itch.io

Just added a few more if you'd like to claim one - was a bit behind in updating these so thanks for the reminder!

Thanks very much for the review!

54321 is an optional safety tool based on a common grounding technique. My intent was to leave it up to players to decide when/if to use it, but I suggest at least placing the card on the table and glancing over it once per loop as a reminder that it's available if needed. I'll have a look at the wording and see if I can make this clearer. Thanks again :)

Update: all games have now been sent out. If you didn't receive one, let me know (@luciellaes on Twitter or reply to this post). If you missed out but were interested in participating, feel free to contact me and I'll keep you in mind in case anyone comes back with concerns around the game they were given. Feel free to arrange direct swaps as well of course.

Hi all! I'm the organiser for the game swap. Just as an update: I will be closing the form and sending everyone's games out starting at AEST 10am tomorrow (PDT 5pm Monday). Please get your forms in before then if you want to be included in the swap! Also, I'm going to suggest 26th July as a rough deadline for folx to either play/review the games or get back to the author with an update - if you don't hear anything by then, let me know and I'll start sending reminders.

Also late, but FYI here's the one I use in my game: take a tarot deck (78 cards), remove the Tower card and replace it about 1/3 of the way through the deck. Drawing the Tower card is equivalent to the tumbling block tower collapsing.

Alternatively, if you want to remove the concept of a tower altogether (useful if you're adding other mechanisms and want to reduce the number of items on the table), add a joker card about halfway through the deck of playing cards. This one isn't exactly equivalent in terms of probability, but it's close enough.

The jam description specifically mentions the US police system, so I was wondering if this is a US-focused jam or if it's international? Looks super interesting either way.

I missed this and was about to make my own post.

If anyone is interested in a game swap, I made a form. Thinking I'll close it shortly after the jam closes. If you'd like to participate, here you go: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12GmirXxtZqxYLY1WwYh8YVpSJztKVSJ7kY1XXOkGQV4/

I'm up for any of my games to be streamed. In fact, I don't think I know any creators who wouldn't be thrilled. My only request would be to make sure you tell viewers who made the game and where to find it. Also, if you need to know how to pronounce my name, it's loo-see-EH-lah. Feel free to message me on Twitter at LuciellaES if you'd like a complimentary copy of A Wretched Luncheon With Your Best Friend Who Sucks at Cooking: https://luciellaes.itch.io/wretched-luncheon. Should take around 30-45 minutes, maybe a little longer depending on how you approach it.

In terms of images, this is the one I've used for my game background (it's licensed under CC0) https://pixabay.com/photos/aurora-polar-lights-northen-lights-1197753/

I had a great time playing Chiron's Doom as part of the Sandy Pug Game Awards exchange. If anyone is interested in a preview of how the game works, I live tweeted it over here: https://twitter.com/LuciellaES/status/1218031316228169733

Plenty of interesting prompts which still leave room to play the game in various genres. My play through was fantasy/fairy tale inspired, but I know others have played in a modern day or sci-fi setting. That also gives you some extra replayability that I find some other solo TTRPGs don't have. Only criticism would be that due to the way the prompts work you can get some big events rather suddenly, such as the King cards which represent character deaths. Still, it's easy enough to modify the rules to your own taste, so that's not a big issue. Plus the random death of John of House Smith (who died before I had the chance to give him a proper name) ended up being pretty funny. All in all, very much worth the purchase price for the entertainment you get out of it.

https://luciellaes.itch.io/cage-of-sand

Awesome, thank you!

Just wanted to check where the fire safety rules on the jam page came from and if there a licence associated with them? 

Specifically I'd like to know:

• Can they be used in games?
• Are modifications allowed?
• What sort of attribution should be included?

Thanks in advance!

So long as it fits in with the theme and complies with the jam rules, I don't have any issues with submission of existing games. Go for it!

Just curious.

Lovely game! Short but very atmospheric. I loved the colour scheme and music in particular. Great work

I was working on a game for Ace Jam but had a bunch of other things come up, so it's pretty unlikely that I'll finish in time. Just wondering if late submissions will be allowed, and what's the best approach for those if so?

Nice work, and hope to see you continue this one!

A few artists have said that they'd love to contribute but didn't have the time. With this in mind, I've decided to extend the jam to the end of the first week of January 2020 (Sunday the 5th). I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it :)

Yep, ok with having mine included (as in, I'm not a PoC myself but happy to donate my game to raise funds). Good luck!

Just wondering what the process is for round 3. Does the final contributor post the game to Itch? And is there any guidance around pricing (e.g. would all games be free, is there a recommended price, or would it be up to the final dev to decide)? Thanks!

Thanks for organising the jam, and thanks to everyone who rated my submission and/or gave feedback! I'll be releasing a new version soon to clean up some of the text, but even with that it's pretty cool to see just how much work can get done within 48 hours.

I don't really have a lot of feedback on the jam itself except that the voting period felt a little long, maybe because I did most of my ratings right after submissions closed - and maybe because I wanted to go and update my files and couldn't lol.

I also hope that itch implements revenue sharing between now and next year's jam: I ended up working solo this year but it would be cool to collaborate.

Nice work! This looks like a lot of fun. I especially like the table at the bottom for adventurer motivations - not that any of those situations have ever happened in a game I've run, of course... haha... ha... ok, maybe a few of them...

One suggestion: the current version isn't clear on what happens on a result of 6-9. Which realistically will be most rolls. I assume this is intended as a partial success/success with consequences?

But otherwise, great job and great take on the theme.

It's lost forever, or at least until the end of the session. But players can share their cards, and the Invoker can also give out 3 cards. Finally, if a Complication Card is selected in a draw and is read as a particularly positive result, the Invoker can grant that card as an extra Action Card.

If a player loses all of their Action Cards and doesn't receive any more, they're out of the game - but that shouldn't happen unless they're taking serious risks, remembering that each player is only putting forward one Action Card at a time and that most checks don't involve risk of losing one.

I might rework this later, so let me know if you have any thoughts!

Thank you! No, I haven't been able to playtest this yet but am hoping to do so soon. I will also likely post an update soon (after voting closes for the MegaRPG jam) to hopefully clarify the mechanics and give a few more examples.

To summarise how it's supposed to work:

1) Each player has 5 cards: a Character Card, a Bond Card and 3 Action Cards. These are selected during character creation.

2) Each scene (which could be a new environment or just a new element or character) has a Scene Card associated with it.

3) Players can complete basic/low risk actions without any card mechanics coming into play. If an action has a risk of failure, resolution occurs as follows: any player taking an action puts forward one of their Action Cards (multiple players can do this), which is then shuffled with the Scene Card and, optionally, 1 or more random cards from the deck (Complication Cards). The randomly selected card determines the result of the action.

4) If the action failed and/or had a cost, 1 or more cards are removed from play at the end of the draw. Otherwise, all cards are returned to the players. A new Scene Card is then drawn to progress the story.

As an example, let's say that we're playing a scenario where the players are investigating a mystery. They have a strong suspicion that the baker, Esme, is hiding something. Here are a few actions that might occur:

Action 1: gathering information. The Villagers are asking gentle questions at this point and have not drawn attention to themselves, therefore this is not a risky action. The players decide how they wish to proceed and the Invoker draws a Scene Card (2 of Pentacles) to represent the character they approach.

Action 2: a risky interaction. Let's say the Villagers are interacting with someone that Esme has blackmailed, and are trying to peacefully convince them to share what they know. This interaction could go either way. Two players put forward compelling emotional appeals - one offering help and protection (King of Pentacles) and the other arguing the need to avoid further victims (Judgement). The Invoker shuffles the Scene Card (2 of Pentacles) with the Action Cards and randomly selects one. The Judgement card is selected, so the character is convinced that they have a duty to tell their story.

Action 3: breaking and entering. The Villagers decides to investigate Esme's house - this is risky both due to the danger of being caught and because they don't know what they'll find inside. Let's say they make it inside, but then find a suspicious locked door. One character decides to try to break the lock: in addition to the possibility of failure, there are risks of complications here (drawing attention, triggering a trap, leaving signs behind etc). The Invoker shuffles the Scene Card with the Action Card and 2 Complication Cards. A Complication Card is drawn - the Eight of Wands (movement / action / swift response / brief opportunity). The Invoker says that the door opens, but loudly, and the Villagers hear the sounds of someone approaching to investigate. The Villagers hurry into the room.

Hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other thoughts!

Thanks heaps for the lovely comments! :) I'm glad you liked it, and I'll try to work your feedback into the next version.

Thank you! Glad to hear and hope you enjoy it :)

Definitely meant as a compliment - sorry if that wasn't clear. Great work :)

Wow - you got a lot done in those 48 hours! :)

Thank you! :) glad you enjoyed it.

That's fair. I do think it's important for creators to value their labour, if for no other reason then to avoid devaluing work by other creators - however, in the spirit of the jam, I have added a set of free review copies under the rewards for the purpose of any fellow participants.

[Edit] in fact, forget that: I've made it free for the jam duration for simplicity and added a note to the product text.

Hi! The files seem to have disappeared from the downloads... could you have a look please?

Use this thread to suggest original characters you'd like to see depicted in stock art. Artists, feel free to pull from this thread when creating your submissions.

By posting, you acknowledge that your idea may be used to create commercial stock art. You warrant that the ideas are your own and you grant a full non-revocable, royalty-free, no attribution licence to use and commercially exploit your idea. All rights to any derivative content vest in the artist.

Use this thread to introduce yourself, your skills and your portfolio!

I'll start - my name is Luciella Scarlett (she/her pronouns), and I am the organiser for this jam. You can find me at @luciellaes on Twitter. I'm an aro ace artist and indie dev creating RPGs and RPG supplements. Along with my solo work, I have contributed to several TTRPG collaborations including the diverse NPC anthology Friends, Foes and Other Fine Folks and the ENnie nominated Uncaged Anthology. The latter project spawned discussion about a lack of female representation in available stock art, especially female characters which are not designed for a male gaze and especially women of colour, which inspired me to set up this jam.

DMsGuild: http://bit.ly/DMG_LuciellaES | Itch: https://luciellaes.itch.io | Blog/Portfolio: https://luciellaes.wordpress.com

Hello! Just checking if late submissions were still allowed? I emailed through a few days ago but saw that voting has already started, so I wasn't sure how it works... thanks!

Thank you!! :D glad you had fun

Nope, that's her one weakness.

And thank you! :)

I think the others above have pretty much covered it, so I'll just add a few extra points:

• Rather than "OGL" as a tag, I think "5E OGL" would be more helpful - because a) it makes it clearer which game system applies and b) there is more than the one OGL. I think 3.5E had an OGL too? And so does Pathfinder, though that might have a different name.
• "Physical game" can mean a few things. Most of what I write is RPGs and RPG supplements, but I also created a print and play that is more of a storytelling game. And there are some card games or board games in there as well. So maybe additional categories for those? I don't know what sort of labels would be helpful, so maybe someone else can make a suggestion.
• Creator resources might be another useful category. I'm not sure if that's in scope of Itch, but I'm thinking things like stock art or templates for RPGs.
• Is there a way to add print on demand functionality to Itch, such as partnering with another platform? Or even the option to purchase a hard copy and have the creator handle printing and shipping? This might be a longer term one, but I thought I'd put it out there.

Hope that's helpful.