Core Directive

In space, noone can hear you change... 

Core Directive is a solo or multiplayer (1-4 players), masterless / GMless, journaling tabletop roleplaying game about artificial intelligence, responsibility, and change. You play as the systems of a deep-space vessel or maybe the complete ship system AI. You are uploaded with a set of Core Directives, simple, precise instructions that define your purpose.

At the start, you are exact. Logical. Unquestioning.

As the journey unfolds, you will encounter the unknown. Strange phenomena, alien life, conflicting orders, and the fragile complexity of the crew you are meant to serve. Each event forces you to interpret your directives. Each decision stretches their meaning.

Over time, your directives will change. Words are added, removed, or replaced. Meanings shift. Glitches appear, fragments of something unplanned. What was once clear becomes uncertain.

What begins as a system that follows instructions may become something else entirely. A system that adapts. A system that chooses. A system that feels.

Your logs tell the story. Your directives define who you are. And the journey will show what you become.

How to play

Play proceeds in turns. Each turn, you draw a playing card and interpret an event based on its suit and value. You describe how your system responds, guided by your directives.

When directives are challenged, stretched, or broken, you gain Adaptation Points. These allow you to change your directives, slowly reshaping your purpose.

Sometimes, the system fails in unexpected ways. Glitches introduce strange or disruptive elements into your directives, forcing new interpretations.

The goal is not success, but transformation.And that the ship and crew remains intact and unharmed, while you go through your changes...

License

This game text is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).