By The Intrepid in TiGGR — 21 Jul 2025

TiGGR: Seveneves - New Earth Rising

The latter third of Neal Stephenson's Seveneves takes place five millennia after the world-ending events of Hard Rain and the survivors' arduous trek to The Cleft. The descendants of the titular Eves have evolved into distinct races while reconstructing humanity's presence, first in orbit, then transforming Earth into habitability. In these two scenarios, we examine this reclamation from two perspectives: the people from the sky and the folks of the underground.

Earth’s New Skin

Genre: Hard Sci-Fi Exploration
Scene: A half-terraformed Earth, 5,000 years post-Hard Rain—craggy New Earth continents, synthetic forests, and orbital tethers linking to the Ring’s city-habs like Chainhattan.
Goal: Investigate a strange signal in a terraforming zone, avoid Red-Blue tensions, and uncover secrets without sparking a war.
Factions: Red Faction (brash expansionists), Blue Faction (cautious techies), Diggers (hidden survivors), Purpose Agents (shadowy meddlers).

One-Shot Setup

Runtime: 30-45 minutes
Premise: A mixed-race crew—descendants of the Seven Eves—lands on New Earth to probe a signal in a terraforming grid near Hawaii’s ruins. The Purpose pulls strings, while Red and Blue squabble over Earth’s future.

Setup:

Characters: Players as a ragtag team, 3 points across Body, Mind, Charm:
- Moiran Scout: 2/0/1, “+1 Body to glide,” Gear: “Glider Wing: +3 Body roll, once.” Nimble, brash—loves Earth’s open skies.
- Teklan Paladin: 1/1/1, “+1 Charm to mediate,” Gear: “Holo-Shield: +3 Charm roll, once.” Stoic, duty-bound—seeks peace.
- Julian Agent: 0/2/1, “+1 Mind to snoop,” Gear: “Data Spike: +3 Mind roll, once.” Sly, curious—named for Seveneves’s enigma.
- Dinan Rogue: 1/1/1, “+1 Body to dodge,” Gear: “Grapple Line: +3 Body roll, once.” Gritty, loyal—tied to old mines.
  5 HP each (0 HP = dazed, hypoxic, or lost—back next “scene”).
Vehicle: Drop Pod (Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 0, 8 HP, Gear: “Flare Burst: +1 Charm roll, once per scene”). A clunky shuttle from the Ring to Earth.
Goal: Trace the signal, avoid faction traps, and learn the truth.

Factions:

Red Faction: Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 1, 5 HP, Gear: “Pulse Rifle: +1 damage.” Pushy terraformers—want Earth fast.
Blue Faction: Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 1, 5 HP, Gear: “Drone Scan: +1 Mind roll.” Careful planners—fear haste.
Diggers: Body 1, Mind 1, Charm 1, 3 HP, Gear: “Tunnel Trap: +1 Body roll.” Hidden miners—wary of Spacers.
Purpose Agent: Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 1, 5 HP, Gear: “Cloak Signal: +1 Mind roll.” One shadowy figure, a scheming echo.

Gameplay Loop

Opening Scene: Drop to New Earth
- Setup: The Drop Pod rattles through re-entry, landing in a terraformed valley—green but jagged, air thin. The signal’s a faint hum from a ruined grid tower.
- Hook: Stabilize the pod’s landing (Body 8). Decode the signal (Mind 8). Red drones buzz overhead (Charm 8 to avoid).
- Turns: Players move (scramble to cover, Body 6) and act (hack tower, Mind 8; signal Blue for backup, Charm 8). Red drones fire (2d6+2 vs. 8, 1d6+1 damage). Defend (2d6+Body vs. 8).
Mid-Exploration: Digger Ambush
- Setup: The tower’s a dud, but a cave nearby pulses—Diggers watching. Sonar spots a Purpose Agent’s trace. Blue warns, “Red’s coming!”
- Hook: Enter the cave (Body 8). Talk Diggers down (Charm 8). Trace Purpose (Mind 8).
- Turns: Players act (climb rocks, Body 8; parley, Charm 8; hack trace, Mind 8). Diggers spring traps (2d6+1 vs. 8, 1d6+1 damage). Red patrol closes (Body 8 to hide). Gear shines (e.g., Glider Wing +3 escapes a collapse).
Climax: Signal’s Source
- Setup: The cave hides a Pinger relic—sub-ocean tech tied to the signal. Purpose Agent appears, “This stays secret.” Red and Blue clash outside.
- Hook: Secure the relic (Mind 10). Fend off Purpose (Body 8). Stop the fight (Charm 10).
- Turns: Players move (dodge lasers, Body 8) and act (grab relic, Mind 10; mediate factions, Charm 10). Purpose strikes (2d6+2 vs. 8, 1d6+1 damage). Factions brawl (2d6+2 vs. 8, 1d6+1 chaos). Specials clutch (e.g., “+1 Mind to snoop” cracks Purpose’s plan).
- Resolution Roll: Team vs. escalation (combined roll vs. 10). Success: relic’s safe, factions pause; failure: Purpose escapes, war brews (Total Party Knockout).

Resolution

Success: The crew flies back to Chainhattan, relic in tow. Diggers nod warily, factions back off—for now. Sonar mutters, “Purpose isn’t done.”
Failure: Purpose vanishes, relic’s lost, Red and Blue dig in. The crew limps to orbit, Earth’s tensions hotter. Fade to a Ring hab’s hum.

TiGGR Seveneves Vibes

Tone: Hard sci-fi with grit—exploration’s tense, but TiGGR keeps it punchy, not grim.
Special Abilities: Race quirks—“Moiran Glide: +1 Body to soar,” “Julian Sneak: +1 Mind to pry.”
Gear: Future tech—“Nano-Map: +3 Mind roll,” “Tether Hook: +3 Body roll.”
Purpose Agent: the meddling ghost—GM rolls 1d6 per scheme: 1-3 it works (+1 Difficulty), 4-6 it flops (they slip).
Drop Pod: A lifeline—its Flare Burst might signal help or foes (GM call).

Under New Earth’s Crust

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Survival
Scene: Beneath New Earth’s Hawaiian ruins, 5,000 years post-Hard Rain—claustrophobic tunnels carved by Diggers, descendants of bunker survivors. Glow-fungi light scrap-metal shanties, and seismic rumbles hint at Spacer tech above.
Goal: Protect the Digger enclave from a Spacer incursion, uncover their intent, and guard the clan’s secret—a pre-Hard Rain vault.
Factions: Spacer Scouts (Blue techies), Red Prospectors (greedy diggers), Tunnel Beasts (mutated fauna), Purpose Whisper (cryptic manipulator).

Setup:

Characters: Digger kin, 3 points across Body, Mind, Charm:
- Tunneler: 2/1/0, “+1 Body to burrow,” Gear: “Vibro-Pick: +3 Body roll, once.” Tough, tunnel-savvy.
- Scavenger: 1/1/1, “+1 Mind to find,” Gear: “Glow-Lamp: +3 Mind roll, once.” Curious, resourceful.
- Speaker: 0/1/2, “+1 Charm to rally,” Gear: “Echo-Horn: +3 Charm roll, once.” Voice of the clan.
  5 HP (0 HP = trapped, dazed, or winded—back next “scene”).
Vehicle: Mole Rig (Body 2, Mind 0, Charm 0, 8 HP, Gear: “Drill Burst: +1 Body roll, once per scene”). A clanking tunnel-borer.
Hook: A Spacer drone breaches a tunnel—Blue’s probing, Red’s sniffing ore. The vault’s humming, and a Purpose Whisper murmurs, “Hide it.”

Gameplay Loop:

Scene 1: Breach Alarm
- Seal the tunnel (Body 8). Scan the drone (Mind 8). Calm the clan (Charm 8). Spacers advance (2d6+2 vs. 8, 1d6+1 damage).
Scene 2: Beast Encounter
- Flee a Tunnel Beast (Body 8). Track Spacer signals (Mind 8). Parley with Red (Charm 8). Beasts lunge (2d6+1 vs. 8, 1d6+1 damage).
Climax: Vault Standoff
- Guard the vault (Mind 10). Repel Spacers (Body 8). Unmask Purpose (Charm 10). Factions clash (2d6+2 vs. 8, 1d6+1 chaos). Success: vault’s safe, Spacers retreat; failure: vault’s cracked, Purpose wins (Total Party Knockout).

Resolution: Success—Diggers hold, eyeing Spacers warily. Failure—vault’s exposed, clan scatters. Fade to tunnel hums.

Vibes: Claustrophobic grit—Diggers’ insularity vs. Spacer tech, with Purpose as McLaren’s echo. The vault’s secret (Pinger tech? Old Earth data?) teases Seveneves’s hidden history.

TiGGR Quick Rules

Components: 2d6, pencil, paper, optional LLM
Players: 2-5 (1 GM, 1-4 players)
Playtime: 30-45 min per scenario
Core Mechanic: Roll 2d6 + Stat (Body, Mind, Charm) vs. Difficulty (Risky: 6, Dramatic: 8, Climactic: 10)
Characters: 3 stat points, Role, Special Ability (+1 to specific rolls, 1/scene), Signature Gear (+3 to one roll/scenario), 5 HP
Confrontations: Attack (2d6 + Stat vs. 8), Defend (2d6 + Stat vs. 8 if NPC attacks), Damage (1d6, or 2d6 for vehicles)
Vehicles: 3 stat points, 10 HP, Special Ability (1/scene)
Gameplay: 3 scenes/scenario. Players act, GM adds complications. 0 HP = knocked out until next scene