DEAD SPACE - The Aegis VII Incident - A Prequel to the Events of Dead Space

About the adventure

"__USG Ishimura, this is the emergency maintenance team of the USG Kellion responding to your distress call. Come in, Ishimura." It is the turn of the 26th century. You are a member of the Concordance Extraction Corporation (the CEC), a major inter-planetary mining and research corporation. Space is cold. Space is dark. And, in space, nobody can hear you scream. Join the crew of the USG Ishimura as you experience its final days, first-hand, in this alternate horror experience inspired by the events preceding the critically acclaimed, "cult" classic video game, Dead Space (by Visceral Games & EA). What will Isaac Clarke and the rest of the USG Kellion find once you are through? Having played the game or having prior knowledge of the game's lore is not strictly necessary, but it would be of great benefit for all participants. Regardless of the extent of your META-KNOWLEDGE, the CEC worker you will be playing will NOT know what is going to happen in this scenario, even if you have, shall we say a "gut" feeling about things yet to come. The premise is as follows: Our galaxy is vast. Surely, by now, we, the human race, must have found some semblance of other life, or life that once was. Alas, planet after planet, on our path to harvest more and more recourses to fuel our planet that was bled dry long ago, we have found no others out there... Neither conclusions derived from such evidence are comforting. Either, we are the only ones like us out there and will be until an completely uncertain time in the future, or, there once WERE other's like us out there, but they are all gone, now, without a trace... why, though? Fear not, for, The Church of Unitology has answers and place for you, YES, YOU, in this vast universe of ours. Ascension is coming. And, when it does, none of us will be alone. None of us will have to be afraid. Your most recent deep space assignment has taken you to the Colony of Aegis VII. This operation is... off the books. The Church of Unitology has sent representatives of their own on this assignment, and they seem to have a strongly vested interest in its success. "Altman Be Praised!"

Additional Details

How to prepare

REQUIRED MATERIALS, SOFTWARE, AND EQUIPMENT: -Webcam -Microphone -A set of physical dice -A free Discord account -The Free "Syrinscape Online (beta)" app (to be able to hear sound effects) https://syrinscape.com/online/ Scroll down and read the instructions at the link if you are unfamiliar with the software. (I will send you an invitation to receive the sounds generated on my account the day of the game) -A Notebook/Notepad/Writing surface of your choosing for notetaking

What I provide

T'INGS THAT I WILL PROVIDE: -A Homebrew "Dead Space: Downfall" Adventure and Handouts -Call of Cthulhu core rules -Syrinscape sound effects and music -Fun...AND HORROR!

Gameplay details

During the course of a typical game of Call of Cthulhu, the Investigators (player characters) will, through the course of their activities, regardless of who they are or what they do for a living, encounter something strange, unnatural, or flat-out hair-raisingly horrifying. In this particular game, I will be using the world and setting from the Dead Space franchise, by Visceral Games (published and later shut down by EA). INSTEAD of being "Investigators", you will be reprising the roles of employees of the Concordance Extraction Corporation (the CEC), a major inter-planetary mining and scientific research corporation in the fictional future turn of the 26th century. Your role, as CEC workers, will be to delve into the mystery of the Colony of Aegis VII, behaving as many "idiots" in horror movies might (when they just don't know when to walk away), yet still seeing the true terror of what is before you through your character's eyes --- and, if you think you should call the authorities or try to get help, you can certainly try. You are here to find clues, make deductions, roleplay with each other and with NPCs, and possibly go MAD from what you find... A typical game is not combat-heavy. However, if push comes to shove, and unnatural, horrific forces pursue you and threaten your survival, or fellow survivors with different ideas that threaten your own survival are getting away and you need to stop them at all costs, gritty, tooth-and-nail fights for survival can break out. Humour is a vital component of horror, and I respect this, and will NOT be asking all participants not to have fun XD. However, when things get VERY SERIOUS...!, I would appreciate it if participants would please respect the tone, such as it is. Also, I strongly recommend that you take notes to keep track of names and pieces of information. I, J.P., will be playing the role the "Keeper" (of Arcane Lore) (The Game Master). I will be the narrator, the voice of the NPCs, and the informal referee. CONTENT WARNINGS *Please be aware that, as this is a horror game set in space in the future, there may be certain subject matters that (while they are supposed to make you feel discomfort and/or fear) may not be suitable for all players. These themes include; Extreme Body Horror, Schizophrenia/Dementia and other Mental Health Disorders, Hallucinations, Violence, Violence Against Children, Infants, and Fetuses, "Zombies", Cult/Religious Fanaticism, Extreme Self Harm, Mass Suicide, Gun and Power Tool Violence, Imprisonment and Solitary Confinement, Immoral Science Experiments, Conspiracy, Existential Dread/Cosmic Horror, Darkness, Cold, and Bureaucracy...! ---though not necessarily in that order!* If you do not believe that you would be able to tolerate one or more of these themes, I would warn you that they likely WILL come up. SAFETY: If, at any point during the course of the game, you find that you are intolerably uncomfortable with a given set of circumstances (that I have NOT listed above as warning), in the game or between players, you reserve your right to use your X, N, O "CARDS" by typing in chat, or saying the respective letter aloud. For context; X=You are uncomfortable with the present content in the game. The group can change the content, rewind and redo, or have the scene fade to black. N=You believe that the present circumstances are leading to an X for you. The group can change course so that it doesn't become an X or have the scene fade to black. O=You are okay with what is going on. If I ever ask "O?", I am gauging everyone's comfort levels (outside of the horror inherent of the game). If a participant exhibits negative, toxic, abusive, aggressive, hateful, discriminatory, blaming, and/or unkind behaviours that put down / disrespect others at the table, I reserve the right to ask them to stop and/or leave.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Aftercare
Breaks
Debriefing
Session 0
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

I will be communicating with each player in advance of session zero, where everyone will create their character, so as to get an idea of the sort of Call of Cthulhu character you would like to play in the Dead Space setting. I will send you a Google Forms questionnaire in order to gain a better perspective of you as a player to help prepare a better experience for you, and to help you envision your character. If you already know how to make a CoC Character, grand! I would still ask of each participant that we communicate, regardless, so as to allow me to be able to tailor the given scenarios to the information I have about your respective Character. (We will communicate in Discord for messaging, audio, video, handhouts, images, dice rolling, and character sheets)

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.