This game was created for the Emotional Mecha Jam on itch.io, created by John Harness and Takuma Okada.

Months ago, an E-MO unit piloted by you and your superior, Major Agarwal, was involved in the Incident. As a result, you were traumatized and Major Agarwal, who was not, was put up for a commendation.

The Incident has done more than reduce your mind to shambles. It has also cursed you with the ability to briefly travel back in time to literally relive your torment whenever you have flashbacks.

Today is Major Agarwal’s commendation hearing.

Today will always be Major Agarwal’s commendation hearing, forever.

SETUP

The majority of players, however many there are, take the roles of Committee members. The Committee has been formed to assess the eligibility of Major P. Agarwal for a military commendation.

The other player, the Static, has been summoned to testify about the Incident and Major Agarwal’s character.

THE HEARING

The Committee asks questions of the Static, any that they like. The Static is obliged to answer them, but may do so in a manner of their choosing.

Start off play knowing nothing about the Incident.

xxxxxIf this is your first time in THE HEARING:

THE HEARING begins in media res with the Committee already engaged in questioning.

Committee: Each one of you ask one question. You may ask for clarification on another Committee member’s question, or pose a totally new one. Players should pretend as if they know more about the Incident than they really do. The hearing has already started, so don’t feel the need to ask “opening” questions. Make up facts as you go, but don’t directly contradict facts already established by other players.

Static: Answer the questions in way you’d like. You don’t have to be honest.

Once the Static has fielded all of the Committee’s questions, they have a FLASHBACK. This causes them to travel back in time to the day, hour, second of the Incident. Go to THE INCIDENT.

xxxxxIf you’ve come here from THE INCIDENT:

How has what you did in THE INCIDENT changed the facts of THE HEARING? (everyone should seek to answer this question)

THE HEARING begins in media res. Once again, the Static must answer questions posed by the Committee.

Static: Don’t mention the time traveling. No one will believe you anyway.

There should be less of a need to outright make up facts, now that you may have established some of the nature of the Incident and gotten some personal details from THE HARROWING. Use all of this information. Make the Static uncomfortable. Needle them for specifics. Grill them on personal info that Committee members might plausibly know.

Once again, after every Committee member has had a chance to ask questions, go to THE INCIDENT.

THE INCIDENT

Preserving any narrative details established in THE HEARING, the Static’s player should frame a scene where they are back inside their E-MO unit. Establish anything pertinent about the looks and workings of the E-MO.

The Static should narrate what happens next. If that means revealing something about the nature of the Incident, go for it, if not, that’s fine too.

The things you do during THE INCIDENT will change the Present (THE HEARING). Try steering your E-MO a different way. Try pressing a different button. Try killing Major Agarwal.

Committee players: Portray the Static’s intrusive thoughts here if you’d like, speaking freely (and menacingly).

Spend no more than 2 minutes here, then go to THE HARROWING.

xxxxxIf you’ve come here from THE HARROWING:

How has what you did in THE HARROWING changed this scene, changed your E-MO unit, changed your relationship with Agarwal, or changed you?

The things you do during THE INCIDENT will change the Present (THE HEARING). Try engaging your E-MO’s Ennui Drive. Try ejecting from the cockpit. Try comforting Major Agarwal.

Committee players: Portray the Static’s intrusive thoughts here if you’d like, speaking freely (and menacingly).

Spend no more than 2 minutes here. When your time is up, return to THE HEARING.

THE HARROWING

A piece of E-MO equipment (anything from a simple servo, to the complex neural interface gear) that the Static sees during THE INCIDENT prompts another flashback. This one is set at a time before the Incident. THE HARROWING can be anything: domestic abuse, a battle, a car accident, being caught in a natural disaster, a rape. It could be set hours before THE INCIDENT, or years before it.

The piece of equipment that triggered your flashback follows you to THE HARROWING. Use it to change the past if you’d like. Your changes here will affect THE INCIDENT.

As the Static, your interaction during THE HARROWING is similar to THE INCIDENT. Spend no more than 2 minutes establishing the scene and narrating a brief piece of trauma/your response to it.

Committee players: Portray the Static’s intrusive thoughts here if you’d like, speaking freely (and menacingly).

Go back to THE INCIDENT after your 2 minutes are up.

ENDING PLAY

Static: stay alert. You may yet catch a Committee member reciting facts from a timeline that no longer exists. When you encounter this, you have come face to face with someone who has inside knowledge pertaining to your spacetime predicament. Call them out immediately.

When called out, the Committee must meet together. It is their duty to decide whether or not the Static’s allegations are legitimate. Is the Committee member called out actually somehow bending the time stream, or can the events they mentioned be squared with the current timeline? Assess the situation fairly and with honest intent. Make extensive notation about this process, “showing your work” as you try to untangle the sequence of events. If it is decided that things can be squared, the Committee should resume THE HEARING as normal. Acknowledge the Static’s concern, thank them for their testimony, but state that they must be confused about the details in question. If the Static is unwilling to continue, adjourn for the day. The next time your group plays this game, continue THE HEARING with the same Static.

The Committee’s notes are public record. The Static may request them and read them, if they want.

If events cannot be sorted out, and it is deemed that the timeline is impossibly broken, the Committee member who made the bogus reference will stand before everyone and tell everything they know about the true nature of the Incident and the phenomenon affecting the Static. How does the Committee member have such knowledge? How was the E-MO unit involved?

When the Committee member is finished, dismiss the Static and end the game.