Nasa D&D adventure wants to remind you that space is cool, actually

A dragon coiled around the Earth, with the Hubble Telescope in clear view — (Image credit: NASA)

Nasa just launched its own D&D adventure about saving the Hubble Telescope, because science.

In a surprise crossover, US space agency Nasa dropped a D&D module that's very keen to remind you that space is cool, actually. OK, so the official trailer (starring a gloriously 2000s CG dragon at the one minute mark) doesn't do itself any favors with a… well, a rather intense approach. But aside from old chestnuts like "the answer will blow you away," credit has to be given for the 40 something-page book with its own, unique world.

Namely, it differs from many of the best tabletop RPGs by setting itself in our universe. To be precise, it pulls something of a Narnia – players from Earth find themselves in their characters' bodies on an alien, rogue planet hurtling through space. (Teleportation shenanigans are to blame, if you were wondering.) I know it's a rogue planet because the D&D adventure is at great pains to explain all things astronomy to readers.

Actually, this Nasa handout feels an awful lot like those stealth educational games you might have played at school. You know, the ones where you think you're going on a swords-and-sorcery mission but you actually end up using long division or the power of friendship to defeat monsters.

That's not a bad thing, of course. It's just worth bearing in mind if you don't think you'll cope with thinly veiled lessons like "Eirik linked to the Hubble Space Telescope after learning of its observations that have propelled understanding of black holes and dark energy (similar to the energy of the vacuum) on Earth, and copied data that he and select other researchers used to help decode some of the mysteries of their own planet and further drive new areas of research."

You can check out the adventure itself here. If you'd rather tackle traditional D&D instead, check out our guide to the best Dungeons and Dragons books.

For more recommendations, be sure to check out the best board games and the best card games.

I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, and now manage GamesRadar+'s tabletop gaming and toy coverage. You'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news.