ViewScream

PLAYTESTERS

FIRST EDITION (2013)

Brendan Howard, Brian Jennings, Clarissa Stetson,
CREATOR Claudia Cangini, Craig Stokes, Elina Gouliou, Gary
Bowerbank, Jason Brazeal, Jason Morningstar,
Rafael Chandler
Joseph Le May, Jrgen Mayer, Keith Stetson, Kerra
Bolton, Kyle Stewart, Mikael Andersson, Oliver
EDITOR Summers, Paolo Bosi, Rune Reins, Scott Dorward,
and Scott Schneider
Brie Sheldon
SECOND EDITION (2016)
COVER ARTIST Aaron Feild, Aaron "WolfSamurai" Roudabush,
Adam Drew, Alex Prinz, Alexander Ivanov, Andrey
Pr Olofsson
Makarov, Anthony Fournier, Arnold Cassell,
Bianca "Bunkitia" Lavric, Boris Fedyukin,
INTERIOR ARTIST Christopher Paul, Claytonian, Dave Ring, David
Caitens, Dennis Higgins, Gary Bowerbank, Heather
Juan Ochoa
Silsbee, James Young, Joseph Le May, Joseph Slade,
Keith Stetson, Kelley Vanda, Kevin McIntyre,
DEDICATED TO Gennifer Bone, Lloyd Gyan, Mark DiPasquale,
Marshall Miller, Matthew Adams, Misha Polonski,
All the backers on Kickstarter
Patrick Brannick, Pavel Berlin, Richard Rogers, RJ
who made this project possible! Ruthven, Rob Bush, Ryan Silva, Shoe Skogen,
Simon Whiting, Tore Nielsen, Tre' Grisby,
and Zazi Bunki
 INTRODUCTION
Your starship is damaged. Most of the crew members are
dead. Space, which once seemed a wondrous frontier, has
now revealed its true nature to you: a ravenous void.
Four of you remain. You are separated from one another by
quantum anomalies and hostile xenomorphs. In a matter of
minutes, this starship will tear itself apart, and you will be
sucked into the darkness.
If you can make it to the escape pod, you might survive.
But you'll probably have to do something terrible first.
Will the other crew members help you? Will they turn on
you? Will you work with your commanding officer, or
conspire and connive in secret? How far will you go?
ViewScream is a live-action game designed for play over
video-chat software. Most ViewScream games to date have
been played with Google Hangouts, but Skype also works.
Because Hangouts is free, and offers numerous useful
options (such as custom overlays), it will be treated as the
default software in this rulebook.
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The basic version of ViewScream is designed for four
players, but there are also a few adventures for five-player
games, and even a three-player scenario (just in case you
have someone drop out at the last minute, and you don't
have enough for a standard four-player game).
In ViewScream, players assume the roles of starship crew
members in a perilous situation (or futuristic data-hackers
caught in a digital web, or soldiers defending a space station
under attack, or other high-tech scenarios in which isolation
and paranoia are key themes).
These characters must work together to rescue one another
from various threats.
One player is the Bridge, which is analogous to the game
master (GM) role in many RPGs. This player is the facilitator
of the game experience. Typically, the Bridge is the most
experienced player and has played ViewScream before (or at
least has experience with other larps).
Bridge isn't just the GM; Bridge is a character in the game,
and might die at the end. For that matter, all of the
characters might die. ViewScream is a rigged game: in every
session, at least one of the characters isn't going to make it
off the ship alive.
Because ViewScream is played online, the players might be
in different countries, or in different rooms in a house.
Regardless of location, during the actual game, the players
must never be in the same room -- you can't have two
players sharing a single camera.
This book is divided into seven sections:
1. Overview: An explanation of terms and concepts
2. Characters: The character sheet, interaction, and conflict

By the same token, the characters themselves will never 3. Emergencies: The obstacles that must be overcome in order
reach each other physically (they're separated from each to win
other, and will even make their way to separate escape
pods). Characters might allude to meeting up at some point 4. Solutions: The technological devices and skills you can use
("I'll see you on the planet's surface when this is all over"), to help others
but this never happens during gameplay.
5. Secrets: Things you keep hidden from others (but will
From start to finish, characters are separated by obstacles: eventually confess)
quantum anomalies, flesh-eating zombies, damage to the
ship, or tentacled horrors from beyond time and space. The 6. Ending: How to conclude a session
only communication is through camera and video screen.
7. Advice: Tips and hints for getting the most out of your
Because ViewScream is a live-action game, players remain game
in-character from start to finish. Out-of-character
comments and questions are typed in the chat window,
which must always remain open.

A typical game session lasts 60 to 90 minutes.

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 1. OVERVIEW
Before play begins, make certain that you're comfortable
with the rules. This is not the kind of game you can figure
out during play -- if you try to jump in without
understanding how emergencies and solutions work, you're
going to sabotage the experience for other players.
Print and read your character sheet, then fill in any parts
that require input or answers from you. Don't read other
players' character sheets; you'll spoil the surprise! Even if
you've read this book cover to cover, skim the quick-play
rules to refresh your memory.
Typically, games are arranged via social media or email; this
process is left to the individual player.
1.1. Game Launch
To start the game, launch the video-chat software at the
appointed time. Most games are played on Google Hangouts,
though Skype and other programs have also been used.
When all players are in the room, Bridge (the game's GM)
should make sure that everyone can hear and see each other.
At that point, all players mute their microphones except for
Bridge, who reads the Distress Signal. This is a short message
on Bridge's character sheet, which provides context for the
rest of the players.
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Note: Some groups play their ViewScream sessions via
Google Hangouts on Air, which means that the footage will
wind up on YouTube. If this is something that your group
wishes to do, then Bridge should launch the "on air"
segment just before reading the Distress Signal (the process
is explained in more detail on the Google Hangouts web site).
If feeling ambitious, Bridge may choose to ad-lib the Distress
Signal, based on the details in the provided script. This is
encouraged!
1.2. Play
During play, each character deals with two Emergencies,
which are listed on the character sheet. Perhaps your
character was exposed to radiation, or is being menaced by a
hostile xenomorph which is aboard the ship. Whatever the
case, you need to get the other players to solve these
Emergencies for you. You can't solve your own Emergencies.
You also have Solutions, which are technology-based means
of solving other players' Emergencies. You can't use your
Solutions on your own Emergencies. You must ask others for
help: cajole, beg, threaten, bring up memories of old times
together, do whatever you feel you must. In essence, you are
competing with other crew members, who also have
Emergencies. There are only so many Solutions to go around,
and when it's all over, someone's going to have some
unsolved Emergencies left at the end. You don't want to be
this person.
Here's the catch: some solutions don't work. On your
character sheet, you'll see that some Solutions are marked
"success," and others are marked "failure."
You, the player, are aware that some of your solutions are
doomed to fail, but your character doesn't know this. The
distinction is an important one!
When your character offers to help another character ("You
say you're caught in a tachyon fluctuation? I've got access to
the core brainframe controls -- maybe I can use them to
remotely bombard your section of the ship with omega
radiation to push the tachyon field out of the ship. Want me
to try it?"), you as the player can clearly see that it's marked
"failure," so you're basically offering someone a useless
solution. Your character doesn't know that, and has no idea
that it's not going to work.
As you're offering this worthless solution, the other player is
going to have to decide whether to accept your offer of aid
or not. If that player says, "It sounds risky --sorry, I'm going
to pass, and I'll talk to Engineering instead," then maybe
Engineering can offer a solution that will actually succeed ("I
could stabilize the power nacelles, and try to reroute energy
to the shields in your area"). Thus, the person you offered to
help actually gets their Solution dealt with (just not by you).
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But here's the thing: If you offer this crew member the
omega-radiation Solution and they accept your offer of help,
then perhaps you immediately talk to Engineering about
your Emergency, and you ask for help. Engineering says, "I
can try stabilizing the power nacelles; after that, maybe I can
reroute energy to the shields in your sector." You say,
"Sounds good, Engineering. Thank you!"
Then, you reveal to the other player that your solution
didn't work. "I tried to use the core brainframe controls to
irradiate your section of the ship with omega waves, but it
didn't work. Looks like your tachyon fluctuation wasn't
affected at all. I'm sorry I failed you!"
Then Engineering reveals that the power nacelles have
stabilized -- and your Emergency has been successfully
resolved. You're safe! You may have doomed someone else's
character, but your gambit paid off, and you're one step
closer to surviving the game.
Unfortunately, maybe your other Emergency requires you to
ask for help from the player you just screwed over. How will
that work out for you?
If, at the end of the game, all of your emergencies have been
resolved, then your character makes it to an escape pod and
survives.
If not, then your character dies. We'll talk about player
character death in just a bit.
1.3. Bridge
The role of Bridge (or, alternately, "the Bridge") is
recommended for experienced gamers, particularly if
they've played ViewScream before. As Bridge, you're in a
tense and volatile situation. Perhaps your character is a
junior officer who's suddenly the highest-ranking person on
the ship (because everyone else has been eaten), or perhaps
you're a cyber-heist operator who bit off more than you
could chew. Whatever the case, this is beyond your
experience, and the situation is deteriorating.
However, even if Bridge is panicking, furious, or terrified,
you (the player) must maintain control.
1.3.1. Responsibilities
The Bridge loops other players into conversations.
For example, early in the game, the Bridge might say,
"Bridge to Engineering, do you copy?" This tells the player
controlling Engineering that it's time to unmute the
microphone and say something.
Later, Bridge might say, "Engineering, let me get back to
you." At this point, Engineering should reply with something
like, "Copy that. Engineering out," and mute the microphone
once more, because the Bridge is about to start up a
conversation with another crew member.
6
Alternately, Engineering might say, "I need help with an
Emergency," at which point Bridge could reply, "Let me get
Sensors in here to help you. Sensors, this is Bridge.
Engineering needs your assistance. Bridge out."
At this point, Bridge mutes the microphone and lets Sensors
and Engineering play through their scene. Perhaps the two
of them agree to help each other. Perhaps one of them
accuses the other of murder. Perhaps they talk about
whether the Bridge is qualified to lead them through this
crisis. Whatever the case, the other players can hear and see
them -- but the characters can't!
The player controlling Bridge might know that they're
talking about Bridge's failures as a leader -- but the character
of Bridge has no clue.
Managing scenes is a huge part of Bridge's job; this allows
each player to have a few spotlight scenes, in which the
character is briefly the star of the show, and it permits
conflict and collaboration between the various characters.
Other responsibilities of the Bridge are similar to those of
GMs in other role-playing games:
1. Focusing on character development and story during the
first minutes of the game
2. Tracking status by asking the other players for updates
about Emergencies and Solutions
3. Creating conflict by noting friction between characters
and putting them in scenes together
1.3.2. Pacing
It's critical that the Bridge manage the game's pace by
slowing down the rate of Solutions. If the Bridge focuses on
these from the minute that the game begins, the game can be
over in fifteen minutes, and it won't make a lick of sense. It's
like rapidly skipping pages in a novel or fast-forwarding
through a movie.
In fact, it's like playing a traditional dungeon-crawling RPG
by starting off with a battle against a giant monster in a
dungeon, handing out treasure after the twenty-minute
fight, and calling it an evening. What about the buildup?
What about the tension? What about strategy, tactics, and
teamwork?
Instead, the Bridge should give the game scenario time to
breathe, by focusing on questions and scenes that establish
dread, paranoia, distrust, cooperation, relationships, and
past histories.
Rather than immediately demanding to know what the
Emergencies and Solutions are from the beginning, resulting
in a truncated game, the Bridge should ask about the
information on the character sheet (covered in section 2):
> Where are you? Are you alone?
> I thought I saw someone in the room with you. No, behind
you.
> You look stressed out. What's your emotional state? Are
you okay?
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> What happened? Did you see anything?
> Are they all dead? How did they day?
> Did you talk to so-and-so? What were their last words?
> I heard a strange noise. Did you hear it?
> Any idea what's wrong with Sensors? Their behavior is
very strange.
> Do you trust me?
> This is just like that time on Beta-7. You remember that
mission?
> Why are you acting so oddly?
> I know we're in danger, but I need you. Can I count on you?
> and so forth.
Questions like these help to deepen the web of relationships
and conflicts between the characters, and can be used to
slow the pace of the game if things seem to be speeding up
too quickly.
Tip: Find your spotlight hog and give that person a soapbox.
Most games of ViewScream have at least one scenery-
chewing attention-hound. Let them off the leash: provoke
the character, give that person a chance to melt down, gloat,
beg for mercy, or accuse other characters of treachery. This
adds a lot to your game, and it's part of your fun as the
Bridge!
 2. CHARACTERS
You'll remain in character throughout the entire game.
There's no referring to your character in the third-person
while playing ViewScream.
Instead of saying, "Okay, my medical officer asks the
engineering officer a question about the alien starship," you
would say, "Engineering, this is Medical. I've got a question
about the alien starship."
Questions about the way the game is played ("Guys, quick
question. What does it mean if your character sheet says
this?") are not spoken aloud -- they're typed into the game's
chat window.
2.1. Character Sheet
The character sheet is designed to fit on a single printed
page (don't forget to set it to landscape). It's a simple
document, designed to keep ink use to a minimum, with
nice, large capital letters to make it easy to read by the glow
of your monitor or smartphone (because ViewScream is
even more fun when you're in a darkened room).
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The character sheet contains the following sections:
> Description: Your character's role, personality, and status (
(see section 2.1.1)
> Location: The place where your character spends most of
the game (see section 2.1.2.)
> Emergencies: Two major threats that could kill your
character (see section 3)
> Solutions: Technology-based devices or skills that can help
other characters (see section 4)
> Suspicion: Something that you're investigating or anxious
about (see section 5)
> Secret: A dark truth that you try to hide, but that always
gets revealed (see section 5)
2.1.1. Description
Your character is established by the first few lines on your
character sheet.
For example, let's say you're playing Surgical, the ship's
surgical attendant. The first three lines on this character's
sheet read as follows:
> You're out of pills, and you're very nervous
> Burned-out and paranoid surgical attendant
> Trapped in the Morgue
> Cryo treats you like a child, but you still crave
respect
> You fought in the war with Bridge, but Bridge
has changed since then
This gives us your character's personality, role, and location.
The first line tells you about your current situation and state
of mind: clearly, Surgical relies on some kind of medication,
and has run out. The details are vague; is Surgical nevous
because this some life-saving medicine? Or is Surgical
addicted to recreational drugs, and going through
withdrawal? As the player, it's your choice.
Personality
The second line tells you about your personality: "burned-
out and paranoid." Not a confident hero, not a calm and
reasonable thinker.
Most characters in ViewScream are deeply flawed in some
way. Regardless of whether your character is a junkie,
sociopath, or coward, you still have to play the game. There's
a balance that must be struck between your character's state
of mind and making sure that you aren't screwing up the
experience for someone else.
Even if your character is hallucinating, going mad, or feeling
weak from blood loss, you must continue to communicate
your status to the other players: how many emergencies you
have left, and which solutions you can offer to other players.
You must strike the same balance encountered in any other
role-playing game: getting into character and playing a role,
but also remaining mindful of the game's mechanics.
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You must strike the same balance encountered in any other
role-playing game: getting into character and playing a role,
but also remaining mindful of the game's mechanics.
It helps to keep the chat window open, and to know the rules
before play begins.
Role
The second line of your character description also tells you
your role (in this case, Surgical).
Your role might be Engineering, Helm, Sensors, X-O, or
Bridge. Or, aboard a medical vessel, you might be Cryo,
Surgical, Medical, or Triage. All of these are shorthand for
longer job titles. For instance, Engineering is the ship's Chief
Engineering Officer, and X-O is short for Executive Officer.
In the cyberpunk setting of Neongeles, your character has a
handle like Crypt, Grey Hat, Runner, or Sys-Op.
In every case, the goal is to give your character a name that's
fairly standard (so that every time you play a starship
scenario in ViewScream, you can assume that you'll
encounter Engineering, Helm, Sensors, and so forth). This
makes it a little easier to remember than giving each
individual crew member a unique rank and surname
(Lieutenant Ramirez, Sergeant Kowalski, et cetera).
Relationships
The fourth and subsequent lines tell you about your
relationships with other characters: you want Cryo to be
more respectful, and you feel that Bridge is no longer the
same person that you fought beside.
These relationship descriptions give you something to work
with, particularly during those crucial first few moments of
the game. It's not enough to acknowledge the information to
yourself (for instance, you know that Bridge is an old friend;
you fought together in the war). Instead, you need to
communicate it to the other players -- through your tone,
your facial expressions, and your choice of words when
youre talking to Bridge.
These relationship descriptions should guide your
interactions with other players.
Let's say that another character is behaving strangely. If that
character is described as a friend or sibling, you might react
one way: with concern. "Is everything okay? You can talk to
me." On the other hand, if that character is described on
your character sheet as someone that you despise, then you
might not want to help -- you might become suspicious, and
instead of responding directly, you might initiate
conversation with another character ("I think Helm is going
insane. Don't believe anything Helm says.").
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2.1.2. Location
The third line gives you a location: the morgue.
The location is the part of the ship where your character's
stranded. Other characters will never visit this area, and
chances are, your actual physical location probably doesn't
resemble the place where your character is (for instance, if
you're playing in an office, it's unlikely that it resembles the
command station of a futuristic starship). That's okay!
You can bring your location to life by killing the lights,
adding a few props (glowing toys or gadgets in the
background, loops and coils of wires, et cetera), and -- best of
all -- description.
Describe your location when players ask you how your
character is doing. Use sharp sensory details to describe the
area that you're in: textures, powerful smells, and strange
visuals. When asked about Emergencies, use the opportunity
to describe the world that your other players can see:
shimmering quantum anomalies, murderous aliens,
experimental medical drones harvesting organs from bodies
of dead crew members
If your character is in a cargo hold dripping with slime, say
so. Naturally, if you are in a place that looks a bit like a slime-
drenched cargo hold (either through bizarre coincidence or
because you've decorated your apartment accordingly),
that's magnificent!
On the other hand, if you're obviously sitting at the kitchen
table and theres someone behind you, petting a cat, then
consider dimming the lights or taping something
translucent over your camera -- or use one of the overlays
(more on that in chapter 7).
When describing your location, be sure that you downplay
any threatening imagery that might be construed as an
Emergency.
For instance, when you're describing the cargo bay, if you
say that there are cracks in the hull, then other players
might assume that you're describing an Emergency (and
Emergencies are solved by other players in order to finish
the game session). However, in this hypothetical scenario,
you're not actually talking about an Emergency -- you're just
describing the setting in a vivid way.
To minimize confusion in a case like this, you can either
avoid descriptions that sound like problems (instead of
saying that there are cracks in the hull, just say that there's
some damage), or make sure that you modify them ("The
cargo hold took a few hits; we've got cracks in the hull. But
it's under control. My real problem is this").
Any time someone mistakes your description (or any other
bit of dialogue) for an Emergency, and offers you a Solution,
it's easy enough to fix: simply say something like, "I
appreciate the offer, but this isn't a life-or-death problem.
My real issue is this"
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3. EMERGENCIES
Emergencies are life-threatening problems that afflict your
character. For example, perhaps you're infected with a
xenovirus, or maybe you're under attack from the ship's
defense drones (which, for some reason, have identified you
as a threat).
If the game ends, and you still have one or more unresolved
emergencies, this means that your character is not going to
survive -- and your final words during the game's last
moments will reflect this fact. Maybe you'll curse fate, blame
the other characters, or perhaps you'll take it like a stoic.
On the other hand, if all of your Emergencies are dealt with,
then this means you're going to survive: you've got a clear
path to the escape pod, so you can get away from the
starship (or you're going to be able to jack out of the
webwork and sprint from the cyber-cafe into the rain-
drenched streets of Neongeles with a soft drive full of digi-
yen). During the last seconds of the game, your final words
might be an expression of gratitude to the Bridge or to the
other characters who helped you, a prayer for peace for the
ones who won't survive -- or maybe you'll just gloat smugly
and revel in the fact that you will live while others die.
Since these Emergencies tell you whether your character is
going to live or die, it's crucial that you track them carefully.
If someone promises to fix one of your Emergencies with a
Solution, that's no guarantee of success -- don't immediately
cross the Emergency off.
Wait until you've gotten confirmation from that player that
the Solution actually did the job, because there's a chance
that the attempt will fail, and you'll need to find someone
else to help you with your Emergency.
Getting Help
During the game's first few minutes, Bridge will summon the
characters one at a time ("Bridge to Engineering. Come in,
Engineering."). Many questions will ensue: What happened?
Where are the other crew members? Are you alone? Is there
someone else aboard our ship?
Eventually, the Bridge will want to know everyone's status.
This is the point at which you need to start talking about
your Emergencies.
Don't necessarily assume that your character immediately
knows about these as soon as the game starts. It's possible
that for the first few minutes, Engineering is simply stunned
and frightened -- and then, after a while, becomes aware that
there are serious problems in the negatronic shield
generator, which is going to melt down soon (with
disastrous results).
Even if your character, Engineering, is badly injured, this
may not be apparent immediately. What was initially
thought to be a concussion may be a far more dangerous
injury.
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Thus, you don't want to start the game by bombarding the
other players with a litany of your Emergencies. Dole them
out one at a time, when asked by Bridge.
At that point, though, the seal is broken! Emergency is
capitalized for a reason; it's something that might kill you if
not dealt with. Your character needs to devote energy to the
pursuit of Solutions, which can only be provided by other
players.
If another character asks how you're doing, you can't just
say that you're fine and leave it at that. Whether your
character is flippant and nonchalant, or paranoid and
cowardly, you have to focus on your Emergencies and you
have to ask other players to help. If you don't, you'll make
the game harder for others, because it'll be more difficult for
Bridge to keep track of who needs to be helped.
By the same token, there's more to this game than just
solving your own Emergencies. After all, you're playing a
character who has existing relationships with the other
characters. These crew members have just been through a
traumatic experience: the ship was attacked, or there was
some horrible malfunction, and hundreds of people are
dead.
As these characters try to find out what happened, they'll
also learn who else survived: some friends, some foes, some
acquaintances, and perhaps family members.
It may be that one of these people is listed on your character
sheet as a person that you suspect of foul play ("Sensors is
acting very strangely. Why? You saw this crew member do
something unusual just before the attack. What was it?").
If your character is described as having a suspicion about
another crew member, then consider it a major subplot. It's
something you might talk to other crew members about, and
you'll probably even confront that suspicious character at
some point, so remember that the game is also about these
crucial revelations (more on suspicions and secrets later).
Some characters are stoic about the emergencies they face;
others flake out and go through spectacular meltdowns. Any
response is valid, as long as the game can continue.
The role-playing shouldn't interfere with the other players'
experience; they should be able to talk, bargain, extort, and
threaten each other while solving emergencies and
revealing unpleasant secrets.
3.1. Technobabble
Many (well, most) of this game's Emergencies are utter
fantasy -- mere technobabble. This means that you have the
opportunity to make up any explanation that you like. It's
not as though other players can correct you! Just say
whatever comes to mind.
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What are 'black matter globules'? No one knows. Perhaps
they're tiny black holes that eat through the ship (or
anything else), and they're nearing your location; perhaps
they're spheres of antimatter from an alternate reality, and
they threaten to suck your part of the ship through a black
hole into another universe. Either way, they're a threat to
you, and you need someone to come up with a way to get you
to safety.
If you don't know what a vascular nanite scanner is, rest
assured that the author didn't either. It's a made-up phrase
that sounds vaguely medical in a sci-fi sort of way.
Something to do with tiny machines injected into veins,
perhaps? Or something that checks for artificial blood cells?
Who knows? The technobabble is yours, so own it.
When asked what your status is, tell the Bridge that the
vascular nanite scanner is offline, it's overheating, or it's
showing that your body is flooded with nanites, and your
bio-organic nodes are in the red -- and someone needs to fix
this for you or you'll die.
By the same token, don't assume that you're supposed to
know what other players' Emergencies are. If someone has a
problem with a unnilhexium filtration module, just talk
about it like you've heard of one, and you know exactly how
to fix it: "Ah, I dealt with something just like this when I was
aboard the Orion. Whatever you do, don't try to increase
power to the module. Here's what you do instead..."
3.2. Procedure
During play, you must state your Emergencies to the bridge,
or to other players (as the situation warrants). The other
players will offer Solutions, and you'll have to decide if they
sound good.
For example, if you're having a problem with vascular nanite
scanners, another player might say, "I could spin the
retroviral prototype through the centrifuge. That might do
the trick. What do you think?" or: "I can remotely access the
scanners from here, using the virtual surgery console."
At that point, you -- as the person with the Emergency --
must either give this player the go-ahead ("Okay, that
sounds like a plan. Go for it. Let me know if it works.") or
reject the plan ("I don't think that's going to work. Sounds
really risky. I'm going to check with Cryo and see if they can
offer me another Solution instead.").
Since we've established that some Solutions are doomed to
fail, and some are going to succeed, there's really no way to
know whether something actually sounds risky -- so if you
reject someone's offer of aid, it's either because:
1. They've already successfully helped one or more other
players, and you're thinking that maybe they're out of
successful Solutions -- which means if you accept this
offer of aid, it's not going to work;
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2. There's something in the way that the player is acting
that makes you think that this is a really bad plan --
maybe that character just has it out for you, and
they're trying to get you killed by wasting your time
with unsuccessful Solutions;
3. Or maybe you've just got a hunch!
If you accept someone's offer of aid, you'll have to wait a few
minutes to find out whether it worked or not (as their
character tries to fix the problem). You might even have to
ask for an update if you feel you've waited long enough.
The other player will either tell you that it was a success
("Okay, success! I extracted the prototype from the
centrifuge, and it's stable. I'm going to upload the base code
through the brainframe, so you can download and print it on
your end. You can thank me later!") or a failure ("Damn. It
didn't work. I extracted the prototype from the centrifuge,
and it's not coherent. It's deconstructing as we speak. I'm
sorry.").
In the first case (success), you then cross the Emergency out
on your character sheet and that's the end of it. You're one
step closer to surviving this game! In the second case
(failure), you don't make any adjustments to your character
sheet. You've still got an emergency that needs to be dealt
with.
Maybe you'll ask the same player for another Solution,
maybe you'll ask another character for help, or perhaps
you'll talk to Bridge to see if they can patch you through to
 4. SOLUTIONS
Solutions are used to fix other players' Emergencies.
All Solutions are remote; if you create an antidote or vaccine,
your character won't be injecting it. Instead, you'll upload it
to the webwork so that the synthetic generator on the other
end of the ship can reproduce it for the other character. If
there are hostile aliens aboard the ship, you won't fight
them -- but you'll remotely open an airlock and have the
xenomorphs sucked into space, or you'll activate the ship's
security drones and direct them to attack.
This is all introduced to the game through your description,
of course, unless you've specifically created audiovisual aids
to communicate the effects to other players.
4.1. Procedure
Each Solution is marked as success or failure. During play,
you propose a Solution to another player, but you won't say
if it's going to succeed or fail. After all, your character
doesn't know yet, even if you (the player) can see what's
written on the page.
For example, let's say another player's got an Emergency --
parallel-quark fluctuations are threatening to tear the ship's
hull wide open and kill the character.
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You've been asked to help, and one of your Solutions is the
tachyon manipulation console.
You might say something like, "You're experiencing
parallel-quark fluctuations? I have access to the tachyon
manipulation console here. In theory, I could adjust the
quark wavelength and stabilize the field. Do you want me to
try it?"
The player might respond with doubt: "Um, I don't know. Do
you think it'll work?"
This is an opportunity to role-play the situation out. If your
character is calm and neutral, you can offer a logical
explanation of the proposed solution. If, on the other hand,
your character is belligerent and impatient, you might snap
something nasty and offer a condescending explanation.
If the player accepts your proposed Solution, don't reveal
success or failure right away. Tell them you'll work on it, you
need to check something, or you'll get back to them in a few
minutes.
You might mute your microphone, or you might switch to a
conversation with a different character.
After a few minutes, you'll check back in with the player
whose Emergency you're trying to solve. At that point, you'll
reveal whether your Solution worked.
This should be done in an unambiguous manner; it should be
clearly to anyone whether you were able to help or not.
There shouldn't be any question of whether you're still
working on the problem.
If you failed, you can say something like, "I don't know what
went wrong; the tachyon manipulation console displayed
numerous malfunctions, and I couldn't get it back online. I'm
sorry I let you down. Maybe someone else can help you."
Or, if you succeeded, you might say, "It worked. I was able to
use my console to stabilize the parallel-quark field."
If you can't remember exactly what you were supposed to be
fixing (it happens!), then just keep the details vague. No one
will care. Just use the Solution on your character sheet and
be clear about success or failure. For example: "Good news! I
fixed it. I got the problem under control by activating my
tachyon manipulation console. You're in the clear." Or, "It
didn't work. I ran power to my tachyon manipulation
console, but there was an overload. I couldn't fix it. Sorry I
let you down."
After you've used a Solution, whether it succeeds or failures,
cross it out on your character sheet. It can't be used again.
You might offer a Solution to someone who rejects it,
because it sounds risky, or because they don't trust you, or
for some other reason. In this case, don't cross it off. Just
save it for later. Another player might ask you for help.
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The game isn't over until all Solutions have been used
(whether they succeed or fail).
Because the game is rigged, you will always end the game
with all Solutions used up, but at least one Emergency left
unresolved.
4.2. Doomed?
There may be a situation where you've got one Solution left,
and it's marked as failure. You're being asked to help
another player, but you (the player) know that your
remaining Solution is doomed to fail.
TOO BAD!
You can't lie to the Bridge, and even though you can stall for
a minute or two, you can't decline to help another character.
If another player asks for help with an Emergency, you
explain the Solution on your character sheet, and the other
player gives you the go-ahead ("Yeah, that sounds good to
me. Do it!"), and that's that.
You have to say that you're working on it, and then -- after a
few minutes -- you have to check back in and say that your
Solution didn't work.
You might not like it, because you genuinely want to help
the other player, but that's the way the game is set up.
 5. SECRETS
Many characters have secrets.
For example: "You're not you. You're not actually a member
of this ship's crew, although they all believe that you are.
Who are you really? Write down the answer in the space
below."
This is your way of putting your stamp on the game session.
Who are you? An alien? An enemy saboteur? An
extradimensional consciousness that assumed human form
in order to understand homo sapiens? A robot? A clone?
The secret can only be kept for so long. Eventually, you're
going to confess. This confession is typically triggered by a
specific circumstance. For example:
> When someone utters a specific phrase ("Engineering, tell
me the truth, dammit!");
> When something happens in game (someone tries to help
you, but the Solution fails);
> Or when a specific amount of time has passed (thirty
minutes).
You must then follow the instructions on your character
sheet, divulging the truth that you have created. Some of
these secrets are open-ended, meaning that you, the player,
get to decide what's being concealed. It's up to you to define
the scope of your character's wickedness. Are you secretly a
heroic character, or a monstrous sadist?
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For example, you may be asked, "What did you do on
Zenacron-4?" The answer: probably (hopefully) something
really horrible. Up to you!
If there's a secret involving a specific phrase, be sure you're
ready for it. For instance, at some point, another crew
member might say, "Engineering, tell me the truth,
dammit!"
When it's asked exactly that way, you need to furnish the
confession, answer the question, reveal your true identity,
or what-have-you. There must be no deception or
minimizing.
This can be an excellent opportunity to shift the game's
momentum and mood, driving it all completely off the rails.
If you're playing a heroic character, and everyone's been
using successful Solutions to try and help you survive, and
then you reveal that you're actually a sociopath or a hostile
alien, it's surely going to bring out some negativity in the
others. Good!
Secrets can be revealed early on, or late in the game. Doesn't
matter! The important thing is that the truth comes out
eventually, with unpredictable results.
 6. ENDING
The game's ending will begin when Bridge has determined
that all players have used up their Solutions. At this point,
there's nothing else that can be done for anyone who's still
got outstanding Emergencies. These players are going to die.
Those characters whose Emergencies have been solved will
live.
6.1. Bridge
After it is clear that some will live and some will die, the
Bridge will either make an announcement, ask a question, or
otherwise interact with the crew one last time. It's
important to respond to the Bridge at this point.
It doesn't matter if your character is a hostile alien, a
psychotic killer, a traitor, a coward, or a gibbering lunatic --
if the Bridge asks a yes/no question, then you must answer it
directly. It's necessary in order for the game to conclude.
Don't forget!
6.2. Last Words
After this last bit of business, the Bridge will name each
character one-by-one and ask for last words.
You the player now know if your character is going to live or
die. Your last words should reflect this. Your last words are
a short speech, a final monologue to wrap things up.
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This can be a tearful farewell, a smug send-off, a hateful rant,
a prayer for mercy, or whatever else occurs to you.
Bridge: "Engineering, this is Bridge. I'm... I'm so sorry. We
tried. We truly did. Do you have any last words?"
Engineering: "It was an honor to serve with you, Bridge. As
for the rest of you, I hope you burn in Hell. I have never
worked with a sorrier bunch of--" ...and so on. Or:
Bridge: "This is Bridge to Sensors. Do you copy?"
Sensors: "Sensors here. Looks like I've got a clear path to the
escape pod, so I'm going to open the hatch and run like hell.
I have to be honest, I didn't think I was going to make it. I
wish I could take you all with me. But when I get to the
planet's surface, I'll tell the world that I served with the best
damn crew--" ... and so on.
At the end of your last words, sign off ("Engineering out," or
"This is Medical, signing off."), and mute your microphone.
Never interrupt anyone's last words! It's a monologue.
Bridge goes last, and then the game is over.
Death typically happens offline, after the last words, but if
you've got a really fun way to work your death into your last
words, go for it!
After Bridge has signed off, you might choose to stick around
and talk about the game afterwards. It's up to the players.
 7. ADVICE
In this chapter, you'll find tips and hints for improving your
game.
7.1. Dialogue
Keep it simple! If you're not comfortable with technobabble,
or if you're feeling a little nervous about improv, you can
keep the stumbling to a minimum by using short, direct
sentences (at least until you get more confident).
Instead of "Is there any, uh, methods that you have of, um,
resolving the numerous, uh, crises that Medical is having,"
just try, "Can you help Medical?"
As for the words themselves, your decisions and dialogue
should drive home these three things:
1. Emergencies: The crises that you face are all life-
threatening, and you have no way of dealing with them on
your own; you need the help of the other crew members,
even if you don't trust some of them.
2. Doom: This game's tone is sinister. Your ship isn't just in
danger: you've seen the dead walk, you've seen dozens of
people ripped apart by cosmic anomalies, or you've seen
something vast and horrid coiling itself about the ship. Even
if you talk about the good times that you and Engineering
shared when you were stellar colonists back on Procyon-3, it
should be to constrast those fond memories with the
horrible situation that you're in now.
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3. Paranoia: Even those you trust may turn on you, or exhibit
behaviors that cause you to question their loyalty or sanity.
You'll have to rely on those whom you despise if you want to
escape. Alternately, you might just be the lunatic, traitor, or
alien on board this vessel, in which case you should
definitely try to foster some of that sweet paranoia among
your shipmates.
7.2. Delivery
Your delivery shouldnt be the same as that of the other
players.
If there are four characters in the game, and ones a pill-
popping burnout, ones a sarcastic bully, ones a pious stoic,
and the others a jovial risk-taker and they all sound the
same, then somethings gone wrong. A pious stoics tone,
word choice, and delivery should be nothing like that of a
pill-popping burnout; the former should be contemplative,
choosing words carefully, while the latter is a nervous fast-
talker.
Decide who you want to be, and what you want to sound like,
while you're reading your character sheet.
7.3. Anecdotes
If it matters -- if the scene is important -- don't state the
obvious. For instance, if your character killed someone, and
you've been found out, don't just confess ("Yes, I killed
him.") and leave it at that.
Talk about food -- the way that you miss the taste of a good
meal, after years eating protein slurry out of a tube. Mention
your childhood on Earth, butchering livestock on the farm.
"They were all clones of the same pig, of course. So it was like
killing the same thing over and over again. Repetitive, but
kind of fun, because I always felt like maybe each clone knew
what the others had learned. Sure, you slit Admiral
Mackenzies throat, but it felt just like hanging that pig
from its ankles and putting the blade to its neck while it
squealed. It was nostalgic."
Isn't that better than saying, "Yes, I killed him"?
You dont enjoy obvious plot twists when watching a movie
or reading a novel, so when it counts -- when its important,
dig down into yourself and pull up something nasty and
unexpected.
Thats what makes for an intense and memorable game.
There's nothing wrong with thinking about this before play
and perhaps rehearsing a little speech or two. Anecdotes
about ex-lovers, former co-workers, parents anything like
that can be useful in some way.
Tidbits about science (especially biology) are also fun
material. Consider the reproductive process of the wasp
spider, the parasitic nature of the tongue-eating louse, or the
life cycle of the ichneumon wasp. These make for delightful
bedtime reading, and will also enhance any monologues you
feel like working into the game (such as your last words, or a
confession when your secret has been discovered).
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7.4. Pace
Remember, you don't want to start the game by just firing
off all your Emergencies and Solutions. Give the game some
room to breathe.
Start by articulating your reaction to the situation. Share
your character's reactions with other players. Your
character is one of the few people to survive a horrible event
(alien attack, bombardment by meteors, collision with
another ship, whatever), and your odds of survival are slim.
What's your character's response? Suspicion? Panic? Anger?
Treachery? Will you do whatever it takes to survive? Will
you cling to some moral code, and willingly go down with
the ship before you violate the ethical standard that you
hold dear?
Describe your (ominous, grisly) surroundings, and make the
other players see what you're looking at -- since they'll be
looking at your face, it's your words, facial expressions, and
body language that will establish the tone.
Allude to the relationships on your character sheet. If you
and Engineering are siblings, don't just mention it to
Engineering -- talk to Bridge about it ("Just promise me that
whatever happens, you're going to look after my sister, and
you're going to get her out of this alive. Swear to me.").
Eventually, Bridge will want status updates, or "sitreps"
(situation reports). At that point, you'll describe one of your
Emergencies.
After that, maybe you'll get roped into a conversation about
someone else's crisis, which you can remedy with one of
your Solutions.
Early on, use the material on your character sheet to find out
what's going on.
7.5. Camera
The rectangular space of the screen is the realm that you
inhabit, but you can extend the size and shape of it. If youre
looking off to the side, describing something thats in the
cargo hold with you or gesturing at it, other players will
mentally fill in that space. If youre describing a long narrow
corridor ahead of you, then that space becomes real during
the game.
While it's natural to try to make eye contact with the other
players by looking at their faces during play, this is actually
likely to make you appear downcast. Many players use
cameras perched atop their monitors, or laptops with
cameras embedded above the screen. This means that if
you're looking at the faces on your screen, other players will
see that you're looking at a point below the camera -- in a
face-to-face conversation, it would look like you were
staring at someone's midsection.
To avoid this, you can look directly at the camera while
speaking, and then look at the faces of other players on your
screen when listening. It takes a little getting used to, but the
end result is that in conversation, all players seem to be
making eye contact through the screen. Try it!
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7.5.1. Reading Materials
Put reading materials (for example, speech notes, or printed
rules) near the camera, but not on the desk or table in front
of you.
If theres something on your character sheet that you need
to read, then tape it to the wall behind or above the camera
so that its not as obvious that youre glancing at your notes.
7.5.2. Going Offline
Leaving a scene? When you mute your microphone, you are
effectively invisible.
When using Google Hangouts, you appear in the large
window when you speak (or cough, or type, or make noise);
the rest of the time, your face appears in a small window at
the bottom of the screen.
Muting your microphone means that you won't be in the
large window; it takes you out of the conversation. When
you say, "Engineering out," mute your microphone, and
you're effectively invisible. The other characters who are in
the current scene will appear in the large window while they
speak, and you'll be reduced to a small window at the bottom
of the scene.
If you're in a dark room, and your face is lit by the glow of
your monitor, moving your seat back just a few inches will
cause you to pretty much vanish into darkness. To get back
into a scene, just unmute and start talking again.
7.6. Cross-ttalk
At a table, cross-talk is easier to manage. Online, you want to
be aware of interruptions and cross-talk, because a very
slight bit of lag, combined the softwares tendency to enlarge
the window of whoevers talking, can make crosstalk
unbearable.
Most good scenes involve two or three speakers; if five
people are talking at once, its very hard to make sense of
whats actually going on.
That can be great for a single scene because it creates a
palpable sense of chaos and insanity, but it shouldnt be the
norm for the entire game.
When in doubt, duck out of a scene and then pop back in for
the next one. By the same token, if you're in a heated
exchange with Bridge and Medical drops out of the scene,
excuse yourself from the next scene so that Medical gets a
turn.
If you're Bridge, and there are too many speakers in a scene,
don't hesitate to throw your weight around: order a
character to stand down, and say, "I'll be with you in a
minute. Sign out, please. I need to speak to Medical right
now."
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7.7. Drawing a Blank
There are times when you literally cant think of anything to
say. Rather than stare blankly at the screen, just tell Bridge
that you have something you need to deal with, then mute
your microphone.
Better yet, throw in a false Freudian slip if you want to make
everyone nervous.
You: I need to go talk to them. They say it's almost time."
Bridge: "What? Who are you talking to? Who are they?"
You: "I'm not sure what you're talking about. I said I need to
check on the sub-light propulsion drives. Back in a minute."
Let them deal with the fallout from that while you mute your
microphone and collect your thoughts. Once you're no
longer tongue-tied, get back in the game!
All that being said, sometimes a bit of dead air is
unavoidable. This is awkward, and slows the pace down.
When in doubt, kill dead air by asking another player a
question.
Use your relationships as a way to keep the conversation
moving. If your character sheet says that you served in the
war with another player, ask them about it: You never talk
about the war. We were stationed at the same base, but you
never told me what happened. What did you do? Did you see
any action?
Even if the other player character insists that this isnt the
time to talk about it, youve done a few things:
1. Established the relationship between the two of you;
2. Perhaps suggested to another player that your
character is starting to crack (after all, this isnt really
the time to talk about the old days, is it?);
3. And possibly caused another player to think that maybe
your war-buddy has something to hide (it was an
innocent question; why not just say what they did
during the war?).
Alternately, you could rant about the situation, complain
about someones failure of leadership (Bridge is
incompetent, Engineering hasn't fixed a single Emergency,
were all going to die), or express your pain and/or fear.
7.8. Deflection
When someone tells you about their Emergency, you have to
offer a Solution at some point -- especially if you're asked
point-blank to help.
However, you can delay your offer of a Solution for a minute
or two. This can make things very weird, in a wonderful way.
For example, Bridge might patch you through to another
player and leave the two of you alone for a minute. The other
player identifies an emergency and asks for a Solution. I
might be able to help with that, you say. But first, Ive got
a question for you, and I want you to take it seriously,
because our lives depend on it.
23
Then you throw out a question pertaining to the adventures
story. Maybe its a question thats actually listed on your
character sheet, maybe its just inspired by something that
Bridge said during the distress signal, or just something you
saw mentioned in the scenario's synopsis.
This accomplishes a few things:
1. It creates a weird tension around your character (after
all, why wouldnt you just help out? What are you
really up to?). This is good! Suspicion is important. It
feeds the paranoia and distrust.
2. It postpones the resolution of that particular
emergency. This creates tension between you and the
character that youre supposed to be helping. Good!
Now you have a reason to bring up your characters
dislike for the other character -- or the sibling rivalry
that exists between you, or the friendship youve built
by working together over the past decade. Its an
opportunity to talk about how you feel.
3. It forces Bridge to circle back to your conversation,
asking you for a status report, then demanding to know
why you havent fixed the other characters
emergency. Perfect! Now you can use the relationship
between you and Bridge, and talk about that a little bit.
Maybe your character thinks that Bridge is a hero
because of actions taken during the war. Say so! It
could be that you dislike Bridge, because you dont
think that Bridge is ready for a leadership role. Say so!
Get it out in the open and just say it.
Sometimes, ViewScream players are reluctant to just flat-out
acknowledge the negative feelings that their characters
have for others. Don't hold back! Embrace this negative
energy!

After this brief conversation, of course, you have to offer a

Solution. You can't decline; you may only postpone the
inevitable for a minute, to sow the seeds of discord and fear.

7.9. Special Effects

Here are a few ways to conceal or mask the objects in the

background, such as windows, bookshelves, and doorknobs
(which, of course, you want to hide from other players).
1. Move your lamp to a shelf or table behind you, so that
you're silhouetted. You can still see the character
sheet, but you look very odd to the other players.
2. Turn off all the lights, so that you're in darkness, then
use the light from your monitor (or a small flashlight or
LED light) to read your character sheet. Your face will
still be visible in the glow from your monitor.
3. Switch the lightbulbs with colored bulbs, giving the
room (and your face) a strange glow.
4. Tape a bit of transparent plastic over your camera lens.
For example, packaging plastic (the kind you get when
you buy something at the store) works wonders. So
does a ziploc bag.
5. Any costuming, such as goggles or bloody bandages,
will add a great deal to the experience!

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