Alone Among the Stars
A downloadable game
A tabletop roleplaying game about exploring space and experiencing wondrous sights. Uses a standard 52 card deck and a six-sided die. For 1+ players.
You can find the audio version of the rules with timestamps here.
You can find the 2-player version of the game at Together Among the Stars.
You can check out this beautiful Game Boy port on donotrunwithpixels' itch page!
You can play the Twine version of the game in-browser at Alone Among the Stars: Twine Edition. Thanks to Adam Roy for creating it! You can find Adam @adnroy on Twitter and on Itch.io at https://adnroy.itch.io/.
You can play the game on Twitter at @among_stars_. Thanks to Matthew R.F. Balousek for creating it, who can be found on Twitter @mrfb and on itch at https://mrfb.itch.io/.
Status | Released |
Category | Physical game |
Rating | Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars (235 total ratings) |
Author | Takuma Okada |
Genre | Card Game |
Tags | poc-made, Sci-fi, Singleplayer, solo, Solo RPG, Space, spaceship, Tabletop role-playing game |
Average session | A few minutes |
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Alone On A Journey on Kickstarter!Feb 21, 2020
- v0.1Dec 08, 2018
Comments
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I just found a copy of this on my local library's zine exchange rack, and I'm looking forward to playing it and seeing what else you've got!
Hey! I recently translated "Alone Among The Stars" to Polish. So i have a quick question. How would you like to post it? Do i post it on my account and you add a link to it, or you post it on the original page?
I wrote a hack of this called Alone in the Afterlife (https://gatesphere.itch.io/alone-in-the-afterlife) -- thanks so much for this wonderful, elegant game and encouraging creative remixing. You're awesome!
(Can't wait to back Stewpot soon -- looks like a blast.)
Were there any significant changes between V.1 and V.2? I can’t find my original download of V.1 *is sad*
So, I liked your game so much I made another called "This is The Way" by WOTM™ also just bought that brand, and I'm making some Custom Themed Space Cards for "This is the Way" inspired on AATS... The only difference is in TITW I included a very simple battle system for Planets and more encounters too....Good AND Evil.... by the WOTM™. How can I send you my little system so you can check it out if you want? Before I put it out there.... which is pretty soon...Also not gonna charge for my rules, but I will make very special Hand Crafted Standard Playing Cards and include 4 dice 2 for the bad guys and 2 for the player or players. Also a coin and D66 throws for chances if the player wants in certain situations.
it's so cute
Hi. I really like your game. It's so relaxing and simple. I really like sci-fi and space exploration.
Actually, I translated it to Spanish and made a zine with some drawings made by me. It's OK if I publish it here in itch.io?
this game is a machine to find beauty within you
i could've gone the great lengths describing how come
this game is now one of my fav things in the universe,
but sharing my deeply personal experiences would only spoil it for the future fellow adventurers lol. game's endless, instantly approachable, easily hackable (=moddable). chances are you'll have a great time and will come back to pay for it feeling good about supporting an artist and feeling funny about putting a price tag on something priceless.
"rules" are not complex but deep and will take less than 4 minutes to read and memorise and begin
>*<3
Amazing game! Just what I was looking for
Extremely fun and lovely game, it really excites the imagination and I had a very pleasant time playing!
Thanks for a lovely game!
I hope you don't mind me sharing it here, but for anyone interested, I've just published an episode of my Podcast on Alone Among the Stars.
I'm hoping to make a whole series on Solo-RPG's and Journaling games so if that's something that you enjoy, give it a listen!
Takuma, you may (or may not) be interested in a mini audio-drama based on my short play of your game. Not sure if anyone else has done something like that, but I've got to say it was a fun experience! So enjoy the show and thanks for a great game :)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IrYXuvSWx8WCqg4TDqxQm
That's the one. Not sure why Anchor didn't work out but I changed the link in the original post should anyone else want to give it a listen :)
Played this game for the first episode of my podcast, Alone at the Table (ironically, named agnostic of Takuma Okada's collection of Alone Among the Stars games - happy coincidences of parallel thinking!).
It seemed only fitting, given how many other solo games credit this one as inspiration!
Just found and subbed to your podcast. I've been looking for more solo podcasts that look at Indy games.
Thank you so much! I'm very new but have a ton of stuff in the queue. Can't wait to share more episodes!
You've got another listener here too! I love solo actual play content & your AATS episode is terrific!
ahhhh thank you! I'm so excited for the episodes I have in the queue.
This is my favourite expressive/lyric game I've ever played and I play a lot (for a livestream I do on writing). It's "No Man's Sky" in a few simple rules.
It's an extraordinarily simple game but has incredible depth in how it immerses your imagination all the same. If I had any wish it would be that there were more prompt tables to roll/draw cards with.
I have created a web generator that I use locally. Is there any issues if I upload it for other people to use? I'd link it to this page and, of course, make it clear that it's 100% based on your rules
could i create a hack of this?
yeah totally!
I discovered this genre of games while looking through the Ukraine bundle. As someone totally new to these kinds of games I found it really easy to get into this one! The rules are simple but provide variety for each dice roll and card flip. I've been wanting to get into writing for fun for a while and this is a great place to start. Looking forward to my next adventures in the stars. Thank you!
I really like the simplicity and contemplative mood of this game. Also, it's a fun activity to create interesting settings/ locations.
My German journal is posted on RPGGeek: https://rpggeek.com/thread/2485589/allein-zwischen-den-sternen-german-journal
It's a really simple but captivating concept. It's nice to see some more solo story-telling games like this one.
this looks very interesting, will there be a french translation?
played this in the early summer, sitting in a tent in my living room. with the right music it was an atmospheric piece of art and helped me to work through a few things.
Great game. I had a lot of fun and I cannot wait for my next adventure. This game was exactly what I was looking for.
I should thank Pilcrow Alinea for bringing me here through their hack "the city stretches out in all directions without limits", also a lot of fun.
I'll surely look around to your other games! Thank you!
Thanks for this wonderful game!
Would you like to have a translation into French of Alone Among the Stars?
You can contact me on Twitter if you are interested (I already sent you a message).
:)
I was in the mood for a lonely space opera-type story, and this game was amazing for that. The overall atmosphere of the game with the right music really creates a feeling of being alone in the universe and searching for something. In my particular playthrough, I had to give up my search in order to get information on a deadly and invasive parasitic plant back to civilization before it spread out of control. Overall, a really fun experience that I would recommend to others!
This game makes me feel things. Among those feelings, was an immense sense of sadness and loneliness because the tale that I weaved in my imagination, based on the game's randomized prompts, was intense and full of melancholy. But, it was an engrossing tale that begs to be continued. There is a sense of hope that the next planet will be different, and in many ways, it was. I am looking forward to the next one. Feeling things is great. As is this game. Thanks.
I wanted to put this in my journal, so mucked around with the layout a bit to put them on a single 12cm x 20cm page (had to reorder a few things, but other than that, everything is the same, just compact), printed it out and glued it in. If the file would be useful to you, let me know at my username at princerupertlibrary.ca and I'll send you the file. :)
Hey, is that offer for a file still good?
If you want we can Collab and make this a digital game too, I have this down to 3 sets of numbers and that is [1) 1-6 = Dice], [2) 1-4 = Suit], [3) 1-13 = # of Cards within a suit]. The reason why I suggest this is some of us don't own a standard pack of playing cards at home etc, so having 2 options to play is what I'm thinking. If you like my idea I can code this up and send you it for free.
@Sarainia, the Twine version of the game does this pretty effectively (there's a link in the description), or if you happen to have a set of dice, a d12 and d4 work nicely in lieu of a pack of cards.
Twine version???
I started to play this game at 11am and it's currently 1pm. I don't think I've felt this content in days :^)
I've made a Discord bot out of this: The following link contains a link to a test server, a link to add the bot and the source code.
https://codeberg.org/SnowCode/amongstars-discord
Please, tell me what you think :)
PS: It's still under development so it's still unstable.
I've noticed that it is not available on GitHub, so I decided to mirror it here.
E: Thanks for the tool! I'm excited to try it out. :)
I was thinking if is possible use this system to create a journaling game at style of a farming simulator games like Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon. Could be a relaxing style of game.
Sure! Look at all the derivatives, everything is possible.
Have you thought of a hack for a farming simulator? I would love to play a farming variation of this game.
I really like the idea behind the game. However, it is not in Spanish, so I can't share it with many of my friends. I was wondering if I could get permission to translate the game into Spanish.
Thanks in advance!
I don't know, I am not the creator. But I think you can. If you want to ask the creator directly you can contact by Twitter (@
takuma_okada_) or via email: noroadhomestudio@gmail.com
Would be a nice contribution :+1:
I just played this game for the first time, setting the mood with Dark Ambient music and a set of space-themed playing cards, and spent two hours exploring an underwater planet.
About an hour and a half in, I realized how thoroughly happy my mind was, playing this creative game that requires so little (none, if I had printed it out) digital screentime. I was truly in another world. Thank you for this experience, I'm definitely going to do it again.
Two things I did differently from rules as written. First, I used a random color picker as my "ship's scanner" to inspire the from-orbit view of the planet before touching down. This didn't end up affecting my narration much, but it added to the atmosphere.
Second, I wrote by hand and gave my responses in a narrative style. It ended up really helping me to get in the imaginative headspace, but it also took time which meant I only explored one planet in one sitting.
Again, it was a wonderful experience. Thank you.
I think you're the best review of the game.
I love that you included an mp3! Thank you
Ah, yes. The one that started it all. Thank you so much for giving inspiration to everybody, including myself.
Here is my hack, by the way.
Nice hack!
Thanks!
Amazing introspective journaling game! Can't recommend enough.
Here's a twitter play-through, with five planets and an impromptu search-and-rescue theme!
Thank you for this wonderful game. My unexpected journal can be found as a session report on RPGG: https://rpggeek.com/thread/2446809/brief-interlude-alone
Thank you for this gorgeous game. It was a lovely way to unwind after a busy day. A snippet from my explorations:
An obelisk floating in orbit about a dead, dense world like a Damocles satellite. Its shadow is like a heart-stab.
I read about a hack you made - Star Swept? Is it still available?
Hello, I'm so sorry this is such a late response - work/health blew up on me. I am happy to send you a free copy of the game - email me at yoon@yoonhalee.com?