The OVER/UNDER game has been a lot of fun to play in the past few days! Seeing all the various backgrounds that each of the hundreds of players are approaching the game with, you see roleplayers, TTRPGers, LARPers, and all sorts of folk! With my character being a part of a union in the game, the Local 32819L, I got to see a few samples of RP offerings from some of my fellow players.

A few of em are focused on pure roleplay elements, some are inspired by dice mechanics, while others share links to board games to settle the in-game fiction. I hadn’t seen a storygame or something close to my own tastes quite yet, except within a scenario my character was in where we softly traded GM hands, so here’s my contribution to the game, the Union Working Game.

The Game

Ain’t a bad thing ever happened on Dock F-556e. And nothing too crazy ever will happen. The Local is already one of the safest places to work, but the regular maintenance of low criticality fixes assigned to this dock make it even safer. While planning for every emergency may be impossible, ready supervisors and equipped experts make recovering from mishaps look planned.

This is a damn good dock to get some training from, or to get reassigned to after a particularly hairy incident (after you’ve spent the required time/effort to heal). The work is always in a flow–slow, smooth, and steady.

How to Work

Work is done by gradually counting up/down together. No matter the direction, all counting is done by sending a message with only the next number in the sequence.

The Sequence

Work is done rhythmically, slowly getting into the groove of things while taking regular breaks. It may feel like the work is wearing down on you, or you may be super absorbed and in the zone, so don’t forget to take a break.

The sequence counts up from 1, then down to 1, which completes a group. The sequence always increases the peak, the middle and greatest number, of the next group in the sequence by one. The peak in the first group, and the smallest one, is 2. Here’s an example of the first few groups:

1 2 1

1 2 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 5 4 3 2 1

In practice, completing the sequence to group 4 successfully will look like:

1 2 1 2 3 2 1 2 3 4 3 2 1

Moves

Take a Breather

On a count of 1, take a break and consider:

– Shooting the shit with the other Teamsters

– Figuring out where y’all are headed after work

– Raving about the BBFL fight, GravBall game, or other sportsball

– Teasing someone about their love life

Make a Mistake

On a miscount, you make a mistake. It’s okay. You take a breath, recover, and anyone restarts the count at 1. 

Get into the Rhythm of Things

You may always:

– Restart the count at 1

– Talk with your fellow Teamsters (though the machinery is loud, so they may not hear you!)

– Describe the sights, sounds, and smells of a well oiled working group

– Add a song to the shop playlist

Extra Moves

On a rapid count, progressing the sequence quickly together, you and the involved Teamster(s) are not just flowing together, you’re firing on all cylinders. You each feel, think, or do the some of the following:

– Would recommend the other(s) if you ever found another job

– Make up a secret handshake

– Plan a side gig together

On a synced count, counting the same number at the same time, you and the involved Teamster(s) find some yourselves on a similar wavelength that isn’t work related at all. On your first sync, independently, and secretly, select one of the things that you believe you share with the other:

– You went to the same school together

– You came out of cryo at the same time

– You trained in the same military/militia

– You grinded at the same corporation

One of you is right, and you should probably figure out which of you. Coincidences can be explained, right?

If you’ve synced multiple times, there’s a good chance that you like each other. One of you, shoot your shot!