Posted May 19, 2024 by hannah j. gray
It's May and I'm making things again!
For along time now, imposter syndrome as rendered me pretty much gameless. I wasn't playing much, and I certainly wasn't writing. But now summer is kicking in and my mood has perked up, and I get the urge to revisit everything I've abandoned. The Shit or Get Off the Pot Game Jam is exactly what I needed to start writing, and not stop writing: damn things making sense or being good, just make. Not to toot my own flute, but I think some of these games have some potential, and I have plans to revisit and polish some of them up. For now, though, the challenge of the jam is to write and publish ten games during May. I stumbled into the jam a few days ago, so I've got some time to make up, but I'm already four (and a half) games in, so things are looking good.
I'm updating the game with new PDFs whenever I complete something, so keep an eye out if you're interested in these little turds.
So far, here's a run-down of what I've created:
We Only Have a Moment is an episode covering the single moment that a dangerous force (eldritch, divine, human? who knows?) attacks. Make near impossible rolls to escape your fate. It's poetic, it's vague, it's simple. It is partly inspired by the roll-as-you-go narrative style of Red Snow which is a game I love very much.
Bingo of Impossibility is (you guessed it!) a bingo card of impossible occurrences. Is it a poem? Is it a game? Can it even be played? If you figure it out, please, let me know!
When Nothing Remains is, well, just a pretty little thing. It is a list of questions about an end and roadmap to a new beginning. Is it a game? How the hell do I know, friend: what even is a game? It's flowery and hopeful, and that's what counts.
Ask Auntie is a futuristic agony aunt column. Concerned citizens write to you for aid in the weeks and months after the rapture. I'm starting to realise that, as much as I like guidance, when I'm writing my own games, I prefer not to write instructions. I just let people feel out the vibes and go. I imagine this to be a sort of journaling/epistolary style game where you sit and generate advice for your (mostly) adoring fans, but maybe not. Maybe it's a worldbuilding supplement, or fodder for a blackout poem, or [insert the endless possibilities here].
I have one game that's about 95% done that I fully intent on returning to later. The other five games are unwritten mysteries, but I'm sure they wont be for long. It's good to be back!