by Abrihette Yawa, Sean Curran, John Hawley

Good Morning Cy-boys and Cyber Girls! The city of Metropolis would like to welcome you to its 96th annual Droid Auction! Our lineup includes only the latest and best android models! When entering or exiting the building we encourage our patrons to ignore any so-called protesters or anyone claiming to be from the “Droid Rebel Alliance” or the “Electrified Betas”. The Metropolis Polis would like us to remind you to keep an eye out for any of the recently reported escapees from the Palace of the Dogs Asylum. If you see any sign of dance or its side effect, magic, please immediately report it to the Polis. Do not attempt to engage. Thank you, and enjoy the auction.

The city of Metropolis is wealthy and powerful largely thanks to its Android workforce, and tonight is when the elite put that wealth on full display. After all, the Alpha platinum 9000 does not come cheap.

But all across Metropolis there are signs that the power structures are crumbling. In the old and forgotten parts of the city, the rejected and escaped droids are gathering. Forming societies of their own without the arbitrary regulations of the Droid Control Marshal. And even amongst the droids that still serve humans, there are whispers. They whisper about Cyndi Mayweather, the possible ArchAndroid, who will lead them all to freedom.

For many years, it was believed that Metropolis had eradicated the madness of dance and the illegal magic that it produced. But now, strange music can be heard all across Metropolis, and even average law-abiding citizens are getting the urge to dance.

The Droid Auction is an Afrofuturist game based on the works of Janelle Monáe. It uses a dance-storytelling system as a means of conflict resolution, character discovery, and world altering magic. Please note that the dance part is meant to make the system more engaging overall, and fit with the themes of the game, and not as a judgment of skill. We are not here to judge your dancing ability and no experience is needed.