This planet must die.

Parents
& the night swallowed us by Annamyriah de Jong

Home by Todd Nicholas

Game Text
This planet must die.

You are the Destroyers and you have concluded that the planet before you must be obliterated. Disguised as regular Earthlings, you will clandestinely collect data on this peculiar place and its inhabitants.

Create a group chat where all players can share and discuss their findings over a three day period. At the start of each day, each player privately rolls 1d6 for their answer to the question of the day. The data collected for the day may provide evidence for or against this initial assessment. Share stories, pictures, audio clips, videos—any type of media collected.*

During the discussions, the Destroyers will reveal the following information:


 * What they get out of this planet’s destruction.
 * What they begin to love about this planet.
 * What their past experiences as a Destroyer (if any) has been.
 * What their reservations about this particular planet might be.
 * Whether they agree with their fellow Destroyers.

Day One - Arrival
When you arrived, the planet was:


 * 1) a quiet place
 * 2) already ruined
 * 3) raucous and beautiful
 * 4) worthy of your high regard
 * 5) frustratingly mundane
 * 6) utterly disdainful

Day Two - Among Them
After time with its population, you find them:


 * 1) trusting
 * 2) closed off
 * 3) cautious
 * 4) loving
 * 5) chaotic
 * 6) harbingers of their own downfall

Day Three - Annihilation
Your current plan for global destruction:


 * 1) slow and steady
 * 2) from within
 * 3) tried and true
 * 4) unbridled violence
 * 5) purposefully convoluted
 * 6) completely lacking — hoping for a fortuitous accident

Midnight (End of Day Three)
Decide whether you will actually go through with this planet’s destruction.

How do you feel about this decision?

* Please research your local laws regarding recording strangers in public spaces. Above all, respect the privacy of others.

Analysis
This planet must die. is a relatively straightforward fusion of its parents. & the night swallowed us introduces the story of a character who has destroyed a planet and play reveals how that was done, what their feelings about it were, and what they might do next. This planet must die. is positioned before such an event, but borrows many of the same details meant to be discussed through play, as well as a dice rolling mechanic to decide specific things about the world.

Home explicitly features a group of players and introduces the group chat format for discussion. This planet must die. also includes framing questions to be answered throughout data collection and sharing, similar to Home. The opening lines of This planet must die. are a direct pastiche of the opening lines of Home.

This planet must die. explores similar themes to both parents: appreciation for the world through the lens of destruction and loss. It is also, accidentally and somewhat retroactively, inspired by Invader Zim.