Chronicles of the Finite State Machine

Zine front cover

Welcome to 2055

Chronicles of the Finite State Machine (CFSM) is a tabletop role-playing game set in a future not far from our own. A world engineered for efficiency and guided by greed now teeters on the brink of collapse. It is a future where corporate power has been allowed to advance unchecked to its devastating ends, not just passively, but empowered, and where advanced technology has subtly yet utterly reshaped society into a vast, impersonal State Machine.

You are a citizen of PhilaComm’s Lower East Sector, a sprawling urban wasteland that is a far cry from the thriving area it once was. Now, it sits as one of the most dangerous places in the nation and is used as a corporate testing ground by XYZ Corp to conduct unregulated experiments on its residents under the guise of the Liberty Initiative. Here, living on the margins of society and in the shadow of surveillance, you have suddenly awakened to a chilling realization. You have been flagged as a "non-contributing asset" and are slated for forced relocation to a Career Enhancement Center (CEC) — modern work camps disguised as reeducation facilities.

But as fate would have it, your bad luck also comes with a hidden opportunity. During a strategic blackout orchestrated by the enigmatic AUNTEs, one faction of the non-quantified elements that resist the State Machine, you and a few of your fellow comrades have a chance to meet and plan your escape. You have exactly thirty days before your mandatory reeducation begins. Thirty days to infiltrate XYZ Corp’s Central Data Repository and erase the digital chains that bind you to the system. Thirty days to escape PhilaComm and find refuge in the wilderness, or for the truly audacious, to turn the State Machine’s absolute faith in technological superiority against itself. Thirty days to become truly unquantifiable. 

This is your story of resistance in an age of algorithms, of humanity in a world of machines, and of hope in the face of oppression.

Make Choices, Survive Dystopia

Features

This zine is an original story set in a dystopian cyberpunk future. It comes with the main game book as well as a companion “Defragging Guide” which serves as CFSM’s unique character-building mechanic. Each day presents a series of events and challenges that will test your critical thinking and moral compass. Your character’s skills, attributes, and personality will affect every decision they make and have far-reaching consequences.

This game’s main features are: 

• Simple to play, only one d20 needed 
• Rich narrative quests focused on exploring the cyberpunk world 
• Stories and activities that will test your cyber skills, or may just be a little absurd 

When you back this project, you will receive:

• A physical copy of the game and character creation guide as two zines 
• A digital copy of the zines as downloadable PDFs and any other digital assets
• A d20

Future Plans 

I will include a PDF download of all digital assets and the zine with all physical purchases. Additional copies of assets (such as character sheets) can be printed at home. A sticker pack featuring the game's artwork is also available as an add-on. If this project is successful, I plan to expand the initial story with additional events and challenges. I also hope to create a sequel that continues the chronicles with new characters and situations.

Thank you for supporting me

I am taking a chance in my career and working part-time to make my games and artwork a reality! I am lucky to have the support of my friends and family, who have encouraged me to share this project with the larger gaming and art world. Now, your support means the world to me as well. I hope we can create something awesome together.