NetworkChronicles

175 stars after the first alpha. That number says something about the gap this fills.

NetworkChronicles is a terminal-based adventure game that turns the tedious task of Linux infrastructure documentation into a cyberpunk mystery. You play as a system administrator investigating your predecessor's disappearance — and the investigation requires you to actually explore and document your real Linux environment.

The idea

Documentation is the most important thing nobody does. Every sysadmin knows they should document their infrastructure. Almost nobody does it consistently, because the work is boring, repetitive, and feels like overhead until the day you need it and don't have it.

What if documentation was the game? What if running ip route or nmap unlocked story elements? What if mapping your network topology advanced the plot?

That's NetworkChronicles. Real commands, real output, real learning — wrapped in a narrative that gives you a reason to keep going.

How it works

The game runs in your terminal and integrates with your actual infrastructure. When you run commands to explore your environment, NetworkChronicles captures the output and uses it to build a "digital twin" — a map of your infrastructure that grows as you play.

Real commands unlock story elements. Run ip addr and you're not just checking interfaces — you're discovering clues about what your predecessor was working on. Run nmap on a subnet and you might find a machine that shouldn't be there.

XP-based progression. Documenting a new host earns experience points. Mapping a network segment levels you up. Finding hidden services unlocks cryptic messages from the previous admin.

Auto-documentation. As you play, NetworkChronicles builds actual documentation of your network topology. The game output is the documentation. When you're done, you have a real record of your infrastructure.

Challenges that teach. The game presents tasks that require real sysadmin skills — tracing a route, analyzing a packet capture, reading system logs. You learn by doing, with narrative motivation to keep going.

Who it's for

New sysadmins learning Linux. Experienced admins who need to document an unfamiliar environment. Anyone who has ever stared at a blank documentation template and closed the tab.

The cyberpunk aesthetic isn't random — it matches the terminal environment and makes the mundane feel like investigation. When checking your DNS configuration is framed as "tracing a communication intercept," it hits different.

Current state

Alpha release, 175+ GitHub stars. The core game loop works. The narrative is expanding. Community contributions welcome.

Links: GitHub