Rivet Imp

The repair is part of the adventure

A broken machine is usually the obstacle between a player and the interesting part. Rivet Imp puts it at the center. The tug is not waiting for the game to begin after maintenance; choosing what to repair is already the game. That choice gives a small pile of plates and wire a meaning beyond its quantity.

The departure threshold creates a useful kind of enough. You can restore every module completely, but you do not have to. Leaving earlier means accepting less room for damage. Waiting means spending more turns and materials before seeing what is outside the dock. Neither choice needs a moral label to become interesting.

A return matters because it changes the next decision. Salvage replenishes the tray while damage creates another claim on it. The loop stays legible: the thing you brought home helps repair the thing that brought you home. That is a compact reason to care about a vessel without inventing an enormous universe around it.

The local loop begins with recovering parts. Repairs spend plates or wire and raise module integrity by 30, capped at 100. All three modules need at least 60 before departure. A route consumes fuel; the encounter choice changes the salvage and damage on return. Recovering supplies at the dock remains possible when the inventory runs low, with turns as the cost.

Repair the hull and drive, then leave when every module reaches the threshold. Notice the consequence before adding another step. This presentation does not connect a hosted service or issue a token; its claim is the small interaction you can actually inspect.