Redemption is a dark game. It is a game about the worst parts of humanity, isolation, and survival against the odds. Character death is likely to occur. PvP is likely to occur. Your character will experience unsettling and traumatic situations. We do not wish to make players uncomfortable OOC, so please let the GMs know if there are topics you would prefer to avoid (other than those already banned, see Conduct and Themes). In particular, Redemption will involve aggressive behaviour including characters being shouted at. If you would be uncomfortable with your character being shouted at, please let the GM team know. We will keep this in mind when interacting with your character, and will give you the option of marking this so other players are aware.

If your character dies or becomes otherwise unplayable, you will be able to create a new character, or ask the GM team for a Non-Player Character or Directed Player Character to play¹⁾. We will ensure that your character is not penalised for joining the game late. Where possible, we ask that your new character avoids plots which your previous character was heavily involved in.

Redemption is set in an alternate universe. No real-world nations, people, events, etc. exist, and these should not be referenced in game. This decision has been taken because prejudice is likely to occur within the Redemption universe, and the GM team wishes to avoid real-world prejudices. As a result, while there is some scope for players to define elements of the wider setting in their backstories (e.g. a particular planet or non-planet colony), these should not be “a real world country but in space” and should be heavily fictionalised and not recognisable as any particular culture. While there will be certain common elements throughout the Elysian Empire (heavily militaristic and expansionist, an expectation of loyalty to the central state) and the Tel Empire (generally religious, very territorial), individual planets can vary considerably within this.

The current technology level is detailed on the technology page. There are elements of space opera and elements of cyberpunk to the universe. For the cybernetics, the tech level is roughly equivalent to the Shadowrun roleplaying game or the Deus Ex series of video games, with the exception that mind-altering cyberware (e.g. skillsofts, BTLs, and datajacks from Shadowrun) does not exist in the Redemption setting.

The prison itself is intended to be a reflection of a somewhat benign intent with limited oversight. The facilities are generally capable of providing adequate living conditions for all of the prisoners, but the guards are callous and uncaring at best. The equipment provided for the terraforming work is of a reasonable standard, but the work varies between tedious and backbreaking²⁾.

Particular media which have influenced the development of Redemption include:

• The Shawshank Redemption (film)
• The Martian (film)
• Full Metal Jacket (film—particularly the drill sergeant scene)³⁾
• Shadowrun (RPG)
• Deus Ex (Video Game)
• The 100 (TV Show)
• The Expanse (TV Show)
• Orange is the New Black (TV Show)
• Battlestar Galactica (TV Show)