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NULL_SPACE

A new hard sci-fi game about freelancing in space by Binary Star Games, itchfunding now!

Binary Star

Binary Star

— 4 min read
NULL_SPACE
NULL_SPACE is itchfunding now!
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Welcome to the 24th Century. Humanity is spreading across the solar system. The establishment of wormhole transit has enabled thriving, vibrant colonies to be established on Mars and Ganymede. Waypoint stations litter the space between those major colonies and beyond: the no man’s land known as Null Space. But with every new frontier comes exploitation and denigration. Governments crumble in favor of corporate rule. The rich and powerful grow more rich, and more powerful. Stations must squeeze profit out of food, water, and even oxygen. Workers are sent to far-off mining colonies and refineries, for meager pay or as punishment for minor crimes. You and your crew used to be some of those workers, but something changed for you. Maybe it was an accident, or maybe you were caught in political crossfire, or maybe it was just a lucky break – but legally, you’re not a person anymore. The corporation who owned your life failed you, then cast you aside. Now your life is as uncertain as the ownership of that vast expanse of space between planets: you’re now one of the disparate citizens of Null Space.

You are freelancers in the solar system of the 24th century. Experience the faded glory of Earth, the industrial warrens of Mars, and the futuristic dystopias of Ganymede; but especially, try to scrape by in the no man’s land between it all, Null Space.

NULL_SPACE is crowdfunding during Zine Month 2026! You can find the itchfund here.

A dithered picture of someone in profile facing right, in a spacesuit with its helmet off.

The Game Itself

  • A Very Familiar Setting: The solar system of the 24th Century has seen many advancements, to be sure; but ultimately one thing has never changed: the little guy is going to get squeezed for every drop of sweat available. There are no replicators or laser swords here. It's just people, what they're willing to do to themselves and one another, and the uncaring void.
  • Get to work: Free agents are always in demand. Take on tasks and opportunities too reckless, dangerous, or annoying for stations and corporations to do on their own. There isn’t much room for error in space.
The Solar System of the 24th Century: A spread that details Earth, Mars, Ganymede, and Null Space.
  • Flexible in approach: A keyword-based challenge and complication system defines all kinds of conflict. Players are encouraged to take the kinds of jobs they want to take and handle them however they like - nonviolently or violently.
  • Gear up: Equipment is also defined by a similar keyword-based system and is heavily restricted based on outfit. Players will have to choose a smart loadout for the job or make do with whatever they bring.
Characters How did we get here? Null space assumes that all of the players' characters have previously worked together. Before you make characters, decide how the came to be independent and mostly unemployable, how they have a ship, and how this ship is a problem. The right half of the spread is a few lists of ideas for previous employer, what happened, why they're unemployable, and the ship acquired. The background is someone in a helmet with a tube looking right in some kind of industrial setting, their face indistinct.
  • Trouble’s brewing: Troubles are long-term implications that are tracked between jobs, ensuring players are never fully secure.
  • A novel system: NULL_SPACE is built on Total//Effect, a novel system that packs a lot into every roll. While it’s the same base system that Valiant Horizon is also built on, the two games could not be more different! 
  • Basic, but not exhaustive: The game is fully playable, but more supplements will arrive: pre-made jobs, new mechanics modules to help tables emphasize certain kinds of play, and more.

Advance Praise

Some kind words from folks who saw a prerelease version of NULL_SPACE:

Binary Star Games, a studio well and truly hitting its stride, pulls exactly zero punches with NULL_SPACE. Here’s a game wearing its heart on its sleeve - equal parts dark speculative fiction, cold gritty action, and witty economic horror. Its intuitive mechanics have just enough crunch to feel like they’ll last through a good few campaigns, but not so much that combat has that “spreadsheets in space” feel. It’s a game that could do Aliens, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica, but not Star Trek or Star Wars, and it’s all the better for that lack of pathetic heroic action. In short: it’s sci-fi, Jim, but not as we know it.

- Marx Shepherd, Editor and community manager for Far Horizons CoOp

NULL_SPACE is a fresh twist on the beloved blue-collar sci-fi genre, with innovative mechanics and a current sensibility.

- Lyme, author of Dawn of the Orcs

These rules will hit your table like the Big Bang. Every innovation has another innovation hiding in its shadow. If you’re looking for a sci-fi game with teeth and tech, check it out.

- Clayton Notestine of Explorer’s Design

The Total//Effect mechanical core of NULL_SPACE packs so much into a single dice pool throw. Both the total and individual dice matter. Combined with the ever increasing escalation track, Binary Star has created a tight, flexible system to play as discarded workers in the 24th century.

- Exeunt Press, author of Skeleton Code Machine

The Itchfund

The game is fully written. As soon as you get any tier of it, you will get a fully playable digital version of the game immediately. So why is it crowdfunding?

To get to this point, I've invested a little bit in making the game better; and while I can reasonably afford a little print run, I'd like a bigger and better one. This also gives me a good idea of how much demand there is for the game so I know what to prioritize in the future.

With that said, here's what you can get!

  • DIGITAL; just gets you the digital version of the game and digital versions of those pamphlet jobs for just $15. DIGITAL+; also gets you a free key to any future supplements.
  • If you want something in your hands, PHYSICAL; also gets you a booklet. (Ships in the USA and internationally.) PHYSICAL+; gets you printed copies of those pamphlet Jobs too!
  • If you want it all, (PHYSICAL+DIGITAL)++; gets you everything above.
  • (PHYSICAL+DIGITAL+VOID)++; gets you all of the above, plus a copy of VOID_SHIFT, NULL_SPACE's sister card game!
Go back it RIGHT NOW at https://binarystar.games/null-space-itchfund!

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