Kids on Bikes grows up and blasts off with RPG sequel Teens in Space

Stranger Things-y roleplaying game Kids on Bikes is venturing into the universe of sci-fi with the second game based on the RPG’s light storytelling system, Teens in Space.

Where Kids on Bikes took inspiration from ‘80s tales of plucky kids uncovering mysteries in their hometown, such as E.T., It and Stand By Me, Teens in Space leaves the Earthly locales behind in favour of a whole cosmos to explore.

In our review, Richard Jansen-Parkes found Kids in Bikes to be a light but dependable experience for generating interesting stories together with friends, saying that the game’s depth is found “not in terms of rules and mechanics, but in requiring everyone to play along and put some effort into crafting an enjoyable story”.

Designed by Kids on Bikes creators Jonathan Gilmour and Doug Levandowski, and illustrated by Heather Vaughan, Teens in Space features rules for creating characters in a variety of species based on sci-fi tropes, much like Kids on Bikes’ ‘powered’ cast of supernaturally-talented outsiders inspired by movies.

The players also create their own spaceship, which can engage in space battles as the crew of characters seek out adventures in the galaxy.

As the name suggests, Teens seems to have a slightly more mature tone in mind than Kids, with gunfights and the pursuit of profit both mentioned as factors in players’ hijinks. (The game itself is said to be suitable for ages eight and up.)

Teens in Space will also be a more substantial offering than Kids on Bikes’ slimline core rules, coming in at almost twice the length: 122 pages. Even so, it’s described as still being focused on “streamlined world-building and storytelling”.

Teens in Space is said to be designed for groups of between two and six people, with a GM required to drive each story-focused session.

The RPG will be released this August, with a US price tag of $25 – so expect the UK RRP to be around the same mark as Kids on Bike’s £20 book.