L.A.B. Crawler Mechnicians
A downloadable survival microgame
A frosty survival microgame.
You and your team of mechnicians maintain L.A.B. Crawler 846-A on the inhospitable ice planet Bo’reus.
L.A.B. Crawlers are hulking, mobile, mechanised laboratories built by the Science Syndicate. However, the one you’re in has begun to malfunction...
Your mission is to pilot 846-A to Repair Dock HAL-2 before glitches cause a complete hydro-mechanical failure in the Crawler’s reactor core.
Bo’reus ice-storms rage fiercer every minute, but don’t panic—you’ll be safe inside of 846-A. Keep an eye on things and you’ll be fine! (Probably...)
L.A.B. Crawler Mechnicians is an icy survival microgame with some elements of strategy, controlled chance, resource management, tactile wire-bending, and a little story. It was inspired by one of my previous games (Remnants of Saegon) and made for the Pleasure-not-Business Card RPG Jam in 2021. Players take on the role of mechnicians trying to keep a hulking L.A.B. Crawler functioning amidst the myriad of glitches that occur throughout its modules.
All you need to play is the card, a marker, a six-sided die, and a multitool (that is, a paperclip, which you unwind during the game). You can play cooperatively with other mechnicians by taking turns, or solo by taking all the turns yourself.
Stay warm out there, team.
For science!
This work was made by a human. No AI or machine-generated works are included in this project. Supporting this project means you are supporting a real human being who has dreams, passions, and bills.
Thank you.
"Human Made" icons used in good faith, made by HINOKODO and distributed in their Human Made asset pack.
Attributions
Imagery
- "Human Made" icons used in good faith, made by HINOKODO and distributed in their Human Made asset pack.
- Icons from game-icons.net, licenced under CC BY 3.0:
- Paper clip, wooden crate, lungs, and power generator icons by Delapouite.
- Brain and circuitry icons by Lorc.
- Electric and flamer icons by sbed.
- Big gear icon by DarkZaitzev.
Typefaces
- Typefaces from Google Fonts, licenced under the Open Font License:
Software
- Created using Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 and Affinity Photo 2.4.0.
Purchase
In order to download this survival microgame you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $3 USD. You will get access to the following files:
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Community Copies
Each sale of L.A.B. Crawler Mechnicians, every comment left, and any ratings or reviews given will contribute a few Community Copies to the pool. All are greatly appreciated.
For those who are experiencing poverty or marginalised access to the games community, please feel free to claim a free Community Copy of L.A.B. Crawler Mechnicians that was contributed by another, no questions asked.
Keep on keeping on, friend. ❄️
Download demo
Development log
- L.A.B. Crawler Mechnicians v1.0Apr 03, 2024
- New and ImprovedJun 06, 2021
- Tightening those BoltsMar 30, 2021
- Simplification and BalancingMar 23, 2021
- Team Gameplay, Progress Track, TweaksMar 12, 2021
- Mission:STARTMar 09, 2021
Comments
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This is a fun little game. I did wonder whether I was cheating by just leaving glitched Robotics Bay patched; if I roll that glitch again should I reroll or is it just a null result? Not really an issue as it doesn't greatly sway the dice roll results, just a thing I was curious about.
Thank you! 🥰
Yes, you can leave a patch on a module as long as you want. And if you roll that module again, the patch protects you from the effects of the glitch, making the roll a null result as you said.
But you may still want to take care and repair glitching modules because having all four modules glitching at the same time will the end the game!
Digging the paperclip multi-tool mechanic and the location progress track. Great work!
Thanks!
The location progress track wasn’t there in the first version. Playtesting revealed that the game needed a more solid goal, however, and thus the track was born! It fits so nicely up the top, too, if I can say so myself. After all, I gotta use as much of the card as I can! 😂
This looks really cool, the mechanics give an interesting boardgame feel and it has a cool scenario.
Cant wait to try it!
That’s pretty much exactly what I was going for, so I’m chuffed that you think so! 🥰