Those Dark Places
Those Dark Places is a rules‑lite industrial sci‑fi horror game using simple dice pools and stress checks. Classless and low‑prep, it focuses on claustrophobic missions, malfunctioning ships, and corporate pressure. Ideal for tense one‑shots and short campaigns where survival and hard choices drive the fiction.
Aliens • Needs GM • 3/5 complexity • One-shot friendly • Low prep
Stories orbit survival—patching hull breaches, triaging injuries, and deciding whether to cut losses or dive deeper for a risky payday. The system uses small d6 pools against target numbers and situational modifiers, with a concise Stress and Condition model that escalates danger without bogging down play.
Theme and Setting
Characters are classless and quick to build, gear is straightforward, and ship/environment procedures get explicit support so crews can react fast when alarms blare. Resolution stays focused: roll, interpret, push, and move on.
How Play Feels
Instead of tactical crunch, the game leans on pressure: dwindling oxygen, bad lighting, unreliable machinery, and corporate mandates that clash with common sense. Prep is minimal—scenarios read fast and run faster—so the table can start tense scenes within minutes.
What Makes It Distinct
You want combat and action to drive most of the session You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table. You want combat and action to drive most of the session You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table.
Where It May Not Fit
You want combat and action to drive most of the session You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table.
What this game is about
A strong fit for groups that want hostile encounters with alien life and worlds, with rules Lite helping define the experience.
Structured data and an explicit decision profile JSON document are available for remote agents.