Galactic & Going Rogue: Two TTRPGs of War Among the Stars

There is a beating heart at the center of the galaxy. You are the brave who hear it. As members of The Liberation, you have dedicated your lives to the war against The Mandate, on the dream that one day the stars might shine free of its fascist rule. You are rebels, soldiers, spies, and criminals, or perhaps someone who simply picked up and blaster and said "enough is enough." Whoever you are, The Liberation has a place for you—and so do we.

In Galactic & Going Rogue, two beloved tabletop roleplaying games of rebellion in space are finally coming to print in a new third edition, with both games now bound together in one fully illustrated, full-color 5.5"x8.5" hardcover with all new art and layout, along with new teaching tools, long-play examples, mechanical enhancements, and more. Whether you're the charming heroes of Galactic, inspired by the classic Star Wars trilogies, or the tragic martyrs of the Rogue One and Andor-inspired Going Rogue, these games have everything you need to tell your story of resistance, relationship, and galaxy-spanning adventure.

Best of all? No GM required. 

Just gather your party of 2-6 players, and let the Pillars in Riley Rethal's Galactic shape your story of rebellion. Is The Liberation of your campaign more interested in retaliatory violence and ideological discourse, or imagination of a better world and working together? Does The Space Between—that mystical energy which binds the galaxy together—pull you towards intense bonds and uncontainable emotions, or unity with those who came before? Will any of that be enough to save you when The Mandate opts to put someone in immediate danger, or a player has The Scum & Villainy invite a betrayal? You'll have to play to find out.

Hear Galactic played by Dimension 20's Ify Nwadiwe, Jeff Stormer, and more on Party of One!

Does your party want to explore the darker, more difficult moments of revolution? Then flip to Jess Levine's Going Rogue, winner of CRIT Awards 2023 Best GMless Game of the Year. In your galaxy, do Liberation spies in The Intelligence want reduced oversight and leverage over Liberation members, or are they content to bear the heaviest burdens so others don’t have to as they hunt for the heads of Mandate officials? What do they do when The Parliament governing The Liberation desires lengthy deliberation and safety from retribution for the innocent? Decide quickly, because fate is calling. The gravity of The Sacrifice pulls every game of Going Rogue towards one inevitable end. You know from beginning that your characters will give their lives in a selfless act that moves the galaxy closer to freedom, but why would your band of cynics, loners, and misfits grow into people who would sacrifice everything in pursuit of a dream? That's a question only you can answer.With 11 playbooks across the two games, Galactic & Going Rogue give you everything you need to be the hero of your own story. Do you dream of being The Ace, Galactic's charismatic pilot with a penchant for trouble? Or perhaps The Nova, whose aptitude for the mysterious Space Between offers both tremendous power and terrible danger? Are you instead called to The Spy, Going Rogue's ruthless operator and committed partisan? Or do you find yourself in The Leveraged, coerced to contribute, all the while concealing beliefs that beckon you to fight for freedom? Whether you want to emulate a favorite character from another piece of space-rebel media, or make one that a series like that would never dare to, Galactic & Going Rogue is here to help.

Rewards

The Galactic & Going Rogue Box Set has everything you need to enjoy the best possible experience playing Galactic or Going Rogue, including:

• Galactic & Going Rogue Core Rulebook
• Look Up to the Stars Setting Supplement for Galactic & Going Rogue
• 25 metal tokens with Galactic & Going Rogue icons engraved on each side
• A deck of 44 cards with every NPC Trait from the core rulebook
• 2 six-sided dice with custom Galactic & Going Rogue six faces
• 10 playmats with pillars and move references

Additionally, during the crowdfunder only, all box sets come packaged with a copy of the I Have the High Ground core rulebook at no additional cost, with an all-new Kickstarter-exclusive full-color cover by Galactic & Going Rogue illustrator David Bednar. That's 3 games and a supplement book in one box!

Mechanics & Playbooks

Galactic and Going Rogue use the Belonging Outside Belonging system designed by Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum for their games Dream Askew / Dream Apart— also used by other popular TTRPGs like Jay Dragon's Wanderhome—with new mechanical innovations by Rethal and Levine.

In it, players each select a PLAYBOOK, a collection of unique aesthetics, relationships, backstory, and moves. Vulnerable moves demonstrate your characters flaws, while strong moves highlight their strengths—the all new lateral moves, meanwhile, reward other characters for playing into your playbook's narrative. Lateral and vulnerable moves gain tokens for your characters, setting you up to spend them on heroic strong moves.

Each game also includes PILLARS that represent important aspects of your game's setting. In an all-new Galactic & Going Rogue innovation, pillars now have their own tokens, which they gain or give to players through moves that any player can make on the pillar's behalf. Pillars are shaped by desires that players choose collectively during character creation. Together with traits that grant moves to NPCs, and random tables that generate places, pillar moves and desires guide players in simulating the game world, removing the need for a GM.

Galactic tells the story of the charming but flawed heroes who make up The Liberation, and the messy relationships that form between them in their galaxy-spanning struggle against The Mandate. These two factions are represented in the game as pillars, alongside The Scum & Villainy, and The Space Between—the ever-mysterious energy which binds the galaxy together. Players create their characters using playbooks like:

• THE ACE, a skilled pilot. Their power comes from their agility, conviction, and nerve.
• THE NOVA, attuned to the Space Between. Their power comes from their emotion, focus, and intuition.
• THE DEFECTOR, who used to work for The Mandate, but got out. Their power comes from their compassion, determination, and will to change.
• THE DIPLOMAT, who has a position of power or influence in the galaxy. Their power comes from their leadership, negotiation, and strategy.
• THE SCOUNDREL, a member of the underbelly of the galaxy. Their power comes from their connections, recklessness, and criminal history.
• THE MECHANIC, a fixer. Their power comes from their mechanical knowledge, drive, and insight.
  
  Click on the image below to view the full playbook for THE NOVA

Going Rogue tells the story of troubled martyrs, fated to give their lives to bring the galaxy closer to freedom. Going Rogue splits The Liberation into two pillars: The Parliament, the democratic governing body struggling to embody the ideals of The Liberation without bogging it down with caution and ideological discourse, locked in constant tension with The Intelligence, the clandestine network of burdened people who do whatever it takes to rid the galaxy of The Mandate—at the risk of corrupting the ethnical principles that distinguish The Liberation from it. Players create their characters using playbooks like:

• THE SPY, a skilled operator, highly committed, but ruthless. Their power comes from their cunning, determination, and willingness to do whatever it takes.
• THE LEVERAGED, a nonbeliever compelled by circumstance. Their power comes from their outside perspective, their desperation, and their capacity to grow. 
• THE KNIGHT ERRANT, who once served a cause, and now searches for one. Their power comes from their experience, grit, and renewed passion. 
• THE CONVERT, who joined the Liberation recently, and truly believes it can make a difference. Their power comes from their conscious optimism, energy, and luck. 
• THE LOYAL, a stalwart friend, difficult to win over but unwavering in their allegiance. Their power comes from their tenacity, self-sacrifice, and uncompromising commitment to care for those they are bonded to. 

Click on the image below to view the full playbook for THE SPY

Going Rogue also includes a unique FATE mechanic, pulling every game of Going Rogue towards one inevitable end. Fate moves shepherd your characters towards their tragic sacrifice, presenting them with grave obstacles and difficult choices along the way—and narratively ensuring their sacrifice is worth its cost.

Take a peek out just how much Going Rogue has improved visually from 1e to 2e to this new combined Galactic & Going Rogue edition below!

Pledge Levels

All $20 backers will receive:

• Galactic & Going Rogue Core Rulebook (PDF)

All $40 backers will receive:

• Galactic & Going Rogue Core Rulebook (Hardcover)
• Galactic & Going Rogue Core Rulebook (PDF)

All $65 backers will receive:

• Galactic & Going Rogue Core Rulebook (Hardcover)
• Look Up to the Stars Setting Supplement (Softcover)
• I Have the High Ground Core Rulebook with a new, Kickstarter-exclusive full-color cover from Galactic & Going Rogue artist David Bednar (Softcover)
• PDF copies of all included books, including a PDF of I Have the High Ground immediately after the conclusion of the campaign!

That's 3 entire TTRPGs and a setting supplement, in one bundle!

All $90 backers will receive the Galactic & Going Rogue Box Set:

• Galactic & Going Rogue Core Rulebook (Hardcover)
• Look Up to the Stars Setting Supplement (Softcover)
• 25 metal tokens with Galactic & Going Rogue icons engraved on each side
• A deck of 44 cards with every NPC Trait from the core rulebook
• 2 six-sided dice with custom Galactic & Going Rogue six faces
• PDF copies of all books included in the tier, including a PDF of I Have the High Ground immediately after the conclusion of the campaign!
• 10 playmats with pillars and move references

Additionally, during the crowdfunder only, the Box Set comes packaged with:

• I Have the High Ground Core Rulebook with a new, Kickstarter-exclusive full-color cover from Galactic & Going Rogue artist David Bednar (Softcover)
• 5 Community Copies of the PDF to be made available free on itch.io after the game's release, for those who can't afford to purchase the game

All $250 backers will receive the Galactic & Going Rogue Box Set, complete with:

• Galactic & Going Rogue Core Rulebook (Hardcover)
• Look Up to the Stars Setting Supplement (Softcover)
• 25 metal tokens with Galactic & Going Rogue icons engraved on each side
• A deck of 44 cards with every NPC Trait from the core rulebook
• 2 six-sided dice with custom Galactic & Going Rogue six faces
• 10 playmats with pillars and move references
• PDF copies of all books included in the tier, including a PDF of I Have the High Ground immediately after the conclusion of the campaign!

Additionally, $250 Acknowledgement Tier comes with:

• I Have the High Ground Core Rulebook with a new, Kickstarter-exclusive full-color cover from Galactic & Going Rogue artist David Bednar (Softcover)
• 50 Community Copies of the PDF to be made available free on itch.io after the game's release, for those who can't afford to purchase the game. That's 50 entire people who get the game, thanks to your generosity!
• Acknowledgement with your name in the Galactic & Going Rogue Core Rulebook, thanking you for your contribution to the project!

Media & Actual Play

Articles, Reviews, and Interviews

• "Tabletop Game Going Rogue Puts The Revolution Back In Star Wars" by Gita Jackson on Aftermath
• "The reality of rebellion in Galactic and Going Rogue" and "A Galaxy of Tactics in Going Rogue" by Rowan Zeoli on Rascal
• "Political Rebellion & Games with Jess Levine" on the Yes Indie'd podcast with Thomas Manuel
• "Galactic 2E is a Star Wars inspired tabletop game that puts the focus on relationships" by Chase Carter on Dicebreaker
• “Going Rogue 2e channels the drama of Rogue One and Andor into a tabletop RPG of resistance” by Chase Carter on Dicebreaker
• "Galactic & Going Rogue – Games of Rebellion and Sacrifice" review by Seamus Conneely on the ENnie-nominated blog Cannibal Halfling Gaming

Actual Plays

• AMCA Plays Going Rogue with Jess Levine on A More Civilized Age
• Galactic Official Actual Play on Party of One
• Going Rogue Official Actual Play on One Shot
• going rogue: overexposed on the Role Playing Public Radio actual play podcast
• Galacticon the Can You Roll Me A Vibe Check? actual play podcast
• Galactic 2E with Riley Rethal and Going Rogue with Jess Levine on Party of One
• RENEGADE SCUM on the Six Feats Under actual play podcast
• Our Space Family on the Merely Roleplayers actual play podcast
• Galactic 2E and Going Rogue on the Plus One Exp actual play livestream

Journalist? Podcaster? Want to cover Galactic & Going Rogue? Interview a contributor? Record an actual play? Contact Jess Levine of Jumpgate Games here for the press kit and more!

Inspirations

Stretch Goals

Team

Shipping

With a manufacturer located in China and backers around the world, this moment of political uncertainty surrounding the US government's belligerent, imperialist trade war via tariffs and other threats makes it incredibly difficult to provide accurate shipping estimates for next week, let alone next year. That said, we are already talking to fulfillment partners in the US, Canada, Europe, and AUS/NZ regions in order to minimize shipping costs for backers. These partners say the same: it's hard for them to estimate prices in this moment.

As such, we're collecting shipping charges on BackerKit after the campaign finishes, as we're preparing to ship. We hope some issues will have resolved by then. Additionally, we're taking steps to minimize shipping costs, including:

• Offering a books-only tier, as current indications are that book-only shipments are exempt from US tariffs, and books are cheaper to ship in the US via media mail.
• Working with local fulfillment partners around the world.

We would expect the following shipping cost ranges, though we can't make any guarantees at this time:

Core Book or Book Set
US: $10 USD
Canada: $10-20 USD
EU/UK: $15-25 USD (note: UK estimates will be shown incorrectly by Kickstarter)
AUS/NZ: $15-30 USD
Other International: $30-50 USD
Pittsburgh, PA (US): Free local pickup at Mimic's Market

Box Set
US: $15-25 USD
Canada: $20-30 USD
EU/UK: $20-35 USD (note: UK estimates will be shown incorrectly by Kickstarter)
AUS/NZ: $20-40 USD
Other International: $50-75 USD

UK backer? Due to an issue with Kickstarter data categorizations and Brexit, your estimated shipping costs in the physical reward tiers will be shown as "Rest of World" and incorrectly read too high. See the EU/UK above for correct estimates!

Live in or near Pittsburgh, PA? Free pickup will be available at Mimic's Market!

BDS Statement

Jess & Riley are both Jewish creators with a deep commitment to solidarity with Palestinians, and as such ardent supporters of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israeli genocide. We take inspiration from many Star Wars properties in our games, and while we do not use any actual Disney or Star Wars IP, we still feel it would be irresponsible not to note that the Disney+ platform upon which many Star Wars movies and television shows are hosted was recently placed the BDS priority boycott targets list. While we share excitement for many Star Wars shows, Jess & Riley do not support or condone subscribing to Disney+ to watch this season of Andor or any other Star Wars properties.