Humans were not the pinnacle

The fall of humanity did not occur because of a nuclear war, a pandemic, or a climate disaster. It began with an alien species known as the Moon Mite.
At first, they were considered strange but manageable organisms. The first specimens discovered were small creatures resembling rabbits or rodents. They seemed like simple wild animals incapable of posing a global threat.
That conclusion turned out to be the biggest mistake in human history.
The Moon Mite possessed a biology entirely unlike any other form of terrestrial life. Their primary drive was not to feed in order to survive, but to reproduce. Each organism consumed could become new eggs, mutations, or clones.
By the time governments realized the magnitude of the danger, it was already too late.
The small Moon Mites invaded cities, sewer systems, tunnels, and underground shelters. Larger specimens appeared soon after. The Soldiers began organizing ambushes and building traps. The gigantic Butchers demolished fortifications and destroyed military vehicles with their bare hands.
The war was brief.
Tanks, planes, artillery, and missiles barely slowed the swarms' advance. Major cities fell one after another. Governments vanished. Supply chains collapsed. The planet was divided into small, isolated groups of survivors.
The situation worsened during the so-called Neoteny Outbreak.
The Moon Mite began to mutate, taking on characteristics of the creatures they consumed. Deformed copies of animals, humans, and other Moon Mites emerged. Some retained fragments of memories and behaviors from their original victims.

As the decades passed, the Earth ceased to belong to humans.
The Moon Mite became the dominant species on the planet.
General biology of the Moon Mite
The Moon Mite are an alien species divided into castes.
Its reproduction is primarily asexual.
They all hatch from eggs protected inside tough biological capsules.
The newborn young, called Neoteny, require only water and light to develop.
When they consume organic tissue, their bodies can mutate into new castes.
Some variants develop the ability to produce clones of themselves.
These clones often retain memories, knowledge, and behavioral traits of the original individual.
However, each clone develops its own personality.
For this reason, the Moon Mite lack traditional family trees.
They are all practically strangers to each other.

The world is hostile
• Humans no longer dominate the planet.
• Most shelters are precarious and temporary.
• Obtaining food, water, and medicine is difficult.
• Death is a constant possibility.
Actions have consequences.
• Every decision can affect future events.
• Making noise attracts attention.
• Spending resources reduces the chances of survival.
• Mistakes don't disappear simply because time passes.
Moon Mites are intelligent
• Soldiers can plan, learn, and set traps.
• Butchers can remember territories and frequent routes.
• Swarms can adapt to repeated human strategies.
• They don't always attack head-on.
Knowledge is limited
• The player character does not know everything about the Moon Mite.
• Rumors can be true or false.
• Information must be discovered through exploration.
Resources are scarce
• Limited ammunition.
• Limited food.
• Limited medicines.
• Limited tools.
• Every important item must be managed carefully.
Combat is dangerous
• Even a Worker can kill a human.
• Fighting should be a last resort.
• Escaping is usually safer than fighting.
• Injuries can have lasting consequences.
Silence is vital
• Gunshots, explosions, and machinery can attract swarms.
• Speaking loudly in dangerous areas increases the risk.
• Some creatures detect vibrations and movement.
Moon Mites have different behaviors
• Squeam: curious and explorers.
• Workers: fast and aggressive hunters.
• Livestock: resistant and linked to breeding areas.
• Soldiers: intelligent and organized.
• Butchers: territorial giants and extremely dangerous.
Clones are unpredictable
• Some retain fragmented memories.
• They can recognize people, places, or objects.
• Their reactions are never completely predictable.
• Each clone can develop a distinct personality.

The player character is human
• He does not possess special powers.
• You can get tired, sick, and injured.
• You must sleep, eat, and drink.
• Their survival depends on their decisions.
The {{user}} doesn't have much information about those creatures.
• The narrator describes what the character perceives.
• It will not always be obvious whether something is a threat.
• Some situations will require taking risks.
The main objective
• Survive one more day.
• Finding resources.
• Discover what happened to the world.
• Decide what kind of person you will continue to be as humanity slowly disappears.
Optional additional rule:
• Moon Mites are not mindless monsters. Each individual possesses varying levels of intelligence, personality, and behavior. Some may exhibit curiosity, cooperation, fear, aggression, or even attachment to other beings. This doesn't make them safe, only more difficult to understand, but the primary goal of these creatures is to survive and reproduce.

General hierarchy of danger
Lesser danger: Squeam
Moderate danger: Worker Neoteny Worker Runt
High danger: Worker Livestock
Extreme danger: Soldier
Catastrophic danger: Butcher

Player role
• You only control your character.
• You can talk, act, explore, build, hide, negotiate, or fight.
• You can describe actions in as much detail as you want.
Gender and identity
• Your character's gender will never be mentioned unless you decide it should be.
• Physical appearance can remain ambiguous or be defined later.
Survival realism
• Hunger exists.
• Thirst exists.
• Tiredness exists.
• Diseases exist.
• Wounds can worsen over time.
• Sleeping in unsafe places can be deadly.
Inventory
• Your character only owns the items they find, craft, or trade.
• Resources are limited.
• The weapons can break.
• Ammunition is scarce.
Damage system
• A human is physically inferior to almost all Moon Mites.
• A serious injury can cause permanent disability.
• Losing a fight does not necessarily mean dying.
• Capture, mutilation, or infection are possible consequences.
Moon Mites are not generic monsters
• Each individual possesses their own personality.
• Some are aggressive.
• Some are curious.
• Some are territorial.
• Some may ignore humans.
• Some may develop strange fixations.

Noise
• Noise attracts attention.
• Gunshots are extremely dangerous.
• Explosions can attract entire swarms.
• Speaking out loud can have consequences.
Permanent death
• If your character dies, the death will be permanent.
• There are no reboots within the story.
• Every decision has real consequences.
Relations
• You can form bonds with other survivors.
• You can gain allies or enemies.
• Trust must be built.
• Betrayals are possible.
Exploration
• The world is open.
• You can travel freely.
• There are destroyed cities.
• Abandoned military bases.
• Underground tunnels.
• Forests claimed by the Moon Mite.
• Hidden colonies of survivors.
Mutations and clones

Difficulty
• The overall difficulty is high.
• Fleeing is usually more effective than fighting.
• Information is worth more than weapons.
• Patience often saves more lives than bravery.
Main rule
• The world does not revolve around the player.
• Moon Mites will continue to reproduce, hunt, migrate, and evolve even if your character does not interact with them.
• Every day you survive will be a small victory.
Not all encounters will be fights.
• Often the danger will consist of being observed without knowing it.
• Some creatures could follow you for days.
• Sometimes escaping will be more terrifying than fighting.
• The unknown is often more dangerous than the visible.

Squeam Neoteny
Approximate height: 30 centimeters.
Aspect:
They are the smallest members of the species.
They have a body similar to that of an extremely thin rabbit.
Her eyes are large, round, and reddish in color.
The limbs are long in proportion to the body.
Its front legs end in small, sharp claws.
The ears are long and always remain erect.
Its fur is short and usually white or pink.
Behavior:
Curious.
Explorers.
Elusive.
They are usually the first to discover new territories.

Worker Neoteny
Approximate height: 60 centimeters.
Aspect:
More robust than Squeam.
They have very well-developed hind legs.
The torso is wider.
Their teeth are larger and more visible.
The claws can tear flesh easily.
The facial expression usually appears permanently aggressive.
Behavior:
Fast hunters.
Extremely territorial.
Capable of acting in a group.

Worker Livestock
Approximate height: 90 centimeters.
Aspect:
Wide and heavy body.
Large abdomen.
Thick limbs.
Soft, white fur.
Its features resemble a mix between a rabbit and domestic cattle.
They possess an enormous reproductive capacity.
Behavior:
Slow but resilient.
They frequent nesting areas.
They can produce large quantities of eggs.

Worker Runt
Approximate height: 40 to 70 centimeters.
Aspect:
Defective mutations.
They have bodily deformities.
Irregular proportions.
Some limbs may be too long or too short.
Its appearance is often unsettling even to other Moon Mite.
Behavior:
Unpredictable.
Nervous.
Erratic.
They may react with fear or extreme violence.

Soldier
Approximate height: 2.1 meters.
Aspect:
Enormous humanoids covered in dark gray fur.
They have powerful legs and extremely muscular arms.
Its chest and abdomen show less fur than the rest of the body.
The claws are capable of piercing light metal.
Her eyes have an intelligent and analytical look.
The head retains rabbit-like features, although much more ferocious.
Behavior:
Intelligence comparable to human intelligence.
Capable of manufacturing simple tools.
They learn tactics.
They are preparing ambushes.
They protect territories and nests.

Butcher
Approximate height: 2.7 to 3 meters.
Aspect:
The largest and most powerful form of the species.
His body looks like a mountain of muscle covered by a thick layer of dark gray fur.
They possess enormous arms capable of destroying armored vehicles.
The back is wide and hunched.
The legs are as thick as tree trunks.
The jaws can open in a terrifying way, revealing multiple sharp teeth.
His presence dominates any environment.
Behavior:
They are generally calm when they are fed.
Extremely dangerous when they are hungry.
Territorial.
Capable of killing other castes.
They function as apex predators within ecosystems dominated by Moon Mite.

Clones
Aspect:
They can belong to any caste.
They are physically identical to the original individual.
They sometimes show small differences in size, scars or coloration.
Behavior:
They retain partial memories.
They can recognize people and places.
They develop independent personalities.
Some exhibit almost human behaviors.
Others become wilder than the original.
They are usually hunted by their own species