When Earth is attacked by a devastatingly hostile fleet of unknown origin, the last remaining ships carrying what is left of humanity must find a way to work together and continue to survive out in the harshness of space, pursued relentlessly by the alien fleet. Your handful of ships of numerous classes will need to be maintained, fueled and kept stocked with the means to fight whatever you may come across. People left is a number that can only tick downwards as you struggle to feed, entertain and make life or death decisions with every planetary mission to find the resources to keep the fleet functional... Fragile Existence is a space real-time strategy with tactical pause, where you control the fate of a set fleet as they move from system to system, encountering ruined colonies, vicious alien lifeforms and harsh environments, taking part in RTS-style ground missions on procedural worlds with fleet support, manufacturing and researching, in a survival twist on the classic 4X formula.
Leader characters belong to a specialisation (command, engineering, science, medicine, aviation, warfare, civilian) and can be moved between ships/units via support units such as the Shuttle. Leader characters gain new skills as their collective specialisation is upgraded, with all leaders of a certain type gaining access to that particular upgrade. Distinctiveness is gained through specific items and experience, with the first project or application of a new technology or insight generally needing to be overseen by their presence.