itch.io

Hi, David. I'm pulling together an interview series, and I'm wondering if you might be interested in interviewing as 6-time winner of the public domain game jam. If so, would you send me an email? backwaterttrpg @ gmail dot com (or @backwardsttrpg on Bluesky)

Unfortunately, the game relies on visuality and a physical book object fairly often (e.g. poking a hole through a page and reading what's on the other side, visual puzzles). However, there may still be plenty to enjoy without it.

Feel free to reach out to me via email (backwaterttrpg@gmail.com). I can see if I can remediate a non-PDF text version for you, that should be easier to navigate with a screen reader, and I'll add alt text to the images.

Unfortunately, I don't have a date set at this time. I would say that 2026 is pretty unlikely. Sorry that I can't be more specific!

I just double checked it, and it's correct! But I can see why you're confused, which means you are absolutely on the right track. 

Minor hints below.
You have probably stumbled upon a confusing series of vowels? Keep going. My guess is that when you are 8 or so letters into the line you will realize why it looks strange.

Great question. The best play experience with this game is with the print edition, and the second best experience is with the print-and-play version. 

The reason for this is that there are prompts that rely on the book being physical, requiring you to tear, burn, hit, throw the book, etc. Some of these prompts have additional significance in that when you tear the page, for example, it may reveal something on the next page. Likewise, if you pass on the book or play it again, those modifications matter for the subsequent playthrough.

Of course, if you want to play using a PDF editor, you're more than welcome to. But you will miss out on an important part of the experience. I'd say a PDF editor is best for folks who want to read SPINE but not necessarily play it.

I hope that helps! Feel free to follow up with additional questions.

Looking forward to the human skin edition 😂

Love this gamebook and the smart premise. The optical illusions and everyday magic are fun, and the book's layout/design is clever (beginning with its cover) and beautiful (a simple, elegant design).

Great question. I've been working on an alternative, although I am not sure how much shipping it will save.  

If you'd like to help me test it out, would you send me an email? I'm backwaterttrpg @ gmail-dot-com

Thanks for your question and for the kind words!

It's meant to be played three times per copy - although one player is welcome to play it all three of those times, if they'd like.

So glad you grabbed a copy! 

You can email me at backwaterttrpg-at-gmail.com

This game is absolute chaos, as the title suggests, and seems like an absolute blast.

Leash, Meet Collar is a mini-game that uses the mecha genre to explore control/dominance in the relationship between mechs and their pilots - and between pilots and pilots as well. Very interesting! Thank you for sharing!

This is such a seriously cute game. I look forward to being a brive/spineless mech pilot one day haha

Thanks to everyone who submitted to this game jam! 

Please take the time to look through each other's games and give them a rating and/or a comment. Rating remains open for another two weeks, approximately. Some of the games have a cost associated with them but have community copies available for the submission, so please double check for those.

MechDuel is a very cool strategic mini game that is chess-like in some ways. The "ring out" rule is what makes it especially exciting to me, and is pretty innovative. I feel like this game has a ton of really interesting potential and is a cool approach to fighting games.

I'll check it out!

Heavy Vertical License has a super fun mini-game premise: you're taking tests for your commercial mecha license. It also has incredibly striking visuals that simulate your cockpit (and gorgeous 2-d alternatives as well). Awesome work!

"This is not my mech" is an extremely clever mini-game with a solid, relatable premise. The mechanics and resolution are fun and sure to create some antics. 

This is such a good premise: A mini-game about "drawing straws" to determine who survives war. It is both (1) a mini-game that stands on its own and (2) a mini-game that could easily be slotted into a larger story. 

This is such a good premise: A mini-game about "drawing straws" to determine who survives war. It is both (1) a mini-game that stands on its own and (2) a mini-game that could easily be slotted into a larger story. 

These mini-games are excellent, and Goodbye stands out among them as my favorite (although Last Stand is quite fun too). 

Love this game and the specific story arc that it generates around. The threats are very flavorful.

Thanks for the awesome review! And I love the pictures from your playthrough.

The booklet version has been updated.

Thank you for posting! You were correct. I had updated the file earlier this week to include the back cover, and I didn't see that InDesign added extra pages for the booklet format.

Apologies for the wasted paper and confusion!

Thanks so much! And I hope you enjoy!

Thank you! I hope you enjoy! The digital version will be released on the 14th, and a physical version will be available by the end of October.

Thanks for the screenshot! 

Would you try opening it in a different program and seeing if that fixes it? Adobe Reader is preferred. Most browsers work fine as PDF readers, but each works a little differently with fillable form elements.

I checked in InDesign, and I don't see anything that would be causing this error. And I checked it on my end in several different programs (both PC and Mac) and was unable to reproduce the error.

If it persists, you might try to download it again and see if it has different results (if you haven't already).

Let me know if you have any luck!

Thanks, AveryThorn!

The night owl sheet should look like the attached image. Let me know if you're seeing something different!

Congrats, Duck! Excited to check it out

Yes, indeed. I'll be adding some eventually, and you're welcome to make them too!

Here's the creator's kit license and advice for making rustbuckets, if you'd like to make you're own!

May they rock in peace 🤘

Thanking in hype!

Thank you! I really appreciate it!

Thanks for claiming a copy!

Yes, actually. However, the instructions will be released separately from the beta, so that I can focus on building out solo missions and mission generators. 

My goal is to post a draft within the next two months. 

Between the killer aesthetic and the fun concept, I am very ready to grab my copy on Backerkit.

I'm in for either option!

Not a problem! It's happened to me too, which is why I knew what to do. 

Hope you enjoy the book!

Hi, sonofthe!

I double-checked the files just now, and they should be correct. Would you check your settings in the PDF viewer (or browser) you're using? It sounds like you have the Page View set to "Two pages" instead of "Single page," which would explain what you're seeing.

Please let us know if this resolves the issue!

Bumping my question from earlier