Anchor & Void System (A/V-S)
Category: Zero-Gravity Engine / Spatial Puzzle Design
Diegetic Context: Orbital Training Manual / Technical Brief
Itch.io: Anchor & Void System
A/V-S is a modular “engine” for tabletop games designed to handle the complexities of zero-gravity environments. Diegetically presented as an Orbital Training Manual, it treats space as a Spatial Puzzle defined by labeled surfaces and connectivity points, emphasizing relative perspective over absolute geography.
The I / E / U / B Framework
The system categorizes all playable spaces into four distinct types, each with inherent physical constraints:
- INT (Interior): Pressurized, self-contained containers. A “Global Orient” provides a stable reference frame (e.g., “Surface A is Down”).
- EXT (Exterior): The outer hull of a station. Primarily “Anchored” movement; losing an anchor can transition a player to the Unbounded state.
- UNB (Unbounded): The open void. Movement is pure momentum (“Push Off”) and limited thrusters. The primary danger is drifting away from reference objects.
- BOU (Bounded): Naturally occurring celestial spaces (e.g., Earth, Mars, Luna) where gravity and atmospheric bounds apply.
The Container Stat Block
For GMs and architects, A/V-S uses a structured data format to define modular spaces:
- Room Type: (INT, EXT, UNB).
- Global Orient: Defines the absolute ‘down’ for that specific container.
- Surfaces: Labeled IDs (A, B, C…) with physical dimensions.
- Connections: Logical gates (e.g., “Door on F” -> “Main Corridor, E”).
- Objects: Individual items tracked by their state (Floating, Anchored) and relative location.
Player States & Actions
Players navigate the spatial puzzle through a binary state system:
- Anchored: Magboots are ON. Stable, gravity-like orientation relative to a surface. Recoil and leverage are managed by the anchor.
- Floating: Magboots are OFF. Zero-g physics applies. Movement is governed by momentum and conservation of energy.
- Toggle Magboots: A core bonus action that switches the player between these two physical states.
A/V-S provides a robust, geometry-first framework for simulating the high-stakes reality of living and fighting in the void.