Hurrah! Today is a very fine Thursday, as one of the most tightly written sci-fi RPGs around is available to pick up for free for around a week. That'll be Citizen Sleeper, by the way, a dice-driven RPG that I'm sure all of you must already know and love, but for the selection of you that don't technically exist, I'm sure you'll be happy to be able to pick it up for the cost of a couple of clicks.
Specifically, it's free over at the Epic Games Store, so you'll need to do your monthly sign-in to the storefront for the exact purpose of picking up something cool that's currently free you swear you'll get round to eventually. You really should bump Citizen Sleeper up on your backlog list though. I'll even tell you why!
Inspired by tabletop games, Citizen Sleeper pits you as a sleeper, a digitised human consciousness that exists inside of a robot body. At the start of the game, you choose one of a selection of classes, each with their own particular sets of skills, buffs, and difficulties. Then, with no memories of your previous, flesh human life, you find yourself on a space station called the Eye, where you must do what you can to survive, all while trying to fend off a corporation that owns your mechanical body.
It's a tightly woven piece that navigates complex ideas around identity, chosen family, how capitalist systems may persist even in the far flung future, and a lot more beyond that. The character designs are top notch from start to finish, the music does a stellar job of establishing a sense of place in a game where you don't get to see much of one, and the fear of getting a bad roll is unparalleled. It's been a while since I last played Citizen Sleeper, but it's always somewhere in the back of my mind. Worth picking up, especially for free! You have until June 25th to do so, so don't put it off if it's been on your list.
Lead developer on the games Gareth Damian Martin just announced their next game too, Signet City, a first-person fungalpunk RPG. You can check it Julian's great conversation with Martin right here.