Odd Space

Odd Space is an all-ages science fiction role-playing game inspired by lighthearted and/or absurd films and books like Ice Pirates and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It is rules light and uses an original system. A central feature of the rules is the Anomaly Track—a simple adjustable system to make your game go as bonkers as you want it to be.

The book includes character sheets, starship deck plans, tokens (to keep track of health, essence, and story points), and a one-page rules reference sheet. (See the full-size review for a more detailed look at the rules.)

The Setting

Odd Space takes place in a corner of the galaxy where weird things happen... Filled with strange time-space anomalies, wreckage from old battles, and alien artifacts from other galaxies and universes, it is a treasure trove for adventurers and scavengers.

Character Creation 

Choose a species, role, and job (or just species and role if you want to keep it simple). There are 9 species—from the telepathic siduri to the tree-like igil. There are 5 roles—Warrior, Savant, Mystic, Outlaw, and Psychic—filling all the standard science fiction niches. Jobs are an optional rule covering what you do (or did) for a living, like pilot, medic, or engineer. You can also fill out your character further with optional Virtues, Vices, and Quirks.

Gear

Adventurers in Odd Space will often come across strange and advanced technology. This is represented by Advanced Tech cards that players randomly choose whenever they encounter new places or people.

The Rules

All characters have four Traits—Strength, Speed, Smarts, and Spirit—each represented by a d4, d6, or d8. Players make all checks. Checks are made rolling one trait die and a d6 (called the Core Die), and adding them together against a target difficulty that is determined by the Narrator.

Characters also have Essence Points and Story Points. Essence can be used to reduce the target number of checks and also to activate some abilities. If you get an Amazing Success (reach or exceed the target number on a single die), you get an extra Essence to spend. If you get a Terrible Miss (roll a 1 on a die), the Narrator gets an extra Essence to spend against you. You can also alter your luck or even the story itself by spending Story Points.

Anomaly Track 

Every time a player rolls two of the same number, there is a chance that an Anomaly will occur. Examples include time suddenly moving faster or a worm hole opening up. Every time a player rolls two 1s, the Narrator gets to roll. The likelihood of an anomaly happening is adjustable, so you can make your game go as bonkers as you like.