Sputnik Lost
Sputnik Lost is a one-page RPG. Don't think too hard about it, and enjoy the fluff. The original was written in 2007 by Chainsaw Aardvark, whose Gmail account is Flanker39. No cosmonauts were harmed in this production, nor is there any affiliation with the Russian space program.
You can download a pdf copy here.
Top Secret: 1969-08-16 Declassified: 1997-05-13
This transcript is copy __ of 20 - Property of Glavokosmos
[Begin, 21:29, Mission time T+78:12:46]
Command: Baikonor complex - Radio check! Circumlunar frequency 314.59
Mission Commander Sacha: "Game Master" reporting. Transmission acknowledged.
C: Confirmed. Landing will commence soon. Per mission parameters, you will remain abord the Zond, and provide guidance and description for those travelling to the surface.
| Quick | Eagle-eyed | Flexible |
| Determined | Scientific | Resourceful |
| Like A Bear | Patriotic | Intuitive |
C: Will landing crew please state their names for Pravada? Each are to give two adjectives to describe self attributes as well. Here is pre-approved list provided to meet Party expectations:
C: Biomedical telemetry confirmation required. Each landing crew member please rank your fitness in following catergories, 4 for best, 1 for least, each number used once:
• Strength • Agility • Perception • Mental Acuity
C: Safety check all seals, prepare for crew transfer [static] Nyet! Revise! Radar to ZM phase, suit up, crew transfer and de-couple correct procedure! We cannot afford more mistakes like that. Slide-rule estimates only give 1 in 3 chance of success per rank given on BioMed - but correct attribute give up to 50/50. Sacha will keep you informed.
C: Mind your training - mass remains, even if weight is 1/6 - so even a weakling rated 1 in Strength can life 240 kilos, and man with four can lift 1440 kilos!
C: Continuing suit connections. Each crew has six hours of oxygen provided. Injury, stress, and minor suit leaks add up to 30 minutes lost per incident. Be careful: no refills up there!
C: Sacha - please confirm equipment checklist and how many of each
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[unknown]:Great Lenin's Ghost! What is that?! [static][unidentified screech][indistinct chanting]
[Uplink Lost. No Reconnect Confirmed.
Transcript End: 21:45 T+78:28:11]
On July 3, 1969, a Soviet N-1 Moon rocket was launched from Tuytrantum Millitary Launch Facility carrying a small crew into space. They never returned.
Thirteen days later, Apollo 11 was launched, and was officially recorded in the history books as the first lunar landing, while in typical Soviet fashion, all information about their own plans for a moonshot were eradicated and denied. Until transcripts like the one above appeared.
| LK Personel Status Record | |
|---|---|
| Strength: | Adjective 1: |
| Perception: | Adjective 2: |
| Agility: | Oxygen Remaining: |
| Mental Actuity: | ○○○○○○○○○○○○ |
The ratings are the number of six-sided dice assigned to an attribute. When a test is made, roll that many dice and each showing 5-6 is a success. If Sacha (the GM) believes one or more of a character's adjectives applies, then 4-6 is a success. 1 success is necessary for a hard task, 2 for a very difficult task, and 0 for all others -- these are highly trained best-of-class cosmonauts, after all.
Obstacles/Enemies/Aliens(?) are given dice instead of a target number to overcome. If their roll is has more successes than the cosmonaut's, the cosmonaut loses 30min of oxygen for each success difference.