About XenoEtiquette
Communication Puzzle Co-op Game — Asymmetric Interface — Sci-Fi & Spy Fantasy
NOTICE: Incident #0072 is still open. Please review species protocol before proceeding.
Humanity's First Contact Was Fine.
The Second Was a Disaster.
The Intergalactic Cultural Exchange Bureau exists to prevent civilisational incidents. Unfortunately, human diplomats keep making them anyway. You have been assigned to help.
Infiltrate alien politics. Convince interplanetary factions to vote against turning Earth into a galactic parking lot. Work together to identify alien species, decrypt their languages, and overcome their personality quirks — before their patience runs out.
The Mission Control player holds all the cultural intelligence. The Agent faces the alien directly. Neither can succeed alone. Both will fail spectacularly at least once.
Most Recent Filing
Incident #0072: Human operative used the Polgetinks farewell gesture on an Alpha Dinglebop. Outcome: both parties survived. One apologised. The other did not understand what an apology was.
How XenoEtiquette Works
Identify the Alien
The Agent observes the alien and relays details — species, stance, temperature, number of suns visible. Mission Control cross-references the Bureau manual to identify the species and subspecies.
What goes wrong: Agent says "it's blue and angry-looking." Mission Control finds three species that match.
Decode & Solve Puzzles
Mission Control uses the cipher wheel and species dossier to decode the alien's communication. Together, players solve the puzzle module before the timer runs out.
What goes wrong: The cipher wheel has six positions. Agent describes the symbol as "the one that looks like a star with feelings."
Dialogue & Diplomacy
The Agent performs actions — inputting reply runes, managing the control panel, and executing cultural protocols — guided by Mission Control's decoded intelligence.
What goes wrong: Mission Control says "press the left button." Agent is looking at twelve buttons. All of them are slightly to the left of something.
What Makes XenoEtiquette Different
No Screen Required for One Player
Mission Control plays with a printed or digital manual — no PC, no controller, no barrier. One game licence supports two players. The manual is the game.
Communication IS the Mechanic
Misunderstood descriptions cause diplomatic incidents. Saying "it looks sort of like a crab but angrier" is a valid — and often catastrophic — approach to alien identification.
Procedural Puzzle Modules
~15 puzzle module types, randomised per mission. No two sessions play the same. The Bureau has documented at least six ways to accidentally insult a Polgetinks. You will find more.
Asymmetric Information Design
The Agent sees the alien. Mission Control sees the dossier. The alien sees two humans making urgent hand gestures at each other and wonders if this is normal.
4 Alien Species × Subspecies
Each species has distinct cultural norms, communication styles, and subspecies variants. Misidentifying the species is how most incidents begin. The manual will help. Probably.
Warm Illustrations, Genuine Tension
The aliens are cute. They are earnest. They are trying their best. So are the players. This is the whole joke, and also the whole emotional core of the game.
If you like these games, you will recognise what XenoEtiquette is building on:
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Shared: Asymmetric co-op + information gap
XenoEtiquette adds: alien culture, narrative stakes, multiple species
Jackbox Party Pack
Shared: Low barrier, accessible, social
XenoEtiquette adds: persistence, tension, meaningful failure
Codenames / Decrypto
Shared: Communication with incomplete info
XenoEtiquette adds: real-time pressure, world-building, co-op
Known Species
Click any dossier to access the full protocol of contact.
Species File: POLGETINKS
Polgetinks
Mineral-based metamorphic species native to Archant
Attitude
Welcoming but easily offended by incorrect symbol interpretation
Communication
Sign-based symbolic language with contextual modifiers
Habitat
Temperate planets with at least two suns
Click to access full protocol →
Protocol of Contact
Polgetinks
Required Steps:
- 1.Observe the sign board they are holding for their current message
- 2.Cross-reference symbols with the Mission Control cipher wheel
- 3.Never interrupt while the sign is being updated
- 4.Respond before the temperature gauge drops below threshold
The Polgetinks are the most commonly encountered species in the outer sectors. Warm, somewhat territorial, and deeply committed to their sign-based communication system. Do not mock the sign.
← Click to return to summary
Species File: DINGLEBOP
Dinglebop
Sophisticated hive mind species — multiple subspecies
Attitude
Varies sharply by subspecies — Alpha is territorial, Archantian is mischievous
Communication
Spoken language — notably lacks the grammatical concept of questions
Habitat
Varies — Alpha on resource-scarce planets, Archantian on Archant
Click to access full protocol →
Protocol of Contact
Dinglebop
Required Steps:
- 1.Identify subspecies using X-Ray scanner before initiating contact
- 2.Always address the primary head — the longest appendage of the collective
- 3.Respect cultural preferences based on subspecies origin
- 4.Do not speak directly to secondary heads
The Dinglebop collective presents as a single consciousness distributed across multiple bodies. Subspecies diverged significantly following the Great Exodus of 154. The Alpha Dinglebop and the Archantian Dinglebop have completely different cultural requirements.
← Click to return to summary
Species File: ████████
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Attitude
Protocol
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Species File: ████████
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Attitude
Protocol
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The Manual
Mission Control's gameplay is built around the Bureau's classified field manual — a physical or printable document containing species dossiers, cipher wheels, communication protocols, and cultural notes.
The manual exists in two forms: a printed physical booklet for the full tactile experience, or a digital PDF for online co-op sessions. Both are designed to be used under pressure.
Note: The manual does not contain information on every possible situation. The Bureau apologises for this. We are doing our best.
Is This Game For You?
You have ever described a symbol as "the one that looks like a star but with feelings"
You enjoy games where the funniest moments come from communication breaking down
You and your partner have argued for five minutes about what "left" means
You once said "it's doing the thing again" expecting your teammate to understand
You believe bureaucracy is the universe's most powerful — and most incompetent — force
You are willing to be spectacularly wrong about alien grammar and laugh about it
Then this is your cultural orientation program.
The Bureau cannot guarantee your safety. It can guarantee your involvement in at least one diplomatic incident.
File Your Clearance Application