Game Manual

Introduction

Welcome to the Tales From The Transport Authority [TFTTA] Game Manual.Here you will find all relevant information regarding the game, including set up, factions, equipment roll sheets, special event outcomes, and more.

TFTTA is a turn-based "rogue-lite" with the goal of surviving the brutal environment of space in the near-distant future. Think of it like the Oregon Trail game, but set in space. It is “rogue-lite”, meaning the game leaves many situations and outcomes to chance, in this case using dice. Simply put, the game is different each time you play it. Similar to the rogue-lite video game genre, the game is over if all players die and you must restart to keep playing.

TFTTA features unlockable features rewarded by playing the game over a number of sessions, or by following secret plotlines to a particular ending. Because this is a physical card game, the game itself cannot prevent cheating, thus the enforcement of unlockable features is left to the honor system. Some spoilers and secrets are kept here for reference and will be blurred until you hover your mouse over them.

For the sake of challenge, fun, and virtue, it is recommended to follow these rules.

Set Up

1. Shuffle Finale Cards face down, pick three of them at random, and place one on each Region Encounter Zone without revealing.
2. Shuffle Encounter Cards face down, divide into three piles, and place one pile on top of each Finale Card without revealing.
3. Pick a Starter Ship Card and Mission (see "Mission List" further down in this manual).
4. As a team or individually, come up with some backstory for your characters in line with the mission you pick (What are the relationships between the crewmates? Do you each have specific roles aboard the ship?).
5. Place Starter Ship Card on the designated area of the Game Mat.
6. Copy appropriate values listed on the Starter Ship Card to the Ship ID area of the Game Mat.

The Game Mat

• The Game Mat is divided into 5 zones: 3 Region Encounter Zones, Current Encounter Zone, and Ship Zone.
Region Encounter Zones are where Finale cards and Region Encounter cards are stacked and pulled from top to bottom. Current Encounter Zone reflects what the players are currently dealing with and is stacked under a new Region Encounter card when players proceed (’Burn to next Region” or simply a “Burn”). Faction Fame / Infamy Circles represent the player ship’s relationship with each faction. When you ENGAGE in combat with a faction ship, the counter moves toward infamy by 1 circle, while doing favorable deeds will nudge the counter to fame. Ship Zone contains all relevant player ship info and stats sourced from the selected starter ship card. Place starter ship card in the designated area Hull is ship health. Hull <= 0, game over. Piloting is ability to dodge, evade, and maneuver. It is a bonus added at times throughout the game. Rations are a consumable and represent food, water, and medical supplies. 1 Ration is consumed every Burn. If a Burn is made with 0 Rations, fill in a Starvation circle. Starvation circles represent Burns with 0 Rations. Three consecutive Burns without Rations kills all crewmates. Rockets are the number of stored and available rockets for weapons and systems that use rockets. Any weapon or system will note how many rockets are consumed each use. A weapon or system must have enough rockets to use before firing/using. Fuel is a consumable that reduces by 1 every Burn. The player ship cannot burn to the next region encounter without at least 1 fuel. If out of fuel, fill in one of the Adrift circles, roll a D20, and proceed with the corresponding outcome on the Adrift Event list of the D20’s rolled value. Adrift circles represent the number of consecutive turns without fuel. If no fuel is gained from the result of the Adrift Events three times in a row, immediately engage in combat with a Space Pirate Dredger. Credits are the in-game currency used to buy consumables and upgrades from shops. Weapons 1-3 represent the currently installed weapons on a ship. A ship cannot have more than 3 weapons installed at once. Weapons can be bought from some shops. Weapons can be sold for credits at 50% of their sale value. Upgrades operate similar to Weapons in that there is a limit of 3 slots for upgrades and new upgrades can be installed onto the ship. However, once installed, upgrades cannot be removed.