. Repainting the hull
  2. In hypersleep
  3. Falling ill to a mystery illness
  4. Having problems with their holobooth
  5. Rescuing another vessel—from what?
  6. Missing in action... the place is deserted
  7. Enjoying some well-earned downtime
  8. Focused on their work
  9. On a team building exercise
  10. Enveloped by an gargantuan space creature
  11. Undergoing major repairs
  12. Reciting terrible poetry
  13. Brokering a peace deal—between whom?
  14. Floating in escape pods among the debris of their vessel
  15. Racing away in the opposite direction—from whom?
  16. At battle stations! With whom?
  17. Wanting to trade with you—what do they offer?
  18. Aware of you & at Blue Alert!
  19. Changing the warning light bulbs from Blue! to Red!
  20. Aware of you & at Red Alert!

Harvest

Describe the energy source then make a harvest roll & note down the outcome in the EEB section of your star system log

Then it’s time to reap what you sow. Only you ain’t sown ‘owt so it’s a bit more like... scrumpin’? Best to not think about it too hard I’ve found.

—K’Plagh’s Harvesting for beginners

This is your chance to get closer to fulfilling your mission by harvesting from an energy emitting body (EEB).

You can only attempt to harvest each EEB once.

  1. Description

    Before deciding how you will attempt to harvest answer these three questions about the energy source:

    Appearance: What does the energy source look like?

    Location: Where is it stored?

    Obstruction: What is stopping you harvesting it?

    Log your answers under ‘Description’

  2. Harvest

    Energy coils convert any type of energy into a form you can safely store. It's up to you to decide how you capture that energy & feed it into the coils.

    Does your backpack have a hose attachment that drains energy?

    Do you throw items into a hopper to be recycled?

    Does the hull of your Vessel absorb objects in close vicinity?

    Use whatever item, object, or other advantage you can think of to improve your chances—any experiences your Harvester can dredge from their past, any weakness you can exploit in your opponent's defences, anything goes.

    Log your plan under ‘Harvest‘ as part of your harvest roll (see overleaf).

  3. Outcome

    When all goes to plan, log your success under ‘Outcome’ & add the collected energy to your energy coils.

    If it goes wrong, log how, why, & what you gained in the process (such as knowledge or a stray piece of salvage).

    Successful or not, it's time to move onto the next EEB (see Navigate), star system (see Jump®), or return to HQ with a full complement of energy coils (see Benefits).

Harvest Roll

To make a harvest roll, start by picking up your stability (d12) & anomaly (d20) dice from the 7-piece dice set

[Indeterminate humming noise]

—The sound your vessel makes while it waits for you to return with freshly harvested energy for its coils

These two dice are the start of a dice pool.

  1. If any of your Harvester’s attributes are the same as the energy emitting body (EEB) pick up those matching dice (d4, d6, d8, or d10) & add them to your dice pool.

  2. Describe how you will try to harvest (or resolve a predicament) by picking up a matching die (d4, d6, d8, or d10) each time:

    • You describe how you use one of your vessel’s attributes

    • You imagine an experience from your Harvester’s past that relates to one of the EEB’s attributes (or problem at hand)

  3. Choose whether to boost your chances by also rolling the energy level (d00) die.

    Any energy harvested will be reduced by the amount you roll on this d00 if successful.

  4. Attempt to roll higher than 42 using your dice pool.

Benefits

Decide if your Harvester retires & claims their reward—if they do, make a harvest roll

Our incredibly generous severance package is available to all Harvesters who return with a full payload of energy coils including but not limited to:

* Terms & conditions apply. Non-disclosure agreements are non-negotiable & do not exist.

—You made it back! Welcome home video

Congratulations, your reward awaits!

You have successfully returned to HQ with the required 24 energy coils!

All that remains is to decide your Harvester’s ultimate fate.

  1. Note on your crew log whether they return to space or retire
  2. Note down the reward they choose for themselves—what is their deepest desire?
  3. Make a harvest roll to see if they can enjoy their reward before the universe implodes

Replacement Harvester Scheme

Æther Corp replaces expired Harvesters the moment their stability drops to zero.

If your vessel remains in good shape the new Harvester appears in an Æther Pod® ready to board. Increase your energy coils by +20% for recycling the Æther Pod®.

If you lack a vessel, your replacement will Jump® to your position with a new vessel ready to take control of your log book.

If star system stability drops to zero, your Harvester & their vessel instantly spaghettify taking their precious energy coils with them.

Example of Play

Having never got the hang of Thursdays you decide to play Coiled.Spæce instead.

I. Vessel

You start by creating your vessel by rolling the 7-piece dice set & checking the result of the dice against the tables on the Scanner & Vessel pages.

Æther Corp’s salvage experts dig out a satellite swarm, originally built by mineral-based lifeforms & operated by psychic link. Primarily powered by E115, its Æther Jump® Drive is currently 90% full if you fill out the right forms.

II. Crew

Next you create your Harvester by rolling the same 7-piece dice set & checking the results using the tables on the Scanner & Crew pages. You then give them a name.

Vera is a plant-based lifeform who grew up on a warship studying mechanical control systems & fusion reactors. During their training they collected 60% of an energy coil which the company has generously added to the satellite swarm’s newly fitted energy coils. Every tenth word Vera speaks is accompanied by a soap bubble & they have a stability of ‘5’.

III. Jump®

To Jump® into your first star system, you roll the 10-piece dice set onto the console poster.

One d6 lands in Orbit II with the d8 & another d6 in Orbit V. The d4 lands in Orbit VI & the other two d6 end up in Orbit VIII. All the remaining dice land in Orbit IX.

You rolled a ‘7’ on the d10 so place your vessel token in Orbit VII.

You rolled ‘80’ on the d00 so reduce your vessel energy level to 10%.

You mark star system stability in your star system log to match the ‘11’ you rolled on the d12.

You rolled ‘16’ on the d20. The star chart at the bottom of the console tells you this system orbits a Supermassive Black Hole. You reduce the star system stability by 8 & rotate each d6 die so its value is reduced by 3. The d6 in Orbit II was already on ‘1’ so you remove it from the console.

Finally you press the green button on the coiled.space website labelled ‘Æther Jump®’ & read the anomaly description that instructs you to reduce the star system stability by 1 more.

Vera hits the big green Æther Jump® button & the universe obligingly rearranges itself around the swarm.

Orchids now swamp their previously pristine cockpit, protruding from every available crevice including a very small one nestling in Vera’s nose. Sighing gently, Vera notes the system stability is at ‘2’.

IV. Navigate

With three energy emitting bodies (EEB /d6) still on the console, you choose how to navigate the system.

You originally rolled a ‘6’ on the EEB (d6) in Orbit V but reduced it to ‘3’ for the Supermassive Black Hole. You also reduced the two EEB (d6) in Orbit VIII to ‘2’ & ‘1’

Since you’re in Orbit VII you decide to step into Orbit VIII to harvest those two EEB (d6) before a drift into Orbit IX to use the Gas Giant II (d20) to skip back to Orbit V & harvest from the remaining EEB (d6).

Deducting 10% from your vessel energy level you move your vessel token into Orbit VIII next to the first EEB (d6).

Vera plots their course through the system, trying to use as little energy as possible with a step into Orbit VII, try to harvest the closest two EEB, before a drift into Orbit IX & a skip back to Orbit V. Dead easy.

Noting their vessel energy level is now at zero, Vera hopes for a fruitful harvest.

V. Scan

Now you’re next to EEB I you pick up & roll the 7-piece dice set again, checking the results using the tables on the Scanner & Scan pages to discover what it looks like.

You remember to double the energy level to account for the ‘2’ on the EEB (d6) die.

Vera aims the Scanner at the EEB: It’s an asteroid outpost with software controls. Its stability is very low, maybe due to the black hole, but the available dark matter makes up for it—120%! The outpost’s construct inhabitants appear to be reciting terrible poetry.

VI. Harvest

You decide the energy source on the EEB is an engine in the centre of the complex that siphons & converts dark matter from the black hole to power the facility. Also that a well-attended poetry recital is being held in the engine room.

You pick up the d12 & d20 from the 7-piece dice set. Vera’s attributes don’t match those of the EEB so you don’t automatically pick up any other dice. Instead you decide to use the d00 to boost your roll & think up an experience Vera has had with constructs so you can add the d8 to your harvest roll.

Vera suspects the poetry recital will be distracting most of the robots so sends down a collection satellite programmed to mimic the constructs’ life signal—a hack Vera learned as a seedling on the warship—& simply request a transfer of the energy stores.

Using the four dice in your pool, you roll a ‘7’ on the d8, ‘50’ on the d00, ‘6’ on the d12, & ‘2’ on the d20—more than enough to get over the target number of 42!

The total harvested energy is 70% (having deducted 50% for using the boost (d00)) which you add to your energy coils. You transfer 100% of a coil to your vessel energy level leaving you with just 30% in the energy coils.

The successful satellite returns back to Vera’s swarm. Noting the outpost’s lights are starting to flicker in an alarming fashion, Vera instructs it to fill an energy coil before slamming the full coil into the Æther Jump® Drive. Using the swarm’s orbital velocity, they move to the next EEB.

You move your vessel token to the second EEB (d6) in Orbit VIII, ready for another scan...

Variant Rules

The following rules are entirely optional but offer you a slightly different way in which to enjoy your harvest.

Lost Log Book

Use a blank notebook to record your vessel, Harvester, & star systems.

Allow yourself one page for each entry. Leave enough room to add more detail.

Cracked Console

Play without the console by using the d20 as your star & measuring the distances between dice using a ruler (or your thumb).

When playing this variant, each orbit is 1 inch apart (roughly the top half of your thumb) & the d20 is the central point, taking the role of the star.

To put another way, Orbit I includes all dice within 1 inch of the d20, Orbit II includes all dice between 1–2 inches away from the d20, & so on.

Any dice beyond 9 inches from the d20 can be considered as being in Orbit X.

You can find the star type table on the coiled.space website.

Going Dark

Write nothing down except your vessel & crew attributes, any anomalies that affect them, & the percentage (%) of energy coils that you’ve harvested.

Æther Corp won't know; who will tell them?

Multiplayer

When enrolling additional crew members, distribute these four roles & responsibilities between the players as you see fit & note them in your crew log.

Each role has dedicated dice to roll & check when creating a vessel & during a scan or making a Jump®. Role icons can be found next to their dice at each stage.

When it's time to harvest, each Harvester describes their approach before you decide as a group which Harvester makes the harvest roll. Feel free to argue your case—bragging rights go to whoever bags the most successful harvests.

Four circles of varying sizes representing stars, three of which are joined together by linesTelemetry

The pilot of your vessel. Has final say over which course to navigate within a star system.

Circular grid with a four dots representing stars Observations

When something goes wrong, they are the first to see it. Has 2 votes when deciding who should attempt to harvest**.**

Circuit board diagram Systems

Tends to the mechanical workings of your vessel. Has final say over when to repair it.

Shield shape encircled by two elliptical lines, each with a small dot orbiting the shieldSecurity

In charge of securing company assets (including Harvesters). Has final say over what action to take when the energy level of your vessel is at zero**.**