ROSETIA: A First Contact RPG

ROSETIA is a choice-driven CRPG about mankind's greatest turning point: first contact with an alien civilization. We are no longer alone. Now, as two worlds collide... Who speaks for Earth?

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You are THE ENVOY—the voice nobody asked for. As humanity's first ambassador, you must:

• TALK your way through hilarious mistranslations to unite three divided nations;

• DEFEND your well-meaning choices in dialogue boss battles with razor-sharp alien politicians; and...

• DECIDE their planet's fate, guided by the advice of your brilliant but chaotic internal bridge crew.

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Do you come in peace? Or will you get us banned from the galactic group chat?

After two centuries of space travel, you awaken above TRIUNE—a world of eternal twilight.

The bad news? Your captain is dead and your crew is stuck in stasis.

The good news...?

FIELD PROMOTION!

To save your crewmates, your only hope is to phone home. You need to build an ANSIBLE: a faster-than-light communications device. But that means seeking help from the TORTANS—a species of half-plant, half-turtle solarpunk conservatives.

Can you complete your captain's mission? Can you convince a culture with deep roots to finally dream of the stars?

Or will you die alone a hundred light-years from home?

HELM THE STARSHIP OF YOUR PSYCHE!

• Six officers, one mind! Harness your internal bridge crew—the COMMANDER, ENGINEER, SCIENTIST, DOCTOR, TACTICIAN & COUNSELOR—to decipher the world around you and fumble your way into a legendary captain’s log.

UNITE THREE DIVIDED CULTURES!

• Swap wisdom with starry-eyed technocrats, bureaucratic tree-huggers and sun-worshiping nomads in any order you choose! Explore their capitals, challenge each other’s beliefs, and work together to unify their world.

INTERFERE IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT!

• Noble intentions, chaotic results! Respect baffling local customs, break their laws to save a life, or stand back while everything goes up in flames. Your moral choices redefine your legacy and their destiny.

TRANSLATE LORE INTO POWER!

• Decipher the unknown! Unravel alien languages with ROSETTA, your passive-aggressive computer bestie. Together, you’ll misinterpret sacred texts, stumble over translations, and turn deep lore into surprise tools that’ll help you later!

SURVIVE VERBAL BLOODSPORTS!

• Stand trial for humanity! Clash with razor-sharp alien politicians before hostile crowds. Slam down physical evidence, defend your choices under intense cross-examination, or completely embarrass yourself on live broadcast.

WEAPONIZE YOUR REPUTATION!

• Social capital with consequences! Spend GOODWILL to charm bureaucrats, talk your way out of custody, or swing public opinion. Hoard your golden reputation like a saint, or burn it all to salvage diplomatic disaster.

ROSETIA is a small-scale game inspired by the huge legacies of...

• DISCO ELYSIUM and ESOTERIC EBB (humour, dialogue, non-linear design)

• FALLOUT NEW VEGAS (quests, player expression, reactivity)

• MASS EFFECT 1 & 2 (art direction, alien design, world-building)

• THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS by URSULA K. LE GUIN (premise, relativistic travel, anthropological focus)

• CONTACT by CARL SAGAN (details-over-drama SETI depiction); and...

• STAR TREK (optimism, moral conundrums, humanist philosophy, player fantasy)

NOTE: While ROSETIA's marketing emphasizes the dramatic player choices involved in first contact, we are working closely with cultural consultants to confront the 'white saviour' fantasy and ensure themes of foreign intervention, imperialism and colonialism are handled with the care and nuance they deserve.