Welcome to Nova Station

Chart your next destination from the heart of a dying star.

The cooperative worldbuilding game jam is back! Interstellar travel, a pan-galactic food court, billions of different species headed toward their next adventure or coming home from their last; the story you tell is your own, but the space we create together will be enjoyed by all.

How the jam works

Make a game, short story, comic, or other creative work set in the same city as all other entries: Nova Station. Interpret the city description below and allow yourself to be inspired by the possibilities.

New in 2025:

The organizers have released an art asset pack of characters and locations to be used freely (for the jam and in perpetuity) to jumpstart your creativity. 

Nova Station Assets & Demo

Import the assets into your game engine of choice, or use the prebuilt Ren'Py demo game to get writing now. The assets and demo are optional: make your game with whatever tools your imagination supplies. You can also join the Cryptic Conservatory discord server to get support, share your progress, and meet other participants.

The City Itself

Nova Station is a megatropolis surrounding a dying star. That fusion flash fuels the ships and rail lines between civilizations and dimensions, making Nova Station the confluence of a million worlds, billions of species, and trillions of travellers crossing the vast galaxy. Its urban core is in constant flux as new platforms are constructed, and of course there are always delays, accidents, and challenges for residents and those caught in the liminal space between one station and the next. But there is always hope in how neighbors come together, strangers become friends, and even the darkest, vastest expanse can be navigated.

Dramatis Personae

Name: Otta Ordalla
Occupation: Astro botanist
Home Planet: Tyto
Bio: 
After two years trekking across the left leg of the galaxy, Otta Ordalla still hasn’t seen one measly bottle cap spud. Grandma Nimbus spoke often about cracking open a spud on the porch launchpad while watching the two suns set, but those suns burned out decades ago, and Grandma Nimbus remembers less each day. The odds of finding a healthy bottle cap spud are less than zilch. 

Otta’s luck might just turn around though. Nova Station has its fair share of time hiccups. What better place for an extinct plant to put down roots? Perhaps a detour is in order.

Name: Leland O'Donnel
Occupation: Novasphere Engineer
Home Planet: Ganymede
Bio: 
Humans are often employed as construction workers for the grandest of interstellar projects; they are quick problem solvers, rarely allergic to matter manipulation substances, and their labor is cheap. Leland has been doing this work his whole life, and as any sparkitecht can tell you it's a job that only ends with the heat death of the universe.

Leland can be difficult to befriend, but he doesn't need many friends. He has Wallop and the stars. After each shift the two sit on the periphery of the construction site, far from the noise of Nova Station's busy transfer stations, and watch the cosmos spin.

Name: Wallop
Occupation: Electrical Service Animal
Home Planet: Keyuu/bhe
Bio: 
The Keyú are considered Class O lifeforms, and with their lack of translatable communication patterns they cannot hold official office or be considered galactic citizens. In fact, many species (such as Yangonocts from Chiro) are extremely allergic to Keyú due to their ability to conduct, dampen, store, and discharge various electomagnetic and related energy waves. Wallop met their owner after saving him from a fatal Jovian thundertyphoon, and has been fiercely loyal ever since.

Name: Toto Bambino
Occupation: Mixologist (Bartender)
Home Planet: Chiro
Bio:
Toto Bambino is all adventured out. No more lightspeed racing around [REDACTED], or back alley fights on the streets of [REDACTED]. And absolutely no more [REDACTED] on [REDACTED], especially since he’s been banned for three lifetimes from that neck of the solar system. All Toto’s heart desires is kicking back at Nova Station and slinging cocktails behind the cantina bar. Of course, adventure has a soft spot for the unwilling. She might have to take a seat at his bar and order trouble on the rocks.

Name: Amorellis Ventricula
Occupation:Evacuee
Home Planet: 'Uphph
Bio: 
The planet of 'Uphph is technically not yet removed from the intergalactic registry, but over the last 200 cycles has drifted perilously close to its stars. All inhabitants of the once populous planet are now in freefall, seeking refugee status on any planet that can house them. Amorellis Ventricula (Ven to her friends) is trying to preserve as much of her home's culture and life as possible while watching millennia of histories burn.

The Amorellis family isn't one of the wealthy that escaped 'Uphph early, but they have been filling the seed vaults and salt storage data centers with everything they can. Now their broken vessel is stranded on Nova Station - the infinite fuel from the timelocked star can't repair their ship, and even if it could they have nowhere to go next.

Name: A.N.G.E.L. (Autonomous Navigation Guidance Evangelical Liaison)
Occupation: Ship Deployment and Traffic Controller
Home Planet: Nova Station
Bio:
Angel was discovered one day waking from a long slumber underneath the surface and rising into a new era with a new species of people and travellers visiting the planet. Enjoying the hustle and bustle of the new city life before her, Angel quickly adapted, helping the new skyfaring people of the city by blessing their voyages and giving them a ‘helping hand’ by forcefully thrusting them into space. This reputation eventually led to the locals referring to her as ‘The Angel of Nova Station’ . The title sounds silly to her but still manages to give the big robot a giggle and smile.

Angel can from time to time deploy her ‘little sister’ a smaller and more manageable version of herself dedicated to exploring the station without setting off the richter meter.

Original art by Candice Kang

Office Hours

If you want to talk about your story or have any questions we will have open office hours with volunteers on the Cryptic Conservatory discord.

Discord Name : @DivineShadow777

Discord Name : @therobinhart

FAQ

Do I have to use these characters?

No! The city description can be interpreted many different ways, and the only requirement for making an entry that will be accepted is that your story be set, at least in part, on Nova Station. All other artistic choices (if you want to use the art assets provided, if you want to take inspiration from the characters and events provided, what kind of gameplay you want to use, &c.) are entirely yours.

Does it have to be a game?

Nope - if you have an idea for a story but aren't confident in making something deeply interactive then entries of static text, or comics, or artistic renders, are still valid entries as long as they are set in the city of Nova Station as described above. 

If you are new to writing for games the organizers would ask you to consider branching out by using one of the technologies listed below (such as Ren'Py, which the demo is in) in which you can make something interactive but still linear (such as a click-through visual novel). Organizers and volunteers are happy to answer questions and provide support on the Cryptic Conservatory discord server.

Who can enter?

Your entry can be made solo or with a team of other writers, artists, composers, editors, whomever you want to work with; be sure to credit all members involved in the production.

How are entries judged?

After submissions close on August 1st there will be a two week voting period for public voting and private judging. On August 17th the results will be revealed for the top voted entry and unique awards. More details will be revealed when the jam starts.

What can I make my game in?

You may use whatever game dev tools feel comfortable - any engine, middleware, or assets that you can (legally) use you are welcome to. Because this is a narrative-focused game jam you may find it easier to use a simple toolset. If you are undecided the organizers recommend checking out these:

Ren'Py (Doki Doki Literature Club, Bad End Theater, Katawa Shoujo)

Ink (80 Days, Sable, Signs of the Sojourner, Expelled!)

Twine (Depression Quest, Howling Dogs, Beyond the Chiron Gate)

Can I use generative AI to create code, art, writing, or music?

No. The use of any generative AI tools will disqualify an entry in this game jam.

Additional Credits

"Delta Heavy" font by Francis Foyne