Blending In Perfectly

Just a regular human who’s not a space alien having normal conversations with Earthlings.
A game for 3 humans in 1-2 hours,
played via video chat and a shared spreadsheet.

Why Earth?
Some of your friends had been
to Earth and it sounded really
cool! So you decided to take
a trip to check it out and talk
with a few of those fascinating
Earthlings. You easily arranged your
transportation and your disguises,
but the translation app that your
friends recommended had a ton
of confusing settings and seemed
like kind of a hassle. Frustrating!
Luckily, after a quick search,
you found a different app with
a streamlined selection of useful
human phrases. It’s really easy to
use and the humans seem to have
no problem understanding it!

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 - Blending in Perfectly -
An Overview The Game Board
• This game is played in scenes. Each player has a What a fun spreadsheet! Switch tabs at the bottom of the game board.
different role, and after each scene the roles rotate. • Tab 1 is the alien’s Useful Phrases app.
• The three roles are: Space Alien Tourist, Human • Tab 2 is a list of Normal Identities that a human character could have,
Local, and Environmental Describer. and it’s only for the current Space Alien Tourist player to look at.
• Each player will have a scene to portray the same • Tab 3 is full of convenient reference sheets.
loosely-defined space alien tourist character, but the
portrayed human locals are all different people. Click here to make a copy for your group to play with!

• The game will have three scenes, enough for each

player to play each role once. These scenes are not
fictionally connected to one another.
• The game board is a shared spreadsheet with three
tabs. The number of tabs is unrelated to the number
of players or scenes, that’s a coincidence.

A Different Overview
The three players are each at their separate computers.
The video call has begun. Someone has created a copy
of the game board spreadsheet and added the other two
players as editors. Everyone briefly clicks to tab 1 and
tab 3 to take a peek, but leaves tab 2 until later. Someone
reads these rules aloud, stopping to discuss things and
make decisions together as needed. The players choose
roles for the first scene and help prepare for the scene
according to that role. They then play the first scene,
laughing together when something funny is said.

After the first scene the players change roles, prepare for
the second scene according to their new role, then play
the second scene. And then the players change to their
final roles, prepare for the third scene, and play it. The
game then concludes. Afterwards they chat about their
play experience and the fun they shared.
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Before We Start The Game Let’s Get On The Same Page
Read this page aloud, answering questions together as you go.

1. 5.
While playing this game we’ll listen to one another and Let’s check in about lightly poking fun at Christians,
build off of what each other says. We’ll make choices spies, and larpers. Does that sound fun for all the players?
freely and with care. We’ll recognize that, since everyone If anyone wouldn’t like to, that means that all players will
has unique brains, an idea which feels obvious to its haver make choices in the game to not make fun of the selected
likely seems clever to the other players. No need to be shy group or groups.
about ideas which feel simple. Does all that sound ok?
6.
2. There’s a comfort/emotional safety mechanic, which
Let’s check in about swear words. Do we feel good having is this: if something comes up during the game which
swear words in our game? Come to an agreement about if makes any player uncomfortable, that player can opt
and how swear words will appear. to veto and remove that something simply by asking
for it to be so. For example, “could we not have the guy
3. kick the door open?” The answer is always “of course,”
Let’s check in about sexual innuendo and other spicy and a small discussion can ensue to determine how the
content. The game doesn’t expect its players to describe scene will be rewound or reshaped to accommodate
sexy first contact, but should spicy Useful Phrases be the change. Perhaps some of the players would like to
absent from the conversation? Find an answer everyone’s explain more about what they’re feeling in that moment
happy with. or ask for reassurances. Perhaps someone would like to
call for a short break. It can feel awkward to accidentally
4. step on someone’s toes or feelings, and the player who’s
What human language or languages will you be playing accidentally misstepped can ask for reassurances as well.
this game in? For example, these rules are written in a As always, the players are more important than the game.
dialect of Modern English. For whatever languages you Once the game’s ready to get back underway, of course
choose, make sure that all players speak them fluently. the players won’t reintroduce the vetoed material. Can
everyone confirm they’ll be able to participate in this
form of supporting themselves and one another?

And once that’s confirmed, the players are officially on

the same page and the first scene can be prepared for!

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Preparing Decide who’ll play which role in the upcoming scene.
A player’s role also dictates how they help prepare.
for a Scene Preparations are done simultaneously.

Space Alien Tourist

Whoever’s playing the Space Alien Tourist for the
upcoming scene secretly decides on the location for the
Human Local + Environmental Describer
scene as well as makes up a general description of the
Without knowing the scene’s location or anything
human that the alien will be speaking with. The Space
about the human character, the Human Local player
Alien Tourist player is trying to make up a familiar type
and Environmental Describer player work together to
of location that all players can imagine a version of, and a
populate the Useful Phrases on the app, each filling in
relatable human that the Human Local player can easily
about half of the phrases. The app is located on tab 1 of
breathe life into.
the game board. Make sure to only write phrases in the
languages you agreed to use in the game.
After that, the Space Alien Tourist player chooses a
Normal Identity for the imaginary human. This is in
Writing simultaneously, working quickly, keeping to the
addition to the character’s general description. For
prompts, and making sure not to exceed the limits of
example, the human character could be a sleepy old
the text fields. Don’t make fill-in-the-blank phrases; use
janitor, but is also privately a little more complex.
whole phrases. Remember that the purpose of the alien’s
The Normal Identities list is found on tab 2 of the
app is to help them have conversations on Earth. You can
gameboard, and should only be read by the Space Alien
opt to interpret the prompts loosely sometimes. Always
Tourist player while preparing for a scene.
choose phrases that a person would actually say.
Finally, the Space Alien Tourist player chooses what the
If you’ve arrived to populate this app after a scene and
alien character’s human disguise will be, as well as what
there are unused phrases from last time, delete them
detail is “off” or strange about that disguise.
before you begin writing and start with a clean slate.
If the other two players haven’t finished their task yet, the
Space Alien Tourist player can take a short break.

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 Starting
a Scene
Say these things in this order: Space Alien Tourist
Tell the other players everything from your prep:
• The location the scene will be in,
• The general description of the human who’s there,
• The human’s Normal Identity,
• What kind of human the alien is disguised as right now,
• And what looks “off” about the alien’s disguise.

Environmental Describer
You can be less precise. Based on what the Space Alien
Tourist player said, describe what the location generally looks
like, sounds like, smells like, perhaps the vibe or temperature,
whatever comes to mind. Give a feeling of being there, and
also provide a few details that the other players could opt to
comment on during their upcoming conversation.

HUman Local
Based on what the Space Alien Tourist player said, say a little
more about what the human character looks like.

And then the conversation begins!

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 Scenes are played as conversations. During
Each player uses their own rules and the timing they prefer.
a Scene
Human Local Space Alien Tourist
Say what you imagine this human character would say Speak only using phrases from the app. As soon as you
in this situation. Try to play the character seriously, speak a phrase, delete it! Each phrase is single-use. You
and, while portraying them, try to give the you-don’t- don’t have to use all of them.
know-they’re-an-alien the benefit of the doubt. The
human character can say whatever you want them to. You can also freely describe the movements and actions of
The Human Local player can also freely describe the the alien character, but remember that the alien character
movement and actions of the human character, including isn’t familiar with human nonverbal gestures such as
whatever thing they were doing when the alien character nodding yes or shaking one’s head no.
showed up.
The Space Alien Tourist player might want to review the
Don’t bother to keep an eye on the Useful Phrases app phrases before the scene, or might want to just jump in
while you’re playing. Perhaps you think you should and have a more realistic app-difficulty experience.
play to the individual lines you and the Environmental
Describer just wrote, but it’s far funnier if you tab away
from the Useful Phrases app and improvise freely.

Environmental Describer
Make up and describe details about the environment that
make the location feel vivid.
a S cene
ng e, and
Make up and describe objects and locational details Endican end a scen estion.
Anyone as a qu o ?”
for the alien and human characters to interact with, b e s t to do s of the scene
it’s nd
comment on, or react to.
I s t h a t the e r players to
“ he y
the ot her tin
It’s ok to introduce other characters for short cameos. allows to add anot
r .
agree o leave off on
Perhaps someone moves through the location or does t o
detail ace
some background action. If they say anything, try to
t h a t the Sp d to
describe what they say generally rather than verbatim. mber ’t nee
Reme urist doesn .
To es
Alien f their phras
o
6 use all
 After the game
Once the three scenes are complete, give yourselves a

Credits
moment to go get some water, use the restroom, have a
stretch and maybe fetch a snack.

As you’re probably well aware, video chats can be

Blending In Perfectly strangely tiring. But sweet jokey-ness is a really important
by Jackson Tegu thing to have some of in your life, so after the break,
August 2020
return to the video chat for a further 10 or 15 minutes
Quarantine
to reminisce about what’s just transpired. Let your co-
Playtested by: Kelly McInnes, Rafal Czachor, Jessie Rainbow, and Jory Jammz. players know how much you appreciate their silliness. It’s
Proto-playtested by: Taylor Feldman and Marina Valentina. such an important way to recharge.
Additional normal thanks to: Ymr, Arielle, Ariel, Colleen, Elisabeth, A*, Amanda and Gavin,
And if you decide to wave at the night sky after the video
Amber and Rick and Peapro, Tim, Daniel, Sady, Clayton, China, Arrington, Andrea, Huntress,
Fattig, Gary, Robin, Jaywalk, Graham, and my wonderful nieces. call ends, well, that can be a nice thing to do too.

My terrestrial patrons include: Adam the Mender, It’s the little things, A*, Bay, Sandbank
Diner, Bryant ‘Dante’ Stone, Camilla, Caspian Gray, Charlie X, Chris Angelini, Clayton
Grey, Her Eminence Corrin Elizabeth, Devon Breithart Bazaar Returner, Vice Telepath
Eric Fattig, Evan Silberman, Floating Chair, Fred Lott, Madu, Greg Sanders, Harry Lee, Ian
Howard, the James with a song in his heart, Engulfed in James, Jamie ‘Jamie’ Fristrom, Jason
Wodicka, Jay Loomis, Jen Ting, Rainbow the Spectromancer, John geary, John Powell, Jon
Bristow, Jon ‘Van’ Robertson, Jonathan Jung Johansen, J. Walton, Josh Laison, Josh T Jordan,
June & Mike Garcia, Marcus Hawaiianus, Kadri Lemon-Friend, Karen Twelves, Kythryn
Hymys, The Fuzziest Kitty, A Second Brief Catapult, Laurel Halbany, Lester Ward, Matthew
Klein, Matthew Sullivan-Barrett, Mai-kun, Max Saltonstall, Nina Joy, Literally Patrick
Brannick, Prettyboy Paul and the Barrel Gulch Gang, Paul K, Phil ‘Wiseacre’ Hanley, Rachel
Comicbookeater, Rick Dean, Sean Nittner, Shervyn, Sildoenfein, Stras ‘Consulting Designer’
Acimovic, The Fifth World, Tony Dowlbear, Vanessa Geekgirl, The Wylde Sage of Venn,
Vincent Baker, Walter German, The Indisputable Will, The College of Mythic Cartography,
and Admiral Yoshi of the Forever Dodecahedron!

A special thank you to the comet Neowise, the unidentifiable lights in the sky, and whatever was
growling at us from the darkness.

photographsoflightning.com . : : . patreon.com/jacksontegu

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 These are meant to be read during the game but you could read them now if you really want to.

Normal Identities of Humans

(for the Alien to choose from)
-also found on tab 2 of the game board-

A Believer A Fandom Hipster

You pray for those who need praying for. You know that Angels are You’re sure this person is low-key cosplaying a character from a
real. You know in your heart that this sweet-hearted stranger must comic book or anime or tv series or video game, but it’s hard to
secretly be an Angel disguised as a human, sent from the Lord with figure out which one. Try to make light references to the correct
a message especially for you. fandom so that they know you’re a real clever nerd like they are.

A Larper An Impromptu Ambassador

You couldn’t get tickets this past weekend to a really cool-looking You love living here. This city or town is your home, and you love
live action role playing game with a surrealist theme. But this person helping tourists appreciate it like you do. There’s just so much to
clearly went to it, and they must recognize you from some previous recommend! In order to help them communicate with other locals,
larp. They want to play a scene for a moment! How fun, try and gently correct them on their misuse of phrases.
follow their lead.
An Amateur Cryptozoologist
A Spy You know that the truth is out there. You greatly honour the
You are a deeply embedded agent for a distant power. You’re in so unknown, and you respect a desire for solitude. Though some of
deep that not even you know how deep you’re in. Every few months your colleagues are paranoid, you find yourself at peace around
you’ll be approached by someone you’ve never met before who gives cryptids like this one here who’s ventured into civilization. Share a
you coded messages. That’s clearly what’s happening now. moment and a selfie.

Another Alien An Poetical Languager

You fled your homeworld and have worked very hard to keep a low Love of language, playful about metaphors, that’s you, you bright
profile here on Earth. Now this bumbling tourist imperils your egg. Seeking? Always. Diving into the poetics of spoken language
secrecy! Luckily, they don’t recognize that you’re also an alien. Try to reverberate with inspiration? Peachy. If you don’t seize life by its
to play it cool and help them blend in. playful-and-engagingness then the day’s a waste!