This product comes with a complimentary zip file containing PDFs and a soundtrack, which you will be able to access via your order page once we have processed the order. The current zip file contains the PDF of the new edition of the game, as well as a copy of the first edition.
BUCKETOFBOLTS is a game of iconic spaceships and their infamous captains for one player.
You cant have a good space story without an iconic spaceship. Of course, more often than not, the heroes of the story arent flying some shiny new cruiser. Those are for the wealthy, the elitesnot our lovable scoundrels. No, they fly thebucket of boltsthe outworn, patched-up junker held together with hope, prayers and duct tape.
These ships werent always hunks of junk thoughthey have long and storied histories, and might even have been respectable vessels at some point. We only ever see a slice of that story though, a single captain and their motley crew.
This game flips the perspective.
Bucket of Boltsis a hack ofArtefact, my game from last year’s ZineQuest. Instead of creating a magical item, this time you’ll be telling the story of a single spaceship. Youll create a brand new freighter, fresh off the manufacturing line, and explore its history through each of the people who captain it. Your ship will change as the decades pass – new names, new parts, fresh paint, fresh starts – until your story draws to a close.
Youll choose yourCaptains, bringing them to life with names and details, and create stories of their time with your ship using prompts and tables. When youre ready to move on, youll choose aFatefor your ship. Maybe its traded away fairly, but more likely its stolen, captured or even wrecked. You might drift for a while as you wait for your nextCaptain, or the seat might still be warm when a new one takes over. Either way, the galaxy will change around you, and youll see it all from the view in the cockpit.
Like the originalArtefact, its a great way to spend an hour or two; sketching, world-building and storytelling in your own company. It’s also a fantastic way to generate really unique ships for tabletop games likeEdge of the Empire,TravellerorScum & Villainy, with rich backstories, fun details and tonnes of personality.
Beautiful risograph inks, exceedingly premium paper, awesome illustrations and some pretty good words from me.
This is a‘beak zine’, which is a single sheet of A3 paper folded into an 8-page booklet. The trick is, you can unfold the zine to reveal a full-size A3 reference sheet with all the tables, rules and prompts you’ll need during play no flicking around required!
The book is riso-printed with Federal Blueand Fluoro Orangeinks, which really popon the pinkish G.F. Smith Extract Shellpaper. The zine is die-cut and crisply folded into its booklet form, ready for your perusal.
You’ll also get access to all the digital files for the game, including a soundtrack, an audiobook version of the rules, accessible versions of all files and bonus contentto enhance yourplay experience.
