I hope I'm in the right place! I would like to put a call out for some playtesters for a new science fiction game called Ruby. This is a personal project I have been working on for some time, and a very brief synopsis is given below.

Ruby
Ruby is a role-playing game that follows the fate of the descendants of humanity in a distant time and place. Earth and our solar system have been lost in the mists of time; the cultures of our home world are dead and forgotten. Humanity as we know it today no longer exists. Instead the legacy of Earth is the ‘NuMen’: modified humans tailored to life in their new home, the solar system of Red, with the worlds of Crimson, Carmine, Ruby, Scarlet, Vermillion and Cerise.

Unlike their human ancestors, NuMen can 'Dreams', and this gift is the key to their civilisation. Dreaming’ or ‘Casting’ is the name given to the process whereby sensory information from a distant ‘Shell’ is passed directly into the mind of a cryogenically frozen NuMan by an arcane miracle of quantum science. A feedback mechanism allows the NuMan’s thought patterns to interlace with the primitive instincts of the Shell and gives the Dreamer the ability to direct and guide the actions of Shell as if he and it were one, no matter what the physical separation. So while a NuMan’s body sleeps in temporary stasis on Ruby, their mind might be controlling a labour Shell in the organics mines of Cerise or the Void Factories of Scarlet, working to sustain the society of Ruby for the good of NuManity. When the NuMan awakes they remember nothing of their sleep-time activity, and are thus able to enjoy all the fruits of the forgotten labour without care or consequence.

As well as Casting to Scarlet and Cerise, Dreamers can also Cast to the other distant worlds of the Red system. The Pleasure Planet of Carmine, the War World of Crimson and the political and criminal worlds of the Gem Moons are all possible destinations. These exotic stages are not for work, instead they offer the chance for NuMen to sate the vestiges of human emotions and stresses without memory and therefore without guilt, allowing the NuMan, when awake, to conduct their business without interference from the baser drives.

But not all NuMen are quite the same. Some remember. When awake these ‘Lucids’ are able to recall everything they have dreamt, every moment and detail is stored with crystal clarity. They cannot escape from their minds and the salve of forgetfulness enjoyed by the rest of NuManity is denied them. Instead they must ‘live’ constantly, never sleeping in the truest sense, never letting go of their minds, never freeing their emotions in the reckless and guiltless abandon enjoyed by the rest of NuManity. As a result of this confinement Lucids are seen as dangerous and unstable, prone to insanities unknown amongst the population of Ruby. But they are also extremely valuable.

Left to their own devices, the Dreams of the ordinary NuMen of Ruby are unregulated. Apart from the division of NuMan Dream time amongst various destinations as set out by the organisation known as Unity, society on Ruby has no direct control on what occurs off the planet. This is dangerous as Dreaming evokes and realises the deepest and most hidden emotions of NuManity. Literally anything is possible on the Red Worlds, and everything is permissible. And while for most Dreaming is a way of gaining release, for others it is a way of exercising power unfettered by morals or ethics. It is entirely possible that the darker motives of these individuals, if unchecked, could disrupt the stable society of Ruby. This cannot be allowed. Lucids are employed to prevent such an occurrence. Only they can act truly for the benefit of Ruby when they Dream, as only they can consciously control their actions and so work to keep the wilder urgings of other NuMen in check.

In Ruby Dreams, players control Lucids working for the benefit of NuManity, Dreaming amongst all the worlds of the Red System as they strive to keep balance within NuMan society and to restrain the wilder actions of their fellow Dreamers. The question is, will their sanity hold out? And if they do lose touch with themselves and turn their backs on NuManity, what harm could they do?

The game uses a D6 dice-pool system created specifically for the game. Players dream for the benefit of NuManity, helping to keep in check all the forces that could destabilise NuMan civilisation. As part of this process they face many ethical and moral choices that provide a tense backdrop to the game.

The intention (depending on feedback) is to publish the game, probably as a POD product somewhere down the line. I am looking for people who will read the game, have a play and let me know if it works, if it's fun, and what else is needed. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone's interested, either PM me or drop an email address in your reply. I will probably have to ask for a signature on an NDA from any interested parties, for nothing more than protecting all those long hours at the word processor!

Thanks for reading,

Greg

So, uh, what does this NDA involve? If I playtest, would I be able to give copies to the people I'm playing with? Would I be able to write about my play experience in a public forum?

Hi There,

The NDA would be along the lines of  - 'please don't stick this on a website or email to everyone you know'! I have no problems with you giving copies to others involved in the playtest, or making comments in the playtest forum. The reality is that this is a totally non-commercial venture, I am not looking to make any money off the back of the game, I just don't want large chunks of what I have written floating around in an unregulated form. NDA makes it sound all serious and legal, in reality I'm just asking for the usual common courtesy. NDA was a bad choice of term I think!

I've written it - I want some folks to read/play it and tell me if it's any good! Hope I haven't put anyone off...

Cheers,

Greg