Null State

Overview

You are a hacker - a rarity in a world nearly destroyed by a cascading global systems failure. Prowl through networks node by node, disabling their security in risky turn-based combat, as you explore branching storylines to uncover what caused Obsidian Wednesday.

Set in a dystopian near-future which - a few years earlier - experienced a cataclysmic, global system crash (called "Obsidian Wednesday" by those who survived), Null State is a game about helping those in need while trying to uncover the truth about what happened on the day that most of the world's computer systems simultaneously imploded.

Explore Branching Storylines

Learn about the lives and struggles of nearly twenty distinct and fascinating characters who need your help (in one way or another).

Discover the lore of the Null State universe through dozens of data files archived throughout the ancient (and active!) networks still in operation. Some files - found in the networks still running from before Obsidian Wednesday - hold clues to questions that have haunted your new-found associates for over a decade.

Prowl Through Networks

Sneak or blast your way through hundreds of procedurally-generated networks while searching for data and ware to use and sell.

Most networks employ security systems: passive IC (Intrusion Countermeasures) guard the contents of nodes while active AV (Anti-Virus) constantly move from node to node, scanning for signs of an intruder. It's best to avoid these fights if you can help it, though, since combat can be brutal.

Risky Turn-based Combat

During combat, your inventory is put front-and-center as the opposing security systems will try to destroy the very equipment you've brought to destroy them!

Successfully clearing a node's security can reveal new data about the world you're in, as well as upgraded ware (for use in future runs!) -- and, depending on the jobs you pick up from your contacts, you can even get paid for cleverly manipulating the networks to the specifications of your clients.

Obsidian Wednesday

No one knows what really happened on Obsidian Wednesday; it was over only 2 minutes after it started. Like some kind of internet earthquake, though, the reverberations continued for hours & days afterwards, with the final death toll in the tens of millions before all systems and services were brought back online.

Hackers were blamed for the catastrophe, however that explanation never rang true for your mentor, Sid. Will you help him get to the bottom of what he believes is a vast global conspiracy to cover up the truth and protect those in power?

Features

Over twenty NPCs with their own problems, with branching stories & multiple questlines

Nearly a hundred procedurally-generated networks to explore, filled with dozens of "found data" logs and files which reveal the near-future Null State world

Real-time stealth mechanics: evade detection by the IC & AV protecting the pre-crash and modern networks you discover

Combat puts your inventory front and center: enemies will damage your deck's ware directly (if they can find it)

UGC framework - you can add your own stories into the Null State engine with custom datapacks!