The
Signal
Walls, wires, and missiles divide the world, and at the centre of it all sits the International Spectrum Commission: a small UN agency in neutral Vienna which monitors radio frequencies and settles interference disputes between nations. It is quite possibly one of the most boring jobs in international diplomacy.
Unless you work in Section 0.
Section 0—formally the Special Technical Inquiries Section—handles interference that can't be explained by ordinary means. Radios that speak in voices, towns that share the same dream, broadcasts on dead frequencies. Its staff come from both sides of the Iron Curtain and the spaces in between.
On paper, they're neutral. But as everyone knows: in the Cold War, neutrality is just another propaganda myth.
The Berlin Wall is two months old. American and Soviet tanks are idling a few hundred metres apart at Checkpoint Charlie.
Section 0 has just opened its first field office in West Berlin. You're its first team.
THE SIGNAL is a historical sci-fi horror RP set at the peak of the Cold War. This is a plot-heavy roleplay group intended to run between 6 and 8 months. Gameplay prioritises player choices and the narrative over dice rolls and resource management. The group uses modified Powered by the Apocalypse mechanics to resolve ambiguity and dynamically advance the story.
While there will be prominent sci-fi/supernatural elements, the setting is strongly grounded in history. The tensions of the Cold War, fear of nuclear escalation and omnipresent paranoia are essential elements of the story. Players aren't expected to have an academic understanding of the historical context, but respecting the setting and actively engaging with it will make the experience more immersive and enjoyable.
The game includes psychological horror, body horror, violence, period-typical state repression and surveillance, and the threat of nuclear war. Character death is possible, but only with the player's consent. Full content rules and safety tools are provided in the group's Discord server.
Setting
Autumn 1961, the Commission, Section 0, the powers, the places, and the rumours on the wire.
Mechanics
Rolls, tags, moves, harm, Signal exposure, secret loyalties and downtime.
Apply
Character creation guidelines, the written and visual application, and submission.