Overview

An ethereal being. Far above the planes of understanding by mere human minds. A creature that transcends time and space, moving between places effortlessly and gracefully. In Traveler's Call, players take control of a planetary caretaker, moving through the stars. Able to be anywhere in the universe quickly, the caretaker watches over planets, stars, and entire systems, observing and protecting them.

Core Mechanics

Initially, players are presented with a 3-D map of the universe, with planets inhabited by tiny individuals representing civilizations. These people are the charges of the caretaker - and protecting them keeps the universe in balance. Tethers between planets are colour coded, and represent the interactions that they have. Peaceful tethers are the caretaker's goal - and this is done by spending time in the system. The caretaker places shrines on each planet, and connected planets that have shrines find themselves becoming more peaceful. As some planets become peaceful, others become more aggressive as they want to take over easier-to-invade planets. The caretaker can utilise a variety of abilities to calm inhabitants, as well as directly removing entire civilizations from the universe. Players have to make choices between how to best manage warring planets and even systems, as they attempt to be the arbiter of evolution in the universe.

Narrative

The Narrative in Traveler's Call entirely depends on the player. The civilizations that rise and fall are all documented within an ingame tome, which intricately details the interactions and fates of entire civilizations and planetary systems. This narrative also logs the interactions that the traveler has with some civilisations, from their perspective. Through this log, players gain a small insight into the nature of some civilizations, being able to determine how much of an issue they may be. Procedurally generating the narrative creates a different story for a player every time, leading to a different tale of the traveler every time the game is played.

The Ethereal is a godlike being, assuming the form it decides will impress civilizations the most.