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Those Dark Places: Industrial Science Fiction Roleplaying

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Space is a hell of a thing but you need to be sure that this is what you want. Like, what you really want. The idea of space exploration to further the frontiers of mankind is noble, but let's not kid ourselves - it's really all about furthering the profit margins. There's money to be made and out there is the place to make it, but you hear all kinds of stories… equipment malfunctions, strange discoveries, crewmembers going insane... You'll be out there in the reaches, alone, for months or years, breathing recycled air and drinking recycled water, with nothing but a few feet of metal and shielding between you and certain death.

Are you sure this is what you want?

- Crew Orientation Briefing

***

Those Dark Places is a rules-light, story-focused roleplaying game about the darker side of space exploration and the people who travel the stars in claustrophobic, dangerous conditions. Starships, stations, and outposts aren't havens of safety with clean, brightly lit corridors - they're potential deathtraps, funded by budget-conscious corporate interests and running on stale, recycled air and water. The stars may be the future of humanity, but they are also home to horrors and terror the human mind cannot comprehend.


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Reviews (4)
Discussions (15)
Customer avatar
Pierre D October 06, 2023 11:29 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hello, first of all I really enjoyed reading this book. But i have question: the pressure bonus is equal to strength plus education (for example 1+2 = 3 Pressure Bonus). The difficulty of a Pressure roll is 10. You have to roll 1D6 plus the Pressure bonus... so technically it would be impossible to succeed for certain characters? Please enlighten me if I misunderstood.
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Customer avatar
Jonathan H October 22, 2023 5:21 pm UTC
No, that's correct - if the Strength and Education stats are the two lowest numbers that character is going to crack under pressure almost straight away. If you don't want to play it that way then you can use the automatic success/failure optional rules on page 57.
Customer avatar
Regényi M February 11, 2023 9:21 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Two questions: I can see there are no rules for cooperative actions (like pushing open a large heavy door TOGETHER). I just make these as hard as I want and the players just pool their bonuses and rolls together? (like for opening this door you need at least two people, and the difficulty is 14.)
Second question: You can only get one bonus for equipment? Because on page 17 it is suggested that you can get +2, but never mentioned again.
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Customer avatar
Jonathan H February 14, 2023 6:06 pm UTC
Hi there -

1) The best way to handle this, I found, is to have each player roll and as long as at least half (rounded up) of the group get a partial succes or above then it is a success. The difficulty is always determined by the problem, the more people on that problem means a better chance of success.

2) Sorry it wasn't clear - the bonuses for equipment can vary depending on the suitability and quality of the item; a spanner gives you a +1, but a powerspanner with a torquedriver installed, that's a +2.
Customer avatar
Hugh A February 09, 2023 5:31 am UTC
It seems pretty pricey for 128 pages.
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Customer avatar
Steven S February 11, 2023 4:58 am UTC
Cheap people want cheap things.
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Customer avatar
Regényi M February 11, 2023 9:16 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Quality over quantity! It is a great rules-lite game.
Customer avatar
simon W January 20, 2022 10:26 pm UTC
Hi Jonathan,
Love TDP - Any more reports on the way? And is there a deckplan for the Argent III anywhere?
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Customer avatar
Justin D January 21, 2022 3:31 am UTC
On Facebook he's said another report should be coming out end of this month.
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Customer avatar
simon W January 22, 2022 12:05 am UTC
excellent news thanks Justin
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Customer avatar
Jonathan H January 22, 2022 6:27 pm UTC
Cheers Justin - yes, there's another report due on the 31st Jan, 'The Gamma-Sigma 12 Report'.

I didn't do full deckplans of the Argent III because the location was small and simple, but the vessel and her sister ships are mentioned in an upcoming setting sourcebook 'A Future History of Those Dark Places' (WT) so I might look into it.
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Customer avatar
simon W January 22, 2022 9:59 pm UTC
That's great news about both the report and the sourcebook. Deckplans-wise - I know it's simple - but I find the ones in the other reports really useful. Top stuff anyway Jonathan.
Customer avatar
Stephen A November 01, 2021 4:03 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I love the vibe of this game. Would it still be fun with a bigger group of 7 players?
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Customer avatar
Jonathan H December 18, 2021 3:25 pm UTC
Hi Stephen,

The light rules makes action resolution and any conflict very fast and intuitive, so its suitable for large groups in that players won't have to wait for very long for their turn. This also makes it perfect for online gaming, as you don't have to worry about masses of rules, D6 rolls are easy on most platforms and there's very little waiting around - you can find lots of example sessions on YouTube.
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Customer avatar
Jonathan H December 18, 2021 3:52 pm UTC
I've just noticed the date of your post - sorry for the slow reply! :)
Customer avatar
simon W October 11, 2021 4:37 pm UTC
Ok. I've just received my brand new copy of TDP from Amazon...It's a gorgeous little hardback. Buy it.. Very Excited to read it and prep a game for early winter as the dark nights roll in. Seems appropriate to the atmosphere of the book. Just came here to see if I can download any character sheets etc, and found this thread. Great.
Customer avatar
October 02, 2021 1:28 am UTC
Looks very interesting. Can you play this game solo?
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Customer avatar
Jonathan H October 02, 2021 6:03 pm UTC
That's being looked into - it would be nice to be able to set something up for solo gaming.
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Customer avatar
Shaun S August 06, 2022 11:27 pm UTC
Eagerly awaiting the ability to do so.
Customer avatar
Jonathan H May 22, 2021 3:19 pm UTC
The GM Simulation Expansion PDF is out NOW for Those Dark Places. This FREE addition to the original book offers ideas and examples for aliens and monsters in your TDP game. There's adventure hooks, too.

In this book you will find some guidelines on how to introduce the ‘unknown’ to the game; alien horrors, cosmic terrors and eldritch wonders. There will be a few new rules to help you incorporate these things into a session as well as adventure ideas to get you moving so you can let… things loose on the players.

https://ospreypublishing.com/gaming_resources_roleplaying#thosedarkplaces
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Customer avatar
Shaun S August 05, 2022 4:24 am UTC
Thanks Jonathan, that is super news! I just got my copy of TDP from Amazon (and bought the Kindle version as well for my tablet), it is good to know that I can play this solo!
Customer avatar
Rhys M May 11, 2021 8:35 am UTC
PURCHASER
Other than having the GM play the rest of the crew as NPCs how would you adapt this game for one player and one GM?
Customer avatar
Jeffrey G April 30, 2021 3:30 pm UTC
Is there a way to get a print copy? I have seen at least one person on Facebook with what appears to be hard back version.
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Customer avatar
Jonathan H May 01, 2021 2:29 pm UTC
They're available at local games stores, on Amazon and from Osprey's site - https://ospreypublishing.com/those-dark-places
Customer avatar
Jonathan H April 15, 2021 11:24 pm UTC
'The Ana-Sin-Emid Report', an adventure for Those Dark Places, is now live -

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/351895/Those-Dark-Places-The-AnaSinEmid-Report
Customer avatar
Robert P December 13, 2020 6:00 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I think it's a good product. But leaving out stats and details for alien and cosmic threats seems bizarre, considering the game has quoted Alien and Dead Space as major influences. I hope there's a follow up product that adds some extra info. I like the light mechanics and the artwork is cool too.
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Customer avatar
Jonathan H December 14, 2020 7:36 pm UTC
Hi Robert - thank you and I'm glad you're enjoying the game!

That was a decision I made early in the design process. My driving idea was keeping everything a surprise for the players and including such things in the rulebook would give them a definitive enemy and therefore reduce the tension. This way, the GM can design whatever they want using the simple rules and keep the players on their toes - they won't know what to expect!

There is follow up material in the works focusing on more options and background material for GMs, and I'm working on a short additional that addresses such things as Aliens, cosmic terrors and Eldritch horrors. Stay tuned!
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Customer avatar
Robert P December 14, 2020 11:41 pm UTC
PURCHASER
That's great news! Thanks for letting me know. It's going to be brilliant with those few additions.
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Customer avatar
Wayne R January 26, 2021 1:46 pm UTC
Phew, I'm glad I browsed down here before I clicked buy! Tell me there are at least guidelines on how to build scary, unusual and deadly aliens and other space terrors? :(
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonathan H May 22, 2021 3:19 pm UTC
The GM Simulation Expansion PDF is out NOW for Those Dark Places. This FREE addition to the original book offers ideas and examples for aliens and monsters in your TDP game. There's adventure hooks, too.

In this book you will find some guidelines on how to introduce the ‘unknown’ to the game; alien horrors, cosmic terrors and eldritch wonders. There will be a few new rules to help you incorporate these things into a session as well as adventure ideas to get you moving so you can let… things loose on the players.

https://ospreypublishing.com/gaming_resources_roleplaying#thosedarkplaces
Reply
Customer avatar
Robert P May 22, 2021 3:28 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thanks so much for this!! :)
Customer avatar
Sean W November 30, 2020 2:48 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Bought it, read it, ran it (last night), love it. It's mint.

The light but flavourful and well-written rules really suit the pace for sci-fi exploration and investigation games (and have a great tone). The author has shrewdly pulled back from piling on lists of 'stuff' and gives the GM the necessary tools to pop the players into hazardous situations and locales. It's a joy to run. Players will not know what to expect (apart from creeping anxiety, possible trauma etc). Game design is a lot about good judgement and Mr Hicks knows the score.
Customer avatar
Joe C November 26, 2020 3:53 pm UTC
This is neat and tidy system got hooked by a you tube
The game was run by the author,
have ordered a hard copy from my games store.
Already modified the rules to run Middle Earth.
This is game is versatile and brilliant to modify and hack.
Looking forward to what the book has In store.
Customer avatar
David J November 26, 2020 1:37 pm UTC
For $17, I'll need a preview. And not just of the table of contents.
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Customer avatar
George K November 26, 2020 2:07 pm UTC
Yeah kind of disappointing nothing to see.
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Customer avatar
Derek H November 26, 2020 5:52 pm UTC
You can find the TOC and the intro on Amazon. I too wish they would provide more, esp some of the mechanics or how stations, etc. are designed. Tables or something else?
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Customer avatar
George K November 27, 2020 1:27 am UTC
Yeah, shouldn't have to look anywhere else, other than here for some examples.
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Customer avatar
Derek H November 27, 2020 1:52 pm UTC
And now a review has been posted to rpg.net. You can find it here: https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/18/18848.phtml
Reply
Customer avatar
George K November 28, 2020 9:45 pm UTC
Still no pictures of the interior, that's a huge "no-no".
Reply
Customer avatar
Osprey G November 30, 2020 9:26 am UTC
PUBLISHER
There's a preview up now - hopefully it'll give you a decent look at the game and the system. Sorry for the delay and thanks for your patience!
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Product Information
Electrum seller
Author(s)
Artist(s)
Pages
128
ISBN
9781472840967
File Size:
196.48 MB
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File Last Updated:
September 16, 2021
This title was added to our catalog on November 26, 2020.