Framework Zero: Terminal Panic

Framework Zero: Terminal Panic is a slow-burn, cinematic RPG about a space trucker on a deep-space industrial haul going badly wrong. With failing equipment, a fracturing crew and an analog terminal as your only lifeline, you try to keep yourself and your crewmates alive. The game is designed to take one or two hours to complete and is highly replayable.

The failing ship

There are no energy shields or laser swords to rely on. You investigate problems that need attention, scavenge tools and vital materials, and manage failing life support while keeping the reactor from overheating. The CRT terminal’s scanlines and phosphor bleed reflect the deteriorating hardware of the ship as it travels. A real-time topological, node-based map tracks where you and others are as you navigate the ship.

Tactical survival

The game uses the 2d6-based resolution system from the Framework Zero tabletop role-playing game. Your Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), Education (EDU) and Social (SOC) stats affect your chances of survival. Equipment such as a toolbox can give you an advantage on critical repair checks, where a failed attempt may cost lives.

Manage the crew

Your crewmates are frightened too, and you must manage a fractured crew that includes a weary veteran Captain and a panicked systems engineer. Use your Social stat and Leadership skill to issue orders, and your Liaison skill to manage stress and coordinate repairs. The game may also offer a brief spark of romance and hope amid the danger.

The setting

Terminal Panic is a self-contained story in The Adfinitas Chronicles universe, with the same used-future, industrial science-fiction technology as Mark Sheppard’s novels. You do not need to have read the books to play. The game draws on the grounded, working-class science-fiction horror of the late 1970s and early 1980s, focusing on isolation, mechanical failure and calculated risks.