The Epidemic

run by anna klein

It's 2068, in a future where a society of extra-terrestrials has been a part of Earth's life for forty years. In the past few months, a terrible disease has begun to rip through the densely populated human cities. There are countless fatalities. In a small town hospital, where the afflicted, their families and human doctors try to come to terms with the oncoming epidemic, a group of aliens has just arrived, claiming to be doctors, and offering assistance. But do they truly mean well for humanity? Will you, or your loved ones, die from this terrible disease?

They're calling it the 'Martian measles', if you get the version with the spots. It's 'star flu', if you get the version without. The experts in the news say that's rubbish, they say we can't know for sure it's come from Mars, or the moon, or anywhere off-earth. But if it hasn't, then where has it been all this time? Why has it only turned up now, now that the aliens are here?

Forty years ago, the aliens arrived, from across space, in large starships that have hovered outside earth's atmosphere, lazily orbiting, like a dozen new moons. They have mining on the moon, started colonies on Mars, and they brought technology and knowledge to the people of earth. For forty years, a tenuous and uneasy relationship has been fostered with these extra terrestrials. Some say they are friends, leaders, teachers, here to help raise humanity to new peaks of science and civilisation. Many others are suspicious of the aliens and their ways, of their knowledge and of their intentions.

And now, it seems, their fears were founded, as a disease unlike any other started spreading through the densely populated human cities, outstripping all human medical knowledge. The fatality rate is 90%. As the "star flu" trickles into a new city, fear and suspicion spread like wildfire, and most people are pointing fingers at the aliens, who seem unaffected by the disease.

The game takes place in a hospital, where the infected and their families are trying to cope with the reality of the epidemic, and a group of aliens, claiming to be doctors, have arrived to take charge of the situation. The game will focus on fear and confrontation. Mature themes.

Game Details
Session: 4
Number of Players: 18
Restriction: R18
Genres: sci fi, drama, psychological, character driven
Costume: Most of the characters in the game are humans and have no stringent costuming requirements. As the game is in the not-too-distant future, fashion will not be radically different from today. Costuming would be good to avoid brand names (though you could claim to be wearing vintage!) but otherwise modern clothes with a few sci-fi touches is about all that's needed.

There are five alien characters in the game, who do have higher costume and makeup requirements. Chiefly, the biggest challenge is that the alien group will need to work together to coordinate their look. I have no particular vision for what this alien race needs to look like, but it would be great if they could look as non-human as possible - including non-human skin hue, non-human hair, any unusual features that the group is able to achieve. Please bear this in mind when opting for what you'd like to play, but I hope some people are keen for the challenge!