Welcome to a deep-dive in the lore and mechanics of Solid State Machine, MemoryCore’s take on tactical espionage, and one of the two games included with the basic tier level of the campaign.
As you’d expect from a Kojima-inspired action stealth game, Solid State Machine alternates between stealth, action, drama, mind-bending moments… And cardboard boxes.
You are the Vesper Squad: an elite infiltration unit sent to Ark-9, an Arctic research platform seized by the Ghost Guard (ex Vespers gone rogue), led by the legendary Old Root. They've made no demands. No threats. Nothing. Your objective is to get in, uncover the truth, and stop them before the situation escalates beyond control.
Choose one of four pre-generated characters; the unflinching leader Silent Sage, the master-blaster Fire Bloom, the techno-ninja Cyber Thorn, or the legendary hacker Specter Seed… And jump straight into the action.
Solid State Machine is built around a simple idea: stealth isn’t passive. You don’t roll to stay hidden. You roll while acting in stealth: moving, hacking, sabotaging, taking down enemies. Every action carries risk, and every roll can shift the balance. This is reflected by the Alert Level, tracked by the Game Disc. The more noise you make, the more pressure builds. Raise the Alert, and the game responds immediately: enemies reposition, reinforcements arrive, situations spiral. There’s a constant, escalating tension you can feel at the table.
Information becomes your most valuable resource. You study patrol patterns, predict enemy behavior, analyze environmental elements (traps, shortcuts, and objects that can serve as distractions) and choose when to act, or when to hold back. A direct approach is always possible, but rarely optimal. Solid State Machine rewards planning, observation, and timing over brute force.
Your tools matter just as much as your decisions. Solid State Machine is built around a gadget-first philosophy: decoys, disguises, stun devices, explosives, and the most technologically advanced device of all: a cardboard box. Gear opens entirely new approaches: a locked door isn’t an obstacle if you can bypass it. A guard isn’t a threat if you can misdirect them.
And when the Alert rises and things go loud, encounters become tighter, faster, more dangerous. What started as a clean infiltration can quickly turn into a desperate extraction. Bosses push this even further. Rule-bending adversaries don’t just hit harder, they change how the game works, forcing players to adapt and rethink their strategies. Some might even return across multiple missions!
Like every MemoryCore game, Solid State Machine runs on the same core system, but everything around it is tuned to deliver a specific fantasy: the tension of staying unseen, the pressure of being discovered, and the constant trade-off between stealth, action and dramatic moments
This TTRPG will be included in every pledge level and features Shinkawa-inspired artwork by Howard Yung-Tzu-Chin, and striking low-poly characters by the mighty Albert Buscio.
Your decisions matter!
By following this Launch Party, you can choose what will end up being included in the product. Last week we asked you what weapon would be ideal for Gunslinger Gorse, one of the bosses in Solid State Machine. The Single Action Army Revolver won by a landslide, and it’ll be included as a MemoryCard item in Solid State Machine! Now you have another choice to make…
Our second poll is still dedicated to Solid State Machine, and this time you're shaping the game world itself. In the Action Stealth genre, the battlefield isn't just for background: its layout, its atmosphere, its interactive elements all influence the action! When we think about action-stealth classics, certain images keep coming back. Two animals, in particular, never left us: crows and wolves. Both fit the genre. Both feel right. You'll decide which one makes it in!
