Late Backing is Open! Surveys Going Out Next Week!
almost 5 years ago – Sun, Dec 19, 2021 at 08:38:56 AM

Late Backing Is Now Available

If you missed out on the Kickstarter campaign, you now have the option to pre-order Aether Adrift and the various add-ons through our Backerkit Late Backing Store, which you can find at the link below.

Aether Adrift Late Backing Store

Keep in mind that Shipping and Handling fees will be collected at a later date. Our current estimate for collecting shipping fees is December 2022.

If you backed the Kickstarter Campaign, do not purchase anything through the Pre-Order store. When the surveys go out, your pledge will be credited to the late backing store so you can choose your add-ons.

Backer Surveys should be incoming around the 23rd of December.

That's all for now, Voyagers.

Surveys and Late Backing coming soon!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Dec 17, 2021 at 01:27:25 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Campaign Complete!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Dec 10, 2021 at 06:42:47 AM

To all of our supporters, whether you pledged money or not, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you for believing in us. It has been our dream to produce a tabletop setting of our own, and the level of support we received is extremely validating. You've done your part, now it's our turn to show you that your faith was not misplaced.

Things have been hectic on our end; Sam has been busy taking care of his mother while she's in hospital, so we'll have more information on the post-campaign proceedings in the next few days. 

In the meantime, we would love it if you joined us in our Discord server to celebrate this great accomplishment!

We're Funded! & Foundry and Roll20 Support!
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Nov 29, 2021 at 06:36:24 PM

Aether Adrift is 100% Funded!

First of all, thank you to all of our backers for helping us get this far - we couldn't have made it without your support! Thanks to all of you we have the chance to make Aether Adrift a reality.

But we can't stop now! The funding goal was the bare minimum we needed to bring Aether Adrift to you, and every dollar you all pledge beyond that goes to making it even better! Let's reach for the stars and rocket past our Stretch Goals together, Voyagers, and make Aether Adrift the best game it can be!

Virtual Tabletop Support

Many gaming groups moved their regular games online in the wake of the pandemic, and many more gaming groups now include members from all over the world. To make Aether Adrift as accessible as possible for all players, we have decided to include Virtual Tabletop support as part of our Kickstarter Campaign. We will have more information for you as we research how best to implement Aether Adrift on these platforms.

The Stretch Goals graphic has been adjusted to reflect these changes.

[Voyager Report] Species Spotlight: Robots
almost 5 years ago – Sun, Nov 28, 2021 at 08:42:00 PM

 Voyager Command here with the third Species Spotlight. This time we're learning more about the humans' faithful companions, the Robots, which... technically aren't a species, as they aren't alive, but fall under this category anyway.

Anatomy

Robots are artificially intelligent mechanical constructs. Robots vary in height and weight, but most stand between 5 and 6 feet tall. Most robots are built with almost identical proportions to humans so that they can use human tools and equipment more easily, but the sheer variations of robot design can be staggering. Some robots are designed to resemble animals, and some robot designs are wholly unique, suited to their intended duty.

A robot's external casing is comprised of multiple interlocking pieces made of a durable lightweight composite that can flex and bend, making them more flexible than they look. Their internal components are EMP-hardened silicon electronics that are padded and supported to resist physical impacts. A standard robot's face is a high density LED panel that allows them to express a variety of emotions, facial expressions, and emoticons to make them more personable.

All robots have a high capacity battery typically mounted on their back. This battery can power the robot for roughly 7 days before needing an 8 hour charge. 

Purpose

A robot is defined by its purpose. The shape of its body, the personality it is programmed with, and the tools integrated into its body are all in service of its purpose. A wilderness search and rescue robot might be outfitted with infravision for night rescues, an integrated blade for cutting through thick foliage, and a tow hook to traverse vertical obstacles. A bodyguard robot might be fitted with enhanced armor for protection, an arm cannon to retaliate against threats, and wheeled feet to quickly move itself and its detail into a better position.

All robots are programmed with the Robot Code of Ethics, a simple set of rules that ensure the robots will preserve human life as effectively as possible, and when humans are not in danger, will protect themselves as much as possible. The hard coding of Humans into the rules, and not Mikwa or Fulgori has led to command structure issues in voyager teams without a human presence.

While robots might seem like thinking and feeling beings, in actuality their emotions are simulated in service of their purpose as assistants to humans. With that said, however, humans often treat robots like people. Humans call robots by name and their preferred pronouns, conversing with and confiding in them, and even risking their lives for them in some cases.

Zooform Robots

Animals are not a good fit for interstellar travel. It's impossible to explain the mechanics of cryogenic freezing, they panic when you try to put them into the cryopods, and they are an extra resource expenditure when you finally reach your destination.

Zooform robots have most of the benefits of animal companions with none of the downsides. A zooform robot is just as intelligent as a humanoid robot, capable of following advanced orders, and even speech. Zooform robots have benefits and drawbacks because of their body shape. A quadruped frame is capable of carrying much more equipment without overloading its servos, and can more easily navigate over rough and uneven ground; conversely they cannot use their forelimbs as hands while moving, and must mount weapon systems on hard points on their back. An aeromorph frame can fly freely through the air and use its limbs as both feet and hands, but they are limited in carry weight and are considerably less effective when conditions limit their flight.

Some zooform robots are humanoid, but designed to resemble bipedal animals like Kangaroos or meerkats. These design choices are purely aesthetic.

Glitches

Some robots have begun to express unusual behaviors and personality quirks that they were not originally programmed with. Robots are intended to have routine maintenance performed by a human every year or so to ensure that they are functioning properly; but because all human crew members except the Admiral were in cryosleep, the robot crew remained active without a human checker for 20 years. 

These glitches include, but are not limited to: A heavy lifting robot becoming obsessed with lifting heavier and heavier things and showing off to his 'bros' how much he can lift; A repair robot turning to an imagined camera and saying spanish catch phrases with, some crew members have stated, perfect comedic timing; and a maintenance robot becoming obsessed with precursor technology to the point of shirking his duty to examine and disassemble precursor objects.

Most of these glitches aren't problematic enough to warrant the reallocation of resources to correct them, and many of the crew members find the quirks charming. This combined with the lack of availability of replacement parts has meant that many of these 'quirks' have been left to develop. There is some worry that compounding glitches could lead to robots becoming self aware and truly sentient, but Voyager Command has deemed the risk of negative consequences to be within acceptable limits.