Lost Before Transmission

In Lost Before Transmission, two planetary observers isolated in space send each other desperate, lonely, and incomplete messages. LBT is a two-player letter-writing and map-drawing game that can be played in-person or asynchronously over the Internet.

In LBT, one player observes and reports on their Homeworld, which is facing imminent environmental collapse. Human societies are in their death throes, and have initiated a Project to find a planet to flee to. The Project has nearly failed, but there is one world left that offers potential for colonization: the Candidate world. The second player observes and reports on this world.

The two observers have promised to meet again one day. But their communication equipment is faulty, and much of the data they transmit to each other is lost amidst the light of the stars. Even before they send their messages, though, they inevitably censor themselves. 

Should the Homeworld Observer concede that humanity’s end is imminent, or pretend that their Partner’s sacrifices still carry meaning? Should the Candidate Observer encourage the colonization of the distant world, or protect it from the exploitation that consumes their home?