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A jam submission

RecallersView project page

A mapmaking game about adults remembering their childhood paracosm
Submitted by Graypawn — 24 minutes, 26 seconds before the deadline
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Recallers's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
How elegant the game’s design is#24.0124.333
How easy to understand and use the game’s rules are#34.1664.500
How well the game fits the theme and goal of the jam#73.7034.000
How captivating the tone, feel and style of the game are#113.5493.833
How strongly maps are integrated into the game’s design#143.2403.500

Ranked from 6 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

I see your Czege and Beltrán in the map, etc. Nice. As a UK reader though I'd struggle with applying childhood memories to the US-ish layout of the place. Is there much to stop me using a map of my nearest city, say? (I mean, try finding a block structure at https://www.visitchichester.org/sites/default/files/CITY_CENTRE_MAP.pdf - but I could see the cards still working with the shapes afforded here.)

Not sure if I'm shuffling the different backs of the memory cards together - it looks like there's people, events, places to remember, right? I'm thinking you do, but that means you can't use the information of the different backs to affect what you pick up; in which case, why have different backs? So other players can see what sort of memories you might play? (This is an interested question, not a rhetorical way of saying don't do it.)

I like the character generation very much. Zombie World does a similar thing, but this works it in with the game's tone (which is nicely consistent).

You're very clear in instructions! particularly in the facilitator's notes. 

I'm late to adding notes - hence brevity! hope it doesn't come across rude - and I see there's lots below you've already seen. Not going to repeat any of them, except I think I want to endorse the part about wanting to see something happen to the given map as well as the creation of the new sketch. 

bravo, and thanks for sharing.

Developer

Thank you!

1 - You absolutely can play this with a different map!  In my first draft of the game I assumed people would go out and get a map like the one I was describing - but then I wondered about the accessibility to that kind of map.  I could link people to examples, but that might not solve the problem in every area.  I also realized:  the layout of the map and the nature of the map could heavily influence the style of play, and would marry up to the Oracle Cards in unique ways as well.  My final decision was:  have the game come with a single map, make notes in the (yet to be written) end of the Guidebook on how to pick a different/real world map, and also leave room for "expansion packs" that use new and different maps with strong themes.

2 - The layout for this version was mostly to decorate things, give it a prototype of the feel I want the final game to have.  As such, you're spot on - the graphic design is nominal and uninspired, just enough to get sumbission-ready.  :D  What I'm considering for the final layout however is this (Please let me know if this sounds good!):  The "Childhood Cards" will all have the look and feel of various props - baseball cards, collectible cards, a little instruction fold out for the Junksmith, etc.  Whereas the "Adult Cards" will all be generic Business Cards!  Then the deck of Oracles will mostly be the same, but with an actual note in the Guidebook that, yeah, they have different backers, but that's just to help telegraph what cards a player has and might play.

As far as I can tell, there's no reason to hide what cards you've got, right?

3 - your observations are perfect - thank you so much, and thanks for brevity, too!  We're all trying to reply with good content, but not give each other novels to finish  :D

Submitted(+1)

I don’t have good English writing skills. I still hope to make myself understood in this comment.

I also leave below an Italian translation of the comment, for those who want to follow the discussion anyway.


Hi Graypawn!

I’ll be quick and simple: your game deserves so much.
I like the way you wrote it, I like the tone and I like the readability.
The rules are very simple and are supported at the end of each chapter by a recap for those who have to facilitate (which is also useful for those who read for the first time… brilliant!).The theme is very nice and I often find myself when I chat with friends from when we were kids.

There is only one thing I think is not so good: maps.

Okay, I’ll talk about it better.
There are two maps, one remains as a reference (the city) and the other is used to note down what happens in fiction (the sketch), but these don’t seem to be connected in game.
What the players tell, is noted on the “sketch” and the other map remains static, correct?

Apart from that, you did a great job. Seriously.
Recallers is a great game. Bravo!


Ciao Graypawn!

Sarò veloce ed essenziale: il tuo gioco merita tanto.
Mi piace come lo hai scritto, mi piace il tono e mi piace l’immediatezza alla lettura.
Il regolamento è molto semplice ed è supportato alla fine di ogni capitolo da un riepilogo per chi deve facilitare (che è comodo anche per chi legge per la prima volta.. geniale!).
La tematica è molto bella e spesso mi ritrovo anche io quando chiacchiero con gli amici di quando eravamo ragazzini.

C’è solo una cosa che penso non vada così bene: le mappe.

Ok, argomento meglio quel che voglio dire.
Ci sono due mappe, una rimane come riferimento (la città) e l’altra serve per appuntarsi cosa succede in fiction (lo sketch), ma queste non mi sembra siano collegate in gioco.
Quello che raccontano i giocatori, viene appuntato sullo “sketch” e l’altra mappa rimane statica, giusto?

A parte questo, hai fatto un ottimo lavoro. Dico davvero.
Recallers è un gran gioco. Bravo!

Submitted(+1)

I really like the idea of charting a map of a childhood world on top of  actual place. If I were to play in in person, I think I would even prefer using a vellum or other transparent paper to overlay the two at the end.

Also, looking at the character cards, I see a theme of adulthood making you jaded and less imaginative. I think as a part of the second day, before the epilogue it would be interesting for each player to check out one place from the kingdom in the city - say what is there now. Will the characters stay jaded and be defacto about the real world, or will their encounter previous day allow them to see some beauty and magic in the mundane?

I like the graphic design of the game, but I think it could be pushed a bit further. One thing that I noticed is the lack of variance between child/adult cards. Maybe create a different card back, use different fonts (a serious one for adults, a playful for kids) or a different layout? I think the color difference alone is not enough. I think the guidebook could be made bigger in size. The card sized pages work ok, but bigger would allow you to make the rules even clearer.

Developer(+1)

You're definitely picking up on a theme that was much stronger during the initial design of the game.  I abandoned the notion of the game being about grown-ups reconnecting to their childhood and, in so doing, escaping that sense of jaded adulthood.  But the tone is still there.  I'd like to find a way to reincorporate that into the game so that it's an emergent concept, however, and not something i prescribe overtly.

Submitted(+1)

Recallers is striking both for the inspiration that moves it, and for the care that was put in turning that inspiration into a game - the language, the graphics, and the many lovely easter eggs hidden throughout. 

Play procedures are streamlined, and simple - the focus is really more in what the prompts and questions add to the shared imagined space at the table, and of course in what players bring themselves. That said, they're clear, well explained and seem very functional. I like the way the guidebook is broken down so that it can be read during play, presenting information when it's needed. I also really liked the option of either giving out pre-written text to read aloud, or a summary to guide people who want to ad-lib it. It's also useful to have a summary of the procedures on the game map - and neat to have it in the Legend! 

After reading it through once, I only had one outstanding question, but checking back I quickly found the answer; I'd defintely feel confident bringing this game to the table. 

I think the game's tone is its strongest asset: the premise, the way play is slowly ushered in, and the prompts on the character and memory cards all serve to kindle and capture a real sense of childlike wonder. The prompts on memory cards will strike on actual childhood memory for many players, I believe - I know they did it for me. At the same time, the questions asked by the cards really help reflect on the paracosm imagery and bring something more to it. 

The way the game introduces, navigates and, in cases, excludes more troubling content - like conflict, sadness or difficulty - is also very smart. While I love playing intense games that confront dark themes heads on,  Recallers thrives on a different tone, and makes deliberate, conscious choices to help preserve that. Conflict and sadness are not entirely excised away either, but they're introducted in very nuanced, thematically appropriate ways. 

This is very much a game where the concept of "magic circle" applies, and I can see it creating a really special space and atmosphere at the table. 

Submitted(+1)

(btw, I appreciate the points about print-and-play layout and copy checks raised by other reviewers, and I agree with them; as it were, I didn't raise them in my review because I consider a Jam submission to be a preview/first draft, but they're good points!)

Submitted(+2)

Great game overall! My comments/questions:

  1. Love the city map! Also, I really like the reality/imagination split of the two maps. Very clever.
  2. It's nice that the rules are formatted so that they can be read while playing
  3. How many players is this game for? I would imagine at least two? Or maybe this could be played solo?
  4. From the POV of printing the cards to play (if you're not sure you're not going to play the game more than once), it would be nice to have a mostly-white version. And maybe a mostly-white version of the city map, too (that might be less of a problem to print because it's only one). Also, having many cards per page would save lots of paper!
  5. What does the back of the cards mean, if anything?
  6. I haven't gone through every card, but the non-trivial sample I read looked very inspiring, great work!
Developer(+2)

Thanks so much!

This brings up a really interesting design facet!  I hadn't thought of reformatting the cards and map to a 'more white' version for people that can't buy a print-on-demand version.  I really want to share this insight with all my friends here in the US who design games that then either have to be shipped overseas at a huge cost, or printed locally.

I did plan to include a final version for publication that was print-and-play friendly (with all cards imposed onto standard paper sizes) but i had not considered the color constraints - that is brilliant.  Need to make that common knowledge.

Developer(+2)

Oh, and the card backs are place holders.  more like sketches of what i want them to loosely be in the final version.  I enjoyed making this so much that I'm definitely going to finish it, so it's uncertain what aesthetics of these designs will be used in the final version.

Submitted(+2)

Hey, thanks for the submission. With the big caveat that I haven’t actually played the game, just read it, here’s my review.

Theme

I thought you hit the theme very well. I like how the cards ensure there is overlap between the city and the paracosm, but they remain distinct. It reminded me of this recent story I read in Wired.

Maps

The maps don't play a super central role in terms of mechanics, more narrative. They exist more as a record of play than the space of play, I thought. That was a theme I have identified from the jam - games treat the map as central to mechanics to different degrees. But the map itself is amazing! I love how evocative the art is for the city map.

Tone and style

I thought the layout and art were very good - probably the most polished among games I read for the jam. The guidebook is well-written and conveys a strong sense that the game knows what it is about. I like that it is written to be read aloud. However, the character deck has some spelling mistakes and could use a copy-edit. Overall I think the tone creates a very cute and cozy game.

Elegant

I love how simple the mechanics are - basically just following some instructions, pulling a card, choosing a card, and narrating. That is great. I also think the prompts on the cards are evocative enough that the game would flow well in play.

Easy to understand

I found the rules and guide easy to follow. I like that a guide is included for the Facilitator.

Overall, I really liked it! This was one of my favorite games I read for the jam. I would definitely like to play it.

Developer(+1)

The Zip Archive has everything, the rest of the items for play are uploaded individually as well.