For many gamers, when they talk about their characters, they talk about the evolution of their character… who they were and who they became. So, I wanted a game that made the rapid evolution of the character a story imperative. There should be a record of everything the character gives up–through transcendence or sacrifice–to become who they are. I want a fair amount of character Aspect churn, but I don't want to require it.

Touchstones that influences the idea.

In What We Become, humanity is in the early stages of the emergence of a symbiotic Mycelial Bloom, a microscopic networked intelligence born from bioengineering, nanobiotics, and desperate attempts to address multiple problems… environmental disasters, pandemic eruptions…

Each “bloom colony” is a colony of microscopic organisms that have taken residence (“colonized”) a living being, and symbiotically advanced itself and it's host. The colony is–literally–a microscopic civilization unto itself. And the weight of it's presence and attention can change the world.

Now it is beginning to blur the line between self and world. This should probably feel apocalyptic, but I want it to include hope. So, instead, it's a story of metamorphosis.

Players take on the roles of “The Touched”: humans partially “colonized” by the Bloom, navigating the fragile moments before their mutual collective evolution. Every choice shapes not just who they are, but what humanity might become.

Mechanically, it builds on the PBTA/Mist Engine used in Powered-by-the-Apocalypse games and Son of Oak (City of Mist, Otherscape, Legends in the Mist) games, but I want to evolve those systems a little to differentiate it. This may require changing terminology.

As a collaborator, you’ll be helping to design a world where change is neither apocalypse nor salvation, but an ongoing negotiation between self and symbiosis. This is biopunk with empathy: a setting that asks not “how do we survive?” but “how do we evolve?”

All of what's here right now is the conceptual spine of what I want. I imagine it's all subject to change… and I accept that change is going to be necessary.

• Symbiosis and Identity: What remains “you” in the face of rapid evolution?
• Faith vs. Control: Competing visions for humanity’s next form.
• Memory and Continuity: Holding onto the self through change.
• Adaptive Ethics: Negotiating coexistence with emergent life.

• 2d6 + tags resolution derived from City of Mist, but customized
• Anchors: core aspects of identity that grant stability; may be evolved or burned for automatic success.
• Rupture Choice: periodic & end-of-chapter evolution—players redefine or sacrifice Anchors to reflect change.
• Symbiosis Track: measures balance between Harmony and Dissonance within each host.
• Tag System: statuses affect individuals; conditions affect environments.
• Optional Co-Pilot: another player may embody the colony within a host, voicing its instincts and goals.

• There were a series of catastrophes. While the world didn't “break down” much of the infrastructure is unreliable… Not quite post-apocalyptic…
• The Mycelial Bloom spreads unevenly.
• Some enclaves embrace the Bloom as salvation; others isolate themselves behind sterile walls.
• Ecosystems show signs of recovery, yet politics and faith fracture around what humanity could or should become.
• Transitional Hosts (The Touched) embody this uncertainty, bridges between human autonomy and collective evolution.

• Preserve continuity with the PBTA approach to fiction-first play.
• Prioritize narrative consequence over mechanical optimization.
• Encourage collaboration and introspection through shared storytelling.
• Encourage–but do not require–Aspect churn; Characters evolve. Or not. It's the Player's game, after all.