Hi all! This is the week three set of my #33in28 reviews! The final post will go up on Sunday of next week. This week I’m covering a lot of self-care and meta type games like Ego and soulQUEST, but don’t worry, there’s still time to get Lost in the Deep. Enjoy!
A Game for those Who Left You
By Maria Mison
The General Idea
Genre Tags: solo, meta, micro-larp, characters, trauma
Replayable? Yes!
Actual Play Available? None available
Length: Short to Medium, Variable
A Game for those Who Left You is a micro-larp by Maria Mison created for the Session 0 jam. It is effectively one page, and focuses on recapturing the ability to speak the names of those who wronged you with a kinder tongue. Simple, but definitely intriguing! I also do love the brilliantly worded text. Keep in mind the text is in landscape, but the PDF keeps it in portrait – just rotating will set you right.
If you ever want a kick in the teeth with just a few paragraphs, pick up and read this game. I have not had the opportunity to play it, but the simple concept is to name your new roleplaying game character after a person from your past whose name you avoid now. This is really powerful, giving a new power to your ability to control the way you speak and what you speak about, to reassign meaning to something once traumatic or troubling.
I would advise that anyone doing this do so with safety tools in hand and keep in mind, your character can change their name far more easily than you. Please also make your fellow players aware of what you’re doing (you don’t have to provide details!) so they understand why you might flinch when they talk to you at first. But, using this game to address this kind of negative attachment to a name is a really smart way to get over baggage by replacing that person’s memory with the memory of a rad RPG character that you love! I also like that the text notes you can play it anytime, not just in RPGs.
A Game for those Who Left You is a meta micro-Larp by Maria Mison where you regain control of a name and more. A simple game that you play over your other roleplaying experiences using the name of someone who you would rather forget. With some caution, I think it’s a really bright approach to a common trouble! Check it out on itchio today!
Ego
By Sandy Pug Games
The General Idea
Genre Tags: solo, lonely, adventure, self-care, self-love, fantasy
Replayable? Yes!Actual Play Available? Not available
Length: Short to Medium, Journaling (At your own pace)
Ego is a short single player tabletop roleplaying game about trying to love yourself by Sandy Pug Games. It uses stats made into acts of self-love and self-improvement. Using simple question prompts, it guides players through doing acts that encourage those self-positive vibes.
You begin with a Name, a Class, and a Goal, and two or three Abilities based on your class. You also have items depleted in-character that you can replenish as you gain XP (gained after you journal on each of your stats), and likewise, you can build up new abilities and level up. It’s a pretty simple system, and the prompts are really great! Just reading it makes me want to play, but I also felt like it was a pretty private experience. Even as someone who plays a lot publicly and shares my personal life a lot, I will say if you want to play this, know that it’s okay for these things to be private, even if you’re a public creator like me! Still, give a good review to Sandy Pug Games if you like it. 🙂
Ego is laid out simply but stylistically with headers in black and red and the prompts in a handwritten style font. It uses icons to indicate whether things are an act of self-love (a heart) or an act of self-improvement (a plus sign), and the stats themselves are represented by icons – a brain, a flexed bicep, a book, a hand, an anatomical heart, and a thought bubble. Beside each of these, you write a single act of self-love or self-improvement. Each time you do these, you journal based on how good of a time you had – not the best time, a fine time, or an amazing time – each with their own questions to help guide your narrative in the journal.
I loved the character sheet included with the text, and the Legacy section where you can play again, picking up an item from the previous character to carry on in your new story. Even the examples of self-love (things like bathing or watching your favorite show) or self-improvements (vocal warmups, practicing a craft) are thoughtful and broadly applicable, not specific to people who want to get fit or learn specific skills, etc. It shows that the creator wasn’t trying to guide people towards some unspecified idea of perfection, but instead to a place where they truly find more love and respect for themselves. That’s really awesome!
Ego is a thoughtful roleplaying game that guides players to greater self-love and -improvement by Sandy Pug Games. I absolutely recommend playing this game even if you’re just looking for some positivity and storytelling practice in your life. If you really feel down on yourself a lot, something I can identify with, maybe this game could help you find something good to see in yourself – even if only through the lens of your adventurer. Check it out on itchio today!
I Need Your Strongest Potions
By Naomi Bosch a.k.a. beatingthebinary
The General Idea
Genre Tags: solo, lonely, self-care, fantasy, food, drink, ritual
Replayable? Yes!
Actual Play Available? Text is example
Length: Short to Medium, Journaling (At your own pace)
I Need Your Strongest Potions is a ritual for rest and hydration by Naomi Bosch. It uses the thematic framing of a fantasy or roleplaying game character seeking potions from a potion seller. It is focused on resting, refreshing, and doing so with beverages.
The layout of this single page ritual is so stunning, I truly love how simple and elegant it is, with the player reading through the question and response to find the right potion for the job. I also loved so much that nothing here focuses on alcohol or dulling the senses with intoxication. As someone in recovery, it felt really pleasant to see “mocktails” instead of some sort of booze in a fantastical setting, even on the social space section!
Each section has a type of potion sought (I go to face the TOILING DAY, I seek ENERGY to fuel me) and the suggested beverages (water, coffee, tea, smoothies). Water is always one of the options, but things like juice, electrolytes, cocoa – they all have their place. For me, cocoa is a major comfort beverage (I like it with toast!), and I love juice, but even just playing through this casually over the week made me realize that sometimes, tea or coffee is really comforting but also helps me get through hard days. That, and I can always drink more water (it got me back to using my water bottles)!
Overall, I think that this little ritual is very valuable, and something worth keeping on hand, especially if you struggle with self care in regards to healthy drinking habits (of any kind). It reminds you the purposes of different types of beverages, encourages moderation, and makes it fun! I think anyone can benefit from that kind of fun exercise.
I Need Your Strongest Potions is a healthful, mindful ritual about potions that rest and hydrate you by Naomi Bosch. It uses a fantasy framing to guide players to the right beverage choice for them. Have a drink and check it out on itchio today!
Lost in the Deep
By Diogo Nogueira
The General Idea
Genre Tags: solo, adventure, fantasy, lonely, block tower, cards, dice, journaling, survival, tokens, isolation
Replayable? Yes!
Actual Play Available? None in text
Length: Short to Medium, Journaling (At your own pace)
Lost in the Deep is a game about isolation, survival, and perseverance by Diogo Nogueira. The solo player is the last survivor of an expedition of dwarves, aiming to restore the Kingdom Under the Mother Mountain. It uses a block tower, d6 rolls, playing cards, and journaling to tell a deep story as inevitable as the mountains are tall.
This is a gorgeous game. The text is large and easy to read, the bullet lists and card symbols make things easy to navigate, and it’s also got lovely styled art and layout. I really like a game that fully embraces its vibe, and this game certainly does that!
To play the game, you set up a block tower, then roll a d6 and pull that number of blocks from the tower. You draw cards and put entries in your diary based on the Dwarven Runes that those cards represent. The Runes can give instruction to do a gamified action, or ask details about the journey. If the tower falls, the game is over – you refer to the cards you have drawn to tell what happened in the end, and how you met it so untimely. I love tower falling mechanics! This one has a great section on how the ending goes, as well.
I generally lean away from games with inevitable ends, to be frank. This game though? I was immediately dragged down to the Mines of Moria, alongside Durin’s folk, with the massively arching ceilings and cragged cliffs that lead down into dark endlessness that rises hard and solid again beneath you. That is what just reading through this game made me feel, and the bits of play I practiced (reading prompts based on card draws, as I could not figure out where my block tower was) confirmed that feeling.
The prompts spur you to explain the sound of oncoming footsteps, to reflect on your loneliness, to tell the stories of who built or wrote things long before you came through the halls, and more. Whispers guide insects, you become injured or wounds reignite, you remember sacrifices, and you find strength in holy symbols. There are drums in the deep, attacks by frightening creatures, and shadows that haunt you. The mechanical bits and bobs are clear and even in small caps to ensure you follow instruction, but it is very easy to embrace the narrative even still.
Lost in the Deep is a strong adventuring game for one very lonely player in the depths by Diogo Nogueira. It is a great example of a game with an inevitable end that is worth every pull of the block. Go into the deep – check it out on itchio today!
soulQUEST
By Rae Nedjadi (Sword Queen)
The General Idea
Genre Tags: solo, lonely, shamanic, ritual, cards, quests, dice
Replayable? Yes!
Actual Play Available? Examples part of text
Length: Short to Medium, Journaling (At your own pace)
soulQUEST is a shamanic ritual and game created by actual Reiki-Shaman Rae Nedjadi. The game uses two different colored six-sided dice (red and black if possible) and a playing card deck along with paper & pencil for map drawing and an object of protection like a photograph or pressed flower (any thing of value that can ground you). The game’s text is brilliantly designed and laid out, using text spacing, bolding, and emphasis to guide you through the ritual.
I will disclose that obviously I am a white person who is agnostic and comes from a Christian background. I cannot fully evaluate this from the perspective of someone who is of the appropriate spiritual background or cultural background to give some sort of wisdom on the game/ritual. However, I have full respect for Rae as a creator and for the game – I practice rituals of my own and see the value in something like this. I also thought that this design is accessible to anyone. Rae really knocked it out of the park with this design and by using things like photos, repetitive text, and clear language to make this approachable for anyone who is seeking a ritual or a game of this kind.
Reading through the game, it was easy to see that the mechanical construction of the game fully supports the prompts and structure of the ritual. Even the steps of drawing the cards, knocking on the deck, and rolling the dice feel integral to the process. The prompts that guide you are also very deeply stimulating, when you draw a card and reveal them it makes an unreasonable amount of sense and can be very emotional.
This text does not have explicit external safety tools. Instead, the text is with you every step of the way. It feels like someone is holding your hand while reading your future and when you begin to jerk away from a realization, they let you go, but still hold out your hand. It is clear that you are not alone, that the creator put some part of their essence into this project that ensures you feel secure while going through a process that is both beautiful and potentially difficult. I am not revealing the prompts or deeper details of the play experience because I genuinely feel like that isn’t right, but I will say that whether you play this as a game or participate in it as a ritual, you are doing so with guidance.
I want to emphasize once more how beautiful this game is. Not only the experience, but the presentation, using photos, layout, repetition in imagery and text, emphasis and bolding in text, spacing of mechanics and instruction with more ritual guidance, all of it – I really just enjoy flicking through the pages, reading spare words that are beautifully executed, and reflecting on them. It is in some odd ways like its own oracle that way.
soulQUEST is an insightful shamanic ritual and a beautiful artifact by Rae Nedjadi. If you are interested in playing through a ritual quest in character or in real life, I truly recommend it for that experience. If you want to see inside of yourself, check it out on itchio today!
The Portal at Hill House
By Travis D. Hill, Lindi M. Farris-Hill
The General Idea
Genre Tags: solo, solitaire, journaling, cosmic horror, horror, dice, cards
Replayable? Yes!
Actual Play Available? Example in textLength: Short to Medium, Journaling (At your own pace)
The Portal at Hill House is a solitaire journaling game cosmic horror by Travis D. Hill & Lindi M. Farris-Hill. According to the itchio page, “All you need is a die, some paper, and a deck of cards.” You must find three items to close the portal or else it will consume you and the world itself. Oh damn.
I realize this is another game from Travis D. Hill’s itchio, but I really dig these solo games. And spookiness is fun! So let this be a signal for how to get me to review your games: pretty, simple, and flavorful. That’s what we’ve got here!
I love the large text and clear graphics and layout that this book has. It makes it really easy to approach, and for a horror game, having an approachable book is great! The art is also really gorgeous – photographs of the Hill House and stellar phenomena. Super my jam.
To play the game, you will journal based on prompts, die rolls, and card draws. You describe the house by answering questions and drawing a map. Then, you roll a die to identify the material object, the ancient element, and the arcane artifact (your three items), then use the card deck to define and investigate locations. You choose a location, draw a card, reveal it, then journal about the location and what you find. When you find an item, it overrides the location’s aspects – instead you focus on the object, how it feels, its appearance, and what its purpose is in regard to sealing the portal. One part of the deck is dedicated to the passage of time, and there is quite an emphasis placed on being timely.
If you find all three objects, you seal the portal! If you don’t, you run out of time. If you find the items too quickly, the game says “the portal is cruel” and you re-roll for two additional items and keep playing. This would kick my ass, to be honest, but it’s an effective mechanic! If you run out of time, you journal your final time describing the experience of being devoured by the portal. If you seal it, you journal how you did it, and then talk about the trauma of the experience. I do wish this had some safety tools in it, as a game, but you could easily use Script Change or an X-card on top of it. It’s still very fun and exciting!
The Portal at Hill House is an exciting and spooky solo journaling game of cosmic horror by Travis D. Hill & Lindi M. Farris-Hill. It takes a lonely player through the experience of attempting to close a cosmic portal intent on devouring the character and the world. If you want to give Hill House your best shot, check it out on itchio today!
Two Faces
By Steve Dee
The General Idea
Genre Tags: solo, horror, coins, pen and paper, cinematic, one page, journaling
Replayable? Yes!
Actual Play Available? None in text
Length: Short to Medium, Journaling (At your own pace)
Two Faces is a solo roleplaying game of horrific duality by Steve Dee. It uses coin flips to help tell your story and describe scenes. Three elements are Joy! Despair! And Darkness! which begin at 0 and as they climb, you may be redeemed, destroy yourself, or get torn to pieces by the mob. Tragedy at every door!
This game’s layout and design by Matt Roberts is actually super rad and feels inspired by old horror movies, but I want to talk about the subject of some of the language used – there is definitely a use of language that is ableist in the phrasing of “going mad” and the framing that someone might harm others out of desperation for a need or because of addiction or poverty. There are also elements of multiple personalities, and harm on innocents. This is absolutely difficult, and I want to be clear that I recognize that this could be approached differently. That being said, I still enjoyed the game and think that the concept works when approaching it from the style of old monster films. There’s some baggage, but I can’t say I don’t find baggage in a lot of games I review and play.
The game has a nice layout that guides the player through the process of play, with icons for heads and tails when you flip, and prompts and results that really impact the narrative. It’s definitely a serious horror story and could get extremely dark, extremely quickly. I wish it came with some safety guidance, even a note to re-do a coin flip if it hits an unfun button.
I would probably recommend anyone who struggles with horror elements that get dark or what we might commonly refer to as “twisted” be gentle with themselves if they check out this game. For me, it told a quick and scary story of a beast who drove an innocent away and stayed weeping as part of how despair slowly overtook me. It was a unique kind of fun where you kind of dread it, just like a horror flick. A very effective design!
Two Faces is a quick and dark dive into cinematic, old-school horror by Steve Dee. It’s very much like old horror flicks that left you holding your breath as the scenes progressed into terror, with lights of hope on the fringes. Spook yourself and check it out on itchio today!
Thank you so much for reading these reviews, and look out for more before the end of the month! I’ll continue reviewing games after that, but the #33in28 reviews have been a special bunch to me and I hope that you give them special attention, too!