Casting Shadows

This is the 24th day of #RPGaDay2026 and when I looked last night the Moon was still with us, but for the purposes before us this “Emotional” week we will have to accept the notion that a terrible accident on the far side of the Moon has propelled our beloved satellite on a course away from us and on into a galaxy of adventure – and a lot of peril. With that odd notion accepted, we are ready to embrace a licensed RPG which is as willing to address physical heroism as it is psychological pressure – Space: 1999.

Today’s look at the Space: 1999 RPG, an application by Modiphius of 2D20 to the dramatic 70s SFTV series by Anderson Entertainment, uses the very appropriate prompt ‘Distance’ and our daily filter, this being Monday, is of course, Fair of Face.

When the game was announced, I noted a separation in my game groups which is fairly typical with licensed properties. It is often characterized by some form of the question, “What can you do with it?” For some this is because they strongly connect the property with the main characters depicted in it and find themselves unwilling or unable to imagine activity in that setting without them. Property X is about People Y. Period. We saw this a bit with Star Wars in the 80s when it first got an RPG treatment. In those days, there was no expanded universe to speak of. For most fans, there were only the movies, score recordings, radio and comics adaptations, and quickly-fading memories of the Holiday Special and Muppet Show appearances. The movies were only to be seen in theatres, and I think we counted ourselves lucky that they re-released the earlier films as promotion for the next. The RPG, as would other games of its day, took the world of the property and seriously asked us to imagine what everyone else was doing.

Taking on a property like Space: 1999 with its very specific environment, initiating event, and limited cast heightens that question. We, the players, must then decide for ourselves if we are the sort to enjoy playing known characters from the show and probably adding to or replacing them over time with background characters our play has brought into the foreground, or if we are more likely to starting with a clean slate of characters. Even so, the question rightly remains what do such characters do? They have survived a catastrophe, been torn from their home world forever, and are hurtling farther and further away from it. What is there to do?

I think the answers to the questions, provided by the show and by our own imaginations are more than meaty enough to launch and sustain play, and more importantly, give rise to some memorable characters. The show was known for its intense characters and the dramatic struggles and bonds revealed in the episodes. The characters, their innate Spirit and their enduring Hope, are the focus of play against a backdrop of strange locations, incomprehensible cosmic forces, and a future informed by the imaginations, fears, and dreams of 50 years ago.

We play Space: 1999 to face fears and rekindle fading hope with characters of Moonbase Alpha, and maybe as them.

The game has two avenues toward character creation. The first, called planned creation, is what we might expect. Preparing the people we will be playing before play begins. The second is ‘creation in play’ where – much like a TV audience does – we come to learn more about the characters as they encounter and work to solve problems, interact with one another, and come to terms with their situation.

Before we look at going the distance with the creation in play method in a later response, let’s begin our long and mysterious journey with the more familiar. Who knows? Like the residents of Alpha, perhaps we will leave it behind forever…

When standard character creation is done, you end up with a good understanding of how your character compares to the others around you, what you might be known for or be described as being like, and have a clear framework of personality to work within or push against.

For example, in the Running the Game chapter the TV cast of characters are presented. Let’s look at Sandra Benes. She is an excellent example of the people who make up the bulk of Alpha’s surviving population and the sort of ‘regular officer’ who are essential to not just solving problems, but preventing them. This sort of character is present, well-known, aware and thinking of others as well as how to best contribute to the task at hand. They are not the sort to crash Eagles, be thought of as crazy, or typically get eaten by hostile aliens, but they are always in the thick of things ready to pitch in.

She is a step removed from Command and specializes in forms of Communication which help reduce information gaps, bridge barriers to decision-making, and stay in Contact. On a projectile in space, hurtling from the known through the unknown, she is all about minimizing distance, and an essential component in maintaining the emotional health of the base.

In a game that readily supports the players having one or more characters, it is to these sorts of officers that creative attention can turn to make a fun game truly memorable.

Tomorrow’s prompt for #RPGaDAY2026 is ‘Familiarity.’ Our weekly filter is Emotion, and as tomorrow is Tuesday, a certain 9-year-old Doberman Pinscher is likely to put in an appearance. She is not too sure about life on the Moon or nuclear accidents, but she is all about pitching in and ensuring survival~

See you tomorrow!