Learn Italian: Facciamo che eri un pirata spaziale e avevi fame. - Let's pretend you were a space pirate and you were hungry.

This is the imperfetto ludico (playful imperfect). It is used to set up imaginary scenarios, like kids assigning roles in a game. Using a past tense creates a step away from present reality to show that we are entering a simulated, make-believe world.

Since 'facciamo che' introduces an imaginary scenario, shouldn't it trigger the subjunctive?

In formal grammar, yes, expressions of pretending usually take the subjunctive (like facciamo finta che tu sia...). However, the imperfetto ludico is a special colloquial exception. When setting up a game or playful scenario, Italians naturally drop the subjunctive and use the imperfect indicative instead.

Is 'facciamo che' the standard way to say 'let's pretend'?

Yes, especially in the context of games or hypotheticals. It literally means 'let us make that', but it translates perfectly to 'let's say that' or 'let's pretend'. Another very common alternative is facciamo finta che (let's make believe that).

Why is it 'avevi fame' instead of a translation using the verb 'to be'?

Remember that Italian uses the verb avere (to have) for physical sensations like hunger, thirst, and being cold. So instead of 'you were hungry', you literally say 'you had hunger'. Because the sentence's roleplay is set in the make-believe imperfect, the present-tense hai fame becomes avevi fame.