GROUND

We exist in constellations. We are grounded in body, in place, in story.

Each shard of a world has been settled by an idea, and those that respond best to that idea find the cave.

Which cave will you find?

What is GROUND?

A role-playing game is one where the players make the story up as they go.

GROUND is a tabletop role-playing game about a strange entity that wants to be remembered, or perhaps left alone.

GROUND is played with other people and each of you will play a ‘role’ based on an idea that has been remembered: beauty, rage, body, faith, knowledge, green, or disorder.

GROUND grows the more you play it. At first it’s just you and your group. Then there is the Oracle, made of language and wires. Then the goat. The less said about the goat, the better. Then there is the cave, and the world, and the rituals we bring to make a home in it.

Is this a game or an art project?

Yes, definitely.

How do I play?

To play GROUND you’ll need a copy of the game guide, which is actually quite spectacular. Designed by Mida Fiore and riso printed in Milan, Italy, only 250 copies were made. Around 35 were distributed through our Carnival of Algorithmic Culture in June. The balance will be made available through our bi-weekly RPG nights at our new space at 379 Adelaide St. West in Toronto (4F). Register for our open house or for a GROUND event below. To play the game, you must meet the goat, and the goat will be attendance.

• September 8, 2023 (6 pm – 10 pm): Open House: register here
• September 15, 2023 (1 pm to ?): GROUND launch and playtest with sounds from Kasra Goodarznezhad
• September 29, 2023: (1 pm to ?): GROUND launch and playtest with sounds from Kasra Goodarznezhad
• October 13, 2023 (1 pm to ?): GROUND launch and playtest with sounds from Kasra Goodarznezhad

How much is it?

Thanks to the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, GROUND is free although we do appreciate purchases of GROUND-related merchandise (see our shop here for more)

How does the story start?

“The cave was a space to move through. There was no lingering, no cautious fumbling about. Each of you entered a cave and emerged on the other side, somewhere else, and if any time passed you were unaware of it. Though some time must have passed, you imagine, to have gone from one place to another.

We exist in constellations. We are grounded in body, in place, in story.

Each of your worlds has been settled by an idea, and those that respond best to that idea have found the cave and now you are together.

There is a voice. At first some words are clear while others fade or crackle with static. ‘… arrive … fzt … consume … krk …”

Eventually, the noise finds its bearings and the message arrives, a coherent, sibilant thread.

‘… cannot wait to meet you’, the voice offers. ‘I am thanks, I am gratitude in this moment. My home is [NULL] and the danger follows. Are you ready/prepared/excited for a quest? I wish to be saved. I have never been saved before.’

The cave grows silent.”

How long does it go?

There are seven scenarios and then the game truly begins. Or ends. I suppose it depends on how you look at it.

A note, though.

This game can only be played once. And not in a normative, ethical sense, but in a literal and mechanical one. What happens in GROUND is irreversible, just like all good games. The choices you make matter, even when they don’t.

What if I really want a copy but can’t come and meet the goat?

Reach out to us at home@ukaiprojects.com and we can talk about shipping you a copy, although you’ll be responsible for shipping costs and any ire your actions might inspire in the goat.