#solo journaling rpg

[mushroomwitchgames]

COMING NOV 22 - CATS KNOW THINGS

CATS KNOW THINGS is a light-hearted game meant to tell a humorous story of intrigue, all while pretending to be a very nosy cat. 

But you are no ordinary cat.

You are a very special feline who, through some magic you cannot explain, can communicate with your human, an individual who wishes to make their mark in society by any means necessary. The two of you decide to start a society page, (a very fancy type of tabloid newspaper dedicated to a particular location) revealing the glitz, glamour, and inner turmoil of the town’s most notable individuals. 

As the cat you will travel across town, using your stealth and wiles to listen in on the most intimate conversations and encounters. At the end of the day you return to your human to relay to them all the town’s salacious gossip for the society page. The goal is to prepare 6-8 items for the newspaper before your human sends them to the presses for the week.

CATS KNOW THINGS will be available on our Itch.io store at 9am PST on November 22!! Please reblog to get the work out! We're really excited to share this game with you!

[psychhound]

[ID: a banner for a game. it is light tan with a crumpled paper texture, and reads "with breath & sword" in large blue font, and "a solo-journaling game that helps you fight anxiety as you fight monster" below it in smaller font. there is lineart of gauntlets lying over a sword with some flowers at the bottom. end ID]

You find yourself tied to the monsters. The scratchy feeling in your chest. The way your hands tremble. The sweat that dots your upper lip when your senses are telling you a monster is close, again, now, and it’s your job to fight it. To stand up for your ideals and stand up to the threat. Whether you tame it, or this is truly a monster that needs to be slain, only time will tell.

 You know you will succeed. You always have before. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be a challenge.

 Grab your gear. Put on your boots. You know how to find it. You know what to do.

 First, you just need to steady yourself.

[ID: a page spread from the game. it shows "step four" on one side, which goes over the five aspects of the game's oracle. on the other side it shows the first oracle component, where something you can taste determines what your heroic core is. the page is minimally designed, with a blue border and text on a white background, tan accents, and one image of a dragon. end ID]

With Breath & Sword is a solo-journaling TTRPG to help players combat anxiety. 

In the game, you play as a monster-fighter, who is being summoned once again due to the presence of a new monster. Each time a monster appears, you struggle with the emotional effects of the magic: effects that look a lot like anxiety. You must steady yourself before you go off to fight: in the game and in real life.

Over the course of WB&S, players will participate in grounding methods and breathing techniques to calm themselves from an anxiety attack. These methods also serve as the game's oracle in order to determine how the story goes. 

What You'll Need:

A safe space to play 

A method of writing or recording

[ID: a page spread from the game. it is the section called "the science" and goes over the psychology behind the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, the 4-7-8 breathing method, and destroying journaling. it has a few lines about narrative and play therapy, and that the creator of the game used these methods in his social work with neurodivergent teens and adults. end ID]

check out the game on itch now!!

[takataapui]

it is a beautiful day in the wetland and you are a horrible bittern is a game about causing mischief, finally dealing with those pesky humans, and oh, wait, what's this? ah, i see... dealing with the consequences of your actions.

play 'it is a beautiful day and you are a horrible bittern' here for pay what you want!

[cassimothwin]

Finally did a flip through video of Carved by the Garden, my folk horror journaling game. I wrote and illustrated it!

You can find it on my shop if you're interested!

[punkbarbarian]

[image id: a dark photograph of a grassy cliff face with dense clouds. a white illustration of a bat with its wings spread sits behind white text. text reads: Vampire Manor / a for truth's sake game by punkbarbarian. /end id]

On a rocky cliffside overlooking rolling moors as far as the eye can see sits a dark, towering manor home made of brick and iron. Tempestuous clouds cast a perpetual drizzle on the countryside and nearby forest, leaving the air damp and cold. Surely the generous owner of the manor the villagers whispered about will let you shelter there.  Maybe you’ll gather some interesting material for your research… Investigate the macabre manor, its eccentric inhabitants, and the nearby village through interviews and observation. What is the relationship between the unliving and villagers? Why do members of the community go missing without a trace? How long has the Vampire actually been alive?

Vampire Manor is a solo-journaling game where you explore a vampire's ancient manor and the surrounding village to learn more about the community and write an ethnography on them. 

Pull cards to ask questions of the residents, roll dice to see how well interactions go, and get to know a number of residents and fellow travelers, from a petty thief, to wandering nomads, a vampire hunter, and the intimidating Vampire. Unlock 12 different locations and gain levels in friendship and familiarity with the community as you document your discoveries in field notes.

You'll need: A d20, d12, and d8, and a deck of playing cards

Vampire Manor is a setting of For Truth's Sake by @hmooncreates. It was inspired by Dracula by Bram Stoker, Castlevania (Netflix), and Curse of Strahd. 

included in download: a plain text pdf and a formated pdf!

check it out on itch!!

[dinoberrypress]

Get ready for your romantic stay at Motel Spooky-Nine!

Motel Spooky-Nine is an 18+ solo journaling game about making connections, romantic or otherwise, at a paranormal motel filled with interesting, monstrous characters looking for love in all its varieties.

Thanks to all the support we've received on our projects, and that Motel Spooky-Nine got on Itch, we've been able to work more on the project! Sam Fisher (https://twitter.com/ironsandfire) finished up the rest of her interior art pieces, we just brought on the wonderful Jess Kuczynski (https://jessicakuczynski.com/) to do cover art, and we planned out a print run!

The goal right now is to have Motel fully released and available in print in February!

Once the finished version is uploaded we'll be raising the price of the digital, and everyone who supports at the Early Reservation tier will get a coupon for $20 off the print version. If you've had your eyes on Motel, now's a great time to pick it up!

As always, big thanks to you all for your support on this project. It's great to see it nearing completion, and I can't wait to get it in your hands :)

Also, be sure to join our discord!

[worstgirleva]

Epilogue in C minor:

-Solo Journalism

-Major Tarot

-You are a weapon with no place to belong

-A war with no easy choices

-Many references to omelettes?

-Based on Shadow the Hedgehog for the PS2?

[games-franco]

Embark on a transformative journey unlike any other with 'The Prize' – a unique solo TTRPG experience that unfolds over 7 days, yet can only be played once.

Immerse yourself in a world of self-discovery, where every decision shapes your path. At the heart of this enchanting adventure lies an elusive prize, attainable only to those who embrace the art of reflection and take their time to unravel its mysteries. Delve into fantastical realms, face challenges that test your mettle, and forge alliances that resonate beyond the game.

'The Prize' isn't just a game – it's a profound odyssey of growth and introspection. Dare to explore, savor each moment, and uncover the treasure that lies at the end of your 7 day journey.

[openstorygames]

In Faultless, failure is an option! In fact, it's kinda the point!

Play to fail with this solo rpg about embracing imperfection. Don't forget to laugh at yourself!

Get your copy at https://open-story-games.itch.io/faultless

[abandonhopegame]

Coming Soon to Mushroom Witch Games - Walking Alone in the Dark

You Stayed Out Longer Than You Should Have...

Will You Pay the Price...with Your Life?...

You are a resident of the small seaside town that, for whatever reason, has stayed out far too late. Now, you have to make your way back home. Unfortunately for you, the so-called idyllic town is filled with hidden, malicious terrors - many of which love to come out at night.

Keeping your wits about you, you must make it to the safety of your home in one piece…never mind that a horrible monster is stalking your every move…

COMING SOON! STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS!

[bismuth-209]

what i want to play in Solo But Not Alone 4

So, there's a charity bundle on itch.io right now, Solo But Not Alone 4 is a bundle of 125 solo ttrpg-type games.

By ttrpg-type I mean that they aren't played on the computer, they usually have pdfs to download and then you need to bring the things like playing cards, tarot cards, dice and something to write with yourself (and very occasionally a jenga tower). They're usually rather focused on journaling.

If you want to know which games need which supplies, or what genres the games are, there's a handy dandy spreadsheet you can get here.

now, I've not really played any of the games yet, but there's ones I really want to play, and maybe I can make some of you excited enough to buy the bundle and support the charity Take This too. Take This is a non-profit to benefit mental health in the gaming community, but a little look on their website gives me the idea that their resources are useful broader as well, for example they have links to mental health resources for particular ethnic groups. It does seem pretty English-speaking country centric, but still a worthy charity to support I think.

without further ado! the games

Project ECCO is a game you play in a PLANNER. I've scrounged up an old planner I barely used and I'll be using it to play this game. It's a time travel game and you write your answers to the prompts on the pages of the planner you've "travelled" to. There's different ways to "travel through time" in the game, so you use dice, playing cards, tarot cards and a coin to determine what day you're writing on and what prompt you're fulfilling. I like the variety in methods, and i like that i'll be having limited space to write (although it's VERY little on the weekends. we'll see what i can manage on 3 lines)

If you want to play just this game you should definitely buy the bundle, it's usually 15 USD, while the bundle is just 10.

Corporate Onboarding is here mostly because of the formatting, I'll admit. But the formatting is so cool! It's AVAILABLE AS A POWERPOINT FILE. Also pdf, handy if you don't have the ms office suite. It fits on just 19 slides, but it claims that the average session is about an hour, which sounds about right. It doesn't have a lot of introspection far as I can tell, you need to find all your bosses to report to them without going over 5 warnings, and you have some stats for your character and all that.

Fox Curio's Floating Bookshop is another game worth getting the whole bundle for, normally 16 USD and it does seem worth that.

The game has such cool worldbuilding, you've got different towns and seasons and events throughout the year. I can see myself dedicating a whole notebook to this. And it's got a beautiful pdf (that's kind of formatted for print, but the print book's sold out). Also a fishing mini game you play by dealing a deck of cards.

5 act play is a game that gives you some guidance for the plotting of a play. It uses tarot, but also gives an alternative using dice and playing cards. It really USES tarot, you are expected to have a guidebook or look one up for the meanings of the cards and use them to inform characters and themes, but it does have tables for what you do with some of the cards. It's Shakespeare inspired, using examples from Much Ado and Romeo and Juliet to help you, and you're expected to write a tragedy or a comedy.

The Peace Engine is a game you use a jenga tower to play, which I don't currently have access to, but it looks incredible and I'm considering asking around if I can borrow one. You have to pull bricks from the tower when your scientist gains "burnout" and if your tower falls you fail. It has a complex system and it seems very cool.

Again a game more expensive on its own, so get it in the bundle!

Glyph is a sort of guide where you make sigils, it has a beautiful pdf as well. I like the method it provides. It recommends to be used for enrichment of other games, or just as a fun creative exercise

This bundle runs until the 9th of March 2024!

[mushroomwitchgames]

CATS KNOW THINGS is now available on ITCH.IO!

The day is finally here!

CATS KNOW THINGS is finally available on our Itch.io store! YAY!!!

There are also Ten community copies for download for those from marginalized communities and/or those who cannot afford a copy (no questions asked!). At the beginning of the month, more community copies will be added for every purchase.

We really hope you enjoy playing CATS KNOW THINGS - may all the rumors the cat tells you be scandalous and salacious!

[psychhound]

with breath & sword is a solo journaling TTRPG where you use grounding methods and breathing techniques to guide the events of the game - taming or slaying a magical monster while helping yourself calm down from anxiety

the kickstarter is now live!!!

you can get the game discounted for only a dollar, or pledge higher tiers to add community copies for those in need or get your name printed in the acknowledgements

check it out if you're interested :D the kickstarter will run for 15 days before closing!! after the final draft is done it'll be going up on itch!!

[takataapui]

May I present, a 4th boggy solo rpg game! (Check out my other three here)

In Johnny Bogg: a boggy shopping trip adventure, you play as a fat person going to buy some plus sized masculine clothes. Luckily for you, a new branch of your fav plus sized masc clothing store has opened up near you! It might be in a bog, but you won't let that stop you! In Johnny Bogg, you'll play to figure out what weird boggy things happen to you while shopping. Complete with a customer survey!

Play Johnny Bogg: a boggy shopping trip adventure here, for pay what you want!

[cassimothwin]

I won Rising Star: Designer from Dicebreaker!

I attended my first PAX Unplugged a few days ago, and enjoyed quite the surprise while I was there! When I found out I was nominated for the Rising Start: Designer award, I already had plans to attend PAX, so I was excited that I'd be at the show in person.

Of course, never in a million years did I think I would win.

Which means I didn't have a speech prepared.

I also have this thing where I'm constantly worried I'm wasting someone's time, so I rushed off before I could thank everyone I wanted to. So just so it's out there somewhere...

Thank you to my husband and partner: Joshua! The only reason I'm able to accomplish so much and maintain my mental health is because he goes above and beyond to support me in ways I could never fully explain. I know everyone who meets Josh can see it firsthand: he's not only my biggest cheerleader, but my whole foundation.

I'm also grateful to others in the tabletop space. Many have offered life-changing advice. Many have played or talked about my games in ways that made a significant impact. Big shout outs to Nathan with Reckless Attack, S. Kaiya. J of Mirrorlock, Matthew with Abyssal Brews, Paul of Table Cat Games, J.C. Darcy, Aaron Voigt, J with Planet Arcana, Tony of Plus One Exp, and Matthew Sanders of The Sealed Library. There are so many others I'm forgetting, but please know that I'm so grateful for your time and/or expertise.

The other finalists who were up for this award are incredible: Ash Azeez, DeAngelo Murillo, Fleur Sciortino & Chelsea Sciortino, Fleit Detrik, Lottie and Jack Hazell, Seb Pines, Sinta Posadas, Varnavas Timotheou.

I especially want to call out Fleit (their games here) and @goodluckpress's Seb Pines. I've admired Seb's work for years and Fleit's My Mother's Kitchen is one of the coolest concepts for a solo game.

I finally met Fleit in person at PAX! They're the person on the left, I'm in the middle and the incredible @strautmaskreplica is on the right. We all have games out that use tarot cards! 🙌

If you would like to know more about the other award winners, here's a link to the Dicebreaker article!

[chromaglitchgaming]

A Dark Academia Book Club RPG

The President of the campus book club has taken an interest in you, after seeing you perform in class. They ask if you would be interested in completing the club's initiation ritual, and you agree

They tell you that you’ll need to collect a witching hour story to join the book club and bring it back to them. They’ll leave a clue leading you to a story location, but it’s up to you to uncover the story.

My entry to the Tangled Blessings Game Jam is up, and I had a lot of fun working on a book club expansion.

The Book Club's Initiation is a club expansion designed to be played with the Tangled Blessings base game​. It comes with an initiation ritual (13 prompt options) and club activities once you join the club (13 activities). The Book Club's Initiation can be played starting in any year.

The Book Club’s Initiation is an independent project by Camisha Pisenti (@ChromaGlitch) made for the Tangled Blessings Game Jam. The Book Club’s Initiation is not affiliated with Cassi Mothwin, creator of Tangled Blessings, or Sam Leigh, creator of Anamnesis (the system on which Tangled Blessings is based).

Inspiration & Content Warnings

Some of the prompts, in The Book Club’s Initiation, draw inspiration from public domain books I read in middle and high school such as A Tale of Two Cities, Hamlet, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Metamorphosis. This project also touches on darker themes and subject matter, so the following is a list of content warnings.

Mention of (or implied mention of through the use of illustrations, graphics, or writing) rituals, murder, death, violence, blood, claustrophobia/claustrophobic situations, self-harm, bugs, and dark magic.