Philadelphia, PA
Space Opera
The Sci-Fi RPG Event Where Your Vote Reshapes the Universe
Space Opera is an innovative and radical combination of tabletop roleplaying games, democratic organizing practice, and theatrical spectacle, testing your very ability to work together in order to thwart existential consequences. Planets revolt, wonders appear, governments crumble, and you roll the dice. The fate of the universe hangs in the balance! Tell an ongoing, epic story over the couse of three play weekends, with play sessions on 6/14, 6/21, and 6/28. You pick your level of engagement - be a core part of the storytelling for all three days, drop in for one session, or swing by to observe. Space Opera features an original tabletop roleplaying game system designed to support a room of 40-50 people playing together at one time with the support of two gamemasters, theatrical designers, and performers who also facilitate group play. Over the course of play you'll zoom in and out from exploring the life of an individual trying to make their way through the cosmos to deciding the actions of an entire civilization, all while watching professiona theater artists bring the world to life around you. The game unfolds over three primary phases: Societal Phase - Sitting at a round table with other players, take on the role of one Community within a larger Society. Argue for your community's desires and shape the Action your society will take that Round. Galactic Phase - An Emmisary from each society steps up to the Galactic Dais and rolls dice to find out the success or failure of their Society's Action, respond to sudden crises, and argue for their people. Individual Phase - Players move around the room, exploring and writing the story of an individual person affected by the galactic events, then draw a powerful Willpower card that can help them shape the events of the other phases by creating new resources, traveling to other planets, and more. Collaborate, resist, betray, liberate, and survive as you tell a story that is truly galactic in scope!
Audience Role
The core of Space Opera is a tabletop roleplaying game designed for group play. Gameplay includes: - sitting at tables and making group decisions, managing resources, playing cards that allow individual actions - participating in solo and group world-building and storytelling - an individual phase that invites moving around the room and individual roleplaying/narrating - optional chances to become more involved in theatrically or musically telling the story alongside performers - some players will present during the Galactic phase, speaking on a mic and making decisions with gamemaster guidance in front of the room of players Observer tickets will feature no mandatory interactions.
Ages: 16 +
Content Advisories
Interaction Advisories
Mobility Advisories
Tags
3
Events
6
Years on EI
About Obvious Agency
Obvious Agency creates interactive, experiential art that ranges from the personal, to the institutional, to the ridiculous. Blending theatrical and digital arts, we create spaces where participants can co-create their own experiences through first-hand exploration of the worlds we create. Always serious, always silly, we believe that by helping create and define culture, we can create systemic and interpersonal change.