What Is ENGRAM?

What is ENGRAM about?

ENGRAM is a sci-fi survival game about the crew of a crashed starship, stranded on a hostile alien world. As you scavenge resources from the wreckage of your ship, you'll also discover memort that you can choose to absorb. These memories offer valuable knowledge and abilities, but integrating their experiences will start to change you. Will you cling to the person you thought you were before, or become someone new who has the skills to stay alive?

How do I play ENGRAM?

ENGRAM is a shared storytelling game. One player acts as the narrator, or Game Master (GM), while the other players act as Survivors, who are each a main character in the story. Typically, the GM narrates the scene, the Survivors decide how they react, and the GM describes the outcome. We roll dice if the result is uncertain, and the cycle repeats.

What do I need to play?

ENGRAM can be played by gathering a group of friends around a table, or online via the virtual tabletop (VTT) app. If you are playing in person you will need:

• A copy of the rules
• Each Survivor needs a Survivor Sheet, available at [LINK HERE]
• All Survivors share one Group Sheet, available at [LINK HERE]
• Between 2 and 12 six-sided dice

Welcome to Iranti

ENGRAM takes place on a mysterious alien planet called Iranti. Once home to the enigmatic and powerful Anterior, Iranti has since witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations. Today, life flourishes in the graveyard of the past. A vast and deadly wilderness of time-haunted ruins, organ-thieving spiders, and hailstorms of psychic crystal that inject paralyzing phobias.

What are the key themes?

As you play, you're encouraged to make Iranti your own. When in doubt reference these Pillars to remain tonally cohesive:

SURVIVAL REQUIRES SACRIFICE

Players must make difficult choices, and decisions comes at a cost. You may lose resources, safety, or the beliefs you held sacred.

IDENTITY IS FRAGILE

As you integrate new memories, the boundaries of personhood start to blur. What does it mean to be you, when every new decision expands that definition.

EXPERIENCE IS SUBJECTIVE

Survivors may experience the same events differently. As they grapple with conflicting truths, they'll begin to question what's real.

THE ALIEN CAN'T ALWAYS BE UNDERSTOOD

Iranti is filled with ancient ruins, bizarre ecosystems, and inscrutable technology. Mysteries may be unsolvable, forces may exist beyond human logic, and events may leave you forever changed.