Distant Echoes is a storytelling game for two players about exploring the post-apocalyptic ruins of a modern day building or complex.
It’s inspired by environmental storytelling in video games, borrowing most heavily from the storytelling frame used in Horizon: Zero Dawn (and its sequel, I presume).
You play as a wanderer and their non-humanoid companion in a distant post-apocalypse, exploring ruins of the modern era from a great historical remove. Together you’ve stumbled onto one such relic of the bygone era: an enormous ancient facility, now derelict. While the wanderer picks through the ruins, their companion will use its unique capabilities, be they technological or arcane, to restore and interpret the fragments of the past that they find.
Before you begin, prepare by separating a standard deck of playing cards (jokers removed) into two decks:
You’ll also need a writing utensil and a sheet of paper (ideally grid paper, but blank or lined paper are fine in a pinch).
Before continuing, designate one player as The Present and the other player as The Past. These determine the distinct roles you will play during the game. The Wanderer will be portrayed by The Present, while their companion will be portrayed by The Past.
The wanderer might be searching for something in particular, or perhaps just a curious explorer passing through.
Present: Take a moment to briefly describe why they’re here. Keep this broad and gestural. The story will be primarily about place and history—with Wanderer and Companion bearing witness.
The companion is an archeological device that can perform all manner of restorative functions: it can reconstruct faded handwriting, extract data from an ancient hard drive, or even peer into the past directly, witnessing scenes or conversations, using a discovered object of minor significance as an oculus.
Past: Take a moment to describe the nature of this being. What does it look like, and how does it function? Is it an intelligent floating drone, an artifact inhabited by a spirit, or something else entirely?
The place you’ve stumbled into is large compared to the scale of a lone wanderer. It is a building or complex whose purpose has long since expired.
Working together, choose from the options below (or roll a d4) to determine the nature of the facility, and then define it more precisely by choosing one of the examples provided with each option or inventing your own.