OX Games has launched the Kickstarter campaign for Sine, a new story-driven sci-fi roleplaying game set in the aftermath of a devastating alien war. Co-creator Julien Frid sat down with Geek Native to detail the game’s mechanics, setting, and development timeline ahead of the projected 2027 release. The system relies on a streamlined d6 resolution mechanic paired with character stats, prioritising cinematic action over granular survival tracking.
Rather than focusing on the height of the conflict, Sine explores the gritty rebuilding period where veteran characters navigate a changed world. Frid explains how the team balanced tactical depth with intuitive gameplay, moving away from tracking rations and bullets so players can focus on exploration and plot. The quickstart rules are now available for players who want to test the system before the crowdfunding campaign concludes.
| Feature | Detail |
| Game | Sine |
| Release Date | 2027 |
| Core Mechanic | d6 + stat (Sine system) |
| Availability | Quick-start via Kickstarter |
The following is a truncated transcript, edited for busy people.
Sine Post-War Setting and Tone
Girdy: Sine picks up after the alien war; it’s already over. What made you want to explore this gritty rebuilding period rather than the war itself?
Julien Frid: We’d rather relegate the war to flashbacks because this isn’t a war game. A lot of the action movies and genre properties we love, like The Matrix, The Terminator, or The Lord of the Rings, take place after the big conflict. You get hardened characters, fossils of old locations, and big threats that could still exist, but it can be quieter. You can still have characters who are veterans, but it is not just violence all the time. We prefer a mix of action alongside time for exploration, dialogue, and discovery.
Core Dice System and Mechanics
Girdy: How does your core dice system work at the table, and what design problem does it solve that other sci-fi systems do not?
Julien Frid: You roll a d6, a fairly dependable die compared to higher value dice, and add that to a stat. You then add any bonuses from skills, which gives you a number. That number lands within a grid of quality we call the Sine system: Simple, Impactful, Noble, and Extraordinary. Where that number lies informs how good the action was. For instance, kicking in a door could be a standard attempt or an extraordinary success where you bust it down. The system promotes intuitive, satisfying action while retaining risk, getting to the action sooner.
Survival Rules and Tactical Pacing
Bronwen Winter Phoenix: What’s the single biggest mechanism that separates Sine from other survival roleplaying games?
“Sine, despite being, you know, in a dystopian landscape, is not terribly interested in counting your rations, or counting your bullets to a point.”— Julien Frid, Co-creator of Sine
Julien Frid: Sine is not terribly interested in counting rations or tracking bullets to a point. We give players the idea that if they are a human catalyst or an engineered super soldier, they are already quite good at surviving. We are not focused on tracking every injury or grenade; while that has a place in typical survival games, it is not the focus of a typical Sine campaign.
Bronwen Winter Phoenix: Indie sci-fi is a crowded space right now. How did you balance cinematic pacing with enough crunch to satisfy tactical players?
Julien Frid: When Sine began as a homebrew game, the rules were loose and made up on the fly. Shoring that up for a book with universal rules took years of trial, error, and playtesting. For example, skills used to be all-encompassing, but now they simply grant a +1 bonus to what you are doing. Small changes like that add up to a crunchy, tactical experience once you play a couple of episodes and understand how your character’s abilities fit together.
Sine Art Direction
On Screen Text: How did you decide on the art style and art direction for the world of SINE?
Julien Frid: Finding the style was tough. We wanted something not too cartoon-like, but slightly more realistic without reaching ultra-realism that doesn’t spur the imagination. We worked with artists, including our friend Ben Steamroller, a comic book artist. We discovered that taking action elements from comic styles and making proportions—like heads and hands—more realistic created the right look.
Release Schedule and Availability
Bronwen Winter Phoenix: When can backers expect the finished books in their hands, and where can newcomers find the quick start right now?
Julien Frid: The finished books will be in backers’ hands in 2027. Filling a book with art takes time, though Jason and I have already completed the text and rules. The quick start was recently released to backers, providing the bare bones needed to play. Interested players can go to our Kickstarter, or check out our one-shot with Dumb Dumbs & Dice or our podcast Sinecast to get a sense of how the rules work today.
The crowdfunding campaign for Sine is currently live, and backers will receive the quickstart guide to begin playing immediately. You can read more about the game’s setting and mechanics in the Geek Native quickstart preview. To pledge for the physical books or digital editions before the campaign ends, visit the Sine Kickstarter.
