Hosting my first 2027 game jam here on ItchIO and I wanted to go with something fun and relatively easy for anyone who wants to get into visual novel devving  with the Ren'Py engine! 

Ren'Py itself is actually pretty easy to master as a lot of the standard game is pre-programmed, leaving you to do just the creative parts such as images, sound and customization. Like with any game engine, however, there may be some people who want to try it out but end up feeling overwhelmed by the myriad examples of Ren'Py games with super-advanced customizations and expansions. This is to give an introductory exercise for those that feel this way and show potential can be found in anyone who gives it a try. 

That being said, Ren'Py veterans are also welcome - I know how refreshing it can be to take a break from a big project by making something small for practice.

So to the meat of things - the RULES!!

1. The game engine used must be Ren'Py - and don't worry, it is free to use. Click here to download the engine (it even comes with a cute tutorial game to get you started)!
2. The game must be a web/HTML5 build - documentation for how to do this seamlessly can be found here (pro tip: if you want to customize GUI or use an animated asset, the "condition switch" function might be useful)
3. The entire game must be made within the jam time - that includes story, imagery, customization and sound (though I do recommend downloading and experimenting with Ren'Py ahead of time if you're not used to it).
4. This is a game jam inspired by O2A2 - "only one of any asset". As the name implies, you can have AT MOST  a single set of sprites for a single character, one background, any one language, and one source of sound (music or voice - to keep things fair for beginners, and silent games are fine). And yes, any of the visual elements can be animated.
5. The story/script must be on theme - "Valentine's Day", and it must consist of at least one scene. Yes, even one-scene story/scripts are allowed and yes, you can mix the theme with any genre (adventure, horror, sci-fi, etc).
6. This is a solodev challenge - no teams, you have to handle everything yourself. 
7. NO assets made with generative AI allowed - you can use artwork or music that belongs to someone else, as long as you credit them with at least one active social media handle!
8. If you're feeling brave, try to customize your GUI and main menu images, as customization is one of the categories! No worries, though - this is encouraged, NOT required.
9. The Ren'Py game itself can either be a visual novel (having choices) OR a kinetic novel (without choices) - potential can brought out of both!! To keep things fair for beginners who join, hybrids (visual novels having any other form of gameplay other than choices) are NOT allowed.
10. Be sure to have fun with this! Regardless of the rankings/result, ANYONE who takes on this challenge is worthy of respect for taking the step forward!!

If you need any help, the community is open for questions and I will answer ASAP!

I look forward to reading your Valen'Py stories!!