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I ran this Contract for my Hc Svnt Dracones group several weeks ago, and I have to say, we had an absolute blast.
For some context, this particular group of mine has been playing HSD regularly for a year now; many of the Contracts/modules/adventures I've run for them have involved some form of combat in one way or another, though with only a few stand-out examples, my players have done a very interesting and entertaining job of finding (or creating) ways to avoid actually engaging in combat -- this has usually involved either an application of their combined skills and knowledge, a diplomatic or roleplay-heavy engagement and dialogue, or a combination of the two. My group generally enjoys a chance to think their way through problems, engage with the characters (both PC and NPC) in the setting/world, and giving themselves a reason to succeed by becoming invested in those around them.
Hope is a Contract that was, without exagerration, the perfect Contract to run for my group.
Unlike many other Contracts (modules, adventures, whatever word you're familiar with) and events for player characters that can happen in this setting, Hope does not include any form -- any possibility -- of combat. Not to say that having a lot of combat in a TTRPG is bad, far from it -- it's just that this Contract in particular is notably designed from the start to not have any combat-related events take place involving the players. The party is hired to chaperone a group of teenagers -- between two and three dozen students from a successful school, around ages 14-16 -- for a week on a space station.
The duties the party members have include ensuring the safety of the students, monitoring them as they engage in their day-to-day "summer camp" style activites, and (a surprisingly fun part) offer to teach a few classes to the students during the days. The classes are not predetermined: they're entirely made up by the player characters, meaning players can come up with and offer to teach classes based on specific skills in which their characters excel.
As an example, here are the classes that my group came up with and offered to the students during the Contract (along with the skills around which the classes were based):
Orbital Dynamics, Kinematics, and Research Opportunities in Science (Science)
Medical Interventions in Microgravity (Medicine)
Systems Management, Maintenance, and Repairs (Engineering)
Interpersonal and Departmental Communication in the Workplace (Communication)
Resource Management and Workplace Coordination (Protocol)
Health, Safety, and Motor Coordination in Microgravity (Athletics)
Station Operations (Operate)
Maintenance in Isolation and Limited-Resource Problem Solving (Sabotage -- in the sense of "getting equipment to do something it wasn't designed to do"; ie, the art of going Mark Watney / MacGyver on things)
During the week, players and their characters have the chance to get to know the students and become invested in them and help them grow as young people -- you know, that thing teachers and guidance counselors do. Without spoiling anything, at some point during the week, something catastrophic and unexpected happens, and the players must race to save as many lives as they can -- both the lives of the students, and themselves. This is an adventure where player choices do matter, and the skills of paying attention to things and problem-solving are rewarded -- and a lack of these is punished. Through a series of choices and actions that my players made, both before and during the catastrophe, they managed to keep almost everyone alive... but it could easily have gone another way, and dozens could have died had my players been inattentive at the table and cavalier about the lives of NPCs and the responsibilities of their own characters.
This was fun from the very beginning, nail-bitingly tense when the chips were down, and incredibly rewarding and satisfying at the end when my players could look back and see how their own actions had directly impacted the lives of the students they saved.
I would absolutely recommend this for any group that enjoys roleplay-heavy sessions, dialogue, conversations, getting to know characters, and overcoming challenges through skill, critical thinking, and problem solving. This might not be the best Contract to run for a group of, shall we say, "murderhobos" -- but it could easily be used to give a battle-hardened or stone-hearted soldier/mercenary type something to care about for a week. I hope your players have as much fun playing this as my group did, and I hope you enjoy running it as much as I did!
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