Replayable? <\/strong>Yes!
Actual Play Available?<\/strong> Examples included
Length: <\/strong>Short or Long, Journaling (At your own pace)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thousand Year Old Vampire is a multi-award winning game by Tim Hutchings currently available on itchio<\/a> and in print at DriveThruRPG<\/a>. It uses journaling and dice mechanics to guide the player through a solo roleplaying game about the subject – a Thousand Year Old Vampire (TYOV). The game has been widely popular, but I have a lot of thoughts to share! <\/p>\n\n\n\n As someone who initially interviewed Tim about the game, I\u2019ve been fascinated with it from the start. I love games about characters who have superpowers like immortality or who are living over centuries, and media like that in general. This game explores that full tilt, including some really challenging topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The text includes warnings that you will<\/em> encounter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cthemes of death, selfishness, and predation. Your character may be injured, victimized, trapped, or killed. Your character will murder and victimize people of all sorts, possibly including children, animals, loved ones, marginalized people, or themselves. You might find yourself exploring themes of imperialism, colonialism, or oppression. Characters might engage in self-harm or drug abuse. Illness, debilitation, and body horror may come into play. Your character may have their memories altered, they will certainly forget important things.\u00a0<\/p> Some of this will emerge from the Prompts, some will emerge from the choices you make as a player.<\/p> This is a personal, challenging game for mature adults. Please play hard, but stay aware of yourself and your feelings. Some good thoughts about safety in solo games can be found in Appendix Three.\u201d I love Thousand Year Old Vampire. Right now, I can\u2019t play it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book is one of the most beautiful artifacts I\u2019ve ever owned. The hardcover has gold riddling the marbled cover, and the interior is packed with images and a stunning, original layout that draws attention to the nature of this book as a well-used immortal\u2019s journal, complete with the impression of things tucked into pages, taped into place, or scribbled into the margins. I love every time I open it, finding new gorgeous, character-building bits and pieces I missed the first four or five times I looked through. It\u2019s sturdy, and while you can write in the book as you play, it may take some bravery to embellish the pages with your own scribbles of isolation and loneliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mechanics are simple, using a d10 and d6 to select and narrow prompts and affect resolution, and the narrative mechanics of Memories and Experiences – the former the bucket for the latter, where multiple short written Experiences make up an arc of a Memory, of which you only have five total at a time. When you gain new Experiences, you lose Memories if you don\u2019t have a space for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This mechanic makes so much sense to me when you consider the sheer number of prompts included to put a character through years of triumph and trauma, love and regret, camaraderie and loneliness. Imagine the number of experiences – real moments of eternal living – that a vampire would have in their endless life, how they might imagine ways of ending waking loneliness and sleeping suffering without their loved ones, regretting their deeds, wishing they could do greater ones! It is something that could be played equally passionately and dispassionately, engaging in the powerful prompts with the keen eye of a monster who only has more lives to take or instead with the weary heart of someone who has lived too long and only has longer to live. The possibilities! They are as endless as the days your vampire will sleep through and as engaging as the nights they hunt through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to play this game so badly! It\u2019s so well-written and executed, and the mechanics make so much sense for this immortal being who lives through hundreds of years of life and loss. But, as someone who struggles with memory loss, and during this time of isolation that has been very hard on me, I elected not to play it – right now. Thousand Year Old Vampire will remain on my to-play list until I get the courage to delve into its stunning pages and pen my own story of immortality, but if you want to dive in right now, don\u2019t miss out! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thousand Year Old Vampire is a lonely journaling vampire game by Tim Hutchings currently available on itchio<\/a> and in print at DriveThruRPG<\/a>. It is one of my favorite games I\u2019m reviewing this month and I hope you\u2019ll check it out soon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Thousand Year Old Vampire is a multi-award winning game by Tim Hutchings currently available on itchio and in print at DriveThruRPG. It uses journaling and dice mechanics to guide the player through a solo roleplaying game about the subject – a Thousand Year Old Vampire (TYOV). The game has been widely popular, but I have a lot of thoughts to share! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[390],"tags":[126,187,52,29,80,10,4,17,57,43,47,48,50,67,46,138,8,15,12,69,26,41,23,18,158,56,60],"class_list":["post-2503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive","tag-actual-play","tag-briebeau-on-design","tag-card-games","tag-content-warnings","tag-facilitating","tag-game-design","tag-games","tag-gaming","tag-history","tag-horror","tag-larp","tag-live-action-roleplaying-games","tag-lonely-games","tag-players","tag-queer","tag-reviews","tag-roleplaying-games","tag-rpg","tag-rpgs","tag-single-player","tag-story-games","tag-storytelling","tag-tabletop-games","tag-tabletop-rpgs","tag-tarot-cards","tag-worldbuilding","tag-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Pages-from-TYOV_Ver1_04.jpg?fit=825%2C1275&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paHOcG-En","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2613,"url":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2021\/02\/the-gardener-is-dead\/","url_meta":{"origin":2503,"position":0},"title":"#33in28 – The Gardener is Dead Review","author":"Beau J\u00e1gr Sheldon","date":"February 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Gardener is Dead is a ghostly storytelling game by Ginger (@inkyginge). The game is currently on Kickstarter and doing well, and I think it deserves a little extra attention! I reviewed a draft version of the game provided to me by Ginger, so there is a chance something will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archive"","block_context":{"text":"Archive","link":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An illustration of a skull full of dirt and growing plants and fungi with a small gardener's trowel dug into the dirt.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thegardenerisdead_art.jpg?fit=680%2C790&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thegardenerisdead_art.jpg?fit=680%2C790&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thegardenerisdead_art.jpg?fit=680%2C790&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37,"url":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2018\/10\/five-or-so-questions-on-thousand-year-old-vampire\/","url_meta":{"origin":2503,"position":1},"title":"Five or So Questions on Thousand Year Old Vampire","author":"Beau J\u00e1gr Sheldon","date":"October 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello all, today I have an interview with Tim Hutchings on Thousand Year Old Vampire (TYOV), a single-player game coming up on Kickstarter! (Check out the Facebook event here!) The game sounds pretty interesting, exploring the life of a vampire in intimate and deep ways. You can\u00a0see a playtest version\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archive"","block_context":{"text":"Archive","link":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A vintage-appearing image of a vampire attacking a man","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--UN6HGGd4O4\/W849uH7l6dI\/AAAAAAACLJc\/lCTgag8u8QUTD5JkhV-i3f-VYTZOvoUeQCLcBGAs\/s640\/banner.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--UN6HGGd4O4\/W849uH7l6dI\/AAAAAAACLJc\/lCTgag8u8QUTD5JkhV-i3f-VYTZOvoUeQCLcBGAs\/s640\/banner.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/--UN6HGGd4O4\/W849uH7l6dI\/AAAAAAACLJc\/lCTgag8u8QUTD5JkhV-i3f-VYTZOvoUeQCLcBGAs\/s640\/banner.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2623,"url":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2021\/02\/lay-on-hands\/","url_meta":{"origin":2503,"position":2},"title":"#33in28 – Lay On Hands","author":"Thomas Novosel","date":"February 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Right now on Kickstarter for #ZineQuest3, there is a solo dexterity based role-playing game funding called LAY ON HANDS. It doesn\u2019t have many days left to go, but I was fortunate enough to get a copy of an early draft to preview on Thoughty. This game is smart and looks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archive"","block_context":{"text":"Archive","link":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Lay On Hands cover image with a hospital cross in black and white with the image of a healer superimposed behind it.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Lay-On-Hands-kickstarter-image.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Lay-On-Hands-kickstarter-image.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Lay-On-Hands-kickstarter-image.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Lay-On-Hands-kickstarter-image.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Lay-On-Hands-kickstarter-image.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2602,"url":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2021\/02\/33in28-week-3-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":2503,"position":3},"title":"#33in28 Week 3 Reviews","author":"Beau J\u00e1gr Sheldon","date":"February 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2019m covering a lot of self-care and meta type games like Ego and soulQUEST, but don\u2019t worry, there\u2019s still time to get Lost in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archive"","block_context":{"text":"Archive","link":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The cover for Lost in the Deep with a large stylized title over a red-tinted image of archways underground.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/lostinthedeep.png?fit=1200%2C485&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/lostinthedeep.png?fit=1200%2C485&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/lostinthedeep.png?fit=1200%2C485&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/lostinthedeep.png?fit=1200%2C485&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/lostinthedeep.png?fit=1200%2C485&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2567,"url":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2021\/02\/precious-little-animal\/","url_meta":{"origin":2503,"position":4},"title":"#33in28 Precious Little Animal Review","author":"Beau J\u00e1gr Sheldon","date":"February 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi all! 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Precious Little Animal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archive"","block_context":{"text":"Archive","link":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Precious Little Animal Kickstarter promotional image with the hand drawn title and cute little animals surrounding it.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/preciouslittleanimal.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/preciouslittleanimal.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/preciouslittleanimal.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/preciouslittleanimal.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2466,"url":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2021\/02\/33in28-week-1-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":2503,"position":5},"title":"#33in28 Week 1 Reviews","author":"Beau J\u00e1gr Sheldon","date":"February 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This week I have a bundle of reviews for you, my readers! 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– Thousand Year Old Vampire<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Pages-from-TYOV_Ver1_04.jpg?resize=663%2C1024&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n